Articles by Dima Stouhi

Herzog & de Meuron‘s rehabilitation of Porta Volta took up themes of Milanese urbanism and architecture, which has defined the city’s urban fabric throughout the years. The project’s design was developed after an intensive historical analysis of the site – a site which dates back to the 16th century and holds remains of when the Romans defined the city’s boundaries. Architectural photographer Bahaa Ghoussainy captured Herzog & de Meuron’s Lombardian-inspired structure, highlighting its modernized nod to historic architecture.

Titled “Reflections”, the Swiss Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai Expo showcases Switzerland’s unique duality of scenic landscapes and technology, as part of the Opportunity district of the expo. Designed by OOS Architekten, along with Bellprat Partner for the scenography, and Lorenz Eugster for the landscape, the creative team behind Reflections created a bold architectural statement with the pavilion’s facade and immersed visitors in an exploration of Switzerland’s scenic landscapes and state-of-the-art innovations.

Basel-based HHF Architects have been invited to exhibit at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia as part of the “How Will We Play Together?” exhibition. Titled “The Playful Eight“, the 8-piece installation extends the biennale’s brief to adults, and gives visitors “unsolicited elements that offer the possibility to escape control and productivity in order to play together”.

Danish design studio ADEPT has won a competition to design one of Germany’s largest fully-wooden construction buildings in the Wandsbek district of Hamburg, Germany. The building, which counts almost 34,000 sqm, is expected to open in 2026 and will house public administration facilities.

Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF), the Ziraat Bank Headquarters towers in Istanbul have topped out. The project is expected to become the centerpiece of the new Istanbul International Financial Centre (IIFF), and will incorporate the bank’s headquarters, commercial office spaces, retail spaces on the ground floor, and underground parking.

OMA / Reinier De Graaf have been invited to exhibit at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Titled “Hospital of the Future”, the installation explores how after years of medical preparations and technological advancements, one pandemic was able to hinder medical progress, and kill the hospital as we know it, envisioning a new form of medical architecture.

Commissioned for the exhibition “Casa Balla – From the house to the universe and back” at MAXXI museum in Rome, Italy, Bêka & Lemoine’s have released their latest film OSLAVIA. The cave of the past future, a tour inside the house-atelier where Giacomo Balla, prominent Futurist painter and major figure of the avant-garde of the early 20th century lived. The Futurist house where the artist lived and worked from 1929 until his death will be open to the public for the first time during the time of the exhibition.

Several recurring qualities and topics were explored at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, answering curator Hashim Sarkis‘ question of “How Will We Live Together”. Sarkis called upon architects “to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together”, spaces that are unbound by spatial or social contracts, and are flexible enough to welcome individuals and make them find a sense of belonging in an entirely different habitat. Unlike decades ago, migration today is no longer considered as relocating from rural areas to cities, where people needed to be in proximity to their workplaces. Technological advancements, new work modules, and most notably the pandemic altered the way people perceive spaces, making it possible to complete at least 85% of day-to-day responsibilities from practically anywhere in the world. What we have learned from previous cases, and what we are observing now, is that the built environment needs to be flexible.

Among the many topics explored at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, the idea of community has been at the forefront, with several national pavilions exploring its many manifestations, evolution, and its relationship with the future of built environments. ArchDaily met with the curators of the Chilean Pavilion Emilio Marín and Rodrigo Sepúlveda at the Biennale and discussed how the project tackled the question of the future of living together and how they bridged the stories from Santiago to Venice. The interview was conducted in Spanish but is provided with English subtitles.

EFFEKT Architects have been invited to exhibit their work at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Titled “Ego to Eco“, the installation focuses on the future of communities and ecosystems, and presents a series of 7 miniature projects created by the architecture firm, nestled within a fictional landscape. Exhibited at the Corderie dell’Arsenale, the exhibition will be on display from May 22nd until November 21st, 2021.