Articles by Maria-Cristina Florian

The city of Osaka, Japan, has won the bid to organize the 2025 World Expo, an international event expected to draw in millions of visitors. Set to commence on April 13, 2025, and conclude on October 13, 2025, this marks Japan’s second occasion as host, the prior instance being in 1970. Throughout their history, World Expos have been the place where new technologies and products are showcased and popularized, leading to technological advancements and innovative designs. For this event, Osaka has chosen the overarching theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” with three subthemes further developing the concept: Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives. Architect Sou Fujimoto was selected as the Expo Site Design Producer, taking on the responsibility of creating the master plan and providing guidance to designers from participating countries.

OMA’s competition design for UniCredit’s new Headquarters in Munich, Germany, proposes a plaza lifted off the ground to increase public spaces and urban connectivity and to activate an otherwise overlooked area. The scheme aims to “retroactively attribute character to an area which may never have had one.” The site is located by one of the city’s main arteries, the S-Bahn, a strictly functional area lacking in public spaces or amenities. The building proposed by OMA is lifted off the ground, with its limited footprint allowing for more public space to be integrated while preserving the site’s natural features.

During their visit to the 18th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, ArchDaily had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş, founders of the Istanbul-based studio SO? Architecture and Ideas, curators for the Pavilion of Türkiye. Their exhibition, titled Ghost Stories: Carrier Bag Theory of Architecture, explores the status and hidden potential of abandoned buildings across Türkiye to discover more hopeful proposals for the future. The conversations opened with an exploration of the status of these forgotten structures and their hidden potential, leading into the intentions behind the exhibition in Venice and the curator’s message for the wider audience.

Architecture studio ELASTICOFarm, led by Stefano Pujatti, has been awarded the Premio Italiano di Architettura (Italian Architecture Prize), promoted by the Triennale di Milano and MAXXI. The award, now in its fourth edition, is received in recognition of their S-LAB project, a new building in Turin, Italy, for the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN). The prize highlights works of architecture with high design quality and an attentive approach to innovation and the social role of architecture.

Exploring unbuilt projects can offer insights into the design process and leading strategies employed by contemporary architecture practices, revealing unexpected solutions, experimental approaches and innovative design concepts. This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights designs submitted by established architecture practices. From a fjord-side regeneration project and oceanography research center to a headquarters building shaped to reflect company’s main focus or a restaurant adapted to extreme conditions, the compilation of unbuilt projects presents the variety of concepts, design philosophies and programs put forward by prominent global architecture studios.

Exploring unbuilt projects can offer insights into the design process and leading strategies employed by contemporary architecture practices, revealing unexpected solutions, experimental approaches and innovative design concepts. This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights designs submitted by established architecture practices. From a fjord-side regeneration project and oceanography research center to a headquarters building shaped to reflect company’s main focus or a restaurant adapted to extreme conditions, the compilation of unbuilt projects presents the variety of concepts, design philosophies and programs put forward by prominent global architecture studios.

The 10^th edition of Passages Insolites is taking place from June 22 until October 9, 2023, bringing together artists from around the world. The public art circuit is presented by the City of Quebec and created by EXMURO arts public to showcase a retrospective artistic path through the city, recalling the event’s previous editions. The public art event takes place every summer in Quebec City in in the Place Royale, Petit Champlain and Old Port districts. This year, the event presents works of art from 40 artists, headlined by Felice Varini, who presents a monumental three-dimensional work at Place-Royale.

In a time marked by environmental challenges and a growing demand for authenticity and cultural diversity, architects are increasingly turning to indigenous knowledge systems not only as sources of inspiration, but as viable solutions to adapt and respond to local and global challenges. As traditional custodians of the land, indigenous communities posses a profound understanding of their ecosystems, locally-available materials, cultural norms and social constrains. This knowledge holds insights valuable for shaping contemporary architecture, helping it adapt to both the people and their environments.

Since pandemic-imposed restrictions have been lifted, Europe has experienced a surge in tourism, with millions of people visiting some of its most attractive destinations, such as Venice, Barcelona or Paris. The large number of visitors has proved to be a challenge for the cities, creating overcrowding and affecting the local population, urban development, and even the natural ecosystems surrounding the urban areas. In a bid to limit this influx, some of Europe’s most popular cities are taking various measures to address the overcrowding and the subsequent social and infrastructural issues. The measures include fines, entrance fees, and time-slot systems to impose some restrictions.

AKIN has been announced as the winning team in the Barangaroo Harbour Park Design Competition, a project that will transform a central location along the waterfront of Sydney, Australia. The winning team is a First Nations-led and Sydney-based ground composed of Yerrabingin, Architectus, Flying Fish Blue, Jacob Nash Design, and Studio Chris Fox, with Arup as engineering consultants. Through its designers, the group integrates Indigenous knowledge systems along with landscape architecture, regenerative design, public art, and place-making.