Ghanaian-British architect Adjaye has completed the 130 William skyscraper in Lower Manhattan, which is the first skyscraper finished by the architect and his studio Adjaye Associates.
The tower is 800 feet tall and has an exterior that is covered in hand-troweled concrete panels.
Readers were fascinated by the tower. One thought it was “wonderful” that the skyscraper is not “just another blue glass box”, whilst another disagreed, describing the building as “another pointless skyscraper for the super-rich to live in”.
Hotsat-1 satellite launched to identify energy-inefficient buildings
Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section included British technology company SatVu’s launch of a satellite that will map the energy efficiency of buildings from space, architecture studio Hickok Cole’s use of AI chatbot ChatGPT to design a large mixed-use building and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Moody Nolan’s reveal of a museum in South Carolina.
Dezeen Debate
Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.
Dezeen has launched a new edition of Dezeen Awards to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. Start your entry today!
Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, which has grown rapidly to become one of the most entered awards programmes on the planet and is a benchmark for international design excellence.
Dezeen Awards China to spotlight Chinese design talent
Launched in partnership with Bentley Motors, Dezeen Awards China will shine a spotlight on the best Chinese architecture, interiors and design, providing international recognition from around the globe.
Dezeen Awards China will be a celebration of Chinese design talent. It is therefore for architects, designers and studios based in China, rather than for projects by international firms that are built in China.
Multinational firms that have an office in China are free to enter, as long as the majority of the work on the project was completed by the Chinese office.
Just like the international edition, Dezeen Awards China is open to studios large and small and will celebrate both established names and emerging studios working in China today.
Judges include Rossana Hu, Alex Mok and Michael Young
Dezeen Awards China will be judged by a stellar jury made up of the top Chinese architects and designers, as well as high-profile international names with experience working in China.
Judges confirmed so far include architect Rossana Hu, interior designer Alex Mok and designer Michael Young. More names will be announced in the coming weeks.
Seventeen categories spanning architecture, interiors and design
There are 17 project categories to enter across architecture, interiors and design. The winners of these project categories will go head to head for the chance to be crowned one of three project of the year winners across architecture, interiors and design.
In addition, six China Designers of the Year awards will celebrate the leading emerging and established names working in China across architecture, interiors and design.
However, these awards are nomination-only and our judges will shortlist names – it is not possible to enter these awards.
Dezeen Awards China is open for entries now until 24 August 2023, but studios can save money on their entry if they enter before 13 July 2023.
Scan the code above using WeChat to download entry forms
Go to dezeen.com/awards/china to find out more about Dezeen Awards China, including how to enter and information on the categories and entry prices and deadlines.
Or, scan the code above using WeChat to access the WeChat mini app for all the information about Dezeen Awards China in Chinese and to download entry forms.
Dezeen Awards China launches in partnership with Bentley
Dezeen Awards China launched in partnership with Bentley, as part of a wider three-year collaboration that also includes headline sponsorship of the international edition of Dezeen Awards, which closed for entries last week, and a design competition to redefine the future of luxury retail that launched last month.
“We are thrilled to be working with Bentley to launch Dezeen Awards China, our first regional awards programme,” said head of Dezeen Awards Claire Barrett.
“We are looking forward to discovering a wealth of design talent and promoting it both locally and on a global stage, showcasing the country’s rising position as a design powerhouse.”
“We are delighted to be working with Dezeen to deliver a new global platform that will celebrate both new Chinese design talent and established names,” added Steven De Ploey, Bentley’s global head of marketing.
“Partnering with Dezeen in this way enables us to reward and support cutting-edge innovators in the design industry who strive to deliver transformational experiences and best solve the design challenges of our age.”
Winners to be announced in December 2023
Dezeen Awards China is open for entries until 24 August 2023
Shortlists will be announced in October and the winners will be revealed at a ceremony in December 2023.
Sign up to our Dezeen Awards China newsletter
Join our mailing list to get updates about Dezeen Awards China 2023! Subscribe here.
Questions?
If you have any questions about Dezeen Awards China, please email [email protected] or send a message to our WeChat account DezeenCN and someone from the team will get back to you.
Seoul studio Sukchulmok has designed a red brick cafe in South Korea inspired by European public squares.
The building, named Parocindo Bakery Cafe, features lively curved shapes and rounded walls. For its interior, the studio used small tiles made from travertine limestone.
Commenters dissected the project. One loved the project and thought it was “beautifully executed”, whereas another described it as “odd” and “strange”.
