Source: Enjoy DesignHow the new scheme would look when built Proposals for a 37-storey student accommodation tower in the middle of Leeds have been given the green light by local planners. The scheme for Town Centre Securities will see 100 Merrion Centre, part of the 1960s-built shopping centre of the same name, demolished and replaced with more than 1,000 bedrooms. A neighbouring building called Wade House, built in the mid-60s, would be revamped to include more than 200 bed spaces across its 13 storeys. Work will involve stripping back the building and adding an extra storey. The development will also include a cinema, gym, co-working spaces and rooftop terraces. The tower has been drawn up by local architect Enjoy Design with others working on the scheme including project manager and QS Rex Procter, M&E engineer Hoare Lea and civil and structural engineer Adept. Planning consultant is ID Planning.

The ways roads are used, with ever larger and heavier vehicles, have dramatic consequences on the environment – and electric cars are not the answer Today, there is an average of 37 tonnes of road per inhabitant of the planet. The weight of the road network alone accounts for a third of all construction worldwide, and has grown exponentially in the 20th century. There is 10 times more bitumen, in mass, than there are living animals. Yet growth in the mass of roads does not automatically correspond to population growth, or translate into increased length of road networks. In wealthier countries, the number of metres of road per inhabitant has actually fallen over the last century. In the United States, for instance, between 1905 and 2015 the length of the network increased by a factor of 1.75 and the population by a factor of 3.8, compared with 21 for the mass of roads. Roads have become wider and, above all, much thicker. To understand the evolution of these parameters, and their environmental impact, it is helpful to trace the different stages in the life of the motorway.  Until the early 20th century, roads were used for various modes of transport, including horses, bicycles, pedestrians and trams; as a result of the construction of railways, road traffic even declined in some European countries in the 19th century. The main novelty brought by the motorway was that they would be reserved for motorised traffic. In several languages, the word itself – autostrada, autobahn, autoroute or motorway – speaks of this exclusivity.  Roman roads varied from simple corduroy roads, made by placing logs perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area, to paved roads, as this engraving from Jean Rondelet’s 19th‑century Traité Théorique et Pratique de l’Art de Bâtir shows. Using deep roadbeds of tamped rubble as an underlying layer to ensure that they kept dry, major roads were often stone-paved, metalled, cambered for drainage and flanked by footpaths, bridleways and drainage ditches Like any major piece of infrastructure, motorways became the subject of ideological discourse, long before any shovel hit the ground; politicians underlined their role in the service of the nation, how they would contribute to progress, development, the economy, modernity and even civilisation. The inauguration ceremony for the construction of the first autostrada took place in March 1923, presided over by Italy’s prime minister Benito Mussolini. The second major motorway programme was announced by the Nazi government in 1933, with a national network planned to be around 7,000 kilometres long. In his 2017 book Driving Modernity: Technology, Experts, Politics, and Fascist Motorways, 1922–1943, historian Massimo Moraglio shows how both programmes were used as propaganda tools by the regimes, most notably at the international road congresses in Milan in 1926 and Munich in 1934. In the European postwar era, the notion of the ‘civilising’ effect of roads persevered. In 1962, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, then‑secretary of state for finances and later president of France, argued that expanded motorways would bring ‘progress, activity and life’. This discourse soon butted up against the realities of how motorways affected individuals and communities. In his 2011 book Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City, Peter D Norton explores the history of resistance to the imposition of motorised traffic in North American cities. Until the 1920s, there was a perception that cars were dangerous newcomers, and that other street and road uses – especially walking – were more legitimate. Cars were associated with speed and danger; restrictions on motorists, especially speed limits, were routine.  Built between 1962 and 1970, the Westway was London’s first urban motorway, elevated above the city to use less land. Construction workers are seen stressing the longitudinal soffit cables inside the box section of the deck units to achieve the bearing capacity necessary to carry the weight of traffic Credit: Heritage Image Partnership Ltd / Alamy To gain domination over cities, motor vehicles had to win priority over other street uses. Rather than restricting the flow of vehicles to minimise the risk of road accidents, a specific infrastructure was dedicated to them: both inner‑city roads and motorways. Cutting through the landscape, the motorway had, by definition, to be inaccessible by any other means of transport than motorised vehicle. To guarantee the fluidity of traffic, the construction of imposing bridges, tunnels and interchanges is necessary, particularly at junctions with other roads, railways or canals. This prioritisation of one type of user inevitably impacts journeys for others; as space is fragmented, short journeys are lengthened for those trying to navigate space by foot or bicycle.  Enabling cars to drive at around 110–140km/h on motorways, as modern motorways do, directly impacts their design, with major environmental effects: the gradient has to be gentle (4 per cent), the curves long (1.5km in radius) and the lanes wide, to allow vehicles to overtake each other safely. As much terrain around the world is not naturally suited to these requirements, the earthworks are considerable: in France, the construction of a metre of highway requires moving some 100m3 of earth, and when the soil is soft, full of clay or peat, it is made firmer with hydraulic lime and cement before the highway’s first sub‑layers are laid. This material cost reinforces the criticisms levelled in the 1960s, by the likes of Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford, at urban planning that prioritised the personal motor vehicle. When roads are widened to accommodate more traffic, buildings are sliced and demolished, as happened in Dhaka’s Bhasantek Road in 2021 Credit: Dhaka Tribune Once built, the motorway is never inert. Motorway projects today generally anticipate future expansion (from 2×2 to 2×3 to 2×4 lanes), and include a large median strip of 12m between the lanes, with a view to adding new ones. Increases in speed and vehicle sizes have also translated into wider lanes, from 2.5m in 1945 to 3.5m today. The average contemporary motorway footprint is therefore 100 square metres per linear metre. Indeed, although the construction of a road is supposed to reduce congestion, it also generates new traffic and, therefore, new congestion. This is the principle of ‘induced traffic’: the provision of extra road capacity results in a greater volume of traffic. The Katy Freeway in Texas famously illustrates this dynamic. Built as a regular six‑lane highway in the 1960s, it was called the second worst bottleneck in the nation by 2004, wasting 25 million hours a year of commuter time. In 2011, the state of Texas invested US$2.8 billion to fix this problem, widening the road to a staggering total of 26 lanes. By 2014, the morning and afternoon traffic had both increased again. The vicious circle based on the induced traffic has been empirically demonstrated in most countries: traffic has continued to increase and congestion remains unresolved, leading to ever-increasing emissions. In the EU, transport is the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions have increased in the past three decades, rising 33.5 per cent between 1990 and 2019. Transport accounts for around a fifth of global CO₂ emissions today, with three quarters of this figure linked to road transport. Houston’s Katy Freeway is one of the world’s widest motorways, with 26 lanes. Its last expansion, in 2008, was initially hailed as a success, but within five years, peak travel times were longer than before the expansion – a direct illustration of the principle of induced traffic Credit: Smiley N Pool / Houston Chronicle / Getty Like other large transport infrastructures such as ports and airports, motorways are designed for the largest and heaviest vehicles. Engineers, road administrations and politicians have known since the 1950s that one truck represents millions of cars: the impact of a vehicle on the roadway is exponential to its weight – an online ‘road damage calculator’ allows you to compare the damage done by different types of vehicles to the road. Over the years, heavier and heavier trucks have been authorised to operate on roads: from 8‑tonne trucks in 1945 to 44 tonnes nowadays. The European Parliament adopted a revised directive on 12 March 2024 authorising mega‑trucks to travel on European roads; they can measure up to 25 metres and weigh up to 60 tonnes, compared with the previous limits of 18.75 metres and 44 tonnes. This is a political and economic choice with considerable material effects: thickness, rigidity of sub‑bases and consolidation of soil and subsoil with lime and cement. Altogether, motorways are 10 times thicker than large roads from the late 19th century. In France, it takes an average of 30 tonnes of sand and aggregate to build one linear metre of motorway, 100 times more than cement and bitumen.  