EU Mies Awards Shortlist and MVRDV’s Fluid Facade in Beijing: This Week’s Review

Spanning multiple geographies and scales, this week's architecture news reflects ongoing discussions around long-term planning, institutional frameworks, and the public role of architecture. National-scale urban initiatives and large civic developments point to how planning and infrastructure are being used to reorganize cities and territorial systems, while parallel attention to stadiums, cultural facilities, and mixed-use projects highlights the expanding civic ambitions of large-scale architecture. Alongside these, interviews and heritage-focused projects foreground participatory practices and the careful reuse of existing structures, highlighting architecture's capacity to operate within complex social and political conditions. Recognition platforms and professional programs further situate these practices within a broader architectural discourse, offering insight into how contemporary work is evaluated and shared across regions.

Terrarium House / Unknown Surface Studio

Amidst the restless energy of Bangkok's Ladprao district, Terrarium House sits quietly on a unique, ladle-shaped plot. With a narrow three-meter access road leading to a square site hemmed in by neighbors on all four sides, the land initially seemed landlocked. However, the design turns this constraint into its greatest asset, flipping the perspective to create an inward-looking sanctuary—a private world entirely detached from the chaos outside.

Zaha Hadid Architects Breaks Ground on Bishoftu International Airport for Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa

Construction has begun on the new Bishoftu International Airport (BIA), designed by Zaha Hadid Architects for Ethiopian Airlines Group. Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, laid the cornerstone at the airport's groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, January 10, 2026. The new airport will be located approximately 40 kilometers south of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and is planned to become Africa's largest airport. Phase One of the project is designed to serve 60 million passengers per year. Subsequent phases are expected to increase capacity to up to 110 million passengers annually, supported by four runways and parking for 270 aircraft, more than four times the capacity of Ethiopia's current main airport, according to statements by the Prime Minister.

Morning Rituals: Architecture of Breakfast Spaces

Breakfast nooks emerged in the early twentieth century in response to increasing domestic density and shifting ideas about everyday life. Rooted in the American Arts and Crafts movement and popularized through bungalow housing of the 1910s and 1920s, they evolved from the more formal Victorian breakfast room into compact, built-in spaces embedded within the kitchen. As houses grew smaller and more economical, architects and millwork companies used fixed benches and tables to occupy corners, alcoves, and bay windows that might otherwise be inefficient. These light-filled enclosures provided an affordable means of concentrating daily activities while preserving comfort and spatial clarity.

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