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John Puttick Associates has completed the transformative refurbishment of St Leonard's Church in Hove, delivering an adaptable community resource marked by a striking new timber porch. The glulam-pitched roofed extension symbolizes a distinct, open welcome to the congregation and wider local community. Located on New Church Road in Hove, the Grade-II listed Anglican church was originally built in the 13th century, and the existing Victorian building features a textural facade of knapped flint across its double-nave form.

© Gareth Gardner architects: John Puttick Associates Location: Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Gareth Gardner Area: 770.0 m2 Read more »

An alternative to "single-family homes» - communal living at Lindenhof. A fire destroyed the existing building down to its foundations. Our task was now to plan a new building that would restore the volumetry and appearance of the historic barn. However, as the farm is no longer used for agricultural purposes, but the ensemble is a listed building, the new replacement building was to be - if you like - a rebuilt version of the old barn. Rental apartments are being built that combine the qualities of single-family homes with those of communal living - and are affordable for families or flat-sharing communities without high incomes. (Rental price of Sfr. 2'100.- for 5.5 rooms on 165m²)

© Hannes Heinzer architects: Lukas Imhof Architektur Location: Aspenstrasse 2, 8587 Oberaach, Switzerland Project Year: 2022 Photographs: Hannes Heinzer Area: 1320.0 m2 Read more »

As record-breaking temperatures sweep across European cities, practitioners have recognized that existing infrastructure is poorly equipped to address the impacts of climate change. In response to this concern Roofscapes, a startup emerging from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, has developed innovative solutions to amplify urban climate resilience. Their approach focuses on the strategic adaptation of underutilized spaces such as rooftops. By tackling the immediate challenges posed by extreme heat, the startup's work epitomizes how architectural innovation can directly contribute to addressing climate adaptation needs in cities. The company was recognized as one of ArchDaily's 2024 Best New Practices for their innovative approach to tackling urban issues such as affordability, lack of biodiversity, rising urban temperatures and repurposing.

Roofscapes / Académie Du Climat. Image © Lionel Leduc As record-breaking temperatures sweep across European cities, practitioners have recognized that existing infrastructure is poorly equipped to address the impacts of climate change. In response to this concern Roofscapes, a startup emerging from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning, has developed innovative solutions to amplify urban climate resilience. Their approach focuses on the strategic adaptation of underutilized spaces such as rooftops. By tackling the immediate challenges posed by extreme heat, the startup's work epitomizes how architectural innovation can directly contribute to addressing climate adaptation needs in cities. The company was recognized as one of ArchDaily's 2024 Best New Practices for their innovative approach to tackling urban issues such as affordability, lack of biodiversity, rising urban temperatures and repurposing. Read more »

Standing beside a railway line, the existing building of the National Office of Forests of Versailles (l'Office National des Forêts de Versailles) asserts its role in the urban landscape as the point of entry to the state-owned forest. Our simple idea for the project was to build a pavilion as an extension of an existing building that fits humbly into the forest context and, through its volumetry and materiality, expresses the different occupations of the ONF. The objective was to create new working spaces that met the functional requirements of the brief but that also approached the workplace as a singular spatial and landscaped experience. We designed this pavilion to arouse the curiosity and wonderment of visitors. Whether they are collaborators or just passersby, we want their discovery of this place to be an immersive experience, where every corner is an ode to the skills and expertise of foresters.

© Maxime Delvaux architects: Atelier Delalande Tabourin Location: Versailles, France Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Maxime Delvaux Area: 180.0 m2 Read more »

The A' Design Award returns with a fresh lineup of winners and a call for submissions, pushing the boundaries of creative design with a clear message: "good design deserves great recognition." This year, 278 jurors reviewed entries across 185 unique categories that also includes Good Industrial Design Award, Good Product Design Award, Architecture Design Award, spotlighting the best of the best.

Arc´teryx Flagship Store by Still Young. Image via A' Design Award & Competition The A' Design Award returns with a fresh lineup of winners and a call for submissions, pushing the boundaries of creative design with a clear message: "good design deserves great recognition." This year, 278 jurors reviewed entries across 185 unique categories that also includes Good Industrial Design Award, Good Product Design Award, Architecture Design Award, spotlighting the best of the best. Read more »

Known for its unconventional art installations and striking desert setting, the Burning Man festival has concluded this year with an array of temporary installations spread across the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The festival's 2024 theme, "Curiouser & Curiouser," inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, encouraged participants to embrace wonder and whimsy.

Nebula Shroom Grove / Understory Collective. Image © Kristina Chan Known for its unconventional art installations and striking desert setting, the Burning Man festival has concluded this year with an array of temporary installations spread across the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The festival's 2024 theme, "Curiouser & Curiouser," inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, encouraged participants to embrace wonder and whimsy. At Burning Man, a tapestry of themes emerges through diverse installations, from reflections on connectivity and isolation to explorations of time and space. Installations like Nebula Shroom Grove and the Temple of Together emphasize community and unity, inviting interaction and participation. Pieces like "I'm Fine" and Tree Circle delve into universal emotions and humanity's connection to the infinite, while works like Matter Out of Time and The End of Time play with perceptions of time and reality. Read more »

Ferdinand Hodler painted mountains reflected in Swiss lakes, again and again. He was obsessed with this double-inverted landscape, constantly evolving with the changing sky and the movement created by the wind blowing on the water's surface. In 1867, aged 14, he painted his first lakes and sold them to passing tourists. In 1918, fifty years later, he died in Geneva, leaving behind a few unfinished sketches of Mont-Blanc reflected in Lake Geneva, as seen from his apartment balcony.

© Rory Gardiner architects: Leopold Banchini Architects Location: Mies, Switzerland Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Rory Gardiner Read more »

Designed by MAD Architects, the FENIX Museum of Migration is scheduled to open in Rotterdam's City Harbor in 2025. Currently under construction, the museum is set to explore the global narrative of migration through art, architecture, photography, and history. Situated in a 16,000-square-meter warehouse built in 1923, once part of the world's largest warehouse, the building has historical significance as a key storage and shipping hub for the Holland America Line. New construction photographs showcase the assembly of the metallic helix, named The Tornado, taking shape above the historical warehouse.

© Henry Verhorst Designed by MAD Architects, the FENIX Museum of Migration is scheduled to open in Rotterdam's City Harbor in 2025. Currently under construction, the museum is set to explore the global narrative of migration through art, architecture, photography, and history. Situated in a 16,000-square-meter warehouse built in 1923, once part of the world's largest warehouse, the building has historical significance as a key storage and shipping hub for the Holland America Line. New construction photographs showcase the assembly of the metallic helix, named The Tornado, taking shape above the historical warehouse. Read more »

There is growing awareness of the importance of developing pedestrian infrastructure. Bridges and elevated structures enhance the quality of cities by connecting spaces and reducing distances. Their use benefits pedestrians and the thousands of cyclists seeking a more sustainable mode of transportation.

© Alex Shoots Buildings There is growing awareness of the importance of developing pedestrian infrastructure. Bridges and elevated structures enhance the quality of cities by connecting spaces and reducing distances. Their use benefits pedestrians and the thousands of cyclists seeking a more sustainable mode of transportation. Pedestrian infrastructures, such as bridges, walkways, and widened sidewalks, not only promote sustainable mobility but also contribute to the revitalization of urban areas. Their design can transform underused spaces into active, safe, and accessible places for everyone, enhancing social cohesion and fostering community. By incorporating elements such as greenery, smart lighting, and urban furniture, these structures become more than just thoroughfares: they transform into meeting points and spaces for social interaction. Read more »

With escalating land values in urban centers, there has been a growing trend to float public spaces from ground level to elevated locations, such as rooftops or podiums between buildings. From a development perspective, maximizing floor area has become crucial as urban environments expand. Ground-level spaces are highly sought after for retail use due to their strategic location, which attracts foot traffic and potential customers and drives city development and economics.

Miyashita Park / Takenaka Corporation + Nikken Sekkei. Image © Nacasa & Partners Inc With escalating land values in urban centers, there has been a growing trend to float public spaces from ground level to elevated locations, such as rooftops or podiums between buildings. From a development perspective, maximizing floor area has become crucial as urban environments expand. Ground-level spaces are highly sought after for retail use due to their strategic location, which attracts foot traffic and potential customers and drives city development and economics. This financial consideration, which often guides building activities and directions in urban centers, contradicts design principles advocated during the modernist era for the benefits of better outdoor space for the public, such as the concept of 'Freeing the Ground'. Architects like Le Corbusier championed this concept through projects like Villa Savoye and Unite d' Habitation. These modernist designs envisioned a future where buildings were elevated to restore open, accessible outdoor ground-level spaces for its users. However, for the reasons above, many contemporary projects instead seek to replicate the function of public grounds within the building's structure. Read more »

The climate adaption project in Vorup near Randers resolves the city's current and future climate challenges by converting the adjacent nature area, Storkeengen (Stork Meadow), into a public nature park. With the integration of climate resilience strategies, the nature park also brings the unique natural delta along the Gudenå (the longest river in Denmark) closer to the centre of Randers, and to its residents.

© Silas Andersen architects: C.F. Møller Architects Location: Randers, Denmark Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Silas Andersen Area: 83000.0 m2 Read more »

In a land far, far away, live five sisters.
They are all alike, and they are all different.
They are all beautiful, some more, some less.
One is more edgy and another is more calm.
One other is elegant and another yet more so. It depends.
They are all unalike, but also similar.

© HouPictures architects: Carlos Castanheira architects: Álvaro Siza Vieira Location: Ningbo, China Project Year: 2024 Photographs: HouPictures Photographs: Area: 9850.0 m2 Read more »

Moss Column is a prototype to examine how to combine living organisms with architecture. A renewed perspective on the built environment has increased in the period following COVID-19. Even though various methods have been employed for sustainable design, the construction material itself in contemporary architecture has remained largely unchanged for some time. In this experiment, I am now presenting a direct embedding approach of plants into artificial materials.

© Yong Ju Lee Architecture architects: Yong Ju Lee Architecture Location: Jongno District, South Korea Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Yong Ju Lee Architecture Area: 15.0 m2 Read more »

The underlying storyline: Decoding Modern India - A time-honored culinary tradition, Indian cuisine is a gateway to a multitude of experiences. Traditionally, food was not just for sustenance but was a means of hospitality and historical influences. Decoding the craft that went behind, the ability to blend the flavors harmoniously and celebrate the diversity, we crafted narrative-weaving stories that aimed to be a testament to this enchanting power. The elements that became part of the narrative reflected the intricate artistry and cultural richness.

© The Fishy Project architects: The Purple Ink Studio Location: Bengaluru, India Project Year: 2024 Photographs: The Fishy Project Area: 5010.0 ft2 Read more »

This small house was built for a couple who have finished raising their children and are retired. The house is located in an old residential area on the outskirts of Tokyo, blessed with lots of greenery and a good environment.

© Taku Hata architects: Plan 21 Location: Kawasaki, Japan Project Year: 2022 Photographs: Taku Hata Area: 97.0 m2 Read more »

Foliage, clay, timber, bark - offerings of earth. SILO reimagines what a retail plant store could feel like - The essence of nature, brought into an indoor retail experience.

© Khoo Guo Jie architects: SILO AR + D Location: Singapore, Singapore Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Khoo Guo Jie Area: 2331.0 ft2 Read more »

The site is located in the suburbs of Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. The 400 m2 site was spacious enough, and combined with the rich natural environment of the surrounding area, it is a spacious and pleasant place to live. The owners are a family of four, a young couple and their two small children. When we first met them, we sensed a sense of anticipation for their future life and a positive attitude toward creating their own lifestyle. Since we were building a house in a blessed site environment, we proposed a lifestyle in which the richness of the family's life would not be limited to the house, but would extend to the garden as well. We placed all the water facilities in the center of the house and created living spaces that surround the water facilities.

architects: Architrip Inc. Location: Sukagawa, Japan Project Year: 2023 Photographs: Area: 58.0 m2 Read more »

Renovation and development of the home and studio of Ada and Emil Nolde - The clear conservation approach is expressed in the focus on intimacy and spaciousness - to bring the studio and living atmosphere of Ada and Emil Nolde's lifetime back to life. As far as is possible in terms of its use as an exhibition building, the original state of the building will be restored (master plan of 1937).

© Klaus Frahm architects: ARTANDARCHITECTURE Kirsch Bremer Architekten Location: Neukirchen, Germany Project Year: 2022 Photographs: Klaus Frahm Photographs: ARTANDARCHITECTURE Photographs: Dirk Dunkelberg Photographs: Ralph Kerpa Area: 413.0 m2 Read more »

This blog wrapped in 2024, so visit my Substack with the same name: archidose.substack.com

After 25 years of running this blog under various names — all of which can be lumped under the "Archidose" monicker — I've decided to shut it down, moving this hobby, this labor of love, to Substack, which I have used since mid-2021 and where I will continue to send out weekly newsletters focused on architecture books, but in a new format. (You can subscribe to my newsletter here or on Substack.) So, this isn't "goodbye" as much as it is "see you in your inbox." Grayer and hopefully wiser: me, John Hill, from the mid-1990s until today Besides thinking something along the lines of, Wait! 25 years?, you also may be wondering, Why stop now? The now, January 2024, is because I happen to like fives, it turns out — so much so that every significant thing related to this blog has occurred in five five-year intervals (this is by chance, not by design, I swear): 1999: Started A Weekly Dose of Architecture (with a post about the Kimbell Art Museum) 2004: Started A Daily Dose of Architecture (with a post about the World Trade Center Memorial Design Competition) 2009: Started working with World-Architects and got my first book deal (I was out of work at the time, so the writing that I began doing as a hobby in 1999 turned into my primary focus as of 2009) 2014: Stopped A Weekly Dose of Architecture (complete with five bullet points on why) 2019: Started A Daily Dose of Architecture Books (five more bullet points!) 2024: Stopped Archidose In terms of the why, I've thought of that question a little bit, and outside of it just feeling like it's the right time, here are a handful (again!) of reasons: Very few people read blogs anymore (true, that was also the case 10 years ago, but I kept at it until now, as I liked doing it) More people subscribe, open, and read my Substack newsletter than those who click on the links to this blog or find their way here in some other manner to read my posts (the logical step, therefore, is to put everything in the newsletter...but not behind a paywall, mind you) Blogger is outdated, with infrequent updates; its themes/templates are buggy; adding content is frustrating (this list could go on near endlessly) Substack’s formatting is much easier and more elegant than Blogger (see next bullet point, too) This blog takes up too much of my time, time I'd rather spend on other things (the new newsletter will be easier to produce than this blog, but hopefully it will be helpful and therefore worth people's time in opening it and reading it) But stopping this blog also makes me wonder what it amounted to, if anything. Is there enough good content on this blog to put some of it on paper, to make it a more permanent thing? Or is the content simply of its time and therefore best to leave here in the digital ether? I don't know, to be honest, and when I dig back through some of the posts I veer from thinking the things I wrote were really good to thinking they were garbage ... okay, not quite garbage, but not special enough for a bound volume tucked away in a library somewhere. The truth is somewhere between these poles, I reckon, so hopefully I'll come up with a way to make sense of this side project, this 25-year undertaking, and turn what I did into something else even more rewarding.

Instead of digesting a new book or diving into a novel, something others do often but I do rarely, I spent my holiday break reading a five-year-old book about a trio of intertwined topics I'm particularly fond of: drawings, exhibitions, and New York City. Drawing on Architecture: The Object of Lines, 1970-1990 by Jordan Kauffman, published by The MIT Press, 2018 (Amazon / AbeBooks) As the book's subtitle indicates, Drawing Architecture covers a two-decade period — the 1970s and 80s — when architectural drawings produced by contemporary architects increased in popularity: with architects, with museums, and with the wider art market. These decades, especially the 70s, are known for its so-called "Paper Architecture," which arose due to architects encountering a glut of commissions and offsetting it through theorizing and exploring ideas on paper. Although Jordan Kauffman, a researcher at MIT when he wrote the book and now an assistant professor at the University of Nottingham, does not restrict himself to New York City, much of the book takes place there, given the city's role as the epicenter of the art market, the numerous art galleries holding exhibitions of architectural drawings, and the willingness of local architects to promote themselves through those galleries. These display spaces included Judith York Newman's Spaced: Gallery of Architecture, the Leo Castelli Gallery, and the Max Protetch Gallery. There were also a number of museums and other institutions in and beyond NYC — CCA, DAM, MoMA, Getty — that increased their holdings of architectural drawings, in turn increasing value of such drawings until around 1990. Then, as architects found themselves with more projects and computers entered the realm of architectural drawing, the two-decade trend came to an end. I missed Kauffman's book when it was released in 2018, though I have to disagree with George Baird's review published in Architectural Record at that time. He finds the thorough documentation and explanation of this important moment in recent history "not completely satisfactory," due to the inability to grasp the individual drawings in the numerous photographs of gallery shows reproduced in black and white, as in the one below. Baird did appreciate the reproductions of individual drawings that are almost as numerous as the gallery photographs, but not enough to give the book a ringing endorsement. I'd counter that, since the book is about the galleries and institutions marketing and collecting the drawings rather than the drawings themselves, the illustrations selected for the book are ideal. They capture the seminal shows that led to the phenomenon that is the subject of Kauffman's book; without them, readers would be frustrated and have to rely on the author's extensive descriptions of the displays — descriptions that are important for the historical record but stultifying for narrative flow. (Kauffman also separately lists each piece in each seminal show, complete with values ascribed to the individual drawings.) Another review, by Paul Emmons at EAHN, is more gracious toward the book, calling it "a primary resource on the history of the commodification of architectural drawing." Installation view of "Architecture I" exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery, 1977 (Image source) Being a scourer of used bookstores and having a strong interest in the period explored by Kauffman, many of the museum exhibitions and gallery shows described in the book as "seminal" were known to me before I cracked it open last month. For example, the three "Architecture" shows held at Leo Castelli Gallery every three years between 1977 and 1983 were each accompanied by catalogs: the first one is short, unpaginated and stapled, but the second and third were published by Rizzoli, the publisher of choice for American postmodern architecture in the 1980s. Even though I'm familiar with these shows — and others, including Arthur Drexler's The Architecture of the École des Beaux-Arts (MoMA, 1975) and The Drawings of Antonio Gaudi by George R. Collins (The Drawing Center, 1977) — through their printed companions, Kauffman is able to elucidate considerably more information about the exhibitions themselves as well as how they relate to the publications. Architecture I, the catalog, would lead us now to assume that just a few drawings were in Architecture I, the exhibition, for each of the seven included architects (Raimund Abraham, Emilio Ambasz, Richard Meier, Walter Pichler, Aldo Rossi, James Stirling, Venturi and Rauch), but Kauffman reveals how misleading this assumption is, by describing the circumstances of the show, illustrating it through gallery shots like the one above, and exhaustively documenting what was on display. In this sense, Emmons' description of the book as "a primary resource" is spot-on. Covers of catalogs for three "Architecture" series exhibitions — "Architecture I," "Houses for Sale," "Follies" — held at Leo Castelli Gallery in 1977, 1980, and 1983, respectively While I found it rewarding to learn more about these and other exhibitions I had previous awareness of, Drawing on Architecture was not short on revealing new information to me. Take, for instance, Spaced, the gallery run by Judith York Newman, a name considerably less familiar all these years later than Castelli, Protetch, and the like. The first iteration of Spaced was located on the Upper West Side between 1975 and 1983, making it the first gallery in the city to display architectural drawings and therefore leading the way toward other art galleries doing the same. Although Newman was integral to the reception of architectural drawings in the period, as were Martha Beck, Barbara Jakobsen (aka B.J. Archer), and Pierre Apraxine, their names border on the forgotten, at least relative to the more famous gallerists mentioned above as well as Phyllis Lambert (CCA), Heinrich Klotz (DAM), and Kristin Feireiss (Aedes) outside of NYC. Drawing on Architecture therefore serves, in its focus, to give them much-deserved attention. The shift of architectural drawings toward art and as architecture in and of themselves can also be found in Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association, the exhibition and companion publication from 2015 about the drawings collected by Boyarsky when he was head of the AA in London. Although Boyarsky's two-decade directorship overlapped almost exactly with Kauffman's book, he is only touched on briefly. Instead, we learn a good deal about fellow Londoner Ben Weinreb, "the most eminent antiquarian bookseller of architectural books, prints, and drawings," per Kauffman. Not only did he buy and sell drawings (many of them to Lambert at the CCA), making him relevant to Drawing on Architecture, he produced 58 catalogs over the course of four decades: catalogs that "set new standards for cataloging and connoisseurship," in Kauffman's words. The value of Drawing on Architecture is in discovering about Weinreb and other lesser-known players, carried out through exhaustive research and scholarship, but it is also found in the vivid portrait of 1970s/80s New York, when the architecture and art scenes overlapped and converged, unlike any times before then or since.

For the fifteenth and last time on this blog, I'm highlighting my favorite books of the year, selected from the many books I reviewed or featured as "Book Briefs" on this blog, and the few titles that I reviewed at World-Architects. From the 86 books I featured in 2023, 15 (or 16) books made my list of favorites, organized into three categories: history, monographs, and exhibitions (the books are alphabetical by title within each category). As in previous years, not all of these books were published this year, given how slow I can be at digesting books and my departure from the annual spring/fall cycle of publishers. This last aspect, the timing of the books I draw attention to, will change next year, as I shutter this blog and transition it into something else — details on that will be announced next month. Until then, warm holiday wishes! 6 HISTORY BOOKS: Chicago Skyscrapers, 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, and Race Reshaped the City (2023) by Thomas Leslie, published by University of Illinois Press — Thomas Leslie's followup to his 1871-1934 history of Chicago skyscrapers is even better than its predecessor, not only because the buildings covered are by Mies and other modern architects, but because the research is meticulous and the stories are really interesting. The Japanese House Since 1945 (2023) by Naomi Pollock, published by Thames & Hudson — The latest by Naomi Pollock, who has written numerous books on Japanese houses, benefits from a wide-ranging chronological presentation of nearly one hundred such houses but also the input of the architects and, most valuably, the people who lived in them. Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of our Architectural Treasures (2023) by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, published by CityFiles Press — In the right hands, archives can yield insights, themes, and presentations that are educational and unexpected, as in photo historians Richard Cahan and Michael Williams digging through the 90-year-old HABS archive at the Library of Congress to show Americans the wonders they have lost over that time. Mies van der Rohe: The Collective Housing Collection (2022) by Fernando Casqueiro, published by a+t architecture publishers — As I pointed out in my review at World-Architects, this book has some flaws in its graphics and text, but they don't detract from the comprehensive presentation of the apartment buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe in the middle of last century. Resisting Postmodern Architecture: Critical Regionalism before Globalisation (2022) by Stylianos Giamarelos, published by UCL Press — Architects who appreciate Kenneth Frampton's theorizing of critical regionalism starting in the 1980s should read Stylianos Giamarelos's scholarly book that explores and recenters the formulation of critical regionalism by Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre ahead of Frampton. Urban Design in the 20th Century: A History (2021) by Tom Avermaete and Janina Gosseye, published by gta Verlag — This carefully organized, beautifully presented, abundantly illustrated, and thoroughly cited history of urban design in the 20th century came out of a course taught by the authors at ETH Zurich, but it really should be a standard textbook for other schools, too. 5 (OR 6) MONOGRAPHS: A Book on Making a Petite École (2023) edited by Michael Meredith, Hilary Sample and MOS, published by Actar Publishers — There are very few practicing architects who produce books as an extension of their practice, and even fewer who do that extremely well. MOS is one of them and this is their latest. (Curiously, I saw an even larger, atlas-sized version of this book on display at Harvard GSD's Frances Loeb Library as part of The Book in the Age of ... exhibition in September.) Caruso St John Collected Works: Volume 1 1990–2005 (2022) and Caruso St John Collected Works: Volume 2 2000–2012 (2023), published by MACK — Released a year apart (will volume three follow a year from now?) but reviewed on my blog in February and December of this year, this monograph series on Caruso St John is stunning: beautifully made but also expressive of the words and images that inspire Adam Caruso and Peter St John in their quiet, poetic creations. Living in Monnikenheide: Care, Inclusion and Architecture (2023) edited by Gideon Boie, published by Flanders Architecture Institute — This book is about Monnikenheide, a residential care center for people with mental disabilities in Zoersel, Belgium, and the numerous buildings that have been designed there since the early 1970s. The book is beautifully produced and reflective of the place's myriad qualities. M³: modeled works [archive] 1972-2022 (2023) by Thom Mayne and Morphosis, published by Rizzoli — Fifty years of Thom Mayne and Morphosis are presented in more than 1,000 pages: a brick of a book centered on the models that the studio is known for, from the early models in wood and resin to the 3D-printed models they still produce. Speculative Coolness: Architecture, Media, the Real, and the Virtual (2023) by Bryan Cantley, edited by Peter J. Baldwin, published by Routledge — Architects my age will have flashbacks to Neil Denari, Peter Pfau, Wes Jones, and other machine-minded architects from the nineties when perusing Bryan Cantley's image-saturated monograph. The name says it all: page after page of speculative coolness, vague projects impeccably delineated. 4 BOOKS FROM EXHIBITIONS: Another Breach in the Wall: The City as a Common Good (2022) by Davide Tommaso Ferrando and Daniel Tudor Munteanu, published by Solitude Project — This two-volume book serves as the catalog to Another Breach in the Wall, the main exhibition of the Beta 2022 Timișoara Architecture Biennial in Romania, which focused on projects and actions in cities that subvert the norm. The book does that to some degree, too, with a foldout map serving as a wrapper for the two paperbacks and an elastic band holding the whole together. An Atlas of Es Devlin (2023) by Es Devlin, edited by Andrea Lipps, published by Thames & Hudson — It's hard to believe it, but the first monographic exhibition and monographic book on Es Devlin, the artist/designer behind sets for Adele, Beyoncé, and Cyrus (comma Miley) arrived this year, nearly thirty years after she launched her career in London. This big, expensive book is more artist book that exhibition catalog, and a highly revealing look at her creative process. Bernd & Hilla Becher (2022) by Jeff L. Rosenheim, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art — A "captivating tribute to the renowned German photographic duo known for their systematic documentation of industrial architecture," according to ChatGPT, but in my words it is simply a "beautifully produced catalog" of the 2022 exhibition at The Met. For a duo who treated books as an integral extension of their photography, this catalog of their work is equally valuable. Yasmeen Lari: Architecture for the Future (2023) edited by Angelika Fitz, Elke Krasny, Marvi Mazhar and Architekturzentrum Wien, published by MIT Press — In early March, an exhibition on architect Yasmeen Lari, usually described as Pakistan's first woman architect, opened at Az W, and the following month the Oxford-trained architect won the Royal Gold Medal, RIBA's highest honor. Needless to say, the major exhibition and honor were justified for an architect who pivoted from commercial buildings for companies with money to houses and other zero-carbon buildings for the poor. The book is thorough, with essays and interviews accompany the numerous projects.

Just as last week's Places in Time III post featured a trio of books that were initially listed in my earlier holiday gift books post, two of the three monographs featured here were also on that list. As happened when I wrote this post, each book begins with a rhetorical question pertaining to monographs. This post features the last reviews of the year. A week from today I'll have a year-capping roundup of my favorites from the many books featured on this blog in 2023. An Atlas of Es Devlin by Es Devlin, edited by Andrea Lipps, published by Thames & Hudson, December 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Is it possible to love a monograph on a designer whose work you're largely indifferent to? Es Devlin is a phenomenally famous artist and designer who is best known for creating the sets and backdrops for U2, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and other big-name musicians, and for such events as the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show. Her London studio's designs for these and other performances, such as plays on London's West End, are provocative and attention-getting, befitting their spectacle nature ... but they're just not my thing, they don't strike my fancy. Her immersive installations, on the other hand, though I've yet to experience one, resonate more strongly with me; these include Forest of Us in Miami and Memory Palace from 2019. And while I like the design and the labyrinthine layout of the monographic exhibition now at the Cooper Hewitt that is also called An Atlas of Es Devlin, the appeal of her work to me is just fractional: yes on installations, no on the rest. But reviewing a book or exhibition or some other creation is not about taste and personal preference; it's about judging the thing on its own merits and determining how good or bad it is relative to similar creations. For books, monographs are a genre in and of themselves, and some are better than others; some are notable for being hybrids. Though big, expensive, and with a print run in (I imagine) the tens of thousands, An Atlas of Es Devlin — the first Es Devlin monograph — is as much an artists' book as it is a monograph and exhibition catalog. The spreads displayed here give a taste of the way Devlin, editor Andrea Lipps, who also curated the Cooper Hewitt exhibition, and book designer Daniel Devlin veered from the typical construction of a book — they cut circles in the pages, inserted smaller page sizes and even smaller gatefolds into the binding, used a variety of papers, etc. — to give it an artists-book feel, but on a considerably larger scale: the book is more than 900 pages, though given the atypical nature of the book it's nearly impossible to count the exact number. It is so big it comes in a specially made orange cardboard box for storage and protection. Just as the exhibition features an "iris" formed by overlapping and shifted circles cut into the gallery wall, the hardcover book opens with ten pages with circular cutouts that frame a photo of Devlin on the floor of Memory Palace. The circular openings are rung with statements apparently in Devlin's hand, and radiating from the circles are complex, layered timelines of her studio's prolific output — the last a sign of how in-demand an artist and designer she is. But, befitting an artists' book, these pages go even further, adding raised dots and lines that accentuate parts of the timeline, veer from it entirely, and/or push us to find some meaning amongst the information saturation. The book then shows some full-bleed photographs of her studio's output before launching into the process-based presentations that comprise the largest chunk of the book. The presentation is chronological, moving from "A Student's Sketchbook" (spread above) that spans from 1985 to 1995 to the designs for plays, performances, and installations she is known for, one after the other for at least 250 pages. After those come conversations Devlin had with fellow creatives during COVID lockdown, then more projects, then another 250 or so pages of completed projects in color photos. The book is packed, fully. The parts that make me appreciate the book so much are the process-oriented project presentations. Very few projects are presented simply; most are accompanied by a smaller inserted page and/or a gatefold — something that requires readers to do extra "work" that heightens their awareness and increases their absorption of Devlin's creative process. Each project, furthermore, is keyed to one of the color photographs in the last half of the book, requiring more flipping-back-and-forth "work" and providing a peek at the finished products. Put another way, it's impossible to nonchalantly flip through this book. The design and construction of the book force a slow movement and entice a steady gaze. One gains so much in handling the book that they need not read every description of every project to understand a lot about Devlin as an artist and designer. I can't think of a more ambitious goal for a monograph than the way An Atlas of Es Devlin gives readers such an intimate understanding of her creative thinking. Caruso St John Collected Works: Volume 2 2000–2012 by Caruso St John, published by MACK, October 2023 (Amazon) Is it better for a monograph to have project descriptions written by the architect or by an external writer? The first type ideally give readers some insight into the architect's creative process, though at times these descriptions can read as promotional materials aimed at potential clients. Descriptions of the second type benefit from some objectivity and most likely a critical position, but they might suffer from a lack of information and the sense, on the reader's part, of not learning enough about the illustrated projects. Most monographs fit into one or the other, including the two other monographs in this post: Es Devlin's monograph features project descriptions in her words, while the latest monograph on Jones Studio was written by curator Marilu Knode. Like the first volume of Caruso St John Collected Works, put out last year by MACK but reviewed on this blog in early 2023, Volume 2 has a mix of project descriptions written by the architects and coming from magazines and other external sources, the latter often years earlier and outside of the context of the book. If we look at the "Chicago and Milan" chapter, one of seven chapters in Volume 2, two projects are presented: Nottingham Contemporary, the UK gallery completed in 2009; and the Europaallee Mixed-use Building built in Zurich in 2013. The words of the architects, Adam Caruso and Peter St John, are used for Nottingham Contemporary, in which we learn about the intentions behind their winning competition scheme and the inspirations for the lacy pattern on the facade's concave panels. The longer, more in-depth presentation of Europaallee is accompanied by an article by Ellis Woodman from a 2014 issue of Architectural Review. The architects' mixed-use building is part of the Europaallee development west of Zurich Hauptbahnhof, which was master planned by KCAP and is made up of low- and mid-rise buildings organized about a pedestrian street; Caruso St John's building is at an important spot at the western end of the street, adjacent to a square and near a new pedestrian bridge that connects this main part of Europaallee to a sliver of the development on the north side of the railway tracks. I've seen their building on trips to Zurich, though I can't say I paid much attention to it, as the whole Europaallee project — with buildings by Gigon/Guyer, Max Dudler, David Chipperfield, and others — is characterized by unrelenting grids of windows. It's a bit like Tativille come to life. The Caruso St John building is in line with the rest, though Woodman admits that the narrowing of the piers between windows as the building rises — an element in the competition scheme that would distance the building from the earlier "joyless" building by Dudler — "came to present a significantly less austere image than was suggested by the initial renderings." Although Woodman is primarily positive in his assessment of Caruso St John's Europaallee Mixed-use Building, it makes me think that very few architects would actually incorporate critical texts like this in their monographs. That Caruso St John did so here is following from the format of Volume 1, in which texts by critics about the architects' projects are included, as are texts by others — architects, critics, historians, etc. — as long as they pertain to the issues explored by the architects in some way or serve as some theoretical foundation for their work. So Louis Sullivan's "The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered" first published in Lipincott's Magazine in 1896, is also found in the "Chicago and Milan" chapter, as is "The Existing Environment and Themes in Contemporary Practice," an essay by Ernesto N. Rogers from a 1954 issue of Casabella; these two essays give the chapter, which otherwise just features the two projects in Nottingham and Zurich, its name. Although the essays are presented without comment, the relationship between them and Caruso St John's work can be grasped without difficulty, as Sullivan's essays coming a few pages before the "tall" 13-story building at Europaallee attests. Even without an awareness to such ties, I greatly appreciate the inclusion of inspirational and important texts; it is one element that sets this series of monographs apart from others. In addition to the projects spanning from 2000 to 2012 and the inclusion of articles and essays written by others outside of the context of the monograph, the book also features texts by Adam Caruso and Peter St John. Befitting the series, these texts come from other publications, from lectures and interviews, most of them within the years covered by the volume. An example is Peter St John's "Aldo Rossi's Gallaratese Housing," first published in Building Design in 2012. The architect first experienced Rossi's famous building in 1980, when he was a 20-year-old student on a scholarship, also seeing the buildings of Terragni and catching the The Presence of the Past, the inaugural Venice Architecture Biennale. He recounts his first impressions of the building, discusses it relative to Rossi's famous texts The Architecture of the City and A Scientific Autobiography, and revisits the building to find it "more charming than before." A few pages later we read Caruso and St John's text on Pasticcio, a composition of fragments of classical architecture in Sir John Soane's Museum in London, and see their installation of the same name at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. That is followed by restoration work at Soane's Museum, a new chancel for St Gallen Cathedral in Switzerland ... the whole book unfolds in this manner: one unexpected piece after another, adding up to a thorough and varied portrait of the duo's quiet and occasionally timeless architecture. STRIVE: Jones Studio Adventures in Architecture by Marilu Knode, edited by Oscar Riera Ojeda, published by Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Should monograph present many projects in just a few pages, or very few projects across more pages? Two years ago, Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers put out Jones Studio Houses: Sensual Modernism, a monograph billed as "a self-imposed limited look at the 40-year-plus career of Eddie Jones." The thick, square book limited itself to houses (minus Jones Studio's own "house") and featured just ten of them, highlighted by Prairie Raptor, a stunning house in Oklahoma whose sculptural peak was inspired by Herb Greene's "Prairie Chicken" built in Norman, Oklahoma, in 1954. Digesting the book with its many photographs and drawings accompanied by short blurbs by famous names lauding Jones's architecture, it was clear the book was an incomplete portrait of the studio run by Eddie and his brother and first partner Neal Jones — a first course, if you will, to a larger, more well-rounded presentation of their work. With more than 40 built and unbuilt projects spanning more than 40 years, STRIVE is that main course. If a food analogy for an architecture monograph feels a bit contrived, note that three of the book's five sections take on "Family Table" titles. Instead of a literal family coming to the table to eat, the "family" is made up of Jones and the other architects in the studio, and the "table" is a collaborative work surface about which everyone's desks are arrayed. "Family Table #1," as it's called in the book, was in an office building in downtown Phoenix designed by Alfred Newman Beadle in 1978. In 1984, Eddie moved the studio he had established in 1979 (Neal joined in 1986) from his house to the Beadle-designed building, and years later he expanded within it to create the open-plan family-table office space. (Some further synergy between Beadle and Jones can be found in the fact both of them relocated from the Midwest to Arizona: Beadle from Minnesota, Jones from Oklahoma.) Jones Studio stayed in the Beadle building for 32 years, moving into the purpose-built "Home and Studio" in Tempe that begins the book's "Family Studio #3" chapter. The floor plans in STRIVE show how the literal table in the Beadle building is also at the heart of the now seven-year-old Jones Studio Office; the table and branching desks are described in the book as the "nerve center" of the studio and an "open mosh pit of ideas." So, you might be asking, what about "Family Table #2"? This is the most interesting of the trio, at least in the context of the book, and in two ways. First, for the exhibition southwestNET: Jones Studio, Inc. that took place at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in 2006, the studio moved its operations into the gallery for its three-month duration, from May to September. Indeed, the studio — the family — literally became the exhibit, sitting at custom-designed desks that converged to form "Family Table #2." Photos in the book show a somewhat typical architecture office, with computers, phones, and lots of papers in the middle of a gallery with drawings on the wall, drawings suspended from the ceiling, and museum goers taking in the scene. The second thing of interest is that the exhibition was curated by Marilu Knode, who considers it "one of the most exciting of my career." She was later approached by Jones Studio to tell the story of the firm in what would become STRIVE. Her writing and consistent voice detached from the making of the projects help make this monograph so good, especially compared to the many monographs that are written in-house and read like marketing copy and therefore lack firsthand insight. People who actually read Knode's words that accompany the buildings will learn A LOT about the studio's process and what makes each project so interesting, beyond the obvious skill with which they've been designed. Having looked at numerous architectural monographs, I've come to the conclusion that the project that occupies the middle section of a monograph is often the most important — both for the architect and for the book itself. The five chapters of STRIVE start with "Jones Studio: The Early Years" and end with "Focused Future," chronological bookends for the three "Family Table" chapters. Given this structure, the second of those, "Family Table #2," sits in the middle of the book's nearly 500 pages. While the firm was working at the southwestNET exhibition, they submitted an RFQ for the Mariposa Land Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. In 2007, Jones Studio got the job, which became a "colossal, firm-altering undertaking." While Knode's words partly reinforce my hypothesis for middle-project importance, the project's documentation in photos, drawings, and numerous texts over more than 40 pages cement it. The building, completed in 2014, is also found on the cover — another sign of the project's importance in the impressive Jones Studio portfolio.

This third and most likely last installment in the inadvertent "Places in Time" series looks closely at three books: the first about Chicago from the Great Depression to the mid-1980s; the second one about the broader American built landscape over roughly the same period of time; and the third jumping to Switzerland and tracing the urban development of Schlieren, near Zurich, over a 15-year period this century. All three of the books were in my roundup of holiday gift books a couple of weeks ago. The first two Places in Time posts looked at Detroit/Chicago/St. Louis and Paris/Indonesia/Flanders. Chicago Skyscrapers, 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, and Race Reshaped the City by Thomas Leslie, published by University of Illinois Press, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) In my holiday gift books roundup a couple of weeks ago, I wrote that, of the four pieces in the subtitle to Chicago Skyscrapers, 1934-1986 — "technology, politics, finance, and race" — technology is the most prevalent throughout the book. That assertion was based on just a cursory look through the book, all I could manage at the time, but also on its relationship to architect and educator Thomas Leslie's previous book, Chicago Skyscrapers, 1871-1934, published ten years prior. If I were doing that roundup now, having had more time to delve into the new book, I would write that politics and finance were, if not the most prevalent, the most illuminating and thoroughly discussed aspects in the book's presentation of skyscrapers over fifty years last century. Indeed, many of the drawings and photographs focus on the technical and technological aspects of skyscraper design and construction (just look at the cover!), but the stories of how certain skyscrapers came about and were shaped are rooted in Chicago's political machine, money, and the developers that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, SOM, and others worked for. An example is in order. If any architect jumps to mind in the period covered by the book, it is Mies, who reshaped Chicago through his glass-and-steel towers but also who, through the replicable nature of their designs, reshaped cities around the world. To this day, his most notable tall buildings in Chicago are 860-800 Lake Shore Drive, the Federal Center, and the IBM Building, all boasting steel structures and glass curtain walls. But before that trio of towers (860-880 came first, in 1952) there was Promontory Apartments, completed in 1949 near the University of Chicago. Structured in concrete, not steel, and with windows sitting on brick spandrel walls rather than on the floor slabs or hung as curtain walls, Promontory is often seen as an anomaly or an awkward step toward the more refined glass boxes that would follow. But, Leslie tells us, concrete was "selected over steel because of postwar supply problems" and the brick spandrel wall was mandated by code as a means of stopping the spread of fire. Furthermore, even with the windows sitting on knee-height walls, lenders balked at their size, wondering "how people can live with so much glass" and making it hard for the developer to gain financing. One year later, in 1950, "Chicago's progressive building code eliminated the masonry spandrel wall requirement," leading to 860-880 LSD and other glass-sheathed towers designed by Mies and others. The book's nine chronological/thematic chapters are full of similar political and financial information that greatly helps put the many notable skyscrapers (as well as quite a few apparently insignificant ones) into context. For example, chapter five, "Daley's City: Commercial Construction, 1955-1972," tackles the most powerful political player the city saw in the half-century covered by the book, Mayor Richard J. Daley. In a flip from his predecessors, "'Daley's City' sprung from investment capital," Leslie writes, "wedded to a regime intent on gaining and exercising raw power to tip the market's balance wherever it could." Early on, Daley oversaw the creation of the Central Area Plan (1958), discussed at some length in the book, and during his lengthy tenure he saw the erection of many commercial and residential towers in the Loop. But the Daley era is also when the Chicago Housing Authority shifted to high-rises and built them as segregated enclaves primarily on the South and West Sides, just about all of which have been torn down in recent years for low-rise developments. As such, the race aspect of the book makes up a good chunk of chapter six, "High-Rise Housing in the 1960s," though the subject is present throughout the book, just not to the same degree as the other three subtitled terms. Oddly, Leslie's book ends with a lengthy discussion of Helmut Jahn's State of Illinois Center, the 17-story building in the Loop that opened in 1985 and was renamed in 1993 as the James R. Thompson Center, for the governor who championed the project and oversaw its realization. I say "oddly" because the squat, rotund building is hardly a skyscraper, at least not in my mind. It is shorter than most buildings around it as well as others being built at the same time, such as Jahn's own 40-story One South Wacker, and does not have the vertically of most towers. So why include it? I think, in part, because it was the climax of postmodern architecture in Chicago in the 1980s, but mainly because it is a case study where technology, politics, and finance converge to the utmost degree; it's a fascinating story deeply and ably recounted by Leslie. It comes at the end of the last chapter, "After Sears," and spreads across four three-column, image-free pages; only on the last spread do we see the building, but only its exterior, not the stunning atrium it is known for. While this ending leaves something to be desired in terms of page design and illustrations, it captures the incredible amount of research Leslie managed to put into this second installment in his skyscraper history of Chicago. I'm hoping there is a next one and that it is already in the works, so it doesn't take ten more years for the rest of us to hold it in our hands. Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of our Architectural Treasures by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, published by CityFiles Press, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) As an architect who writes primarily about contemporary architecture but who is increasingly cognizant of the importance in saving and reusing old buildings, even going so far as to preferring adaptive reuse over new construction, I have a love/hate view of "Lost ___" books. The ones in my library tend to be about places where I've lived: Lost Chicago by David Garrard Lowe, for instance, and Lost New York by Nathan Silver. Looking at page after page of black-and-white photos of buildings that will never be again is to be transported in time, which I like, but all to often the captions border on the finger-wagging: "How could you tear down this glorious building?" they seem to be telling me, even though I played no part in their destruction. Yet, as Thomas Leslie's skyscraper book featured above reveals, even buildings loved by later generations were often not appreciated in their day. Leslie writes that Henry Ives Cobb's 1905 Federal Building "suffered from grave planning and environmental deficiencies that led to calls for its replacement almost immediately after opening." Lowe, who put the domed interior on the cover of the 2000 edition of his book, calls it "an awesome feat of engineering" with "one of America's supreme interiors." "This magnificent edifice, the most notable example of civic architecture in Chicago," he summarizes, "was wantonly demolished in 1965–66," making way for the three-building Federal Center designed by Mies van der Rohe. While Leslie helps us understand something of why the building was demolished, Lowe looks at it through rose-colored glasses, making its destruction a scar on modern-day humanity. Photo historians Richard Cahan and Michael Williams are a bit more balanced in their description of Cobb's Federal Building, one of the one hundred buildings and bridges they gather from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) for Lost in America. They give some background on how Cobbs designed the 1905 building in the Beaux-Arts style "that was all the rage in Chicago and across the nation following the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition," where Cobbs had designed seven of its buildings. And the authors paint the picture in the 1960s, when the "once-majestic courthouse and post office had become lost in the canyons of skyscrapers" and was "covered by decades of city grime." They don't make demolition excusable, but their matter-of-fact description — of this building and the 99 other places in the book — tell interesting facts and appealing stories that do an excellent job in helping readers understand the photographs and the value of HABS. In this case, the photograph is, like the Lost Chicago cover, of the domed interior, taken in 1964 by Harold Allen, who "climbed high to the base of the dome to take this shot." Although Lost in America is limited to one photograph per structure, the descriptions invite readers to dig further into the HABS archive at the Library of Congress, where many of the photographs dating from 1933 to the present are digitized. In 1965, the dome atop the Federal Building was seen better than ever, we read, when neighboring structures were razed and opened up views unavailable before; Allen captured one such view, when one of Mies's glass boxes was already in place behind it. HABS was created in 1933 during the Great Depression and is considered the nation's first federal preservation program. In the ninety years since, the program has documented thousands of structures in the United States through photographs — all b/w large-format film photos, even to this day, it should be noted — drawings, and other materials, all of them archived in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress alongside the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) collections, which were created in 1969 and 2000, respectively. Why, you might be thinking, was Henry Ives Cobbs's Federal Building, which was completed in 1905, not documented until 1964? From the beginning, when Charles A. Patterson, an architect at the National Park Service, drafted a proposal for what would become HABS, the intent was to document antique buildings that were "diminish[ing] daily at an alarming rate." So photographing, measuring, drawing, and documenting them otherwise often took place when a building was threatened or demolition was imminent. The cover of Lost in America shows one instance where the act of demolition was actually captured by the photographer: Jack E. Boucher at the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1963. Cahan and Williams selected the structures and compiled them in a way that the book climaxes, for lack of a better word, with buildings like Grant's cottage, which are partially demolished — photographed just a bit too late. It's a sobering end to a sobering but excellent book that shows how the unfortunate flip side of American progress is erasure and forgetting. Urban Change Over Time: The Photographic Observation of Schlieren 2005–2020 Reveals How Switzerland Is Changing edited by Meret Wandeler, Ulrich Görlich and Caspar Schärer, published by Scheidegger and Spiess, October 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Although I've been to Zurich many times since I started working with World-Architects more than a dozen years ago, I've yet to visit Schlieren, the municipality on the western edge of Zurich. It's certainly an oversight, given that the town, which sunk into a post-industrial malaise from the 1980s onwards, "suddenly" turned the tide this century and "grew dramatically, attracting new residents and architectural tourists." This according to Caspar Schärer, one of the editors of the two-volume Urban Change Over Time, who drives the point home in the next sentence: "Architectural tourists!" How bad was the situation in Schlieren before the fifteen-year turning of the tide the book encapsulates? One newspaper, in a report from Schlieren, was titled "Life in the Cantonal Trash Can" (Schlieren is part of the Canton of Zurich), per another text in the book. So, how did things change, how did Schlieren get through this "difficult phase"? Proximity to Zurich and the town's location along a train line connected to the city surely helped, but much of it can be attributed to planning. In 2005, the town implemented the Schlieren Urban Development Concept (STEK I), which would determine where and how growth would occur, instead of letting it happen "uncontrolled and uncoordinated." STEK I became the basis for a photo project by Meret Wandeler and Ulrich Görlich, who decided on a 15-year timeframe — not shorter — as necessary for being able to see how the urban plan would physically take shape and impact the town. By 2020, when the project was done, the town had already moved on to STEK II, a new plan based on a reevaluation of STEK I in 2015/16, but the photographs nevertheless revealed that change in many parts of the Schlieren was dramatic. The first of the two volumes, which are packaged in a sleeve bearing the cover shown above, is a 152-page landscape-format book with spreads devoted to the 69 locations in town that were documented in photographs over the fifteen years, typically every two, odd-numbered years (some gaps are found in some places). The consistency of the photographic framing is exceptional, owing in part to the hiring of professional photographers after the initial photos were taken by the authors. The locations are keyed to maps in the back of the book, one for 2005 and one for 2020; seen together, the photographs and map illustrate the districts where STEK I was focused, where change was most pronounced. The town is basically bisected by the east-west rail line that connects it to Zurich; the most apparent change and increased density is visible to the north, while areas close to the train tracks on the south side were also filled in. Given the broad swath of the town documented by the project, it's interesting to see places where change is not immediately evident, akin to a real-life version of those find-the-differences cartoons. The second volume consists of essays, additional presentations of some of the photographs (focusing on typologies, on STEK I districts, the town's "building boom," etc.), and in-depth maps that help to give outsiders some orientation while also focusing on the development areas. These many pieces are presented beautifully across 480 pages in portrait format. The wide-ranging essays, which discuss the town, the project, "rephotography," and myriad other subjects, are particularly helpful but also, in the commendation of the book by the jury of the 2023 DAM Architectural Book Award, "very careful not to waste the reader’s time." The repackaging of some of the photographs from volume one is in some ways more helpful in understanding the town's urban change, since the authors use the photographs in ways that turns them into essays in their own right. The "Typologies" section, for example, groups photos of building entrances, parking lots, playgrounds, alleys, stores and restaurants, and garages, while "A New Town," which concludes the book, hones in on the places that would draw architectural tourists. Many of the photos in volume two are considerably larger on the page than the static format of volume one, accentuating one interesting quality of the photographs: they are devoid of people and other living beings, though not of signs of life. This rigorous approach, no doubt an impressive technical achievement, gives the project a strong anthropological quality and reveals that, while planning may be at the heart of the town's evolution this century, the shaping of the lives of the residents via planning was paramount.