The material history of road networks is a history of quarrying and environmental damage. The traces of roads can also be seen in rivers emptied of their sediment, the notches of quarries in the hills and the furrows of dredgers extracting sand from the seabed. This material extraction, arguably the most significant in human history, has dramatic ecological consequences for rivers, groundwater tables, the rise of sea levels and saltwater in farmlands, as well as biodiversity. As sand is ubiquitous and very cheap, the history of roads is also the history of a local extractivism and environmental conflicts around the world.  Shoving and rutting is the bulging and rippling of the pavement surface. Once built, roads require extensive maintenance – the heavier the vehicles, the quicker the damage. From pothole repair to the full resurfacing of a road, maintenance contributes to keeping road users safe Credit: Yakov Oskanov / Alamy Once roads are built and extended, they need to be maintained to support the circulation of lorries and, by extension, commodities. This stage is becoming increasingly important as rail freight, which used to be important in countries such as France and the UK, is declining, accounting for no more than 10 per cent of the transport of commodities. Engineers might judge that a motorway is destined to last 20 years or so, but this prognosis will be significantly reduced with heavy traffic. The same applies to the thousands of motorway bridges: in the UK, nearly half of the 9,000 highway bridges are in poor condition; in France, 7 per cent of the 12,000 bridges are in danger of collapsing, as did Genoa’s Morandi bridge in 2018. If only light vehicles drove on it, this infrastructure would last much longer. This puts into perspective governments’ insistence on ‘greening’ the transport sector by targeting CO2 emissions alone, typically by promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs). Public policies prioritising EVs do nothing to change the mass of roads or the issue of their maintenance – even if lorries were to run on clean air, massive quarrying would still be necessary. A similar argument plays out with regard to canals and ports, which have been constantly widened and deepened for decades to accommodate ever-larger oil tankers or container ships. The simple operation of these infrastructures, dimensioned for the circulation of commodities and not humans, requires permanent dredging of large volumes. The environmental problem of large transport infrastructure goes beyond the type of energy used: it is, at its root, free and globalised trade. ‘The material life cycle of motorways is relentless: constructing, maintaining, widening, thickening, repairing’ As both a material and ideological object, the motorway fixes certain political choices in the landscape. Millions of kilometres of road continue to be asphalted, widened and thickened around the world to favour cars and lorries. In France, more than 80 per cent of today’s sand and aggregate extraction is used for civil engineering works – the rest goes to buildings. Even if no more buildings, roads or other infrastructures were to be built, phenomenal quantities of sand and aggregates would still need to be extracted in order to maintain existing road networks. The material life cycle of motorways is relentless: constructing, maintaining, widening, thickening, repairing, adding new structures such as wildlife crossings, more maintaining.  Rising traffic levels are always deemed positive by governments for a country’s economy and development. As Christopher Wells shows in his 2014 book Car Country: An Environmental History, car use becomes necessary in an environment where everything has been planned for the car, from the location of public services and supermarkets to residential and office areas. Similarly, when an entire economy is based on globalised trade and just‑in‑time logistics (to the point that many service economies could not produce their own personal protective equipment in the midst of a pandemic), the lorry and the container ship become vital.  The final stage in the life of a piece of motorway infrastructure is dismantling. Like the other stages, this one is not a natural outcome but the fruit of political choices – which should be democratic – regarding how we wish to use existing roads. Dismantling, which is essential if we are to put an end to the global extractivism of sand and aggregates, does not mean destruction: if bicycles and pedestrians were to use them instead, maintenance would be minimal. This final stage requires a paradigm shift away from the eternal adaptation to increasing traffic. Replacing cars and lorries with public transport and rail freight would be a first step. But above all, a different political and spatial organisation of economic activities is necessary, and ultimately, an end to globalised, just-in-time trade and logistics. In 1978, a row of cars parked at a shopping centre in Connecticut was buried under a thick layer of gooey asphalt. The Ghost Parking Lot, one of the first projects by James Wines’ practice SITE, became a playground for skateboarders until it was removed in 2003. Images of this lumpy landscape serve as allegories of the damage caused by reliance on the automobile Credit: Project by SITE Lead image: Some road damage is beyond repair, as when a landslide caused a large chunk of the Gothenburg–Oslo motorway to collapse in 2023. Such dramatic events remind us of both the fragility of these seemingly robust infrastructures, and the damage that extensive construction does to the planet. Credit: Hanna Brunlöf Windell / TT / Shutterstock 2025-06-03 Reuben J Brown Share

How the 54-storey tower (centre) would look when built Architect Patel Taylor has unveiled images of what one of London’s tallest residential towers in Canary Wharf would look like. The 54-storey 77 Marsh Wall scheme is being developed by Areli Developments on behalf of British Airways Pension Trustees and would contain around 820 homes above a mixed-use podium which will include retail, restaurant and café space. It would be Canary Wharf’s third tallest tower if built, behind the 235m One Canada Square and 233m Landmark Pinnacle. The scheme would require the demolition of the site’s existing building, a 17-storey office block built in the early 1990s known as Sierra Quebec Bravo. The 77 Marsh Wall scheme would include restaurants and retail at ground floor level Areli said the existing building offers “very little in the way of benefits to the community” and that it wanted to maximise the “unique and exciting” potential of the waterfront site with new public spaces, shops and restaurants. The podium would contain around 4,000sq m of retail, leisure and workspace along with a cinema and cycle parking under early plans aired in a public consultation. Green space is also included in the plans which saw two public consultation events held last month. Homes in the tower above the podium would be of a mix of tenures including shared ownership, build to rent, social rent, apart-hotel and co-living. The site’s existing 17-storey office block would be demolished An environmental impact assessment scoping report has been drawn up by consultant Trium for to Tower Hamlets council with a planning application expected to be submitted later this summer. Other firms currently on the project team include planning consultant DP9 and communications firm Kanda Consulting.

