Architecture News

Designing for Wellness: Rethinking Urban Spaces for Healthier Communities

The Intrinsic Link Between City Design and Community Health Outcomes

The layout and functionality of a city's various districts have a direct and measurable effect on the health of its inhabitants. When urban planners prioritize elements that facilitate movement, social engagement, and convenient access to daily necessities, they cultivate settings where residents can effortlessly integrate physical activity into their routines. Conversely, sprawling urban landscapes that necessitate extensive automobile use inadvertently stifle these opportunities, making active living a challenge rather than a default.

Overcoming the Barriers to Active Lifestyles in Urban Settings

For many years, public discourse surrounding health issues such as rising obesity and metabolic conditions has predominantly centered on individual accountability. People are frequently urged to increase their physical activity, improve their dietary habits, and consciously opt for healthier choices. However, effective urban planning and design can fundamentally alter the context within which these choices are made, making healthy living both practical and readily available. Consider, for example, a neighborhood where essential amenities like grocery stores are located several miles away, main thoroughfares are wide and designed for high-speed traffic, sidewalks are fragmented, and various services are scattered. In such an environment, driving becomes the most logical and often only viable option for tasks like grocery shopping. Walking, in this scenario, demands significant extra time, exposes individuals to hazardous traffic conditions, navigating poorly maintained sidewalks, or traversing routes that lack safety or shade. When these seemingly minor decisions are multiplied across millions of daily commutes, they exert a powerful influence on how people interact with and navigate their surroundings, ultimately shaping their health trajectories.

A significant exhibition highlighting the architectural vision of Herzog & de Meuron across ten selected projects in China is scheduled to open on September 12, 2026, at the M+ Museum in Hong Kong. This event commemorates the museum's fifth anniversary, during which M+ has meticulously curated a collection emphasizing visual art, design, architecture, moving images, and Hong Kong's distinctive visual culture from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The museum itself, a creation of Herzog & de Meuron between 2012 and 2021, stands proudly within the West Kowloon Cultural District, a sprawling forty-hectare cultural landmark alongside Victoria Harbour. Curated by Ikko Yokoyama and Iris Ng, "Herzog & de Meuron: In Focus" delves into projects spanning from 2002 to 2021, featuring notable works such as Tai Kwun in Hong Kong (2006–2018) and the Beijing National Stadium (2002–2008).

This exhibition represents the second phase of Herzog & de Meuron's generous contribution to the M+ Collections, following their initial donation in 2023 of a section model of the Beijing National Stadium, famously known as the 'Bird's Nest.' For this occasion, the firm has enriched the museum's holdings with more than 200 process materials, including intricate models, prototypes, detailed sketches, and crucial archival documents. "Herzog & de Meuron: In Focus" illuminates the creative journey behind ten completed and conceptualized projects from the early 2000s, underscoring the firm's profound involvement in China's urban evolution and expansion. Their work encompasses iconic cultural and civic structures like museums, academic institutions, sports arenas, and comprehensive city master plans, reflecting a sustained commitment to innovative design.

The artifacts and reproductions are presented in specially designed wooden display cases, mirroring those used for the firm’s archival collection in Basel, Switzerland, and drawing inspiration from the firm's Kabinett—a foundation established in 2015 by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. This foundation serves as a permanent repository for architectural thought and knowledge, fostering research and intellectual exchange. The process and archival materials provided by the architects are meticulously arranged to offer the public profound insights into each building's thoughtful engagement with its specific site, material palette, and cultural landscape. The exhibition masterfully combines models, drawings, material samples, and prototypes, all generously donated to the M+ Collection, providing a unique vantage point into the firm's distinct architectural imagination and the perspectives that shape it. Ikko Yokoyama, Senior Curator and Head of Design and Architecture at M+, articulates that the exhibition, by concentrating on ten pivotal projects in China, tracks both the evolving creative philosophy of Herzog & de Meuron and the broader transformation of China's urban fabric. The open-storage presentation, inspired by the Kabinett, redefines the gallery as a dynamic space for exploration and meaningful dialogue, allowing visitors to delve into the experimentation and decision-making processes from initial concepts to built forms.

The exhibition will be open from September 12, 2026, through January 2027, at the M+ Focus Gallery. Additionally, the museum will arrange architectural tours throughout the exhibition period, inviting visitors to explore the museum's unique architectural features and design highlights. Beyond Hong Kong, Shanghai's Power Station of Art (PSA) is set to host China's inaugural exhibition dedicated to the work of Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi, conceptualized by OPEN Architecture within a 2,300 m² space at the PSA contemporary art museum in Huangpu. Meanwhile, in Australia, OPEN Architecture collaborated with OMA/AMO on one of the inaugural exhibitions for Powerhouse Parramatta, the first state cultural institution situated in Western Sydney. On a global scale, the ninth edition of the Oslo Architecture Triennale, themed "What if Nature Comes First?", will take place from September 17 to October 1, bringing together over 30 international architecture projects that explore this compelling question.