The Futuristic Landscape of Architecture: Shaping the World in 2024

The past year in architecture was filled with superlatives, from India opening the world's largest office building to Malaysia's Merdeka 118 becoming the second tallest skyscraper ever constructed. However, 2023 also celebrated subtlety, with the thoughtfully designed Chinese boarding school named World Building of the Year and British architect David Chipperfield being awarded the Pritzker Prize for his career dedicated to understated cultural institutions.

The year ahead will likely bring a similar mix of the bold and the beautiful. Here are 10 architectural projects set to shape the world in 2024:

Benin National Assembly, Porto-Novo, Benin

Kere Architecture

From his first project, creating a primary school for his village in Burkina Faso in 2001, architect Francis Kéré has focused on creating modest civic and community facilities. However, his latest project, a new national assembly in Benin, is on a much larger scale at 35,000 square meters (377,000 square feet).

Although the design was quietly unveiled in 2021, Kéré made history the following year by becoming the first African architect to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize. Now, the world will be closely observing how he applies his long-standing principles of natural ventilation, ample shading, and the use of local materials on this grander scale project.

Nanjing Vertical Forest, Nanjing, China

Berlin-based company claims that the design of the building, with its top-heavy appearance, was influenced by the palaver tree, traditionally used as a gathering place. The ground-floor assembly hall will be able to accommodate Benin's 109-seat legislature, while the surrounding public park will provide "a feeling of openness and transparency," according to the company's project description.

Stefano Boeri Architetti

The Bosco Verticale, also known as the "Vertical Forest," is a tree-filled architectural marvel in Milan, Italy that has gained recognition for its innovative green design. However, for architect Stefano Boeri, this stunning residential project marked only the start of his vision.

Driven by a mission to spearhead a "global campaign on urban forestry," Boeri's firm has brought similar concepts to fruition across Europe and other parts of the world. The most recent endeavor, located in Nanjing, China, will showcase approximately 800 trees and more than 2,500 shrubs and trailing plants artfully placed on thoughtfully designed balconies.

Kunstsilo, Kristiansand, Norway

The latest Vertical Forest, comprised of two towers, with the larger one standing at 200 meters (656 feet) tall, will feature offices, a museum, and a hotel with a top-floor swimming pool. Boeri's firm has stated that the 27 native species thriving on the buildings' facades will support biodiversity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 18 tons a year.

Kunstsilo

The pre-war grain silo in Kristiansand, Norway, closed along with the local mill in 2008 after 370 years of operation. Despite its empty state, local officials mandated the preservation of the heritage structure. A design competition attracted over 100 architecture firms to reimagine the silo as an art gallery. The winning proposal, by Mestres WÃ¥ge Arquitectes and MX_SI, maintains much of the silo's exterior while reconfiguring the interior to create 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet) of exhibition space, illuminated by top-lighting in the cylindrical concrete "cells."

Keppel South Central, Singapore

Kunstsilo, originally designed to hold up to 15,000 tons of grain, will now be home to the 5,500-strong Tangen Collection, the largest private collection of Nordic art in the world, curated by art patron Nicolai Tangen, a native of Kristiansand.

NBBJ

Amid the shift to remote work and the return to office policies, architects are reimagining the role of corporate workplaces in people's lives. The occupants of Singapore's upcoming Keppel South Central tower could be more motivated than others to leave their home offices behind, as the tower offers plentiful green spaces and a spacious outdoor swimming pool.

In Singapore, strict green planning laws require property developers to allocate space for landscaping when constructing new high-rise buildings. As a result, the design of the 33-story tower includes lush rooftop terraces for employees. Additionally, the building features a public space—a canopy at the base that surrounds an open-air plaza with shops, cafes, and restaurants.

EVE Park, London, Canada

NBBJ boldly claims that rooftop-mounted solar cells and rainwater capture systems will contribute to making this one of Singapore's "most sustainable office building developments to date." Elsewhere,

Gensler/Studio Dror

EVE Park in London, Ontario is marketed as an "all-electric community powered by the sun." This net-zero residential project is designed for electric vehicle enthusiasts and offers amenities such as electric vehicle charging and a car-share program for residents. In lieu of traditional driveways or ground-level parking, the condo buildings feature automated "smart" parking towers that store vehicles vertically, allowing for green space and landscaping.

