Albania is now witnessing an influx of ambitious projects, many by world-renowned international architects, that begin to redefine the skylines of Tirana and beyond. Albania’s Prime Minister, and former Tirana mayor, Edi Rama, has even pointed out that ‘Albania produces more architecture than the rest of Europe,’ a claim that reflects a construction frenzy that has made architecture one of the most visible symbols of change in the country.

designboom discusses this creative boom with key figures shaping Albania’s transformation, including Stefano Boeri, MVRDV’s Winy Maas, Christian Kerez, Beat Huesler of Oppenheim Architecture, and the team at Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, to explore how global architecture is helping redraw the cultural and urban landscape of the country.

Pyramid of Tirana by MVRDV (read more here) | image © Ossip van Duivenbode

how leadership, planning, and global talent reshape a country

A former artist, Rama prioritized urban revitalization since his mayoral tenure in the early 2000s. He famously beautified drab facades with vibrant colors and cleared illegal structures, setting the stage for larger transformations. After becoming prime minister, Rama launched the Tirana of the New Generation initiative in 2014, personally inviting 32 international architects to reimagine the capital. Around the same time, Tirana’s government commissioned Italian architect and urban planner Stefano Boeri to craft the Tirana 2030 Master Plan, envisioning sustainable growth, vertical development, and a massive ‘orbital forest.’ Boeri describes the city as ‘the most interesting and up-to-date, and therefore the most controversial and debatable, museum of contemporary architecture in the world,’ arguing that the sheer number and speed of projects have turned Tirana into an urban school of architecture in real time. ‘Our studio Stefano Boeri Architetti, which, in addition to the 2030 Master Plan, has already completed six buildings for Tirana and is building and designing another six, is therefore now fully involved, both as a student and as a teacher, in this International Urban School of Architecture,’ he tells us.

Swiss architect Christian Kerez compares the rapid transformation of the country to early-2000s China, noting, ‘You feel an energy and vitality, which is not abstract, but you can feel in the daily life.’ What sets Albania apart, he shares with designboom, is that the transformation is curated from the top: ‘It is curated by the highest governmental official, the prime minister, Edi Rama. He is personally supervising the architectural projects for all large and exposed plots.’

Today, a mix of completed landmarks, active construction sites, and visionary proposals illustrates Albania’s unique creative surge. From repurposed communist monuments to futuristic towers and ‘vertical villages,’ these projects showcase a country in architectural flux. 

Red Sol Resort by Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (read more here) | image courtesy of the architects

Built Landmarks

MVRDV’s transformation of the former Pyramid of Tirana into a vibrant youth cultural center is one of the most symbolic of Albania’s design renaissance. The brutalist landmark was preserved and reactivated with colorful, climbable structures that house tech classrooms and public gathering spaces, a clear nod to the power of adaptive reuse. Winy Maas, co-founder of the international architecture and urbanism office, reflects on this reinvention as a gesture of pride and contextual storytelling. ‘With the Pyramid of Tirana, we monumentalized the history of the building and its changed relationship with Tirana’s citizens,’ he reflects. Topped out in 2020, Downtown One, also by MVRDV, soars with cantilevered balconies shaped into a pixel map of the country – a literal vertical Albania. ‘Our projects near Skanderbeg Square make direct references to Albania’s history and geography – Downtown One with its map, the Skanderbeg Building with the statue of the former hero,’ Maas tells us.

Elsewhere in the city, built projects reveal how this architectural shift extends into public space, everyday life, and symbolic form. Stefano Boeri’s Blloku Cube introduces a compact yet highly visible intervention in Tirana’s once-restricted district, using iridescent surfaces and transparency to signal the transformation of the area into a hub for the creative economy. At the civic scale, 51N4E’s redesign of Skanderbeg Square performs a more radical act by removing traffic altogether, reshaping the city’s central plaza into a pedestrian landscape where architecture recedes in favor of collective use, ceremony, and urban calm.

This logic of hybridity carries through Archea Associati’s Air Albania Stadium, where sport, commerce, and hospitality are compressed into a single composition. Nearby, Studio Libeskind’s Magnet Residences extend symbolic thinking into the domestic realm, abstracting the Albanian eagle into curving residential forms organized around shared green spaces.

Stefano Boeri’s Blloku Cube (read more here) | image courtesy of the architects

Approved & Under Construction

A generation of next-wave architecture is rising across Tirana and beyond. BIG’s design for the new National Theatre broke ground in 2022 and introduces a dramatic bowtie-shaped cultural facility that anchors a new arts quarter. OODA’s Hora Vertikale rethinks the tower as a vertical neighborhood, stacking 13 modular volumes into a staggered, plant-covered form. Mount Tirana, designed by CEBRA, abstracts the silhouette of Albania’s mountains into a jagged vertical profile that could one day become the country’s tallest structure. 

Steven Holl’s Expo Albania reimagines a conventional convention center as a sculptural pair of signature buildings linked by landscape and light. Oppenheim Architecture, deeply embedded in Albania’s urban evolution, is advancing the New Boulevard Tower and the Vlora Beach Tower. ‘Albania’s creative boom carries a remarkable openness, a moment where the spirit of place is being rediscovered while the country transforms at great speed. What compels us as international practitioners is the chance to learn from context and to build with the land not on the land, embracing honesty in materials and the quiet power already present,’ notes Beat Huesler, director of the team at Oppenheim Architecture Europe. ‘Our work there seeks a kind of silent monumentality, architecture that responds to this energy with humility and clarity, allowing the landscape and culture to lead.”

Christian Kerez emphasizes that realizing these designs requires long-term commitment. ‘It is easy to make a rendering and very hard and difficult to build,’ he says. ‘We always follow closely the steps from concept design to site supervision.’ This level of dedication led him to open an office in Albania, where he now spends half his time.

New Boulevard Tower by Oppenheim Architecture (read more here) | rendering by MIR

Visionary Proposals

Some of the most speculative and exhilarating designs remain on the drawing board. MVRDV’s Grand Ballroom, a spherical sports arena wrapped in apartments, challenges the typology of stadiums by merging culture, housing, and entertainment into one orbital gesture. For Maas, it is another part of Tirana’s urban narrative: ‘The Grand Ballroom acts as another part of the Tirana collection, showing the city’s ambitions and creating another landmark.’

Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, whose recent and forthcoming work spans the Albanian Riviera and the capital, engages both topography and skyline without imposing a singular formal language. The studio frames its Albanian projects as site-specific responses to radically different landscapes, from steep coastal cliffs to dense urban contexts. ‘The landscapes of Albania are all completely different,’ the architects note, ‘so naturally each project is approached in a completely different manner. We want to find the unique spirit of a place, and in Albania we have been given the freedom to do this.’ This attitude underpins a body of work that resists iconic repetition in favor of contextual continuity. ‘There has always been the temptation for an architect to plant their flag over the landscape,’ the team tells designboom. ‘We don’t approach architecture in this way. We aim for buildings that are of their context and actively looking to improve it, whether that’s bettering access, encouraging wildlife, or providing social space for the community.’

Boeri describes these proposals as part of Tirana’s unique urban ecosystem. ‘Ideas are transformed into urban artifacts with unexpected speed. Mineral artifacts, traversed by everyday life.’ he shares with us.

MVRDV’s Grand Ballroom (read more here) | image © Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Ciprian Buzdugan

building identity in real time

Almost every architect designboom spoke with pointed to the role of Edi Rama as an unprecedented figure in contemporary development. As Christian Kerez observes, ‘What is different from any country I know about this process of transformation is that it is curated by the highest governmental official (…) He is personally supervising the architectural projects for all large and exposed plots.’ For many, this direct involvement has helped turn architectural competitions and urban policy into a live cultural project. Bofill Taller de Arquitectura describes the boom as ‘a moment of rebirth’ enabled by Rama’s leadership, a system that ‘allows and values creative freedom.’

Winy Maas highlights how Albania offers national identity expressed through architecture. ‘Instead of producing safe, boring buildings that make every city look the same, Albania is incentivising creative innovation,’ he tells designboom. But he also sees deeper implications. The creative boom, he argues, is not just about buildings but about pride and cultural presence within Europe. ‘How does a country like Albania maintain its individual identity in a Union that features so many wealthier, larger, more populous nations? Architecture is one way.’ he tells designboom. Stefano Boeri, too, frames Albania as a model for international practice: ‘Tirana and Albania are now a real-time laboratory for the most advanced ideas in contemporary architecture… a true School where architecture can be simultaneously learned and taught.’

SIMA Tower by Christian Kerez

campus for the College of Europe by Oppenheim Architecture (read more here) | all renders © MIR

Bjarke Ingels Group’s Faith Park (read more here) | visualization © Beauty and the Bit

Steven Holl Architects’ Expo Albania (read more here) | render by the architects

Hora Vertikale by OODA (read more here) | image © Plomp

Papuli Tower by Bofill Taller de Arquitectura

Mount Tirana by CEBRA (read more here) | image courtesy of the architects

CHYBIK + KRISTOF (CHK)’s ODA Tirana (read more here) | image courtesy of the architects

Veterinary Hospital in Tirana by Davide Macullo Architects (read more here) | image courtesy of the architects

Tirana’s Selman Stërmasi Stadium revitalization by OMA (read more here) | image courtesy of OMA

Valona Hills I-Cones by Davide Macullo Architects

Archi-Tectonics’ Festival City (read more here) | visualizations © Archi-Tectonics

Tirana 2030 by Stefano Boeri

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Dutch practice MVRDV unveils a sculptural, mixed-use tower dubbed Inaura, its latest proposal for Dubai. The project is set to rise 210 meters (690 feet) between the dense urban fabric of the city core and the longer views toward the Burj Khalifa.

To stand apart within the crowded stretch of skyline, the stacked floorplates separate to accommodate a luminous ‘ovoid’, or egg-shaped volume nestled at roughly three quarters of the tower’s height. Suspended behind a glazed envelope, this pearl-like structure will be experienced with its own interior space rather than just as a massive artwork. From a distance, it registers as a soft orb of light, visible from multiple vantage points across the Emirati city.

The ovoid contains the Sky Lounge, with a VIP area enclosed within its curved form and a club space extending around it. Floor-to-ceiling glazing frames direct views toward the Burj Khalifa, while the elevation above surrounding rooftops offers a clear sense of height and exposure.

visualizations © The Boundary (unless otherwise stated)

the ground level plinth

At the street level of MVRDV’s Inaura tower, a four-story plinth houses restaurants and lobbies, with a gym stacked above. An infinity pool occupies the plinth’s roof, paired with a spa one level higher, creating a sequence of wellness spaces that mediate between ground and tower. Above this base, the lower portion of the building houses a 101-room hotel alongside 105 urban apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms.

Above the Sky Lounge, the architects plan seven floors of larger ‘sky villas’ within the upper section of the tower. These four- to six-bedroom homes open onto expanded outdoor terraces and long views across Downtown Dubai. The stacking of programs creates a clear vertical order which moves from public and shared amenities toward increasingly private living environments as the building rises.

Inaura is a 210 meter (690 foot) mixed-use tower designed by MVRDV for Dubai

the reflective facade by MVRDV

MVRDV defines the facade of its Inaura tower by a stack of horizontal bands formed by two-meter (6.6-foot)-deep wraparound balconies. These balconies temper sunlight and give each level a consistent external depth. As the tower rises, facade elements shift gradually — mirrored glass at the lower levels transitions toward greater transparency higher up, and crisp corners soften into rounded edges near the top.

