Articles by Andreea Cutieru

Czech practices UNIT Architekti, A69 – Architekti, and British firm Marko & Placemakers propose transforming the largest brownfield site neighbouring Prague’s historic city centre into a dynamic urban hub. The masterplan, selected within a 2-stage international competition comprising 57 entries, envisions “a multifunctional urban framework” that mediates the infrastructural complexity of the site, establishing a new identity for the area.

The climate crisis has been one of the focal points of 2021, both within political discourse and the architectural field, accompanied by a newfound acknowledgement of the issue’s severity. Over the past year, the IPCC report revealed the severe consequences of inaction, while COP26 and G7 summit resulted in an insufficient commitment to immediate and palpable measures. The AEC sector, responsible for a staggering 39% of global greenhouse gases, can bring a significant contribution to curbing climate change and the following looks at the decarbonization efforts of 2021 that target this industry.

Ronald Lu & Partners designed a new transit-oriented development (TOD) in Shenzhen, reshaping a former industrial zone near Chiwan Port. The project builds on the firm’s extensive experience with green architecture and TODs, proposing a biophilic development that restores nature in the area. Featuring a mixture of residential, business, commercial, and educational facilities, the design is set to become a key urban environment within the Greater Bay Area connecting Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau.

KCAP revealed its competition-winning design for the Keflavík Airport Area Strategic Masterplan in Iceland, comprising an area of 55 square kilometres around the country’s global aviation hub. Developed together with Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners, Kanon Arkitektar and a multidisciplinary team of professionals across a wide range of fields, the masterplan proposes a “collaborative development between public and private sectors”, seeking to transform specific areas around the airport into the hallmarks of the country’s sustainability and economic strategies.

MVRDV revealed its design for a temporary intervention that takes tourists and city dwellers on a walk across several rooftops in Rotterdam, highlighting an untapped potential for expanding the public realm. Created in collaboration with Rotterdam Rooftop Days, the project will feature an aerial bridge from the roof of The Bijenkorf department store to the top of the World Trade Centre plinth and will be available to the public from May 26 to June 24 2022, during Rotterdam Architecture Month.

Henning Larsen revealed its proposal for an International Conference Center in Pujiang, China, that would help define a vibrant city centre with sustainability as its hallmark. Featuring a circular structure with an urban park at its core, the project is articulated around ten design strategies to achieve carbon neutrality and meet high well-being standards. The proposal is one of the winning projects of an international competition whose shortlist includes designs by Zaha Hadid Architect, GMP Architects, MVRDV and Swooding Architects.

Valentino Gareri Atelier has been selected to design the pilot project for a circular economy village model that aims to redefine urban sprawl through sustainability and diverse programming. Comprising eight residential hamlets with co-working and entertainment spaces, The Spiral Village will be created using emerging 3D printing methods and will foster circularity through a waste-to-resources hub, a diverse regenerative agricultural system, a sustainable water management system and renewable energy.

The Venice Architecture Biennale closed less than a month ago, leaving architects pondering the takeaways of this edition and anticipating the next. The pandemic disrupted the usual cycle of biennials and triennials, as most of the events of 2020 and even some of the ones of 2021 were postponed; nonetheless, next year promises a full calendar of exciting opportunities for knowledge sharing and inquiry. The following are some of the most important architecture events to look forward to in 2022.

Arup reveals the competition-winning design for a 230m tall net-zero commercial tower in Hong Kong that embodies the city’s aspirations to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Taikoo Green Ribbon blends technology and nature to create an urban ecosystem sustaining a new generation of workplaces. Featuring a façade of curved PVs, hanging gardens, algae walls and various renewable energy sources, the project is a high-performance building slated to achieve carbon neutrality in less than a decade after construction.

Henning Larsen won the competition to design a new university building for the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), the studio’s first project in Austria. Founded in 1995, the MCI outgrew its facility in the city centre, and the competition was meant to establish a new unified campus, gathering together the many faculties now scattered on different locations throughout Innsbruck. The design consists of an isolated object with no back or front featuring multi-story voids carved into each façade, establishing distinct relationships with the surroundings and framing views of the Alps.