This year's roundup of books to give to discerning architects for the holidays is presented in pairs. While at least one book in each pair is new, the other one isn't necessarily so — new, old, or not-so-old, it is related to the first in some manner, as explained in my descriptions. A few of these books will receive longer reviews next month. In the meantime, with this lengthy post and Thanksgiving coming up later this week, I'll be taking next week off, resuming regular posts the first week of December. HEADY STUFF FOR BRAINY ARCHITECTS AND ARCHITECTURE HISTORIANS: Architecture after God: Babel Resurgent by Kyle Dugdale, published by Birkhäuser, February 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Inhabited Machines: Genealogy of an Architectural Concept by Moritz Gleich, published by Birkhäuser, February 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Exploring Architecture is a new series of books from Birkhäuser that are focused "on thematic subjects [in architectural history and theory] that are relevant to contemporary architectural and urban discourse and practice." It aims to include "new and unexpected readings of built work, the analysis of the discipline's discourse and historiography, the study of architectural representation and media, and the consideration of socioeconomic and cultural-political forces on urban transformation." The peer-reviewed series, created under a six-strong advisory board chaired by Reto Geiser, launched in early 2023 with two books: Moritz Gleich's Inhabited Machines followed by Kyle Dugdale's Architecture after God. The pair of books indicate a serious tone for the series but also production values that are on par with monographs, found in the quality paper selection, quality image reproductions, page size that is slightly larger than the norm, and solid cover and binding. Having reviewed a few books made by Geiser, I'm not surprised at this attempt to elevate the design production of history/theory books. Still, these are not books the average architect will plop down in an armchair and read; their audience is small and focused on academia. (Hey, architectural historians like gift books, too!) Dugdale, a Yale professor based in New York City, has written a book set in Germany between the two world wars, using the Tower of Babel and the artistic output of Uriel Birnbaum from Austria as threads to explore how architects recreated a world where God is absent. Moritz Gleich, director of gta Verlag at ETH Zurich, appears to have turned his dissertation "on the genealogy of machinic concepts in architecture" into Inhabited Machines, which looks at technologies and architectural typologies in the 18th and 19th centuries as progenitors for some pretty famous machine analogies in 20th century architecture. TWO COOPER HEWITT TOMES: An Atlas of Es Devlin Es Devlin, edited by Andrea Lipps, published by Thames & Hudson, December 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Making Design: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collections by Cara McCarty and Matilda McQuaid, published by The Cooper Hewitt, February 2015 (Amazon / Bookshop) An Atlas of Es Devlin, the first monographic show devoted to UK artist and designer Es Devlin, opened at the Cooper Hewitt on November 18, 2023. Devlin worked with Cooper Hewitt curator Andrea Lipps on the exhibition, one that immerses museum goers in a recreation of Devlin's studio and moves them through a mirrored labyrinth presenting early drawings, models of the large-scale set designs she is known for, and much in between. Lipps is also the editor of the hefty book that is united with the exhibition in terms of its contents but also its execution: it immerses readers in Devlin's process to better understand her output. The exhibition presupposes that visitors do not know anything about Devlin (I'm guessing very few will not), and the book takes a similar approach, revealing insights to readers who are invited to patiently page through the book. At around 900 pages, there's a lot to see, from school-age drawings and glances of her studio to maquettes of theatrical set designs and photographs of concerts by the likes of Adele and U2. Thankfully, with its mix of paper sizes and types, and the insertion of small gatefolds that further explain her design process, the book's format makes a voyage through it anything but boring; there are surprises at every turn of the page. Boasting as many pages as An Atlas of Es Devlin is Copper Hewitt's guide to its own collection, made with designer Irma Boom when the institution completed a major overhaul of its Upper East Side home (the former Andrew Carnegie mansion) in late 2014/early 2015. While the book is big, the numbers on the cover indicate how small it is compared to the collection: it presents just 1,145 of the museum's 210,000 objects in its archive. The objects were selected by the curators, who also penned texts for the book — all expressing the museum's primary goal: "to inspire people to see how design impacts their lives." Boom, ever the innovative book designer, created different colored wraps for the paperback; it's not clear which color one gets on Amazon and Bookshop (red?), but the Cooper Hewitt offers pink and "glow in the dark" (light green) on its website. THE NEW YORK WILLIAM B. HELMREICH KNEW SO WELL: The Bronx Nobody Knows: An Urban Walking Guide by William B. Helmreich, published by Princeton University Press, August 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) The New York Nobody Knows: Walking 6,000 Miles in the City by William B. Helmreich, published by Princeton University Press, October 2013 (Amazon / Bookshop) A few years after Princeton University Press published William B. Helmreich's well-received The New York Nobody Knows, it started putting out standalone "urban walking guides" to each of the five boroughs. Helmreich, a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the City College of New York, famously walked every street in New York City, speaking with just about everybody he came across (or so it seems), be it a building super, a doorman, a shop clerk, someone leaving their apartment, someone leaving a synagogue, ... The New York Nobody Knows discusses immigration, gentrification, and other issues in thematic chapters; it is thorough, but it must have been evident for both author and publisher that the effort of walking the five boroughs and the results of talking with so many people would lead to more than just one book. The first guide published was Brooklyn, in 2016, followed by Manhattan, in 2018. Sadly, a few months before the Queens guide was released in 2020, Helmreich died, succumbing to COVID-19 in March of that year, the same month fellow CCNY professor Michael Sorkin also died. At that time, as recounted by his wife Helaine, William had already finished the manuscript for the Bronx and the couple was starting to work on Staten Island, walking (again!) the streets of that borough. It's too bad we won't see Staten Island, because it, like the Bronx, is not as widely known (for me, at least, and I'm guessing quite a few other people) as Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. But as the earlier guides made clear, there is more to the boroughs than the familiar sites found in other guidebooks; and the boroughs are made up of people, not just buildings and landscapes, and it was those people that interested Helmreich the most. Their voices permeate The Bronx Nobody Knows, just as in the other guides. For me, someone who lives in Queens, one thing I appreciate about Helmreich's books is the way he managed to get people to open up and say things that would both describe a place and convey the similarities binding people across the city and, on a wider canvas, across humanity. A BEAUTIFULLY MADE SERIES ON CAROSO ST JOHN CONTINUES: Caruso St John Collected Works: Volume 2 2000–2012 by Caruso St John, published by MACK, October 2023 (Amazon) Caruso St John Collected Works: Volume 1 1990–2005 by Caruso St John, published by MACK, October 2022 (Amazon) Twelve months after MACK released the first volume in the collected works of British architects Adam Caruso and Peter St. John, the publisher put out the second volume, which takes the qualities of the first book — qualities I wrote about earlier this year in "Three Lessons from Three Monographs" — and applies them to the studio as they started their second decade and a new century began. I wrote in that post that monographs "should be comprehensive if not complete, "should convey the voice of the architect," and "should function as archives." Collected Works: Volume 1, I wrote, does all three: "From its simple linen cover with drawing of the steel facade of their Swan Yard project, strong stitching, and matte paper selection, to its documentation of built and unbuilt works over the title's fifteen years and the incorporation of articles and interviews previously published in Quaderns and other venues, the book is a beautiful object that is rewarding and refreshing on every turn of the page." Given the consistency of the two books, the same applies Collected Works: Volume 2. The numerous buildings, projects, exhibitions, articles, lectures, and other artifacts informing Caruso St John's work are presented in seven chapters, most of them pairs: "History and the Modern," "Greece and Rome," "Chicago and Milan," "Competitions," "Thomas Demand," "Switzerland," "Art and Money." These places and themes reflect their work extending beyond the confines of England as well as their teaching doing the same, with positions in Mendrisio, ETH Zurich, Harvard GSD, and elsewhere. The two architects explain how the studios they ran at universities incorporated reference texts by Rosalind Krauss, T. S. Eliot, Louis Sullivan, and others; those text are found here, enriching the monograph's collection of texts and projects and capturing the interests of two maturing architects. (Note: the two volumes are available from MACK in a Caruso St John Bundle.) THE CHICAGO SKYSCRAPER HISTORICALLY CONSIDERED: Chicago Skyscrapers, 1934-1986: How Technology, Politics, Finance, and Race Reshaped the City by Thomas Leslie, published by University of Illinois Press, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Chicago Skyscrapers, 1871-1934 by Thomas Leslie, published by University of Illinois Press, May 2013 (Amazon / Bookshop) In my 2021 review of Thomas Leslie's 2013 book Chicago Skyscrapers, 1871–1934, I pointed out how Leslie's book is described in another book as a "'recent study that includes thorough discussion of structural and constructive technologies,' as opposed to more prevalent architectural histories that focus on aesthetics, politics, planning, social history, and other issues with tall buildings." Such a focus is evident in the appendix listing the dozens of tall buildings built in Chicago between 1871 and 1934 (the years of the Great Chicago Fire and Great Depression) with such criteria as "facade type" (bearing masonry, cast iron, expressed frame, curtain wall, etc.) and "foundation" (piles, spread, caissons). It's an excellent book, as is the second installment in Leslie's series of books on skyscrapers in Chicago, but the subtitle of the second book, How Technology, Politics, Finance, and Race Reshaped the City, indicates the incorporation of those wider contexts eschewed in the first book. Even with these topics, technology is the most prevalent, based on a quick glance at the book's contents, which include numerous construction photographs and 3D "digital reconstructions" of a lot of the buildings discussed in the book. Spanning from the Great Depression to the recessions of the 1970s and 80s, the new book contains a large diversity of architecture — from Art Deco and modernism to brutalism and postmodernism — but also enormous social changes and other aspects (migration, civil rights, oil crisis, Mayor Richard J. Daley) that make the embrace of broader contexts sensible. While any book on skyscrapers in that period would include Marina City, Bertrand Goldberg's classic city within a city completed in 1967, Leslie also includes Goldberg's Raymond Hilliard Homes, a public housing project on the South Side for seniors and families. The latter allow Leslie to compare the forms and construction of the two projects but also the opportunity to touch on racial segregation in the city. (A couple addenda: While the two books have similar covers, three-column page layouts, and graphic design features, the use of different page sizes and proportions — from 10x10" to 8.5x11" — is unfortunate and a missed opportunity for consistency on the shelf, especially if a third book in the series is forthcoming. And just as my 2021 review of the earlier Leslie book coincided with the author speaking at the Skyscraper Museum, Leslie is giving a virtual talk tomorrow night about his new book and the city's residential high-rises in concrete; the talk will be archived on the museum's YouTube channel.) ADVENTURES IN HOUSING: Cohousing in Barcelona: Designing, Building and Living for Cooperative Models edited by David Lorente, Tomoko Sakamoto, Ricardo Devesa and Marta Bugés, published by Actar Publishers and Ajuntament de Barcelona, August 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Housing Redux: Alternatives for NYC's Housing Projects by Nneena Lynch, James von Klemperer, Hana Kassan and Andrei Harwell, edited by Nina Rappaport and Saba Salekfard, published by Yale School of Architecture, December 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) If life were fair, everyone would have access to decent, well-designed housing, and those projects would garner as much attention in the architectural press as the single-family houses that are commissioned by and built for the wealthy. A modicum of balance has been found in recent years, with social housing projects winning major architectural awards and gaining coverage, most notably Lacaton and Vassal's transformation of public housing projects in France and Lacol's La Borda Cooperative Housing in Barcelona. The latter is the star of Cohousing in Barcelona, which features case studies of eighteen built and ongoing projects that are the result of a partnership between the Barcelona City Council and non-profit social housing providers and housing cooperatives. Even though I was fortunate enough to visit La Borda with the architects last year, the book's thorough documentation through photographs, drawings, and lengthy commentary from the architects means I learned something new about it — and the other commendable projects in the book. If cohousing is endemic to Barcelona, what is the NYC situation? In the 20th century it was a mix of below-market subsidized housing, public housing, and middle-income cooperatives, aka Mitchell-Lama. Today, everything is lumped under "affordable housing," and it is typically created by developers as part of larger market-rate projects, with the city incentivizing the developers through zoning bonuses. One place proponents of affordable housing are looking is the open spaces of large public housing projects, in the vein of Carmel Place, a narrow stack of micro-units by nARCHITECTS built in 2016. A recent studio at Yale School of Architecture had students proposing affordable housing solutions for NYCHA's Washington Houses in East Harlem; the public housing project consists of more than a dozen towers on three superblocks that are the equivalent of seven city blocks, with open space comprising more than 85% of the site. The students developed master plans and then designed schemes ranging from reimagined brownstones to terraced housing and other ways of weaving more units between the existing buildings. It's refreshing to see architecture students tackling affordable housing in creative ways. MONOGRAPHS WITH A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA: Field Guide to Indoor Urbanism by MODU (Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem), published by Hatje Cantz, October 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Quiet Spaces by William Smalley, published by Thames & Hudson, November 2018 (Amazon / Bookshop) These two monographs are atypical — and refreshing — in that they incorporate content from outside the work of the designers who made them, but in ways that meld seamlessly with their own work. Although MODU, the Brooklyn studio of Phu Hoang and Rachely Rotem, is so young and has built so little a monograph would seem a bit premature, their Field Guide to Indoor Urbanism is nevertheless chock full of projects, each one illustrating the multifaceted nature of their output: architecture, urban interventions, installations, and socio-economic research among it. The duo makes a statement by upending conventions, literally, by starting the book with a glossary — one where the terms and definitions clearly describe their unique points of view — and ending it with the foreword. In between are essays, projects, and a series of conversations with Japanese architects, including Fumihiko Maki, Itsuko Hasegawa, and Kengo Kuma. The last is what would be considered the outsider content, but even then the interviews were conducted by Hoang and Rotem as part of their research into Second Nature, which they define as "a dual expression of social and environmental contexts. Humans and nature as one." Quiet Spaces is an apt title for the first monograph on UK architect William Smalley, who established his eponymous practice in London in 2010. The coffee table book is full of full-bleed color photographs captured mainly by Harry Crowder but also Hélène Binet; each photographers' choice of film over digital jibes with Smalley's handling of interior spaces, which could be called, for lack of a better term, timeless. The cover photograph by Binet — of Smalley's Oxfordshire Farm, done in collaboration with James Gorst Architects — hints at this quality, but it also recalls the work of Luis Barragan. Hardly by coincidence, Oxfordshire Farm is preceded by Barragan's own house in Mexico City, one of six "quiet spaces" in the book by other architects, ranging in time from Andrea Palladio to Peter Zumthor, with Geoffrey Bawa and others in between. Smalley's way of treating his inspirations in the book with equal weight to his own work is refreshing and illuminating, revealing shared qualities but also Smalley's enduring fascination with beautiful design regardless of the who, when, or where. (The Record section of his website expresses this too.) The mix results in a monograph that is surprisingly cohesive regardless of the various voices and times, reinforcing the timeless quality of Smalley's architecture. CAPTURING AMERICA'S PAST IN PHOTOGRAPHS: Lost in America: Photographing the Last Days of our Architectural Treasures by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, published by CityFiles Press, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Richard Nickel Dangerous Years: What He Saw and What He Wrote by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, published by CityFiles Press, December 2015 (Amazon) Anyone with a strong interest in architecture in the United States should know and love HABS, the Historic American Buildings Survey that is maintained by the Library of Congress. The voluminous collection of photographs and drawings spanning from 1933 to the present is a great resource for, among other things, people making architecture books. Photographer Jeffrey Ladd creatively mined the survey for A Field Measure Survey of American Architecture, creating a portrait of the US through a small sampling of the hundreds of thousands of HABS photographs. Similarly, photo historians Richard Cahan and Michael Williams pulled photographs from the survey to draw attention to the buildings and bridges that America lost to decay, neglect, demolition, and destruction. One hundred notable, lesser known, and fairly generic examples are presented in four chapters: Timeless, Forgotten, Disgraced, Doomed. Even though the HABS photographs have remained remarkably consistent over its 90 years, with contemporary photographers still using large-format film (not digital) cameras, Lost in America has a notable arc to it, with famous buildings early in the book and actual scenes of demolition, as in the cover photograph, found at the end. It's hard not to feel a tinge of melancholy or even anger at the wanton destruction implied and captured by the HABS photographers in black and white — emotions tempered, or perhaps even magnified, by the information presented in captions by Cahan and Williams. Although Lost in America is available on Amazon, Bookshop, and other usual outlets, people buying it directly from CityFiles have the option of getting a limited edition with a slipcase featuring a Richard Nickel photo of Chicago’s Republic Building, a Holabird and Roche building that was erected in the first decade of the 20th century and pulled down in 1961. Nickel is one of the photographers inside Lost in America, but the photographer and preservationist is also the subject of Dangerous Years, an earlier book also by Cahan and Williams and also published by CityFiles, in 2015. Cahan had written an earlier, indispensable biography on Nickel, They All Fall Down: Richard Nickel's Struggle to Save America's Architecture (notably, that book features a self-portrait of Nickel atop the Republic Building), so it is logical that he would make another book on Nickel, one that "in his own words and with his own pictures, is his story." The coffee table book traces Nickel's brief but productive and passionate career through photographs, letters, notes, sketches, and other artifacts displayed on large 9x12" pages with black backgrounds. Like Lost in America, Dangerous Years is melancholy, not only because he gravitated to buildings that often met the wrecking ball, but because his widely known end while salvaging materials from one such building is made all the more real through letters to/from his fiancé and even notes for a missing person report made by his parents on the day he went missing. ILLUSTRATED STORIES FOR KIDS — AND GROWN-UPS: Modern New York: The Illustrated Story of Architecture in the Five Boroughs from 1920 to Present by Lukas Novotny, published by Rizzoli, September 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Shigeru Ban Builds a Better World by Isadoro Saturno, illustrated by Stefano Di Cristofaro, published by Tra Publishing, September 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) A pair of illustrated books: one for children and one for grown-ups. Modern New York is Lukas Novotny's second book, following the similar Modern London published in 2018. The colorful illustrations — all of them straight-on elevations, as evidenced by the cover — give the impression that the book is yet another repackaging of famous and predominantly tall buildings in New York City: the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building are there on the cover, as are the American Radiator Building, the Pan Am (MetLife Building), AT&T, Hearst, and 432 Park Avenue. But the inclusion of Paul Rudolph's Tracey Towers in the Bronx and the presence of the Goodyear blimp and a helicopter landing on the Pan Am Building hint at a wider presentation. Novotny is actually drawn (pun intended) to buildings obscure, plain, and off the beaten path — those well beyond what's found in tourist guides. The buildings and modes of transportation, which were potentially more modern than the buildings, are presented in ten chapters: one per decade, from 1920 to present. Each is given at least 16 pages, so relatively insignificant decades (what was built in the 1940s?) reveal surprises even so-called experts, like this reviewer, weren't aware of. I wish there were more children's books about architecture, not only because they provide parents a way to educate their kids about architecture and architects at an early age, but because the subject has such a great potential for doing interesting children's books. Pop-ups! Concertina books! (I reviewed one of those.) Books by architects for their own kids! (I reviewed one of those, too.) Isadoro Saturno's children's book on Shigeru Ban gets creative with format, from its cardboard-like cover with cutout framing a portrait of the architect to the choice of matter paper, cutout-like illustrations, and smaller book on Ban's disaster-relief projects inserted into the middle of the book. By focusing on the fact Ban has made many buildings from paper, from cardboard tubes, and not all of them disaster-relief projects, the book shows kids that what they didn't think was possible is possible. The book opens their minds to the possibilities in anything, architecture or otherwise, encouraging them to think creatively and without limits. CHANGING ZURICH (AND ITS ENVIRONS): Urban Change Over Time: The Photographic Observation of Schlieren 2005–2020 Reveals How Switzerland Is Changing edited by Meret Wandeler, Ulrich Görlich and Caspar Schärer, published by Scheidegger and Spiess, October 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) New Housing in Zurich: Typologies for a Changing Society, edited by Dominique Boudet, published by Park Books, April 2018 (Amazon / AbeBooks) Last month the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM) and Frankfurt Book Fair announced the winners of the 2023 DAM Architectural Book Award: ten books, nine of them from publishers in Germany and Switzerland, six from Zurich alone, and four of the ten winners published by Park Books or its sister publisher Scheidegger & Spiess. A winner by the last is Urban Change Over Time, a two-volume book with fifteen years of photo documentation of Schlieren, a satellite town on the western fringe of Zurich. The jury praised the book for its vision and endurance: "The book’s structure derives from the topic, explores many different aspects of the theme, and yet is very careful not to waste the reader’s time." The slimmer of the two volumes has nearly 150 pages of photographs on landscape-oriented pages, with each spread showing the matching photographic documentation of one spot in town over those fifteen years. The matching of the framing in the photos is remarkable, as if dozens of tripods were cemented into place throughout the town for the fifteen-year duration of the project. In some cases the changes are in your face, in many they're subtle, and in others they're apparently non-existent. The longer volume — 480 pages in portrait format — has photographs as well, many of them larger on the page and in the context of the town's development areas or focusing on different typologies; there are also essays, interviews, and maps that aid in orienting oneself with the photos and understanding some of the development areas. The whole is a beautiful production worthy of its accolade. While I don't think New Housing in Zurich nabbed a DAM Award when it was released five years ago, this book from Park Books pairs well with Urban Change Over Time, for its equally high production values, for its geographic proximity, and for simply having the word "changing" in its subtitle. (This book, though hard to find, should also appeal to readers interested in Cohousing in Barcelona and Housing Redux, featured above.) The book presents 51 housing projects spread across Zurich, some of which I was able to visit years before when in Zurich for my work with World-Architects. The projects I visited, and most of the ones in the book, are fairly large and therefore have large sites where site planning is paramount; site plans or aerial views are then included for each of the 51 projects, as well as floor plans, photographs (or renderings), and project descriptions. What makes the projects remarkable beyond their architectural qualities is the fact they are predominantly middle-class and/or cooperatives — making the book a suitable reference for other places where there is a shortage of such housing, well-designed or not.

A review of a new book released this week: The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock, published by Thames & Hudson, November 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) What makes modern and contemporary Japanese houses so appealing? Much of it stems from the novelty of residential designs, which can be traced to a litany of factors, including a cultural acceptance of demolition and renewal that creates a constant stream of new architecture; a litany of legal requirements pushing architects — both young and established — to be formally creative; and let's not leave out the clients willing to take risks. Most of the houses that spark jealousy in architects outside of Japan are found in Tokyo and other urban areas where money, zoning, and architects converge to fuel unexpected creations. One factor, the country's exorbitant inheritance tax, leads many families to cut up their properties into smaller parcels to pay for the tax; the resulting, awkward pieces of land then require architects to squeeze a house into a wrapper defined by fire-safety requirements, sunshine laws, and practical concerns like a parking space. Such is the case today, but distinctive single-family houses in and beyond Tokyo have been prevalent since the end of World War II, when architects took part in the necessary postwar rebuilding that was buoyed by prosperity in the ensuing decades. Naomi Pollock's excellent The Japanese House Since 1945 traces the evolution of single-family houses across eight decades, focusing as much on the people who live(d) in the houses than the architects who designed them. The book is structured as a chronological, decade-by-decade presentation of nearly one hundred houses across 400 pages. Each house is documented in two to five pages with photographs, drawings, and a brief description. The photographs are of their period, rather than contemporary, probably done because most of the old houses have long been demolished. The floor plans are also original, rather than redrawn for the book, but they use a helpful numbered key that is consistent across the book. Last, and perhaps most important, are Pollock's descriptions, which incorporate quotes from the architects and/or the owners and provide details on the designs and living situations beyond typical surveys. Pollock has written numerous books on Japanese architecture, is an international correspondent for Architectural Record, and has elsewhere brought her firsthand accounts and access to architects in Japan to bear on architecture that many people outside of Japan are fascinated by. Compared to books such as New Architecture in Japan, co-written with Yuki Sumner, and Jutaku: Japanese Houses (see bottom of this review), The Japanese House Since 1945 is her most important and best book to date. Although the Japanese houses that are the subject of Pollock's new book are billed as, per the back cover, "many of the most exceptional and experimental houses in the world," it starts with houses that are more traditional than modern. Kunio Maekawa's own house in Tokyo, completed in 1942, has a wood exterior that "evoked traditional Japanese farmhouses," Pollock writes, but has a "spacious living room, exemplifying Maekawa's vision of the ideal house for the burgeoning modern era." Maekawa worked in the Paris atelier of Le Corbusier, later joining Antonin and Noémi Raymond in Tokyo, two foreign architects who moved to Japan after World War I (Antonin worked with Frank Lloyd Wright on the Imperial Hotel). The couple left Japan ahead of WWII but returned after its conclusion, building a house and studio (above spread) in Tokyo that is also rooted in traditional Japanese architecture but subtly signals this "burgeoning modern era." These two instances illustrate how outside influences entered Japan after the war, with tradition and modernity mixing in ways that would eventually lead to the exceptional architectural experimentation the country is known for. The chronological, decade-by-decade presentation allows the evolution of Japanese residential architecture to unfold gradually and be seen in the context of the 1964 Olympics, Expo 1970 in Osaka, the end of the bubble era, the March 2011 earthquake, COVID-19, and other epoch-defining events that are described by Pollock in intros to each decade. Readers see the introduction of concrete, steel, and other materials in the 1960s and 70s, followed by the light construction of the 80s and 90s, and the formal experimentation of our current century. Each decade has at least one icon — Kiyonori Kikutake's Sky House in the 50s, Kazuo Shinohara's Umbrella House in the 60s, Tadao Ando's Row House in Sumiyoshi in the 70s, etc. — but most readers will find something new among the 98 houses. Even those well-versed in modern Japanese houses will be pleased by the nine "At Home" pieces inserted throughout the book. In these, we learn about Yuki Kikutake, daughter of Kiyonori, growing up in Sky House; Fumihiko Maki writes about his own house built in Tokyo in 1978; and we read about the anonymous husband and wife living in Sou Fujimoto's House NA. A last ingredient is nine spotlights — one at the end of each chapter — that discuss the articulation of various elements: roofs, windows, stairs and corridors, gardens and courtyards, etc. The brief case studies, "At Home" features, and spotlights combine to create a compelling and vivid portrait of modern living in Japan over the last eight decades. Naomi Pollock's latest book prompted me to dig out a few other titles from my library that also present Japanese houses. They are described briefly below, presented in chronological order by date of publication, and are intended for anyone who wants do delve deeper into some of the decades or architects explored in Pollock's book; titles with links point to earlier reviews on this blog. Readers who want a more comprehensive overview of early modern Japanese architecture (not just houses) should find David B. Stewart's The Making of a Modern Japanese Architecture rewarding. The New Japanese House: Ritual and Anti-Ritual, Patterns of Dwelling by Chris Fawcett, published by Harper & Row, 1980 (Amazon / AbeBooks) The push and pull between tradition and modernity is the subject of this book by Chris Fawcett, the British critic who wanted to undo misconceptions in the West about Japanese houses. He focused on "Post-Metabolist" architecture, houses from the late 1960s and the 1970s that he presented as "ritual affirming" and "ritual disaffirming" houses. It's an intriguing book, but not one that seems to have had much of an influence all these years later; I wonder if Fawcett would have gone on to make more lasting and impactful books on Japanese architecture if he didn't die young. The New Japanese House can be bought inexpensively online, but harder to find is GA Houses 4: Ontology of House, Residential Architecture of 1970s in Japan, which features an essay by Fawcett and dozens of houses from that decade. Japan Houses in Ferroconcrete by Makoto Uyeda, photography by Junichi Shimomura, published by Graphic-Sha, 1988 (Amazon / AbeBooks) This book features 35 houses designed by 21 architects, all united by the use of concrete, varying from small applications, such as alongside wood, steel, and other materials, to expansive houses in reinforced concrete by the likes of Tadao Ando. Although dates are not provided for the houses, most are from the 1980s with some from the previous decade. One of the most rewarding aspects of this book, which I was chuffed to discover while browsing a used bookstore, is the fact all of the photographs — and there are A LOT of them — were specially taken for the book; they go much deeper inside the houses than the "official" photographs found in monographs and other publications. Tadao Ando 1: Houses and Housing, published by Toto, 2007 (Amazon / AbeBooks) 2G N.58/59: Kazuo Shinohara Houses edited by David B. Stewart, Shin-Ichi Okuyama and Taishin Shiozaki, published by Editorial Gustavo Gili, 2011 (Amazon / AbeBooks) One thing I find appealing about architecture in Japan is the way many famous architects there continue to design single-family houses even after getting hired for museums, office buildings, and other larger projects; houses are not merely a leg up to bigger commissions. In turn, monographs on architects' houses can occasionally be found. A couple favorites of mine are the first book in Toto's now-five-strong series on Tadao Ando (Houses and Housing was followed by Outside Japan, Inside Japan, New Endeavors, and Dialogues) and a double issue of 2G devoted to the houses of Kazuo Shinohara built between 1959 and 1988. In addition to them including some of the best modern Japanese houses ever built, the two publications are beautifully produced. Small Houses: Contemporary Japanese Dwellings by Claudia Hildner, published by Birkhäuser, 2011 (Amazon / AbeBooks) Another appealing aspect of Japanese houses is their size. Even though the petit houses prevalent in Japan can be attributed to the country's population density, the breaking up parcels to pay for inheritance taxes, as mentioned above, and other considerations that aren't necessarily geared to the sustainability of living small, it's refreshing to see so much creativity put into small houses rather than the oversized houses that are the norm in the US. This appropriately small book is a good collection of around two-dozen small houses by Go Hasegawa, Atelier Bow-Wow, Sou Fujimoto, and others, all of them completed within the few years leading up to the book's publication. The years since have seen many more creative Japanese houses but fewer house books for readers outside of Japan; websites are now the norm, but I'd be more than happy with more books like Small Houses. How to Make a Japanese House by Cathelijne Nuijsink, published by NAi Publishers, 2012 (Amazon / Bookshop) Astute readers may have noticed that most of the books featured in this post were authored by foreigners (Pollock from the US, Fawcett from the UK, Hildner from Germany, Nuijsink from The Netherlands), which goes hand in hand with the strong appeal Japanese houses have on people outside of Japan. I can't imagine a book titled "How to Make a Japanese House" coming from a Japanese architect; they would not need to explain the work they do on a daily basis to fellow Japanese architects doing the same. For Cathelijne Nuijsink, the premise of the book allowed her to explore the making of Japanese houses through in-depth interviews with four generations of their creators: Jun Aoki, Kazuyo Sejima, Junya Ishigami, and so on. It's an excellent book that remains in print a decade later. Jutaku: Japanese Houses by Naomi Pollock, published by Phaidon, 2015 (Amazon / Bookshop) Appropriately, this review of Naomi Pollock's The Japanese House Since 1945 ends with another book by Pollock: a compact Phaidon picture book with more than 400 contemporary Japanese houses, from Hokkaido in the snowy north to Kyushu in the subtropical south. Not surprisingly, most of the houses are found in Kanto Prefecture, which is anchored by Tokyo. It's a stellar collection that suffers from too much in a small package: there is only one photo per house, an exterior photo that shows readers what anyone would be able to see in public, just hinting at the qualities within. Two photos per house — one outside, one inside — could have been done with a slightly larger paper size. Alas, the book proves the creativity in Japanese residential architecture but leaves us wanting more — much more.

The recent publication of two books prompted me to ponder the future of cities and do a write-up of them together: Implementing Urban Design: Green, Civic, and Community Strategies by Jonathan Barnett, published by Routledge, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Renewing the Dream: The Mobility Revolution and the Future of Los Angeles edited by James Sanders, published by Rizzoli Electa, September 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Implementing Urban Design is the latest of many books about urban design and planning by Jonathan Barnett, whose career and CV span around fifty years. Over that time he has served as an architect, planner, educator, and an advisor to cities in and beyond the US, including Charleston, South Carolina, Omaha, and New York City, where he was Director of Urban Design in the Department of City Planning. When I received Implementing Urban Design, one of the first things I did was scour my bookshelves for other books by Barnett (something I do with most other reviews). There I found his first book, Urban Design as Public Policy: Practical Methods for Improving Cities, published in 1974. It, his first book, summarized his efforts in that role at NYC Planning, presenting the working methods behind the projects he worked on and doing it in ways that other urban designers in other places could learn from them. Just as Barnett's first book was "concerned with techniques of dealing with a number of significant urban and environmental problems which are found in existing cities, or are created when new areas are developed," his latest book focuses on the "complicated interactive process" that is required to move urban designs from their conceptual phases to completion. "What happens in between," in other words, is the subject of Implementing Urban Design, illustrated in ten chapters with case studies drawn from Barnett's experience as an urban design consultant. New York City is here, in chapter 3, "Designing Cities Without Designing Buildings," an echo of a chapter of the same name in the 1974 book. The chapter in the earlier book includes, among other projects, the Lincoln Square Special Zoning District, created in the wake of construction of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and developers rushing to build near it. A requirement to build to the sidewalk (to a height of at least 85') and including arcades for the buildings on the east side of Broadway were the most dramatic components of the special district. Too early to see its impact in 1974, Implementing Urban Design shows the area nearly fifty years later, with a hodgepodge of towers on podiums along Broadway but a street wall that is fairly cohesive. Although the arcade requirement was eventually eliminated from the special district (they're now "permitted" rather than required, such that recent projects like Robert A. M. Stern's 15 Central Park West don't have one), the bulk of the requirements are there, working to maintain that certain design aspects of Broadway north of Columbus Circle extend into the future. The same chapter in the new book also touches on the office campus of PPG in Pittsburgh and a streetscape handbook for Norfolk, Virginia, but other chapters often delve deeper into individual projects in individual cities. For example, chapter nine, "Mobilizing Support to Redesign an Entire City," presents Barnett's process in the fairly massive creation of a master plan for Omaha, Nebraska (the cover depicts a visualization from the plan). Another chapter, "Changing Regulations to Prevent Suburban Sprawl," documents his work with Wildwood, a town west of St. Louis that incorporated in 1995 and wanted to develop a new zoning ordinance that would be appropriate to the area and veer from the suburban norm. My wife being from St. Louis, a city I've in turn visited numerous times, attracted me to this chapter, whose theme — preventing urban sprawl — is of undeniable importance. Barnett walks through the process in detail, from initial contact and developing a team, to research, concepts, writing the master plan and development regulations, and devising a specific plan for the Town Center. The last is now just partially built out, about 25 years after Barnett was brought in. But if we learned anything from the Lincoln Square example, urban designs can take upwards of fifty years until they are "complete." Spread from Renewing the Dream: The Mobility Revolution and the Future of Los Angeles If the visuals in Implementing Urban Design are, to put it inelegantly, less than sexy, the opposite is true of Renewing the Dream, which was edited by James Sanders, author of Celluloid Skyline, and produced in association with Woods Bagot, the Australian firm that now boasts 17 offices around the world. The "freshest member" of the global studio, founded in 2020, is in Los Angeles, where numerous projects to date have focused on transportation, including a concourse at LAX and a proposal for turning gas stations in Los Angeles into EV charging stations with cultural components like drive-in theaters. This beautifully produced coffee table book is full of striking visuals by Woods Bagot and from the worlds of art, photography, and cinema. Even though Renewing the Dream presents a number of projects by the LA studio of Woods Bagot, including the ReCharge LA Prototype EV Station, I wouldn't call the book a monograph. Consisting of a half-dozen essays and two interviews alongside case studies of Woods Bagot projects — all geared around the theme of the "mobility revolution" in Los Angeles — the book's genre is indefinable: it is a hybrid that Sanders describes in the introduction as a "kaleidoscopic portrait" of LA, with "an unusually wide-ranging mix of content—research and data studies, urban design and public art projects, cultural and historical overviews, surveys of current and future technologies." ReCharge LA Prototype EV Station by Matt Ducharme and Woods Bagot Los Angeles Studio The book's wide-ranging content is predicated on what Sanders and Woods Bagot call LA 3.0, a new Los Angeles in the making, following LA 2.0, the freeway and tract-housing landscape of the mid-20th century, and, before that, LA 1.0, the streetcar and boulevard paradigm before WWII. Some of the in-progress LA 3.0 is mandated — extending the subway by 2028, the year of the LA Olympics, and the outlaw of gas cars and trucks for sale by 2035, accelerating the rise of EVs — but much of it comes from wider developments that aren't necessarily rooted in LA but have taken hold there, notably the climate emergency (think the Getty Fire in 2019) and digital technologies like Uber, which eliminate the need for personal cars on, for instance, nights out with friends. Los Angeles may seem like the most unlikely place for a book devoted to a mobility revolution, but my personal experience with LA gave me the opposite impression. My only trip to the city was around twenty years ago, when I spent two weeks there working on a competition with a short deadline. I stayed at the Biltmore in downtown, with a view of Pershing Square out my window. My morning commute was walking across the street to U.S. Bank Tower; my evening commute, 12 or 16 hours later, was the opposite. No car, no driving — a very un-LA experience of LA. But on weekends I walked around DTLA, took buses to the Getty Center and Santa Monica, and rode the subway to West Hollywood. Although I was a tourist, my experience showed me it was possible to navigate a good deal of LA without a car. An expanded subway network, more frequent buses, urban design focused on walkability and bicycling — it isn't hard to consider these and other efforts having dramatic changes on the car-centric nature of Los Angeles. Yet, the wide-ranging mix of content in Renewing the Dream reveals that the biggest impact of mobility advances on the city — any American city, really, not just LA — is found in parking. If changes in laws, increased public transit, technology advances, and other things lead Americans and Angelenos to have fewer cars, drive less, and use ride-sharing and take public transit more, then the many square miles of surface parking lots can be given over to spaces for people, not cars: densifying (sub)urban areas and providing housing and other much-needed functions. So, in addition to the ReCharge LA project, the book includes MORE LA, Woods Bagot's study for infilling lots previously used for surface parking, and Sanders' own California Court project, a denser version of the city's beloved bungalow courtyards apartments from a century ago. The last, documented in the 1982 book Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles, is one of a few-dozen books in the bibliography whose quotes and influence pepper Renewing the Dream. The older book and newer proposal illustrate that, while certain elements of the mobility revolution are linear and future-oriented, some of them are historical and cyclical. The answers to tomorrow's sustainable Los Angeles, in other words, are found as much in the city's existing built environment as they are in technologies and designs still to come.

In 1939, Otto Neurath's Modern Man in the Making was released by Alfred A. Knopf. Neurath was director of the International Foundation of Visual Information and used the Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education) system to "teach through the eye." A recent article describes Modern Man in the Making as a "pictorial statistical history of human technological adaptation and social cooperation [that] addressed a modern audience searching for optimistic narratives amid an economically, politically, and socially volatile era." The book is a classic, and for someone like me who veers toward arguments made in a combination of words and images, it is a book I should probably have — at the very least, I should know more about it. Although it was released as a trade book, can be found cheaply in b/w reprints, and is freely available on the Internet Archive, first editions of Modern Man in the Making go for hundreds and thousands of dollars. This is one of those books that screams out for a high-quality facsimile edition — and it will be getting that treatment early next year, courtesy of Lars Müller Publishers. The timing is curious, though, as Lars Müller just released Joy and Fear, in which Theo Deutinger brings the subjects and visual techniques of Neurath's magnum opus into the 21st century. Although Deutinger writes that his book "enters in dialogue" with Neurath's book, I couldn't help thinking that the two books side by side would heighten the differences and similarities, the constants and changes between the 1930s and the 2020s. Alas, I'll have to wait until February to do that. Joy and Fear is not the first book by Theo Deutinger published by Lars Müller. That was Handbook of Tyranny, which was published in 2018 and was recently released in an updated, expanded edition. I didn't see it upon its initial release, though I did catch Deutinger's display of the book's illustrations — the walls, fences, and other means of controlling human behavior in cities — in actual objects: plants, railings, barbed wire, a prison jumpsuit and other pieces of the "routine cruelties of the twenty-first century" at the Storefront for Art and Architecture. That 2019 exhibition prompted me to get the book and then write a review: "The straightforward illustrations look like they could have been pulled from Architectural Graphic Standards, making the book read at times like an actual handbook for tyrannical dictators." Deutinger's "detailed non-fictional graphic illustrations," as described by the publisher, also owe a debt to Neurath, as evinced by the publication of Joy and Fear. People who already own the first edition of Handbook of Tyranny won't find it necessary to buy the update, given that the changes amount to just eight new pages and consist mainly of some new paragraphs here and there, and the reordering of charts and graphics to reflect the state of the world five years later. Still, I appreciated the fact Deutinger went to the effort of an update, doing something that was de rigueur in books decades ago but is now rare, almost exclusively the province of the internet, which can be updated in close to real time. But Deutinger's illustrations — almost subversive in their dryness — are appropriate to the pages of a book; I feel like they would lose something on the screen, even though the changes impacting his illustrations happen at a clip much faster than in half-decade intervals. Spread from Handbook of Tyranny (Expanded Edition) by Theo Deutinger, published by Lars Múller Publishers, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) In between Handbook of Tyranny and Joy and Fear, Deutinger and Lars Müller put out Ultimate Atlas: Logbook of Spaceship Earth, a book that uses lines — and nothing else — "to create a total portrait of the planet." No wonder one review calls it "the ultimate simplification of reality." I haven't seen that book, but visually it seems that Joy and Fear strikes a balance between the highly detailed illustrations of Tyranny and the minimalism of Ultimate Atlas, as if Neurath's Isotype cannot be improved upon in describing the state of the world over time. As described above, Deutinger's book "dialogues" with Neurath's nearly century-old book. It does this by extending the timeline to the present and adjusting some data visualization from the original; the latter updates are highlighted with the icon of a person holding up a sign. What does the book reveal about the modern world? Clearly, yet unfortunately and not surprisingly, that progress is being made by the few, not the many: geographically, demographically, politically, economically, etc. Spread from Joy and Fear: An Illustrated Report on Modernity by Theo Deutinger, published by Lars Múller Publishers, September 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) The spread above can serve to illustrate how the book works. The red, blue, and black chart on the left shows household ownership of amenities in the USA, from 1910 to 2020, including such items as computers, phones, wifi, telephones (cell and landline separately), toilets, and electricity. Most of the amenities are full as of 2020, though only one — landline telephones — is in decline. Though the same chart for other geographical areas would be telling, the opposite page shows an update version of data viz. from Neurath's 1939 book: radios, TVs, and cars in the 1930s (top) and 2020s (bottom) in the six geographical regions used throughout Deutinger's book (USA and Canada, Europe, CIS, Latin America, Southern Territories, Far East). Although the scales change between the two charts, it's clear that the regions in the bottom rows (Latin America, Southern Territories, Far East) have become more modern in recent decades. But it's up to the reader to speculate on what so many cars mean, for instance, to our warming planet. Visualizing how the continued burning of fossil flues will impact our warming planet is one subject of Climate Inheritance, the latest book from Design Earth, the brilliantly inventive studio of Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy that previously wrote and illustrated Geographies of Trash (2015), Geostories: Another Architecture for the Environment (2018), and The Planet After Geoengineering (2021). The cover features one of the many beautiful illustrations populating the book: a diagram of aquifers refilled by injecting storm water into "bladders" that serve to raise the sinking city of Venice. Venice and its Lagoon is one of ten sites in the book, each one on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Others include the Galápagos Islands, Sagarmatha National Park, and the Statue of Liberty. What is the future of such places — heritage sites that are already preserved to a greater extent than other places — when the Anthropocene leads to inherited conditions future generations may not anticipate? Spread from Climate Inheritance by Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy (DESIGN EARTH), published by Actar Publishers, August 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) By way of illustration, the chapter on the Statue of Liberty indicates that Design Earth is not interested exclusively on the preservation and care of monuments, of places deemed heritage sites; what they symbolize is also important, revealing that inheritances involve myriad problems beyond the environmental and physical. To Ghosn and Jazairy, the statue gifted to the USA from France is about patina, poverty, and pollution: "The ecology of the color line is more than skin deep." Pollution led to damage on the skin of the statue and the need for numerous restorations, but well beyond that, "disparate exposure to pollutants," the book reads in regards to today's reframing of socioeconomic inequalities, "may help explain racial discrepancies in lung functioning." In Design Earth's imagined future, the Statue of Liberty appears to be joined by a "Brown Lady Liberty," the symbol of "a long awaited but not yet actualized freedom that was articulated over a century and a half ago." One more book that joins with the other three to be — in my mind, at least — an illustration of how images are effective in describing the world and the way it changes over time is Stephen J. Eskilson's Digital Design: A History. Eskilson's book, unlike the other three, does not use newly created images to create a narrative, but the story that he is telling is about images: design in its various aspects, from graphic and industrial design to architecture and data visualization. It's a history that needs to be told, especially since people now born into the digital world don't realize how developments in design from the 20th and even earlier centuries shaped our digital present — and likewise will shape our digital futures. Architecture is the subject of two chapters: "Digital Architecture I: Origins" and "Digital Architecture II: Parametrics and 3D Printing." (The latest buzz in architecture — and just about every realm, really — AI, is treated in its own chapter.) In the first architecture chapter, Eskilson moves from the Sydney Opera House, in which "[Ove] Arup pioneered the use of computational analysis," to Peter Cook and Colin Fournier's Kunsthaus Graz via Frank Gehry in Bilbao, Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus, and Greg Lynn. The second chapter jumps ahead to Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher, especially the latter's wholehearted, sometimes controversial embrace of parametricism, while also looking at how digital software bridges construction via 3D printing and robotics. This is design history, remember, so there is nothing novel in what Eskilson discusses, but he succinctly traces some of the most important developments to describe our current condition. (Unfortunately, one typo — and I hope it's just that — distracted me while reading the first architecture chapter: Eskilson calls AD, the "magazine that associated digital architecture with aspects of structuralist theory," Architectural Digest instead of Architectural Design! I can't think of more polar opposites than these two publications sharing the first term and abbreviation but having very little else in common.) Spread from Digital Design: A History by Stephen Eskilson, published by Princeton University Press, October 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Even with two architecture chapters among its twelve chapters, most interesting to me is the chapter devoted to data visualization, a subject that is also strongly aligned with Neurath and Deutinger. Like other chapters in the book, Eskilson briskly covers decades and centuries in just around twenty pages, moving from 18th-century charts and graphs to digital data on websites, across buildings, and on the walls of galleries. Some of what makes this chapter so appealing is the abundance of examples unknown to me, such as Nam June Paik's Electronic Superhighway (1995), which is pictured above, has a permanent home at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and now I feel I must go see. (That said, I wish the book had a list of books for further reading, and I am surprised that a book published by a university press has no footnotes at all.) More recent examples are really interesting, including Oliver O'Brien's Tube Tongues (2014), an interactive map that shows the prevalence of non-English speaking in different London neighborhoods. Rising to the fore re: data viz., though, is the importance of design/the designer in making data in digital environments visible and understandable, especially when the output is on a website and via an API, for instance, rather than in a book and done by an illustrator. The books above may be old-fashioned, just by the fact they are books rather than digital environments, but they offer plenty to consider in regards to thinking about and visualizing the world around us — now and in the future.

Over at World-Architects I reviewed As Found: Experiments in Preservation (Flanders Architecture Institute, 2023) edited by Sofie De Caigny, Hülya Ertas and Bie Plevoets, the companion to the exhibition of the same name at the Flanders Architecture Institute. Read my review here.

The recent receipt of two review books got me thinking about the past and the future of architecture books. The first one is This is Architecture: Writing on Buildings, a collection of excerpted texts about buildings, spanning from the mid-1800s to the 2010s. This is Architecture: Writing on Buildings edited by Stephen Bayley and Robert Bargery, published by Unicorn Publishing Group, October 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) Edited by Stephen Bayley and Robert Bargery, respectively chair and executive director of the UK's Royal Fine Art Commission Trust, This Is Architecture is billed as "different" from the typical "writing on building by architects [that] is limited to exculpatory manifestos or technical sermonizing to a captive congregation of converts." They describe the nearly 100 excerpted texts as "exceptional examples of writing on buildings by writers which merit inclusion on the quality of the writing alone" (emphasis in original). So readers find Lewis Mumford, Ada Louise Huxtable, Ian Nairn, Martin Pawley, and others who wrote (well) about architecture for a living, but also Virginia Woolf, Umberto Eco, Jean Baudrillard, Blaise Cendrars, and others far removed from the field of architecture. The aims of the "non-partisan" and "non-didactic" selection are to "enhance popular appreciation of architecture and to celebrate those who are architecture's eloquent champions." Presented in a "running order [that] is essentially random," each writing is accompanied by a biography of the author in a narrow column; in a few cases the excerpt is so short the bio runs longer on the page, as in the four lines from Louis Kahn's Conversations with Students from 1969. As in any book that is basically a survey, a collection of things united by a theme, it's easiest as a reviewer to focus on organization, presentation, and selection. In order, I find the "essentially random" organization interesting at times (Kahn's text opposite Rem Koolhaas's Delirious New York, for instance) but for the most part insignificant, since many entries span multiple pages, each one serves as a self-contained statement, and such a book can be read in many ways beyond the usual front to back. The presentation is very good, from the glossy papers with occasional images to the inclusion of a ribbon bookmark and the list of sources in the back matter. The selection is fittingly UK-centric, with numerous English critics alongside Nairn and Pawley, for instance, and far too many writings about London and buildings in London. But where are Michael Sorkin and Herbert Muschamp, two US critics who I read for "the thrill of their prose" and "the stimulation to be had from their insights," qualities the editors find lacking in architectural criticism? Unfortunately, they are missing: a shame, given that Muschamp's nearly iconic critique of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Bilbao is far more interesting than Jonathan Glancey's piece excerpted here. Judging the book based on what it includes, rather than what it omits, and doing so in the context of me thinking about the past and future of architecture books, This Is Architecture says a few main things to me: writings on buildings are not the sole purview of architects and architecture critics, since architecture is "the most important art because [it is] the one that cannot be ignored," as the editors assert; architecture is more than aesthetics and style, as evidenced by the texts that focus on other aspects of the built environment; and the most influential writings on architecture have not been exclusively in books, given the numerous texts excerpted from magazines and journals, some of which were later collected in book form (think Martin Filler's NYRB essays and his Makers of Modern Architecture series). These three points are hardly groundbreaking — they're obvious, really — but it's good to be reminded now and again about such things. While the point of This Is Architecture is to take pleasure in things written in the past, it inadvertently says some things about the future by focusing on a diversity of voices, approaches to writing about architecture, and media. Which brings us to the second book, Future Book(s), in which editors Pia Pol and Astrid Vorstermans asked journalists, artists, architects, and others to speculate on the future of the book, specifically "books on art, design and architecture, and cultural-critical publications." Future Book(s): Sharing Ideas on Books and (Art) Publishing edited by Pia Pol and Astrid Vorstermans, published by Valiz, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) The occasion of the recently published book is the twentieth anniversary of Valiz, the Amsterdam publisher started by Vorstermans in June 2003 (Pol joined in 2008). The last twenty pages of Future Book(s) shows the covers of the many books put out by Valiz over those twenty years, some in series (Antennae, Vis–à–Vis), many in Dutch and almost as many in English, and all on art, design and architecture, and culture, as expected. I have not read any Valiz books before Future Book(s) (one of their books, Binational Urbanism: On the Road to Paradise, was featured on this blog, but reviewed by an outside contributor), but it's clear the publisher focuses on the margins, presenting work by artists, practitioners, and academics that explore new territory in their fields. The design of Future Book(s) accentuates their position; in many ways the book is the antithesis of This Is Architecture, from the voices included in its pages to the materiality and layout of the same: the glossy This Is Architecture has a staid, consistent format from piece to piece, while the various chapters of Future Book(s) were laid out by different graphic designers, limited only by the monochrome palette of the lightweight matte paper. If This Is Architecture's random order makes flipping through the book one of surprising adjacencies, Future Book(s) is the same times ten. Each thematic chapter may be united by a single graphic designer, but each contribution is treated singularly, meaning they are visually unique but often wholly unexpected takes on the subject at hand. A fairly academic text with footnotes but sans illustrations may be followed by a two-page spread that is entirely illustrated content, followed by six pages of artworks, followed by a personal anecdote, and so on. The themes that structure the book (Personal Threads, Histories Unfolding, Digital Realms, Shaping Future Form, etc.) are vague enough that contributions could fit in just about any of them; in fact, the editors admit the dozen themes were came later, meaning the contributors were not beholden to any themes in speculating on future books. Still, the editors give some hints in their introduction: "By definition, books are made for the future. They solidify knowledge while at the same time generating new ideas. They make sure that the now finds a place where it is accessible to the future." While the comments of Vorstermans and Pol make it seem that threats to the future of the book are hyperbolic, there is no shortage of contributors imagining distant futures where books take on forms different than the bound books we are familiar with. Books 200 years in the future, as seen in Elisabeth Klement and Pieter Verbeke's contribution, look like books, but they are made underwater, celebrated at the New York Art Book Fair Under Water 2223, and read by dogs, who have evolved considerably in the ensuing two centuries. In Tricia Treacy's piece, "What If?," shortages of paper are addressed through algorithms that "design and print several different texts of interest, overlapping on individual sheets of paper throughout a custom book..." More than one contribution examines how AI will be involved in the making of books, but nobody denies that ChatGPT and other will be involved to some degree. Uniting the texts, as I mentioned, are the nearly dozen designers, whose treatment of the contributions illustrates the importance of graphic design and the inadequate nature of web pages and other digital media by comparison. My reading through of This is Architecture and Future Book(s) coincided with me visiting The Book in the Age of ... exhibition at Harvard GSD's Loeb Library, which I reviewed for World-Architects a couple of weeks ago. Curated by Rem Koolhaas, Irma Boom, and Phillip Denny, among other elements the exhibition had (it ended yesterday after six weeks) a large three-part "book" on a table near the entrance to the library. Across the three parts, it moved from books in the age of "the hand" to the age of "press" to the age of "machine." One page in the last included this statement relevant to the blog post you're reading: "The future book is local. It is made from locally produced materials, printed nearby, and delivered to homegrown readership. Hyper-local publishing will lead to a renaissance of book innovation." Positioned beneath an image of the cover of Elements of Architecture, the massive book by Rem Koolhaas and Irma Boom that came out of Koolhaas's 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, but not attributed to anyone, the statement (image above) comes across to me as Boom's, given how she has spoken about the appeal of books from the 1500s, the 1600s, and the 1960s: "periods [that] demonstrate freedom and creativity in the use of materials, typography, sizes of the books, and structure of the texts" (source). An example from the 1960s is Art of the Sixties, published by the Wallraf-Richartz Museum with plastic covers, a plexiglass spine, metal screws, color photos pasted on brown paper, and portraits of the artists on transparent foils (take a look). The 1500s and 1600s follow the invention of the Gutenberg press, while the sixties came after the war and coincided with great social change. Similarly, the digital software and other tools that led to e-ink, ebooks, and other potential book-busting technologies will most likely herald this "renaissance of book innovation." The statement from the exhibition also indicates that bookmaking will have to respond to climate change, dwindling resources, and other things that will (continue to) impact our globalized world. Books tend to be produced in one place (unknown for This Is Architecture, Netherlands for Future Book(s)) and then are shipped around the world from there; "hyper-local publishing" would reduce the need for books to be loaded on container ships and sent halfway around the world, using digital technologies and local printers to create variations on a book based on papers, inks, bindings, etc. It would also lead to more variations on subjects, as seen in these two books, considering the UK-centric nature of This Is Architecture and the numerous Dutch voices in Future Book(s). Actually, the UK- and NL-focus of these two books are what made me think of the statement from The Book in the Age of ... exhibition. If the future book is hyper-local, not just national or local, dramatic changes in production and distribution should lead to changes in content and design. Who knows, maybe the 2030s will be as exciting as the 1500s, 1600s, and 1960s?

Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, the English architect who was born in 1869 and died in 1944, that is. Although a famous name, Lutyens was not an architect I had much familiarity with before I received a review copy of the first volume of The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Flipping through it prompted me to do a little digging on Lutyens in other publications. Racking my brain, it seems my classmates and I learned very little about him in architecture school a few decades ago. As a traditionalist with buildings in Arts and Crafts, Edwardian, and neoclassical garb, Lutyens was far removed from the concerns of postmodernism, deconstructivism, and any other –isms in vogue a half-century after his death. If we had heard his name, it was most likely in regards to what's referred to as Lutyens’ Delhi in New Delhi, the British colonial capital in India that he laid out and designed buildings for between 1912 and 1931. The Beaux-Arts plan culminated in the Viceroy's House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan), the grandiose domed presidential residence, inaugurated in 1931, that is arguably his greatest building. Yet, when I dig into my library to find some mention of Lutyens, the few titles I can find emphasize his country houses rather than his work in India. The trusty Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture (2004), for instance, devotes one short paragraph to New Delhi, it coming after a handful of paragraphs listing his many notable country houses. In her entry on Lutyens, Hilary J. Grainger calls him "one of the most noteworthy English architects of his generation," one who was "above all, a domestic architect." In another instance, the first US edition of Nikolaus Pevsner's A Dictionary of Architecture (1976) praises the "genuine monumentality" of the Viceroy's House but goes further in describing his early Arts and Crafts houses as "excellent" and his later Edwardian houses as "really spectacular." Although Lutyens is nowhere to be found in Pevsner's An Outline of European Architecture (1943) or in his influential genealogical history of modernism, Pioneers of Modern Design (1949; originally published as Pioneers of the Modern Movement in 1936), Pevsner did write a lengthy reassessment of Lutyens for Architectural Review in 1951. The occasion was the then-recent publication of the three-volume The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens by A.S.G. Butler and The Life of Sir Edwin Lutyens by Christopher Hussey. Pevsner admits he did not find Lutyens as important in the development of European architecture as C.F.A. Voysey and Charles Renee Mackintosh, two contemporaries both in Pioneers, but given that Lutyens built more than them and his "success was so much bigger and maintained over so much longer a period," Pevsner found the large three-volume monograph and 600-page biography sufficiently warranted. What stands out to me are how Pevsner praises Lutyens' "immense care over details," which is paralleled by the many exquisite detail drawings in the three volumes by Butler, and "the fun he had with space," a bit of a surprise given the traditional nature of the plans he developed. Pevsner's statement that "Lutyens’ handling of space has not in the past been sufficiently appreciated," says to me why this noteworthy English architect failed to impact the architects who overlapped with him chronologically but went down different avenues in the 20th century: with modernism's focus on space, especially open and flowing space, Lutyens offered little overt inspiration. Similar sentiments to Pevsner's are explored in Architectural Monographs No. 6, published by Andreas Papadakis in 1979. The foreword to the monograph edited by David Dunster and featuring a lengthy essay by Peter Inskip starts: "This issue of Architectural Monographs is something of a departure" from previous issues, among them Michael Graves and Alvar Aalto, because Lutyens "has never been canonized by architectural historians as a predecessor of the Modern Movement." It continues: "His vast output of over 300 buildings and projects shows a continuing fascination with traditional construction techniques and borrowing from the past," as evident in "the scale and detailing of the functionally distinct rooms." No new technologies and no open plans — no wonder Lutyens has remained influential with classically trained architects but not with modernists (not that there are just the two camps, of course). While Inskip looks at Lutyens' houses from a "modernist point of view," he was not the first to do so. A decade earlier, in the pages of Perspecta 12: The Yale Architectural Journal, architect Allan Greenberg explored architectural similarities between Lutyens and Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier. Greenberg's 1969 essay, "Lutyens' Architecture Restudied," was later put into book form, in 2007, as Lutyens and the Modern Movement. In the earlier essay he presents numerous floor plans of Lutyens' houses from the first decade of the 1900s and points out a few characteristics common to them: a symmetrical disposition of rooms; a solid mass (or void) at the crossing of the main axes; an independent circulation pattern overlaid on the first two; and an intricate plan hidden by the formal, symmetrical massing and elevations. It is in the plan where he links Lutyens and Wright, finding the same four characteristics in Wright's Ward Willits House from 1901. The departure in the two architects' contemporaneous plans are rooted in space: "Wright's space is continuous and flowing," Greenberg writes, while "Lutyens seldom planned continuous spaces [...] but he was aware of the potential." Greenberg finds some of the same with Corbusier's houses of the 1920s, though he also discusses the similarities between New Delhi and Chandigarh at length. Which brings me to the impetus for this post: The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Volume 1: Country Houses by A.S.G. Butler with George Stewart and Christopher Hussey, published by ACC Art Books, April 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) As mentioned above, The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens — aka the Lutyens Memorial Series, given that it was published six years after his death — was first published in 1950 in three volumes, the first on "Country Houses"; the second on "Gardens, Delhi, and Washington"; and the third on "Public Buildings, Etc." The originals (now fetching thousands of dollars) were published by Country Life, the British magazine founded by Edward Hudson in 1897. (Country Life also published the Lutyens biography by Christopher Hussey mentioned above.) Not only did Hudson commission Lutyens for several houses, most notably Deanery Gardens (1901) and Lindisfarne Castle (1903), and the magazine's offices, he regularly published the architect's buildings in his magazine. The photos, drawings, and text from the magazine are what became the three-part Memorial. The large-format books (12x16"!) were reprinted by the Antique Collectors Club at least twice that I gather, in 1984 and 2002, each in limited print runs. The new reprints are being published by ACC Art Books, the successor to the Antique Collectors Club, which was bought by The Images Publishing Group in 2016. The first volume, featured here, was published in spring of this year, the second volume came just last month, and the third volume is forthcoming. Around the time of the 2002 reprint, Gavin Stamp wrote an extensive introduction for Edwin Lutyens: Country Houses (From the Archives of Country Life), published by Aurum Press and The Monacelli Press. Although Stamp was, from the best of my limited knowledge of him, an architectural historian more interested in Greek, Victorian, and other architectures predating modernism, he also felt the need to align Lutyens with modern architecture, specifically Wright. His introduction quotes a review of the Memorial series by Wright himself, from a 1951 issue of Building magazine: "[I] voice admiration of the love, loyalty, and art with which this cultured architect, in love with Architecture, shaped his buildings. To him the English chimney, the Gable, the Gatepost monumentalized in good brickwork and cut-stone were motifs to be dramatized with great skill. He was able to idealize them with a success unequaled." So, basically, in the 20th century, the relevance of Lutyens relied on his architecture being influential on younger generations of architects who were trained in modernism or, in later decades, were dabbling in postmodernism. Even A.S.G. Butler and his collaborators wrote in Country Houses that, while "Sir Edwin was not a notable exponent of the slick modern mode," they did not believe "the architecture of Lutyens was outside the main stream [sic] of modern work." Does the same striving to align Lutyens with modern architecture apply today, in the third decade of the 21st century, more than 150 years after the birth of Lutyens and more than 75 years after his death? My opinion, and it is just that, is no, the archive of Lutyens' architecture can stand on its own without the need for it to be aligned with more forward-thinking contemporaries. If anything, the opposite of previous attempts is most valid today: his work is an inspiration for architects more inclined to vernacular, classical, and other traditional styles of architecture. While I'm not a proponent of 21st-century classicism, I'm all for a plurality of architectural expressions — if they're done intelligently, capably, and, dare I say, beautifully. And with the superrich getting superricher, our current age isn't too far off from the late 1800s, when Lutyens started designing country houses for people of means. Put another way, large houses on par with those in Country Houses are being made today, unfortunately as lousy McMansions rather than tasteful and complex compositions rooted in architects like Lutyens. I'm generalizing, to be sure, but the audience for this book is both well-defined and likely to buy it. The series, it should be noted, is the winner of the inaugural ICAA Book of the Year from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. With all that said, is The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Volume 1: Country Houses, keeping in mind that it is a reprint of a nearly 75-year-old book, good? The quality of the reprint is nearly perfect, with a good selection of papers for the three sequential parts of the book: the texts, the drawings, and the black-and-white photographs. Text and drawings are on matte heavyweight pages, while the photos are on glossy paper. The inks make everything read well; in particular, the drawing reproductions are exquisite. The book is big and apparently well-built, but a tear at the hinge of the paste-down endpaper and free endpaper indicates it might not be strong enough. Hence, not quite perfect. My main frustrations are with the format of the book, which obviously goes back to the original. The text is page after page of wide justified columns — four to a spread, roughly fifty pages without a single illustration; it's a bit of a slog. Houses in the roughly chronological text are keyed to the drawings, which are numbered I to CX and logically follow the text. I often appreciate properly keyed texts, like here, but without any inline images this format requires a lot of flipping back-and-forth in a very big book. And the photos that come third and last in the book? They are numbered, 1 to 271, but they not keyed to the texts or the drawings. What is the result of this three-part structure? Unless you follow the text closely, dutifully flipping to the drawings and searching for the related photographs, forming a mental image of each house (and there are many) based on description, drawing, and photographs is difficult. The Papadakis and Monacelli books mentioned above use project structures more common in architectural monographs, with text descriptions alongside photographs and drawings; these make knowing Castle Drogo, Grey Walls, The Salutation, Tigbourne, and other houses by name that much easier. Familiarity in The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens comes with a bit more effort, but it's an effort architects interested in Lutyens will find rewarding. Spread from The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Volume 1: Country Houses Spread from The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Volume 1: Country Houses Spread from The Architecture of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Volume 1: Country Houses

Blue Dream is a house designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for Julia "Julie" Reyes Taubman and her husband Robert "Bobby" Taubman. The house, located in East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island, was completed in 2017, nearly 30 years after the architects were commissioned to design their first house on Long Island, the Slow House. A book devoted to Blue Dream, written by Paul Goldberger, was released last month by DelMonico Books. Blue Dream and the Legacy of Modernism in the Hamptons: A House by Diller Scofidio + Renfro by Paul Goldberger, photography by Iwan Baan, published by DelMonico Books, September 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Like other architects educated in the United States in the early 1990s, the architecture of Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio was an inspiration to me. Diller + Scofidio had built very little then, but their beautiful drawings and means of presenting them exhibited a clear desire to build. The only constructing they did then was temporary, almost exclusively in theaters and galleries. Even without a building to their name, their first monograph, Flesh: Architectural Probes, was published in 1994 (the butt cheeks on the front and back covers and butt-crack binding set it apart from every other architecture book). A standout project, coming near at the end of the monograph, is the Slow House, which had already brought D+R attention when it won a P/A Award and graced the cover of Progressive Architecture's January 1991 issue (PDF link). Model of Slow House from DS+R website. The Slow House arcs and expands in plan from a single front door to a two-story picture window facing the water (locals referred to it as a banana). Of relevance here is the house's site in North Haven, Long Island, and the view through the picture window of Long Island Sound. The view's importance is accentuated by a second chimney, opposite a functioning chimney, that would have held a video camera framing the water view for the owners to look at while in the house or back in Manhattan. Page 229 in Flesh shows a photograph of the Slow House taking shape, the formwork for its foundation walls and columns ready to be filled with concrete. Alas, that photo captured the furthest extent of construction: the house was a victim of insufficient assets and the early 90s recession, never to be completed. L: Slow House drawing in the collection of MoMA. R: Slow House under construction in 1991. I never knew exactly why the Slow House wasn't completed, but Paul Goldberger reveals some of the story in Blue Dream, writing that "the house was to be funded by the sale of two Cy Twombly drawings." The collapse of the art market kept that from happening, but the importance of Slow House can be found in the Museum of Modern Art's acquisition of the project's drawings and models for its permanent collection. The most iconic piece is a floor plan and series of building sections drawn on a transparent sheet over wood with what appears to be a schmear of joint compound. Moving from the view in the rearview mirror to the view through the picture window, the sections radiate from the floor plan, in a sequence that is logical yet confounding, given how the sections overlap as they increase in height. Most remarkable is the way the drawing implements remain part of the presentation, and how the compass armature is a custom creation, what I see as a clear extension of Diller's education and Scofidio's teaching at Cooper Union. Needless to say, I was chuffed to see the drawing in person back in 2013, when Pedro Gadanho pulled it out of the MoMA archives for Cut 'n' Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City. Goldberger mentions Slow House in a chapter of Blue Dream that finds Julie and Bobby considering Diller Scofidio + Renfro for their East Hampton house. Charles Renfro, who joined Diller + Scofidio in 1997 and became a name partner in 2004, recounts to Goldberger their initial meeting with Julie at their office, in 2010, when they showed her Slow House "and our small residential oeuvre of mostly unbuilt houses." While hearing "unbuilt" would push most clients to look for another architect, Julie was not a typical client. A few years before the meeting, the Taubmans held an invited design competition, with Thomas Phifer standing out above Shigeru Ban, whose design was "remarkable" but impractical and "more suited to a house in the tropics," and Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, whose design was "more restrained and perhaps less daring than what [Julie] wanted." Phifer sensed that Julie wanted something more sculptural than his first scheme, with three linear pavilions connected by glass-enclosed walkways, so over time it morphed into striking sail-like forms appropriate to its site on the dunes facing the Atlantic. But designing and building a house, architecturally daring or not, is as much about personal relationships as it is about architectural design. Phifer and Julie Taubman "had not connected as closely as [Phifer] wanted his clients to connect," Goldberger explains, and "the immaculate quality of Phifer's architecture was never the right match for Julie's taste." Blue Dream as captured by Iwan Baan. Who was the right architect for Julie's tastes? It was Charles Renfro, who "seemed to connect easily with Julie Taubman in a way that Phifer had not," Goldberger writes. Another reason DS+R got the job was their ability to connect with the precedents Julie was drawn to, namely the houses of John Lautner, Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, and Jacques Couëlle, as well as Frederick Kiesler's iconic, site-less, unbuilt Endless House (also in MoMA's collection). The cave-like qualities of the houses designed by Couëlle and Kiesler appear to have inspired Renfro the most, as Julie selected the "Ravioli" scheme from the four initial concepts the studio generated after their meeting. The others were the "Mobius," the "Roof," and the "Dunes." Any of them would have led to statement house dramatically different from the Hamptons norm, but continuing on the path started by the Ravioli scheme led to the built Blue Dream, a sculptural house unlike another DS+R project, yet one that is hard to see coming from another contemporary architect. Spread from Blue Dream in "Where Modernism Flourished" chapter. By the time we read about the Taubmans selecting DS+R for the commission, we have absorbed much of the house through the numerous full-bleed color photographs by Iwan Baan that sit between early chapters about the Taubman's background and wishes, about the history of modernism on Long Island (this chapter echoes Goldberger's essay in Houses of the Hamptons from 1986), and about the aborted project with Phifer. The chapters that follow move forward in time, tracing the development of its formal design; documenting the efforts to engineer the design and turn it into an actual building; presenting the interior contributions that turned the house into a Gesamtkunstwerk; and revealing the personal issues that make the house as melancholy as it is exuberant. The book has a clear narrative sweep, one that is aided by the coffee table format, with its large paper size, large photos, and the easy integration of images with Goldberger's text. The format, I feel, is appropriate to the house and its circumstances. Even if you're not a fan of Blue Dream (I'm still more partial to the Slow House), it's hard not to get pulled along on the ride of its realization as recounted in these pages. The view from the picture window at Blue Dream, photographed by Iwan Baan.