View of the south façade before construction of a new residential project that now conceals Le Christin from Boulevard René Lévesque. PROJECT Le Christin, Montreal, Quebec ARCHITECT Atelier Big City PHOTOS James Brittain   PROJECT Les Studios du PAS, Montreal, Quebec ARCHITECT L. McComber in collaboration with Inform  PHOTOS Ulysse Lemerise   Nighttime, April 15, 2025. A thousand volunteers are gathering in Montreal, part of a province-wide effort to try and put numbers on a growing phenomenon in cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and many others. The volunteers are getting ready to walk around targeted areas in downtown Montreal and around certain subway stations. Temporary shelters are also visited. First conducted in the spring of 2018, this survey showed that 3,149 people were in a vulnerable situation at the time. Four years later, a similar effort revealed that Montreal’s homeless population had risen to 4,690 people—and that there were some 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in the whole of the province. The 2025 numbers are expected to be significantly higher. For the organizers, this one-night snapshot of the situation is “neither perfect nor complete.” However, for nonprofit organizations and governmental bodies eager to prevent a vulnerable population from ending up on the streets, the informal census does provide highly valuable information.  Two recent initiatives—very different from one another—offer inspiring answers. The most recent one, Le Christin, was designed by Atelier Big City (led by architects Anne Cormier, Randy Cohen, and Howard Davies) and inaugurated in 2024. Studios du PAS, on the other hand, was designed by Montreal firm L. McComber, and welcomed its first tenants in 2022. Both projects involved long-standing charities: the 148-year-old Accueil Bonneau, in the case of Le Christin, and the 136-year-old Mission Old Brewery for Studios du PAS. Le Christin was spearheaded, and mostly financed, by the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), a non-profit, para-municipal corporation created in 1988. Studios du PAS was first selected by the City of Montreal to be built thanks to the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) program run by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Le Christin also received a financial contribution from the CMHC towards the end of the process. Boldly coloured blind walls signal the presence of Le Christin in the center of a densely occupied city block, with entrance to the left along Sanguinet Stree. Le Christin Although sited in a very central location, near the buzzing St. Catherine and St. Denis streets, Le Christin is hard to find. And even when one suddenly spots two seven-storey-high walls, coloured lemon-zest yellow and mango orange, it’s difficult to figure out what they are about. A stroll along the tiny Christin Street finally reveals the front façade of this new facility, now home to some of Montreal’s most vulnerable citizens.  View of Le Christin’s modulated front façade. Galvanized steel panels at ground level add a soft touch while protecting the building from potential damage caused by snow plows. Le Christin is unique for a number of reasons. First among them is its highly unusual location—at the centre of a dense city block otherwise occupied by university buildings, office towers, and condo blocks. Until a few years ago, the site was home to the four-storey Appartements Le Riga. The Art Deco-style building had been built in 1914 by developer-architect Joseph-Arthur Godin, who was a pioneer in his own right: he was one of the first in Montreal to experiment with reinforced concrete structures, a novelty in the city at the time. A century later, Le Riga, by then the property of SHDM, was in serious need of repair. Plans had already been drafted for a complete renovation of the building when a thorough investigation revealed major structural problems. Tenants had to leave on short notice and were temporarily relocated; the building was eventually demolished in 2019. By that time, Atelier Big City had been mandated to design a contemporary building that would replace Le Riga and provide a “place of one’s own” to close to 150 tenants, formerly homeless or at risk of becoming so.    Le Christin – Site Plan and Ground Floor Plan The entire operation sparked controversy, particularly as Le Christin started to rise, showing no sign of nostalgia. The architects’ daring approach was difficult to fathom—particularly for those who believe social housing should keep a low profile.  The program, originally meant for a clientele of single men, gradually evolved to include women. In order to reflect societal trends, the architects were asked to design 24 slightly larger units located in the building’s east wing, separated from the rest of the units by secured doors. Thus, Le Christin is able to accommodate homeless couples or close friends, as well as students and immigrants in need. A tenants-only courtyard is inserted in the south façade. In order to provide the maximum number of units requested by SHDM, each of the 90 studios was reduced to 230 square feet—an adjustment from Atelier Big City’s initial, slightly more generous plans. In a clever move, an L-shaped kitchen hugs the corner of each unit, pushing out against the exterior wall. As a result, the window openings recede from the façade, creating a sense of intimacy for the tenants, who enjoy contact with the exterior through large windows protected by quiet Juliet balconies. Far from damaging the initial design, the added constraint of tightened units allowed the architects to modulate the building’s façades, creating an even stronger statement. On the unit levels, corridors include large openings along the south façade. Each floor is colour-coded to enliven the space; overhead, perforated metal plates conceal the mechanical systems. An extra floor was gained thanks to the decision to expose the various plumbing, electrical, and ventilation systems. Well-lit meeting rooms and common areas are found near Le Christin’s front entrance, along with offices for personnel, who are present on the premises 24 hours a day. Apart from a small terrace above the entrance, the main exterior space is a yard which literally cuts into the building’s back façade. This has a huge impact on the interiors at all levels: corridors are generously lit with sunlight, a concept market developers would be well advised to imitate. The adjacent exit stairs are also notable, with their careful detailing and the presence of glazed openings.  The fire stairs, which open onto the exterior yard at ground level, feature glazing that allows for ample natural light. Le Christin has achieved the lofty goal articulated by SHDM’s former director, architect Nancy Schoiry: “With this project, we wanted to innovate and demonstrate that it was possible to provide quality housing for those at risk of homelessness.” The low-slung Studios du PAS aligns with neighbourhood two-storey buildings. Studios du PAS In sharp contrast with Le Christin’s surroundings, the impression one gets approaching Studios du PAS, 14 kilometres east of downtown Montreal, is that of a small town. In this mostly low-scale neighbourhood, L. McComber architects adopted a respectful, subdued approach—blending in, rather than standing out.  