How Fermob Sparked a Revolution in Public Space
Even in the age of social distancing, the brand’s iconic French Bistro chair can teach us about coming together in public space.
Public Space
A Textural Patchwork—and Grove of Redwoods—Takes Up Residence in San Francisco
855 Brannan, a mixed-use complex by David Baker Architects, generously makes the most of outdoor living for tenants and the public alike.
Kuehn Malvezzi’s Employment Office Kills Three Birds with One (Stone) Building
In Oberhausen, Germany, a new government center is topped by a greenhouse and thoughtfully extends public space.
From a Tucked-Away New York Town, This Facility Brings Large-Scale Art to Life
UAP is making an unmissable mark on public space in American cities, fabricating outdoor art and installations from a buzzy foundry upstate.
"Keep Off the Grass": Why Fighting for Free Access to Green Space Implicates Us All
In an opinion piece for Metropolis, Alexandra Hagen, CEO of Swedish firm White Arkitekter, explains why countering commercial forces is central to protecting urban space.
A Russian Parks Program Creates Over 350 Public Spaces and Nurtures Local Design Talent
Costing less than glitzier parks in Moscow, the Tatarstan initiative is revivifying the local design and manufacturing bases with a "teach a man to fish" approach.
Switzerland’s Venerable Tanzhaus Zurich Now Straddles a Sloped Riverside Site
The dance and performance center, designed by Barcelona architects Barozzi/Veiga, emphasizes public space, with no less than three terraces.
Junya Ishigami’s New Park Turns Moscow’s Polytechnic Museum into a Public Offering
Designed with local firm Wowhaus, the park contains an amphitheater, circulation routes, and new entry points into the museum’s porous new basement.
A New Landscape in Montreal Weaves Together Icons of the City’s Expo 67
Encompassing a Buckminster Fuller–designed geodesic dome and an Alexander Calder sculpture, the intervention shows how the city is rethinking its world’s fair treasures.
Metropolis’s 8 Highlights from London Design Festival 2019
From public space installations to carnival costume displays, this year’s events ran the usual, unconstrained gamut.
In Cycle-Crazed Utrecht, the World’s Largest Bike Parking Facility Opens
The Netherlands, a country with more bikes than inhabitants, invested over €30 million in the multistory structure.
Plus Pool Asks New Yorkers to Show Their Support
The designers behind Plus Pool are looking to win people over. This new short film may just help.
Revitalized Musée d’arts de Nantes Aims not for Spectacle but for Coherence
The newly reopened museum, one of France’s great art institutions, unites four centuries of architectural history.
How a Hydraulic Boardwalk Is Giving Istanbul Its Waterfront Back
A master plan by Gensler and U.S.-based design firm Dror will reintegrate Istanbul's waterfront within the ancient city's urban fabric for the first time in centuries.
As the Public Realm Merges With the Workplace, How Will Our Cities Change?
A report produced by WRNS Studio, edited and excerpted here, suggests how work culture could and should influence the fabric of our cities.
Snøhetta Gives Times Square a Sleek New Look
Times Square's latest redesign is uncluttered, clean, and features versatile new furniture, courtesy of a collaboration between Snøhetta and Vestre.
Trump Got Millions to Make His Tower "Public"—Let's Remind Him What That Means
We need to hold Trump accountable to the legal standards for public space in New York City—starting at the sad public spaces within Trump Tower itself.
2016: The Year In Review
The world of architecture and design had its fair share of challenges and bright spots.
The High Line Effect: Are Our New Parks Trojan Horses of Gentrification?
This has been a great year for parks in America—but is this new generation of High Line-inspired parks embedding social injustice into our cities?
Opinion: The Next Great Public Spaces Will Be Indoors
Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, the cofounder of Snøhetta, argues architects must begin considering indoor space as just as public as outdoor space.
