Big and Small Underwater Faces — 3rd Place. Trips to the Antarctic Peninsula always yield amazing encounters with leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx). Boldly approaching me and baring his teeth, this individual was keen to point out that this part of Antarctica was his territory. This picture was shot at dusk, resulting in the rather moody atmosphere.   Credit: Lars von Ritter Zahony (Germany) / World Ocean’s Day Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. The striking eye of a humpback whale named Sweet Girl peers at the camera. Just four days later, she would be dead, hit by a speeding boat and one of the 20,000 whales killed by ship strikes each year. Photographer Rachel Moore’s captivating image (seen below) of Sweet Girl earned top honors at the 2025 United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition. Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — WinnerThis photo, taken in Mo’orea, French Polynesia in 2024, captures the eye of a humpback whale named Sweet Girl, just days before her tragic death. Four days after I captured this intimate moment, she was struck and killed by a fast-moving ship. Her death serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the 20,000 whales lost to ship strikes every year. We are using her story to advocate for stronger protections, petitioning for stricter speed laws around Tahiti and Mo’orea during whale season. I hope Sweet Girl’s legacy will spark real change to protect these incredible animals and prevent further senseless loss.Credit: Rachel Moore (USA) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Now in its twelfth year, the competition coordinated in collaboration between the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, DivePhotoGuide (DPG), Oceanic Global, and  the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. Each year, thousands of underwater photographers submit images that judges award prizes for across four categories: Big and Small Underwater Faces, Underwater Seascapes, Above Water Seascapes, and Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us. This year’s winning images include a curious leopard seal, a swarm of jellyfish, and a very grumpy looking Japanese warbonnet. Given our oceans’ perilous state, all competition participants were required to sign a charter of 14 commitments regarding ethics in photography. Underwater Seascapes — Honorable MentionWith only orcas as their natural predators, leopard seals are Antarctica’s most versatile hunters, preying on everything from fish and cephalopods to penguins and other seals. Gentoo penguins are a favored menu item, and leopard seals can be observed patrolling the waters around their colonies. For this shot, I used a split image to capture both worlds: the gentoo penguin colony in the background with the leopard seal on the hunt in the foreground.Credit: Lars von Ritter Zahony (Germany) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Above Water Seascapes – WinnerA serene lake cradled by arid dunes, where a gentle stream breathes life into the heart of Mother Earth’s creation: Captured from an airplane, this image reveals the powerful contrasts and hidden beauty where land and ocean meet, reminding us that the ocean is the source of all life and that everything in nature is deeply connected. The location is a remote stretch of coastline near Shark Bay, Western Australia.Credit: Leander Nardin (Austria) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Above Water Seascapes — 3rd PlaceParadise Harbour is one of the most beautiful places on the Antarctic Peninsula. When I visited, the sea was extremely calm, and I was lucky enough to witness a wonderfully clear reflection of the Suárez Glacier (aka Petzval Glacier) in the water. The only problem was the waves created by our speedboat, and the only way to capture the perfect reflection was to lie on the bottom of the boat while it moved towards the glacier.Credit: Andrey Nosik (Russia) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Underwater Seascapes — 3rd Place“La Rapadura” is a natural hidden treasure on the northern coast of Tenerife, in the Spanish territory of the Canary Islands. Only discovered in 1996, it is one of the most astonishing underwater landscapes in the world, consistently ranking among the planet’s best dive sites. These towering columns of basalt are the result of volcanic processes that occurred between 500,000 and a million years ago. The formation was created when a basaltic lava flow reached the ocean, where, upon cooling and solidifying, it contracted, creating natural structures often compared to the pipes of church organs. Located in a region where marine life has been impacted by once common illegal fishing practices, this stunning natural monument has both geological and ecological value, and scientists and underwater photographers are advocating for its protection. (Model: Yolanda Garcia)Credit: Pedro