Zaha Hadid Architects and C.Y. Lee & Partners will design the National Innovation, Creativity and Finance Center in Taipei, a 175,000 square meter complex that brings together the city’s stock exchange, futures exchange, and depository and clearing corporation within a single public-facing development in the Beimen district.

The site sits at the junction of Zhongxiao West Road and Bo’ai Road, where foot traffic from Taipei Main Station flows past the Beimen Gate and the historic post office. Because trains, buses, and the MRT converge within a few minutes’ walk, the project has an everyday intensity shaped by commuters and office workers.

Into this dense weave, the new skyscraper will introduce plazas, passages, and shaded edges that extend the street network through the block as a sequence of ‘outdoor rooms’ that feel continuous with the surrounding sidewalks.

visualizations © X Universe Visual Design

zaha hadid architects links heritage and contemporary design

Urban guidelines call for improved walkability and stronger public space, and the proposal by Zaha Hadid Architects responds with a ground plane organized as a connected landscape for the people of Taipei.

With courtyards and pedestrian paths, the architects stitch together existing landmarks while preserving long views toward the historic Beimen Gate and neighboring streetscapes. Movement across the site carries the rhythm of the city, with entrances placed along major routes to draw people inward without ceremony.

Along the eastern edge, the restored Taipei Beimen Post Office from 1930 remains in place, its masonry facade and decorative detailing carefully maintained. The former postal building will become a museum and cultural venue to link with the district’s memory. Between old and new, a glazed canopy shelters a large courtyard where performances and public gatherings can take place.

Zaha Hadid Architects will design the National Innovation Creativity and Finance Center in Taipei

botanical inspiration for a ribbed tower

Set back from the heritage building, Zaha Hadid Architect’s 47-story tower rises over Taipei with a stepped profile. Its form draws on the fluted geometry of the native Phalaenopsis orchid, translated into vertical ribs that articulate the facade. From the street, these pleats cast shifting shadows that change through the day, giving the surface depth and scale that temper the height of the building.

The facade system integrates environmental performance with this geometry. Pleated panels modulate solar gain and guide airflow across the surface, supporting interior comfort in Taipei’s humid subtropical climate. The team at ZHA has long explored expressive envelopes that serve both form and function, and here that approach appears measured and intentional.

a network of plazas, courtyards, and walkways extends public space throughout the block

a pleated facade regulates sunlight and airflow to support energy efficiency in Taipei’s humid climate

a canopy shelters a courtyard designed for performances gatherings and daily use

the restored 1930 Taipei Beimen Post Office will become a museum and cultural venue

the 47-story tower has a fluted profile inspired by the Phalaenopsis orchid

project info:

name: NICFC (National Innovation, Creativity and Finance Center)

architect: Zaha Hadid Architects | @zahahadidarchitects

location: Beimen district, Taipei, Taiwan

collaborator: C.Y. Lee and Partners | @c.y.lee.partners

visualizations: © X Universe Visual Design | @xuniversevisual

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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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Vertical City is a mixed-use high-rise development proposed for Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv’s central business district. Designed by De La Fontaine Architecture in collaboration with MSP Landscape Architects and WSP Engineers, the project consolidates residential, commercial, cultural, and leisure programs into a vertically organized urban structure. Conceived as a self-contained city, the development integrates living, working, studying, and public activities within a continuous architectural framework.

The project consists of three interconnected towers that collectively rise to a height of 470 meters across 111 floors, positioning it as one of the tallest structures in the country. The towers are organized to support programmatic diversity while maintaining spatial continuity between uses. A defining feature of the project is its vertical park system, described as a ‘green waterfall,’ which extends from ground level to the upper portions of the towers. This landscaped element establishes a continuous ecological and social link throughout the building, connecting public and private spaces vertically.

all images courtesy of De La Fontaine Architecture – DLF

DLF Architecture Reframes Density Through Vertical Integration

Residential, office, and leisure functions are interwoven within the towers to promote proximity and functional overlap. Circulation systems are designed to accommodate both daily use and public access, including an observation deck located at the top of the structure. From this elevated point, the building offers panoramic views across the metropolitan area.

Through its scale, vertical organization, and integration of landscape architecture, the project proposes an alternative model for dense urban development. Vertical City, conceived by De La Fontaine Architecture Studio, positions verticality as a means of consolidating urban functions while introducing green infrastructure into the high-rise typology, contributing to the evolving skyline and urban fabric of Ramat Gan.

