ArchiRev

Zaha Hadid Architects designs Africa’s largest airport

Construction is underway on Bishoftu International Airport (BIA), a major new aviation hub located approximately 40 km south of Addis Ababa. Designed by for Ethiopian Airlines Group, the project is set to become the largest airport in Africa.

Phase One of the development will accommodate 60 million passengers annually, with future phases expanding capacity to 110 million passengers, supported by four runways and parking for up to 270 aircraft. The airport is designed to meet long-term regional growth forecasts while strengthening Ethiopia’s position as a global transport gateway between Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

The terminal is organised around a central spine inspired by the Great Rift Valley, connecting aircraft piers and reducing transfer distances for passengers—up to 80% of whom are expected to be in transit. Airside amenities include a 350-room hotel, dining and entertainment facilities, and outdoor gardens and courtyards.

Groundbreaking took place on 10 January 2026, with an initial opening targeted for 2030.

📖 Read more at archirev.com

Render by X Universe

Ethiopia ArchitectureNews Archirev

Zayed National Museum has officially opened in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, marking a major milestone in the UAE’s cultural landscape. Designed by Foster + Partners, the national museum traces the history of the Emirates from early human settlement to the foundations of modern nationhood, inspired by the values of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The museum’s architecture responds directly to its desert context. Five lightweight steel towers act as thermal chimneys, enabling natural ventilation, while a landscaped mound insulates the galleries from solar gain. Inside, suspended pod-shaped galleries provide carefully controlled environments for sensitive artefacts, organised around a central atrium known as Al Liwan.

Surrounding the building, the Al Masar Garden connects the museum to the coast, extending the visitor experience into a shaded public landscape shaped by native planting and traditional water systems.

The project integrates environmental performance, cultural storytelling, and public space into a contemporary national institution.

👉 Read the full article at archirev.com

📷 © Nigel Young / Foster + Partners

.are.uns has completed The Bridge Tower in Warsaw.
A 174-metre office landmark that links a historic printing house with a new high-rise through a transparent double-height lobby.
The tower combines heritage restoration with energy-neutral operation, vacuum sewer technology, smart building systems, and wellness-driven features, making it the first commercial property in Central and Eastern Europe to achieve both SmartScore and WiredScore certifications.

🔗 Read more at archirev.com
📸 Image: .pl

Leeza SOHO, Beijing’s Spiralling Landmark
A 207-meter mixed-use tower redefining vertical urbanism in Beijing’s Lize Financial District. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the project rises around a record-breaking 194 m atrium, a fluid, light-filled space where two twisting volumes connect through skybridges at four levels.

Anchored directly to the district’s major metro interchange, the tower is a symbol of movement, connectivity, and future-ready design. With a high-performance façade, natural ventilation stack, and LEED Gold certification, it stands as a benchmark for sustainable high-rise architecture.

Design credit:
Image credit:
Read more: https://archirev.com/leeza-soho-beijing-a-vertical-city-spiral-by-zaha-hadid-architects/

SeoulOne is bringing a new model of multigenerational living to Seoul.

Designed by .are.uns for Hyundai Development Company, this regenerative 405,000 m² masterplan transforms a former industrial and railway site into a car-free neighbourhood powered by nature, culture, and 24/7 activity.

Eight residential towers, green courtyards, sky gardens, community hubs, sports facilities, senior living, childcare, healthcare, retail, offices, and hotels—all connected within a 10-minute walk.

Anchored by The Cube, SeoulOne blends lifestyle, landscape, and mobility into a seamless mixed-use district designed for every stage of life.

🔗 Read more at https://archirev.com/seoulone-by-unstudio-introduces-a-new-model-for-multigenerational-urban-living-in-seoul/

📸 Visualizations:

Greater Bay Area Sports Centre is now Completed

has announced that the Greater Bay Area Sports Centre in Nansha, China, is now officially completed.

The Centre will host its first major events with four sold-out concerts starting 5 December 2025, debuting its world-class venues, including a 60,000-seat stadium, 20,000-seat arena, and 4,000-seat aquatic centre within a 70-hectare riverside park.

A new landmark for sport, culture, and the future of the region.

Read the full story: archirev.com

Image credit:

Foster + Partners Reimagine Thessaloniki’s Historic FIX Brewery

A bold new chapter is unfolding for one of Thessaloniki’s most iconic industrial landmarks. Foster + Partners, together with Dimand, is transforming the former FIX brewery into a vibrant mixed-use waterfront district, blending heritage with contemporary urban life.

