Archinect

New architecture and design competitions: Exploring 130 Years of American Design, Christo & Jeanne-Claude Center, 13 White Houses, and La Pyramide

2026-06-05T15:03:00-04:00

For this week's curated picks of architecture and design competitions listed on Bustler, we are featuring four calls seeking proposals using Van Alen Institute's archive that provoke reflection on the progression of design access, ideas for the adaptive reuse of a former textile technical school building into the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center for Contemporary Art in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, speculative architectural propositions that reconsider the White House as a civic and spatial instrument, and concepts for the revitalization of La Pyramide in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

For the complete directory of newly listed competitions, click here.

Fergie-Whistler Cabin by Studio AR&D Architects

2026-06-05T14:19:00-04:00

Program: Private Residence
Location: Whistler, Canada
Size: 3,350 sf
Status: Completed 2020

Beyond the Studio: University at Buffalo’s Experiential Learning Approach

2026-06-05T13:10:00-04:00

As schools across the United States ask how the studio-based model of design education can prepare students for lives and careers after graduation, the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning focuses on an approach that breaks down the barriers between the campus and city. Through an embrace of the experiential learning model of education, faculty such as Clinical Associate Professor Gregory Delaney have adopted an academic experience for students that underscores the School’s distinct focus on impact and action.

Below, we speak with Delaney on how the School approaches experiential learning, the projects that students undertake in partnership with communities and organizations, and how the School embodies a belief in the power of transformation.

LEGO launches 12,000-piece Sagrada Família set, its largest ever

2026-06-05T11:18:00-04:00

The LEGO Group has unveiled the LEGO Architecture Sagrada Família set, a new large-scale model released to coincide with the centenary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death in 2026. The project was rumored to be in production earlier this year.

Image courtesy of LEGO Group

The set recreates Barcelona’s Sagrada Família through a sequential building process intended to mirror the real structure’s historical construction phases. The model begins with the basilica’s Apse and Crypt before progressing through the Nativity and Passion facades, the nave, sacristies, and six towers, concluding with the Glory facade.

Image courtesy of LEGO Group

Comprising 12,060 pieces, the model is the largest LEGO set ever released by piece count. The set also includes a stained-glass window effect designed to replicate the colored light conditions within the scheme’s interior.

The set became available for pre-order yesterday and will be released globally ...

A first look at the completed Obama Presidential Center in Chicago

2026-06-05T09:27:00-04:00

The Obama Presidential Center finally appears ready to open to the public later this month, on June 19.

Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects in collaboration with landscape architecture studio Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the 9.3-acre civic campus in Chicago’s Jackson Park has been among the city’s most high-profile developments since discussions on the center began over a decade ago. Moody Nolan was in charge of the scheme's athletic center building, while Maya Lin created a water garden installation.

Image credit: The Obama Foundation

The campus includes the Museum Building, Forum, Chicago Public Library Branch, John Lewis Plaza, and Home Court, alongside new pathways, gardens, and public gathering areas intended to strengthen connections to Jackson Park and surrounding neighborhoods.

Image credit: The Obama Foundation

A defining feature of the design approach for the scheme was the integration o...

Ulla Johnson Flagship Boutique by Elizabeth Roberts Architecture & Design

2026-06-04T17:16:00-04:00

The Ulla Johnson store is located on a landmarked block of Bleecker Street in the historic district of Noho located in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Elizabeth Roberts Architecture & Design, PC was hired to do the project along with Alexis Brown Interiors who collaborated on the interiors.

One of the central goals of the project was to create a retail space that felt as comfortable as a residential interior. The design team used many elements and proportions taken from residential interiors to create an entirely new architectural layout with familiar residential details while adding custom commercial elements that will hold up to commercial use. The concept behind the new architectural floor plan was to break up the long retail space into a more residentially proportioned space with front and rear "parlors" connected by a decorative pass-through, while providing two dressing rooms off of the rear parlor and a bathroom for staff beside the sales desk. Though the building was not d...