Vertical City is a mixed-use high-rise development proposed for Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv

the development is conceived as a self-contained city organized vertically

the project is composed of three interconnected towers

the towers support programmatic diversity while maintaining spatial continuity

a vertical park system connects the building from ground level to its upper sections

Vertical City by De La Fontaine Architecture proposes an alternative model for dense urban development

elevation – ‘green waterfall’ diagram

project info:

name: Vertical City
architect: De La Fontaine Architecture – DLF | @dlfarchitecture

lead architect: Raphael De La Fontaine

location: Tel Aviv, Israel

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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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In South Korea‘s coastal city of Busan, Kengo Kuma and Associates have completed the Busan Lotte Tower, a fluid glass skyscraper rising from the former City Hall site. The project stands at the meeting point of land and sea, its form shaped by the surrounding harbor and the patterns of movement that define the port. The tower’s facade captures the rhythm of waves drawn by passing ships, and expresses the city’s maritime identity through its texture and fluid, reflective surfaces.

Horizontal bands ripple across the exterior, tracing a continuous line around the building. These curved bands blur the distinction between spandrel and vision glass, softening the vertical rise into a fluid gesture that reflects the changing surface of the sea. The glass shifts from transparent to gently tinted to mirror the light and color of Busan’s coastal sky.

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Rhythm and Material of lotte tower

The Busan Lotte Tower is shaped by Kengo Kuma and Associates as a stack of curved transparent volumes. This vertical stack is reflected through the internal program, each layer subtly offset to suggest motion. This composition produces an interplay of concave and convex surfaces, echoing the undulation of waves. The materials — glass, aluminum, and finely detailed louvers — allow light to shimmer across the facade while maintaining a calm rhythm that tempers the building’s scale.

At the upper levels, the horizontal lines of the façade dissolve into slender fins. These become louvers that filter sunlight and wind, creating a transitional space at the rooftop observatory. Here, the city, sea, and sky meet in a single panoramic field. The observatory appears to float above the harbor, its light structure open to the shifting air and the horizon beyond.

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Integration with Context of busan, korea

The Busan Lotte Tower extends the city’s dialogue with the sea. Kengo Kuma’s approach avoids monumentality, favoring continuity with the surrounding landscape. The tower reflects its context rather than asserting contrast, allowing the movement of light and water to animate its surface throughout the day. Seen from the port, the building reads as a vertical extension of the shoreline — its shimmering facade absorbing the hues of sunrise and dusk.

In the evening, soft interior light brings the horizontal lines into subtle relief, giving the impression of an illuminated current rising through the tower. From street level, the curved glass volumes frame glimpses of activity inside, linking the rhythm of urban life with the broader cadence of the harbor.

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

visualization courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

project info:

name: Busan Lotte Tower

architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Busan, South Korea

status: ongoing

visualizations: © Kengo Kuma and Associates

team: Seungjun Lee, Doyup Lee, Daihoon Kim, Cheuk Lam Chan, Rikuro Sakaushi, Edward WooHyun Chung, Fumitake Suzuki (CG)
construction: Lotte Construction
structure: ARUP, CNP
facility: Samoo Architects & Engineers
exterior: LHYn
illumination: EONSLD

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Today marks the completion of 270 Park Avenue, JPMorganChase’s global headquarters designed by Foster + Partners in New York. Rising sixty stories above Midtown, it stands 1,388 feet (423.1 meters) tall as the city’s largest all-electric tower, powered entirely by renewable energy, and is designed to achieve net-zero operational emissions.

From street level, the building’s presence is defined by its lifted base — an 80-foot-high volume supported by fan-shaped columns and triangular bracing that create a sense of lightness across the entire block. This structural strategy allows uninterrupted sightlines from Park Avenue to Madison Avenue while opening the ground plane to wider sidewalks and a public plaza planted with native greenery. 

Foster’s team addressed the site’s dense network of train lines and substructure by developing an advanced load-transfer system that anchors the tower while maintaining openness at street level. 

the building is NYC’s largest all-electric tower powered by renewable energy | images © Foster + Partners

foster + partners’ monumental skyscraper

The main entrance of JPMorganChase’s headquarters in New York leads to a double-height lobby which the team at Foster + Partners designs with bronze surfaces, warm light, and a monumental stair that connects to a mezzanine. Above, eight expansive trading floors form the operational core of JPMorganChase’s financial activities. At the tower’s center, the triple-height Exchange serves as a communal hub, linking sixteen distinct venues for meetings and events within a single open volume.

