5 Architectural Achievements of 2021

Architecture faced several unprecedented challenges during 2021. It became even more important to reflect on the importance of public space, sustainability, design and their possibilities for the preservation of nature and the development of innovative projects. Here are five fascinating architectural projects that were finished during 2021:

The Plaza at Kanagawa Institute of Technology

This project was developed by the Japanese firm junya.ishigami + associates. This versatile semi-exterior space is located by the side of the Kanagawa Technology Institute. Its structure is rooted in the ground through 83 pilots and 54 anchorage spots. The roof is a steel plate with 59 windows with a view to the sky. Junya Ishigami’s idea was to provide a leisure and rest area for the students that also offered new and different ways to inhabit the space. He profiled this project as a “place to forget about time”.

Little Island Park 

Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg financed the development of this project, which was developed by English architect Thomas Heatherwick. It’s located by the side of the Hudson River in New York, and it consists of 132 concrete tulips. The park hosts more than one hundred different species of trees and native plants, which offers a great benefit to the biodiversity and the city’s weather. The design was determined by the team by observing the ice mosaic that forms around the wood pegs when the river freezes. The park’s landscapist Signe Nielsen says that its aesthetic will change with every season. Since june 2021, this park has hosted hundreds of cultural and educational activities for all ages.

Chapel of Sound

This open concert venue shaped like a monolith is located in Jinshanling, China, close to the Great Wall. It was designed by Open Architecture, and it consists of concrete slabs that blend in harmony with the rocky field around. The building has two big gaps on the top that provide natural light and diverse sound effects for all the spaces. The firm behind it says that the building has the ability to canalize water, rain and fauna sounds, thus creating everchanging natural symphonies. 

The Arc at Green School 

This hallucinating construction is formed by a series of arches that extend through 19 meters, interconnected by nets supported by two opposite curves. The Arc is an impressive architectural feat with great aesthetic strength, and it is also a strong proof of the bamboo’s potential for sustainable construction. Architect Tommaso Riva and his team’s process involved months of research.

Taiyuan Botanical Garden 

This project emerged from an ambitious idea: to transform an old carbon mine in a park with impressive landscapes. It was developed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects. It is now a public space with colonies, lakes, walking lanes and waterfalls. In addition, it has three greenhouses that provide the climatic conditions for the cultivation of plants from different origins, as well as a bonsai museum, a restaurant and a research center with a library.

These projects are proof of the ways in which architecture can dialogue with nature, urban challenges, landscape and sustainability, all important issues of our time.

What do you think of our selection? Would you add more projects to this list?

• The Plaza at Kanagawa Institute of Technology https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/15064-the-plaza-at-kanagawa-institute-of-technology-by-junya-ishigami-associates

• The Chapel of Sound is an open-air concert hall, The Spaces, https://thespaces.com/chapel-of-sound-china/
• The Arc at Green School Bali, Deezen, https://www.dezeen.com/awards/2021/shortlists/the-arc-at-green-school-bali/
• Little Island Park, Arch Daily https://www.archdaily.com/962374/little-island-park-heatherwick-studio
• Taiyuan Botanical Garden https://structurecraft.com/projects/taiyuan-domes