Venice Architecture Biennale “does not show any architecture” says Patrik Schumacher
Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section included an opinion piece by Patrik Schumacher on the “lack of architecture” at the Venice Architecture Biennale, four inflatable structures by Steve Messam at Clerkenwell Design Week and BIG being named as the masterplanner of Neom’s octagonal port city.
Dezeen Debate
Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.
With just three weeks until Dezeen Awards entries close, last year’s winners detail the positive outcomes of winning and encourage other studios to enter.
One studio said that winning a Dezeen Award was “a thrilling, rewarding and inspiring experience” while another said it created “new relationships with retailers, media and customers”.
“Winning a Dezeen Award has considerably raised my profile and helped me secure further collaborations,” said a studio that won for their consumer product design.
Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors, is open for entries. There are only three weeks left to submit your project before midnight London time on 1 June and avoid late entry fees.
Read on to see what last year’s winners had to say:
British company MysteryVibe won for their a sex toy designed to help with erectile dysfunction
Sex toy company MysteryVibe, which won wearable design of the year for its vibrator aimed at tackling erectile dysfunction, considered winning a Dezeen Award “the ultimate honour”.
“It’s the ultimate honour for us to be recognised for all the hard work over many years that has gone into improving the health and happiness of people across the globe,” said the studio.
“The award resulted in press coverage and media attention in publications that we wouldn’t normally be featured in.”
Japanese startup studio Quantum won Dezeen Awards 2022 overall design project of the year
Japanese firm Quantum won product design of the year and design project of the year for its lightweight foldable wheelchair and told Dezeen that winning last year offered the practice new clients and media exposure, and encouraged other studios to also enter.
“We have received more inquiries from new clients and media who had heard about us winning the award,” said Quantum. “It also resulted in being selected as a part of the permanent collection of the museum Designmuseum Danmark.”
Architecture practice Studio Bua won residential rebirth project of the year for its Icelandic artist’s studio and residence and agreed that winning has led to new opportunities.
“It has positively affected our previous client relationships and it helps when acquiring new clients,” said Studio Bua. “We did see an increase in followers on our social media and clients have mentioned it after they saw that we posted about it.”
Designer Kathleen Reilly playfully rests her winning designs on her trophy
“It made me feel like anything is possible and I saw my future career as an artist and designer a lot more clearly,” said designer Kathleen Reilly, who won homeware design of the year for Oku, a knife informed by chopstick rests.
“As a result of winning, I have managed to secure a new collaboration, as well as several press articles and new relationships with retailers, media, and customers.”
“The wooden board which comes with Oku is now being made with Karimoku, Japan’s leading furniture manufacturer, and we are looking to launch this new collaboration this year.”
Studio G8A Architecture’s Dezeen Awards trophy pictured in front of a scale model of the winning factory
The team at Dutch practice Olaf Gipser Architects won housing project of the year for their apartment block with planted balconies and their win has served as motivation for future projects.
“We display our Dezeen Awards 2022 trophy at our office close to the entrance and next to a 1:200 scale wooden model,” said Olaf Gipser Architects.
“It reminds us of our achievements and recognitions and gives us all extra motivation to keep on going towards our goals.”
Office G8A Architecture, which won for its stainless steel manufacturing factory designed in collaboration with Switzerland-based Rollimarchini Architects, told Dezeen that winning gained the studio international validation.
“Winning a Dezeen Award can be described as a thrilling, rewarding and inspiring experience,” said G8A Architecture. “It helped us gain international recognition, reaching new clients and new talent for our team.”
Practice Atelier Boter’s trophy and certificate are displayed on the shelves in their office
Taiwanese architecture studio Atelier Boter won small workspace interior for its glass-fronted community hub and also has its trophy on display in the office.
“We put the trophy on the shelf together with all the books we gain inspiration from – it is a shelf we only place things that we’ve filtered through, as it is what falls in sight every time we walk into our studio,” said Atelier Boter.
“Winning a Dezeen Award is certainly an important encouragement to us as a small studio and it reassures us that we are doing the right thing,” added the studio.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
Architects are increasingly using mass timber in the hopes of creating net-zero buildings but carbon assessments are missing key sources of potential emissions, researchers tell Dezeen in this feature from our Timber Revolution series which ran throughout March.
The standard method for determining a building’s overall carbon footprint is a whole-building life-cycle assessment (LCA) that breaks down emissions at every stage – from the sourcing of raw materials to their ultimate disposal.
