From poetic concrete renditions in a museum garden in South Korea to an otherworldly-looking house inspired by aerospace modelling and fabrication methods in East Hampton, New York, this year saw a curious mix of buildings, some completed and others anticipated in the coming years. STIR covered an array of fascinating architecture projects this year that edge towards the idea of a sculpture - buildings that double as urban artefacts, edifices that turn places into landmarks. Here’s a look at five such projects that did just that, and more.

1. REX’s Perelman Performing Arts Centre in Manhattan
A muted urban monolith

Lifted 21 feet above the street and resting over four levels of city infrastructure, which includes a subway and an access ramp for a port authority structure, the final public element to New York’s World Trade Centre site sees the opening of the Perelman Performing Arts Centre (PAC NYC) as a muted cubic volume. The project, designed by local firm REX, has been developed as part of the 2023 masterplan to rebuild the 16-acre historic site with structures that, as per Daniel Libeskind’s vision, is 'a healing of New York’, 'a site of memory’, and 'a space to witness the resilience of America'. Spread across three levels constituting an area of 12,000 sqm, the arts complex followed an eight-year-long process before it opened to the public in September 2023. 

From across the street, what makes the building stand out from its neighbours is its façade: clad in marble, the panels appear solid by the day, and as evening approaches it takes up a warm, translucent appearance. Thin slabs of veined Portuguese marble slotted between glass panels on either side and fabricated into insulated panels, sheath all four sides of the structure, imparting an overarching homogeneous identity. 

2. The Blue Dream House in East Hampton by Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Of dunes and airplanes

Atop the grassy mounds of Atlantic Double Dunes in East Hampton, with vast stretching waters of the Two Mile Hollow Beach in the background, an off-white fluid form sits in sheer alienation on its land. Situated there as the home of American collectors Julie Reyes Taubman and Robert Taubman, the building is the first completed single-family residential project by American architecture firm, Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). A mullion-free glazing system, a fibreglass and foam roof, and generous open spaces orchestrated around the irregular contours of the landscape define the architecture of the house.

The avant-garde is captured in the roof composition, drawing from aerospace modelling and fabrication methods. Fabricated by Seattle-based aerospace design firm Janicki Industries, the softly curving edges of the fibreglass and foam monocoque structure rise and fall in a surreal display, sheltering living spaces while making sure every corner of the house remain closely connected to the outdoors.

3. The Space of Light at the South Korea’s Museum SAN by Tadao Ando
Poetry in concrete

Inspired by the geometry of platonic solids, the Space of Light Pavilion by Tadao Ando graces the Museum SAN’s sculpture garden with its meditative simplicity. The pavilion is exhibited as part of a large-scale solo exhibition called Youth that brings together evocative displays chronicling Ando’s vast-reaching influence on contemporary architecture. 

To access the structure, visitors follow an introspective path that creates anticipation towards the upcoming space, extending the journey to the meditative destination. By eliminating distractions and directing focus, this path serves as both a physical and psychological connection. Upon entering the pavilion, beams of bright sunlight slicing through the square concrete structure fixate one’s attention. Narrow symmetrical slits on the roof converge, casting light onto the floor and softly illuminating the walls. Despite its lack of religious intent, the pavilion exudes an almost sacred aura, inviting introspection and contemplation.

4. Space Crystals Museum in Yantai by OPEN Architecture
Space stories

It beckons, much like an extra-terrestrial artefact descending from the cosmos, urging all to embark on a celestial odyssey right here on Earth. This is the all-consuming influence anticipated for the Space Crystal Museum in Yantai by Beijing-based architecture firm, OPEN. Situated within an oval clearing of a woody seaside park, Space Crystals is conceived as an otherworldly object that might leave you in awe as you approach it. Its photovoltaic glass façade is envisioned to cover it with a mystical sheen, casting an air of mystery over the landscape. The Chinese architects have planned for its long axis to point towards the ocean and the sky, giving the impression that it is poised to take a giant leap from Earth to space.

5. Vision of the Seoripul Open Storage in South Korea by Herzog & de Meuron
An urban lantern

Envisioned as a 'dynamic civic space,' the archival cultural project in South Korea by Herzog & de Meuron promises to harmoniously integrate nature and urban life. Set to become a prominent landmark building visible from Seocho Road, the proposal exhibits a dynamic, pyramidal glass structure crowning mineral blocks, encircled by a carefully delineated garden that takes on dual roles of a secluded outdoor space for those visiting the Archive/ Museum, as well as an entry point catering to pedestrians arriving at the Seoripul Park. 

The soon-to-be realised Korean architecture assembles architectural elements that spotlight specific programmes, coming alive as a terraced garden with mineral blocks to house functions of a café, a library design, art delivery, and art handling. These blocks will serve as pedestals supporting the pyramidal glazed volume designated for the archive. Segmented at the crown, the glass envelope will house the art preservation workshops in its upper section. At the same time, the administration and the restaurant will be situated within the gap between the two clearly defined building volumes.

What's NEXT?

There is architecture that recedes into its place, tucking itself discreetly into the identity of where it belongs. Then there is architecture that is loud in its presence, boastful and alien (often) in its making, and is a spirited advocate of a new horizon for its place, past and people. What value do the two typologies render? Is one superior over the other? What should the future have more of? We hope to see 2024 answer some of these enquiries.

STIRred 2023 wraps up the year with compilations of the best in architecture, art, and design from STIR. Did your favourites make the list? Tell us in the comments!