Nailing cross-channel marketing for your app is crucial in today’s ecosystem. This isn’t just a speculation, it’s a hard fact: the average mobile marketer uses 5 or fewer media sources, but CPIs tend to be much higher for marketers using 6 or more media sources, according to a report by Singular and ironSource Aura.It’s time to start looking elsewhere for users. Something to consider is returning to old-school, tried-and-true strategies that have taken a backseat as the industry has advanced, such as web acquisition campaigns. There are two clicks in these campaigns - the first click directs users from an ad to a web landing page and the second click directs users from the web page to the app store. While the funnel to get to your app is longer, it’s actually an opportunity. Let’s dive into why and how you should be running web-to-app acquisition campaigns.3 benefits of web-to-app campaignsWeb acquisition campaigns became tried-and-true for a reason and many apps are beginning to take advantage of the strategy to reduce costs, get better visibility, and expand their reach.Reduce costsWhile the cost of app acquisition campaigns is increasing as the space becomes more saturated, web campaigns have been underutilized in recent years. This means many advertisers are finding that the cost of web campaigns are less than app store acquisitions. Much of these higher costs comes from high app store fees - Apple takes a 30% cut from large developers and a 15% cut from smaller developers. The web remains a relatively low-cost, accessible channel.Get better visibilityWith the ability to direct users to your owned mobile site before they click to download your app, you get better visibility into new users and where they came from - the app store is a black box where it’s nearly impossible to match the user who clicked an ad to the user who downloaded your app. On top of that, longer funnels give you more control and insight into each step users take to get to your app - allowing you to better optimize your campaigns. For example, you can try out different web landing pages to find the most effective way to increase users’ understanding of your app before they download it. This increases your likelihood of, first, motivating users to download your app, and second, encouraging them to stick around.Expand your reachInternet users worldwide spent 415.5 minutes a day online in 2021 according to Oberlo. App users spend at most 300 mins a day in apps according to TechCrunch. The internet is still more prevalent than apps because, let’s face it, the web predates the app store. Even more so, users have become especially savvy on the web, visiting the search bar to research a brand, fact check a friend, or dive deeper into a news headline. This means that by running web campaigns, you’re reaching a massive audience - nearly the entire world population.Andre Kempe, Founder and CEO of Admiral Media says, “marketers consider web acquisition important because they’re reaching a different type of audience that may convert to becoming an active app user, even though they were surfing on a news website… When you start advertising for the web, you reach an audience you haven’t reached before. This is definitely a growth opportunity." Listen to the full podcast.Web campaigns are a tried and true strategy, which is what makes them so effective in today’s ecosystem. Realizing that you should be considering this acquisition channel, let’s discuss how web onboarding can help you maximize success.Maximize success with web onboardingTypically, users complete onboarding directly on your app. Web onboarding, however, means letting users register, subscribe, and sometimes pay on the web, before heading to your app. This way, users are fully prepared to start using your app before even clicking download, ensuring they can engage at full capacity as soon as download is complete.When users onboard through the app, they may not immediately decide to engage but at least the app is still on their phones reminding them everyday of its value - they’re likely to open it again at some point in time. When a user onboards on the web and decides your app isn’t valuable, they’ll never end up actually downloading it - it’s gone and forgotten before it even started. That said, with web onboarding, the users who end up downloading your app will do so with high-intent to actively engage. Plus, you don’t have to pay for users that download without ever engaging. Whatever category your app is - fitness, food delivery, dating, reading, learning, etc. - you can use the web touchpoint to drive quality users to your app.Ensure the transition is seamlessFirst, ensure the web experience mimics the app experience enough that users don’t feel jipped when they actually start using your app. The transition from the web to the app should be seamless. If you’re offering users a taste of your app, the web touchpoint should look exactly like your app or, at least, include all of the same features. If the buttons to adjust settings are on the right side of the page during onboarding, they should be on the right side in the app as well. To ensure users stick around, you have to give them what they signed up for.Give users a sneak peakYou should also determine your main selling point and give users a sneak peak. For example, if you’re a reading app that allows users to adjust the settings of the page, you could give users premium access to the first chapter of a book allowing them to adjust font size or brightness. Readers will not want to leave the experience behind, encouraging them to set up their subscription and input their credit card information on the web before heading to the app to continue reading the book. The best part - when they open your app for the first time they’ll be able to jump right into the app experience.Learn more about how to improve your app’s onboarding experienceWeb-to-app campaigns should not be ignored in this competitive landscape - lower costs, more visibility, better optimization, and strong reach. Going even further to onboard users through the web, you’re improving the quality of the users entering your app for the first time.

