Rotterdam is known for being addicted to the idea of progress, and thus is an ideal place for a biennale on the future of cities. The seventh edition of International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam runs until July 10th, aiming to energize citizens and provide ideas for vibrant urban economies.

This year the Biennale is held at the Fenixloods warehouse on the Katendrecht quayside, behind OMA’s De Rotterdam skyscraper and opposite the New York Hotel. The Katendrecht district resonates with the biennale theme ‘The Next Economy’, the divisions between big corporations and citizens, market forces and active individuals. The warehouse, also a hugely popular local foodie destination, has recently been targeted by plans for high-end housing to be built above it.

Led by Maarten Hajer as chief curator, the exhibitions explore and expand the political boundaries in urban culture. Hajer, who is not an architect but a political scientist, raises questions about the urban tech revolution and concepts such as the ‘smart city’, of which the driverless car has become the ultimate symbol. Yet the purpose of the ‘smart city’ remains unclear — what does it actually deliver and for whom?

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South from Naples in Italy, the harbour of Salerno welcomes passengers through a new terminal designed by Zaha Hadid Architects

Shortly after winning a competition to design the Maxxi Museum in 2000 for Rome, Zaha Hadid also won a commission to build a ferry terminal for Salerno. The terminal has now been completed and shows how perfectly Hadid’s bold building types sit on waterfront locations.

In fluid forms sculpted out of concrete, the terminal building exemplifies Hadid’s architectural vision: rejecting straight lines, it conjures an idea of easy transition and flow for passengers between land and sea. The abstract preliminary sketch resembles a seabird and the final form provides shelter from the strong Mediterranean sun under its cantilevered concrete wings.

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A minimalist viewing tower and tourist attraction – i360 in Brighton by Marks Barfield Architects is set to change the city’s seafront culture

A 160 meters tall metal column is the main structural component of the i360 British Airways tower standing on the seafront opposite the skeleton of what’s left of Brighton’s West Pier. When completed in July the observation tower, designed by David Marks and Julia Barfield’s office, will offer spectacular views from the glass pod revolving around the column.

The observation tower will be in sharp contrast with the city’s shabby chic architecture, so handsome but also neglected in many places. David Marks says he was unaware of the history of the West Pier, before he discovered the site in 2005. Now the tower, sponsored by British Airways, is meant to generate income for the restoration of the Pier, which has been deteriorating for the past ten years. On the ground level the seafront promenade has already been given an injection of energy with new shops and cafes opening under the arches.

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The Aquatics Centre was the only new venue included within London’s bid for hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. Zaha Hadid had won the design competition in 2004, a year before London was chosen to be the host. In this interview she speaks about the East London site, the design process, materials and ideas behind the space.

What was more important as a starting point for the Aquatics Centre, designing a public building in East London or an architectural space for the Olympics?
It was important to develop a strong design that celebrated all the aquatic sports at the Olympics, but the building must also leave an outstanding legacy as a public facility for everyone in London for many generations after the games.  The wave-formed roof design is very appropriate for aquatic sports – combined with the large size and high quality of its construction – create an elegant and simple expression of celebration of water – which everyone seems to understand without much explanation.

Once London was awarded the Games, the organizers instructed that they would be the most sustainable Olympics in history. Therefore, the central idea across all the new London 2012 Olympic venues was to design and construct venues for the long-term legacy after the Games. These new venues are then temporarily adapted for use during the Olympics. This is key to the sustainability of all Olympic development – and very important for London, as the city cannot afford to be left with many expensive, oversized and under-used venues.
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