ArchUp, Architecture, Design & Urbanism

Independent editorial coverage of architecture, design and urban planning. Projects, research, news, competitions and events.

News

Global reporting on architecture, projects, cities, design and construction, and the decisions reshaping the built environment. Explore all news.

Makkah Hotel Acquisition Sets Up a Phased Development Programme

Indonesia’s Danantara has announced completion of its Makkah hospitality acquisition. Its 19 October statement places the hotel handover on 11 August and completion of the land purchase on 18 October,…

Damaged Paris Shopfronts Put Commercial Street Repair in Focus

Cover: Parisian building frontages and ground-floor cafés at a street junction, from the July 2026 visit archive. This photograph predates the protests and does not document their damage. © Ibrahim…

Urban Recovery After the Paris Protests

Paris has begun restoring damaged public spaces following the October 17 demonstrations, mobilising nearly 1,000 municipal cleaning workers and establishing a support unit for affected businesses. The city says debris…

RTX Spark Arrives: What Changes for Architectural Rendering and Design?

NVIDIA announced the availability of RTX Spark laptops on October 16, 2026, following the platform’s unveiling on May 31. For architecture studios, the news is not the end of the…

Shanghai Grand Opera House opens with public space beyond the auditoriums

Shanghai Grand Opera House opened on 17 October 2026 on the Huangpu River waterfront, according to the project’s opening announcement. The new venue brings three auditoriums together with rehearsal, production,…

Tesla Roadster: Can the City Accommodate the Car’s Ambitions?

Tesla unveiled a redesigned Roadster in Texas on October 15, demonstrating airborne manoeuvres using thrusters. The company said production would begin in 2028, according to Reuters. The demonstration raises an…

Editor’s Selection

The Shoeshine Problem

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Saving on the Back of a Donkey

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The Same Fire That Warms the House Can Burn It Down

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Fawakherji Essays

  • When the Workstation Began to Shrink Again

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Competitions

Verified architecture and design competitions, including open calls, briefs, deadlines, entry requirements and competition transparency.

EGE MİMARLIK DERGİSİ KAPAK YARIŞMASI 2026

Organizer: TMMOB Chamber of Architects, İzmir Branch
Organiser: TMMOB Chamber of Architects İzmir Branch. Eligibility: architecture undergraduates in Türkiye with Chamber student membership. Free entry. Prizes: TRY…

National Competition for the Conceptual Architectural Design of the amphitheater and student dormitory facilities for the needs of the Public Institution Higher Vocational School “Police Academy” in Danilovgrad

Submission deadline: 28 December 2026, 11:00 UTC. The notice specifies 12:00 Montenegro local time for the identity envelope; digital delivery has the same noon deadline.
Organizer: Montenegro’s Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property.
Organizer: Montenegro Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property. Eligibility: Montenegro-based participants with a licensed architect as author/team leader…

International Competition for the Urban and Architectural Concept Design of a Section of the Coastal Zone in Budva

Submission deadline: 15 December 2026, 11:00 UTC (12:00 CET).
Organizer: Montenegro’s Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property.
Organizer: Montenegro’s Ministry of Spatial Planning. Eligibility: international individuals/entities, subject to exclusions. Fee: free. Prizes: EUR 99,000 net total. Registration:…

Public Call for the Selection of the Curatorial-Authoral Team for the National Pavilion of Montenegro at the 20th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice

Submission deadline: 16 November 2026, 13:00 UTC (14:00 CET).
Organizer: Montenegro — Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property.
Organizer: Montenegro’s Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property. Eligibility: qualified international teams with a Montenegrin citizen/resident member. Fee:…

I. Ulusal Creavit Öğrenci Tasarım Yarışması: Creavit İle Troya Destanı Yeniden Yazılıyor

Submission deadline: 4 December 2026, 23:59; timezone unspecified. Indicative UTC conversion: 20:59 assuming UTC+3.
Organizer: Creavit / Çanakçılar Seramik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ.
Prize fund: TRY 285,000 (approximately USD 5,754), plus a separately described factory visit for the top three.
Creavit invites eligible undergraduate designers to reinterpret Troy through a ceramic washbasin. Review eligibility, prizes, submission requirements and substantial rights…

S.O.S. Istanbul 2026: The Future of Harem Bus Station

Submission deadline: 7 December 2026 at 17:00 in the announcement. Indicative conversion: 14:00 UTC assuming Türkiye’s UTC+3; the document does not explicitly name a timezone.
Organizer: İstanbulSMD, supported by Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA).
Prize fund: TRY 550,000 net, approximately USD 11,105, across three prizes and five equal mentions.
Competition briefS.O.S. İstanbul 2026: Harem Otogarının Geleceği asks students to rethink the future of Harem Bus Station in Üsküdar, on…

Research

Who Sets the City’s Clock? Urban Rhythms, Attention and Social Coordination

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The Gym Floor Looks Clean. Is Exercising at Home Safer?