A Peloton perched in the living room. A set of weights on the bedroom floor. Some wellness products have a way of making their presence known. But even the smaller things—think daily supplements, mushroom tinctures, herbal teas—can slowly start to sprawl out everywhere. With the rise and awareness of holistic health habits, wellness routines that rival your skincare shelf, and obsessions like ProteinTok—a whole corner of the internet dedicated to everything protein—you might find that wellness has taken over your kitchen. Suddenly, your blender is battling for space with the hydration powders, collagen tubs, and stacks of snack bars. If you don’t have a place to properly store it all, your kitchen can start to be more overwhelming than calming. But with thoughtful design, proper planning, and smart storage solutions, you can integrate it all into your home in a way that feels serene and seamless. We asked designers and wellness experts how they manage their ever-expanding collection of products and design their kitchens with well-being in mind.Consider An Appliance GarageTessa NeustadtGreen cabinet doors conceal the appliances in this kitchen by Interior Archaeology.“For things that need to be in reach and on the counter, we put everything in an appliance garage,” shares Lynn Kloythanomsup of Landed Interiors and Homes. By that she means is a built-in cabinet or nook—typically integrated into the cabinetry—that features a door that lifts, rolls, or swings open and shut to conceal bulky appliances. Designer Hollie Velten of Spaces by Hollie Velten is also a fan of this feature and notices more clients requesting it. “A custom appliance garage allows things like tea supplies to be accessible for entertaining but hidden for everyday use.”It’s not just designers who advocate for this intentional placement—wellness experts themselves are just as mindful of it. “Our juicer must be on the countertop to make juicing as effortless as possible but other appliances are fine tucked away,” says health coach and nutritionist Daphne Javtich of Doing Well. Kerrilynn Pamer of Cap Beauty echoes this: “I keep my juicer on the counter, I have a Nama, and it’s pretty discreet even though it's large. Everything else, I keep behind doors.”Think Beyond The Main KitchenStacy Zarin GoldbergThis auxiliary kitchen by Kate Abt Design makes a perfect spot for wellness essentials.One luxury feature on the rise? Auxiliary kitchens, also known as dirty kitchens. “When designing for clients, we almost always have the ‘family’ or ‘show’ kitchen and then a second kitchen where the real cooking happens,” says Eric Egan of Eric Egan Interior Design. “This is much like in a restaurant show kitchen, where you see them finishing the meals, but you don't see the prep work or the clean up, all of which happens in the background.” Designer Sarah Barnard of Sarah Barnard Design has also seen an increase in the request of auxiliary kitchens and loves them because they “provide concealed storage for juicers, blenders, dehydrators, and food processors.” While two kitchens might not be realistic for everyone, if you have access to a nice-sized pantry or closet nearby, that’s an ideal spot to corral it all, as well. Rethink Unused SpacesKEVIN MIYAZAKIRemove the booze, bring in the blender, and this liquor cabinet, in a library designed by Kate Marker, could be a wellness station.Speaking of ideal spots for wellness, consider transforming underutilized spaces like liquor cabinets or part of a mudroom into a wellness hub. “We don't find that too many of our clients have a liquor cabinet or use a bar anymore,” shares Kloythanomsup. “So that area can be repurposed as a wellness area.” While you're repurposing it, consider where you can plug in all those wellness appliances. “Clients are also asking us to design technology-stations, so they have multiple areas to hide their technology and free their view of cords and distractions,” Velten says. Get In The ZoneEmma Farrer//Getty ImagesA dedicated tea zone.If you are going to dedicate counter space to your wellness routine, whether it’s a juicing zone, smoothie station, a hydration corner—keep things arranged in groups or zones. “I keep the bulk of my supplements and remedies in a large, shallow pullout drawer in the kitchen,” Javitch shares. “I find this is the easiest way to organize and find products quickly. And you don't have to remove some to get to others.”