Zayed International Airport; Mirroring Desert Dunes
The Abu Dhabi International Airport has been officially renamed Zayed International Airport, Terminal A. Designed and executed by KPF, the revamped complex will accommodate up to 45 million passengers annually, doubling the airport’s capacity. Informed by the desert's natural landscape and Islamic culture's geometric motifs, the terminal was designed considering the Emirate’s surrounding context. The form uses an X-shape design for efficiency and passenger flow. Sitting above road level,…
Armadillo Ballpark, Las Vegas
BIG and HNTB have just won the competition to design a baseball stadium in Las Vegas. The focal point of the architectural concept for the new ballpark is a distinctive roof, inspired by five interlocking shells that resemble baseball pennants. These arched constructions provide players with shade from the sun while also letting in soft natural light from north-facing clerestory windows. Its massive dome will be clad in "shimmering" metal with a glass wall hanging…
Shandong Provincial Cultural and Art Center, China
Jinan is a tourist city with the unique natural features of "mountains, springs, lakes, and rivers” with far-reaching history and culture. The project is in the core area of the west new town of Jinan. The total site area is 16.02 hectares, and the construction area is 380,000 square meters. Jinan is known as the city of Springs and the form of the building rises and falls, like the surge of spring water. The Lashan…
5 Impressively Geometric Cube-Shaped Buildings
Perfectly symmetrical and pleasingly simple, the cube has become the artistic flex of the architecture world. London is getting a glassy “Paddington Cube” by Renzo Piano. If the Mukaab in Riyadh is ever finished, it will become the biggest cube ever built. But what’s this obsession with cubes really about? The beauty of a cube—versus a pyramid, a dome, or any other pronounced shape—is that it’s not about the form but what it’s inside of…
The World's Longest Cantilever
The world's longest cantilever has reached completion in Dubai, projecting out from between two skyscrapers at the mixed-use One Za'abeel development. The development consists of two elegant skyscrapers (the Tower and The Residences) connected by The Link. Nikken Sekkei designed it to function as a four-story bridge between them. The Link is a luxury mixed-use development and comprises apartments, hotels, offices, retail, and restaurants. The Link, suspended 100 meters in the air, features a 230-meter…
