From Abu Dhabi to Oklahoma City: Architecture Now and New Announcements by Heatherwick Studio, MANICA, Kengo Kuma, and More

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As cities around the world respond to shifting environmental, cultural, and social dynamics, new architectural proposals are reshaping how we think about public life, community engagement, and the built environment. From Aldar's coastal wellness destination on Fahid Island in Abu Dhabi, to a flexible scaffolding-based office concept in Athens by Georges Batzios Architects, this edition of Architecture Now features diverse projects that reinterpret architecture as both infrastructure and interface. In Seoul, Heatherwick Studio is leading a resident-initiated redevelopment model for a housing complex near the Han River, while Toronto's College Park is set for a major transformation balancing heritage restoration with vertical intensification. In Oklahoma City, MANICA and TVS are designing a new sports arena that anchors an emerging entertainment district through material, landscape, and civic gestures. Together, these diverse yet interconnected efforts signal a broader shift toward integrated, future-oriented urban design.

GATE M West Bund Dream Center / MVRDV

MVRDV has completed the GATE M West Bund Dream Center, transforming a former cement factory into a culture and leisure district that adds to Shanghai's expanding string of West Bund cultural projects. The design makes a cohesive urban space out of a collection of buildings from different time periods, reusing the existing structures to minimize carbon emissions, and introducing an unmistakable identity with its bright orange circulation elements. Offering possibilities for shopping, eating, drinking, skateboarding, rock climbing, and visiting exhibitions and events, or simply relaxing by the riverside, the area has already become an award-winning and popular destination for Shanghai residents and visitors alike.

A House that Embraces Its Vegetable Garden / sukchulmok+BRBB Architects

Situated with a view of the vegetable garden, this house is composed of intersecting volumes made from different materials. These overlapping forms define the outer shell, ensuring privacy while creating a sense of depth and warmth within. Its appearance, embracing the field like a protective gesture, inspired the name Pojeon-jip (抱田), meaning "a house that embraces the field."

InnoValley Technology Development Center / TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers

A new research and development center of a chemical manufacturer has been built on a nature-rich site with views of the Chichibu Mountains. An unprecedented type of technology development center was required to respond to the need for faster product development in the rapidly changing field of electronics and to secure a stable and capable workforce amid a declining birthrate.

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