“I love setting up thoughtful, dedicated zones, like a wellness drawer with teas, vitamins, and tinctures all in one place, or a water station with a glass water pitcher, reusable bottles, and electrolytes,” shares Blakey. Keeping similar items together allows products to stay top of mind and prevents them from getting lost in the shuffle. Contain YourselfCourtesy Holly BlakeyA pantry organized by Holly Blakey of Breathing Room Home.While baskets are a no-brainer for kitchen organization, designers and experts say that’s for good reason, advising homeowners not to overlook them—and to keep the materials as natural as possible. “Wooden bins are another favorite way to add warmth and style while keeping items grouped,” Blakey says. Velten seconds the idea of rush baskets or wooden bins, “We try to push living finishes as much as we can because with proper care, material that came from the earth just vibrates differently.” No matter how many products you use or how dialed-in your routine may be, “wellness becomes part of the daily flow when your space helps you follow through on your intentions,” says Blakey. For that reason, says Javitch, “I always keep a few small baskets in our cabinets with products I often grab for like the kids' sunblock stick or their multivitamin gummies.”Show Off Your Stash Thomas LeonczikHollie Velten designed this kitchen to keep essentials on view. The alternative to hiding things away? Showing them off! “We worked with a client who described her kitchen goals as ‘California health kitchen,’” shares Velten. “We actually removed the upper cabinets to create an easy-to-access corner of shelving to hold glass jars and sustainable practices for her teas, herbs, spices, tinctures, and other food prep essentials.” After all, some items deserve to be seen—not only from an aesthetic perspective but also to prompt daily use and consistency. “I’ll usually keep my essential daily products on a pretty wood tray on the kitchen counter,” Javtich shares.If you are going to keep things out in the open, Bay Area-based organizer of Breathing Room Home Holly Blakey, says clarity is key. “I swear by glass containers for food storage, not just for sustainability, but because they help you know what you have and when you can clearly see your items, you’re more likely to use them before they expire.”Plus, this keep-it-all-out method a way to incorporate your personal preferences and add a little personality into your kitchen. “Sometimes well-kept essentials really only bring more joy and utility when out in the open,” Velten adds. 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New York City’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is falling apart. Built between 1946 and 1964, the urban highway runs 12.1 miles through the heart of the two boroughs to connect on either end with the interstate highway system—a relic of midcentury car-oriented infrastructure, and a prime example of the dwindling lifespan of roads built during that time.  The degradation is most visible—and most pressing—in a section running alongside Brooklyn Heights known as the triple cantilever. This 0.4-mile section, completed in 1954, is unique among U.S. highways in that it juts out from the side of a hill and stacks the two directions of traffic on balcony-like decks, one slightly overhanging the other. A third level holds a well-loved park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.  This unusual layer cake of a freeway was a marvel of engineering in its day, though not without controversy. Masterminded by Robert Moses, the city’s all-powerful, often ruthless city planner for more than four decades, the roadway bisects working-class and immigrant neighborhoods that grapple with the health and environmental fallout to this day. Like the reputation of the man who built it, the triple cantilever has aged poorly. Its narrow width, (33.5 feet for the roadway in either direction) has made all but the most basic maintenance incredibly difficult, and its 71-year-old structure is constantly battered by the ever heavier automobiles and trucks. Designed to accommodate around 47,000 vehicles per day, it now carries more than three times that amount. Deteriorating deck joints and failing steel-reinforced concrete have led many to worry the triple cantilever is on the verge of collapse. An expert panel warned in 2020 that the triple cantilever could be unusable by 2026, and only then did interim repairs get made to keep it standing. [Photo: Alex Potemkin/Getty Images] The mounting concern comes amid a 50-year decline in direct government spending on infrastructure in the U.S., according to a recent analysis by Citigroup. Simply maintaining existing infrastructure is a challenge, the report notes. Meanwhile, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ grade for the country’s infrastructure has improved, from a D+ in 2017 to a C in 2025. Now even private credit firms are circling: As reported in Bloomberg, Apollo Global Management estimates that a boom in infrastructure deals help could grow the private debt market up to a staggering $40 trillion.   