The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza has officially reached completion after more than three decades since the project was first announced, according to reports from Dezeen Magazine this week. The massive cultural facility, designed by Dublin-based Heneghan Peng Architects, now holds the distinction of being the world's largest museum dedicated to a single civilization.
The completed museum spans an impressive total floor area of 81,000 square meters and houses more than 100,000 pharaonic antiquities. Many of these ancient artifacts are being made available to the public for the first time, offering visitors unprecedented access to Egypt's rich archaeological heritage.
In other architectural news this week, renowned architect Santiago Calatrava's Gare de Mons station officially opened in Belgium. The sculptural building, which Calatrava described as a "monumental bridge," features a striking design made of glass and steel. The station is organized around a raised gallery volume that stretches 165 meters across the site and is strategically located along the international Paris to Brussels train line in Mons. The innovative structure traverses a series of 350-meter-long platforms and bus stops that extend outward from the gallery's underside.
Meanwhile, in the world of design, British artist Robbie Williams made his debut in furniture design with the launch of the Introvert Chair, created in collaboration with Dutch furniture brand Moooi. The chair features a gently curved shape and is wrapped in a tactile blend of virgin wool, alpaca, and cotton materials. "In a world that rarely slows down, we often crave a place of respite, and this chair is just that," Williams explained about his design philosophy.
The ongoing debate between traditional and modernist architectural styles has gained renewed attention with US President Donald Trump's advocacy for classical architecture. Dezeen's architecture editor Lizzie Crook conducted interviews with architects and critics to explore the question of whether people genuinely prefer traditional architecture over contemporary designs.
In innovation news, sportswear giant Nike unveiled early concept designs for its battery-powered Project Amplify anklet, developed in partnership with robotics company Dephy. The revolutionary device adheres to a person's lower leg to provide a motorized "boost" while running or walking, potentially transforming athletic performance enhancement.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama shared his vision for the country's architectural future in an exclusive interview, stating, "We want love stories between architects and Albania." He emphasized that "for a country like Albania, good architecture is an uplifting presence – it's a source of extra energy for the society and for the way we envisage our future." Rama expressed confidence that Albania will produce its own star architect within the next decade.
Other popular projects featured this week included a Sussex home organized around a steel-framed cloister by Nick Willson Architects, a sculptural bookstore in China, and a Pune clubhouse featuring perforated brick walls. Dezeen's latest lookbook showcased double-height living rooms, while their roundup highlighted closed-off homes concealed behind windowless walls, demonstrating the diverse trends in contemporary residential architecture.
