The 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism Opens With Thomas Heatherwick as General Director

The 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism opened on September 26 at Songhyeon Green Plaza in central Seoul. Recognized as the largest public architecture festival in Asia, this year's edition is directed by Thomas Heatherwick under the curatorial theme of how cities can become "radically more human." Running through November 18, the Biennale brings together exhibitions, global forums, and citizen-led projects to examine the role of architecture in shaping more inclusive and enduring urban environments.

The lot, measuring about 200m2, is nestled among several other built lots with modest dwellings, in a small place called Catribana, 1km from the Atlantic coast, in this vast lowland that stretches north of the Serra de Sintra.

The Switzerland Innovation Park, Allschwil, home to life sciences enterprises, continues to grow. The sustainable Hortus office building creates a modern and flexible working environment for a new generation of technology companies that are settling in the Basel metropolitan region. Our client, Senn, commissioned us to design a radically sustainable office building made of renewable and recyclable building materials. The brief initiated a design process aimed at combining the lowest possible grey energy during construction, an energy-optimized concept during operation, and a surplus of self-generated energy. After 31 years, the building, which has around 600 workplaces, will have fully offset the energy used during its construction. Our collaboration with Senn and a team of experienced specialist planners has resulted in one of the most sustainable office buildings in the German-speaking world.

Phan Rang is often referred to as the "Desert of Vietnam". It endures a harsh climate, with up to 9 months of arid sunlight and prolonged drought. This sunburnt landscape is covered by endless fields of rocks & stone. Yet, these rocky surfaces are not lifeless or desolate—they are home to resilient vitality.