(Covers of some of the books discussed in this post) If your first reaction to the title of this post is something along the lines of, "Wait, isn't critical regionalism just 40 years old?," then everything you think know about critical regionalism is partial, in both senses of the term: incomplete and biased. Yes, Kenneth Frampton's "Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance" was published in Hal Foster's The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture in 1983, exactly 40 years ago, but the term "critical regionalism" was coined two years earlier by Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre in their article "The Grid and the Pathway: An Introduction to the Work of Dimitris and Susana Antonakakis" in Architecture in Greece. But as the term took hold in architectural circles that decade, and to a lesser but still lasting degree in the decades since, it has more often been associated with Frampton's essay, even though he acknowledged the earlier essay at the time and that acknowledgment brought Tzonis and Lefaivre a good deal of attention beyond their native Greece. Yet, if critical regionalism is some sort of –ism, then should it be defined by just one critic? Is it unfair, in other words, that Frampton's take should take precedence over Tzonis and Lefaivre's? First thing's first: what is critical regionalism? If we take a step back and look at the more general term "regionalism," the entry for it in the three-volume Encyclopedia of 20th-Century Architecture (2004, edited by R. Stephen Sennott) describes regionalism in architecture as "the desire to shape buildings according to the particular characteristics of a specific place." Further describing it as "the oldest and most pervasive of all building ideas," the entry omits mention of critical regionalism but includes Frampton's essay in its bibliography. Richard Weston, in his excellent introduction to architecture from 2011, 100 Ideas that Changed Architecture, while he doesn't include critical regionalism among the hundred, he describes it in the entry for regionalism like so: "Attempting to come to terms with the ethical dilemmas of practicing in a globalized world, [... Tzonis and Lefaivre] argued that while welcoming the benefits of interaction and exchange, designers should think critically about their impact and value the uniqueness of the local/regional culture, environment, and resources." Furthermore, they "hoped to avoid both the commercialization of 'folk' traditions and their political use — as in Hitler's promotion of volkisch culture — as a means of excluding others." Weston goes on to describe how Frampton took up the couple's approach but "argued for an emphasis on topography, climate, light, and the tactile rather than the visual [...] advocating tectonic rather than scenographic form as exemplary of the approach," as found in the work of Alvar Aalto and Jørn Utzon. In just a few sentences, Weston draws a basic distinction between the concepts of critical regionalism proffered by Tzonis, Lefaivre, and Frampton, namely that the social and political implications of regionalism nullified the concept for Tzonis and Lefaivre, thereby requiring a critical approach to regionalism, while Frampton saw critical regionalism as a valid response to "scenographic form," by which he means the postmodern architecture that was taking hold of the American architecture profession at the time. Although the architecture and ideas influencing Frampton's "Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance" date back to at least the mid-1960s, the direct impetus for his essay was the 1980 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Paolo Portoghesi with its famous "street," the Strada Novissima. Frampton was invited by Portoghesi, alongside fellow critics Charles Jencks, Christian Norberg-Schultz, and Vincent Scully, to contribute to the inaugural architecture biennale in Venice, but he stepped down, writing in a letter to Robert A. M. Stern (a page of it is shown in OASE #103: Critical Regionalism Revisited) that the exhibition "seems to represent the triumph of Post-Modernism" and that he had already "written a text which is categorically critical of this position." Frampton's letter to Stern was dated May 13, 1980, but the text he mentions he had already written was not "Towards a Critical Regionalism" as it would be found in The Anti-Aesthetic. Most likely it was "The Need for Roots: Venice 1980," which was published in the winter 1981 issue of GA Document. (I have not seen that essay so can't comment on it.) Between the Biennale in 1980 and the release of Foster's collection of postmodern essays, Frampton worked out his concept of critical regionalism, or at least the seeds of the concept can be seen in those years. Modern Architecture and the Critical Present, published by AD in 1982, was basically devoted to his 1980 book Modern Architecture: A Critical History (the fifth edition arrived in 2020), so alongside its other contents it included "Place, Production and Architecture: Towards a Critical Theory of Building," an excerpt of the book's last chapter. It also included "The Isms of Contemporary Architecture," revised to add "Regionalism" as one of the –isms. Although Frampton mentions the thesis of a "hybrid 'world culture'" advanced by philosopher Paul Ricoeur, whose words preface his Anti-Aesthetic essay, and he discusses the work of Aalto, Mario Botta, Alvaro Siza, Gino Valle, and other architects who fit the mold of critical regionalism, the –ism was not yet explicitly "critical." That same year, 1982, Frampton contributed "Proposals for a Critical Regionalism" to Perspecta 20: The Journal of the Yale School of Architecture. Similarities to the essay that will follow in 1983 are found in the Ricoeur quote prefacing the article and a mention of "The Grid and the Pathway." While the "Six Points" essay is abstract, with mention of just two or three architects, the Perspecta article is loaded with buildings and projects that illustrate Frampton's concept. Tadao Ando, J. A. Coderch, Ricardo Bofill, Raimund Abraham, Botta, Valle, and others serve as examples of "recent regional 'schools' whose aim has been to represent and serve, in a critical sense, the limited constituencies in which they are grounded." The essay concludes with mention of "The Grid and the Pathway," but Frampton does not give credit to the authors for coining "critical regionalism," instead using their subjects, Dimitris and Susana Antonakakis, as exemplars of the regional "school" in Greece. Curiously, even though the Perspecta editors give full credit to Tzonis and Lefaivre in the citation to their text, Frampton only mentions Tzonis, referring to "The Grid and the Pathway" as "his article"; this is indicative of the sexism still entrenched at the time but also a lack of understanding of Tzonis and Lefaivre's concept for critical regionalism beyond their 1981 essay. The information described above can be cobbled together from various sources, as cited, as well as from the recently published Kenneth Frampton: Conversations with Daniel Talesnik, in which Frampton is forthcoming about the origins of "Towards a Critical Regionalism" and the debt it owed to Tzonis and Lefaivre. (His recital of the facts to Talesnik makes it seem that it is a story he has told numerous times in the decades since his essay.) But to gain a considerably deeper understanding of the overlapping theories of critical regionalism and their origins, one recently published book is extremely valuable and highly recommended: Resisting Postmodern Architecture: Critical Regionalism before Globalisation by Stylianos Giamarelos, published by UCL Press, 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) There are too many revelations in Giamarelos's history/historiography of critical regionalism, but only enough space here to mention three. First is the role of Robert A. M. Stern in the 1980 Venice Architecture Biennale, The Presence of the Past. Giamarelos describes Stern as "the show's overlooked protagonist [...] historically overshadowed by Portoghesi." Frampton, remember, was invited to participate, but by the time he and the other critics went to Venice, in November 1979, the direction of the exhibition was already determined during a September 1979 meeting where Stern presented his detailed proposal that "practically formed the backbone of the exhibition," per Giamarelos. No wonder most of the architects contributing to the Strada Novissima were from North America rather than Europe or Asia, and no wonder Frampton addressed his resignation letter to Stern. A second revelation is the contribution of Anthony Alofsin, who was a student of Tzonis's in the 1970s, when he was teaching at Ivy League schools in the US. Alofsin is known now for numerous books on Frank Lloyd Wright, but in the 1970s his work as a sculptor and architect in New Mexico "stimulated his interest in the historic processes that lay beneath" the area's historic buildings. He brought this interest in regionalism to Harvard GSD in 1978, where he took courses from Tzonis that "familiarized him with critical theory," per Giamarelos. Alofsin ended up joining Tzonis and Lefaivre on a paper, "The Question of Regionalism," for a conference in 1980 organized by Swiss sociologist Lucius Burckhardt. Alofsin's text submitted to Tzonis, "Constructive Regionalism," served as the basis for the paper, but Tzonis and Lefaivre modified Alofsin's conclusion, introducing the critical regionalism they would expand upon for the Architecture in Greece esssay. (Vincent B. Canizaro's excellent Architectural Regionalism: Collected Writings on Place, Identity, Modernity and Tradition includes Alofsin's original text.) So, while "The Question of Regionalism," when published in 1981, was the first appearance of critical regionalism in print, it was only in German and therefore not cited by Frampton, unlike the bilingual "The Grid and the Pathway." A third illuminating thread of information from the book involves Frampton's proposed 18-book series of "monographs on critical architecture practices of 'unsentimental regionality'" for Rizzoli, who would have published them over a period of two to four years. First proposed at the end of 1981, Frampton moved forward with two titles — on Tadao Ando and Atelier 66, the practice of Dimitris and Susana Antonakakis, published in 1984 and 85, respectively — before Rizzoli discontinued the series. (Such an ambitious, audacious proposal no doubt stemmed from Frampton serving as an acquisitions and editorial consultant at Rizzoli from 1979 to 1988.) Outside of Vittorio Gregotti, whom Frampton would have written about on his own, each book would have been edited by Frampton, included a short introduction by him, and featured a longer essay by an author familiar with their work; naturally, then, Tzonis and Lefaivre contributed to the book on Atelier 66. Giamarelos also discusses the book Frampton started to work about critical regionalism, given that his essay made such an impact in the 1980s that it warranted a book-length exposition. That never happened, but Frampton rolled some of his version of critical regionalism into Studies in Tectonic Culture: The Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture, an excellent and well-respected book but not one with the lasting impact of the 1983 essay. So, if Frampton did not write the book on critical regionalism, who did, assuming one exists? The first architecture book bearing the critical regionalism moniker was written by none other than Tzonis and Lefaivre. Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World was published in 2003, the third in Prestel's "Architecture in Focus" series, which also included books on "Minimal Architecture" and "Light, Mobile and Floating Architecture." The authors used the book to provide a deeper history of regionalism, tracing it from Ancient Greece to ca. World War II in an essay by Tzonis, and delving into the ideas of Lewis Mumford in an essay by Lefaivre that looked at the three decades after the war. The other half of the book has twenty examples of critical regionalism, mainly in photos, making it as much a picture book as a text of history and theory. Given the impact of critical regionalism on architects — it is one of the few architectural concepts/theories with direct application to professional practice — I wanted to include something on it in Buildings in Print: 100 Influential and Inspiring Illustrated Architecture Books. Although Critical Regionalism is the book I chose, Giamarelos describes their later book, Architecture of Regionalism in the Age of Globalization: Peaks and Valleys in the Flat World (first published in 2011 and expanded in 2020) as the couple's definitive statement on critical regionalism, signaling its greater importance. While this review can only touch on a few points in Resisting Postmodern Architecture: Critical Regionalism Before Globalisation, Giamarelos's goals are two-fold: articulating the formulation of critical regionalism by Tzonis and Lefaivre, since it has long been overshadowed by Frampton's concept; and, in the book's second half, exploring the cross-cultural roots of critical regionalism in Greece, the home of Tzonis, Lefaivre, and their original subjects, Dimitris and Susana Antonakakis. Giamarelos wraps up the book by arguing for the continued relevance of critical regionalism today, shifting it from "an architectural theory of the 1980s into a manifesto for architectural historiography in the 21st century." If architectural historians embrace the seven points of Giamarelos's manifesto remains to be seen, but the value of the history the book tells is abundantly clear, given the lack of a history of critical regionalism before it.

Like many people with a lot of books, I keep track of my library with an app/website, tagging books with keywords to better filter and find them. The tags I use move from general terms like "architecture" (the most) and "fiction" (the least) to specific terms that reflect a high number of books by a particular author ("frampton," as in Kenneth) or maybe about a certain architect ("wright," Frank Lloyd). One of the oft-used tags on the specific end of the spectrum is "moma," which includes books published by the Museum of Modern Art, be it Robert Venturi's Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture or exhibition catalogs, as well as books actually about MoMA, like Terence Riley's The International Style: Exhibition 15 and The Museum of Modern Art. As of today, I have 34 books tagged "moma" in my library, spanning from The International Style in 1932 (the 1990s reprint, mind you, not the first edition) to Emerging Ecologies: Architecture and the Rise of Environmentalism, the catalog to the exhibition of the same name that opened yesterday at MoMA. In between the books from 1932 and 2023 are catalogs for MoMA exhibitions I attended and wrote about; exhibitions I wish I would have seen in person; and exhibitions, many of them seminal, held well before my time. The value of exhibition catalogs is evident in the latter two: they enable people who did not see an exhibition to be exposed to what the curators put together, often with the added input of scholars on the subject. One could even go further and say the catalogs are more important than the exhibitions themselves, since they have longevity, serving as archives of the exhibitions well after they've been demounted and destroyed. While I don't fully agree with such a statement, since exhibitions benefit from being spatial experiences and often — and increasingly — feature films and other media that can't be replicated in books, the value of catalogs is undeniable. Emerging Ecologies: Architecture and the Rise of Environmentalism edited by Carson Chan and Matthew Wagstaffe, published by the Museum of Modern Art, September 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) How does Emerging Ecologies compare to previous catalogs from MoMA exhibitions on architecture? Based on my exposure to them, I would group MoMA's architecture catalogs into two broad types: printed companions to the drawings, models, and other artifacts on display in the galleries; and scholarly essays on the exhibition's subject. Often these two strands are combined, with essays prefacing plates of the works on display. But if we go all the way back to MoMA's first architecture exhibition — Modern Architecture: International Exhibition, curated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcok in 1932 — we find these two types in two separate publications: a companion catalog (PDF link) and the more familiar, polemical book by Johnson and Hitchcock (sans Lewis Mumford's contribution on housing from the exhibition/catalog) that "defined 'the International Style'" at the time and in the decades to come. Emerging Ecologies, as edited by Carson Chan and Matthew Wagstaffe, falls into the "printed companion" camp. Visitors to Emerging Ecologies between now and its closing on January 24, 2023, will approach the third-floor architecture galleries in one of two ways. Stepping out of an elevator, they will be confronted by a timeline of relevant events and dates for the artifacts in the exhibition, while those arriving via escalators and the bridge next to the atrium will see the yellow wall pictured at the top of this post and then go either left or right into the exhibition's two galleries. The various exhibits are laid out thematically, but when I previewed the exhibition last week, I found the layout and presentation fairly laid back, conducive to a leisurely stroll through the numerous colorful projects comprising "the first expansive survey of the history of environmental thinking in architecture," spanning primarily the 1960s and 70s. The exhibition is also the first from MoMA's Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and the Natural Environment, which was created in 2020 and helmed by Chan the following year. In lieu of a thematic organization following from the layout of the exhibition (e.g., "Prehistory of Environmental Architecture," "Enclosed Ecologies," "Life Forms," etc.) or one following the timeline visitors see by the elevators, the book is in alphabetical order by the names of the architects or other authors of the works in the exhibition (there is an expanded timeline in the back matter). While this results in putting Emilio Ambasz first among the more than thirty names, it more broadly puts an emphasis on the personalities behind environmental thinking, rather than the works themselves. Like other surveys, be they exhibitions or not, the structure allows comparisons to be made based on quantities: the number of pages given to each name helps signal their importance. So who is most important in Emerging Ecologies? No contest it's R. Buckminster Fuller, not only because he earns sixteen pages while most others have four or six, but because the "pathbreaking architect, writer, designer, inventor, and philosopher" (per the book) infiltrates other names in the book. Cambridge Seven Associates built one of Fuller's geodesic domes for Expo 67 and Murphy & Mackey built one at Missouri Botanical Garden; these are just the most direct permutations of Fuller elsewhere in the book. Architecture exhibitions at MoMA are, by virtue of their setting, geared to general audiences. As such, the catalogs are where the curators expend the effort in digging deeper, usually in more scholarly ways. That isn't the case with this "field guide," as Chan and Wagstaffe label it, but that doesn't mean architects and others with prior knowledge of environmentalism in the 1960s and 70s will not find something new, or new perspectives on the subject, in the book. Beyond names like Fuller, there are such groups as the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and Warren County Citizens Concerned about PCB that capture today's emphasis on equity and citizen engagement. It's not all hero worship, in other words. For me, a big fan of buildings merging with landscapes, I was pleased to learn about Malcolm Wells, who pivoted his practice from "conventional" to "earth-sheltered," sticking to his beliefs from the mid-1906s to his death in 2009. I was also surprised that I hadn't known about him earlier. Surely, I won't be alone in making such discoveries in Emerging Ecologies, a rich survey of a period with obvious relevance today.

Last week dose explored three "places in time": St. Louis in the early decades of the 20th century; Detroit between 1935 and 1985; and Chicago suburb Oak Park ca. 1906, when Frank Lloyd Wright completed Unity Temple. Those three US-centric books were split between two historical surveys and one case study. The same applies to the European/Asian books here, with a survey of brutalist architecture in Paris followed by a survey of Indonesian architecture trained in Germany around 1960 and a case study of a care center for people with mental disabilities in Belgium. Brutalist Paris: Post-War Brutalist Architecture in Paris and Environs by Nigel Green and Robin Wilson, published by Blue Crow Media, July 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Dipl.-Ing. Arsitek: German-trained Indonesian Architects from the 1960s edited by Moritz Henning and Eduard Kögel, published by DOM Publishers, July 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Living in Monnikenheide: Care, Inclusion and Architecture edited by Gideon Boie, published by Flanders Architecture Institute, April 2023 Before receiving Brutalist Paris from the folks at Blue Crow Media, I thought of the UK company simply as a maker of maps. I reviewed Concrete Map Chicago back in 2018 and since then have noticed them putting out maps of modern architecture, brutalist architecture, public transit — even trees. If the Chicago map is any indication, the others put out by Blue Crow Media excel at assembling a mix of quality buildings and presenting them in a way that allows people to orient themselves to the locations of the selected buildings in a particular city; that's the power of maps: orienting oneself physically, in place, and mentally, at a distance. So I was a bit surprised to find the maps on the inside front and back covers of Brutalist Paris to be, frankly, practically useless. Their scale is too small; the contrast between streets and blocks is too low; it's not clear how the four maps join up; the lists of buildings keyed to the maps do not extend to the book's pages. I could go on, but that's not necessary because this book is not about the maps. Rather it is about the words of Robin Wilson and the photographs of Nigel Green. The maps give some cursory, almost ghostly, geographic information, but they are not there to structure the book. Brutalist Paris features seven essays by Wilson and four geographical sections with Green's photos inserted between the essays. Although the duo collaborates as Photolanguage, words and images are distinct. "Whilst the photographic component provides an extensive, general survey of the production of the period as a whole," Wilson explains in the first essay, "the text necessarily develops a more selective interpretation of a smaller range of key works." Paris does not spring immediately to my mind as the city of brutalist architecture par excellence (that would be London or Boston), but Wilson's words and Green's images do a good job of arguing for the importance of Paris as a brutalist city. Jumping to the fore are, not the famous examples (Breuer's UNESCO, Niemeyer's Communist Party HQ, Corbu's Maisons Jaoul), but the complex, fractal-like constructions of Jean Renaudie and Nina Susch, Renée Gailhoustet, and others. Wilson describes "a properly oblique and combinatory architecture" and Green captures the light, scale, and in some cases decay of the complexes. The photos may be just a couple of years old, but the choice of presenting them as duotones helps transport readers to the sixties, seventies, and eighties, when parts of Paris really embraced creative concrete architecture. The next book covers roughly the same timeframe as Brutalist Paris — the few decades following the year 1960 — but in two locales thousands of miles and two continents apart: Indonesia and Germany. The two places don't immediately strike me as intertwined, but editors Moritz Henning and Eduardo Kögel discovered a link between them that is quite interesting: a dozen architecture students from Indonesia who studied at TU Berlin and other schools in West Germany in 1960/61. The editors found out about them while working with the curators of Occupying Modernism, the Indonesian contribution to Encounters with Southeast Asian Modernism, an ambitious, multifaceted program directed by Henning and Kögel with Sally Below and Christian Hiller. (Out of the same program came Contested Modernities: Postcolonial Architecture and the Construction of Identities in Southeast Asia, a publication I "briefed" last year.) Like other parts of Encounters, Dipl.–Ing. Arsitek focuses on cross-cultural cooperation between Southeast Asia and Western Europe, and it even comes across subtly in the book's title, words that are probably enigmatic to English speakers: Dipl.–Ing. Arsitek is the Indonesian equivalent of the German Diplom–Ingenieur Architektur. Dipl.–Ing. Arsitek is number 171 in DOM Publishers' longstanding "Basics" series as evidenced by the square format and orange, geometric cover (like this one). While the subject seems too niche to me to be a "basics" book, the structure and presentation of the book are very clear and well done, aiding in one's understanding of the subject and recognizing its importance. Following spreads of period photographs in West Berlin, Hannover, Aachen, and Jakarta, the book's contents are fitted into five parts: "Context," with a handful of essays give relevant background on Germany and Indonesia in the period of the book; "Diplomas," a presentation of ten of the students' final projects; in-depth "Biographies" of eight of the architects; "Positions," excerpts of a few texts by some of the architects; and contemporary "Photographs" of buildings in Indonesia the architects designed after returning there to practice. So, who are these architects that studied in Germany but took their knowledge back home to Indonesia? Soejoedi Wirjoatmodjo and Han Awal were known by the editors beforehand, but the rest (Herianto Sulindro, Jan Beng Oei, Mustafa Pamuntjak, Bianpoen, Suwondo Bismo Sutedjo, Yusuf Bilyarta Mangunwijaya) were primarily discovered in the archives of TU Berlin, which kept their drawings, model photographs, and even some of the models. I can't think of a better arguments for architecture schools — and the future architects attending them — to carefully document their thesis projects and maintain them in archives. The third place-in-time book, Living in Monnikenheide, heads to Zoersel, in Belgium, and jumps forward in time to near the present. The book's subject, Monnikenheide, is a residential care center for people with mental disabilities that was created around 1973 and has seen more than a dozen buildings added to its "campus" in the half-century since. I had never heard of the place — neither Monnikenheide nor Zoersel, the Flemish village now home to around 22,000 people — so reading some of the essays and perusing the case studies of the buildings were acts of discovery. Gideon Boie, the book's editor and instigator of the book project, describes Monnikenheide as "an unprecedented housing project" that "searched for the normalization of housing for people with mental disabilities" and, in wording that echoes recent trends in architectural culture, "a testing ground for care architecture." The book's subtitle, Care, Inclusion and Architecture, sets up the half-dozen essays that carry the titles "Living with Disability," "At Home in the Care Centre," and "Caring for the Landscape of Care," among others. The essays capably address the myriad issues around the place, from its niche typology to the politics of "inclusion" and the important role of the beautiful wooded landscape connecting the various buildings. The bulk of the book — 70 of its 160 pages — is devoted to the case studies of the buildings, primarily the ones built between 1997 and 2021; the early, "first-period" (of three periods, per Boie) buildings are just described briefly at the beginning of this long section. Architecturally, the buildings range from somewhat typical modern Belgian brick dwellings to low-slung glass-walled updates to older buildings, pitched-roof care homes clad in corrugated metal, and a three-story care home covered in blackened wood. While each building is pleasing in one way or another, Monnikenheide is not about any individual building: it is about the interaction of the buildings with each other and the landscapes between them and, in the case of the brick dwellings in the village, the logical extension of "inclusion" to a context more urban than pastoral. Full-bleed photographs between the different sections of the book do a decent job in capturing the character of the landscape and the village; I say "decent" because their silver duotones, akin to the cover, are more aesthetic than informative. But in concert with the essays, case studies, and the book's design, the photos contribute well to a beautiful document of a special place that architects interested in this facet of care will find valuable.

Like most human beings, I can be contradictory at times. One area where this manifests is architectural surveys: books that usually collect buildings of a certain typology, but also ones spanning a particular timeframe or through some other theme. I've written a few of them myself, so I don't inherently hate them. But I tend to pass on them when it comes to new books, which most likely boils down to the fact I'm not a practicing architect and therefore don't need to look at, say, a roundup of libraries when I'm designing one. Yet, when it comes to old surveys — as in my latest #archidosereads — I have a hard time saying no to them after spotting them in used bookstores. I think part of their appeal is the way they capture the character of a certain time, and often, with the occasional geographical focus of surveys, a particular place in time. Being seen decades after they were made, the best ones manage to transport me back to a certain place in time — something I find irresistible, even if subconsciously, before putting it down in words here. A book need not be old to do such a thing, so this week and next week I'm featuring books that manage to capture certain places at certain times. The six books aren't all surveys, but the majority of them do fall into that subcategory of architectural books. Following the three US-central books here, next week's installment will head to Europe and Asia. Detroit Modern: 1935–1985 by Peter Forguson, photography by Amy Claeys, published by Visual Profile Books, November 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple: A Good Time Place Reborn by Pat Cannon, photography by James Caulfield, published by Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, December 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) A. A. Fischer's St. Louis Streetscapes by Nancy Moore Hamilton, published by Missouri Historical Society, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) In its geography and name, Detroit Modern sounds like a sequel to Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy, the 2018 book written by preservationist Brian D. Conway with photographs by James Haefner, also published by Visual Profile Books. But they are two different beasts, given that the earlier book was the product of the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, which received a grant from the National Park Service for the project, while the nearly one-year-old Detroit Modern was written by Peter Forguson, a landscape designer and landscaping contractor who has worked on the grounds of some of the 70 houses collected in his book. Forguson's book, in turn, is a labor of love, one that draws attention to an overlooked geographical subset of mid-20th-century modern residential architecture, something Michigan Modern similarly did for a wider array of building typologies on a larger geographical scale. The 70 houses spanning 50 years were designed by names both familiar and lesser known: from Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Minoru Yamasaki, Edward Durell Stone, and Gunnar Birkets among the former, to Irving Tobocman, Don Paul Young, Louis DesRosiers, and Robert L. Ziegelman in the latter. While those last four names, among numerous others in the book, are new to me, they may be fairly well-known names in the larger Detroit area (the book is more Grosse Pointe Farms and Bloomfield Hills that Detroit proper, it should be noted), given that they designed roughly 20 of the book's 70 houses. This book will no doubt appeal to locals interested in mid-20th-century houses, but it should also appeal to people living outside the Detroit area who like the same. It should be pointed out that although photographer Amy Claeys is billed as photographer, many of the houses feature photographs by others, including Haefner and occasional period photographs by the great Balthazar Korab. As such, the book doesn't have the visual consistency of Michigan Modern (it's also lacking in floor plans, valuable elements in any good book on residential architecture), but the book's ability to capture the high-quality architecture created in a place over a fairly long time period makes it a valuable document. The buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright, unlike the houses of suburban Detroit, don't need to worry about being overlooked. There are more than 400 extant buildings designed by Wright, and although only a small number of them are considered masterpieces, that number is higher than most — save perhaps Le Corbusier. One way of quantifying greatness is via UNESCO, which put 17 Corbu sites on its 2016 list but only eight Wright buildings on a similar list a few years later. One of those eight is Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the Chicago suburb home to Wright at the time; ground broke on the building in 1906 and it was dedicated in 1909, the same year Wright left for Europe to work on the Wasmuth Portfolio. Given the importance of Unity Temple in Wright's oeuvre, it made sense that Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple: A Good Time Place, a celebration of the edifice, was released in 2009. Although restoration plans, led by T. Gunny Harboe, began around 2006, the "award-winning transformative restoration" would not be complete until 2017, twelve years after the building celebrated its centennial. With Unity Temple carefully restored and open to the public for about five years, the time was right to update the 2009 book by Patrick F. Cannon with photographer James Caulfield. I have not seen the earlier book, but it appears to be a square book of approximately nine inches, whereas the newly "reborn" book taking on a larger page size — nearly 10 x 12 inches. The slim, 120-page book has a brief history of the commission, its design and its construction, at the beginning, with a text by Harboe on the restoration, a selective bibliography (including Robert McCarter's 1997 case study from the "Architecture in Detail" series), and some texts from ca. 1909 in the back matter. In between are approximately 75 pages of photographs by Caulfield. Unfortunately, what should be the best part of the book — post-restoration photographs of Unity Temple's exterior and interior — is the most disappointing. Without knowing the details, Caulfield appears to have a preference for HDR photography, which makes the concrete building look like a computer model on the outside and too evenly illuminated on the inside. Only in the photos where Caulfield lets shadows be dark (the cover photo being one of those) can readers fully appreciate what Wright accomplished more than a century ago. I'm from suburban Chicago so am quite familiar with the numerous Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Oak Park. But even though my wife hails from St. Louis, and therefore I've been there quite a few times and have seen firsthand various parts of the city and county, I was not previously familiar with Alexander August Fischer, the subject of this hefty book by his inadvertent biographer, Nancy Moore Hamilton. I say inadvertent because in retirement Hamilton, a longtime resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and former geographer and data analyst who had spent just one year of her life in St. Louis, found herself drawn to St. Louis and the streetscapes built by A. A. Fischer. As the photos on the cover of the book (some of many in the book shot by photographer Reed R. Ratcliffe in 2022) attest, the streetscapes of Fischer are a pleasing lot — or, at least the ones that have survived intact to 2022, a century or more after they were created, are. After all, when I think of the streetscapes of St. Louis, what comes to mind are vacant lots and vacant or condemned buildings being just as numerous on any block as extant and/or occupied buildings, such is the unfortunate present of the Midwestern city. Hamilton's large book published by the Missouri Historical Society is like two books in one: a biography of Fischer and a directory of the many buildings by Fischer's company. Following Hamilton's semi-autobiographical introduction, which goes into some detail on how she ended up spending close to two decades focused on the subject of Fischer and his buildings, is the biography: four chronological chapters on Fischer's life, from his German ancestors to his death (in 1936 at the age of 70) and legacy. The subject may only seem appealing to residents of St. Louis, but it is a lavishly illustrated biography, with numerous large photographs by Ratcliffe as well as archival photographs and other documents. At just 120 pages and accompanied by the illustrations, the biography is a fairly quick read. The bulk of the book follows: the 340-page "Directory of A. A. Fischer Builds" that methodically presents one building per page with data and illustrations. It doesn't matter if a building was razed, it is given a page and indicated as such. While extant buildings receive photos by Radcliffe, buildings long-gone have older photographs or just maps. And speaking of maps, the book is accompanied by a foldout poster that locates every building in the book — very helpful. The pros of the book are obvious, mainly that Hamilton fills a void in the scholarship of the built environment in St. Louis. A. A. Fischer was a prolific builder of residential buildings across the city in the first decades of the 20th century, though his impact was basically unheralded. In this sense, the book is more than welcome. My only con with the book is its hefty format. With a 10 x 12" paper size and nearly 2" thick, it is a large, unwieldy book. The pages are nearly full in the biography, but the photos in the directly are small and the margins across those same pages are large. With the layout of the directory apparently sized to entries with the most available information, most of the these pages are therefore empty space. I feel that either the photos should have been larger across the directory pages, or the whole book should have opted for a smaller page size. Of course, the latter would make the book a less impressive object — one that wouldn't have immediately conveyed the size of Fischer's contributions to St. Louis.

Of the numerous books publishers send me for review — be they requested by me, pitched by them, or arriving at my doorstep unsolicited — the highest percentage of them are monographs. This fact goes against the occasional sirens over the irrelevance and anachronistic nature of monographs in our digital age, with free access (for now) to voluminous amounts of information on buildings and architects readily available online. But books, in my opinion, are better archives than websites, offering architects a further level of control over the finished product compared to websites. It's not uncommon today to find architecture firms, no doubt driven by savvy marketing departments and PR firms, merging their brands across platforms, such that their monographs resemble their websites. But in five or ten years time, only the books will retain that expression, thereby making them important archives of architects' work and the means of presenting it. The four recently published monographs that follow provide four diverse expressions for architectural monographs today. Speculative Coolness: Architecture, Media, the Real, and the Virtual by Bryan Cantley, edited by Peter J. Baldwin, published by Routledge, April 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Merging City and Nature: 30 Commitments to Combat Climate Change by Batlleiroig, published by Actar Publishers, March 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) I'm not sure when I came across the architecture of Bryan Cantley, but for sure it was through his popular Instagram account — with nearly 30,000 followers now, at least it is popular by architecture standards. The images saturating his account transport me to my undergrad days in the early 1990s, when Neil Denari, Peter Pfau and Wes Jones, and other machine-minded architects were in vogue. Building; Machines, the twelfth issue of Pamphlet Architecture, was the bible of this strain of contemporary architecture, where structure and services were exposed, elements moved (or at least appeared to do so), and surfaces (almost always metallic) featured curves that echoed the form of concrete mixer trucks. I figured I wasn't alone in connecting those aesthetic dots, but I also assumed such a reading was overly superficial and potentially unfair toward whatever Cantley is doing through his designs and illustrations. Neil Spiller actually mentions Neil Denari and Wes Jones in his introductory essay to Speculative Coolness, but only briefly, lumping them with a wider swath of visionaries ("the Wright brothers, Barnes Wallace, Archigram, Norman Foster and Richard Rogers") and stating that "nowadays these preoccupations have their epicenter in SoCaL." Cantley is a professor at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and has taught at SCI-Arc and Woodbury University, all SoCal schools, though his bio at the start of the book also points out that "his work is in the permanent collection at SFMOMA, as well as in the personal collection of Thom Mayne." If such "preoccupations" have their epicenter in and around Los Angeles now, they did so thirty years ago, too, when Denari, Jones, etc. taught and practiced there. This network with shared interests and formal similarities is accentuated by Wes Jones's essay in the pages of Speculative Coolness and Mayne's afterword in the same. A major thing separating the work of Denari and Jones with that of Cantley is the brief, or program, or whatever one wants to call it. Although much of the machine-inspired architecture of the nineties remained on paper or in model form, the projects were clearly proposals to be built, be it an unlikely monastery, a more reasonable house or apartment building, or most obviously an industrial structure (an example of the last, by Holt Hinshaw Jones, was built at UCLA in 1994). But it's difficult to grasp what Cantley's projects might function as if they are considered as models for actual buildings, or if they were designed in response to particular briefs, for instance in the way Brodsky and Utkin created designs for competitions but hardly ever had them approach being recognizable buildings. But do I care if Cantley's designs are speculative, self-generated programs rather than proposals for specific briefs from others? Do I care if I grasp his intentions, further obscured by the texts accompanying the images? Well, frankly, no. His projects, as rendered in sketches, drawings, models, perspectives, and collages, are just too beautiful. No wonder his website sells prints of his architectural imagery — and no wonder this monograph is saturated with the same, sure to woo architects and architecture students too young to remember the nineties. Half a world away from Southern California is the equally warm-and-dry region of Catalonia and the metropolis of Barcelona, where the multi-disciplinary firm Batlleiroig, founded by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig in 1981, is located. Forty years is a long time for an architecture firm, and across those years Batlleiroig has realized many projects spanning multiple disciplines: architecture, landscape, and planning. Those same disciplines structure the book, which features ten chapters with three projects per chapter — one planning project, one landscape, and one building per chapter. But let's not call them chapters: Batlle describes them as "ten concepts that we believe must be incorporated into our daily lives to combat the climate emergency and improve living conditions on the planet." 10 x 3 = 30, hence the thirty projects presented in Merging City and Nature are also "30 commitments to combat climate change." Over Batlleiroig's 40-plus years, the firm has grown to 140 people, making them a large firm in any of their three disciplines. Such size often means, at least in terms of architectural monographs, a business-like approach over an artistic one. This approach is definitely on display in Merging City and Nature, from the 10x3 structure and the descriptions of the projects/commitments (more bullet points than narratives) to the design and layout of the book, which resembles a textbook at times. Structure trumps reality, such that even though the firm has fifteen times more architects than planners and twice as many architects as landscape architects (as expressed in a bubble diagram at the back of the book), there are ten projects presented for each discipline. I would have loved to see more landscapes, which are the strongest parts of Batlleiroig's output (the Garraf Controlled Waste Landfill project is one of many highlights). As is, the book's rigid structure enables the firm to show how each of their disciplines addresses each of the ten concepts: commendable from a marketing perspective but dry and fatiguing for anyone looking for inspiration. So, if you're looking for a practical book loaded with well-designed examples of how architects and planners can address the climate emergency, Merging City and Nature is the book for you. Allied Works Architecture 2003- 2022 (TC 156) by Brad Cloepfil and Allied Works, published by TC Cuadernos, July 2022 (Amazon) Skylab: The Nature of Buildings by Skylab and Jeff Kovel, published by Thames & Hudson, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Often my excitement with learning about an architectural imprint is tempered by the fact I didn't know about it sooner. How did Valencia's TC Cuadernos put out dozens and dozens of monographic issues on contemporary architects in and beyond Spain before Allied Works sent me number 156 without me knowing about them? Am I that out of touch with European architectural publications? Or are there just too many to keep track of? The quality of the issue devoted to about twenty years of Allied Works' buildings is exemplary, indicating that the wider TC Cuadernos oeuvre melds the qualities of, say, El Croquis with Detail: offering color photographs on high-quality paper accompanied by detailed architectural drawings. (That said, I do wish the font for the project descriptions and essays was easier to read and that all the drawings were labeled, not just the wall sections — reading floor plans without labels is not very helpful.) Allied Works Architecture 2003- 2022 is the first expansive monograph on Allied Works since Occupation, the 2011 release covering the first sixteen years of the studio founded by Brad Cloepfil in Portland, Oregon, in 1994. I have not seen that earlier monograph, but the level of control I mentioned in the prologue to this post is naturally eschewed in the new book (essentially a periodical), in terms of page design and the couple of things I quibbled about above. Still, for the most part it is an Allied Works product, with the drawings, models, photographs, and text provided by the studio. Most refreshing is the span of the book, with fourteen completed buildings over nearly twenty years presented; it even includes Cloepfil's fairly well-known early essay/project "Sitings: Five Reflections on Architectural Domain" (PDF link), which functioned as a statement of intent when he founded his firm now nearly thirty years ago. Back in 2017, I attended the Vectorworks Design Summit in Baltimore, where Cloepfil gave the keynote and I was able to speak with him one-on-one after his presentation for an article at World-Architects. Before that talk, the projects I was most familiar with were the Maryhill Overlook (1998), the Wieden+Kennedy Headquarters (2000), the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2003), and the Clyfford Still Museum (2011). These four projects are thoroughly orthogonal buildings, but the projects he presented in Baltimore, such as the National Music Centre of Canada (2016) and National Veterans Memorial and Museum (2018), are dramatic departures from the apparent norm: curved and spatially complex constructions that see Cloepfil and Allied Works apparently striving to create architectural icons. Not surprisingly, these last two projects are found at the beginning of TC 156, signaling their importance in this phase of Cloepfil's career and the output of his studio. The diversity of Allied Works' designs can be seen in the other cultural, residential, and commercial projects that fill the monograph, including the issue's closer: Providence Park Stadium Expansion (2019), a project that hardly screams "Allied Works" but exhibits the studio's attentiveness to form, material, and structure — especially as presented in the pages of TC 156. Also based in Portland, Skylab was founded by Jeff Koval in 2000 — more than twenty years ago, meaning it was about time for the firm to produce its first monograph. Although Skylab is best known for a series of projects with Nike — especially the Serena Williams Building (2021) and a temporary installation for the shoe brand at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials for Track & Field — the format of the book reflects the music business: The square book features foldout cover boards, a circular cutout and "parental advisory" sticker on the cover, multiple large double-fold gatefolds, and "sides" rather than chapters (Side-A, Side-B, etc.). There isn't even a table of contents, something that makes flipping through the book a voyage of discovery, much like dropping a needle on an album, putting on headphones, and listening deeply. From the photographs of the ten presented buildings under construction to photographs of them completed and everything in between, there is an almost rock n' roll aesthetic suffusing Skylab — a certain coolness that makes the LP format appropriate, if a bit quizzical at times. (If taken to its logical conclusion, wouldn't each "side" be the same length, instead of just 12 pages for Side A, for instance, versus 130 pages for Side B?) One can easily flip through The Nature of Buildings without any awareness of the LP metaphor and gain just as much understanding of Skylab's work: digesting the projects through images layered with green text and drawings; relishing the surprise each gatefold elicits; and reading the trio of conversations between Kovel and others, including clients. The latter are presented sideways on the page, a bit like liner notes, I assume, though they can also be seen just as readily as print elements meant to stand out from the projects that are right side up throughout the book. Like fellow Portlanders Allied Works, the portfolio of Skylab is formally and typologically diverse. Kovel and company's projects might not be as geographically widespread as Cloepfil's, with most of Skylab projects keeping Portland weird, but with commissions in Utah and Idaho they're gaining in popularity beyond their local following.

From the middle of March, when a family emergency put this blog on hiatus, until the middle of July, when a funeral mass was held for my dad, my life was split almost evenly between my home in New York City and my parent's home in Central Florida. The emergency in March was an incident putting my father in the hospital, and it was followed by numerous diagnoses, the need for him to go into assisted living, and eventually him going back into the hospital, where he died — peacefully, with me, my mother, and my sister at his bedside. Back in March I anticipated, even with his diagnoses, to be helping him in various capacities for a few years, not just a few months. They were difficult and taxing months that found me as relieved as saddened when he passed; the obvious pain and frustration he felt are gone, but memories of him remain and in some ways are stronger and more prevalent now than before. Over those three months, I managed to eke out a half-dozen posts on this blog: a roundup of some books published during the first part of this year; some thoughts on the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair, which I managed to attend between trips; a couple work-related posts, one on self-publishing by architecture firms and the other featuring books from my trip to the Venice Architecture Biennale; a "cheater" revisiting an old post as an excuse to explore ChatGPT; and my first installment of "Book Briefs" this calendar year. That sporadic frequency will continue for the rest of the summer, as I take time to do things with my wife and daughter and just generally decompress. But one thing the last three months did, in the context of this first blog post in six weeks, was push me toward a local focus. So here I present two books on the phenomenon of supertall residential towers, the most high-profile ones found along 57th Street, aka "Billionaires' Row." Billionaires’ Row: Tycoons, High Rollers, and the Epic Race To Build the World’s Most Exclusive Skyscrapers by Katherine Clarke, published by Currency, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Sky-High: A Critique of NYC's Supertall Towers from Top to Bottom by Eric P. Nash, photography by Bruce Katz, published by Princeton Architectural Press, June 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) In the prologue to Billionaires' Row, Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Clarke describes the construction of 40 Wall Street, the Chrysler Building, and the Empire State Building nearly a full century ago as "a veritable race to the sky as wealthy titans of industry vied to build a succession of towers, each taller than the last." (It's a race recounted by Neal Bascomb in Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City back in 2003.) The brief historical anecdote gives the new book an angle, one expressed clearly in its subtitle. Yet I have a hard time buying that the developers of One57 (Gary Barnett/Extell), 432 Park Avenue (Harry Macklowe and CIM Group), 111 West 57th Street (Michael Stern/JDS), 220 Central Park South (Steve Roth/Vornado), and Central Park Tower (also Barnett/Extell) were involved in any sort of race, figurative or otherwise. I've been paying attention to this handful of buildings along Billionaires' Row as long as Clarke has, though not nearly to the same in-depth and insider degree as her, I'll admit, yet I still struggle to find a correlation between these towers and the Manhattan office buildings from the 1920s and 30s. Yes, there is synergy in that each grouping was born from the circumstances of the time (architectural, technological, economic, etc.), but the only "race" I find now is not between the developers themselves, but between the developers and the market — the developers had to quickly sell their eight- and nine-digit aeries before the market for them dried up. If anything, the assemblage of these five towers sitting mainly along 57th Street, a wide street they exploited for unused FAR (floor-area ratio) and reshaped in the process, are less an example of competition and more so an instance of geographical synergy, like a row of car dealers along a busy thoroughfare. People looking for a behind-the-scenes look at the development of these Billionaires' Row towers will be very happy with Clarke's book. The focus is squarely on the four men listed above, the developers behind the five towers. Readers will learn a little bit about the architecture, interior design, engineering and other physical attributes of the towers, but they will learn a lot more about the legal and economic means of how each individual tower happened, as well as the personalities of those men and the people they had relationships with, both business and personal. I have given walking tours of 57th Street and other parts of the city where luxury residential towers are in abundance, and while I tend to focus on aspects of architecture, engineering, and zoning, I never forget to mention how much celebrities and other high-worth people pay for the units; slenderness ratio is exciting to some, but the most audible gasps come from patrons hearing about condos selling for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Similarly, Clarke knows her audience; she is attuned to the public's interest in money — plus how much people love to hear about bad things happening to rich people. So the book, a chronological account spanning just over a decade, has plenty of information on the money problems, leaks and creaks, lawsuits, and personal squabbles playing out over that time. If you like hearing that sort of thing, you'll love this book. Although I found Billionaires' Row at a used bookstore a few weeks ago, it was released just last month, exactly two weeks before Sky-High, by former New York Times writer Eric P. Nash. Was there a publishing race to get the first book about Manhattan's supertall towers for the super rich in print? I doubt it, especially since Nash's book has a wider scope than Clarke's, and his book is as much about the photographs by Bruce Katz as it is Nash's critical takes on a dozen 300-meter-plus towers, residential and otherwise, in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Also, the two books lag two years behind Andi Schmied's wonderful and artsy Private Views: A High-Rise Panorama of Manhattan (VI PER Gallery, 2021), arguably the first book on the phenomenon. Last year, well before it was published, an editor at Princeton Architecture Press sent me a preview of Sky-High for a potential blurb on the cover. It wasn't used (the book ended up without any blurbs), but this is what I wrote: "I don't know whether to join Eric P. Nash's fact-filled, opinion-laden chorus and decry some of the dozen supertalls that have reconfigured New York City’s skyline this century, or adore them all through Bruce Katz's loving wide-angle lens. All I know for sure is that this is a much-needed book." Now seeing the book in print, sent to me recently by the publisher, I stand by my statement and its implication that it's nigh impossible to reach any conclusions on the phenomenon of NYC skyscrapers this century when imbibing critical takes, mainly of the aesthetic variety, joined by architectural photography presenting the buildings in the best possible manner. No wonder the back-cover description calls it "part architectural guidebook and part critique." Nash's thirteen numbered chapters are grouped in three parts — "A Short History of the Tall Building in New York City," "Supertalls," and "Is Bigger Better?" — with Katz's documentation of the dozen towers inserted as project spreads with black backgrounds. The latter would seem to demarcate photo contributions from text, but more of Katz's photographs are provided alongside Nash's text, making the book more visual than textual. As such, the tug of war between verbal critique and visual praise is near constant. Unfortunately, in the last part of the book, when Nash states that "the real question skyscrapers of any height pose is [...] how they impact the quality of street life," very few photos of that condition, where a skyscraper meets the sidewalk, are provided — and we only see the good examples, including the pedestrian plaza next to One Vanderbilt. Perhaps this dearth is due to timing (the retail at the base of 111 West 57th is still empty, for instance, while its residential entrance on 58th Street sits behind scaffolding), but perhaps it's an inadvertent commentary on the fact these towers contribute very little to the quality of street life. Yes, 432 Park Avenue has a nice POPS between the tower and its detached retail component, but 220 Central Park South puts a private drop-off along 58th Street, opposite where Central Park Tower has an entrance to the pricey Nordstrom department store. Most of these Billionaires' Row towers put their loading docks along narrow 58th Street, but photos similar to those I captured recently would stand out like proverbial sore thumbs in this book. Instead, Nash references Edward Soja, Rebecca Solnit, Shoshna Zuboff, and Henri Lefebvre in a chapter in part three, when he quotes Elizabeth Diller, architect of the near-supertall at 15 Hudson Yards, as saying skyscrapers like 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street "damage the city fabric." If they do, visual evidence of it is hard to find in Sky-High.

