Offices: The Latest Architecture and News

For the past couple of years, the project curators at ArchDaily have been revisiting architectural works they believe deserve a deeper look. Through an Instagram post called "Project Review", the curators describe what they consider to be the work's main attribute(s). Delving into the project's stories and the elements that make them truly inspiring, they underline what might otherwise be overlooked initiatives and study them closely, with attention to locality and context. The result is an array of diverse works, often from rural or suburban areas that have a public function or historic significance.

While a couple of houses are listed, the majority of the reviews veer towards cultural centers, libraries, workspaces, or commercial settings. Another thing to note is the fact that many of these works ended up coming in from Asia, with a few key projects from rural China. The picks are quite diverse in materiality and design language; however, they all suggest innovative architectural solutions and captivating narratives.

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As cities continue to expand upward, the office tower remains one of the most visible symbols of architectural ambition and urban evolution. No longer defined solely by efficiency or corporate image, contemporary workplace architecture is being reimagined as a hybrid ecosystem, one that balances density with daylight, productivity with well-being, and technology with material and spatial integrity. The following unbuilt projects, submitted by the ArchDaily community, reveal how architects across continents are rethinking the typology of the tower, turning verticality into an opportunity for connection, adaptability, and sustainability.

From India's Shivalik Curv and Embassy Zenith, where form and movement are combined to redefine skyline identity, to Dungen in Sweden, a low-rise timber office that mirrors the calm of a forest grove, each project explores how workplaces can become more flexible, humane, and environmentally conscious. In Kyiv, APEX Business Center positions itself as a catalyst for urban vitality, while Jakarta's BNI Tower PIK 2 transforms the corporate tower into a crystalline symbol of growth. In Munich and Ankara, mixed-use concepts like Highrise Hufelandmark and Rhythm Ankara explore the office as part of a broader civic landscape, where work, leisure, and public life intersect.

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Photographer Marc Goodwin has extended his Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres to Belgium, capturing the workspaces of architecture studios in Antwerp, Brussels, and Ghent. The series includes large offices such as B-architecten, POLO, and Binst Architects, alongside smaller-scale practices like Studio Okami, Stand Van Zaken, and Bruno Spaas Architectuur. Many of them occupy buildings with layered pasts from former workshops, to cinemas, and from storage facilities, to waterfront structures.

In addition to photographing the studios, Goodwin asked each practice the same question: "What makes for a good office space and office culture for you?" Their responses accompany the images, offering insight into how architects define the atmosphere of their workplaces. Studio Okami describes its workplace as a "home office away from home," while Brut highlights the role of shared meals and greenery in softening their penthouse space.

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Foster + Partners has won an international competition to design the headquarters of Sudameris Bank in Asunción, Paraguay. The project, named Sudameris Plaza, is a 39-storey office tower featuring an exposed concrete frame and an angular form. It includes a landscaped plaza, art gallery, auditorium, and a large public garden at the tower's base. The studio aims to integrate greenery throughout the shared spaces of the building, fostering a strong connection with nature from within the tower.

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Earth-based flooring materials comprise natural elements such as clay, sand, silt, lime, and organic fibres. They offer both structural performance and sensory engagement when used in both outdoor and interior spaces. Due to their thermal properties, durability, and sustainable qualities, these materials have evolved from vernacular construction techniques into high-value architectural elements that are always being reinvented and optimized. There are several types of earthen floorings, each offering unique benefits, and they are increasingly used in interior settings.

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As urban neighborhoods continue to evolve, design plays a key role in shaping how buildings respond to urbanization, functional demands, and the character of their surroundings. Intertwined, these elements guide the transformation of urban life and influence how new developments engage with their context—a dynamic clearly visible in Seattle's Central District. Long considered a historic hub for the city's African American community, the Africatown Plaza project proposes a comprehensive approach that integrates architectural performance with community resonance, using the building envelope as a primary medium.

Work always evolved, adapting to the tools, technologies, and social structures of its time. In the earliest human societies, basic survival was the driving force behind labor, with hunter-gatherers dividing essential tasks to meet elementar needs. The Agricultural Revolution marked a turning point, introducing permanent settlements and specialization, which led to the emergence of labor division in ancient civilizations. As time progressed, the Middle Ages saw the rise of the feudal system, while trade and guilds laid the groundwork for a monumental shift: the Industrial Revolution. This era transformed work from artisanal, home-based production to centralized, large-scale factory systems.

Before industrialization, many service providers worked from home. But as factories grew, the workforce became centralized, transforming the relationship between worker and workplace. The rise of the service sector and modern corporations gave rise to office spaces that were often rigid and compartmentalized, like the iconic cubicles of the 20th century. Now, as work becomes increasingly digital and decentralized, offices are transforming again. Open layouts, specialized zones, and modular pods are replacing static configurations, promoting flexibility, focus, collaboration, and well-being. But how do innovations in modern workspaces respond to the demands of today's professionals?