Independent urban designer Marc Wouters has an idea on how to fix BQE’s cantilever. He’s been working on it for years. “My process is that I always interview people in the community before I do any drawings,” he says. “So I really have listened to pretty much everybody over the past few years.” Unsolicited and developed in his own spare time, Wouters has designed an alternative for the triple cantilever that he named the BQE Streamline Plan. BQE Streamline Plan [Image: courtesy Marc Wouters | Studios/©2025] His concept, based on decades of experience in urban planning, infrastructure, and resilience projects in communities across the country, is relatively simple: extend the width of the two traffic-bearing cantilevers and add support beams to their outside edge, move both directions of traffic onto four lanes on the first level, and turn the second level into a large freeway cap park. Instead of major rebuilding efforts, Wouters’s proposal is more of a reinforcement and expansion, with a High Line-style park plopped on top. Though he’s not an engineer, Wouters is confident that his design would shift enough strain off the existing structure to allow it to continue functioning for the foreseeable future. (What actual engineers think remains to be seen.) “What I’ve done is come up with a plan that happens to be much less invasive, faster to build, a lot cheaper, and it encompasses a lot of what the community wants,” he says. “Yet it still handles the same capacity as the highway does right now.” So what will it take for this outsider’s idea to be considered a viable design alternative? This idea had been brewing in his mind for years. Wouters, who lives near the triple cantilever section of the BQE in Brooklyn Heights, has followed the highway’s planning process for more than a decade.  As complex infrastructure projects go, this one is particularly convoluted. The BQE is overseen by both the state of New York and New York City, among others, with the city in charge of the 1.5-mile section that includes the triple cantilever. This dual ownership has complicated the management of the highway and its funding. The city and the state have launched several efforts over the years to reimagine the highway’s entire length. In winter 2018, the city’s Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) released two proposals to address the ailing cantilever. Not seeing what they wanted from either one, Brooklyn Heights Association, a nonprofit neighborhood group, retained Wouters and his studio to develop an alternative design. He suggested building a temporary parallel bypass that would allow a full closure and repair of the triple cantilever. That proposal, along with competing ideas developed under the previous mayoral administration, went by the wayside in 2022, when the latest BQE redesign process commenced. Wouters found himself following yet another community feedback and planning process for the triple cantilever. The ideas being proposed by the city’s DOT this time around included a plan that would chew into the hillside that currently supports the triple cantilever to move the first tier of traffic directly underneath the second, and add a large girding structure on its open end to hold it all up. Other options included reshaping the retaining wall that currently holds up the triple cantilever, moving traffic below grade into a wide tunnel, or tearing the whole thing down and rebuilding from scratch. Each would be time-consuming and disruptive, and many of them cut into another well-loved public space immediately adjacent to the triple cantilever, Brooklyn Bridge Park. None of these options has anything close to unanimous support. And any of them will cost more than $1 billion—a price tag that hits much harder after the Federal Highway Administration rejected an $800 million grant proposal for fixing the BQE back in early 2024. BQE Streamline Plan [Image: courtesy Marc Wouters | Studios/©2025] Wouters is no highway zealot. In fact, he’s worked on a project heading into construction in Syracuse that will replace an underutilized inner-city highway with a more appropriately sized boulevard and developable land. But he felt sure there was a better way forward—a concept that would work as well in practice as on paper. “I just kept going to meetings and waiting to see what I thought was a progressive solution,” Wouters says. Unimpressed and frustrated, he set out to design it himself. Wouters released the Streamline Plan in March. The concept quickly gathered interest, receiving a flurry of local news coverage. He has since met with various elected officials to discuss it. But as elegant as Wouters’s concept may be, some stakeholders remain unconvinced that the city should be going all in on a reinterpretation of the triple cantilever. What might be more appropriate, critics say, is to make necessary fixes now to keep the triple cantilever safe and functional, and to spend more time thinking about whether this section of highway is even what the city needs in the long term. A group of local organizations is calling for