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.

Casa Morena | © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG In the coastal enclave of Lagos, Portugal, Mário Martins Atelier has crafted Casa Morena. This residence quietly asserts itself as an ode to the dialogue between architecture and its natural setting. Completed in 2024, this project demonstrates a considered response to its environment, where the interplay of light, material, and landscape defines a sense of place rather than architectural imposition. Casa Morena Technical Information Architects1-5: Mário Martins Atelier Location: Lagos, Portugal Project Years: 2024 Photographs: © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG A simple house, one that wishes to be discreet and to be influenced by its location, to become a house that is pleasant with thoughtful landscaping. – Mário Martins Atelier Casa Morena Photographs © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG A Contextual Response to Landscape and Light The design of Casa Morena finds its genesis in the site itself, a pine-scented plot overlooking the expanse of a bay. The pine trees, longstanding witnesses to the landscape’s evolution, provide the project’s visual anchor and spatial logic. In a move that both respects and celebrates these natural elements, Mário Martins Atelier structured the house’s reticulated plan to echo the presence of the trees, creating a composition that unfolds as a series of volumes harmonizing with the vertical rhythm of the trunks. The solid base of the house, built from locally sourced schist, emerges directly from the terrain. These robust walls establish a tactile continuity with the ground, their rough textures anchoring the architecture within the landscape. In contrast, the upper volumes of the house adopt a distinctly lighter expression: horizontal planes rendered in white plaster, their smooth surfaces catching and refracting the region’s luminous sun. This duality, earthbound solidity, and aerial lightness establish an architectural narrative rooted in the elemental. Casa Morena Experiential Flow Casa Morena’s spatial arrangement articulates a clear hierarchy of public and private domains. On the ground floor, the house embraces openness and transparency. An expansive entrance hall blurs the threshold inside and out, guiding inhabitants and visitors into a luminous social heart. The lounge, kitchen, and office flow seamlessly into the garden, unified by a continuous glazed façade that invites the outside in. This deliberate porosity extends to a covered terrace, an intermediary space that dissolves the boundary between shelter and exposure. The terrace, framed by the garden’s green canopy and the swimming pool’s long line, becomes a place of repose and contemplation. The pool itself demarcates the transition from a cultivated garden to the looser, more rugged landscape beyond, its linear form echoing the horizon’s expanse. Ascending to the upper floor, the architectural language shifts towards intimacy. The bedrooms, each with direct access to terraces and patios, create secluded zones that still maintain a fluid relationship with the outdoors. A discreet rooftop terrace, accessible from these private quarters, offers a hidden sanctuary where the interplay of views and light remains uninterrupted. Material Tectonics and Environmental Strategy Casa Morena’s material palette is rooted in regional specificity and tactile sensibility. Schist, extracted from the site, is not merely a structural element but a narrative thread linking the building to its geological past. Its earthy warmth and rugged surface provide a counterpoint to the luminous white of the upper volumes, an articulation of contrast that enlivens the building’s silhouette. White, the chromatic signature of the Algarve region, is employed with restraint and nuance. Its reflective qualities intensify the play of shadow and light, a dynamic that shifts with the passing of the day. In this interplay, architecture becomes an instrument for registering the ephemeral, and the environment itself becomes a participant in the spatial drama. Environmental stewardship is also woven into the project’s DNA. Discreetly integrated systems on the roof harness solar energy and manage water resources, extending the house’s commitment to a sustainable coexistence with its setting. Casa Morena Plans Basement | © Mario Martins Atelier Ground Level | © Mario Martins Atelier Upper Level | © Mario Martins Atelier Roof Plan | © Mario Martins Atelier Elevations | © Mario Martins Atelier Casa Morena Image Gallery About Mário Martins Atelier Mário Martins Atelier is an architectural studio based in Lagos and Lisbon, Portugal, led by Mário Martins. The practice is known for its context-sensitive approach, crafting contemporary projects seamlessly integrating with their surroundings while prioritizing regional materials and environmental considerations. Credits and Additional Notes Lead Architect: Mário Martins, arq. Project Team: Nuno Colaço, Sónia Fialho, Susana Jóia, Mariana Franco, Ana Graça Engineering: Nuno Grave Engenharia Landscape: HB-Hipolito Bettencourt – Arquitectura Paisagista, Lda. Building Contractor: Marques Antunes Engenharia Lda.

