“We need a new spatial contract." This is the call of Hashim Sarkis, curator of the Venice Biennale 2021, as an invitation for architects to imagine new spaces in which we can live together. Between a move towards urban flight and global housing crises, the growth of more low-rise, dense developments may provide an answer in the countryside. Turning away from single family homes in rural areas and suburbs, modern housing projects are exploring new models of shared living in nature.

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Social justice begins with building understanding and community. For Sam Olbekson, Principal of Native American Design at Cuningham Group and Founder of Full Circle Indigenous Planning, community holds a deep relationship to local cultures and traditions. As a member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, Sam brings the perspective of a tribal member who grew up in Native communities, both on and off the reservation. Today, he's using design to reflect contemporary social values and build for future generations.

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San Francisco is a city defined by its relationship to housing. Since the 90s it has faced an affordable housing shortage, and now, has some of the highest rents of any major US city. As planners and policy makers work to move beyond the city's past and find new paths forward, architects and designers are testing out diverse housing models. From dense residential towers to multi-unit developments, modern housing aims to strike a balance between economy and urbanity.

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CHYBIK + KRISTOF architects & urban designers and DÍLNA have created a new design for Brno's historic Mendel Square. Part of a large revival plan for the city, the design pays homage to the city's rich cultural past. Partnering with local practice DÍLNA, landscape architect Zdenek Sendler, and engineering firm PK Ossendorf, the team exposed the square’s core functional and historic role to drive change in the urban fabric.

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CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati and Italo Rota have designed the new MAE museum dedicated to carbon fiber. Made of the same material, the museum is designed to showcase its ecological potential. As a material that is central to the future of manufacturing, the project will be built largely out of carbon fiber, both new and recycled, pursuing a circular approach to design.

How materials move shapes both architecture and how we design. While architects often consider both material sourcing and manufacturing, the physical products and assemblies themselves also move and adapt as they cross geographic and national lines. How materials migrate, and in turn design ideas themselves, tells a story of architecture that transcends construction and climate, as well as borders both real and imagined. 

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ZGF Architects has shared new visuals showcasing the main terminal of the Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon. Inspired by the forest landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, the terminal renovation and expansion emphasizes openness, light and connection to the region’s materials. The structure features a series of skylights and an expansive timber roof made from sustainably sourced regional wood.

Technology has begun to radically transform operations in the AEC industries. For Robert Yuen, CEO and Co-Founder of Monograph, he's developed a cloud-based project management application that's tailored to address these changes. Trained as an architect and establishing himself as an entrepreneur, Robert utilizes his background to reimagine what the futures holds for managing design and construction.

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Benthem Crouwel Architects and West 8 have won the international competition to design the new multimodal hub of Brno. The city announced the winning Dutch teams known for the Rotterdam Central station, and the designers were selected out of a total of 46 applications. It was the largest architectural competition in the history of the Czech Republic.

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Great design builds upon the past with an eye to the future. For Ondrej Chybik and Michal Kristof, Co-Founders of CHYBIK + KRISTOF, architecture can best respect history by reinterpreting it. The Czech design practice is currently based in Prague, Brno and Bratislava, and was founded in 2010 by Ondřej and Michal. Operating with over 50 international team members, the practice aims to bridge the gaps between private and public space while transcending both generational and societal spheres.

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Costa Rica’s new modern homes are built to float above the landscape. This wave of elevated housing is designed to minimize environmental impact while working with varied terrain. Aiming to become a carbon-neutral country, Costa Rica is transforming its housing market as it experiences a growing demand for more residential buildings.

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Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) has shared new details of its proposal to reimagine Niagara Falls in New York. Attracting millions of annual visitors, the region has become a global tourist destination, while the downtown area has yet to experience the same level of interest. Now PAU is leading an urban design and economic development strategy, in partnership with Forsyth Street Advisors and a community advisory group, to imagine a more lively future.

Modern airports have become larger and larger in scale. With increasingly bigger aprons, multiple programs, and countless travelers a year, this typology’s prevalence has grown exponentially. Known for a variety of unique spatial experiences, from massive waiting rooms and luxury lounges to compressed jet ways, airport architecture has really only emerged within the last century. Today, architects and designers are starting to creatively dissolve the daunting scale of airports to explore their role in contemporary urban life.

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Prismática Architects has completed a remodel of an abandoned mechanic shop from 1921 in San Diego, California. Giving the old structure a new life, the firm created an unexpected and vibrant remodel. The designers recognized that the Edie's building may not be a mechanic shop forever, and the project was conceived keeping in mind that the use may change with time.

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Australian architecture firm Durbach Block Jaggers has unveiled a design for the Pencil Tower Hotel in Sydney. Designed to be the country's thinnest skyscraper, the project would rise at 410 Pitt Street with a height-to-width ratio of 16:1. With 173 hotel rooms with six suites on each floor, the 100-metre-high tower would be built in the downtown area with street frontage only 6.4 meters wide.

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JMZ Architects is a firm realizing both long-term visions and local spatial needs. With a background in planning and architecture, they are a Women-owned business creating campuses and new structures alike. Practicing from a single office of 23 employees in Glens Falls, New York, they have focused exclusively on architecture and planning for higher education institutions, primarily public colleges, and universities, and state higher education systems.

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The Southwest United States is known for civic and monumental designs. These projects establish iconic, contemporary expressions that move beyond vernacular traditions. Located on sites throughout Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, they are designed with modern aesthetics and new ideas. Novel spatial experiences and formal approaches are being explored by both local and international architects. Standing in contrast to the intimate, discreet spaces found within southwest residential architecture, these buildings are prominent landmarks and nodes within their respective cities.

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Australia's modern architecture has diverse roots. Grounded in designs like the famous Sydney Opera House, the country’s contemporary projects are radically embracing new aesthetic ideas. Moving beyond traditional pisé construction to create articulated forms, modern designs are emerging as multicultural hybrids both derivative and imported in nature. Exemplifying this dynamic, Australian education projects reinterpret vernacular architecture to embody contemporary culture. Representative of a design language that’s uniquely Australian, these projects build off the continent-nation’s history to create space for learning, recreation and reflection.

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