THE PLAN 157 is the sixth issue for 2024. The cover features the Helical Landing project in Wanning, China, designed by Höweler + Yoon.
In the editorial, “Strategies for an Equitable and Inclusive Future,” architect and urban planner Jason Pugh focuses on projects that promote community engagement and inclusion, arguing that design can change the world. As director of design and head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Gensler, Pugh is committed to creating an equitable, sustainable future. Through global initiatives, the firm promotes community engagement, the development of underrepresented talent, and the reduction of inequality by combining social justice and environmental sustainability in urban design. Its goal is to have a lasting and positive impact on the local and global scales.
Contemporary Chinese architecture is shifting its focus from the rapid construction of large buildings to the study of cultural traditions. This is demonstrated by the Qiantang River Museum in Hangzhou, designed by line+ studio. This project combines science, history, and culture in architecture inspired by nature and landscape that adds to both local public spaces and heritage.
The Letter from America column looks at WORKac’s Building B in San Francisco. This office building combines dynamic geometric volumes, planted terraces, and expansive glazing in a blend of aesthetics and functionality to create a life science building that responds to environmental and seismic challenges, while offering elegant looks and innovative social spaces.
In Taiwan, New Taipei City is home to a new art museum designed by Kris Yao and his studio Artech. Built on reclaimed land, the museum is intended to attract visitors and boost the local economy. With its design inspired by the alleys of Yingge, this is dynamic architecture with spaces for artists, retail, cafés, and art galleries within a complex that combines natural and innovative materials to create an immersive architectural experience.
Michael Maltzan and his studio have created 26 Point 2, a supportive housing apartment building in Long Beach, California. Comprising 77 units for homeless people, this model project demonstrates how architecture can create dignity and community through thoughtful design, despite financial and economic restraints.
In Anglesea, Australia, John and Susan Wardle have designed Burnt Earth Beach House, a terracotta brick home that seamlessly integrates into its landscape. The design uses eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient solutions to create dynamic, nature-connected spaces.
In Milan, tectoo’s VP22 project is a contemporary response to urban and environmental evolution. This sustainable, technologically advanced building combines innovative architectural solutions and hidden green spaces, enhancing the connection between city and nature.
Still in Italy, Francesca Capitani and Marco Lanzetta from LaCap have transformed a cave on the island of Ventotene into a welcoming home. Their sympathetic and organic intervention respects the wild, archetypal nature of its setting.
Höweler + Yoon (H+Y), a firm known for architecture that dialogues with its setting, has designed Helical Landing on Hainan Island. This iconic structure not only integrates with the surrounding landscape, but is also destined to be gradually reabsorbed into it.
In Gliwice, Poland, KWK Promes has designed new headquarters for Gambit Systems. This project brings together the features of local residential and industrial architecture into a single iconic building by using common materials, such as metal pipes, to create a façade that reflects the company’s industry while experimenting with new architectural solutions.
The Zoom column looks at Barreca & La Varra and ITIStudio’s renovation of a 1970s building in Scandicci. By reinterpreting Tuscany’s renaissance architecture through a contemporary lens, the architects have given form to a building with a modular metal façade and rhythmic harmony that creates a point of focus within its fragmented suburban context.
HE PLAN 157, the sixth issue for 2024, opens with the editorial “Strategies for an Equitable and Inclusive Future,” by Jason Pugh. This issue looks at museums, office buildings, social housing, corporate headquarters, homes, and even a cave dwell... Read More