The Swiss architects first submitted controversial plans to overhaul the Grade II-listed terminus in the City of London in May 2023 on behalf of Sellar and Network Rail. Now the AJ understands the practice is drawing up a rival scheme, separate to its original proposal, which is effectively a third but as yet unseen design for the station and a development above it. ACME, on behalf of Network Rail, submitted its own proposals in April after Network Rail appointed the Shoreditch practice to draw up plans last year. This put the brakes on Herzog & de Meuron’s 2023 scheme, which had been updated with amendments in 2024 in response to criticism over heritage harm – though the application was never withdrawn and remains live on the City of London’s planning portal.Advertisement According to sources, Herzog & de Meuron – still with Sellar’s backing – is actively working on a fresh scheme with ‘much less demolition’, which could rival ACME’s plans as well as its own 2023 scheme. SAVE Britain’s Heritage, which the AJ understands is among several bodies to have been consulted on the ‘third’ scheme for Liverpool Street station, told the AJ: ‘There are now potentially three live schemes for the same site. ‘However, what is interesting about Sellar’s latest proposal is that it involves much less demolition of the station. Network Rail and their current favoured architect, ACME, would do well to take note.’ Historic England, which strongly opposed the original Herzog & de Meuron scheme, is understood to have been shown the Swiss architects’ latest proposals in March. The heritage body’s official response to the ACME scheme has not yet been made public. A spokesperson for the government’s heritage watchdog told the AJ of the emerging third proposal: ‘We have seen a revised scheme designed by Herzog & de Meuron, but it has not been submitted as a formal proposal and we have not provided advice on it.’Advertisement The C20 Society added that it ‘can confirm that it has been in pre-app consultation with both ACME and Herzog & de Meuron regarding the various schemes in development for Liverpool Street Station’. The body, which campaigns to protect 20th century buildings, added: ‘We will provide a full statement once all plans have been scrutinised.’ In November, the Tate Modern architects appeared to be off the job following the appointment by Network Rail of Shoreditch-based ACME, which came up with an alternative scheme featuring slightly smaller office towers as part of the planned above-station development. The ACME plan for Liverpool Street includes an above-station office development that would rise to 18 storeys, with balcony spaces on the 10th to 17th storeys and outdoor garden terraces from the 14th to 17th storeys. These proposals are marginally shorter than Herzog & de Meuron’s original 15 and 21-storey designs. However, despite these changes, ACME and Network Rail’s scheme has recently seen criticism by the Victorian Society, which told the AJ last month that it would object to the ACME scheme, claiming the above-station development ‘would be hugely damaging to Liverpool Street Station and the wider historic environment of the City of London’. In September last year, Sellar confirmed that that Herzog & de Meuron was working on an amended proposal, as the AJ revealed at the time. However, it is unclear if the latest, third option is related to that work. While both applications introduce more escalators down to platform level and accessibility improvements, the Herzog & de Meuron scheme proved controversial because of planned changes to the inside of the Grade II*-listed former Great Eastern Hotel building above the concourse, which would have seen the hotel relocate to new-build elements. The Swiss architect’s original proposals would have also removed much of the 1992 additions to the concourse by British Rail’s last chief architect, Nick Derbyshire – which had not been included in the original 1975 listing for Liverpool Street station. Historic England listed that part of the station in late 2022 after a first consultation on the Herzog & de Meuron plans. Network Rail told the AJ that it remains ‘fully committed’ to the ACME plan, which was validated only last month. Herzog & de Meuron referred the AJ to Sellar for comment. Sellar declined to comment. ACME has been approached for comment.

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.

