Danish architecture studio Dorte Mandrup creates a 360-degree experience of the landscape with the completion of their second out of three projects at the UNESCO-protected Wadden Sea area. Functioning as both exhibition space and working field station, the new Wadden Sea World Heritage Centre in Lauwersoog, Netherlands, aims to foster a deeper, more personal connection to this important ecosystem.
This project arises from a simple question: how to create architecture in the tropics without competing with the forest, but rather learning from it?
Situated between two university campuses, the new Study Center acts as both a physical connector and a social catalyst. The building unites library facilities, classrooms, auditoria, workspaces, and offices within a compact and transparent volume conceived for clarity, openness, and ease of use.
MVRDV has completed construction on the Pujiang Platform, a viewpoint comprising an arched, earth-covered timber pavilion perched among the hills to the south of Chengdu. The project serves as both a visitor destination and an event space that takes advantage of the spectacular natural beauty of central China. Designed to blend into nature while also standing out as a beacon when seen from the plains below, the structure of earth-covered timber arches takes a telescopic shape, drawing visitors to the expansive viewing window and balcony that projects out over the slope.
The project is located within Ensheng Wetland Park atop Wutong Mountain in Yantian District. Here, on one side lies the summit landscape of the Ensheng Wetland with Wutong Mountain, and on the other stretches the seemingly endless seascape of Yantian Port, reminiscent of “mystical mountains beyond the sea,” alongside the continuously stacked containers within the port itself. The wonders of nature and human artifice are presented here almost simultaneously. The client’s brief was clear: this pavilion must offer a view of the sea. This inspired a broader aspiration: to create a “space” where one can enjoy 360-degree panoramic views. Concurrently, we set ourselves a requirement: the presence of the architecture must not disturb the natural ground.
Located in the heart of the Pont district in Marcq-en-Barœul, the new Youth Center is set within a dense fabric of terraced brick houses with narrow, colorful façades. This domestic landscape, composed of plots barely five meters wide, forms a subtle palette of orange and brown tones. Within this intimate context, the challenge was to establish a dialogue between a 600 m² public building and the delicate scale of the neighborhood.
The site is located in Xialang Village, and the village lives up to its name – the Lanshi River meanders down from the folds of Luofu Mountain, flowing past the site and stirring up layers of waves. Our first site visit took place at the end of the Spring Festival, but winter is not the “wave season” for Xialang. Both the water volume in the dry season and the number of visitors in the off-season seemed to still be rousing from their winter slumber. From snippets of conversations with local residents, we learned that unlike the loneliness we saw before, every summer, thousands of tourists flood here to wade in the stream and escape the heat – Xialang Village truly “lives off the waves”.
Cosmocité, the new science center in Pont-de-Claix, stands as a cultural landmark where architecture, science, and landscape meet. The building was imagined as a journey of discovery, a place where visitors can explore the mysteries of the universe while reconnecting with the history of the site and the surrounding city.
Set against the wild limestone cliffs and dense coastal forest of Punakaiki, Punangairi redefines what a visitor centre can be. Designed by Sheppard & Rout Architects, in collaboration with Ngāti Waewae, the project moves beyond tourism infrastructure to become an act of cultural and ecological restoration.
The newly built lookout tower is located in the southern part of the village of Vysoké Pole in the Zlín region near Díly Hill and is accessible via a recently built cycle path. It does not stand on a significant mountain peak, nor is it overwhelming in height or complexity. Instead, its size and location are linked to the construction of a new dam, the Vlachovice Waterworks. Due to be completed in 2030, the waterworks will flood the surrounding valley. The 15 m high structure attracts visitors with captivating views of the surrounding landscape and provides a splendid view of the construction of the Vlachovice Waterworks, due to be completed in 2030.
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