Architecture news 2026, world buildings architects, global architectural designs, international property projects
Architecture News – Global Buildings
post updated May 15, 2026
See our homepage for the latest news!
This page shows a selection of major architectural picks by the e-architect Editors – Isabelle Lomholt and Adrian Welch – from our daily postings:
Just for clarity, e-architect – like most architectural publications – is politically neutral, therefore we publish projects from any and all countries in the world. We are architects, interested in architecture design.
We cannot operate as judge and jury for what regime might be viewed at a particular point in time as bad or good. In 2026 we featured projects in Russia, USA, Iran, Israel, and so on. Our focus is on buildings and architects. We of course pray for peace and wish people safety.
May 14, 2026
Lilli luxury waterfront residence, Miami, Florida, USA
Design: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG)
image : Darcstudio
Located directly along the waterfront at 717 Northeast 27th Street in Miami, LILLI is envisioned as an intimate residential retreat that celebrates the experience of bayside living through privacy, openness, and uninterrupted views.
The development comprises 117 residences, ranging from one- to four-bedroom homes and expansive penthouses, each carefully oriented toward panoramic vistas of Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, and the Miami skyline. Generous glazing and seamless indoor-outdoor living spaces reinforce the connection between the residences and their waterfront surroundings.
11 May 2026
Manchester Metropolitan University Library, England, UK
Design: Hawkins\Brown + Schmidt Hammer Lassen
image courtesy of architects practice
Approved by Manchester City Council on 8 May, the project will replace the existing All Saints Library on Oxford Road with a purpose-built, digitally enabled facility designed to enhance study, research, and collaboration. The new development aims to provide flexible and innovative learning spaces that support the evolving needs of students, staff, and academic communities.
6 May 2026
Turning Hut, Chaboksar, North of Iran
Design: HABI MAD Architecture (Habibeh Madjdabadi Architecture Studio)
image courtesy of architects practice
Set within the lush landscape of Chaboksar in northern Iran, architect Habibeh Madjdabadi presents the ‘Turning Hut’—a contemporary villa that seems to float above the forest floor. Departing from the region’s typical use of pilotis in response to its damp climate, the structure is instead suspended between the site’s boundary walls, freeing the ground plane entirely. A single staircase connects earth to dwelling, ascending to a volume defined by a traditional pitched roof. At its apex, the roof is dramatically cut and rotated, opening a framed view toward the distant Caspian Sea.
4 May 2026
The University of Science and Technology – Houari Boumediene, Algeria
Date built: 1974
Design: architect Oscar Niemeyer
photo © Daniel Lomholt-Welch
Oscar Niemeyer
The Houari Boumediene University of Science and Technology (USTHB) is the largest university in Africa. Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the campus features bold Modernist architectire. It was inaugurated in September 1974 by the then president. The famous architecthad fled Brazil after the 1964 Brazilian military coup.
3 May 2026
Songtsm Travel Hotel Jiuzhai, Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province, Southwestern China
Architect: Thinking Design
photo : You Pu
This project is not about renovation, but about remembrance—bringing back the memories held within the land, the quiet breath of the forests and timber, and the passage of time embedded in the mountain’s layers. It seeks to rekindle aged wood, to raise old houses once more, and to let the mountain springs find their voice again. Every weathered beam returns to the slope, and every crack speaks of wind and frost.
May 1, 2026
Helix House, Los Angeles, California, USA
Architecture: SAOTA
photo : Ema Peters
Helix House is embedded into the hillside, where its planted roofscape extends the surrounding landscape and provides a natural screen from neighbouring properties. This green surface softens the building’s presence, creating a seamless continuity between architecture and terrain.
++
April 30, 2026
Erenhault House, Beverly Hills, 624 Cole Place
Architect: Harry Gesner
photo : Nils Timm
624 Cole Place, designed by U.S. architect Harry Gesner, is located in the exclusive Trousdale Estates neighborhood. The property was listed for sale in April 2026, marking its first time on the market in 20 years. The home was conceived to blend seamlessly into the hillside, with a design that emphasizes indoor-out living.
April 28, 2026
Sirmai-Peterson House, Thousand Oaks, California, USA
Date built: 1988
Design: Frank Gehry Architect
photo : Cameron Carothers
This modern Californian property is both spatially complex and intuitively legible. Circulation occurs between volumes rather than through them, reinforcing a constant awareness of exterior space, topography, and sky. The home’s courtyard serves as the project’s anchor—an interior landscape that mediates between the individual forms while opening outward to a constructed water feature beyond.
