Nestled within the junction of London Wall and Aldersgate Street in the Barbican district of the City of London lies the Museum of London. Built in 1977, the brutalist building was home to the world's largest urban history collection, with more than six million objects curated to highlight London's social history. The museum has been closed for over two years with plans for relocation, while its historic building faces demolition to make way for a new development—the London Wall West scheme. This has sparked mixed reactions from London residents and people across the country, with calls to review the proposed design and campaigns favoring retrofit over the demolition of this unique modernist building. Photographer Arnolt Smead recently visited the museum to capture its beautiful architectural moments and highlight its unique features.

In 2024, architecture continues to evolve in response to global challenges, with an increasing focus on sustainability, cultural context, and social responsibility. ArchDaily's interviews with leading architects, such as Kengo Kuma and Anne Lacaton, highlight how design is shifting towards environmental and community-centric solutions. These conversations also shed light on the emerging voices from the Global South, where innovative practices are addressing unique socio-political and environmental challenges. Architects from regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America are offering fresh perspectives, pushing the boundaries of traditional architecture to reflect their diverse cultural narratives and local contexts.

• architects: office office
• Location: Bethel, United States
• Project Year: 2024
• Photographs: Alon Koppel
• Photographs: Courtesy of office office
• Photographs: Breyden Anderson
• Area: 525.0 m2

• architects: Mohsen Kazemianfard - fundamental approach architects
• Location: Dezful, Iran
• Project Year: 2024
• Photographs: Parham Taghioff
• Area: 420.0 m2

Guardrails and windscreens play an essential role in contemporary architecture, combining safety, functionality, and aesthetic appeal. These systems are crucial for protecting elevated spaces like balconies, terraces, and staircases, incorporating materials such as tempered laminated glass, stainless steel, aluminum and innovative fastening systems. This allows for transparency and unobstructed views without compromising safety. They also feature customizable options, including top caps, handrails and integrated lighting, enabling architects to create unique, visually striking spaces that meet both practical and aesthetic goals.

Essentially, a guardrail system is a carefully designed assembly of components, each playing a vital role in ensuring safety and aesthetics. Beyond the desired visual impact, these systems must be highly reliable and safe to fulfill their primary function. At the core of the system is the guardrail components, providing support and guidance, with infill options, including, glass panels, bar/tube or cables balancing safety and style. Base shoes, a type of guardrail system, anchors glass infill panels to the structure, ensuring durability and precision. Optional handrails, can either be post mounted or mounted directly to the glass, while top rails provide an aesthetic touch while protecting the top edge of the glass and helping with glass alignment.

• architects: ZXD Architects
• Location: Ya’an, Sichuan, China
• Project Year: 2024
• Photographs: Zhepeng Zhang
• Area: 27878.0 m2

• architects: TIUM Architects
• Location: Jungnang-gu, South Korea
• Project Year: 2022
• Photographs: Lee Hanul
• Area: 73.0 m2

• architects: Grimaldi - Nacht arquitectos
• Location: Faro de José Ignacio, Uruguay
• Project Year: 2023
• Photographs: Javier Agustin Rojas
• Area: 10010.4 ft2

• architects: Jacobsen Arquitetura
• Location: Guarujá, Brazil
• Project Year: 2021
• Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG + SG
• Area: 1100.0 m2

• architects: Bureau Gemmell
• architects: New Office
• Location: Chicago, United States
• Project Year: 2024
• Photographs: Annabell Ren
• Photographs: Jiachen Wang
• Photographs:
• Area: 30000.0 ft2

• architects: Barkow Leibinger
• Location: Frankfurt, Germany
• Project Year: 2024
• Photographs: Barkow Leibinger

As 2024 comes to an end, a dynamic year that questioned knowledge, tradition, and innovation, we take a look at how global events and trends influenced the design of interior spaces. Last year, architecture practices sparked worldwide discussions, challenging norms and tradition, and embracing overlooked regions. Interior design, on the other hand, took a more reserved, modest approach, favoring simplicity and individuality. Fast forward a year later, the overall architecture and design themes of 2023 remain the same - reinforced if anything - but have embraced "crafted experimentations" through subtle, acupuncture-like interventions.

• architects: NTSA Architectes
• Location: Villefranche-sur-Saone, France
• Project Year: 2024
• Photographs: Vladimir de Mollerat du Jeu
• Area: 3055.0 m2

Cities are vibrant environments where architecture, public spaces, and art intertwine to shape the human experience. Sculptures and landmarks are essential components of urban design, creating cultural connections and enhancing both functionality and aesthetics. They define a city's identity while fostering community interaction and civic pride.

In Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia, public art has played a transformative role in reshaping the cityscape, with projects like Alarda, Alkhobar Memory, Aebayah Roundabout, and Albairaq Roundabout. These initiatives, many spurred by the Mujassam Wattan competition (MW Award), highlight the profound impact of integrating art into urban design.

Influential figure Deborah Berke, FAIA, LEED AP, has been announced as the recipient of the 2025 AIA Gold Medal, in recognition of her four-decade career integrating design prowess, and academic leadership demonstrating social and environmental responsibility. Her work, encompassing residential, institutional, and adaptive reuse projects, demonstrates a commitment to sustainability and community engagement. Founding Deborah Berke Partners (now TenBerke) in 1982 and serving as the first female dean of the Yale School of Architecture, she has held various leadership positions within the architectural profession and contributed to discussions on design ethics, sustainability, and education.

• architects: Architectural Pioneering Consultants
• Location: Burtinle, Somalia
• Project Year: 2023
• Photographs: Lucas Sager
• Area: 1257.0 m2

The Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi is a site of several cultural and architectural developments designed by prominent architects. Notable projects include the Louvre Abu Dhabi by Jean Nouvel, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by Frank Gehry, the Zayed National Museum by Foster + Partners, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi by Mecanoo, and the Abrahamic Family House by Adjaye Associates. Striving to establish itself as a global hub for cultural dialogue, creativity, and knowledge exchange, the master plan prioritizes forming connections between local heritage and global perspectives.

Mountainous and high-altitude regions are considered to be among the most fragile ecosystems on Earth. From melting glaciers to land erosion, these environments face mounting threats from climate change, making it imperative to reimagine how architecture and its supporting infrastructure are designed for such places.

The communities settled in mountain ecosystems are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of their proximity to early symptoms of changing environments and lack of access to adaptive resources and materials. Beyond all poetic aspirations of building and living in mountain environments, it is an urgent challenge to design solutions that properly resist hostile climatic conditions and promote sustainable and safe human settlements in mountainous regions.