Materials and finishes emphasize daylight. Triple-pane glazing ensures energy efficiency and acoustic control, while a circadian lighting system aligns with natural human rhythms. Terraces at various levels extend views across the skyline, offering outdoor space for employees and visitors. The architecture supports adaptability over time, with large, open floorplates and a split elevator core that maintains permeability between spaces.

JPMorganChase opens its new global headquarters at 270 Park Avenue in New York

powered by renewable systems

The design team at Foster + Partners notes that sustainability and health underpin every aspect of the design of its New York tower for JPMorganChase. The tower delivers an outdoor air ventilation rate twice the building code requirement, responding to research from Harvard on cognitive function and indoor air quality. Hydro-powered energy systems, low-emission materials, and recycled demolition waste contribute to LEED Platinum and WELL Health-Safety goals.

For Norman Foster, the project represents ‘a workplace of the future designed for today.’ His design brings two and a half times more public space at ground level than the previous structure, hoping to emphasize a connection to the city and openness to the sidewalk.

Foster + Partners designs the 60 story tower as a new addition to Park Avenue

GENSLER DESIGNS office AND AMENITy interiors

While Foster + Partners led the overall architecture, Gensler designed more than 1.7 million square feet of interiors across twenty workplace floors and multiple amenity levels, including the Client Centers and gyms. The firm’s interior strategy builds on the tower’s framework to create a human-centered environment that balances flexibility, connection, and focus.

‘JPMorganChase Tower signals the future of workplace design, and it all starts with the individual and creating a sense of belonging,’ says Stefanie Shunk, Design Director at Gensler, who led the design of the office spaces. ‘Workstations are designed to maximize each employee’s day-to-day experience while collectively supporting teams to do their best work.

‘Protected backdrops make virtual meetings feel intentional, team-based clusters bring people together so that mentorship is a natural part of the workday, and double-height cafés link together adjacent floors to create two-story communities where employees can gather and engage — all of this adds up to a new office tower filled with the best practices and latest thinking in how people and organizations work today and into the future.’

the structure lifts 80 feet above the ground, supported by fan-shaped columns

a new public plaza and widened sidewalks connect Park and Madison Avenues

a triple-height Exchange at the center serves as a hub for meetings and gatherings

daylight, terraces, and circadian lighting support wellbeing across the workplace

the tower achieves LEED Platinum and WELL Health Safety goals through innovation

project info:

name: JPMorganChase Global Headquarters

architect: Foster + Partners | @fosterandpartners 

location: 270 Park Avenue, New York, NY

completion: 2025

photography: © Foster + Partners

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This proposed Oricon Tower introduces a new landmark for Tirana, Albania conceived through the collaboration of Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura and Porto-based OODA. Designed as a gateway to the Albanian capital, the fifty-story tower stands at the threshold between the city’s historic grid and its expanding western edge, where infrastructure, housing, and commerce meet.

From the outset, the project is guided by proportion, structure, and material. Souto de Moura’s disciplined approach to form meets OODA’s generational emphasis on adaptability and urban engagement, resulting in a work that feels both grounded and forward-looking. The tower aligns with the rhythm of the avenue while anchoring the skyline with a quiet authority that stems from its geometry rather than its scale.

visualization © Plomp

Urban Presence and Context

Positioned beside the Bond Tower in Tirana, Albania, Oricon Tower by OODA and Eduardo Souto de Moura establishes a dialogue with its surroundings through calibrated massing and a deliberate treatment of the base. The lower levels form a porous interface with the street, opening toward the city through glazed facades and deep recesses that temper light and define thresholds. This base gives way to a vertical composition where repetition, shadow, and reflection lend a measured continuity to the facade.

Its placement along the primary axis connecting the airport to the city center underscores its role as an urban threshold. Rather than presenting a single facade to the city, the building modulates its expression according to orientation, solid toward the approach from the airport, more permeable toward the inner city. This allows the structure to mediate between movement and arrival.

visualization © Plomp

Material and Structure

The architectural identity of Albania’s Oricon Tower by Eduardo Souto de Moura and OODA emerges from its material construction. Concrete, marble, and glass are handled with restraint, emphasizing continuity and texture over surface effect. These materials reference regional building traditions while supporting the tower’s structural clarity: vertical load-bearing elements frame broad spans that open the interiors to natural light and long views.

