Architecture Latest News
Winner spotlight: The Voxman Music Building
The University of Iowa’s Voxman Music Building is a window onto musical performance, its glazed elevations engaging its local community with its purpose. The design by Seattle based LMN Architects won the Education Buildings Award in the World Architecture News Awards 2018, and much praise from the WAN Awards judges, who described it as “simply superb”.
Apple opens Bangkok store
Apple has opened its first store in Thailand, with a Foster + Partners’ designed glazed pavilion in central Bangkok. The Apple Iconsiam store is connected to the new Iconsiam Center, a major mixed use development with shopping malls, hotels and apartments, and sits above the city’s Chao Phraya River.
Winner Spotlight: Future Street
How will our streets look and function in the future? To give people a better idea, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) commissioned Place Design Group to come up with a vision for Sydney’s Alfred Street. The ideas were showcased for three days only in Sydney as part of AILA’s 2017 International Festival last October. But Place Design Group’s vision has won global recognition with the inaugural Best Immersive Use of Tech Award in the World Architecture News Awards 2018, which were celebrated in London last month.
UK government ban hits high rise timber housing
The UK government has banned the use of combustible materials in the external walls of new buildings over 18m in height that contain homes. The move comes in response to the tragic fire at the Grenfell Tower block in London last year, but it has prompted concern among architects as it rules out the use of engineered timber products like cross-laminated timber (CLT) in high-rise housing blocks. They say the move limits the potential for sustainable high-rise residential innovation and development.
Winner spotlight: Foro Boca Concert Hall
Raw, powerful and intensely beautiful: these are some of the words that have been used to describe Rojkind Arquitectos’ Foro Boca Concert Hall in Mexico. These qualities come from the architect’s understanding and application of concrete for this project. And this earned the building the Concrete in Architecture Award in the World Architecture News Awards 2018, which were presented earlier this month in London.
Ole Scheeren’s Bangkok tower complete
Buro Ole Scheeren’s addition to the Bangkok skyline, the MahaNakhon Tower, has reached completion with the opening of its vertiginous observation deck. The observation deck, which crowns Bangkok’s tallest tower, is open to the public and is located more than 300 metres above ground level. A 4.5 metre by 17.5 metre walkable glass platform, called the Skytray, is quite literally the highlight of the visitor experience.
Winner spotlight: Khyaung School
Weston Williamson’s design for a village school in Cambodia creates an inspirational learning environment that is also, of necessity, cost effective, low maintenance and sustainable. These qualities together with a colourful exterior made this project a thoroughly worthy winner of the Colour in Architecture Award at the World Architecture News Awards 2018, which were presented in London earlier this month.
Tulip tower planned for London
The City of London could have a new landmark, if plans to create a new cultural and tourist attraction, called The Tulip, win the backing of the planners. The 300 metre tall viewing tower - designed by Foster + Partners and brought forward by J Safra Group - draws its name from its elongated bud-like form.
Bates Smart hits the heights in timber
Australia’s largest engineered timber commercial building to date has opened in Brisbane. Bates Smart’s design for developer Lendlease’s 10 storey, 45 metre tall office complex, called 25 King, showcases innovation in timber design and construction.
Shipyard transformation unites past and future
A set of structures constructed in the nineteenth century as part of a shipyard repair works in San Francisco has been converted to a research centre for a future mode of transport: autonomous vehicles. The visionary transformation of these historic buildings has won Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects a top award in the World Architecture News Awards 2018.
