World Habitat Day and World Architecture Day share a 2026 focus on housing. This article shows how planning and tax rules decide whether homes can be built, and how design decides how fast, using examples from England and Sweden.
Construction has officially begun on Sweetbird North, an eight-story mixed-use building in Miami’s Design District designed by architecture firm Snøhetta. Developed alongside Dacra and Raycliff Capital, the 120,000-square-foot scheme features a stainless-steel mesh facade, 22,500 square feet of ground-floor retail, and planted office terraces. The project represents one of the largest vertical developments initiated in the neighbourhood to date.
Design and consulting firm WSB has acquired Poly, Inc., an established architecture and engineering outfit headquartered in Dothan, Alabama. The deal expands WSB’s presence in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast while enhancing its municipal, environmental and federal design capabilities. Poly brings extensive technical expertise, including a background of designing more than 130 military training ranges across the US and overseas.
Modular construction firm NRB is showcasing relocatable and long-life building solutions at the 2026 World Smart City Expo in Busan. The firm addresses urban land shortages by placing temporary, reusable modular structures on underutilised sites, such as car parks and development land. These flexible modules can be moved or reconfigured over time to match shifting local demographic demands, including youth, family and elderly housing needs.
Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled the masterplan for Baku Expo City, a 198-hectare development in Azerbaijan. The scheme accommodates population growth through diverse housing, community facilities and an expanded exhibition centre. Designed to adapt to local wind conditions and climate, the project preserves 92% of the site’s 18,000 trees while incorporating green roofs, renewable energy systems and upgraded public transport connections.
Arup and Obermeyer GmbH & Co. Kg have secured a masterplanning contract from Autobahn GmbH to redesign the A3/A1 motorway junction in Leverkusen. As one of Germany's oldest and busiest interchanges, the site will undergo extensive modernisation to ease congestion. The joint venture project features key civil engineering works, including a new one-kilometre bridge near the BayArena, while maintaining continuous traffic flow during construction.
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