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'A Chinese puzzle of interlocking spaces': Ole Scheeren completes Guardian Art Center in Beijing
by Kim Megson | 24 Jan 2018
German architect Ole Scheeren has completed the much-anticipated Guardian Art Center on the doorstep of Beijing’s historic Forbidden City. The building is a hybrid cultural institution, featuring museum galleries, conservation facilities, restaurants and a hotel. It also claims to have the world’s first custom-built auction house. The centre’s lower portion is a series of nested stone volumes that echo the scale and materiality of the adjacent traditional hutong courtyard houses,
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter design landmark timber tower and culture hub for heart of Oslo
by Kim Megson | 23 Jan 2018
A design team led by Norwegian practice Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter has won an invited competition to create a vast cultural hub, topped by a timber tower enclosed in glass, next to Oslo’s historic railway station. The project, called Fjordporten, will be the largest mixed-use complex in Norway. It has been conceived to revitalise the area around the main train station and offer travellers “new spatial and qualitative experiences.” The base
Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter design landmark timber tower and culture hub for heart of Oslo
by Kim Megson | 23 Jan 2018
A design team led by Norwegian practice Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter has won an invited competition to create a vast cultural hub, topped by a timber tower enclosed in glass, next to Oslo’s historic railway station. The project, called Fjordporten, will be the largest mixed-use complex in Norway. It has been conceived to revitalise the area around the main train station and offer travellers “new spatial and qualitative experiences.” The base
Investment group announces MX$550m theme park plans for Mexico
by Tom Anstey | 22 Jan 2018
A series of theme parks has been announced, to open in Mexico, with the first coming to Mexico City later this year at a cost of MX$550m (US$29.4m, €24m, £21.1m). Coming to the municipality of Iztapalapa on the east side of the Mexican capital, entertainment investment firm Grupo Diniz are behind the franchise, called Kataplum. Covering 27,000sq m (290,000sq ft), theme park attractions will be split into three areas covering
Revealed: Opening date for Scotland's first design museum, created by Kengo Kuma
by Kim Megson | 18 Jan 2018
V&A Dundee, Scotland’s first design museum, will open to the public on Saturday 15 September 2018, it has been revealed. New images of the Kengo Kuma-designed building have been released to coincide with the announcement, as have details of the museum’s inaugural exhibitions. Standing at the centre of the £1bn (US$1.3bn, €1.1bn) transformation of the city’s waterfront, once part of the docklands, V&A Dundee has been designed to evoke the
Norwegian brewery partners with COBE to create Stavanger waterfront attraction
by Kim Megson | 17 Jan 2018
Danish architects COBE and Norwegian beer maker Lervig have unveiled plans for a major waterfront visitor centre and brewery in Stavanger, Norway. Located on a former industrial pier, the 11,000sq m (118,400sq ft) building has been conceived as “a unique attraction for locals and visitors”, with a harbour bath, roof garden and street-food market all incorporated into the mixed-use scheme. COBE have described the design concept as “part architecture, part
Kengo Kuma wins competition for Danish Water Culture Center as Copenhagen's cultural masterplan takes shape
by Kim Megson | 17 Jan 2018
Kengo Kuma’s extensive pipeline of public projects just got even longer, with his firm winning an international competition to design an aquatics centre on an artificial quay in Copenhagen’s harbour. The municipality has selected Kengo Kuma Associates to create the 5,000sq m (53,800sq ft) Danish Water Culture Center, ahead of four other shortlisted teams – BIG, 3XN Architects, AART Architects and ALA Architects. The project will be built on Christiansholm
Perkins+Will create science hub to anchor Suzhou culture district
by Tom Anstey | 15 Jan 2018
A science museum in Suzhou, China, is to act as the centrepiece of a new cultural district in the city, with the design celebrating nature while highlighting the role of industrial development. Taking inspiration from its surroundings, the 600,000sq ft (56,000sq m) Suzhou Science & Technology Museum is inspired by the Chinese expression of "shan sui", which means “union of mountain and lake”. Forming an infinity loop, the Perkins+Will-designed building
Welcome to the Gucci Garden: Alessandro Michele celebrates luxury brand with restaurant and museum in Florentine palace
by Kim Megson | 15 Jan 2018
The creative director of Gucci has opened a restaurant, museum and gift shop dedicated to the luxury fashion house – in a 14th-century Florentine palace. Alessandro Michele decided to open the attraction, called Gucci Garden, as a fun and accessible introduction to the brand and “a hypnotic territory that alters the state of consciousness and perception". The attraction spans three floors within the Palazzo della Mercanzia, which previously housed a
'A transition in time, space and memory': Architect behind Cyprus' national archaeology museum reveals design concept
by Kim Megson | 11 Jan 2018
Architect Theoni Xanthi has told CLADglobal how her team's vision for the national archaeology museum in Cyprus was inspired by “the materials that gave birth to Cypriot and Mediterranean culture”. The partner at Greek studio XZA Architects is leading the design of New Cyprus Museum – a project the firm won the project in a two-stage international competition held last year. Housing the nation’s treasures, the €49m (US$58.7m, £43.6m) building
