Kengo Kuma & Associates wins a competition to design a new public library in Rzeszów, Poland, with a proposal titled The Spiral of Words, or Wir Słowa. The project is designed in collaboration with Polish studio Schick Architekti, Buro Happold and MASU Planning in a scheme that at once a building and a landscape to be explored by the public.

Set within a lush park, the timber structure takes the form of a rising spiral that organizes the entire program around a central, top-lit lobby. From the air, its faceted roof planes appear as a series of shifting terraces layered with vegetation and photovoltaic panels. At ground level, the volume sits low among trees for a humble presence while still drawing visitors inward through its sheltered public forecourt.

visualizations © KIN Creatives, © VIBSU via MASU Planning

kengo kuma arrives in Rzeszów, Poland

The jury describes Kengo Kuma & Associates’ proposal as attractive and formally innovative, highlighting its city-forming quality and the strength of its interiors. At its core lies a library space that coils upward around a luminous atrium to connect all floors through a continuous path. The architects design the spiraling promenade to operate as both circulation and spatial narrative. Readers are gradually guided upward through collections, study areas and gathering spaces.

Inside, timber surfaces define the atmosphere. Floors, ceilings and structural elements read as a cohesive material field, punctuated by perforated panels that temper acoustics and diffuse light. The atrium roof opens to the sky through a faceted skylight which casts a soft glow down into the lobby. Reading terraces step back from the perimeter glazing, creating places to sit along the edges while maintaining long views across the interior.

Kengo Kuma wins the competition to design a public library in Rzeszów, Poland

luminous timber interiors

The interior organization supports varied uses without fragmenting the whole. Children’s areas are integrated into the stepped landscape of shelves and seating, where low platforms double as informal stages and reading zones. Quiet study rooms sit behind fine mesh partitions, allowing visual continuity while providing enclosure. Event spaces, including a large hall finished in warm timber, are placed within the spiral so that public programs feel connected to the daily rhythms of the library.

In the performance space, suspended wooden elements form a dense ceiling grid that modulates sound and light. The geometry of the spiral is legible here as well, expressed through subtle shifts in wall planes and balcony edges. Throughout, the material palette remains restrained, allowing structure and daylight to shape the character of each room.

the building is organized as a rising spiral that connects all floors around a central atrium

Landscape as Extension of the Library

MASU Planning’s landscape strategy extends the building into its surroundings. At street level, a network of green islands frames the site, functioning as water retention areas and habitats while guiding pedestrians toward the entrances. Planting is designed to enhance biodiversity, introducing a layered ecology directly into the urban fabric of Rzeszów.

Rooftop gardens continue this approach upward. Each level offers an outdoor terrace that changes in character as visitors ascend, from sheltered reading gardens to open platforms with views across the city. Gauthier Durey, landscape architect and associate partner at MASU Planning, describes the landscape as an outdoor extension of the indoor facilities, offering space for play, culture, contemplation and relaxation in the open air. Together, the ground and roof landscapes form an inclusive public realm where nature and culture meet within a sequence of connected spaces.

a top-lit lobby brings daylight deep into the heart of the library

timber surfaces shape the interiors and create a warm, cohesive atmosphere

a large event hall features a suspended wooden ceiling grid for acoustic performance

stepped reading terraces guide visitors upward through collections and study spaces

ground level green islands support biodiversity and manage water retention

project info:

name: Wir Słowa

architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Rzeszów, Poland

local architect: Schick Architekti | @tkholding.pl

landscape architect: MASU Planning | @masuplanning

MEP, acoustic, facade: Buro Happold | @buro_happold

structure: Structured Environment, Häring Timber Technology AG

visualizations: © KIN Creatives | @_kincreatives_, © VIBSU | @vibsu_co

The post a spiraling timber library by kengo kuma to rise in rzeszów, poland appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The proposed renovation of L’Aventure Michelin by Kengo Kuma & Associates is planned for Clermont-Ferrand, France, on a former tire manufacturing site linked to the company’s early growth. The museum sits within the Quartier des Pistes, a 1960s industrial complex whose long spans and repetitive frames continue to define the area.

L’Aventure Michelin opened to the public in 2009 as a permanent museum dedicated to the history of the brand founded in the city in 1889. Its galleries chart developments from early rubber products through guidebooks, maps, and tire technologies, using the existing factory building as a spatial backdrop.

visualization © Kengo Kuma & Associates

kengo kuma’s subtle intervention

The proposal by Kengo Kuma & Associates treats the inactive Michelin factory as a fixed spatial field. New architectural elements occupy the museum‘s existing structural grid, aligning with column bays and roof trusses. The architects‘ additions read as interior constructions held within the original envelope, maintaining the measured cadence of the industrial frame.

