This week on Dezeen, architecture studio Snøhetta unveiled its “surgical” renovation of the postmodern 550 Madison skyscraper in New York, formerly known as the AT&T building.
The Norwegian studio converted the 197-metre-high skyscraper designed by Philip Johnson from a single-occupancy into a multiple-occupancy building by opening up some of the facades, adding a public garden and improving its ventilation and elevation systems.
Snøhetta had originally drawn up a more elaborate transformation plan for the building in 2017, but this was nixed by the city government. The final version scales back interventions to the building’s facade, with only a small portion of the original stone removed.
In other architecture news, Danish studio BIG released photos of its Telus Sky Tower in Calgary, Canada, which it describes as having a “feminine silhouette”. The twisting skyscraper contains both offices and residential programs, which informed its design.
Meanwhile, Studio Daniel Libeskind unveiled its design for a contemporary extension to the iconic Boerentoren tower in Antwerp, Belgium, which will sit on top of the high-rise like a crown.
As the World Cup kicked off in Qatar, architecture studio Week designed a conceptual memorial to visualise the number of reported deaths connected to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The tower would be constructed from concrete blocks and reach a height of 4.4 kilometres if built.
Each block was designed to represent one of the migrant workers, who have reportedly died in Qatar since 2010 – the year the country won the right to host the World Cup.
We also took a look at the football kits designed for Amnesty International’s FIFA: Time to Compensate Migrant Workers in Qatar campaign, which were made by 13 creatives from countries taking part in the World Cup.
The colourful designs, released by creative agency Hen’s Teeth, aim to encourage Qatar and FIFA to pay compensation to workers who have suffered labour abuses during the World Cup’s construction.
Architect Lina Ghotmeh was revealed as the designer of the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion in London, which will feature a roof with gables radiating out from its centre.
The timber pavilion, called À table, will have translucent walls surrounding a space with a low table. “In today’s changing times, this pavilion offers a celebratory space,” Ghotmeh said.
Two major fashion designers made career changes this week, with Raf Simons announcing the closure of his eponymous brand after an “extraordinary 27-year journey”. The designer will continue to be the co-creative director of Italian fashion house Prada.
A few days later, Alessandro Michele stepped down as creative director of Gucci after being with the brand for seven years. Michele played a “fundamental part” in forging the identity of the Italian fashion house, Gucci’s parent brand Kering said.
Popular projects this week included “accessible yet exceptional” housing blocks in Sweden by Johan Sundberg Arkitektur, The Hermitage cabin overlooking Italian mountains and a refurbished modernist home in Greece.
Our most recent lookbook showcased peaceful cottage interiors.
This week on Dezeen
This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Susbscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.
