Magazine

For a period of two weeks starting in late September, the Arc de Triomphe was only recognizable by its shape. Schlaich bergermann partner (sbp) implemented the wrapping project of the artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Paris. Katinka Corts spoke with Mike Schlaich on the engineering of... Katinka Corts

Originally built as a gatehouse for the Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, the century-old Schiff House now serves as daycare center for the City College of New York. Stone outside and wood inside, the small building was renovated by Michielli + Wyetzner Architects and opened in 2020.... Michielli + Wyetzner Architects

One month after reports indicated Norman Foster's Tulip tower planned for the City of London was "likely to happen," the 305-meter-tall tower has been rejected over its "unsustainable concept" and its visual impact on heritage buildings. John Hill

The recently completed Babyn Yar Synagogue in Kyiv, Ukraine, commemorates the massacre of approximately 35,000 Jews over two days in September 1941. The building was designed by Manuel Herz Architects to literally open like a book, echoing the congregation's act of coming together to read from... John Hill

Optimist Hall is a former textile mill and pantyhose factory that was recently transformed into a food hall with indoor and outdoor seating. Many parts of the existing building outside of its structure, walls, and floors were salvaged and incorporated into the project. Square Feet Studio,... Square Feet Studio, Perkins&Will

Architect and educator Michael Sorkin, who died in March 2020 in the wave of Covid that swept through New York City, was known best as a tenacious and irascible critic of buildings and cities. His writing was also joyful, apparent in the widely circulated list of "250 Things an Architect... John Hill

Unveiled by Foster + Partners in late 2018 but then rejected by London mayor Sadiq Khan less than a year later, The Telegraph is reporting that the Tulip is expected to gain approval from the housing secretary, allowing the 305-meter tower to proceed. John Hill

Number of the estimated 8,000 architectural marvels threatened by wind erosion, war, and economic struggles in Sana’a and other ancient cities of Yemen that were René Ammann

The inauguration of the new Aarhus School of Architecture — the first ever new building for a school of architecture in Denmark — was held on October 4, followed a few days later by a two-day architecture festival with the title "Opening: Staying with the Trouble." John Hill

The 17th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) — an event where great films such as No Time to Die premiered, but also an opportunity for up-and-coming filmmakers to present their debut works as world premieres — wrapped up on October 3, 2021. The festival was held as a purely on-site event, with... Katinka Corts

The World Architecture Festival has announced that, "In response to continuing COVID-19 travel restrictions," the 13th annual festival will "migrate its 2021 event in December to a live and interactive digital format." John Hill

Public space in China developed completely differently than it did in European cities of the twentieth century. In imperial China there was no open public space that had been fought for and defended by the citizens. Cities were shaped by streets and alleys, markets and temple courtyards, as... Eduard Kögel

The Playscape is a children’s community centre housed in a former industrial complex north of Beijing that dates to the 1970s. The design by waa (we architech anonymous) is a fantastical landscape of mounds, pipes, slides, nets, and other features depicted in a short film made by Studio FF. John Hill

In June 2020, in some of the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic, the Mayor of New York City executed the Open Restaurants Program, which enabled storefront restaurants to provide seating in shelters that occupy parking spaces next to the curb. Maiden Korea is an exceptional example of one... Dash Marshall LLC

Imperial 400 Motel was a chain of motels that started in Los Angeles in the late 1950s and subsequently expanded into other parts of the United States. One of their locations in Washington State was recently transformed into a boutique hotel called Civic Hotel. The architects at Wittman Estes... Wittman Estes

As part of the Swedish furniture company's push to be more sustainable, in line with its buy back program and longterm goal to be "circular and climate positive," IKEA recently opened a store in central Vienna that was designed by the architects at querkraft with terraces for 160 trees — and... John Hill

The award ceremony for the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, given to French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal of Lacaton Vassal, was released on September 14th — taking place online for the second time in its 43-year history. John Hill