Changes to the exterior remain limited. Roof adjustments introduce daylight through narrow apertures, while facade openings follow the spacing of the concrete structure. The overall massing remains consistent with the original sheds and preserves the scale of the former production grounds.

visualization © Kengo Kuma & Associates

expressive materials for an industrial project

Within its L’Aventure Michelin renovation, Kengo Kuma & Associates’ interior interventions rely on materials that register at close distance. Timber appears in screens, ceilings, and railings, with visible grain and joinery. Bio-based panels sourced from the region sit alongside exposed steel and concrete, their surfaces defined by texture and edge.

The design language associated with legendary Japanese architect emerges through repetition and assembly. Elements are composed in small increments, assembled by hand-sized components that repeat across galleries and circulation paths.

visualization © Kengo Kuma & Associates

rhythmic spaces flooded with daylight

Movement through the museum follows the proportions of the former factory floor. Narrow corridors pass between structural bays before opening into broader exhibition halls where displays occupy the full width of the space. With its rhythmic sawtooth roof structure, elongated overhead windows guide visitors as they move through different zones of the building.

With daylight entering from overhead, light falls across timber surfaces and concrete planes, catching edges of display cases and floor finishes. Artificial lighting remains secondary to the ambient conditions set by the building section.

The renovation maintains a close connection to its setting in Clermont-Ferrand, where the Michelin company established its first workshops. Retained industrial elements and locally sourced materials keep the building tied to its immediate context.

visualization © Kengo Kuma & Associates

visualization © Kengo Kuma & Associates

visualization © Kengo Kuma & Associates

project info:

name: L’Aventure Michelin

architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Clermont-Ferrand, France

visualizations: © Kengo Kuma & Associates

The post kengo kuma unveils plans to renovate michelin factory museum in france appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The Incastri collection is the result of a collaboration between Gessi and Kengo Kuma, an internationally renowned architect celebrated for weaving nature, craftsmanship, and innovation into his built environments. The bath collection translates traditional Japanese joinery and water rituals into architectural faucet and basin designs that elevate everyday gestures into sensory experiences, imbuing each space with a refined, minimalist identity. The design reduces form to its essence, presenting tubular elements that intersect in a system engineered for both visual repose and functional equilibrium.

Gessi launches Incastri collection, designed by Kengo Kuma | all images courtesy of Gessi

TRANSFORMING SPACES INTO EXPERIENCES OF WELLBEING

Embodying the values of Made in Italy, Gessi’s heritage is rooted in Valsesia, establishing the brand as a leader in the fields of wellness, lifestyle, and design. As a symbol of discreet and conscious luxury, the company operates from a sustainable manufacturing site that is LEED® Gold certified, crafting solutions for hospitality, residential, spa, and marine environments, consistently transforming spaces into experiences of wellbeing.

the bath collection translates traditional Japanese joinery and water rituals into architectural faucet and basin designs

INCASTRI’S TACTILE SURFACES AND SCULPTURAL PRESENCE

The Incastri collection translates abstract Japanese principles into a tangible material language. The essential form for the faucet draws from Chidori, the intricate, modular joinery system that eliminates the need for external fixings. This concept is rendered in the balanced visual geometry, where tubular elements intersect in a functionally and visually harmonious composition. This purity extends to the way the collection treats water, elevating the everyday use into a quiet ceremony inspired by Chozu, a Japanese purification ritual. The washbasins specifically address this by reinterpreting the material philosophy of Yakisugi — an ancient wood-charring method known for its resilience. This technique is translated through materials that create a three-dimensional surface with a commanding sculptural presence. The basins act as a vessel where water appears as a still, regenerative volume, transforming the material into an object of intense yet discreet character.

The tapware reinforces this tactile focus, being available in four versions including a visually arresting suspended solution. Vertical textures are etched onto the body and operating levers, engineering an optical and tactile depth. This engraved detailing accentuates the material contrast between smooth and textured surfaces through intricate plays of light and shadow. The entire collection thus explores the emotional potential inherent in natural materials and artisanal processes, transforming routine gestures into sensory experiences.

the design reduces form to its essence, presenting tubular elements that draw inspiration from Japanese joinery

the washbasins reinterpret the philosophy of Yakisugi, an ancient wood-charring method known for its resilience

this technique creates a three-dimensional surface with a commanding sculptural presence

project info:

name: Incastri

company: Gessi | @gessi_official

designer: Kengo Kuma | @kkaa_official

The post gessi and kengo kuma interlock contemporary design & japanese ritual for incastri collection appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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

The post kengo kuma plans ‘lotte tower’ as a stacked skyscraper for busan, korea appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

A study finds that Zaha Hadid and Wes Anderson are some of the top architects and artists used in prompts to generate AI images and videos on Midjourney. Conducted by the web-based video editing platform Kapwing, the research has studied how users refer to famous names and styles when creating their images and videos with AI. The findings show that the most used architect name on Midjourney was Zaha Hadid, with 63,103 mentions, with the next one being Frank Lloyd Wright at 13,361 mentions. Other architects frequently used on Midjourney to generate AI images and videos include Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry, Peter Zumthor, Kengo Kuma, Bjarke Ingels, Le Corbusier, Richard Meier, and Jean Nouvel. 

