Articles by Christele Harrouk

Babyn Yar, a ravine in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, witnessed the killing of more than 33,000 Jewish men, women, and children, on September 29 and 30, 1941. The site of one of the largest single massacres perpetrated by occupying German troops against Jews during World War II, Babyn Yar became a symbol of the Holocaust by Bullets.

American artist Theaster Gates unveiled his design for the 21st Serpentine Pavilion. Curated for the first time by a non-architect, the 2022 edition named Black Chapel, “will pay homage to British craft and manufacturing traditions”. Realized with the architectural support of Adjaye Associates, the pavilion will open to the public on Friday 10 June 2022, in Kensington Gardens.

Conceived in 1977, and currently, in progress, The Mastaba, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s largest permanent artwork in the world, will be built in Abu Dhabi, in a proposed location approximately 160 kilometers south of the city in the desert of Liwa, in the United Arab Emirates. Made from 410,000 multi-colored barrels, the installation will create “a colorful mosaic, echoing Islamic architecture”. 150 meters high, 300 meters long at the vertical walls and 225 meters wide at the 60 degrees slanted walls, the duo’s final project will take at least three years to be built, once it receives governmental approval.

The 2022 winter stations competition revealed its 3 winning projects, selected from worldwide submissions alongside three student designs from Ryerson University, University of Toronto, and the University of Guelph. Back for its eighth edition, after a one-year hiatus, the competition, launched by RAW Design, Ferris + Associates, and Curio in 2015, will once again “draw people outside to enjoy the Beach in the winter” and the projects will take over the lifeguard stations at Toronto’s Woodbine Beach.

Stating that “design and sustainability are indissociable”, the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award, centered its nominations on social inclusion, sustainability and circularity, and aesthetic research. So far, 40 shortlisted projects are moving to the next level. The biennial contest that gives tribute to works completed within the previous two years in general, will announce the 5 finalist works in February 2022, and the winner in April 2022.

“A Broken House” is a documentary directed by Jimmy Goldblum that highlights the story of Mohamad Hafez, a Syrian native that moved to the US on a single-entry visa to study architecture and was not able to return home. Facing his fate, he channeled his homesickness in his artwork, and started producing miniature sculptures of his hometown, in order to build the “Damascus of his memories”.

The 60th edition of Salone del Mobile.Milano has been postponed and will now take place from the 7th till the 12th of June 2022. The decision was taken by the Board of Federlegno Arredo Eventi, in agreement with Fiera Milano, who voted to postpone the event from April 2022 to June 2022. 

After a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, Architectural photographer Marc Goodwin has resumed work on the Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres, Archmospheres, starting with the city of Berlin. This project that seeks to capture architecture offices from around the world has already gathered images from Madrid, Brazil, Panama City, the Netherlands, Dubai, London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, the Nordic countries, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and Istanbul.

After a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, Architectural photographer Marc Goodwin has resumed work on the Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres, Archmospheres, starting with the city of Berlin. This project that seeks to capture architecture offices from around the world has already gathered images from Madrid, Brazil, Panama City, the Netherlands, Dubai, London, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, the Nordic countries, Barcelona, Los Angeles, and Istanbul.

2021 was the year of a new reality, with humankind adapting to what is known as the second year of the pandemic. While some countries witnessed a return to alternative normality, opening up to the world through travel and events, others stayed in lockdown, expanding furthermore the inequality gaps. Nevertheless, this year also brought a lot of hope in all aspects, raising questions and building solutions for the near future.  With a major focus on climate urgency, biomedical research as well as notions of hybridity, 2021 has triggered new understandings of the environment that surrounds us and of our place in this world.