Author Archives: Emine Merdim

The Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The World Heritage Committee meeting in an extraordinary session decided on Thursday to inscribe the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli (Lebanon) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Honorable Mention, Great Green Wall Single Stage Student Ideas Competition

Yıldız Technical University Architecture department students Ece İrem Tuncer, Hatice Bahar Çoklar and Okan Temür won the Honorable Mention award in the international student idea competition called Great Green Wall (GGW), which they participated as a team.

Honorable Mention, Great Green Wall Single Stage Student Ideas Competition

Istanbul University Architecture department students Alperen İraz, Eren Vardar and Süleyman Enes Kurt won the Honorable Mention award at the Great Green Wall Single Stage Student Ideas Competition, organized by the International Union of Architects (UIA), in which they participated as a team.

Construction Begins on Longest Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge in Flanders, Belgium

The first symbolic meter of the longest bicycle and pedestrian bridge in Flanders, Belgium has been laid. As part of the MoVeR0 consultancy consortium, and commissioned by De Werkvennootschap, architectural studio ZJA produced the architectonic design for the cycle bridge over the A201 Leopold III-Laan in Brussels. With a total length of 710 meters – including a 510 meter-long deck and 200 meters of sloping approaches – the bridge is a striking feature in the urban landscape. Construction starts in December, and the bridge will be open for use in 2024.

A new transport and heritage-led vision for urban densification at Brookfield Place in Sydney

At 285 George Street in Sydney, Make Architects’ Sydney studio has completed the last piece of the Brookfield Place project, encompassing the new Wynyard Station as well as Shell House – one of the city’s finest surviving examples of interwar commercial palazzo style architecture.

Primitive Shelter: Blue Bottle Zhang Yuan Cafe

At the end of the 19th century, Zhang Yuan, the most famous garden of Shanghai, developed into one of the earliest public and commercial spaces in modern China, exemplifying and leading the emergence of a new Chinese urban lifestyle. In 2022, as Zhang Yuan reopens to the public after a complete rehabilitation of its historic buildings, Neri&Hu was commissioned by Blue Bottle to create a retail space in one of the old Shikumen typology residences. Coffee initiates a dialogue between Shanghai’s rich history and the contemporary urban social realm.

New Addition to Gösta Serlachius Museum: Art Sauna

Architecture practices Mendoza Partida (Héctor Mendoza, Mara Partida) and BAX Studio (Boris Bezan), winners in 2011 of the international competition organized by the Serlachius Foundation to extend its museum with the construction of the Gösta pavilion, have brought the logic and common sense they applied then to the new space. To this end, one of the main architectural principles in the design of Art Sauna involved integrating the building into the journey, merging it with the terrain and making it part of the landscape.

Preservation and Rehabilitation of Rural Landscape of Gaodang

Landscape of the Year 2022 was awarded to SHANCUN Atelier, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University + Anshun Institute of Architectural Design for its project Preservation and Rehabilitation of Rural Landscape of Gaodang: A Buyi Ethnic Minority Group Village in Southwest China. The project was selected as the winner from the Landscape Rural category.

Origami-Inspired Kinetic Roof on Restored 18th-Century Landmark

CRA and Italo Rota turn an 18th-century hospital complex in Italy into a multi-disciplinary cultural hub. The master plan for AGO Modena Fabbriche Culturali features a kinetic roof designed with artist-engineer Chuck Hoberman, part of a broader, progressive vision for the restoration of historical buildings.

City of Helsinki announces winning proposal for Makasiiniranta design competition

K2S Architects’ and Swedish White Arkitekter’s design is selected for new waterfront cultural destination, which will include site of New Museum of Architecture and Design.

The Centre for Community Life in Trinitat Vella

The Centre for Community Life in Barcelona’s Trinitat Vella district is a pioneering project in the management of local social policy. It houses various social services and bodies, including a Women’s Information and Attention Point, and aims to become a neighbourhood meeting space that is warm and welcoming thanks to the use of wood in its construction.

Winner of the European Prize for Urban Public Space: “The Recovery of The Catharijnesingel”

The restoration of the Catharijnesingel canal in Utrecht, by OKRA landschapsarchitecten, declared winner of the 2022 European Prize for Urban Public Space.

Michelin-Starred Cuisine Under the Grass

CRA sculpts a company dining hall in Italy by cutting out a piece of land and raising it above the ground. The project is developed for Mutti, the leading European producer of high-end tomato products. The canteen, a spacious, luminous piece of architecture created directly from nature, will serve factory workers and external diners, and be run by a culinary team known for its Michelin-starred restaurants.