Villa Air / ARK-architectureSave this picture!© Bilel KhemakhemHouses•Tunis, Tunisia Architects: ARK-architecture Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1500 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2024 Photographs Photographs:Bilel Khemakhem Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Trespa, Elements, QUICK-STEP, REVIGLASS, Saint Gobain Glass, Schüco, TOSHIBAMore SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. Villa Air is a distilled expression of contemporary architecture rooted in the Tunisian landscape. Set within a two-hectare plot in Morneg, this 1,500 m² residence unfolds as a meditative dialogue between built form and topography. The site, defined by its gentle slope and sweeping views, culminates in the striking silhouette of the Jbal Errsas mountain range—a natural horizon that anchors the architectural narrative. From the outset, the project embraces a central duality: the tension between gravitas and lightness, between groundedness and suspension. This dialectic, subtly embedded in the villa's name, structures the entire composition. Distributed across three levels, the house is articulated as a series of horizontal strata punctuated by bold cantilevers. These projections—remarkably slender at just 45 cm thick—embody both structural daring and environmental responsiveness, casting precise shadow lines that temper the Mediterranean sun.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Rather than asserting dominance over the terrain, the architecture yields to it. The villa engages the land with measured restraint, allowing the natural contours to guide its form. A textured finish in earthy tones fosters chromatic continuity with the ground, while the massing cascades along the slope, suggesting a geological emergence rather than an architectural imposition. The principal façade distills the project's ethos: a calibrated composition of apertures that frames the landscape as a sequence of living tableaux. Each elevation is attuned to its orientation, choreographing a spatial experience that is both immersive and contemplative. Here, architecture acts not as a boundary, but as a lens.Save this picture!Materiality is approached with deliberate restraint. Pristine white volumes capture the shifting Mediterranean light, animating surfaces in a daily choreography of shadows. Travertine and timber introduce tactile warmth, while concrete elements — subtly tinted with sand pigments — ground the building in its context and enhance its material belonging. Internally, the spatial organization privileges continuity and flow. Circulations are not mere connectors, but choreographed transitions. Double-height volumes channel daylight deep into the core, while vertical pathways become elevated promenades offering ever-evolving perspectives of the surrounding landscape.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The architecture explores a central paradox: the reconciliation of intimacy with openness, of enclosure with exposure. This tension is resolved through a refined gradation of thresholds, where interiors dissolve into terraces and open platforms, softening the boundaries between inside and out. Twin infinity pools extend the architectural geometry toward the horizon, amplifying the sensation of lightness and spatial suspension. Water and sky converge in a silent dialogue, completing the project's aspiration to exist not merely in the landscape but in symbiosis with it. Villa Air stands as a testament to a site-specific Mediterranean modernism — one that privileges clarity, precision, and sensory depth. More than a functional residence, it evokes a poetic condition of dwelling: a place where form, matter, and perception converge in quiet resonance.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less About this officeARK-architectureOffice••• MaterialConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on May 30, 2025Cite: "Villa Air / ARK-architecture" 30 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030593/villa-air-ark-architecture&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Willis Building, 1975 Source:Nigel YoungWillis Building by Foster + Partners Located in Ipswich, Foster + Partners’ office for insurance company Willis Faber & Dumas features a swimming pool, roof-top garden and restaurant. Often used as an example of early high-tech buildings, the office hosts around 1,300 staff across open-plan offices and flexible spaces, which were said to be untraditional at the time. These spaces are spread over three floors connected by escalators which were innovative in the 1970s, particularly in offices. Outside, in contrast, the building reinforces rather than confronts the urban grain, with its free-form plan and low-rise construction responding to the scale of surrounding buildings, while its curved façade maintains a relationship to the medieval street pattern.Advertisement Read more about the project in AJ Buildings Library. Sainsbury Centre, 1978 Source:Ken KirkwoodSainsbury Centre by Foster + Partners This School of Fine Art and art centre was designed to house a collection gifted to the University of East Anglia by Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury. The design incorporates structural and service elements within the double-layer walls and roof. Within this shell is a free-flowing sequence of spaces that incorporates a conservatory reception area, coffee bar, exhibition areas, the Faculty of Fine Art, senior common rooms and a restaurant. Full-height windows at either end of the structure allow the surrounding landscape to form a backdrop to the exhibition and dining areas, while aluminium louvres, linked to light sensors, line the interior to provide an infinitely flexible system for the control of natural and artificial light. Read more about