Looking for architectural career opportunities in the Midwest? Here are 20 firms currently hiring on Archinect Jobs

2026-06-04T16:30:00-04:00

In this week's edition of our curated career roundups from the Archinect job board, we highlight 20 architecture and design firms with job openings across the Midwest in Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Michigan.

For helpful guidance on how to get that next job, make sure to check out Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series and our Archinect Tips collection.

Populous seeks a Computational Designer (Early Career) in Kansas City, MO
"This role sits at the intersection of design and technology. You will support project teams in solving complex design challenges while contributing to the development of computational tools, workflows, and systems used across Populous. You will work on real projects; exploring geometry, rationalizing design intent, and improving delivery, while also building reusable tools that enhance how we design at scale. This is an ideal role for someone with strong foundational skill in computational design who is looking to grow into a more...

UC Berkeley appoints Nicholas de Monchaux as next dean of College of Environmental Design

2026-06-04T13:51:00-04:00

The University of California, Berkeley has appointed Nicholas de Monchaux as the next dean of the College of Environmental Design (CED). De Monchaux, an architect, urbanist, and scholar, will assume the role on July 1, 2027.

Currently head of the Department of Architecture at MIT, de Monchaux serves as a professor of architecture and professor of urban studies and planning. His appointment marks a return to UC Berkeley, where he previously taught architecture and urban design between 2006 and 2019.

During his previous tenure at Berkeley, de Monchaux served as director of the Berkeley Center for New Media and held the Craigslist Distinguished Chair in New Media. At MIT, he co-founded the Local Code Lab, a research initiative focused on digital urbanism and computational approaches to cities and design.

Nicholas de Monchaux, Local Code: 3,659 Proposals about Data, Design, and the Nature of Cities, Princeton Architectural Press, 2016.

De Monchaux’s work spans architecture, technology, u...

'Architects Are Lost as a Profession': Former HOK CEO Patrick MacLeamy Speaks Out

2026-06-04T12:10:00-04:00

Almost two years ago, in September 2024, Archinect spoke with former HOK CEO and Chairman Patrick MacLeamy for advice on how architects could navigate through economic downturns. Back then, high interest rates, inflation, and post-pandemic construction costs all contributed to concerns from our readers over the health of the industry.

In 2026, many of those same challenges remain, coupled with domestic unpredictability through the Trump administration's wielding of tariffs and international uncertainty from the war in the Middle East.

Against this backdrop, Archinect's Niall Patrick Walsh spoke with MacLeamy once again last month on the state of the profession and his view on the need for architects to find new value and relevance in the 21st century. MacLeamy's insights build upon his book Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm and his podcast BUILD SMART.

Our conversation with MacLeamy, edited lightly for clarity and length, is published below.

OMA completes pyramid-like development in Hangzhou

2026-06-04T09:37:00-04:00

OMA has completed the Hangzhou Prism, a 430,000-square-foot mixed-use development in Hangzhou’s Future Tech City district. The project marks the firm’s first completed building in the Chinese city.

Image credit: Tu Xi Meng, courtesy of OMA

The development combines a hotel, residential units, office space, retail functions, and public amenities within a single pyramidal volume defined by two large oblique cuts through the building envelope. The cuts orient the building toward a nearby high-speed rail station to the northwest and a park to the southeast, while creating terraces for the residential loft units.

Image credit: Tu Xi Meng, courtesy of OMA

At ground level, the scheme incorporates a public exterior atrium and landscaped garden that connect to surrounding streets, canals, and parkland. The space includes water features, playgrounds, and areas designed for both organized and informal events. Meanwh...

Farnham-Connolly State Park Pavilion by Touloukian Touloukian Inc.