Detailing is purposeful throughout. Marble panels articulate the tower’s middle section, lending weight and permanence, while lighter glazing at the upper levels enhances transparency and luminosity for the hotel floors. The building’s structure — refined through close coordination between architects and engineers — balances expressive simplicity with technical rigor, ensuring stability without excess.

visualization © Plomp

Interior Organization and Experience

The functional gradient of the Oricon Tower mirrors the city’s layered activity. Shops and offices occupy the base, giving the ground plane a civic presence and extending the commercial energy of Dritan Hoxha Avenue. Mid-level apartments are arranged around the central core, with layouts that prioritize privacy and views toward the surrounding mountains.

The upper levels house a hotel and a restaurant that crowns the building. Here, the spatial character shifts from compressed circulation spaces to open volumes, where daylight and panorama define the atmosphere. Circulation remains direct and efficient, an aspect integral to Souto de Moura’s practice, and is supported by the core that links the separate lobbies for residential, commercial, and hospitality uses.

The design of the Oricon Tower rests on the principle that architecture and construction are inseparable. Each decision, from facade modulation to structural span, reflects the logic of how the building stands and breathes within its environment. The collaboration between Eduardo Souto de Moura and OODA synthesizes experience and experimentation into a coherent statement.

visualization © Plomp

visualization © OODA

visualization © OODA

visualization © OODA

visualization © OODA

project info:

name: Oricon Tower

architect: OODA | @oodaarchitecture, Eduardo Souto de Moura

local architect: Artech Studio | @artech_al

visualizations: © OODA, © Plomp | @plo.mp

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Italian architect and designer Massimiliano Malagò presents Copia New Yorkea, a chair that translates the structural logic of coreless exoskeleton skyscrapers into furniture form. The piece combines brass, velvet, 3D printed PLA joints, and gold thread, situating itself between functional object and critical inquiry.

The design employs an isomorphic process, mapping the spatial and structural qualities of high-rise architecture onto a domestic seat. A brass grid frame recalls the column-free curtain wall of corporate towers, within which a suspended fabric cocoon creates the seating surface. Modular 3D printed nodes join the frame, reflecting the parametric connectors typical of high-rise engineering systems. Unlike biomimicry, where natural forms inspire architecture, Copia New Yorkea reverses the process by drawing directly from architectural typologies. By adapting the monumentality and logic of the skyscraper to the intimate scale of the body, the work raises questions about the transfer of design languages across scales and contexts.

all images by Helene Helleu

Massimiliano Malagò Explores Power & Privilege Through Design

The chair’s enclosed form resonates with historical precedents such as the sedan chair, once used to transport elite individuals. Massimiliano Malagò draws a parallel between these vessels of privilege and modern skyscrapers, both of which serve to elevate, conceal, and project authority. ‘Their reflectivity and transparency are curated, not democratic. Nor is any of the scale of them proportional to the merits of those who inhabit them,’ notes the designer. ‘Copia New Yorkea reframes the curtain wall not just as an aesthetic, but as a social and political skin.’ The brass grid and textile cocoon become both structural and symbolic, framing the chair as a reflection on architectural skins and their social dimensions.

The project traces its origins to Malagò’s experience at OMA in New York, where questions regarding the narrative strategies used to justify skyscraper design sparked a broader reflection on isomorphic design methodologies. Later, during his time at Bond NY, he experimented with translating texts into architectural forms, a method that informs his current practice. Copia New Yorkea continues this trajectory, positioning isomorphic design not as a stylistic exercise but as a critique of how architectural references are deployed. Through this translation of high-rise engineering into a furniture object, Malagò opens a dialogue on the role of analogy in design, the politics of architectural form, and the legitimacy of transscalar methodologies in contemporary practice.

Copia New Yorkea chair by Massimiliano Malagò translates skyscraper logic into furniture design

brass, velvet, PLA joints, and gold thread define the chair’s material palette

3D printed nodes connect the brass structural exposed skin

the joints reference parametric connectors in high-rise engineering

a suspended fabric cocoon creates the seating surface

the enclosed seat recalls the sedan chair of elite transport

dense velvet clouds mirror the views of a skyscraper’s translucent curtain walls

the clouds operate like a bitmap on a planar surface

project info:

name: Copia New Yorkea
designer: Massimiliano Malagò | @massimilianomariamalago

photographer: Helene Helleu | @helenehelleu

photography coloring: Tom Keelan | @tom_keelan

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First unveiled in 2019, the 135-meter-tall Top Tower has now received approval from city officials, paving the way for it to become the tallest building in the Czech Republic, surpassing Brno’s AZ Tower by nine meters. Rising in Prague’s Nové Butovice neighborhood, the sculptural landmark, co-designed by artist David Černý and architect Tomáš Císař of Black n’ Arch, resembles a vertical shipwreck and is envisioned as a mixed-use hub with residences, offices, and a generous public realm at its base. Crowned by a sky-high observation deck, the project promises to offer sweeping views across the capital and its surrounding landscape.

