6 projects that will mark 2022 as the year of construction

It’s been a long two years for the global construction market. According to reports, the overall size of the building industry dropped by around half a trillion US dollars in 2020 as the pandemic gripped the planet. The cost of materials and logistics shot up, as it suddenly became more difficult to keep supply chains running.

Since the worst of the crisis, though, things have been looking up. Landmark new projects have been the driving force between an expected global increase to around $13.6 trillion by 2024, and countries are eager to bounce back from economic difficulty.

In this article, we are going to look at six major building projects that are playing a major role in the industry´s recovery.

Sydney Modern

The expansion of Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) has been in the pipeline since 2018, when the region’s premier authorised the start of the project.

2022 will be the year when it comes to fruition, and it promises to be worth the wait. A public art garden will connect the existing museum to Sydney Harbor, while a new, futuristic building will appear next to the existing 19^th-century gallery.

Inside, the open-plan space is set to become an exclusive venue for major exhibitions from around the world. It will also display more of the state’s art collection after the gallery recently ran out of space.

Pritzker Prize-winning architect SANAA are behind the project, which means visitors should expect the finest in modern architecture when they visit the new facility later this year.

The ReefLine, Florida

Declining coral reefs have been a source of distressing news recently, but projects like The Reefline in Florida aim to contribute to the fightback.

With the first phase set to open in spring/summer 2022, the project’s main aim is to provide a habitat for endangered reef organisms and enhance coastline resistance. There will also be several interactive projects that visitors can take part in, such as Miami Beach’s first underwater sculpture park and snorkel trail.

The seven-mile route will feature environmentally friendly artworks by major international artists once the project is complete, marking The Reefline as one of Florida’s must-see tourist attractions.

Studio City, Macau

If you cross the Lotus Bridge from mainland China into Macau, you’ll see a futuristic pair of towers with an entertainment complex sandwiched in the middle. This is Studio City, a Hollywood-inspired resort that has been a major entertainment attraction since 2015.

The next stage of the expansion, known as Studio City Phase 2, is underway, and it’s set to incorporate many different entertainment sectors. Macau is known as ‘Asia’s Las Vegas’, but rather than tempting visitors into abandoning their responsible gambling principles, Studio City will boast Asia’s largest indoor and outdoor waterparks, a six-screen Cineplex and huge new conference and exhibition spaces.

São Paulo Rosewood Tower

Famous French architect Jean Nouvel announced the design of his 22-story Rosewood Tower back in 2016, but it’s only this year that the skyscraper has opened its doors to the public.

Built on the heritage listed Cidade Matarazzo, the tower will contain a hotel as well as residential units, and will dominate the local skyline. As part of the deal, Nouvel agreed to help restore historic buildings on the 27,000 square-meter site, giving the area a more updated look.

The architect said he wanted the building to be a tribute to the Atlantic Forest that runs down much of Brazil’s coast. As a ‘landscape building’, he wants it to contain and nurture local flowers, plants and trees, so that it feels like an urban space in the wild.

Nanjing Vertical Forest

Another eco-friendly project will appear in the Chinese project of Nanjing, where state-owned National Investment Group Co. Ltd, will build Asia’s first vertical forest. This will involve the construction of two central towers serving as the framework for foliage that will generate 25 tons of CO2 absorption each year.

According to plans, the forest will consist of the following:

1. 800 trees
2. Over 2,500 shrubs and trailing plants
3. 60kg of oxygen production per day.

The project seeks to emulate Milan’s vertical forest, or Bosco Verticale, which houses 300 people among 21,000 different plants. Between them, the two projects bring a whole new literal meaning to ‘green living’.

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

Renovation is nothing new at Arkansas’ AMFA. The 85-year-old museum has seen several changes, but it's never changed location...until now.

The 2022 upgrade will see a refurbished interior as the museum gets relocated to the historic MacArthur Park in the city of Little Rock. One thing it will keep is its original Art Deco façade from 1937 when the new site opens this Spring.

While the museum is not quite world-famous, the new building may make headlines with its futuristic spaceship-esque design.