Architecture evolves, particularly in how it reflects the relationships between people, their behavior, and the environment. Even subtle variations in these dynamics can influence how we think and live in our communities. According to the World Bank, 56% of the population currently lives in urban environments, and it is estimated that by 2050 this number will reach 70%. This projection echoes the speed and magnitude of urban growth, posing challenges for architects and design firms, from the viability of buildings to the sustainability of the built environment, encompassing residential architecture and other typologies that influence daily life.

After two weeks of open voting in the 16th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have meticulously narrowed down a pool of almost 4,000 projects to a select group of 75 finalists spanning 15 categories. This year's awards honor the pinnacle of design, innovation, and sustainability on a global scale, showcasing an exceptional range of projects within the shortlist. As a crowdsourced award, we take pride in affirming that your selections authentically mirror the current state of architecture, and the caliber of this year's finalists further underscores the excellence and diversity prevalent in the field.

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Google’s newest headquarters in New York, situated within the St. John’s Terminal, will open its doors on February 26^th, marking a milestone for the company’s presence in the city. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, in collaboration with Gensler, the headquarters is constructed atop the original 1930s rail terminal and adapted to become a vibrant hub for over 14,000 Googlers. The terminal, formerly the endpoint of the iconic High Light, now serves as a testament to the company’s innovative approach, rapid growth, and lifelong commitment to New York.

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After two weeks of open voting in the 15th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have meticulously narrowed down a pool of over 4,000 projects to a select group of 75 finalists spanning 15 categories. This year's awards enthusiastically honor the pinnacle of design, innovation, and sustainability on a global scale, showcasing an exceptional range of projects within the shortlist. As a crowdsourced award, we take pride in affirming that your selections authentically mirror the current state of architecture, and the caliber of this year's finalists further underscores the excellence and diversity prevalent in the field.

The ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards is brought to you thanks to Dornbracht, renowned for leading designs for architecture, which can be found internationally in bathrooms and kitchens.

The traditional office space of the 20th century, with its huge filing cabinets, industrial-strength printers, and high-capacity meeting rooms, is no longer the only way to do business. As technologies such as cloud computing, video conferencing, and AI make our working lives simpler, all we really need is a flat surface and a wifi password.

In a commercial climate where even the largest companies pay as much notice to their social media accounts as their share price, it’s never been easier for small businesses to compete, but finding suitable office space for single-digit employers can be hard. These four small-scale workplaces show how, by keeping things small, they can do more with a lot less.

On a site that also hosts the Olympic Sports Centre, the 2023 Asian Games complex, UNStudio has unveiled the design of the new Hiwell Amber Centre, a complex of four high-rise towers planned to add a mix of offices, apartments, hotels, art spaces and retail to the city center of Hangzhou, China. Responding to the area’s rapid economic and cultural growth, the new development aims to provide a wide range of services to residents and visitors alike. To open up towards the city, the smooth glass curtain wall of the towers peels apart to reveal a tapestry-like facade that envelops the main plazas and civic spaces, creating an ‘urban living room.’

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At first, adding a mezzanine floor to a layout either seems like a complete waste of good floorspace or a clumsy attempt to squeeze two stories into one – like wearing skinny jeans after Christmas – both spaces end up feeling constricted and uncomfortable.

But whether the intermediate-level floor is achieved by addition – erecting an extra level in a high-ceilinged room, or by subtraction – removing part of the floor to connect with the one below, mezzanines are a relatively simple way to dramatically change and improve how we use and interact with our existing environments.

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OmniRoom is a new room-in-room system developed by Mute. The product uses patented technological innovations and the benefits of modular architecture to offer a quick and easy solution for building comfortable and reshapable workspaces suitable for new, hybrid work environments. The product has already been recognized with the Mixology'23 Product of the Year award nomination.

Foster + Partners’ project for BENCH, one of the Philippines’ leading clothing and lifestyle brands, has started construction in Manila. The 24-storey headquarters building offers offices, design studios, event spaces, and the necessary amenities to create an enjoyable environment for the company’s employees. Located on the east-west axis in the Bonifacio Global City, the building opens up the ground floor to create a visual connection to the green space surrounding it.

Biophilic office design is not just a passing trend. It rather represents a seismic shift in how we design and build our office spaces and work environments, with every employer from multi-national giants of the industry to two-person bedroom startups getting on board. But this weighed-down bandwagon of empathetic, wellness-focused workspace still has plenty of room on the back.