Year of the Horse: Architecture and Design Celebrations

This post distills Dezeen’s latest architecture and design round-up for engineers and architects. It pulls together high-profile projects, regulatory milestones, and editorial insights from around the world.

It translates Dezeen’s industry moments into practical considerations for design teams. Topics range from structural challenges in new cultural venues to the implications of heritage attribution and innovative retail and product concepts.

China’s forthcoming landmarks: from MAD’s sculpture to Snøhetta’s spiraling theatre

Dezeen highlights 12 highly anticipated architecture projects in China that are slated to complete this year. These projects signal a blend of sculptural form, public program, and advanced construction techniques.

Two standout schemes are MAD’s sculptural art centre and Snøhetta’s Shanghai Opera House. The opera house features a dramatic spiral staircase that intertwines circulation with public programming.

• MAD’s sculptural art centre — a bold volumetric stance that tests form-finding and acoustics for a multi-functional art venue.
• Snøhetta’s Shanghai Opera House — a theatre project celebrated for a dramatic spiral staircase that acts as both a circulation core and a social sculpture.

Design and structural highlights

These projects present opportunities to explore complex load paths and precision in curved geometry. Engineers must also develop robust fire safety strategies within sculptural envelopes.

The spiral feature challenges finite element modeling and lift and egress integration. Long-span acoustic control must be achieved while preserving the expressive exterior form.

U.S. federal design milestones: White House ballroom expansion and regulatory dialogue

The Commission of Fine Arts unanimously approved the digital design concepts for the White House ballroom expansion. This marks a significant step in a high-profile, historically sensitive project.

After an initial post and removal of detailed drawings by the National Capital Planning Commission, further hearings are anticipated. The design will progress through formal review.

• Approval by the Commission of Fine Arts underscores alignment with national heritage and security considerations.
• Upcoming NCPC hearings will shape site planning, circulation, and security protocols as the project enters more detailed design phases.

Heritage stewardship and security implications

This project highlights the importance of balancing ceremonial space modernization with preservation and security requirements. Structural updates must maintain historical reading while accommodating contemporary mechanical, electrical, and life-safety systems.

All updates should sustain the architectural narrative of the White House complex.

Heritage attribution in Catalonia: Gaudí and the Xalet del Catllaràs chalet

The Government of Catalonia confirmed Antoni Gaudí as the architect of the early 1900s Xalet del Catllaràs chalet. This decision is based on distinctive structural details he used before others adopted them a decade or more later.

This attribution reinforces Gaudí’s influence on regional architecture and the broader Catalan Modernisme dialogue.

• Distinctive structural details attributed to Gaudí demonstrate early experimentation with forms that later proliferated across the region.
• Heritage recognition supports conservation priorities and informs restoration approaches for complex organic geometries.

Conservation and design challenges

Engineering teams working on historic attribution projects must reconcile original construction methods with contemporary daylighting, insulation, and seismic considerations. Accurate documentation and non-destructive investigations are critical to preserving Gaudí’s methods while ensuring current performance standards.

Stadiums and skylines: Tampa Bay Rays arena and Chicago’s 400 Lake Shore tower

Gensler and Populous have released designs for a proposed 31,000-seat Tampa stadium for the Rays. This signals a shift toward fan-centric, climate-responsive venues.

Construction also began in Chicago on SOM’s 256-metre tower at 400 Lake Shore, the site of the former Chicago Spire. This reflects ongoing interest in tall, mixed-use towers and their urban impact.

• 31,000-seat Tampa stadium blends engineering for spectator sightlines with sustainable envelope design and crowd flow optimization.
• SOM’s 256-metre tower demonstrates tall-building engineering challenges, including wind engineering, vibration control, and deep foundation strategies on a lakefront site.

Engineering considerations

In projects of this scale, wind tunnel testing and façade performance under extreme weather are paramount. Efficient vertical transportation systems are also essential.

The Chicago site demands robust soil-structure interaction analysis and resilient foundations due to lakefront groundwater conditions.

Quirky product design and editorial voices

Dezeen’s week showcased provocative product concepts that intersect materiality and brand experience. Nik Bentel’s stainless-steel handbag for Lidl draws from shopping trolley aesthetics.

Gustaf Westman’s Curling Bowl reimagines a snack holder as a curling stone, nodding to national sport symbolism.

• Nik Bentel’s stainless-steel handbag embraces industrial materiality and retail storytelling.
• Gustaf Westman’s Curling Bowl uses a familiar object shape to celebrate the 2026 Winter Olympics culture.

Materiality and play

These concepts remind practitioners that material choice, form, and user interaction are vital to design quality. Product forms can also influence spatial perception and branding within architectural environments.

Industry leadership and reader engagement: Chris Williamson’s perspective

Dezeen’s interview with RIBA president Chris Williamson explores leadership in architecture amid limited formal power. He emphasizes a collaborative approach to effecting change.

Professional advocacy can influence policy, education, and practice standards.

• Change through collaboration rather than unilateral action.
• Professional advocacy as a lever for systemic improvements in education and practice.

Leadership in architecture

Williamson’s stance resonates with engineers who navigate policy, funding, and practice evolution. Cross-disciplinary dialogue and principled action advance sustainable design and resilient communities.

Popular reads and world-wide features

Readers gravitated toward Snøhetta’s mirrored Saudi metro station, an Indian home with a coconut-wood roof, and Ukrainian glass houses topped with thatch. This illustrates a global appetite for typologies that fuse context, climate, and material curiosity.

• Snøhetta’s mirrored Saudi metro station as a bold urban gesture.
• Indian home with coconut-wood roof showcasing regional materials and craftsmanship.
• Ukrainian glass houses with thatch blending transparency with vernacular sheltering strategies.

Media channels and calls to action: Dezeen’s ongoing engagement

Dezeen promotes its podcasts and newsletters to keep professionals informed. Topics include Jony Ive and Marc Newson’s interiors for an electric Ferrari and Australia’s first new city in a century.

Subscriptions to Agenda, Showroom, Debate, Daily, In Depth, and jobs updates help practitioners stay current. Privacy and unsubscribe options are provided.

• Dezeen Weekly with industry-critical features and interviews.
• Newsletters: Agenda, Showroom, Debate, Daily, In Depth, and Jobs.

Knowledge dissemination for professionals

Regular engagement with Dezeen’s channels supports ongoing professional development. It encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration.

This helps teams anticipate changes in regulations, supply chains, and design trends in a rapidly evolving built environment.

 
Here is the source article for this story: This week we celebrated the Year of the Horse