Born from a partnership between New York-based architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Australian practice Woods Bagot, the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC) is one step closer to realisation with the unveiling of the building’s updated designs. Planned for the city of Adelaide in South Australia, the AACC will honour the past, present and future of Aboriginal cultures while also pledging support to contemporary art practices and events.

Set against the Mile City skyline in China’s Yunnan Province, the silhouettes cast by a grouping of red brick towers are equal parts distinctive, otherworldly and alluring. Created by artist Luo Xu, the cluster-like buildings are collectively named 50% Cloud for their resemblance to a half cloud floating in the sky. Bystanders also comment that their whimsical spires are reminiscent of colossal termite mounds, bursting from the red earth below. Hidden behind a section of the building’s brick armour, the 50% Cloud Artists Lounge was created by Hong Kong-based architecture studio Cheng Chung Design (CCD).

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been announced as the winner of the design competition to build Tower C at Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base in China. Led by practice principal Patrik Schumacher, the studio’s design of the tower proposes to integrate the surrounding city and nature, creating a dazzling “superscape” with futuristic ambitions. Upon completion, the precinct is slated to be an important business and financial centre in Shenzhen, serving the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

Built in the 1950s, the timeworn grain storage buildings of Wangjiangjing Town in China were once collectively known by locals as the Lotus Granary, a name given to the site for its proximity to masses of lotus-filled marshlands. But after the interiors of the two main warehouses were mostly destroyed by fire – thought to have been extinguished by water sourced directly from the lotus ponds – the granary was forced into early retirement, abandoned and mostly forgotten.

Sitting camouflaged in a highly visible location, Bangalley House is an exercise in balancing extreme exposure with protection. The rising headland site drinks in panoramic ocean views and shares sightlines with the golden sands of Avalon Beach in Sydney. “Almost any new building you’ll see on a Sydney headland really stands out, often to the detriment of the surrounding area,” says architect Rob Brown.

Known as the ‘Porcelain Capital’ for its centuries-long association with crafting some of the world’s finest ceramics, Jingdezhen is a prefecture-level city in the north-eastern Jiangxi province of China. While historians suggest that the area may have produced pottery as early as the sixth century, the region didn’t become a dominant kiln site until the 11th century. Later, from the Ming Dynasty onward, the official kilns of Jingdezhen fell under the control of the emperor, who commissioned large quantities of ‘imperial porcelain’ for palace service and lavish gifts.

Award-winning Croatian architect and interior designer Viktor Udzenija has curated the inaugural design section of the Christie’s Middle Eastern Modern and Contemporary Art auction. For the sale, which opens to bids from November 11, Viktor is presenting a selection of ten design works by an impressive roster of emerging and established designers, each hailing from the Middle East.

British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin and visionary architect Sir David Adjaye have united to create a lineup of five exclusive residences at the 66-storey 130 William building in New York. As somewhat of a deal-sweetener, buyers of the exclusive homes will also be able to travel the city in style behind the wheel of a Sir David-designed Special Edition Aston Martin SUV.

Aston Martin chief creative officer Marek Reichman and Sir David Adjaye worked collaboratively on this project to bring the ethos of Aston Martin’s elegant design and dedicated craftmanship to 130 William’s architecture and handcrafted interiors.

The world’s first dedicated coral conservation facility is planned for Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, the gateway to the 2300-kilometre-long Great Barrier Reef. Developed in collaboration with the non-profit Great Barrier Reef Legacy and a number of the best scientific minds and educators, The Living Coral Biobank, if built, would spearhead the conservation of vital marine ecosystems that are under threat from climate change, severe storms and coral disease. “Current approaches to securing the health and biodiversity of corals are not working,” says a statement from Great Barrier Reef Legacy. “With each coral bleaching event we are losing vulnerable coral species and reefs around the world.”

Facing the tramline on High Street in Thornbury, Prior is a chic neighbourhood cafe that opened its doors to the inner Melbourne suburb in early 2020. Observing the eatery from the street, the building, a former print shop, is crowned by typically Art Deco detailing. Dramatic black windows frame the entrance of the 130-seat cafe while an equally theatrical awning is emblazoned with the single word ‘Prior’, positioned front and centre as if to indicate its strength as a headline act in this neck of the woods.