Along the northern elevation, balconies widen as they climb, extending outdoor areas for the sky villas and opening views toward the Burj Khalifa. With this calibrated variation, the team reinforces the building’s vertical progression all while maintaining a coherent design language.

a luminous ovoid Sky Lounge is embedded high within the structure

a layered plinth combines restaurants, fitness, and wellness spaces

the facade shifts gradually from reflective to transparent glass

wraparound balconies provide shade depth and outdoor space

the Sky Lounge frames direct views toward the Burj Khalifa

an infinity pool occupies the plinth’s roof, with a spa one level higher

project info:

name: Inaura Tower

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

client: Arada Developments LLC

visualisations: © The Boundary | @the_boundaryuk, © MVRDV (Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Stefano Fiaschi, Jaroslaw Jeda, Luana La Martina, Pavlos Ventouris, Kirill Emelianov, Ciprian Buzdugan, Lorenzo D’Alessandro)

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs
partner: Bertrand Schippan
design team: Stavros Gargaretas, Efthymia Papadima, Federico Fiorino, Dimitrije Milic, Kevin Petitjean, Esteban Alvarez Ruiz, Lola Elisa Cauneac
head of interior: Aser Gimenez Ortega
interior design team: Maria López Calleja, Efthymia Papadima, Egle Jacinaviciute, Sofia Mermigka Angeli, Daria Rosh, Andrea Bit, Loes Bekkers, Francisco Polo, Victor Martiniuc, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Türker Naci Saylan, Emilia Mayorca Benarroch
BIM coordination: Giuseppe Mazzaglia, Chiara Arena, Marija Jasine
MVRDV NEXT: Agnieszka Thiel
model making: Andreana Vasilatou, Bianca Mascellani
strategy, development: Sruti Thakrar, Hannah Yan

lead consultant: Dewan Architects & Engineers
MEP, BMS, smart home, F&B/retail provisions, gas, infrastructure: 9E Global
interior design, artwork: MVRDV, H2R
landscape: Square M
lighting: Nulty Lighting
vertical transportation: Dunbar and Boardman
signage, wayfinding: The Design Company
fire and life safety: Infinity
facade engineering + BMU + facade access: WSP
acoustics: Delhom
spa, GYM consultancy, swimming pools, water features: EME
traffic design, parking study, parking management system, TIS: RMC
logistics, waste management: MCTS
wind tunnel specialist: CPP
sustainability: Climatize
aeronautical surveyor: Nortech
experience strategy (competition phase): 20-20 Studio
structure (competition phase): Ramboll

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The new Tiffany & Co. flagship store in Beijing has opened in the Taikoo Li Sanlitun district, with a rippling facade designed by Dutch studio MVRDV that gives the building a landmark presence within the dense shopping district. Located at a crossroads in the northern portion of the complex, the four-story building meets a steady flow of pedestrian movement and long sightlines from multiple directions.

The project responds to its site with its continuous envelope of Tiffany Blue which can be read from all directions. This facade behaves as an architectural surface that engages light and movement, allowing the store to read as part of the district’s fabric while maintaining a clear identity associated with the iconic jewelry brand.

images © Tiffany & Co.

the facade of vertical glass fins

The architects at MVRDV wrap the building’s exterior with vertical fins of translucent glass, rising the full height of the Tiffany & Co. Beijing flagship. Each fin carries a gentle curvature, producing a layered surface that shifts with the viewer’s position. The fins create depth and identity without reliance on applied graphics, a strategy which allows material and geometry to carry the expression.

The glass softens views toward the interior while maintaining a sense of permeability. ‘When viewed from an angle, the layering effect of the dense glass fins amplifies the effects of the light, highlighting the facade’s shape,’ explains MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs.

‘The light filtering through and reflecting off of the translucent glass creates a delicate interplay that is constantly changing as you move. And, as you pass close to the building, you see glimpses in between the fins to the jewellery inside.’

the Tiffany & Co. Beijing flagship occupies a four story building at a Sanlitun crossroads

daylight as a design tool

MVRDV harnesses daylight to activate the facade of the Tiffany Beijing flagship through subtle variation. The glass carries a natural blue tone that becomes more pronounced as light passes through multiple layers. At night, integrated lighting embedded within the mounting brackets illuminates the fins evenly to create the soft glow long associated with Tiffany’s visual language.

Attention to construction details shapes the experience. The lighting hardware remains recessed within custom supports, allowing the glass edges to remain visually continuous. This approach keeps focus on the material surface itself rather than its fixings, reinforcing the sense of precision that characterizes the project.

The facade has been engineered for disassembly, with glass fins and brackets designed for removal and future reuse. This strategy extends the life of the system beyond a single retail cycle and reflects an interest in adaptability within its ever-changing commercial context.

MVRDV designs the facade as a continuous surface shaped by vertical glass fins

translucent glass layers adjust with movement and changing daylight

the facade allows partial views into the retail interior

integrated lighting emphasizes the natural blue tone of the glass

MVRDV harnesses daylight to activate the facade through subtle variation

the demountable system supports future reuse of materials

project info:

name: Tiffany Facade Beijing

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Beijing, China

client: Tiffany & Co. | @tiffanyandco

completion: 2025

photography: © Tiffany & Co.

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs
head of interior: Aser Gimenez Ortega
design team: Simone Costa, Türker Naci Şaylan, Monica Di Salvo, Natalia Lipczuk, Sanel Beciri, Sofia Mermigka Angeli
co-architect: AT ZERO DESIGN LIMITED
contractor: Permasteelisa Gartner Hong Kong Limited
lighting designer: Cooley Monato Studio

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As 2025 comes to a close, this final list in our annual round-up pulls together the installations that shaped the most immersive encounters of the year. Across deserts, plazas, courtyards, coastlines, and museums, artists and designers turn movement, light, sound, and material experimentation into living environments that ask us to slow down, listen, and look again.

A single year brought iridescent glass shimmering in the Coachella Valley, a fictional equestrian mystery unfolding inside a New York warehouse, plush flowers blooming under Rockefeller Center’s flags, and a rotating library of 3,000 books glowing at the heart of Milan. Elsewhere, flip-flops became a pneumatic orchestra, porcelain bowls drifted across a vast water basin, inflatables mimicked granite landscapes, recycled mats mapped a nation’s plastic waste, bamboo baskets harvested rain and fog, and a bench began to dance.

Apart from spectacle, what connects these works is the way they reshape public space inviting touch, play, introspection, or collective rhythm. Many of the projects lean into circularity and low-impact construction, while others explore the emotional weight of collective rituals, ancestral crafts, and cultural histories. As we wrap up 2025, these are the ten installations that capture the year’s evolving sensory and spatial imagination.

KIMSOOJA’S GLASS WORK BATHES DESERT X IN IRIDESCENT LIGHT

image by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

For Desert X 2025, Kimsooja presents To Breathe – Coachella Valley, an iridescent glass installation, wrapped in diffraction film that refracts sunlight into a spectrum that evolves throughout the day. The work extends the artist’s long-standing exploration of movement and interconnectedness. Its grid-like surface, etched with vertical and horizontal scratch lines, echoes textile structures.

