ArchDaily.com

Cultural institutions represent an active field for unbuilt architectural exploration, reflecting how architects continue to question the role of public buildings in shaping urban life. In this Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected proposals bring together a range of projects that engage with museums, exhibition centers, and diplomatic buildings as sites of public encounter. Rather than treating these programs as fixed types, these projects approach them as evolving spatial settings through which cities engage with history, knowledge, and representation.

A new office building that gathers several government agencies under one roof in the centre of Odense is a pioneer project in large scale timber construction and the largest timber office building in Denmark.

Peeking above a 1915 Edwardian cottage sits a white curved shell, a contemporary extension to a weatherboard home in a heritage pocket in inner-west Melbourne. Cereus House brings light, height, and flow to the existing dwelling through the addition of two curved forms that overlook the north-facing backyard. The clients wanted a solid, thermally comfortable home with bright spaces and a connection to the outside. It needed to accommodate working from home, be a sanctuary for retreat, and connect to the couple's property behind for when family and friends visit. A part of the brief was to retain an oversized cereus cactus in the backyard's east.

The Xinhepu Historical and Cultural Precinct is imbued with rich historical layers and urban memories. This enhancement initiative deliberately avoids large-scale demolition and reconstruction. Instead, it follows a strategy of "micro-regeneration and refined enhancement," focusing on reconnecting the precinct's spatial network. Guided by the "one building, one tailored solution" to architectural restoration and driven by the goal of improving everyday livability, the project employs meticulous craftsmanship and techniques. The ultimate aim is to foster a vibrant precinct where historical character and contemporary life exist in symbiosis.

Bao Loc House is a small residence located in the suburban area of Bảo Lộc, where the characteristics of an agricultural rural landscape remain largely unaffected by urbanization. The site is situated on gently sloping terrain leading to a river, providing favorable natural conditions for creating a living environment closely integrated with the surrounding landscape.

From a landfill to Vergel in the desert. Parque Esmeralda is located in the piedmont of Copiapó city, Northern Chile. The Park is in one of the last peripheral social housing developments on the north side of this town, at the border with the Atacama Desert.

An unusually described program by Pablo, a rich enumeration of atmospheres and sensations in which to dwell, a terrain still to be chosen from a possible list. Thus begins the commission for this house. Pablo envisioned diverse exteriors that manifested the temporality of the seasons of the year, of their domestic landscapes; exteriors possible to be seen from the different spaces of the house. Living should be a spatial, sensory experience of discovery.

Hidden in the rich tropical vegetation of southern Haiti, the project consists of a community centre for the rural community of Bercy-Cavaillon, as well as the office of the local farmers' association APTEKKA. This is the only shared facility in this remote area, conceived as a place for training, cultural events, collective gatherings, and rest.

About 30 minutes from Lisbon, with a privileged view of the Serra de Sintra, a project for a single-family dwelling of 420 m² is being developed, distributed across two floors above ground and a basement.

Throughout history, fish markets have played a singular role in mediating the relationship between city and sea. From the port agoras of antiquity, through medieval markets established along docks and estuaries, to the large covered structures of the 19th century, these spaces have been instrumental in shaping coastal cities. More than simple infrastructures for food supply, fish markets express cultural practices and modes of occupation rooted in proximity to water, consolidating themselves as intense and highly social public spaces. Within them, architecture, landscape, and social dynamics intertwine directly, revealing how the built environment can translate maritime traditions and reinforce the identity of coastal and port communities.