28 April 2026
Wasl Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Architecture: UNS
photo © Ahmad Alnaji – SARAB
The tower’s responsiveness to harsh climatic conditions—achieved through passive shading and cooling strategies articulated across the façade—distinguishes it within the Dubai skyline. Its form morphs and folds to minimise solar heat gain while enhancing the protective performance of its abrasion- and heat-resistant ceramic cladding.
27 April 2026
MOD Residential Tower, Moscow, Russia
Architecture: Kleinewelt architekten
photo : Daniel Annenkov
A central aim of the project was to preserve a clear, comfortable human scale despite its overall size. The architects achieved this by organizing a hierarchy of open spaces and carefully varying the building volumes. Within the complex, the atmosphere transitions from the vertical emphasis of the towers to lower, more intimate areas, including a courtyard with sports and recreational facilities and a square that opens toward the city and connects with the surrounding district. Overall, the design balances density with spatial clarity, relying on composition rather than decorative excess to shape the experience of the site.
23 April 2026
NOT A HOTEL Shikoku, Japan
Design: Estudio Mazara
photo : Studio D121
Toward the slope, the architects locate spaces intended for introspection and rest, while positioning the social areas to open toward expansive coastal views. At the heart of the project, a courtyard organizes circulation throughout the house, forming a microcosm of the surrounding landscape and strengthening the connection between the occupants and the site’s natural qualities.
21 April 2026
Pointe Living Tower, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Architecture: Luigi Rosselli Architects
photo © Martin Mischkulnig
Built on a tight plot between neighboring apartments, the building takes the form of a slender infill that respects the height and scale of its surroundings. Its design is defined by a central spine, from which concrete beams extend outward like ribs, creating a striking presence on the street. The structure subtly tapers and twists, allowing it to fit gracefully alongside the adjacent buildings.
15 April 2026
V&A East Museum Stratford Building Design, London, UK
Design: O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects
photo © Hufton+Crow
The intricately detailed folded façade lends both strength and a distinctive identity to the architectural form. Composed of 479 sand-coloured precast concrete panels—each uniquely shaped and profiled—the exterior subtly references the V&A’s signature motif, embedding a layer of visual continuity into the building’s surface.
April 11, 2026
Central Station Phoenix, Arizona
Design: Multistudio
photo © Matt Winquist
The two towers are conceived as complementary counterparts: one elevates skyline living for professionals and families, while the other grounds student life within the energy of downtown. Together, they establish a dynamic residential ecosystem in dialogue with the city’s academic, cultural, and civic institutions.
8 April 2026
Metro Line 2 Turin buildings, Italy
Design: UNS
Exterior of San Giovanni Bosco, Turin Metro Line 2 – photo © Produced by HISM, ©Extraordinary Commissioner Chiaia
UNS’s vision for Turin Metro Line 2 reimagines transportation infrastructure as a recognizable urban landmark. The winning proposal is guided by three distinct design principles that transform functional necessity into architectural identity, translating Turin’s rich history into a contemporary, approachable, and human-centered transit experience.
The design emphasizes clarity of circulation, material expression rooted in local heritage, and an intuitive relationship between underground and surface urban life. By doing so, the project positions the metro not merely as a means of transport but as an integral element of the city’s public realm—welcoming, legible, and deeply connected to Turin’s cultural narrative.
5 April 2026
Northwest University Swimming Pool Renovation, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province
Design: Yuanbo Jia
photo : Yuanbo Jia architects practice
The water element operates as a primary spatial organiser within the project. Timber posts are introduced at regular intervals, enabling movement across the space while preserving the continuity of the water surface. Through the interplay of distinct structural systems and subtle level changes, the design generates a diverse range of spatial conditions, from open and expansive areas to semi-enclosed spaces and more introspective, inward-facing zones.
4 April 2026
NOT A HOTEL Setouchi villas, Sagishima Island, Seto Inland Sea, Japan
photo : Kenta Hasegawa
Comprising three exclusive villas, a beachfront restaurant, and a private stretch of shoreline, NOT A HOTEL Setouchi is set across a 30,000-square-meter site on the southwestern cape of Sagishima. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, the project was completed in under two years, reflecting a highly efficient yet thoughtful design and construction process. Ownership is offered through NOT A HOTEL’s innovative shared model, allowing buyers fractional access while contributing to the brand’s growing network of luxury vacation homes across Japan.
1 April 2026
20 Gresham Street, London, England, United Kingdom
Design: John Robertson Architects
photo © Jack Hobhouse
Originally delivered by KPF in 2008, JRA has undertaken a comprehensive upgrade of two office levels, alongside the repositioning of the building’s entrance hall and basement facilities. The defining gesture of the project is the reimagining of the existing double-height ground floor lobby, previously dominated by a full-height sculpted travertine wall, transforming it into a more contemporary and engaging arrival space.
