From the glow of daylight to the mystery of nightfall, STARS offers a refined and ever-shifting atmosphere suspended above the city. At the heart of the design lies the figure of the astronomer, gazing skyward in search of patterns and meaning among the constellations. This poetic lens guided a palette of warm gold recalling astronomical instruments, balanced with accents of deep night blues and silvery moonlight. These narrative threads gently across the project, from the prominence of an observatory bar to the quietude of an astronomer’s living room and the expansive celestial gardens, guiding guests on a journey that reveals itself space by space. The journey begins at the threshold on the 30th floor, where a polished reception desk with mirrored curves greets visitors beneath a softly glowing backdrop, striking a balance between refinement and anticipation. Beyond it, the corridor acts as a passage into another realm: a mirrored ceiling stretches the perspective while reeded glass walls blur the outlines of the garden outside. Cutting across the surface, a luminous glass “belt” etched with solar system motifs anchors the design with a delicate nod to astronomy. These materials shift in character with time – by day, shimmering with natural reflections that suggest openness and clarity; by night, glowing softly as the circular ceiling light transforms into a floating cosmic feature that ushers guests deeper into the atmosphere of STARS. Framed by sweeping views of the mountains and city, the lounge bar is envisioned as an observatory at the heart of the venue.

At its center, the circular bar counter and vaulted ceiling installation form a contemporary echo of the observatory’s dome: by day, the surface rests quietly within the space, while by night it opens to reveal a glowing Milky Way, inviting guests to look upward as if peering into the cosmos. Extending this spirit of discovery, an illuminated display wall recalls the idea of the astronomer’s library – serving as both a symbolic gesture and a striking showcase. As the vibrant core of STARS, the lounge bar also anchors the flow between the surrounding gardens, seamlessly connecting them. The journey then extends outward into two terraces, one alive with social energy, the other steeped in quiet contemplation. The larger Main Garden centers on a golden armillary sphere, its interlocking rings tracing cosmic orbits in a timeless expression of harmony and motion. Outward-facing seats encircle this sculptural centerpiece in a gesture of openness, extending the lounge’s embrace toward the views beyond, while a mix of seating styles invites guests to gather, mingle, and play.

In contrast, the Star-gazing Garden offers a more intimate retreat: a tucked-away outdoor living room where cozy arrangements welcome couples and small groups. Here, the atmosphere turns romantic and contemplative, drawing the eye – and the spirit – upward to the night sky. By capturing a duality of atmospheres – day and night, social vibrancy and private reflection, indoor comfort and outdoor expanse – STARS invites guests to chart their own passage across its constellation of experiences.

Traditional school campuses are typically composed of plazas, courtyards, and circulation roads with clearly defined boundaries. In contrast, the design of this campus seeks to accommodate the spatial demands of contemporary educational models, which emphasize interaction, exploration, and flexibility over static classroom instruction. The architectural response aims to create an environment that integrates various zones of activity and supports different modes of learning. LYCS Architecture organizes the campus along a west-to-east axis and employs a spatial concept referred to as the “Tree of Growth”. In this framework, teaching spaces represent the roots, transitional or hybrid spaces form the trunk, and innovation spaces make up the canopy. This conceptual layering informs the distribution and function of built elements across the site. Public and semi-public spaces are distributed at multiple scales, including pocket parks near classrooms, alcoves at corridor ends, and larger shared facilities for cultural and athletic use. These zones are designed to correspond with different periods of the school day, supporting informal interactions, transitions between activities, and larger gatherings.

The project introduces a primary circulation route conceptualized as a “campus street”, which serves as the main organizing spine. A winding main street running south to north connects key programmatic areas, educational, cultural, and communal. This path is supplemented by a network of secondary routes extending east to west, navigating changes in elevation and linking elements such as sunken gardens, semi-enclosed courtyards, and raised walkways. This circulation system not only facilitates movement but also introduces spatial variety along the way. Facades, vegetation, and structural elements are positioned to create shifting visual experiences. The layout promotes unplanned interactions and varied spatial encounters as part of the daily routine. The academic zone comprises two ‘E’-shaped building clusters aligned along one side of the main street. These clusters feature articulated gable-end facades that incorporate staircases, rest platforms, and open-air entry points. The design uses contrasts of material solidity and void, color, and form to emphasize the importance of these edge conditions. Above the main circulation, “sky pocket parks” offer informal outdoor learning environments on upper levels. These spaces vary in layout and design, supporting casual use and encouraging interaction. They contribute to a spatial rhythm across the teaching blocks: terminal space, internal corridor, and open rooftop park. The floor plates are staggered to create semi-open, transitional spaces where students can engage in activities such as discussion, informal performances, or small group work. These “grey zones” are designed to serve as extensions of the classroom, allowing for diverse modes of use.

