Articles by Eric Baldwin

The architecture of golf is directly tied to the landscape. As one of the few sports with no standardized playing area, its clubhouses and structures are usually unique to each course. Prioritizing views and access, golf architecture tends to be exclusive, especially when many courses are not open to the public. Clubhouses make room for players and spectators to gather and socialize while they overlook the course from multiple angles.

Google has released new details of a sprawling, 80-acre plan to transform downtown San Jose, California. Designed to be a corporate campus, the “Downtown West” development will emphasize public open space and parkland. Google intends to make the area feel less like a traditional corporate development by incorporating office space, housing, retail and other uses within a new urban neighborhood framework.

The 5th Istanbul Design Biennial has opened to the public, both digitally and physically. Curated by Mariana Pestana with Sumitra Upham and Billie Muraben, the Biennial brings together different formats of display under the theme Empathy Revisited. The biennial launches with interventions in a range of exhibition venues, outdoor spaces in Istanbul and digital platforms.

The architecture of diplomacy balances security and openness. As symbols of protection and representation, embassies are built for utility in both urban and rural contexts alike. At their core, they are also made to communicate the values and ideals of nations as welcoming structures and sustainable civic spaces. Today, modern embassy projects are made to meet rigorous security standards while embracing local culture and conditions.

Virgin Hyperloop has announced that it will build a new Certification Center for an 800-acre site in West Virginia. Designed to test the company’s futuristic transport system, the center will serve as a location for developing and validating the use of hyperloop technology. Coming with a $500 million price tag, the project will expand upon Virgin Hyperloop’s current testing efforts in the desert north of Las Vegas.

Tokyo-based SANAA has designed a new addition to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney. As the firm’s first building in Australia, the project will transform the flagship art museum and connect through an outdoor public art garden overlooking Sydney Harbor. The new building is designed to contrast the Gallery’s 19th-century neo-classical building as a light, transparent and open addition.

Sidewalk Labs has unveiled Delve, a new generative design tool that aims to help developers, architects and urban designers identify better neighborhood design options. It uses machine learning to reveal optimal design options from a series of core components, including buildings, open spaces, amenities, streets, and energy infrastructure. By applying machine learning, it explores millions of design possibilities for a given project while measuring the impact of design choices.

Croatia has long been a crossroads of culture. Located along the Adriatic Sea, it borders five countries and has some of the richest biodiversity in Europe. The built environment reflects influences from Central Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as both the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Today, a series of new housing projects are reinterpreting the country’s past as architects and designers look to reimagine what the future holds.

Landscape and design office Karres en Brands has won the international competition to design Norway’s National Logging Museum. Selected out of 136 submissions, the team’s winning proposal was chosen by the jury and the Commission of Museums in Akershus for building connections to the regional wetlands and local history. Sited on Northern Europe’s largest inland delta, the new museum will focus on Norway’s cultural and natural heritage.

London-based RCKa has designed a net-zero carbon retirement village for Chester in the United Kingdom. Located in Boughton Heath, the project was made with engineer Max Fordham to reduce carbon emissions. Nearly 15,000 square meters, the village will be made to achieve the Fitwel Standard with more than 140 apartments as an on-site, extra-care development.