Articles by Dima Stouhi

OMA / Reinier de Graaf and Squint/Opera have released a new video of the “Al Daayan Health District”, a low-rise hospital prototype which responds to the medical field’s rapid change through the potential of modularity, prefabrication, and automation. The project features prefabricated modular units, local farms for food and medicine, and high-tech facilities across gardens and water features.

After being granted planning permission for UK’s Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre designed by Adjaye Associates, together with Ron Arad Architects and Gustafson Porter + Bowman, the UK court has decided to halt the project following a legal dispute. The decision comes after an appeal made by the former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, local community groups, Jewish leaders, and Holocaust survivors, who all argued the project is being built in the wrong location.

Sou Fujimoto Architects has unveiled its design for the Hida Furukawa Station Eastern Development, a regional community-based center that aims to enrich the life, leisure, and culture of the residents of Hida City, in Gifu Prefecture. The Center will include a university research base, student accommodation, an all-weather playing field, and commercial facilities, all interconnected to form one harmonious community.

Snøhetta and Ivy League University Dartmouth have unveiled images of their upcoming expansion and redesign of the Hopkins Center for the Arts (the Hop) in Hanover, New Hampshire. The project aims to modernize the existing arts center and create a renewed gateway to the campus’s Arts District. The new architecture will feature new practice and performance spaces, increased connections to surrounding arts buildings, as well as upgraded accessibility and mobility throughout the master plan.

Aiming to transform the learning experience for neurodiverse students through a nature-centric environment, NBBJ has unveiled a net-zero school in Encino, California. Titled “Westmark Lower School”, the new campus will foster an inclusive and engaging learning experience for students and teachers, responding to the critical condition of U.S students, where 2.3 million were diagnosed with learning differences between 2019 – 2020.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library has selected Los Angeles-based Oyler Wu Collaborative as the winner of an international design competition that aims to honor members of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Cold War. The winning design, titled Orbits, embodies the “dedication, optimism, and hope that is emblematic of the veterans’ enduring spirit”, as the structure emerges from the ground to become an architectural tribute to the war veterans.

Along with several other imperative factors, the success of an architectural project relies heavily on how it is communicated to its users and builders. Most architects opt for realistic computer generated renders to showcase their projects, while others choose to explore different techniques, translating their architectural narratives through photo collages, sketches, animation, hyper-realistic miniature models, walkthroughs, diagrams, and occasionally, script. 

Heatherwick Studio has been selected to design a tropical opera house for the island province of Hainan at the southernmost point of China, the studio’s first opera house or music venue project. The design features three performance spaces: an opera house, a concert hall, and a theatre, that come together under a sweeping canopy referencing to the island’s unique geology.

Following months of uncertainties and preservation attempts, Kisho Kurokawa’s iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower will be demolished on April 12th of this year. Tatsuyuki Maeda, one of the current owners of the tower, explained that a team will try to preserve some of the capsules, and regenerate them as accommodation units and museum installations across the world.

Following months of uncertainties and preservation attempts, Kisho Kurokawa’s iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower will be demolished on April 12th of this year. Tatsuyuki Maeda, one of the current owners of the tower, explained that a team will try to preserve some of the capsules, and regenerate them as accommodation units and museum installations across the world.