This year has been an excellent one for architecture, with many long-awaited projects being completed and plenty of surprises along the way too. From a bridge that rolls 180 degrees to let boats pass, to the world's largest spherical building – plus Brooklyn's first supertall skyscraper – here's our selection of the top 10 architecture projects of 2023.
Our selection for the year's best architecture projects attempts to showcase the most interesting and impressive builds that we've featured during the last 12 months or so, and range from the United States, Middle East, Europe and Australia.
One major theme that dominates is renovations, marking a growing focus in the architecture profession to try and retain and improve buildings where possible, rather than simply knocking then down and starting again. However, there are also examples of outstanding new architecture too, including the inexorable growth of 3D printing and a massive sustainable timber building.
Our list is presented in no particular order and you can head to the gallery to see more photos and information on each.
Quay Quarter Tower – 3XN Architects
3XN Architects' Quay Quarter Tower has received awards from the likes of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and World Architecture Festival – and it's easy to see why.
Situated on a prominent spot in Sydney, Australia, the original plan called for the replacement of an office high-rise that had stood on the site since 1976. Rather than demolishing it completely, 3XN Architects reused roughly 60% of the core structure and many of the columns and beams to create an eye-catching cantilevering tower that takes the form of five stacked offset blocks rising to a height of 206 m (675 ft).
The Spiral – BIG
The Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has completed its first supertall skyscraper. Named The Spiral, the office building enlivens the Manhattan skyline with a ribbon of greenery that wraps around its gleaming glazed exterior as it rises to a maximum height of 1,031.5 ft (314 m).
The thousands of trees and shrubs used were carefully chosen depending on hardiness and maintenance needs, and they help create lush outdoor terrace areas for office workers that are accessible from all of its 66 floors.
Cody Dock Rolling Bridge – Thomas Randall-Page
The Cody Dock Rolling Bridge, by Thomas Randall-Page, is probably the most creative crossing we've ever seen.
The project was realized as part of the redevelopment of a former industrial dock area in London that's home to a community of artists. In its usual position, cyclists and pedestrians simply make their way across like a normal bridge. However, when a boat needs to pass under it, the bridge rolls a full 180 degrees to make space using a pair of tracks that are installed into the concrete abutments on either bank.
The Sphere – Populous
Though not everyone's idea of sublime architecture, nobody can deny that the Populous-designed Sphere is an impressive example of engineering. Boasting bragging rights as the world's largest spherical structure, it also features the world's largest LED display on its exterior.
It rises to a height of 366 ft (111 m) and has a width of 516 ft (157 m). Its LED exterior measures 580,000 sq ft (almost 54,000 sq m), and consists of roughly 1.2 million LED pucks, with each puck in turn containing 48 individual LED diodes. The exterior is fully programmable, allowing it to host some genuinely impressive images outside, from strange planets to advertisements and even emojis.
Wolf Ranch – Icon, BIG and Lennar
We're still not at the point where 3D printing offers affordable homes for the masses, but perhaps that future is inching closer with the Wolf Ranch 3D-printed housing development in Texas by Icon, BIG, and Lennar.
Described as the largest-scale development of 3D-printed homes in the world, the 100 3D-printed houses' overall design is inspired by traditional Texan ranches. Inside, they range from 1,500 to 2,100 sq ft (roughly 140 - 195 sq m), all on one floor and offer either three or four bedrooms and two or three bathrooms.
Domino Sugar Refinery – PAU
Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) performed an impressive feat of renovation on Brooklyn's 19th century Domino Sugar Refinery. The firm has retained the main brick shell of the historic building and inserted an all-new modern and energy efficient glass office building inside.
PAU had to overcome huge challenges while transforming the former industrial building into a modern office. It was decided demolish some ancillary buildings and gut the the interior entirely to install a glass office within the existing brick facade. Additionally, between the two structures, PAU has added significant greenery.
Pyramid of Tirana – MVRDV
MVRDV's renovation of Albania's Tirana Pyramid transformed the communist-era brutalist landmark into a technology center focused on young people that visitors can literally walk all over to enjoy the view.
The Pyramid of Tirana originally opened in 1988 as a museum honoring the country's leader Enver Hoxha. After his reign came to an end, it then served as a temporary NATO base and a nightclub, though not at the same time. MVRDV's renovation installed steps that rise up the sloping sides, allowing visitors to walk up on top of the building and enjoy the view, while the interior has been centered around a number of vibrant rectangular box-like structures.
Brooklyn Tower – SHoP
SHoP Architects has completed the first ever supertall skyscraper in Brooklyn, New York City. The luxury residential tower rises to a height of 1,066 ft (325 m) and features an unusual blackened stainless steel, copper and bronze facade.
The Brooklyn Tower cleverly integrates a 115-year-old bank that was already on the site and even riffs on its design, with subtle shapes and motifs recalling the bank's interior. Amenities are notable and include what SHoP Architects hails as the Western Hemisphere's highest basketball court, a dog run, and an outdoor playground. Additionally, there's a so-called Sky Lounge and Sky Park offering superb 360-degree views of the area.
Gaia – Toyo Ito & Associates
Gaia is an impressively green timber building designed by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito & Associates, in collaboration with RSP, and is located in Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. It has six floors, and has a length of 220 m (721 ft), plus a floorspace of 43,500 sq m (roughly 468,000 sq ft).
The building takes the form of two slightly separated and gently curving rectangles joined at multiple points. Structurally, it consists mostly of sustainably sourced mass timber. Solar panels installed on the rooftop provide a significant portion of its required annual power needs, and shading fins help reduce solar heat gain.
MOT – Balbek Bureau
As interesting as we find them, a lot of shipping container-based projects don't make much practical sense. However, the MOT (Module of Temporality), by Ukraine's Balbek Bureau, is a rare example that actually plays to the strengths of the metal boxes. It does so by creating a temporary art gallery that can be packed up and moved to a new location when required.
The MOT hosts works by 28 artists from 10 different countries. Structurally, it consists of 27 shipping containers, which have been modified to create an open and light-filled main gallery, including a cantilevering section, plus there are smaller and more intimate areas for exhibitions. The studio has added a fiberglass interior and significant insulation too.