The project uses a pared-down palette of terracotta tile, wood, and galvanized steel. The footbridge links the upper level to shared exterior spaces. The financing for this small building, planned for individuals aged 55 or older experiencing or at risk of homelessness, was tied to a highly demanding schedule. The project had to be designed, built, and occupied within 18 months: an “almost impossible” challenge, according to principal architect Laurent McComber. From the very start, prefabrication was favoured over more traditional construction methods. And even though substantial work had to be done on-site—including the installation of the roof, electrical and mechanical systems, as well as exterior and interior finishes—the partially prefabricated components did contribute to keeping costs under control and meeting the 18-month design-to-delivery deadline. Les Studios du PAS The building was divided into 20 identical modules, each fourteen feet wide—the maximum width allowable on the road. Half the modules were installed at ground level. One of these, positioned nearest the street entrance, serves as a community room directly connected to a small office for the use of a social worker, allowing staff to follow up regularly with tenants. Flooded with natural light, the double-height lobby provides a friendly and inclusive welcome. The ground level studios were designed so they could be adapted to accommodate accessibility needs. Some of the ground floor units were adapted to meet the needs of those with a physical disability; the other units were designed to be easily adaptable if needed. All studio apartments, slightly under 300 square feet, include a full bathroom, a minimal kitchen, and sizeable storage space hidden behind cabinet doors. Most of the apartments include a small exterior alcove, which provides an intimate outdoor space while creating a subtle rhythm along the front façade. Inside the studio units, storage cupboards for clothes and belongings were added as an extension of the kitchen wall. Conscious of the tradition of brick residential buildings in Montreal, yet wanting to explore alternate materials, the architects selected an earth-toned terracotta tile from Germany. The 299mm x 1500mm tiles are clipped to the façade, allowing for faster installation and easier maintenance. All units enjoy triple-glazed windows and particularly well insulated walls. A high-performance heat pump was installed to lower energy demand—and costs—for heating and cooling needs. Wood siding was used to soften the upper-level balconies, which provide protected outdoor spaces for residents.   Pride and Dignity Le Christin and Les Studios du PAS have little in common—except, of course, their program. Architecturally speaking, each represents an interesting solution to the problem at hand. While Le Christin is a high-spirited, flamboyant statement, Studios du PAS is to be praised for its respectful attitude, and for the architects’ relentless search for interesting alternatives to traditional construction norms. Atelier Big City is one of few firms in Canada that has the guts—and the talent—to play with bold colours. Decades of experimentation (not just with public buildings, but also within their own homes), led up to Le Christin, which is perhaps their strongest building to date. Their judicious choices of colour, brick type, and materials transmit a message of pride and dignity. Both projects demonstrate enormous respect and generosity to their residents: they provide architecture that treats them not as an underclass, but as regular people, who need the stability of dignified housing to start rebuilding their lives. Odile Hénault is a contributing editor to Canadian Architect.   Le Christin CLIENT Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) | ARCHITECT TEAM Anne Cormier, Randy Cohen, Howard Davies, Fannie Yockell, Gabriel Tessier, Sébastien St-Laurent, Lisa Vo | STRUCTURAL DPHV | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL BPA | CIVIL Genexco | LIGHTING CS Design | AREA 4,115 m2 | Construction BUDGET $18.9 M | COMPLETION November 2023   Les Studios du PAS  CLIENT PAS de la rue | ARCHITECT TEAM L. McComber—Laurent McComber, Olivier Lord, Jérôme Lemieux, Josianne Ouellet-Daudelin, Laurent McComber. Inform—David Grenier, Élisabeth Provost, Amélie Tremblay, David Grenier | PROJECT MANAGEMENT Groupe CDH | STRUCTURAL Douglas Consultants | MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL Martin Roy & associés | CIVIL Gravitaire | CONTRACTOR Gestion Étoc | AREA 1,035 m2 | BUDGET $3.4 M | COMPLETION September 2022 As appeared in the June 2025 issue of Canadian Architect magazine The post A Place to Call Home: Le Christin and Les Studios du PAS, Montreal, Quebec appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Outlets 8, Conghua | © Wu Siming In the landscape of contemporary Chinese urbanism, few typologies encapsulate the contradictions of late-capitalist development more vividly than the pseudo-European commercial complex. These replicated enclaves, constructed en masse in the early 2000s, were once marketed as symbols of international sophistication. Over time, however, many were abandoned, becoming architectural vestiges of speculative urbanism. Outlets 8 in Conghua, Guangzhou, is one such project that has undergone a radical architectural reinterpretation. Originally completed in 2018 but long dormant, it has been reimagined by E Plus Design in collaboration with URBANUS/LXD Studio. Through a precise, light-touch intervention, the project avoids wholesale demolition and reprograms space through color, rhythm, and landscape strategy. Outlets 8, Conghua Technical Information Architects1-14: E Plus Design Central Plaza Design: URBANUS / LXD Studio Location: Conghua District, Guangzhou, China Gross Area: 80,882 m2 | 870,000 Sq. Ft. Project Years: 2022 – 2023 Photographs: © Wu Siming This approach is like a contemporary remix of classical music. The four blocks correspond to four movements. Without extensive demolition or altering the European-style architectural rhythm, we reinterpreted the emotional tones, chords, and cadenzas. Through a blend of color and modern gestures, the outdated and disproportionate ‘faux-antique’ complex has been reorchestrated into a contemporary architectural symphony. – Li Fu, Chief Architect at E Plus Design Outlets 8, Conghua Photographs Aerial View | © Wu Siming © Wu Siming © Wu Siming © Wu Siming © Wu Siming © Wu Siming © Wu Siming © Chen Liang Liu Shan © Chen Liang Liu Shan © Chen Liang Liu Shan Outlets 8 Context and Typological Challenge Outlets 8 was initially conceived as a 110,000-square-meter faux-European outlet village. Despite its scale and investment, it struggled to resonate with local cultural dynamics and remained idle. The typology itself, rooted in nostalgic mimicry, was already facing obsolescence. The challenge, then, was not only architectural but also conceptual: how to resuscitate a typology that had become both spatially and culturally inert. The design team chose a strategy of minimal physical intervention coupled with maximal perceptual impact. Rather than demolish or drastically reconstruct, they aimed to re-signify the existing structures. This approach reflects a growing trend in urban renewal across China, where sustainability, cost-efficiency, and cultural specificity take precedence over spectacle. Spatial Transformation Through Chromatic Reprogramming After | © Wu Siming Before | Original Facade, © E+ At the intervention’s core is using color as a spatial and psychological agent. The ornament-heavy facades were stripped of their polychromatic excess and repainted in low-saturation hues. This chromatic cleansing revealed the formal rhythms of the architecture beneath. By doing so, the design avoids mimicry and opts for abstraction, reintroducing clarity to the site’s visual language. The design framework is structured as a musical metaphor, with each of the four blocks conceived as a separate movement in a visual symphony. The street-facing facades, now unified through a golden “variation,” establish a new urban frontage that is both legible and symbolically rich. A ribbon-like golden band traces across the main elevations, creating continuity and contrast between old and new volumes. In contrast, the sports block adopts a cooler, blue-toned palette, offering a different spatial and functional rhythm. New architectural insertions are rendered in transparent materials, signaling temporal and