A series of recently announced projects across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America reflects an ongoing shift in architectural thinking toward approaches that integrate buildings with their landscapes, programs with public life, and design with long-term environmental goals. In Nantes, France, a healthcare campus redefines medical education through climate-conscious planning, while in San Antonio, Texas, a new arboretum transforms a former golf course into a research-driven public landscape. Residential towers are rising beside Bangkok's Lumphini Park, a new coastal community is underway in the UAE, and an expansion to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City reconsiders how cultural institutions connect with their surroundings. Together, these announcements point to a growing interest in projects that embed architecture within broader ecological and civic systems, proposing new models of spatial integration, accessibility, and resilience.
This month's architecture news spotlights a global wave of adaptive reuse, large-scale infrastructure, and public realm transformation. From airport expansions to museum reconfigurations, architects worldwide are rethinking how civic spaces serve communities in the 21st century. Notable developments include Sasaki, SLA, and MVVA being shortlisted to reimagine Toronto's Downsview Airport into a pedestrian-oriented public corridor, and HOK's 2.8 million-square-foot expansion of Dulles International Airport to accommodate future growth while honoring Saarinen's original vision. In Melbourne, Fraser & Partners received planning approval for a heritage-led redevelopment of the Boiler House precinct, while COLL-BARREU ARQUITECTOS completed a subtle reconfiguration of public access at Madrid's Reina Sofía Museum. Finally, in Canada, Knight Architects revealed the "Motion" design for the Alexandra Bridge replacement, an arching structure shaped by ecological references and inclusive public space. Read on for the latest updates shaping architecture today.
The Louvre Museum in Paris has announced the American-French consortium WHY Architecture -BGC as the winner of an international competition for the exhibition design of the museum's ninth department, dedicated to Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art. The 5,500-square-meter project aims to offer a more balanced and connected narrative of the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic civilizations, fostering a greater understanding of the influences and relationships between artistic expressions of these historical regions. The spaces are expected to open to the public in 2027.
Diamond Schmitt Architects, together with Associate Architect EXP, has unveiled the design for the New Brunswick Museum (NBM). Envisioned as an extension of Canada’s oldest museum, the new wing will expand the museum’s spaces for research and exhibitions while maintaining a minimum carbon footprint. The intervention is located on the historic Saint John site, taking advantage of the unique location by opening up views towards both the urban center and the Harbor of Saint John.
Marina Bay Sands expansion - Aerial View. Image Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands has unveiled plans for a significant expansion project to be designed by Safdie Architects, led by Moshe Safdie, the architect of the existing structure. Featuring a luxury hotel and a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, the new intervention signals a new development phase in the evolution of the iconic landmark in Singapore. Anticipated to commence construction by July 2025, the project is slated for completion by July 2029, promising an array of new amenities and facilities for visitors to enjoy.
The Joslyn Art Museum in Nebraska announced that the restoration and expiation works led by Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture (APMA) are nearing completion, as the transformed institution is scheduled to reopen on September 10, 2024. The new 42,000-square-foot Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion, designed by Snøhetta and APMA will add new gallery spaces to Nebraska’s largest art museum, becoming the centerpiece of the large-scale project for reimagining the visitor experience.
The design by heneghan peng architects, Dublin, with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Berlin, was awarded 1st prize in the international competition for the replanning and expansion of the Old Tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The competition’s purpose was to redesign the original West Tower, which was partially destroyed during a bombing by the Allied Forces in 1943, and return it to the tourist circuit as a war memorial and exhibition space.
Courtesy of Plomp, Rendering Courtesy of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners
The DetroitMusic Hall has just announced an expansion project designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects. As a cherished cultural institution in the heart of Detroit’s vibrant performing arts community, the project aims to become a central and accessible hub for music programming, production, and education. Ushering a new era of cultural enrichment, the project is focused on revitalizing downtown Detroit and the surrounding area.
The Clinton Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas, has just announced a major expansion of the Clinton Presidential Center. The expansion will be designed by Studio Gang, with the aim to further the Center’s mission to engage and educate people about President Clinton’s values. Moreover, the project expansion will be further detailed in 2024, creating new essential programs in the development.
Christian Kerez was announced as the winner of the competition for the renovation of the Palazzo Rosso in St. Gallen, home to the Textile Museum St. Gallen, in eastern Switzerland. The project, titled “Das Schwere ist des Leichten Wurzelgrund,” or “The Heavy Is the Root of the Light,” responds to the goal of raising the profile of the Palazzo Rosso and increasing its visibility and attractivity. The proposal is currently undergoing further development by order of the Textile Museum Foundation for clarifying questions of feasibility and finance.
LEVER Architecture has been selected to lead the design team for the campus expansion of the Portland Museum of Art. The project aims to not only expand the existing campus but also to create a unified identity for the institution, one that ties together all the architecturally significant buildings on site. The winning proposal is primarily a mass timber structure inspired by Maine’s communities, history, and culture.
The Bilbao Fine Arts Museum remodeling and expansion project was attributed to Foster + Partners following an international competition in 2019. Now the construction phase was initiated with a breaking ground ceremony on November 17th. The project includes the restoration of the existing 20th-century building and the expansion of the currently available spaces with a new public atrium and a contemporary art gallery organized in a floating pavilion. The design also highlights the relationship between the city and the museum by creating a new pedestrian path that runs from north to south. The path connects the original 1945 building, the 1970s extension, and a new visitor center while making the site more permeable at the street level.
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) has announced that it will welcome its first visitors on the 25th of May, 2023. Revamped and expanded, the new campus designed by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu in collaboration with Cooper Robertson features “new work of signature architecture, the Jeffrey E. Gundlach building, and extensive renovation to existing buildings”.
Four teams have been declared the finalists in the competition to design the Portland Museum of Art campus expansion located in Portland, Maine. The finalist teams are led by Adjaye Associates, Lever Architecture, MVRDV and Toshiko Mori Architect + Johnston Marklee + Preston Scott Cohen. The project includes a 60,000 square feet expansion in the form of a six or seven-story structure planned to accommodate an increase in the number of visits and a growing collection of art. The museum is now asking for public feedback on the designs, as the projects are on view at PMA until December 11th.