Barack Obama reveals revised plans for Presidential Center
by Tom Anstey | 11 Jan 2018
Former US president Barack Obama has provided an update on his Presidential Center, promising to “create a campus for active citizenship in the heart of Chicago’s South Side”. The design, which was unveiled in May last year, has been created by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in partnership with Interactive Design Architects (IDEA). According to Obama and his wife, Michelle, the US$350m (€293m, £259.5m) Presidential Center – which is now
York's National Railway Museum finalising £50m development masterplan
by Tom Anstey | 09 Jan 2018
The National Railway Museum in York has said its £50m (US$67.6m, €56.7m) masterplan still is still being finalised, following local reports revealing new details about the institution’s redevelopment. Marking the most significant redevelopment since its opening in 1975, the museum’s seven-year masterplan hinges on the wider development of the 178-acre (720,000sq m) York Central brownfield site. Designated an Enterprise Zone in 2015, the site’s regeneration will help fund the museum’s
Shigeru Ban completes dramatic Mount Fuji World Heritage Center in shadow of famed volcano
by Kim Megson | 08 Jan 2018
The Pritzker-winning architect Shigeru Ban has completed the dramatic Mount Fuji World Heritage Center in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, with a design that mimics the famous dormant volcano. Located 20 miles southwest of the natural landmark, Ban’s 3,400sq m (36,500sq ft) facility is formed by an inverted latticed timber cone, that appears mountainous when seen in the large reflecting pool at the front of the complex. Inside, exhibitions tell the story
CF Møller to create Danish wetland park that prevents flooding
by Kim Megson | 08 Jan 2018
Architecture firm CF Møller have won a design competition to transform an area of wetland in the Danish city of Randers into a public nature park, as part of a climate adaptation project. Randers, like many towns in Denmark, is threatened by the effects of climate change, with its low-lying position in relation to the Gudenå, Denmark’s longest river, putting it at risk from flooding. To counter this, the municipality
Final design drawings revealed for power plant's rooftop ski slope and park
by Kim Megson | 04 Jan 2018
Danish landscape architects SLA have revealed their final design drawings for the rooftop park set to adorn Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG) forthcoming Amager Resource Center – one of the most-anticipated buildings of 2018. The centre, located in an industrial area of Copenhagen, is a waste-to-energy plant with unique public offerings – including a climbing wall on one facade and a 500m+ ski slope down its descending roof. Both the slope
Water sports lagoon approved for Sydney's Olympic Park
by Kim Megson | 04 Jan 2018
Proposals for an open water surf sports lagoon at Sydney Olympic Park have been given the green light by planning chiefs. The artificial wave park – located 25km from the ocean – has been designed by architects MJA Studio in collaboration with the WavePark Group, which will operate the site under its URBN Surf banner. The duo are already developing similar parks in Perth and Melbourne, with each site set
Public monument or postmodern pastiche? Towering Dubai Frame opens to public
by Kim Megson | 03 Jan 2018
The world’s largest frame has opened in Dubai, offering a surreal and symbolic perspective of the emirate’s architectural landmarks. The structure, which measures 150m (492ft) high and 93m (305ft) wide, is formed of two towers in Zabeel Park. The towers are connected by a 100sq m (1,076sq ft) bridge located 48 storeys above the ground, from which visitors can observe the surrounding cityscape. At ground level, the resultant rectangle frames
Work begins on Hungary's curving, golden Museum of Ethnography
by Kim Megson | 30 Dec 2017
Construction of the new Museum of Ethnography is underway in Budapest, Hungary. Site clearance has begun in Városliget (City Park) and work started on the foundations of the 31,400sq m (338,000sq ft) building, which will be formed by a gradually curving convex volume with an intricate, partly-golden patterned facade and a grass-covered roof. Hungarian architects Napur won an international design competition for the project in May 2016 – overcoming high-profile
Schmidt Hammer Lassen win competition to design Sports and Culture Campus in Aarhus
by Kim Megson | 20 Dec 2017
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (SHL) have been commissioned to design a sports and culture campus in Aarhus, Denmark The multi-use community project is a core component of the revitalisation of the city’s western Gellerup district, with local leaders committed to delivering “an inspiring, welcoming and open destination” for residents and 600,000 visitors annually. The sprawling Gellerup Sports and Culture Campus will include an ‘activity house’ for football; climbing and circus
Glenn Murcutt and Wendy Lewin design submerged home for Australian opal museum
by Kim Megson | 19 Dec 2017
Pritzker laureate Glenn Murcutt and architect Wendy Lewin are designing a museum in the Australian Outback to showcase the world’s greatest public collection of rare opalised fossils from the Age of Dinosaurs. The Australian Opal Centre will be built in the mining town of Lightning Ridge, constructed within a giant void excavated from the earth in 2013. The project is being funded by the New South Wales government, business donations
