#architecture

#architecture

I have visited all 50 states, but when I think about the city that I find the most dynamic, New Orleans rises to the top. It's magical. I've been to New Orleans a few times - to see friends, immerse myself in its culture, and attend a conference. But ultimately, my love for the city rests on three pillars: its character, spirit, and cuisine.

The Studio Museum in Harlem reopens after seven years on 15 November. Its new home was created from the ground up on the museum's former footprint at 144 West 125th Street. The first purpose-built space in its 57-year history, the 82,000-sq.-ft building was designed by Adjaye Associates with Cooper Robertson as executive architect-the two teams also collaborated on the recently opened new Princeton University Art Museum. The Studio Museum's $300m price tag-fully fundraised, almost a quarter from public sources-includes construction, operating costs during closure and a $50m endowment (the institution's first).

Copenhagen's skyline has a new star. The Tip of Nordø, a sleek 60-meter cylinder of glass and steel, now dominates the Nordhavn waterfront like a modern lighthouse. This isn't just another office building - it's the result of a dream team collaboration between Cobe, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, and Third Nature, three firms that know how to make waves in Danish architecture.

What you see is the result of a collaborative journey between three fields: education, architecture, and fabrication. The educational perspective guided us in designing a school that responds to the needs of children in a world increasingly dominated by digital technology, fostering instead a connection to nature. The architects shaped forms, spaces, and light that make every living being-children, plants, and animals-feel recognized and alive.

Claire is 35, a highly accomplished architect known for her precision, discipline, persistence, determination, and clarity of thought. She has never been one for shortcuts. Through school and university, she was the kind of student who turned in clean drafts weeks before deadlines, earning her reputation as the straight-A girl who never left loose ends. Her teachers valued her efficiency, her peers respected her output, and her supervisors quickly learned she could be trusted with complex projects.

Staring across the Hudson, the young architect imagined a helicopter lifting a trailer from a dinky New Jersey development and placing it on top of a building somewhere in Manhattan. "It was a fantasy," he tells me, "but it was kind of a crystallization of the way I wanted to live in New York." It was the late 1980s. Tesoro was more than a decade out of architecture school and had been running his own firm for a few years.

The Sax consists of two interconnected towers that truly live up to their musical namesake. The taller "Havana" tower soars 180 meters across 55 stories, while its companion "Philadelphia" reaches 82 meters with 26 floors. The towers are dramatically connected by a golden skybridge spanning six stories, creating what MVRDV describes as a "saxophone-like silhouette" that will serve as a beacon on Rotterdam's evolving waterfront.

The newly renovated Cartier flagship in Miami's Design District stands at 147 NE 39th Street, its new facade conceived by Diller Scofidio and Renfro, and comprehensive renovation and interior design by Laura Gonzales. The building's undulating glass carries a rhythm that catches the changing light and suggests a sense of motion. Across the curved surface, a delicate pattern has been translated from a 1909 Cartier brooch. It appears and disappears with each shift in sun or shadow, softening the boundary between interior and exterior.

'It has been a privilege to work with Fortnum & Mason on such a rare and ambitious project. The double helix staircase is at once a technical marvel and a deeply human piece of design, marrying engineering precision with craft at the highest level. Our aim has been to create a structure that feels timeless, one that restores architectural integrity to the store while also delivering beauty and joy for the millions who pass through its doors each year.'

Japanese architect Tadao Ando has unveiled the design for an art museum in Dubai, which will be housed in a rounded, twisting building overlooking the emirate's natural saltwater creek. If you're not familiar with Ando, imagine someone who speaks through concrete and light the way poets speak through words. He received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1995, which is basically the Nobel Prize for architects, and his work has this incredible ability to make you feel something before you even understand what you're looking at.

The Latvian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, commissioned by Jānis Dripe and curated by Liene Jākobsone and Ilka Ruby, explores the impact of military defense on the country's border landscape. The exhibition was designed by SAMPLING and Nomad Architects to highlight how geopolitical tensions shape both territory and daily life. In times of escalating international warfare, the curatorial team poses the question of what it means to live on NATO's external border in times of geopolitical conflict.

