2015 in architecture explained

The year 2015 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.

Events

• July – The Japanese government announces it is abandoning the original plans for a new National Olympic Stadium (Tokyo) for the 2020 Summer Olympics based on a design by Zaha Hadid.^[1]
• November 4–6 – The eighth annual World Architecture Festival is held in Singapore.

World heritage

• 5 July – The Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel in Hamburg (including Chilehaus, an exceptional example of Brick Expressionism), are listed as a World Heritage Site.

Buildings and structures

Buildings completed/opened

Antarctica

• March – Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station, designed by Estúdio 41, scheduled to commence operation.

Australia

• January 21 – Brooke Street Pier, Hobart, Tasmania.^[2]
• MPavilion (pop-up structure), Melbourne, designed by Amanda Levete's AL A.

Brazil

• December 17 – Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is opened.

China

• September 6 – Shanghai Tower in Shanghai, the tallest building in China and the second-tallest in the world (2015–present), is completed.
• Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza in Xiamen, designed by Gensler, is topped out.^[3]

Croatia

• Strojarska Business Center in Zagreb is completed. The main building, Building B, which has 25 floors and is 315 feet tall is the tallest residential building in Croatia.

France

• January 14 – Philharmonie de Paris, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened.

Germany

• March 18 – European Central Bank HQ in Frankfurt.
• May 9 – Propsteikirche, Leipzig, designed by Schulz und Schulz, consecrated.
• October 23 – German Football Museum in Dortmund opened.

Indonesia

• Gama Tower in Jakarta, the tallest building in Indonesia (2015–present), is completed.

Italy

• Australian Pavilion for Venice Biennale of Architecture 2016, designed by Denton Corker Marshall, built.

Malta

• May 4 – Parliament House, Valletta, designed by Renzo Piano.

Netherlands

• Nov 19 - Arnhem Centraal Railway Station, Arnhem, designed by UNStudio. Construction started in 2006.

Peru

• UTEC (Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología), Lima, designed by Grafton Architects with Shell Arquitectos.^[4]

Poland

• National Forum of Music in Wrocław.

Russia

• Federation Tower, in Moscow, the tallest building in Europe, projected for completion.

Singapore

• March 10 – Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, opened.
• November 24 – National Gallery Singapore, designed by Studio Milou Architecture, projected for opening.

United Kingdom

• January – Darbishire Place social housing for the Peabody Trust in London, designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects.^[5]
• February 14 – Extension to Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, England, designed by McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA).
• May 21 – HOME, an arts venue in Manchester, designed by Mecanoo.
• May 26 – Investcorp Building at Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, Oxford, designed by Zaha Hadid.^[6]
• June – Trafalgar Place housing development in south London by dRMM Architects completed.^[7]
• August – City of Glasgow College, Riverside Campus, designed by Michael Laird Architects and Reiach and Hall Architects, opens to students.
• September 30 – Christchurch Bridge, Reading, England, designed by Design Engine Architects, completed.
• October 8 – Newport Street Gallery in south London, a conversion of 1913 theatrical workshops into a free public art gallery by Caruso St John architects.
• October – New building for the University of Oxford's Ruskin School of Art in Bullingdon Road by Spratley Studios.
• November 30 – Blavatnik School of Government in the University of Oxford, England, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, begins to function.
• Clergy Court (new cloister) at Blackburn Cathedral in the north of England, designed by Purcell, projected for completion.

• Outhouse, a house in the Forest of Dean, by Loyn & Co architects.
• A House for Essex, Wrabness, designed by Charles Holland of FAT with Grayson Perry.^[8]

United States

• May 1 – New Whitney Museum of American Art in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, designed by Renzo Piano.
• September 20 – The Broad (contemporary art museum) in Downtown Los Angeles, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
• December 23 – 432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential building in the world (2015–2020) is completed.