Carrillo (Spain) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Underwater Seascapes — WinnerThis year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit a jellyfish lake during a liveaboard trip around southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Being surrounded by millions of jellyfish, which have evolved to lose their stinging ability due to the absence of predators, was one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve ever had.Credit: Dani Escayola (Spain) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Underwater Seascapes — 2nd PlaceThis shot captures a school of rays resting at a cleaning station in Mauritius, where strong currents once attracted them regularly. Some rays grew accustomed to divers, allowing close encounters like this. Sadly, after the severe bleaching that the reefs here suffered last year, such gatherings have become rare, and I fear I may not witness this again at the same spot.Credit: Gerald Rambert (Mauritius) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — 3rd PlaceShot in Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina—a protected shark sanctuary—this image captures a Caribbean reef shark weaving through a group of silky sharks near the surface. Using a slow shutter and strobes as the shark pivoted sharply, the motion blurred into a wave-like arc across its head, lit by the golden hues of sunset. The abundance and behavior of sharks here is a living symbol of what protected oceans can look like.Credit: Steven Lopez (USA) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org  Above Water Seascapes — 2nd PlaceNorthern gannets (Morus bassanus) soar above the dramatic cliffs of Scotland’s Hermaness National Nature Reserve, their sleek white bodies and black-tipped wings slicing through the Shetland winds. These seabirds, the largest in the North Atlantic, are renowned for their striking plunge-dives, reaching speeds up to 100 kph (60 mph) as they hunt for fish beneath the waves. The cliffs of Hermaness provide ideal nesting sites, with updrafts aiding their take-offs and landings. Each spring, thousands return to this rugged coastline, forming one of the UK’s most significant gannet colonies. It was a major challenge to take photos at the edge of these cliffs at almost 200 meters (650 feet) with the winds up to 30 kph (20 mph).Credit: Nur Tucker (UK/Turkey) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Above Water Seascapes — Honorable MentionA South Atlantic swell breaks on the Dungeons Reef off the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, shot while photographing a big-wave surf session in October 2017. It’s the crescendoing sounds of these breaking swells that always amazes me.Credit: Ken Findlay (South Africa) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — Honorable MentionHumpback whales in their thousands migrate along the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia every year on the way to and from their calving grounds. In four seasons of swimming with them on the reef here, this is the only encounter I’ve had like this one. This pair of huge adult whales repeatedly spy-hopped alongside us, seeking to interact with and investigate us, leaving me completely breathless. The female in the foreground was much more confident than the male behind and would constantly make close approaches, whilst the male hung back a little, still interested but shy. After more than 10 years working with wildlife in the water, this was one of the best experiences of my life.Credit: Ollie Clarke (UK) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Big and Small Underwater Faces — 2nd PlaceOn one of my many blackwater dives in Anilao, in the Philippines, my guide and I spotted something moving erratically at a depth of around 20 meters (65 feet), about 10 to 15 centimeters in size. We quickly realized that it was a rare blanket octopus (Tremoctopus sp.). As we approached, it opened up its beautiful blanket, revealing its multicolored mantle. I managed to take a few shots before it went on its way. I felt truly privileged to have captured this fascinating deep-sea cephalopod. Among its many unique characteristics, this species exhibits some of the most extreme sexual size-dimorphism in nature, with females weighing up to 40,000 times more than males.Credit: Giacomo Marchione (Italy) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Big and Small Underwater Faces – WinnerThis photo of a Japanese warbonnet (Chirolophis japonicus) was captured in the Sea of Japan, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Vladivostok, Russia. I found the ornate fish at a depth of about 30 meters (100 feet), under the stern of a shipwreck. This species does not appear to be afraid of divers—on the contrary, it seems to enjoy the attention—and it even tried to sit on the dome port of my camera.Credit: Andrey Nosik (Russia) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — 2nd PlaceA juvenile pinnate batfish (Platax pinnatus) captured with a slow shutter speed, a snooted light, and deliberate camera panning to create a sense of motion and drama. Juvenile pinnate batfish are known for their striking black bodies outlined in vibrant orange—a coloration they lose within just a few months as they mature. I encountered this restless subject in the tropical waters of Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait. Capturing this image took patience and persistence over two dives, as these active young fish constantly dart for cover in crevices, making the shot particularly challenging.Credit: Luis Arpa (Spain) / United Nations World Oceans Day www.unworldoceansday.org