As Midtown Manhattan continues to evolve, 270 Park Avenue rises as a new titan of the New York skyline-a 1,388-foot, 60-story headquarters for JPMorgan Chase designed by Foster + Partners. Not just another addition to the city's collection of supertalls, 270 Park Avenue redefines what a modern workplace can be, setting new benchmarks for sustainability, urban connectivity, and architectural innovation. Located on the site of the former Union Carbide Building, the tower's completion in 2025 marks a significant milestone.

From forgotten wasteland to cultural destination, Nodeul Island on Seoul's Han River is undergoing a remarkable transformation under the vision of renowned British architect Thomas Heatherwick. After winning a highly competitive global design contest, Heatherwick Studio officially broke ground on its ambitious "Soundscape" project in October 2025, marking a new chapter for both the studio and South Korea's cultural landscape.

Construction has kicked off on what might be Southeast Asia's most jaw-dropping cultural project-the Isola della Musica, a striking opera house designed by the legendary Renzo Piano that will literally float on Hanoi's West Lake when it opens in 2027. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic setting for world-class performances. The name means "Island of Music" in Italian, which feels fitting given Piano's heritage and the venue's extraordinary location on the Quang An Peninsula,

Titled Opera Aperta, the Holy See Pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale positions architecture as an act of collective care and shared responsibility. Curated by Marina Otero Verzier and Giovanna Zabotti, and designed by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO and MAIO Architects, the project transforms the 500-square-meter Santa Maria Ausiliatrice Complex in Venice's Castello district into a site for restoration, collaboration, and public engagement.

Located along a verdant pedestrian greenway in Nerima, Tokyo, this house engages directly with the everyday landscape of the neighborhood, where residents cultivate flowers and fruit trees and use the path as part of their daily walks.

JXY Studio's Lighthouse installation integrates industrial materials with the living components of the forest, creating a structure that operates as both a built system and an ecological habitat. The project investigates how artificial and natural environments can coexist through shared spatial and material frameworks. Set within a primeval forest, the installation references the fundamental elements that sustain life, like soil, vegetation, sunlight, air, and rainfall.

Fans head out on game day ready to root for their favorite teams, with all eyes on the pitch, enclosed in a large venue that is separate from its surroundings. The Xi'an International Football Centre in China, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, becomes one with the landscape, with open facades that make passerby and the city itself part of the event experience.

It was a big week here at Remodelista and Gardenista: Our latest (sixth!) book is out in the world! Read more about it right over here, and find it wherever books are sold. (P.S. We'd love to see your copy. Snap a photo in your garden (or front stoop, sunny window, or fire escape) and tag us on Instagram @gardenista_sourcebook.)

In Tokyo's Aoyama district, the new PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE store by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka + TYD transforms a compact site into a vibrant retail space. The interior unfolds as a dialogue between aluminum and glass, materials that both absorb and reflect light. Every surface, from the glimmering frames to the translucent displays, is precisely measured to resonate with Issey Miyake's pursuit of functional beauty. The atmosphere is serene, defined by clean lines and even illumination.

Frankfurt is often recognised for its distinctive skyline, a rare feature in European cities. Towering glass skyscrapers mark its role as a global financial hub, yet beneath this vertical image lies a city layered with centuries of history, destruction, and reconstruction. From medieval timber-framed houses to post-war modernism and contemporary high-rises, Frankfurt has consistently reinvented itself through architecture, producing a built environment where different periods coexist in dialogue.

Turin is known as one of Italy's most chic places. Earlier this year, Vogue named it the most elegant city in the country, even beating out the fashion capital of Milan. I've also read many travel blogs and articles about the great things Turin has to offer. Situated in the northwest of the country, it's known for its grand baroque architecture and royal history. It's also famous for being home to the Shroud of Turin, a centuries-old religious relic.

Foster's designs are constantly shaping how people live, work and play around the world. They've attempted to heal Germany's divided past via the Reichstag building in Berlin, and broken through feats of engineering by way of the Millennium Bridge in London, which ushered in a new era for the South Bank. His dynamic new gateways in Venice employ high-performance, lightweight materials to build new transportation infrastructure for the floating city.