The airport, located on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, is a manifesto of engineering and technological bravery. The geometry of the complex, resembling a glider, derives from structural calculations to address the frequent earthquakes in the area.
The terminal, with a length of 1.7 km, is the longest in the world: the articulated shape of the roof derives from the study of air flows, naturally channelled from the rear of the building towards the airport track, to eliminate ducts and leave the mighty structure completely exposed. The boarding gates, with glazed facades facing the landing strip, are housed inside the glider's “wings” of varying heights and almost imperceptible curvatures to guarantee the maximum unobstructed view from the flight control tower.

The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre celebrates Kanak culture by blending ancient local cultural and building traditions with a distinctly contemporary architectural vocabulary. The complex, surrounded by lush vegetation, is composed of ten “huts” of different sizes and functions (exhibition spaces, conference hall, library, workshops, etc.), recalling local villages, where groups of semi-circular buildings stand around open-air communal spaces. The curved shapes of the huts, echoing traditional Kanak craft patterns, are made of ribs and strips of iroko wood, which is more resistant and durable than the vegetable fibres commonly used in the vernacular. Particular attention is paid to the bioclimatic aspects, analysed by means of special scale models: the screen of the façade slats, the adjustable blinds and the targeted placement of the openings generate a refined passive ventilation system.

The project meets the client’s wish, a family of art collectors, to share their legacy with the public. The building occupies a long, narrow lot dotted with centuries-old trees and is characterised by a rigorous layout: a longitudinal plan, marked by four main reinforced concrete walls clad in red Patagonian porphyry stone (a chromatic reference to the Basel Cathedral nearby). On the monolithic volume, pierced by full-height windows framing the landscape, a glass roof floats, accentuating the ethereal character of the construction and acting as a genuine “machine” of zenithal light: the multi-layer structure, composed of inclined sheets of tempered screen-printed glass, a horizontal intermediate layer of glass with adjustable slats and a final inner layer of white fabric, lets diffuse and pervasive natural light flow into the rooms, but in a controlled way, in order to protect the works of art.

Previously housed in Marcel Breuer’s 1966 Brutalist building on Madison Avenue, the Whitney Museum now relocates to New York’s vibrant Meatpacking District on Gansevoort Street, between the Hudson River and the High Line (the elevated urban park designed on a former railroad track by Diller Scofidio+Renfro), which provides its natural entrance.
The eight-storey building, clad in pale blue-grey steel, has a uniform front towards the river and a more articulated front between cascading terraces and glass walkways towards the park. It houses exhibition spaces – for temporary displays and a permanent collection – an education centre, conservation workshops, a library, a multifunctional theatre and offices. Inside, the main hall open to the public connects the building to the street, intertwining urban dynamics and the cultural vocation of the place.

The 52-storey tower elegantly standing out against the Manhattan skyline reflects the client's pursuit of permeability, transparency and the commitment to a higher quality of work spaces in its architectural concept and its materials. The cruciform layout, while reducing the building area, maximises natural light and cross-ventilation through an increase in corner offices on each floor. The ground floor lobby open to the public creates an interconnection with the city and encourages urban dynamics of meeting and connection. The building has a characteristic double façade, consisting externally of a ceramic “skin” on a steel support, changing in colour and providing shading, and internally of highly transparent glass from which natural light generously filters into the rooms.