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The year 2012 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.
- April 30 – 1 WTC surpasses the height of the Empire State Building to become the tallest building in New York City.[1]
- July – Mausoleums and a mosque in Timbuktu (Mali) are deliberately attacked by rebels, a war crime for which Ahmad al-Mahdi in 2016 pleads guilty before the International Criminal Court.
- July 20 – A fire at the newly-opened Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, leads to its closure for more than a year.[2]
- October
- The fifth World Architecture Festival is held in Singapore.
- Second hurricane survival of 1 WTC.
- It is announced that the Opera House, Wellington, is below 34% of the earthquake code and may have to close for strengthening work to be carried out.[3]
- November – The Japanese government announces plans for a new National Olympic Stadium (Tokyo) for the 2020 Summer Olympics based on a design by Zaha Hadid;[4] these will be abandoned in 2015.[5]
- December 11 – 1 WTC's spire comes to New York City.
- Assemble (collective) begins working in Granby Four Streets, Liverpool.
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Buildings opened
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- January
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum extension in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.[6]
- JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, the tallest hotel in the world, in Dubai.
- January 1 – Ada Bridge, one of the tallest bridges in Europe, in Belgrade, Serbia.
- January 5 – Baluarte Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in Latin America.
- February – Extension to Städel art gallery in Frankfurt, Germany, designed by schneider+schumacher.[6][7]
- January 6 – Porta Macedonia, Skopje, designed by sculptor Valentina Stefanovska.
- February 28 – Halley VI Research Station, designed by Faber Maunsell and Hugh Broughton Architects, becomes operational in the Antarctic.
- March – Jerwood Gallery on The Stade in Hastings, England, designed by Hana Loftus and Tom Grieve of HAT Projects.[8][9]
- March 18 – Bharati (research station) in Antarctica.
- March 19 – Western concourse, London King's Cross railway station, designed by John McAslan + Partners.[10]
- March 24 – Maria Skłodowska-Curie Bridge, Warsaw, the eighth road bridge in the capital of Poland.
- March 29 – Refurbished Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney with new Mordant Wing, designed by Sam Marshall.[6][11]
- March 31 – Sandworm by Marco Casagrande, in the Beaufort04 Triennial of Contemporary art in Wenduine, Belgium. The work is both architecture and environmental art.[12]
- April 4 – Twin Sails Bridge, Poole, England, by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.
- April 10 – SeaCity Museum, Southampton, England, with extension by Wilkinson Eyre Architects.[6][13]
- April 20
- Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, Tokyo, designed by Kengo Kuma.[14]
- Belfast MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) in Northern Ireland, by Hackett Hall McKnight.[15]
- May 10 – Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan, designed by Zaha Hadid.
- May 11 – ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower and sculpture in Olympic Park, London, designed by Anish Kapoor with Cecil Balmond and Ushida Findlay Architects.[16]
- May 22 – Tokyo Skytree in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan.[17]
- June 29 – Cloud Forest and Flower Dome Bay South Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects (landscape design by Grant Associates).[18]
- July 3 – Giant's Causeway Visitors' Centre in Northern Ireland designed by Heneghan Peng for the National Trust.[19]
- July 5 – The Shard, designed by Renzo Piano, the tallest building in the European Union at the time.[20]
- July 18 – Tate Modern, London, opens The Tanks performance art/installation space, refurbished by Herzog & de Meuron.[21]
- July 27 – Opening of 2012 Summer Olympics based at Olympic Park, London, England, with site design by the EDAW Consortium (including EDAW and Buro Happold), working with Arup and WS Atkins; taken over by LDA Design in conjunction with Hargreaves Associates. Individual buildings include
- Olympic Stadium, designed by Populous[22]
- London Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid[22]
- London Velopark, designed by Hopkins Architects, Expedition Engineering, BDSP, and Grant Associates
- ArcelorMittal Orbit tower, designed by Anish Kapoor (see above)
- August 3 – Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, Brisbane, Australia.
- September 21 – Islamic art gallery at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, designed by Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti.[6][23]
- September 23 – Renovation and new wing for Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, designed by Benthem Crouwel Architekten.[6][24]
- October 11 – Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum, India, built by B.G. Shirke Construction Technology Pvt. Ltd.
- October 17 – Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park in New York City, designed by Louis Kahn.
- October 24 – Boekenberg ("Book mountain") public library in Spijkenisse, Netherlands, designed by MVRDV.
