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Cultural architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about cultural architecture
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Project • By Atelier ARBOExhibition Centres

Reimagining Easdale – Design Competition

A rustic charm envelops visitors as they alight from a ferry and enter Easdale, an island in Scotland that exudes a rugged grace amidst the pleasing sight of nature’s vivid beauty. Being home to seven slate quarries, a tragic night in 1881 brought along with it a massive flood that ruined the quarries. Gradually reviving its glory, the island’s survival story is evident in the crystal blue water pools and the plethora of flora, fauna, and birdlife known to frequent the region.  Caption Caption Ferries being the only ultimate journey that takes visitors from Ellenabeich to Easdale, Terraviva, a platform organizing international Architectural Design Competitions, offered a brief inviting architectural firms all aro... More

Project • By jalal Mashhadi Fard StudioRestaurants

Feel Boutique plaza

Feel was conceived as a “third space” for the Omani community, bridging the gap between work and home. It is a place where the focus transcends the senses, fostering meaningful connections and experiences. Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio In Feel Boutique Plaza, every design element stems from the project’s core concept, with each component influencing the others to form a cohesive and unified aesthetic. While the elements are designed independently, their harmony creates a singular, immersive atmosphere. Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Diman studio Jalal Mashhadi Far... More

NewsNews • 3 Dec 2024

Bennetts Associates and Citizens Design Bureau transform former Hertford Theater into new cultural hub

UK architectural studio Bennetts Associates has designed BEAM, a creative arts and culture venue nestled in the center of Hertford, a historic town in south-eastern England. The original venue, the former Hertford Theater (built in 1977), was extensively renovated and transformed into the new cultural hub. The building’s distinctive form is shaped by five undulating volumes that wrap around the existing “malthouse” fly tower — this angular zinc-clad structure references a nearby medieval castle (the fly tower allows for the storage and movement of stage equipment).  London-based Citizens Design Bureau won an invited competition to design the interiors of BEAM. Bennetts Associates Hufton+Crow... More

NewsNews • 13 Nov 2024

Powerhouse Company transforms historic church in Rotterdam into new music venue

Powerhouse Company has completed the transformation of a historic and disused Mennonite church in Rotterdam into a contemporary venue for aspiring young musicians. The studio embraced a circular approach to the renovation, emphasizing sustainability and responsible preservation. Sebastian van Damme Powerhouse Company Powerhouse Company is an international architectural studio rooted in Rotterdam. The studio was appointed by the philanthropic Droom en Daad Foundation — an institution dedicated to preserving Rotterdam's cultural heritage — to revitalize the city’s last Mennonite church and create Muziekwerf, a permanent rehearsal and concert venue for young musical talents. Sitting amidst tall buildings an... More

NewsNews • 11 Nov 2024

Open Architecture designs conical Sun Tower as a “cultural lighthouse”

Beijing-based Open Architecture has completed the Sun Tower, a waterside cultural facility in the Chinese port city of Yantai. The asymmetrical and conical concrete tower appears to have been sliced open, revealing its inner contents and structure. Recalling the age-old practice of sun worship, the Sun Tower is described by Open Architecture as a “cultural lighthouse”, where ancient wisdom and respect for nature integrate with contemporary urban living. Iwan Baan Open Architecture Archeological endeavors show Yantai to be one of the earliest places in China where people worshipped the sun. Open Architecture designed the Sun Tower as a way of celebrating the sun as a natural and life-sustaining entity. The towe... More

Project • By YI JIAN ARCHITECTSOffices

Meishan Multi-media Centre

The project is located in Meishan city, Sichuan province which is the hometown of the famous poet Su Dongpo of Song dynasty(A.D 960—1127) . Therefore Meishan has been known as a poetry city in the last thousand years. The project includes three main facilities: cultural centre, a library and Meishan TV station. The building is located on a mountain slope which has a 19m vertical height , therefore the design divides the building into several parts to suit the slope. The building volumes are like stacking books which echoes the city’s name : a poetry city.  Arch-Exist Arch-Exist The dialogue between building and the city is carefully considered, the scattered volume forms decks that can view the city from differen... More

NewsNews • 27 Sep 2024

Neri&Hu completes intricate interior design of Shanghai-based Performing Arts Center

Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, a Shanghai-based interdisciplinary architectural design practice, features in Archello’s 25 best architecture firms in China. This article highlights a recently completed project in Shanghai undertaken by Neri&Hu.   New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center Pedro Pegenaute Neri&Hu Design and Research Office has completed the intricate interior design of the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center. The center is located in Qiantan, a recently developed business and cultural hub in Shanghai that is also known as The New Bund. Situated on the banks of the Huangpu River and surrounded by shiny high-rise developments, the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center houses a grand theater and blac... More

NewsNews • 12 Jul 2024

Tatiana Bilbao Estudio imagines design of Sea of Cortez aquarium like a ruin reclaimed by nature