Opposite the academic zone, the Cultural and Sports Center consists of four distinct volumes positioned across a landscaped slope. These buildings vary in geometry and function, supporting a range of activities in a non-linear configuration. The design addresses the site’s elevation changes through terracing, integrating outdoor play and activity zones within the natural topography. A stepped plaza known as the ‘Grand Steps’ functions as a transitional space between the sports field and indoor cultural facilities. In addition to facilitating daily circulation and events such as flag-raising ceremonies, this area is designed to accommodate flexible use, including group reading, small performances, and informal exercise. Quzhou No.6 Experimental School reconsiders the spatial organization of educational environments by incorporating adaptable layouts and multipurpose zones. Through a layered system of teaching, hybrid, and innovation spaces, linked by a continuous circulation spine and distributed open areas, the design supports both structured education and spontaneous activity. The campus layout by LYCS Architecture reflects an architectural response to changing pedagogical requirements and introduces spatial strategies intended to accommodate flexibility, interaction, and ecological integration.

Building on this foundation, the Orange Hotel 3.0 version has further distilled the concept of LOHAS – Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability as the core of our design philosophy, creating opportunities for travelers to reconnect with nature and themselves, even during busy journeys. In a fast-paced, technology-driven world, the rhythm of life for business travelers has become tighter and more efficient than ever before. Flights, meetings, and a constant flow of information leave urban travelers quietly accumulating invisible fatigue and anxiety. Even in an era of AI and innovative technologies, humanity’s innate longing for nature remains undiminished. We still seek the warmth of sunlight, the stretch of greenery, and a rhythm of breathing that feels effortless and free.

An open, multifunctional lobby layout breaks away from the traditional hotel boundaries, creating a more welcoming and inclusive arrival experience. Using orange, green, and brown as the primary palette, the design language draws from nature to create a warm, fresh, and alive space. From circulation planning to functional zoning, the breakfast experience is carefully curated: The Low-Fat Healthy Zone, the Bread and Coffee Zone, and the Carbohydrate Happiness Zone offer balanced nutrition and comfort, catering to different travelers’ rhythms of life. Dynamic elements are infused into the space, supporting guests’ movement freely from gentle stretching to aerobic exercise and helping them maintain an active state during travel.

Starting from the construction phase, the team adopted eco-friendly, prefabricated building methods and selected renewable materials such as straw and orange peel derivatives, embedding sustainable development principles into every detail of hotel operations. Orange Hotel 3.0 version focuses on the functionality and efficiency of spaces, and on awakening the natural resonance between body and environment through design. Here, sunlight is not just a concept, but a tangible warmth flowing through the space; greenery is not mere decoration, but a source of healing and rejuvenation; vitality is not a slogan, but a state naturally awakened during every journey. With a design language rooted in health, nature, and sustainability, Orange Hotel 3.0 version responds to the deep needs of today’s travelers for relaxation and renewal, allowing every guest to effortlessly enjoy a journey filled with nature, freshness, and the spirit of LOHAS, even amidst the city’s pace.

Designed by Aedas Global Design Principal Dr. Andy Wen, Zhuhai Hengqin CRCC Plaza integrates ‘Loop, Communication, and Integration’ concepts. A sky bridge symbolises connectivity, social spaces enhance interaction, and the mixed-use complex blends office, retail, and leisure, establishing a new urban landmark. Zhuhai Hengqin CRCC Plaza sits at the heart of Hengqin, benefiting from excellent connectivity and stunning natural landscapes. With 24-hour border clearance, the plaza plays a key role in Zhuhai-Macau integration, emerging as a modern, high-efficiency service hub with regional influence.

