Dezeen Magazine

Lofoten Opera Hotel, Norway, by Snøhetta

15 buildings to look forward to in 2015

Snøhetta's snake-shaped hotel in Norway (above), a football stadium by Herzog & de Meuron and Bjarke Ingels' first New York building are among the landmark architectural projects due to complete this year. Dezeen's architecture editor Amy Frearson looks ahead to what we can expect in 2015.


West 57th, USA, by BIG

Bjarke Ingels impressed many when his firm BIG completed the 8 House in Copenhagen, a housing block where everyone can cycle to their front door, so expectations are high for this triangle-shaped residential tower set to complete this year in New York.

The 600-apartment block will be organised around a courtyard, providing residents with views of the Hudson River, and roof terraces will puncture its sloping roof. Find out more about West 57th » See Bjarke Ingels discuss the design in our exclusive video »


Stade Bordeaux Atlantique, France, by Herzog & de Meuron

The next European football championship may not be until 2016, but Herzog & de Meuron's new Bordeaux stadium will be completed a year early to host its first match this May.

Slender white columns will support the rectangular roof of the 42,000-seat arena. It will host five matches during the UEFA Euro 2016 competition, and will become the home stadium of FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Find out more about Stade Bordeaux Atlantique »


The River at Grace Farms, USA, by SANAA

The River at Grace Farms, USA, by SANAA

Japanese studio SANAA will in 2015 complete a sinuous building of glass, concrete, steel and wood at Grace Farms – a 30-hectare nature reserve in Connecticut.

Known as the River in reference to its flowing ribbon-like roof, the building will frame a series of meandering walkways and glazed courtyards, designed to encourage interactions with nature.


Architecture School for the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, by Aires Mateus

Lisbon studio Aires Mateus won the competition to design a new school of architecture in the Belgian city of Tournai by proposing a complex featuring a house-shaped entrance void.

Located within the city's historic quarter, the campus will also feature a renovated 18th-century hospital, two warehouse conversions and a tree-lined courtyard. It will welcome its first students this autumn. Find our more about Architecture School for the Catholic University of Louvain »


Lofoten Opera Hotel, Norway, by Snøhetta

The only hotel to make our list is this snake-like structure designed by architecture firm Snøhetta to wind across a rocky outcrop in Norway's Lofoten archipelago.

Intended to offer "the feeling of being in the middle of the elements", the building will loop a central courtyard, but will also offer views out to sea. Facilities will include a spa, seawater basins and an amphitheatre. Find out more about the Lofoten Opera Hotel »


Taipei Performing Arts Centre, Taiwan, by OMA

 Taipei Performing Arts Centre by OMA

OMA looks set to have a busy 2015. This theatre complex for the Taiwanese capital Taipei is one of several projects that Rem Koolhaas' firm will complete this year.

Centred around a transparent cube, the cultural venue will contain three auditoriums: a 1,500-seat grand theatre and a pair of 800-seat playhouses, one of which will be contained in a large spherical volume. Find out more about Taipei Performing Arts Centre »


Newport Street Gallery, UK, by Caruso St John

London's new buildings of 2015 look set to include a new gallery for Damien Hirst, housing both the British artist's own work and his private collection, which features pieces by Francis Bacon and Jeff Koons.

Designed by Caruso St John Architects, the Vauxhall gallery will occupy a row of converted and extended theatre warehouses, accompanied by two new structures. The opening is pencilled in for early summer. Find out more about Newport Street Gallery »


Australian Pavilion, Italy, by Denton Corker Marshall

Australian Pavilion, Italy, by Denton Corker Marshall

It's not often that a contemporary structure gets added to Venice's historic cityscape, but Australian firm Denton Corker Marshall was granted the rare privilege of adding a new pavilion to the Giardini, one of the main venues of the art and architecture biennales.

Opening this summer for the first time, the Australian pavilion will be the first 21st-century structure among the surrounding early- and mid-century pavilions, replacing the temporary building that the nation has been using since 1988.


Whitney Museum of American Art, USA, by Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Whitney Museum of American Art, USA, by Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The new Whitney museum will open to the public this May. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the building will boast the largest column-free gallery in New York, as well as a series of terraces overlooking the High Line.

A dramatically cantilevered entrance canopy will shelter a grand plaza, while inside the building will also offer a theatre rooms, an education centre, a conservation laboratory and a study centre for works on paper.


Vietnam Pavilion for Expo Milano 2015 by Vo Trong Nghia Architects

Expo Milano 2015 is shaping up to become one of the architectural highlights of the summer. Dezeen's first port of call will be Vo Trong Nghia's cluster of bamboo towers modelled on lotus pods – Vietnam's national pavilion.

Other highlights will include the UK's beehive-inspired structure and France's plant- and herb-covered 3D lattice. Find out more the Milan Expo 2015»


Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Russia, by OMA

Another major OMA building opening this year is the new home for Moscow's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, which will occupy a converted 1960s pavilion in Gorky Park.

The building, which had been derelict for over 20 years, will be re-clad in translucent polycarbonate but will also retain some of its original Soviet features. Inside, it will contain a series of flexible exhibition galleries. Find out more about Garage Museum »


Philharmonie de Paris, France, by Jean Nouvel

Running two years late and nearly €200 million over budget, Jean Nouvel's controversial Philharmonie de Paris – one of the most expensive concert halls of all time – will finally open in early 2015.

Visitors will be able to climb up its sloping metal-clad roof, while concert listings will be projected onto a 52-metre-high aluminium slab visible from the nearby ring road. Find out more about Philharmonie de Paris »


The Broad, USA, by Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Broad-gallery-by-Diller-Scofidio-Renfro_dezeen_sq

Diller Scofidio + Renfro's new art gallery for downtown Los Angeles opens its doors this autumn, showcasing over 2,000 works of postwar and contemporary art from the collection of philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad.

The building will feature an elaborate concrete exoskeleton and its corners will be lifted off the street to reveal glazed entrances. Inside, visitors will ascend a 32-metre escalator to reach the main gallery space. Find out more about The Broad »


A House for Essex, UK, by FAT and Grayson Perry

One of the most highly anticipated projects in Alain de Botton's Living Architecture project – a series of architect-designed holiday homes – is this collaboration between now-defunct studio FAT and artist Grayson Perry.

Inspired by a mixture of fairytale cottages and real-life eccentric houses across England, the Essex residence will boast a decorative tiled facade, a golden roof topped with sculptures, and a bath suspended over the entrance. Find out more about a House for Essex »


Huangshan Mountain Village, China, by MAD

Beijing studio MAD expects to this year complete a mountain village of apartment blocks with curving floorplates designed to resemble the topographical layers of the landscape.

Located beside the Huangshan Mountains in eastern China, the complex will offer 700 apartments, a hotel and various other community facilities. Find out more about Huangshan Mountain Village »