Striking Concepts: The Architectural Projects Unveiled This Month

Providing the primary home for Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, this project by Foster + Partners won an international competition to be selected. It unusually takes a form generated by an algorithm, and will include a vast public space at the heart of the structure that is intended to underscore the importance of communication to the company. The project will be constructed using off-site production methods.

Image courtesy of Foster + Partners

Consisting of 11 residential towers, the Senákw Project is set to be a landmark development in the Squamish First Nation in Vancouver. Having received formal approval at a community vote in December, the towers will sit across 11.7 acres and house 6,000 units, at least 70% of which will be market rental units. The towers in the $3bn project feature a selection of aesthetics that reflect the history and culture of the Squamish Nation, while providing strong sustainability credentials.

Image courtesy of Revery Architecture / Westbank / Squamish Nation

A striking redevelopment of an existing concrete structure, Tehran Eye is a contextual shopping centre that is designed to replace the missing central business district at the heart of Iran’s capital. Sitting on a key artery of the city, the design reinvigorates a former conventional nine-storey mall that is ill-suited to the flow of the wider surroundings and shopping habits of the residents. Farshad Mehdizadeh Design has re-envisioned the site as a series of vertical streets that continue the outdoor public realm on the building’s exterior, while a department store occupies its core.

Image courtesy of Farshad Mehdizadeh Design

The winner of an international competition, ODA’s design for MAZD sees the practice regenerate post-industrial sites on the outskirts of Moscow into a 3 million square foot mixed-use development. The masterplan project will see the area transformed to include residences, retail spaces, dining facilities and offices, alongside urban green spaces, all connected by pedestrian walkways. Not only is it designed to create a new destination for the city, but will also provide a framework for the future development of the wider area.

Image courtesy of Brick Visual

Designed to provide a new home for Chinese technology giant Tencent in the Qianhai Bay region of Shenzhen, MVRDV’s design takes the form of a smart city district shaped like an “undulating mountain range”. Consisting of over 100 interconnected buildings topped by photovoltaic panels, the structure’s roof is a continuous surface. The campus will provide office space for 80,000-100,000 employees, as well as homes for 19,000 residents who work at the company.

Image courtesy of Atchain