a more comprehensive reconsideration of the BQE under the premise that its harms may be outnumbering its benefits. Launched last spring, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Environmental Justice Coalition wants any planning for the future of the BQE to include efforts to address its health and environmental impacts on neighboring communities and to seek an alternative that reconnects communities that have been divided by the corridor. One member of this coalition is the Riders Alliance, a nonprofit focused on improving public transit in New York. Danny Pearlstein, the group’s policy and communications director, says implementing a major redesign of the triple cantilever would just reinforce car dependency in a place that’s actually well served by public transit. The environmental justice coalition’s worry is that rebuilding this one section in a long-term fashion could make it harder for change across the length of the entire BQE and could increase the environmental impact the highway has on the communities that surround it. “This is not just one neighborhood. This is communities up and down the corridor that don’t resemble each other very much in income or background who are united and are standing together for something that’s transformative, rather than doubling down on the old ways,” Pearlstein says. [Photo: ©NYC DOT] Lara Birnback is executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, representing a neighborhood of roughly 20,000 people. Her organization, which worked directly with Wouters in the past, is circumspect about his latest concept. “It’s certainly more interesting and responsive to the kinds of things that the community has been asking for when thinking about the BQE. It’s more of those things than we’ve seen from any of the designs that New York City DOT has presented to us through their engagement process,” she says. “But at the end of the day, it’s still a way of preserving more or less the status quo of the BQE as a major interstate highway running through the borough.” She argues it makes more sense to patch up the triple cantilever and use the extra years of service that buys to do a more radical rethinking of the BQE’s future. (For example, one 2020 proposal by the Brooklyn-based architecture studio Light and Air proposed a simple intervention of installing buttresses on the open-air side of the triple cantilever, propping it up with a relatively small addition of material.) “We really strongly encourage the city to move forward immediately with a more short-term stabilization plan for the cantilever, with repairs that would last, for example, 20 to 25 years rather than spending billions and billions of dollars rebuilding it for the next 100 years,” Birnback says. Birnback says a major rebuilding plan like the one Wouters is proposing—for all its community benefits—could end up doing more harm to the city. “I think going forward now with a plan that both embeds the status quo and most likely forecloses on the possibility of real transformation across the corridor is a mistake,” she says. NYC DOT expects to begin its formal environmental review process this year, laying the necessary groundwork for deciding on a plan for what to do with the triple cantilever, either for the short term or the long term. The environmental process will evaluate all concepts equally, according to DOT spokesperson Vincent Barone, who notes that the department is required to review and respond to all feedback that comes in through that process. There is technically nothing holding back Wouters’s proposal from being one of the alternatives considered. And he may have some important political support to help make that happen. Earlier this month, Brooklyn’s Community District 2 board formally supported the plan. They are calling for the city’s transportation department to include it in the BQE’s formal environmental review process when it starts later this year. [Photo: Sinisa Kukic/Getty Images] Wouters argues that his proposal solves the pressing structural problems of the triple cantilever while also opening resources to deal with the highway’s big picture challenges. “The several hundred million dollars of savings is now funding that could go to other parts of the BQE. And there are other parts that are really struggling,” he says. “I’m always thinking about the whole length and about all these other communities, not just this one.” With a new presidential administration and a mayoral primary election in June, what happens with the triple cantilever is very much up in the air. But if the environmental review process begins as planned this year, it only makes sense for every option to fall under consideration. What gets built—or torn down, or reconstructed, or reinterpreted—could reshape part of New York City for generations.

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.

