Zaha Hadid has unveiled her firm’s latest project in China, the Changsha Meixihu International Culture and Art Center. The massive urban project, which broke ground in October, is a grab-bag of swirly sculptural objects, each one complex and semi-independent of the other. Taken together, they constitute a strange, Martian landscape — a “pedestrian-friendly” Martian landscape — that, in ZHA’s words, will pose a “strong urban experience.” (As opposed to a weak, scrawny, timid urban experience?) The complex megaplex centers around a central public space that feeds into three cultural centers: a contemporary art museum, multipurpose hall, and grand theater. Click through for more.

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Transforming the city is easier said than done. Yet is there a greater imperative for architects and planners at the onset of a new, rapidly growing world? To survive, cities will have to accommodate fresh socioeconomic developments and multiplying populations, while negotiating the political currents of the time. Architects can play a large role in this urban metamorphosis if they are ready to actively engage these forces head on. To do this, they will need to propose bold—and yes, sometimes ironic, funny, but nevertheless critically sharp—projects that question the city and its functions at all levels.

The finalists for the A+ “Urban Transformation” award are indicative of the kind of work being done by architects who want to change their cities. Click through to see them all.

Spot a favorite? Make sure to vote for it over at the A+ Public Voting site!

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A sign in Zuccotti Park during an Occupy Wall Street protest in New York. Photo: Seth Wenig/AP

Though so many of us spend much of our life online, the public space–the physical public space–has in recent years made a raucous, explosive claim as the center of intellectual, political, and cultural life. Take the massive demonstrations at Tahrir Square and Zucotti Park, or (on the other end) the many urban initiatives, in New York and elsewhere, to carve out pedestrian walkways, parks, pop-up exhibitions, and other features that encourage human interaction.

Photo: Ethan Kent via StreetsBlog

Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design will explore the myriad aspects of the public space’s resurgence in “Putting Public Space in its Place,” from March 7 to March 8. Organized and chaired by Harvard Professor Jerold S. Kayden, this day-and-a-half conference will explore the production, design, and management of the public space, as well as its broader effects on the culture of the city. Best of all (and most fitting): Attendance at the conference is free and open to the public.

Find out more about the conference at Harvard GSD’s website.

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Aerial rendering of the Transbay Transit Center. Image courtesy of PWP Landscape Architecture/Pelli Clark Pelli Architects

It took 30 years for an out-of-service elevated railroad track on the West Side of Manhattan to transform into the High Line. When the Transbay Transit Center opens in 2017 in San Francisco, the Pelli Clarke Pelli–designed terminal will have its own petite version of the High Line built in—no decades-long cycle of disuse and reclamation necessary. This 5.4-acre urban park, designed by PWP Landscape Architecture, will unfurl across the roof of Transbay with curving paths, vegetated hills, and a fountain whose jets will go off when buses pass below. Riders, pedestrians, and anyone who just wants to goof off in the middle of the day will find respite from the towers and tight sidewalks of the city’s business district. Needless to point out, the park will be the largest public open space in downtown San Francisco. Read more.

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Image: courtesy of OLIN studio

Project: David H. Koch Plaza, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Landscape Architect: OLIN studio

Location: New York, NY

Function:  The proposed multi-block plaza for the Metropolitan Museum of Art will provide a grand entry portal to match the venerable collections housed within. Two monumental granite fountains will flank the cascading steps, animated with arching jets of water running year-round. Allées of Little Leaf Lindens and groupings of London Plane trees will line the north and south approaches to the Museum, helping to buffer the noise of Fifth Avenue and create an intimate exterior space. Read more about this project in the Architizer database.

Think you’ve got a better project? Submit it for an Architizer A+ Award!

Image: courtesy of Fluidity Design Consultants

Image: courtesy of OLIN studio

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Parklets—those open-to-all pockets of public space that turn street-parking spots into seating—are usually welcome additions to neighborhoods, though they do occasionally have their detractors. But in San Francisco, the parklet that’s stirred the most controversy is one that looks (oh, irony of ironies!) like a parked car.

Back in November, the bike-gear shop Rapha Cycle Club, working with the design studio Rebar, gave the Marina district its first parklet in the form of a sliced Citroën H Van, whose head and tail stretch across two parking spots at the corner of Filbert and Fillmore streets, bookending the seating, tables, and bike parking within. As a public space that repurposes a motor vehicle for the use of pedestrians and cyclists, the Citroën design is the most concise expression of the parklet ethos we’ve seen yet. And that all may change soon, because of a permitting snafu and a city supervisor who doesn’t like… cars? Read more!

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It may be shocking that the Costa Concordia cruise ship that crashed and now floats alongside the island of Giglio is going to stay there. Forever. However, for architects, this floating mass (which can be seen from Google Maps!) offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to create a hybrid land-water space for visitors and locals. An international competition asked design firms to activate the half-sunken ship and coastline as a new public space, and four lucky winners have been announced. From an underwater mall to a scientific geological raft, it’s a good thing this boat isn’t going anywhere, because these ideas are truly transformative. Read more!

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No, the Empty Pavilion isn’t a shrine to Albert Camus. Located in the Detroit, Michigan, an area synonymous with urban blight, this new structure aims to promote interaction through empty space (something Detroit has in spades!). Created by McLain Clutter and Kyle Reynolds, the project is an experiment in public space and will remain in place for a year. Read more!

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Images © Davis Brody Bond

St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., was founded during the Civil War and has since been slowly decaying in the shadow of the city’s storied monuments. In 2002, it was listed among the country’s 11 most endangered historic spaces. Now, architecture firm Davis Brody Bond has won a design competition to revitalize the decommissioned medical campus and transform it into a fresh, open community area. Their winning scheme, called the “Gateway Pavilion,” will host farmer’s markets, art exhibitions, and cultural events, breathing new life into an obscure space tucked away from the U.S. capital’s neo-classical architecture. Read more.

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AA Arena w/GKD Mediamesh Plaza, Miami

A building’s signage can make or break the best architecture. Fortunately, Arquitectonica, the architects behind the American Airlines Arena in Miami, wisely opted for GKD Mediamesh, an easily integrated signage system that turn off and on with all the effort of flipping a light switch. While bold when showing LeBron James showing his stuff or airing Lady Gaga traipsing across the stage clad in cold cuts, the screen can go blank—and transparent—at night.

In the last few years, downtown Miami has come to be affectionately dubbed “Times Square South”, in no small part due to the AA Arena’s energy-efficient digital media façade. The marquee, the largest in the southeast, displays concert and game footage in the plaza, in essence creating a public gathering space. Continue.

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