Archived Articles from Public & Institutional

Civic structures shape cities - the best examples of institutional architecture stand out from the crowd and declare themselves as objects rather than infill. From sensational schools, colleges and universities to magnificent museums, theaters and opera halls, here are some buildings well worth viewing (and visiting should you ever find yourself in the relevant city!).

Sky Park: Design Idea Floats City Block Over Penn Station

Out of four recent proposals for a radical overhaul of Penn Station in New York City, this concept is far and away the most dramatic.

Earthscraper: 1000 Vertical Feet of Inverted Pyramid

Skyscrapers shoot up in most cities, but what are developers to do in growing places where new building construction is limited to less than ten stories tall?

Alternative Landmarks: 12 Monuments As They Almost Were

Major landmarks around the world, from the Sydney Opera House to the Lincoln Memorial, could have been dramatically different if these proposals were accepted.

Algae-Fueled Building: World's First Bio-Adaptive Facade

Bio-reactors and micro-algae sound like the stuff of science fiction, but this is the real deal: biomass built into panel glass on an actual working structure.

World's Most Powerful Man-Made Tornado in a Museum

The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany hosts quite a spectacle when it demonstrates the awe-inspiring power of its tornado fire safety system.

Origami Shelter: Instant Flat-Pack Architecture on Demand

Take a structure, strip away all of the non-essentials, and squeeze out every last unused bit of air space, and what do you get? Essentially, a flat-folded sheet.

Performance Architecture: 10 Dramatic Opera Sets & Stages

These massive floating opera stages in Austria are so incredible, it'd be hard not to stare at them the whole time instead of watching the performances.

Revealing Historical Photos Show US White House Gutted

The already-aging White House had been retrofit with a maze of modern amenities like plumbing, electricity and heating - none of which were factored into the original plan.

Visionary Videos: 7 Awe-Inspiring TED Talks on Architecture

From timeless architectural insights to new building technologies, watch these videos and you will never see built environments in the same way again.

World's First Mobile Research Station Opens in Antarctica

Built for some of the world's most extreme weather conditions, the Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica is now open and ready for use.

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