When Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena speaks about designing buildings, he invokes the language of governments and institutes: “investing in brains over bricks”; turning “forces into forms.” But unlike the abstract ideas that may emerge from a policy institute, Aravena, with his Santiago-based firm ELEMENTAL, is keen on designing solutions that not solely aid, but empower society’s neediest.

In its design for the Wilson Secondary School, a public school in Arlington, Virginia, the architecture team of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Leo A Daly responds to diverse programmatic needs—with a twist.

In December, world leaders came to Paris with an ambitious task: cut global carbon emissions to prevent the worst of climate change. They succeeded in reaching a historic agreement.

Mark Foster Gage Architects has released renderings of a 102-floor luxury residential building at 41 West 57th Street in Manhattan.

Outdoor winter activities in London could get a whole lot cooler—if a proposal from NBBJ thaws out. The global firm has released a concept for a series of natural ice rinks, called “Frost Flowers,” intended to float on the River Thames.

The firm unveiled their latest site-specific installation, Spooky Action, on December 9 (“a gift for the holiday season,” they say) in the basement of the boutique Coming Soon, at 37 Orchard Street.

Surveying the last 12 issues, RECORD editors present a dozen “class favorites”—top projects of the year, split among a smattering of superlatives. Flip through our top picks, including office, retail, lighting, humanitarian, and mixed-use projects, and read more about each one by clicking the building name.

Looking back at the projects covered in Architectural Record during 2015, the editors have selected five pavilions—places intended for contemplation, meditation, and reflection—that thoughtfully consider both context and programmatic needs.

While 2015 may be drawing to a close, Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) is just getting into the swing of things. Last Thursday evening, the Manhattan performing arts complex cut the ribbon on a multi-million dollar lobby renovation—rechristened the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Atrium—in a star-spangled holiday celebration.