Submitted by WA Contents Open Call RaumScape: A Unique Piazzetta in Old Town Prague Czech Republic Architecture News - May 26, 2025 - 12:53   html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" An international architectural and urban design competition has been launched through a unique collaboration between private investors, the Capital City of Prague, and the Prague 1 municipality. The goal is to transform a privately owned piazzetta at the end of Pařížská Street—an area known for its high-end retail and positioned between residential calm and a striking mix of architectural styles—into a vibrant, inclusive, and world-class public space. Located directly in front of the recently renovated Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel—formerly the brutalist InterContinental Hotel, now sensitively restored by TaK Architects—the site carries symbolic weight within the historic center of Prague. Despite its extraordinary location, it is technically the roof of an underground car park and incorporates multiple levels of garage-related infrastructure. The first stage of the competition is straightforward and non-design-focused, serving as a portfolio round. Applicants are invited to submit reference projects by June 2, 2025. RaumScape represents a landmark opportunity to reimagine a space in the historic core of one of Europe’s most architecturally and culturally rich capitals. The competition calls for creative ideas that are both visionary and grounded, shaping a public realm fit for Prague’s next century. Entirely privately funded, the project represents a significant investment of approximately €6 million (CZK 150 million), reflecting the long-term commitment of the Czech owners to revitalizing this prominent urban site. Organized by CCEA MOBA, the competition merges the architectural concept of Raumplan with landscape design—embodying a vision for a multi-layered, continuous urban realm where architecture and public space are seamlessly interwoven. It invites architects, landscape architects, and urban designers from around the world to propose bold yet context-sensitive designs that blend public, community, commercial, and social functions into a cohesive civic environment.Previously underutilized and disconnected, the 3,200 m² piazzetta now presents a rare opportunity to extend the prestige and pedestrian rhythm of Pařížská Street toward the Vltava River, introduce greenery, shade, and water features, enable barrier-free movement for pedestrians, cyclists, and families, and create a public space of lasting value that honors its UNESCO-listed heritage context while serving both local life and international visitors. This vision must also thoughtfully integrate the necessary technical infrastructure and commercial space in a way that enhances the public realm.The winning proposal will mark the final phase of Staroměstská brána (Old Town Gate)—a sensitive reconstruction of a Brutalist landmark, and the culmination of a broader urban renewal initiative led by the Hotel’s private Czech owners: Pavel Baudiš, Eduard Kučera, and Oldřich Šlemr.Competition OverviewTitle: RaumScape – International Architectural and Urban Design CompetitionLocation: Miloš Forman Square, Prague, Czech RepublicArea: 3,200 m²Announcers: WIC Prague, City of Prague, Prague 1Organizer: CCEA MOBAEstimated Investment: CZK 150 million (approx. €6 million)Total Prize Money: CZK 2.4 million (approx. €95,900)Eligibility: Open to qualified architecture, landscape, and urban design professionals worldwideTwo-Stage CompetitionStage One – Portfolio SubmissionDeadline: June 2, 2025, no submission feeApplicants are asked to submit reference projects. Stage Two – Design ProposalFinalists will be invited to submit full concept designs.International JuryThe competition jury is chaired by Sarah M. Whiting, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and includes leading Czech and international experts:- Petr Hlaváček (Vice-Chair), 1st Deputy Mayor of the Capital City of Prague- Mette Skjold, CEO and Senior Partner of SLA- Magdaléna Juříková, Director of the Prague City Gallery- Petr Burian, co-Founder of Nextline Architekti- Karel Grabein Procházka - Councillor of the Municipal District of Prague 1- Marek Tichý, founder of TaK Architects, author of the reconstruction of the former InterContinental HotelFor further details, visit the competition website.The top image in the article courtesy of CCEA MOBA.> via CCEA MOBA