As the sun moves, the installation behaves like a living canvas, altering both itself and the surrounding view. To Breathe – Coachella Valley also forms a conceptual bridge to her installation in AlUla, linking two arid landscapes through light-based interventions. Infused with East Asian philosophies and resonant with the Light and Space lineage of the American West, the piece underscores the universality of natural elements across distant geographies.

read more here

HERMÈS INSTALLS INTERACTIVE ‘MYSTERY AT THE GROOMS’ IN NYC

image © designboom

At Pier 36 in Manhattan, Hermès stages Mystery at the Grooms’, an immersive installation that turns a former warehouse into a fictional French estate built around a playful disappearance. Visitors move through six theatrical rooms, from the Head Groom’s Office to the Laundry, where lighting, scent, and sound shape a shifting atmosphere.

The experience revolves around a mobile-based hunt for a herd of missing horses, linking digital clues with physical

exploration. Objects from Hermès’ sixteen métiers blend into the scenography, doubling as both set pieces and hiding places, while hidden safes, peepholes, and material details punctuate each space. Performers dressed as grooms guide the journey, joined by the disembodied voice of fictional detective Mr. Honore, who adds narrative momentum. Those who solve the entire mystery receive Hermès-designed keepsakes, as the installation continues its global tour after New York.

read more here

CJ HENDRY’S FLOWER MARKET BLOOMS AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER 

image © Cj Hendry Studio

Cj Hendry brings Flower Market 2.0 to Rockefeller Center, with her greenhouse-like installation filled with hand-crafted plush flowers. Visitors move through rows of oversized botanicals and assemble their own bouquet, extending the work out into the city as blooms circulate through the streets.

This second edition scales up the viral concept, introducing twenty-seven new plush flower designs and placing the installation under the plaza’s world flags, overlooking the iconic sunken courtyard. The immersive setting is accompanied by editioned wall sculptures and limited merchandise that expand the visual language of the project. A satellite Flower Cart at Top of the Rock pushes the installation beyond ground level, offering an exclusive twenty-eighth flower tied to observation-deck entry.

read more here

ES DEVLIN’S ROTATING LIBRARY LIGHTS UP MILAN COURTYARD

all images by Monica Spezia

Es Devlin transforms the 17th-century Cortile d’Onore into a revolving sanctuary of books with Library of Light, a kinetic installation that casts the historic courtyard as a luminous theater of reflection. The 18-meter-wide circular structure holds more than 3,000 illuminated books, rotating slowly to redirect sunlight by day and becoming a glowing lantern by night. Visitors read, pause, or step into readings and performances embedded within the library’s program, turning the installation into a living cultural space.

Mirrors, moving light, and shifting shadows interact with the courtyard’s colonnades, while recorded voices, from Benedict Cumberbatch to Devlin herself, echo through the space. The work draws inspiration from the neighboring Braidense National Library and the legacy of Maria Gaetana Agnesi, whose presence within the courtyard resonates with Devlin’s focus on knowledge, introspection, and the transmission of ideas. As books donated by Feltrinelli circulate through the installation and back into the Milan Library System, Library of Light becomes an evolving public archive.

read more here

MERIEM BENNANI STAGES A 201-FLIP-FLOP ORCHESTRA IN PARIS 

all images by Aurélien Mole

Meriem Bennani employs the humble flip-flop and creates a kinetic orchestra for Sole Crushing, a large-scale installation within the vertical volume of Lafayette Anticipations with 201 pneumatically animated sandals. The work becomes a living instrument shaped by ladders, spirals, floor clusters, and a suspended drum pulse with coordinated beats composed in collaboration with producer Reda Senhaji (Cheb Runner).

Each flip-flop strikes different surfaces, including wood, plexiglass, fabric, and metal, resulting in a shifting percussive environment where visitors can walk through. Drawing from Moroccan rhythmic traditions like dakka marrakchia, Bennani channels the ecstatic energy of crowds, chants, and collective rituals. The installation builds toward a shared pulse that feels equal parts protest, stadium fever, and street celebration. Her use of flip-flops, cheap, elastic, universal, transforms an everyday object into a metaphor for play, resistance, and the democratic nature of communal rhythm. 

read more here 

WATER-DRIVEN SOUNDSCAPE FILLS BOURSE DE COMMERCE 

image courtesy of Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot transforms the Rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce into an aquatic soundscape with clinamen, an installation where porcelain bowls drift across an eighteen-meter basin and create delicate, unpredictable chimes as they collide.

The still surface mirrors the dome of the museum, turning the space into a quiet, resonant field of water, movement, and sound. The work expands the artist’s long exploration of self-regulating sonic systems. Powered by invisible currents, the bowls operate like a living organism, producing music that resists control and evolves moment by moment. The Rotunda’s circular geometry, framed by Tadao Ando’s concrete ring and capped by the glass roof, amplifies this sense of breath and atmosphere. Drawing on the Epicurean idea of clinamen, or the random swerve of atoms, the installation embraces chance as its central force. 

read more here

ENESS’ INFLATABLE ROCKSCAPE GLOWS IN MELBOURNE 

all images courtesy of Ben Weinstein

ENESS brings Iwagumi Air Scape to Prahran Square, installing a field of large inflatable rock forms that play with perception and scale. Inspired by the Japanese concept of Iwagumi, the work introduces a sculptural landscape that interrupts the urban setting with an artificial wilderness. By day, the inflatables mimic granite through detailed photographic textures; by night, they glow with shifting light and an immersive soundscape.

Sixteen air-filled structures create narrow passages and canyon-like routes that visitors can walk through. As people move across the site, sounds of native birds, insects, and flowing water activate unpredictably, weaving natural atmospheres into the city’s ambient noise. Founder Nimrod Weis frames the project as a contemporary interpretation of Japanese rock gardens, a playful translation of traditional stone compositions into soft, inflatable forms.

read more here 

MVRDV’S WOVEN MEGA MAT TRANSFORMS PLASTIC WASTE

image © Depth of Field Co.

MVRDV presents Mega Mat in central Bangkok, transforming more than 500 recycled plastic mats into an 860-square-meter public platform that doubles as a data-driven artwork on Thailand’s plastic waste crisis. The modular installation reinterprets the traditional Thai sua-mat at urban scale, turning Laan Kon Muang Plaza into a colorful communal surface for sitting, gathering, and learning.