The most recent numbered installment of "Book Briefs," the series of occasional posts featuring short first-hand descriptions of some of the numerous books that publishers send to me for consideration on this blog, was #48, back in December. I wasn't planning on continuing the series this year-of-doing-things-differently (or so I thought), but a couple of weeks ago I brought back the "Briefs" to play around with ChatGPT, which I had been hesitant to dive into but was told by numerous people that I MUST try it. At that time I also mentioned an in-progress "Brief" with eight books — here they are. Concrete in Switzerland: Histories from the Recent Past edited by Salvatore Aprea, Nicola Navone, Laurent Stalder and Sarah Nichols, published by EPFL Press in May 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) Concrete in Switzerland is a companion publication to Beton, the exhibition held at S AM (Swiss Architecture Museum) in Basel from November 2021 to April 2022. In addition to the involvement of S AM, both the exhibition and the book boast three partners: the gta Archiv, ETH Zürich; the Archives de la construction moderne, EPF Lausanne (EPFL); and Archivio del Moderno dell’Academia di Architettura, Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). The editors from each of these three institutions — Salvatore Aprea (ETH), Nicola Navone (USI), and Laurent Stalder (EPFL) — also contributed one essay each among the book's thirteen essays: Aprea's contribution is about the famous Hennebique System; Navone's focuses, appropriately, on reinforced concrete architecture in Ticino; and Stalder traces about a century of technology's role in the Swiss pastoral, moving from Bruno Taut's Alpine Architecture to near the present day. Appropriately, Stalder's essay is first in the book, effectively serving as an overview or appetizer, if you will, for the essays that take deeper dives into individual subjects. Some standouts include: Silvia Berger Ziauddin's take on concrete bunkers, reminding me of my visit to Sasso San Gottardo; Lorenzo Stieger's essay on terraced hillside housing; Giulia Marino's presentation of the IGECO heavy prefabrication system; and Roberto Gargiani's piece on concrete in the early works of Herzog & de Meuron. This being a companion to an exhibition, the essays comprise about two-thirds of the book, the remainder filled by a lengthy visual essay, "Concrete Stories," by Sarah Nichols, curator of Beton. Her nearly 100-page contribution is broken down into shorter sections with such names as "Concrete is Rock," "Concrete is Energy," and "Concrete is Immaterial." The last shows how ideas around concrete are as important as the physical material itself. Urban Design in the 20th Century: A History by Tom Avermaete and Janina Gosseye, published by gta Verlag in January 2021 (Amazon) In its selection of Urban Design in the 20th Century as one of the ten recipients of a 2022 DAM Architectural Book Award, the jury described the book as "a handy and extensive" publication that is "an exciting, informative, and likewise uncluttered read, giving the complex mass of material a good structure and making it easy to consume." That is an apt description for the 100-plus urban design projects described through hundreds of illustrations across nine chapters spanning 440 pages. Organization is paramount, from the chronological-thematic structure of the chapters to the layout of said images (on black pages) and text (on white). Born from a course in urban design history taught by the authors at ETH Zurich, the book traces a history along the lines of what has been covered before (e.g., the books of Peter Hall and David Grahame Shane) but occasionally broadens the scope beyond a European center, and does it in a way that is appealing for students today: lots of images, large text, and bite-sized (sub)chapters. Today, one might expect a more culturally relevant take on the subject, but the authors point out in the book's coda that most developments in urban design the 20th century were "informed by a European point of view" and that telling a more global history would "undermine current attempts to decolonize history." The last point hints at some forthcoming scholarship that should flesh out histories like this one, presenting alternatives to familiar European perspectives. Modern Architecture in Japan by Manfredo Tafuri, edited by Mohsen Mostafavi, published by MACK in October 2022 (Amazon) Even though, as my collection of books has grown, my appetite for first editions has increased, I still have a soft spot for reprints. (It was one of the likes in my Valentine to architecture books, after all.) They allow hard-to-find, often prohibitively expensive books to be readily available once again and appreciated by new generations of audiences. Even if the ideas in an old book are dated, decisions regarding what merits reprinting point to some renewed interest in a subject or an author's take on a subject, among other things. A few months ago I happened upon a 1982 reprint of Ralph Adams Cram's Impressions of Japanese Architecture and the Allied Arts, first published in 1905 then revised in 1930; I had never heard of the book, but the fact it was reprinted and was relatively cheap led me to buy it. It has a little bit of overlap with one of the fall 2022 books MACK sent me, a handsome reprint of Manfredo Tafuri's Modern Architecture in Japan from 1964. The differences between the two books are as great as their similarities: Both are outsiders' views of Japan (Cram from the US, Tafuri from Italy), but the ensuing changes in the half-century between books meant Tafuri focused on modern architecture over Cram's exploration of temples, shrines, and other creations from previous centuries. (Only in the brief conclusion does Cram jump to the present and Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel and the influence of European architecture on Japan.) Although Cram based his book, as the name indicates, on travels to Japan, curiously, when Tafuri wrote his guide to the country's modern architecture at the age of just 29, he had never even been to Japan! But the biggest difference, at least in terms of the reprints themselves, is that Tafuri's book was originally released in Italian, so the book put out by MACK is notable as the first English translation of his armchair guidebook. The nearly 60-year lag between original and translation means its importance is minor relative to Architecture and Utopia (just six years between the 1973 Italian original and English translation in 1979) or even Theories and History of Architecture (twelve years: 1968 and 1980). Still, Mohsen Mostafavi's preface argues for the relevance of Tafuri's book today "despite its reliance on secondary sources and its occasional inaccuracies," while a handful of essays following Tafuri's text put it in a greater context. A most interesting take is Tafuri writing the book as much to influence contemporary architecture in Italy as to understand it in Japan. Modern Architecture in Japan was part of a series edited by Leonardo Benevolo, in which other architects and writers wrote about the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Brazil, and a few European countries. I can't help but wonder if those books will find their way into English, or if Tafuri's book, thanks to the longevity of his name, will be the only one meriting a reprint. The Pliable Plane: The Wall as Surface in Sculpture and Architecture, 1945–75 by Penelope Curtis, published by MACK in October 2022 (Amazon) Just as MACK's translated reprint of Tafuri's book reminded me of an older book on Japan, the subject of Penelope Curtis's The Pliable Plane — the manipulation of the wall surface bridging art and architecture in the decades after WWII — made me think of another old book: Paul F. Damaz's Art in Latin American Architecture. I became aware of the 1963 book when writing 100 Years, 100 Buildings, using it as a reference on two of the buildings: Oscar Niemeyer's Saint Francis of Assisi Church at Pampulha (1947) and University City of Caracas by Carlos Raúl Villanueva (1953). Niemeyer actually wrote a preface for Damaz's book, and no wonder, considering the author called his church "the best instance of collaboration between an architect and artists"; the expressive azulejo artwork on the street facade is the most famous instance of many artistic contributions integrated with the church, outside and in. Are these or other examples of wall-heavy art in Damaz's survey also found in Curtis's book? Not that I could see. Her short yet very interesting book is limited to European and US examples, with an abundance of Henry Moore — no surprise, given her former role as director of the Henry Moore Institute. While some of the projects are very well known, Curtis examines them in atypical ways. Paul Rudolph's A&A Building at Yale (now Rudolph Hall), for instance, is bound to come to any architect's mind when considering wall surfaces, but Curtis focuses on the lesser-known sculptural plaster casts from classical architecture integrated into the hammered corduroy concrete walls. Part of the joy in the book, at least for me, was discovering previously unknown projects, a standout being the Mausoleum Fosse Ardeatine (1949) in Rome. Foundations of Urban Design by Marcel Smets, published by Actar Publishers in January 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) The latest by Marcel Smets, whom I know of as the author, with Kelly Shannon, of the excellent The Landscape of Contemporary Infrastructure, is a short book with short texts that aim to "open up the core ideas of urban design to the wider public." The Foundations of the title are 29 numbered chapters (F01–F29) that consist of apparently oppositional yet complementary pairs that touch on organizational strategies (Ribbon/Cluster, Ladder/Star), urban spaces (Market Square/Parade Ground, Hole/Void), circulation corridors (Street/Road, Path/Avenue), waterways (Brook/Detch, River, Canal), and other less formal aspects of urban design (Use/Morphology, Creator/Curator), among other things. The short texts (none appeared to be more than four pages) are accompanied by pairs of images that capture the essence of Smets's lessons. Given the intended audience, the text is far from challenging and is further leavened by the illustrations, though I wouldn't go so far to say it's a stimulating read. Still, the book is a good introduction to urban design for students — and that wider public curious about the field. Spatial Infrastructure: Essays on Architectural Thinking as a Form of Knowledge by José Aragüez, published by Actar Publishers and Public Space in January 2023 (Amazon / Bookshop) Back in 2016, José Aragüez's The Building was released. I never saw the book back then, but I recently picked it up and, despite its occasional academic abstruseness, really like the collection of 43 brief, three-page theoretical takes on what the title indicates: buildings. Born from symposia at the Architectural Association in 2014, it reads a bit like TED Talks for architectural educators and theoreticians. Clearly not a followup, even though it does include the introductory essay from the earlier book, Aragüez's second book, Spatial Infrastructure, takes a different, longform approach, featuring just eight essays across roughly 150 pages (that's nearly 20 pages per essay, on average). The topics in the essays spanning from 2010 to 2022 are very much aligned with The Building, with heady theoretical takes grounded in discussions of real-world examples, such as Toyo Ito's Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in Taiwan (the subject of "Sponge Territory") and FOA's Yokohama Ferry Terminal among other buildings in the essay that lends the book its title. Em obras: história do vazio em Belo Horizonte (Under Construction: History of the Void in Belo Horizonte) by Carlos M. Teixeira, published by Romano Guerra Editora in 2022 (Amazon) Think of cities in Brazil and most likely the three most-populous ones spring to mind: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasilia. Sixth on the list of Brazilian cities by population, though right up top in the life of architect Carlos M. Teixeira, is Belo Horizonte, a not-too-small city of 2.5 million in Minas Gerais. The name of Teixeira's studio, Vazio S/A, translates as "empty" but refers to the voids in Belo Horizonte that have preoccupied him for decades. In my review of his 2012 monograph, Entre, I wrote how "the stagings and sets [of his performance-based projects] attempt to activate the leftover voids of his home city," using the second Topographical Amnesia as an example. For his latest, more thematically ambitious and chronologically sweeping book, Teixeira presents the 100-plus-year history of Belo Horizonte (it was founded in 1897) with a focus on everything that has not been built: "The city, fragmented and prosaic, accepted with no nostalgic sentiment and exalted as what is most important in the city." This atypical history is told through photographs — "anti-postcards" — and numbered texts (001–122) that are interspersed with the photos. (The English translation placed at the end of the book means some back-and-forth flipping is needed to see any relationships between image and text.) Architects outside Brazil will see something familiar when they reach number 82, circa 1947: Oscar Niemeyer's buildings at Pampulha, what Teixeira calls "the occupation of a suburban void." In 1994, Teixeira writes, when residents were give a referendum to select a symbol of the city, Niemeyer's Pampulha Church was in the running but, in the end, the Serra do Curral — a sprawling natural void at the southern boundary of the municipality — won with 270,000 votes. With that "victory," I can't think of a stronger argument for Teixeira's ongoing infatuation with the void in the city where he lives and works. Lina Bo Bardi: Material Ideologies edited by Monica Ponce de Leon, published by Princeton University School of Architecture in October 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) The Womxn in Design and Architecture (WDA) formed at Princeton University School of Architecture in 2014, and three years later the graduate student group held its first annual conference, commemorating the one-year anniversary of Zaha Hadid’s passing. But it would be the second conference, Lina Bo Bardi: Material Ecologies, that became the first in WDA's Publication Series, published as a beautiful linen flexicover with numerous gatefolds among the numerous contributions coming out of the March 2018 conference. The conference had a three-part thematic structure (Concrete Brut, Natura, Material Re-Use) stemming from the "Material Ecologies" subtitle, and while the contents of the book follow the schedule of the conference's keynotes and panels, with two notable additions (Beatriz Colomina and Mario Gandelsonas), the book does not belabor the three themes, instead letting the essays stand out on their own merits. An obvious highlight is "Betwixt and Between" by Zeuler R. M. de A. Lima, author of an excellent 2013 monograph on Bo Bardi. Photo contributions by Veronika Kellndorfer ("Sprawling Nature") and Joana França ("Lina, In Situ") are stunning. Mike Cooter's "Artifacts of Work" is an unanticipated standout, one that translates a piece of one of Bo Bardi's buildings into an installation in an architecture exhibition. Kudos to CLANADA (Lana Cavar and Natasha Chandani) for the lovely design of the highly tactile book.

Last week I cobbled together eight books, some of which publishers had sent me more than a year ago, in an effort to write a "Better Late Than Never" installment of "Book Briefs," something I had done back in April 2018 with Book Briefs #35. But, sensing I would not be able to absorb the books quickly enough to get the post done in less than a week, I thought that revisiting that five-year-old post would be a great way of (finally) dipping into the timesaver that is AI, asking OpenAI's ChatGPT to write similar one-paragraph reviews and see what it came up with. So that's what I did. Specifically, I told ChatGPT to "Give a short, one-paragraph review of 'X Book' by Y author." Its output is featured below, in four of the six books that were part of Book Briefs #35, accompanied by my own "briefs" from 2018 and blurbs from the publishers. How do the reviews compare, my own vs. OpenAI? My takes are certainly more personal, with first-person commentary that isn't always germane to the book at hand but indicates where I'm coming from and what I find of interest and/or value. ChatGPT is, on the other hand, formulaic, with four sentences in a clearly repetitive structure for each review: statement of importance; two descriptive sentences; a closing statement indicating relevance to a particular audience. The AI "reviews" read well and have a clear position, but they are prescriptive, repetitive, and boring (so many rules of three!), especially when read in multiples, as here. I included the blurbs to see if OpenAI was drawing any phrases from them in shaping the reviews; that does not appear to be the case, nor does it appear that it used my "briefs" to formulate its speedy takes (each one took about five seconds to generate) on the books I gave it. Maybe ChatGPT is more effective in longer reviews, but this exercise does not lend any urgency to such an attempt on my part. African Modernism: The Architecture of Independence. Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Zambia edited by Manuel Herz, published by Park Books in 2015 (reprinted in 2023) (Amazon | Bookshop) Blurb: "In the 1950s and 1960s, most African countries gained independence from their respective colonial power. Architecture became one of the principal means by which the newly formed countries expressed their national identity. African Modernism investigates the close relationship between architecture and nation-building in Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zambia. It features one hundred buildings with brief descriptive texts, images, site plans, and selected floor plans and sections. The vast majority of images were newly taken by Iwan Baan and Alexia Webster for the book’s first edition. Their photographs document the buildings in their present state. Each country is portrayed in an introductory text and a timeline of historic events. Further essays on postcolonial Africa and specific aspects and topics, also illustrated with images and documents, round out this outstanding volume." JohnHILL: Although the size of a coffee table book and graced by full-page Iwan Baan photographs, African Modernism is a deep, scholarly work, not just something to flip through. Focused on the five subtitled African countries that gained their independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s (5 of 32 countries on the continent that did so), the book examines how architecture played a role in expressing their independence and modernity. Each country is given an introduction, a timeline, a photo spread by Baan, documentation of important buildings in photos (most by Baan) and words, and an in-depth academic essay. Though many buildings show signs of wear (not surprising, given the time between their realization and today), the architectural quality is astounding. That the buildings in the book are largely unknown points to a deficit in architectural education and publishing — and the need for more books like this one and Adjaye Africa Architecture. ChatGPT: "'African Modernism: The Architecture of Independence. Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Zambia' edited by Manuel Herz is a groundbreaking book that sheds light on the architectural legacy of African modernism. With a focus on five countries, the book explores the post-independence era and the architectural projects that emerged during this period of political and cultural transformation. The book's rich collection of photographs, plans, and essays provides valuable insight into the unique blend of local and international influences that shaped African modernist architecture. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in the intersection of architecture, history, and cultural identity in Africa." The Architecture of Paul Rudolph by Timothy M. Rohan, published by Yale University Press in 2014 (Amazon | Bookshop) Blurb (excerpt): "Based on extensive archival research and unpublished materials, The Architecture of Paul Rudolph is the first in-depth study of the architect, neglected since his postwar zenith. Author Timothy M. Rohan unearths the ideas that informed Rudolph’s architecture, from his Florida beach houses of the 1940s to his concrete buildings of the 1960s to his lesser-known East Asian skyscrapers of the 1990s. Situating Rudolph within the architectural discourse of his day, Rohan shows how Rudolph countered the perceived monotony of mid-century modernism with a dramatically expressive architecture for postwar America, exemplified by his Yale Art and Architecture Building of 1963, famously clad in corrugated concrete. The fascinating story of Rudolph’s spectacular rise and fall considerably deepens longstanding conceptions about postwar architecture: Rudolph emerges as a pivotal figure who anticipated new directions for architecture, ranging from postmodernism to sustainability." JohnHILL: A lot has happened in the four years since this book's publication [between 2014 and 2018]: Bertrand Goldberg's Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago was demolished, Paul Rudolph's own Orange County Government Center was maligned through a partial demolition and insensitive addition, and the famed Robin Hood Gardens was demolished. A new exhibition, in fact, hones in on the demolition of Brutalist structures, something that books like Rohan's haven't been able to reverse. This isn't to say that saving Rudolph's buildings and others like it was Rohan's goal, but as Alexandra Lange points out in her 2014 review of The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, "it's a timely publication." That time seems to have slid by rapidly, but given that 2018 is the centennial of Rudolph's birth, we might just see a renewed appreciation in his work. If so, Rohan's thorough, well-researched book will surely play a part. ChatGPT: "'The Architecture of Paul Rudolph' by Timothy M. Rohan is a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the influential architect's work. Rohan delves into Rudolph's distinctive design language, innovative use of materials, and his significant contributions to modern architecture. Through detailed analysis and stunning visuals, the book captures the complexity and dynamism of Rudolph's buildings, showcasing his mastery of space, form, and light. This book serves as an invaluable resource for architects, students, and enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of Rudolph's architectural legacy and his lasting impact on the field." Brodsky & Utkin by Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin, published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2015 (Amazon) Blurb: "From 1978 to 1993, the renowned Soviet 'paper architects' Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin created an incredible collection of elaborate etchings depicting outlandish, often impossible, buildings and cityscapes. Funny, cerebral, and deeply human, their obsessively detailed work layers elements borrowed from Egyptian tombs, Ledoux's visionary architecture, Le Corbusier's urban master plans, and other historical precedents in etchings of breathtaking complexity and beauty. Back by popular demand following the sold-out original 1991 edition and 2003 reprint, Brodsky & Utkin presents the sum of the architects' collaborative prints and adds new material, including an updated preface by the artists' gallery representative, Ron Feldman, a new introductory essay by architect Aleksandr Mergold, visual documentation of the duo's installation work, and rare personal photographs." JohnHILL: I'm not certain when I first learned about Russian Architects Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin. Maybe it was in a 2005 blog post at Pruned. For sure it was well after the title Princeton Architectural Press put out on the duo in the early 1990s, as well as the 2003 first edition they put out and then printed again (with new preface) in 2015. The duo's intricate etchings are more art than architecture (they're represented by Feldman Gallery, after all), though many were submissions for architectural competitions hosted by Shinkenchiku and others in the 1980s. At 9x12 inches, the book isn't small, but with so many layers of information in their images it could easily be twice as large. ChatGPT: "'Brodsky & Utkin' by Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin, published by Princeton Architectural Press, is a captivating and visually stunning retrospective of the renowned Russian architectural duo. The book showcases the imaginative and whimsical architectural drawings and etchings that Brodsky and Utkin are known for. With their unique blend of historical references, surrealism, and social commentary, their works transport readers to a dreamlike world of fantastical structures. This publication serves as a valuable tribute to their distinctive artistic vision and is a must-have for architecture enthusiasts, artists, and anyone captivated by the power of architectural illustration." Le Corbusier, Homme de Lettres by M. Christine Boyer, published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2010 (Amazon) Blurb (excerpt): "On his French identity card, legendary architect Le Corbusier listed his profession as 'Homme de Lettres' (Man of Letters). Celebrated for his architecture, which numbers fewer than sixty buildings, Le Corbusier also wrote more than fifty books, hundreds of articles, and thousands of letters. Le Corbusier, Homme de Lettres is the first in-depth study of Le Corbusier as a writer as well as an architect. [...] In Le Corbusier, Homme de Lettres author M. Christine Boyer focuses on the development of his writing style as it morphed from romantic prose to aphorisms and telegraphic bulletins. [...] Le Corbusier, Homme de Lettres shows for the first time how his voluminous output — books, diaries, letters, sketchbooks, travel notebooks, lecture transcriptions, exposition catalogs, journal articles — reflects not just a compulsion to write, but a passion for advancing his ideas about the relationship between architecture, urbanism, and society in a new machine age." JohnHILL: When I received this book way back in 2010, I had every intention of reading the whole thing — all 702 pages (780 pages with notes and index). Well, life got in the way and I only got through two of the book's twelve chapters before putting it down and, unfortunately, not returning to it again. I recall those hundred or so pages being, though not an easy read, certainly an enjoyable one. Boyer managed to mine Le Corbusier's original documents and discuss them in a way that pulls the reader along. A strong interest in Le Corbusier and his writings (the book focuses on 1907-1947) helps greatly; though there are plenty of architects out there meeting that criteria. ChatGPT: "'Le Corbusier, Homme de Lettres' by M. Christine Boyer is a compelling exploration of Le Corbusier's lesser-known role as a man of letters. Boyer sheds light on the prolific writings of the renowned architect, showcasing his literary talents and intellectual pursuits. Through a meticulous examination of his letters, essays, and manifestos, the book reveals the breadth and depth of Le Corbusier's ideas on architecture, urbanism, and society. This book is a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of Le Corbusier's multifaceted contributions to the fields of architecture and literature." As an expansion of my partial revisiting of Book Briefs #35, below are catalogs of two exhibitions I wrote about for World-Architects back in 2022 (MoMA's The Project of Independence in February of that year, The Met's Bernd & Hilla Becher in July) but never got around to reviewing here. These are books I consulted after my initial visits and while writing my exhibition reviews, so I have some familiarity with them, albeit now from a distance of roughly a year or more. But given that I'd yet to articulate my thoughts on them, I decided to write "briefs" on them after inputting the same prompt into ChatGPT — a reverse of the reviews above. Will the AI-generated affect how I write about them? Should I adopt the style of ChatGPT in my one-paragraph reviews? Read on to see... The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985 edited by Martino Stierli, Anoma Pieris and Sean Anderson, published by the Museum of Modern Art in March 2022 (Amazon | Bookshop) Blurb (excerpt): "Anchored by a newly commissioned portfolio of images from architectural photographer Randhir Singh, this richly illustrated and meticulously researched catalogue features essays by the curators and leading scholars in the field on subjects such as the politics of concrete, institution-building, higher education, housing, infrastructure and industry, landscape, and design, as well as presentations of seventeen transformative projects from around the subcontinent. While several of the architects appearing in these pages have in recent years received monographic exhibitions, The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985 marks the first attempt to consider their work within the ideological frameworks of its creation and the political context of the region as a whole." ChatGPT: "'The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985' edited by Martino Stierli, Anoma Pieris, and Sean Anderson is a thought-provoking and enlightening anthology that explores the architectural landscape of South Asia during the post-independence era. Through a collection of essays, case studies, and visual documentation, the book examines the complex interplay between politics, identity, and architectural production in the region. It sheds light on the diverse range of architectural projects that emerged during this transformative period, offering valuable insights into the decolonization process and its impact on the built environment. This book is an essential resource for architects, historians, and anyone interested in the intersection of architecture, history, and postcolonial studies." JohnHILL: Museum of Modern Art curator Martino Stierli, in an interview at World-Architects that I edited ahead of the opening of The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947–1985, described that exhibition as "a continuation of the 2018 exhibition, Toward A Concrete Utopia," subtitled Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980 and notably his first major show at MoMA. Stierli actually proposed the exhibition on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka in his 2014 interview for the MoMA post, a clear sign that he sees the contemporary importance in "destabilizing the Western-centric canon of modern architectural history," one notably fostered by MoMA for decades. The catalog is as good as the exhibition was, with a portfolio of contemporary photographs by Randhir Singh, essays by architects and scholars (on cities, housing, infrastructure, education, and other subjects), and case studies on more than a dozen buildings, from Antonin Raymond' s Golconde dormitory in Pondicherry, India, to Yasmeen Lari's Anguri Bagh Housing in Lahore, Pakistan. As befits Stierli, an architectural historian, the catalog is more thorough and wide-ranging than the exhibition it accompanied. Bernd & Hilla Becher by Jeff L. Rosenheim, published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in August 2022 (Amazon / Bookshop) Blurb: "For more than five decades, Bernd (1931–2007) and Hilla (1934–2015) Becher collaborated on photographs of industrial architecture in Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Great Britain, and the United States. This sweeping monograph features the Bechers’ quintessential pictures, which present water towers, gas tanks, blast furnaces, and more as sculptural objects. Beyond the Bechers’ iconic Typologies, the book includes Bernd’s early drawings, Hilla’s independent photographs, and excerpts from their notes, sketchbooks, and journals. The book’s authors offer new insights into the development of the artists’ process, their work’s conceptual underpinnings, the photographers’ relationship to deindustrialization, and the artists’ legacy. An essay by award-winning cultural historian Lucy Sante and an interview with Max Becher, the artists’ son, make this volume an unrivaled look into the Bechers’ art alongside their career, life, and subjects." ChatGPT: "'Bernd & Hilla Becher' by Jeff L. Rosenheim is a captivating tribute to the renowned German photographic duo known for their systematic documentation of industrial architecture. The book delves into the Bechers' distinctive approach to capturing the beauty and functionality of industrial structures, presenting their work as a unique blend of art and documentary photography. With insightful essays, stunning reproductions of their iconic images, and a comprehensive overview of their artistic journey, this book is an essential resource for photography enthusiasts, art historians, and anyone fascinated by the power of visual storytelling." JohnHILL: In the last of six numbered galleries of the Bernd & Hilla Becher exhibition at The Met last year, a glass vitrine displayed a selection of books published by the photographers in their lifetime. I wrote in my review of the exhibition that "books [were] an integral part of their career — the primary means of making their work accessible to artists, architects, historians, and the general public." Their books, furthermore, are highly prized — expensive even as reprints, and somewhat scarce — so any book on the Bechers, in my mind, is welcome, especially this one by Met curator Jeff L. Rosenheim. Highlights of the beautifully produced catalog include Gabrielle Conrath-Scholl's essay on the Bechers' documentation of Zeche Concordia between 1967 and 1970; Rosenheim's interview with Max, the Bechers' son; and 120 pages of plates that include a couple gatefolds. The plates may not be a substitute for seeing the Bechers' photographs — larger — in a gallery setting, but their accompaniments make them that as valuable here.

Two weeks ago I was in Venice for the Biennale, covering the 18th International Architecture Exhibition curated by Lesley Lokko for World-Architects. It was my first trip back to Venice since the 2018 Biennale, which was the 16th edition and was curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara of Grafton Architects. Like other writers outside of Europe, the interim edition, though delayed from 2020 to 2021 due the pandemic, still opened at a time when international travel was difficult. I passed on it, as many others did. My 2018 trip yielded a pair of "book briefs" on this blog with two handfuls of catalogs from the main exhibition, some from the national pavilions, and some on collateral events. Although a similar number of books from the current Biennale is featured below, it felt this year that print catalogs were slimmer than in years past. For instance, the national pavilions were focused more on digital than print publications, making them available via QR codes and offering to ship print versions later. And only one pavilion, Bahrain, had a large stack of books that whittled down over the course of the two-day vernissage. The FOODSCAPES book in the Spanish Pavilion I have a hard time passing up any printed catalog, but I could only carry so much with me, so the below list is limited to the ones I felt were important enough to bring home with me. What's missing? The most exceptional printed catalog I came across was for the Spanish Pavilion, FOODSCAPES, whose website indicates part of the exhibition includes "an archive in the form of a recipe book." The book I flipped through on the large table in the middle of the venue (photo above) was large, the size of an atlas; its large pages were full of essays, images, architectural projects, and other content related to the theme. But only a newsprint was distributed during the vernissage and, while the Biennale bookshop was selling catalogs to other pavilions, Spain was not one of them. For now, this book remains a mystery. The days leading up to the opening of the Biennale on May 20 were also packed with book launches, some that I signed up for ahead of time but, for one reason or another, didn't make it to, and others that I happened upon as I trekked the Biennale grounds or ventured around Venice. These books I missed include: Sketches on Everlasting Plastics, the first iteration of an ongoing editorial intervention around the US Pavilion exhibition Everlasting Plastics; Architecture in Islamic Countries: Selections from the Catalogue for the Second International Exhibition of Architecture Venice 1982/83, the first English translation of the Italian catalog for the second Venice Architecture Biennale, directed by Paolo Portoghesi; and the launch of the first volume of Khōrein: Journal for Architecture and Philosophy. Main Exhibition: Biennale Architettura 2023: The Laboratory of the Future edited by Lesley Lokko, published by Silvana Editoriale (Amazon / Bookshop) As seems to be the norm in Biennales this century, the catalog for the International Architecture Exhibition is published in two sizes (small and large) and, at least in the large size, in two volumes: one volume devoted to the main exhibition and one volume cataloging the dozens of national pavilions. The latter for this year is the slimmer volume (176 pages) and is basically unnecessary, given the numerous standalone catalogs for the national pavilions and the only cursory, preliminary content available for each contribution. The volume basically serves as a reference, with two-page spreads providing a curatorial statement, list of contributors, and an image giving a sense of the theme for each pavilion and collateral event. On the other hand, the longer, 440-page volume devoted to Lesley Lokko's exhibition, The Laboratory of the Future, is more than necessary. Not only does it provide similar statements, team information, and images on the 89 contributors to the exhibition, it helpfully presents them in the multifaceted structure Lokko set up for the exhibition. Within the theme are a handful of sections (Force Majeure, Dangerous Liaisons, Curator's Special Projects, etc.) that are split between the Giardini and Arsenale venues but also intertwined. The catalog presents the contributions within this thematic structure and in alphabetical order; plans of the venues with numbered keys indicate their physical location. Short essays and images inserted between the color-coded sections round out the beautifully produced volume. National Pavilions: Cloud-to-ground edited by Oren Eldar, Edith Kofsky and Hadas Maor, published by Park Books (Amazon / Bookshop) Open for Maintenance – Wegen Umbau geöffnet edited by Anh-Linh Ngo, published by ARCH+ / Spector Books (Amazon / Bookshop) Partecipazione / Beteiligung edited by AKT and Hermann Czech, published by Luftschacht Verlag (Amazon / Bookshop) Walkers in Amazonia: The Calendar Project edited by Alexia León and Lucho Marcial, published by Patronato Cultural del Peru (PDF download) With just two days of the vernissage to take in the large main exhibition, dozens of national pavilions, and even more collateral events and other exhibitions around the city — and with most visitors to the Biennale spending a day or two there anyways — catalogs are valuable for allowing visitors to devote more time to exhibits of interest. They're particularly valuable for the national pavilions, which are major efforts that often treat the catalogs as extensions of the materials on display. A case in point is Israel's pavilion, cloud-to-ground, which is empty this year and just consists of a few models of buildings on stands in the adjacent courtyard. The concrete models depict old telephone exchanges that are, in reality like the Israel Pavilion, closed off, symbols of how technological change leads to a residue of "black boxes" and provoke the obvious question: What will happen to today's server farms tomorrow, when their technology is obsolete? If the pavilion is slim on information, the book is thorough — and lovely, in its own way — overloaded with essays, interviews, a 112-page "telephone exchanges index," an index of data centers, and much more content. Brazil and Great Britain won the jury's awards for national pavilions, but two of my favorites didn't: Austria and Germany. Though markedly different in content, each pavilion is about connecting to the Venetian context; Austria does it through a proposal to physically link its pavilion to the Sant'Elena neighborhood just beyond its walls, and Germany does it by turning its pavilion into a materials depot and workshop for Venetian students and craftspeople to use scrap from the 2022 Venice Art Biennale for school and building projects. Austria's bilingual catalog gives a background on the Biennale's gradual encroachment into Sant'Elena as the reasoning behind the temporary footbridge the curators wanted to build for this year's exhibition; the book also catalogs the expansion of the Biennale this century into the rest of the city via small venues and has essays on the right to the city and other relevant topics. It's a strong, politically charged idea — no wonder the Biennale and other authorities shot down the proposed temporary bridge. The German Pavilion is curated in part by the editors of ARCH+, so logically the catalog to Open for Maintenance – Wegen Umbau geöffnet is published by the German architecture magazine; it has been released in separate German and English issues, the latter done with Spector Books. The 208-page matte-paper issue, number 252, comes with a 24-page glossy insert that explains the premise of the pavilion and documents its realization through color photographs. The various pieces of the pavilion — exterior ramp, material repository, workshop, kitchenette, waterless toilet, and meeting space — are both illustrative and functioning parts of the circular economy promoted by the curators. The numerous contributions to the issue proper address everything from maintenance and care to race and gender, from the politics of disability to squatting and the right to the city. The issue even has built projects, set off from the rest on gray pages, that follow from the pavilion's theme. Last of the national pavilion catalogs I brought home is Walkers in Amazonia: The Calendar Project, Peru's contribution to the Biennale. Housed in a smallish building at the Arsenale alongside a few other nations that don't have their own pavilions in the Giardini, Walkers in Amazonia is structured as an A-frame displaying colorful calendars created by indigenous communities in the Peruvian jungle. The catalog contains all of those calendars on glossy pages, but at a smaller size that means many of the words accompanying the drawings are too small to read (they're all in Spanish, obviously, but still). The calendars clearly express a circular understanding of time that is rooted in natural cycles, of reciprocally living in and caring for the jungle. Coincidentally, I met architect Marta Maccaglia, who was in town to accept the inaugural divia award (see below) for the work she's been doing in Peru for about a decade; she told me how happy she was to see the Peruvian jungle as the subject of the pavilion, especially its expression in the colorful circular calendars. Elsewhere in Venice: divia award 2023: Diversity in Architecture edited by Ursula Schwitalla and Christiane Fath, published by Hatje Cantz (Amazon) Kengo Kuma: Onomatopoeia Architecture edited by Elena Caldara, published by Dario Cimorelli Editore Quaderns Biennale, 2023: Following the Fish edited by Daniel Cid, Francesc Pla and Eva Serrats, published by Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) Zero Gravity Urbanism: Principles for a New Livability published by NEOM La Biennale di Venezia has a structure that is clear but can be confusing for people visiting Venice during the Biennale — which is about half of every year, when considered between the alternating art and architecture exhibitions. The official exhibitions and events for the Venice Architecture Biennale consist of the International Architecture Exhibition (the one curated by Lesley Lokko this year), the national pavilions (in the Giardini, traditionally, but also in the Arsenale), special projects like V&A's Applied Arts Pavilion, and collateral events that are distributed around the city. But many unofficial exhibitions and events overlap with the Biennale, taking advantage of the people visiting the city to look at architecture exhibitions but also giving the impression that any exhibition in Venice in that time is part of the Biennale. Of these four books, only one is for an official Biennale event. One of the just nine collateral events in this year's Biennale is Catalonia in Venice_ Following the Fish, which is strongly aligned with Lesley Lokko's exhibition. (National pavilions, or in this case a regional collateral event, don't need to follow the theme of the main exhibition, but they have every right to — and often they do.) It looks at the community of vendors ("manters") in Barcelona who traveled there from Senegal for better opportunities, but instead of being able to ply their trades they are left to hustle cheap wares on the sidewalks, always on the lookout for police ready to arrest them. The story is more complicated than this description, but the exhibition bravely addresses the racism the manters confront on a daily basis; and it reveals to visitors the unseen or ignored community that the curators have formed an alliance with, one aimed at much-needed reparations. Architecturally, the pavilion includes some small-scale solutions for community places in Barcelona, but the catalog focuses on texts that contextualize the complex issue. Want an experience that is the near-opposite of Following the Fish? Head to Abbazia di San Gregorio and the over-the-top, non-Biennale exhibition of The Line and other NEOM projects. Zero Gravity Urbanism—Principles for a New Livability is, I wrote, more marketing than culture: numerous models of various scales for The Line, the inane — or it it insane? — proposal for a 170-km-long "city" in the Saudi Arabian desert that would house 9 million people and somehow be a model for sustainable living. I'll admit that the models on display are impressive, and the architect in me who was educated in the early 1990s liked seeing designs that were almost plucked from the decade ... but this is irresponsible planning, to say the least. Yet, with the country's deep pockets and architects willing to go along with it, at least a portion of it is being realized: The Hidden Marina, clearly catering to the super rich and their vessels. The catalog I was able to get a hold of is "not for sale," per its insides, but like the exhibition it's more marketing than anything else of value. Not far from the NEOM exhibition, at the Berührungspunkte venue along the Grand Canal, the inaugural divia award was celebrated the Friday of the vernissage. The event was not the unveiling of the winner, Marta Maccaglia, which had taken place a couple weeks prior in Berlin, but a celebration of the award taking place during the Biennale and the distribution of a few copies of the book on the award. (World-Architects is a media partner for divia, which is short of Diversity in Architecture, so I was able to get a copy.) The book is slim, at less than 100 pages, but is very well done, from its red cover boards to the color photos with projects of the winner and finalists, and interviews with the same. While the inaugural award created by Ursula Schwitalla and Christiane Fath is focused on women in architecture, future iterations of the award are supposed to branch out to encompass other areas of diversity within the profession. Directly across the Grand Canal from Berührungspunkte is Palazzo Franchetti, a venue for Portugal's national pavilion but also host to an exhibition of cultural projects underway in Qatar (almost as questionable as NEOM) and a sizable monographic exhibition on Kengo Kuma. Onomatopoeia Architecture, which I'll be reviewing for World-Architects in the coming weeks, is a pleasing show, with beautiful models of Kuma's buildings sitting in the palazzo's lushly appointed rooms. The displays are accompanied by two installations: a wooden structure at the entrance to the exhibition on the piano nobile and a larger aluminum piece in the garden overlooking the Grand Canal and the Accademia Bridge. The catalog isn't a particularly deep exploration of Kuma's buildings, but it does a good job of articulating the ideas behind the Japanese architect's "onomatopoeia architecture."

Over at World-Architects I wrote about two self-published books recently published by BNIM and KPF: ALL - The Tom and Ruth Harkin Center by BNIM Design in Detail by Kohn Pedersen Fox The "Found" feature also includes responses to a few questions on why the firms opted to self-publish rather than work with publishers on these books.

This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book fair and, just days before lockdown, the 2020 book fair. Three hardly makes me an expert, even in my specialization of architecture books, but it does help with gauging the value given to books on the subject and getting a sense of how architecture books are seen within the wider rare books market. Generally, "rare" equates with "old" first editions that have signatures and, in some cases, limited print runs. The last, in the realm of architecture, points to anything pre-capital-M-modern but also, ironically, architecture books in general, since they tend to have limited print runs compared to fiction — compared to anything but artist books, really — and usually just one printing. But the small print runs of architecture books do not equate to high asking prices, as could be grasped by the smattering of architecture books that I came across at the 2023 edition of the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair — at the Park Avenue Armory until Sunday. The ones on display are a narrow bunch, tending almost exclusively toward big-name architects from the 20th century (Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Venturi Scott Brown) and old Europeans (Alberti, Palladio, Vitrivius, Piranesi). Along these lines, below are some things I learned while browsing the booths at this year's book fair trying to find some architectural gems. Lesson 1: Corbu is (still) king. If one architect appeared more than any other in my quick scan of the booksellers' offerings yesterday afternoon, it was definitely Le Corbusier; he made roughly fifty books in his lifetime, so that's hardly a surprise. It also helps that it's been a half-century since his death and, even with a lot of criticism of his legacy in recent years, he seems more popular than ever in rare book circles. A few of the Corbu books I came across: Johnson Rare Books & Archives has a first edition of Des Canons, Des Munitions? Merci! Des Logis... S.V.P. from 1937, complete with a typed signed letter by Corbu. It is going for $7,500. Ursus Books is selling an "incredibly rare first edition of Le Corbusier's legendary Farbenklaviatur [Color Keyboards ...] the first of the two collections of colors which he designed for the Salubra wallpaper company" in 1931. Birkhäuser did a reproduction about 25 years ago that can be found for a few hundred dollars, but a first edition at Ursus will put you back $22,500. Those offerings pale in comparison to one of the 250 copies of La Poème de l'Angle Droit from 1955; Bernett Penka Rare Books on the Arts and Visual Culture has it, complete with an original case, for $50,000. Lesson 2: Old + European = Rare + Valuable. While walking the aisles of the fair, it felt at times that "architecture" was limited to old treatises, pattern books, etchings, and the like, all coming from Europe centuries ago. Large folios opened to drawings were in many glass cases, standing out as skilled and (once) influential creations but also anachronistic images of what many people think buildings should be: classical. Traditionally, architecture libraries — be they institutional, professional, or private — have been practical: providing guidance and inspiration for architects. Outside of a few architectural historians, that's not the case with books like these, which are prized for their age, scarcity, and beauty, not their practicality to architects. And even if architects still used them, such as those at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, they'd probably use reprints rather than valuable 500-year-old originals. Ursus Books makes another appearance here, this time with a portfolio (ca. 1810) of 24 plates by Antoine Joseph Gaitte of Claude Nicholas Ledoux's 18th-century toll-gates in Paris. Price: $8,500. Books — or, more accurately, scrolls — of Vitruvius's foundational text on architecture, De architectura, don't exist, so later Renaissance versions of it are prized, such as this one edited by Fra Giovanni Tacuino in 1511. Erasmushaus is selling it for $65,000. (The Basel-based bookseller also has a first edition of Palladio's Quattro Libri for $66,000.) The enduring legacy of Giovanni Battista Piranesi is evident in "The Grand Tour" booth of Mayfair Rare Books & Manuscripts, which has a folio with 20 etched plates of Paestum (ca. 1778) going for €25,000. Lesson 3: Architects love certain artists and designers. Audience is always important when it comes to book sales. If we lump architects together as one audience, I'd argue that they purchase books outside of architecture as often as they amass books on architecture. Books on art and design are high among the former, with very particular artists and designers — ones with shared affinities for form, space, texture, etc. — standing out over others. A couple are below, plus one surprise (to me). In his lifetime Massimo Vignelli designed many architecture books, though in NYC he is known for his redesign of the MTA subway map in the 1970s. Never widely implemented, the Vignelli Map made a comeback this century for the MTA's Weekender website, and in recent years I've seen it popping up in stations. Still, seeing an original map from 1978 at Geographicus Rare Antique Maps made me stop in my tracks (no pun intended). How much? $7,500. Architects love artists who trained as architects, and right up top is Gordon Matta-Clark, who sliced and cut open buildings, documenting the transient (de)constructions in photographs. A book of his I'd heard about but hadn't seen in person is Walls Paper, which the artist made from photographs of partially demolished buildings in the Bronx in the early 1970s (he died in 1978 at just 35 years old). He colored the b/w photos and then cut the pages in the middle so juxtapositions are created as one flips through it. Two copies were on display at the fair: at Sims Reed Ltd. ($5,000) and Jeff Hirsch Books ($3,000). Who is this Utopian architectural designer that Vivien Greene supposedly called the "Edgar Allan Poe of Architecture"? I'd never heard of Albert Trachsel before coming across this signed copy of Les Fêtes réelles, an "architectural poem" he made in 1897. Martyan Lan is selling it for $9,500. Lesson 4: Learning from Las Vegas is the architect's "one book." If there is one book today that every architect should have, it's not Le Corbusier's Vers une architecture or Koolhaas and company's S,M,L,XL or even Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language. It's Learning from Las Vegas by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, and Steven Izenour. (No explanation needed on its importance and influence, I hope, but here's something I wrote about it five years ago.) Heck, most architects already have the book, but I'm referring to the 1972 first edition, not the 1977 paperback. It's big, expensive (even the facsimile edition put out by MIT Press in 2017 is $100), and rare. I'm lucky enough to have a first edition, but mine is lacking the glassine jacket that Johnson Rare Books & Archives has on display next to Corbusier's Munitions. That's not an original box at right, but inside the book are the authors' signatures, which brings the price to $3,000.

Life, they say, throws you curve balls, and that's just what happened last month, when a family emergency had me put this blog on hiatus. This post, appearing on a Friday instead of its regular Monday, does not mean regular weekly posts will resume, as I'll be dealing with said emergency on and off for the foreseeable future. Although reading has been low on my list of priorities under the circumstances, I wanted to take the brief chance I have now to highlight some books released so far this year — a dozen of them, presented in order of date of publication. Even though I haven't made my way through all or most of these books, they are ones that I find important and/or timely and/or beautiful, based on my limited firsthand glances of them as well as what I've gleaned from reviews on other platforms. If you think I left out any worthwhile books published so far this year — and I'm sure there are plenty — please let me know in the comments. The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access by David Gissen, published by University of Minnesota Press. US release date: January 24, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) As in other calls for equity — social, racial, gender, etc. — it is imperative for people with disabilities to have positions where they can make decisions and, in the realm of architecture, contribute to designs as more than accessibility consultants; they need to be at the core of projects rather than just making sure designs meet accessibility codes, designs that are otherwise geared toward able-bodied people. Although such a practical role is not the main point of the latest book by David Gissen, a disabled designer and architectural historian, it is one takeaway from his nuanced and persuasive reexamination of architecture through the lens of disability. "[The] question should not be how does this book relates to practice," he writes near the end, "but how can we (you and I) reimagine practice to relate it to those marginalized by it?" No doubt, people reading this book are eager to take on the question. architect, verb: The New Language of Building by Rienier de Graaf, published by Verso. US release date: February 28, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) In my review of this book last month at World-Architects, I described the latest by OMA partner Rienier de Graaf as "a book of lists." By this, I was referring to how his "rebuttal of doctrines which have been applied to architecture over the last twenty years," as he describes it, includes numerous lists: a "Dictionary of Profspeak," for instance, and numerous "data" sections prefacing the chapters focused on those doctrines, which include starchitecture, sustainability, and placemaking, among others. I was also referencing the way he writes: stuffing his paragraphs with lists that seems to illustrate how architects are bogged down in standards and other considerations that border on the absurd. Thankfully, de Graaf's writing is very good and humorous at times, not just a dry recitation of data and business-speak foisted on the profession from without. A Book on Making a Petite École edited by Michael Meredith, Hilary Sample and MOS, published by Actar Publishers. US release date: February 28, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) The cover of this latest book by MOS closely resembles Houses for Sale, the children's book that Meredith and Sample, a married couple with kids, put out a few years ago. Will parents spend $50 on the new book, which Amazon indicates is for grades 1 through 6? Those who do will find that, unlike Houses for Sale, A Book on Making a Petite École is far from simply a children's book. I'd say it's a family book: a book for architects to read with their children, with the architect-parents enjoying the brief texts, numerous drawings and photographs of the building designed by MOS, while their kids will like doing the step-by-step exercises ("Design a Bed for Sleeping Beauty") as well as figuring out what the drawings and diagrams of the building actually depict. The book is a fitting result of a building, the Petite École, that functions as an architecture school for children. M³: modeled works [archive] 1972-2022 by Thom Mayne and Morphosis, published by Rizzoli. US release date: February 28, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) For architects like myself who went to architecture school in the 1990s, the monographs of Morphosis were indispensable, not only for the designs of Thom Mayne and company, but for the beautiful drawings and the amazing, instantly recognizable models. My classmates and I used to ape those models ("The smell of Bondo filling the architecture school hallways is still fresh in my memory," I wrote at World-Architects), and I'm guessing younger architects still find inspiration in the models churned out by the firm, now with 3D printers rather than chip board, basswood, and modeling paste. Hundreds of those models — and nothing else — are on display in this brick of a book: five decades of built and unbuilt projects documented over a thousand pages. Words from fellow SoCal architects and other friends of Mayne run across the top of each page, but the focus is clearly on the models that have made Morphosis so enduringly influential. Geoffrey Bawa: Drawing from the Archives edited by Shayari de Silva, published by Lars Müller Publishers. US release date: March 21, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) High on my list of must-visit places are two projects by Geoffrey Bawa (1919-2003): Lunuganga, the 25-acre estate he started shaping in the late 1940s; and Kandalama Hotel, completed nearly 50 years later. That they are both in Sri Lanka points to me most likely never seeing them in person, just as last year I didn't see Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential to be There, the first exhibition on Bawa to be shown in his home country. (It's on display until May 2023.) Although it was just published in March, the exhibition actually followed from the book, which beautifully depicts many of Bawa's drawings from his archive. Eight projects, including Kandalama, are highlighted in drawings and photographs, accompanied by seven essays and a statement by Bawa himself. The book is a must for fans of Bawa and a further enticement for them — and me — to find a way to Sri Lanka. A House Deconstructed by Office of (Un)Certainty Research (Mark Jarzombek + Vikramaditya Prakash), published by Actar Publishers. US release date: March 28, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) Coming out of a research project that was part of the main exhibition at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, this book illustrates the enormous ecological footprint of a small addition to a house in Seattle. It appears that no matter what architects do to make their designs sustainable or ecologically friendly, the primary materials they use (glass, plastic, steel, ceramics, concrete, wood) embed their designs in a global web of extraction and production that is harmful to the earth and to humans. This isn't news, but it is explained through photographs and data visualizations in a manner that makes the impact clear while also capturing how overwhelming and imprecise it is to quantify the impact modern construction methods have on the environment. "The question," the authors write early in the book, "ought not to be: How does one describe architecture? Rather it should be: How does architecture describe the world?" Hybrid Factory, Hybrid City edited by Nina Rappaport, published by Vertical Urban Factory. US release date: March 28, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) The latest book by the author of Vertical Urban Factory is a collection of contributions to Hybrid Factory/Hybrid City, a symposium organized by Rappaport at the Future Urban Legacy Lab at Politecnico di Torino in early 2020, before the country shut down due to COVID-19. Rappaport's promotion of mixed-use urban districts that actually embrace light industry and other types of production facilities appears to have arisen from a fellowship twenty years ago that focused on the integration of culture and industry in Long Island City, Queens. This book shows she is not alone in tackling the subject, one that continues to occupy her energies. Although primarily European in its contributions, the qualities of the built and proposed designs should help sway skeptics toward the merits of vertical and mixed-use factories — in and beyond Europe. Marina Tabassum: Architecture, My Journey by Marina Tabassum, published by ArchiTangle. US release date: March 28, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) Although the publication of this monograph in Europe in February of this year coincided with the opening of Marina Tabassum Architects: at Architekturmuseum der TUM in Munich (it's on display until June 11), the book does not serve as a companion to the exhibition. The timing arises from the attention lauded on the Bangladeshi architect who won an Aga Khan Award in 2016 and then the Soane Medal in 2021. This monograph, billed as the first one devoted to Tabassum, features 17 projects, ranging from the Museum of Independence, designed with Kashef Chowdhury while at URBANA, to the mosques and other brick structures she is known for and the modest bamboo structures serving the poor in her country. Numerous essays and an interview accompany the stunning projects. Monumental Controversies: Mount Rushmore, Four Presidents, and the Quest for National Unity by Harriet F. Senie, published by Potomac Press. US release date: April 1, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) The first book I read by Harriet F. Senie, professor emerita at City College of New York, my alma mater, was The Tilted Arc Controversy, an account of Richard Serra's controversial sculpture installed in, then subsequently removed from, Javits Plaza in Lower Manhattan. (It was indispensable in a paper I wrote about the plaza in grad school.) Some years later, in Memorials to Shattered Myths, Senie directed her focus toward Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the National September 11 Memorial, and other contemporary memorials. Her latest looks at the grandest figural memorial in the United States, Mount Rushmore, examining it in the wake of calls to remove memorials to former presidents and other past leaders, especially Confederate ones. Though more art history than architecture, the book is certainly timely and should be of interest to architects, in part for the way Senie explores other memorials pertaining to the four presidents enshrined on Mount Rushmore. Chapters on the taking of the land of the Lakota Sioux and sculptor Gutzon Borglum's troubling character, in addition to multiple chapters on each of the four presidents, create "an account of Mount Rushmore and other memorials that acknowledges that their subjects did many great things but were far from perfect." Architectures of Spatial Justice by Dana Cuff, published by MIT Press. US release date: April 4, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) In 2006, Dana Cuff founded cityLAB at UCLA, "a multidisciplinary center [...] focused on leveraging design for spatial justice and to address contemporary urban concerns." This book effectively summarizes cityLAB's efforts to date and draws attention to practices that are aligned with it, including Elemental in Chile and Walter Hood in the US, among others. "Can architecture embody principles of spatial justice?," Cuff asks in the book's introduction. Although she admits that "architecture is almost unimaginable without privilege and its concomitant historic and structural biases," she is not alone in seeing the need for the discipline of architecture to shift from its dependence on capital to a focus on the common good. More books on this subject are surely to come, but for now this is the textbook on architecture and spatial justice. Yasmeen Lari: Architecture for the Future edited by Angelika Fitz, Elke Krasny, Marvi Mazhar and Architekturzentrum Wien, published by MIT Press. US release date: May 9, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) It is a good year for architecture exhibitions on women from Asia: In addition to the TUM exhibition on Marina Tabassum, featured above, AzW is displaying a major exhibition (until August 16) on Yasmeen Lari, Pakistan's first female architect. The companion book to Yasmeen Lari: Architecture for the Future is compact and somewhat modest, befitting Lari, an architect who designed modern buildings for decades but reversed course this century, after retiring from architecture in the service of the rich. The book presents this trajectory "from exemplary modernist to zero carbon revolutionary" through projects, an interview with Lari, and numerous essays. Lari's humanitarian homes have garnered her much attention — much of it well outside of Pakistan. This book puts those efforts into a wider context. On the Street: In-Between Architecture by Edwin Heathcote, published by HENI Publishing. US release date: May 16, 2023 (Buy via Amazon or Bookshop) Born from a short series Heathcote wrote for The Financial Times, where he is the longtime architecture and design critic, On the Street is a delightful and probing tour through the many elements that comprise urban streetscapes. Though generally called street furniture, the elements in the book are titled with verbs rather than nouns, proper or otherwise. So, instead of benches, we find "sitting"; subway canopies are "commuting"; even streetlights are "streetlighting." This shift to verbs puts the focus on actions, clearly, but also relaxes Heathcote's writing so it focuses on the meaning of street furniture rather than (strictly) their design. His words, which blend history, criticism, and first-hand accounts (the last make the book highly London-centric), are accompanied by photographs that veer from the documentary and the poetic to, as in the cover, the absurd and the humorous.

Here’s a brief update on the progress of Peter Zumthor’s David Geffen Galleries at the LACMA. The project now won’t open in full until 2026, the museum's J. Fiona Ragheb wrote in a staff memo obtained by the LA Times. The memo states that public access may be granted for two weeks after a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) is obtained in May of 2025 and before the installation of the permanent collection. Galleries are to be arranged thematically based on six oceanic regions thereafter. Christopher Knight, who first reported the news, quoted an internal museum source as saying the project’s budget is now in excess of $835 million.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s 2024 Bridge Report survey has found 221,800 bridges in need of repair and 76,175 bridges that should be replaced across the country. The accounting, released in late August, claims that some 36%—or nearly 221,800 spans—require some repair work currently. States are simply not committing enough of their available bridge formula funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to adequately solve the repair problems, according to their analysis. The report echoes the urgency of last year’s findings, which declared the exact same percentage of bridges to be "structurally deficient", requiring a total of $319 billion worth of repairs nationwide.

An important project for Rhode Island’s largest city, TenBerke with Ballinger’s 300,000-square-foot new Life Sciences Building for Brown University in the downtown Providence Jewelry District, has been updated along with new renderings, project details, and expected 2027 completion date. Image courtesy TenBerke The William A. and Ami Kuan Danoff Life Sciences Laboratories will be a seven-story facility designed to host four major research programs near the university’s medical school. Image courtesy TenBerke One of the first all-electric buildings in the state will be run on 100% renewable electricity. Brown says it will have special hydraulic equipment that will help decarbonize other buildings connected to it around the site in the revitalized district’s urban grid. The design integrates with the street-level with a café and public patio. Wet labs will be situated inside a perimeter line of glass enclosures, while dry workspace for researchers will be protected from daylight deeper ...

The Pratt School of Architecture has shared its public lecture information as part of our Fall 2024 Get Lectured look at what’s in store for the new academic year. The action begins with a panel discussion on the life and work of pioneering architect Debora Reiser on September 12th, followed by another concerning the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on September 18. Another conversation with Lydia Kallipoliti on September 19th on 'Our Dirty Footprint' precedes the start of Climate Week NYC, which ends in the September 30 conversation 'Design Advocated' featuring Michael K. Chen and five other practitioners. Alejandro Echeverri presents a lecture on equitable design efforts in his hometown of Medellín on October 10. Following that, a conversation on the intersection of artificial intelligence and Indigenous design between Dr. Harriet Harriss and Vicki Weiner takes place on October 29. Next, a lecture from Keller Easterling will be presented by the Master of Landscape Arc...

Following our previous visit to California-based Koch Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Dallas this week to explore the work of DLR Group. An employee-owned firm of over 1,500 design professionals, the practice describes its mission as to “elevate the human experience through design.” The firm, which offers architecture, engineering, interiors, and planning services, operates dozens of offices across the United States alongside international offices in Dubai and Shanghai. Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm’s Justice + Civic team is currently hiring for several positions in architecture, interiors, and project management, to join the firm’s hybrid work model. For candidates interested in applying for the position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four justice and civic projects by DLR Group that exemplify the firm’s ethos. Pinellas County Family Courts Annex. Image credit: Rich Montalbano - RiMO Photo LLC Pi...

The work of Bruce Goff and his many contemporaries to found a suis generis form of modern architecture in Oklahoma and California is the subject of a new exhibition being staged now at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City. The University of Oklahoma's Gibbs College of Architecture’s Dr. Angela Person, Dr. Stephanie Z. Pilat, and Marco Piscitelli curate ‘Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California’, a look at the prominence of Goff and other acolytes such as Herb Greene after their efforts launched environmentally conscious design into the mainstream beginning in the 1950s and 60s. Person will be remembered from this summer's popular ‘Capital Brutalism’ exhibition at the National Building Museum and says they will be presented as “renegades” along with over 200 documents of their contributions to the vast mosaic of American modernist design, including the Pavilion for Japanese Art in Los Angeles and Prairie House in Norman. The final d...

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles. Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Houses. Tip: Use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles. ↑ Canyon5 in Los Angeles, CA by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects ↑ Meteorite in Kontiolahti, Finland by Sotamaa ↑ ASHER PROJECT in San Jose, CA by STYLARC ↑ Z-Haus in Portland, OR by Waechter Architecture ↑ 6 x18 Slender House in Delhi, India by Spaces Architects@ka; Photo: Bharat Aggarwal ↑ Stony Hill in Amagansett, NY by Bates Masi + Architects; Photo: Bates Masi + Architects ↑ Black Diamond House in Buffalo, NY by asap/ adam sokol architecture practice ↑ SC Residence in Manhattan Beach, CA by Laney LA; Photo: Roger Davies ↑ FUTAGO HOUSE in Kyiv, Ukraine by MAKHNO Studio To see more highlights from Archinect's Pinterest boards, c...

