Its sale, for £275m, by BT to a hotel group, if it gives the tower a secure future, is welcome. I’m more troubled by the reports that the designer Thomas Heatherwick is to “repurpose” the building. His past work shows that he’s not one to leave well alone, but rather festoon structures with over-sized flower-pots and look-at-me swirling shapes. One can only hope that he discovers some restraint. The BT Tower is already an icon. It’s perfect. Let it be. — The Guardian
Readers will remember the critic's jabs at Heatherwick last fall after the publication of his new treatise on architecture and mental health, wherein Moore declared “an outbreak of shallow wannabe Gaudís” will follow in tow should the call-to-action be adopted. That provocation isn't... View full entry
Gensler has unveiled plans for a major renovation of JPMorgan Chase’s 55-year-old Chicago headquarters in the South Loop that will transform the building into a new state-of-the-art workplace aimed at fostering collaboration and ushering the bank’s over 14,500 local employees into what the... View full entry
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada has selected Indigenous rights activist Justice Murray Sinclair as the RAIC Gold Medal recipient for 2024. Sinclair was formerly the Chair of Canada's Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an enormously influential body whose... View full entry
Each year, the Sony World Photography Awards makes its selection of the best photographers working to document the lives, events, triumphs, and challenges of individuals and societies as a whole.This year’s contest bore a record number of photographers entering for the chance to win the $... View full entry
Valencia is reeling from a fatal fire at an apartment complex in the Spanish city. The incident began on the night of Thursday, February 22nd, and though the cause has not been definitively established, early reporting has suggested that the building’s cladding may have played a part in the... View full entry
Google’s brand new New York City headquarters inside St. John’s Terminal at Hudson Square has opened following the completion of a five-year and $2.1 billion project designed by COOKFOX Architects and Gensler. The renovation of the two-block-long former rail terminus yields a total of... View full entry
UNStudio and HYP Architects have emerged victorious in a competition for the design of the Kyklos building in Belval, Luxembourg. The office building represents the final part of a major redevelopment of an old industrial site, which now holds a university and technological center... View full entry
Snøhetta has shared new photos of its completed Beijing City Library design in the Chinese capital. What is billed by the team to be the "world's largest climatized reading space" is composed of a glass curtain wall fronted by a forest of sculptural columns resembling ginko trees in a... View full entry
A quartet of new landscape projects has been selected as the winners for the 25th International Garden Festival, which takes place in Grand-Métis, Quebec, from June 22nd until October 6th this year.For the special anniversary, designers responded to the theme ‘Ecology of Possibility’ put... View full entry
The Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, has shared new renderings and construction photos to go along with the announcement of the impending completion of a two-year, $100 million expansion project designed by Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture. The design establishes the new... View full entry
The next chapter in New York’s Hudson Yards has been revealed, with developers filing a bid for a potential mixed-use casino complex. Related Companies and Wynn Resorts submitted plans as part of an environmental impact process last week with the New York City Department of City Planning... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to Santa Monica-based KoningEizenberg, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to New York this week to explore the work of Bates Masi + Architects. From their studios across New York City and East Hampton, the five-decades-old firm operates along a principle... View full entry
Construction of what would be the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting Sicily and mainland Italy over the Strait of Messina, could begin this year after the final design recently gained approval. The long-delayed project would stretch more than 10,800 feet if completed. The controversial... View full entry
The LA Metro Board of Directors has given their final go-ahead for a controversial gondola project in Los Angeles that would offer an alternative transportation route from downtown Union Station to Dodger Stadium to baseball fans by the start of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The board voted... View full entry
The Gagosian Gallery’s Madison Avenue location has recently opened an exhibition of Frank Gehry artworks titled Ruminations. On view until April 6th, the gallery will be showing recent works Gehry’s team says are in dialog with the architect’s engagements with fluid aquatic animal... View full entry