Color functions as both texture and information: red, orange, yellow, and green map the flows of plastic waste across the country, from unprotected landfills to the percentage that is actually recycled. One elevated corner forms a shaded exhibition space, echoing the rooflines of nearby temples and offering visitors an interactive look into Thailand’s recycling system. After Bangkok Design Week, the installation was dismantled and repurposed, redistributed to temples, reused as yoga mats, or upcycled into bags.

read more here 

CANALSIDE STUDIO’S BASKETS COLLECT RAINWATER IN HONG KONG 

image courtesy of Canalside Studio

Canalside Studio introduces the Blue Water Catcher in the rural landscape of Kuk Po, Hong Kong fraturing five large, droplet-shaped structures made from painted rattan, bamboo, and porous fabric that act as both sculptural markers and functional devices, collecting rain and fog through a modular, low-impact system. The installation revives historical irrigation practices from the former Hakka village, echoing the old networks that once sustained local agriculture.

Plastic pipes reference these vanished infrastructures, now enveloped by wetlands that support mangroves, egrets, and mudskippers. Each structure channels mist or rainfall into a nearby well, anchored by water-filled counterweights buried in the soil. Lightweight and transportable, the Blue Water Catcher is designed for remote deployment and educational use. Its vibrant blue forms stand in sharp contrast to the landscape, drawing on visual cues from large-scale environmental artworks. The installation can be dismantled, moved, and reassembled, reinforcing its role as a tool for environmental awareness and hands-on learning around water scarcity.

read more here 

SOFT BAROQUE’S KINETIC BENCH SWAYS AND TWISTS IN SPAIN 

image courtesy of Josema Cutillas

Soft Baroque brings movement into the public realm with the Dancing Bench, a kinetic installation presented at Concéntrico in Logroño. What looks like a simple geometric bench reveals its true character only when someone sits down. Then, parallel planes rotate under the weight of the user, creating a gentle ripple that shifts perception and turns sitting into a shared, slightly uncanny motion. The bench transforms a passive piece of street furniture into an active participant in public space. As users sway or shift, the structure sways with them, creating an experience that sits somewhere between a rocking chair and a hammock. The piece draws on mid-century visual cues while pushing them toward performative ends. The crisp geometry and minimal palette veil a playful, meditative mechanism that only comes alive in use, reimagining everyday urban furniture as an instrument of motion and attention.

read more here 

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2024 — 2023 — 2022 — 2021 — 2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013

The post TOP 10 installations of 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

MVRDV completes Pujiang Platform, a timber event pavilion and viewing structure embedded into the hills east of Pujiang, southwest of Chengdu, China. Conceived as an architectural extension of the terrain itself, the 414-square-meter pavilion uses earth-covered timber arches to reconstruct the silhouette of a hill that was previously flattened, while framing panoramic views toward the growing town below and the Qionglai Mountains beyond.

Set within a landscape that is rapidly transforming as Pujiang develops into a new sustainable town, the project aims to offer residents and visitors a place for gatherings, ceremonies, and civic use, and to do so with minimal visual and environmental impact. MVRDV shapes the building as a telescopic form that appears almost geological when seen from afar, while becoming legible as a civic structure through its large viewing window and projecting balcony. At night, light spilling from this opening turns the pavilion into a landmark, visible from the plains below without dominating the landscape.‘The hills of this region are truly a spectacular sight, so one of the challenges we faced was to make the most of those views while reducing the impact on the landscape. By adding a hill-shaped pavilion with a green roof we not only minimise our own impact, but we recreated the hill that was there before,’ MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs notes. ‘This act of preserving and respecting nature is the essence of the design, which is continued in the construction approach, using bio-based materials such as wood that are more sustainable and thus have less impact on natural environments such as this one.’

all images © Arch-Exist

rebuilding a flattened hill in Chengdu, China

MVRDV’s design originates from a site-specific observation. The original viewpoint had required cutting into the hill, erasing part of its natural profile. The architects’ response was to reverse that by recreating the missing mass as architecture. An arched timber structure is wrapped in an earth berm and planted roof, restoring the hill while housing an interior space beneath. The pavilion is entered discreetly through a glazed facade embedded into the berm, leading into an interior that slopes with the terrain. The floor descends as the ceiling rises, forming a stepped tribune oriented toward a 10-meter-tall glass facade. Oversized sliding doors allow the interior to open fully onto the balcony, enabling the space to shift between enclosed events and open-air gatherings.

Circulation and landscape are treated as integral parts of the architectural experience. The team retains and extends existing paths on the site, forming a loop that leads visitors through multiple approaches to the viewpoint. A twisting staircase connects these routes and culminates in a secondary circular viewing platform, offering 360-degree views across both the distant mountain range and the immediate hillside environment. Planting strategies reinforce continuity with the surrounding ecology, using species that reflect the existing biodiversity.

MVRDV completes Pujiang Platform in China

timber construction and passive environmental strategies

The green roof, with a soil depth of approximately 10 centimeters, supports grasses, flowers, and small shrubs, while existing waterways are incorporated into rainwater collection and irrigation systems. Material choice plays a critical role in both the environmental and cultural positioning of the project. The timber structure is intended to reduce embodied carbon and also to act as a built demonstration within a context where wood construction remains underutilized. Operational performance is supported through a combination of passive and active strategies. The earth berm provides insulation and thermal mass, layered ceilings enable natural ventilation, and the north-facing orientation of the main façade minimizes unwanted solar gain. Additional energy demands are partially met by a geothermal heat pump, contributing to the project’s China Green Building Label 2-star certification. 