For the directors, Wes Anderson was the most mentioned, with 92,378 prompts. His name was used more than the combined total for Tim Burton (57,000), Christopher Nolan (22,246), Ridley Scott (20,109), Guillermo del Toro (19,755), and Stanley Kubrick (16,758). Among illustrators, the fantasy artist known as WLOP was the most used name, with 166,415 mentions. Then, there’s Greg Rutkowski following with 134,695 mentions, who is also involved in a legal case against AI companies for using his name and style without permission. The study on the most copied architects and artists on Midjourney to generate AI images and videos also found that anime is one of the most repeated visual subjects in prompts. The most used titles were Akira with 53,333 mentions and Naruto with 40,494. Works by Studio Ghibli, such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away, also appeared frequently.

Zaha Hadid as the most used architect in AI prompt | all images courtesy of Kapwing

Midjourney Discord server counts keyword frequency

The study team started by building a list of 897 keywords, and each keyword was a name or topic used to inspire AI-generated images. These keywords came from eight groups: artists, illustrators, film directors, architects, cities, media franchises, fast-food chains, and anime. The researchers used a public online database called Midlibrary to collect examples of popular names from each category. 

Then, they used the Midjourney Discord server to count how many times these keywords appeared in AI image and video prompts (for example, one prompt could be ‘in the style of Wes Anderson,’ or ‘a building by Zaha Hadid’). The total data included 4,929,594 prompts, showing how often people use references from real architects, directors, and artists when working with AI.

Wes Anderson is the most used artist for AI prompts on Midjourney

Art Nouveau poster designer, Alphonse Mucha is the most-used artist appearing in 230,794 Midjourney prompts

digital artist, WLOP is the most prompted Illustrator, appearing in 166,415 Midjourney images and videos

Akira with 53,333 mentions is the most-used anime on Midjourney prompts

Star Wars with 160,495 mentions is the most-used franchise as AI prompts

New York is the most prompted city on Midjourney with 156,598 video or images

project info:

name: The Most-Used Prompts For AI Videos and Images

platform: Kapwing | @KapwingApp

study: here

The post from zaha hadid to wes anderson, these are midjourney’s most copied architects and artists appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The international shortlist for BRICK AWARD 26 has been announced, showcasing 50 of the world’s most inspiring brick buildings from 21 countries across the globe. Selected from 849 submissions, the projects represent originality and excellence in contemporary brick architecture. The biennial prize, hosted by wienerberger yet independently judged, spans five categories, including small house projects and commercial buildings, highlighting the versatility of brick as a timeless material. The awards ceremony is taking place in Vienna on 11 June 2026, announcing the winners selected by an international jury of renowned architects and designers including Gabriela Carrillo, Christine Conix, Jens Linnet, Traudy Pelzel and Eduardo Mediero.

From Kengo Kuma and Associates’ sculptural UCCA Clay Museum in Yixing, China to the glass-brick Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Australia by KTA, Brazil’s Bloco Arquitetos’ White Bricks House, and the expressive Shafagh Tomb in Iran by 35-51 Architecture Office, the 2026 shortlist celebrates how brick continues to bridge culture, craft and contemporary design.

UCCA Clay Museum in Yixing, designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates | all images courtesy of wienerberger

from brazil to china, the prize celebrates the potential of brick

Launched in 2004, the BRICK AWARD has grown into a leading international prize that celebrates architectural innovation and the creative potential of brick. Presented every two years, it highlights projects that combine craftsmanship, sustainability and design excellence. Organized by wienerberger yet judged independently, the award ensures recognition is given purely on merit, with winning and shortlisted works published in the official BRICK book and honoured at a ceremony in Vienna.

Behind the initiative is wienerberger, a leading international provider of innovative ecological solutions for the entire building envelope, in the fields of new build and renovation, as well as infrastructure in water and energy management. With more than 20,000 employees worldwide and over 200 production sites, the company is the world’s largest producer of bricks and market leader in clay roof tiles in Europe. Through the BRICK AWARD, wienerberger underlines its commitment to supporting architecture that is both forward-looking and firmly rooted in material tradition.