Ahead of its January 2025 release of the World Monuments Watch list, the World Monuments Fund has announced the greatest factors threatening heritage sites globally are conflict, climate change, "overtourism," a lack of financial support and community engagement, and an extenuating state of overdevelopment. The organization says they are doing so now in the interest of “sounding the alarm" and raising awareness while the final site included in its next watch list is still being deliberated. The WMF has not produced such documentation since 2022, when it found 25 sites as being under threat. The tenor of threats varies by region, with a majority (58%) of those surveyed in North America & Europe under threat due to "insufficient funding and resources." A total of 200 sites were nominated worldwide.

Located in West Hampstead, London, Minty House is a reimagined Victorian terrace designed by Peter Morris Architects. The project involved a full refurbishment, including a kitchen extension that fills in the side return and enhances the connection to the garden, creating additional space and flow throughout the property. Glazing work was carried out by Fluid Glass. The focal point of the extension is a curved glass bay window that brings in natural light and provides views of the garden. This feature, executed by Fluid Glass, creates a seamless transition between the indoors and outdoors. To further integrate the kitchen with the garden, minimally framed sliding doors were installed, blurring the boundaries between the living spaces. Skylights, both square and circular, are positioned throughout the extension. These provide additional natural light and serve as design elements that contribute to the overall atmosphere of the home. The square skylights align with the linear layout, ...

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design has shared its public speakers and events information for the new academic term as part of our Get Lectured roundup of academic events in the 2024-25 school year. It all begins with the book launch event for Alfredo Thiermann’s Radio-Activities on October 10, followed by a lecture from Lisa Iwamoto on October 17. The rest of the month includes a lecture from MIT’s Skylar Tibbets (October 24) and a talk featuring Ferda Kolatan’s presentation of his book Misfits & Hybrids: Architectural Artifacts for the 21st-Century City (October 28). Marion Weiss begins November with a lecture on November 18, followed by lectures from Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu (November 25) and Takaharu Tezuka (December 2). Here are the individual posters in full size: Lecture poster design by Alyssa Tohyama. Courtesy of UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design. Lecture poster design by Alyssa Tohyama. Courtesy of UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design....

This edition of Bustler's curated picks of noteworthy architecture and design competitions features four calls that are all from AIANY/Center for Architecture. They seek exceptional residential interior projects by New York City-based architects, emerging or mid-career architects looking to develop their research and practice through travel, outstanding architectural design across all scales, and projects that address various contemporary architectural issues. For the complete directory of newly listed competitions, click here.

The American Institute of Architects has released a statement urging action on a number of key priorities related to architecture and the built environment for the 2024 presidential elections following Tuesday’s debate between candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. "Architects across the country are keen to see greater progress toward key goals related to the built environment and our businesses," 2024 AIA President Kimberly Dowdell says in a preface to the seven-point agenda. "Our top election priorities highlight critical issues including the need for increased investment in affordable housing, aggressive climate action measures, enhanced resiliency against natural disasters and sound tax policies." "[The] AIA calls on the candidates as well as the incoming new Congress to listen to architects as experts on the forefront of designing a more sustainable future," her statement continues. "Through these priorities, AIA’s members will continue to move the built environment forwar...

Geneva, Switzerland-based firm Leopold Banchini Architects has designed a sleek, minimalist home intended to reflect its alpine and waterside surroundings. Image: Rory Gardiner Located beside Lake Geneva, looking out at the Alps, Villa M was likened, by the architects, to the work of Swiss painter Ferdinant Hodler. His paintings often depicted mountains reflected in Swiss lakes. Image: Rory Gardiner As a reaction to its landscape, the home was built to stay as simple and humble as possible. Its long, plain façade is described as a blank canvas, which reflects into a water basin of the same length. Here, a singular long window opens onto a floating terrace that is of a similar size. Image: Rory Gardiner Image: Rory Gardiner The building’s long rectangular plan, constrained by building regulations, is spread across three levels. A wooden spiral staircase connects the floors. Image: Rory Gardiner Image: Rory Gardiner The ground floor living spaces mainly open out to the surroundings, whil...

Construction input prices increased slightly by 0.1% in August, according to a recent Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.2% for the month. Overall construction input prices are now 0.7% lower than they were a year ago, while nonresidential construction input prices are down by 0.9%. Chart credit: Associated Builders and Contractors “Construction input prices are now down almost a full percentage point over the past year,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said. “This is a welcome development for contractors, a plurality of whom now expect their profit margins to contract over the next six months, according to ABC’s Construction Confidence Index. Moderating materials price escalation, along with easing labor constraints and the near certainty that the Federal Reserve will begin lowering interest rates at its next meeting, should provide some relief to con...

This post is brought to you by Pratt, an Archinect Partner School New York, NY – August 2, 2024 – Pratt Institute’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies has announced an exciting new partnership with Creative AI Academy, a leader in AI-driven design education. This collaboration marks a significant advancement in corporate learning and training by integrating Pratt Institute’s prestigious credentials with Creative AI Academy’s bespoke curriculum development. Pratt Institute, known for its rigorous academic standards, will issue digital credentials that validate the skills gained, while Creative AI Academy, with its industry-leading expertise in AI and design, will craft the tailored training programs to ensure they meet the specific needs of corporate clients. The innovative AI focused curricula, meticulously developed and delivered by Creative AI Academy, will provide cutting-edge learning experiences that meet the evolving needs of today’s businesses. Pratt Institute, con...

Today marks the grand reopening of the Transamerica Pyramid Center in San Francisco, California, following a $400 million redevelopment project from developer SHVO in partnership with Foster + Partners. The 853-foot masterpiece William Pereira first bequeathed to the city in the summer of 1972 is now revitalized with modern-day amenities and a new lobby that once again matches his design’s original intentions while better integrating the building with civic life along the ground level. Image: David Lipman Image: David Lipman Outside the lobby, a revitalized Redwood Park with 49 replanted trees was enacted between Two Transamerica and Three Transamerica at Sansome Street to bind the site and program and serve as a new oasis-like destination in the heart of a busy pedestrian/commercial area. Image: David Lipman Image: David Lipman Another exterior component of the project entailed rejuvenating Mark Twain Alley, which is now a more vibrant civic space replete with plum blossom trees that ...

The Southern California Institute of Architecture has started classes for the Fall semester and is sharing with us their schedule of events and lectures as part of our ongoing event highlight at Archinect Partner Schools. This Friday, September 13th, will see the first opening of Views of Planet City, featuring the sci-fi designs of SCI-Arc’s graduate Fiction and Entertainment program director Liam Young. A separate opening at the Pacific Design Center follows on September 14th. (Our preview of the exhibition can be found here.) Liam Young. Image credit: Liam Young Next up, a pair of lectures from Luigi Alberto Cippini (October 2nd) and Harvard GSD dean Sarah M. Whiting (October 9th). Following those will be the October 25th book launch for author Ferda Kolatan’s new title Misfits & Hybrids Architectural Artifacts for the 21st Century City. The month ends with a lecture from Fiona Connor on October 30th. November begins with the book launch event for 100 Women: Architects in Practic...

Are you an experienced architecture professional looking for a new career opportunity? If so, check out this week's edition of our curated jobs roundup from Archinect Jobs. Below, we highlight 15 employers offering senior positions with a starting salary of over $100K per year. Our selection was based on jobs that have publicly disclosed the annual salary range in their job listings on Archinect Jobs. Make sure to take a look around the job board for other good matches — there are currently lots of opportunities with the stated salary range reaching into the six-digit figures. Additionally, check out Archinect's coverage on salary transparency and our Architecture Salary Poll for more insight on what you should expect to make based on your position and location. Two Manhattan West by SOM. Photo: Dave Burk © SOM Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) seeks: Project Manager - Transportation in New York, NY Salary range: $120,000 to $170,000 annually "This role will focus on aviation projects i...

What could be the world’s first 3D printed hotel development has just broken ground near art and design-rich Marfa, Texas. The vision of a Texas native, the noted Austin area hotelier Liz Lambert, will come together with design and logistical support from BIG and ICON. Both entities announced the project in March of 2023, at the time promising a concept defined by a high desert vernacular that equally purports a "primordial architectural language." All images courtesy ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group Their design for the expanded El Cosmico resort calls for multiple structures comprised of different organic forms to be 3D printed on a plot totaling more than 60 acres. Private residences and affordable housing units connect to a hotel with a new amphitheater for the Austin-based Long Center for the Performing Arts included. All images courtesy ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group Individually, the homes are to be realized at between 2,000 and 2,500 square feet. The project expands the process and ...

After a run of over 100 episodes, the Night White Skies podcast hosted by Sean Lally is finally coming to an end. Over eight years, the program sought to engage a diverse range of voices in the design field in order to ascertain a better picture of the scenarios currently unfolding within and surrounding architectural theory and practice. Guests included philosophers such as Ecology Without Nature author Timothy Morton and Emanuelle Coccia. Other popular thinkers like Catherine Ingraham, Fred Scharmen, Sylvia Lavin, and Rachel Armstrong appeared alongside designers Neil Denari, Rania Ghosn, El Hadi Jazairy, and MoMA curator Paola Antonelli. In this final episode, Lally summarizes a few of the recurring topics and thoughts that have proved as salients as a means for outlining what he says is a "course forward [...] or at the very least, playing out a hunch on work still to be done." An archive of all episodes is available at NightWhiteSkies.com for you to search now and in the futu...

Gone are the days when the easiest way to make an architectural splash was with a shimmering and photogenic stand-alone building, fancy forms torquing this way and that. Along with exploring new takes on regional or vernacular design traditions, the field’s top talents are taking on projects that reimagine existing institutions or public spaces — or forge new links among them. In a new piece for The New York Times, Yale School of Architecture senior critic Christopher Hawthorne explores how architects are striving to rejuvenate downtown areas across the U.S., where hybrid work schedules and negative perceptions have led to reduced vibrancy. While converting commercial buildings into residential spaces is a popular strategy, it's not always feasible due to structural constraints, Hawthorne argues. Architects are therefore exploring strategies to entice activity downtown by reimagining existing structures and incorporating regional aesthetics. Related on Archinect: Foster + Partners' Three Transamerica redesign wins approval in San Francisco. Image credit: dbox, courtesy of Foster + Partners/SHVO Throughout the New York Times piece, Hawthorne cites examples such as the Seattle Aquarium's Ocean Pavilion by LMN Architects which reconnects the city to its waterfront, the revitalized Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco by Foster + Partners aimed at attracting ...

The official timeline of the planned $8.5 billion Chicago O’Hare Aiport expansion has been moved to 2034, according to Crain’s. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is working with Ross Barney Architects, Arup, and Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA) to complete its first 19-gate Satellite Concourse 1 phase, which will be completed in 2028. Phase 2 will follow four years later (two years more than was previously scheduled). The $300 million renovation of Terminal 3, which broke ground in April, is expected to be complete by 2032.

The hard-fought efforts and dedication of preservationists across the country have been honored through the 2024 edition of Docomomo’s annual Modernism in America Awards. This year, a total of 16 projects were selected to earn Award of Excellence and Citation of Merit distinctions. Projects from ten states and Oslo, Norway, made up the list of honorees. Leading the field was the re-installed Aluminaire House in Palm Springs and the restored Lever House in Manhattan. A particular emphasis was placed on those included in the Commercial Design category, considering the lingering "questions" that loom over the typology in the post-Covid era. "All of these projects are highly complex. They required extraordinary commitment and dedicated individuals to bring them to life. We are happy to give them the recognition they deserve," the organization's Executive Director, Liz Waytkus, stated. "It is a joy to see projects that celebrate and revitalize the diverse cultural histories of this countr...

A new performing arts complex designed by Perkins&Will, in partnership with Schmidt Hammer Lassen, has opened in Beijing. Located in the city’s southeast district, Tongzhou, the Beijing Performing Arts Center sits along the banks of the Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, anchoring a recently designated cultural district, which also includes a museum, a library, and extensive parklands. Image: Zhu Yumeng The roughly 1.3 million-square-foot complex comprises an opera house, a theater, and a concert hall, along with a multipurpose hall and an outdoor stage. Image: Zhu Yumeng Image: Zhu Yumeng Its design recalls the site’s history as a commercial shipping and storage hub by referencing the rooflines of the storehouses that formerly populated the area and the sails of traditional canal boats. The forms also evoke a theater curtain parting at the start of a performance. Image: Zhu Yumeng The Center’s structures are unified through a broad, elevated platform that can be accessed from ...

A 74-square-foot apartment design in Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ second-largest city, has captured attention for its innovative use of space, as featured on Archinect. Image: © Ossip van Duivenbode The Cabanon, as its architect-owners Beatriz Ramo and Bernd Upmeyer prefer to call it, takes the 1951 vacation retreat Le Corbusier designed for himself in the Côte d'Azur as inspiration and includes a living room, sleeping pod, and tiny bathroom component with a small toilet, rain-shower, and spa. Image: © Ossip van Duivenbode Each of these spaces comes color-coded, an effect that counteracts the apparent cramping quality of the space. A series of built-ins are another pivotal inclusion, affording them space to store items for their guests behind a tangerine-colored wall. Image: © Ossip van Duivenbode Ramo and Upmeyer acquired the upper floor residual space in the upper portion of their post-war apartment building in 2013. Upmeyer is the founder of BOARD (Bureau of Architecture, Research ...

The Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has announced the departure of President and former CEO Antony Wood after 20 years. Wood, who led a tenfold increase in membership during his tenure, said he was lending to a "future generation of leaders" in stepping down. In a statement, colleague and the CTBUH’s current Chairman Shonn Mills said: "Antony has completely modernized the organization over nearly two decades, while growing it into the significant global presence it is today."

The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) for August reports a 2.9% increase to a new score of 220.4 following July’s revised total of 214.2. Over the month, commercial planning expanded by 1.9%, and institutional planning was up another 5.7%. "Owners and developers continued to prime the planning queue in August, ahead of next year’s anticipated stronger market conditions," Sarah Martin, the associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network, said. "With the Fed’s September rate cut all but finalized, the influence of selective lending standards and inflation should moderate next year, alongside a modest upgrade to consumer demand. As a result, stronger planning activity was widespread in August, with most nonresidential sectors seeing growth." The commercial planning sector was led again by data center and warehouse projects, while on the institutional side, healthcare projects continued to be a primary driver. Related on Archinect: Architecture's Interest Rate Prayers Answer...

Following our previous look at an opening for a Visualization Designer at Payette, we are using the latest edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Store Planning Designer at Kering Beauté. The role, based in New York with the possibility of a remote arrangement, calls for an individual who will “develop and execute store planning strategies for all Kering Beauté Americas brands.” Other responsibilities include conducting space planning analyses to maximize efficiency, optimize store layouts, and enhance customer flow, as well as various technical design, project management, and quality assurance roles. Among the core requirements for the role are a bachelor’s degree in interior design, architecture, or a related field, alongside proven experience in retail design. Gucci - Soho by Atmosphere Design Group. Image courtesy: Atmosphere Design Group Why the role interests us The open role at Kering Beauté offers us the opportunity to explore the...

With Burning Man 2024 concluded, organizers have shared imagery depicting the building, use, and ultimate demise of the event’s main temple. Designed by Caroline “Glitter Kitty” Ghosn, the Temple of Together was inspired by Lebanese Khaizaran chairs and the artist’s own decades-long battle with multi-generational trauma and illness. Image credit: Rand Larson Image credit: Rand Larson The design of the temple seeks to portray “the light that emerges when we come together with all parts of ourselves and with the oneness we share with all living things.” The leading motif of the temple is the representation of two hands coming together in prayer, symbolizing a common gesture of unity, humility, and respect to almost all spiritual traditions. Image credit: Rand Larson Image credit: Rand Larson The gesture of unity is depicted literally by the two hands creating the temple’s entrance archway, but also in a more abstract sense through neo-Gothic pointed arches repeated throughout the design, ...

The winners of the 2025 Le Prix Charlotte Perriand Award have been announced as SANAA founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. The 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates are the fourth recipients of the award that’s included as part of the French Créateurs Design Awards. Past winners include Frida Escobedo (2023), Jeanne Gang (2022), and David Adjaye (2021). The award will be presented as part of a live ceremony to be held in Paris on January 18, 2025. In a joint statement, the duo said, "Charlotte Perriand is one of the masters of modern architecture, and we admire the delicacy of her interior and furniture designs."

Inspiration and Tools for Architects

When it comes to retail, luxury is in the details — and façades are the architectural features that do the heavy lifting.

The post The Art of Allure: How Luxury Stores Use Façades to Conceal and Entice appeared first on Journal.

Ema is a trained architect, writer and photographer who works as a Junior Architect at REX in NYC. Inspired by her global experiences, she shares captivating insights into the world’s most extraordinary cities and buildings and provides travel tips on her blog, The Travel Album. In the competitive world of luxury retail, a store’s façade serves as a silent yet powerful communication tool. More than just a barrier between the outside world and the opulent interiors, the façade is a critical element that defines a brand’s identity and allure. Luxury brands have perfected the art of using façades not only to attract attention but also to craft a narrative of exclusivity and sophistication. This article explores luxury stores’ architectural strategies to conceal and entice, transforming their façades into compelling visual statements that hide and reveal. The Façade as a Storyteller Louis Vuitton Ginza Namiki by AS Co., Peter Marino Architect, Tokyo, Japan | Glass by ShenZhen ShenNanYi Glass Product Every building is designed with a specific purpose in mind, with the contents or products offered inside often changing over time. For instance, clothing stores continuously introduce new collections and products, leading to a constant rotation of items on display. The same is true for car dealerships and jewelry stores, where the merchandise frequently evolves. While the goods inside these stores may change regularly, the building itself remains constant, designed to serve its original purpose year after year. This is why buildings should be designed with a timeless quality, enhancing the brand’s allure rather than detracting from it. In luxury retail, the façade is the first point of contact between the brand and the consumer. It acts as a storyteller, conveying messages of opulence, craftsmanship and exclusivity. Unlike typical retail spaces, where functionality may overshadow form, luxury stores typically invest significantly in the aesthetics of their exteriors. These façades are not merely entrances; they are architectural expressions that embody the brand’s essence and invite potential customers to explore further. One of my favorite examples is the Louis Vuitton Flagship Ginza Store in Tokyo, characterized by its translucent glass façade, which mirrors the surrounding cityscape during the day and emits a soft glow at night. The use of glass creates an intriguing sense of mystery, as little can be seen from the outside. Only the corner of the building is open, inviting people to come in and discover what lies within and to experience the interior for themselves. The building’s unique modern design embodies the essence of water with its smooth, undulating surfaces, naturally drawing people’s attention. The shimmering façade draws the eye, captivating passersby with its sparkle and reflections. The glass façade appears to dance with shifting colors, creating a sense of fluidity that is echoed inside with a feature staircase and fixtures, evoking the playfulness and rhythm of water. Concealment: The Power of Mystery Dior Miami Façade by BarbaritoBancel Architect, Miami, Florida Have you ever noticed that when you pass by a luxury store, you often can’t see everything inside? Instead, you catch glimpses through carefully curated openings, doorways or windows. The façade may vary, being fully transparent in some sections while opaque in others, enticing you to enter and explore what’s hidden inside. Luxury brands often use the strategy of concealment to create an aura of mystery and exclusivity. By limiting the visibility of the store’s interior, these façades (that are often intriguing and beautiful themselves) generate intrigue, compelling passersby to step inside and discover what lies beyond. This approach capitalizes on the allure of the unknown, making the act of entering the store feel like a privileged experience. A great example is Dior Miami’s façade, which is composed of sleek, overlapping white panels that resemble the delicate folds of fabric — a subtle nod to the brand’s couture heritage. These panels are arranged in a way that allows for narrow, vertical openings to offer brief glimpses into the store’s luxurious interior. A few large panels on the ground floor, and even fewer on the upper levels are left open to offer glimpses inside the store, hinting at what lies inside. This design choice offers tantalizing glimpses of the interior, sparking curiosity and engagement while maintaining an air of exclusivity unique to the Dior brand and its building. Enticement: The Play of Transparency Miu Miu Aoyama by Herzog & de Meuron, Tokyo, Japan In contrast to the strategy of concealment, some luxury brands use transparency to offer tantalizing glimpses of their interiors. This technique strikes a delicate balance, providing just enough visual access to pique curiosity without revealing everything. Glass, and the way the glass is used creatively, is frequently the material of choice, allowing for a visual connection between the inside and the outside. This brings me to addressing an architectural detail: mastering light and shadow. A key feature of luxury façades is their intricate manipulation of light and shadow, which creates a dynamic visual experience that evolves throughout the day. By harnessing natural light, designers can help brands craft façades that are visually engaging and sometimes even ever-changing. The Miu Miu Aoyama store in Tokyo uses an opaque metal façade, giving the building a more intimate quality. The building resembles a partially opened gift box, perfectly suited to conceal the brand’s products while hinting at the excitement of unveiling its contents. The façade serves as a sun-shading device that controls light and shadow, while also providing an engaging visual experience without being over powering. It plays with perspective, revealing and concealing the interior as one moves around the building. Unlike the other examples in this article, the entire ground floor of this building is open, yet maintains a sense of concealment, offering just enough visibility at street level to intrigue pedestrians and entice them to enter. The rounded copper panels on the inside of the building’s façade add warmth and texture, contrasting with the sleek, sharp silver steel corners that appear lifted, as if the edges of the façade have been cut and raised. The Façade as a Branding Tool A well-designed façade is an extension of a brand’s identity. Luxury brands use architectural elements to differentiate themselves from competitors and to reinforce their unique brand image. Signature design motifs, colors, and materials become visual shorthand for the brand’s values and aesthetic. Chanel, for instance, a brand most of us know so well is instantly recognizable by its use of black, white and beige — a color palette that reflects the brand’s commitment to timeless elegance. The clean lines and minimalist aesthetic go beyond Chanel’s branding; they are reflected in Chanel’s façades, which emphasize the brand’s commitment to modernity and simplicity. These design choices ensure that each Chanel store is a distinctive embodiment of the brand’s ethos. Materials Matter: Conveying Luxury Through Choice Fendi HQ by Marco Costanzi Architects, Rome, Italy The selection of materials is paramount in the design of any façade. High-end brands choose materials that embody luxury and exclusivity, such as marble, bronze, exotic woods, and occasionally even gold leaf. These materials are chosen not only for their visual impact but also for their tactile qualities, which can evoke an emotional response from customers. For example, Fendi’s headquarters in Rome is a stunning example of how a luxury brand can blend historical elegance with modern sophistication. Although it is not a retail store, Fendi HQ is an excellent example of how a luxury brand uses architecture and façade design to create a sense of mystery, allure, and enticement. Located in the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also known as the “Square Colosseum,” this iconic building serves as both a cultural landmark and a representation of Fendi’s commitment to preserving and reinterpreting heritage. The building’s façade is characterized by its series of symmetrical arches, a nod to classical Roman architecture, which lends the structure a sense of timelessness and grandeur. The glass elements provide transparency, offering glimpses into the interior while reflecting the surrounding cityscape, thus creating a dialogue between the past and present. Inside, Fendi has seamlessly integrated luxurious, modern interiors with the building’s historical context. The use of marble, wood, and other high-end materials reflects the brand’s dedication to craftsmanship and luxury, while the open spaces and strategic lighting emphasize the building’s architectural beauty. By combining classical architectural forms with modern design techniques, Fendi HQ encapsulates the essence of the brand—respect for tradition, a passion for innovation, and an unwavering commitment to luxury. This harmonious blend of old and new not only preserves the building’s historical significance but also propels it into the contemporary luxury market, making it a fitting home for one of fashion’s most revered brands. The jury and the public have had their say — feast your eyes on the winners of Architizer's 12th Annual A+Awards. Subscribe to our Awards Newsletter to receive future program updates. The post The Art of Allure: How Luxury Stores Use Façades to Conceal and Entice appeared first on Journal.

Four different university programs have already introduced AI into their curricula — some in the most unexpected ways possible.

The post Should AI Become a Mandatory Part of the Architecture School Curriculum? appeared first on Journal.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. Since the bloom of artificial intelligence (AI), countless articles have been written on how AI tools are utilized throughout the architectural industry. From architects showcasing their new visuals and drawings using platforms such as Dall-e and Midjourney to firms that collect all sorts of data and create computational AI models that allow them to tackle large-scale projects, it is evident that AI is aggressively shifting the playbook of architectural practice. On the other hand, AI technology has been a lot quieter on the educational front, with universities gradually introducing it to their curriculum primarily through seminars, workshops and, perhaps less so, through fully evolved courses. In parallel, some academics (and architects in general) fear AI overshadowing the architectural design process, leading to hollow and surface-level designs that impress merely through stunning imagery. So, the question arises: Should universities introduce AI into the architecture school curriculum, and if so, how should it become integrated? Should it be treated merely as another visualization tool? Should it become part of the design course? Should students learn how to use it as a tool for architectural technology? The following examples outline four different university programs that recently introduced AI into their curricula — some in the most unexpected ways possible. The University of Edinburgh | ESALA EPH-Berlin, Villa Malaparte in Capri, CC BY-SA 4.0 In the autumn term of 2023, Mark Dorrian and Maria Mitsoula, ran a third year design studio titled AI + Explorations. The unit brief states “We were interested in working inventively with generative image and text interfaces, developing lines of inquiry that didn’t simply cede creative agency to the machine, turning the user into a consumer of what it returned. Instead, we sought to explore approaches that found critical ways of ‘talking to’ the digital apparatus, fastening upon unexpected outcomes and moments of incoherence that opened possibilities for architectural speculation in otherwise apparently seamless images.” The students had to choose from a list of architecturally “famous” modern houses (Casa Malaparte, Eames House, Villa Tungendhat etc.) and use AI platforms to enact a series of transformations to the original source. Arguably, this process puts a new spin to a precedent study and design research in general by encouraging the “unknown”. Similarly to how experimentation with analogue materials may lead to unprecedented design directions, the unit explored how AI can be used as a research design tool rather than a visualization machine, thus transforming canonic-iconic buildings into irregular spatial conditions — for example an Eames House in which Dostoyevsky resides or Villa Malaparte becoming a prison. The University of Bath | Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering In October 2024 the course Artificial Intelligence for Engineering and Design MSc will run for the first time at the University of Bath. It is characterized as a course that is first-of-its-kind, teaching generative design and optioneering skills and delving into the more technical aspects of AI technology. They will explore automation and manufacturing processes as well as the roles of big data, digital twins and the Internet of Things and investigate how they can contribute to the creation of multidisciplinary and sustainable solutions to complex urban and construction problems. Florida Atlantic University | School of Architecture FAU School of Architecture is one of the first departments in the US to have integrated AI learning through its five-year BArch program at an advanced level. The first three years focus on the relationship between analogue and digital practices, in order to instill the students an understanding and appreciation for both. The aim is to train them to think about how to make the rules that will lead them to design, rather than the medium through which they will do it. In the final two years of the course, students are introduced to advanced AI technologies such as algorithms, 3D data sets as well as self-organization mapping and are encouraged to design beyond buildings, and instead create processes, systems and workflows to deliver certain results. School director Joseph Choma states: ‘I’m interested in how the normative starts to embed more innovative research, and how the projective starts to be grounded in more normative constraints.’ In other words, the school takes advantage of the rapid data processing speed AI technology has to offer to not only teach students how to design buildings (i.e. products) but also develop processes and systems through which they design (i.e. research methods). Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia Finally, starting in IAAC in the Academic Year 2024/25, the Master in AI for Architecture & the Built Environment is a unique program focusing on environmental sustainability and decarbonizing human activities in the architectural and construction industry. The course is based on real-world applications of AI, encouraging students to collaborate with an array of industries and delve into regenerative design, smart construction, natural ecosystems, carbon neutrality and co-design processes. Apparently, there is no precedent on how to integrate AI in architecture schools. These four courses tackle AI technology in their own innovative way, from focusing on its technical advantages to using it as a design research tool, all however, proving how imperative it is to start incorporating Artificial Intelligence into architectural education. Still, its most positive aspect lies in the fact that all these universities view AI as an opportunity to enforce research more “aggressively” to the architecture students’ curriculum, a practice which, if implemented correctly, will have a great impact to the future of the architectural industry. Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. Featured Image: Created by Architizer using Midjourney AI The post Should AI Become a Mandatory Part of the Architecture School Curriculum? appeared first on Journal.

London is a city constantly reinvents itself, and its top architects have always been at the forefront of the latest architectural innovations.

The post 30 Best Architecture Firms in London appeared first on Journal.

These annual rankings were last updated on September 13th, 2024. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. London is a city that has been forced to redevelop constantly. Like many cities, it has accrued layers of history. However, events like the Great Fire and The Blitz have also torn holes in the urban fabric, necessitating moments of reflection and rethinking. Nowadays, Georgian, Regency and Victorian architecture are intermingled with hulking Brutalist structures, curving glass façades and anonymous steel giants. Nowadays, the city remains home to preeminent architectural schools such as UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture. In addition, London’s galleries and museums nurture a design culture with thought-provoking exhibitions about space and society, including the ever-popular Serpentine Pavilion. Meanwhile, as a global metropolis, the British city’s diversity is one of its great strengths, becoming home to a bevy of heavyweight firms and up-and-coming studios whose names are known locally and abroad. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in London, United Kingdom based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2024) The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2024) The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2024) The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2024) The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2024) Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of London, United Kingdom architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in London, United Kingdom: 32. Jamie Fobert Architects © Jamie Fobert Architects Since its inception in 1996, Jamie Fobert Architects has had a reputation for innovative and inspiring architectural design in the residential, retail and arts sectors. The practice has demonstrated a consistent approach to resolving client ambitions and site complexities into a tactile architecture of volume, material and light. Jamie Fobert Architects has garnered several awards, including the RIBA London Award 2014, the Manser Medal and the RIBA and English Heritage ‘Award for a building in an historic context’. The practice has won three major public commissions for cultural organisations: Kettle’s Yard Gallery; the Charleston Trust; and Tate St Ives. Some of Jamie Fobert Architects’s most prominent projects include: Travertine Stair, London, United Kingdom Luker House, London, United Kingdom Tate St Ives, United Kingdom Levring House, United Kingdom Camino de Playa, GA, Spain The following statistics helped Jamie Fobert Architects achieve 32nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 8 31. Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners © Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) is an award-winning, international architectural practice based in London. Over three decades, RSHP has attracted critical acclaim with innovative projects across Europe, North America and Asia. The practice is experienced in designing a wide range of building types including: office, residential, transport, education, culture, leisure, retail, civic and healthcare. The quality of its designs has been recognised with some of architecture’s highest awards, including two RIBA Stirling Prizes, one in 2006 for Terminal 4, Madrid Barajas Airport and the other in 2009 for Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre, London. RSHP employs around 180 people in offices across the world – London, Shanghai, Sydney and Madrid. Some of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’s most prominent projects include: Jean Prouvé 6×6 Demountable House, 1944, Adaptation Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 2015, Paris, France One Park Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan International Towers Sydney, Barangaroo, Australia Conservation and Storage Facility, Musée du Louvre, Liévin, France Oslo Airport Competition, Oslo, Norway The following statistics helped Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners achieve 31st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 15 30. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris © Allford Hall Monaghan Morris At Allford Hall Monaghan Morris we make buildings that are satisfying to use and beautiful to look at; an architecture that is defined by the experience of users who should be able to understand and use each building with ease and enjoyment. We design very different buildings, for very different people to use in very different ways and, since our early days in the late 1980s, we have grown from four to over one hundred and fifty people and our budgets from a few thousand to tens of millions of pounds. Through our wide range of projects we search for the opportunities in every site, budget and programme and pursue a pragmatic, analytical and collaborative working method to produce a responsive, intelligent and delightful architecture. Some of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris’s most prominent projects include: Alder Centre, United Kingdom North London Hospice, City of London, United Kingdom Barking Central, Axe Street, Barking, United Kingdom Burntwood School, London, United Kingdom Adelaide Wharf, Queensbridge Road, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Allford Hall Monaghan Morris achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 16 29. David Chipperfield Architects © David Chipperfield Architects David Chipperfield Architects was founded in 1985 and has offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai. The practice works internationally on cultural, residential and commercial projects providing full architectural and interior design, master planning, product and furniture design services for both public and private sectors. Our diverse built portfolio includes museums and galleries, libraries, apartments, private houses, hotels, offices, master plans, and retail facilities. David Chipperfield Architects has won more then fifty national and international competitions and many international awards and citations for design excellence. Some of David Chipperfield Architects’s most prominent projects include: The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, United Kingdom Cafe Royal, Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre, City of London, United Kingdom Villa Eden, Italy James Simon Gallery, Berlin, Germany Nobel Center, Stockholm, Sweden The following statistics helped David Chipperfield Architects achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 8 28. Jestico + Whiles © Jestico + Whiles Jestico + Whiles is an award winning architecture and interior design practice with offices in London and Prague. At the forefront of innovation and design excellence, the practice has won over one hundred national and international awards. We have proven expertise for excellent and sustainable designs across a wide range of sectors, including universities, schools, hotels, housing, cultural facilities, offices, transport infrastructure and retail, many within schemes involving major urban regeneration, refurbishment of historic buildings or low energy designs. Some of Jestico + Whiles’s most prominent projects include: National Graphene Institute, Manchester, United Kingdom Stoke Newington Sixth Form Centre, London, United Kingdom House 19, Amersham, United Kingdom Southwark Town Hall & Theatre Peckham, London, United Kingdom Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form, Clissold Road, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Jestico + Whiles achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 8 27. Eldridge London © Nicholas Guttridge London architectural practice Eldridge Smerin was established in 1998 and has since relaunched as Eldridge London. Architect Nick Eldridge’s vision continues to inspire the design and material quality of the practice’s recent projects in the UK and abroad defined by a series of cutting-edge houses including the Stirling Prize nominated Lawns project and the House in Highgate Cemetery. The practice has also completed a number of high profile retail, commercial and cultural projects including interiors for Selfridges Birmingham, Villa Moda Kuwait, O2’s Mobile Applications Development Centre, the Design Council Headquarters, The Business and Intellectual Property Centre and a restaurant at the British Library and the Globe Theatre’s Sackler Studios. The practice demonstrates a consistent approach to producing intelligent and unique solutions to specific client briefs and often constrained budgets with an unerring attention to detail from concept through to completion. Some of Eldridge London’s most prominent projects include: Cor-Ten House in Putney, London, United Kingdom House in Coombe Park, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom House in Epsom, Epsom, United Kingdom House in Chelsea, London, United Kingdom House in Highgate Cemetery, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Eldridge London achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 6 26. FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture) © FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture) Architecture has the power to transform environments and quality of life. FORM studio aims to create places that can be inhabited and experienced by people in a natural and instinctive way. Enjoyable places with a tranquil sense of simplicity, which create a supportive and uplifting backdrop for life. Individual solutions are developed for our clients which are an intelligent, inventive and sustainable response to the complex matrix of issues that shapes each project. Solutions with a lucidity and apparent simplicity which belie their underlying complexity. Listening, analysis, discussion and clarification are at the heart of an inclusive approach that recognises the fact that some of the best ideas are generated in the space between people rather than by individuals. Some of FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture)’s most prominent projects include: Bermondsey Warehouse Loft, London, United Kingdom Walcot Square mews, London, United Kingdom Flatiron House, London, United Kingdom Benbow Yard, London, United Kingdom Narrow House, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture) achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 7 25. Studio Octopi © Studio Octopi Studio Octopi is an award winning architecture practice based in central London, UK. Some of Studio Octopi’s most prominent projects include: Albion House Park Avenue South, Park Avenue South, London, United Kingdom Orchard House, Calne, United Kingdom Bradfield College Greek Theatre, United Kingdom Writ in Water, England, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Studio Octopi achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 11 24. WilkinsonEyre © WilkinsonEyre WilkinsonEyre is one of the world’s leading architectural practices with a portfolio of national and international award-winning projects. Since our inception in 1983, we have built a portfolio of bold, beautiful, intelligent architecture in sectors as diverse as culture, sport and leisure, education, infrastructure, residential, office and large-scale masterplanning. Project highlights include the Guangzhou International Finance Center – one of the tallest buildings in the world, the giant, cooled conservatories for Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, the new Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, the refurbishment of the New Bodleian Library for the University of Oxford and the acclaimed temporary structure of the London 2012 Olympic Games Basketball Arena. Our work is based on an informed use of technology and materials and combines a commitment to the spirit of the new with an awareness of context. Some of WilkinsonEyre’s most prominent projects include: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, Singapore Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth, United Kingdom Wellcome Collection, London, United Kingdom Maggie’s Centre, Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom Dyson Campus Expansion, Malmesbury, United Kingdom The following statistics helped WilkinsonEyre achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 21 23. Sheppard Robson Architects © Sheppard Robson Architects The practice’s work is underpinned by fully integrating a sustainable design methodology that balances efficiency and performance with form. In the practice’s 75-year history, Sheppard Robson has designed award-winning architecture, interior design and masterplanning projects around the world, building a strong reputation across numerous typologies – including office, education, residential, healthcare, science and retail projects. From our head office in London and studios in Manchester, Glasgow and Abu Dhabi, the founding principles of innovation and sustainability continue to shape the work of the practice and its interior design group (ID:SR), reinterpreted and enlivened by the creative talent of our designers. The work of the practice benefits from an ability to have a constructive dialogue with clients and end-users, as well as collaborating closely with other members of the project team throughout the design and delivery of a project. Some of Sheppard Robson Architects’s most prominent projects include: Siemens Middle East Headquarters, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates BBC Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom The Avenue, Manchester, United Kingdom St Ambrose College, Manchester, United Kingdom Waingels College, Wokingham, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Sheppard Robson Architects achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 10 22. 6a architects © Johan Dehlin 6a architects was founded by Tom Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald in 2001. They are best known for their contemporary art galleries, educational buildings, artists’ studios and residential projects, often in sensitive historic environments. 6a architects rose to prominence with the completion of two critically acclaimed public art galleries, Raven Row (2009), which won a RIBA Award in 2011, and the expanded South London Gallery (2010). Recently completed projects include a new 68-room hall of residence at Churchill College, Cambridge (2016), which garnered a RIBA Regional East Award (2017), and a new studio complex for photographer Juergen Teller (2016), which was winner of both RIBA London Building of the Year (2017) and a RIBA National Award (2017). Some of 6a architects’s most prominent projects include: Tree House , London, United Kingdom Façade for Paul Smith, Mayfair, London, City of London, United Kingdom V&A Gallery 40, London, United Kingdom Photography Studio for Juergen Teller, United Kingdom Cowan Court, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom The following statistics helped 6a architects achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 6 21. Foster Lomas London based studio specialising in craft and collaboration to create bespoke architecture and interior design. Unique to the practice is the pursuit of an architecture which is imaginatively responsive to site and place, whether an urban project or a rural retreat. We carefully craft buildings which are the result of working directly with leading structural engineers, artisans and craftsmen creating buildings which will remain relevant, sustainable and timeless. Since we established Foster Lomas Architects in 2005 we have developed a broad palette of work from urban penthouses to rural residential houses within heritage landscape areas, which have led to expertise in developing a uniquely sensitive and innovative approach. Some of Foster Lomas’s most prominent projects include: Hindmans Yard, London, United Kingdom A Restorative Rural Retreat for Sartfell, Isle of Man Bridge Apartment, London, United Kingdom Cliff House, Hythe, United Kingdom Riverside Penthouse, Hester Road, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Foster Lomas achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 12 20. Carl Turner Architects © Carl Turner Architects Carl trained at the Royal College of Art, gaining a first class honours degree and a RIBA Bronze Medal (runner-up) before undertaking an MA at the Royal College of Art in London.The RCA provided a foundation for collaboration and working across platforms with an integrated approach; Carl sees his approach to design and construction as an extension of his time there as a ‘maker’.User-focused design was embedded as a founding principle for practice, through a two year research post for the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre at the RCA, investigating new strategies for wayfinding for BAA plc at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.After working for Norman Foster on the Citibank Tower (Canary Wharf), and Penoyre and Prasad on various community-based projects, Carl formed a partnership (TurnerCastle). Some of Carl Turner Architects’s most prominent projects include: Slip House, United Kingdom Stealth Barn, United Kingdom Ochre Barn, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom Frame House, United Kingdom Tulip Bar, Milan, Italy The following statistics helped Carl Turner Architects achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 5 19. Atelier Chang Ltd © Kyungsub Shin Atelier Chang is an international design praxis based in South Kensington, London and Zurich since 2011. Our design philosophy is to create innovative design through focusing on the unembellished basics – basics of nature, social behaviour, and urban phenomena. To achieve this absolute simplicity of content through impactful forms takes extra effort in researching the context, a devotion to material and technology, and active interaction with other industries. Currently we work on projects in Asia and Europe at multiple scales of design, covering master plans, architecture, interior design, installations, and products. Some of Atelier Chang Ltd’s most prominent projects include: Knot House, Geoje-si, South Korea SJCC Glamping Resort & White Forest Restaurant, Suncheon-si, South Korea Glamping, Yangpyeong-gun, South Korea KCP Fffice, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Atelier Chang Ltd achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 2 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 4 18. Levitt Bernstein © Phil Boorman As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, Levitt Bernstein creates award winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real life challenges. Putting people at the heart of our work, each of our projects is different but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create an environment that is beautiful, sustainable and functional. Some of Levitt Bernstein’s most prominent projects include: Vaudeville Court, Saint Thomas’s Road, London, United Kingdom Sutherland Road, London, United Kingdom King’s School, Bruton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom The Courtyards, Dovedale Avenue, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France The following statistics helped Levitt Bernstein achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 10 17. Architects of Invention © Architects of Invention Architects of Invention (AI) is an award winning international partnership practicing contemporary architecture, urbanism, and design led by Nikoloz Japaridze. To accommodate a range of projects throughout the world, AI maintains offices in London and Tbilisi. Since its establishment in 2010 AI has completed 10 buildings in 10 years and produced more than 100 projects and collaborations. The practice has good international experience contributing to project in Chile, Switzerland, Germany, Canary Islands, Seychelles, India, Russia, China, Czech Republic, France, UK and Georgia. AI has successfully collaborated with many international clients and consultants. Its core consultants’ teams are established in the UK as well as in Georgia. Some of Architects of Invention’s most prominent projects include: Prosecutor’s Office Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia National Olympic Commettee House, Tbilisi, Georgia Lazika Town Hall, Anaklia, Georgia House of Justice Corporate HQ, Moscow, Russia The following statistics helped Architects of Invention achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 17 16. Hawkins\Brown © Hawkins\Brown The first time someone decided to mix sweet and salty popcorn, their guests must have been horrified. Minutes later though they would be guzzling the lot. That’s the thing about new combinations – you have to be a bit odd to consider them in the first place, but when they pay off you’re left wondering how you managed before they existed. Admittedly, this isn’t a usual sort of About page for an architectural practice, but we’re not a usual sort of practice. We believe that projects come alive through uncommon combinations of ideas and people. In fact, we think that’s the only way they really come alive at all. Some of Hawkins\Brown’s most prominent projects include: 1235 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA, United States Corby Cube, George Street, Corby, United Kingdom Student Village, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Brookmans Park, United Kingdom Beecroft Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom Park Hill, Sheffield, United Kingdom The following statistics helped HawkinsBrown achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 19 15. Bennetts Associates © Bennetts Associates Bennetts Associates creates sustainable and enduring architecture. As one of the UK’s leading practices, their diverse portfolio has been celebrated with more than 150 awards over 30 years and covers education, cultural and workplace projects in both the public and private sector, ranging from masterplans to small historic buildings. They are an employee-owned trust of 70 people with studios in London, Edinburgh and Manchester, and have recently earned Building Design’s Higher Education Architect of the Year 2019 Award. Bennetts Associates also leads in their field in sustainability – in April 2019 they became the world’s first architects to secure Science Based Target approval and commit to the UN’s Climate Neutral Now campaign. Some of Bennetts Associates’s most prominent projects include: The Royal College of Pathologists, London, United Kingdom Storyhouse, London, United Kingdom Jaguar Land Rover Advanced Product Creation Centre, Gaydon, United Kingdom Bennetts Associates’ London Studio, London, United Kingdom London Fruit and Wool Exchange, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Bennetts Associates achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 19 14. Buckley Gray Yeoman © Dirk Lindner Formed in 1997, Buckley Gray Yeoman is an award-winning architecture and design practice based in Shoreditch, London. Directed by Matt Yeoman and Paul White, the firm provides pragmatic and deliverable solutions to complex design issues. Founded on the premise that outstanding results require careful planning and an intuitive approach, Buckley Gray Yeoman’s designs adapt and respond to the context of each project to create intelligent and enduring architecture. The practice’s work is driven by the needs and ambitions of its clients. Some of Buckley Gray Yeoman’s most prominent projects include: Apparatus, London, United Kingdom Carnaby Club, London, United Kingdom Henry Wood House, London, United Kingdom Channing School, London, United Kingdom The Buckley Building, Clerkenwell Green, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Buckley Gray Yeoman achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 3 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 10 13. AL_A © Francisco Nogueira / Architectural Photography Architecture studio AL_A was founded in 2009 by the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architect Amanda Levete with directors Ho-Yin Ng, Alice Dietsch and Maximiliano Arrocet. Their designs are conceived not just as buildings, but as urban propositions. Spaces that promote reciprocity between nature and neighbourhood; projects that express the identity of an institution, reflect the ambitions of a place, and hold the dreams of a community. Recently completed projects include an undergraduate and outreach centre for Wadham College at the University of Oxford and a new centre for the cancer care charity Maggie’s within the grounds of University College Hospital in Southampton. Some of AL_A’s most prominent projects include: Maggie’s Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom V&A Exhibition Road Quarter, London, United Kingdom MAAT, Lisbon, Portugal Corian Super-surfaces Spencer Dock Bridge, Mayor Street Lower, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped AL_A achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 10 12. Studio Seilern Architects © Philip Vile Studio Seilern Architects is a London based international creative practice established in 2006 by Christina Seilern with the intent of producing exceptional architecture that lasts, working across geographies, building sizes and typologies. Our diverse portfolio of built work spans the UK, Europe and Africa. While we tackle a diversity of projects, it is our conscious decision to keep working on the smaller and larger scales both simultaneously and continuously: from new build to restoration works. Irrespective of size or context, each project we undertake informs another. The smaller scale keeps our pencils sharp on questions of intricate detailing and the unraveling of the human condition both on the living and working fronts. Some of Studio Seilern Architects’s most prominent projects include: Andermatt Concert Hall, Andermatt, Switzerland El Gouna Plaza, Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt G.W.Annenberg Performing Arts Centre, Reading, United Kingdom Boksto Skveras, Vilnius, Lithuania Kensington Residence, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Studio Seilern Architects achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 3 Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 9 11. Steyn Studio © DOOK Photography Steyn Studio is a collaborative architecture practice. We believe that design has the power to solve problems, inspire, and improve lives and work hard everyday to realise this ambition. We always aim to do this honestly and with the freedom to creatively explore meaningful design solutions. Designs that make a real difference to the end-user and the client; culturally and commercially. Some of Steyn Studio’s most prominent projects include: Bosjes Chapel, South Africa Spens Garden Café & Winkel Gift Shop, South Africa Sierra House, Madrid, Spain Kombuis Restaurant, South Africa The following statistics helped Steyn Studio achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 4 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 4 10. Hopkins Architects Copyright 2007 Paul Tyagi - © Hopkins Architects Hopkins Architects is an international architectural practice with studios in London and Dubai. Led by its five Principals, the practice’s work is rooted in clear and logical design thinking, a deep understanding of the potential of materials and craft, and consideration of context. A consistent and rigorous approach has resulted in a portfolio of ground-breaking, beautiful and functional buildings across Europe, the US and Asia which have added tangible value for both clients and users. The practice has designed and delivered a portfolio of renowned, award-winning projects, including Portcullis House at Westminster and the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome. Some of Hopkins Architects’s most prominent projects include: Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, Colby College, Waterville, ME, United States Buhais Geology Park Interpretive Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Eton Sports & Aquatics Centre, Windsor, United Kingdom Khor Kalba Turtle and Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates London 2012 Olympic Velodrome, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Hopkins Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 18 9. Haworth Tompkins Photo: Philip Vile - © Haworth Tompkins Haworth Tompkins is an award-winning British architectural studio united by a commitment to integrity, intellectual quality and the art of making beautiful buildings. Founded in 1991 by Graham Haworth and Steve Tompkins, the rapidly-growing London-based studio consists of 70 people, and specialises in bespoke buildings in the public, cultural, private and financial sectors. Acclaimed projects include the Everyman Theatre, winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014, Young Vic Theatre, Royal College of Art campus in Battersea, Coin Street housing development and the London Library, for which they received the prestigious American Institute of Architect’s Excellence in Design award. The studio is currently working on a number of highly anticipated schemes including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Fish Island Village, Bristol Old Vic and Kingston University. Some of Haworth Tompkins’s most prominent projects include: National Theatre ‘The Shed’, London, United Kingdom Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, United Kingdom Dovecote Studio, Snape, United Kingdom Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, London, United Kingdom Park View School, Birmingham, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Haworth Tompkins achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 9 Total Projects 10 8. Allies and Morrison © Nicholas Guttridge We are architects and urbanists. We strive to design beautiful buildings that have long life and can adapt over the generations. We also shape enduring places whether new pieces of city or settlements at any scale. All our projects are concerned with the crafting of every detail and an appreciation for the uniqueness of each context. As architects, we are known for the rigour of our technical delivery, a commitment to quality, to embedded environmental performance. As urbanists, we are known for developing plans that are flexible and pragmatic, inspirational in vision, responsive to the local climate and character. Based in London and Cambridge, we come from around the world and our diversity is one of our fundamental strengths. Some of Allies and Morrison’s most prominent projects include: Msheireb Downtown Doha Phase 4, Doha, Qatar Sir Michael Uren Hub, London, United Kingdom 100 Bishopsgate , London, United Kingdom 2150 Lake Shore, Toronto, Canada The Design Museum, Kensington High Street, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Allies and Morrison achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 4 Featured Projects 7 Total Projects 24 7. bureau de change © bureau de change Bureau de Change is an award winning architecture practice founded by architects Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. Its work is a direct product of the founders’ upbringing, passions and experiences – combining the pragmatism and formality of their architectural training with a desire to bring a sense of theatre, playfulness and innovation to the design of spaces, products and environments. The result is a studio where rigorous thinking and analysis are brought to life through prototyping, testing and making. Some of bureau de change’s most prominent projects include: The Interlock, London, United Kingdom Clay House, London, United Kingdom Homemade, London, United Kingdom Folds House, London, United Kingdom Slab House, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped bureau de change achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 10 Total Projects 20 6. Alison Brooks Architects © Alison Brooks Architects Founded in 1996, Alison Brooks Architects has developed an international reputation for delivering design excellence and innovation in projects ranging from urban regeneration, masterplanning, public buildings for the arts, higher education and housing. ABA’s award-winning architecture is born from our intensive research into the cultural, social and environmental contexts of each project. Our approach enables us to develop pioneering solutions for our buildings and urban schemes, each with a distinct identity and authenticity. Combined with rigorous attention to detail, ABA’s buildings have proved to satisfy our client’s expectations and positively impact the urban realm. Our approach has led ABA to be recognised with both national and international awards including Architect of the Year Award 2012 and Housing Architect of the Year 2012. Some of Alison Brooks Architects’s most prominent projects include: The Smile, London, United Kingdom Lens House, London, United Kingdom Exeter College Cohen Quad, Oxford, United Kingdom Mesh House, London, United Kingdom Newhall Be, Harlow, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Alison Brooks Architects achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 3 A+Awards Finalist 3 Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 8 5. Squire and Partners © Squire and Partners Squire & Partners is an architecture and design practice with experience spanning four decades, earning it an international reputation for architecture informed by the history and culture of where it is placed. Their award winning portfolio, for some of the world’s leading developers, includes masterplans, private and affordable residential, workspace, retail, education and public buildings. In addition, the practice has a series of dedicated teams for modelmaking, computer generated imaging, illustration, graphics and an established interior design department, which has created a number of bespoke product ranges. Squire & Partners’ approach responds to the unique heritage and context of each site, considering established street patterns, scale and proportions, to create timeless architecture rooted in its location. Some of Squire and Partners’s most prominent projects include: Zubabox, Bogotá, Colombia The Ark, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, Greater London, England, United Kingdom 5 Hanover Square, 5, Hanover Square, London, United Kingdom Mayfair House, City of London, United Kingdom Reiss HQ The following statistics helped Squire and Partners achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 9 Total Projects 49 4. Adjaye Associates © Adjaye Associates Since establishing Adjaye Associates in 2000, Sir David Adjaye OBE has crafted a global team that is multicultural and stimulated by the broadest possible cultural discourse. The practice has studios in Accra, London, and New York with work spanning the globe. Adjaye Associates’ most well-known commission to date, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), opened in 2016 on the National Mall in Washington DC and was named “Cultural Event of the Year” by The New York Times. Further projects range in scale from private houses, bespoke furniture collections, product design, exhibitions, and temporary pavilions to major arts centers, civic buildings, and master plans. Some of Adjaye Associates’s most prominent projects include: Winter Park Library & Events Center, Winter Park, FL, United States The Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates dot.ateliers, Accra, Ghana 130 William, New York, NY, United States Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates The following statistics helped Adjaye Associates achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 6 A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 16 Total Projects 37 3. Heatherwick Studio © Hufton+Crow Photography Heatherwick Studio is a team of 180 problem solvers dedicated to making the physical world around us better for everyone. Based out of our combined workshop and design studio in Central London, we create buildings, spaces, master-plans, objects and infrastructure. Focusing on large scale projects in cities all over the world, we prioritise those with the greatest positive social impact. Working as practical inventors with no signature style, our motivation is to design soulful and interesting places which embrace and celebrate the complexities of the real world. The approach driving everything is to lead from human experience rather than any fixed design dogma. The studio’s completed projects include a number of internationally celebrated buildings, including the award-winning Learning Hub at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The studio is currently working on 30 live projects in ten countries. Some of Heatherwick Studio’s most prominent projects include: Coal Drops Yard, London, United Kingdom Maggie’s Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom Bombay Sapphire Distillery , Hampshire, United Kingdom 1000 Trees Phase 1, Shanghai, China Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa The following statistics helped Heatherwick Studio achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 11 A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 12 Total Projects 14 2. Foster + Partners © Foster + Partners Foster + Partners is a global studio for sustainable architecture, engineering, urbanism and industrial design, founded by Norman Foster in 1967. Since then, he, and the team around him, have established an international practice with a worldwide reputation. With offices across the globe, we work as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse. Some of Foster + Partners’s most prominent projects include: Ombú, Madrid, Spain Apple Battersea, Battersea, Greater London, England, United Kingdom Apple Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States House of Wisdom, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar The following statistics helped Foster + Partners achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 9 A+Awards Finalist 10 Featured Projects 37 Total Projects 94 1. Zaha Hadid Architects © Zaha Hadid Architects Internationally renowned architecture firm Zaha Hadid Architects works at all scales and in all sectors to create transformative cultural, corporate, residential and other spaces that work in synchronicity with their surroundings. Some of Zaha Hadid Architects’s most prominent projects include: Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing, China KnitCandela, 3000, Insurgentes, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico Leeza SOHO, Beijing, China Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan Salerno Maritime Terminal, Salerno, Italy The following statistics helped Zaha Hadid Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London, United Kingdom: A+Awards Winner 17 A+Awards Finalist 14 Featured Projects 44 Total Projects 68 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers. We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 30 Best Architecture Firms in London appeared first on Journal.

Most paper proposals are not impossible. As Lebbeus Wood put it, "Architecture is always constrained by the reality of technology."

The post What if the World Built All the Paper Architecture Proposals? appeared first on Journal.