a timber event pavilion and viewing structure

embedded into the hills east of Pujiang, southwest of Chengdu

conceived as an architectural extension of the terrain itself

uses earth-covered timber arches form the pavilion

reconstructing the silhouette of a hill that was previously flattened

set within a landscape that is rapidly transforming

framing panoramic views toward the growing town below and the Qionglai Mountains beyond

the project aims to offer residents and visitors a place for gathering

MVRDV shapes the building as a telescopic form that appears almost geological when seen from afar

a twisting staircase connects routes and culminates in a secondary circular viewing platform

offering 360-degree views

the team retains and extends existing paths on the site

planting strategies reinforce continuity with the surrounding ecology

oversized sliding doors allow the interior to open fully onto the balcony

an arched timber structure wrapped in an earth berm and planted roof

project info:

name: Pujiang Platform

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

co-architect: Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. – SADI

location: Pujiang, China

area: 414 sqm

client: Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau

sustainability certification: China Green Building Label – 2 Stars

contractor: Chengdu Third Construction Engineering of CDCEG

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

partner: Wenchian Shi

director MVRDV Shanghai: Peter Chang

design team: Kyo Suk Lee, Olga Marelja, Geert Folmer, Guido Boeters, Cai Zheli, Shanshan Wu, Alexander Forsch, Ilaria Furbetta, Yihong Chen, Jiamen Li, Shing Yat Tam, Yifei Zhang, Cai Huang, Seunghan Yeum, Gioele Colombo, Xinyuan Zhang

MVRDV climate: Alexander Forsch

photographer: © Arch-Exist| @archexist

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MVRDV advances a series of projects for the Plum Village Buddhist Monastery in southern Dordogne, France, where construction approval has now been granted for the first components of a long-term collaboration. The work spans two masterplans for the Upper and Lower Hamlets, along with a new nunnery, four guest houses, and a renovated book shop.

Developed with Bordeaux-based co-architect MoonWalkLocal, the proposals reflect the monastery’s emphasis on circular materials and sensitive intervention in a rural landscape.

The collaboration emerged from extended stays by the design team, who joined daily routines in both hamlets to understand how visitors and monastics experience the site. This immersion shaped an architectural direction grounded in serene spatial organization, timber construction, and attention to seasonal rhythms.

Nunnery | image © MVRDV

mindful architecture that benefits nature by mvrdv

MVRDV‘s masterplans for the Upper and Lower Hamlets of the Plum Village study atmosphere, and ecological conditions at close range. Paths are reconfigured to ease arrival, with vehicle routes shifted away from communal areas to foster uninterrupted circulation on foot.

Areas with distinct characters are outlined with care, ranging from contemplative gardens to working zones that accommodate deliveries with reduced intrusion. Strategies for climate resilience are integrated through landscape measures such as bird habitats that limit mosquito populations, along with planned placements for solar panels.

In each hamlet, the new arrangements respond to pressures created by annual retreats, which can draw up to 800 participants. The current strain on sleeping quarters and shared spaces is addressed through expanded accommodation and a clearer spatial hierarchy that supports everyday monastery rhythms.

Nunnery | image © REDVERTEX

the new nunnery

At Loubès-Bernac, MVRDV and Plum Village are preparing a new nunnery organized around a central courtyard on a sloping site. The building will house 76 monastics and aspirants, offering dormitories, a zendo, a library, and classrooms. A continuous veranda encircles the courtyard to connect living areas and frame views toward the wider landscape.

The structure adopts a prefabricated timber system with straw insulation, reducing transport and material impacts while allowing steady construction progress. The courtyard typology supports collective life, giving the residents a sheltered outdoor room that mediates between interior and terrain.

Nunnery | image © REDVERTEX

the guest houses

Four guest houses for the Upper Hamlet will be more design-minded, and will each have a distinct relationship to its immediate context. All are built in wood, arranged across two stories with rooms set around shared living areas sized for Dharma circles. Circulation occurs through exterior staircases, balconies, and shaded verandas.

The Gate House, positioned at the entrance square, includes reception spaces and work areas on the ground level with sleeping quarters above. Two Garden Houses flank the vegetable garden, each accommodating 31 guests. A third building, the Veranda House, sits deeper in the Son Ha area and extends outward with an expansive veranda that engages the surrounding landscape. Material finishes vary from one structure to the next, allowing the architecture to settle into its specific setting.

Book Shop | image © MVRDV

the book shop

In the Upper Hamlet, the existing book shop will be expanded from its current stone enclosure into a more open and welcoming sequence. A covered terrace introduces an informal gathering space for reading and conversation. Widened openings draw visitors inside, where modular wooden shelving arranges books, calligraphy, and monastery items with greater legibility.

The renovation maintains the barn’s character while adjusting its interior for circulation and display. The result strengthens the building’s role as a social meeting point for monastics and visitors.

Book Shop | image © MVRDV

Book Shop | image © MVRDV

Guest Houses, Veranda House | image © MVRDV

Guest Houses, Garden House | image © REDVERTEX

Guest Houses, Garden House | image © MVRDV

project info:

name: Plum Village Buddhist Monastery

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Dordogne, France

visualizations: © MVRDV, © REDVERTEX

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MVRDV has received approval to build Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-meter office complex set to become the largest private new office building currently under construction in the Netherlands. Rising 61 meters alongside the central railway, the project stacks 11 colorful blocks whose facades combine brick constructed from recycled material and Building Integrated Photovoltaic panels. Drawing inspiration from Donald Judd’s iconic furniture series, the bold composition forms a dynamic ‘slice’ of Rotterdam that brings color, texture, and material innovation into a vertically layered urban ensemble.

all images courtesy of MVRDV

Schiekadeblok & Rotterdam stories embedded in color and form

Located within the Schiekadeblok, a post-war district that evolved into a cult destination for creative businesses, bars, and clubs, the project BY MVRDV echoes the area’s protected character. The Dutch firm divides the long, narrow building into four horizontal segments, each with a distinct plinth and one or two blocks above, referencing the scale of the surrounding reconstruction-era architecture. Carved upper volumes respond to the angle of the sun, preventing shadows from falling on residential areas across the tracks, demonstrating a sensitive approach to densification.

Each block’s unique combination of fenestration and color references different landmarks across Rotterdam. One block features bay windows derived from Huig Maaskant’s Citrusveiling building paired with the vivid yellow of the former Luchtsingel bridge. Another uses the sandstone hue of the city hall with octagonal windows inspired by Hofplein 19 that collectively spell out ‘010,’ Rotterdam’s telephone code. This layered approach transforms the building into a catalog of local architectural memory.

Schieblocks, a 47,000-square-meter office complex for Rotterdam

Public energy at the plinth and on the roof

A transparent ground level hosts public amenities, including a concept store, bakery, and bike café, while linking to a three-level underground parking garage. At the west end, an immovable historic parking ramp from the neighboring Central Post building becomes a feature, enclosed in glass as the centerpiece of the new Wokkelbar, a spiral-shaped venue that channels Rotterdam’s gritty, improvisational spirit.