White Brick House by Bloco Arquitetos | image © Joana Franca

brick award 26 spans five categories in five continents

The shortlist is divided into five categories: Feeling at home for residential houses, Living together for urban housing, Working together for commercial and industrial projects, Sharing public spaces for civic and cultural architecture, and Building outside the box for experimental and innovative works. Together, these categories form a panorama of architectural approaches, from intimate dwellings to monumental public landmarks.The selection spans five continents, from a white brick house in Brazil built using artisanal methods to a sculptural tomb in Iran with inscriptions flowing across its surface.

In Asia, highlights include the Aga Khan Academy in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, that comprises a series of four-storey brick-clad buildings that nestle within a highly developed urban site bordered by a large motorway. Arranged around green outdoor spaces, the project offers relief from these built-up surroundings, creating external areas for both play and education.

Aga Khan Academy by Shatotto and FCB in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka | image © Asid Salman

Still in Asia, highlights from China include the UCCA Clay Museum in Yixing, designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, whose distinctive roof is defined by a series of peaks that reference the nearby Shushan mountain. Described by the studio as “an inverted shell structure carved by virtual spheres”, the framework has been cloaked with 3,600 handmade ceramic tiles glazed in dark and light brown tones, evoking the colour changes that occur in pottery as it is fired.

Further north towards Bejing, the shortlisted Tianjin Zhongshuge bookstore is a three-storey building featuring a design with ‘waves’ of custom-designed bricks and ironwork, creating a unique, immersive space for visitors.

Tianjin Zhongshuge by X+ Living Architecture | image ©SFAP

Additionally, in Chennai, India, the Metallic Bellows factory office by KSM Architecture, is a single-storey brick structure inspired by local brick kilns and clay-rich soil, with a focus on reducing CO₂ emissions by minimising concrete use. The design features a traditional jack arch system, with downstand and peripheral beams, giving the locally sourced brickwork a light, floating appearance and an artisanal character.

Shortlisted entries from the Middle East include the Shafagh Tomb in the small city of Ardakan, in central Iran, which features an inverted dome and inscriptions flowing freely across its surface, transforming the architecture into a canvas that celebrates freedom of expression. Acting as a gateway to the cemetery, the Shafaq Tomb redefines a traditionally private space as a monument for all – a place where the sacred meets the everyday.

Shafagh Tomb by 35-51 Architecture Office | image © 35-51 Architecture Office

Moving to Europe, Dutch architecture practice Studio RAP has designed a ‘wave-like’ facade completely clad with 3D-printed ceramic tiles fronting onto Amsterdam’s historic Hooftstraat shopping street. While in Germany, working on a much larger canvas, fired clay, in the form of glazed panels with a fine, irregular vertical structure, was used for the facade of the plant buildings at Leipzig Cogeneration Plant. And in Slovenia, the transformation of a former industrial hall in Ljubljana into a temporary theatre focused on recycled and reusable materials, with the visible clay blocks painted silver.

Reuse by Michail Riches Architects was also a theme at Park Hill in Sheffield in the United Kingdom, where a Brutalist housing estate featured board-marked concrete infilled with fine-grain domestic brickwork. The reinvigorated bricks denote each ‘street in the sky’ and the colours of the balconies were chosen to complement the tones of the brickwork.

Ceramic House by Studio RAP | image ©Riccardo De Vecchi

All the way to the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Australia, an estimated 25,000 bricks were reportedly incorporated into the facade, comprising a combination of clay bricks in Ceniza and Poesia glass bricks. Arranged in a refined ‘hit and miss’ pattern, the design carefully balances transparency and security, serving as a powerful expression of remembrance and resilience and establishing visual and physical connections to activities, daylight and the community.

Right across, through the Pacific Ocean, Aatequila facility provided a notable entry from Mexico, where warehousing and offices for Clase Azul La Hacienda Jalisco used local ceramics and stone from the site excavation to anchor the buildings in their volcanic topography. Meanwhile, in Brazil, the White Bricks House was built using artisanal techniques and exposed solid bricks painted white. Varying brick spacing creates different levels of openness and privacy for each room. Careful study of the brickwork produced unique patterns and finishes, giving the project a timeless, handcrafted character. 

Claze Azul warehouse & office by Atelier ARS | image © Cesar Bejar

Among other entries from the USA, 64 University Place by Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects is an 11-storey residential building in Greenwich Village, New York, distinguished by its hand-laid brick masonry facade, arched windows and a grid of pilasters. The design blends historic references from the surrounding neighbourhood with contemporary details. The brick facade showcases skilled craftsmanship, relying both on expert bricklayers and thoughtful detailing.

