THE past year in architecture may be remembered for superlatives after India opened the world’s largest office building and Malaysia’s Merdeka 118 became the second tallest skyscraper ever constructed. But 2023 was also a year that celebrated subtlety, with a thoughtfully designed Chinese boarding school named World Building of the Year and British architect David Chipperfield awarded the Pritzker Prize for a career dedicated to understated cultural institutions. The year ahead will likely bring a similar mix of the bold and the beautiful. Here are some architectural projects set to shape the world in 2024. Benin National Assembly, Porto-Novo, Benin Since his very first commission, designing a primary school for his Burkina Faso village in 2001, architect Francis Kéré has built his reputation on modest civic and community facilities. At 35,000 square meters, his plan for a new national assembly in neighboring Benin is a different prospect altogether. The design was unveiled with relatively little fanfare in 2021, but the following year Kéré became the first African architect to claim the coveted Pritzker Prize. Now, the world will be watching closely to see how principles he has long championed — natural ventilation, ample shading and the use of local materials — are applied at grander scale. Kéré’s Berlin-based firm says the building’s top-heavy appearance was inspired by the palaver tree, which traditionally served as a meeting place. A ground-floor assembly hall will accommodate Benin’s 109-seat legislature, while a public park around it offers “a sense of openness and transparency,” the firm’s project description added. Vertical Forest, Nanjing, China The tree-covered Bosco Verticale (or “Vertical Forest”) in Milan, Italy has become a symbol of green design since it opened almost a decade ago. But for architect Stefano Boeri, the eye-catching residential project was just the beginning. With a manifesto committed to launching “a global campaign on urban forestry,” Boeri’s firm has since realized similar projects in Europe and beyond. The latest, in Nanjing, China’s Jiangsu Province, will feature around 800 trees and over 2,500 shrubs and trailing plants installed on carefully configured balconies. Comprised of two towers — the larger of which stands 200 meters tall — the latest Vertical Forest will contain offices, a museum and a hotel with a top-floor swimming pool. Boeri’s firm has said the 27 native species bursting from the buildings’ facades will promote biodiversity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by around 18 tons a year. Keppel South Central, Singapore Occupants of Singapore’s forthcoming Keppel South Central tower, then, may have more motivation than most to ditch the home office, thanks to its abundant green spaces and airy outdoor swimming pool. The 33-story tower’s design is punctuated with verdant roof terraces for workers. There’s a public offering, too: The building’s facade curls out near its base to become a canopy for an open-air plaza containing shops, cafes and restaurants. Elsewhere, rooftop-mounted solar cells and rainwater capture systems contribute to what architecture firm NBBJ boldly claims will make this one of Singapore’s “most sustainable office building developments to date.” One Za’abeel, Dubai, UAE The United Arab Emirates, home to the world’s tallest building, has achieved another superlative feat of structural engineering: The world’s longest cantilever. Known as the Link, the 226-meter, 9,500-ton skybridge was dramatically hoisted into place above a busy Dubai highway in 2020. It connects the two skyscrapers — described by Nikken Sekkei, the Japanese firm behind the design, as “father and son” towers — of the One Za’abeel development, which is set to open next month. With the project’s main towers containing residences, office space and a hotel, the 100-meter-high horizontal portion of the complex will house restaurants, an infinity pool and observation decks offering views over the city and Persian gulf. Populus Hotel, Denver, U.S. Set to open in Denver, Colorado, the United States this summer, the 265-room Populus Hotel puts a new spin on nature-inspired — or “biophilic” — design. Inspired by the knotted white bark of the native aspen tree, its white facade is punctuated with openings that provide guests with window seats of various sizes while giving the 13-story structure its refreshingly irregular appearance. The hotel also boasts a somewhat novel environmental claim: This is the first development in downtown Denver with no onsite parking, according to architecture firm Studio Gang, which has also been tasked a major revitalization of Denver’s Civic Center plaza. (SD-Agencies) | 