A sewage treatment plant inspired by the Sydney Opera House has opened in Ireland.
Arklow, Ireland, has unveiled a striking wastewater treatment plant designed by Clancy Moore, finally ending decades of raw sewage discharge into the sea. With its pagoda-like sheds, mint green louvres, and gravity-fed processing system, the plant, whose form was inspired by the Sydney Opera House, combines architectural finesse with environmental necessity. Built on a prominent waterfront site, it restores local swimming conditions and symbolizes the civic value of infrastructure done right.
Lina Ghotmeh will design Qatar’s permanent pavilion at the site of the Venice Biennale’s Giardini.
Lina Ghotmeh, who designed the 2023 Serpentine Pavilion, will design Qatar’s first permanent pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s historic Giardini, the site’s first new structure in three decades. Debuting on May 10, 2025, during the Venice Architecture Biennale, the pavilion will open with “Beyti Beytak. My home is your home. La mia casa è la tua casa,” a two-part exhibition exploring hospitality and cultural exchange across the MENASA region, staged at the Giardini and Palazzo Franchetti.
For the U.S. semiquincentennial, the National Gallery will lend masterpieces nationwide.
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, the National Gallery of Art will send masterworks by Botticelli, O’Keeffe, Rothko, and others to museums in ten states, including Alaska, Iowa, and North Carolina. The initiative, “Across the Nation,” brings pieces from the Gallery’s collection directly to regional institutions, many of which selected works that complement their own programming. Among the loans are a rare Sol LeWitt wall drawing to Utah, French Impressionist pieces to Washington, and a traveling Dorothea Lange exhibition in Nevada.
Matthieu Blazy has begun building his Chanel team from the best of the European maisons.
Matthieu Blazy has begun assembling his creative circle at Chanel, bringing on British designer Andrew Heather to join the couture studio in June. Known for his past work with Margiela, Givenchy, and Celine, Heather marks Blazy’s first major hire since taking over all fashion divisions at the house.
In 2024, the art market had a no good, very bad year according to a new report from Art Basel and UBS.
Global art sales shrank by 12 percent in 2024, as collectors pulled back amid economic uncertainty and waning enthusiasm for the once-thriving contemporary market. Despite a rise in transaction volume, most sales occurred in lower price brackets, underscoring a broader shift toward more cautious, value-conscious buying. The industry now faces compounding challenges, from aging collector bases to rising operating costs and diminishing returns from once-lucrative art fairs.
Today’s attractive distractions:
Bespoke restaurant formulations are the next frontier in status handsoaps.
Colossal Biosciences has brought back the dire wolf.
Meta is finally expanding its kid and teen safety features.
Studio Crosby is applying its fashion-forward touch to…olive oil?
