Architecture

OPEN architecture weaves rooftop gardens throughout its shanfeng academy building The team at OPEN Architecture celebrates the completion of its Shanfeng Academy building, a cultural and sports center situated in the new district of Suzhou. The project is designed to accommodate the needs of the Mountain Kingston Bilingual School’s nearly 2,000 students while at once serving as a cultural hub for the local community. The architects note that during the project’s development, they were deeply influenced by the intricate Chinese landscape drawings and traditional Suzhou Gardens, which they sought to honor while addressing contemporary urban and educational challenges. see designboom’s...

Mecanoo unveils design for 80,000-sq-m Amstel district in Amsterdam Images courtesy of Mecanoo Dutch architect Mecanoo has unveiled the Amstel Design District, an 80,000 sq m development in Amsterdam complete with offices, housing, commercial spaces, amenities and a design museum. The scheme includes social housing, mid-rent residential units, private sector homes and communal facilities that act as informal meeting points. The project contains stacked volumes with setbacks that respond to their surroundings by shaping the public space between the buildings as pocket parks and plazas that run through the masterplan. Working areas will include “green retreats” for employees, and building...

Designs unveiled for first presidential centre for female head of state Images courtesy of Atelier Masōmī Niger architect Atelier Masōmī has revealed its design for the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre for Women and Development in Monrovia, Liberia. Atelier Masōmī will be part of an all-woman design team that includes Sumayya Vally of South African practice Counterspace as exhibitions architect and Karen Richards Barnes as local architect. The centre commemorates the president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018, the first female head of state in Africa. The project’s design, the first of its kind for a female head of state,...

Bjarke Ingels, Frank Gehry among five contenders for US Navy museum Bjarke Ingels Group’s concept for the US Navy museum Five architects have been shortlisted to design a museum for the US Navy in Washington, DC. Some 80 companies expressed an interest in participating in the project, with 37 then submitting qualifications and five selected as finalists. Perkins & Will’s design The contenders are: Bjarke Ingels Group, DLR Group, Frank Gehry Partners, Perkins & Will and Quinn Evans. Quinn Evans’ concept Since January, they have developed concepts for the museum’s entrance, a ceremonial courtyard, and an atrium that can incorporate...

Arup and Foster + Partners chosen to design stations for California high-speed railway Images courtesy of Foster + Partners A joint venture between UK consulting engineer Arup and architect Foster + Partners has been selected to design four stations for the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high-speed railway. The planning, architecture and engineering of Merced, Fresno, Kings/Tulare and Bakersfield stations will act as templates for the other stops on the 800km route. The joint venture’s management and design contracts are part of the first “notice to proceed”, which is expected to last 30 months. There is an option to progress to the...