The vision preserves the brewery’s industrial identity while introducing climate-responsive architecture, pedestrian-friendly public spaces, and stronger connections to the city’s waterfront. At the core of the masterplan is a new landscaped public square, framed by a hotel and sea-view residences.

The historic FIX buildings will be reborn as cultural venues, including galleries, museums, and hospitality spaces, positioning the site as a new creative and social destination for the city.

Read More at https://archirev.com/foster-partners-unveils-regenerative-masterplan-for-thessalonikis-historic-fix-brewery-site/

📸 Image Credit: Foster + Partners

Credit: MVRDV

Snøhetta Wins Competition for the Hangzhou Qiantang Bay Art Museum

has been selected to design the new Hangzhou Qiantang Bay Art Museum, a major cultural landmark positioned between the Qiantang River and the city’s expanding urban district.

The museum is shaped by two wave-like architectural volumes that connect waterfront, city, and landscape. The design merges exhibition spaces, public areas, learning zones, and rooftop terraces, forming a continuous cultural experience accessible from all sides.

As part of the wider Qiantang Bay Future Headquarters development, the museum is envisioned as a civic gateway where nature, art, and movement converge, offering new public spaces, elevated views, and a dynamic cultural environment for residents and visitors.

Image: © & Snøhetta

➡️ Read more at https://archirev.com/snohetta-wins-competition-for-the-hangzhou-qiantang-bay-art-museum/

MVRDV’s “The Island” Brings Organic Curves & Vertical Greenery to Taichung

MVRDV has received construction approval for The Island, a 21-storey residential tower designed to soften Taichung’s dense urban fabric with vertical planting, organic curves, and Gaudí-inspired ceramic mosaics.

Featuring 76 apartments, 104 planted balconies, 38 façade planters, a rooftop garden crown, and five triple-height communal terraces carved into the façade. These shared outdoor spaces place community living and everyday social life at the core of the design.

A mosaic of irregular white ceramic tiles wraps the building, adapting to its curves while ensuring longevity and low maintenance.

Read more: MVRDV’s “The Island” Brings Organic Curves & Vertical Greenery to Taichung

MVRDV has received construction approval for The Island, a 21-storey residential tower designed to soften Taichung’s dense urban fabric with vertical planting, organic curves, and Gaudí-inspired ceramic mosaics.

Featuring 76 apartments, the tower integrates greenery at every level—104 planted balconies, 38 façade planters, a rooftop garden crown, and five triple-height communal terraces carved into the façade. These shared outdoor spaces place community living and everyday social life at the core of the design.

A mosaic of irregular white ceramic tiles wraps the building, adapting to its curves while ensuring longevity and low maintenance—an important response to Taiwan’s climate.

With material reuse from the existing onsite structure and a biodiversity-focused planting palette, The Island offers a sustainable model for high-density residential living in Taichung.

Read more: https://archirev.com/the-island-by-mvrdv/

Design:
Image credit: MVRDV

Zaha Hadid Architects unveils Symphony Tower in Dubai — a residential high-rise that turns architecture into performance.

Taking its name literally, Symphony Tower approaches design with the same care as a carefully scored composition. The tower’s interwoven exoskeleton draws from the rhythm and craftsmanship of Emirati Al Sadu and Talli weaving, creating a façade that shifts in depth, shadow, and texture as the sun moves across the sky.

Located in Dubai’s emerging Horizon district, the 42-storey tower seamlessly blends design innovation with sustainability, featuring a PV-powered façade lighting system, recycled steel, low-carbon concrete, greywater recycling, drought-tolerant landscaping, and modular construction to minimize embodied carbon.

A tower conceived not only as a building, but as a harmonious composition of light, craft, and climate.

Project by: for Imtiaz Developments
Renderings:
Read more: https://archirev.com/symphony-tower-by-zaha-hadid-architects-craft-inspired-design-in-dubais-skyline/

BIG Wins "big" international competition to design the new Hamburg State Opera.

is set to reshape Hamburg’s waterfront. The studio has won the competition for the new 45,000 m² Hamburg State Opera, a terraced, landscape-like structure rising from the Baakenhafen peninsula. Instead of a closed cultural monument, the design unfurls as a walkable topography where public space and performance culture merge.

A ripple-like sequence of concentric terraces expands from a central “heart of music,” creating a 3D park accessible from all sides and offering views to Lohse Park, the port, and the historic city.

Positioned between the Elbtower and the Elbphilharmonie, the project continues Hamburg’s evolving architectural dialogue along the water’s edge.

Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group

Photography - Yanis Amasri

Program: State Opera + Hamburg Ballet