Magazine

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), renovated by Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle, celebrated its reopening on June 1st. It is the largest circulating branch among the New York Public Library's (NYPL) 92 locations. John Hill

US President Joe Biden has removed four Trump-appointed members of the US Commission of Fine Arts, the agency that reviews designs for government buildings and other public projects in Washington, DC, replacing them with four new — and diverse — members. John Hill

Although an exact date is not known yet, reports indicate the long-delayed opening of ANOHA — The Children's World of the Jewish Museum Berlin is scheduled to take place in the second half of June. Ulf Meyer

Canadian landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander died on Saturday, May 22, in Vancouver, about a month shy of her 100th birthday. She is the namesake for the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize that will be conferred for the first time later this year. John Hill

The great Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha died on Sunday, May 23, at the age of 92. Just a week earlier he was named recipient of the UIA Gold Medal, which he would have received at the delayed UIA2021RIO in July. John Hill

The City of Los Angeles has announced the winners of Low-Rise: Housing Ideas for Los Angeles, the "design challenge" that asked entrants to propose new models of low-rise housing across four categories: Corners, Fourplex, (Re)Distribution, and Subdivision. John Hill

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Library Association (ALA) have announced the five winners of the 2021 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards, "the only award that recognizes entire library structures and all aspects of their design." John Hill

Architect and curator Terence Riley has died. The news was delivered via the Instagram account of K/R, the New York- and Miami-based architecture firm Riley led with John Keenan. John Hill

The 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile will be held from September 5 to 10, 2021, as "an innovative, iconic and unique edition" curated by Italian architect Stefano Boeri and a team of "young international architects and professionals." John Hill

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced that the Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library, designed by Will Bruder and opened in 1995, has been awarded the 2021 Twenty-five Year Award. John Hill

The Nakagin Capsule Tower, designed by Kisho Kurokawa and built in 1972, is making headlines once again, with reports of the owners selling their units and moving out. This news means the likely demolition of one of the only built manifestations of Metabolism. John Hill

German architect Helmut Jahn died on Saturday, May 8, when he was struck by two cars while riding his bicycle in Campton Hills, a far western suburb of Chicago. The 81-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. John Hill

After a summer spent putting on events in a parking garage due to the pandemic, the next iteration of MPavilion will return to Melbourne's Queen Victoria Gardens and a new structure to be designed by Venice's MAP studio. John Hill

The State of Illinois has issued an official RFP for the sale of the 17-story James R. Thompson Center in Chicago's Loop. Designed by Helmut Jahn in the 1980s, the controversial icon of postmodern architecture faces potential demolition. John Hill

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced that Robert Ivy will retire by the end of the year as the Institute's Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, leadership roles he has held since 2011. John Hill

LUO studio's Zheshui Natural Library in Shanxi Province has won the top prize in the architectural design category of the 2021 Design Educates Awards, which are given out by Laka Foundation, the non-profit organization and international network "focused on social impact via design and... John Hill

Lemay and Atelier 21 have won the Innovation in Architecture Award for their refurbishment of the Grand Théâtre de Québec’s exterior envelope, and Elsa Lam and Graham Livesey have won the President’s Award for Multimedia Representations of Architecture for their book Canadian Modern... John Hill

La Biennale di Venezia has announced that Spanish architect Rafael Moneo is recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, which he will be given on May 22, 2021, at the opening of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition. John Hill

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have revealed the ten winning projects for 2021 that meet the committee's "rigorous criteria" and are making "significant achievements in advancing climate action." John Hill

New details have been released for the Sydney Modern Project, SANAA’s expansion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales that will be the Japanese architecture firm’s first building in the Southern Hemisphere when it is inaugurated next year. Ulf Meyer

The team of Basel's Christ & Gantenbein and Barcelona's Harquitectes has won the international competition to extend the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), as decided by a 21-member jury. John Hill

As part of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects' (CSLA) 2021 Awards of Excellence, the transformation of a former quarry along the Bow River in Calgary into Dale Hodges Park has been awarded the Jury's Award of Excellence. John Hill

The Fundació Enric Miralles, with the support of Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat of Catalonia, has launched MIRALLES, a series of exhibitions and events celebrating the life of Enric Miralles, the still-influential Catalan architect who died in 2000. John Hill

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has announced that set designer Mimi Lien will turn the plaza at the heart of its iconic 1960s campus on Manhattan's Upper West Side into "The GREEN," a park-like "site of social infrastructure." John Hill

During a virtual press conference on Monday, April 12, Biennale president Roberto Cicutto announced this year's exhibition will indeed open on May 22. Curator Hashim Sarkis also outlined the expanded program that will take place over its six months. John Hill

Genevese architect/landscape architect Georges Descombes is one of three recipients of the Swiss Grand Award for Art / Prix Meret Oppenheim for 2021, alongside curator Esther Eppstein and artist Vivian Suter. John Hill

London's National Gallery has announced the six shortlisted teams vying to work with the museum on "a suite of capital projects," including a reconfiguration of the famous Sainsbury Wing, to mark its bicentenary in 2024. John Hill

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has revealed plans for a major expansion designed by Safdie Architects, the architect of the original museum that opened in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2011. John Hill

Vienna's Coop Himmelb(l)au has won an international design competition to design the "SCA Arena and Park" in St. Petersburg. Their design follows follows the tradition of Russian Constructivists El Lissitzky and Vladimir Tatlin. John Hill

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced that Frank Gehry's renovation, reorganization, and expansion of the museum's 93-year-old landmark building will open to the public on May 7, 2021. John Hill

The University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello have announced that Francis Kéré is the recipient of the 2021 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture. John Hill

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced that architects Brigitte Shim and A. Howard Sutcliffe are recipients of the 2021 RAIC Gold Medal, "the highest distinction the Institute can bestow in recognition of a significant and lasting contribution to Canadian... John Hill

On March 20, Louis Vuitton opened its transformed Ginza Naminki store in Tokyo, where Jun Aoki has wrapped the building in wavy dichroic glass and Peter Marino has designed the interiors.  John Hill

Barcelona's Miralles Tagliabue EMBT has been selected to design the Shenzhen Conservatory of Music, one of ten new cultural landmarks being funded by the Shenzhen Municipal Government for sites in and around the Chinese metropolis.  John Hill

Nearly one year after Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs abandoned plans for a mixed-use "smart neighborhood" on twelve acres of Toronto's Quayside, Waterfront Toronto has launched a competition to find a development partner for the site.

The Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau has announced the winners of two international design competitions: for the Shenzhen Opera House and the Shenzhen Maritime Museum, two of ten new cultural attractions in the city. John Hill