This week's architectural developments showcased how design functions as a vital form of social and cultural infrastructure, connecting care, community, and context across multiple scales. From London's innovative reinterpretation of traditional almshouse models to transformative urban gateway projects in Phnom Penh and Tirana, architecture demonstrated a renewed focus on spaces that encourage human connection and environmental adaptability.
Witherford Watson Mann Architects received the prestigious 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize for their Appleby Blue Almshouse project, a groundbreaking housing development for older residents in London that reimagines the historic collective living model. The award-winning scheme features 59 carefully designed apartments arranged around a central courtyard, masterfully combining private independence with thoughtfully planned shared spaces designed to foster meaningful interaction and combat social isolation. The project incorporates timber-lined communal rooms, strategically positioned bay windows, and open visual connections to the surrounding street that help residents maintain vital links with their community.
The collaboration with United St Saviour's Charity underscores the project's primary focus on social well-being and community support. This recognition continues the architectural firm's longstanding commitment to context-driven design that successfully balances respect for heritage with contemporary functionality and user needs.
Parallel to these urban and infrastructural developments, several new cultural projects in Paris and Hanoi explored innovative approaches to how museums and performance spaces can revitalize public institutions through creative material experimentation and enhanced spatial flexibility. These projects reflect a broader international trend toward adaptive, community-focused architectural solutions.
Infrastructural and urban connectivity projects also shaped this week's architectural landscape. In Phnom Penh, the newly opened Techo International Airport designed by Foster + Partners represents a significant milestone as part of an ambitious 24-square-kilometer master plan strategically positioned to enhance Cambodia's growing regional connectivity and economic development. The terminal building features a distinctive undulating canopy supported by tree-like structural elements that draw clear inspiration from local craft traditions and vernacular architecture, creating an environment characterized by abundant natural daylight, extensive native planting, and highly efficient passenger circulation systems.
Similarly transformative is Tirana's Oricon Tower, designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura in collaboration with OODA, which contributes significantly to the Albanian capital's ongoing urban transformation under the comprehensive Tirana 2030 Master Plan. Rising an impressive 180 meters into the skyline, this mixed-use tower employs a regular concrete and glass grid system to efficiently organize offices, residential units, and hotel facilities while serving as a crucial transitional architectural element between the historic city center and rapidly expanding urban districts.
In Paris, the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain is preparing for its highly anticipated reopening in a completely reimagined Haussmannian building redesigned by renowned architect Jean Nouvel. The innovative project introduces a sophisticated system of five movable platforms that enable multiple spatial configurations across 6,500 square meters of flexible exhibition space. Behind the carefully restored 19th-century facade on Rue de Rivoli, this adaptable structural system accommodates diverse programming needs and reflects ongoing international discussions around contemporary museum architecture and the importance of functional flexibility.
Meanwhile in Hanoi, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, collaborating with PTW Architects, has officially begun construction of the Isola della Musica, an ambitious opera house and convention center strategically located between the scenic West Lake and Đầm Trị Lake. The architectural design is distinguished by a striking sequence of curved, ribbed concrete shells directly inspired by the natural geometry and distinctive texture of mother-of-pearl. This project has been developed using alternative construction methods specifically aimed at significantly reducing environmental impact while integrating structure, material selection, and natural lighting to create a new cultural landmark within Hanoi's evolving urban landscape.
Among the week's most notable emerging projects is Bjarke Ingels Group's unveiling of Faith Park, an expansive 200,000-square-meter interfaith complex planned for the scenic hills of Petrela near Tirana, Albania. This ambitious project is conceived as a comprehensive public landscape specifically designed for interfaith dialogue and spiritual reflection, bringing together nine distinct pavilions representing diverse spiritual traditions alongside a Museum of Remembrance constructed using sustainable rammed earth techniques.
The Faith Park design is thoughtfully organized around an innovative "evolutionary tree of faith" concept, with three carefully planned pathways weaving through established olive groves and specially designed gardens. These paths connect the central museum to the individual pavilions, each reflecting their unique cultural and material origins. The museum itself is anchored by nine interconnected earthen volumes arranged around a central courtyard, forming the heart of a contemplative environment where architecture, landscape design, and spiritual belief systems converge harmoniously. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026.
Additional significant developments include Heatherwick Studio's official commencement of the transformation of Nodeul Island in Seoul following a groundbreaking ceremony held on October 21. The studio's winning design, called Soundscape, will reimagine the currently uninhabited, human-made island on the Han River as a vibrant cultural and recreational destination commissioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The comprehensive plan includes an art center, public beach, extensive riverbank planting, state-of-the-art recording studios, multiple concert halls, a K-pop experience center, music cafe, anechoic chamber, and karaoke facilities.
A distinctive 1.25-kilometer elevated urban trail will loop in a figure-eight pattern across floating islets, offering visitors spectacular views of both the river and the city skyline. Construction will be carefully phased to allow continued public access throughout the development process, with full completion expected by 2028. These projects collectively demonstrate architecture's evolving role in creating meaningful spaces that serve both individual needs and broader community aspirations while respecting cultural heritage and environmental sustainability.
