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THE TRANSFORMATIVE ROLE OF ARCHITECTURE: FROM IDEOLOGICAL INSTRUMENT TO PLATFORM FOR CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT — Tirana is rapidly transforming, reflecting Albania's shift from decades of communist isolation toward a modern Mediterranean destination. The proliferation of towers designed by international architects makes this shift highly visible. However, a more subtle yet equally significant transformation is taking place within the city's cultural infrastructure.

Built on an existing foundation this house bridges two site conditions. The center of town is a five-minute walk from the front door; stroll out the back door, however, and one is in the Maine woods. A rift of granite blocks helps define the exterior spaces: parking, entry, and a back patio. This stone silhouette continues through the house where the blocks demarcate a wood stove alcove at the end of the living space. The landscaping, as well as details inside, is drawn from the owners' love of Maine granite quarries. Читать дальше...

The relationship between constraint and design excellence is well established in architectural theory, yet often remains underexplored in discussions of site-specific practices. When architects encounter extreme topography, they face a fundamental choice: transform the landscape to accommodate the building, or modify the building to fit the landscape. The first approach is straightforward and requires the builder to cut, fill, terrace, and build on level ground. This choice, however, carries cascading... Читать дальше...

Located in the Chengdu Eastern New Area, the 23,000-square-meter Main Pavilion is the exposition's core building, programmed to host the closing ceremony, international flower competitions, and forums. Following the event, it will transition into a civic cultural center. The design deeply respects the natural context, seamlessly integrating modern public architecture with Sichuan's natural and humanistic environments.

Buildner has launched Buildner's Unbuilt Award 2026, the third edition of its annual competition, offering a 100,000 EUR prize fund.

The Edo-Tokyo Museum has reopened to the public following a multi-year renovation, unveiling a series of scenographic interventions and installations designed by OMA under the direction of Shohei Shigematsu. Marking the firm's first public project in Japan, the commission forms part of the broader renewal of the museum's iconic building by Metabolist architect Kiyonori Kikutake. Originally opened in 1993 as the first museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo, the institution traces the city's evolution from the Edo period to the present day... Читать дальше...

In Rome's Flaminio district, STUDIOTAMAT unveils Casa Continua, a 115 sqm apartment entirely reimagined through a project that engages with the home's layered history while opening it to new ways of living.

This week's selection of architecture news and projects invites a rethinking of the social, cultural, and environmental role of design across diverse scales and geographies. From community-led efforts to preserve modern heritage, such as the campaigns surrounding the Îlot 8 housing complex in France and a renewed photographic attention toward Croatia's Split 3 district, to broader reflections on architecture's agency in the face of climate change and social transformation, many of the featured... Читать дальше...

Southeast Asia is often narrated as a kind of architectural playground—an arena where modern and contemporary ideals have been tested at full scale through singular, iconic buildings. One can trace an easy lineage through names that have helped shape the region's skyline imagination: Paul Rudolph's Lippo Centre in Hong Kong and The Concourse in Singapore, I.M. Pei's OCBC Centre and Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower, Norman Foster's Supreme Court of Singapore and the HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong... Читать дальше...

When the Fitzroy landmark, The MacRobertson's Chocolate Factory (built ~1900's), was converted between 1998 and 2003, it became an early and local example of the industrial apartment building typology. Rather than delivering a series of homogenous, standardised units, the redevelopment divided the amalgamation of warehouse spaces into a series of apartment 'shells' surrounding a voluminous central atrium. The 'shells' were sold to owners with the most minimal amenities, no more than a connection point for plumbing... Читать дальше...