The signature piece of the Toronto Central Waterfront redevelopment project is, undoubtedly, the allegro suite of the ‘wavedeck’ follies, three of which (Spadina, Simcoe and Rees) have already been built, with the fourth to follow in 2012. Graciously cantilevered above the water, the four structures create a public space between the lake and the bordering road that did not exist previously, and offer people direct access to their beloved Ontario. Clad in the same type of wood (ipe and cedar), each of these structures reiterates the wave motif, on a sliding scale from untamed, as described in Kipling’s verses, to rythmic, as in Neruda’s poems. The design is inspired by the Great Lakes shorelines and the charm of Canadian cottages. Narrow, curvilinear decks layer on top of each other, arching to more than 2 meters above the water then descending to almost skim it, literally illustrating the metaphor of the city kissing the lake. Safety requirements are met in a subtle but prompt manner by slender steel rails, winding like ribbons in the wind on top of the deck slopes. At the water’s edge, linear benches that embrace the same liquid forms and ipe cladding strategically act as barriers, without altering the design’s sculptural integrity.

Nominated at this year's Bucharest Architecture Biennale, this building, located in the city of Timişoara, responds to a theme that is relatively new in Romania, even in the private investment field: a home for the elderly. The entire architectural discourse is shaped around this type of program and it's functional and aesthetic requirements. The ensemble's main facade present the city with a building in warm tones, developed rather longitudinally than vertically. The composition is, therefore, linear, developed on the length of the site, located near a major urban artery that connects it to the Plopi district of Timişoara. On the right side of the site, the two-floor volume containing the rooms showcases an interesting, rhythmic spatial composition of the consoles on the upper floors. The other volume, coated in stone and located nearer to the street limit, is developed as a "reinforced" and elevated ground floor, expanding horizontally over the first volume through a "strip" containing loggias and creating a portico on the ground floor.

Located in the centre of Braşov, in the near vicinity of the Black Church, the house hosting the administrative centre of the Evangelical Church dates mostly from the first half of the 18th century. Many owners have crossed its threshold throughout the ages and the building has suffered through countless works of expansions and alterations. By 2005 the building had reached an advanced state of decay. That same year, the local authorities decided it was time for a new intervention. The restoration project, signed Exhibit Arhitectura won an award at this year's Bucharest Architecture Biennale. Showing great respect to the building's history, the architects kept all the original elements that could be saved, such as plaster, visible wooden beams, wrought iron banisters, interior carpentry, chimneys, wooden stairs and visible bricks. Furthermore, additions to the original material - which were needed to cover the damaged areas - were done using traditional materials and techniques. Where traditional techniques have proven inadequate the architects resorted to modern means in order to stabilize the building, respecting the conventions of the Venice Charter.

French architect Odile Decq is a self-confessed admirer of the baroque feel of Rome and the charming chaos that seems to rule the city, with its public piazzas and hidden terraces. Firmly believing that a city must grow through the very spirit of its original identity, the architect wished to integrate the new museum of contemporary art into the local context and managed to achieve her purpose by designing the building as an urban “promenade”. She speculated on the varying heights of the interiors – which were part of the theme – and created a series of people-friendly terraces that extend to the street, allowing passers-by to enjoy them without entering the museum itself. But, once they reach the terraces, the large glazed surfaces allow them to catch a glimpse of the museum’s inner life and they may feel tempted to visit it – an unconventional invitation, in Odile Decq’s unique style. Located in north-eastern Rome, within the dense urban tissue of Nomentana, characterized by a strong street alignment, MACRO had to take over part of the structure of a former Peroni taproom, now a protected building. Although not an adept of this sort of conservation, Odile Decq respected the inner rules of the city, keeping the outside walls of the old building on three sides of the museum, and setting her creativity free while designing the interiors. The new museum’s concrete, steel and glass form can only be viewed from one of it’s corners, the one on Nizza street, where the main entrance is located. From here, visitors are lead to the black foyer, dominated by the large, fiery-red sculptural volume containing the 200 seat auditorium.

The National Museum of Contemporary Arts in Rome – or the MAXXI – is one of the most intensely debated architectural gestures of the past year. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and completed over a total period of more than ten years, the project has gotten off to a good start: the World Architecture Festival jury recognized it as “Building of the Year” in November 2010. Moreover, the WAF Programs Director, Paul Finch, states: “It is a building which will still be talked about in the history of architecture in 50 years time”. The beauty of the project partially lies in the decision to remain faithful to the initial idea: that of creating an important urban gathering spot instead of a mere object-building. The location was by no means a friendly one: the site is situated in the Flaminio neighborhood and surrounded by a series of austere-looking military barracks, buildings that are wide but stand at no considerable height from ground level. The project elegantly conforms itself to this tendency of the urban tissue by proposing a barely perceptible height difference, perfectly integrated into the area’s typology: a campus type composition made out of a series of finely articulated volumes.