If the Italian expression “not all donuts come out with a hole” (meaning that results are not always as expected) perfectly applies to real life, it is not surprising that this assumption also extends to architecture, often “baking” unresolved works for a variety of reasons (from design responsibility to unplanned and more or less unpredictable contextual factors), those buildings Ernesto Nathan Rogers caustically defined as “unburied corpses”, rather than “donuts without holes”,
On the contrary, there are also buildings that have achieved their goal – in relation to the project inputs and the social, urban or territorial value they have been able to preserve over time – and which, as it happens, are actually built around “holes” (although, of course, there is no biunivocal correlation between success and cavity).
Why architects put holes in buildings — and 10 stunning examples around the world
From Terragni to Zaha Hadid, OMA and MVRDV, today’s most iconic projects prove that sometimes architecture isn’t about adding material — but carving it away.
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Photo Laurian Ghinitoiu
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Courtesy Adobe Stock
Photo Wing1990hk from Wikipedia
Photo Marc Averette from Wikipedia
Photo Pino Musi
Photo Arbalete from Wikipedia
Render Courtesy of MVRDV
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- Chiara Testoni
- 07 January 2026
Architecture whose mass is condensed around a void that becomes an element that figuratively, structurally and functionally characterises the work, beyond a mere formal gesture: from a backdrop that frames the landscape and amplifies its presence to an iconic sign that makes the building immediately recognisable, from an urban infrastructure elevated above the ground to a structural element that softens and humanises the built density.
From Hong Kong to Milan, from Miami to Mannheim, from Dubai to Beijing, we explore cases in which the same design intuition reappears in different forms but with a common denominator: void not as absence but as a generative (and multiplicative) element of relationships and perspectives, a portal towards new forms of interpreting and experiencing space, whether for humans or dragons.
In the expanding neighbourhood of Sanchinarro, north of Madrid, the macro-housing complex designed by MVRD breaks away from the anonymity of the residential blocks scattered throughout the area and offers a housing system arranged vertically around a semi-public square: the large “belvedere” located 40 metres above ground level provides a common space for residents, as well as a privileged view of the mountains.
Located in the Business Bay district not far from the Burj Khalifa, The Opus is one of the latest works whose design was fully supervised by Zaha Hadid. The 93 metre high complex houses the luxury hotel ME Dubai, with offices on the central floors and flats on the upper floors with services provided directly by the hotel, as well as restaurants and bars. The complex is characterised by two separate towers connected at the base by a four-storey atrium and at the top by a bridge, suggesting the silhouette of a cube hollowed out in the centre by an eight-storey void, like a huge ice cube melting from the inside due to the heat. Reflective glass surfaces in neutral tones on the outer façades and blue in the cavity create different effects during the day.
In the northern part of Williamsburg area, in Brooklyn, which once housed an iconic sugar factory and has been undergoing extensive urban regeneration for years, CookFox Architects has designed a multifunctional complex of two towers connected at the base and at the top, forming a large central void: the One South First residential tower and the Ten Grand office tower. The structural elements in prefabricated, faceted white concrete are inspired by the crystalline texture of sugar and give depth and dynamism to the façades.
The complex, housing the offices and production and broadcasting facilities of Chinese television, departs from the standard skyscraper model and “plays” with the aggregation of volumes: two inverted L-shaped towers rise from a common platform and connect at the top in a dizzying overhang, forming a large central void. The outer surface of the façade is covered by an irregular diagonal grid that creates changing perception effects throughout the day.
In Hong Kong, nestled between the sea and the mountains, Feng Shui influences architecture: according to local culture, the dragons that inhabit the mountains fly towards the sea, bringing positive energy and well-being to the city. To allow the passage of these beneficial creatures (and good fortune) through the the massive buildings created by mass urbanization, many “wall-like” constructions feature gigantic openings, known as “dragon gates”.
The Atlantis is a “postmodern” condominium with 96 residential units spread over twenty floors, with mirrored glass fronts on one side, a grid of three-storey-high panels on the other, and various coloured inserts at the top and on the façade. In the middle of the volume, a five-storey void offers residents an elevated courtyard with a red spiral staircase, a blue hot tub and a palm tree.
The house, located on a hill near Lugano, has an L-shaped layout inscribed in a square plan, onto which an entrance loggia is inserted, acting as a filter between the interior and exterior and eroding on the facade into a terrace and a "hole" with a belvedere.
The residential complex on Corso Sempione, which houses prestigious apartments and a villa at the top, is one of the most brilliant examples of Milanese rationalism. The volume conforms to the trapezoidal plot and is characterized by two seven-storey buildings, one rectangular and the other T-shaped, connected by a series of balconies that recompose the unity of the front, and allow the void of the internal courtyard behind to be perceived.
The building under construction in the Franklin Mitte neighbourhood, the former Benjamin Franklin US military barracks site, has 15 floors and houses 135 apartments, commercial units, a bar and a terrace. With its playful shape, the building contributes significantly to the character of the neighbourhood: the volume forms the letter "O" and is one of four buildings in the project that together spell out the word "HOME". The central void, accessible by a staircase, houses a public garden with a privileged view of the neighbourhood.