This year, cultural and community centers, sports, and recreational facilities are planned to open around the world. We have collected the most anticipated and interesting projects of 2024 from world-famous bureaus, united by common trends for sustainable design and biophilic architecture.
Biophilic Welcome office in Milan, Kengo Kuma Architects
For the last three years, the construction of the Welcome multifunctional center has been underway in Milan. Kengo Kuma has designed “a biophilic office of the future” in the former Rizzoli industrial area, where work and nature interact harmoniously with each other. The goal of the project is to revive public life in a remote area, masterfully, as only an architect knows how, blur the boundaries between nature and the office, making the landscape the protagonist. The space will include offices, co-working spaces, and conference rooms, as well as restaurants and bars, shops, a wellness center, and space for temporary exhibitions and exhibitions. “This is a new stage in the use of wood in urban design. Recently, people have been using wood for small buildings, but we are facing an urban design revolution, and wood can make that revolution,” says Kengo Kuma.
Paper island in Copenhagen, architectural studio Cobe
The Paper Island project is a former industrial paper storage site located on the artificial island of Christianholm, which is more than 300 years old. The architects of the Danish studio Cobe are reinterpreting this place – a public landmark of Copenhagen, an area with street restaurants, art exhibitions, fashion shows, concerts, and flea markets. The existing buildings were in poor condition, so the redesign involved building from scratch. The Cobe studio decided to radically rethink the site and the recognizable spirit of the place in order to place a wide promenade, a public pool, residential buildings, and commercial areas in the future. “Our vision for the future of the island is to create a place that celebrates the city’s culture and the Copenhagen way of life,” says Dan Stubbergaard, founder of Cobe.
Olympic and Paralympic Village in Paris, Dominique Perrault Architecture
On February 29, the official opening of the Olympic Village of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024 in Paris took place. The author of the project is the famous French architect Dominique Perrault. Nine kilometers from the Louvre, on the right bank of the Seine River, the architects of the Dominique Perrault Architecture bureau designed a new quarter. The site is located near the key sports facilities of the upcoming Olympics and has a convenient transport interchange. The team developed the project based on sustainable strategies and flexibility so that after the completion of the competition, the built housing, sports, and leisure facilities could provide jobs in the long term.
Simone-Veil bridge in Bordeaux, Architectural Bureau OMA
Rem Koolhaas’s OMA architectural firm designed the Simone-Veil bridge, which crosses the Garonne River between Bordeaux and Begel. As part of this project, the architects decided to turn the bridge into a modern boulevard. The studio intentionally left the design as simple as possible from a technical and aesthetic point of view. “The bridge itself is not an ‘event’ in the city, but a platform where all the events of the city can be placed,” says the OMA team. The 44-meter-long, 549-meter-long bridge is designed for cars, public transport, and bicycles, with most of it reserved for the pedestrian zone.
Children’s Hospital in Zurich, Architectural Bureau Herzog & de Meuron
In autumn, the construction of the children’s hospital in Zurich – 377 Kinderspital Zürich – will be completed. The Swiss bureau Herzog & de Meuron won a two-stage competition for its creation back in 2012. The new building was built on the site of the existing one and divided into two buildings – the pediatric department and the laboratory building. “For sick children to recover, we need more than just medicines. They need to be provided with a sense of safety and security. That’s why we chose a lot of wood, green spaces, and natural materials in the patient rooms for the new building,” says the architects Herzog & de Meuron. The hospital is the largest hospital in Switzerland for inpatient and outpatient care for children and adolescents.
Eco-friendly Populus Hotel in Denver, Studio Gang
This summer will see the official opening of the Populus Hotel in Denver, designed by architecture and design firm Studio Gang. The design solutions are based on the imitation of natural patterns of aspen, one of the symbols of the state of Colorado; The name of the hotel is also not accidental, the Latin name of aspen is Populus. The hotel claims to be the first carbon-neutral hotel in the country – its interiors reflect the natural ethics of the brand, and the values lie in the use of renewable energy sources, the search for food through partnerships with farms, and the recycling of waste. According to the studio team, each room will offer a picturesque view of the park and mountain peaks, and additional space for sitting and relaxation integrated into the windows will allow guests to get even closer to nature.
Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Francisco, Foster + Partners
The renovation of the Transamerica Pyramid Center, the second tallest building in San Francisco, is a project by Foster + Partners. The new design involves reimagining the iconic site by revitalizing the location and restoring the historic Redwood Park. The main skyscraper is connected to two adjacent landscaped buildings. The building, designed by the futurist architect William Pereira, is a symbol of the city, so it was important for the architects to preserve the heritage of the place. New on-site amenities will include a fitness center, lounge, restaurant, meeting rooms and a skybar. “Foster’s team, known for its ability to blend historic and modern buildings, has developed a design that is eminently in keeping with not only Pereira’s spectacular original architecture but also the nature of San Francisco,” says architectural historian Paul Goldberger.
Sun Rock Project in Taiwan, MVRDV
The project of the Dutch studio MVRDV clearly shows Taiwan’s plans for the transition to “green” energy. A building under construction for a Taiwanese energy supplier is completely covered with solar panels. The idea and aesthetics are based on the architectural form, thanks to which solar energy can be obtained in the most efficient way. The building is designed in such a way that the sun’s rays fall on the rounded shape of Sun Rock throughout the day. The building will include offices, laboratories to maintain the building itself, storage facilities, and a public gallery. “The customer is an energy company, which allowed us to do more than usual. We lined the entire façade with solar panels, maximizing the amount of energy we receive, not only for our own use, but also exporting it to the rest of the grid. This is achieved by placing the panels as efficiently as possible. As a result, our design is entirely data-driven. It’s always exciting to see the results when analysis becomes a defining part of the design,” says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas.
Hida Takayama University in Japan, Sou Fujimoto Architects
Japanese studio Sou Fujimoto Architects designed the building of Hida Takayama University in the countryside. The project aims to revitalize remote regions that are often overlooked, especially educational campuses and institutes. According to the architects, the design concept refers to the surrounding mountain landscape. The architectural forms rise on wooden pillars, creating a circulation between the exterior and the interior, allowing a stream of natural light inside. The complex consists of two organic-shaped buildings with a roof for walking, similar to an “open hill”. “It is one of the most important platforms for learning, surrounded by beautiful mountains, where people gather for communication and development. In architecture, we wanted to experiment with the concept of open space,” says Su Fujimoto.
Phenomena Gallery Abu Dhabi, teamLab and MZ Architects
On Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, a multi-sensory museum dedicated to technology, science, art and the environment, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, is under construction. The teamLab team is working on the project in collaboration with local architects from the MZ Architects studio. The architectural image seems to be in motion and looks like a fantasy image with flowing flowing forms. The gallery will become a new platform for showcasing digital works by artists from teamLab. The main goal of the project is to stimulate human curiosity and develop imagination. According to Toshiyuki Inoko, the founder of teamLab, the project will help expand people’s understanding of the planet and introduce them to ideas of the future. In order to create an immersive experience for the audience in the immersive universe of teamLab, the authors of the project practically abandoned the windows.
Photo:Kengo Kuma & Associates, Cobe, Dominique Perrault Architecture, OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, Nephew, Studio Gang, Foster + Partners, MVRDV, Sou Fujimoto Architects, MZ Architects
