Articles by Maria-Cristina Florian

The Graham Foundation has announced the award of 56 new grants to individuals exploring ideas that expand contemporary understandings of architecture. The recipients have been selected from an open call that resulted in nearly 500 submissions. The selected projects are led by 81 individuals with diverse backgrounds. The funded projects, including exhibitions, publications, films, and podcasts, among other formats, encourage experimentation and foster critical discourse in architecture.

New York-based architecture studio ODA has revealed the design of Ombelle, a duo of residential towers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The two 43-story buildings will accommodate 1,100 rental units, completed with amenities and retail spaces. At the base of the building, an urban plaza connects the development to its neighboring area and Flanger Village. The Ombelle complex is ODA’s second large-scale residential project in Fort Lauderdale. The first one, the Kushner tower, is located in the same district.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced Sands End Arts and Community Centre by Mæ Architects as the 2022 London Building of the Year. Sited beside the Clancarty Lodge in the northwestern corner of South Park, the community center is a development comprising several new pavilions arranged around the existing Clancarty Lodge, a landmark included in the project and refurbished as an exhibition space.

Public spaces play a significant role in organizing the life of every community but defining what differentiates them from other spaces within the city is not an easy task. Once these spaces start to settle into the collective memory of the local communities, they become key elements that concentrate the mental image of a city. While this process usually happens with urban spaces, monuments and isolated architectural elements can also become markers for the urban life of an area. So, what happens when dramatic events like fires, war, or even the pandemic alter that image?

Haptic and Ramboll conceptualize a novel structure that hopes to eradicate the need for demolition. The timber high-rise construction is built for maximum flexibility and longevity, being able to change its configuration and, consequently, its functions to adapt to the city’s changing needs. The design concept is based on the idea of maximizing the potential of sites in inner-city neighborhoods. To exemplify the regenerative potential of this model, the architects have applied the concept to a tight urban area in the center of Oslo, Norway.

Syrian architects Marwa Al-Sabouni and Ghassan Jansiz bring an Arabic-inspired architectural element to the seafront of Hove as part of this year’s Brighton Festival. The temporary pavilion is built in the shape of the traditional arcade called The Riwaq. Conceived as a place that brings people together, the installation will host free cultural and community events, all organized as part of England’s largest annual multi-arts festival. Established in 1967, the Brighton Festival celebrates music, theatre, dance, art, film, literature, debate, and outdoor events in various locations across Brighton, Hove, and East Sussex.

The Camden Highline, a London project that plans to turn a disused stretch of railway viaduct into a new elevated park and walking route, was submitted for planning. The 1.2km route, 8 meters above ground, will connect Camden Gardens in the west to York Way in the east. The design was awarded to a team led by James Corner Field Operations, the practice behind the New York High Line, who will work with Kentish town-based vPPR Architects, London artist Hew Locke, community consultation organization Street Space and Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, among others.

The City of Prague announced the international competition results for the design of the Vltava Philharmonic Hall. The winning project is designed by Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG. The new concert hall aims to become a focal point for the city and reinforce Prague’s reputation as a European cultural capital. The proposed volume of the new Philharmonic Hall presents a recognizable image while also being well integrated into the complex topography of the Vltava riverbank. Visitors are invited to follow the meandering series of plazas connected by sloping roofs that take them from the riverbank to the rooftop, promising views of the historic city center of Prague. Spanish architecture practice Barozzi Veiga collaborated with local office Atelier M1 and won second place. Bevk Perović Arhitekti and Petr Hájek Architekti won third and fourth place, respectively, while Snøhetta‘s proposal was declared the fifth winner.

Google’s first ground-up campus, designed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Heatherwick Studios in collaboration with Google’s design and engineering teams, opened in Silicon Valley. The campus’ mission is to create a human-centric design for the future of Google’s workplace and set new global sustainability standards for construction and office design. The site aims to operate entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030; it integrates the most extensive geothermal pile system in North America and is net-water positive. The campus also includes 17 acres of high-value natural areas, including wet meadows, woodlands, and marsh.

Architecture firm HENN has broken ground on the new Zoomlion Headquarters. The building is envisioned as the central feature of the Smart Industry City, an industrial park in the High-tech Zone of Changsha City, Hunan Province, China. HENN has envisioned the construction machinery manufacturer’s headquarters as a gathering place that will concentrate most of the social activities happening on the site. The building will house office spaces, a museum dedicated to the company’s history, a canteen, a data center, training and research areas, and sports facilities.