Architecture

Located in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, Sea of Time – TOHOKU is an art and architecture project designed by Japanese architect Tsuyoshi Tane in collaboration with artist Tatsuo Miyajima. Developed by Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects, the project is currently under development from 2024 to 2027, with an anticipated opening in spring 2028. Positioned on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the proposal brings together architecture and installation within a site shaped by the memory of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, framing both the landscape and its historical context as integral components of the design.

Observed annually on April 22, International Mother Earth Day frames this week’s architectural discourse through an urgent call to rethink the relationship between the built environment and natural systems, foregrounding themes such as urban rewilding, the restoration of aquatic ecosystems, and the integration of ancestral knowledge into contemporary design practices. On another note, the opening of Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026 and Milan Design Week 2026 seek to reinforce the global relevance of design as a platform for exchange and experimentation, activating the city of Milan through a network of exhibitions and installations that engage both industry and public audiences. Among the announcements of award-winning architectural projects this week, the United Nations’ House of No Waste (HØW) Competition highlights emerging architectural responses to climate and resource challenges. The awarded projects demonstrate scalable strategies for reducing material waste and embodied carbon while promoting adaptable, socially responsive, and resource-conscious public infrastructure.

If elevated networks reveal a city that increasingly walks above the street, the podium–tower is the typology that often makes that condition feel inevitable. Across Southeast Asia, podium–tower projects have become one of the dominant languages of metropolitan growth: a system that concentrates housing, jobs, retail, and transit connections into highly legible and managed parcels. From an urban planning perspective, the model can be remarkably effective—absorbing congestion, formalizing circulation, and delivering density quickly. Yet as it spreads, the typology also raises a quieter question: what does it optimize for, and what does it erode—especially at the level of the street, where urban life is meant to be negotiated rather than curated?

If elevated networks reveal a city that increasingly walks above the street, the podium–tower is the typology that often makes that condition feel inevitable. Across Southeast Asia, podium–tower projects have become one of the dominant languages of metropolitan growth: a system that concentrates housing, jobs, retail, and transit connections into highly legible and managed parcels. From an urban planning perspective, the model can be remarkably effective—absorbing congestion, formalizing circulation, and delivering density quickly. Yet as it spreads, the typology also raises a quieter question: what does it optimize for, and what does it erode—especially at the level of the street, where urban life is meant to be negotiated rather than curated?

Located within the tree-lined streets of Colonel Light Gardens, NTH by Ply Architecture is a carefully resolved addition that responds to both context and family life. Set among a fabric of heritage bungalows, the project adopts a measured architectural language—balancing continuity with distinction—to ensure a respectful integration within its established streetscape.

Set within a 40-cent north-facing plot in Edamuttom, Thrissur, Louvered House stands as an exploration of how contemporary living can harmoniously coexist with the sensitivities of Kerala’s tropical climate and cultural memory. Once a flourishing nutmeg plantation, the site still retains its original trees and lush greenery, weaving ecological continuity into the architectural design. To the east, the client’s ancestral tharavad remains, adding another layer of heritage and familial rootedness to the project. This delicate balance of the old and the new forms the philosophical core of the residence.

Set within a 40-cent north-facing plot in Edamuttom, Thrissur, Louvered House stands as an exploration of how contemporary living can harmoniously coexist with the sensitivities of Kerala’s tropical climate and cultural memory. Once a flourishing nutmeg plantation, the site still retains its original trees and lush greenery, weaving ecological continuity into the architectural design. To the east, the client’s ancestral tharavad remains, adding another layer of heritage and familial rootedness to the project. This delicate balance of the old and the new forms the philosophical core of the residence.