Arup: The Latest Architecture and News

The UK Government has revealed five shortlisted design concepts for the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial, set to be located in the historically significant landscape of St James's Park in London. The proposals, now accessible through a newly launched online gallery, mark a key stage in the development of a national tribute to the late monarch. Public feedback on the exhibited proposals will be gathered until 19 May 2025 and will inform the Committee's decision on the winning design team, expected to be announced in early summer 2025. The final design is anticipated to be unveiled in 2026, coinciding with the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II's birth.

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The 19th International Architecture Exhibition, organised by La Biennale di Venezia under Carlo Ratti's curatorship and the theme "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective," is set to transform Venice into a "Living Laboratory" of experimentation and collaboration. This year's special projects extend beyond the exhibition grounds, integrating into various city locations and Forte Marghera in Mestre, providing an alternative perspective that expands the reach of architectural discourse.

The Biennale promises to be a dynamic platform uniting over 750 participants from diverse backgrounds, including architects, engineers, mathematicians, climate scientists, and artists. Such a broad coalition of over 280 projects underlines the Exhibition's focus on inclusivity and interdisciplinary collaboration, an essential aspect for adaptation. The selection process proposed a bottom-up, open call approach through the Space for Ideas initiative, which ran between May and June 2024. It encouraged participation from global teams, from Pritzker Prize winners and Nobel laureates to emerging architects and scientists.

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BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has unveiled plans for Bhutan's Gelephu International Airport, a project that aims to combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. As the country's second international airport, it is a key component of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) masterplan, designed to accommodate future growth while reflecting Bhutan's cultural and environmental values.

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The United Kingdom Government has announced the shortlisted design teams for the national memorial dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, following the first stage of a two-stage open competition that attracted creative talent from the UK and beyond. The five teams moving forward in the competition are Foster + Partners with Yinka Shonibare and Michel Desvigne Paysagiste; Heatherwick Studio with Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates, and Arup; J&L Gibbons with Michael Levine RDI, William Matthews Associates, Structure Workshop, and Arup; Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects, Adam Lowe (Factum Arte), and Structure Workshop; and WilkinsonEyre with Lisa Vandy, Fiona Clark, Andy Sturgeon Design, Atelier One, and Hilson Moran.

The University of Cambridge, in collaboration with BDP, has just unveiled plans to restore and rejuvenate the Grade II* listed History Faculty Building designed by James Stirling. This structure, home to the Seeley Library, is one of the renowned “Red Trilogy” buildings from the 1960s. Initially intended to showcase the significant library and “the act of reading,” the project is internationally celebrated as a landmark from the post-war architecture era. The revitalization project aims to enhance learning and working environments at the University’s Sidgwick site.

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As part of public ‘open house’ sessions with local communities and agencies, Foster + Partners and Arup have revealed the design for the first 4 stations of California’s High-Speed Rail. This is part of an extensive project, as the new Central Valley stations will serve as models for the design of the next stations planned along the 500-mile-long Los Angeles/Anaheim to San Francisco rail system. The open house sessions represent an opportunity for the public to explore the project, talk with California High-Speed Rail Authority planning experts, and learn more about the high-speed rail infrastructure. The project is under construction, with the first operable line scheduled to be completed between 2030 and 2033.

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The City of Chicago has just unveiled the design for the first phase of the transformation of O’Hare International Airport. Designed by Skidmore, Ownings & Merrill (SOM), the terminal represents the largest concourse area expansion and revitalization in the airport’s 68-year history. Designed in collaboration with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects, and Arup, “Satellite One” seeks to become a landmark in the state.

Following an international competition, Steven Holl Architects has been selected as the winner of the commission for the Expo Albania convention center and hotel in Tirana, Albania. The winning team, comprised of Steven Holl Architects, artist Agnieszka Kurant, Atelier 4, Atelier Markgraph, Stoss, and Arup, proposes an iterative process, collecting signatures from local Tirana communities and fusing them into a single wandering line, a continuation of artist Agnieszka Kurant’s project “End of Signature”.

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“The Mindfulness City will be a sustainable city. To be mindful is to be aware — to perform best,” said Giulia Frittoli, partner and head of landscape at BIG. The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked Buddhist country in the eastern Himalayas, nestled between China and India. It covers 14,000 square miles and has a population of nearly 800,000.

The Royal Office of Bhutan asked BIG, Arup, and Cistri to develop a plan for a new Mindfulness City in Gelephu in southern Bhutan, near the border with India. The city will span 386 square miles and include a new international airport, railway connections, hydroelectric dam, university, spiritual center, and public spaces.

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BIG has just unveiled “Gelephu,” an envisioned master plan that draws from Bhutanese culture, Gross National Happiness principles, and spiritual heritage. During the 116^th National Day of Bhutan, His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck introduced the plans for the prospective economic center in the country. Designed in collaboration with Arup and Cistri, the master plan is adhering to the sustainable standards of the world’s first official carbon-negative country, Bhutan.

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AKIN has been announced as the winning team in the Barangaroo Harbour Park Design Competition, a project that will transform a central location along the waterfront of Sydney, Australia. The winning team is a First Nations-led and Sydney-based ground composed of Yerrabingin, Architectus, Flying Fish Blue, Jacob Nash Design, and Studio Chris Fox, with Arup as engineering consultants. Through its designers, the group integrates Indigenous knowledge systems along with landscape architecture, regenerative design, public art, and place-making.