programmatic distinctions. At the center, the elliptical plaza becomes a spatial crescendo, defined by a sculptural intervention inspired by Roman aqueducts. This feature functions as a landmark and a temporal break, juxtaposing historical references with performative landscape elements. Rewriting Landscape as Urban Ecology After | © Wu Siming Before | Original Facade, © E+ Water, derived from the nearby Liuxi River, serves as the thematic and material backbone of the landscape design. Its integration is not symbolic but functional. Water flows through constructed channels, interactive fountains, and sculptural cascades that encourage observation and participation. These elements create a multisensory environment that enhances the spatial experience while reinforcing ecological awareness. The planting strategy emphasizes native species capable of withstanding Guangzhou’s subtropical climate. The design maximizes greenery wherever regulatory conditions allow, particularly along the main entrance, central corridors, and arcaded walkways. The result is a layered landscape that balances visual density with ecological resilience. Integrating landscape and architecture as a singular design operation, the project shifts away from ornamental greening toward environmental synthesis. This approach foregrounds interaction and immersion, aligning with broader shifts in landscape architecture toward performative and participatory ecologies. Programmatic Rebirth and Urban Implications After | © Wu Siming Before | Original Facade, © E+ Beyond formal and material considerations, the project redefines the programmatic potential of large-scale retail environments. Positioned as a “micro-vacation” destination, Outlets 8 is a hybrid typology. It combines retail, leisure, and outdoor experience within a cohesive spatial narrative. This reprogramming responds to changing patterns of consumption and leisure in Chinese cities, particularly among younger demographics seeking experiential value over transactional efficiency. Statistical metrics underscore the project’s social impact. In its first nine days, the outlet attracted over half a million visitors and became a trending location across multiple digital platforms. While not the focus of architectural critique, these figures reflect a successful alignment between spatial renewal and public resonance. More importantly, the project offers a replicable model for dealing with the vast inventory of misaligned commercial developments across China. The intervention avoids nostalgia and cynicism by foregrounding perceptual clarity, ecological integration, and cultural recontextualization. Instead, it offers a clear path forward for reimagining the built remnants of a prior urban paradigm. Outlets 8, Conghua Plans Elevations | © E Plus Design Floor Plan | © E Plus Design Floor Plan | © E Plus Design Floor Plan | © E Plus Design Floor Plan | © E Plus Design Sections | © E Plus Design Outlets 8, Conghua Image Gallery About E Plus Design E Plus Design is a multidisciplinary architecture studio based in Shenzhen, China, known for its innovative approaches to urban renewal, adaptive reuse, and large-scale public space transformations. The firm emphasizes minimal intervention strategies, spatial clarity, and contextual sensitivity, often working at the intersection of architecture, landscape, and urban design to create integrated environments that are both socially responsive and experientially rich. Credits and Additional Notes Chief Design Consultant: Liu Xiaodu Master Plan, Architecture, and Landscape Schemes: E Plus Design Lead Architects: Li Fu, Coco Zhou Project Managers (Architecture): Guo Sibo, Huang Haifeng Architectural Design Team: Wang Junli, Zhang Yan, Cai Yidie, Zhu Meng, Lin Zhaomei, Li Geng, Stephane Anil Mamode, Liu Shan, Zhou Yubo Central Plaza Design: URBANUS / LXD Studio Architect of Central Plaza: Liu Xiaodu Project Manager: Li An’hong Facade Design: Song Baolin, Li Minggang Lighting Design (Concept): Fang Yuhui Lighting Consultant: Han Du Associates Client: Guangzhou Outlets 8 Commercial Management Co., Ltd. Client Design Management Team: Yin Mingyue, Zhao Xiong Landscape Area: 29,100 m² Chief Landscape Architect: Gao Yan Project Manager (Landscape): Zhang Yufeng Landscape Design Team: Yu Xiaolei, Li Zhaozhan, Liu Chenghua Landscape Construction Drawings: E Plus Design Project Manager: Wang Bin Design Team: Wang Bin (Landscape Architecture). Huang Jinxiong (Greening Design). Li Gen (Water & Electricity Design) Structural Design Team: Wang Kaiming, Yang Helin, Wu Xingwei, Zhuang Dengfa Electrical Design Team: Sun Wei, Yang Ying Interior Design Concept Design: Shenzhen Juanshi Design Co., Ltd. Chief Interior Designer: Feng Feifan Project Manager: Liu Hongwei Design Team: Niu Jingxian, Shi Meitao Construction Drawings: Shenzhen Shiye Design Co., Ltd. Project Manager: Shen Kaizhen Design Team: Yao Yijian, Yang Hao, Liu Chen Wayfinding Design Studio: Hexi Brand Design Co., Ltd. Curtain Wall Design Firm: Positive Attitude Group (PAG)

Like many countries, the Netherlands currently faces a housing crunch. Unlike many countries, the Dutch have a history of working with water to build out their environment. This ambitious Spoorweghaven Floating Community, a proposal for Rotterdam, thus aims to float affordable housing in an underutilized canal.The proposal was designed by Maritime Architecture Studio (MAST), a Copenhagen-based architecture firm that specializes in floating construction. It calls for a multitude of buildings housing more than a hundred low-cost apartments, as well as commercial and recreational space. "The Spoorweghaven floating community would connect to the city's already expansive bicycle infrastructure and also create new possibilities for transportation by boat. Public pathways would link the two sides of the harbour and allow bicycle access directly to the apartment buildings and to public bicycle parking facilities at each access bridge to the community. Recreational boat moorings are also provided between floating buildings and a continuous `blue ribbon´ around the community allows access from the city centre directly to the apartment buildings and public spaces." "Floating public walkways and green spaces provide new flexible spaces for residents in the new apartments and the surrounding area. Rooftop terraces and roof gardens also provide more private outdoor spaces for residents at the same time as preserving the view from surrounding apartments." "In order to improve the water quality in the harbour MAST worked with Scottish company Biomatrix to incorporate over 900m2 of floating reed beds around the perimeter of the site. Reedbeds like these have been installed in cities across Europe where they have been effective at reducing nutrients in water and providing habitat for waterbirds and fish." "The floating buildings would be constructed off site from CLT and towed into the dock for a short installation period. This would mean minimal impact on the community and a more efficient build process in a working dock outside of the city centre. It also permits the buildings to be repurposed on another site at the duration of a long term lease. This opportunity, to move buildings rather than demolish them when they cease to make financial sense in a given location, could dramatically increase the life span of floating buildings and give them a significant edge in sustainability over traditional apartment buildings." "These floating communities could also provide a far more sustainable alternative to large land reclamation projects which are underway around the globe." The proposal has received the support of Rotterdam officials, though no date for breaking ground—er, water—has yet been announced. That may change as pressure increases: The Netherlands has set a target of building one million new homes by 2030, and the country is famously short of land to build them on.

