FEATURE ARCHITECTURE “is not based on concrete and steel and the elements of the soil,” the legendary architect Daniel Libeskind once said. “It’s based on wonder.” WORTH THE TRIP And indeed, a great piece of architec- ture is about more than just a space. From an awe-inspiring structure in Manhattan to a It inspires us. It draws us in. game-changing museum in the , six new design wonders are e idea of voyaging to the ends of giving travelers plenty of reasons to explore and discover the earth to witness an architectural wonder is nothing new: Travelers have By Laura Begley Bloom been making pilgrimages to places like the Taj Mahal, the Alhambra, and the Pyramids of Giza since time immemorial. But these days, a host of new landmarks are pushing the boundaries of the imagination and compelling travelers to seek out destinations near and far.

At the end of the journey, the reward for the trip isn’t just witnessing a design spectacle, it’s being able to engage with it in a uniquely personal way — whether that means dining beneath the waves in ’s rst underwater restaurant, scaling a dazzling structure set in the most expensive real estate development in U.S. history, or spying on rare pandas in a space that makes these magnicent animals feel like they’re within arm’s reach.

Behold six noteworthy buildings around the globe that will make you want to stop what you’re doing and book a plane ticket right now. It will be well worth the trip.

OLD MEETS NEW In the desert capital of Doha, the Jean Nouvel–designed National Museum of Qatar showcases the transformation of this ancient country in a wildly futuristic setting. Turn the page to learn more.

23 mosaic July | August 2019 24 FEATURE VESSEL Travel | By Laura Begley Bloom

When British designer Thomas Heatherwick’s 150-foot-tall Vessel opened this past spring, Instagram feeds were ooded with images of people engaging with the shiny honeycomb-shaped installation. In addition to creating the ultimate 21st-century sele backdrop, Heatherwick has brought a sense of humanity to Hudson Yards, the ambitious $25 billion project that is the most expensive real estate development ever built in the United States. Set on the West Side of Manhattan, Hudson Yards is at once a luxury mall and an oce complex and a residential development, with the Vessel as its focal point. Heatherwick claims that his creation isn’t a sculpture or a piece of art or even a building: Whatever you call it, Vessel is oering an entirely unique perspective on New York City. hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/vessel

KAWI EQUINOX HOTEL NATIONAL MUSEUM OF QATAR New York City New York City DOHA, QATAR The Momofuku With its new hotel

empire has a new brand, fitness ▼ jewel in its crown: powerhouse KATARA TOWERS Kāwi, located Equinox is bringing Lusail, Qatar within The Shops a fresh sense Inspired by the seal of Qatar, this mind-boggling & Restaurants at of health and In more ways than one, the National Museum of Qatar is structure in Lusail — a planned city on the Hudson Yards. well-being to outskirts of Doha — is designed to look like two Momofuku the hospitality redening the narrative of a powerful Arabian nation by evoking crossed swords. When it’s completed in 2020, founder David world. The first the swooping waterfront property in the Marina Chang has location opens this its rich heritage within a modern masterpiece. Starchitect Jean District will house a luxury hotel, apartments, teamed up summer in Hudson offices, shops, restaurants, a water park, you with chef Eunjo Yards. Look for Nouvel created a building full of interlocking disks that he based name it. katarahospitality.com Park to create a commitment on the form of the desert rose. With inclined oors and very few a genre-defying to sleep (total menu that takes soundproofing, vertical lines, the space is organized into several chapters, MONDRIAN DOHA inspiration from beds that adapt Doha, Qatar Korea and turns it to your body), from the time before humans inhabited the peninsula to the fast- Dutch designer Marcel Wanders has crafted on its head. And personal training an over-the-top hotel full of 24-karat gold don’t miss Peach on-demand, and growing economic power of today. Contained within are multimedia elevators and floating staircases. Whatever Mart next door, astounding views you’re hungry for, you’ll find it here. There’s a tiny stall with over Manhattan displays, exhibits of archaeological treasures, major artist the first Morimoto restaurant in the Middle Asian-inspired and the Hudson commissions, and even a restored sheikh’s palace from the 1900s. East, a Cut by Wolfgang Puck steak house, and snacks. kawi. River. equinox- even an outpost of famed New York cupcake momofuku.com hotels.com qm.org.qa/en maker, Magnolia Bakery, just to name a few. It is as dramatic and complex as Qatar itself. mondriandoha.com

