Three Feats Of Architecture To Look Out For In 2018

Last year, an array of impressive buildings joined the architectural landscape. And this year, with designs from some of the most high profile names in the industry due to be completed, it seems that the trend is set to continue. Here are three buildings, among the most anticipated, which are slated to be completed by the end of 2018…

Leeza Soho, Beijing – Zaha Hadid Architects

Designed by Zaha Hadid before her untimely death in 2016, the 46-storey Leeza Soho will feature a twisted glass atrium that is expected to take the title of the world’s tallest.

Located in the Lize Financial Business District, a new business, residential and transport hub in southwest Beijing, the 207m skyscraper divides into two halves on either side of a new subway tunnel. And in the centre, the much talked about atrium extends through the full height of the building, connecting the two halves together.

Housing a mix of offices and shops, the lowest level will be a dedicated public space which will include facilities for storing up to 2,680 bicycles, with lockers and shower facilities also provided, and there will be charging points below ground level for electric or hybrid cars. Zaha Hadid Architects also aim to keep the building's energy consumption and emissions low by implementing systems based on real-time environmental conditions.

Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza – Heneghan Peng Architects

More than 15 years after the competition for its design was announced, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza is set to partially open this year. And at almost 650,000 square feet, the complex on the outskirts of Cairo will be the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization.

Celebrating almost 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history and showcasing more than 100,000 artefacts, the museum will house the Tutankhamen collection, currently displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the Solar Boat that is now sited beside the pyramids.

The building itself features a huge glass wall at the entrance, allowing visitors to see the pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure, which inspired the structure’s triangular shape. And in addition to the permanent exhibition space, the site will house a children’s museum, and conference and education facilities, as well as include a large conservation centre and extensive gardens.

Amager Bakke Waste-to-Energy Plant, Copenhagen – Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG)

First unveiled in 2011, this competition-winning proposal for Copenhagen will, according to the architects, "transform people's perceptions" about public utility buildings.

The biomass-burning plant is seen as major step in the Danish capital’s transition to a carbon-free city. Burning wood pellets made from rotting waste wood instead of coal, it will also feature a 31,000-square-metre ski slope on its roof and a smokestack designed to emit rings of non-toxic smoke.

In warmer weather the ski slope will be transformed into a rooftop park, with ‘mountain’ and ‘meadow’ areas, trees to shield visitors from the wind, and hiking and jogging trails, as well as a fitness area. The park has also been designed to attract and shelter a wide variety of birds, bees, butterflies and insects, which will dramatically increase the area's biodiversity.