Got a project that’s too contemporary for your client? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards! The clock is ticking — submit your work ahead of the Main Entry deadline on June 6th. After almost fifty years of being open to the public, the Centre Pompidou will temporarily close for a major renovation. The works will address structural aging and bring the facility up to current safety, accessibility and environmental standards, ensuring the Centre Pompidou can continue to operate as a world-class institution. The closure is expected to last approximately five years, with reopening planned for 2030. As would-be visitors postpone their architectural pilgrimages, it’s an opportune moment to revisit some of its most distinctive architectural features. Since its inauguration in 1977,  it is one of Paris’ most recognizable landmarks, an icon of High-Tech architecture and a beacon of cultural innovation. Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, the building turned traditional museum design upside down (or, rather, inside-out!), with its boldly exposed infrastructure and brightly color-coded mechanical systems. French architecture firm Moreau Kusunoki, in collaboration with Frida Escobedo Studio, was selected to lead the ambitious project for their thoughtful approach to contemporary interventions in historic settings and their commitment to sustainability. The upgrade involves no expansion of the original structure; instead, it focuses on improving the building’s long-term resilience and functionality while staying true to the original design’s spirit. View of Centre Pompidou from Montmartre, Paris, France. | Photo by Zairon via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0. 1. The Centre Pompidou is undoubtedly a bold architectural landmark and a prime example of High-Tech Architecture, also known as Structural Expressionism. This style emerged in the late 1960s, primarily in the United Kingdom, and later spread internationally. Highly influenced by Modernism and Brutalism, High-Tech Architecture proudly displays building components, such as structural and mechanical systems, which are typically concealed. The style also celebrates industrial materials, engineering innovation, and prefabrication. Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers were part of a wave of architects, including Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Nicholas Grimshaw, and Michael Hopkins, among others, who contributed significantly to the style’s development. As one of the style’s earliest and most provocative designs, the Centre Pompidou remains an all-time architectural icon.  2. The Centre Pompidou opened its doors in 1977, stirring controversy because of its industrial, rough aesthetic. Its boldly displayed structural and mechanical systems made the building look more like an industrial construction — such as factories or power plants — than a conventional civic building. Many critics saw it as out of place in historic Paris, especially compared to institutions like the Louvre, which embody traditional architectural principles. Yet, its provocative aesthetics, once criticized, are now recognized as a strength, pushing the boundaries of what an art institution can look like. Today, the Centre Pompidou is a powerful symbol of contemporary architecture that reflects the spirit of artistic avant-garde. Views of Paris from Centre Pompidou’s panoramic escalator. Photos by Huân Lê via Unsplash (right) and Florian Peeters via Unsplash (left). 3. Located in the Beaubourg area of Paris’ Marais district, the Centre Pompidou — also referred to as Beaubourg — has played a key role in revitalizing the neighborhood and activating public life with its plaza. It represents far more than a traditional museum, promoting street performances and cultural events. This strategy has transformed the area into a dynamic neighborhood, attracting both locals and visitors. 4. The Centre Pompidou was envisioned as a multidisciplinary cultural institution. In addition to its world-class modern and contemporary art collection, it also houses the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Bpi), the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM), movie theaters, and performance spaces. The integration of multiple disciplines under one roof promotes a vibrant cultural ecosystem that engages a broad and diverse public. 5. One of the Centre Pompidou’s most striking features is the external glass-enclosed escalator that rises the south façade overlooking the plaza. Nicknamed “la chenille” — French for “the caterpillar” — the escalator is more than just functional; it is a defining part of the visitor experience, offering panoramic views of Paris. This façade, with its distinctive escalator, has become so emblematic that a stylized drawing of it serves as the Centre Pompidou’s logo and branding. Centre Pompidou’s color-coded infrastructure. | Photo by Adora Goodenough via Unsplash. 6. Another outstanding feature of the building’s design is its color-coded infrastructure systems, which not only serves a functional purpose but also creates a vibrant visual language. Each  system is painted a different color to indicate its function: Blue for air ducts Green for plumbing Yellow for electrical systems Red for circulation (staircases, escalators, and elevators) The upcoming upgrade project will maintain this defining design aspect — so closely tied to the building’s identity and the spirit of the institution it houses — while improving the building’s overall functionality and sustainability with more energy-efficient technologies.   