Scandinavia’s premiere design festival 3 Days of Design began with a quartet of Danish brands—Anker & Co., Kvadrat, Erik Jørgensen, and Montana—11 years ago. In editions since, its hundreds of brands and twice as many events take over Copenhagen, spilling out of the Scandi city’s storefronts, showrooms, museums, and restaurants. This year, most events are open to the public and are set to take place June 18–20.Join NowAD PRO members enjoy exclusive benefits. Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month.ArrowNew to the event? Or thrilled to return to one of the world’s most inspiring design locations? AD PRO’s got you covered, with all the must-sees and should-do’s at 3 Days of Design 2025, as well as hot tips on where to rest and restore amidst the buzzy fair.What to know about 3 Days of DesignAll events are free, but visitors are encouraged to download the 3DD app and register via a QR ticket system for more seamless access to all the fun. Getting from event to event is also a breeze: Copenhagen is one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities—and it’s quite walkable too. (Check the fair’s Design Walks program for specially coordinated tours.) For further jaunts, the city’s metro system allows for easy transfers between districts—although taking a boat from neighborhood to neighborhood is an even better way to see the sights.Where to eat, drink, and stayThe UNESCO World Capital of Architecture is the living heart of Scandi chic, so you might as well stay at a historic MCM landmark: Arne Jacobsen’s 1956 SAS Royal, said to be the world’s first design hotel and refreshed in 2018 by Space Copenhagen as the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh’s Nobis Hotel is an elegant respite just off of Tivoli Gardens, and the freshly renovated Villa Copenhagen emits quintessential Danish ease within the city’s former Central Post & Telegraph Head Office.For cozier surrounds, check into Hotel Sanders, an antique-layered retreat by Brit firm Lind + Almond. Or for a bit more future-focused, try the houseboat hotel Kaj, floating just minutes from the Opera House.Foodwise, start your day with the city’s beloved bakeri culture. Brave the crowds for an early-morning cardamom bun at the landmark Juno the Bakery and the crisp kouign-amann at Andersen & Milland. Come lunchtime, score a sandwich at Lille, which slices up a revelatory rye bread fit for a picnic Smørrebrød feast on the water, or stop by Selma, where the menu changes with the season. Then top off your evening with a glass or two at natural-wine hot spot Pompette.Design happenings not to missOut and aboutMikkel Karstad, pictured, will be chefing it up in the Kvadrat showroom (Pakhus 48, Klubiensvej 22) throughout 3 Days. Photography courtesy of KvadratOne of Heather Chontos’s new rugs for Layered, which will be showcasing at Copenghagen’s Kismet Café. Photography courtesy of LayeredThe 3 Days of Design 2025 design festival celebrations will begin on June 16, at Frama’s chic Bar Vitrine aperitivo. The following evening Copenhagen-based label Louise Roe will preview new products, including a wall lamp, blown-glass vase, and stone table, at an alfresco cocktail party in its courtyard. On June 18, 3 Days of Design officially kicks off at the Vipp Garage HQ, where the studio will unveil a guesthouse installation and line of limited-edition products, both designed in collaboration with AD100 Studio KO. From there, make like a local and take a quick bicycle ride to Louis Poulsen’s showroom for a special light installation by Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov. That evening, Kvadrat and Vitra’s joint launch party at the former’s showroom in Nordhavn will fete new textile launches, including an attractive, high-performance acoustic curtain. Afterwards, stop by Audo House—the private residence, concept shop, restaurant, and garden, all decorated by furniture company Audo—to see it freshly renovated at the hands of local talent Norm Architects. The house is open June 18 through 20—and Audo is hosting an evening soirée there on June 19. Meanwhile, Swedish brand Svenskt Tenn’s 3 Days of Design debut at a private apartment in Christianshavn will also be a must-see, especially for Josef Frank aficionados.

