October 2025 Editor’s Letter
Time Will Tell
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest of the Egyptian pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo, is believed to have been built over the course of 26 years. It has taken almost as long to build the Grand Egyptian Museum, whose official opening, after many delays, is now set for November 1. The story of the trials and tribulations of its construction, particularly for the competition-winning architect, Dublin-based Heneghan Peng, is recounted in this issue’s Inside Look.
But even more significant for a structure than the time it takes to build it is the life—or multiple lives—it takes on once completed. For example, the pyramids—originally built as tombs for the pharaohs, became sites of archaeological exploration in the 19th century, and Egypt’s main tourist attraction by the 20th. That continues. Revenue from tourism, a cornerstone of the country’s economy, hit record-breaking levels last year. The new museum will only increase those numbers.
In another far-flung region, Kazakhstan, London-based architect Asif Khan has given new life to a movie theater in the former capital of Almaty. Built as a propaganda machine by the Soviets in 1964, the cineplex has been reinvented as an independent arts center, featured on the cover. In Kortrijk, Belgium, a medieval abbey complex, first converted to a museum in 1993, has been expanded, with a new pavilion by Barozzi Veiga. Places for burial, entertainment, and spirituality are all ingeniously reimagined as cultural hubs.
Architecture is a discipline conceived in three dimensions. The fourth—time—is not often talked about, but its passage can dramatically alter how a space is perceived and used. However, that doesn’t mean a building can’t have immediate impact, or represent new beginnings. Another Dublin-based studio, the Pritzker Prize–winning Grafton Architects, recently unveiled its first building in the United States, the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, at the University of Arkansas. It is among the first buildings in mass timber by Grafton, a firm until now known for buildings of great heft, usually in concrete.
Looking to the future, this month’s Forum examines a phenomenon many of us could never have imagined—towers as theme parks. A roller coaster atop a skyscraper? Sounds like a downhill ride for architecture and the public—let’s hope time will quash that trend!
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