The Duchess is one of the sharpest classes in Elden Ring Nightreign. The undercover priestess loves to dip in and out of combat, overwhelming foes with fast attacks and status ailments. Once you unlock the Duchess, pick her if you like to stay nimble and quickly dominate foes with excessively high damage per second. While her damage potential is one of the highest, Duchess has some apparent weaknesses that can diminish her viability. If you’re an aspiring Duchess main who wants to get the best out of the character in your future expeditions, this Elden Ring Nightreign guide will show you how to play as the Duchess, with a focus on recommendations for her best relics, best teammates, and best weapons, alongside other miscellaneous tips. How to make a great Duchess build in Elden Ring Nightreign As a dextrous character, you’ll want to craft your Duchess build around daggers, katanas, and curved great swords. All in all, anything that has a fast move set and is able to apply bleed is beneficial to a Duchess build. Bleed just overall synergizes with Duchess’s Restage ability, so when in doubt, prioritize looking for weapons and relics that allow for bleed application. Since Duchess scales with intelligence and faith as well, she does well with most of the game’s ranged weapon options. We recommend a good bow or staff in your equipment loadout. Best relics for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign Duchess scales primarily off of Arcane, Faith, and Dexterity, so the best relics for her are those that provide boosts to those specific stats. You can unlock these relics by just playing the game, but the best relics come from completing runs and defeating Nightlords. Another great way to gain access to high-quality relics is by completing the remembrance objectives found in the journal. Some of the Duchess’ best options are relics with the following effects: [Duchess] Dagger chain attack reprises event upon nearby enemies [Duchess] Improved character skill attack power [Duchess] Defeating enemies while Art is active ups attack power [Duchess] Become difficult to spot and silence footsteps after landing critical from behind Boosts attack power of added affinity attacks Improved stance breaking when wielding two armaments Any relic that increases Dexterity, Intelligence, or Endurance Character skill cooldown reduction Starting armament inflicts are good relics as well if you can match the status ailment with a Nightlord weakness Best teammates for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign Duchess excels when she’s able to deal damage unimpeded. She fits neatly into team comps that create enough space for her to do as she pleases. As the game evolves, new strategies may emerge, but at launch, the following classes are great fits as teammates for the Duchess and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Guardian — Guardian’s ultimate art provides a useful damage negation buff to teammates in its radius, helping Duchess with her survivability. Raider — Debatably Nightreign’s tankiest character, he can easily handle enemy aggro, allowing for Duchess to set up good uses of her Restage ability. Wylder — Wylder’s character skill allows him to grapple enemies to him. In the early stages of an expedition, Duchess is at her weakest. A good Wylder can help mitigate enemy aggro by yanking them away from her. Duchess — Having multiple Duchess players is not as good as the other picks; however, there is an unusual synergy with her Restage character skill. Since it applies to allies’ damage as well as her own, multiple Duchess players can rapidly apply status ailments like Bleed and demolish bosses. Best weapons for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign Hands down, the best weapon for Duchess is a dagger, as Duchess prefers to build up status ailments as quickly as possible. To that end, it’s best to equip her with weapons that have fast move sets. That said, even though she’s a dextrous character, she also has good intelligence scaling. Staves are extremely underrated on Duchess. Since there’s no equipment load or stat requirements outside of levels, there is simply no reason not to have at least one good staff member with you at all times. Below are some of the best weapons for Duchess: Crystal Knife Reduvia Wakizashi Moonveil Rivers of Blood Meteoric Ore Blade Horned Bow Carian Regal Scepter Best talismans for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign It isn’t often you’ll run into a talisman during an expedition, but if you get lucky, they can completely dial up the effectiveness of any character. Be on the lookout for scarabs, a returning enemy from Elden Ring, who tend to drop them. The best talismans for the Duchess are the following: Millicent’s Prosthesis — Boosts attack power with successive attacks. Twinblade Talisman — Boosts the power of chain attack finishers. Lord of Blood’s Exultation — Boosts attack power when blood loss is in the vicinity. Depending on your playstyle, you might even prefer to use talismans that increase spell casting power, such as Graven-School Talisman or Radagon Icon. While it may not be her best option, it is still viable, and being able to adapt on the fly is the best skill you could have in Elden Ring Nightreign. For more Elden Ring Nightreign guides, here’s a list of all classes, the best class to pick first, how to unlock the Revenant, and the best early Recluse build.