++
24 March 2026
Sir Peter Cook Exhibition, UK
People from the worlds of architecture, design, and academia came to the Drawing Studio at Arts University Bournemouth to celebrate its 10th birthday. Guest of honour was the building’s architect, Sir Peter Cook.
photo courtesy of Arts University Bournemouth
Drawing studio at Arts University Bournemouth
The anniversary celebrations transitioned into the official opening of a major new exhibition, Moves On from the Beach to City and Landscape, at AUB’s TheGallery. Tracing the career of Professor Sir Peter Cook, the exhibition highlights the intersections of imagination, experimentation, and architectural making across more than seven decades and passing through the years of the Drawing Studio and the Innovation Studio also built at AUB.
18 March 2026
Wedyan – Kengo Kuma’s first building in the UAE
Wedyan waterfront residence, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Design: architect Kengo Kuma
image courtesy of architects practice
Designed by Kengo Kuma, world-famous architect, Wedyan‘s living façade islayered with organic textures and softened by greenery. Architect Kengo Kuma’s design philosophy meets modern practicalities, shaping spaces that feel both striking and serene.
12 March 2026
Smiljan Radić Clarke – 2026 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize
photo courtesy of architects office
2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize Winner
Smiljan Radić Clarke resists a repeatable architectural language, approaching each project instead as a singular inquiry grounded in first principles and shaped by a non-continuous understanding of history. Context, use, and anthropological awareness are key, guiding the design process. The site is conceived not merely as a physical condition, but as a convergence of historical layers, social practices, and political circumstances.
4 March 2026
Zaha Hadid Architects wins appeal in naming dispute
In a significant legal victory, Patrik Schumacher, principal of Zaha Hadid Architects, has won a Court of Appeal case against the Zaha Hadid Foundation over the continued use of the late architect’s name.
++
– 48,000 architectural pages / posts across resource – 5 sites
– cross-referenced resource : building / architect / country / city / type
– architectural news online 16 hours a day, 7 days a week
This section features the latest global architecture news including building project announcements, architecture competitions, museum designs, skyscrapers, and innovative architectural developments from leading architects around the world.
++
Architecture News in February 2026
Key Building News from around the world – Headlines:
26 February 2026
De Nederlandsche Bank Building Renewal, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Renewal Architect office: Mecanoo
photo : De Nederlandsche Bank/Ossip Architectuurfotografie
The DNB building, designed by architect Marius Duintjer, embodied a modern and highly functional approach. However, it was never fully embraced by the people of Amsterdam, who perceived it as unapproachable and at odds with the historic character of the city centre. The complex—comprising a low-rise, square-shaped building and an adjoining office tower—drew inspiration from the mid-century modern architecture of Mies van der Rohe and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the United States of America.
23 February 2026
Grand Opera House in Shanghai, China
Architecture: Snøhetta
photography : Tian Fangfang, Honne Dang, Runzi Zhu, StudioSZ Photo | Justin Szeremeta
The Shanghai Grand Opera House, designed by the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta, is envisioned as a major cultural destination that brings together diverse performing arts traditions. The project aims to engage audiences across genres—from classical opera and orchestral performances to contemporary, experimental, and multidisciplinary works.
20 February 2026
Sagrada Familia tower of Jesus Christ, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
photo : Pep Daudé
The iconic basilica Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain has reached a major milestone: the Tower of Jesus Christ has been crowned with the upper arm of its monumental cross, completing the exterior structure of the temple’s tallest tower.
11 February 2026
National Innovation Creativity and Finance Center, Taipei, Taiwan
Architecture: Zaha Hadid Architects & CY Lee
render : X Universe Visual Design
In line with the requirements of Taipei’s Western Gateway Project to enhance the city’s public realm, NICFC’s 175,000 sq.m design prioritizes walkability and accessibility. It connects the district’s existing civic hubs through a network of pedestrian plazas, courtyards, and walkways, while preserving Beimen’s urban vistas and streetscapes, ensuring the area’s heritage remains legible within the contemporary city fabric.
9 February 2026
Lishui Airport Building Design, Zhejiang, China
Design: MAD Architects
photo : CreatAR Images
Traditionally conceived as purely functional infrastructure, airports are often detached from the rhythms of everyday urban life. With Lishui Airport, MAD proposes an alternative model: a transportation hub that also operates as a civic space, an ecological landmark, and a site of psychological transition—offering travelers a moment of calm within the flow of movement.
