Climate & Resources

Industrial culture meets commercial ruin

Gate M West Bund Dream Centre in Shanghai by MVRDV

Located on the west bank of the Huangpu River, MVRDV has transformed the remains of an old cement factory and the ruins of a failed revitalisation project into the city's latest cultural and entertainment hub. The architectural firms Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Atelier Deshaus assisted them in this endeavour.

Experimental Research Building

PAKK Pavilion in Tallinn

Run by the Estonian Academy of Arts, the PAKK Pavilion in Tallinn is an experimental laboratory. It focuses on research into timber construction, structures, and facades.

Experiment in hybrid timber construction

Boarding House in Mexico City by CRB Arquitectos

An eight-storey hybrid timber building on Avenida Álvaro Obregón is an eye-catching addition to Mexico City's townscape. Its regular facade gives an indication of the nearly 60 one-bedroom apartments inside, some of which are offered as holiday flats for overnight guests.

Protective shell made of stamped concrete

Espalion Nursery School in South-West France

The four-group nursery school in Espalion in south-west France has two radically different faces: on the outside, metre-high tamped concrete walls protect the open spaces and interior rooms. Inside, however, floor-to-ceiling glazing dominates the impression of space.

Careful restoration

Pierre and Colette Soulages Primary School by NAS Architecture

NAS Architecture has transformed the former Montpellier Conservatory into a primary school, combining history with modernity through the use of a light-flooded patio and exposed structures.

Tour de force in timber construction

University Building in Arkansas by Grafton Architects and Modus Studio

Grafton Architects' first timber construction is located at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In collaboration with the local firm Modus Studio, they designed a transparent building that brings together workshops, a lecture hall, and design studios under one roof.

Preserving historical heritage

Revitalisation of the Church of Sant Esteve near Barcelona

Targeted interventions by Santamaria Arquitectes have secured and revitalised this Romanesque church.

Wooden house with brick rotunda

Villa Bjorland in Stavanger by Vatn Architecture

Espen Vatn and his architectural firm, together with Laura Sæther Architecture, have renovated a residential building dating from 1955 in a suburb of Stavanger. The striking entrance area is inspired by the grain silos in the area.

Renovation brings clarity and cohesion

Collège Maryse Bastié in Dole by Tectoniques Architectes

During the renovation of the secondary school, Tectoniques Architectes unified the disparate buildings in terms of structure and design. The labyrinthine layout was reorganised and the building was raised and clad in a new, largely uniform exterior. 

Lightweight construction on solid foundations

Residential Building in the Basque Country by BeAr

The La Nanihuena residential building in Gorliz, northern Spain, plays with contrasts: four large concrete supports hold up a delicate wooden structure. Red and light green facades envelop the interior, which is largely decorated in wood tones.

The tree in the house

Boathouse in Scotland by Barboza Blanco Office

On the banks of the Firth of Tay, the Portuguese firm has renovated a dilapidated boathouse and transformed it into a retreat for the client. A single tree trunk supports both the roof and floor of the house. 

Architecture in harmony with nature

The Lake House: Life Experience Pavilion by Wutopia Lab

Wutopia Lab artfully constructed the prefabricated Lake House Life Experience Pavilion in Shanghai's Daning Park using recycled materials in a very short time.

Multifaceted multipurpose building

Multipurpose Hall near Sydney by Sam Crawford Architects

The new community hall in Matraville, near Sydney, reflects the diversity of its uses in its architecture, featuring a large canopy and a hall structure made of glulam timber, as well as roof extensions made of aluminium sheet and polycarbonate. 

Redensification beneath the castle ruins

Residential Buildings on Baden's Schlossberg Hill near Zurich

Menzi Bürgler Kuithan Architects have renovated a stately 1923 villa in Baden, near Zurich, and added two slender detached houses made of wood and hemp lime.

Brazilian architectural icon

Metro Arquitetos Expand Museu de Arte de São Paulo

57 years after the inauguration of Lina Bo Bardi's iconic Museo de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), the museum recently unveiled its latest extension, called Edifício Pietro Maria Bardi, designed by Metro Arquitetos. 

New use for industrial hall

Greenhouse in Shanghai by Delugan Meissl

In the Expo Cultural Park in Shanghai, the former site of Expo 2010, a greenhouse with a floor area of almost 50 000 m2 has been built according to plans by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects. The backdrop for the new building is the gutted hall of a former steelworks.

Cultural village restoration

Museum in China by Team_Bldg

The architects at Team_Bldg have converted a three-storey 1990s house in the small Chinese village of Songzhuang into China's first museum of contemporary weaving art.

Winner of the Aga Khan Award

Jahad Metro Plaza in Teheran by KA Architecture Studio

The new underground entrance at Meydan-e Jahad in Tehran shows how urban spaces can be enhanced without any commercial involvement. Mohamad Khavarian and his firm KA Architecture Studio won the 2025 Aga Khan Award for their barrel-vaulted brick construction.