The transformation of Hangzhou’s old steelworks into a park is a tribute to China’s industrial past in a city of the future The congressional hearing about Chinese AI engine DeepSeek held in the US this April has propelled Hangzhou, the heart of China’s new digital economy, to the headlines. With companies such as DeepSeek, Unitree and Alibaba – whose payment app allowed me to get on the metro without needing to buy a ticket – headquartered in Hangzhou, China’s future in AI, robotics and automation is emanating from this city. Getting off the metro in the suburban area of Gongshu, the sun was shining on an old steelworks, overgrown with vines and flowers now that it is being transformed by Jiakun Architects and TLS Landscape Architecture into the Grand Canal Steelworks Park. The unfolding trade war might help to accelerate China’s journey into an automated future, leaving the world of factories behind, yet this new public space shows an impulse to commemorate the country’s economic history, and the forces that have shaped its contemporary built environment. Starting in Hangzhou and travelling more than 1,700km to Beijing, the Grand Canal is an engineering project built 2,500 years ago to connect the different regions of eastern China. The country’s geography means rivers flow from west to east: from higher elevations, culminating in the Himalayas, to the basin that is the country’s eastern seaboard. Historically, it was difficult to transport goods from mercantile centres in the south, including Hangzhou and Suzhou, to the political centre in Beijing up north. As a civil engineering project, the Grand Canal rivals the Great Wall, but if the Great Wall aims to protect China from the outside, the Grand Canal articulates Chinese commerce from the inside. The historic waterway has been an important conduit of economic and cultural exchange, enabling the movement of people and goods such as grain, silk, wine, salt and gravel across the country. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014. The state‑owned enterprise collective was founded, and the physical facility of Hangzhou steelworks built, in the 1950s during the Great Leap Forward, when China strove for self‑sufficiency, and wended its way through the country’s economic trajectory: first the economic chaos of the 1960s, then the reforms and opening up in the 1980s. Steel remains an important industry today in China, home to more than half of the world’s production, but the listing of the Grand Canal enabled city leaders to move production to a new site and decommission the Hangzhou steelworks. External mandates, including entry into the World Trade Organization, the Beijing Olympics and UNESCO listings, have been instrumentalised in the country to pursue a range of internal interests, particularly economical and real estate ones.  In 2016, the factory was shut down in 150 days, in what the company describes as a ‘heroic’ effort, and the site attracted tourists of industrial ruins. In the competition brief, Hangzhou planners asked for ‘as much of the existing blast furnaces and buildings’ as possible to be preserved. When I arrived in China in 2008, Chinese cities were notorious for heritage demolition, but today urban planners and architects increasingly work to preserve historical buildings. Just like several industrial sites in Beijing and Shanghai have been transformed into major public and cultural spaces in the past decade, in the Yangtze River Delta – of which Hangzhou is a major hub – several industrial sites along the Grand Canal’s course are being given a new lease of life. Today, the three blast furnaces of Hangzhou steelworks remain, with the silhouettes of their smokestacks easily recognisable from a distance. The project preserves as much as possible of the aesthetics of a steel mill with none of the danger or dust, ready to welcome instead new community facilities and cultural programmes in a vast and restored piece of landscape. Situated in a former working‑class district that has been gentrifying and welcoming young families, the new park is becoming a popular venue for music festivals, flower viewing in springtime and year‑round picnics – when I visited, parents were teaching their children to ride a bicycle, and students from Zhejiang University, about a kilometre from the park, were having lunch on the grass. New programmes accommodated in the old coke oven and steel mills will include a series of exhibition halls and spaces welcoming a wide range of cultural and artistic workshops as well as events – the project’s first phase has just completed but tenant organisations have not yet moved in, and works are ongoing to the north of the park. On the day of my visit, a student art exhibition was on display near one of the furnaces, with works made from detritus from the site, including old packing containers. The rehabilitated buildings also provide a range of commercial units, where cafés, restaurants, shops, a bookshop, ice cream shop and a gym have already opened their doors to visitors.  