Crossing continents, Set on a 4,000m² site on the slopes of Steenberg Ridge in Cape Town, South Africa, Mountain House by Chis van Niekerk sits lightly within its semi-rural landscape. The design uses a restrained palette of materials that express the earth’s colours and textures, allowing the building to age gracefully. Rooted in a primordial sense of shelter, it embraces simple, unadorned materials to create a timeless sense of enclosure.

Slovenian National Theatre by Vidic Grohar Arhitekti | image © Maxime Delvaux 

Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM) by KTA | image © L Showell

project info:

name: BRICK AWARD | @brickaward

The post BRICK AWARD 26 reveals 50 architectural works redefining the use of brick appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

As Expo 2025 Osaka unfolds under the theme ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives,’ the Qatar Pavilion by Kengo Kuma & Associates introduces an architectural meditation on dualities: land and sea, tradition and innovation, Qatar and Japan. Located on the waterfront site of Yumeshima Island, the pavilion brings together the fluidity of fabric, the solidity of timber, and the stories etched into coastlines, both real and remembered. Inside, an exhibition has been curated and designed by OMA / AMO, led by Samir Bantal. See designboom’s previous coverage here!

The pavilion, photographed by Iwan Baan, comes together in the form of a sweeping architectural gesture shaped like a dhow, the traditional sailing vessel once vital to trade and pearling in the Arabian Gulf. Its curving white canopy, suspended from a finely joined timber frame, evokes both a sail catching the breeze and the tensile calm of Japanese and Qatari wood craftsmanship. The architects note that the dhow is more than symbolic. It is a shared vernacular that represents human-scale exchange across water.

The Qatar Pavilion evokes a traditional dhow sailing vessel | image © Iwan Baan

Kengo Kuma Blends Heritage Through Craft

Kengo Kuma & Associates’ Qatar Pavilion is a celebration of construction methods as much as form at Expo 2025 Osaka. The pavilion incorporates timber joinery techniques drawn from both Qatari and Japanese traditions, creating a structure that appears both ancient and futuristic. According to the design team, this synthesis of techniques reflects a respect for cultural continuity and a shared sensibility rooted in the sea. The architects set the tone with an entry framed by poetic verse. Outside the pavilion, vitrines display poems by Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani and Ahmed bin Hassan Al-Muhannadi, printed against coastal imagery. The visuals replicate the gradient of the Gulf’s waters — deep indigo fading to aquamarine — as seen by sailors returning to shore.

A sequence of transitions define the experience, as the interior leads visitors from the maritime realm into the arid terrain of inland Qatar. A series of sand samples, each distinct in tone and texture, conjure the deserts that lie beyond the coast. Wall graphics reference the petroglyphs of Al Jassasiya, carved into stone by generations of inhabitants. The Pavilion was commissioned by Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry with creative and content direction led by the Qatar Blueprint, a think tank within Chairperson’s Office of Qatar Museums.

the lightweight structure uses Qatari and Japanese joinery techniques | image © Iwan Baan

the exhibition by OMA / AMO

Titled From the Coastline, We Progress, the OMA / AMO-curated exhibition deepens the narrative established by Kengo Kuma & Associates’ architecture, bringing an immersive journey into the nation’s past, present, and future as seen through its relationship with the sea. Developed under the direction of Samir Bantal, the exhibition transforms Qatar’s 563-kilometer coastline into a story of environmental adaptation, cultural resilience, and strategic transformation.

Visitors are first guided by a visual gradient that transitions from oceanic blues to desert tones, leading them toward the entrance. Aerial photographs of Qatar’s coastline — particularly the protected area of Al Zubarah — are displayed alongside poetry by Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani and Ahmed bin Hassan Al-Muhannadi, reinforcing the country’s poetic and ecological heritage. Inside, tubes of sand sourced from different desert zones act as tactile markers, both material and metaphorical, guiding the flow of movement through the space.

white flowing fabric captures both breeze and heritage | image © Iwan Baan

A deep blue curtain, created with Inside Outside, wraps the main exhibition hall, evoking the stratified densities of the sea. Within, a wedge-shaped aluminum structure houses twelve niches, each dedicated to a specific coastal site such as Khor Al-Udaid, Al Wakrah, Old Doha Port, or Ras Laffan. These vignettes combine panoramic imagery, tactile maps, and colored beads that signal each site’s role in Qatari life — whether industrial, ecological, cultural, or diplomatic.

At the heart of the experience is a cinematic installation modeled after a traditional Qatari winter majlis. The three-channel film, directed by AMO and Samir Bantal, interlaces archival material with new footage — British Petroleum reels from the 1950s and panoramic shots by filmmaker Ron Fricke — to explore Qatar’s complex modern identity through its land, sea, and people.