CapitaSpring

Singapore has a new skyline addition with the completion of CapitaSpring – a 280-meter-tall high-rise oasis that continues the city’s pioneering vertical urbanism with a diverse neighborhood of restaurants, office space, a serviced residence and sky gardens from the ground all the way up to the 51st floor. Currently among the city’s tallest towers, CapitaSpring is designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati who collaborated on its architecture, public space, and digital user experience (respectivel

MEV

Seduced by the photographic narration illustrating the projects of Studio Jean Verville, two admirable eccentrics, passionate about art and Italian design of the 80s, invited him to design their refuge in the forest. The objective is to host their daily lives with a whimsical energy, a challenge in absolute cohesion with the disruptive approach of the Studio.

Towards The Design Of Fusion Power Plants

CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and Italo Rota, together with energy company Eni, illustrate magnetic confinement fusion – one of the most promising technologies for sustainable energy production. The project has been unveiled at Rome’s Maker Faire within a former gasholder. It features the conceptual model of a Tokamak reactor as a starting point to envision the design of tomorrow’s fusion power plants.

A wayfinding system for railway builders

Totetsu Kogyo Co., Ltd., founded at the request of the former Ministry of Railways to maintain and reinforce Japan’s rail system, is a general construction company with far-reaching expertise in the field of rail-related construction. The designer created a wayfinding system at the Totetsu Training Institute, built by the company built to help preserve its legacy of unique expertise, enhance its technological prowess, and develop highly capable human resources.

MAD Architects Unveils Dynamic Design for the MoLo (Mobility and Logistic hub) Near Milan

Set along the western boundary of the Milano Innovation District (MIND) — a recently developed neighborhood bringing together cutting-edge scientific research and education, business, and leisure facilities northwest of central Milan, Italy — led by Chinese Architect Ma Yansong, MAD Architects has unveiled renderings of a monumental gateway complex.

Lemay’s Sustainable Design of a New SOPREMA Plant Sets Manufacturing Standard With a LEED Certification

Leveraging architecture, interior design, landscape, and engineering to make a positive impact on climate change, SOPREMA’s new plant in Woodstock, Ontario marks a new chapter for eco-conscious manufacturing. Designed by the architecture and design firm Lemay, these facilities help set new standards with its green building leadership in efficient carbon- and cost-savings, in addition to a focus on employee health and well-being.

Morland Mixité Capitale

Following six years of design and construction, the mixed-use complex Morland Mixité Capitale in the centre of Paris has been completed. The building on the banks of the River Seine was originally constructed in the 1960s and has been refurbished, remodelled and extended by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin. 

Design for World of Volvo Revealed as Timber Construction Begins

With the timber structure starting to reveal it’s form, we’re pleased to reveal the design for World of Volvo: a unique experience center and meeting place for the famed Swedish brands, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group in Gothenburg that puts its focus on Scandinavian landscape, environment, and traditions.

Timber Bridge in Gulou Waterfront

Due to the unique tidal flat landform, Gulou, in Jiangmen City, established the tradition of making use of the water system to dig ponds and form mounds for fishing and farming. As the water system and fish ponds occupy a large area, and form a fragmented spatial pattern in local villages, many bridges have been built to connect the areas segmented by water. With rapid urbanization in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, many local villagers have abandoned the traditional fishing lifestyle in favor of living a more urban life. For this reason, water villages in which people make a living by fishing have been gradually disappearing.

How e-scooters can safely operate in a city?

E-scooters have become a familiar sight in cities worldwide in recent years, with many new companies renting them for use. But their arrival has also brought new safety concerns. Now, researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, present a framework for comparing how different micromobility vehicles, such as e-scooters, and bicycles move in cities, a methodology that can benefit companies and local authorities alike, and—most importantly—contribute to improving traffic safety.

Chuan Malt Whiskey Distillery (Neri&Hu)

Three years ago, Neri&Hu won the design competition and took up the challenge of designing a distillery and home for Pernod Ricard’s first whisky in China, an opportunity to create a timeless architecture that speaks to the core values of a visionary new brand as well as the material and cultural heritage it aspires to sustain.

Farfetch partners with BIG to build art-filled HQ in Portugal

Farfetch, the leading global technology platform for luxury fashion, seeks to further connect creators, curators, and consumers in a purpose-built urban fashion village on the slopes of Leça River in Porto. The 178,000 m2 art-filled site has been named FUSE VALLEY and is developed in collaboration with Portuguese real estate developer, Castro Group.

Lemay and Atelier 21 Create a New Act for the Grand Théâtre de Québec

Grand Théâtre de Québec’s restoration project has just been awarded four prestigious awards of excellence. Two have been presented by the Ordre des architects du Québec – the jury’s highest honors and the public’s choice. SAB Magazine has also recognized the project with the Green Building Award as well as the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, for its innovative prowess.

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal Receive the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, of France, have been selected as the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureates, announced Tom Pritzker, Chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award that is known internationally as architecture’s highest honor.