EPIQ, Quito, Ecuador

Gensler, a US architecture firm, designed the four circular residential structures for developer s2e Technologies. These buildings can house a total of 84 households and are strategically positioned to maximize sun exposure for the solar panels that power the community's "micro-grid."

Uribe Schwarzkopf/Bjarke Ingels

Quito is experiencing substantial growth, with high-rise buildings designed by prominent architects such as Moshe Safdie, Jean Nouvel, and Ma Yansong dotting the city's skyline. However, Bjarke Ingels, the founder of Danish design firm BIG, has made the most significant impact, completing the city's tallest structure, IQON, in 2022, standing at 436 feet. This year, he has returned with another project, EPIQ, located at the southern tip of downtown Parque La Carolina, often referred to as Quito's Central Park.

The Grand Palais restoration, Paris, France

The 24-story mixed-use development is divided into eight distinct volumes, or "buildings within a building," as described by BIG. These volumes are connected by lush elevated terraces. The red and pink color scheme was inspired by the earth tones and herringbone pattern found in the city's historic center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chatillon Architectes

Rising from its restoration, the Notre Dame is not the sole major renovation reaching completion in Paris this year. A mere three kilometers west of the cathedral is the historic Grand Palais, which has been off-limits to the public since the beginning of 2021.

Originally the venue for the Paris Expo at the start of the 20th century, the Beaux-Arts palace has functioned as an exhibition hall, event space, and even a military hospital during World War I. Although work has been done on its glass roof and foundations over time, the building has never undergone significant renovation until now.

The overhaul, valued at 212 million euros ($232 million) and led by Chatillon Architects, aims to revitalize facilities, enhance access and environmental sustainability, and revolutionize the visitor experience in the complex's sunlit exhibition hall. Additionally, a new underground level will be created, repurposing the buildings' former horse-riding ring into a dedicated children's area.

The initial restored sections are scheduled to be completed in time for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

One Zaabeel, Dubai, UAE

Kerzner International

The United Arab Emirates, home to the worlds tallest building, has achieved another superlative feat of structural engineering: The worlds longest cantilever.

Dubbed as the "Link," the 226-meter (741-foot), 9,500-tonne skybridge was impressively lifted into place above a bustling Dubai highway in 2020. The skybridge connects the two skyscrapers, referred to by Nikken Sekkei as the "father and son" towers of the One Zaabeel development, which is scheduled to open next month.

The development's main towers will feature residences, office space, and a hotel, while the 100-meter-high horizontal section of the complex will be home to "Michelin-inspired" restaurants, an infinity pool, and observation decks offering panoramic views of the city and the Persian Gulf.

Populus Hotel, Denver, USA

Studio Gang is set to open the 265-room Populus hotel in Denver, Colorado this summer. The hotel features a nature-inspired or "biophilic" design that takes inspiration from the native aspen tree's knotted white bark. The white facade of the 13-story structure is punctuated with openings that provide guests with window seats of various sizes, giving the building an refreshingly irregular appearance.

The owner of Populus, Urban Villages, claims that its property is the first carbon positive hotel in the USA. This is not only due to its low-energy design features, but also a commitment to planting thousands of acres of forest, as reported by the New York Times. Additionally, the hotel is also making a unique environmental statement by being the first development in downtown Denver with no onsite parking, according to architecture firm Studio Gang, which is also leading a significant revitalization of Denver's Civic Center plaza.

New theater at Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane, Australia

The new building at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in Brisbane, Australia, boasts a massive, rippled glass facade and spacious open foyer areas, giving it a level of transparency not typically seen in theaters. Inside, a concrete shell holds a 1,500-seat auditorium adorned with timber, providing a striking contrast to the light-filled exterior. This impressive space is designed to accommodate ballet, opera, theater, and musical performances.

The Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta and local practice Blight Rayner, who won an international competition against more than 20 entries, state that their design for the project was inspired by the flow of the Brisbane River. The undulating design also pays tribute to the Turrbal and Yuggera people, the traditional owners of the land, with the designers referencing a poem by Indigenous Australian poet Aunty Lilla Watson that evokes the river's "ripples." Originally scheduled to open in 2022, the highly anticipated 175 million Australian dollar ($117 million) project could potentially increase QPAC's annual footfall by an additional 300,000 visitors.