Can Shading Become Energy? From Passive Facades to Productive Envelopes

As the primary interface between interior spaces and the external environment, facades play a central role in both the performance and architectural expression of buildings. Increasingly, they are no longer seen as static envelopes, but as active mediators between climate, energy, use, and aesthetic. In dense urban contexts, however, they are also gaining relevance for another reason: while roof surfaces are often limited, fragmented, or already occupied by technical equipment, vertical envelopes remain largely underutilized in terms of energy production.

First Look at Snøhetta’s Shanghai Grand Opera House as Construction Nears Completion

The Snøhetta–designed Shanghai Grand Opera House is nearing completion on the banks of the Huangpu River, with opening anticipated in the second half of 2026. Newly released images document the project as interior works advance and key public spaces take shape. The opera house was first awarded to Snøhetta following an international competition in 2017 and has since been developed by a consortium including East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), Theatre Projects, and Nagata Acoustics. Commissioned in 2019, the team has led the project from concept design through construction, integrating architectural, landscape, interior, and acoustic strategies within a unified framework.

Ramalde Sports Park / Domitianus Arquitectura

The intervention is located in the northern half of the Ramalde Sports Park, comprising the construction of a new field for rugby and football, a support building with locker rooms and a covered stand, an athletics area (for shot put, hammer throw, and javelin), and a space dedicated to archery.

Kengo Kuma and Associates to Design Spiral-Shaped Public Library in Rzeszów, Poland

Kengo Kuma and Associates was recently awarded first prize in the competition to design a new library in Rzeszów, the capital of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship in southeastern Poland. The city, home to nearly 200,000 residents, lies on the Wisłok River and is known as a center for the aviation industry. Strategically positioned along the main Kraków-Lviv railway and road corridor, it also serves as an important transit point near the Ukrainian border. Located on Józef Piłsudski Avenue, the new library is conceived as a connector between the Marshal's Office of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship and the nearby Secondary School Complex, reinforcing the area's civic character. The program combines traditional library functions with cultural, educational, and artistic spaces. In addition to reading and collection areas, an expanded event zone includes a music hall, multifunctional hall, conference rooms, and administrative areas. A spiraling library volume forms the tallest element of the complex, while event spaces and roof terraces extend the program outward, linking the building's activities with the surrounding city.

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