Several structures were deemed structurally unsafe and required demolition, such as the old iron casting building. The architects proposed to partially reconstruct it on its original footprint; the much more open structure, built with reclaimed bricks, now houses a semi‑outdoor garden. Material choices evoke the site’s industrial past: weathered steel, exposed concrete and large expanses of glazing dominate the landscape. The widespread use of red, including in an elevated walkway that traverses the park – at times vaguely reminiscent of a Japanese torii gate in the space below – gives a warm and reassuring earthiness to the otherwise industrial colour palette. Elements selected by the designers underwent sanitisation and detoxification before being reused. The landscaping includes old machinery parts and boulders; recuperated steel panels are for instance inlaid into the paving while pipes for pouring molten steel have been turned into a fountain. The train tracks that once transported material continue to run through the site, providing paths in between the new patches of vegetation, planted with local grasses as well as Japanese maples, camphors and persimmon trees. As Jiawen Chen from TLS describes it, the aesthetic feels ‘wild, but not weedy or abandoned’. The landscape architects’ inspiration came from the site itself after the steelworks’ closure, she explains, once vegetation had begun to reclaim it. Contaminated soil was replaced with clean local soil – at a depth between 0.5 and 1.5 metres, in line with Chinese regulations. The removed soil was sent to specialised facilities for purification, while severely contaminated layers were sealed with concrete. TLS proposed phytoremediation (using plants to detoxify soil) in selected areas of the site ‘as a symbolic and educational gesture’, Chen explains, but ‘the client preferred to be cautious’. From the eastern end of the park, hiking trails lead to the mountain and its Buddhist temples. The old steel mill’s grounds fade seamlessly into the hills. Standing in what it is still a construction site, a sign suggests there will soon be a rowing centre here.  While Jiakun Architects and TLS have prioritised making the site palatable as a public space, the project also brings to life a history that many are likely to have forgotten. Throughout, the park incorporates different elements of China’s economic history, including the life of the Grand Canal and the industrial era. There is, for example, a Maoist steelworker painted on the mural of one of the cafés, as well as historical photographs and drawings of the steelworks peppering the site, framed and hung on the walls. The ambition might be in part to pay homage to steelworkers, but it is hard to imagine them visiting. Gongshu, like the other suburbs of Hangzhou, has seen rapid increases in its property prices.  The steelworks were built during the Maoist era, a time of ‘battling with earth, battling with heaven, battling with humanity’, to borrow Mao’s own words. Ordinary people melted down pots and pans to surpass the UK in steel production, and industry was seen as a sharp break from a traditional Chinese way of life, in which humans aspire to live in harmony with their environment. The priorities of the government today are more conservative, seeking to create a garden city to attract engineers and their families. Hangzhou has long represented the balmy and sophisticated life of China’s south, a land of rice and fish. To the west of the city, not far from the old steelworks, are the ecologically protected Xixi wetlands, and Hangzhou’s urban planning exemplifies the Chinese principle of 天人合一, or nature and humankind as one.  Today, Hangzhou is only 45 minutes from Shanghai by high‑speed train. The two cities feel like extensions of one another, an urban region of 100 million people. The creation of the Grand Canal Steelworks Park reflects the move away from heavy industry that Chinese cities such as Hangzhou are currently making, shifting towards a supposedly cleaner knowledge‑driven economy. Yet the preservation of the steelworks epitomises the sentimental attitude towards the site’s history and acts as a reminder that today’s middle classes are the children of yesterday’s steelworkers, drinking coffee and playing with their own children in grassy lawns next to shuttered blast furnaces.  The park’s second phase is already nearing completion, and the competition for the nearby Grand Canal Museum was won by Herzog & de Meuron in 2020 – the building is under construction, and should open at the end of this year. It is a district rich in history, but the city is resolutely turned towards the future.  2025-06-02 Reuben J Brown Share AR May 2025CircularityBuy Now

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

