Rotterdam-based MVRDV has won a competition to redesign the Tancheon Valley and waterfront in Seoul, a site currently dominated by surface car parking and elevated highway structures. Called "The Weaves," the design threads a tangle of pedestrian and bicycle paths, natural terrain, and public amenities into a playful landscape. Image courtesy MVRDV

French architecture practice Moreau Kusunoki with Australia’s Genton as local architect have won the international competition to design the new Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. According to the architects, “We envisage the new Powerhouse as a hyper-platform, a building with many functions and limitless potential. The built form will tread lightly on the site, with the architecture opening up towards the river, providing generous public space and creating an open, 24-hour precinct.” Image courtesy Moreau Kunusoki

The South HeXi Yuzui Financial District Tower in Nanjing, China, is a 1,640-foot-tall mixed-use building designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. The design draws its inspiration from the patterns in the flowing waters of the nearby Yangtze River. Its resulting shape mitigates wind vortices, optimizes views, and enhances both the structure and the program. The tower will integrate rainwater harvesting into multiple green spaces and sky gardens, with an open-air observatory amenity containing a 360-degree viewing platform. Completion is expected in 2025. Image courtesy Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

In Brooklyn, the River Street Waterfront Master Plan, by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group in collaboration with James Corner Field Operations for Two Trees Management, seeks to enhance connectivity to the waterfront, restore natural habitats, elevate the standard for urban waterfront resiliency, and transform the way New Yorkers interact with the East River. The 1.27-million-square-foot project includes two residential towers with a footprint designed to expand the public realm, creating six acres of new park space. Image courtesy BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group