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Hermès Beijing Flagship Showcases Layered Ceramic Façade

Hermès opens its Sanlitun flagship in Beijing, featuring a layered ceramic façade that blends artisanal craftsmanship with contemporary retail architecture.

Author

Yagmur Baydır
April 11, 2026

Dear PA reader,

Architecture and urban design are rapidly evolving, with projects worldwide reshaping how cities are built, experienced, and sustained through innovation, sustainability, and advanced material thinking.

  • Hermès Opens Beijing Sanlitun Flagship with a layered ceramic façade, merging craftsmanship with contemporary retail design.

  • Contemporary architecture draws from historic roots, blending tradition with modern techniques to create culturally grounded yet forward-looking spaces.

  • Spain’s Cultural Pavilion in Frankfurt activates urban identity through material innovation and cultural exchange.

  • In New York City, 262 Fifth Avenue rises as an ultra-slim skyscraper redefining luxury vertical living and skyline identity.

  • Across Brazil, the tallest skyscrapers reflect a shift toward luxury-driven, high-density urban lifestyles.

  • Masdar City continues to offer key lessons in climate-responsive and energy-efficient urban planning.

  • In London, Kengo Kuma leads the National Gallery expansion, blending heritage with natural material-driven design.

  • Experimental materials are reshaping architecture through adaptive, sustainable, and high-performance applications.

Across these diverse projects, architecture is no longer isolated from-making, but an integrated response to climate, history, culture, material innovation, and urban transformation.

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Hermès Opens Beijing Sanlitun Flagship Defined by a Layered Ceramic Facade

Contemporary Architecture Inspired by Historic Roots and Principles

Spain’s Cultural Pavilion, Activates Frankfurt’s Urban Identity Through Material Innovation

Ultra-Slim 262 Fifth Avenue Skyscraper Rises Across New York’s Skyline

3D-Printed Wall Systems

This workshop focuses on the design of bespoke, production-ready interior wall systems. Participants will investigate how a simple 2D concept can be translated into a fully articulated 3D textured surface through algorithmic logic. The workshop is scheduled for April 18 & 19, 2026.

AI City Urban Design in Grasshopper & ComfyUI

The workshop introduces current trends in the use of generative AI in architectural design and answers the questions: why use AI, and what tools can be utilized to create a complex project with AI?s. The workshop is scheduled for May 23-24 & 30-31, 2026.

Brazil’s 10 Tallest Skyscrapers Define Luxury Innovation and Sky-High Living

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi: Lessons for a Sustainable Urban Development?

Kengo Kuma Selected to Design Major National Gallery Expansion in London

10 Experimental Materials Shaping the Future of Design and Architecture