Sydney Franklin

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Morphosis, Renzo Piano, SOM among shortlisted for civic office tower in L.A.

September 5, 2019

Less than three months after the controversial demolition of the Parker Center in downtown Los Angeles, a shortlist of high-profile architects has been released to head up the…

Olafur Eliasson unveils larger-than-life spheres in San Francisco

September 5, 2019

Olafur Eliasson’s latest installation, Seeing spheres, 2019, is the Danish-Icelandic artist’s first permanent public piece on the West Coast. Each of the five ultra-polished steel balls stands over 15-feet tall and now populate the corner of San Francisco’s bayside…

A new group of experts wants to eradicate modern slavery in the built environment

September 4, 2019

This article appears in the September print edition of The Architect's Newspaper.

The 2018 Global Slavery Index estimated that 24.9 million people around the world are enslaved in forced labor. Although the practice underpins much of the global 21st-century building economy—for example, the index noted that…

Foster + Partners tops Apple Aventura with wavy white precast roof

September 3, 2019

Foster + Partners has broken out of its traditional glass-box bubble and designed a different kind of Apple Store—one that’s arguably distinct because it wasn’t built in a major city center, or within another development (and doesn't resemble a…

SOM unveils a new look for Kansas City's $1.5 billion airport terminal

September 3, 2019

It’s been a long road for those involved in Kansas City’s mega-plan to upgrade its outdated international airport, but the process is moving along.  In late 2017, a proposal by Skidmore, Owings & Merril (

America's largest BMX park opens in Houston, courtesy OJB Landscape Architecture

August 30, 2019

OJB Landscape Architecture’s (OJB) ambitious vision for America’s largest BMX venue opened earlier this month in Houston. Located near the Bush Intercontinental Airport on the site of a former wastewater treatment plant, the Rock Star…

Harlem church wants to rezone above Central Park for tower and cultural center

August 30, 2019

Harlem’s La Hermosa Christian Church is proposing a major building move to save its congregation. Earlier this summer, it submitted an application to the New York City Planning Commission asking to rezone part of Central Park North

City of Los Angeles releases draft plan for 20 years of downtown growth

August 29, 2019

The Los Angeles Department of City Planning has announced a new plan that frames the city’s long-term priorities for development. Called DTLA 2040, the outline breaks down how the city’s core will be strengthened to accommodate the estimated…

Japan's tallest tower revealed in Tokyo's new Heatherwick-planned district

August 29, 2019

Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects has unveiled its vision for a 64-story tower in Tokyo, which, once finished, will be the tallest in Japan at 1,082 feet. The project is part of the upcoming Toranomon-Azabudai district,…

TWA Hotel, Snøhetta projects, The Shed top TIME's World's 100 Greatest Places

August 28, 2019

TIME Magazine’s second annual list of the World’s 100 Greatest Places is here and several major, recently-opened cultural marvels secured top spots—two of which were just completed by Norweigan-firm Snøhetta. Put together by the editors and correspondents at…

Trump's Grand Hyatt New York will be demolished, replaced with offices

August 27, 2019

The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, once owned and reclad by President Trump, is headed for the wrecking ball. A new joint development by TF Cornerstone, RXR Realty, and MDS Capital has been announced in its place and will feature 2…

Dorte Mandrup, DS+R, and WEISS/MANFREDI unveil ideas for La Brea Tar Pits revamp

August 27, 2019

Dorte Mandrup, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and WEISS/MANFREDI have revealed their concepts as finalists in the effort to reimagine the historic La Brea Tar Pits in Los…