Peace Garden at UNESCO | © INFGM Located within the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, the Peace Garden by Isamu Noguchi emerges not merely as a landscape installation but as a profound meditation on postwar diplomacy and cultural synthesis. Commissioned in the mid-1950s, the garden symbolizes the United Nations’ commitment to peace through mutual understanding and cultural dialogue. Peace Garden at UNESCO Technical Information Artist1-2: Isamu Noguchi Location: 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris, France Client: Marcel Breuer / UNESCO Area: 2,400 m2 | 25,800 Sq. Ft. Project Year: 1958 Photographs: © INFGM and Flick Users, See Caption Details It should be a quiet, moving place. – Isamu Noguchi 3 Peace Garden at UNESCO Photographs © INFGM © INFGM © INFGM © INFGM © INFGM © INFGM © bbonthebrink, Flickr User © Patrice Todisco © bbonthebrink, Flickr User © bbonthebrink, Flickr User © Dalbera, Flckr user © Dalbera, Flckr user Park View Park View Context and Commission Noguchi, a Japanese-American sculptor and designer, was a poignant choice for the task. His biography embodies a convergence of East and West, as well as a lifelong engagement with public space as a vehicle for social commentary. By the time of his UNESCO commission, Noguchi had already engaged with landscape-scale sculptures, memorials, and playgrounds. The Peace Garden offered an opportunity to distill these threads into a singular work situated at the crossroads of global diplomacy. His selection was shaped by the broader architectural ethos of the UNESCO campus, designed by an international team including Marcel Breuer, Pier Luigi Nervi, and Bernard Zehrfuss. The ensemble called for a complementary but ideologically rich intervention, a space that could resonate as much with symbolic gravitas as with formal clarity. This garden was Noguchi’s first realized landscape design, and its execution was made possible through a personal introduction from Marcel Breuer, the chief architect of the UNESCO headquarters. Breuer not only facilitated the commission but also supported Noguchi’s experimental vision, which would challenge prevailing notions of diplomatic landscaping. Notably, the garden was completed in 1958 and spans approximately 2,400 square meters. It was constructed by renowned Kyoto-based master gardener Sano Toemon, marking a cross-cultural collaboration between modernist sculpture and traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Design Philosophy and Symbolic Intent Noguchi approached the Peace Garden as both sculptor and spatial thinker. He resisted creating a traditional memorial or a didactic allegory of peace. Instead, he crafted a contemplative void, a space that, through its absence of overt narrative, invited personal reflection and multiple interpretations. Drawing on the vocabulary of Japanese rock gardens and Zen traditions, Noguchi created a space of abstract expression that nonetheless maintained universal accessibility. The garden is composed of roughly hewn granite stones, a central water basin, and minimal vegetation. Each element is carefully positioned, creating an orchestrated tension between natural materiality and deliberate composition. This spatial language evokes notions of impermanence, balance, and introspection. The garden does not dictate how peace should be understood; rather, it sets a stage for experiencing peace as a spatial and emotional condition. In Noguchi’s words, the garden was to be “a quiet, moving place” rather than a monument. While inspired by Japanese garden typologies, particularly the stroll garden (池泉回遊式), Noguchi chose not to replicate tradition. Instead, he abstracted and reinterpreted elements such as Mt. Horai rock formations, stepping stones, and a crouching basin. These forms subtly allude to symbolic motifs without prescribing a singular reading. Noguchi negotiated directly with the Japanese government to secure donations of ten tons of stone and plant materials including camellias, maples, cherry trees, and bamboo. This act itself underscored the garden’s role as a diplomatic gesture, embedding it with botanical references to Japanese identity while maintaining a universal design language. Material and Spatial Composition Set at the base of the UNESCO building, the Peace Garden establishes a counterpoint to the architectural massing surrounding it. Its recessed layout forms a kind of spatial cloister, shielding visitors from the city’s rhythm and inviting a slower, more inward pace. The materials, chiefly unpolished granite, gravel, and water, speak to both permanence and mutability. The granite stones, irregular yet intentional in placement, recall tectonic forms and ancient spiritual markers. The central water feature introduces subtle movement and sound, enhancing the sensory richness of the space. The garden’s compositional core is its sculptural use of stone, each placement a spatial decision echoing both tectonic memory and sculptural intentionality. Noguchi collaborated on-site with Sano Toemon, whose craftsmanship adapted in real-time to the artist’s rapidly evolving vision. According to