Articles by Dima Stouhi

The Association of Arab Architects has announced the winners of the 2022 Arab Architects Awards. This year’s winning architectural projects highlight the importance of inclusive design, taking into account sustainability and designing with a sensible response to the local communities and landscapes they inhibit. The two-day ceremony was held in Amman, Jordan on November 16-17, 2022, and gathered hundreds of regional architects, urban planners, engineers, and designers of all demographics to explore and engage in discussions about architecture and the future of the built environment in the Arab region.

Interior design has progressively become a subject of interest among architects and designers. Having spent more time indoors recently, practitioners have been experimenting with their spaces and exploring different approaches to scale, comfort, and aesthetics. Much like everything else, design is highly influenced by external factors; any change to people’s lifestyle influences how they respond to it, whether consciously or subconsciously. And while this dynamic is often seen in fashion or graphic design, it has been noticeable in interior design as well. Following years of linear, clean-cut, and refined spaces, curved silhouettes were revived, becoming one of the dominating interior design trends across the world. 

The world’s recent shift towards prioritizing wellness has influenced people to seek healthier lifestyles by understanding the body and the mind collectively. External factors such as the geographic location, the environment, the community, financial status, and the relationships with friends and family have all shown to have considerable impacts on an individual’s health. However, it became evident that ensuring physical and mental health was not limited to having access to medical facilities and professional treatments, but was also determined by several factors related to the quality of the built environment. 

Nevada’s annual Burning Man is underway at the Black Rock Desert. Under the theme of Waking Dreams, this year’s festival is exploring the “transformative power of dreams, both literal and figurative, and celebrating the dreamers who channel this potent energy in eye-opening, often surrealistic, sometimes life-changing ways”. The “temporary metropolis” is running until September 5th, and is expected to showcase numerous installations and pavilions that celebrate “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance”.

Ahead of the official opening of the Expo City Dubai site on October 1st, the organizers have announced that visitors will have the chance to discover two of the Expo’s thematic pavilions: Alif and Terra starting September 1st, marking its inauguration. The pre-launch will also feature access to Garden in the Sky, a 360-degrees platform that offers panoramic views of the site.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has announced that Boston’s iconic concrete Government Center, the Hurley Building, will be getting a complete renovation by architecture firm NBBJ. Originally designed by Paul Rudolph, the brutalist building and its site were listed for sale in 2019. The new mixed-use development will “catalyze substantial economic development on the underutilized and uninviting site with a new life-sciences building, renovated state offices, ground-floor retail, improved public open space, and 200 units of mixed-income housing as part of a dynamic mixed-use development which will enliven and reactivate 5 acres in Downtown Boston”.

The architectural identity and urban fabric of the old city of Frankfurt has grown organically over centuries. Shops, bars, and craftsmen’s workshops have always attracted a lot of visitors to the area between the Cathedral, or “Dom” in German, and the Römer, the main square in the center of Frankfurt. Historically, the area included buildings of many different styles, such as Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical architecture, which most locals only knew about from black and white photographs, the town’s famous miniature model in the historic museum, or stories passed down through generations.

Ennead Architects has revealed its competition design entry for the Chilean-Argentine border complex along the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass, one of the most heavily-trafficked mountain passes through the southern Andes and between the two countries. Dubbed Samoré, the project is designed to serve as a welcoming station and refuge for travelers, complementing the Patagonian tradition of remote mountain shelters that are commonly found across the southern Andes.

After a three-year physical attendance hiatus due to the pandemic, Nevada’s annual Burning Man is making a return to the Black Rock Desert. From August 28 until September 5th, this year’s festival will welcome thousands of burners to celebrate music and art in a temporary metropolis dedicated to “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance”. Ahead of its 2022 inauguration, we are taking a look at some of the best installations to have been constructed during Burning Man’s previous editions.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop, in collaboration with Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Health Initiative have unveiled the designs of three new hospitals in Thessaloniki, Komotini, and Sparta, Greece. The three facilities aim to provide new hospital infrastructure and improve access and quality of care in regions that are underserved.