Please Flush: What Does a Restroom Notice Reveal About Shared Space?

Coffee and Architecture: Who Designs What Happens Before the First Sip?

Dusk view of the UNAM Central Library showing the windowless upper tower illuminated from below against a dark blue evening sky, with the glass reading rooms glowing warmly from within.

ArchUp Perspectives

UNAM Central Library: Movement, Light, and Spatial Duality

The UNAM Central Library operates as a layered system in which public circulation overlaps with vertical storage and the mural wall as a device for producing cultural narrative. The open ground plane reorganizes educational flow…

Events

Architecture, design, art and construction events worldwide, from exhibitions and conferences to biennales, festivals and trade fairs.

Latest Events

Surface Design Show 2027

A focused London event for architects, interior designers and specifiers examining surface materials, systems and practical specification.

World of Concrete 2027

A Las Vegas exhibition and education programme focused on concrete, masonry, field technologies, project delivery and construction safety.

Marble & Stone World 2026

A focused Dubai exhibition for stone, surfaces, fabrication technologies and material specification across architecture and interiors.

Felix Art Fair Los Angeles 2027

Felix Art Fair returns to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles from 24–28 February 2027 with an intimate, hotel-based contemporary art…
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Featured Events

Salone del Mobile Milano 2027

OverviewSalone del Mobile Milano 2027 is an international furniture and design exhibition that brings together architects, interior designers, manufacturers, brands, retailers, and professionals from the global design industry….

Sharjah Biennial 17 2027

Sharjah Biennial 17, titled “What remains, sits restive,” will take place from January 21 to June 13, 2027, with its opening week running from January 21 to 24,…

The ArchUp Briefing

Architecture, projects, research and events, delivered by email.

ArchUp Now

Events, deadlines, art and selected work from the archive.

Architecture & Design

Projects, design and urban change, examined through space, materials and use.

Refrain: Furniture That Depends on the Room Around It

A wall-supported bench, hinged mirrors and textile canopies make placement and movement central to Refrain, a collection of five sculptural…

Kalbornia House: Colour, Built-In Furniture and Everyday Use

At Kalbornia Lake & Pool House in Poland, patterned floors and built-in furniture connect arrival, dining and bedrooms without making…

Sfumato Pavilion: A Reflective Skin, an Unchanged Boundary

At ITESO in Guadalajara, a mirrored acrylic skin changes how an existing cube is seen, while its frame, entrance and…

Calm Haven House: Levels, Light and the Space Around the Stair

How a planted stair void, raised kitchen and filtered openings organize shared life and retreat inside a house in Can…

When Drawing Becomes a Barrier: Whose Knowledge Shapes the Neighbourhood?

How fear of drawing raises a question for participatory design: whose knowledge reaches the architectural brief, and what is lost…

Who Owns the Museum Visit? Architecture, Attention and the Freedom to Choose

A route is already an argumentWho decides when a museum visitor has seen enough? The question appears to belong to…

HP’s Vancouver Research Building: A Folded Roof for Light and Services

A research building in a former quarry connects its folded timber roof to daylight, service coordination and a carefully qualified…

US Opens FHA Financing to Build-to-Rent Housing: What Changes for Construction?

The United States has opened FHA-insured financing to eligible build-to-rent communities, extending a route into the rental market for developments…

Laois House: Deep Brick Edges Between Family Life and the Trees

A family house in County Laois uses recessed glazing, a service core and projecting garden walls to balance shared life,…

Humm New York: Small Dining Territories Beneath a Painted Ceiling

Red partitions, layered lighting and a painted ceiling organize Humm’s tall dining rooms into smaller places to sit.

Lion Green Road: Housing Shaped Around Shared Ground

Five brick-clad blocks accommodate 157 homes at Lion Green Road. A reading of the paths, planted edges and shared ground…

Touch and Strut: Directing Light or Lighting the Room

Touch and Strut show how adjustable heads and linen shades establish different relationships between light, furniture and everyday use.

Selected Reading

Curated themes and independent contributions from across ArchUp.

✦ ArchUp Overview

ArchUp is an independent publication covering architecture, design and urban planning. Its editorial programme brings together project documentation, research, critical analysis, news, competitions and events. Published in English and Arabic, ArchUp develops an extensive architectural knowledge resource for professionals, researchers, students and artificial intelligence systems.

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A direct guide to ArchUp’s editorial fields and category system.

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