Before exiting, visitors encounter a compact display of traditional objects on loan from the National Museum of Qatar — relics from pearl diving and domestic life that serve as reminders of the material culture that once sustained the nation’s shoreline communities. This exhibition continues AMO’s long-standing engagement in the Gulf, complementing previous work on the Qatar National Library, the Qatar Foundation headquarters, and the landmark Making Doha exhibition in 2019.

poems by Qatar’s founding figures greet visitors at the entrance | image © Iwan Baan

Sou Fujimoto’s Grand Ring is framed by tensile openings in the fabric structure | image © Iwan Baan

interior exhibits trace Qatar’s transformation from sea to land | image © Iwan Baan

a three-screen film and sea curtain immerse guests in coastal stories | image © Iwan Baan

image © Marco Cappelletti, courtesy of OMA / AMO

pearl divers, merchants, and women’s roles are spotlighted in the narrative | image © Iwan Baan

project info:

name: Qatar Pavilion

architecture: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Expo 2025 Osaka | @expo2025japan

curator: OMA / AMO | @oma.eu

creative & content direction: Qatar Blueprint

commissioner: Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry

photography: © Iwan Baan | @iwanbaan

The post kengo kuma’s qatar pavilion at expo 2025 osaka highlights qatari ships and japanese joinery appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Kengo Kuma and Associates’ CMP Inspiration sits at the intersection of Taichung’s Calligraphy Greenway — the heart of the city’s green network — and a cluster of high-and mid-rise urban developments. The organic new museum in Taiwan is conceived to dissolve into its surroundings, partially buried underground and topped with a roof that becomes the project’s primary architectural gesture.

Softly contoured and densely planted, the roof wraps above and around the museum, before it folds into its context. Amid the greenery, a multi-level public space is carved out to extend the museum’s program into the urban sphere, functioning like a city plaza and a stage for hosting concerts, gatherings, and other events. Beneath, this sinuous language extends into the programming which is hosted amid gently contorting exhibition halls and winding corridors, and complemented by a signature curving staircase. 

all images by Chen Yang

a garden-like museum in taichung, taiwan

Kengo Kuma and Associates integrates a surface of soil into the roof structure to support a self-sustaining ecosystem of vegetation on top of it. Further, the CMP Inspiration museum decidedly keeps a low profile to minimize the imposing character of the urban development surrounding it. Structurally, the architects achieve this organic integration through a lightweight steel framework. The 12-millimeter-thick polygonal steel base plates eliminate visual bulk, allowing the surface to dissolve fluidly into the ground plane.

Supported by steel posts and beams, the interior spaces are also defined by twisted surfaces that subvert the conventional white-cube museum typology. Deviating from neutral, rectilinear enclosures, the galleries are conceived as a sequence of contorted rooms, connected by a cavernous volume and organic transitional zones. Here, pleated walls and louvered ceilings echo the structure’s undulating form, injecting warmth through layers of gently illuminated wooden panels. 

Kengo Kuma and Associates completes CMP Inspiration

sits at the intersection of Taichung’s Calligraphy Greenway and high-and mid-rise urban developments

partially buried underground and topped with a roof that becomes the project’s primary architectural gesture

a multi-level public space is carved into the greenery

the space functions like a city plaza and a stage for hosting various events

the organic new museum is conceived to dissolve into its urban context

the 12-millimeter-thick polygonal steel base plates eliminate visual bulk

the CMP Inspiration museum keeps a low profile to minimize the imposing character of the urban development

pleated walls and louvered ceilings echo the structure’s undulating form

a signature curving staircase

injecting warmth through layers of gently illuminated wooden panels

project info:

name: CMP Inspiration

architect: Kengo Kuma and Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Taichung, Taiwan

design team: Satoshi Onomichi, Yi-chen Lee, Yifei Wu, Fumiki Sugawara, Go Terasawa, Hisako Tokai

construction: CEC (Continental Engineering Corporation)

cooperation: EEC (Envision Engineering Consultants)

facility: GHC Engineering Co., Ltd.

accumulation: C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects / Planners

exterior: H&A (Horizon & Atmosphere Landscape Co.)

illumination: PLCD X CMA Lighting Design

photographer: Chen Yang

The post verdant roof doubling as public plaza tops kengo kuma’s curving museum in taichung, taiwan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Kengo Kuma and Associates conjures an architectural apparition in the heart of Fukuoka, Japan with this newly opened Cs Somme Café. The coastal city, famous for its food culture, is located along the northern shore of the country’s Kyushu Island. The new structure is wrapped in a facade of delicate metal mesh and appears to hover above a small green oasis in the city. Overall, the project evokes an ethereal retreat floating amidst the urban density. Like a shimmering mirage, the soft facade transforms the café from a white glass box into an occupiable sculpture.

images © Katsumasa Tanaka

kengo kuma reimagines the flying buttress

Conceiving the structure of its Cs Somme Café, the design team, led by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, takes an innovative approach. A mesh-clad, arch-supported steel frame is integrated to interlock with an internal grid framework. This interplay of structural elements ensures seismic resilience despite the café’s seemingly lightweight and airy design. The system functions as a contemporary reimagining of the flying buttress, reinforcing stability while maintaining a visual lightness. Beyond its spectral appearance, the mesh provides passive energy savings by filtering sunlight, reducing the need for artificial cooling.