In 2017, Mexico City-based Tatiana Bilbao Estudio was invited to design a building that should resemble an aquarium, provide a new landmark space in the seaport city of Mazatlán, Mexico, and represent the Sea of Cortez (a UNESCO World Heritage Site dubbed the “Aquarium of the World”). The studio designed a truly surreal edifice: a place imagined like a ruin — a building from the past or future — that has been reclaimed by nature. It arises from the understanding that humans do not control nature — instead, we are a part of it and must find ways to reconnect with our environment. With construction completed in 2023, the new building now serves as an educational and research center for the Sea of Cortez.... More

NewsNews • 3 Jun 2024

New Quebec library by ACDF Architecture is an exercise in thoughtful adaptive reuse

Canadian architectural firm ACDF Architecture has completed the new Bibliothèque T-A-St-Germain in Saint-Hyacinthe, a city in south-western Quebec. Striking a balance between efficiency and aesthetics, the library reimagines an existing 1980s office building with an additional contemporary extension. An exercise in adaptive reuse, the project effectively reduces embodied carbon and celebrates what is possible with a thoughtful architectural intervention. Adrien Williams Adrien Williams ACDF Architecture has reframed the notion of a traditional library, designing a 52,200-square-feet (4,850-square-meter) cultural hub with a varied program spread across three floors. The library’s amenities include a series of... More

NewsNews • 22 May 2024

Prokš Přikryl Architekti converts historic grain silo into multifunctional conference and art space

Prague-based Prokš Přikryl Architekti has converted the grain silo of a historic mill building in Pardubice, a city in the Czech Republic, as part of the ongoing development of a new cultural and social urban district. Petr Polák Petr Polák Prokš Přikryl Architekti Standing on the banks of the Chrudimka River in the center of Pardubice, Automatic Mills — described as a “national cultural monument” — is one of the first buildings designed by influential Czech architect Josef Gočár. Originally created in 1911 for the business-savvy Winternitz brothers, the Winternitz Mill was renamed “Automatické Mlýny” (Automatic Mills) in 1940 wi... More

Project • By nextofficeTheme Parks

Shiraz Cultural and Recreational Complex

Adjacent to the main urban highway entering the city of Shiraz; This cultural-recreational complex, located on approximately 4 hectares of land, had several significant aspects for us. Firstly, it was situated close to a city rich in historical and cultural heritage, where leisure activities and spending time in nature, are important for both the collective and individual character of its citizens. On the other hand, its geography posed a challenge due to its desert and sun-drenched climate, conflicting with this desire. Furthermore, its diverse and extensive program required a considerable area of construction, which was inconsistent with its pristine background. Caption Based on finding suitable solutions and minimizing manipulation... More

Project • By nextofficeCultural Centres

Border Village Community Center (Hashiyeh)

The intrinsic essence of the small village of Eshaqabad, home to 300 people, is being “on the edge”. The Community Site is located in one of the most remote parts of Iran (near the border of Pakistan), Eshaqabad has both geographically and contextually the farthest distance from the central parts of the country, and, as a result, this rural community suffers from shortages of basic social infrastructure. Caption If considering very limited resources, is it possible to make a real difference in the life quality of these marginalized unprivileged people, only by means of architecture reflecting their cultural values and their built tradition? Caption Rereading the existing situation with the help of professional active... More

NewsNews • 29 Apr 2024

Zaha Hadid Architects’ Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Art Centre echoes chevron patterns of migratory birds

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Art Centre is defined by the acclaimed architectural studio’s futuristic flowing lines and sweeping curves. The expressive design echoes the chevron — V-shaped — patterns of migratory birds as they fly in formation. Conceived by the studio as a “hub of contemporary creativity”, the Civic Art Centre is at the heart of Aviation New City, a large-scale urbanization project in Zhuhai’s Jinwan District in Guangdong province, southern China. CAT-OPTOGRAM STUDIO Yipeng Lyu The new Zhuhai Jinwan Civic Art Centre is constructed in glass fibre reinforced concrete, steel, and glass, and consists of three discrete cultural institutes: a Per... More

Project • By Per Se ArchitectureCultural Centres

Baruthane Cultural Center

Baruthane was put into operation in 1700 as the fifth and also the largest and most modern gunpowder factory in Ottoman Istanbul. The facility was renovated during the Selim the 3rd period and expanded with additions such as the Hünkar Mansion. Baruthane, which was transferred to the Military Factories Administration during the Republic period, was later given to the Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation in 1955. Egemen Karakaya Egemen Karakaya Egemen Karakaya From the original campus, there are four rectangular buildings, a fountain and the Hünkar Mansion, which was built by Selim the 3rd as a viewing and resting pavilion, that remained to the present day. The 324-year-old industrial facility, currently loca... More

Project • By LEL DESIGN STUDIOFactories

Yongchun Vinegar Sightseeing Factory

Aging in local conditions, Innovation in inheritance. Terrier is the general name of a local unique natural environment (including land, mountains, rivers, climate, products, etc.) and people's customs and habits. Whether it can express local customs is, to some extent, the standard of whether the food is good. A winemaker once said, "The difference between good wine and ordinary wine lies in whether it can express local conditions, that is, whether there is a soul or not." Yongchun has a unique natural environment suitable for brewing vinegar. It has good air and water quality. It also has the ancient technology of vinegar making and the tradition of every family brewing vinegar. It can be said that without the unique "local customs" , th... More