all images © Black n’ Arch

Co-living, culture, and sustainability in czechia’s tallest tower

Conceived as a sculptural landmark, the tower integrates Černý’s dramatic vision of a vertical shipwreck entangled with the structure, establishing a new focal point for the neighborhood. At its core, the development is a residential rental scheme that embraces the co-living model, offering compact private units alongside generous communal spaces to encourage interaction and shared living. Complementing the housing are office spaces, retail units, and a multifunctional cultural center, while a publicly accessible roof garden and sky-high observation deck is set to provide expansive views across Prague. Shops and services are planned for the lower floors, with a 24-hour public underground car park integrated into the scheme. The project is being overseen by developer group Trigema and designed by boundary-pushing sculptor David Černý and Tomáš Císař of architecture firm Black n’ Arch.

Sustainability has been embedded into the design, with an integrated system for rainwater collection and reuse, and LEED Gold certification anticipated. Beyond the tower itself, the project will also revitalize the surrounding public realm, including the pedestrian zone linking entrances to the nearby metro station. 

the tower is crowned with a public observation deck

the tower climbs to a total height of 135 meters (443 feet)

complementing the housing are office spaces, retail units, and a multifunctional cultural center

project info:

name: Top Tower
location: Prague, Czech Republic
developer: Trigema | @trigema_as
design: David Černý | @cerny.david and Tomáš Císař of Black n’ Arch | @blacknarch

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Jasper Architects unveils plans for the Palmanova Center in Asunción, Paraguay, a 200,000 square-meter mixed-use development set to begin construction this October. Rising along Avenida Primer Presidente, the project integrates residential, commercial, and office spaces into a dense vertical composition rising from a public, landscaped valley.

Planned as a prototype for high-density living in the Paraguayan capital, the Palmanova Center organizes four towers above a five-story base. The plinth is intersected by a sequence of terraces, shaded walkways, and gardens inspired by the region’s cañadas — natural ravines that shape local ecosystems.

images © Nils Koenning

jasper architects integrates Community and Landscape

The scheme of Jasper Architects’ Palmanova Center emphasizes connections between people, their neighbors, and Asunción’s natural setting. The design team plans a pedestrian route to thread through the center of the site, linking retail, cafés, a supermarket, and wellness facilities. Bridges will span across planted areas, creating elevated crossings between buildings while maintaining open ground-level sightlines.

Two of the towers will house offices, standing at 36 and 33 floors, with adaptable floor plates suited to different tenant needs. The other two, at 40 and 37 floors, will contain more than two hundred residential units ranging from compact one-bedrooms to expansive penthouses. Rooftops are designed as shared leisure spaces, with botanical gardens, infinity pools, and panoramic viewing platforms.

Palmanova Center is designed by Jasper Architects in Asunción, Paraguay

Orientation and Environmental Performance

The Palmanova towers’ offset forms by Jasper Architects are oriented to capture daylight and prevailing breezes, while preserving unobstructed views of Asunción across the site. This positioning also allows natural light to penetrate into the lower levels of the complex, including the pedestrian valley. At 180 meters (590 feet) tall, Palmanova Center will be among the city’s highest structures

Building envelopes combine high-performance double glazing with aluminum composite panels capable of reflecting 40% of solar radiation. Shaded balconies and green terraces form part of a broader passive design strategy, enhancing thermal comfort and biodiversity.

The development is targeting LEED certification, incorporating water recycling systems, stormwater management, and renewable energy generation. Landscaped areas will extend from the street level to the uppermost terraces, contributing to Asunción’s urban greenery.

four sculptural towers rise above a five story public plinth

a landscaped pedestrian valley connects retail, cafés and wellness areas

residential towers offer more than 200 units, including penthouses

office towers feature flexible floor plates up to 1,150 square meters

green terraces and balconies reduce heat gain and support biodiversity

the development will break ground in October 2025

project info:

name: Palmanova Center

architect: Jasper Architects | @jasperarchitects

location: Asunción, Paraguay

ground floor area: 200,000 square meters (2,260,000 square feet)
status: construction set to begin October 2025
completion: expected 2029

photography: © Nils Koenning | @nils_koenning

developer: Grupo Katueté, Palmanova | @grupo_palmanova
lead architect: Martin Jasper
structural concept: SBP schlaich bergermann partner
structural engineering: CARDONARO S.A. | @cardonaro_sa

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