Magazine

On May 22 the Tokyo Skytree Tower opened. The world's tallest free-standing broadcasting tower includes two observation decks open to the public. John Hill

Two ovoid forms atop a square base define the new Hospital Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain. Wrapping the curved surfaces is a diagonal grid of Cricursa's Cridecor® glass panels that further give the objects their distinctive appearance. John Hill

On May 19 The Barnes Foundation opened its new Philadelphia home, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, moving its artwork from the nearby Merion residence of Albert C. Barnes. John Hill

May is a month when architecture and design events converge in the United States. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Convention, held in Washington, D.C. this year, was followed immediately by the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City. World-Architects was on... John Hill

In 1947, two years after its founding, Roosevelt University moved into the historic Auditorium Building in Chicago's Loop, after buying the building for a dollar. Six decades later, in a downtown that has seen numerous transformations, including a developing cluster of nearby colleges and...

When a city opts to utilize prototype designs for public buildings, the results are often cheap and ugly; repurposed trailers or other modular units come to mind. But Houston, Texas has a recipe for good civic architecture in the first of what could be many police stations designed by Roth...

The Guardian's Jonathan Jones takes viewers on a video tour of the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower in East London's Olympic Village. The red-steel maelstrom is the product of artist Anish Kapoor and engineer Cecil Balmond. John Hill

The Serpentine Gallery has unveiled the design of its 2012 Pavilion, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei. John Hill

The Orange County (New York) Legislature defeated a bond that would have funded the demolition of the Orange County Government Center, designed by Paul Rudolph and completed in 1970. John Hill

On May 16, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden opened its new Visitor Center, designed by Weiss/Manfredi. John Hill

Schollglas provided glass for the aptly named "Crystal", the headquarters for Nykredit Bank in Copenhagen, Denmark designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. The double-walled façade of insulated and patterned-laminated glass gives the building its distinctive, layered... John Hill

Artist Tomás Saraceno completed the installation of his "Cloud City" on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. John Hill

In an effort to involve the public in exhibitions and discussions about architecture, local AIA chapters are increasingly opting for a storefront presence. Examples include the Center for Architecture in New York's Greenwich Village (2003) and now the recently completed exhibition and...

Creative responses to practical constraints are one mark of good architecture. This is evident in the curving section of the Shield House in Denver, Colorado, which responds to bulk plane restrictions. Offset by a rectangular volume, the curving wall also acts as a light scoop and provides...

A studio visit to Cannon Design's St. Louis, Missouri, office, housed in an old power station. Principal George Nikolajevich gave World-Architects a tour. John Hill

Developer L&L Holding Co. is holding an invited design competition for a skyscaper to replace a 1950s tiered glass box at 425 Park Avenue in New York City. John Hill

OMA has unveiled its design for the new Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow's Gorky Park. The project is a renovation of the 1960s-era Vremena Goda (Seasons of the Year) restaurant. John Hill

An exhibition and conference focusing on artists Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger will take place the second week of May in Switzerland. John Hill

In memory of Swiss artist David Weiss, who died on April 27, 2012: Der Lauf der Dinge (The Way Things Go), an artwork done with longtime collaborator Peter Fischli. John Hill

For the second year, Portuguese architects Bruno André and Francisco Salgado Ré (together known as AND-RÉ) have won the Iberian Urban Equipment Prize. Last year AND-RÉ won for the lighting design “Verso,” and this year's award in the “urban... John Hill

The Zaha Hadid-designed MAXXI Museum in Rome may close in response to a large hole in the institution's accounts. The museum, which opened only two years ago, won the RIBA Stirling Prize. John Hill

The Guangdong Province in South China is considered one of the rich provinces in the country. However, like in all other regions, the economic growth is based in the urban centres along the coast. From the hinterland the unskilled labour force moved already 30 years ago to the coastal regions and...

The town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture suffered extreme damage from the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Architect Shigeru Ban responded by designing a multi-story temporary housing complex for survivors. Project manager Yasunori Hirano talked about the project in an...

Cleveland, like many American cities with an industrial past, has plenty of brownfield sites that are ripe for creative redevelopment. These 27 Townhouses, developed by Adobe Modern Lifestyle Developers and designed by DIMIT Architects, occupy a brownfield site east of downtown Cleveland,...

Visitors to the Rice University Art Gallery in Houston, Texas are confronted with a topographical form suspended from the ceiling, an installation by Yasuaki Onishi. John Hill

An interview with Austrian Cultural Forum Director Andreas Stadler on the 10th anniversary of the ACFNY building designed by Raimund Abraham. John Hill

An existing maintenance building was renovated into the administrative center for the Claremont University Consortium, which provides services and programs for eight colleges in the Los Angeles area. The mundane nature of the original is transformed in LTL Architects' remarkable design...

Twin brothers Ryan and Trevor Oakes devote their artwork to exploring visual perception and its representation. For an exhibition at EMPAC Rensselaer in Troy, New York, the brothers created an immersive drawing of the Grimshaw-designed concert hall. John Hill

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have announced their selection of the best in sustainable design. John Hill

The Palais de Tokyo in Paris reopened on April 12, 2012 after a major renovation that makes it the largest contemporary arts center in Europe. John Hill

As part of Topotek1's competition-winning project of a small corner lot in Berlin-Köpenick, MDT-tex designed a large rectractable umbrella in red, matching the surface below. John Hill

A bridge billed as the world's highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel span opened in China's Hunan province recently. John Hill

One of the bright spots in architecture and construction during the recession is health care, stemming from the industry's growth to government spending and other factors. While this sector is highly specialized, the best medical architecture is cognizant of the way it fits into the urban...

This is a small home located on the border of a residential neighborhood and a forested area where development is restricted. Because the lot is lower than the road facing it, access is via a bridge leading to an entrance on the second floor. The shape is nearly cubic, with a triangular terrace...

In 2009 the first section of the High Line's transformation from a railway viaduct to an elevated park opened to the public, followed two years later by the second section north of 23rd Street. This 21st century park that threads its way through and alongside old industrial buildings has...