An open international contest is being held to retrofit and upgrade the Brutalist-style Prior shopping centre in Most, Czechia (Deadline: 27 June) The two-stage competition – organised by the Centre for Central European Architecture (CCEA MOBA) on behalf of the City of Most – will select a design team to upgrade the 1973 complex located on a prominent site in the centre of the planned 1970s coal-mining settlement. The £750,000 (22.2 million CZK) ‘SuperMost – SuperPrior’ project will transform the landmark building – which is the centrepiece of a vast planned city designed by Václav Krejčí and constructed following the demolition of historic Most to make way for a lignite mine – into a new community and cultural hub for the settlement. Competition site: SuperPrior, Most According to the brief: ‘The city of Most is announcing its first competitive dialogue, SuperMost – SuperPrior. Prior, opened in 1976 as the city's main shopping centre, has the potential to become a community and cultural hub. ‘The aim is to design a new future for the former department store – a place for new functions, sharing, and meeting. The current building is to be reintegrated into the life of the city and offer meaningful use.’ Founded in mid-13th century, Most is a historic settlement of 63,000 inhabitants located in the Ústí nad Labem Region of Czechia close to Germany’s southern border. Most was demolished from 1965 to 1985 to make way for a lignite mine with a new planned settlement created in the Brutalist style featuring housing estates, a shopping centre, a culture centre, planetarium and an office skyscraper. The latest contest also comes shortly after CCEA MOBA launched a contest to retrofit and upgrade the former Palace Hotel in Ostrava. The ‘SuperMost – SuperPrior’ contest is the first part of a bigger programme of renewal drawn up by CCEA MOBA and the City of Most which will include an artistic intervention on the city hall and wider city centre renewal initiative. Competition site: SuperPrior, Most The project focuses on transforming the shopping centre into a new venue for film screenings and a gastronomy marketplace addressing the lack of similar facilities in the local area. Judges will include Marie Kašparová, director of Kultura Praha 3; Gerry Schwyter, architect at EM2N in Zurich; Marina Kounavi, founder of ANAGRAM in Athens; and the mayor of Most, Marek Hrvol. The contest language is Czech and English. Submissions will be judged on architectural quality including social-cultural value, aesthetic and functional quality; and technological solution comprising material and structural choices, environmental responsibility and energy performance. The overall winner will receive a £23,540 (CZK 700,000) prize while a second prize of £20,180 (CZK 600,000), third prize of £13,450 (CZK 400,000) and a fourth and fifth prize each worth £8,410 (CZK 250,000) will also be awarded. How to apply Deadline: 2pm local time, 27 June Competition funding source: Not supplied Project funding source: Not supplied Owner of site(s): Not supplied Contact details: karin@cceamoba.czVisit the competition website for more information

The Obalende bus terminus is one of Lagos’s most important transport nodes and a ‘graveyard’ for old danfos, which in Yoruba means ‘hurry’. These yellow‑painted minibuses form the backbone of Lagos’s informal transport system and are mostly second‑hand imports from the global north. Located in the heart of Lagos Island, Obalende is one of the first areas to be developed east of the lagoon that splits Lagos into two main halves: the Island and the Mainland. It receives a large portion of urban commuters daily, especially those entering Lagos Island for work. Obalende plays a critical role in the cycle of material reuse across the city. The life of a danfo does not end at retirement; it continues through a vast network of informal markets and recyclers that sustain entire communities. Their metal parts are either repurposed to fix other buses or sold as scrap at markets such as Owode Onirin. Located about 25km away on the Lagos Mainland, Owode Onirin, which means ‘money iron market’ in Yoruba, is a major hub for recycled metals. Waste collectors scour the city’s demolition sites for brass and mild steel; they find copper, bronze and aluminium in discarded vehicles. These materials are then processed and sold to companies such as African Foundries and Nigerian Foundries, as well as to local smiths who transform them into building parts, moulds and decorative objects. Sorters, welders and artisans form the backbone of this circular micro‑economy. Their labour breathes new life into discarded matter.  Lagos has a State Waste Management Authority, but it is fraught with politicking and inefficient in managing the city’s complex waste cycle. In the absence of intelligent state strategies, it falls on people to engineer solutions. They add armatures, build networks and modulate the static thresholds and borders imposed by the state. Today, these techniques and intelligences, born out of scarcity, are collectively labelled ‘informality’, a term that flattens their ingenuity.  Across the streets of Obalende and around its central roundabout, kiosks and pop‑up shops dominate the landscape. Most are constructed from materials such as timber reclaimed from collapsed buildings or fallen fascias, along with salvaged tarpaulins. Stones and concrete blocks found at demolition sites are moulded into anchors using discarded plastic paint buckets, serving as bases for umbrellas offering relief from the scorching Lagos sun. To anticipate flash flooding, many structures are raised slightly above ground on short stilts. Space, which is in short supply, is creatively repurposed to serve different functions at various times of the day; a single location might host breakfast vendors in the morning, fruit sellers in the afternoon and medicine hawkers at night. Due to its proximity to the city centre, Obalende experiences constant population shifts. Most entering the city at this node have no means of livelihood and often become salvagers. Under the curling ends of the Third Mainland Bridge, for example, a community of migrants gathers, surviving by scavenging motor parts, sometimes from old danfos, zinc roofing sheets and other materials of meagre value. Discarded mattresses, bedding and mosquito nets are repurposed as shelter beneath the noisy overpass, which becomes both workplace and home. In the absence of supportive state frameworks, communities like those in Obalende create micro‑responses to urban precarity. Their fluid, multifunctional spaces are adaptive and resilient architectures resulting from necessity, survival and material intelligence.  ‘Informality as a way of life is inherently circular in its use of space and materials’ In Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria and one of the most populated in Africa, two thirds of the population live on less than US$1 a day, according to Amnesty International. This speaks not only to income levels but to multidimensional poverty. Unlike global cities such as Mumbai, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, where poorer demographics are largely confined to specific neighbourhoods at the margins, informality in Lagos is not peripheral but integral to how the city functions, defying the rigid thresholds and boundaries of formal urban planning.  Across Lagos, self‑sustaining circular economies flourish. Orile, a metal market located on the mainland, is one of the sites where discarded metals from sites in Lagos can be sold as part of a recycling system. Further out in the suburbs of Lagos, also on the mainland, is the Katangua Market, which is the biggest second‑hand clothes market in the city. In Nigeria’s largest hardware technology hub, Computer Village, just south of Lagos in Ikeja, used electrical and electronic equipment (UEEE) is sold for parts. A TRT World report notes that about 18,300 tonnes of UEEE arrive in Nigeria annually – although the number varies in other studies to as much as 54,000 tonnes smuggled in – with the majority coming from Europe, closely followed by the US and China.  Computer Village evolved into a dense network of shops, stalls and kiosks between 1998 and 2000, just before Nigeria adopted early digital cellular network technology. The market sits just minutes from the local airport and the Ikeja High Court, but its edges are fluid, spilling out from the Ikeja Underbridge. Over time, formal plots have dissolved into an evolving mesh of trade; the streets are lined with kiosks and carts, built from repurposed plywood, corrugated metal and tarpaulin, that come and go. Space is not owned but claimed, temporarily held, sublet and reshuffled.  Today, Computer Village generates an estimated US$2 billion in annual revenue. Yet most of the shops lack permanence and are constantly at risk of demolition or displacement. In March this year, over 500 shops were demolished overnight at Owode Onirin; in 2023, shopping complexes at Computer Village were torn down in a similar way. The state has continuously announced plans to relocate Computer Village to Katangua Market, with demolition of parts of Katangua Market itself making way for the move in 2020. Urban development patterns in Lagos prioritise formal sectors while ignoring self‑organised makers and traders. This contributes to spatial exclusion, where such communities are often under threat of eviction and relocation.  