The Confederation Centre of the Arts—recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada—is getting a refresh, with new features that will not take away from the 60-plus-year-old building’s original Brutalist style. Designed by Abbott Brown Architects, the $67-million renovation to the Centre will include a transformed library, a rooftop photovoltaic system, and a new theatre rehearsal space with mass timber components. Architect Alec Brown says retaining the “overall composition” of the Centre in the design was critical, noting that “new interstitial zones of mass timber and glass” will be placed between the original sandstone panels. The new rehearsal hall, built on one of the existing terraces, will feature lightweight CLT floors and roof panels supported by glulam columns. Theatre performances will continue and the art gallery will be open throughout the renovation. Completion is set for 2026.

An expansion of the Portland Museum of Art in Maine is under way. LEVER Architecture’s winning concept design “flips the narrative” of typical museum design. LEVER’s design focuses on “an equitable built environment by centering the marginalized, inviting honest storytelling, and empowering the community to reclaim the institution.” The curved roofline in the rendering, for instance, was conceived with Wabanaki cultural advisors to honour the Indigenous peoples of the region. The new museum campus will be a place where everyone can enjoy all the arts in harmony, and will feature natural and regional materials, including timber sourced from the state. Completion is expected in 2027.

Maidenhead and the Thames Valley will soon have its first mass timber structure. The 65,000-sq.ft, six-storey office building, called Trehus, meaning “house of wood” in Norwegian, will form the latest part of the larger multimillion-pound One Maidenhead development. The landmark office building will be situated at the gateway to the town centre of Maidenhead. Designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects, Trehus, with its timber-framed construction, is expected to reduce embodied carbon by 40% compared to a concrete frame. The project is targeting net zero carbon emissions and BREEAM and Fitwel 3* certifications.

Beta Realities is challenging the typical airport terminal glass-and-steel construction with its design for the Innsbruck Airport Terminal. The 12,000-sq.m all-timber terminal will sit within the backdrop of the country’s mountainous landscape: the Inntalkette ranges in the Karwendel Mountains to the north and the first mountains of the Alpine Central range to the south. The modular roof of prefabricated timber elements, with eaves pointing skyward, reflects this mountainous terrain. The terminal will also incorporate a marketplace, public promenade, retail outlets and office spaces. 

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) will create a modern home for the State Opera and Hamburg Ballet. The new Hamburg State Opera will replace the 1950s State Opera that sits on Dammtorstraße. The new 45,000-sq.m building will be located on the Baakenhöft peninsula in HafenCity, an expanding waterfront development. It will include production, rehearsal, and performance spaces, as well as a new public park reaching to the river’s edge. The timber-lined foyer will include gently curved balconies and will have two central staircases rising toward the upper levels. The main performance hall will be encircled in bands of horizontally layered timber. Every main floor will connect directly to outdoor terraces, which can be used for events or informal gathering areas.