Black Chapel, a play with light and circular form by Theaster Gates
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The Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion
ARCHITECTURE NEWS blog

A play with circles at Serpentine Summer Pavilion by Theaster Gates
Black Chapel is a dark cylindrical pavilion designed by artist Theaster Gates for the Serpentine Gallery in London. In dialogue with iconic sacred architecture, this year’s Summer Pavilion is the largest volume to date in this programme for exhibiting temporary architecture. It’s 10 meters high with an open oculus on… Read more

GEHRY’s two distinct projects
Two major projects for art institutions designed by Frank Gehry were completed this summer. Both initiated in 2007, but each one as different from the other as could be. The LUMA Foundation building in the South of France in Arles is signature style Gehry, a fractured facade playing with light,… Read more

Modern architecture reinvented – Lacaton & Vassal
Awarded the Pritzker Prize 2021 French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal revive modernist principles with a unique approach – The choice of Lacaton & Vassal as winners of the Pritzker Prize 2021 is a sign of changing values in architecture and city planning. The French duo has become famous… Read more

Humboldt Forum – historic palace reimagined as museum
This vast museum complex in the centre of Berlin has opened officially, although only virtually for the public so far. It is one the biggest cultural buildings in Europe, comparable in scale to the Louvre in Paris. With reconstructed baroque-style façades the design concept creates continuity with a glorified past… Read more

A Space for Silence, in line with the geometrical terminal design
The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) designed by gmp architects is finally open. Inspired by Mies van der Rohe and preussian neo-classicism, the building conjures an idea of polished, pragmatic efficiency. For a moment of contemplation or prayer, the meditation space provides a quiet refuge in transit. Gmp is… Read more

The real vs. the virtual: performance and lived space
The classical concept of the grand concert venue is being reconfigured as a more flexible and open model. During the pandemic crisis, alternative formats and virtual concerts have changed the way cultural events have been experienced. Just before the second lockdown at the end of October I was able to attend… Read more
City guide Marseille: Architecture sites and recent renovations
Les Bords de Mer overlooking the Mediterranean
CITY GUIDES – exploring architecture
Helsinki Guide
- Capital city, Finland, with long coastline
- Nordic modernist architecture inspired by nature
- Key buildings by Alvar Aalto spanning the entire length of his career
- Historic neo-classical and jugendstil architecture
- Formal innovations in timber architecture
Marseille Guide
- French port city opening on the Mediterranean
- Forward looking architecture mixed with Baroque and Byzantine traditions
- l’Unité d’Habitation by Le Corbusier
- New harbour area with great cultural buildings