The project consists of four towers and a retail podium, with its design centered around the concept of the sky bridge. This bridge connects the four towers, creating a seamless circular circulation and a unique urban spatial experience where visitors can enjoy both coastal views and leisure activities. By linking the towers, the design integrates stepped rooftop terraces on the sky garden, forming a dynamic multi-functional complex. A panoramic elevator leads from the podium to the sky bridge, offering breathtaking views from the cityscape to the vast coastline – an experience akin to standing atop an urban mountain while maximizing the value of the tower’s upper levels. The ground-level retail podium is arranged along the street, creating a continuous commercial loop that connects both interior and exterior shopping streets. The enclosed layout forms a central plaza, injecting vitality into the future Central Business District.

The podium’s box-like and cloud-inspired shapes complement the tower design, while anchor stores at street corners define key plazas. Along the retail street, a structured façade integrates alternative commercial elevations, strategically considering advertising spaces. Curved podium forms blend seamlessly with main entrances, guiding foot traffic into the retail flow. Landscape plazas and lush greenery, combined with rooftop gardens, shape a dynamic three-dimensional vertical urban environment for the future Central Business District. The sky bridge’s flowing curves are accentuated by a combination of gold and silver aluminum panels on the façade. To withstand coastal winds, sliding bearings are incorporated into the bridge’s underside, ensuring structural stability. The tower façades feature vertical glass curtain walls with louvered and operable windows, creating an elegant greeting effect.

Drawing upon Hangzhou’s history in silk embroidery, Zaha Hadid Architects created three white arches that stretch over and under the Grand Canal Gateway Bridge. The steel bridge spans across China’s Grand Canal – the world’s oldest and longest man-made waterway – where it meets the Qiantang River, which is known in Hangzhou for its “Silver Dragon” bore – a type of tidal phenomenon. Two curved paths form the bridge’s walkway, bending towards each other over a central concrete island that divides the canal’s north and south waterways. At the centre point, the walkways curve perpendicularly and extend in opposite directions into two piers, designed to provide multiple points to view the surroundings and the Qiantang River’s tall waves.

Optimised through advanced digital 3D modeling to minimize material usage, the Grand Canal Gateway Bridge employed prefabricated modular construction with efficient on-site assembly to eliminate waste. The bridge’s construction strategy was specifically designed to shorten build time and minimize disruption to river traffic on the Grand Canal, currently used by 100,000 barges each year to transport 260 million tons of cargo sustainably within China. Using locally sourced materials and low-impact finishes, the project supported regional manufacturing and fostered sustainable construction through collective expertise. Powered by banks of batteries charged throughout the day by renewable energy, integrated LED lighting illuminates the bridge at night.

Like Hacker’s work on other parts of the Ranch, the new structure aims to honor and evolve the design language of the original ranch buildings and is intended to elevate the experience of the surrounding landscape through the careful framing and layering of views and a sensitive interpretation of regional materials and forms. The interior celebrates the ranch tradition of highlighting wood through its exposed structure and finishes, using contrasting tones of native wood species to create a sense of both warmth and openness. The entire space is set around a uniquely textured double-height stone fireplace, stitching the nostalgia of the old lodge back into the new. The restaurant booths appear to be carved away in the same way the nearby Metolius river has carved pools into the underlying lava flows. As much of the wood from the original lodge as possible has been salvaged to create guard rails, screens, furniture, and wall finishes.

This connection also extends to the outside where an established Pine tree on the site could not be saved so it was transformed into custom tabletops for the restaurant and bar. The exterior is clad in Shou Sugi Ban (charred cedar), a traditional wood treatment that maintains the weathered look of the previous building while providing additional durability and connection to the wildfires inherent to the region. This focus on local resources is also visible in the landscape design, which uses drought-tolerant native plants, encouraging habitat creation and celebrating the surrounding environment. Building materials were purchased regionally when possible, adding to the Lodge’s unique architecture while reducing transportation impacts and boosting the local economy. The new 27,000-square-foot building includes twice the square footage of the existing Lodge and is divided into three main sections: public spaces including a restaurant, bar, a fireside lounge, upper floor lounge and bar, private dining room, and outside lounge, a private event area with a large event room (divisible into two distinct spaces), large dressing room and meeting room, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with expanded catering services, centrally located to serve the needs for the entire facility.

