Architecture and design news:
arts & culture
MAD Architects are building a floating art museum in China
by Kim Megson | 12 Feb 2016
Pingtan Art Museum, a spectacular floating cultural island designed by Beijing-based innovators MAD Architects, has entered the construction phase in China’s Fujian province. Pingtan is the largest island in the region and has been designated by the government as a primary location for cultural and tourism development. The museum has been in development since 2011 and will be the cultural centrepiece of the zone. It will float in waters just
Bjarke Ingels will design 2016 Serpentine Gallery pavilion
by Kim Megson | 10 Feb 2016
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels and his studio BIG have been chosen to design the 2016 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion within London’s Kensington Gardens. The studio now have six months to develop and complete their design before it goes on display as the centrepiece of this year's Serpentine Galleries summer pavilion exhibition. For the first time, the galleries have also announced an expansion to the annual four-month event, with four other architects
National Arts Centre in Ottawa begins million-dollar makeover
by Kim Megson | 10 Feb 2016
A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of “an architectural rejuvenation” for Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa. Toronto studio Diamond Schmitt Architects have designed a CAD$110m (US$79.3m, €40.4m, £54m) extension to the Brutalist 1960s structure, adding a new North Atrium and entrance made from glass and a marquee tower which will display live performances from the main stage on a huge screen. According to the
Ennead Architects complete cantilevered Westmoreland Art Museum expansion
by Kim Megson | 10 Feb 2016
The architects behind the US$20m (€17.7m, £13.8m) renovation of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, have claimed their work has launched “a new era” for the institution. New York studio Ennead Architects have used a simple palette of materials and textures – including precast concrete, zinc, brick and glass – to unify the 13,500sq ft (1,250sq m) expansion with the existing neo-Georgian structure. A new eastern brick
Re-discovered Shakespeare Theatre to provide cultural heart of £750m London mixed-use scheme
by Kim Megson | 09 Feb 2016
The Elizabethan theatre where William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Henry V were performed for the first time is at the centre of a new £750m (US$1bn, €968.7m) mixed-use destination for London. The historic remains of The Curtain Theatre, which dates back to 1577, were discovered buried three metres beneath a disused Victorian goods yard earmarked for development in 2011. The Curtain was home to Shakespeare’s Theatre Company and the
'As great as the Burj Khalifa': Santiago Calatrava wins contract for futuristic Dubai tower
by Kim Megson | 08 Feb 2016
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has beaten competition from five unnamed international rivals to design a landmark cultural tower in Dubai. The ruler of the emirate, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, approved Calatrava’s futuristic design, which he hailed as an "architectural wonder that will be as great as Burj Khalifa and Eiffel Tower." According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the sheikh – who is also vice president of the
Groundbreaking ceremony held for Foster + Partners' Norton Museum of Art in Florida
by Kim Megson | 08 Feb 2016
A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida. British architects Foster + Partners are expanding the existing Art Deco-inspired museum – which opened in 1941 – adding 12,000sq ft (1,100sq m) in gallery space and creating a new entrance to regain the symmetry of the building’s original east-west axial arrangement. Three new double-height pavilions made of white stone will house a
Reimagined Helsinki City Museum sets May opening date
by Tom Anstey | 05 Feb 2016
Helsinki City Museum in Finland has announced an opening date of May 2016, following an €11m (US$12.3m, £8.4m) 18-month refurbishment of its premises, the most extensive transformation in the museum’s 105-year history. Moving from its current home within Helsinki’s historical district to a new location in Senate Square, the museum will be made up of a group of five historical buildings surrounding three inner courtyards, opening up spaces never previously
David Chipperfield and Sou Fujimoto among the winners in design competition to 'prefigure the Paris of tomorrow'
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
A major international architecture competition for the urban regeneration of Paris has concluded, with 22 design teams selected to develop their innovative visions for the future of the French capital. The project, called reinventer.paris, launched in November 2014 with an invitation for architects, designers, investors, companies, collectives and artists to “prefigure what the Paris of tomorrow might be” for “an urban experiment on an unparalleled scale.” Over 800 proposals were
Opening date announced for National Museum of African American History and Culture
by Kim Megson | 04 Feb 2016
The Smithsonian has announced the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be opened by US President Barack Obama on 24 September 2016. The opening ceremony will be the focus of a week-long celebration, which will include a three-day festival showcasing popular music, literature, dance and film.
