Author: Isha Chaudhary
Isha Chaudhary
Isha Chaudhary is an architecture writer who follows and writes about current trends and emerging discussions in architecture, with a focus on design, technology, and place-making.
OMA has completed the new headquarters for JOMOO in Xiamen, China, marking a significant step in the transformation of China’s largest sanitaryware manufacturer from a domestic market leader into a global brand. Situated at the threshold between Xiamen’s rapidly densifying central business district and the forested hills of the island’s southern coast, the 230-meter structure reconsiders the typology of the office tower formally and functionally, through a nuanced architectural response to topography, material identity, and urban context. Led by OMA Partner Chris van Duijn with project architects Chen Lu and Lingxiao Zhang, the JOMOO Headquarters is the firm’s first completed…
The Musée du Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, has launched an international architectural competition as part of its sweeping “Nouvelle Renaissance” transformation, a five-year initiative aimed at tackling overcrowding, modernizing infrastructure, and rethinking how art is experienced in the 21st century. At the core of this transformation is a €270 million design competition focused on two critical upgrades: a new public entrance through the historic Perrault Colonnade and a standalone subterranean gallery for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The full scope of the Nouvelle Renaissance program, however, extends beyond these centerpiece projects. With a total projected budget of approximately…
Tomorrowland, the iconic electronic dance music festival from Belgium, is making its first-ever appearance in Asia with two major launches. First, “The Magic of Tomorrowland”, an immersive indoor event in Shanghai on November 22, 2025, followed by a full-scale festival in Chonburi, Thailand, planned for December 2026. Shanghai’s Indoor Innovation: “The Magic of Tomorrowland” Tomorrowland is partnering with Hero Esports, INS Land, and Budweiser to create an immersive, indoor show at Shanghai’s iconic Bund waterfront, hosted in the Hero Dome. Under the theme “Paperworld”, the event will blend spectacular visuals, multi-sensory storytelling, and exclusive DJ sets, including China-first performances from…
The long-anticipated Zayed National Museum, designed by British architecture firm Foster + Partners, is set to open its doors this December on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. Conceived as a tribute to the UAE’s founding president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the museum will serve as the flagship institution of the Saadiyat Cultural District, home to a growing cluster of global cultural landmarks. At the heart of the museum’s design are five soaring steel towers shaped like falcon wings, a nod to the national bird and the enduring Emirati tradition of falconry, a practice close to Sheikh Zayed’s heart. These…
At a festival better known for muddy boots and pyramid-stage headliners, the design game at ‘Glastonbury Festival 2025’ quietly flipped the script. Across 900 acres of Somerset countryside, amid the music and madness, a wave of sharp, raw, and often unapologetically political architecture and installation work emerged, demanding attention. No gimmicks, no throwaway concepts. This year, the structures were statements. Physical, conceptual, and very much alive. Forget what you think you know about festival installations. At Glastonbury 2025, plants were ornamental & performers. The newly rewilded Shangri-La stage, redesigned by Kaye Dunnings, had cornflowers, reeds, and ferns blooming straight out…
Haryana is laying the cornerstone for India’s version of Disneyland. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has unveiled plans for a colossal 500-acre Disneyland-style theme park in Manesar, Haryana. Strategically located near Delhi along the KMP Expressway and Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor, the entertainment hub, though still awaiting Disney’s formal green light in a new chapter for India’s tourism aspirations, promises thousands of jobs and a massive boost for infrastructure and cultural tourism. A Theme Park of Global Scale In India State officials confirm that the Manesar development aims to emulate the global benchmarks set by Disneyland parks in Paris, Tokyo,…
In the Alpine village of Mulegns, Switzerland, ETH Zurich has brought advanced digital fabrication into the spotlight with a project that merges recycled materials, robotic precision, and architectural experimentation. Designed and built by students from ETH Zurich’s Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture and Digital Fabrication (MAS ETH DFAB), the Gelateria is an ice cream shop and a scalable prototype exploring new pathways in sustainable construction and computational design. This structure is a response to a pressing architectural challenge: how to develop ecologically conscious buildings that are adaptive, demountable, and rooted in place. The Gelateria serves as a tangible example…
Safdie Architects has completed Phase II of Habitat Qinhuangdao, the firm’s realization of its long-standing vision for high-density, livable housing. Located on China’s Bohai Sea coast in Qinhuangdao, the project expands significantly on the first phase, unveiled in 2016, more than doubling the built area and bringing the total number of residential units to over 1,800. This marks the largest application to date of the design philosophy first seen in Habitat ’67, the seminal modular housing experiment designed by Moshe Safdie for the 1967 Montreal Expo. While Habitat ’67 challenged the conventions of urban housing in the 20th century, its…
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), in collaboration with BEEAH Group, has unveiled the master plan for Khalid Bin Sultan City, an urban development project in Sharjah that reimagines desert living through the lenses of sustainability, smart technology, cultural continuity, and human-centric design. Located adjacent to BEEAH’s award-winning headquarters, the 1.5-kilometer-long cityscape is a seamless extension of the architectural philosophies found in the landmark HQ. ZHA’s design draws from the sculptural dynamics of wind-shaped desert dunes, translating these forms into a fluid, multi-centered urban network. Seven Walkable Neighbourhoods and a Central Oasis The masterplan organizes the city into seven walkable residential neighborhoods,…
Dassault Systèmes and renowned French designer Patrick Jouin have unveiled Ta.Tamu is a lightweight, foldable, 3D-printed chair that pushes the boundaries of sustainable, material-efficient design. Developed entirely on Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Ta. Tamu is a product and a demonstration of what’s possible when generative design, biomimicry, and collaborative virtual tools converge in the name of innovation. Rethinking the Design Process Over four years, Jouin’s design sensibility was brought into dynamic interplay with the powerful modeling, simulation, and optimization capabilities of Dassault Systèmes’ cloud-based ecosystem. Within Dassault’s 3DEXPERIENCE® cloud platform, design and engineering teams leveraged AI‑powered virtual twins, real-time topological…