Urban planning in Warsaw: a public square as a horizontal skyscraper

REVOLUTIONIZING URBAN ACCESSIBILITY WITH TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN Because chaos shouldn't be part of the environment. At Access Safety, we don't just create materials; we create smart solutions. With Stone20, we reinvent technical natural stone to achieve a more resistant, homogeneous, and functional product, ideal for all types of spaces: public and private. Stone20 is: - Highly resistant to breakage, stains, and extreme heat - Low porosity and minimal expansion - Homogeneous and durable surface - Minimal maintenance, even in high-traffic areas Because we think of people, inclusive design, and true durability. Because we understand that accessibility is not a luxury, but a necessity. And because we are committed to ending chaos. Discover Access Safety Group during ARCHITECT@WORK Barcelona on 29 & 30 October

A recent visit to Warsaw prompted some reflection on how we define and value heritage. Much of the city’s historic fabric is less than 100 years old having been painstakingly reconstructed after WWII. Yet its significance is undeniable. As heritage consultants, we often focus on the physical - buildings, streetscapes, and materials. But Warsaw reminded me that intangible heritage - stories, rituals, and collective memory, can be just as vital in shaping place identity. The city’s rebuilt Old Town, for example, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed not for its age, but for what it represents: resilience, cultural continuity, and the deliberate act of remembering. In our consultancy work, we use these layers of meaning to inform planning and design strategies that resonate with communities and reflect their identity. Intangible heritage isn’t always visible, but it’s often what gives places their depth and distinctiveness. By understanding how people relate to place, not just through architecture, but through lived experience, we help shape environments that feel authentic, inclusive, and rooted. This approach strengthens placemaking outcomes, ensuring that heritage isn’t just preserved, but actively contributes to the future character and success of a place. #HeritageConsulting #Placemaking #IntangibleHeritage #UrbanIdentity #Warsaw #CulturalValue #PlanningThoughts

Arquitectonica is designing The HueHub, a new mixed-use community planned for Miami’s West Little River. The project will bring 4,000 apartments, including 3,000 reserved at below-market rents for teachers, first responders and other essential workers. The HueHub is also planned as a place for learning, wellness, arts and green space, with features like a library, show kitchen, art gallery and a central park designed to connect residents. Read about how The HueHub aims to rethink housing and community in the Miami Herald: https://lnkd.in/eEGszdxi

Urban Radiance How does sunlight shape the city—and how can design shape that light? This study plays with form, shadow, and orientation to create spaces that feel better, brighter, and more alive. https://lnkd.in/gaSdjSh8

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 🗞️ 🙌 The latest KWG Stiftung Magazine features the international design competition for the redesign and expansion of the exhibition in the Old Tower of the Kaiser- Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in #Berlin.   In 2023, eight interdisciplinary teams from the fields of architecture and exhibition design were invited to take part — including PLANET architects (in collaboration with büro wien - inszenierte kommunikation marketing gmbh).   Our place-sensitive concept explores the potential of this historically and emotionally charged site. Through targeted architectural interventions, we aimed to generate added value, create synergies, and open up a unique future perspective for both the church and its surrounding urban ensemble.   The result is a high-quality, sustainable, and vibrant urban space — a place that connects the past and the future. The #KWGK becomes a vital condensation point for Berlin’s urban life, with the “Old Tower” as the central narrative of the story.   We’re proud to have been among the eight invited studios and to contribute to this inspiring discourse on the future of such a symbolic place. Find more details about the project on our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/dpBd-BDQ   #PLANETarchitects #architecturecompetition #Berlin #KWGK #exhibitiondesign #architecture #urbanlife #heritage #publicspace

When approaching the design of cultural spaces such as museums, performance venues, or places of research and study, architecture and design professionals often have to assemble pieces of a uniquely challenging puzzle in order to make the structure resonate with a variety of visitors and occupants. Hitting the right chord can be difficult, especially when trying to combine forms into a whole that pays respect to a building's intended use while being timeless in its universality. https://lnkd.in/gCKUyFcq

Paris | The Place de l’Hôtel de Ville has been reimagined as an urban forest, while the Rue de Rivoli has become a key corridor for low-carbon mobility. Paris is leading the way in human-centered urban design

KPMB founding partner Bruce Kuwabara will discuss the Contemporary Calgary project at next week’s National Trust for Canada Conference in Halifax — Canada’s largest conference dedicated to heritage conservation. During the two-day event, Kuwabara will join a panel exploring how some of Canada’s most iconic structures are being reinvented to meet new social and urban needs.  Alongside Contemporary Calgary CEO David Leinster, Kuwabara will discuss how the Centennial Planetarium — Calgary’s foremost example of Brutalist architecture — is being transformed into a new destination for art and a cultural anchor for the city’s West End.  The project, designed by KPMB in association with GGA-Architecture, entails a sensitive architectural addition, a renovation of the existing Brutalist structure, and new landscaped public spaces. Together, they will address the specialized needs of a 21st century art gallery, rectify longstanding accessibility issues, and improve energy efficiency — all while honouring the existing building’s architectural heritage.  Learn more about the panel: https://lnkd.in/gqRAsi-H

Launching: Impossible Toronto: On the Courtyard Impossible Toronto emerged from what on the surface appears as a relatively straight forward question – What does the future of the city look like? What should it look like? An initiative of the Neptis Foundation – Impossible Toronto seeks to envision new typologies in the city’s landscape. First in an ongoing series – “On the Courtyard, Learning from the European Blocks” is the culmination of a yearlong investigation by Studio VAARO and Gabriel Fain Architects where they propose a new built form for Toronto – the courtyard block. Spanning both a publication and immersive website – their study acts a starting point – inviting us to imagine new possibilities of designing, building, and living within the ever-evolving city. See the full project here: https://lnkd.in/gYK_VkMG

Set within Grade I-listed 18th-century almshouses, the Museum of the Home was under pressure: aging fabric, inefficient circulation, limited public access, inadequate exhibition and education space. The Museum holds a remarkable collection exploring the story of domestic life. Through a masterplan that responds to heritage, ecology, and community, we created space for growth while preserving the character that makes the Museum so distinctive. Some highlights: • We introduced two new garden pavilions (brick and timber) flanking the museum gardens, designed to host educational programmes, community convenings, pop-ups, and other events. • A street-facing café, built by repurposing an adjacent Victorian public house, not only gives a fresh entry point but strengthens the museum’s ability to generate visitor income and host day-to-day activation. • We reconfigured entrances and pedestrian flows, adding a bold new main entrance facing Hoxton Station, with ramps, planting, and wayfinding to make the museum more legible and inviting in its neighbourhood. • Internally, the project nearly doubled public space and added roughly 80% more exhibition area, all while retrofitting 92% of the existing building and avoiding a commensurate rise in energy use or carbon footprint. • Importantly, the gardens were re-linked and enhanced, creating new visual and physical connections, restoring biodiversity, and expanding one of Hackney’s largest public green spaces. Beyond the bricks, our relationship with the Museum of the Home didn’t end at handover. We continue to support smaller-scale projects and evolving challenges, because we see it as a living framework and this project exemplifies this. Read more about the project here - https://lnkd.in/eNG2tYzb #museumofthehome #museumarchitecture #masterplan