Architecture

Xuanpu Pavilion (Hanging Fall Pavilion) Conceived to mark the 10th anniversary of Zhejiang University’s Zhoushan Campus and the 15th anniversary of its marine disciplines, this project was delivered by the campus’s original design team, initially commissioned to create a conventional commemorative sculpture. Reimagining the essence of “commemoration” for this serene, sea-cradled campus, the team redefined the brief: rather than an isolated visual focal point, they created an experiential, interactive “place” that holds a symbolic spiritual core, while accommodating daily rest, dialogue and contemplation for faculty and students.

As architectural discourse continues to expand across cultural, educational, and civic domains, this week‘s developments highlight how the discipline operates simultaneously through legacy, knowledge production, and large-scale public engagement. From reflections on influential figures and their enduring impact to evolving academic landscapes and new forms of cultural infrastructure, architecture is positioned as both a repository of ideas and an active agent in shaping contemporary identities. At the same time, projects spanning entertainment, museums, and waterfront developments point to a growing emphasis on hybrid programs and experiential environments, where architecture mediates between culture, public life, and global audiences.

The residence is perched above a steep, rocky cape in Antiparos, fully exposed to the northern winds. It overlooks the island of Despotiko -home to ancient ruins- and the open expanse of the Aegean Sea. Oriented westward, it enjoys views of the sunset and the neighbouring islands of Sikinos, Sifnos, and Serifos. The archipelago unfolds below: at times serene and radiant, at others wild and uncanny, embracing the architecture in a constant dialogue with nature.

UNS‘s design proposal for Turin‘s new Metro Line 2, developed in collaboration with Settanta7, Mijksenaar, Frigorosso, 3BA, and WSP, has been selected by an international jury of experts chaired by Dominique Perrault. The proposal is based on the idea of “flow,” a concept that has historically shaped the Italian city, from the Po and Dora rivers to the 18 kilometers of arcaded porticoes that structure how residents and visitors move. The project envisions Line 2 as a new “urban river,” guided by three design principles to facilitate this flow: branding, transit experience, and scales of identity. With 32 stations planned in total, the initial design phase includes 10 stations, among them Mole Giardini, San Giovanni Bosco, and Carlo Alberto.

“Architecture must do more than exist within its surroundings—it must engage with them, carving its own presence through mass, proportion, and materiality,” expresses Malay Doshi, Principal architect at Studio Saransh. How does architecture express itself on a site embraced by nature? PBR House, by Studio Saransh, began with this fundamental question. Set amidst lush orchards on the outskirts of Vapi in Gujarat, this family home is designed as an exploration of materials and forms. The house, instead of relying on external cues, anchors itself through the careful articulation of spaces and a refined material palette to create a self-sustained identity that is both timeless and intimate.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a lightweight architectural installation conceived as both exhibition object and public pavilion, exploring how minimal structures, craft, and movement can create quiet spaces of gathering within Dhaka’s dense urban fabric. Rooted in the environmental realities of the delta—marked by water, monsoon cycles, and fragile ground—the project responds to a context where architecture must remain adaptable, porous, and temporally aware. Designed with a dual life, it transitions from gallery artifact to urban canopy, negotiating between representation and use. Within a compact footprint of just 113 square feet, it achieves spatial generosity through lightness, reversibility, and ease of assembly, disassembly, and relocation.