A Design Magazine

Qun Wen

Sales Office

Thursday, 12 March 2026

The Shard

Shard is a sales office in Chongqing, China, created through the renovation of an existing building. Deconstruction techniques were used to break the traditional enclosed layout and to form a flowing open space. The shapes of the design are inspired by natural mountains and rocks. The facade is composed of aluminum units shaped like paper cranes, which give the building the character of an artwork within the city. The building area is 3000 square meters. The aim is to support interaction between people, art and space.

DAP Yapı

Nature

Wednesday, 11 March 2026

Ormankoy Community Centre

Ormankoy Community Centre is a public building located in Istanbul, Turkiye. A wooden shell defines the character of the community centre, while wide glazed facades open the indoor spaces to the surrounding forest. A steel frame structure creates the distinctive form and rests on concrete beams spanning over 18 metres above the pool space. Two biological ponds on different levels cover 4000 square metres, and hard chemicals were avoided to protect wildlife and pets. The wooden cladding is expected to change colour and texture over time, like the seasons of the forest.

Tomasz Konior

Music School

Tuesday, 10 March 2026

Concert Hall in Warsaw

Concert Hall in Warsaw is a music school built around a round concert hall. The project adapts decaying existing buildings and extends them, giving the complex a new function and greater usability. The concert hall has a circular plan of 24 metres in diameter and holds 70 musicians and 300 listeners. The last row is only 8 metres from the stage, which keeps the space intimate. Ash wood sails and a milled wooden ceiling shape the sound. Concrete, steel and wood are the main materials. A new public square in front of the school connects the site with the city.

Thomas Schroepfer

Public Event Space

Monday, 9 March 2026

Bayfront Pavilion

Bayfront Pavilion is a public event space located in Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The pavilion blends an intricate perforated shell with the surrounding landscape. Its form and panel pattern were defined by environmental simulations and structural optimisation. The primary structure is made of steel, and the inner and outer skins consist of 11,000 unique triangular aluminium panels cut by laser. The shell spans about 50 metres and covers about 2000 square metres. The pavilion offers a shaded and climatically comfortable outdoor space for visitors and hosts community and cultural events.

FTA Group

Exhibition Center

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Tianjin Zarsion

Tianjin Zarsion is an exhibition center built beside a tributary of the Yongding River in Tianjin, China. The plan uses a water drop shape set diagonally on the site, which lengthens the approach from the city edge to the entrance. Deep eaves and large glass surfaces create a light roof that appears to float. The structure is mainly wood, supplemented by steel, and 68 radial red pine beams form an umbrella-shaped arched frame. Eight interior wooden columns allow a wide column-free hall. A leaf-shaped skylight is sized to keep the interior light soft and quiet.

Diego Guayasamin

Institutional Headquarters

Saturday, 7 March 2026

Unasur

Unasur is an institutional headquarters building located next to the Mitad del Mundo monument, north of Quito, Ecuador. About 75 percent of the program is placed underground, so the volume stays lower than the nearby monument. A solid reinforced concrete core supports two large metal trusses that form a habitable beam with a cantilever of 56 meters without support. Materials include concrete, steel, rock from an on-site quarry and double glazed dark glass. Water collection, cross ventilation and natural light reduce energy use. Open areas around the building are public.

A Design Magazine

The Shard

Ormankoy Community Centre

Concert Hall in Warsaw

Bayfront Pavilion

Tianjin Zarsion

Unasur

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The Shard

Ormankoy Community Centre

Concert Hall in Warsaw

Bayfront Pavilion

Tianjin Zarsion

Unasur

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