Following two exciting weeks of nominations, ArchDaily’s readers have evaluated over 700 projects and selected 10 finalists for the Building of the Year Award China. Architects and enthusiasts participated in the nomination process, choosing projects that exemplify what it means to push architecture forward. These finalists are the buildings that have inspired ArchDaily readers the most, which also reveal the growing trend of Chinese architecture.
Before we get to shortlisted nominees, we want to highlight the values of this awards process — as the world’s largest platform for architecture we are acutely aware of our responsibility to the profession, and to the advancement of architecture as a discipline. Since our mission is directly related to the architecture of the future—inspiring and educating the people who will design the urban fabric of the future—, the trust placed in us by our readers to reflect architectural trends from regions around the whole world creates challenges that we are eager to rise to. The democratically-voted, user-centered Building of the Year Awards is one of the key pillars of our response to these challenges, aiming to tear down established hierarchies and geographical barriers. Here are the 10 finalists of the 2024 China Building of the Year Award, and the voting period will run from March 27th to April 3rd at 23:59(BJT). The final winners will be announced on April 4th, 2024. Click here to see the details and how to vote.
The Obama Foundation has released details about the design of a new athletic, program and event facility to take shape at the Obama Presidential Center located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. Designed by Moody Nolan, the facility titled Home Court will offer the largest gathering space on the campus, serving as a place for community engagement as well as health and wellness activities. The venue is scheduled to become the first space within the Obama Presidential Center campus to open in late 2025.
Foster + Partners has just unveiled the designs of two neighboring residential towers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Named VELA and VELA VIENO, the two towers offer waterfront living, providing direct access to the promenade and the marina. Situated in Dubai’s Marasi Bay with a direct view of the Burj Khalifa, the developments are “characterized by a horizontal rhythm, emphasized structure, and strategic voids in the massing.”
Historically, architecture has served as a canvas for artistic expression. Building elements have been adorned with relief-carved garlands, inscriptions, fresco murals, portrait busts, and classicizing figurative sculptures, all of which emphasize the unique and intentional nature of each component. However, the industrialization of the 19th century brought about a shift in ideals, that stripped architectural components of their decorative elements. Instead, it preferenced the search for beauty in standardization and the economic accessibility provided by mass-produced building elements.
But is there room for artistry within mass production? Can artists be involved in the industrial-making processes of building elements? And how can new technology facilitate artistic mass customization of building components? These questions prompt us to consider the potential for expression, communication, and reflection in the craft of building elements in both interior and exterior spaces.
When considering traditional brick facades, we usually conjure up images of solidity and robustness. Solid ceramic blocks, recognized for their ability to withstand compression and offer strength and durability to structures, are materials frequently used in architecture. However, innovation in construction materials has made space for solutions that combine tradition and modernity, transforming the use of materials such as brick. In contemporary construction, the integration of solar control measures has become essential to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, especially in hot climates where the need to mitigate the effects of solar radiation is critical. This is one of the areas in which brick can play a significant role, aided by new technologies.
Exploring unbuilt architectural projects by established firms offers a glimpse into the forefront of design innovation and future-thinking concepts. In fact, studying up-and-coming projects provides an opportunity to get ahead of emerging trends and envision the future of the built environment, fostering dialogue around new ideas. With the looming climate crisis in a post-COVID world, this week’s selection of unbuilt projects submitted to the ArchDaily community showcases the scale of problem-solving through city-making and contextual spatial activations.
Whether it’s a vertical neighborhood in Kunming, a life science facility in Manhattan, or a cultural center in Veneria Reale, these unbuilt projects capture the diverse spectrum of architectural visionaries’ progression. Each of these proposals represents a unique narrative, whether seeking to redefine residential living or revitalize urban space. Through these projects, architects can offer the environment a glimpse into the transformative potential of design when used in a problem-solving capacity.
Framery Four, the smart meeting pod for up to 4 people. Image Courtesy of Framery
After becoming used to the comfort and autonomy of remote work, experts predict that workplace culture will never completely return to the way things were. Companies can maximize the productivity of their workforce by blending the flexibility of remote with the creative collaboration of in-person work in a hybrid system; but while spare rooms and kitchen tables have been sacrificed to carve out comfortable workspaces at home, the office space—originally designed around a 100% in-person system—needs to accept change too.
Bjarke Ingels Group and A+Architecture have revealed the design for the 12,000-square-meter Marengo Multimodal Transport Hub in Toulouse, France. The project will expand the functionality of the city’s central station, Gare Matabiau, strengthening the area’s public transport networks by creating a hub for bus, railway, and metro, all connected under one roof. The design of the new hub takes cues from the city’s distinctive roofscape and the traditional use of the rose-colored “foraine” brick, employing a mass timber structure and low-carbon concrete to ensure a sustainable intervention adapted to its environment. The Hub is set to begin construction in 2026.
3XN/GXN has just opened its exhibition “Aware: Architecture and Senses,” hosted at the Danish Architecture Center until September 15th, 2024. The display invites visitors to explore, comprehend, and interrogate their relationships with architecture. In collaboration with the Danish Architecture Center, 3XN/GXN delves into the conversation between individuals and spaces, showcasing six life-sized installations.
India's urbanscapes are characterized by a negotiation between the formal and the informal; permanence and impermanence. Structured amidst the concrete high-rises and planned neighborhoods, makeshift markets and bazaars form the core of city life. Often composed of sustainable structures, these transient commercial hubs exhibit a form of rudimentary architecture that spreads its roots deep in India's cultural and economic traditions.
The heart of India's informal urbanism lies in its public marketplaces and roadside bazaars that have existed for centuries. These urban zones have a history, believed to have originated from the era of traveling merchants and imperial trade relations. Today, these environments have evolved into dense labyrinths of impermanent shelters made from recycled tin sheets, tarpaulin canopies, and wooden poles. These bazaars organically transform neighborhoods into a choreographed chaos of vendors, goods, and the common public. Weekly markets are usually massive in scale and are set up every few days only to disappear again.
Make the most of Milano with our curated fair and city guides – put together by our expert team of architects and designers to make sure you know exactly what to see and where to go. As Designboom, Architonic, and ArchDaily, our core vision is to inspire, connect and empower. And while we can’t physically steer you in the right direction on the city streets or Salone del Mobile’s redesigned 2024 floor plans, we can make sure you have the optimal tools to locate the biggest discoveries, best new contacts, and most exciting stories: our two curated Milan guides, one to the fair and one to the city.
Pallet Parliament / Alejandro Haiek, Rebecca Rudolph, and Raffaele Errichiello. Umeå, Sweden 2022 Photo: Kent Brodin. Image Courtesy of Alejandro Haiek Coll
Architecture practices usually start their design process with a client, who provides a program and a site. Alejandro Haiek, founder of The Public Machinery, approaches things differently. The Public Machinery describes itself as a network of architects and designers working collectively, actively observing, imagining, and proposing public urban interventions themselves. Their proposals are at the intersection of art, architecture, and engineering and weave community engagement, ecology, and new technologies into innovative forms of social infrastructure. They secure funding through research and public grants, enabling them to create public spaces that defy expectations in both their design process and in the form their projects take.
