The Embarcadero Freeway: Elevated Infrastructure and Urban Regeneration in San Francisco

In recent decades, cities across the world have seen an increase in the demolition of elevated concrete freeways. Taipei, Seoul, Portland, and Boston, for example, have all seen the rise and fall of these infrastructures to give way to parks and new urban regeneration ideas. In other cases, like Montreal in Canada, some people opposed the freeways even before they were built, effectively rerouting viaducts, preserving heritage, and freeing waterfront views. For San Francisco, in the United States, the story of the Embarcadero Freeway is one of those narratives that serves as a case study of the city's mid-century infrastructural ambition, people's reaction to the project, and its eventual reversal in favor of urban connectivity.

Josephine Baker Dance Hall / Onze04 Architecture

The local authority wants to build a new cultural and sports facility that will be able to host regional-level sports competitions. The chosen location is next to two existing facilities: the Pierre de Coubertin sports complex and the André Blot cultural centre. Other facilities are close by but disconnected from these: the stadium, tennis courts, bowling green, and BMX track.

Buildner Launches Unbuilt Award 2026 With €100K in Awards and Announces 2nd Edition Winners

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Buildner has launched the Unbuilt Award 2026, the third edition of its annual competition, offering a €100,000 prize fund. At the same time, the results of the Unbuilt Award 2025 have been announced, marking the second competition in a series that celebrates architectural designs that have yet to be realized. The initiative provides a global platform for architects and designers to showcase their most compelling unbuilt projects—whether conceptual, published, unpublished, or fully developed.

Zaha Hadid Architects’ Gateway Centre in West Kowloon Hong Kong Nears Completion, Captured by Paul Clemence

Photographer Paul Clemence documented the Gateway Centre in West Kowloon, a mixed-use development by Zaha Hadid Architects in Hong Kong, as it approaches completion. The photo series captures the project at a stage where its overall massing, facade systems, and spatial organization are largely realized, while final works continue across public and interior areas. Clemence's close-range views highlight the vertical shading pleats, the curvature of the glazed envelope, and the transitions between structural and environmental elements, underscoring how the building's formal language is resolved through construction.

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