2024 was and continues to be a year of achievements and filled with architectural events that are changing the way we view the field. From mega project announcements to 3D printing achievements, artificial intelligence, space architecture innovations, and festivals and worldwide architectural events that offer new perspectives to the world of architecture and engineering, art, fashion, and many more.
As artificial intelligence and technological advancements are making their way into the world of building construction, architects now have a myriad of possibilities to design complex projects that are beyond tradition and human capabilities. Not only is AI offering innovative design methods using generative architecture and advanced algorithms, but it is also providing sustainable design solutions that meet environmental needs. Such solutions include optimizing building orientation, materials, and energy systems from the early stages of design, making the conceptual and research stage extremely vital, and this is where human effort plays an integral role in architecture.
Mega Projects 2024
With new perspectives in architecture come new mega projects that aim to be sustainable and advanced with the latest technologies. An example is Neom, which is a planned city in the northwest region of Saudi Arabia, Tabuk Province. Neom aims to be an innovative and smart city designed for the future, where the world can improve without compromising the health of the planet and its people; it is situated near the borders of Egypt and Jordan, along the coast of the Red Sea.
This year, Neom announced the development of a mega project called Magna, which is a luxurious destination that includes twelve projects that set a new standard for innovative designs globally in sustainable tourism. The 12 destinations announced include Leyja, Epicon, Siranna, Utamo, Norlana, Aquellum, Zardun, Xaynor, Elanan, Gidori, Treyam, and Jaumur. All twelve destinations span 120 kilometers including luxury hotels that have 1,600 rooms and over 2,500 premium residences. The intention is to create luxurious designs that are far from being traditional while being environmentally friendly and merged with the natural surroundings of Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk. Magna aims to offer 15,000 jobs for people while also attracting over 300,000 visitors annually making it a renowned tourist destination and supporting Saudi’s 2030 vision of diversification.
On the other hand, NEOM raised concerns about its environmental and social effects, and a few people relocated because of the planned development. Also, the organization has highlighted Saudi Arabia‘s obligations under the UN Convention and has called out the country to recognize core human rights instruments.
Each destination in Magna is unique in its design and function. For instance, Aquellum is said to be the world’s first floating marina and visitors can reach it by traveling through a concealed underground canal offering a dynamic and unique experience for each visitor. Additionally, Utamo is another project that invites people into a world of Art and Entertainment located in the al Aqaba coastline in between the mountains.
The place is designed to integrate art and architecture with the natural environment, and it is explained to be, “the theater of the future”. Another project under Magna includes Norlana, which is a wellness-focused community that includes residential buildings that host 3,000 residents. People will enjoy sustainable living in a modern and luxurious environment while also being connected to nature. Norlana includes mansions, beach houses, and spacious apartments integrated with the surrounding dunes and the area’s natural landscape.
Also, Saudi Arabia announced plans to scale down plans for The Line project. According to the same source, officials expect to complete just 2.4 kilometers of the project by 2030 instead of the previously planned 170 kilometers.
Additionally, Dubai announced the construction of the world’s tallest residential tower, which is expected to be completed in 2028. At 517 meters, this structure will be located on the picturesque Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Harbor Beachfront.
3D Printing Achievements
As known by many, 3D printing is an additive manufacturing technique used to print objects layer by layer from a digital model. Architects resort to 3D printing to create sustainable buildings that are impossible to create using traditional methods. In 2024, 3D printing in architecture will see significant advancements in terms of prototyping, sustainable solutions, complex shapes, and heritage/building conservation, which has become extremely essential. New technologies in 3D printing like FDM, SLA, SLS, and binder jetting are becoming more useful and offering benefits like reduced construction time, which lowers energy consumption, resulting in lower costs and minimizing material waste.
ICON, a renowned large-scale 3D printing office, revealed a 3D-printed residential complex in Wimberley Springs in Texas, United States. The houses were made using ICON’s advanced robotic technologies, making the complex sustainable, energy efficient, and contemporary.
The project was designed using ICON’s CODEX Digital Architecture catalog in collaboration with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), which incorporated smart technologies and various prototypes for the floor plans. The project is still in progress, and the houses are on sale for people to buy.
Also, the city of Heidelberg has opened Europe’s largest 3D-printed building. PERI 3D Construction and KRAUSGRUPPE collaborated on this project, a data center named Wave House.
Havelar completed Portugal’s first 3D-printed house in Porto in collaboration with COBOD. The house was printed in 18 hours and has 2 bedrooms and an area of around 80 sqm. Furthermore, BM Partners completed Central Asia’s first 3D-printed house in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which is a 100-square-meter house that was constructed in less than two months.
Space Architecture
Architecture for extreme environments involving space is a field of its own, containing all its challenges and beauty. With the continuous technological advancements in architecture, space architects are working towards creating permanent lunar settlements for people to live there. In the beginning of 2024, an Australian architecture firm called Hassell revealed a masterplan for a habitat on the moon, developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The aim of this community project is to create a long-term lunar habitat to further enhance interstellar exploration and have accurate studies. To finish this masterplan, many parties had to be involved to proceed with a comprehensive approach, such as anthropologists, psychologists, and astronauts.
Also, NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered a rock sample that possibly has ancient life remains on Mars. According to the announcement, in the hunt for evidence of ancient microbial life, the Perseverance mission has focused on rocks that could have been formed or altered in the distant past due to the existence of water.
Another achievement at the intersection of architecture, art and space, Ouchhh made the first AI-data spatial painting in space, the Human Cell Atlas Project, in collaboration with CERN. This artwork launched on a journey with a Nova-C lander named “Odysseus,” carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:05 AM ET on February 15th.
Artificial Intelligence
The role of artificial intelligence is making a significant difference in the world of architecture. AI serves as the ideal human assistant—infallible, fast, and efficient. To thrive in such a fast-paced industry, one must continue to innovate and integrate artificial intelligence into their work to achieve flawless outcomes. In 2024, AI grew more than just being an assistant and started to resemble the AI assistant in Spike Jones’ movie, Her, where the robotic character can understand, interact, analyze, and connect with the human controlling them.
OpenAI updated their GPT version into GPT-4o which understands 50 different languages, and can relate texts to their supportive images. It additionally has a voice assistant and a minute of meeting tracker which can be accessed and used without a paid subscription.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) launched an AI mapping study that assesses if countries can handle integrating AI into their economies for growth and innovation. Studies in some countries showed enhanced productivity but increased job loss. For this reason, the study is necessary to assess who is ready and who is not yet to start integrating artificial intelligence into their lives.
Midjourney, a program that architects widely use to generate images from prompts, has the latest update, version V6.1. It is designed to enhance user experience by allowing the production of high-quality images with new customization options and more intuitive tools.
Lastly, Stability AI, a renowned technology company that develops AI tools. Recently, stability AI introduced a new tool called Stable Fast 3D which is designed to generate high quality 3D assets quickly and efficiently, which offers a great help to industries like gaming, virtual reality, and animation. What is special about the program is that it is designed to be convenient and easy to use, even for people who have minimal experience in 3D modeling.
In the past seven months, architecture has seen numerous positive developments, with many mega projects and master plans revealed. These advancements highlight ongoing research and studies aimed at creating sustainable, community-oriented societies that promote health and wellness.