Above, a rooftop restaurant and two-story cultural space open onto a continuous green landscape by Juurlink & Geluk, complete with water-retaining surfaces, spiral connections, and a solar-panel pergola. Together, these elements signal what MVRDV calls a ‘second reconstruction’ for Rotterdam, one shaped by creativity, sustainability, and bold architectural expression.

the vibrant design draws inspiration from Donald Judd’s iconic furniture series

project info: 

name: Schieblocks
architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv 
founding partner in charge: Winy Maas
director: Gideon Maasland
design team: Gijs Rikken, Bob de Rijk, Guido Boeters, Piotr Janus, Veronica Della Ventura, Magda Porcoțeanu, Valentina Fantini, Renata Tavares, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Mirco Fachinelli, Tobias Kalmbach, Yifei Zhang, Bin Wei, Ievgeniia Koval, Rafiq Sawyerr
location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
area: 47,000 sqm

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Designed in collaboration between MVRDV and local practice ADDP Architects, two residential towers dubbed the Irwell Hill Residences rise above the dense urban weave of Singapore. The project presents a study in how modular construction can carry architectural nuance. The 36-story development, with its pixelated facades, employs prefabricated pre-finished volumetric construction, a method that allows entire rooms to be assembled off-site before being stacked into place. This way, the building process minimizes waste and labor while maintaining precision.

Commissioned by City Developments Limited, the project exemplifies Singapore’s continuing commitment to productivity-driven construction. However, the collaboration between MVRDV and ADDP Architects moves beyond efficiency to consider the towers‘ texture, depth, and relationship to light.

images © Finbarr Fallon

mvrdv’s facade of occupiable pixels

Designing Singapore’s Irwell Hill Residences with ADDP Architects, MVRDV‘s intervention lies in the articulation of the facade. Each prefabricated unit becomes a single ‘pixel,’ and through variation in projection and finish, these modules form an irregular rhythm across the building’s surface. Metal frames extend or recede to form balconies, producing a measured relief that changes throughout the day as sunlight glances across it. Gold and deep brown tones run through the pattern, referencing climbing plants and lending a soft, organic variation to the composition.

The approach transforms repetition, an inevitable trait of modularity, into an asset. Where uniformity might flatten a building’s presence, the pixelated treatment gives each tower a sense of motion and individuality within the grid.

Irwell Hill Residences uses modular construction to shape two textured towers in Singapore

punctuated by green space

Between the Singapore towers’ vertical planes, greenery marks a pause in the ascent. The 24th floor opens into a four-story sky garden where trees and planting weave through the structure, visible from the street as a band of color and texture. At the rooftop, Irwell Sky offers a more intimate space framed by double- and triple-height modules that reveal the plantings within.

These shared landscapes punctuate the complex facade with pockets of green social infrastructure. They soften the towers’ outline against the skyline and create shaded, breathable thresholds for residents, aligning with Singapore’s broader commitment to vertical greenery and liveable density.

‘Over the decades, Singapore has shown itself to be a city of incredible innovation in architecture and urbanism,’ says MVRDV founding partner Nathalie de Vries. ‘The city is once again showing leadership in modular construction, and is seeing the benefits of PPVC in reducing waste, carbon emissions, and disruption to city life. With Irwell Hill  Residences, alongside ADDP Architects we took aim at the next step in that story of innovation: a PPVC

project that prioritises variety and liveability.’

MVRDV introduces a pixelated facade that varies depth and shadow

balconies formed by recessed and projected modules create subtle relief

gold and deep brown tones bring warmth to the towers

landscaped sky gardens can be discovered along the 24th floor

Irwell Sky offers a smaller shared landscape at the rooftop

The facade design turns repetition into a source of identity

project info:

name: Irwell Hill Residences

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Singapore

completion: 2025

client: City Developments Limited

photography: © Finbarr Fallon | @fin.barr

founding partner in charge: Nathalie de Vries
partner: Wenchian Shi
design team: Lorenzo Mattozzi, Marco Gazzola, Alberto Menozzi, Luca Beltrame, Fredy Fortich, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Andrea Ventura, Monika Wiecha, Chi Zhang
visualizations: Antonio Luca Coco, Gianlorenzo Petrini

co-architect (building design, project coordination): ADDP Architects LLP | @addparchitects
landscape architect: Ecoplan
structural engineer: TW-Asia Consultants Pte Ltd.
MEP: United Project Consultants Pte Ltd.
interior architect: Index Design Pte Ltd.

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The Island by MVRDV is a forthcoming residential tower in Taichung, Taiwan, designed as a dense vertical neighborhood shaped by greenery and curved geometry. The project occupies a central urban site at the meeting point of the city’s North and Beitun districts and aims to bring a lushly planted presence within the surrounding commercial blocks.

Construction permission enables the 21-story tower, with its organically-shaped facade, to move forward, bringing a distinct approach to urban living. The Island responds to Taichung’s liveable building regulations, which encourage large swaths of outdoor space and plantings. MVRDV uses this framework to form a building that supports community, with elevated gardens, shared terraces, and a ground-level public area shaded by trees.

visualizations © Antonio Luca Coco, Luana La Martina, Angelo La Delfa, Lorenzo D’Alessandro, Ciprian Buzdugan, Stefano Fiaschi

MVRDV’s facade of glimmering ceramic tiles

The architects at MVRDV make use of ceramic tiling to shape the exterior identity of The Island tower in Taiwan. The facade uses a mosaic of irregular white pieces, with larger tiles across flat planes and finer patterns applied where the curves tighten. This system helps the envelope adjust to every bend, creating a smooth, continuous surface with a level of craft that aligns with the studio’s interest in adaptable material expression.

Soft edges define balconies, openings, and planters throughout the project. These profiles establish a clear departure from the rectilinear surroundings, giving the residential tower a gentle presence in the city. The Island uses curvature as an organizing strategy which guides the way that outdoor rooms and planted pockets are arranged along the facade.

