In our opinion, 2016 was a very interesting year for architecture. But what constructive and design brags can we expect in 2017? These are the most anticipated buildings that will define cities in 2017.

  1. Zayed National Museum (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

This year has been important for the United Arab Emirates due to the inauguration of the National Museum of Zayed in Abu Dhabi. The Zayed National Museum, dedicated to the history and culture of the UAE, is inspired by the wings of a bird. It was designed by Pritzker Prize winner, British architect Norman Foster. It tries to combine a contemporary and very effective way with elements of traditional Arabic hospitality and design to create a sustainable and welcoming museum that belongs culturally to the place where it is located. The museum is set in a landscaped setting, based on the chronology of its life. The exhibition spaces are housed in an artificial landscaped mound and the galleries are situated at the bases of five light steel structures, which have been sculpted to function aerodynamically like a bird’s feathers.

  1. Louvre Abu Dhabi

Also highly anticipated is the Louvre Abu Dhabi building by the French architect Jean Nouvel (also winner of another Pritzker award.) The ceiling is formed by a steel lattice designed to create the illusion of a shower of light, promising to dazzle the whole world and surpassthe Louvre of Paris in beauty, dimensions and design.

  1. World Trade Center Transportation Hub (New York, USA)

The World Trade Center Transportation Hub aims to be an architectural landmark in “Zone 0” of New York. At the time, the city’s Port Authority estimated that the project would take only five years, with a cost of € 2,200,000. However, the construction suffered delays due to legal issues and its investment ended up amounting to € 4,000,000, almost double what was budgeted, a little more than it cost the One World Trade Center.

The structure resembles a cathedral, with details on its top that look like wings. On their sides there are steel beams that allow natural light to enter the main hall, which in its corridors will also have commercial premises.

  1. Tao Yin Zhu Yuan Tower (Taipei, Taiwan)

This one is a work of Vincent Callebaut himself. The tower, also known as Agora Garden, aims to be one of the most ecological structures in the world. It has its own gardens and woods for its residents. In it all organic waste is recycled and the water used is heated by solar energy and the food is mostly organic contributing to perfect nutrition.

  1. OMA Performing Arts Centre (Taipei, Taiwan)

The OMA Performing Arts Centre in Taipei, the work of Rem Koolhaas’s studio, will host the theatre performing arts centre. The main theatre, with 1,500 seats, is shown on the outside as a large sphere, while the two smaller theatres, each capable of hosting 800 spectators, are represented in peripheral cubes. The envelope of the building is composed of two materials: corrugated glass wrapping the central hub and large aluminium panels to cover the three theatres.

  1. Museum of Latin American Art (Miami, Florida)

The architect of the LAAM, Fernando Romero, has proposed a generous building in terraces and in open spaces that transfers the external context towards the interior of the building. The terraces of the different plants are authentic “sculptural gardens”, because they place the works of art in the open air. Natural ventilation, access to outdoor spaces, vegetation and the presence of the sea and the sun are part of what it will offer. The terraces also detonate the curiosity of neighbours and pedestrians on Biscayne Boulevard.

  1. Extension of Tate Modern (London, England)

The expansion of the contemporary museum in London, by the Swiss Herzog & de Meuron, is housed in the former Bankside power station. Although it looks ultramodern compared to the original brick building of 1950, it also uses brick as the only material and the final result should be seamlessly integrated. The new expansion resembles one of the defensive towers that dot the British East Coast.

  1. National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington DC, USA)

The building of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, a project by the Ghanaian architect David Adjaye, consists of 3 volumes covered with bronze latticework whose drawings recall the work of African American artists and will function as a colour filter for the interior of the building allowing natural light to pass through.

  1. Ping An FinacialCenter (Shenzhen, China)

When it is inaugurated, the 115 floors of the tower designed by Khon Pedersen Foz Associates will be the tallest building in Shezhen and the fourth highest in the world. The tower will be connected to a base containing a shopping centre and a conference centre. Deep in glass and stone, the building will have a large central atrium, which will serve both as a public hall, for meetings, shops and restaurants. Imagine having some high quality wine from the top of this building!

Finally, we’re glad to have so much to look forward to for architecture in 2017. We will be waiting for the results of all these projects.