Théâtre Legendre

In Évreux, OPUS 5 architectes has delivered the renovated Théâtre “Legendre”, enhancing the town’s emblematic Beaux-Arts style edifice with a more contemporary look and feel. The highly respectful project aimed to restore this theater dating from 1903 to its former glory, in its original architectural style and including the design of a new décor for the lobby.

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara Receive the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Dublin, Ireland, have been selected as the 2020 Pritzker Prize Laureates, announced Tom Pritzker, Chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the award that is known internationally as architecture’s highest honor.

Finalist, The Iceland Volcano Museum International Architectural Competition

Bee Breeders tarafından, Mývatn Gölü ve çevresi için yerli turizm aktivitelerini destekleyen çok amaçlı bir müze tasarımı için düzenlenen “İzlanda Volkan Müzesi” yarışmasında, Emrah Kuşener, Faruk Yıldırım ve Hande Erdoğan ekibinin projesi shortliste kaldı.

JCA Living Lab Named World Interior of the Year at INSIDE Festival of Interiors 2019

JCA Living Lab, a regenerated Japanese Colonial house in Taipei city, Taiwan, by J.C. Architecture, has been named as the World Interior of the Year for 2019. The project has beaten over 90 finalists across nine categories to win the final accolade.

Karen Blixens Plads

Late August was the official opening of a new, major square in Copenhagen: Karen Blixens Plads. The square has a unique undulating landscape with hollow hills and low bicyclebeds creating a new and innovative way to park bicycles.

It is one of the largest public spaces in Copenhagen and has room for more than 2,000 parked bicycles. COBE, under Dan Stubbergaard’s leadership, created the design in close collaboration with EKJ Consulting Engineers.

Køge Nord Station

The event marked the opening of the new gateway to Copenhagen, which provides access to more efficient and sustainable transport for everyone going to and from the nation’s capital. And that is not all: For Køge and the rest of the region the new project adds a landmark of international dimensions: the 225-meter-long footbridge that connects the new double-track high-speed rail line between Copenhagen and the city of Ringsted with the existing commuter urban-suburban S-train line above the Køge Bugt Highway.

“Italy brings an Innovation Hub to Expo 2020”

The Pavilion, officially unveiled in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.A.E., is made out of three boats, which will embark on a figurative journey to Dubai and will be converted into the roofscape of the structure before moving on after Expo 2020 – as an exploration into recycling, circularity and a digitally reconfigurable architecture.

CopenHill

Designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, SLA, AKT, Lüchinger+Meyer, MOE and Rambøll, CopenHill opens as a new breed of waste-to-energy plant topped with a ski slope, hiking trail and climbing wall, embodying the notion of hedonistic sustainability while aligning with Copenhagen’s goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025.

Winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture Announced

The winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture were announced today. The winners, who will share US$ 1 million between them, are: Bahrain Revitalisation of Muharraq, which highlights the World Heritage site’s pearling history, was first initiated as a series of restoration and reuse projects. The project evolved into a comprehensive programme that […]

Casa Nostra

Concept & program: A house in the middle of a garden, designed for our way of living and feeling; with two clearly differentiated volumes. One of them slender and closed, which contains our less vital intensity spaces, like bathrooms, stairs, bedrooms or storage, and the other one, horizontal and transparent, where we spend most of […]

Cutwork designs first large-scale coliving space in Paris

Launching in June 2019, the coliving space, Flatmates, will start moving in 600 residents from French billionaire Xavier Niel’s nearby coworking campus. The building, consisting of 100 shared apartments, café, private lounge bar and space for events, is available to entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups, or staff members working within the STATION F campus. As an architecture […]

Women’s Power in Culture Research

With the ‘Women and Leadership in Arts and Culture’ programme, the British Council aims to support the upward mobility of women professionals in the arts and culture sector and to promote their potential as changemakers. The British Council believes that gender equality and women’s empowerment are crucial to creating an inclusive society and examines the […]

Istanbul Design Biennial Unveils The Curator of Its 5th Edition

Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial will take place on 26 September – 8 November 2020. This year, the biennial will be curated by architect and curator Mariana Pestana.

Zaha Hadid Architects Completed Niederhafen River Promenade

Located at Niederhafen on the Elbe River between St. Pauli Landungsbrücken and Baumwall in Hamburg, the upgraded 625 metre river promenade is integral to the modernisation and reinforcement of the city’s flood protection system. In the aftermath of storm surge floods in February 1962 that caused 315 fatalities and destroyed the homes of 60,000 residents, […]

The Cultural Landscape Foundation Establishes International Landscape Architecture Prize

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based education and advocacy organization, announced that it will establish an international landscape architecture prize to be conferred biennially. This is the first and only international landscape architecture prize that includes a US$100,000 monetary award. In addition, the Prize features two years of related public engagement activities […]