2026-06-03T23:05:00-04:00

The project began as an environmental clean-up of an abandoned municipal airport site. Surrounding wetlands were remediated and PCB impacted soils were collected under a permeable geotextile cap for the location of a new park and pavilions. A two phase project initially opened in 2014 and then completed with the comfort station in the fall of 2015. The pavilions support large community gatherings, performance events, multiple small outdoor education classrooms, passive shaded seating, and act as general sculptural elements connecting the park to its history. As visitors walk the path circulating the park, the geometry of both pavilions change to dynamically evoke the airport’s historic images of flight. Interpretive graphic plaques are incorporated into the Pavilion to support a self-guided narrative of the site history.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes Architecture Students Make in Their Portfolios?

2026-06-03T12:29:00-04:00

Over the past few years, I've reviewed many architecture portfolios through my studies, internships, competition work, and graduate school applications.

After comparing portfolios submitted for internships, MArch applications, and competition opportunities, I noticed several recurring issues:

Too many final renders and not enough design process.
Beautiful graphics but weak project narratives.
Every project presented with the same visual hierarchy.
Technical drawings that don't clearly communicate design intent.
Sustainability strategies mentioned but not demonstrated.
Lack of explanation regarding key design decisions.

One thing I've found interesting is that strong portfolios are often not the ones with the most visually impressive renders. Instead, they tend to communicate a clear design process and show how decisions were made.

For those involved in hiring, admissions, or reviewing student work:

What are the most common mistakes you see in architecture portfolios today?

I'd be interest...

A first look at the completed 2026 Serpentine Pavilion by LANZA atelier

2026-06-03T11:20:00-04:00

Serpentine has offered a first look at the completed 2026 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Mexico City-based studio LANZA atelier, ahead of its June 6th opening in London’s Kensington Gardens.

Founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo in 2015, the studio was announced as the designers in January.

Image credit: Iwan Baan, courtesy of Serpentine

This year’s pavilion takes inspiration from the “serpentine wall” or “crinkle-crankle wall,” a historical brick construction method characterized by alternating curves. Originating in ancient Egypt and later introduced to East Anglia in the UK by Dutch engineers, the undulating wall form provides structural stability while using fewer bricks than a straight wall. The design also references the nearby Serpentine Lake, named for its curved shape.

Image credit: Iwan Baan, courtesy of Serpentine

“Inspired by the figure of the serpent as a generative and protective force, we draw a parallel with England’s winding fruit walls, which are structu...

The University of Hong Kong is hiring an Assistant Professor in AI-driven architecture

2026-06-03T09:47:00-04:00

Following our previous look at an opening for a BIM Coordinator at COOKFOX, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in AI-enabled Design and Building Technology at the University of Hong Kong.

The role, based in Hong Kong, calls for an individual who has “experience in developing projects on how AI and advanced technology can augment creativity and sociability” as well as the ability to apply computational tools “in creative, socially meaningful responses to challenging design problems.” Among the requirements are a postgraduate and professional degree in the relevant field.

Why the role interests us

The open role at the University of Hong Kong offers us an insight into how the institution sees artificial intelligence intersecting with design and construction. The university describes AI as a “new fron...

Red Valley Dwellings by line+

2026-06-02T15:18:00-04:00

A building should not be conceived as an isolated object placed in nature, but as something embedded within the landscape and shaped over time. Rather than dissolving boundaries, it seeks a restrained and quiet presence, forming its own interior world between light, shadow, and the forest.

Mile, a county-level city in Yunnan's Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, sits at the intersection of central Yunnan's urban network and the cultural territories of southern Yunnan. In recent years, with the emergence of artist communities and cultural facilities, the area has gradually developed into an art-oriented settlement.

The project extends line+'s ongoing exploration of the Dongfengyun context following the completion of the Art Center, introducing a group of buildings carefully embedded within the valley landscape. Originally conceived as artist studios, the project was envisioned as a place for residency, creation, and exchange. The brief called for a spatial framework capable of ...