It's official! We open on 9/24/2016. Learn more about us here: https://t.co/kSSQR82sfO #SaveTheDate #BuildNMAAHC pic.twitter.com/seTkzsXqC1 — Smithsonian NMAAHC
Rock music, architecture and design collide in MVRDV's mixed-use masterplan for Ragnarock
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
The transformation of a former industrial site in Danish city Roskilde into a new home for rock and roll will be complete by April this year, CLAD has learned. The Danish Rock Museum, the headquarters of the annual Roskilde Rock Festival and the Roskilde Festival Folk Music School will soon all be housed in one new complex, called Ragnarock. The facilities will be located inside renovated factory buildings with new
Robot-built pavilion will take centre stage as V&A explores the future of engineering
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2016
Visitors to the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London this May will be able to explore a garden pavilion inspired by nature and fabricated by robots in front of their eyes. The Elytra Filament Pavilion – created by experimental architects Achim Menges and Moritz Dörstelmann in collaboration with engineers Jan Knippers and Thomas Auer – will launch a special Engineering Season at the museum. The installation will explore the
Michael Maltzan Architecture plan to reinvigorate LA with 'Ribbon of Light' bridge
by Kim Megson | 02 Feb 2016
Los Angeles’ 1932 Sixth Street Viaduct has officially closed ahead of its forthcoming demolition, allowing work to begin on a replacement which will better connect the city’s eastern and western districts and create a new large-scale arts and leisure realm. US practice Michael Maltzan Architecture have designed the US$449m (€411.2m, £311.2m) “transformative infrastructure project”, which centres around a 3,500ft (1,000m) long, ten-arch ‘Ribbon of Light Bridge’ spanning the Los Angeles
Escobedo Solíz win prestigious MoMA young architects contest
by Kim Megson | 02 Feb 2016
The Museum of Modern Art in New York has announced Mexican design practice Escobedo Solíz Studio as the winner of its annual Young Architects Program (YAP). The design competition, now in its 17th year, challenges the winner to develop an innovative and sustainable design for a temporary outdoor installation providing shade, seating and water at MoMA’s sister institution, MoMA PS1, in Long Island City. Escobedo Solíz Studio’s winning project, Weaving
Yves Saint Laurent museums to open in Paris and Marrakech
by Kim Megson | 29 Jan 2016
The foundation dedicated to conserving the work of legendary French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent has revealed two new museums dedicated to his life and career will open in France and Morocco in 2017. The Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent will showcase part of its vast collection of accessories, haute couture garments, sketches, collection boards, photographs and objects collected by Saint Laurent between 1962 and 2002. “To this day, this
The Hive to celebrate the life of bees at new Kew Gardens home
by Kim Megson | 29 Jan 2016
The Hive – Wolfgang Buttress’ award-winning multi-sensory pavilion – is to be given a new home within London’s Kew Gardens. The structure was the centrepiece of the UK’s entry at the six-month long 2015 Milan Expo, where it attracted more than 3.3m visitors and was awarded the BIE Gold Award for Architecture and Landscape. It will be displayed at Kew – a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing 132 hectares of
New York MoMA unveils revised US$445m expansion plans
by Tom Anstey | 29 Jan 2016
New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has unveiled revised US$445m (€407.3m, £310.6m) plans to redevelop and expand the facility, with plans by Diller Scofidio + Renfro streamlining the museum experience to work better for both visitors and curators. The expansion of facilities, expected to be complete by 2020, will increase gallery space by 30 per cent – an increase of 40,000sq ft (3,716sq m) to 174,000sq ft (16,165sq m).
