The eighteenth edition of Projects of the Week comes in a new format: we’ve added more photographs so you can explore each project in greater detail. In this selection, what is already there becomes the starting point for something new: seven camphor trees shape a resort’s layout, a skyscraper fits into a narrow gap between two office buildings, and a glass pavilion appears behind the walls of an eighteenth-century fort.
Two Architectural Voices, One Museum
New Museum of Contemporary Art | OMA | New York, USA
OMA have expanded the New Museum with an addition to SANAA’s tower. The exhibition floors in both buildings align and connect, allowing galleries to be combined for large exhibitions or used separately. A small plaza has been created outside the entrance, while an atrium and staircase are visible from the street. The laminated-glass facade with metal mesh echoes the cladding of the original building: by day it appears almost monolithic, while evening lighting reveals the museum’s internal arrangement.
Glass Within the Fortress
Crismina Fort Refurbishment | barbiniarquitectos | Cascais, Portugal
An eighteenth-century fort on the Atlantic coast has been converted into a venue for private events. Its weathered walls were reinforced, and a single-storey pavilion of glass and stone was built inside, containing one open-plan hall. The pavilion rises no higher than the old fortifications, preserving the fort’s silhouette. Three courtyards separate the pavilion from the fortress walls: one to the south, one to the east and a west-facing courtyard overlooking the ocean.
A Resort Around Ancient Trees
Banyan Tree Mount Emei | BUZZ + CCD | Emeishan, China
Covering around 34,000 m² at the foot of Mount Emei, the resort consists of low-rise buildings, pavilions and villas set among woodland beside a lake. Its layout was organised around seven mature camphor trees: walls curve around their trunks, and courtyards accommodate their root zones. Pitched roofs with deep eaves, covered walkways, grey brick and timber draw on the traditions of western Sichuan. At the centre of the complex is a courtyard with a pool, fed by rainwater channelled down the inward-facing roof slopes.
Fitting in a Skyscraper
Kingdee Cloud Tower | HENN | Shenzhen, China
The 211-metre headquarters of IT company Kingdee fits into a narrow gap between two existing office buildings. Its pentagonal base follows the shape of the available plot. Above its neighbours, the tower widens and overhangs the campus entrance. The lower levels are left open to preserve light and airflow into the courtyard. A raised garden above the publicly accessible lobby connects the existing buildings, with a cafe, places to relax and spaces for sports and events.
New Curves for an Old Villa
Gelareh House | ZAV Architects | Kuhsar, Iran
A country villa on the outskirts of Tehran, originally designed by Firouz Firouz, has been extended and adapted for permanent living. A chain of vaulted additions reaches out from the original rectangular building onto neighbouring plots, fitting between fruit trees. Further from the original house, terracotta tones give way to pinks and blues, marking the building’s gradual expansion.
@gorkjournal · GORK
3D · Photo · Render · Ai
Two Architectural Voices, One Museum
New Museum of Contemporary Art | OMA | New York, USA
OMA have expanded the New Museum with an addition to SANAA’s tower. The exhibition floors in both buildings align and connect, allowing galleries to be combined for large exhibitions or used separately. A small plaza has been created outside the entrance, while an atrium and staircase are visible from the street. The laminated-glass facade with metal mesh echoes the cladding of the original building: by day it appears almost monolithic, while evening lighting reveals the museum’s internal arrangement.
Glass Within the Fortress
Crismina Fort Refurbishment | barbiniarquitectos | Cascais, Portugal
An eighteenth-century fort on the Atlantic coast has been converted into a venue for private events. Its weathered walls were reinforced, and a single-storey pavilion of glass and stone was built inside, containing one open-plan hall. The pavilion rises no higher than the old fortifications, preserving the fort’s silhouette. Three courtyards separate the pavilion from the fortress walls: one to the south, one to the east and a west-facing courtyard overlooking the ocean.
A Resort Around Ancient Trees
Banyan Tree Mount Emei | BUZZ + CCD | Emeishan, China
Covering around 34,000 m² at the foot of Mount Emei, the resort consists of low-rise buildings, pavilions and villas set among woodland beside a lake. Its layout was organised around seven mature camphor trees: walls curve around their trunks, and courtyards accommodate their root zones. Pitched roofs with deep eaves, covered walkways, grey brick and timber draw on the traditions of western Sichuan. At the centre of the complex is a courtyard with a pool, fed by rainwater channelled down the inward-facing roof slopes.
Fitting in a Skyscraper
Kingdee Cloud Tower | HENN | Shenzhen, China
The 211-metre headquarters of IT company Kingdee fits into a narrow gap between two existing office buildings. Its pentagonal base follows the shape of the available plot. Above its neighbours, the tower widens and overhangs the campus entrance. The lower levels are left open to preserve light and airflow into the courtyard. A raised garden above the publicly accessible lobby connects the existing buildings, with a cafe, places to relax and spaces for sports and events.
New Curves for an Old Villa
Gelareh House | ZAV Architects | Kuhsar, Iran
A country villa on the outskirts of Tehran, originally designed by Firouz Firouz, has been extended and adapted for permanent living. A chain of vaulted additions reaches out from the original rectangular building onto neighbouring plots, fitting between fruit trees. Further from the original house, terracotta tones give way to pinks and blues, marking the building’s gradual expansion.
@gorkjournal · GORK
3D · Photo · Render · Ai