SPF:architects, Swift Lee Office, Susan T Rodriguez, and Evan Raabe are Archinect Jobs' latest featured employers

2026-06-02T13:32:00-04:00

Take a look at our latest curated selection of architecture and design firms currently hiring on Archinect Jobs: This week's featured employer highlight includes job openings in Los Angeles and New York City.

For even more opportunities, visit the Archinect job board.

Los Angeles-based architecture firm SPF:architects has an opening for a Project Architect, Associate with eight-plus years of experience and expert-level Revit skills. The ideal candidate should also be experienced with Rhino and Adobe Creative Suite. Applicants should have experience across a variety of projects, preferably in high-end residential, multi-family residential, cultural, educational, or infrastructure projects. Excellent people management and communications skills are also desired.

Bronze and Black House by SPF:architects.

Swift Lee Office is looking to add a Project Designer (3 to 5 years) and a Project Manager (10 to 12 years) to its practice in Los Angeles. The Project Designer should be experienced wit...

Nam Da House / 24Minimalist Architecture by 24Minimalist Architecture

2026-06-02T12:45:00-04:00

Located in Nam Da, Lam Dong, Vietnam, Nam Da House is a tropical courtyard dwelling shaped by practical constraints, local climate conditions, and familiar construction methods.

The project is organized around a central courtyard that improves natural ventilation, daylight, and spatial continuity. A deep tiled roof and layered concrete facade reduce direct solar heat while creating shaded transitional spaces between interior and exterior.

The material palette combines exposed concrete, brick, wood, and aluminum to create a calm and honest architectural atmosphere. Rather than pursuing visual complexity, the project focuses on spatial comfort, natural light, and the relationship between architecture and everyday life in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

Micro-architecture honored in latest Tiny House Architecture Competition

2026-06-02T11:02:00-04:00

Competition platform Volume Zero has unveiled the winners of their Tiny House 2025 Architecture Competition. The sixth edition of the competition saw entries from 37 countries.

The competition called on participants to “rethink the conventions of modern living and explore how architecture can respond to the evolving idea of home.” Submissions were to include a tiny home for two individuals within a maximum built-up area of just 300 square feet.

"Our humble abodes are being redefined with every passing day," organizers said about the motivation for the competition. "The world is changing constantly, and along with it, our homes are seeing us spend more time within them. The built form of a home is evolving rapidly; its design adapting to various other needs that were not limited to this space before."

The winning entries for the 2025 edition are as follows:

First Place
Housing is a Human Right by Han K of Taiwan

World’s most beautiful restaurants of 2026 chosen by Prix Versailles

2026-06-02T09:29:00-04:00

The Prix Versailles has unveiled its list of the world’s most beautiful restaurants for 2026. The sixteen designs are “imbued with an array of styles and colors that put each one in perfect harmony with its environment… and its menu,” according to Prix Versailles Secretary General Jérôme Gouadain.

In December, three projects from the list will be given additional titles of a World Title – Prix Versailles, Interior, or Exterior. Stay tuned for further upcoming categories, including airports and emporiums, and review the selection of hotels published last month.

Below, we have published the sixteen projects comprising the World's Most Beautiful Restaurants list 2026. You can compare the projects with those of previous years by following our ongoing coverage of the series here.

Nobu One Za’abeel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates by Rockwell Group

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design toasts its 60th anniversary with Rumble60, June 8 and 9

2026-06-01T20:05:00-04:00

This post is brought to you by UCLA Architecture and Urban Design.

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design (UCLA AUD) invites you to Rumble60, on view Monday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 9, a special edition of UCLA AUD's year-end show to conclude the institution’s 60th anniversary programming.

The main event of Rumble60 is PechaKucha presentation "You See LA," taking place Tuesday, June 9, 2:00 to 6:00 pm in Perloff Hall Decafe. This event features a roster of designers and thought leaders who will speculate about the future of Los Angeles. Presenters include a host of UCLA AUD faculty and alumni, as well as guests including Brett Steele, Dean of USC Architecture, and Winka Dubbeldam, Director of SCI-Arc. A full roster appears below.