These calculations tend to indicate significantly lower emissions for timber structures compared to those made entirely out of concrete and steel. But experts warned that LCAs only tell part of the story. Read the feature ›
Building tall with timber “does not make sense” say experts
This month’s newsletter also features an opinion piece from architecture critic Aaron Betsky which argues David Chipperfield did not deserve to win the 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize and an exclusive interview with urbanist Carlos Moreno who responds to the “shocking” conspiracy theories surrounding his 15-minute city concept.
Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. Each edition includes an original feature article on a key topic or trend, an interview with a prominent industry figure and an opinion piece from a leading critic. Read the latest edition of Dezeen In Depth or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories and Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours on Dezeen.
This month’s Dezeen In Depth newsletter features an exclusive interview with the 2023 RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner and reflections from Max Fraser on Milan design week. Subscribe to Dezeen In Depth now.
Architects must stop waiting for commissions from wealthy clients and prioritise designing for the planet, says RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner Yasmeen Lari in this exclusive interview.
Speaking to Dezeen from her home in Pakistan, Lari said she hopes her Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Royal Gold Medal win can encourage other architects to use their skills to alleviate crises such as climate change.
“I feel that an architect’s role should be more of an activist now,” Lari told Dezeen.
“If you want to change the world, then you’ve got to fight it out. Otherwise, you are just driven by what other people want,” she continued.
Read the full interview ›
Aerial view of a bamboo pavilion in Makli by Lari, who specialises in creating low-cost and low-carbon buildings for disadvantaged communities
April’s Dezeen in Depth also features an opinion piece from Fraser, Dezeen’s new editorial director, reflecting on Milan design week 2023 and an exploration of how different architecture and design studios with famous founders are handling the sensitive issue of succession.
The photography is courtesy of Yasmeen Lari.
Dezeen In Depth
Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. Each edition includes an original feature article on a key topic or trend, an interview with a prominent industry figure and an opinion piece from a leading critic. Read the latest edition of Dezeen In Depth or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday featuring a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories and Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours on Dezeen.
The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features Foster + Partners’ designs for a high-speed rail line in California. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.
Fosters + Partners and Arup have revealed designs for the first segment of the California high-speed railway.
Four train stations planned for a segment of the 500-mile line will be – according to the studio – part of the continent’s “first high-speed rail segment”.
Manuel Cervantes develops “assisted self-production” housing in Mexico
This week’s newsletter also included a DIY home designed by Manuel Cervantes Estudio, Kith and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s release of a New Balance sneaker and a new podcast series about designing for climate change by SketchUp and Dezeen.
Dezeen Agenda
Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Tuesday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.
New York architect David Rockwell has joined Dezeen Awards 2023 as a judge. Here, he selects five projects that best reflect his studio’s work.
Architect and designer Rockwell is the founder of US practice Rockwell Group. He aims for his work to “help facilitate storytelling, community-building and memory-making”.
“The core value I try to bring to all my work is empathy,” Rockwell told Dezeen.”I approach each decision from the perspective of those who will inhabit the spaces.”
Projects spanning “theatre, hospitality and the public realm”
“Working in the theatre has been an incredible training ground for strengthening my own capacity for empathy,” said Rockwell.
“Our work falls into three main categories: theatre, hospitality and the public realm,” he continued. “Rockwell Group has been fortunate to work across a diverse range of project types, from restaurants, hotels, schools and offices to museum installations, Broadway sets and theatres.”
The New York-based office is currently working alongside architectural firms Ennead Architects and SmithGroup to convert a museum at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC into an academic building for Johns Hopkins University,.
Rockwell Group is also designing several restaurants in New York City, including collaborations with Ethiopian-born Swedish-American chef Marcus Samuelsson and French restauranteur Daniel Boulud, as well as an outpost for the international Taiwanese restaurant group Din Tai Fung.
Rockwell among Dezeen Awards 2023 judges
Dezeen Awards 2023 launched last month in partnership with Bentley Motors. On Tuesday we announced five more Dezeen Awards judges, including interior designers Kelly Behun and Martin Brudnizki and architects Lara Lesmes, Jayden Ali and Rooshad Shroff.
Submit your entry before the standard entry deadline on Thursday 1 June. Click here for more entry information.
Read on to find Rockwell’s views on the five projects that best represent the work of his studio.
Nobu Hotel in Barcelona, Spain
Nobu
“Our work with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa started 29 years ago when we designed his now iconic restaurant in Tribeca.
“Chef Nobu’s innovative cooking, as well as his origins in the Japanese countryside, inspired an irresistible narrative we got to weave into our design.
