In 1991, when architectural historian Vincent J. Scully, once declared the greatest teacher of architecture of all time by Philip Johnson, was retiring after teaching his course on contextualizing architecture at Yale for fifty three years, the newspapers reported on his skeptical views of the newest trends in mass construction. In class, Scully passionately criticized a new solar-paneled development in a Paris suburb, calling the client arrogant for giving up everything that makes architecture, architecture. Of course he wasn’t denouncing solar energy use, but rather the thoughtless act of sticking ungainly collectors onto every inch of the roof and walls of a building, and “destroying its presence in its environment”.

The new footbridge connecting Prague’s Karlín and Holešovice districts forms a delicate spatial curve—based on the pedestrian and cyclists movement. The bridge deck is supported by two abutments at the opposite banks, two piers on the Štvanice island for minimum impact, and two more piers in Vltava’s non-navigable side channel. A ramp running parallel to the edge of the island connects the footbridge to Štvanice. On the Holešovice side, the footbridge slopes down to the level of the sidewalk, even going below flood water levels. This section is designed to be movable vertically, with a hydraulic ram pump in the last pier to lift the bridge above the 1000-year flood mark. The bridge is made from ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) with a smooth, white marble-like finish.

The fifteen-meter diameter golden mural was presented as a part of the 10th International “Bloop” Festival on the Spanish island of Ibiza. That year’s theme set for all the artistic proposals was simply “Hope”. The gold circle symbolized the Sun as the force that can both give and take away life; the circle itself conceived as origin and destination, a lighthouse. The surface also reflected the real Sun’s radiation, sometimes affecting the temperature in the street, and causing pedestrians to cover their faces. The artwork was made out of rescue blankets, usually used in the context of accidents or rescues, but revisited here as artistic material.

Contemporary discussions of the status of the city in design culture tend to bend towards one of two self-referential and ultimately irreconcilable logical loops. On the one hand, many discussions of the contemporary city in relation to design devolve into an obsessive preoccupation with the social and political abstractions of policy, participation, and governance. On the other hand, it is equally common for these discussions to be delimited to the description of individual sites, projects, and protagonists as singularities in the history of the city. In between these two scopes and scales of urban agenda, we seem to have lost the potential for describing the design of the city as a collective cultural project. 

Past and present ways of using the sun’s radiation, but of battling it, too, can be all found represented in the state of California, USA. After all, it was California that in the 20th century based its whole identity on the positive effects of sunshine. Then, rash and exponential urbanization brought with it severe water crises. These are now being kept in check by infrastructural megaprojects, which in turn mean that the devastating effects of climate change are coming to California sooner than anywhere else on the planet.

As part of the Luhačovice Spa resort, architect Dušan Jurkovič also designed a small swimming-pool, mixing modernist and folklorist influences. It is therefore of no surprise that we can spot a sun motif in the wood-paneled gable of the entrance pavilion. Today what we would call a spa swimming-pool was originally built in 1902 as the River and Sun Baths. This design by Jurkovič forms an interesting piece in a colorful mosaic— welcome to the world of sun baths.

The main objective of the complex restoration of the Luhačovice Hydrotherapy Institute, and the nearby swimming-pool, was the preservation of this important piece of early 20th century architecture by Dušan Jurkovič. Its First Republic heyday long since gone, the restored heritage building is now looking to welcome back sun, fun, and life. The project focused on four separate parts: the hydrotherapy building itself, the sulphur and peat baths, the river and sun baths, and the boiler house and wash house. A new permanent museum exhibition serves as a unique record of the historic spa culture and of the times when the Institute was first established. A part of the exhibition also remembers architect Dušan Jurkovič and famous composer Leoš Janáček.

At the Jablonec Sea, which is what locals call the Mšeno water reservoir, there was a growing number of kiosks and no adequate facilities or seating. It was becoming unbearable. Which is why in 2020, City of Jablonec announced a design competition for three separate sites. The first of the three projects to be completed, “U Prutu” is open year-round and consists of a food kiosk, covered seating area, and public toilets. Located near a housing estate, children's playground, esplanade walk, bike path, and beach, the new structure is accessible from several directions. The building is set in a self-binding gravel floor and shaded by existing tall trees. The city’s plan is to have similar kiosks dotted around the water reservoir, enriching the diversity of different recreation spots.

The ideal of post-war architecture was sufficient daylight in the home, school, and in the workplace. Then the oil crisis of the 70s and 80s intensified the search for alternative energy sources, like solar power. Did the architects and researchers find any good solutions or reach any inspiring conclusions that we might learn from today? 

The ring-shaped pavilion is situated in the southern part of the Novartis Pharma campus, in a newly built public park on the bank of the river Rhine. It’s the first building on the campus accessible to the public. The education centre familiarizes the visitors with the progress and possibilities of present day medicine. The interactive exhibition “Wonders of Medicine” establishes a dialogue between the public, science, and nature. The 40 meter plus diameter circular building is wrapped in an organic-shaped facade, with a new generation of double-sided solar panels and a grid of LED lights integrated in it. The system has the capacity to power itself and provides a huge continuous and dynamic screen, which can be viewed from every cardinal point. In this way, the pavilion communicates not just by its interior, but also its exterior.

The last addition to Bonfiglioli’s EVO industrial site, north-west from Bologna, is a brand new office building of the firm’s headquarters. Its energy requirements will be met by geothermal pumps and solar panels placed on neighboring factory buildings and on the roof covering the employees parking lot. The building incorporates the courtyard typology of the existing buildings, with a green garden on the ground floor enhancing natural ventilation through a chimney effect. In response to local sunlight conditions, the building’s roof has been tilted, enlarging the north facade to maximize workspace with indirect natural light. The south-facing facades and roof of the headquarters are clad in a second skin made from a custom continuous pleated aluminum mesh, which filters intense light and ensures a comfortable indoor environment. The pleated geometry is inspired by the company’s gears, while the aluminum mesh recalls the shavings that are produced daily as a byproduct of the company’s supply chain. The building was designed to be highly flexible, the load bearing facade allows for the interior spaces to stand without additional columns.

The visionary project of an ICT campus was realized by a German NGO, Startup Lions, near Lake Turkana, Kenya. The campus offers high-level training in information and communication technologies, allowing local young people to thrive professionally and access international job opportunities without having to leave their place of origin. The campus consists of four buildings scattered around a common courtyard. The massing, material, colors and additional features such as exterior stairs and shaded terraces all help the building to seamlessly blend in with the surrounding landscape.

The new Fass School and Teachers’ Residence was built in collaboration with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and the non-profit Le Korsa in a remote part of Senegal. The school’s design was inspired by the “One-Room School House” of rural America, where Josef Albers once taught, where students of different age groups and diverse stages of development receive an education together, and also learn to help each other in the process. The building contains four classrooms for 60-80 students, so the school can serve up to 300 students from ages 5 through 10.

All architecture has to consider and deal with the local climatic conditions, on top of design brief requirements. And even here in Central Europe, we might soon have to adapt to a much hotter and drier climate than the one we’re used to. We therefore present selected projects by a collective of Mexican studios called Colectivo C733, showcasing inspiring solutions for shading, heat protection, and water collection while still maintaining a distinctive architectural style and contemporary look.