In addition, all are welcome to browse our student reviews taking place 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday, June 8, and 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Tuesday, June 9.

Every June since 2008, Rumble has illustrated UCLA AUD’s stake in design innovation and public engagement, offeri...

ILIOS (ήλιος) by HATCH ARCHITECTURE

2026-06-01T19:25:00-04:00

This new concrete house overlooking Biscayne Bay is designed to capture the beautiful views of the city and surrounding waters. The house is expressed by a fluid form, reflecting the essence and movement of water. Composed as a fully immersive art gallery, the footprint of the house follows a U-shape encircling a large garden providing a unique art viewing experience from the surrounding galleries of the garden, water and skyline.

Oyler Wu Collaborative Wins International Competition for Taiwan's National Comic Museum

2026-06-01T18:58:00-04:00

Oyler Wu Collaborative, in partnership with SU mao ping Architecture Studio and JN Architects, has won the international competition to design The National Taiwan Museum of Comics in Taichung. As a centerpiece of a long-awaited national vision initiated in 2017, the new museum is designed to be the “heart” of a broader comic cultural campus. Our winning proposal transforms this national mandate into a world-class institution that bridges historical archival needs with the dynamic, future-facing requirements of the global comic industry.

Situated within a lush park and a cluster of existing historical buildings, the museum is designed to be a unique urban experience – one that functions as a seamless extension of the city. Central to the team’s strategy is a porous ground floor that dissolves the boundary between the institution and the public, inviting access from all sides to foster movement and civic vitality. The design remains deeply attentive to the warmth and scale of the site...

SHOLOMITSKA Ceramics Store by Sivak+Partners

2026-06-01T18:38:00-04:00

A space designed to disappear behind the objects it holds.

The café comes first — or at least, the smell of coffee does. Guests choose their own cup before ordering, testing the product the only honest way: by using it. The bar counter is clad in custom tile by our studio, where fragments of vessels appear to emerge from raw clay, caught mid-birth.

Walls, floor, and ceiling share nearly the same warm tone, separated only by texture and the subtlest shift in hue — the same logic as the ceramics themselves: alike at first glance, distinct on closer inspection.

Rounded openings echo the brand’s signature loops and rings, making the architecture another object in the collection. A mirrored arch marks the boundary between two roles: visitor on one side, owner on the other.

Shelves sit at living-room height — never climbing the walls — so every piece is easy to imagine at home. At the far end, a large wooden cabinet curves into a quiet arc: proof that familiar forms can still surprise, ju...

Blue Bottle Coffee Toyosu Park Café by SCHEMATA ARCHITECTS

2026-06-01T16:43:00-04:00

This was the first commission for designing a new cafe building among the Blue Bottle Coffee projects we have undertaken to date. The site is in Toyosu Park overlooking Tokyo Bay, a seaside urban park frequented by locals as a place to relax while enjoying views of the skyscrapers. The request was for a shop with a floor area of around 300 ㎡, but we had an impression that the presence of a large building might clearly distinguish between the outdoors and indoors, creating a division in the park. Instead, we opted for a spatial composition that loosely connects the indoors and outdoors in a friendly, intimate scale so that the entire park would feel like a cafe.

First, the building was constructed as a cluster of human-scale huts nesting together in an open park. Then, we considered the various places to linger in the large park, such as the existing benches, lawns, and stairs, as seating areas, and created expansive eaves and semi-outdoor spaces as intermediate areas that connect th...

Inside Safdie’s new Crystal Bridges Museum expansion that bridges over ponds

2026-06-01T11:15:00-04:00

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will open a major expansion designed by Safdie Architects on June 6th and 7th. The scheme, which we reported on in 2024, will add 114,000 square feet of new galleries, educational facilities, and public spaces to the Crystal Bridges campus in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Image credit: Tim Hursley

The project extends the museum’s original facilities, also designed by Safdie, and introduces new exhibition and community spaces intended to broaden access to American art and arts education. The expansion includes two dedicated gallery spaces, among them a large temporary exhibition hall featuring a custom skylight system designed to support rotating exhibitions.