The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today. Floating structures, plug-in cities, human pods, flying machines and buildings with walking tentacles. These are only a few of the speculative designs architects throughout the years have developed in an attempt to push the boundaries of the discipline forward and respond to the many challenges the global built environment is facing. From early drawings such as Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s Imaginary Prisons and Jean-Jacque Lecque’s Gate of a Hunting-Ground, speculative or “paper” architecture has been a subject of great experimental “release” since the 18th century. Even though they stay only on paper, these designs hold such enticing qualities not only due to the impeccable drawings that represent them but also for the fictional stories they tell. Through them, design and construction methods are questioned, and real-world problems are solved, thus becoming a source of inspiration for architects throughout the world. Especially during the 1960s-1970s, avant-garde architects spawned some of the most influential architectural movements of that time. Jean-Jacques Lequeu creator QS:P170,Q1684923, Lequeu Tor eines Jagdgelaendes Projekt, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons Archigram Possibly the most well-known group of speculative architects, Archigram’s unbuilt projects were developed after WWII, in an attempt to reevaluate the way in which people lived in urban centers. Plug-in City and Walking City were some of their most provocative projects, utilizing hypothetical technology to create energy efficient structures that introduced concepts such as movable cities, modular architecture and even nomadic living. Lebbeus Woods Geomagnetic Flying Machines. © Estate of Lebbeus Woods During his career Lebbeus Woods focused on architectural theory and experimentation and co-founded the Research Institute for Experimental Architecture. Although his designs were unshackled by the constraints of the real world, i.e. finance, build-ability and technology, his work deals greatly with existing issues such as rebuilding post-war cities and architecture as a defense mechanism towards political upheavals. The Sarajevo Window for example, is a proposal for a wall and window repair after the Bosnian capital underwent terrorist attacks in the 1990s. Gaetano Pesce View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gaetano Pesce (@gaetano.pesce) The Italian architect and designer and his project the Church of Solitude addressed immigration issues and a corporate way of living. When experiencing New York in the 1970s, he witnessed large groups of people living together in ‘helter-skelter’ conditions and thus developed the concept of an underground church fit for introspection, contemplation and a retreat from the city’s institutional culture. Pesce’s excavated landscape became a refuge underneath the imposing, capitalist Manhattan skyscrapers. We are now a couple of decades later and still; paper architecture hasn’t lost its allure for architects. There have been countless speculative proposals, breathtaking drawings and models as well as an abundance of theoretical and contextual writings that reveal that intent behind these designs. CJ Lim View this post on Instagram A post shared by cj lim IMAGINARIUM (@cjlimimaginarium) Food City is CJ Lim’s most recent project, in which he positions food in the core of national and local governance and influence the way in which a city is both spatially and functionally organized. The architect creates a hypothetical case study showcasing how a secondary environmental/food infrastructure can operate as a sustainable stratum over the city of London. Bryan Cantley View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bryan Cantley (@bcantl3y) “Machno-morphic” is one of the characterizations that vividly describes Bryan Cantley’s work, which is comprised of speculative drawings that reflect upon the remains of mechanical realities within the landscapes of Southern California. He delves into the region’s folklore, which mixes dreams of a suburban peace with Spanish Colonialism and mountainous landscapes, proposing future mechanical forms (instruments) that investigate, critique and oftentimes compliment the western industrial setting. Perry Kulper View this post on Instagram A post shared by Perry Kulper (@pkulper) Perry Kulper’s proposals reach ‘implausible dimensions’. His drawing practices explore new ways of immersive design, investigating how architecture interacts with its cultural environment. Beyond inventing new modes of architectural representation, Kulper’ work looks at real places, landscapes and contexts and composes an array of possible and unexpected interactions between them. After exploring examples of paper architecture drawn in the past 50 years, it is safe to say that all these projects, albeit speculative, contain more than a dash of realism in them. They are practical interventions, situated in cities that face real-world challenges and propose solutions that tackle climate change, social housing, immigration, experiential design, food production, industrial production and so much more. At this point I want to borrow Lebbeus Wood’s quote stating that ‘architecture is always constrained by the reality of technology.’ In other words, building all these paper architecture proposals is not impossible; it is merely a matter of whether technology can keep up with human imagination. The optimist in me believes that if we were to implement these designs with the same liberal manner in which they were conceived, i.e. breaking free from ulterior political and economic motives, architecture would truly and holistically impact our cities, our natural landscape, our resources and even reevaluate the (currently concrete) norms through which humans inhabit the planet. The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today. Featured image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi artist QS:P170,Q316307, Piranesi01, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons The post What if the World Built All the Paper Architecture Proposals? appeared first on Journal.

In a world where uniqueness is rare, perhaps architecture will be revitalized by imperfection. 

The post Architectural Anomalies: 8 Times Unexpected Design Choices Created Memorable Buildings appeared first on Journal.

Architizer is thrilled to announce the world' best architecture firms in 2024, all winners of the 12th Annual A+Awards! Want to get your firm in the running next season? Stay up to date by subscribing to our A+Awards Newsletter. We each have our word for it: irregular, quirky, odd, eccentric — nuanced, even. There are countless reasons a building is described as “unusual,” and sometimes, if you’re lucky, it’s a compliment. In most cases, what might at first be seen as an anomaly is an intentional design decision. By introducing unconventional elements to a design, be it material, form or scale, architects can challenge norms to create focal points or express artistic vision. These “anomalies” can become a building’s signature feature, providing a distinct visual identity and creating impact. They are excellent marketing tools and ignite conversations. Other times, an anomaly arises because of the site; a project might have to change and evolve in response to its location. In doing so, the original design becomes distorted to accommodate the issue. These anomalies are endlessly interesting to architects and designers. It’s fascinating to see how the context of the landscape can define the parameters of human intervention. Sometimes, with all the will in the world, nature prevails, and we must relent and conform, adjusting our designs to accommodate what came before. Then, of course, there is the anomaly that is created when a design takes a completely unexpected turn, creating something unplanned and imperfect. Most architects seek to smooth out these irregularities, but we’re making the argument that sometimes, though not always (safety first!), we should embrace the imperfections. As Frank Gehry aptly said, “The creative act is not the province of visionaries alone. It finds expression in the choices we make, in the willingness to improvise, to adapt, to embrace the unexpected.” Unsurprisingly, he’s not wrong. In a world where uniqueness is few and far between and revival and reinterpretation are our lifeblood, perhaps it’s in these imperfections that we will find fresh inspiration and excitement in architecture. The following eight projects are perfect examples of the beauty of imperfection. The Grand Mulberry By MA | Morris Adjmi Architects, New York City, New York Popular Choice Winner, Façades, 12th Annual A+Awards Photographs by Glen-Gery The Grand Mulberry is a modern building in traditional clothes. On the corner between Grand and Mulberry Streets in the heart of Little Italy, the design of the contemporary condominium takes its inspiration from the rich heritage of the historic Italianate tenements that are found throughout the surrounding neighborhood. Traditionally, Italianate tenement buildings featured a tripartite façade that consisted of a base, middle and top with differing details and brickwork used for each portion. Using custom-profiled brick, The Grand Mulberry is wrapped with a pattern of banding to replicate pediment windows, arched windows and a cornice. While the design does not align with the modern positioning of the windows, which is typical of a contemporary building structure, somehow, this offset pattern elevates the overall look of the building, making it stand out and say more. Urban Discourse Machine By Darkefaza Design Studio, Yazd, Iran Photos by Mohammadhossein Hamzehlouei Darkefaza Design Studio’s unusual project in Yazd reconsiders the role of a building’s façade. Using their expertise, they turned a once undefined exterior into a conversation with the city. Located in the modern Safayieh region, an area where many buildings follow a standard design strategy and appearance, the design began without a clear façade. Yet, over the course of the project it gradually evolved into a structure that uses its very surface to announce its purpose. The result is a building that draws on the historic motifs of Yazd to become a lively and engaging presence its local neighborhood. LH By STARH, Varna, Bulgaria Photos by Dian Stanchev STARH’s LH apartment building is as confident as it is white — completely. The semi-modern structure is bright and bold amongst the historic architecture that surrounds it. The building’s crisp, white façade of suspended fiber cement panels is a contemporary choice that sits in sharp contrast to the area’s traditional, highly decorative forms. Yet, this new design does not ignore its context. The façade’s rigid grid structure represents, thoughtfully, the original 1923 building, creating a conversation about old and new. In embracing this brave choice, LH adds a fresh layer to Varna’s architectural history, showing a profound respect for the past with a clear vision for the future. Huizhen High School By Zhejiang University of Technology Engineering Design Group Co, China Images provided by WAF23 At Huizhen High School, the concept of “wasting time” is an intentional anomaly at a time where “efficiency first” typically dictates design. This approach turns its back on maximizing space and speed, instead offering its student body a “floating forest” where they can slow down and escape. The innovative design rejects a standard grid layout, scattering classrooms around the forest with perceived abandon. Meandering paths replace straight lines, and open spaces invite exploration, making this campus a rare exception — an environment designed to encourage unstructured, leisurely moments in a demanding academic setting. Tile House By The Bloom Architects, Vietnam Photographs by Hiroyuki Oki It’s not often a client would be happy to have a hole in their roof. However, in the case of Tile House, it’s a positively positive outcome. In Bao Loc in Vietnam, The Bloom Architects have turned a supposed flaw into a clever feature. With long, dry, sunny days followed by relentless rain, typically, houses in the area are clad in corrugated iron, a practical but uninspired choice. Tile House, however, opts for something different — embracing the natural elements rather than shutting them out. Using a strategically placed “light-wind hole” the house draws in the cool air to help ventilation. It’s a practical and refreshing approach where the outside world is welcomed in without hesitation. Dalezhiye Kindergarten By DIKA Architectural Design Center, Leshan, China Photographs by Arch-Exist Photography Designed by DIKA Architectural Design Center, Dalezhiye Kindergarten is a reflection of its young inhabitants. A free-form structure, the building appears to emerge naturally from the land, its organic shape an architectural mirror of the region’s mountainous terrain and red sandstone landscape. Rather than imposing itself on the land, the kindergarten becomes part of it. Its form is dictated by the site’s sharp slopes and varying elevations creating a highly dynamic space that feels as though it’s grown out of the earth itself. Ushimaru Restaurant By Axel Vansteenkiste Architecture, Sammu, Japan Photographs by Axel Vansteenkiste Sometimes, a new addition can completely redefine a building’s presence. Ushimaru restaurant has long been known for its blend of European style and locally sourced cuisine. However, the recent redevelopment by Axel Vansteenkiste Architecture introduces a striking anomaly. The new addition, composed of two distinct volumes, extends the original structure while bringing a bold new look. One volume, with its sharply pitched roof, opens the lounge to sweeping views of the landscape, while cleverly concealing the adjacent parking area. The other, more discreet, houses the expanded kitchen and service areas. The building’s low profile emphasizes the contrast between the welcoming openness of the lounge and the functional spaces beyond. Clad in reflective silver galvalume, the restaurant is now a contemporary landmark in the countryside. The Wall Maze of Vi Park By XING DESIGN, Shanghai, China Photographs by UK Studio Why is it we always put the interesting stuff on the inside? Well, at Vi Park, XING DESIGN are changing that. Located in the repurposed Shanghai Greater China Zhengtai Rubber Factory, the new design has a labyrinthine structure on the exterior. The so-called “Wall Maze” connects various offices and terraces spanning the façade, breaking the rigid order of typical office spaces, creating a new environment where work meets play. The maze-like design, with its ups and downs, becomes an unsuspecting experience—one where a casual walk can lead to new conversations or a moment of reflection amid the greenery. From the street, the façade appears playful and puzzling, with a hint of Esher, as paths seemingly cut off or go nowhere. Architizer is thrilled to announce the world' best architecture firms in 2024, all winners of the 12th Annual A+Awards! Want to get your firm in the running next season? Stay up to date by subscribing to our A+Awards Newsletter. The post Architectural Anomalies: 8 Times Unexpected Design Choices Created Memorable Buildings appeared first on Journal.

What does vernacular mean in an architectural context?

The post Architecture 101: What Is Vernacular Architecture? appeared first on Journal.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. In architecture, “vernacular” refers to a style or design indigenous to a particular region or culture. It is characterized by the use of local materials, traditional construction methods, and design elements that reflect the local environment and cultural practices. While vernacular architecture often involves knowledge passed down through generations and may not require formal architectural training, it does require specialized knowledge of local materials, climate and construction techniques. This expertise is typically held by local builders and craftsmen. Vernacular architecture can evolve with new technologies, but its essence lies in adapting these innovations in ways that remain true to local traditions and environmental conditions. Characteristics of Vernacular Architecture Croft and outbuildings near Catfirth, Mainland, Shetland Islands, Scotland | Photo by David Nicolson via Geograph under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 license. Are there typical characteristics of vernacular architecture? Vernacular architecture utilizes local materials and traditional construction techniques, creating structures that respond to the climate and harmonize with the landscape. It emphasizes sustainability and seamlessly integrates with its surroundings, reflecting the identity and culture of the community and capturing a strong sense of place. What materials are most associated with vernacular architecture? Vernacular architecture typically uses locally sourced materials suited to the environment. Common choices include local stone, wood, brick, adobe, thatch, and wattle and daub. These materials are selected for their availability, durability and ability to enhance sustainability and regional character. How is vernacular design sustainable? Vernacular design is sustainable because it uses local materials and traditional techniques, minimizing resource transportation and carbon footprint. It adapts to the local climate with natural ventilation and passive heating and cooling, ensuring energy efficiency and durability. History of Vernacular Architecture Santorini, Greece | Image by Fabrizio Ponchia from Pixabay. How is vernacular architecture different than traditional architecture? Vernacular architecture differs from traditional architecture in that it is deeply rooted in local customs, materials and climate-specific design, reflecting the culture and environment of a specific region. Traditional architecture, on the other hand, may incorporate historical styles and methods passed down through generations but isn’t necessarily tied to local conditions or materials. Which architects’ work is inspired by vernacular architecture? In contemporary architecture, many architects are drawing inspiration from vernacular architecture. They skillfully blend traditional materials, building techniques, and cultural elements with modern design principles and technology to create sustainable and context-sensitive buildings. Francis Kéré, a Burkinabé-German architect, is celebrated for his innovative use of local, sustainable materials like compressed earth. His Gando Primary School in Burkina Faso is a climate-responsive and community-centered design landmark, showcasing how local resources can drive sustainable architecture. Vo Trong Nghia, a Vietnamese architect, incorporates bamboo and natural ventilation in his projects to suit Southeast Asia’s climate and culture. Australian architect Glenn Murcutt merges the principles of Aboriginal vernacular architecture with modernism. Spanish architecture firm RCR Arquitectes draws on local materials and techniques to craft their buildings. Their work, such as the Grove Park in Begur, Spain, combines natural elements like stone, wood, and water with modernist sensibilities, resulting in buildings that are in harmony with their surroundings and culture. New York-based Japanese architect Toshiko Mori integrates local traditions with contemporary practices, as seen in her Senegal projects like the Thread Artist Residency, which features traditional thatched roofs and natural ventilation suited to the local climate and culture. Green School by IBUKU in Bali, Indonesia | Photo courtesy of IBUKU via Flickr under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license What are the different types of vernacular architecture? Vernacular architecture includes various construction methods adapted to local climates, materials and cultural practices. Some notable types are: Stone Construction: Using local stone for its durability and natural insulation, stone construction is found worldwide in different forms, such as crofts, castles and ancient ruins. Wood/Log Cabins: Built from locally available timber, log cabins are simple, sturdy shelters commonly found in forested regions. Mud Brick Adobe and Rammed Earth Construction: This technique uses sun-dried bricks made from mud and straw. It is known for its thermal efficiency and is prevalent in arid climates. Stilt Houses: Elevated on stilts to avoid flooding and pests, they are common in regions with heavy rainfall or tidal influences. Bamboo Construction: Bamboo is a sustainable, flexible and strong material used extensively in tropical regions for housing and other structures. Thatch Roofing: Made from natural vegetation like straw, reeds or palm leaves, thatched roofs are typical in tropical and temperate regions. Wattle and Daub: This method involves weaving wooden strips (wattle) and covering them with a mixture of mud or clay (daub) to create flexible and well-insulated walls. Yurts, tents, and Igloos: These temporary structures can be considered vernacular due to their use of local materials, cultural relevance and adaptability to local environmental conditions. Tents are widely used by nomadic groups like the Bedouin, Sami and Native Americans, crafted from hides or fabrics suitable for their environments. Yurts, originally from Central Asia, offer portable, well-insulated shelters using felt and wood. Igloos, built by the Inuit, utilize compacted snow for insulation in Arctic conditions. Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, United States | Photo by Hasselblad500CM via Wikimedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. What are famous examples of vernacular architecture? Notable examples of vernacular architecture include the ancient Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, made from adobe that provides natural insulation against heat and cold, and the Great Zimbabwe Ruins in Africa, constructed using dry stone masonry, a remarkable example of Shona architecture in Africa. In Greece, the cave houses of Santorini are built into the volcanic rock, which keeps the interiors cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Japan’s Gassho-Zukuri wood farmhouses feature steep thatched roofs designed to withstand heavy snowfall. In water-rich regions, stilt houses like the Warao dwellings in Venezuela and the longhouses in Borneo are raised above ground or water to protect against flooding. Scottish Blackhouses are built to endure cold climates. These solid stone and thatched-roofed buildings blend with the rugged Scottish landscape. The Dogon cliff dwellings in Mali blend spiritual and practical needs, built into escarpments for protection and religious significance. Is vernacular considered an architectural style? Unlike architectural styles such as International Style, Gothic, Tudor, Colonial or Greek Revival, defined by specific aesthetic principles, historical influences and design theories, vernacular architecture arises organically from local needs, materials and traditions. It reflects ordinary people’s practical and cultural responses to their environment rather than the deliberate design choices of architects aiming to achieve a particular look or adhere to a set of stylistic rules. The Future of Vernacular Architecture Fish Pavilion of Bamboo Shadow by CAA in Huzhou, China | Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building | Photo by Min Zhuo What is Neo-Vernacular architecture? Neo-vernacular architecture, or new vernacular reinterprets traditional vernacular design principles in modern contexts. It preserves local heritage by incorporating traditional forms, local materials and regional construction methods, blending these with modern materials and techniques for improved durability, energy efficiency and functionality. This approach prioritizes sustainability and resilience. By bridging past and present, Neo-Vernacular architecture offers a sense of continuity, creating buildings that are rooted in tradition yet responsive to modern demands. What vernacular elements are common in contemporary architecture? Contemporary architecture often incorporates vernacular elements to create designs that are both modern and contextually relevant. These elements include the use of locally sourced materials, climate-responsive design and integration with the landscape, all of which help buildings harmonize with their surroundings. Additionally, contemporary architecture often emphasizes sustainability through traditional techniques like passive heating and cooling while also reflecting local culture through symbolic design elements. Further Reading Komera Leadership Center by BE_Design, Rwinkwavu, Rwanda | Popular Choice Winner, Community Centers; Jury Winner, Architecture +Community; Jury Winner, Architecture +For Good; Jury Winner & Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Low Cost Design, 11th Annual A+Awards Humble Roots: 6 Contemporary Architecture Projects Grounded In Vernacular Design Vernacular architecture is a product of its locality. It’s a patchwork of design languages, native materials and building traditions informed by centuries of lives before us. This distilled knowledge is part instruction manual, part storybook — it summons rich cultural tales and imparts the blueprints for building on unique, regional terrain. Evoking the vernacular is a form of time travel — a way of colliding the past and present. These six A+Award-winning projects each draw inspiration from historic, localized design and reimagine the vernacular spirit for the 21st century. Read more > A House in Yarmouk by STUDIO TOGGLE, Kuwait City, Kuwait Modern Vernacular: Emerging Firm of the Year Studio Toggle on Pioneering Cross-Cultural Architecture STUDIO TOGGLE’s work ranges from public-sector, commercial, residential and hospitality architecture to interior design, seamlessly blending modernity and tradition. While cross-cultural architectural thinking is evident in their rethinking of private community spaces in residential projects such as Ternion, a deep understanding of the local environmental conditions informs their designs — seen in Edges Al Barouk, but also explored through various passive cooling techniques across many of their designs. Learn more about the studio and its approach in this interview. Read more > Fyrgani by AKA – Apostolou Colakis Architects, Sifnos Island, Greece | Jury Winner, Architecture +Color, 10th Annual A+Awards | Photo by Cathy Cunliffe Vernacular Vibes: 6 Modern Rural Homes Drawing on Local Construction Traditions Vernacular architecture gives each house a truly unique and inimitable character because it is so fundamentally tied to the local context. Some architects are embracing this building philosophy, whether by using local materials like drystone, wood, rocks, repurposed bricks or by adopting architectural concepts of the past. And though the buildings they create are contemporary constructions, they place themselves without pretentiousness within the cultural tradition of local architecture. Read more > Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. The post Architecture 101: What Is Vernacular Architecture? appeared first on Journal.

Narrow urban canyons present both design challenges and opportunities to transform confined spaces into vibrant, functional environments.

The post Urban Canyons: Designing with Narrow Alleyways and Confined Spaces appeared first on Journal.

Ema is a trained architect, writer and photographer who works as a Junior Architect at REX in NYC. Inspired by her global experiences, she shares captivating insights into the world’s most extraordinary cities and buildings and provides travel tips on her blog, The Travel Album. As urban landscapes evolve and cities grow denser, architects face the unique challenge of designing within the constraints of narrow alleyways and confined spaces, often referred to as “urban canyons.” These areas, characterized by their limited width and high surrounding buildings, present significant design challenges but offer unique opportunities for creative and impactful architectural solutions. Buildings of this nature are particularly intriguing because they diverge from traditional structures that typically feature ample surrounding space. They prompt a deeper consideration of their design and construction, as well as how people navigate and interact within such confined environments. This article will dive into the complexities of designing in these constrained environments and explore innovative strategies that turn limitations into assets, transforming urban canyons into vibrant, functional spaces. The Challenges of Urban Canyons skinnySCAR by Gwendolyn Huisman & Marijn Boterman, Rotterdam, Netherlands Urban canyons often present several intrinsic challenges that architects must navigate. One of the primary difficulties is the scarcity of natural light. The towering walls of adjacent buildings can severely limit daylight penetration, resulting in dimly lit and uninviting spaces. This lack of natural light can make narrow alleys feel claustrophobic and less appealing, impacting both aesthetic quality and the psychological comfort of occupants. Light plays a crucial role in architectural design, influencing mood, functionality and the overall atmosphere of a space. Another significant challenge is restricted access and circulation. The narrow dimensions of these urban canyons can complicate pedestrian movement and vehicle access. When spaces are confined, movement becomes less fluid, and there may be less room for people to pass each other comfortably. The same issues apply to vehicles. This can lead to congested areas, especially in high-traffic zones, and may hinder the efficient flow of people and goods. The confined nature of these spaces often means that traditional design approaches must be rethought to accommodate both functionality and accessibility. Furthermore, the small footprint of urban canyons limits the range of possible uses and design interventions. Architects must work within these constraints to optimize the available space, ensuring that it meets the needs of various functions while maintaining a cohesive and practical design. This requires a careful balance of creativity and functionality, pushing the boundaries of conventional design solutions. Innovative Design Solutions 1. Maximizing Light and Ventilation House and Garden by Ryue Nishizawa, Tokyo, Japan To counteract the challenge of limited natural light, architects have developed several innovative strategies. One effective solution is the use of light wells and skylights. Light wells are vertical shafts that allow daylight to penetrate deeper into the building, brightening otherwise shadowed spaces. For example, The House and Garden by Ryue Nishizawa incorporates a series of light wells and vertical gardens that not only bring natural light into the depths of the building but also introduce greenery, enhancing both light and environmental quality. Skylights, which are installed in roofs or upper walls, can similarly flood lower levels with daylight, making spaces feel more open and connected to the outdoors. The integrated garden spaces and terraces that extend the living areas outside, blurs the boundary between indoor and outdoor environments. This allows natural light to be more effectively used and provides additional visual and spatial relief, enhancing the overall livability of the narrow space. 2. Optimizing Space Utilization The Stack by GLUCK+, New York City, New York Given the limitations of narrow spaces, architects often turn to vertical design strategies to maximize utility. Multi-level structures and mezzanines effectively expand the functional area within a confined footprint. Urban canyons are not limited to narrow homes squeezed between two buildings; they also encompass larger housing complexes where in cities like New York, space is at a premium. While designing slim homes that utilize vertical space can yield unique and efficient living solutions, this approach is also applicable to multi-unit buildings such as condominiums. In these larger projects, the design often incorporates multiple floors and innovative spatial configurations to maximize the use of a narrow site. This vertical integration enhances both the functionality and livability of the building, demonstrating how thoughtful design can optimize space even in constrained urban environments. Modular and flexible design solutions also play a crucial role in optimizing space. Modular furniture and movable partitions allow for adaptable use of space, accommodating various functions and activities. A great example of this, is The Stack by GLUCK+. The building illustrates this concept by maximizing the available footprint while maintaining functionality. It incorporates modular elements that turn a narrow plot into a versatile, multi-use space, utilizing innovative spatial configurations like open-plan layouts and integrated storage solutions to maximize functionality within the confined area. These design strategies enable the space to be reconfigured according to changing needs, making it versatile and adaptable. 3. Enhancing Accessibility and Connectivity High Line by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York City, New York Improving accessibility and connectivity is essential for making narrow spaces more functional and user-friendly. Designing pedestrian-friendly pathways involves integrating features such as seating, lighting, and landscaping to create inviting environments. A prime example of successful architectural integration is New York City’s High Line, which transforms a narrow, elevated railway track into a vibrant, green corridor, revitalizing the urban area. I wanted to include this example because it offers a fresh perspective on what an architectural urban canyon can be. Unlike the typical image of buildings squeezed into narrow spaces, this example demonstrates how such environments can be reimagined in innovative ways. This project not only enhances accessibility but also creates a unique public space that fosters community interaction and engagement. It is integrated into the city’s grid, connecting various neighborhoods and landmarks. The uninterrupted pedestrian path above street level, enhances connectivity by linking previously isolated areas and creating a continuous, accessible route through Manhattan. Maximizing the use of limited space, it successfully enhances functionality by creating an elevated, accessible pathway through a densely built urban environment. Its design functions as both a recreational space and a practical city route. By incorporating ramps, elevators and multiple access points, it ensures user-friendliness and accessibility for everyone, including those with disabilities. This thoughtful design not only enhances the overall user experience but also promotes inclusivity. Additionally, by connecting various parts of the city, the High Line demonstrates how improving accessibility can enhance urban connectivity, linking different neighborhoods and points of interest to create a more cohesive and navigable urban environment. Creating Aesthetic Appeal Starbucks Coffee at Dazaifutenmangu Omotesando Dazaifu by Kengo Kuma and Associates, Japan Addressing the aesthetic quality of narrow spaces is crucial for making them appealing and engaging. I want to highlight one of my favorite examples by Kengo Kuma: an exceptionally unique Starbucks building in Japan. This design beautifully illustrates how focusing on the aesthetic quality of narrow spaces can make them both captivating and engaging. The design utilizes a distinctive façade of wooden slats that wrap around the interior of the narrow building. This not only provides visual interest but also creates a sense of warmth and texture. The natural wood contrasts with the surrounding urban environment, allowing the building to stand out while still skillfully complementing its context. The building’s design incorporates both vertical and horizontal elements to break up the narrow space visually. The wooden slats are arranged in a way that adds depth and dimension, creating a dynamic interplay of light, shadow and various textures. This technique helps to mitigate the sense of constriction often associated with narrow spaces. The use of natural materials and the building’s subtle yet striking design contribute to its visual appeal, making it a standout feature in a densely built environment. By addressing the aesthetic quality through innovative material use, light integration, and thoughtful design elements, the Starbucks Coffee at Dazaifutenmangu Omotesando transforms a narrow space into a visually compelling and engaging environment within its dense urban context. Designing in narrow alleyways and confined urban spaces presents distinct challenges that demand innovative and thoughtful solutions. This article aimed to redefine the concept of an urban canyon by showcasing diverse and unique examples and by addressing critical issues such as light, space utilization, accessibility, and aesthetics. Architects can transform these constrained spaces into vibrant and functional environments by utilizing the strategies discussed to demonstrate that even the most constrained spaces can be reimagined to enhance urban livability and contribute to the overall character of the city. Embracing these design opportunities not only addresses the challenges of confined spaces but also enriches the urban experience, turning limitations into assets and creating dynamic, engaging environments. Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. The post Urban Canyons: Designing with Narrow Alleyways and Confined Spaces appeared first on Journal.

Discover the best cultural designs in the world today.

The post Icons of Innovation: 6 Cultural Catalysts Bridging People and Place appeared first on Journal.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. Cultural projects serve as more than just physical spaces; they embody collective identity, history and the evolving narratives of our communities. From the grand halls of theaters to the intricate layouts of museums, these spaces reflect the diversity of human experience and the role architecture plays in shaping how we engage with art, history and culture. The significance of such projects has never been greater as they continue to inspire, educate and bring people together across boundaries. For this year’s A+ Awards, architects and designers have again been recognized for exceptional cultural designs pushing the boundaries of form, function and innovation. This year’s winners showcase an array of projects that redefine the cultural landscape, elevating the experience of art and how to engage with the community. Across cultural centers, concert halls, theaters and museums, major trends are emerging that emphasize sustainability, inclusivity and accessibility. This year’s award-winning designs highlight how cultural architecture can lead the way in fostering a deeper connection between people and place. Prepared Rehmannia Root Crafts Exhibition Hall By LUO studio, Xiuwu County, Jiaozuo, China Jury Winner, Cultural and Expo Centers, 12th Annual A+Awards Xiuwu County in Henan Province, historically known as Huaiqing Prefecture, is renowned for its production of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, including the highly valued Rehmannia root (“Shu Di Huang”). In Houyanmen Village, the county has prioritized rural industrial revitalization, with the Ice Chrysanthemum Plantation and the Prepared Rehmannia Root Crafts Exhibition Hall serving as key examples. Supported by government funding, these facilities employ local red bricks and engineered wood frames, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern construction techniques to create durable, spacious structures that honor the village’s architectural heritage. LUO studio’s innovative design for the exhibition hall integrates local materials and ecological considerations, challenging conventional industrial park construction methods while promoting the integration of agriculture, tourism and education in the region. Skamlingsbanken Visitor Centre By CEBRA, Kolding, Denmark Popular Choice Winner, Cultural and Expo Centers, 12th Annual A+Awards The visitor center at Skamlingsbanken, a historic site in southern Denmark, is designed to blend seamlessly with its glacial landscape, reflecting the area’s rich history of democratic events and natural beauty. Built into the rolling hills, the center serves as both a gateway to the surrounding nature and a space for exhibitions on Skamlingsbanken’s past. The architecture, inspired by the landscape, features local materials like wood and terrazzo, creating an earthy, introspective environment. A collaborative effort expanded the protected area around the center, ensuring the preservation of local biodiversity with a custom grass mixture to support native species. Théâtre de Verdure By Lemay, Montreal, Canada Jury Winner, Hall / Theater, 12th Annual A+Awards The redevelopment of the Théâtre de Verdure, originally opened in 1956, has transformed it into an inviting, year-round venue that harmoniously blends architecture and landscape. The project includes a new building, redesigned stage, amphitheater, and public spaces, all using modern materials that honor the theater’s original modernist design. The structure’s transparent, open design creates a seamless connection between the theater and its natural surroundings, allowing it to comfortably host up to 2,500 people for major outdoor events while remaining sensitive to the enchanting site it inhabits. Perelman Performing Arts Center By REX, New York City, New York Popular Choice Winner, Hall / Theater, 12th Annual A+Awards The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is a key cultural landmark and the final public element of the World Trade Center master plan. This dynamic venue hosts music, theater, dance, opera and film, with a design that enhances artistic creativity and offers patrons ever-changing experiences. The building’s elegant form, wrapped in translucent marble, appears solid by day and reveals its vibrant interior at night. PAC NYC features three adaptable theaters with seating configurations ranging from 90 to 950, allowing for diverse stage formats. The structure, designed to overcome complex underground constraints, is supported by seven super columns and protected from external vibrations, ensuring uninterrupted performances. The façade’s 4,896 marble-glass panels, arranged in a biaxially symmetric pattern, add to the building’s striking aesthetic. Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation By Studio Gang, New York City, New York Jury Winner, Museum, 12th Annual A+Awards The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York enhances public understanding of science through experiential architecture. The design creates over 30 connections among 10 buildings, improving functionality and visitor flow with a new accessible entrance on Columbus Avenue. The building’s central five-story atrium, inspired by natural geologic formations, opens to natural light and invites exploration. The Center features an insectarium, butterfly vivarium, the Collections Core with over 3 million specimens, and immersive exhibits like Invisible Worlds. The Gilder Center’s vertical design reduces energy use, with a high-performance envelope and passive cooling strategies that reflect the Museum’s commitment to the natural world. Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts Extension By Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, Xi’An, China Popular Choice Winner, Museum, 12th Annual A+Awards The Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xi’an, located near the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, was designed by Neri&Hu as a monolithic urban monument. Serving as an architectural icon and cultural anchor at the museum’s East Entry, the design carefully integrates with the surrounding urban fabric. The building consists of four parts: a partially sunken concrete base that retains original museum spaces and adds new retail functions, a Sculptural Walk enclosing circulation, an elevated podium platform, and a monumental structure. Escalators within a sculptural form lead visitors from the ground plaza to the underground museum, creating a dramatic entry experience. Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters. The post Icons of Innovation: 6 Cultural Catalysts Bridging People and Place appeared first on Journal.

Go beyond the surface with Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects, whose extraordinary Periscope design merges nature with technology.

The post Groundbreaking Design: The Belgian Architecture Firm Rewriting the Future of Subterranean Dwelling appeared first on Journal.

Underground living holds many negative connotations. Obscurity, claustrophobia, darkness. Yet, despite the premium we put on natural light and fresh air, there are benefits to subterranean habitation. Underground spaces benefit from thermal insulation against heat and cold, and building beneath the earth’s surface could help preserve ecosystems in the open air. What if we could embrace the benefits of subterranean dwelling while ameliorating the shortcomings? The Belgian design firm Claerhout–Van Biervliet Architects has a radical plan to do just this. The craziest part? Their prototype for the Periscope House could become a reality. The project’s intricate complexity almost defies conventional design descriptions; it not only challenges common expectations of what architecture can and should do but also asks us to rethink the utility of imposing a dichotomy between physical and virtual realms, which are already merged in our lived realities. In short, the Periscope House — which is built completely below terrain level yet features a large central patio and a contour of outdoor space — addresses common issues associated with underground environments by introducing a dynamic system of movable double mirrors. These mirrors, functioning as periscopes, can be adjusted to bring natural light and expansive views into the heart of the subterranean dwelling, transforming the typically dark and oppressive atmosphere into a verdant oasis. During the day, solar-powered mechanisms elevate the mirrors, while at night, they retract, blending back into the landscape. This dual-purpose design also supports sustainability by utilizing gravitational energy, which is converted into mechanical energy to generate power (the upper mirror doubles as a plant container for hanging vegetation), integrating green infrastructure with cutting-edge technology. Most crucially, the project’s thesis is that the periscope system is “more than a reflection of reality. It revolutionizes our perception by entirely displacing it.” In this exclusive interview, Architizer’s Managing Editor, Hannah Feniak, sits down with with Xaveer Claerhout, cofounder and architect at Claerhout–Van Biervliet Architects, to uncover the ideas, inspirations and details behind the visionary design and to explore how a radical proposal is also a buildable reality and a plausible vision for the future. Hannah Feniak: Congratulations on winning your first A+Award! What does this kind of recognition mean for your firm, and how does it aid in developing your practice? Xaveer Claerhout: It is an important endorsement for us. Our architectural firm Claerhout – Van Biervliet is engaged daily in designing and realizing architectural projects. These projects are continuously tested against reality. With Metamorphic Art Studio — our artistic and creative studio, which operates from within our architectural firm — we, together with our son and visual artist Adriaan Claerhout, conceive and develop innovative concepts such as the Periscope project on our own initiative. The common thread here for nearly two decades now has been our conviction that artifacts in the near future will partially be able to physically metamorphose, meaning that they will have the capacity to transform and adapt. In 2008, we launched the principle of this ‘Metamorphic Architecture’ in conjunction with an exhibition of our first manifest movie, ‘Kinetower,’ and the first metamorphic prototypes of transforming lamps in Verona (Italy). Today, this A+Award indicates that the Periscope project is relevant and appreciated by both a specialized architectural jury and a global audience of architecture enthusiasts. View over landscape on level -1: upper mirror up/lower mirror up No view over landscape: upper mirror down/lower mirror up | PERISCOPE – reality displacement as space enhancer and energy storage device by Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects, Concept | Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Private House (L > 3000 sq ft) | Visualizations by Adriaan Claerhout HF: Your portfolio largely consists of context-driven residential designs with striking geometric and textural elements. How would you define your firm’s architectural approach and design philosophy? XC: This is true for our specific architectural assignments we have realized so far with our architectural firm Claerhout – Van Biervliet. We have clients who approach us for a tailor-made building for their specific program and context. We create their house, apartment, retreat or office with an organic and flowing feeling and functionality, where light and space play the key role. Our driving force is creating spaces that inspire happiness and well-being. Within Metamorphic Art Studio, we are looking for more archetype-driven solutions and innovations. The aim is not only to conceive but to also effectively realize these innovations as much as possible through integration into context-driven architectural designs. We have become convinced through designing and developing many transformative prototypes, metamorphic light fixtures, buildings and artworks that there is an archetypal relationship between open forms and a lot of light and air — and vice versa. Some of our metamorphic artifacts, such as the artwork named ‘Cuts’ and the lamp named ‘New York,’ make part of the permanent collection of the Museum Centre Pompidou in Paris since 2016. Artifacts that can transform and metamorphose their shape in order to adapt to the needs of the moment are often intuitively and universally understood. Buildings come to life and open up in order to receive light and air where and when needed and can then close up again as if they were an organism. Right: Upper mirror down, building closed | Left: Upper mirror up, building accessible Upper mirror up; view over the landscape | PERISCOPE – reality displacement as space enhancer and energy storage device by Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects, Concept | Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Private House (L > 3000 sq ft) | Visualizations by Adriaan Claerhout HF: Your A+Award-winning project, PERISCOPE, imagines a semi-subterranean structure that uses retractable mirrors to bring light and atmosphere below grade to create a microclimate. What inspired — or, led you to develop — this project? A combination of several elements: • The primal idea of retreating and being protected by a hole in the ground is a typically pandemic thought that triggered our imagination. • The COVID-19 crisis gave us time to conceive and develop this innovative concept. • The increasing scarcity of building land often results in enormous basements that nevertheless need to house primary living and working functions but always suffer from dreary ‘basement architecture’ with a lack of light and view. • By extrapolating the idea of retractable periscope mirrors on an architectural scale, light and view can be brought to underground levels, solving the above issue. • The basic fascination of finding solutions to discreetly nesting a building in a valuable natural environment. • The challenge of reactivating a Roman or Palladian building scheme by making it four-dimensional and adaptive. • Finally, the intriguing challenge of combining the centuries-old periscope system to bring light and view to a subterranean level with a gravity battery. We have tried to bring all these elements together in a synergetic way. The short film, featured at the top of this article, illustrates how an underground building can come to life. Left: Upper mirror down/lower mirror up, providing a view over the inner gardens | Center: Upper mirror rising | Right: Upper mirror up Upper mirror up/lower mirror -2, providing a view over the landscape for level -2 | PERISCOPE – reality displacement as space enhancer and energy storage device by Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects, Concept | Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Private House (L > 3000 sq ft) | Visualizations by Adriaan Claerhout HF: With its dynamic solar-powered framework, imagined as a “space enhancer,” PERISCOPE presents an architecture that blurs the distinction between the physical and virtual realms — a phenomenon we experience daily. Why do you think it is important that architects explore this concept? The physical reality is increasingly cannibalized by virtual reality. The latter tries more and more to compete with the ‘static’ physical world. It is Metamorphic Art Studio’s aspiration to provide a counterbalance by focusing on virtualizing the physical reality. Hence our fascination to make this physical reality four-dimensional cinematographic or metamorphic through art, design and architecture. This opens up a new truly dynamic world. Architecture designed and functioning as a living organism where all parts will have to interact extremely sparingly and efficiently. The tools are already available: Parametrics to design skin and bone architecture and by implementing mechatronica, Metamorphics to make this architecture smart. HF: Conceptual projects are key for firms to hone their design approaches and fine-tune visualization styles. What role do “paper projects” like this one play in your studio’s culture? In our view, Periscope is not a ‘paper project’ that fits within a utopian tradition. It is a visual 4-dimensional manifesto that opens up a world of possibilities and longs to be built in order to prove its case. The project goes beyond being an innovative concept, since the technical aspects and feasibility have already been elaborated quite extensively. Our goal is to find a client with vision, combined with a skilled team of executors in order to create magic, push boundaries and bring this project to life in this shape or another. Left: Lower mirror descending | Right: View over the landscape, lower mirror down Angle view of the upper mirror up and the lower mirror up, reflecting the inside | PERISCOPE – reality displacement as space enhancer and energy storage device by Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects, Concept | Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Private House (L > 3000 sq ft) | Visualizations by Adriaan Claerhout HF: What are some of the key aspects of the process of creating PERISCOPE that will impact your built output moving forward? A periscope is bidirectional. From underground, the view over the landscape suddenly comes inside. But what is underground is suddenly also displayed above ground. Art or car collections can be stored underground and displayed above ground when desired. Geologically interesting layers or archaeological findings can be made visible at a higher level. The mirrors can also be tilted, varying the field of view. We are currently designing a ritual building where the mirrors transition from the earthly to the heavenly. The mirrors can also become screens and bring digital content. In other words, architecture in the sharp middle between the virtual and the physical world, or in Platonic terms the Periscope as a cave explores the difference between reality and shadow. Within a broader context, the Periscope project indicates that we are always looking to discover new design paths so we can create interesting buildings. HF: If you had one piece of advice to architecture firms considering entering the A+Awards next year, what would it be? An opportunity not to be missed! To see more of Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects’ visionary work, visit the firm’s in-depth Architizer profile, and be sure to explore the work of Metamorphic Art Studio and Adriaan Claerhout Studio as well. This article was produced in partnership with Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects as part of an A+Awards special feature series. Top image: PERISCOPE – reality displacement as space enhancer and energy storage device by Claerhout – Van Biervliet Architects, Concept | Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Private House (L > 3000 sq ft) The post Groundbreaking Design: The Belgian Architecture Firm Rewriting the Future of Subterranean Dwelling appeared first on Journal.

This year's Future Fest will welcome speakers from REX, Mecanoo, MVRDV, Alison Brooks Architects and more.

The post Future Fest 2024: Invigorating Insights From the World’s Top Architects appeared first on Journal.

Get ready for a feast of architectural inspiration: Future Fest is back for a third season of engaging live talks with some of the world’s best architects! This year’s series will take place from September 24 to 26, and every talk is 100% free to attend. We’ve assembled a roster of renowned speakers from around the globe, including speakers from REX, Alison Brooks Architects, Mecanoo and more, to offer their insights from three critical perspectives: Renewing, Rethinking, and Regenerating architecture. Explore the talks below and register for those that interest you. By registering, you’ll ensure that you receive a link to watch the talk on the day of the event — completely free! We look forward to seeing you soon to learn and get inspired for the future of design. Day 1 | Tuesday, September 24 The House of Courtyards designed by Studio VDGA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Photo by Ema Peter Photography | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Photography, 12th Annual A+Awards Talk 1 | How Collaboration Enhances Architectural Photography with Ema Peter and Studio VDGA Date/Time: Tuesday, September 24, 10 am ET Special Guests: Ema Peter, Principal at Ema Peter Photography and Deepak Gugarii, Founder of Studio VDGA To kick off Future Fest 2024, discover the powerful partnership between Ema Peter and Studio VDGA as they explore the intersection of architecture and photography. This talk will reveal how architect-photographer collaboration transforms complex designs into compelling narratives. Register for this talk > Talk 2 | How MVRDV’s Joyful Design Ethos Is Innovating Urban Futures Date/Time: Tuesday, September 24, 1 pm ET Special Guest: MVRDV In this presentation, learn how MVRDV revitalizes outdated structures and transforms urban environments into vibrant community spaces. Explore the firm’s innovative projects that blend functionality with joy, creating unique mixed-use developments that cater to diverse needs. Register for this talk > Talk 3 | How Foster + Partners Are Pioneering New Forms of Urban Architecture Date/Time: Tuesday, September 24, 3 pm ET Special Guest: Nicola Scaranaro, Partner, Foster + Partners Dive into Foster + Partner’s pioneering approach that harmonizes contextual sensitivity with technological innovation. This talk will explore how the firm tackles complex urban projects, including high-rise commercial and mixed-use developments, while integrating sustainability. Register for this talk > Day 2 | Wednesday, September 25 Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center by REX, New York City, New York | Photo by Iwan Baan | Popular Choice Winner, Hall/Theatre, 12th Annual A+Awards Talk 4 | How REX Is Reimagining Performance Architecture Date/Time: Wednesday, September 25, 11 am ET Special Guest: Joshua Ramus, Founding Principal, REX The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is a cultural keystone in the World Trade Center master plan. Discover how this dynamic design integrates architectural ingenuity with community-centric values, resulting in an adaptable performance space that enhances artistic expression and fosters a deep connection between the audience and the performance. Register for this talk > Talk 5 | How HDR Is Designing Meaningful Architecture for a New Era Date/Time:Wednesday, September 25, 1 pm ET Special Guest: With 5 Practice Leaders from HDR Led by Global Design Director Brian Kowalchuk, FAIA, this conversation will explore how contemporary design addresses the evolving needs of institutions like hospitals and academic campuses, emphasizing the integration of technology, equity, and sustainability to create human-centered environments that drive positive change.. Register for live event > Talk 6 | How Practice for Architecture & Urbanism | PAU Is Advancing Adaptive Reuse Date/Time:Wednesday, September 25, 3 pm ET Special Guests: Vishaan Chakrabarti, Founder & Creative Director, and Ruchika Modi, Principal, Practice for Architecture & Urbanism | PAU Vishaan Chakrabarti and Ruchika Modi, as they discuss their transformative project, The Refinery, which revitalizes the historic Domino Sugar complex while preserving its industrial character. Attendees will learn about designing accessible, community-focused spaces, crafting narratives that honor history, and integrating biophilic elements with sustainable materials. Register for this talk > Day 3 | Thursday, September 26 Exeter College Cohen Quad by Alison Brooks Architects, Oxford, United Kingdom | Photo by Hufton+Crow Talk 7 | How Alison Brooks Architecture Crafts Community and Civic Spaces Date/Time: Thursday, September 26, 11 am ET Special Guest: Alison Brooks, Founder & Creative Director, Alison Brooks Architects Join Alison Brooks as she discusses her practice’s unique approach to architecture, emphasizing the importance of cultural research in fostering community engagement. Discover how her projects exemplify a sculptural design language that enhances civic identity and inclusivity. Register for this talk > Talk 8 | How Mecanoo Finds Identity in a Globalized World Date/Time: Thursday, September 26, 1 pm ET Special Guest: Rodrigo Louro, Associate Architect at Mecanoo Delve into how unique architectural dialects shape our built environments, as Mecanoo discusses how contemporary buildings can contribute to local identity. This talk will showcase recent projects, highlighting their shared goal of area regeneration while emphasizing human-centered design, cohesive narratives, and fundamental sustainability in architecture. Register for this talk > Talk 9 | How Salagnac Arquitectos Connects With Nature Through Architecture Date/Time: Thursday, September 26, 3 pm ET Special Guest: Lucca Spendlingwimmer & Evangelina Quesada, Principals at Salagnac Arquitecos Contemporary Tropical Architecture promotes the maximum integration of the building and the environment, lowering its impact on the natural world. Dive into this design philosophy with the award-winning Costa Rican firm Salagnac Arquitectos, as the firm’s founders explain the creative process behind their stunning, sustainable brand of architecture. Register to access recording > Interested in accessing the recordings to previous editions of Future Fest? Follow this link for the full 2023 program. Follow this link for the full 2022 program. Top image: Tainan Public Library by Mecanoo, Tainan City, Taiwan The post Future Fest 2024: Invigorating Insights From the World’s Top Architects appeared first on Journal.

Dedicated to modern design

Toronto's Neville Park home by Reigo & Bauer integrates bold geometric design with its natural hillside surroundings, creating a harmonious living space.

In the east end of Toronto, a new architectural project seamlessly blends innovative design with the natural contours of its landscape. The four-bedroom, single-family Neville Park residence, conceived by the Canadian studio Reigo & Bauer, is set within a unique gully that features steep slopes on both the front and rear of the property. The architects have transformed this challenging site into a striking and cohesive structure that stands out while harmonizing with its surroundings. The home’s tall, vertical structure is a deliberate nod to the towering trees that line the hillside, creating a visual dialogue between the built environment and the natural landscape. The exterior is clad in gray, diamond-shaped tiles that wrap the entire building, including the garage and roof, creating a unified and sculptural volume. To maximize light and privacy, the design features strategic setbacks and angular cuts in the façade, particularly on the south side. This allows for additional windows and an entryway that is both practical and visually distinct. The use of geometric forms continues on the roof, where triangular facets connect the offset pitch peaks, adding a dynamic element to the structure. Narrow, staggered windows punctuate both the front and back of the home, allowing ample natural light to flood the interior while maintaining a sense of privacy. The dining room, positioned at the front, features windows that extend above the ceiling line, further emphasizing the verticality of the design. In the rear, the living room’s ceiling curves upward, following the line of the elongated windows and drawing the eye toward the wooded hill behind the house. Inside, the layout is both functional and fluid, with a central block on the entry level housing essential amenities like a powder room, pantry, and storage. This core element helps to organize the surrounding spaces, which flow effortlessly from one area to the next without the need for doors. The kitchen, situated between the dining and living rooms, is outfitted with minimalist white cabinetry, offering a clean and understated aesthetic. A muted green wall, positioned between the kitchen and staircases, features playful pill-shaped cutouts that allow light and sightlines to connect the upper and lower levels. This wall continues to the upper floor, where it becomes a solid bannister for the skylit corridor that links the bedrooms. The primary suite is located at the rear, offering a serene retreat with views of the natural surroundings. Another bedroom is found in the basement, tucked behind the garage, providing extra privacy and space. The home’s interior palette is predominantly neutral, with light oak floors and white walls serving as a backdrop for the homeowners’ personal touches. However, moments of color are introduced through select vertical surfaces, such as a pale dusty pink wall in the living room and a terracotta-hued bathroom in the primary suite. Spherical light fixtures, used both inside and out, create a cohesive design language that ties the entire project together. For more information on Reigo & Bauer, visit reigoandbauer.com. Photography by Doublespace Photography, courtesy of v2com.

Ron Radziner, design partner at Marmol Radziner, joins for Friday Five to share his favorite films, family travels, his favorite rock band, and more.

Ron Radziner was aware of architecture early on, but one particular Frank Lloyd Wright building in his home state of California piqued his interest. The Hollyhock House was Wright’s first Los Angeles commission, completed in 1921 for his client, heiress Aline Barnsdall. Barnsdall eventually donated the house and surrounding land, which is still a public site today. “I remember being fascinated by the house on the hill when I would visit the park with my family when I was a child,” says Radziner. Barnsdall’s request for a residence that was essentially half house and half garden is a concept that resonates with Radziner, who envisions seamless spaces. As design partner of the design-build practice Marmol Radziner, he develops solutions that provide a unique architectural identity by forging strong connections between interior and exterior. The firm’s holistic approach includes not only an emphasis on the indoors, but also construction, landscapes, furniture, and other facets. Ron Radziner \\\ Photo: Charlie Rubin Radziner fosters relationships with groups and individuals dedicated to improving the community – people are just as important as projects. The architect speaks at universities and conferences, sharing his perspective with students and professionals alike. He also serves on the boards of organizations like the Mojave Desert Land Trust and Facing History and Ourselves. Even with an ever-full schedule, Radziner still makes time to decompress. After his work is done he likes to stop at the gym for an intense workout. The exercise helps him reduce stress and feel emotionally fresh for the rest of the day. While the architect looks forward to going to the studio and interacting with clients, if he decided to make a career change it would most likely be for a role in the film world. “I would be happy to attempt to become a cinematographer,” Radziner notes. “So often as I am designing a building, I am experiencing the spaces in my mind, reminiscent to feeling as if I am walking through a film.” Today, Radziner joins us for Friday Five! Photo: Trevor Patt 1. Brion Tomb The private sanctuary near Treviso, Italy, was designed for the Brion family by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. I had the opportunity to visit a few years after it was completed. Scarpa’s reverential use of concrete, metal, wood, stone, and water in the architecture, accompanied by a moving landscape, create an incredibly memorable experience. Photo: Trip Davis for Gjelina 2. Earth Food I love the astringent taste of walnuts, the bitterness of greens like radicchio, arugula, collard, and dandelion, and the spicy, warm taste of ginger. When I traveled to Patagonia a couple of years ago, I was able to begin my mornings with a highly caffeinated traditional Mate, which tasted of grass and soil – in the most delicious possible way. Photo: Aurelien Guichard 3. The Brian Jonestown Massacre Anton Newcombe is the spirited genius of this still-enduring psychedelic rock band that I have adored since the ‘90s. I have seen them perform live a number of times, first in 1996 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. Often, there are three or four guitarists playing at the same time, creating a lush and expansive sound that feels three-dimensional. To get an ideal taste of their music, listen to my favorite song, “Anemone.” Photo: Ron Radziner 4. Traveling With Family My wife Robin and I have gone on many wonderful adventures with our children since they were young. Traveling this world together focuses us and brings us together in the shared exploration of the unexpected. In addition, doing so gives us the opportunity to meet people with completely different life experiences to our own, and to learn the truths of our world otherwise left unseen. Photo: Film still courtesy of Turner Classic Movie 5. The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni Antonioni’s films are all about visual storytelling, employing dialogue sparingly and instead using silence to convey meaning. The cinematography is innovative, and his imagery is always captivating. My personal favorite of his films is “Blow Up,” which emphasizes the fashion, music, and spirit of 1960s’ London. The lack of dialogue invites the viewer to interpret the film with explicit subjectivity – similar to how we all experience architecture and space in our own ways. Work by Ron Radziner: Photo: Roger Davies Mandeville Canyon \ Architecture, Construction, Landscape + Interiors \ Los Angeles, California \ A predominantly steel structure built from the ground up, the long rectangular forms of this 7,000-square-foot two-story house expertly thread through the existing sycamores. The building reflects the careful and precise execution of the brick and metal that drove the design. The house follows the gradual slope of the land, so that at its southern end the home floats three feet over the canyon floor. Photo: Roger Davies Ross \ Architecture + Landscape \ Ross, California \ This 6,500-square-foot one-story vacation home overlooks a golf course with the San Jacinto mountain range beyond. The house has a light-colored material palette—limestone floors, bleached teak ceilings – and ample access to outdoor living areas. Photo: Joe Fletcher Lilac Drive \ Architecture, Construction, Landscape + Interiors \ Montecito, California \ This vacation home has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, with the second story devoted to the master suite. The surrounding oak trees and an existing pathway of a protected creek running through the property helped us determine the design, distinguished by intersecting roof planes, deep overhangs, and large picture windows. Built on a series of terraces, the two-story wood-framed house is clad in a variety of natural materials including Santa Barbara sandstone extracted from the site, reclaimed wood, and smooth-troweled, dark finished cement plaster. Photo: Matthew Milman Ward \ Architecture, Construction + Landscape \ Los Angeles, California \ Located in Rustic Canyon, Los Angeles, the 4,000-square-foot Ward Residence captures views of the canyon and the surrounding hills. We integrated the structure within the hillside to take advantage of the steeply sloped lot, engaging both the dramatic vertical height as well as the surrounding landscape. The home is arranged into three separate volumes for public, private, and work areas. We designed the landscape to maximize the available, level outdoor space while providing a textural backdrop to the lap pool and courtyard. Photo: Joe Fletcher Moab \ Architecture + Construction \ Moab, Utah \ We designed this two-bedroom, two-bath home – on a hundred acres of rugged Utah desert – with an open plan running along a rock ledge, floor-to-ceiling windows, and expansive decks take advantage breathtaking views. We constructed this home at our former prefab factory. The basic steel module assembly is made up of a floor frame, a roof frame, and columns. We shipped the home to the site complete with pre-installed windows, doors, cabinets, solar panels, appliances, and other interior and exterior finishes, ready for installation. The 2,500-square-foot interior and 1,725-square-foot outdoor deck is made up of five modules and seven modules, respectively, with three for the garage.

Cover Architecture designs the Moongate ADU with an eye-catching sculptural facade and a creative blend of geometric forms.

Cover Architecture, a Los Angeles-based firm, has introduced a fresh take on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with their recent project, the Moongate ADU. Situated in a quiet neighborhood of Altadena, the 620-square-foot residence features an eye-catching sculptural facade and a creative blend of geometric forms, making it stand out as a modern addition to a 1960s ranch-style property. The ADU was designed by Mike Wang, principal architect at Cover Architecture, for his mother, Pei, and her partner, Dan – both former professors. The dwelling is intended to offer them a comfortable space to enjoy their retirement while staying close to Wang’s family in the main house. Unlike traditional layouts where an ADU might be tucked away behind the main house, the Moongate ADU is prominently positioned at the front of the lot. This unconventional placement creates a striking contrast with the original single-story home, which is located at the back of the property, near a ravine that overlooks Hahamongna Watershed Park. The architectural choices for the ADU emphasize a dynamic interplay between old and new, ordinary and extraordinary. The design incorporates a sloped partition wall with a large circular opening that creates both a sense of mystery and a sense of openness. This wall, along with a raised foundation that requires stairs and a deck, forms an inviting outdoor space perfect for relaxation and reading. The ADU’s roof features eaves that curve in harmony with the circular motif, allowing natural light to flow into the living spaces. The integration of different forms and voids across the facade is primarily influenced by functional needs. The pathway leading from the ADU to an adjacent storage structure forms a central courtyard, creating a shared outdoor space that connects all three structures on the property – the ADU, the storage unit, and the main house. This layout is thoughtfully designed to foster intergenerational living, allowing both privacy and communal spaces for different family members to enjoy. Inside, the Moongate ADU continues the theme of playful geometry and simplicity. The interior design features a mix of light and natural materials, with details such as rounded knobs on Baltic birch plywood cabinetry lending a soft, tactile feel. The kitchen counter is made of Pietra Artica Marble, while the bathroom vanity is topped with onyx marble, adding a refined touch to the overall aesthetic. The layout remains relatively straightforward, with a well-defined living area, kitchen, bathroom, sleeping space, and a small office nook for continued work – making it a comfortable and functional living environment. For more information on Cover Architecture, head to coverarch.com. Photography by Leonid Furmansky.

