Like dancing inside a work of origami, the nightlife experience at Auriga is enhanced by faceted walls, and pillars covered in recycled galvanized iron. Backlit by coloured LEDs, the folded-paper effect becomes electric at dusk. Patrons can also head upstairs to the restaurant, a more subdued affair with a sloping ceiling of recycled plywood strips fashioned into a mille feuille topography. To create this enticingly cavernous hot spot, local firm Sanjay Puri transformed an old two-storey warehouse, removing the exterior wall to craft an aluminum facade whose frenetic geometry hints at what’s inside. ­sanjaypuriarchitects.­com

Gamsei Cocktail Bar
Location: Munich, Germany
Firm: Buero Wagner, Vienna, Austria
Team: Fabian A. Wagner with Andreas Kreft

This intimate cocktail bar in the fashionable Munich neighbourhood of Glockenbach places its mix-ol-o-gists front and centre. Framed by -amphitheatre-style bench seating on either side of the central bar and accessed by folding doors that connect the interior to the sidewalk, Gamsei evokes the open, communal spirit of a Bavarian beer hall. Crafted in natural oil-finished oak, the interior emphasizes a grid-like aesthetic, where the vertical slats of the cup-board doors are complemented by a meticulous horizontal arrangement of white ceramic bottles on shelves. The boldest move: a grid of black steel mesh above the bar that suspends an array of the same handsome bottles filled with house-made liquors and syrups. buero‑wagner.com

LAX – Immersive multimedia architecture
Location: Los Angeles, California
Team: Digital Kitchen, Electrosonic, Fentress Architects, Moment Factory, MRA International, Sardi Design, Smart Monkeys

Moment Factory has transformed the new Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport into a magical multimedia extravaganza. Leading a team of more than 300 contributors, the Montreal studio designed seven architectural-scale digital media features. Evoking a railway station clock tower, the seven-storey, LED-animated Time Tower in the main departure hall presents a digital dance performance to mark each hour. Several “portals” display video and sound effects triggered by passengers’ movements. The studio also produced over four hours of continuous video, with images from the golden age of Hollywood, to keep even long-haul travellers entertained. momentfactory.com