Discarded devices eventually make their way to landfills. Olusosun, in the very heart of Lagos, is one of Africa’s largest landfills. Over 10,000 tonnes of waste are delivered daily, and more than 5,000 scavengers live and work here, sifting through an artificial mountain of refuse in search of value: aluminium, copper, plastic, cloth. The waste stream, enlarged by the influx of used hardware and fast fashion from the global north, creates both livelihood and hazard. Recent studies have shown that most of the residents in and around the site are exposed to harmful air conditions that affect their lungs. Additionally, the water conditions around the site show infiltration of toxic substances. Scavengers have lost their lives in the process of harvesting metals from discarded electronics.  More than a landfill, Olusosun is a stage for the politics of waste in the global south. Poor regulation enables the flow of unserviceable imports; widespread poverty creates demand for cheap, second‑hand goods. The result is a fragile, and at times dangerous, ecosystem where the absence of the state makes room for informal innovation, such as space reuse and temporary architecture, material upcycling and recycling. In Olusosun, metals are often extracted, crushed and smelted through dangerous processes like open burning. Copper and gold harvested from the ashes then make their way back into products and institutions, such as the insets of bronze or aluminium in a piece of furniture that might eventually travel back to the global north. In its usual fashion, the government has promised to decommission the Olusosun site, but little has been seen in terms of an effective plan to repurpose the site under the state’s so‑called ‘advanced waste treatment initiative’. Informality as a way of life is inherently circular in its use of space and materials. It embodies adaptability, resilience and an intuitive response to economic and environmental conditions. The self‑built infrastructures in Lagos reveal the creativity and resilience of communities navigating the challenges of urban life. Now is the time for designers, policymakers and community leaders to work together and rethink urban development in a way that is more sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people who make cities thrive. The question is not whether informal economies will continue to exist, but how they can be designed into wider city planning – making them part of the solution, not the problem. Featured in the May 2025 issue: Circularity Lead image: Olympia De Maismont / AFP / Getty 2025-05-30 Reuben J Brown Share

Got a project that’s too wild for this world? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards, June 6th marks the end of the Main Entry period — click here to submit your work. The word “ideal” carries a subtle yet powerful trap, particularly in the context of city-making. Detached from the practicalities of construction, many architects throughout history have assumed a godlike role, crafting visionary urban proposals prioritizing perfection over feasibility. These so-called architectural utopias were often driven by the desire to radically improve how societies function, adopting the belief that reshaping physical environments could lead to social transformation. Yet, the allure of the ideal can be double-edged, often leading to designs that, albeit “perfect,” have repeatedly resulted in unintended consequences such as social exclusion, control, and isolation rather than the promised harmony. During the 20th century, a big surge of visionary utopias emerged through the practice of architecture. Of course, there were many earlier “iterations” of utopian visions, from drawings of Amaurot (Thomas More’s utopian capital) to the Cenotaph for Sir Isaac Newton by Étienne-Louis Boullée; still, the 20th century marked an astounding era of futuristic designs and technological aspirations. Perhaps the desire to explore more radical built environments and apply the modernism style to an urban scale was the driving force behind this endeavor. And yet, now nearly at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, architectural utopianism has declined. Have architects abandoned grand ideals in favor of more practical, incremental approaches? Have they stopped dreaming big, or have these utopian models simply failed to live up to their promises? To explore the following questions, let’s first delve into some of the most famous, radical, and—according to some—failed architectural utopian projects. Brasilia Anonymous Unknown author, Brasilia aerea torredetv1304 4713, CC BY 3.0 Brasilia was designed by urbanist Lucio Costa and is filled with some of the most beautiful, sculptural and symbolic buildings by Oscar Niemeyer. Costa’s ambition was to create a progressive city that would offer a good quality of life to its residents. Following principles of orderly, rational, and systematic design, the city was conceived in four scales: the Monumental, meaning the long axes; the Gregarious, meaning the civic architecture; the Quotidian, for the residential areas; and the Bucolic, for the open space. In theory, the proposal signified an era of profound transformation. However, numerous problems arose when construction began: work camps (in the form of slumps) cropped around the city, and a massive segregation between upper and lower class occurred. Additionally, the design failed to account for pedestrian accessibility (relying heavily on cars) or consider the effects of land and urban economics. Albeit beautiful and impressive, transportation issues, urban sprawl and inequality are very real challenges modern-day Brasilia has to address, hence the label of “a cautionary tale for urban dreamers.” Radiant City Chandigarh, The theatre sector 17 by Richard Weil , via Flickr  Perhaps the most radical suggestion for the “implementation” of Radiant City was Le Corbusier’s idea to demolish historic parts of Paris. He envisioned a city organized in perfect symmetry, influenced by the parts of the human body and how they operate together efficiently. Famously, he viewed the city as a living organism — a machine for effective inhabitation. Vertical concrete towers arranged in a symmetrical grid, combined with large open spaces fit for public transportation, would offer social housing and accessibility. A business district would connect to the residential and commercial zones at the center via underground passages. Even though Radiant City was never implemented, it inspired the urban plan for Chandigarh in India, drawn by Le Corbusier in the 1950s. Still, despite its ambitious design, the city (according to some critics) “lacked Indianness.” At the same time, it very quickly outgrew its capacity, with the prominent green strip that surrounded it becoming occupied by scruffy homes and shops. Broadacre City Kjell Olsen, Wright Sketches for Broadacre City, CC BY-SA 2.0 Broadacre City was essentially Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision of an architectural and urban democratic city. Placing the individual at the center of design, the proposal ensured each inhabitant a home, a farm and a place of employment. In parallel, utilities of everyday necessity such as power, transportation, and mediums of exchange were publicly owned. Although the city was much more chaotic than the previous two examples, it was based on a genuinely democratic society where the government was strictly impersonal. Following such a free-thinking and complex design, Broadacre City was never realized. However, it fueled many of Wright’s architectural community projects and provided a framework for American city planning processes. Ideal Cities, Flawed Realities Bibliothèque Mazarine, Thomas More Utopia 1516 VTOPIAE INSVLAE FIGVRA (Bibliothèque Mazarine) Skull Version, CC BY-SA 4.0 Today, the spirit of architectural utopianism seems to linger more as a cautionary tale than a guiding light. In an era increasingly defined by economic constraints, climate urgency, and social complexity, the focus has shifted toward feasibility, resilience, and incremental change. The profession often celebrates what can be built rather than what dares to imagine, leaving many visionary, unbuilt projects overlooked or dismissed as impractical. Consequently, holistic and speculative thinking has taken a backseat to metrics, deliverables, and regulatory compliance. While this pragmatism addresses real-world constraints, it raises a pressing question: have we lost something vital by retreating from the imaginative realm? The challenge for today’s architects is not simply to dream or to build, but to reclaim the space in between, where visionary thinking can coexist with grounded execution. Got a project that’s too wild for this world? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards, June 6th marks the end of the Main Entry period — click here to submit your work. Featured image: Utopia by Peter Wheatcroft / 10 Design, 2023 Vision Awards, Special Mention The post The Death of 20th Century Idealism: Are Today’s Architects Too Pragmatic? appeared first on Journal.