Ester Bruzkus, founder of Ester Bruzkus Architekten, share some of the artists and architecture that continue to inspire her.

Ester Bruzkus has been interested in design for as long as she can remember. When the young aesthete was 12 years old she began collecting Vogue magazine because she wanted to know what was happening in the world of fashion. She eventually explored other creative realms, and her ninth grade art teacher’s guidance was instrumental. Trips to museums and galleries supplemented her coursework, and the instructor encouraged Bruzkus to participate in programs for talented students. When Bruzkus was 16 she had already decided to become an architect, because she wanted to make more than just objects or paintings – she was determined to create a more beautiful world. Based in Berlin, Bruzkus founded her eponymous firm, Ester Bruzkus Architekten, in 2002, and partner (in business and life) Peter Greenberg joined her in 2016. The duo focuses on work at different scales, from residences to hotels, often decorated with furniture designed by the team. There were so many requests for those pieces that Bruzkus opened STUDIO COUCOU, an online shop with a curated selection of bespoke furnishings and favorite finds. Ester Bruzkus \\\ Photo: Debora Mittelstaedt All of these endeavors are part of a holistic approach that she discovered before she headed to university. As a German cultural representative at Disney World in Florida, Bruzkus learned about backstage operations, and more importantly, how to enhance the guest experience. It was a role that informs her work today as a designer tasked with shaping spaces. “It turns out that what I know about hospitality projects influences how we plan other projects,” says Bruzkus. “Now we make homes and offices which have some of the special feeling of the greatest hotels you’ve ever been to.” Bruzkus and Greenberg collect images that resonate, especially when they travel. Greenberg even keeps an open source library on Instagram featuring the architecture the couple sees and talks about. For Bruzkus, who takes pictures of everything from text passages to street signs, photography is one of the most effective means of communication. “I photograph everything I see, and my photo library is my record,” she adds. “Most of the time it takes me just a few minutes to find the perfect image to describe my ideas. Today, Ester Bruzkus joins us for Friday Five! A Bigger Splash (1967) by David Hockney, Tate \\\ Photo: Courtesy of Tate © David Hockney 1. A David Hockney Pool Jumping into the cool, still water is the best way for me to clear my mind, like in David Hockney’s “A Bigger Splash” (1967). The picture also inspired me for the work I did on the restaurant L.A. Poke Berlin that recalled the lightness of California. Photo: Ester Bruzkus 2. L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped by Christo and Jeanne-Claude I loved how the light was captured in the silver material used for Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “L’ Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped.” It was an amazing transformation of an iconic monument. I went several times during different weather conditions, and every time I was surprised and touched by the changing appearance of the fabric. BARCELONA PAVILION INSTALLATION 3. The Barcelona Pavilion For the 1929 Pavilion, Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich created a design that emphasized the nature and effects of the materials they used. By using reflective and transparent materials, they made a space where one can simultaneously see oneself in the reflection, see what is behind, and see what is ahead through the glass. Peter and I had the opportunity to create an installation there, replacing the original opaque black carpet with a plane of thin reflective plexiglass panels on the floor. We also inserted three additional boxes – two with mirrored surfaces and one, a thin colored outline. We temporarily transformed the Pavilion to reinforce the reading of these doubled surfaces and the perception of expanded spaces, a kind of kaleidoscope or hall of mirrors. Photo: Ester Bruzkus 4. Mill Owners Association Building By Le Corbusier, this is one of the most magical and beautiful buildings I have visited. With its open facade there is a wonderful breeze flowing through the space. The contrast of the velvety looking concrete with the lush growing plants is unexpected and very unique. The experience of being inside the building is breathtaking. Photo: Ester Bruzkus 5. Infinity Mirror Room This is a picture I took inside the “Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli’s Field” at the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the Gropius Bau in Berlin. I love the opulence, the repetition, and when colors happen to match perfectly. Like here in the picture, my shoes and my dress create a perfect moment of patterns and colors. Work by Ester Bruzkus: REMI Restaurant Berlin \ Ester Bruzkus Architekten approached the design of the new Berlin-Mitte restaurant REMI for chefs Lode van Zuylen and Stijn Remi by using architectural materials that are high in quality, carefully sourced and crafted, with rigorous attention to detail. This is the very approach to ingredients that the chefs bring to crafting a meal, so the success of the project results from a synergy between the architects and the chefs. The design is intended to emphasize simplicity and quality – and to enhance a dining experience that is authentic, straightforward and fun. Photo: Jens Bösenberg Ester’s & Peter’s Apartment Berlin \ The move from one apartment to another in the same building provided the ideal opportunity for Ester Bruzkus to revisit the identical design problem with fresh ideas (please click on “ester’s apartment” to see what she did there) . The new design – Ester’s Apartment 2.0 – is an expression of both restraint and opulence through its efficient planning, its playful use of color, its exceptional lighting, its custom-designed furniture, and its carefully detailed material volumes. The apartment feels bright and spacious like an airy open loft because its space extends from east facade to the west and sunlight enters from sunrise to sunset. It is intricately planned to offer a rich variety of spaces – and to make the most of hidden storage despite its small actual size – just 80 square meters inside. Photo: NOSHE PSD Bank Berlin-Brandenburg eG \ Community Space & Offices, Berlin \ A Bank as a Community Living Room. Located inside a historic Post Office in Berlin- Friedenau, the design transforms the bank into a generous and welcoming neighborhood center. In addition to traditional banking services like ATMs, consulting rooms, and help desks, there are also unexpected spaces for a bank: a café, a colorful community living room, an interior garden, exhibition spaces, and public meeting rooms. While most banks are closing their brick and mortar locations, the PSD Bank has opened as a neighborhood center to welcome everyone in the community. Photo: PION Studio Beefclub “Fire+Salt” Restaurantin Wolfsburg \ Beef Club “Fire + Salt” is a radical refresh of an existing eatery in Autostadt, the automotive theme park at the headquarters of Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg. At the center of the space is the theatrical preparation of food on a grill – and an open brick fireplace is positioned where everyone can see it, recalling an archaic fire at the center of a shared dining experience. Building materials emphasize the fire and salt of the menu – the grill is made from fired bricks; wood dining tables have been treated with salt to introduce unique colors, patterns, and textures.

RUA 141 Arquitetura reimagines a 1970s apartment in São Paulo with a blend of Brutalism and the elegance of contemporary Brazilian design.

Located in a 1970s building in São Paulo’s Jardins neighborhood, Brazilian firm RUA 141 Arquitetura transformed the JB Apartment that both honors its initial renovation from 2012 and introduces new elements to create a cohesive, modern aesthetic. The renovation project, led by architect Mona Singal, sought to preserve the original architectural language while introducing fresh, vibrant elements. The social areas of the apartment retained the distinctive burned cement flooring, with additional lighting carefully positioned to accentuate the ribbed concrete slabs. A bright yellow sliding door and a painting by artist Gabriela Costa inject a playful dash of color into the entryway, adding a dynamic contrast to the neutral backdrop. To soften the space’s brutalist feel, a selection of Brazilian-designed furniture and decor was chosen. Pieces like the Bank Table by Jader Almeida, made from polished Nero Marquina marble, and the Jabuticaba Lamp by Ana Neute add a refined touch to the interior. The custom-built bookshelf, crafted from marine plywood, was extended to embrace the living and dining areas, maintaining a sense of continuity throughout the home. In addition to the yellow door at the entrance, a red door opens to reveal passage to the private areas of the apartment, while blue doors in the dining room front a set of built-in cabinets, all rounding out the trio of primary hues. Several new design elements were introduced to enhance the apartment’s functionality and aesthetic. For example, a glass door was installed to seamlessly connect the terrace with the social area, providing a fluid transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. Metal benches with thin profiles and integrated planters filled with tropical vegetation contrast against the raw concrete surfaces, bringing a natural vibrancy to the setting. Throughout the apartment, Brazilian design plays a central role, infusing the space with character, comfort, and a sense of lightness. Mona Singal’s vision for the project reflects a deep appreciation for local craftsmanship and design, resulting in a home that is both stylish and inviting, rooted in its cultural context. The renovation also paid careful attention to the private areas. The existing wooden flooring in the bedrooms was replaced with new Tauari wood in a herringbone pattern, offering a contemporary reinterpretation of classic design. In the primary suite, materials like caramel leather and freijó wood nightstands provide warmth, while unique lighting fixtures and curated artwork introduce personality and charm. The apartment’s bathrooms showcase a range of artisanal materials. In the powder room, all surfaces are enveloped in ceramic tiles that offer a warm, textured feel, while in the primary bathroom, granilite surfaces are paired with black fixtures and natural wood details to create a refined, sophisticated look. Meanwhile, the children’s bathroom features mint green and white hydraulic tiles that lend a playful, yet modern touch.. For more information on RUA 141 Arquitetura’s projects, head to rua141.com. Photography by Cacá Bratke.

Eva González Estudio renovates a seaside home in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain into a tranquil retreat, merging functionality with elegant design.

A recent residential renovation project in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Catalonia, Spain, has transformed a 915-square-foot space into a serene coastal retreat, showcasing a unique blend of Nordic and Mediterranean influences. The project, led by Eva González Estudio, focuses on creating a harmonious, adaptable living environment with an emphasis on custom furniture design and thoughtful material selection. The renovation revolves around the strategic use of light, soft hues, and natural wood elements, creating a calming and cohesive aesthetic. The main goal was to maximize functionality while maintaining an uncluttered appearance. This approach by Eva González Estudio is evident in the custom-built furniture by Disseny9evo, which combines open and closed modules to provide versatile storage solutions. These custom pieces help in optimizing the space, ensuring every corner is both useful and stylish. The common areas, including the living and dining spaces, serve as the central hub of the home. The living room is designed to be bright and open, featuring a spacious sofa from Atemporal that anchors the room and invites relaxation and family time. Integrated shelving and storage further enhance the room’s functionality while maintaining a clean, modern look. The dining room, furnished with simple, elegant pieces from the Ethnicraft brand, adheres to the minimalist theme. The decor is complemented by the adjustable Ambit Rail lamp from Muuto, which adds a warm, earthy ambiance perfect for mealtime or having friends over. The kitchen design includes a custom central island clad in wood slats. This island not only provides extra counter space and storage but also acts as a focal point, distinguishing the kitchen area from other spaces while maintaining a sense of cohesion. Discreet lighting enhances the functionality without dominating the visual environment. The children’s room is crafted with creativity in mind, offering a playful yet organized space for its young occupants. Combining classic wainscoting with retro-inspired wallpaper from the Swedish brand Sandberg, the room balances fun with sophistication, ensuring the design remains appealing as the children grow. The primary bedroom focuses on simplicity and natural textures to create an environment of calm and relaxation. Minimalist furniture and decor, coupled with elements like hanging plants and floral arrangements, introduce a sense of nature and tranquility. An adjacent dressing area, equipped with mirrors strategically placed to amplify light, adds to the room’s sense of spaciousness. A built-in desk, tailored to match the room’s aesthetic, provides a practical space for remote work. The renovation emphasizes sustainability, with a focus on durable, easy-to-maintain materials that reduce the need for future updates. The careful curation of furnishings and finishes not only enhances the home’s energy efficiency but also ensures it remains adaptable for years to come. By seamlessly integrating functionality with aesthetic appeal, the renovation in Vilanova i la Geltrú offers a modern, flexible living space tailored to meet the needs of contemporary coastal living. Left: Before \\\ Right: After For more information or to see more projects by Eva González Estudio, head to evagonzalezestudio.com. Photography by Juan Serlo.

Felix Kilbertus, chief creative officer at Pininfarina, joins Friday Five to share his love of cinema, favorite art museums, design events in Italy, and more.

Felix Kilbertus was enthralled with cars before he could even speak, easily recognizing many brands and models while struggling to name them. The Citroën DS was particularly magical to the young enthusiast because its unusual shape reminded him of a shark. Every time he watched one on the road it seemed almost alive, with the hydraulic suspension lifting it as if waking and stretching its legs before a long journey. It’s hardly surprising then that Kilbertus enjoyed a 20-year career in automotive design before shifting to other arenas, yet he’s still inspired by vehicles of every make. “To this day I am fascinated by how cars move in space and how light reflects on their shiny bodies,” he says. “There are millions of big, kinetic sculptures out in the open all around us – a vast collective work of functional art.” As the chief creative officer at Pininfarina, Kilbertus supervises all of the teams located in Italy, China, and the United States. These groups work on a range of projects, from architecture to experience design. More than an executive, he serves as a creative guide, grateful for the mentors and colleagues along the way that have shaped his thinking. As part of daily business in the design world, Kilbertus is interested in photography, which he keeps discovering new facets of. When he takes pictures he acts as an editor, spotting a motif and then framing it. He marvels at the high-quality images that any person can produce with the click of a smartphone button. The CCO stays grounded by tending to his eclectic collection of greenery. Watching the vegetation grow and change is his way of connecting with nature, even indoors. “Plants are beautiful, both as biological living things as well as mathematical structures,” Kilbertus adds. “Helping them flourish – fertilizing, trimming, and watering – has a meditative side that allows me to step back and leave the dynamics of a busy work environment.” Today, Felix Kilbertus joins us for Friday Five! Photo: 2001: A Space Odyssey 1. 2001: A Space Odyssey I’m a big fan of cinema, particularly deeply researched and creative movies, as they allow viewers to step into imagined and meticulously designed worlds. If I had to pick one director who mastered that art to the highest level I would choose Stanley Kubrick. He managed to create a series of masterpieces, and from a contemporary design point of view, 2001: A Space Odyssey stands above all. The technology and its usage were so well thought through, designed, and visualized that it still feels slightly futuristic today. Certain elements have simply turned out to be spot-on predictions, such as astronauts eating dinner while watching the latest video news on devices that look astonishingly like Apple products. Interestingly, the representation of HAL 9000 is an eerily prescient study of AI, maybe even more relevant today than when the film was first released in 1968 – the year before the moon landing. Photo: Roberto Conte 2. Villa Gontero This is a wonderful place that I have been privileged to visit many times. Located near Turin, this unique building has deep connections to Italian Modernism and Brutalism, and is a space that inspires me with its unusual propositions and setting. It was bought a few years ago by good friends of mine, and I was lucky to witness how they brought it back to life and re-imagined it for today. Photo: San Remo Experience 3. Hanbury Botanical Gardens This extraordinary collection of plants is located on the Italian Riviera, very close to the border between France and Italy. This region has a very particular microclimate that allows for the cultivation of unusually diverse specimens. Its geographical beauty as well as the taste and significant investment by 19th-century industrialist Sir Thomas Hanbury remain striking to this day, and are worth visiting year-round. In winter and early spring the plants surprise me the most, with warm light and briny sea air enhancing the experience. The smells, shapes, and busy humming of insects pollinating add to the charm of this remarkable place. The Journey, performance in the Mediterranean Sea, May, 20-23, 2021, as part of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels by Rossella Biscotti \\\ Photo: Alexandra Pace 4. Modern Art Museums and Installations Contemporary art has a special place in my heart. I feel that this is a way to explore the big questions of humanity. Artists somehow manage to ask important questions first, long before we as a society have answers for them. Beyond the more famous global institutions that have rightly become beacons and attractions, other museums and installations like Castello di Rivoli, Roden Crater, and Benesse Art Site Naoshima particularly inspire me. Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani 5. Exceptional Events in Italy Milan Design Week and the Venice Biennale are the top events I try to visit every year, simply to stay up to date and be inspired by the best of contemporary creativity. I’m very lucky that both events are easily reached by high speed train links from Turin. Works by Felix Kilbertus: Midsummer by Morgan Motors and Pininfarina is a limited edition barchetta that celebrates its classic European design and modern coachbuilding. Limited to just 50 pieces, Midsummer features a six-cylinder turbocharged engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Midsummer showcases a blend of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge engineering, particularly visible in its hand-formed aluminum body panels that took over 250 hours to produce. The design of Midsummer epitomizes the timeless elegance and innovative spirits of both design houses. \\\ Photo: Morgan Motor Pininfarina joined forces with Vidde to create an innovative snowmobile, designed to reduce its carbon and environmental footprint to record-breakingly low levels. The creation of Vidde snowmobiles came out of the mission to create a highly attractive and sustainable alternative to traditional snowmobiles. The strategic partnership, which involved the Research Institutes of Sweden, aims to create an attractive, purposeful, and long-lasting electric snowmobile that dramatically reduces harmful environmental impacts. \\\ Photo: Vidde The Rolls Royce Spectre is the world’s first ultra-luxury electric super couple that marks the brand’s bold transition to an all-electric future. Spectre highlights the brand’s dedication to legendary luxury, comfort and performance, enhanced by its unique architecture and engineering. The model is the fourth in its series to be built on the Architecture of Luxury platform and features an all-electric drivetrain and innovative technology through the bespoke Decentralised Intelligence system. Spectre’s design was inspired by haute couture and modern sculpture, including monumental elements such as Starlight Doors and a unique illuminated fascia. No two Spectre are exactly alike, but all share a deep appreciation for fine materials and craftsmanship as an all-electric offering. \\\ Photo: Rolls Royce Rolls Royce reimagined their iconic Spirit of Ecstasy figurine that will sit on the bonnet of the all-electric motor car, Spectre. After over 100 years, the figurine has been remodeled with a lower, more dynamic stance that is more closely aligned with the drawings created by Charles Sykes, the original illustrator and sculptor in the early 20th century. \\\ Photo: Rolls Royce The BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupé represents the exclusive interpretation of a luxurious BMW Coupé as seen through the eyes of Pininfarina. BMW and Pininfarina worked closely together to create a new automotive persona that emulates passion and luxury into one bespoke design. The contemporary take on classical values combines BMW’s hallmark luxury and dynamics with Pininfarina’s distinctive Italian design to create a four-seater luxury coupé. \\\ Photo: BMW

The Nest, by The Collective Studio Co., blends modern curves with the tranquility of nature on the island of Bangkok's Bang Kachao.

Situated in Bangkok, Thailand within the serene enclave of Bang Kachao, The Nest is a riverside residential project that redefines the relationship between architecture and its natural surroundings. Designed by The Collective Studio Co., Ltd., this 4,305-square-foot residence embodies a respect for its environment while offering a playful, curvy living space. The Nest draws inspiration from the idea of a “nest,” symbolizing a home that is both a refuge and a part of the natural world. This concept is brought to life through a design that seamlessly integrates with the lush landscape of Bang Kachao, often referred to as the “green lung” of Bangkok. Positioned near the Chao Phraya River, the futuristic residence takes full advantage of its verdant surroundings, creating a peaceful retreat that feels both intimate and expansive. Legal constraints, including a height limit and setback requirements, guided the architectural approach. The building is centrally positioned on its riverside plot, with its form emerging organically from the ground, echoing the natural growth of a tree. This central placement not only respects the site’s natural contours but also allows for a gradual rise from the entrance to the main living areas, enhancing the feeling of being welcomed by the landscape. The residence is separated into two wings connected by a spacious ground floor hall. The east wing hosts an open plan living space that flows from the indoors to the outdoors, with a dining area that extends onto a balcony overlooking the river. In contrast, the west wing is dedicated to service areas, including the kitchen and bathrooms, ensuring that functional needs are met without compromising the aesthetic integrity of the home. The garage, with its elevated concrete structure and modern-retro roof design, adds to the project’s architectural narrative. Circular skylights create playful patterns of light and shadow, while the roof, covered in artificial grass, extends the green expanse of the lawn. The Nest’s design emphasizes both relaxation and entertainment. A wooden deck terrace serves as a hub for social gatherings, complete with a vertical garden that provides natural cooling. The design of the swimming pool, which mirrors the curves of the building, offers privacy while maintaining views of the river, creating a serene oasis for residents. A striking double-sided spiral staircase, outfitted with aluminum wood-patterned slats, serves as a central element, connecting the various floors while controlling sunlight and maintaining a flow of natural light throughout the interior. This staircase leads to the second floor retreat, where a cylindrical bedroom offers panoramic views, creating a tranquil space that’s visually connected to the outdoors. The third floor is dedicated to the primary suite that continues the theme of curvilinear forms, with the bedroom offering sweeping views of the river through a curved glass wall. A walk-in closet and a bathroom with a circular skylight add to the sense of privacy and elegance, creating a space that feels luxurious. Additional bedrooms in the east wing are designed with equal attention to detail, each offering unique perspectives of the surrounding landscape, whether facing the river or the garden. The architectural design makes extensive use of geometric forms, with cylinders and rectangles creating a dynamic interplay of shapes that is both visually striking and functionally efficient. The landscape design is an integral part of The Nest’s overall concept. Trees and greenery are used not only to frame the building but also to enhance the privacy of its occupants. The riverside area is transformed into a multifunctional space for recreation and relaxation, with polished stone benches that appear to rise naturally from the ground, creating a continuous, flowing connection between the building and its location. For more information on The Collective Studio Co., Ltd., head to ctstu.com. Photography by Mr. Kopchai Limpanataywin & Mr. Saharath Sawadatikom.

Mike McMahon Studio designed the Rufford Mews apartment as a design lab where they experiment with materials and innovative building techniques.

In the heart of London’s King’s Cross district, the Rufford Mews Apartment is the result of a creative collaboration between partners Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews, of Mike McMahon Studio. Embracing a philosophy of “don’t move, improve,” the duo has turned their own 90-square-meter (approximately 969 square feet) home into a personal design lab, where they experiment with materials and innovative building techniques to meet the evolving needs of their family. One of the most distinctive aspects of Rufford Mews is the hands-on approach taken by McMahon and Mathews. Every piece of furniture, from dining chairs to storage solutions, was meticulously designed and crafted by the pair for their home. This not only showcases their exceptional craftsmanship but also ensures that every element within the home is functional, aesthetically pleasing, and personalized to their lifestyle. Birch plywood dominates the interior design, creating a warm, cohesive look throughout the apartment. The dining area, with its cantilevered chairs and bespoke table featuring an integrated fruit bowl, invites gatherings while adding an organic touch to the space. Eight Unfurl Ply dining chairs comprise 26 individual components that are strategically pieced together showcasing the strength of plywood. Sustainability is at the core of the project. Materials that might have been discarded from nearby construction sites found new life in Rufford Mews. The kitchen, for example, features concrete countertops made from recycled sandblasted Douglas Fir boards, originally sourced from a rooftop garden. The use of FSC-certified timber throughout further demonstrates the commitment to eco-friendly design, as does the focus on durable, long-lasting furniture – a counterpoint to the disposable, flat-pack pieces prevalent in today’s market. The living room’s centerpiece – a 40mm thick Dinesen Douglas Fir sofa – floats atop concrete pilotti cast in recycled rainwater pipes. Complementing the sofa is a coffee table with wavy cork legs, both of which emphasize McMahon’s ability to blend form and function into artistic, sculptural pieces. Another custom piece that appears to float is the bed in the main bedroom. The stacked plywood frame cascades inward to a small base that will alleviate stubbed toes in the middle of the night, while eliminating a heavy visual presence that most beds create. The child’s bedroom is a whimsical retreat, where McMahon’s playful side comes through. Shutters on the bed create a secretive hideaway, sparking the imagination and offering a cozy, private space for games and adventures. Meanwhile, geometric patterns scattered across walls and surfaces add a lively energy to the apartment, reflecting the couple’s fascination with shapes and structures. Outside, the balconies have been reimagined into lush “junglette” escapes. A thoughtful blend of exotic plants and native species creates a tranquil retreat from urban life. The tree ferns, with their sculptural presence, and climbing vines that weave through the balcony railings, elevate the space into a living extension of the apartment. These green sanctuaries offer moments of calm and connection with nature amid the bustling cityscape. For more information on Mike McMahon Studio’s architecture, interiors, and furniture projects, visit mikemcmahonstudio.com. Photography by Peter Molloy.

Splinter Society designed the Gardener's House where architecture and landscape are inextricably linked, offering a serene and inspiring environment in Melbourne.

Centered around a homeowner’s beloved garden in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East, the Gardener’s House by Splinter Society blends old-world charm with contemporary design. The project integrates the new addition with an original period structure, which has been given a fresh, modern update with a bold tonal red exterior. The front facade retains the house’s historic character, with its Italianate features and original masonry, yet the color choice serves as a bridge between the past and the present. The architecture is seamlessly integrated into the natural surroundings, creating an immersive experience that celebrates both the home’s heritage and the client’s deep connection to the landscape. By preserving the original structure and incorporating it into the new design, the architects have created a dialogue between different eras, making sustainability a key aspect of the renovation. One highlight of the Gardener’s House is the way the architecture interacts with the garden. The extension of the house is not just an addition but a continuation of the landscape. The former concrete veranda, now peeled back, opens up to a modern living space that is bathed in natural light, thanks to the strategic positioning of the new volume. This space is surrounded by pockets of greenery, including the client’s collection of exotic orchids, which thrive in the microclimates created by the design. The result is a living environment that is deeply connected to the outdoors, with light and shadow playing across the interiors throughout the day. In a bold departure from traditional layouts, the new extension faces the neighboring property, allowing sunlight to flood the space despite the limited orientation of the block. This clever positioning, combined with large glazed windows, ensures that the interior is enveloped by views of the garden, making nature an integral part of the home’s design. The red continues from the front into the backyard with the adjacent property’s red brick wall becoming a backdrop, peeking through the greenery that scales the wall. The new addition is deliberately understated, with its rectilinear form clad in raw cement sheets that complement the masonry of the original building. Wood elements are incorporated to support climbing plants, which will gradually obscure the architecture as they grow, further embedding the house within its lush surroundings. The design is minimalistic yet thoughtful, with every detail carefully considered to enhance the connection between the built environment and the garden. A pergola extends over a floating deck, designed to encourage rapid vertical plant growth, providing shade and a tranquil spot to enjoy the dappled sunlight. Inside, a dark color palette in the new living spaces evokes the feeling of being under the garden canopy, creating a cozy, intimate atmosphere that contrasts with the brightness of the outdoor spaces. The interior design is eclectic, featuring a mix of salvaged pieces from the old house and items collected during the client’s travels, each piece adding to the curation of the home. The dark moody kitchen is kept light and airy with windows flanking both sides of the space. A wood countertop and dining table provide a warm contrast to the minimalist space. For more information on Splinter Society, head to splintersociety.com. Photography by Sharyn Cairns.

Design Doodle designed a Gurugram home full of curves, terrazzo, and fluted details that feels as though you're being hugged by a marshmallow.

Imagine living in a home where delicate pastel tones blend seamlessly with smooth, curving lines, enveloping you in a serene and happy atmosphere. This is precisely the experience that Marshmallow, a 2800-square-foot penthouse in Gurugram, India, offers. Designed by Design Doodle Studio, led by husband-and-wife principal architects Vijay and Maha, this project redefines modern luxury and comfort with a bit of magic in hopes of making the owners feel like they’re wrapped in a giant marshmallow. The studio’s philosophy of creating homes that serve as meaningful sanctuaries is evident in every aspect of Marshmallow. Inspired by the client’s desire for a relaxing yet luxurious environment, the design team wove a narrative that reflects the client’s personality and lifestyle. The result melds soft curves and marshmallow shades, creating a space that feels both inviting and sophisticated. Warmth and elegance are the cornerstones of this project, with each material and detail carefully selected to evoke a range of emotions. The studio’s commitment to minimalism, smooth curves, textured elements, and arches is showcased throughout the penthouse, highlighting a design ethos that values simplicity and character. From the moment you enter, the ambiance is both familiar and playful, with plush fabrics, seamless surfaces, and subtle textures that invite you to relax and unwind. The layout of the penthouse was reimagined to enhance the living experience, prioritizing spaciousness and comfort. Originally planned as a four-bedroom apartment, it was redesigned to feature three larger sized bedrooms, creating a more open and lush environment. The entrance lobby, a circular space, sets the tone for the journey through the home, leading you to two distinct zones: a private section on one side and an entertainment space on the other. The delectable color palette, evoking hues of a fluffy marshmallow dipped in hot chocolate, adds to the sense of tranquility and elegance. Every corner of the home is infused with thoughtful detailing, from the microcement floors to the bespoke Venetian terrazzo inlays. Fluted details are paired with smooth surfaces, including on the walls, kitchen cabinets and island, and built-in storage components, adding another cohesive design element seen throughout. In the primary bedroom, the bed is elevated on a platform in the corner of the space with a carved out arch opening. A massive pillar, wrapped in varying neutral colors that are reminiscent of sand layered in a glass jar, becomes a focal point and visual divider between the bed area and the rest of the space for a hint of privacy. For more about Design Doodle Studio or the Marshmallow project, check them out on Instagram. Photography by Ekansh Goel.

In Playa El Zonte, El Salvador, the Al Suave House features a dreamy meandering river-like pool that splits the structure in half as it heads toward the ocean.

Unfolding along the Pacific Ocean, the five bedroom villa is as much a boon to El Salvador’s tourism industry as it is the idea of spending quality time with your next of kin. The Al Suave House in Playa El Zonte can only be booked for a minimum of seven nights, which means that any large family or groups of friends that stay here are compelled to truly spend quality time together. Working out their problems, reestablishing bonds, and of course, enjoying some much-needed rest and relaxation is aided by the fact that this carefully planned indoor/outdoor home sits right along El Salvador’s mostly undiscovered and unadulterated Pacific coastline; one revered by those in the know for its particularly good surfing conditions. Activities abound within and outside this expansive beach villa. Designed by José Roberto Paredes, founder of El Salvadorian and Spanish architectural firm Cincopatasalgato, and Paula Cabrera Gil of Pepe Cabrera Homes, the house cuts a unique figure as it makes the most of its tightly hemmed-in site. Massing along the property’s perimeter, a meandering river-like pool splits the structure in half as it heads out toward the ocean. Lofted volumes look inwards toward this central feature. In true tropical architecture fashion, this programmatic strategy allows natural breezes to filter through unobstructed, eliminating the need for especially energy-inefficient and environmentally harmful air conditioning. The overall design – defined by gently sloped roofs and undulating open latticed fin facades – evokes the surrounding nature. For this site-responsive motif, rendered in raw untreated wood, Paredes and his team drew inspiration from the fenced pathways that lead to the beach. Though boldly geometric in plan, the home’s massing organically nestles into its surroundings from an elevation standpoint. Its outer structural shells, almost all glass, anchor enclosed inserts, which contain the sprawling interiors. Ground level operable walls completely open up, forming a seamless connection from indoor entertainment, kitchen, and dining areas to outdoor patios, rock gardens, and of course, the crashing ocean waves in the near distance. “We really took our time to speak with the client’s family, including the children, to truly grasp what was important to them,” says Paredes. “The result of this highly personal approach to design is a unique dwelling that resonates with the spirit of Playa El Zonte. It’s a tropical haven where the essence of community, family, and exploration thrives.” The property is shared by the homeowners and vacationers at different times of the year. Dynamically divided into an elongated pavilion with five en suite bedrooms – sleeping a total of 12 – on one side and another pavilion with double-height common areas, the home also incorporates a media room, children’s pavilion, and outdoor showers. “Al Suave House, or Casa Al Suave is a particularly chill home that allows its guests to wake up every morning to the sound of the waves and views of the sea from every corner of the house,” Cabrera Gil says. What: Al Suave House Where: Playa El Zonte, El Salvador How much: Starting at $2,000 per night with a 7 night minimum Design draw: Offering rest and relaxation with a carefully planned indoor/outdoor design, Al Suave House features a meandering river-like pool that splits the structure in half as it heads out toward the ocean. Gently sloped roofs and undulating open latticed fin facades give nod to surrounding nature. Though boldly geometric in plan, the home’s massing organically nestles into its surroundings with outer structural shells, almost all glass, which contain the sprawling interiors. Book it: Al Suave House Go virtually on vacation with more design destinations right here. Photography by Topofilia Studio.

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Fireplaces, warm lighting and large windows offering views of the Teton Range are among the features at the renovated and expanded Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming, which is the only commercial airport within an American national park. Located in the mountainous Grand Teton National Park in the western part of the state, the airport dates

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Fireplaces, warm lighting and large windows offering views of the Teton Range are among the features at the renovated and expanded Jackson Hole Airport in Wyoming, which is the only commercial airport within an American national park. Located in the mountainous Grand Teton National Park in the western part of the state, the airport dates to the 1930s and has undergone various changes over the decades. Jackson Hole Airport dates back to the 1930s Around 2009, it received a major update by the Denver office of global studio Gensler, with Jackson-based CLB Architects serving as the local associate architect. In more recent years, CLB has served as the design architect for a series of renovations and additions spanning five phases. Miller Dunwiddie, a Minneapolis firm, served as executive architect. The project was designed to tie into the landscape The project was designed to tie into the landscape and "facilitate the flow of 21st-century travelers", while also adhering to strict area and height limits imposed by the national park. The facility is the only commercial airport located within a US national park, according to the federal agency that oversees the parks. A new restaurant/bar was included in the renovation The work included a new restaurant/bar, an expanded holding area, two additional gates, a gift shop and an updated baggage claim area with retail space — all held within the L-shaped terminal totalling 125,000 square feet (11,613 square metres). "Design decisions facilitate an easy and stress-free travel experience, with open floor plans and clear sight corridors, as well as abundant glazing that frames the airplane runways and Teton Mountain range beyond," said CLB Architects. Interior finishes are a mix of earthy and industrial materials Interior finishes are a mix of earthy and industrial materials, including polished concrete, quartzite and timber – all meant to stand up to heavy use, as 800,000 travelers pass through the airport each year. For the structural system, the team paired lightweight steel with Douglas fir glue-laminated beams and rough-hewn log columns. The structural supports are meant to have "an elegant and minimal presence". Fireplaces were incorporated to make the airport feel like a "residential space" In addition to the natural light that flows in through large windows, the terminal has downlights, uplights and LED accents that create a feeling of warmth. "Indirect up-lighting creates an evocative, atmospheric quality that contrasts with the usual cold, fluorescent lighting of institutional airport spaces," the team said. CLB Architects created a "living room" for travellers awaiting their flights Throughout the facility, the team blended elements of residential design into the travel hub. "It was our intent to make the experience feel more like a residential space rather than a commercial one," the team said. Read: CLB Architects creates trio of "tectonic structures" for Wyoming residence On the northern side of the terminal, where passengers wait to board their planes, the studio created a "living room" with comfy furniture, commissioned artwork and a monumental fireplace. Glazed walls are lined with polished concrete benches with leather seat cushioning, where visitors can watch aircraft take off and land. The waiting area also features a grab-and-go concessions counter and a casual restaurant with a fireplace. The terminal is designed to be highly flexible The terminal is designed to be highly flexible, so rooms can be reconfigured as needed. To that point, the airpot has an underground area of approximately 3,000 square feet (279 square metres) that was envisioned as a "versatile flex space". CLB had two additional projects underway at the airport – a private terminal and three hangar structures. Other US airport projects include the ZGF-designed expansion to the Portland International Airport, which features a massive timber roof, and plans for a highly sculptural air-traffic-control tower in Columbus, Indiana, designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects. The photography is by Matthew Millman. Project credits: Design architect and architect of record for phases 3-7: CLB Architects CLB team: Kevin Burke (partner), Cary Lakeman (senior project manager), Steve Jakub (project manager) Executive architect for phases 3-7: Miller Dunwiddie Interior design: TruexCullins (restaurant and hold room) Contractor: Wadman Corporation Civil consultant: Jviation Geotechnical engineer and well design: Nelson Engineering Structural engineer: KL&A Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, technology engineer: Michaud, Cooley, Erickson Lighting: Helius Lighting Design Food service: The Marshall Associates Life, safety, accessibility: Jensen Hughes Acoustic engineer: Wave Engineering Client: Jackson Hole Airport Owner's representative: KLJ Engineering The post CLB Architects takes "residential" approach for Jackson Hole Airport appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Benjamin Wilkes has extended a home in Leytonstone, London, named Vinyl House after its music room containing 40 linear metres of records. Benjamin Wilkes renovated the two-storey terraced home to better cater for its clients' hobbies – cooking and music. Replacing a previous rear extension, the studio created a large kitchen and dining

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Architecture studio Benjamin Wilkes has extended a home in Leytonstone, London, named Vinyl House after its music room containing 40 linear metres of records. Benjamin Wilkes renovated the two-storey terraced home to better cater for its clients' hobbies – cooking and music. Benjamin Wilkes has extended a home in Leytonstone Replacing a previous rear extension, the studio created a large kitchen and dining area that can be opened up into a large entertaining space. At the front of Vinyl House, an original reception room has been restored, while the rear reception has been converted into a utility space and a music room off the dining area. It is named Vinyl House after its music room Accessed through sliding doors, the music room is lined with 40 linear metres of shelves for vinyl records and black-painted niches containing a record player and amplifier. "We were keen to showcase the wall of music – both as a place to organise the huge collection but also act as an impressive point of visual interest," studio director Benjamin Wilkes told Dezeen. The music room is lined with shelves for records "Sliding screens enable the space to be opened up when hosting or completely sealed off for a more intimate listening experience," explained Wilkes. "An oculus roof light sits directly above the record player providing useful natural light," he added. Vinyl House's extension also contains a kitchen and dining area The kitchen and dining area is organised around a central island and banquette, with the dining table positioned beneath a row of skylights at the side of the home. This central island is movable, allowing the kitchen and dining space to easily be transformed into a large open hosting space. Read: London extension by Collective Works blends Scandinavian and Mediterranean influences Due to being slightly smaller than the previous extension, space has been freed up in the home's rear garden and used to introduce a stepped paved patio. It is overlooked by a bi-fold window box at the end of the dining area, which also provides a space to sit and read. The central island is moveable A paved terracotta floor unifies Vinyl House with the patio and is complemented by wooden finishes both on its exterior and throughout the interior. "The material palette is predominantly focused on natural, waste or recycled materials with oak cabinet fronts, terracotta flooring, terrazzo worktops and cognac leather banquettes," explained Wilkes. There is a window box overlooking the garden Based in southeast London, Benjamin Wilkes was founded by Benjamin and Joanna Wilkes in 2000. Other recent London extensions include Mid Terrace Dream by Collective Works with a Mediterranean-influenced dining area and Gingerbread House by The DHaus Company. The photography is by Chris Wharton. The post Benjamin Wilkes updates London home with vinyl-filled music room appeared first on Dezeen.

Design studio Diez Office and urban greening specialists OMCC have collaborated with the American Hardwood Export Council to create a "greening machine" exhibited during London Design Festival. Displayed within the courtyard at Chelsea College of Arts, the Vert installation features a timber structure traversed by greenery and was designed to address rising temperatures and dwindling

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Design studio Diez Office and urban greening specialists OMCC have collaborated with the American Hardwood Export Council to create a "greening machine" exhibited during London Design Festival. Displayed within the courtyard at Chelsea College of Arts, the Vert installation features a timber structure traversed by greenery and was designed to address rising temperatures and dwindling biodiversity within cities. A 10-metre-tall timber installation has been unveiled during LDF "The project is intended to inspire urban planners, architects and designers to tackle climate change and, above all, to develop interdisciplinary solutions together," co-founder of OMCC Nicola Stattman told Dezeen. "We want to show that large-scale greening systems can also be realised in densely built-up city centres," she added. "A garden for insects and people in the centre of the city, a place to relax." The installation serves as a cool urban space for people and insects Vert is composed of a series of timber triangles constructed from a modular, red oak glued laminated timber structure. With guidance from American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Diez Office and OMCC chose red oak for the installation due to its "structural performance and ecological credentials". "We have been enthusiastic about the aesthetic possibilities and environmental benefits of red oak since learning about the species, and continue to experiment with it, such as by making furniture," founder of Diez Office Stefan Diez told Dezeen. Biodegradable fabric nets are greened by climbing plants Reaching 10 metres high, the timber structure is interspersed with biodegradable fabric nets that are greened by more than 20 species of climbing plants serving as a home for insects. A street runs through the base of the structure to provide circulation, and is flanked by two platforms that host sheltered net seating for visitors. Read: William Floyd Maclean designs modular timber furniture that "considers a wider picture" According to the studios, the structure is able to cool its surrounding airspace by up to eight degrees, and can cast four times more shade and store approximately 25 times more CO2 than a 20-year-old tree. "The structure performs as a 'greening machine', while also making urban spaces more harmonious and pleasant to live in from an aesthetic point of view," Diez said. "The project is shaped by a desire to use materials in a responsible way, and to push the engineering performance while not compromising the aesthetic appeal," he added. "We wanted Vert to break the monotony of our urban environment." Seating space is hosted at the structure's base The installation's modular structure was designed to be dismantled and rebuilt several times and, following its four-week-stint at Chelsea College of Arts, will be dismantled and stored before being set up in a different location next summer. The photography is by Petr Krejci. Vert will be presented as part of London Design Festival at Chelsea College of Arts from 14 to 22 September 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. The post Vert installation at London Design Festival serves as "garden for insects and people" appeared first on Dezeen.

A large circular opening offers a glimpse through the white wall in front of this California accessory dwelling unit, designed by architect Yan M Wang of Cover Architecture for his mother. The LA-based architect created the additional unit on his property in Altadena, north of Pasadena, so that his mother and her partner could be

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A large circular opening offers a glimpse through the white wall in front of this California accessory dwelling unit, designed by architect Yan M Wang of Cover Architecture for his mother. The LA-based architect created the additional unit on his property in Altadena, north of Pasadena, so that his mother and her partner could be closer to the family after retiring. The Moongate ADU was built between the main house at the back of the lot and the street The 620-square-foot (57 square metre) building was constructed between the main house and the street and is divided in two to make room for a pathway to the back of the lot. Living spaces are located in the larger section on the right, while storage is housed in a narrow volume to the left – both rendered entirely in white. A partition wall creates a private patio space in front of the dwelling The minimalist form was intentionally designed to "challenge" the 1961 ranch-style, single-storey house where Wang and his young family reside. "This deliberate contrast in building styles and eras is an interplay between the ordinary and the extraordinary," said the architect. The interiors are neutral and bright The ADU's living volume is partially obscured by a wall that slopes up from the path and includes a round portal that punctures through at the taller end. This feature gives the project its name, Moongate, after the circular gateways found in traditional Chinese architecture. Birch plywood millwork is used throughout the interiors, including the kitchen "Its expressive sloped partition wall with a large circular opening, at once, conceals and reveals what's beyond the parapet," said Wang. The wall creates a shaded, decked patio area in front of the dwelling, providing an outdoor seating area with privacy from the street. A skylight brings additional natural light into the bathroom Curved elements in the roof eaves and an arched entry into the storage space help the two volumes to read as one. Inside, the modest structure includes a kitchen and living area, a bedroom, a bathroom and a small office. Read: 3R Studio creates Bay Area ADU as a "backyard retreat" for living and working "Cheerful geometries extend from the exterior to the interior of the ADU, alongside a light, natural material palette," the architect said. Baltic birch plywood millwork with round cabinet handles used throughout is complemented by light grey Pietra Artica marble used for the kitchen counter and onyx marble atop the bathroom vanity. The circular portal in the front partition wall is reminiscent of those found in traditional Chinese architecture Skylights in the kitchen and bathroom bring additional natural light into these spaces, and a back patio opens to a courtyard area shared with the main house. "The three structures, in dialogue with one another, help foster a sense of connection to the outdoors while bridging three generations, providing ample room to commune together and also retreat into private spaces," Wang said. The ADU allows the architect's retired mother and her partner to live closer to his young family ADUs have grown in popularity across states like California and Texas, where revised zoning laws allow for higher density in urban and suburban neighbourhoods. Others in California include a mountainside dwelling in Marin County with wooden interiors and a loft space, and a Bay Area live-work unit that consists of two gabled volumes connected by a glazed bridge. The photography is by Leonid Furmansky. The post Moongate ADU by Cover Architecture offers intergenerational living near LA appeared first on Dezeen.

A greenhouse framed by a wooden pergola tops this home in Muiden, the Netherlands, designed by local studio Moke Architecten with landscape practice LA4Sale. Called Wooden House, the home is located in a new residential area in the port town that enjoys views of the nearby lake IJmeer. The clients desired a balance between open

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A greenhouse framed by a wooden pergola tops this home in Muiden, the Netherlands, designed by local studio Moke Architecten with landscape practice LA4Sale. Called Wooden House, the home is located in a new residential area in the port town that enjoys views of the nearby lake IJmeer. The clients desired a balance between open views of this landscape and sufficient privacy, which led Moke Architekten and LA4Sale to split the house into two offset volumes with small terraces on either side. Moke Architecten has created Wooden House in Muiden "The front and back house form two square volumes that have been pulled apart and connected at the corners with pergolas," explained Moke Architecten. "The house that takes full advantage of the beautiful view on the lake and at the same time offers a lot of privacy," it added. On the south side of Wooden House, the more private volume containing a workspace on the ground floor and a bedroom on the upper floor is finished with a sloping green roof. The home is crowned by a greenhouse containing a terrace In the northern volume, a ground-floor kitchen and dining area and first-floor living room are topped by a terrace, which is partially sheltered within a greenhouse structure fitted with photovoltaic panels. Wooden slats to filter light and views feature both internally and on the external pergolas, where they can be opened or closed to provide greater privacy. Wood is the dominant material throughout the project On the ground floor, full-height glass doors open out onto the lower terraces, while large windows on the first floor can be sheltered by wooden shutters. Around a boardmarked concrete core, the gridded wooden frame of the structure has been left exposed, complemented by pale plywood panels that line the internal walls. Read: Timber structure defines compact bio-based home in the Netherlands "Wood is a central theme in the home, reflected in all places," explained the studio. "The laminated larch trusses, the exterior finish of frake, the interior finish of poplar and the Douglas fir floors provide a soft and natural ambience." "The concrete wall in the middle of the core of the house also provides a natural appearance, the pattern of the horizontal wooden slatted formwork plays with the grazing light that falls along the floating steel staircase from above the greenhouse," it added. It is organised around a concrete core A timber frame and greenhouse-like terrace also featured in a recent prototype home in Olst by Dutch studio Woonpioniers, which was designed to feature as many bio-based materials as possible. Other homes in the Netherlands recently featured on Dezeen include a Haarlem house renovation by Barde vanVoltt and Open Park Villa by i29 in Limburg. The photography is by Thijs Wolzak. The post Moke Architecten crowns wooden home in Muiden with greenhouse appeared first on Dezeen.

The founders of Australian studio Zuzana & Nicholas have used a "robust palette" of stone, concrete and steel to transform a former workers' cottage in Brisbane into their own studio and house. Located in the Red Hill neighbourhood, the cottage was originally designed in the Queenslander style that defines much of Brisbane's suburbs – a

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The founders of Australian studio Zuzana & Nicholas have used a "robust palette" of stone, concrete and steel to transform a former workers' cottage in Brisbane into their own studio and house. Located in the Red Hill neighbourhood, the cottage was originally designed in the Queenslander style that defines much of Brisbane's suburbs – a type of timber-framed house elevated above an open undercroft and fronted by a veranda. Zuzana & Nicholas has transformed a cottage into its own studio Designer Zuzana Kovar and architect Nicholas Skepper, the founders of Zuzana & Nicholas, looked to restore and update the cottage's original character after alterations over the past century had seen its undercroft filled in and the majority of its original structure replaced. "The project was conceptualised as a 'shop-house' and sought to resolve the combination of private domestic spaces with public studio space within the one building envelope," the studio told Dezeen. The cottage is also home to the studio's founders Maintaining the division between the undercroft and the home, the concrete lower level now houses the studio, while the timber-framed spaces above contain two bedrooms and the living, dining and kitchen areas. The materiality of each of these areas reflects its use, with hardwood panelling in the living areas referencing the original structure, and a more utilitarian palette of exposed concrete and metal for the studio. A sliding wall opens up the home's upper floor "The bedrooms, living room and kitchen have been remade with expressed timber framing in a native Australian hardwood, referencing the construction of the existing house but with a new material character that provides a texture and intimacy to the private spaces," said Zuzana & Nicholas. "The rooms at the back of the house, along with the architecture studio, have been made in a more restrained and robust palette of stone, concrete, rendered block and galvanised steel that feels appropriate for the semi-public and semi-external quality of these spaces," it added. Read: So Architecture adds textured "sanctuary" to cottage in Tasmania In the studio, a concrete step and full-height sliding glass door allow access into the rear garden, alongside a book-lined staircase with steel panels to reflect natural light. "When the studio sliding doors retract, the remaining enclosure is formed by raw concrete and masonry, giving the sense of a cool grotto on the edge of the garden, providing respite from the hot, humid climate," said the studio. Steel panels reflect light in the studio space On the upper level, a sliding wall at the rear of the home opens up a covered dining area overlooking the garden from a balcony of galvanised steel mesh. Once closed, this sliding wall blends in with the white-painted wooden cladding on the exterior of the home's upper storey. A concrete step provides access to the garden from the studio Thanks to its position on a corner plot, the studio and house have separate entrances and addresses. The home is accessed via the front of the building and the studio is entered from the side street. Other recent projects that have involved updates to traditional Brisbane cottages include an extension by John Ellway incorporating a series of small gardens and a raw timber and concrete extension by Nielsen Jenkins. The photography is by Clinton Weaver. Project credits: Architect: Zuzana & Nicholas Project team: Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper Builder: Thirdson Constructions Landscape design: Zuzana & Nicholas Structural engineer: NGS Engineers The post Zuzana & Nicholas transforms Brisbane cottage into own home and studio appeared first on Dezeen.

This week on Dezeen, we were the first to showcase Apple's new events venue, built into a hillside at the technology company's Apple Park campus. The building, which was designed "as a contemplative space" featuring natural stone, terrazzo and wood, is the most significant addition to the campus since the Steve Jobs Theater opened in

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This week on Dezeen, we were the first to showcase Apple's new events venue, built into a hillside at the technology company's Apple Park campus. The building, which was designed "as a contemplative space" featuring natural stone, terrazzo and wood, is the most significant addition to the campus since the Steve Jobs Theater opened in 2017. It will be used to host launch events and showcase Apple's latest technology. Our longlists for the Dezeen Awards 2024 were revealed this week We also unveiled the longlists for the 2024 Dezeen Awards, which champion design excellence and showcase innovation from architects and designers around the globe. The architecture, interiors and design longlists were the first to be announced, followed by the sustainability longlist, which was revealed on Thursday. All of the projects that made our list can be found on the Dezeen Awards 2024 longlist page. The "tallest skyscraper in Nebraska" is under construction Construction has begun on a 206-metre-tall skyscraper in Omaha, set to be the "tallest skyscraper in Nebraska" upon completion. Designed by US architecture studio Pickard Chilton, the tower will be the new corporate headquarters of insurance company Mutual of Omaha. Another skyscraper to catch readers' attention this week was a green-tiled tower by Studio Gang in San Francisco. Called Verde, the 23-storey building is the final tower completed in the first phase of the city's waterfront Mission Rock development. The sunny True Joy is Dulux's colour of the year Paint brand Dulux unveiled its colour of the year this week. True Joy is an "uplifting" bright yellow colour, chosen for its bold and sunny disposition, which adds a sense of cheerfulness to interiors. In other design news, this year's UK James Dyson Award winner was named. The team behind Pyri, a pinecone-shaped wildfire detector built out of wax and charcoal, has won £5,000 to further develop the concept. The Tornado was installed in Rotterdam Chinese architecture studio MAD installed Tornado, its huge steel staircase, on top of the Fenix Museum in Rotterdam. The sculptural form is clad in 297 highly polished stainless-steel panels and its installation marks the topping-out of the museum. Also in the Netherlands, Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis has created a sculptural fountain made of stacked onyx slabs for the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. The piece reused coloured onyx stone slabs from the SolidNature installation at last year's Milan Design Week. Ten Burning Man installations were presented on Dezeen After Burning Man drew to a close in the Nevada desert, we showcased 10 installations from the festival including this year's effigy, which was designed as a series of elevated pathways made from wood. In other US news, British studio Foster + Partners has renovated the modernist Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. The firm restored elements from the office skyscraper's original design and linked it to a redesigned adjacent park. A loop-de-loop canal boat was installed in Sheffield In the UK, artist Alex Chinneck installed a six-metre-high looped canal boat on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal to celebrate the heritage of the waterway. The 13-metre-long and six-metre-high sculpture was created as a free-to-visit artwork and fabricated from steel and aluminium before being painted in traditional colours. Archipelago turned a post office in Belgium into a learning centre Popular projects featured on Dezeen this week included the conversion of a brutalist post office, a renovated loft in Brooklyn and a Czech provostry expansion. This week's lookbooks featured sumptuous members' clubs and living rooms with sculptural coffee tables. This week on Dezeen This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything. The post This week we exclusively revealed the subterranean Apple Park Observatory appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio Trahan Architects has finished an interior renovation of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, completing a series of renovations launched after Hurricane Katrina that it claims will extend the stadium's life by 25 years. Trahan Architects' work on the interior is the latest upgrade since the studio was engaged on the Superdome restoration

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Local studio Trahan Architects has finished an interior renovation of the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, completing a series of renovations launched after Hurricane Katrina that it claims will extend the stadium's life by 25 years. Trahan Architects' work on the interior is the latest upgrade since the studio was engaged on the Superdome restoration in 2005, after it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The building sheltered as many as 20,000 thousand people fleeing the storm. The Superdome was originally completed in 1975 by Curtis and Davis Associated and featured a dome and concave cylindrical facade clad with aluminium panels. Trahan Architects has completed the renovation of the Superdome stadium in New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina, Trahan Architects implemented an overhaul of the exterior, replacing all the panels with a rainscreen system made from anodized aluminium metal panels. The current phase of the renovation, which was completed in time for its first game of the NFL season, included the removal of the ramp circulation system on the concourse. This allowed for concessions to be pushed to the outside of the structure, as well as for the installation of atriums in the entry programs and for lounges to be installed. In total, the renovation opened up more than 100,000 square feet (9,290 square metres), according to the studio. It is the latest in a series of renovations undertaken after the stadium was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 The removal of the ramps allowed for more shared spaces and circulation, according to the studio, which modelled the concessions and circulation on the community-oriented streetscapes of New Orleans. "With this interior overhaul, we wanted the building to feel like a microcosm of our city," Trahan Architects founding principal Trey Trahan told Dezeen. "We thought of the design as a series of stacked neighborhoods or 'faubourgs' as we call them, all connected by generous circulation spaces that served them – aka 'the street'." Also important to the renovation was bringing the materiality used for the original facade inside. Both Trahan and studio partner Brad McWhirter told Dezeen that the original innovativeness of Superdome, structurally and materially, was important throughout the redesign process. Anodized aluminium similar to that found on the exterior was used to clad the atriums "The rich material language they worked with, having the exterior skin of anodized aluminum which ages beautifully over time, along with its elegant form, made us see it as a sculpture that needed to be expressed both inside and out," said McWhirter. "Before, you never got to experience the shape of the building from the interior – they were treated as two completely separate elements." This move is most obvious in the atriums placed at three corners of the structure, which are the most visually apparent interventions. Here, express elevators move up through the voids. The voids have walls clad with anodized aluminium rods and are crossed by thick metal-clad beams that reveal the structure. Trahan Architects removed the circulation ramps and added additional seating and concessions Planning for resiliency and bringing the structure to compliance with codes around ventilation and accessibility were also important in the redesign process. Trahan Architects worked with engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to ensure the building could stand up to high winds – it was during this 3D modelling process that the voids covered by the circulation ramps were discovered, which led to their removal. Read: Intuit Dome basketball stadium set to open its doors in Los Angeles "You would walk up the ramps from floor to floor with an eight-foot (2.4 metre) ceiling height, to small, cramped concourses until you finally got to your seat for some relief," said Trahan. "With the model, we could see the full breadth of the voids and wasted space that could be more useful for the public, building operations, and for incorporating new mechanical systems." These processes all happened while keeping the stadium in use for the American football season. The studio also had to install accessible decks for movement-impaired people, all while making sure that new mechanical systems did not interfere too much with the aesthetic of the exterior. "This, and from a design standpoint, implementing universal accessibility within a 50-year-old building was very difficult. We had to make up for a lot of lost time to bring the building up to today's standards and go the extra mile to prepare for the future," added Trahan. Escalators and elevators now provide the primary circulation to the upper levels These future-looking improvements included the aforementioned facade replacement and the inclusion of new emergency generators, as the loss of power during Hurricane Katrina created harsh conditions for those sheltering inside. The architects also lauded some of the original features of the structure, which were maintained. Accessibility decks were also added as part of the renovation "For instance, the 'gutter tubs' of the roof, hidden behind the lip of the facade at the top, manage stormwater such that draining a 10-acre roof doesn't overload the city's system," said McWhirter. "This continues to work very well to this day – even with the incredible amount of development that's occurred since the building first opened." According to the studio, the total of the renovations since 2005 will drastically extend the lifespan of the stadium. "This comprehensive renovation is expected to extend the building's lifespan by 25 years, allowing future generations to enjoy the same sense of community and excitement the New Orleans landmark has fostered for nearly half a century," it said. Other restorations of iconic buildings include Foster + Partners' interior overhaul of the Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco. Meanwhile, natural disasters worsened by climate change continue to be an impetus to design buildings better. In light of that, Dezeen launched a series last year called Designing for Disaster to highlight the different problems and solutions architects and designers face in the face of extreme weather events. The photography is by Tim Hursley. The post Trahan Architects restores Superdome to be "microcosm" of New Orleans appeared first on Dezeen.