the project in AJ Buildings Library.Advertisement Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, 1985 Source:Ian LambotHong Kong and Shanghai Bank by Foster + Partners Completed in 1985, this Hong Kong bank tower has no internal supporting structure, allowing for a naturally bright, 10-story atrium. used a high degree of prefabricated elements The project was completed in less than three years and tight schedule requirements meant that the practice turned toward the use of prefabricated and factory-finished elements. With a suspension structure, the tower is expressed externally as a stepped building formed of three individual towers with heights of 29, 36 and 44 storeys. This formation creates floors of varying widths and depths inside, accommodating garden terraces. Bridges span between floors, while a mirrored sun scoop reflects sunlight through the atrium to a public plaza below. Discover more about this project in AJ Buildings Library. Millennium Bridge, 2000 Source:Nigel YoungMillennium Bridge by Foster + Partners Foster + Partners’ Millennium Bridge spans 320m across the River Thames. Completed in 2000, the construction of the bridge marked the first new crossing on this part of the river in over a century. For pedestrian use only, the shallow suspension bridge’s structure is supported by cables that never rise more than 2.3m above the deck, which lets the bridge enjoy uninterrupted views of London. Find out more about the project in AJ Buildings Library. 30 St Mary Axe, 2003 Source:Nigel Young30 St Mary Axe by Foster + Partners London’s first ecological tall building and an iconic addition to the city’s skyline, 30 St Mary Axe, also known as The Gherkin, was commissioned to hold the London headquarters of insurance company Swiss Re. Set around a radial plan, its iconic enclosure was designed to be energy-conscious. Merging the walls and roof into a continuous triangulated skin allowed for a column-free floor space, maximising natural  light and views. The double-glazed cladding sits outside of the structural gridshell. Inside the building are office spaces as well as a shopping arcade accessed from a newly created public plaza. The triangular atria, which have the planning benefit of leaving the office spaces almost rectangular, also provide greater daylight penetration. Discover more about this project in AJ Buildings Library. Millau Viaduct, 2004 Source:Nigel YoungMillau Viaduct by Foster + Partners Designed with engineer Michel Virlogeux, the 2.46km-long cable-stayed bridge formed a crucial transport link in the Paris to Barcelona motorway across a valley in south-west France. It has the highest elevated roadway in the world, with its deck set 270m above the River Tarn. Supported on seven concrete piers of varying heights, the bridge has a 3 per cent slope from south to north to encourage drainage. A gentle curve as the bridge approaches the northern plateau helps wind resistance. Both these factors work aesthetically too, accentuating the sense that the structure is tailored precisely to a specific site. Each of its sections spans 342m and its columns range in height from 75m to 245m, with the masts rising a further 90m above the road deck. Find out more in AJ Buildings Library. Wembley Stadium, 2007 Source:Nigel YoungWembley Stadium by Foster + Partners A collaboration with sports design specialists Populous, Foster + Partners’ arena replaced the old Wembley Stadium, which was one of the most important sports venues in Britain. With a 90,000 capacity and a retractable roof, the new structure was designed to maximise spectator enjoyment and retain the stadium’s iconic status The geometry and steeply raked seating tiers ensure that every spectator in the 90,000-capacity stadium has an unobstructed view of the pitch. The stadium has a retractable roof that allows the turf to get sufficient sunlight and air, while in poor weather it can be closed to cover the entire seating bowl. The roof is supported structurally by a 133m-high arch that towers above the stadium, providing an icon and a new London landmark. Read more about Wembley Stadium in AJ Buildings Library. Image, top: Photo by Nigel Young Maggie’s Manchester, 2016 Source:Nigel YoungMaggie's Manchester by Foster + Partners This cancer care centre in Manchester uses landscaping and greenery to help create a therapeutic sanctuary. The 500m², single-storey building is focused around a garden. At the eastern side adjoining the car park the garden is broken up into small courtyards, offering private spaces leading from each of the centre’s counselling rooms. To the west, the garden is more open and offers a threshold between the street and the centre. Meanwhile, a greenhouse with a faceted glass façade echoes the building’s triangular rooflights. Naturally illuminated by these triangular rooflights, the building is supported by lightweight timber lattice beams. These beams act as natural partitions between different internal areas, visually dissolving the architecture into the surrounding gardens. Discover more about this project in AJ Buildings Library. Bloomberg London, 2017 Source:Nigel YoungBloomberg HQ by Foster + Partners Foster + Partners’ £1 billion European HQ for business news giant Bloomberg is ambitious, accomplished and lavish. The fins, 117 in total, are the building’s way of ‘breathing’, with each section opening or closing depending on exterior conditions. This allows air to flow into the building while keeping external noise to a minimum, as well as filtering incoming air. Chunky stone corners and shear walls form part of the sandstone façade, with muscular poché sections fitted with thermal doors allowing air to circulate through the structure. Discover more about the HQ in AJ Buildings Library. Foster + Partners Norman Foster 2025-05-29 Katie Last comment and share