Sano, it was only after intense on-site dialogue and shared experience that he could fully comprehend and execute Noguchi’s aesthetic strategy, a testament to the garden’s improvisational and relational genesis. Spatially, the garden is organized not around pathways but around moments. There is no linear procession or axial symmetry; instead, it offers a field of relationships. Voids and solids, shadows and reflections, horizontality and vertical interruptions all work together to create a space that must be experienced slowly and from multiple vantage points. The absence of overt hierarchy in the layout allows users to construct their own narratives. It is a non-prescriptive space in which silence, texture, and light become the principal mediums of meaning. Peace Garden at UNESCO Plans Floor Plan | © Isamu Noguchi Floor Plan | © Isamu Noguchi Peace Garden at UNESCO Image Gallery About Isamu Noguchi Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was a Japanese-American sculptor, landscape architect, and designer renowned for his fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Trained under Constantin Brâncuși and deeply influenced by Japanese traditions, Noguchi’s work spanned sculpture, furniture, stage sets, and public spaces. His practice was rooted in a belief that art should be integrated into everyday life, often blurring the boundaries between art, architecture, and landscape. Notable for his minimal yet emotionally resonant forms, Noguchi’s legacy includes iconic works such as the Noguchi Table, the UNESCO Peace Garden in Paris, and the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in New York. Credits and Additional Notes Style: Stroll Garden, Contemporary Japanese Garden Main Contractor: Sano Toemon, in collaboration with Uetō Zōen Listening to Stone: The Art and Life of Isamu Noguchi by Hayden Herrera Torres, Ana Maria. Isamu Noguchi: Studies in Space. Tokyo: Marumo Publishing, 2000. pp. 96–109. Sasaki, Yōji. “What Isamu Noguchi Left Behind.” Japan Landscape, no. 16, Process Architecture, 1990, p. 87. Treib, Marc. Noguchi in Paris: The UNESCO Garden. San Francisco: William Stout Publishers and UNESCO Publishing, 2004. Overseas Japanese Gardens Database. “UNESCO Garden.” Accessed May 2025.

Construction has begun on the Asaan Museum, a new cultural institution in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The project marks the firm’s first use of adobe construction worldwide. Image credit: Specto-DigitalLocated in the historic At-Turaif district, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010, the Asaan Museum draws inspiration from traditional Najdi forms. The museum is being built from locally sourced clay mud-bricks, a material with roots in the region’s vernacular built environment. The use of adobe offers strong thermal insulation and high thermal mass, suited to Diriyah’s desert climate. Image credit: Specto-DigitalCommissioned by the Misk Foundation, the museum will feature interactive exhibitions, immersive displays, and conservation laboratories. The museum’s programme will span education, arts, and administration, each organized around one of three shaded courtyards that reflect the spatial logic of Najdi architecture. Image credit: Spect...

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Zaha Hadid Architects has begun construction on Asaan, the Misk Heritage Museum in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The Asaan museum will be created using locally made clay mud-bricks, drawing inspiration from traditional Najdi architecture. This will be ZHA's first adobe-constructed project worldwide.One of the most significant historical landmarks in the Kingdom, Diriyah is regarded as the birthplace of the Saudi Arabian nation. The At-Turaif district of Diriyah was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 because of the more than 600 years of Najdi history and architecture that have been conserved within its mud-brick buildings.Asaan, which translates to "inheritance passed down through generations," will be an organization devoted to commemorating and conserving this rich legacy while also encouraging innovation and information exchange.Through immersive experiences, workshops, events, and interactive exhibitions, the museum aims to strengthen connections to the country's cultural history. It is supported by the Misk Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering learning and leadership in young people. Historical archeological artifacts will be restored and preserved with the help of on-site conservation labs.Drawing inspiration from traditional Najdi architecture, the Asaan Museum will be built using clay mud-bricks made locally. The low-embodied-carbon adobe walls are thick enough to offer excellent insulation in Diriyah's scorching desert climate, and they also have a high thermal mass to keep the interior comfortable while using less energy for cooling.The museum's three main programs—educational, artistic, and administrative—are