“All these years later, we are still reinventing Nobu – as both a restaurant and hotel brand – in cities worldwide. It is, without question, one of the most significant collaborations of my career. “
DineOut NYC, New York City, USA
“We conceived our pro-bono project DineOut NYC at the height of the pandemic. Covid-19 had completely devastated our restaurant industry.
“In addition to providing over 300 thousand jobs for New Yorkers, I have always had a strong personal attachment to this sector.
“Designed in collaboration with the NYC Hospitality Alliance, DineOut is an adaptable, modular outdoor dining system. The project helped end our era of isolation by bringing people together again and getting restaurants back on their feet.
“Design is most meaningful to me when it fosters community and I feel like we made a real impact doing just that with DineOut NYC.”
Read more about DineOut NYC ›
Photo by Paul Warchol
Hayes Theater and Take Me Out, New York City, USA
“In 2018 we renovated the 100-year-old Hayes Theater, Broadway’s most intimate venue with only 600 seats.
“In addition to instilling the historic space with a modern, approachable design vocabulary, we also needed to accommodate the staggering technical demands of modern productions.
“Last year we had the chance to put our work to the test when we designed the sets for the revival of Take Me Out at the Hayes. Had the theatre been unable to meet our technical needs, I’d have had no one to blame but myself. Thankfully, I was a very satisfied customer.”
NeueHouse Madison Square, New York City, USA
“When it opened 10 years ago, NeueHouse Madison Square was a groundbreaking workspace collective that helped usher in a new typology in which art, life, culture, food, and work converge seamlessly.
“This kind of convergence has taken on profound new meaning in our late-stage pandemic era, in which people are craving bespoke, communal experiences.”
Read more about NeueHouse Madison Square ›
TED Theater
“Our portable TED Theater [for nonprofit foundation TED Talks] is approaching its 10th anniversary this year and it remains a great experiment in the power of ephemeral, shared experiences.
“The attention to detail recalls permanent works of architecture but its flexibility allows it to adapt and evolve as TED does.”
All images courtesy of Rockwell Group unless stated otherwise.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
Dezeen Courses: in the latest roundup of programmes listed on Dezeen Courses, we’ve selected five architecture and design courses that specialise in sustainability.
Based at institutions in the UK, USA and Italy, the courses aim to challenge students to create design solutions that respond to the global climate crisis.
The selection of courses includes undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that provide specialised training in addition to online short courses that intend to give students an insight into sustainable design or careers in the field.
Here are five sustainable architecture and design courses on Dezeen Courses:
Master’s Program in Sustainable Architecture and Design at SOS School of Sustainability
The Master’s Program in Sustainable Architecture and Design at SOS School of Sustainability in Milan, Italy, trains students with backgrounds in architecture, engineering or design to become sustainability experts in the building profession.
Find out more about the course ›
Sustainable Architecture MArch (Part 2) course at Centre for Alternative Technology
The Sustainable Architecture MArch (Part 2) course at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, Wales, teaches students the core principles of sustainable architecture to respond to environmental problems.
Find out more about the course ›
The Natural World at Academy of Art University
The Natural World undergraduate course at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, USA, offers students site visits and fieldwork to learn the principles of sustainability, ecology and environmental conservation to apply to their landscape architecture designs.
Find out more about the course ›
Sustainable Design MA at Kingston University
The Sustainable Design MA course at Kingston University in London, UK, provides designers from all backgrounds the opportunity to narrow and specialise their creative practice in sustainability.
Find out more about the course ›
Sustainable Product Design Online Short Course at University of the Arts London
The Sustainable Product Design Online Short Course at the University of the Arts London teaches students to incorporate sustainability into the development of their product designs.
Find out more about the course ›
Dezeen Courses
Dezeen Courses is a service from Dezeen that provides details of architecture, interiors and design courses around the world. Click here for more information.
Architecture studio The DHaus Company has finished a row of brick-clad townhouses within the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area in north London called The Arches.
The homes, which replace a derelict petrol station, are named after the arches that form the facade of each house.
Most commenters adored the project. One loved “the colonnade-like feel”, while another labelled it “breathtaking and inspiring”. Yet another said that while the home was “robust and luxurious” they questioned “the scale decision”.
Caspar Schols creates reconfigurable Cabin Anna in Dutch park
Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section include a modular cabin in the Netherlands by Caspar Schols and an opinion piece by Aaron Betsky questioning the decision to award David Chipperfield this year’s Pritzker Architecture Prize. We also looked at the Tamedia Office Building by Shigeru Ban as part of our Timber Revolution series.
Dezeen Debate
Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.
