All images via naibooksellers

You may have noticed that we’ve taken a short break from the giveaway business, but who are we kidding, they’re so much fun that we couldn’t stop for too long! Now that the hiatus is officially over we’ve decided to celebrate by giving away a copy of The New Wave in Danish Architecture by Kjeld Vindum and Kristoffer Lindhardt Weiss. The book is a comprehensive examination of the new developments that have occurred in Danish Architecture since the 2000s. Featuring interviews with architects Bjarke Ingels, Winy Maas, and Julien De Smedt, the book explores the success of 12 young Danish architecture offices including PLOT, BIG, and Nord. Click through to learn how to enter.

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Sliced Porosity Block by Steven Holl. Photo: Hufton + Crow

When’s the last time you saw the world’s top architects come together for a meeting of the minds? As we all know, architects can be a very individualistic bunch, with egos and accents usually getting in the way of  that blissful round of kumbaya. But, the egos have been shelved for the Architizer A+ Awards, the biggest architectural awards program ever.

From Steven Holl and Preston Scott Cohen to Bjarke Ingels and the principals at MVRDV, architecture’s best and brightest can all be found on the A+ Awards jury. They will decide who—you?—takes home the trophy in 50 categories. They will choose whose projects will be showcased in major media publications like the Wall Street Journal, GOOD, Huffington Post, Cool Hunting—and Architizer, of course! Our jury also includes big-name journalists, developers, tastemakers, digital gurus, cultural luminaries, and other key figures, all of whom are helping us break architecture out of the echo chamber.

You’ve only got 7 days to submit your projects to the A+ Awards site, so if you want a chance to get your work in front of these great designers, be sure to enter now. Click through to see more of the architects on the jury and some of their best work.

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images © BIG

We have some BIG news! The architectural wonderboy has done it again: Bjarke Ingels will soon be moving forward with a one-of-a-kind pyramid building along Manhattan’s west side. Real estate giant Douglas Durst has long be pondering what to do with his almost entire block of land at 57th street and the Hudson River, and after plans for a data center, a school, and even a hip hotel fell through, BIG stepped in to create the most unique building on the strip. This week, city planning commissioner Amanda Burden gave her official stamp of approval for the project, which is sure to become a hot spot for shopping, dining, and—last not but least—living! Read more.

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Kai-Uwe Bergmann; photo by David Laurent

By Karen Wong

Karen Wong is the Deputy Director at the New Museum and an Architizer A+ Awards juror. In an on-going series, she profiles the latest and most interesting architects, designers, and thought leaders to join the A+ jury. See her previous post on Olafur Eliasson  here.

When starting their own firm, architects tend to focus on finding a design partner. But these partnerships can lead to tension as both architects squabble over who will lead the design for a particular project. And as the studio grows and takes on more work, neither designer will have the expertise or energy to manage the contracts, relegate tasks, or plot for future jobs. What these fledgling architects should look for instead is a design-savvy, business-astute cheerleader: someone with administrative acumen, communication skills, and absolute devotion in the architect’s brand and leadership. Someone like BIG’s Kai-Uwe Bergmann. Read more!

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St. Louis has the Arch, Seattle has the Space Needle, and now Phoenix will have its very own dazzling icon to join its skyline. BIG has been commissioned to build a 420-foot  observation tower smack in the middle of the city center. The enormous structure, which resembles a a sleek, white orb, will offer visitors views of the city below, the surrounding mountain ranges, and breathtaking sunsets. Decked out with a spiraling system of open-air platforms, this observation tower is a one-of-a-kind  attraction  waiting to be climbed by millions. Read more!

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Only a GIF can truly capture the most captivating moments from Design Miami. That’s why we’ve made five!  Above is Booo’s Surface Tension Lamp (by FRONT), a light fixture that blows a continuous stream of incandescent bubbles which stopped visitors in their tracks and created a permanently hypnotized crowd surrounding the booth. Click through to see the rest of the “moving” projects we saw this year!

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You win some, you lose some. But for international starchitects Zaha Hadid and Bjarke Ingels, the latter is a pretty rare occurrence. The short list for the finalists chosen to create the new Kent State University in Ohio’s new College of Architecture and Environmental Design building has been partially released, and these two are not on it. Over 40 firms entered the contest, and from the eight finalists that remain, all are U.S. firms, most notably Morphosis and NBBJ. But what’s another $40 million project to these to stars anyway? Chin up, Hadid and Ingels, we have a feeling you will be just fine!

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All images: BIG and Grove at Grand Bay

Surprise! BIG is back, and with a new project, no less. Since we last caught up with Bjarke and co., the firm released a ton of renderings of their Coconut Grove condo scheme for the “Grove at Grand Bay” development project. The plan, to be situated in the most “prestigious” part of town with easy access to a marina, cultural centers, and, of course private schools, has been making waves for the two “waltzing” towers that stand smack dab in the middle of it. Continue.

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Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners Barangaroo Scheme, via bdonline

The competition is heating up in Central Sydney! The Barangaroo Delivery Authority has announced the five teams shortlisted to develop a new masterplanning scheme for Barangaroo Central in Australia. The illustrious list, which include widely known firms such as BIG, Woods Bagot, and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, answered the call for proposals posed back in August.

Click through for the complete shortlist of teams!

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The time has almost come to pick a winner for our latest book giveaway, but before we do, we want to give you one last chance to enter. The key to winning is fast and easy: Just sign up for our new daily newsletter! If you haven’t done so yet, you can sign up here. And don’t worry, all of our existing subscribers are already eligible for the big prize. Read more!

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