Zimbabwe

• January – Tokwe Mukorsi Dam, Masvingo.^[9]

Awards

• AIA Gold Medal – Moshe Safdie
• Architecture Firm Award AIA – Ehrlich Architects
• Carbuncle Cup – 20 Fenchurch Street ('The Walkie-Talkie')
• Driehaus Architecture Prize for New Classical Architecture – David M. Schwarz, United States
• Emporis Skyscraper Award – Shanghai Tower designed by Jun Xia
• European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture (Mies van der Rohe Prize) – Szczecin Philharmonic Hall, by Barozzi Veiga
• Lawrence Israel Prize – Tony Chi
• Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate – Dominique Perrault
• Pritzker Architecture Prize – Frei Otto, Germany (posthumous)
• RAIA Gold Medal – Peter Stutchbury
• RIBA Royal Gold Medal – O'Donnell & Tuomey, Ireland
• RIBA Stirling Prize – Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
• Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture – Herman Hertzberger
• Twenty-five Year Award by AIA – Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP for Broadgate Exchange House

Exhibitions

• April 24 – August 2 – "Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association" at the RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island.^[10]
• May 1 until October 31 – Expo 2015 held in Milan, Italy.

Deaths

• January 16 – Sir Ian Athfield, 74, New Zealand architect
• January 18 – Verma Panton, 78, Jamaican architect
• February 9 – Jon Jerde, 75, American architect
• March 9 – Frei Otto, 89, German architect and structural engineer
• March 12 – Michael Graves, 80, American architect
• April 28 – Einar Thorsteinn, 73. Icelandic architect
• March 19 – Carlos Mijares Bracho, 84, Mexican architect
• May 11 – Derek Walker, 85, English architect and urban planner
• May 16 – Charles Correa, 84, Indian architect
• May 31 – Françoise-Hélène Jourda, 60, French architect
• June 12 – James Gowan, 92, Scottish-born architect
• June 26 – Donald Wexler, 89, American architect
• June 28 – Robert C. Broward, 89, American architect
• November 7 – Pancho Guedes, 90, Portuguese architect and artist
• December 11 – Ken Woolley, 82, Australian architect
• December 19 – Stephen Jelicich, 92, Croatian born New Zealand architect

See also

• Timeline of architecture

Notes and References

1. Web site: Japan rips up 2020 Olympic stadium plans to start anew. Himmer. Alastair. 2015-07-17. news.yahoo.com. AFP. 2015-07-17.
2. News: Saturday Soapbox: Bridging gap between past and future. The Mercury. 2015-01-17. 2015-01-17.
3. Web site: Xiamen Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza. https://web.archive.org/web/20160507085348/http://www.emporis.com/complex/127109/xiamen-shimao-cross-strait-plaza-xiamen-china. dead. May 7, 2016. Emporis. 2021-04-15.
4. Web site: Engineering and Technology University – UTEC / Grafton Architects + Shell Arquitectos. ArchDaily. 2016-08-08. 2017-05-29.
5. Web site: Darbishire Place, Peabody Housing. https://web.archive.org/web/20150721214350/http://www.architecture.com/StirlingPrize/Awards2015/StirlingShortlist2015/DarbishirePlace,PeabodyHousing.aspx. dead. 2015-07-21. RIBA Awards. 2015. Royal Institute of British Architects. 2015-07-20.
6. News: Zaha Hadid's Middle East Centre lands in Oxford. Jonathan Glancey. Jonathan. Glancey. The Sunday Telegraph. London. 2015-06-14. 2015-07-20.
7. Web site: RIBA Stirling Prize 2016 Shortlist. 2016. Royal Institute of British Architects. 2016-10-04.
8. News: Wainwright. Oliver. Oliver Wainwright. For Grayson Perry's Essex house, the only way was 'bonkers as possible'. The Guardian. London . 2015-05-15. 2015-08-29.
9. News: Tokwe Mukosi dam complete. https://web.archive.org/web/20150107220925/http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/zimbabwe-news/74430/tokwe-mukosi-dam-complete.html. dead. 7 January 2015. 17 January 2015. The Zimbabwean. 7 January 2015.
10. Web site: Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association – Exhibitions - RISD MUSEUM . risdmuseum.org . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150603015720/http://risdmuseum.org/art_design/exhibitions/63_drawing_ambience_alvin_boyarsky_and_the_architectural_association . 3 June 2015 . dead.