For the top 10 architecture stories of 2024, look no further; we researched, reviewed and reflected to present you with some of the most-read news and features that dominated the headlines of the Wallpaper* world in the past year.
Top 10 architecture stories of 2024
The old and the new meet in our pick of the year's finest architecture stories. New cultural institutions, rediscovered modernist marvels, world-class transport infrastructure, interviews, and our annual Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory – all form part of the architecture moments that defined 2024. Scroll down for more.
Hampi Art Labs by Sameep Padora, India
Located in southern India near the Unesco World Heritage Site of Hampi, Hampi Art Labs by leading Indian architect Sameep Padora undulates with the landscape, echoing the nearby Tungabhadra River and exuding a lightness of being that belies its sculptural proportions. Spread across 18 acres of virgin land, the recently opened arts centre, founded by Sangita Jindal and Tarini Jindal Handa of Indian powerhouse JSW, plays host to exhibition spaces, studios, ceramic and printmaking workshops, gardens, apartments for residencies, and a café.
Sydney Metro, designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners, Australia
The City extension to the Sydney Metro opened in August 2024, the latest addition to the city’s underground railroad system. Australia’s largest transport infrastructure project to date, the first tranche of stations opened in 2019 and work will be continuing until 2032 at least, with a total of 113km and 46 stations planned. This is the newly refurbished and expanded Central Station, a collaboration between John McAslan + Partners and Woods Bagot and a key interchange on the City & Southwest section of the system. This is already Australia’s busiest railway station, with rail lines that stretch out into the suburbs handling a remarkable 96 per cent of Sydney’s trains.
Frank Lloyd Wright architecture: from Prairie House to Guggenheim New York
A defining figure in 20th-century architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867 – 1959) is one of a handful of masters who shaped the world of architecture as we know it today, influencing it as few others did. His name crosses boundaries and disciplines, breaking out of the sometimes-introspective world of architecture to touch on art, design and the way we live. With his roots in residential architecture, and his rich portfolio being instrumental in the development of modernist architecture, this is a creative that was both meticulous and versatile; organic and highly refined. By the time of his death, he completed hundreds of projects in the US and abroad. This is our ultimate guide to Frank Lloyd Wright.
Earthship community, New Mexico, USA
Approaching Earthship in Taos, New Mexico, at dusk, landscape photographer Victoria Sambunaris (featured in our Wallpaper* USA 400, a guide to creative America) began to make out the gently sloping profiles of homes, buried in folds of a dune-like landscape. ‘It was like entering some other country, the architecture revealing itself as part of the earth, but of the earth from the earth,’ she says.
Station Lodge by Andrei Saltykov, London, UK
Station Lodge peeks out between New Malden's typical period homes, inviting visitors to the architecturally unexpected. This new home, designed by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London is certainly unusual - and offers a radical subversion to residential architecture of its region. Built on the site of a former garage, acquired by the client in 2020, the project is now a family home with inbuilt future-proofing - a 'vague initial aspiration' the architect explains, to be potentially split into two homes for the owners' children. In more immediate terms, the new house should provide a comfortable and equitable private space for the couple's two teenagers, as well as room for the family's extensive art and book collection.
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
The Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024 has been revealed, highlighting 20 studios from around the world as some of the year's most exciting newcomers. Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. This year’s survey spans 20 young studios, from Australia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, the UK, the USA, with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.
Marcio Kogan's top 50 films of all time
We love a good film - Marcio Kogan does too. His top 50 films of all time are available to peruse below, exploring the ever-evolving relationship between architecture and film. The architect and founder of Studio mk27 was a Guest Editor in our October 2024 issue (out now) and has had a long and meaningful relationship with cinema - an art form which has influenced him deeply and resonates in his architecture too. Tapping into his knowledge and passion for the moving image, we asked him for his tips on what to watch. Here are his all-time favourites (in no particular order).
Step inside a forgotten brutalist necropolis in Buenos Aires
It's not every day that a book comes out on a brutalist necropolis; so when 'Chacarita Moderna' appeared in our inbox, we stood up and took notice. The publication, out this month by Building Books, is the brainchild of French architect, researcher, and curator Léa Namer, who came across the brutalist architecture site of the Sexto Panteón necropolis during a visit to Buenos Aires in Argentina ten years ago. When she found out the author of the scheme within Chacarita cemetery was one of Argentina's first female architects, Ítala Fulvia Villa, her interest was piqued further. The idea of a book on it was soon born.
Changi Airport’s Terminal 2, Singapore
The completion of Terminal 2 at Changi Airport crafts a new architectural language for airport design (and follows the airport’s Jewel hub by Safdie Architects, which opened in 2019). The project was designed by Boiffils Architecture, a family-owned firm founded in 1984, with a rich portfolio of projects throughout Asia. The terminal expansion was approached by drawing on Singapore’s artistic and cultural heritage, inspired by the surrounding flora and natural light to form an open gateway into the Asian Garden City.
An interview with landscape designer John Sharp
Landscape designer John Sharp's gardens float in the realm between the wild and the ethereal. His namesake Los Angeles practice enjoys telling ‘botanical stories’ through its work – which, right now, wraps the homes of many of the great and the good of California. Studio John Sharp has been behind the lush, native landscaping that frames and complements the works of iconic architects such as John Lautner (hello, Garcia House) and Richard Neutra (Hailey House's gardens are in his portfolio); while the designer has created garden paradises for Hollywood stars, such as actresses Hilary Duff, Sophia Bush, and Zoey Deutch. Organic nature, and a sense of wonder, exploration and discovery are key themes in his work.