anchored by three shaded courtyards that are a defining characteristic of the local Najdi architecture. These courtyards offer visitors comfortable outdoor areas that protect them from the weather. Public plazas, rooftop promenades, and a variety of outdoor covered manicured gardens are all made possible by shading mechanisms.The Asaan, Misk Heritage Museum is part of the Diriyah Gate concept, which prioritizes water conservation, energy efficiency, wellness, and climate resilience while preserving and promoting Diriyah's rich cultural legacy. The city is also entirely walkable."Asaan’s role extends beyond preserving and displaying artifacts; it seeks to inspire meaningful engagement through immersive experiences that connect past, present, and future generations, strengthening pride in Saudi identity and sharing our cultural legacy with the world," said Khaled Al-Saqer, CEO of Asaan, Misk Heritage Museum. "Driven by our belief in community participation as a pillar of heritage preservation, Asaan will offer a wide range of interactive programs curated by leading experts." "These initiatives aim to foster cultural passion, inspire creativity, and empower all members of society to engage with and celebrate our heritage," Al-Saqer added."Asaan is a valuable addition to Diriyah’s portfolio of cultural projects and demonstrates our commitment to presenting the richness of Saudi heritage in a contemporary way that strengthens its global presence," said Jerry Inzerillo, Group CEO of Diriyah Company.Recently, Zaha Hadid Architects opened a new science and technology museum with layered form and glazed façade in Shenzhen, China. In addition, the firm unveiled plans for a new high-rise informed by Tbilisi's rolling hills. Further, the firm unveiled design for a new masterplan, featuring a pair of fluid towers in eastern Naples, Italy. Project factsClient: Diriyah CompanyArchitect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)ZHA Design: Patrik SchumacherZHA Project Directors: Viviana Muscettola, Maurizio Meossi (Associate Director), Bidisha Sinha (Associate Director / Interior Design)ZHA Project Associates: Cristina Capanna (Senior Architect / Project Manager); Architecture: Nannette Jackowski, Marco Amoroso; Interor Design: Roberta Sartori, Marco Pavoni, Marie-Perrine Placais; BIM: Mark Winnington.ZHA Project Team: Alessandra Laiso, Andy Lin, Angela Augelli Curci, Angus Tung, Aysu Aysoy, Caleb Baldwin, Chhavi Mehta, Chiara Baiocco, Didem Sahin, Elizabeta Diakantonis, Gaurav Janendra, Gizem Muhtaroğlu, Henry Louth, Ines Fontoura, Juliana Hernandez Cardona, Karan Puranik, Karmung Sze, Karoly Markos, Karthikeyan Arunachalam, Keerti Manney, Lam Nguyen, Lars Elseth, Leeanne Li, Li Jin, Liam Rogers, Louai Jaber, Luciana Maia Teodozio, Michael Rogers, Muaz Masri, Muriel Boselli, Nailu Chen, Nannette Jackowski, Neli Vasileva, Nivedita Ramachandran, Noa Guy, Nurul Ahmad Fauzi, Peter Safranka, Rabiyya Huseynova, Roberta Sartori, Ruggero Bruno Chialastri, Shantanu Bhatt, Sonia Renehan, Teodor Andonov, Tommaso Casucci, Tracy Shum, Valeria Perco, Yihoon Kim, Zachariah Hong.Local Architect: WMA / InhabitStructural Engineers: InhabitQuantity Surveyor: AECOMGeneral Contractor: El SeifCost Consultants: AECOMEnvironmental Consultant: InhabitFaçade Engineering: InhabitM&E Engineering: InhabitMEP: InhabitFire Engineer: Egis / InhabitLandscape Consultant: DS LandscapeLighting Design: InhabitAcoustic Consultant: InhabitTheatre Consultant: Theatre ProjectsProject Management: AECOMRestaurant Kitchen Consultant: TriconWater Features Specialist: Fountain ProjectConservation Areas Specialist: Samuel Anderson ArchitectsAccessibility: CAESignage / Wayfinding: SpaceAgencyExhibition Designer: Opera Amsterdam; Sustainability: Egis; Security: Inhabit; AV / IT: Inhabit; Waste Management: Egis; Civil Engineer: Egis; People Movement: Systematica.All images © Specto-Digital. > via Zaha Hadid Architects

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has entered into a partnership with Victory Cruise Lines to launch educational programming of Wright’s projects close to the Great Lakes. The series, taking place on board the cruise line’s ships, will encompass buildings across Chicago, Detroit, and Grand Rapids, and include discussions on Wright’s approach, life, and principles. In addition to on-board experiences, the operator will host three shore excursions to visit buildings by Wright. The operator’s Chicago tour will include visits to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, while the Detroit tour will include a visit to the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research which oversees Wright’s Smith House. The Grand Rapids tour will include a visit to the architect’s Amberg House. “Frank Lloyd Wright left a beautiful legacy of architectural marvels across the Great Lakes, including two sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List and our guests will appreciate exploring his vision through his desig...