How its made

Palazzo’s Centenary Square, the largest public square in the heart of Birmingham, currently lacks cohesion or a clear identity or atmosphere. Mecanoo’s design transforms the square into one with three distinct realms: monumental, cultural and entertainment. These palazzos form an urban narrative of important periods in the history of the city; The Repertory Theatre (REP), a 1960s concrete building, the Library of Birmingham, designed in 2009 and Baskerville House, a listed sandstone building designed in 1936. The busiest pedestrian route in the city, what Mecanoo calls the red line, leads pedestrians into Centenary Square. The cantilever of the library is not only a large canopy that provides shelter at the common entrance of the Library... More

De Rotterdam is conceived as a vertical city: three interconnected mixed-use towers accommodating offices, apartments, a hotel, conference facilities, shops, restaurants, and cafes. The project began in 1997. Construction started at the end of 2009, with completion in 2013. The towers are part of the ongoing redevelopment of the old harbour district of Wilhelminapier, next to the Erasmus Bridge, and aim to reinstate the vibrant urban activity – trade, transport, leisure – once familiar to the neighbourhood. De Rotterdam is named after one of the ships on the Holland America Line, which departed from the Wilhelminapier in decades past, carrying thousands of Europeans emigrating to the US. The three towers reach 150m high, with a gross flo... More

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore’s newest, brightest icon, is one of Asia’s leading destinations for leisure, entertainment and business. Even though the spectacular design is inspired by a house of cards, each building is strong and safe. The secret to that strength lies beneath the luxurious façade. Working from a brief that outlined ambitious goals for Singapore's tourism and economic development, Boston-based architecture firm Moshe Safdie Architects delivered much more than a luxurious playground; they created a monumental gateway, positioning the city as a centre for innovation, culture and entertainment. With the bar set so high, only the best would do when it came to specifying climate control, acoustic comfort and fire safety. And th... More

UNStudio’s design for Theatre responds to the current cultural invigoration of the city by merging the archetypal function of a theatre - that of creating a world of illusion and enchantment - with the specific requirements of a regional theatre and its requisite to cater to the varied needs of the local community. The theatre is therefore designed with a dual emphasis on the chimeric nature of the world of the stage and the social aspects of the theatre experience. Ben van Berkel: “In contrast to today’s mediatised culture, theatre offers the participatory experience of the live event, often appropriately referred to as ‘liveliness’: the ‘magic of live theatre’, understood as the strange, elusive energy between audience and performer,... More

The IT University is arranged around a large central atrium. In the atrium space a number of group and meeting rooms, designed as corbelled boxes, are placed in a dynamic composition – like extracted drawers of various sizes. By changing back projections on the meeting boxes, a digital art installation by the American artist John Maeda creates a dynamic and interactive visual composition in the atrium. The ground floor comprises the common facilities; lecture halls, students’ café, canteen and library. All research and teaching areas are located on the upper floors. Teaching facilities in open study areas surrounding the atrium and research departments in the calmer zones at both ends of the building. The building stands elevate... More