Work starts on Calatrava's Dubai 2020 Expo pavilion inspired by falcon in flight
by Kim Megson | 19 Dec 2017
The foundations have been laid for Santiago Calatrava’s showpiece UAE Pavilion for the Dubai World Expo in 2020. Inspired by a falcon in flight, the four-storey structure will represent the nation to the 25 million visitors expected to attend the architecture festival, which is themed ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’. Displays will showcase the country’s culture, history and development plans. Located in the centre of Dubai’s 200-hectare exhibition zone, the
Diébédo Francis Kéré’s Serpentine Pavilion finds new home in Malaysia
by Kim Megson | 18 Dec 2017
Diébédo Francis Kéré’s acclaimed 2017 Serpentine Pavilion – one of London’s architectural highlights this year – has found a new home in Malaysia. The ILHAM Gallery in Kuala Lumpur has announced it has been able to acquire the popular pavilion “due to the generous donations by our philanthropic friends and supporters”. The structure will be transported to Malaysia early next year, and ILHAM plans to eventually install it in a
Swiss wartime bunker to be converted into world-class concert hall for Andermatt ski resort
by Kim Megson | 18 Dec 2017
Construction will begin next month on a new concert hall in Andermatt, Switzerland, the town chosen by the Swiss as a strategic military outpost for the Second World War, and which is now one of the country’s largest Alpine resorts. The project has been designed by London practice Studio Seilern Architects, who have just received planning permission to create a “world-class concert facility comparable to those in European capitals.” Andermatt
RIBA International Prize longlist revealed, but which leisure buildings are in contention?
by Kim Megson | 14 Dec 2017
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (14 December) announced the RIBA International List 2018, a new biennial selection of the world’s best new buildings. A number of leisure projects are included in the prestigious longlist, including high-profile museums designed by the likes of Heatherwick Studio, Stanton Williams, AL_A and Bjarke Ingels Group. Libraries, cultural centres, a hotel and a concert hall are also recognised among the 62
Mather and Co to design Twickenham's World Rugby Museum
by Tom Anstey | 14 Dec 2017
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has named Manchester-based firm Mather and Co to design its new World Rugby Museum at the spiritual home of the sport – Twickenham Stadium. Scheduled to open in early 2018, the new attraction was commissioned by the RFU as part of the redevelopment of the 82,000-capacity stadium’s East Stand. The museum will cover 650sq m (7,000sq m) and will chart the history of rugby from
Snøhetta, KoningEizenberg and TEN face public vote on El Paso kids’ museum
by Alice Davis | 14 Dec 2017
Three international architecture firms invited to submit designs for a new children’s museum in the Mexico-US border city of El Paso, Texas, will soon learn the outcome of a public vote. Three firms are competing in the contest: the Santa Monica, California-based KoningEizenberg; Norwegian firm Snøhetta; and Mexico’s TEN Arquitectos. El Paso Community Foundation says the new children’s museum will “spark imaginations, curiosity, creativity and critical thinking through immersive, experiential
Starry shortlist announced for Adelaide art museum
by Kim Megson | 13 Dec 2017
A starry shortlist has been announced in the international competition to find a design team to create a new art museum in Adelaide, Australia. The Adelaide Contemporary – conceived as a sister museum to the Art Gallery of South Australia – will include an art gallery, a public sculpture park and a meeting place for the city. The competition brief required proposals that "integrate art, education, nature and people" and
Renovation work starts on Manhattan Beach's pier aquarium
by Alice Davis | 09 Dec 2017
A historic pier and aquarium on Manhattan Beach, California, is undergoing a major renovation after reaching its fundraising target. The Roundhouse Aquarium, which was built on the end of the 100-year-old iron pier, will benefit from a complete refurbishment, with the US$4m (£3m, €3.4m) project being led by Cambridge Seven Associates. Michael Greenberg, CEO of the global shoe company Skechers, led the appeal for funds, raising over US$1.5m (£1.12m, €950,000)
Public creativity crucial for cities, argues Urban Art Projects founder after Ai Weiwei collaboration in New York
by Kim Megson | 08 Dec 2017
One of the design team responsible for realising Ai Weiwei’s huge ‘security fence’ installations across New York has told CLADglobal the popularity of the project demonstrates why cities and developers would be “mad” not to commission creativity. Dan Tobin, the founder of international creative design and delivery studio Urban Art Projects (UAP), said that boundary-pushing art “sparks conversations, activates communities, creates memories, celebrates different cultures, drives tourism and enables micro
Modern art facility opens doors to new home in Miami
by Alice Davis | 08 Dec 2017
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) has been welcoming the first visitors to its new home this week, located in the heart of the burgeoning design district in Miami, Florida. The striking building, with a facade of metal triangles, was created by Spanish architecture firm Aranguren + Gallegos. To celebrate the opening and take advantage of having twice as much space as in its former home, ICA is offering a
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Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
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