The Island by MVRDV will introduce a curving residential tower to central Taichung

the island will bring 76 apartments to taichung

MVRDV’s The Island will bring 76 apartments to Taiwan, all elevated over two floors of shared amenities and commercial space. Residents gain access to a series of outdoor areas, including five communal balconies distributed across the height of the tower. Each one forms a three-story recess that creates spatial depth and daylight access while offering planted terraces with views over Taichung.

At the peak of the tower, a garden terrace wraps a layered green crown that functions as a multi-purpose shared space. The design encourages casual gathering and daily use, extending the building’s landscape experience into a high vantage point with breezes and expansive city views. A street-level planting strategy complements this upper zone with greenery that meets the sidewalk and frames the tower’s entrance sequence.

the project integrates extensive greenery across balconies, terraces, and a rooftop garden

104 planted balconies

The Island includes 104 private balconies with planted areas and 38 standalone facade planters. Combined with the building’s communal gardens, this system introduces a cross-section of plant species selected to reflect the variety found across Taichung’s wider region. The strategy enhances biodiversity and creates a consistent green presence that becomes part of the building’s expression from every angle.

A 13-story structure currently occupies the site and requires removal due to outdated seismic regulations. MVRDV outlines a plan to reuse material from the existing building where feasible. Stone elements from its walls and floors will be saved and employed as floor finishes within the new project, reducing construction waste and grounding the tower in the material history of its location.

a ceramic mosaic facade adapts to the tower’s soft geometry with varied tile sizes

‘The design of The Island brings a soft touch in a city full of boxes‘, says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. ‘As with other residential buildings in Taiwan, the building’s underlying layout had to follow a fairly standardised and highly efficient approach. The building’s character therefore has to come from its details, from the soft curves, from the Gaudí-inspired facade finish, and from the way greenery is integrated as if the building is part of the same organic system.’

the building will bring 76 apartments along with two floors of amenities and commercial use

material from the existing structure on site will be reused to reduce waste during construction

project info: 

project title: The Island

architect: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Taichung City, Taiwan

client: Cheering Zu

size: 9,000 square meters

visualizations: © Antonio Luca Coco, Luana La Martina, Angelo La Delfa, Lorenzo D’Alessandro, Ciprian Buzdugan, Stefano Fiaschi; Teresa Papachristou (Graphic Design)

founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs

director: Gideon Maasland

head of taiwan: Hui Hsin Liao

design team: Laura Petroncini, Mark van Wasbeek, Herng Tzou, Veronica della Ventura, Piotr Janus, Francesca Cambi, Olly Veugelers, Lorenzo Mennuti, Joyce de Louw, Nicola Panico, Renata Lopes Tavares

collaborators:

co-architect: Sd-Haus, Taichung City, Taiwan

landscape architect: Ele-Garden Landscape Design

structural engineer: Dayan Engineering Consultant

MEP: Songlin Engineering Consultant

lighting consultant: LHLD Lighting Design

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MVRDV’s Grand Ballroom proposes a spherical arena of colossal scale for Tirana, Albania. Designed to replace the Asllan Rusi sports palace, the project brings together a 6,000-seat venue, hotel, apartments, and retail in a single continuous form. The sphere, over 100 meters (330 feet) in diameter, rises from a compact urban site between the city center and the airport road, appearing at once grounded and weightless.

The building’s circular volume folds gently into the landscape. Around its perimeter, open plazas and outdoor courts extend the public life of the arena. At ground level, shallow steps and shaded terraces guide visitors toward a sunken ring of cafés and shops, where the building meets the earth. The approach is choreographed through shifts in scale and level that reveal the building’s interior structure piece by piece.

visualizations © Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Ciprian Buzdugan

the grand ballroom as a spherical stack

The architects at MVRDV organize the Grand Ballroom’s programming as a stack of horizontal strata that build upward from public to private. The arena occupies the central tier — a luminous bowl enclosed by sweeping curves of seating and light-filtering structural ribs. Above, two floors of hotel rooms are suspended between the stands and the roof, their windows offering direct views into the court below. A glazed oculus at the arena’s center maintains a visual link between guests and athletes, which turn the ceiling into a shared point of focus.

Higher still, apartments are embedded within the double-shell structure of the sphere. Their circulation threads through a vast semi-outdoor dome that serves as a communal garden for residents. Mature trees, walkways, and shaded seating areas create a second landscape within the building as an inversion of the arena below. The cutouts that puncture the shell allow air and light to move freely through the interior.

MVRDV unveils a spherical mixed use arena in Tirana, Albania

inside MVRDV’s new monument for tirana

The material palette is expected to emphasize the building’s sculptural continuity — metallic panels and glass reflecting the changing Albanian light, while the internal gardens introduce warmth and softness. Seen from a distance, the Grand Ballroom reads as a luminous hemisphere rising above its context; up close, its surface reveals apertures, balconies, and recesses that respond to the rhythms of everyday use.

For founding partner Winy Maas, the project’s spherical form draws on references ranging from Boullée’s Cenotaph for Newton to Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic domes — monumental and iconic structures that embody collective aspiration through geometry. In Tirana, this lineage becomes a living arena for sport and community. As Mass explains, it will become a beacon and ‘a place to play, meet, and celebrate,’ Maas explains.

the 100 meter-wide sphere rises between the airport road and city center

the Grand Ballroom combines sport, housing, and hospitality in one structure

hotel rooms overlook the court through a central oculus

apartments are set within a double shell forming a shared garden dome

the arena sits at the heart of the structure with retail and cafés at ground level

cutouts in the sphere bring light and ventilation to the residential interior

project info:

name: Grand Ballroom

architects: MVRDV | @mvrdv

location: Tirana, Albania

client: Trema Tech shpk., Likado BV, Albanian Capital Group shpk, BCN Investments BV

status: competition winner

visualizations: © Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luana La Martina, Jaroslaw Jeda, Stefano Fiaschi, Ciprian Buzdugan

founding partner in charge: Winy Maas

partner: Bertrand Schippan

design team: Stavros Gargaretas, Catherine Drieux, Piotr Janus, Americo Iannazzone,

Angel Sanchez Navarro, Ana Melgarejo Lopez, Sylvain Totaro, Lola Elisa Cauneac, Miguel

del Campo Grijalbo, Stanisław Rochala

strategy and development: Maria Stamati

co-architect: UDV

artist: Hellidon Xhixha

structural engineer, cost estimator: DERBI-E

consultant: Ramboll

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