Articles by Maria-Cristina Florian

Every city is a complex environment, bringing together people, cultures, architecture, commerce, and even nature. While experiencing a city, a lot of attention is given to its appearance, but appearance is not everything. The theory of sensory design aims to go beyond vision and explore the richness of the built environment through textures, smells, and sounds. For city officials and planners, a lot of attention generally goes towards how a city looks and sounds, but in terms of smell, the focus is mainly on managing waste or cleaning unsanitary areas. Yet the sense of smell, so often overlooked, is strongly linked to the creation of emotional memories. It contributes to our understanding of the world; it reveals otherwise hidden cultural practices, and it rounds up the experience of an environment.

Japan-based architectural office Kengo Kuma and Associates has unveiled the design for what will become the studio’s first residential tower in the United States. Located on the oceanfront of Miami Beach, the 18-story structure will accommodate private condominiums for hospitality brand Aman. The project is adjacent to the Versailles building, a 1940s Art Deco hotel currently under restoration by architect Jean-Michel Gathy. The Art Deco architecture of Miami’s Faena district has a unique rhythm, which, according to the architect, was translated into the geometry of the new building through its vertical and horizontal lines.

The municipality of Milan has announced the results of the competition to design the new European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) in Milan, Italy. The winning team is composed of Onsite Studio, Baukuh, Yellow Office, SCE Project SRL, Studio Mistretta Starching, Stain Engineering SRL, DotDotDot, (Ab)Normal, and Atmos Labs. The new building, situated in the Porta Vittoria area of Milan, aims to go beyond the traditional functions of a library to become a laboratory for the tools necessary to create contemporary culture.

Design and innovation office CRA – Carlo Ratti Associati unveils the result of its Urban Vision and Urban Program for Manifesta 14, the European Nomadic Biennial in Prishtina, Kosovo, between July 22 and October 30, 2022. CRA’s project proposes a new methodology for reclaiming public space in the city. It starts with a series of open-ended design interventions to encourage citizen participation and foster feedback loops to create long-term effects on the built environment. During the 20th century, regime changes and political clashes brought considerable turbulence to Kosovo and its cities. As a result, Prishtina currently suffers from a substantial shortage of public space, but a large group of disenfranchised residents is eager to reverse this situation.

Architecture practice Grimshaw, in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle, Arup, and VHB, has revealed designs for the Washington Union Station Expansion Project (SEP) in Washington DC, USA. The project will ensure the preservation of the historic station and will improve access to the existing railway services, Metrorail, DC Streetcar, and bus services. The expansion aims to become a multi-modal transportation hub for the district adjacent to the historic station. In addition, the SEP will incorporate enhanced vehicle access and cycle and pedestrian routes.

The climate crisis has made heat waves more likely and more intense around the world. In the northern hemisphere, the record-breaking temperatures are putting millions of people in danger. During the last months, recurring heatwaves have been affecting Central and Western Europe, causing wildfires, evacuations, and heat-related deaths. In the United States, local leaders are also urging caution, while densely populated cities in Asia are announcing strategies for coping with the extreme temperatures.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) in Florida has announced the appointment of Allied Works Architecture to lead the expansion and renovation project. The selection process took over nine months and it entailed a line-up of 13 national architectural firms and an eventual short-list. The winning design team will be led by Allied Works founder Brad Cloepfil and Principals Chelsea Grassinger and Gabe Smith. The expansion and renovation process is expected to be completed by 2026.

The New York City Senate and Assembly have passed the SIGH act, prohibiting the construction of new schools near major roadways. The act, named The Schools Impact by Gross Highways Act, aims to protect school-age children from air pollution. Under this law, the commissioner of education for the city will not be able to approve the plans for the construction of any new schoolhouse within 500 feet (150 meters) of a controlled-access highway unless the commissioner determines that space limitations are so severe that there is no other site to erect such new schoolhouse.

Powerhouse Company, in collaboration with landscape architecture office DELVA, has unveiled the design for a new visitor center for the Koekamp, which will play an essential role as a gateway to the new Hollandse Duinen national park. This intervention will open part of Keokamp, a green expanse near The Hague’s Central Station, to the public. The visitor center, commissioned by the Dutch forestry commission, is expected to be completed in 2024.

One of the central responsibilities of urban planners and designers is to create places within the city for gatherings, demonstrations, leisure, and relaxation. The following list of unbuilt public spaces presents projects that expand these spaces beyond the shores or riverfronts, return misused spaces back to the local communities and seek to optimize otherwise overlooked areas. These types of interventions are essential in improving the quality of life of the citizens and in making cities more enjoyable to live in.