Centre Pompidou 2030 design by Moreau Kusunoki in association with Frida Escobedo Studio. Paris, France | Visualization by Moreau Kusunoki 7. Like the building’s infrastructure systems, the structure is also external, forming a steel exoskeleton composed of prefabricated steel trusses and diagonal bracing. This design approach reflects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers’ intent to create a visually striking architecture that emphasizes clarity and legibility. The renovation will preserve and restore this architectural expression while making significant upgrades to meet today’s standards, including the refurbishment of the steel frame and façades without compromising the original design intent. 8. By placing the building’s structural and mechanical systems on the exterior, the Centre Pompidou offers expansive open spaces that can be easily reconfigured. This design approach optimizes the flexible use of spaces, ideal for exhibitions and performances. The new design will not expand the original structure but will make better use of previously underutilized areas. According to the architect’s project statement, the renovation seeks to “rationalize and simplify the spatial organization in order to establish clear, readable layout principles.” Centre Pompidou 2030 design by Moreau Kusunoki in association with Frida Escobedo Studio. Paris, France | Visualization by Moreau Kusunoki 9. In their project statement, Moreau Kusunoki also explain the shift in societal values since the Centre Pompidou opened in 1977: “When the Centre Pompidou was conceived, notions of speed, animation and information dissemination symbolized progress. Today, the paradigm is reversed: faced with information overload, fragmented attention and isolation caused by screen time, the Centre Pompidou offers a space where mediation, human interaction and the physical experience are central.” 10. The Atelier Brancusi is integral to the Pompidou’s identity. Situated just beside the main building on Place Georges-Pompidou, it will also close temporarily during the renovation. The renovation measures are aimed to ensure its careful preservation and eventual reopening in 2030. Got a project that’s too contemporary for your client? Submit your conceptual works, images and ideas for global recognition and print publication in the 2025 Vision Awards! The clock is ticking — submit your work ahead of the Main Entry deadline on June 6th. Top image: Centre Pompidou 2030 by MOREAU KUSUNOKI,Paris,France The post 10 Facts About Centre Pompidou, a High-Tech Architectural Iconic in Paris appeared first on Journal.

While most of us probably want to have some form of sustainable energy source at our homes, not every household has the right conditions to install some sort of device or system. But as we continue to look for more energy-efficient and environmentally safe ways to power our homes, expect there to be more companies that will look for urban living-friendly solutions. We will get easier and more practical ways to have things like photovoltaic power generation accessible to whatever space we’re living in. This will eventually remove some people’s excuses and/or reservations on why they cannot have things like solar panels in thier homes. The CESC Solar Parasol, a creation of gang.lab design, is making waves in sustainable outdoor solutions.Recently awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025, this innovative parasol seamlessly blends intelligent technology with sleek aesthetics, offering a glimpse into the future of urban living. More than just a stylish shade, the CESC Solar Parasol is a smart shading system designed to enhance both residential and commercial spaces, particularly balconies in high-rise buildings. It transforms previously underutilized areas into environmentally friendly and energy-efficient focal points. Designer: gang.lab design The core of the Solar Parasol lies in its integration of high-efficiency solar panels. These flexible panels are capable of generating 315W of power, effectively harnessing free energy from nature. This power can be used to illuminate the integrated 12W LED lamps, providing a warm 3500K light source for evening enjoyment of outdoor spaces. These panels are constructed with a durable aluminum alloy frame and a metal fluorocarbon coating in white. Beyond energy generation, the parasol boasts an adaptive control system that intelligently manages both energy harvesting and shading.The sun blind angle can be adjusted between 0°, 35°, and 90° within 45 seconds, allowing users to customize the shade according to their needs and the position of the sun.This operation can be conveniently controlled via a remote control or a dedicated mobile app. It’s designed for balcony mounting, transforming neglected corners into functional spaces, whether it’s a residential or commercial space. The CESC Solar Parasol by gang.lab design offers a compelling vision for the future of outdoor spaces. By integrating solar technology into everyday objects, it promotes a more environmentally conscious and energy-efficient way of living, all while enhancing the beauty and usability of our balconies and outdoor areas. This innovative product is a testament to the power of thoughtful design in creating a more sustainable future. The post Solar panels bring sustainable energy and parasol aesthetics to balconies first appeared on Yanko Design.