Talk is cheap, and so are architectural concepts: Public works are notoriously difficult to execute well, so you'll have to excuse us if we don't fall all over ourselves about pretty drawings. And yet! These designs for a public ice rink in Sweden look innovative and realistic, taking natural landforms into account and creating a delightful hybrid structure that's part indoor, part outdoor, and totally gorgeous.
"Sustainability is often misunderstood as the neo-Protestant notion "that it has to hurt in order to be good," says Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. His goal in designing the Danish World Expo Pavilion: to show that a sustainable lifestyle can be fun.
From engineering marvels to theme-park megaplexes, America's presence at World Expos has plummeted in recent years, bottoming out in 2010's multi-screened pavilion. What did we lose, and how did we lose it?
Colorwise, even the greatest contemporary architecture can seem like a long drive through a gray, wintry rain. Flashes of color are rare, while gray, black, and silver are the norm. But things are changing. These last couple years have produced a surplus of technicolor treats. Here are eight recent projects that caught our eye.
The United Arab Emirates gets all the attention for crazy urban schemes—from zero-carbon cities to kinetic, swirling skyscrapers. South Korea is lesser known, but it's also got grand ambitions and tech-crazed urban ...