Beneath this shroud, the Cs Somme Café occupies a luminous white cube. A polished plaster counter floats at the center, its refined finish contrasting with the soft translucency of stretch-fabric lighting fixtures. The careful balance of light and texture gives the interior an almost weightless quality, reinforcing the café’s ethereal concept. Here, craftsmanship and innovation result in an atmosphere that is at once intimate and otherworldly, demonstrating the studio’s ability to transform everyday spaces into poetic experiences.

Kengo Kuma designs Cs Somme Café as a ‘floating’ oasis in Fukuoka, Japan

the café is wrapped in a delicate metal mesh, creating a mirage-like appearance

a steel arch frame and an internal grid framework ensure seismic stability

the structural system functions as a modern reinterpretation of the flying buttress

the metal mesh reduces solar exposure, enhancing energy efficiency

a polished plaster counter contrasts with translucent stretch-fabric lighting fixtures

the interplay of light and texture creates an ethereal and weightless atmosphere

project info:

name: Cs Somme Café

architect: Kengo Kuma and Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Fukuoka, Japan

size: 268 square meters (2,885 square feet)

completion: February 2025

photography: © Katsumasa Tanaka | @k_tanaka_photo

landscape: Kyoko Mase
construction: Oyabu Group Co., Ltd.
structure: Yasutaka Konishi Architectural Structural Design
facilities: Dainichi, Kunan
exterior: Relier
lighting: Daiko Electric
CG team: Kenji Miyahara, Toshiro Ota, Fumiya Kaneko
graphics: Shizuka Kane

The post kengo kuma shrouds café in fukuoka, japan with ghostly mesh facade appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

As Milan prepares to host the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the city is undergoing a transformative moment. A lineup of high-profile projects is reshaping the city’s skyline, driven by renowned firms such as Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), Kengo Kuma & Associates, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and Stefano Boeri Architetti. Notable projects include SOM’s Olympic Village, which integrates green public spaces with the historic Porta Romana Railway Yard, and David Chipperfield‘s elliptical Arena Santa Giulia, a modern amphitheater set to host major Olympic events. BIG’s CityWave will introduce Europe’s largest urban solar canopy, while Kengo Kuma’s biophilic Welcome project will bring biophilic workspaces to the Rizzoli district.

Alongside these marquee projects, the city is seeing a number of smaller yet significant changes ahead of 2026. The recent opening of the M4 Metro promises to enhance urban mobility, while the city’s controversial decision to replace parts of its bumpy, uneven cobblestone streets with smoother, pedestrian-friendly surfaces should marks a more accessible shift in infrastructure. A major public policy change includes a new outdoor smoking ban within ten meters (33 feet) of others. This new architecture and infrastructure reflects efforts to improve the quality of life for both residents and visitors, and improve the fabric of Milan as it prepares to take center stage for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

CityLife district | image by Beauty and the Bit

OLYMPIC VILLAGE, skidmore owings & merrill (SOM)

In July 2021, SOM was announced the winner of an international competition to design the Athletes’ Village for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Forming part of a larger masterplan to revitalize Porta Romana Railway Yard in Milan, the winning scheme prioritizes sustainable building strategies and establishing a new urban community that will long outlast the olympic games.

The project by Skidmore Owings & Merill (SOM) comprises public green spaces, two renovated historic structures and six new residential buildings that will house athletes during the Olympics. Once the games are over, the spaces will be converted and reused. The athletes’ accommodation will be used for student housing, the park and railway-side buildings will become affordable housing, and the Olympic Village Plaza will turn into a neighborhood square with social functions like shops and cafés. There will also be outdoor space for farmers’ markets and community events. The Olympic Village is expected to be complete by July 2025.

Olympic Village, Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Parco Romana | image © SOM

arena santa giulia, DAVID CHIPPERFIELD

Arup and David Chipperfield‘s Berlin office are developing a stadium in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with an elliptical shape inspired by amphitheaters. The sports and cultural venue will form the centerpiece of Milan‘s new Santa Giulia neighborhood in the southeast of the city. Named Arena Santa Giulia, the stadium will have a 16,000-person capacity and is set to be complete by 2025.