- December 3 – United States Courthouse, Austin, Texas, designed by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam.
- December 11 – Le Louvre-Lens art gallery in Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France, designed by SANAA.[25]
- date unknown
- Flame Towers, Baku, Azerbaijan, designed by HOK.
- ME Hotel, London, designed by Foster and Partners.
- Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art new buildings are opened in Oslo, Norway.
- Statoil (now Equinor) Regional and International Offices, Oslo, Norway, by A-Lab Architects, winner of 2012 WAN Award for best office building[26][27]
Buildings completed
- January 6 – Porta Macedonia, Skopje, Macedonia.[28]
- February 29 – Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world, is completed in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan.
- June – Airport Link, a 6.7 km road tunnel in Brisbane, the longest in Australia.
- September – NEO Bankside apartments in London, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.[29]
- November 1 – Mercury City Tower, in Moscow, topped-out to become the tallest building in Europe (2012–2014).
- date unknown
- Abraj Al Bait in Mecca, the tallest buildings in Saudi Arabia.
- Absolute World in Mississauga, Ontario, designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Studio.
- Church of Pentecost, Vinkovci, Serbia, a replica of the 18th century church that was destroyed during the Croatian War of Independence.[30]
- Princess Tower, the world's tallest residential building, is completed in Dubai.
- The Bow (skyscraper) in Calgary, Alberta
- Soleil, the tallest building in Brisbane, Australia (until 2014) designed by DBI Design.
- Community in a Cube, RiversideOne, Middlesbrough, England, designed by FAT.[31]
- Astley Castle in North Warwickshire, England, refurbished for the Landmark Trust by Witherford Watson Mann Architects (winner, Stirling Prize, 2013).[32]
- University of Limerick Medical School in Ireland designed by Grafton Architects.
- Sarajevo City Center.
- The Wilson art gallery and museum extension and refurbishment in Cheltenham, England, designed by BGS Architects.
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- AIA Architecture Firm Award – Vincent James Associates Architects
- AIA Gold Medal – Steven Holl
- Carbuncle Cup – Cutty Sark Renovation
- Alvar Aalto Medal – Paulo David
- Driehaus Architecture Prize for New Classical Architecture – Michael Graves
- Emporis Skyscraper Award – Absolute World in Mississauga designed by Burka Architects and MAD Studio
- Lawrence Israel Prize – Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- LEAF Award, Overall Winner – Sou Fujimoto Architects
- Praemium Imperiale Architecture Laureate – Henning Larsen
- Pritzker Architecture Prize – Wang Shu
- RAIA Gold Medal – Lawrence Nield
- RIBA Royal Gold Medal – Herman Hertzberger
- Stirling Prize – Stanton Williams, for Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University[33]
- Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture – Rafael Moneo
- Twenty-five Year Award – Frank Gehry for Gehry Residence, Santa Monica
- Vincent Scully Prize – Paul Goldberger
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- January 4 – Rod Robbie, Canadian architect (born 1928)
- January 8 – John Madin, English architect (born 1924)
- February 6 – Norma Merrick Sklarek, African American architect (born 1926)
- March 21 – Bruno Giacometti, Swiss architect (born 1907)
- June 4 – Peter Beaven, New Zealand architect (born 1925)
- June 15
- Francis Bonaert, Belgian architect (born 1914) was a Belgian architect.[34]
- Günther Domenig, Austrian architect (born 1934)
- June 19 – Gerhard M. Kallmann, German-born American architect (born 1915)
- July 2 – Angelo Mangiarotti, Italian architect and industrial designer (born 1929)[35]
- August 20 – Dom Mintoff, Maltese architect and Prime Minister (born 1916)[36]
- August 26 – Peter L. Shelton, American architect and interior designer (born 1945)
- October 6 – Ulrich Franzen (born 1921), German-born American architect[37]
- October 26 – John M. Johansen, American architect (born 1916)
- October 30
- Wayland Tunley, British architect associated with Milton Keynes (born 1937)[38]
- Lebbeus Woods, American architect and artist (born 1940)
- November 1 – Gae Aulenti), Italian architect, interior and lighting designer (born 1927
- November 4 – David Resnick, Brazilian-born Israeli architect and town planner (born 1924)
- December 5 – Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect (born 1907)
- December 14 – Alan Colquhoun, British architect (born 1921)[39]
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