David Chipperfield museum by the Taj Mahal breaks ground
by Kim Megson | 28 Jan 2016
The foundation stone for David Chipperfield’s Mughal Museum building in Agra, India, has been laid near the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. The museum – which will be dedicated to the history and culture of Northern India's Mughal dynasty – will accommodate 5,200sq m (55,972sq ft) permanent and temporary exhibition space, according to Chipperfield’s studio. The first rendering for the museum suggests it will be formed by a series
Sam Mendes launches award to find next generation of costume and set designers
by Kim Megson | 28 Jan 2016
Aspiring young British costume and set designers have been encouraged by film and theatre director Sam Mendes to submit their own designs for his hit musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Mendes – who has won Academy and Olivier accolades for his work – has launched the The Young Theatre Designer Award, which challenges entrants aged 13-21 to bring Roald Dahl’s famous story of Charlie Bucket, Willy Wonka and the
Diller Scofidio + Renfro's Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive ready to welcome public
by Kim Megson | 28 Jan 2016
The new home of the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) will officially launch to the public on Sunday (31 January) with an all-day open house. Designed by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), the project integrates a pre-existing 48,000sq ft (4,459sq m) art deco building – the former 1939 printing plant of the neighbouring UC Berkeley – with a new 35,000sq ft (2,251sq m)
EXCLUSIVE: Designers for Singapore's relaunched National Gallery present history through art
by Tom Anstey | 27 Jan 2016
The exhibition designers of Singapore’s recently relaunched National Gallery have laid out the idea behind the concept – a walk through time using the medium of art to tell the story of Singapore and southeast Asia. The gallery, which opened its doors to the public at the end of last year, was a collaboration between several architects and design studios. Working closely with its studio in Paris and with architect
Richard Meier, Bjarke Ingels, Annabelle Selldorf and Rick Cook debate the future of New York's skyline
by Kim Megson | 27 Jan 2016
Four of the world's best-known architects have united in calling for New York developers to create more public leisure space. Rick Cook, Bjarke Ingels, Annabelle Selldorf and Richard Meier made the case for green space in a roundtable discussion called The Future of New York's Skyline, organised by cultural collective 92nd Street Y. Pritzker Prize winning architect Richard Meier said buildings should be a “gift to the city,” but voiced
Competition News: David Adjaye, Henning Larsen and Caruso St John in the frame to design landmark Latvia museum
by Kim Megson | 27 Jan 2016
Seven international architecture studios have been shortlisted to design the landmark new home for the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art in Riga. Henning Larsen Architects, Caruso St John, Neutelings Riedijk and Adjaye Associates are among the big names in contention for the €30m (US$32.6m, £22.8m) project to create “a cultural and arts centre of interregional significance.” “Creating a museum, which can compete with others around the world is a specialised
Art you can touch, taste and smell: Designers explore how multi-sensory spaces can create personal experiences
by Tom Anstey | 27 Jan 2016
Peter Law, creative producer at design collective Flying Object and creator of Tate Britain’s IK Prize-winning Sensorium, has outlined how multi-sensory spaces can be used to create unique personal experiences. Sensorium – which utilised experts in sound, taste, scent and touch, combined with lighting and theatre elements – ran until September 2015 at the Tate Britain in London as a multi-sensory experience centred around four famous artworks. "We had an
Opening this week: Two exhibitions explore how architects can change the world
by Kim Megson | 26 Jan 2016
Two major exhibitions open in London this week exploring how architects can change the world in different ways. Creation from Catastrophe, which opens on 27 January at the Architecture Gallery of the Royal Institute of British Architects, will explore how destruction and devastation present unique opportunities to radically rethink environments. With a focus on architects as diverse as OMA, Toyo Ito, Sir Christopher Wren and Elemental – whose founder Alejandro
Take a virtual tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Guggenheim Museum
by Kim Megson | 26 Jan 2016
Visitors unable to travel to New York can now explore the famous interior architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum thanks to Google Street View. As part of a collaboration between the museum and the Google Cultural Institute, anyone with an internet connection can take a 360-degree look at the building’s famous circular galleries, spiralling ramps and oculus. In addition, 127 artworks from the museum’s collection are also
Sexy Fish: Art by Damien Hirst and Frank Gehry decorates lavish London restaurant
by Kim Megson | 25 Jan 2016
The worlds of architecture, art and fashion have collided at Sexy Fish, a lavish new Asian seafood restaurant in London opened by British restaurant magnate Richard Caring. Aquatic-themed artworks by Damien Hirst, architect Frank Gehry and Vanity Fair style editor Michael Roberts decorate the extravagant interiors, which have been designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio to emulate “the style and sophistication of a mid-century brasserie.” The eye-catching collection of art
EXCLUSIVE: Frost Science Museum CEO confident Miami project will complete despite funding battle
by Kim Megson | 25 Jan 2016
The president and CEO of Miami’s Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science has insisted the high-profile relocation of the museum to its “next generation” new home on Miami’s waterfront will be completed despite a US$45m (£31.3m, €41.5m) shortfall in funding. The museum’s new three-storey facility – designed by Grimshaw Architects – is entering the final construction phase four years after work first began. However, the project has received less
Zaha Hadid, Kengo Kuma and Daniel Libeskind design prefab pavilions for Robbie Antonio's Revolution Project
by Kim Megson | 23 Jan 2016
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
Public get first full glimpse of ambitious Adelaide Festival Plaza plans
by Kim Megson | 22 Jan 2016
The government of South Australia has revealed more details about its planned redevelopment of the Adelaide Festival Plaza into a major public leisure realm for the city. The upgrade was first announced in 2013 as one element of the ongoing redevelopment of Adelaide’s Riverbank Precinct. Original concept plans for the project were revealed last year, and fully-realised visuals have now been released for public feedback before the project is submitted
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"Culture is the beating heart of this project"
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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