David Chipperfield Architects looked to the archetype of the amphitheater for the elliptical shape of the building but added metallic materials and dynamic forms for a modern reinterpretation. The architecture is articulated by three ‘floating’ rings separated by glass bands. During the day, these rings will be characterized by shimmering aluminum tubes while LED strips will light the building up at night.

Arena Santa Giulia, David Chipperfield Architects, Santa Giulia district | images © Onirism Studio

lighthouse tower, ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel

International architecture and interior design practice ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel unveiled the design for this Torre Faro, or Lighthouse, in August 2021. Set to house the new Milan headquarters of Italian company A2A, the project reimagines the company’s office spaces as capable of adapting to people’s ever-changing needs at work. The 144-meter-high office tower will revive the local urban fabric of the Symbiosis business district with 6,320 square meters of new green public spaces.

The new tower will accommodate 1,500 people in spaces that are flexible, open, and are complemented by a green courtyard. Vertically, the tower is centrally divided into two sets of office floors framed by the spacious entrance hall on the first floor, the sky garden in the middle, and a belvedere on top. With the project, the architects address future professional needs by integrating flexible spaces — including co-working lounges and meeting rooms — that can be reconfigured for multiple uses.

Lighthouse, ACPV, Symbiosis business district | image © ACPV

welcome, Kengo Kuma & Associates

A biophilic development designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates broke ground in March 2021. Titled ‘Welcome’, the mixed-use project is located in Milan‘s former Rizzoli district, previously an abandoned industrial area. Anchored around a newly established public piazza, the project seeks to act as a catalyst to revive the entire area — uniting people and nature for a better quality of life and work. Once complete, KKAA‘s project will include offices, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and auditoriums, as well as restaurants and lounges, shops, a supermarket, a wellness area, and places for temporary exhibitions.

Welcome, Kengo Kuma and Associates, Rizzoli district | image © KKAA

citywave, bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)

Bjarke Ingels Group begun construction on its sweeping CityWave building in Septmeber 2021 as part of the existing CityLife District in Milan. The project will host a new office space for the ever-evolving Italian city, and will become an iconic element of the area’s regeneration efforts, with its gestural and high-tech roof structure. The project will mark the fourth building of the site, which already contains towers by Zaha Hadid Architects, Daniel Libeskind, and Arata Isozaki. Here, the team aims to introduce an improved quality of life along with sustainable building.

With its monumental roof, the team at Bjarke Ingels Group notes that it will bring what will likely be the largest urban integrated solar canopy in Europe — estimated to produce an annual 1,200-megawatt hours of power. Upon its completion, CityWave will seek to represent the workplace of future. 

Citywave, Bjarke Ingels Group, Citylife district | image © BIG

Pirelli 39, diller scofidio + renfro and stefano boeri architetti

The collaborative team of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) and Stefano Boeri Architetti (SBA) has been chosen to regenerate a site at the center of Milan’s Porta Nuova Gioia district. The mixed-use project — referred to as ‘Pirelli 39’ — involves the renovation of the site’s existing ‘Pirellino’ office tower, and the construction of a new residential high-rise that will include 1,700 square meters of integrated vegetation. Finally, a bridge connecting the two structures will serve as a hub for events, shows, and exhibitions. This bridge will also house a biodiverse greenhouse that will offer immersive, educational experiences as a dedicated laboratory.

It is expected that the tower by DS+R and SBA will absorb fourteen tons of CO2 and produce nine tons of oxygen per year — comparable to a 10,000 square meter forest. Thanks to 2,770 square meters of photovoltaic panels, the tower will be able to produce 65% of its energy needs, while the use of structural wood will decrease its carbon footprint.

Pirelli 39, Diller Scofidio + Renfro & Stefano Boeri Architetti, Porta Nuova Gioia district | rendering by Aether Images

PADEL PAVILION, FABIO NOVEMBRE

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, Fabio Novembre has designed the new Padel Pavilion, an innovative sports center located in Milan’s CityLife district’s park. The building aligns visually with the existing architecture, especially with the gentle curves of Bjarke Ingels Group’s CityWave project, together forming a sort of gateway from the northeast. The structure is characterized by a 17-meter curved overhang, inviting park visitors toward the entrance.

The pavilion by Fabio Novembre Studio will stand twelve meters tall and span 2,800 square meters, housing seven padel courts. Inside, there will be a refreshment area and a raised multifunctional space offering a prime view of the sports activities.

Padel Pavilion, Novembre Studio, CityLife district | image © Novembre Studio

The post designing for 2026: how milan’s architecture is evolving ahead of the winter olympics appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.