4 February 2026
Qiantang Bay Cultural District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
image : Atchain
The Qiantang Bay Central Water Axis establishes a continuous sequence of landscaped parklands, terraces, and gardens along the Zhedong Canal in Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan district, transforming former industrial canal-edge areas into a green corridor that threads through the city’s core. Within these waterside landscapes, cultural and educational buildings line the canal, each carefully oriented to engage with the new civic realm.
++
Architectural Design Updates in January 2026
22 January 2026
Memphis Art Museum Building, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
render Courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron
When the museum opens, its galleries will be arranged into 18 distinct exhibitions that showcase the collection’s strengths while creating connections across time, geography, and medium. The new architectural framework enables visual and conceptual dialogue between spaces, reinforcing thematic continuities that flow throughout the museum.
17 January 2026
Inaura Dubai urban tower, UAE
Architect: MVRDV
photo © MVRDV
Dutch architect MVRDV has won the architectural competition to design Inaura, a luxury hotel and residential tower in Downtown Dubai. Occupying a prominent position within the Dubai skyline, Inaura is highly visible from—and offers framed views toward—the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain. At 210 metres tall, however, it sits among even taller neighboring towers, each competing for visual presence and attention.
15 January 2026
Asylum Reception Facilities, Oisterwijk, The Netherlands
Architects: OMA
photo © Frans Parthesius, courtesy of OMA
To stabilize and improve the quality of asylum reception, the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) has adopted the HoutKern construction method—a modular timber system developed by Circlewood and OMA—as the basis for new reception facilities in the Netherlands. This approach supports the creation of inclusive, dignified environments aligned with contemporary sustainability standards.
14 January 2026
Bishoftu International Airport, Ethiopia, Africa
Design: Zaha Hadid Architects and Pascall+Watson Architects
image : X Universe
Situated within the temperate subtropical highland climate of Ethiopia’s Oromia region, BIA’s passenger terminal is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. The building is conceived to operate with natural ventilation, enhanced by effective solar shading, and incorporates semi-enclosed and open-air areas, allowing transferring passengers to experience the region’s warm summers and mild winters in comfort.
13 January 2026
Tiffany Façade Beijing, Beijing, China
Design: MVRDV
photo © Tiffany & Co.
A new Tiffany & Co. flagship store has opened in Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun commercial district, distinguished by a façade of curving, translucent glass fins that give the building an ethereal presence. Inspired by the flowing forms of jewellery designer Elsa Peretti, the Beijing store is the fifth in a series of façades by MVRDV for Tiffany, introducing a design language that explores innovative materials and expressive three-dimensional form across the collection.
7 January 2026
The Perigon Tower, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Design: OMA
images : OMA and Binyan Studios
This project reinterprets the traditional relationship between front and rear gardens in response to its context. Situated on a corner lot adjacent to Biscayne Boulevard and a mid-rise commercial district to the west, the design orients the main living spaces, pool, and gardens toward the front yard, organized around a central courtyard.
Service areas are positioned toward the Biscayne Boulevard side, while the rear yard is densely planted with trees, creating a visual and acoustic buffer.
6 January 2026
Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum, Le Havre, Normandy, France
Design: LYT-X Studio
render © LYT-X Studio
The Brise-Vent Havre Harbor Museum is a cultural project located along the historic waterfront of Le Havre, France. It proposes the adaptive reuse of an existing industrial harbor structure, transforming it into a public cultural facility embedded within the city’s maritime and urban context.
Rather than treating the site as a preserved artifact, the design considers the existing building as a spatial and infrastructural framework capable of supporting contemporary cultural programs and open public access.
+++
e-architect Editors Isabelle Lomholt & Adrian Welch handpicks key architecture news to post on facebook + linkedin
For the latest news see our homepage.
+++
Recent Architecture News
World Architecture News – dedicated news page for each country across the globe
+++
World Architectural News 2019 to 2024
Architectural News 2014
+++
World Architecture Festival news : World Building of the Year Award
Zaha Hadid buildings / designs
Architecture Articles for e-architect
+++
Architectural Design Archive
Sustainable Architecture : Carbon Emissions Rise – radical plan required
Architecture Studio Profile : Norton Ellis Architects
“After just a few weeks listed on e-architect we were contacted by a new client for a residential refurbishment. The project suits us perfectly, I was amazed how the website created a new project so soon for us. I’m delighted that we signed up with e-architect, which we should have done sooner.” Robert Ellis, architect
EDITORIAL PROCESS
We feature selected buildings below that have recently appeared on the Architecture News. A wider selection of new buildings can be found in our monthly architectural news pages.
We try to choose major buildings / designs that have created the most interest for our readers. Buildings can be located anywhere in the world and don’t have to be contemporary – major building refurbishments and architectural redevelopments are also welcome.
Buildings for the World Architecture News page welcome: info(at)e-architect.com