From asphalt to apartments: 83 Gardner Street, in Boston's Allston neighborhood, is an apartment building that replaces a former parking lot and further connects to a Victorian house that was renovated as part of the project. Hacim + Associates answered a few questions about the restoration... Hacin + Associates

He lived his life with a natural cosmopolitan attitude and open-mindedness into his old age. Jörg Schlaich was a quiet and modest man, yet self-confident and without the airs and graces of many of the stars acting on the architecture stage worldwide. Jörg Schlaich died on September 4. Falk Jaeger

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has revealed the eight shortlisted projects in the WAF Certified Timber Prize 2021, supported for the third consecutive year by the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).  John Hill

Walter de Maria's The 2000 Sculpture — a horizontal sculpture made up of 2,000 white plaster rods — is back on display at the Kunsthaus Zürich, in the large column-free gallery it was created for nearly thirty years ago. John Hill

Crossboundaries was commissioned to regenerate a linear streetscape adjacent to a parking lot close to the Xiaopu Cultural Plaza into a lively outdoor community park. This project is the first realized vibrant design project of many to follow in the footsteps of this new communal spirit. Crossboundaries

As the Flagship restaurant for a growing and innovative franchise, it was important to the client that the project create a recognizable landmark along the main axis road, and that it be welcoming to the community. Studio Link-Arc

Hotel Bohinj, the former Hotel Kompas, was built spontaneously over the last three decades, without thinking about its final appearance. It is raised on a plateau, which gives it a special intimacy, with views of Lake Bohinj, the mountains and the church of Janez Krstnik. The new owners of the... OFIS arhitekti

The new home of Dick Clark + Associates in Austin, Texas, occupies a portion of a building that formerly served as a pawn shop. The architects admit the tilt-up concrete building was pretty "drab," but in their hands it has been transformed into a light-filled building that illustrates how... Dick Clark + Associates

On Thursday, July 29th, a 14-year-old boy jumped to his death — the fourth suicide since the climbable sculpture designed by Thomas Heatherwick opened in March 2019. The Vessel promptly closed and was immediately followed by renewed calls to install higher barriers. John Hill

Instead of opening to fanfare this week, the Marble Arch Mound, a temporary installation designed by MVRDV for the western end of London's Oxford Street, was derided by visitors and mocked online for failing to meet expectations. John Hill

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the 478-strong shortlist for the 2020/21 WAF Awards, which will be decided at the FIL exhibition center in Lisbon at the beginning of December – delayed one year due to the pandemic. John Hill

In the 1960s, Astra Zarina was the only female architect among many male colleagues who designed more than 1,000 flats in the Märkisches Viertel housing estate in Berlin. Yet she went unnoticed. Why is that? Eduard Kögel

June 20th marked the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Convention on Refugees coming into force. It offers millions of people protection and a life in safety — things that people who have not suffered war or displacement take for granted. To remember history, but also to perpetuate it, the... Katinka Corts

Many adaptive reuse projects turn old buildings, many of them industrial, into entirely different uses: offices, residences, even museums. In this regard, an appealing aspect of AutoHaus is the way it retains part of its original function. KUBE architecture answered a few questions about the... KUBE architecture

Old buildings need not be grand or architecturally significant to be reused. Take a diminutive machine shop in Seattle's trendy Ballard neighborhood that was transformed into a cannabis shop. Graham Baba Architects answered a few questions about their transformation of an industrial building... Graham Baba Architects

Estimated net worth of the world’s most affluent architect, Norman Foster: $240 million (€201m) René Ammann

Richard Meier & Partners Architects, the firm started by its namesake in 1963, is now Meier Partners, coinciding with the 86-year-old architect's retirement and reflecting the firm's effort to move past the sexual... John Hill

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has announced that Carson Chan is the first director of the Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and the Natural Environment, which was created last year. John Hill

What do architects think about important future issues such as climate change or digitalization? How do they envision a sustainable building culture? What solutions do they have? What framework conditions do they need in order to fulfill their tasks and responsibilities in the best possible... Elias Baumgarten