25 mosaic July | August 2019 26 FEATURE Travel | By Laura Begley Bloom Europe’s first underwater UNDER restaurant is turning a remote town BÅLY, NORWAY on the southern coast of Norway ▼ TREHYTTENE into an unexpected design desti- Gjerstad, Norway nation. Norwegian architecture After you’ve dined under the water, why rm Snøhetta, known for its work not stay up in the trees? Trehyttene is a on the National September 11 sleek treehouse-style hotel with angular Memorial Museum in New York, wood-and-glass cabins built on stilts created this jaw-dropping concrete in a canopy of pine structure, which juts from a rocky trees. It’s set in the middle of a lush forest promontory battered by waves and about a two-and-a- half-hour drive away wind. In the dining room set 16 from Under, and it’s a detour worth taking. feet below sea level, a massive win- trehyttene.no dow looks out on the water where jellysh and mackerel oat past. Danish chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard’s dishes, made with locally foraged ingredients, are just as compelling as the space itself. It’s no surprise that the word “under” means “wonder” in Norwegian. under.no

PANDA HOUSE NIMB HOTEL NOMA , Copenhagen, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK Denmark Denmark Past and present The highly blend beautifully influential at the Nimb, restaurant Noma, A pair of panda bears from China have inspired a set in a 1909 which made groundbreaking concept at the Copenhagen Zoo from building in Tivoli “foraging” a Gardens. A household word, Danish architecture rm Group (BIG). recent extension has a new home designed by that is befitting Using a circular design inspired by the yin-yang symbol, Pei Cobb Freed of chef Rene & Partners – Redzepi’s culinary the architects enclosed the habitat in glass and installed creators of the innovation. glass pyramid BIG (the same walkways that wrap around the pandas’ natural habitat. at the Louvre in architecture e resulting space provides a sensitive and sustainable Paris – provides firm as the a spectacular Panda House) home for the animals while at the same time giving humans terrace has transformed overlooking the the site of a an opportunity to get up close and personal. In addition, gardens and the former military city, as well as warehouse set BIG created a panda-themed restaurant so that diners Copenhagen’s between two first heated lakes into an can watch these magical creatures as they graze in the outdoor rooftop open and airy bamboo forest — the ultimate expression of meal sharing. pool. nimb.dk/ culinary village. en/hotel noma.dk zoo.dk/en/286-panda/

27 mosaic July | August 2019 28 FEATURE Travel | By Laura Begley Bloom DAXING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BEIJING, CHINA

Though she passed away in 2016, Pritzker Prize– winning architect Zaha Hadid’s vision lives on in the epic ▼

Daxing International Airport in Beijing, which is expected PUXUAN HOTEL AOYAMA LAB Beijing, China DESSERT BAR to be the world’s largest airport when it opens in fall 2019. Right near the Beijing, China Hadid’s design for the sprawling terminal building illustrates Forbidden City, one This new Beijing- of Beijing’s most im- based culinary the barrier-breaking architect’s trademark style, combining portant landmarks, concept puts is the PuXuan, a dessert front and free-owing curves and organic forms. e 7.5-million- pared-down luxury center in a cool, hotel from MQ modern setting square-foot terminal — nicknamed “starsh” — will even- Studio that pays from cutting- homage to both edge designers tually welcome 72 million passengers a year who will have ancient and modern Studio MVW. the pleasure of passing through Hadid’s adaptive, light-lled China. It’s cleverly And the food enclosed in a glass here tastes as space. In addition to taking some of the strains out of air box atop Beijing’s good as it looks Guardian Art with French and travel, the structure will help propel China’s brisk ight Center, which has Asian-influenced V&A DUNDEE become a destina- desserts and a DUNDEE, SCOTLAND into the future. tion in its own right, tea selection that thanks to its design speaks to China’s MALMAISON TAILEND by German architect tea revolution. Scottish design is so much more than tartans and kilts, HOTEL Dundee, Ole Scheeren. Dundee, Scotland thepuxuan.com/en/ as the trailblazing new V&A Dundee proves. e waterfront Scotland You haven’t Steps away from dined in the museum — sister to ’s historic V&A — showcases everything the V&A Dundee United Kingdom on the River Tay, until you’ve had from 15th-century illuminated manuscripts to a costume from Star Wars: the Malmaison fish and chips, is part of a hip and Tailend – a Attack of the Clones created by a Glasgow designer. e structure itself chain of British chic seafood is a feat of architecture worth seeking out: inspired by the clis of Scotland boutique hotels. restaurant in a Set in a historic converted cellar as well as this up-and-coming town’s shipbuilding heritage. It’s the work Dundee building space — takes with a wrought- this humble dish of visionary Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who has been making iron staircase and to another level. an impressive It’s no surprise headlines around the globe as the designer of Tokyo’s stadium for the domed ceiling, that Tailend’s the property crispy haddock, vam.ac.uk/dundee/ 2020 Olympics. respects tradition ethereal fries, but presents it and mushy peas in a thoroughly have garnered modern way. tons of awards. malmaison. thetailend.co.uk/ com/locations/ dundee dundee/

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