Let's take a look at some of the latest news and innovations in architecture and design from around the world.

Digital reconstruction of Iran’s Mirror Palace

Image credit: Noor Art & Architecture Studio

Noor Art & Architecture Studio has completed a digital reconstruction of the Ayine Khaneh Palace (or Mirror Palace) of Isfahan, Iran. Originally built in the 16th century, the palace was once one of the city’s most important buildings. However, it was destroyed in 1891 by Isfahan governor Zello Soltan.

Noor decided to undertake the reconstruction as part of a project in recovering Isfahan’s lost architecture during the Safavid era. The reconstruction was informed by sketches and plans from French architects Eugene Flandin and Pascal Coste in 1840, photos taken by German photographer Ernst Hoeltzer before the palace’s destruction, written descriptions from Persian and European historians and the revision of other palaces built around the same time.

A highly intricate design, the palace’s walls were lavishly decorated with mirrors and paintings, while the floor was covered in marble. In the central part of the porch, there was also a marble pool with fountains spouting from the mouths of four stone lions.

Designs revealed for Paris 2024 Olympics

Reconstruction of a significant Persian palace; Paris Olympic designs; New York's biggest engineering challenge
Image credit: Dominique Perrault

French architects Dominique Perrault has revealed the masterplan and concept design for the athletes’ village at the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. Located in the Seine-Saint-Denis district, the mixed-use buildings have been designed to integrate with the existing buildings in the area, and will become a permanent community once the games are over.

The concept is a garden city with over 2,400 apartments for athletes. The buildings have been designed as a series of open blocks with access to natural light and Seine River views. There will also be a series of pathways, terraces and promenades that link the housing and the urban landscape.

Construction is expected to begin in 2020 and be complete by 2023, before the Olympics.

Manhattan coastline being extended due to climate change

Reconstruction of a significant Persian palace; Paris Olympic designs; New York's biggest engineering challenge
Image credit: NYCEDC

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has revealed a $10 billion plan to protect Lower Manhattan from flooding.

The Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study has shown that by 2050, 37 percent of properties in Lower Manhattan will be at risk of storm surge. This will rise to 50 percent in 2100, when it is predicted that 20 percent of streets will be subject to daily flooding.

The rectification plan includes fortifying most of Lower Manhattan with grassy berms in parks and removable barriers that can be used for oncoming storms. There are also plans to extend the coastline by up to 150 metres, creating new public space while raising the outboard edge to meet sea level rises and storm surge. It has been described by the mayor as one of the most complex environmental and engineering challenges New York has ever undertaken.

Architecture & Design Team

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