The façade draws inspiration from the folded steel plates of retaining walls, using folded concrete slabs to create a unique texture. The folded surfaces vary in form and function: in the lower sections, they mimic stable retaining walls; in public spaces such as the entrance, they combine with glass curtain walls for greater interior transparency. The gaps in the folded surfaces bring in light and create perspectives, and the diagonal texture not only facilitates drainage but also cleverly conceals the ventilation grilles. The main exhibition hall is supported by four giant, silo-like shear walls, incorporating facilities such as the exhibition halls. The 25-meter-high vertical atrium makes the exhibition hall spacious and column-free, facilitating the presentation of large-scale installations. The north-facing glass roof brings soft light into the exhibition space.

To address Fujian’s hot and humid climate, the building features a sloping roof for rapid drainage and a thick layer of earth for thermal insulation. The lighting and functional layout are thoughtfully designed, and the building’s equipment is concealed beneath the roof’s technical layer, giving it the appearance of a verdant hill. By day, it showcases the achievements of modern agriculture; by night, it offers the public free access to the rooftop platform, thus blending into the lives of the citizens and brilliantly interpreting the concept of “symbiosis between architecture and environment.”

The Cullinan, Marsa Al Arab, already features a number of de Gournay installations, predominantly including a series of custom deep, rich gold panels of the Deco Dawn design behind the bar and an exquisite hand-embroidered wall featuring the Deco Palm motifs. The one-day event brought together de Gournay’s valued clients, leading designers, and members of the press to experience the brand’s artistry first-hand in the region.

“Dubai’s spirit of innovation and appreciation for design make it the perfect place to share our craft,” notes Hannah Cecil Gurney, Director of de Gournay. “Bringing our artisans here allows us to showcase the extraordinary skill, heritage, and creativity behind each de Gournay piece.” As de Gournay continues to demonstrate its savoir-faire worldwide, this inaugural Dubai staging reflects a celebration of heritage craftsmanship in its purest form: an encounter with the handmade that connects tradition with the future of design.

MIGIUI – which means “unknown” in Korean – aims to be a link between architecture and nature. Designed by Architect-K, the building was conceived to blend harmoniously into its natural surroundings in the hanok village of Ulju-gun, South Korea, drawing inspiration from a forest path. It offers diverse spaces for various occasions, whether for working, relaxing alone, or sharing quality time with friends, and seeks to create a serene atmosphere that invites relaxation and contemplation, like a walk in nature. Several species of trees, rocks, and streams have been scattered throughout the site to evoke natural elements, while a green roof has been installed. The architecture was not designed to stand out, but rather to evolve with the landscape and trace a peaceful path where nature and humanity can once again meet.

Initially protected by strict planning regulations, the land remained untouched for years. But following the construction of a nearby village to the north, it was abruptly enclosed by a reinforced stone wall, and its naturally undulating terrain was leveled. After the restrictions were lifted, the site lay deserted: its topography erased, its soil exposed, and its landscape fragmented. The first step was to restore the land. The western part of the site was lowered, and a gentle slope was created leading to the eastern road. Native trees, stones, and water features were reintroduced to evoke the memory of the original forest. The architecture is designed as an 80-meter-long forest path connecting the entrance to the water feature. Cafés, rest areas, and patios are subtly integrated along this path, blurring the lines between built and natural spaces. Three open zones obscure the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, inviting visitors to a ten-minute stroll conducive to reflection. The café operates with limited access, offering a calm and immersive experience. The menus, inspired by natural elements – wood, stone, and water – enhance the sensory interaction with the landscape.

To enhance this experience, the architecture has been reduced to a minimum. A 28 mm thick curved glass façade allows for maximum transparency, requiring technical solutions in terms of structural design, insulation, and installation. Stainless steel canopies trace the building’s curves, regulating sunlight and reinforcing the fluidity of its form. The multi-layered canopies and the landscaped roof combine structure and ecology, while the prefabricated metal elements refine the construction and precision.