Construction work has now begun on the £300m (US$393m, €336m) renovation of Borough Yards in London – a series of Victorian-era railway arches that sit near to the River Thames, Tate Modern art gallery and world-famous foodie haunt Borough Market. Due for completion in 2020, Borough Yards will feature five mixed-use buildings that will house a workspace, retail units, gallery, restaurants, cinema and creative spaces. The brick-built railway viaducts will

International architects OMA have been selected by the Dutch government to transform a former prison into a cultural and civic space for Amsterdam. Bijlmerbajes was built in the southeast of the capital in the 1970s, and in the intervening decades the complex’s six linked towers have become a city landmark. As Amsterdam has expanded in all directions, they have gradually become the geographic centre of its newest urban districts. The

A Japanese fabric manufacturer has teamed up with Kengo Kuma and Associates to demonstrate how carbon fibre curtains can protect buildings from earthquakes. Komatsu Seiren have opened a laboratory in the city of Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture, to showcase the invention – which is formed of carbon fibre mixed with a high tensile twine-like material. These curtains, or rods, spread across the structure like a curtain and tether it to the

A design team led by landscape architect Mia Lehrer + Associates (MLA), and featuring Rem Koolhaas’ OMA, has been selected by the City of Los Angeles to design “one of the most important civic spaces in the city’s vibrant downtown core”. Located on First and Broadway and known as FAB Park, the project incorporates themes of food, art and land to celebrate LA’s diversity. The City’s Department of Recreation and

A sub-species of sea urchin has inspired a group of German architects, designers, engineers and biologists to develop an intricate robotically-produced pavilion. The Sand Dollar’s two-layered shell is formed of extremely thin fibres and stretching plates, connected in such a way that the integrity of the shell remains strong even as the urchin grows. This realisation prompted researchers Achim Menges and Jan Knippers to explore how robotic biomimicry could be

Some of the biggest names in architecture and design have developed prefabricated pavilions for real estate developer Robbie Antonio as part of his Revolution Project. Over 30 creative individuals – including Ron Arad, Kengo Kuma and Daniel Libeskind – were invited to create cost-efficient living and leisure spaces using advanced design and fabrication technologies. Volu, a shell-shaped dining space created by Zaha Hadid Architecture studio, was the first to be