Ferdinand Ludwig studied architecture and completed his doctorate at the University of Stuttgart, where in 2007 he founded the Baubotanik research field at the Institute for Architectural Theory and Design (IGMA). Since 2017, he has been Professor of Green Technologies in Landscape Architecture at the Technical University of Munich. Together with Daniel Schönle and Jakob Rauscher, he leads the Office for Living Architecture (OLA), realising various Baubotanik projects.
The design of the museum began with a largely cleared site, yet without an operator. Yutaka Terasaki and Bao Mengxian report on how Kengo Kuma & Associates planned the building without needing a detailed briefing.
The new UCCA Clay Museum advances the millennia-old tradition of artisanal ceramics the Chinese metropolis Yixing is renowned for. An armour of red clay tile encloses the exhibition spaces and the open timber roof constructions above them – an expressive space for the presentation of modern ceramic art.
The Glasshouse Theatre adds a fifth venue to the heritage-listed Queensland Performing Arts Centre. It can be flexibly used for concerts, operas, and dance and theatre performances. The glass facades of the deeply cantilevered foyer visualise the theatrical art of illusion on the exterior.
In their restoration of the Monastery of Santa María of Sijena, Pemán y Franco and Sebastián preserve traces of destruction, rebuilding, and decay spanning 800 years. Recently, they remodelled the east and north wings into an exhibition space for the convent’s valuable artworks.
Brisbane is set to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. However, the city is also preparing for the future in cultural terms. In early 2026, Blight Rayner Architecture and Snøhetta completed the Glasshouse Theatre. Peter Brown and Michael Rayner explain the design.
In 2008, Snøhetta redefined the opera house in Oslo. How has this building type evolved since then? Cofounder Kjetil Thorsen discusses the new opera house in Shanghai, time-tested floor plans, new roles for cultural institutions, and the responsible use of public funds.