Image credit: Tim Hursley

The scheme continues the museum’s looping circulation system and completes a figure-eight plan spanning two stream-fed ponds. Materials and forms draw from regional building traditions and the surrounding Ozark landscape...

Four expressive uses of timber by jones | haydu: Your Next Employer?

2026-06-01T09:39:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to EskewDumezRipple, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to San Francisco this week to explore the work of jones | haydu.

Founded in 2004 by principals Hulett Jones and Paul Haydu, the firm has amassed a portfolio across architecture, design, and interiors. “Rather than imposing a unified style upon user and circumstance, we seek inspiration from them,” the firm says about its approach, adding that “at the core of this philosophy is the goal to have architecture enhance one's experience.” We recently included the firm’s work in our roundup of the world’s most beautiful coffee shops, while the firm was also honored at the 2024 AIA California Design Awards.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several roles to join their San Francisco team. For candidates interested in applying for a position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four projects with expressive timber elements by j...

10 can't-miss architecture & design events to see this June in London, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, San Diego, Porto, and Barcelona

2026-06-01T06:15:00-04:00

With summer right around the corner, now's the perfect time to get outside and experience some of the exciting festivals, exhibitions, and conferences in store for the architecture and design community in June.

From the roster of ongoing and future events listed on Bustler, here are a few featured picks worth checking out this month.

UPCOMING EVENTS

10 examples of biophilia in architecture we liked this week

2026-05-30T08:05:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Biophilia.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

↑ ZOLAND·Emei Resort in Emeishan, China, by Studio J. Bridgland; Photo: Jonathan Leijonhufvud@AGENT PAY

↑ FR House in São Paulo, Brazil, by Meireles + Pavan Arquitetura; Landscape Designer: Rodrigo Oliveira Paisagismo; Photo: Fran Parente

↑ Guanajuato 194 in Mexico City, Mexico, by bloqe arquitectura; Photo: Rafael Gamo

↑ Foshan·Origin and Future in Foshan, China, by Chengdu MaiWei Landscape Architecture Studio

↑ Cummings Estate in Los Angeles, CA, by Chet Architecture; Landscape Designer: Elysian Landscapes; Photo: Minh T./Garrett Rowland

↑ Ravine House in Mississauga, Canada, by Orangeink Design; Photo: Scott Norsworth...

King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School & Community Complex by Arrowstreet

2026-05-29T16:22:00-04:00

The King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School & Community Complex establishes a new standard for education design and high-performing buildings by creating a 21st-century learning lab. This new building type combines two separate schools (King Open Elementary and Cambridge Street Upper School) with a mix of diverse community programs, creating a community resource that supports student learning with a vast range of social and family support services. The result is an equitable, inclusive, and beautiful community resource.

This building's design meets the client's ambitious goals through its school planning, which supports each school's current teaching pedagogy while allowing for future flexibility. Each grade level is organized into neighborhoods with large classrooms, shared project-based learning breakout rooms, open and flexible teaming areas, student services, and faculty workrooms, all intended to support individual learning needs.

Science and STEAM rooms located in prominen...

Seven global projects make AR Public Awards shortlist 2026

2026-05-29T11:26:00-04:00

The Architectural Review has shortlisted seven projects for the 2026 AR Public Awards. The entries span the globe from Thailand to Poland, from Mexico to Japan, and vary in scale and function.

The jury panel for the shortlist included Rafiq Azam, founder of Shatotto; Judith Loesing, director of East; and Mario Súñer Díaz, senior associate at Batlleiroig.

The winning and commended projects will be announced next month. In the meantime, the seven shortlisted projects are:

Quintana Roo Park in Mexico by Aidia Studio (picture above)

Warsaw Uprising Mound in Poland by Archigrest and Toposcape