Top 10 architecture moments of 2025

The architecture world never stands still - as the top 10 architecture moments of 2025 are here to remind us. This year has been chock full of events, openings and exploration - across territories and typologies. Fancy a bit of future-casting? Read about the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Want to learn about what's up with brutalism in the Philippines, or the landscape architecture of tomorrow? We've got you covered.

The top 10 architecture moments of 2025

The top 10 architecture moments of 2025 include big openings, such as the V&A East Storehouse in London, the Ismaili Centre in Houston or The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza (and many more - impossible to name them all here); while also flagging key debates in contemporary architecture, ranging from the use of AI in architecture to visions of earth building in Ghana. This list has it all.

The Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 launches

It's easy to see why this was a key moment. The Venice Architecture Biennale comes only once every two years and takes the pulse of the industry. This year's version (we did a handy guide for you) curated by Carlo Ratti, was focused on the topic of 'Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective.' Featuring a whopping 750 participants, the main show at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 opened with a statement for the official launch, with Rattihighlighting how ‘architecture has always been a response to a hostile climate.’ He continues: ‘Adaptation demands a fundamental shift in architectural practice.’ Transport & technology editor Jonathan Bell and I went, saw and discussed.

Expo 2025 Osaka opens

Speaking of global events, another biggie took place this year - but on the other side of the planet. Expo 2025 Osaka opened in May, showcasing architect Sou Fujimoto's expert masterplanning and its huge, timber centrepiece. the Grand Ring. In the making for the past five years, this giant timber ring – spanning 2km in circumference and rising 20m high – was designed by Fujimoto, rooted in the idea of 'unity in diversity.' It balances contemporary technology with ancient craftsmanship: inspired by Japan’s rich heritage of traditional joinery, as seen as ancient temples such as Kiyomizudera in Kyoto, the Grand Ring is a structural jigsaw puzzle of interlocking wooden beams made from Japanese sugi cedar, hinoki cypress and European red cedar, alongside metal reinforcements for earthquake resistance.

We take a tour of Philippine brutalism

Staying in Asia, we hopped on a tour of Philippine brutalism with local expert Patrick Kasingsing and were mesmerised. The genre is having a quiet revival, he told us: 'Brutalist architecture and concrete finishes are in vogue again. Walls are being left unpainted – on purpose! Buildings once dismissed as eyesores are now showing up in fashion shoots, Reels, and mood boards. Brutalist merch – maps, posters, even polo shirts – are flying off the shelves. The ‘aesthetic’ has drawn a new generation of fans to its clarity, rawness, and refusal to decorate.'

Houston's Ismaili Centre dazzles

We stepped inside Houston's Ismaili Centre, which opened its doors to a design by Farshid Moussavi. The new building continues the Aga Khan's legacy of exceptional design. The focus of the centres has always been outward-looking, containing spaces designed not merely for the Ismaili community but for everyone. In Houston, Moussavi set to build upon that mandate by creating 'an open destination for social encounter.' She's created a dazzling monument in the process.

We got lost in the V&A East Storehouse

Museum displays are typically the tip of a collection’s iceberg, but this is neatly turned on its head at the new V&A East Storehouse in London. The Victoria and Albert Museum family’s newest outpost opened in May, designed by New York-based architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) with support from UK-based architects Austin-Smith:Lord. It is a pioneering statement in museum storage; as crossing its threshold is not only a deep dive into the celebrated institution’s vast and incredibly varied holdings but also offers unprecedented public access to all its treasures. In short, this is a museum, but not as you know it.

Exploring how to use AI in architecture

New technologies have been increasingly present in the creative space, and they seem to be here to stay. We joined the debate around the use of AI in architecture, looking for practitioners who opted in to hear out how they do it. So, when does one even begin? It is important to address AI as a tool, suggests architect Tim Fu, who has been using AI with an open mind since he founded his young and dynamic studio in 2023.

We deep dived into landscape architecture with Bas Smets

You might expect a landscape architect to put plants at the heart of their universe. In a sense, Bas Smets, one of the industry’s pioneering thinkers, does that, too, but it’s the triptych of philosophy, art and science that forms his true north star. We followed the pioneering Belgian landscape architect for a few days - in his studio in Brussels and his exhibition in Arles - to find out how, why and what he does to envision the landscape of the future. To round off our exploration in the field, we surveyed landscape architecture through a global directory of 10 you need to know. We also listened to a conversation between Smets and philosopher Emanuele Coccia about how landscape architecture is 'the queen of science.'

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House went on the market

We love it when a modernist house goes on sale and keep a keen eye out for a midcentury gem bargain. Judging by how many of you zoomed in on the story when Weisblat House hit the market, you do too. The residence, designed by modernist architecture master Frank Lloyd Wright in his famed Usonian style and named after original owners Christine and David Weisblat, was in search of a new owner earlier in the year - and for only the second time since its construction over seven decades ago. The single-family home, completed in 1951, sits on a round, one-acre lot located at 11185 Hawthorne Drive in Charleston Township, near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The Grand Egyptian Museum completes

The Grand Egyptian Museum originated from an international architecture competition held in 2003, won by Dublin-based Heneghan Peng, which then collaborated with Arup and Buro Happold - so it was over 20 years in the making. The project, in Egypt's Giza, was highly anticipated and ambitious, and showcases more than 5,000 artefacts. It is set to become the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation.

We were inspired by the Backyard Community Club in Accra

With the Backyard Community Club, Accra not only gained a brand new tennis court and sports facility, but also its first-ever structure built using a fully locally produced precast rammed-earth module. The project, which adds a precious recreational space as well as a publicly accessible open area to the Ghanaian capital, was designed by DeRoche Projects, led by Glenn DeRoche, and has just opened its doors.