Architectural Record

These tall building projects share an interest in inventive form, ingenuity in structure, and engagement of context. Read the six articles in this section and take a quiz to earn one AIA learning unit.

Vancouver House by Bjarke Ingels Group

Vancouver, Canada

Katharine Logan

May 1, 2021

In the western Canadian city, BIG reinterprets the typical residential tower.

Hanking Center by Morphosis Architects

Shenzhen, China

Suzanne Stephens

May 1, 2021

Morphosis’s Hanking Center, in western Shenzhen, China, puts engineering ingenuity on display in this supertall structure.

One Manhattan West by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

New York

Joann Gonchar, FAIA

May 1, 2021

An office building on Manhattan’s far West Side follows the firm’s long-standing approach for integrating form and structure.

One Hundred by Studio Gang

St. Louis

John Knuteson

May 1, 2021

Bordering a park, Studio Gang’s sawtooth-shaped apartment tower rises above its St. Louis neighborhood.

Rainier Square by NBBJ

Seattle

Russell Fortmeyer

May 1, 2021

In Seattle, NBBJ designs a mixed-use skyscraper that bows to its midcentury neighbors.

Eight Tall Buildings on the Rise

Laura Raskin

May 1, 2021

A selection of projects in progress from around the world provides a glimpse of what’s next for the skyscraper.

Franklin Square Lobby by Hickok Cole, Patricia Kazinski, and GPI Design

Washington, D.C.

David Sokol

May 10, 2021

An imposing Postmodernist lobby is made contemporary with daylighting and electric illumination.

Oculum by gon architects and Oliva Iluminación

Madrid

Anatxu Zabalbeascoa

May 10, 2021

A newly remodeled ophthalmologist's lobby replicates daylight and circadian rhythm with LEDs.

May 2021 Editor's Letter: High and Mighty

Innovative tall buildings are making a big mark on evolving metropolises.

Cathleen McGuigan

May 3, 2021

Skyscrapers are tied to the fortunes of cities. So it may seem a strange moment to celebrate tall buildings, when people are questioning—in the U.S., at least—the future of the metropolis.

tucson-arizona-chee-salette-mendez-january-8-memorial-architectural-record-1170.jpg

Tucson Commemorates Shooting 10 Years Later

Bridget Goldberg

April 19, 2021

The Arizona city has received a memorial commemorating its 2011 shooting.

What Biden’s $2 Trillion Infrastructure Proposal Could Mean for Architects

Deane Madsen

April 15, 2021

President Biden laid out the framework for the American Jobs Plan, a $2.25 trillion infrastructure proposal, at the end of March.

A Rare Private Residence Designed by Frank Gehry

Cathleen McGuigan

April 14, 2021

The 92-year-old Pritzker Prize-winning architect designs a new family compound in Mexico.

The U.S. Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale.

U.S. Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale Spotlights the Humble American Wood Frame

Can the Mundane Be Captivating?

Clifford A. Pearson

April 21, 2021

The curators of this year's U.S. Pavilion explore what wood frame construction says about America’s history and our attitudes toward labor and the built environment.

Tianjin Juilliard by Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Tianjin, China

Clifford A. Pearson

April 7, 2021

Diller Scofidio + Renfro designs faceted formations for a Juilliard outpost in China.

African Leadership University by MASS Design Group

Kigali, Rwanda

Alex Klimoski

May 4, 2021

In Rwanda, MASS Design Group tailors an ambitious building to train tomorrow’s leaders.

A Cliff Dweller's Guide to Tall Skinny Buildings

The Way They Sway

Sara Hart

May 4, 2021

RECORD explores the up and down sides of the super expensive residential supertalls.

Dale Hodges Park by O2 Planning + Design, AECOM, Source 2 Source, sans façon

Kara Mavros

May 5, 2021

In Calgary, Alberta, a team remediates a former quarry as a park and water-treatment center.

JD House by Arthur Casas

São Sebastião, Brazil

Wendy Moonan

May 5, 2021

James S. Russell, FAIA Emeritus

Architect Arthur Casas designs a seaside dwelling near São Paulo for a long, narrow site.

Carol Willis on the State of the Supertall

May 6, 2021

"Supertalls can be about dreams, the urge to build icons, and ego—but they have got to pay back," says the founding director of the Skyscraper Museum.

Review of 'Unless: The Seagram Building Construction Ecology'

By Kiel Moe

Eric Höweler, FAIA

May 6, 2021

This critical assessment of Mies van der Rohe's Modernist icon demolishes much of the building's mythology.

Review of 'Megastructure: Urban Futures of the Recent Past'

By Reyner Banham

Anthony Vidler

May 6, 2021

A reprint of Reyner Banham’s historical survey provides insight into the aims behind what was called the “megastructural” movement.

Kadokawa Culture Museum Library by Kengo Kuma & Associates

Tokyo

Ilana Herzig

May 7, 2021

Kengo Kuma designs towering labyrinthine bookshelves for a museum's library near Tokyo.

New Lighting Products for Spring 2021

May 10, 2021