Norwegian studios Vatn Architecture and Groma have extended a home called Dråpa in Oslo, adding a curved form with a large terrace looking towards the city and its archipelago. Designed for a painter and filmmaker, the extension pays homage to the 1930s architecture that characterises its suburban site. This informed its name Dråpa – a

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Norwegian studios Vatn Architecture and Groma have extended a home called Dråpa in Oslo, adding a curved form with a large terrace looking towards the city and its archipelago. Designed for a painter and filmmaker, the extension pays homage to the 1930s architecture that characterises its suburban site. This informed its name Dråpa – a type of laudatory poem. Vatn Architecture and Groma have extended a home in Oslo "The existing house is a well-preserved example of the period, but zoning rules often lead to pitch roofs or boxy extensions that stand out as foreign objects," Vatn Architecture founder Espen Vatn told Dezeen. "We therefore consider the curved shape of the extension as in line with the house's character, and possibly in line with how an extension would have been made at the time the house was built," he added. Aligning with the concrete basement and two storeys of the existing home, Dråpa provides three additional bedrooms and a living, dining and kitchen area within its curved form. White-painted timber clads the home's exterior The extension introduces a ground-floor entrance to the home, which was previously accessed via its basement. This leads directly into a living, dining and kitchen space that connects to the stairwell of the existing home via a short bridge. A kitchen counter lines the wall of this room, which opens out at its western end where a curving wall is punctured by panoramic windows. The extension features a curved form with a large terrace The central stairwell leads to the main bedroom on the extension's top floor. Here, wide timber steps lead up to a semicircular terrace overlooking the Oslo archipelago. A separate stair leads down into the extension's basement, where two further bedrooms open out onto the garden through large glass doors. Read: Modu uses metal tower structure to expand Brooklyn townhouse "We wanted to work with the proportions of the new volume to create a dialogue between the two and keep the same height as the existing house," said Vatn. "The site features a stepped topography, so that change also allowed us to work with the section in a more interesting way," added Groma founder Andrea Pinochet. Panoramic windows puncture the home's curved walls Slats of white-painted timber clad the home's exterior, matching the existing home but instead laid vertically to provide a subtle contrast. The interior is defined by plastered walls painted white, with pale wooden floors and a blue-tiled bathroom with a circular window on the top floor. White walls and wooden flooring feature inside Vatn Architecture and Groma are both based in Oslo. The two studios previously collaborated on the conversion of an industrial storage unit into a studio for a film production company. Other recent residential projects in Norway include a home by Gartnerfuglen Arkitekter that references traditional log cabins and a "floating treehouse" by Snøhetta. The photography is by Johan Dehlin. The post Vatn Architecture and Groma add curved extension to 1930s home in Norway appeared first on Dezeen.

US studio Steven Holl Architects has completed Meander, a housing project in Helsinki, Finland, with a snaking form that frames gardens and maximises outward views. Completed with local studio ARK-house Arkkitehdit and property developer Newil&Bau, the 7,500-square-metre project comprises 115 unique apartments with a concrete structure and lined with wood and glazing. The 180-metre-long form

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US studio Steven Holl Architects has completed Meander, a housing project in Helsinki, Finland, with a snaking form that frames gardens and maximises outward views. Completed with local studio ARK-house Arkkitehdit and property developer Newil&Bau, the 7,500-square-metre project comprises 115 unique apartments with a concrete structure and lined with wood and glazing. Steven Holl Architects has completed Meander in Helsinki The 180-metre-long form of the building was designed by Steven Holl Architects to meander around gardens like a river, inspiring the project's name. Alongside the 115 homes are a wine cellar, spa, 12-seat movie theatre, yoga studio, communal events spaces and work areas. The housing comprises 115 apartments Steven Holl Architects has been developing Meander since 2006 when the studio won an international competition for the project. Its curved plan frames a series of open outdoor areas that the studio has strategically positioned for residents to enjoy the sun throughout the day. The apartments are lined with wood and glazing The apartments are spread across eight floors and accessible from three different lobbies. Glazing envelops the exterior maximising natural light throughout. At its highest point, Meander reaches 28.5 metres. Its smallest apartment measures 22.5 square metres, while the biggest encompasses 218.5 square metres. Read: Steven Holl completes "energetic and open" Cofco Cultural and Health Center in Shanghai "Meander Housing is a competition we won 17 years ago with the idea of the meandering form that shapes space because the site is inside of a bounded block," said the studio's founder Steven Holl. "Because of the simple shape of the meandering line, all apartments are different and they gradually rise to face the sea," he continued. "There is a kind of musical score-like aspect, and you can see it expressed in the gardens and void spaces that articulate the original concept." Meander's winding form frames a series of gardens Other details of Meander include a shared Tesla and Pelago bicycles, alongside a bicycle maintenance zone and storage space for food deliveries. The studio's founder has also designed a series of small finishing touches, including a drinking bowl for dogs, door handles and lighting fixtures. The apartments range from 22.5 to 218.5 square metres According to the studio, thanks to features including a geothermal heating system, solar panels and "smart building automation", Meander has an operational carbon footprint approximately half the size of a conventional, similarly sized apartment building. Its structure is also designed to last for at least 100 years before needing refurbishment. Steven Holl Architects was founded by Holl in New York in 1977 and today it also has offices in Hudson Valley and Beijing. Meander is not the studio's first project in Finland, having also completed the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in 1998. The studio's recent projects include the Cofco Cultural and Health Center in Shanghai and the asymmetric Rubenstein Commons in New Jersey. The photography is by Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy unless stated otherwise. The post Steven Holl winds Meander housing around gardens in Helsinki appeared first on Dezeen.

London studio Wright and Wright has refurbished the London headquarters of the British Academy, creating double-height spaces on the lower floor that aim to reflect the grandeur of the rooms above. Located at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace in central London, Wright and Wright intended to celebrate the building's history while making it better suited for events,

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London studio Wright and Wright has refurbished the London headquarters of the British Academy, creating double-height spaces on the lower floor that aim to reflect the grandeur of the rooms above. Located at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace in central London, Wright and Wright intended to celebrate the building's history while making it better suited for events, public talks and exhibitions. Wright and Wright has completed its refurbishment of the British Academy. Top photo by the British Academy The Grade I-listed building was originally designed by British architect John Nash in 1831. It has been the headquarters for the British Academy, a national academy for humanities and social sciences, since 1998. As part of its refurbishment, Wright and Wright removed mezzanine floors and vaults on the lower level, which didn't have as many heritage constraints as the grander upper levels. The lower ground was transformed to have high ceilings The studio also dug up to two metres deep into the ground to further open up the lower level, forming three double-height rooms that mimic the loftiness of the rooms above. "In line with its strategic aims to open up and reach audiences beyond the research and academic community, we addressed the lower floors and arrival spaces of the organisation's headquarters to enable it to become a more accessible, welcoming and agile destination for events and public engagement," Wright and Wright partner Stephen Smith told Dezeen. The studio aimed to create spaces better suited for events "The building is a historic Grade I-listed building overlooking The Mall in central London, so we had to work with its extraordinary heritage spaces in a way that enables the British Academy to fulfil its contemporary role as a forward-facing organisation," Smith continued. "By removing mezzanine floors, small cramped office spaces of 2.4 metres tall were transformed into double height spaces of 5.5 metres." Read: Wright and Wright completes decade-long redevelopment of University of Oxford college Existing lightwells help bring natural light into the interior, and double glazing was added to the windows to improve thermal performance. "Because the new spaces are largely out of sight from street level, we were able to introduce double glazing – the first time this has been achieved within the Crown Estate in a Grade I listed setting," said Smith. The building was originally built in 1831 Wright and Wright aimed to set the lower-level spaces apart from the historic rooms by giving them a more contemporary appearance. The event spaces were finished with neutral wall colours and warm-toned oak flooring, while circulation areas feature red-toned walls. On the ground floor, the studio refurbished the reception area to make it more accessible and created two rooms for the academy's fellows to study and meet. Contemporary finishes were used in the newly added rooms "The ground floor spaces tie in seamlessly with the building's Grade I setting in terms of material form and detailing," said Smith. "The new spaces at lower ground level offer a counterpoint: they are more minimal and contemporary in their detailing, but draw on the scale and proportion of the existing building." "Certain details such as the stair bannister, pockets of colour, and recessed customised spaces for the academy's important art collection draw inspiration from the heritage spaces above," he explained. Circulation spaces on the lower floor were painted red The academy continued to operate while Wright and Wright carried out the refurbishment, which required careful planning, Smith said. "The works to the existing building involved extensive demolition in small confined spaces and the installation of new steelwork to form the new large-span spaces," he explained. "A carefully phased and strategic approach ensured the stability of the building and operating floors above." Wright and Wright have completed a number of refurbishments on historic buildings, including the redevelopment of St John's College at the University of Oxford and the renovation and extension of the London's Museum of the Home in London. The photography is by Hufton and Crow. The post Wright and Wright unveils transformation of British Academy headquarters in London appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studios Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture have completed a renovation and expansion of the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha with the addition of a "weightless" pavilion. The project encompassed the renovation of pre-existing buildings and landscape at the Joslyn Art Museum and adding a 42,000 square-foot (3,900 square metre) extension that juts off

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Architecture studios Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture have completed a renovation and expansion of the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha with the addition of a "weightless" pavilion. The project encompassed the renovation of pre-existing buildings and landscape at the Joslyn Art Museum and adding a 42,000 square-foot (3,900 square metre) extension that juts off the front. Snøhetta has renovated and added an extension to the Joslyn Art Museum The museum consists of a main building completed in 1931 by Nebraska architects John and Alan McDonald and an extension by Norman Foster added in 1994, which sits directly to the side and is linked by a thin glass atrium that runs between the two volumes. Both buildings were clad in a distinct Georgia Pink marble. The expansion is clad in concrete and Georgia Pink marble The team updated the interior of pre-existing buildings, which included adding classrooms and restoring office space, "rejuvenated" the grounds and added the new Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion extension to hold additional galleries and public spaces for the museum. The new building is made up of volume with a wave-like lip that connects to the glass atrium of Foster's 1994 extension. The new wing appears to sit on granite walls that surround the building Divided between two levels, it contains additional galleries, a shop, public spaces, and a new main entrance. The building's curved, main volume was clad in a screen of thin concrete panels which breaks up closer to the historic buildings, revealing a glass facade underneath. Granite walls enclose the extension's first floor The concrete was also embedded with Georgia Pink marble as a nod to its predecessors, while its texture calls to the large staircase leading to the main building. "The horizontal texture of the new facade takes its cue from the stacked stone steps of the 1931 Joslyn Building's monumental Grand Steps, which emerge from the east side of the existing buildings in parallel with the expansion," said the team. The lobby connects to a pre-existing glass atrium The building sits on dark granite walls that run through the site and wrap around its first floor, where the new museum entrance is located. The entrance sits back deeply underneath the volume, which emphasises its "weightless" appearance. The interior curves to one side and contains galleries and public spaces on the other "While the existing buildings appear anchored to the ground, the new building floats atop two granite garden walls," said the team. "The weightless effect of the expansion recalls the striking cloud formations above the Great Plains, as well as the deep overhangs and horizontal expression of Prairie School architecture." The extension contains a new main entrance for the museum Inside, the interior curves off to one side to connect to the neighbouring atrium, while the museum shop, galleries, and community spaces sit on the other. A long wooden staircase and double-height opening, which echo the same curve of the building, connect the two levels. "After passing underneath the deep cantilever of the Hawks Pavilion, visitors will enter a soaring, light-filled atrium that unites the architectural history of the Museum with a gently sloping central staircase that rises to form an extension of the glass atrium designed by Norman Foster as part the Museum's 1994 expansion," said the team Read: Snøhetta adds series of rain-catching sculptures to Austin museum The renovation reoriented the museum's entrance to create a more "inviting" experience, according to the team. "Our comprehensive reconsideration of the Museum grounds, the existing interiors, and the newest building all work together to create a more inviting entry for the growing spectrum of people that visit the Museum," said Snøhetta founding partner Craig Dyker. "Our goal has been to provide a harmonious place for guests, art, and gathering that will become a vessel for inspiration and creativity to flourish." The new wing adds 40 per cent more display space for the museum Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture is based in Omaha and was founded in 1987. Other recent museum extensions and renovations in the US include the redesign of the Blanton Museum of Art campus in Austin and a Corten-steel addition to a Texas museum by Page Southerland Page. The photography is by Nic Lehoux Project credits: Snøhetta: Craig Dykers, Michelle Delk, Aaron Dorf, Kate Larsen Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture: Michael Alley, Albert Macchietto, Project manager: Anser Advisory Structural engineer: MKA Structural engineer of record: Thompson Dreessen & Dorner MEPFP engineer, A/V, Telecom, LEED documentation: Morrissey Engineering Civil engineer: Olsson Facade consulting: Front Specialty lighting design, Acoustics: Arup Sustainability, Energy Analysis, LEED Administration: A10 Commissioning agent: BranchPattern General contractor: Kiewit Building Group The post Snøhetta adds "weightless" pavilion to Nebraska's largest art museum appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features images of Apple's new events venue in California. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now. Technology company Apple has completed a new events venue, which was built into the hillside at the Apple Park campus in California. The Observatory opened earlier this week and will serve as a

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The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features images of Apple's new events venue in California. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now. Technology company Apple has completed a new events venue, which was built into the hillside at the Apple Park campus in California. The Observatory opened earlier this week and will serve as a venue for events and a place to showcase the brand's latest technology. True Joy named Dulux Colour of the Year 2025 This week's newsletter also featured Dulux's announcement of the 2025 Colour of the Year, the construction of Omaha's tallest tower and a wildfire detection device made of organic materials, which has won the UK James Dyson Award. Dezeen Agenda Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here. You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. The post Dezeen Agenda features subterranean Apple Park Observatory appeared first on Dezeen.

UK studio Foster + Partners has renovated the modernist Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco, USA, restoring elements from the original design and linking it to a redesigned adjacent park. Foster + Partners renovated the 853-foot-tall (260-metre) office skyscraper, which is the the second tallest building in San Francisco, for developer SHVO by opening up

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UK studio Foster + Partners has renovated the modernist Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco, USA, restoring elements from the original design and linking it to a redesigned adjacent park. Foster + Partners renovated the 853-foot-tall (260-metre) office skyscraper, which is the the second tallest building in San Francisco, for developer SHVO by opening up the lobby, refreshing amenities and implementing landscaping strategies to better connect the iconic building to the streetscape. Foster + Partners has renovated the Transamerica Pyramid. Above photo by Photo by David Lipman. Top photo by Nigel Young Originally designed by William L Pereira & Associates and completed in 1972, the landmark skyscraper has quartz-studded concrete facades with punch windows and a base that flares outward with massive trusses towards the street. While the structural systems and the facade of the skyscraper were left relatively intact, the architecture studio wanted to open up the lobby and amenity areas to reveal the structural elements. The skyscraper was originally completed in the 1970s. Photo by Nigel Young "Since Pereira's original conception in 1972, our work on the Transamerica Pyramid has revitalized the building, clearing away years of later additions that had compromised the space internally," Foster + Partners head of studio David Summerfield told Dezeen. "The new masterplan restores the logic of Pereira's plan, reasserting its clarity and revitalising the ground plane." The original gridded ceiling was revealed in the lobby. Photo by David Lipman The primary intervention in the lobby was the removal of a ceiling that had been installed, hiding the gridded structural concrete above. According to Summerfield, the team looked back at the original blueprints to understand the structural elements that were hidden by the ceiling. Read: Ten independent design studios to watch in San Francisco "The new design takes its cue from the Transamerica Pyramid's unique structural geometry and scale, carefully restoring the historic lobby, celebrating the original architecture by exposing the beams and structural cross-bracing in the arrival area and bringing the existing iconic colonnade inside," said Summerfield. "This structure has been revealed and clad to match the building's exterior, creating a seamless transition between inside and outside." Additional glass was added to the facade. Photo by Nigel Young Due the expansion up and out and the addition of glass skylights, the original height of the lobby was achieved and more connections to the urban surroundings and the adjacent park were established. Many of the higher levels of the building contain offices and will be redeveloped based on the needs of the tenants, while a series of private fitness areas and lounges have been remodelled. Communal spaces were added to the ground floor. Photo by Nigel Young At the rear of the building, Transamerica Redwood Park was updated with a smaller annexe building, which has a pyramidal roof, turned into a cafe. The park features dozens of mature Redwood trees, and Foster + Partners added additional landscaping, especially at the perimeter to open up the space to the public. Private lounges feature bright finishes. Photo by Nigel Young At the back of the block, past the park, are two buildings with an alley between them. Called Mark Twain Alley, it has also been restored and small plantings added to create a promenade with shops leading to the park and ultimately the skyscraper. These buildings were also purchased by SHVO and will be redeveloped in the next round of construction. It is part of an overall development of the block. Photo by David Lipman Founder Michael Shvo told Dezeen that the building "symbolized the American dream" when he visited it as a child. "It was important that this building became a communal center, as much as a great office building," said Shvo. In order to further a community-oriented program, the developers have also instituted an arts program that will display rotating exhibitions and sculptures in the park. Other renovations of iconic buildings include Detroit's Book Tower by ODA and SOM's revamp of its original design for the Lever House skyscraper in New York. The post Foster + Partners "restores the logic" of Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco appeared first on Dezeen.

French studio Atelier du Pont has completed an office building for the operating teams of Parc de la Villette in Paris, with an exposed, gridded timber frame designed to lend its interiors a woodland feel. The 3,000-square-metre building, named Pavilion Jardins, was designed to replace a cluster of nine prefabricated buildings that previously housed the

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French studio Atelier du Pont has completed an office building for the operating teams of Parc de la Villette in Paris, with an exposed, gridded timber frame designed to lend its interiors a woodland feel. The 3,000-square-metre building, named Pavilion Jardins, was designed to replace a cluster of nine prefabricated buildings that previously housed the teams of the park and its venues but had fallen into a state of disrepair. Atelier du Pont has completed an office building in Paris. Photo by Fred Delangle Originally masterplanned in 1982 by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi, the Parc de la Villette is considered one of the most influential projects of the deconstructivist movement, particularly known for the 35 bright-red follies that dot its landscape. Atelier du Pont drew on the park's natural surroundings, as well as the grid system used to arrange its follies, when designing Pavilion Jardins. The studio created an oversized timber grid to frame its interiors and shelter external terraces around its perimeter. The structure is composed of an exposed, gridded timber frame "The main idea was to design a pavilion that would be part of the history of the Parc de la Villette and its follies, and would offer a total immersion in nature and the landscape from the interior," the studio told Dezeen. "Wooden construction was an obvious choice because of its direct relationship with nature and the ease with which it can be used on very sensitive sites." The interior is organised around a large central atrium The two storeys of Pavilion Jardins are organised around a central atrium, illuminated by a large section of glazing in the grass-topped roof that draws in sunlight behind the gridded timber ceiling. A stepped seating area provides a core social space for this atrium, while the workspaces organised around it look out towards the park through the building's fully-glazed exterior. Read: EVR Architecten wraps office in Belgium with movable wooden louvers "We imagined a simple organisation around a large central atrium where the various professions that bring the Parc and the Grande Halle de la Villette to life can meet to work on common projects," said the studio. "The layers of beams on the roofs, combined with the photovoltaic glass roof and the division of the posts into four slender elements, create a woodland atmosphere inside that changes according to the incidence of the sun." Workspaces overlook the park through glazed openings. Photo by Vincent Leroux To create flexible workspaces in the central atrium and more open areas of the interior, Atelier Du Pont designed a series of reconfigurable "micro-architectures", including private "work cells", movable "wagon cells" and office partitions. These allow the office areas to be easily reconfigured, while maintaining a feeling of openness and access to natural light throughout the interiors. Reconfigurable "micro-architectures" create flexible workspaces. Photo by Vincent Leroux "To inhabit the central atrium and the floor circulations, we designed micro-architectures like mini-pavilions in the pavilion," explained the studio. "Designed on a simple construction principle – a steel structure and infill elements – they were partly constructed by the teams at La Villette by recycling sets from past exhibitions," it added. The original design of Parc de la Villette was recently highlighted as part of Dezeen's series on deconstructivist architecture. The photography is by Charly Broyez unless otherwise stated. The post Atelier du Pont creates "woodland atmosphere" for timber office at Parc de la Villette in Paris appeared first on Dezeen.

Danish architecture studio CF Møller has integrated a nature park into a flood-defence system beside the Gudenå river in Randers, Denmark. Combining urban planning, climate change adaptation and nature conservation to create an "architectural multi-tool", CF Møller sought to create a system that would reduce flooding risks for the nearby town and serve as a

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Danish architecture studio CF Møller has integrated a nature park into a flood-defence system beside the Gudenå river in Randers, Denmark. Combining urban planning, climate change adaptation and nature conservation to create an "architectural multi-tool", CF Møller sought to create a system that would reduce flooding risks for the nearby town and serve as a green space for locals. Designed in collaboration with the city of Randers and local utility service Vandmiljø Randers, the Stork Meadow project saw the addition of technical strategies such as retention pools and a pumping station, alongside the integration of public walkways and seating to promote recreational activities. CF Møller has completed a flood-defence system beside the Gudenå river in Denmark. Photo by Silas Andersen "The idea has been to pool various resources and investments to create something of an architectural multi-tool, where increased natural values and public access to nature go hand-in-hand with flood protection and stormwater mitigation, which both are real challenges in the river city of Randers," studio partner Julian Weyer told Dezeen. "Our initial approach was to convert a sad situation due to climate change into a positive possibility to involve people more in the surrounding nature for both recreational and educational purposes." Key to the project was the transformation of the site's threatened grasslands into wetlands, where retention pools help to absorb stormwater before being released into the river. Public walkways were integrated into the landscape to promote recreational activities Beyond this, a raised dyke stretches along the river bank to provide flood protection and is coupled with an integrated pumping station that lifts stormwater from the meadow and into the river. Additional interventions include the adaptation of roads in the surrounding neighbourhoods, which have been redesigned to channel rainwater to the wetlands rather than into the sewers. A crescent-shaped walkway traverses the meadows Aiming to combine these flood defences with recreational space, a series of new walkways and bridges carve through the Stork Meadow landscape to provide access to previously inaccessible locations. Among these additions is a raised, crescent-shaped walkway composed of timber planks and weathered steel railings that provides a public trail over the meadows. Read: White Arkitekter designs stormwater pond that "celebrates the joy of being part of nature" Additionally, a stepped boardwalk made from larch planks curves down from the dyke and across the wetlands to serve as a jetty at the bank of the river. Further public space is hosted by a seating area composed of large wooden blocks. A stepped boardwalk serves as a jetty at the riverbank "The Stork Meadow was an inaccessible, missing link in the nature trails through the Randers river delta, which are also bisected by a railroad line," Weyer said. "The new walkways and bridges remedy this, both in terms of accessibility and connectivity, and as a basis for launching kayaks, sunset-gazing and learning about the new nature values through integrated info-points." Large wooden blocks provide additional seating space. Photo by Silas Andersen Other projects recently completed in Denmark include a floating pyramidal pavilion designed to be towed between cities to "raise awareness about the underwater world" and a curved concrete church in Roskilde. The photography is by Peter Sikker Rasmussen unless otherwise stated. The post CF Møller creates flood-defence system that doubles as a nature park in Denmark appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features Goettsch Partners' design of the Paramount skyscraper in Nashville. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now. Architecture studio Goettsch Partners has revealed the design for a skyscraper which, if completed, will be the tallest building in Nashville. Commenters were unsure about the design; one noted that it "looks

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The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features Goettsch Partners' design of the Paramount skyscraper in Nashville. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now. Architecture studio Goettsch Partners has revealed the design for a skyscraper which, if completed, will be the tallest building in Nashville. Commenters were unsure about the design; one noted that it "looks very dated," with another agreeing, describing it as "nostalgia for the 1980s". Diébédo Francis Kéré set to design Las Vegas Museum of Art Other stories in this week's newsletter that fired up the comments section included Diébédo Francis Kéré's design for an art museum in Las Vegas, a housing complex in Leuven, Belgium, by David Chipperfield and a bench with seats that move on steel bearing balls created by Garza Studio. Dezeen Debate Dezeen Debate is sent every Tuesday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here. You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. The post Dezeen Debate features Nashville skyscraper described as "nostalgia for the 1980s" appeared first on Dezeen.

A cluster of buildings interconnected by sweeping, tentacle-like canopies form The Spine Resort, a rural resort that Shanghai studio AIM Architecture has completed in Sichuan. Located next to a lake an hour's drive south of Chengdu, the resort was designed to resemble organically growing ecosystems, with covered walkways connecting each building. AIM Architecture's use of

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A cluster of buildings interconnected by sweeping, tentacle-like canopies form The Spine Resort, a rural resort that Shanghai studio AIM Architecture has completed in Sichuan. Located next to a lake an hour's drive south of Chengdu, the resort was designed to resemble organically growing ecosystems, with covered walkways connecting each building. AIM Architecture has completed a rural resort in Sichuan with tentacle-like canopies AIM Architecture's use of interconnected structures was informed by local villages, which are known for their informal arrangements of separated buildings arranged around gardens, fields, and forested areas. "The architectural design concept originated from traditional Sichuan dwellings with contemporary design language merged on top," the studio told Dezeen. "We strived to integrate the architecture with the local culture throughout the design." The Spine Resort incorporates a network of weaving roads and pavements Nestled amongst smaller, curved gardens as well as a network of weaving roads and pavements, the buildings are small-scale timber structures with organic forms placed to offer privacy and frame views of the popular Qiujiayan Lake. Between the buildings, small gardens, pools, and walkways were created. "The design deliberately avoids huge building volumes and arranges small-scale buildings in organic forms, ensuring that living spaces and public spaces are connected in interesting ways," said the studio. "The shape is determined by two main features: the creation of intimate landscapes around the hotel buildings and the buildings' orientation to the Qiujiayan Lake, one of the main attractions in the area." Intimate landscapes including small pools, gardens and walkways were created Beyond an organically shaped entrance courtyard, which can be accessed by curving driveways on either side or stepped landscaping that approaches the resort from the front, the main lobby sits at the heart of the plan. "Located in the middle of the site, the entrance lobby with the unique double-curved roof is a main feature of the resort," said the studio. Topped with a sweeping roof, the lobby reaches its tallest at its front, where the structure sweeps upwards at its centre to form a dramatic glazed facade. This glazed portion illuminates a large interior hall, which features glossy marble floors and walls and a blue, hanging installation designed to resemble a school of fish. A wooden, wavy canopy sits in front of the lobby that houses an installation resembling fish A wavy canopy sits in front of the lobby to create a covered entrance space, forming part of a network of covered walkways that branch from the centre of the resort and weave around the entire site. Further back in the lobby, the roof curves down to create a lower structure that frames panoramic views of the lake on the other side. The paved walkways that surround the site are covered by an undulating, pitched canopy made from wood, supported by exposed beams and brown columns. Small-scale timber structures and courtyards provide roofing over resort walkways Set at different heights and angles, the curving canopies widen and dip at points, coming close to the ground to create an intimate space. Branching from the walkway at various points across the 55,000-square-metre resort, a number of accommodation structures surrounded by gardens hold 350 guest rooms. Closer to the buildings, the roofs over the walkways heighten, opening up to create bright, partially sheltered courtyards before sweeping up to reach the flatter roofs of the rectilinear accommodation buildings. Accommodation surrounded by gardens hold 350 guest rooms across the resort plan "The western roofs of each building gradually descend with elaborately designed curves, transforming into connecting corridors," said the studio. "The elevation of each building also varies based on the terrain, corresponding to nature and enriching the design of the walkway and the roof." Read: Maze-like paths connect amenities at the Poonehzar eco-resort in an Iranian field "] Lined with grey aluminium composite panels, the roofs top the four-storey, neutrally toned structures, which feature a double-height top level. Horizontally louvred fins emerge from the facades of the accommodation blocks, widening towards the top of each building to meet the large eaves. The Spine Resort's facilities include several swimming pools and spas Each flat features a concrete balcony that overlooks the various gardens around the resort, while the ground-floor units open onto small gardens separated by neutrally toned walls. Other facilities included in the resort include several sports facilities, swimming pools, and spas. "The lakeside of the building complex is connected by podiums at the bottom, which are arranged along the contour lines of the site and respond to the slope of the site with elevation differences," said the studio. "Public areas such as sports facilities, swimming pools, and spas are located within." Other resort buildings recently featured on Dezeen include an intimate concrete music hall with curving facades and a contemporary, fog-emitting tearoom informed by clouds. The photography is by Dirk Weiblen. The post AIM Architecture connects resort buildings with tentacle-like canopies appeared first on Dezeen.

From a canyon-like podium for the man effigy to a solar-powered battery library for artists, here are 10 large-scale installations from this year's Burning Man event in Nevada captured by photographer Gurpreet Chawla. Teams of artists, designers and volunteers gathered with thousands of visitors for the yearly Burning Man event, constructing inhabitations, art and music

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From a canyon-like podium for the man effigy to a solar-powered battery library for artists, here are 10 large-scale installations from this year's Burning Man event in Nevada captured by photographer Gurpreet Chawla. Teams of artists, designers and volunteers gathered with thousands of visitors for the yearly Burning Man event, constructing inhabitations, art and music infrastructure. Materials are brought in to construct installations, including the massive temple and effigy. "Whether during sunrise, daytime, sunset or night; clear skies or dust storms – the playa gives a wonderful range of conditions to see these works of art, and having a camera nearby to capture these moments is a dream for many a photographer," photographer and yearly attendee Gurpreet Chawla told Dezeen. "These pieces are not just impressive because of superlatives," Chawla said. "Standing in front of the pieces every year, the ingenuity of the idea takes me and its design, the architectural vision and serious engineering that preceded its journey to playa, and if you can make it to build week – the complex logistics and construction work that goes into making them a reality," he added. "And all of this to stand stoically in the desert, waiting to be discovered." The work ranges from the sculptural to the functional, and the materials used vary widely. Some incorporate technology such as massive screens and pyrotechnics, while others are made almost entirely from wood. Read on to see 10 stand-out architectural installations from Burning Man 2024. Sonapse by O2 Treehouse, James Lucey, and Jameson Hubbs Sonapse was a 12-foot-tall (3.5 metres) treehouse in the middle of the desert. It was designed to give views of the desert and surrounding mountains during the day while providing respite and shade. At night, speakers arrayed around the structure were placed to create "vibroacoustic bass floor soundbaths" and LEDs were placed on the canopy to align with the music. The Solar Library by Joey Ficklin An Austin, Texas-based team created this "sculptural charging infrastructure" with an array of solar panels on top. Inside, space was given to artists to charge batteries in order to power their art installation to try and reduce the amount of gasoline generators used during the event. AlchemEyes by House of Fabl, Hunter Leggitt, Jonathan Berry & PhotonicBliss This installation consisted of three 36-foot-tall (11 metres) double-sided panels equipped with graphics depicting eyes. It was supported by a central column with suspension cables. A series of LED lights hung from the centre, resembling a "chandelier", according to the designers. The Radial Sonic Runway by The Runway Crew For the Radial Sonic Runway, the team created 25 "gateways" that stretched into the horizon, meant to be walked or biked through. LEDs were placed around the circular metal structures and were programmed to correspond to sound being picked up from people and machines around the structure. Anti-Gravitational Chamber by Intergalactic Confederation This sculptural installation included a series of carved obelisks placed around a central structure with a star-shaped base. According to the designers, it was created to "demonstrate that impossibility is merely a matter of perspective". Nova Heaven by Omri Sasi and Sarel Botavia This massive, colourful canopy was designed as a tribute to those killed during the Super Nova Festival and two other music events on 7 October 2023 in Israel. The geometric canopy is a replica of the shade structure that was central to that event. Coney McConeface: The Life and Death of a Traffic Cone by Chris "Kiwi" Hankins, ConeCophony Collective This installation was a 60-foot-tall (18-metre) replica of the classic traffic cone. The team said it was a "homage to the unsung hero" used as a safety measure in cities. According to its designers, the cone was placed on top of a crack in the desert that spews steam because of geothermic activity. (Middle Path) Bridge (Between Heaven and Earth) by See See Kwan and the Dream Team This wooden bridge was built with a platform in the middle that supports a central metal box. Its design was based on a number of symbols, including the Yin and Yang symbol from Chinese Daoism. Temple of Together by Caroline Ghosn The design chosen for this year's Temple combines elements of church architecture and Lebanese weaving techniques in a complex wooden form. California-based artist Caroline Ghosn collaborated with architect Maissa Sader of Kamai Studio to design a structure that features a series of chambers with a central, lit column that extends skywards. Find out more about the Temple of Togetherness here › The Other by Jen Lewin This year's design for the base of the effigy was designed as a series of elevated pathways made from wood. "For those inclined towards gathering, the design also utilizes negative space – the center, beneath the structure, remains open for congregation, featuring interconnected benches and seating," said Lewin. "This aspect underscores the interplay between interior and exterior spaces. It's about form, but equally about the spaces in between." Burning Man took place from 25 August to 2 September in Black Rock City, Nevada. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 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Architecture curator Manijeh Verghese has been announced as the CEO of Open City, which runs the Open House London festival. In this exclusive interview, she explains her plans for the educational charity. Verghese, who was announced as Open City's new CEO today, wants the organisation to focus on changing cities for the better. "Open City

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Architecture curator Manijeh Verghese has been announced as the CEO of Open City, which runs the Open House London festival. In this exclusive interview, she explains her plans for the educational charity. Verghese, who was announced as Open City's new CEO today, wants the organisation to focus on changing cities for the better. "Open City has this potential through their incredible reach" "In my experience, both professionally and through my own lived experience as a South Asian woman, I'm very aware that cities are shaped by a powerful few," she told Dezeen. "I really think that Open City has this potential, through their incredible reach and the ways in which they engage the public, to really become a space where we can test guidance and run workshops and disseminate projects across the whole of London," Verghese added. "[It can] have a direct impact, therefore, on how all Londoners can shape their city." Trained as an architect, Verghese was keen to take on the role as she believes that the charity's mission aligns with her own and will allow her to build on her previous roles, which have been largely focused on creating more equitable cities. Manijeh Verghese (top image) co-curated the 2021 British Pavilion (above) Before moving to Open City, Verghese was head of public engagement at London's Architectural Association, where she developed its free public programme. Understanding how public spaces can be redesigned was also the focus of the British Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, which she curated alongside architect Madeleine Kessler. She has acted as a London Mayor Design Advocate since 2022 and believes that Open City can play a more active role in how the city as a whole develops. "I've really been inspired by the work of Open City and its mission to make the city more open, accessible and equitable for a long time," she said. "It really chimed well with what's driven my career to date, as I've really been trying to engage, educate, empower people in terms of how they can shape their cities and spaces." "I am really keen coming into this role to build on my experience as a mayor's design advocate at the GLA [Greater London Authority] and develop Open City, which is already an advocate organisation with the GLA, to its full potential." "The festival is the backbone of the whole organisation" At the heart of the Open City organisation is the Open House London event, which sees around 800 buildings opened up to the public each year, with over 200,000 visitors attending. Although these weekends are hugely important, Verghese wants to develop the charity's surrounding year-long program and ensure that people understand and engage with its full offering. "The festival is the backbone of the whole organisation – it is very much where it started and now engages around a quarter of a million people," she explained. Read: Thirty of London's most significant buildings from 30 years of Open House "It's what shapes the enormous reach that Open City has and it's something that really democratises access to architecture in our built environment, so it's definitely really important," she added. "But what I'm really interested in is how to better connect all the different things Open City is doing together. I think a lot of the people who experience the festival don't always see how that connects to education programs like Accelerate and It's My City Too! or the tours, events and podcasts that run the other 360 or so days of the year." Charity focused on "really empowering the public to shape their city" She believes that Open City's strength lies in the fact that it engages with so many members of the public, something that architects often struggle to do. "It's amazing that there are so many different organisations and initiatives that are providing more expansive ways to understand architecture," she said. "But the thing that sets Open City apart is that it's not catering to an audience of just architects." "It's very much focused on really empowering the public to shape their city, be involved in their city, engage with their city – and that's what makes it so exciting," she continued. "I've worked in and around architecture for a long time but it's mainly been speaking to architects or related disciplines. I'm really excited to actually get to work with people who live in London and live in other cities and or even beyond cities, and get them to think about the role architecture plays in their lives." Under Verghese's curation, the British Pavilion explored the design of public spaces In what she describes as Open City's "next chapter", Verghese will aim to capitalise on this public engagement to make an impact on London. "When Open City grew beyond the festival, what was really smart is that all their activities are linked together with this desire to democratise and open up access to who can be part of conversations about the city, whether that's visiting a building or going on a tour or being part of a conversation," she said. "I'm keen to really think, in this next chapter, what are ways to turn those things into action? How does it start to shape policy, to inform projects, to maybe even change things at the scale of infrastructure?" People can be "active agents to change the city" Verghese believes that change is needed following several difficult years with the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis meaning that people feel disconnected from the city. "It feels increasingly important that people feel like they have some agency to tackle issues and have a way to make their voices heard," she explained. "I think learning about the city is hugely important and necessary in order to understand where your agency, individually and collectively, lies," she continued. "That's where architecture can be quite powerful in that it gives you all these tools to think about the ways we can work together to change our reality and our city. I'm really keen that we can see ourselves as active agents to change the city." Read: "Open House champions the city as a form that can inspire you" Although Open City began in London, it now operates in around 60 cities around the world and Verghese is keen to utilise this to build connections. "Increasingly, the world is becoming more divided," she said. "So it feels like a really great opportunity to create connections, to connect people around the world and develop strategies to face the challenges we might have ahead of us." "I really see the festival as a kind of connecting device. So I think a lot of how I see my role is working with the team to think about ways this can connect together but also how we can tell a really compelling and coherent narrative to the different audiences that Open City has." The photos of the British Pavilion are by Cristiano Corte and the portrait of Manijeh Verghese by Elena Andreea Teleaga. Open House London takes place across London from 14 - 22 September 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. The post Manijeh Verghese aims to develop Open City to its "full potential" appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has been named the architecture laureate for this year's Praemium Imperiale awards by the Japan Art Association. The Praemium Imperiale is an annual global arts prize that celebrates creatives in the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, music, theatre and film. Ban, who leads architecture studio Shigeru Ban Architects, was selected for

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Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has been named the architecture laureate for this year's Praemium Imperiale awards by the Japan Art Association. The Praemium Imperiale is an annual global arts prize that celebrates creatives in the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, music, theatre and film. Shigeru Ban has won the 2024 Praemium Imperiale for architecture Ban, who leads architecture studio Shigeru Ban Architects, was selected for the 2024 Praemium Imperial award for his contributions to the field of architecture and wins the 15-million-yen prize. The architect, who is known for his work in disaster relief, was described by the Japan Art Association as having "fulfilled his mission as an architect in times of peace as well as in times of emergency". The Centre Pompidou-Metz in France is among his most famous buildings Born in Tokyo in 1957, Ban studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Cooper Union School of Architecture before opening his own practice in Japan in 1985. Shigeru Ban Architects has since designed a number of notable buildings around the world, including the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France, the Tamedia Office Building in Switzerland and the Cardboard Cathedral in New Zealand. Read: Shigeru Ban unveils Paper Log House at Philip Johnson's Glass House Alongside his cultural buildings, the Japan Art Association praised Ban for his contribution to disaster relief programmes and the establishment of the non-profit organisation Voluntary Architects Network (VAN) in 1995. Often working with wood, paper or bamboo, Ban has designed several structures for use as emergency housing, which include the Paper Log House, a shelter created as a prototype for victims of natural disasters following a devastating earthquake in Morocco last year. Shigeru Ban Architects designed the Cardboard Cathedral in New Zealand "VAN and Shigeru Ban Architects have carried out disaster relief activities for nearly 30 years, providing temporary shelter, partition systems, community centres and spiritual places for victims of natural disasters and conflicts in countries including Rwanda, Syria, Turkey India, China, Italy, Haiti and Ban's native Japan," the Japan Art Association said. "Most recently, Ban supplied Paper Partition System for shelters for Ukrainian refugees inside Ukraine, neighbouring Poland and Slovakia as well as Germany and France." The studio has also recently designed a surgical wing for the expansion of Ukraine's largest hospital, which is located in Lviv. The studio also designed an emergency shelter prototype in Morocco. Photo courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects Ban has received a number of awards throughout his career and was awarded the renowned Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2014. The Praemium Imperiale awards were inaugurated in 1988 and are given out annually by Japan's Imperial family. This year's winners will each receive 15 million yen (£73,000). Other winners of this year's Praemium Imperiale awards include French artist Sophie Calle for painting, Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee for theatre and film, Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires for music and Colombian artist Doris Salcedo for sculpture. Previous winners of the architecture award include Zaha Hadid, Glenn Murcutt, Frank Gehry and Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Last year Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré was awarded the Praemium Imperiale for architecture and was praised for his buildings that "utilise the skills and energies of the local community". The photography is courtesy of The Japan Art Association / The Sankei Shimbun unless otherwise stated. The post Shigeru Ban wins 2024 Praemium Imperiale for architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture firm Studio Gang has completed the Verde tower, which is covered in green-glazed tiles and terraces that give the building "a rhythmic play of light", for San Francisco's Mission Rock development. The 23-storey Verde is the final tower completed in the first phase of the Mission Rock development, a 28-acre site along San Francisco's

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Architecture firm Studio Gang has completed the Verde tower, which is covered in green-glazed tiles and terraces that give the building "a rhythmic play of light", for San Francisco's Mission Rock development. The 23-storey Verde is the final tower completed in the first phase of the Mission Rock development, a 28-acre site along San Francisco's waterfront that includes skyscrapers by MVRDV and Henning Larsen. Studio Gang has completed a skyscraper clad in green ceramic tile in San Francisco Verde is composed of a stepped, rectangular base with a tower on top that is pushed to the side and made of a series of stacked volumes. It contains 254 apartments and amenities throughout the building, as well as ground-level retail spaces and a rooftop deck. It is the fourth and final building completed for phase one of the Mission Rock development Terraces of varying sizes were cut into each level of its base and inserted into the tower's corners to "maximize sunlight" and protect residents from the wind, according to the studio. "The tower's floorplates are carved back at the corners to create outdoor terraces that are unique across each floor," said Studio Gang founding partner Jeanne Gang. The building consists of a stepped base with a tower pushed to one side "These terraces are oriented to maximize sunlight and protect from the wind while providing residents views of the surrounding city and San Francisco Bay," she added. "From the street, the alternating carved terraces give the building a rhythmic play of light." The building received its name from its emerald green cladding, which the studio designed to create "variations in color and depth at multiple scales". Read: MVRDV unveils The Canyon tower with "public ravine" in San Francisco The building's terraces were designed to embrace San Francisco's "indoor-outdoor" lifestyle, according to the studio. It also connects to a waterfront trail and public transit stations and contains 250 bicycle parking spaces. "For Verde, we wanted to create spaces where residents could connect with each other while feeling embraced by the natural beauty of San Francisco," said Gang. The tower's facade tilts towards corner terraces Verde's base is elevated five feet above sea level to protect against rising sea levels and flooding. It also uses greywater for non-potable needs and is targeting LEED Gold certification. The outdoor spaces were oriented to maximise sunlight exposure The building will act as the "central social hub" for the greater Mission Rock development, which includes a recently completed residential tower by MVRDV, the Visa Market Support Center by Henning Larsen and a commercial building by WORKac, which sit at the same intersection as Verde. Located on a former parking lot along the waterfront, the project was commissioned through a partnership between major league baseball team the San Francisco Giants, real estate firm Tishman Speyer and the Port of San Francisco. It is located on a former waterfront parking lot Designs for the project were unveiled in 2019 and encompass 12 plots in total, with future phases still under development according to SF YIMBY. Studio Gang recently completed the twisted Mira tower in San Francisco and a Brooklyn skyscraper with an undulating facade. The photography is by Jason O'Rear The post Studio Gang wraps San Francisco skyscraper in green ceramic tiles appeared first on Dezeen.

Construction is underway on a 206-metre-high skyscraper by US architecture studio Pickard Chilton in Nebraska, which is set to be the state's tallest when completed. Located in Omaha, the 44-storey skyscraper will be the new corporate headquarters of insurance company Mutual of Omaha and is set to be the tallest skyscraper in Nebraska and neighbouring

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Construction is underway on a 206-metre-high skyscraper by US architecture studio Pickard Chilton in Nebraska, which is set to be the state's tallest when completed. Located in Omaha, the 44-storey skyscraper will be the new corporate headquarters of insurance company Mutual of Omaha and is set to be the tallest skyscraper in Nebraska and neighbouring states, according to the team. "Upon completion, the next-generation 677-foot (206-metre) headquarters tower will be the tallest in Nebraska and in the surrounding states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming," said Pickard Chilton. Renders of the skyscraper show a glass tower with notched corners topped with a translucent cap. It will contain 22 floors of offices divided by a 17th-floor "sky lobby" that will span five floors and contain offer, dining, fitness and outdoor spaces. A double-height conference room will be located on the tower's 44th floor and offer "grand vistas" to visitors. Construction is underway on the Mutual of Omaha headquarters by Pickard Chilton With interiors by architecture studio HOK, the tower's design aims to foster productivity through spaces that were created for a flexible work environment, according to the team. "One of the most notable aspects of the design is the variety on each floor," said HOK directors of interior Betsy Graham. "From phone and meeting rooms to break areas, we've carved out opportunities that meet employees where they are – creating a responsive, people-first environment that reflects the spirit of their work." The company's current headquarters is located in midtown Omaha, while this tower will be located west of the Gene Leahy Mall at the RiverFront, which recently reopened. Read: Matthew Mazzotta builds retractable Storefront Theater for Nebraska community According to the team, a new streetcar line planned for the city prompted the move. "A modern urban transportation system in the form of the planned streetcar line makes this project possible by providing convenient access to our planned headquarters tower and by allowing us to think creatively about many aspects of the project," Mutual of Omaha CEO James Blackledge said when the project was announced in 2022. "We are inspired by the energy in downtown Omaha and recognize the importance of a vibrant urban core for the city's future," he added. Developed by the Nebraska-based Lanoha Real Estate Company, construction on the project began last year, with completion estimated for 2026. Pickard Chilton was founded in 1997 and is based in New Haven, Connecticut. Other midwest development includes the Legends Tower proposed for Oklahoma City, which if completed will be the tallest skyscraper in the world outside Asia and recently unveiled renderings for the world's tallest mass-timber skyscraper in Milwaukee. The images are courtesy of Pickard Chilton. The post "Tallest tower in Nebraska" under construction in Omaha appeared first on Dezeen.

A huge steel spiral staircase has been installed on top of a warehouse in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as part of the Fenix Museum designed by Chinese studio MAD. The final phase of the installation of the sculptural staircase, called Tornado, took place today marking the topping out of the museum. Rising 30 metres through a

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A huge steel spiral staircase has been installed on top of a warehouse in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, as part of the Fenix Museum designed by Chinese studio MAD. The final phase of the installation of the sculptural staircase, called Tornado, took place today marking the topping out of the museum. The installation marks the topping out of the building Rising 30 metres through a former warehouse, which is being transformed in collaboration with conservation studio Bureau Polderman, the sculptural form is clad in 297 highly polished stainless-steel panels. The canopy that sits at the top of the staircase, which was made in Groningen, was craned into place today after it was transported by boat to Rotterdam. It is clad in polished-steel panels The staircase will form part of the Fenix Museum, which is described as the "first museum in the world dedicated to stories of migration". It will contain a 550-metre-long, double-helix wooden staircase that leads to a viewpoint with views across the harbour and city. According to the studio it was designed to represent "unexpected journeys" taken by migrants, while connecting the past and the future. The museum will have a viewpoint of the harbour "When we were asked to work on Fenix, we knew we had to create a dialogue with the existing building and its surroundings – and with a past containing so many stories of migration, memories, and uncertainty," said MAD founder Ma Yansong. "In designing a new structure, we had to show this dialogue between the future and the past, and so continue the story of the building," he continued. Read: MAD reveals construction progress on Hainan Science Museum in China "The Tornado is all about the future, but it's rooted in the past," he added. "For me, it's a metaphor for the journeys of migrants who passed through this building." The Fenix Museum will open next year The building, which is set to open in 2025, is the latest museum developed by MAD. The studio previously unveiled construction photos of its Hainan Science Museum in China, while in Los Angeles it is designing the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The photography is by Henry Verhorst. The post MAD's huge steel Tornado installed on Fenix Museum in Rotterdam appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen can exclusively reveal photos of technology company Apple's new events venue, which is built into the hillside at the Apple Park campus in California. Set to officially open later today, The Observatory is the most significant building to be completed on the campus since the Steve Jobs Theater opened in 2017. Designed "as a

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Dezeen can exclusively reveal photos of technology company Apple's new events venue, which is built into the hillside at the Apple Park campus in California. Set to officially open later today, The Observatory is the most significant building to be completed on the campus since the Steve Jobs Theater opened in 2017. Designed "as a contemplative space", the subterranean building will be used for launch events and to showcase the brand's latest technology. The Observatory opens today at the Apple Park "When we built Apple Park, we wanted the entire campus to be seamlessly integrated into the landscape, and this building follows that same approach," Apple global head of design (real estate and development) John De Maio told Dezeen. "With its stunning views of the campus greenery and the mountains ringing the horizon, The Observatory truly is an extension of Apple Park, showcasing the best of California and the best of the natural environment around us," he added. "The building brings in the natural stone, terrazzo and wood elements that are featured in The Steve Jobs Theater and across Apple Park. It's a design that complements both the landscape and its neighboring buildings on campus." The entrance space is topped with an oculus The building is located to the south of the circular, Foster + Partners-designed main building in the meadows near the Steve Jobs Theater. And much like the theatre, The Observatory is embedded into the landscape with around 90 trees removed from the site and then replanted following the building's construction. To enter the building, visitors travel down a curved path that leads to a domed entrance hall topped with a circular, three-metre-wide oculus, which is open to the sky. The Observatory looks out to the Apple Park main building From this antechamber, a stone sliding door leads to the main events space, which opens onto a large terrace with a "portal-like opening" that frames a view of the Apple Park landscaping and the mountains beyond. Along with being a space for product demonstrations, Apple hopes that the building will be a space for contemplation. Read: Foster + Partners releases photos of Apple's Steve Jobs Theater Pavilion "Embodying its name, The Observatory was designed as a contemplative space, optimally placed for observing the natural landscape at Apple Park and the hills beyond," explained De Maio. "We designed the building and its surroundings to be a welcoming space for visitors to share a wide range of new experiences," he continued. "Every detail of The Observatory has been carefully considered — from the materials used inside the building to the preservation of the meadow landscape. We wanted to bring care and creativity to every detail of this space, and we hope visitors can sense that when they come to enjoy Apple Park." The main space opens onto a large terrace with a "portal-like" opening (show top) Designed to complement the Foster + Partners-designed main building and Steve Jobs Theatre, The Observatory has a material pallet of natural stone, terrazzo, timber and glass. Like the other buildings on the campus, it is powered by renewable energy . "Like all Apple spaces, The Observatory embodies Apple's rigorous design approach to materiality and detailing," explained De Maio. "The Observatory builds on Apple's commitment to sustainability and biodiversity, which is factored into every aspect of Apple Park. As with all Apple facilities, The Observatory is powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, including on-site solar," he continued. "From the selection of the concrete to the air filtration system to rainwater capture, every decision was made with the environment in mind." The Observatory is the latest building on the campus, which opened in 2017. The heart of the campus is the giant ring-shaped main office complex designed by Foster + Partners. It is surrounded by 9,000 oak, redwood and other native and drought-resistant trees and other buildings, including the Apple Park Visitor Center and Steve Jobs Theater, which were also both designed by Foster + Partners. The photography is by Apple. The post Exclusive photos reveal Apple's subterranean Apple Park Observatory appeared first on Dezeen.

Fragments of rammed-earth walls have been incorporated into the concrete exterior of Villagers' Home, a visitor centre in Zhejiang Province by The Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University. Located in Wanghu village on the site of several mud buildings once used for cultivating mushrooms, the project is part of a drive to encourage

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Fragments of rammed-earth walls have been incorporated into the concrete exterior of Villagers' Home, a visitor centre in Zhejiang Province by The Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University. Located in Wanghu village on the site of several mud buildings once used for cultivating mushrooms, the project is part of a drive to encourage the revival of the area for both residents and tourists. UAD has completed a concrete visitor centre in Zhejiang Province The Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University (UAD) looked to create a structure that would highlight the farming history of the village alongside a tea room and events space. "The design is focused on answering a question about the current situation," the studio explained. "How should architecture respond to the natural environment and historical relics of a village?" The new building sits behind the remaining fragments of mud walls "Currently, public activity spaces in the village are generally scarce and unable to meet the needs of preserving collective culture and the material culture of the villagers," UAD added. "The functional-oriented space brings about a new lifestyle, transitioning from a productive space to a social public venue. It also represents a reconstruction of the relationship between architecture and community." The centre is defined by gabled exposed concrete forms Positioned on the footprint of the old mud houses, the gabled exposed concrete forms of the visitor centre were designed as a modern reinterpretation of the area's traditional wooden folk houses. The new concrete buildings are positioned behind the remaining fragments of mud wall to appear as if they are "growing" from them, with the original openings framing views of the spaces behind. A tea room and function hall overlook a central courtyard "The new building and the old walls complement each other, creating a harmonious interplay of visibility and invisibility," said the studio. "Some remnants of the old walls expose glimpses of the past, while the new walls create an abstract blank background, highlighting the traces of time on the old walls." Read: "Shifting shades" of rammed earth define Thai community building by Suphasidh Architects Inside Villagers' Home, the tea room and function hall overlook a central courtyard through full-height glazing and the surrounding village through smaller, square openings that mirror those in the historic wall sections. This courtyard is framed by glazed corridors that connect the two wings of the centre, reminiscent of traditional courtyard houses. To the east, the activity room features a full-height window housed in a sloping form that protrudes out of the roof, framing views of an adjacent wooded area. The courtyard is framed by glazed corridors UAD is an architecture firm established as part of Zhejiang University in 1953. Other recent projects by the studio include a sports centre for Shaoxing University, which is topped by a running track and sports field elevated on large concrete vaults. The photography is by Zhao Qiang unless otherwise stated. The post UAD completes concrete visitor centre to "preserve collective culture" of Chinese village appeared first on Dezeen.

Portuguese studio Paulo Moreira Architectures has transformed three water access points into gathering spaces for local communities in Luanda, Angola. The Luanda Waterpoints project consists of three bright blue pavilion structures installed around existing water points, making them safer and more multifunctional. Paulo Moreira's Porto-based team hoped to show how simple interventions can transform basic

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Portuguese studio Paulo Moreira Architectures has transformed three water access points into gathering spaces for local communities in Luanda, Angola. The Luanda Waterpoints project consists of three bright blue pavilion structures installed around existing water points, making them safer and more multifunctional. The pavilions are built with metal modules typically used to build guardrails Paulo Moreira's Porto-based team hoped to show how simple interventions can transform basic neighbourhood infrastructure into vibrant social spaces. "The project aims to show how small-scale interventions and low-cost solutions can have an impact on the quality of life of disadvantaged populations," said the studio. The structures are located at three water points on the outskirts of Luanda The design emerged following visits to Luanda's informal, open-air markets. Here, the team found a series of metal modules typically used to build guardrails. These were paired with ubiquitous roofing constructions to provide the basis of the design toolkit. Vibrant blue paint ties these elements together, giving the structures a distinct visual identity. The largest of the three pavilions, in the Wako neighbourhood in Cacuaco, is an enclosed but roofless space that serves as an open-air laundry. One of the designs serves as an open-air laundry The guardrail screens front the structure, incorporating drying racks and providing a generous bench facing the adjacent street. "As well as improving safety, the structure enhanced the laundry facilities and offered more pleasant conditions for people to interact as they wait their turn," said the architects. The facade incorporates drying racks and a bench The most experimental structure is located in Kilunda. This seemingly simple shed-shaped pavilion allows hoses to be raised, so people can position filled containers on their heads unaided. Read: Sasaki completes waterfront transformation and public park in the Port of Los Angeles "This solution was dubbed a 'giraffe'," said Paulo Moreira Architectures. The Kilunda design is also designed to ensure that only one person operates the taps at a time, preventing the spread of Covid-19 and other viruses. The design for Kilunda allows people to position containers on their heads unaided The defining feature of the waterpoint at Gika is a sunken floor, which tackles the lack of water pressure at this location. It allows water to flow to the taps faster but made the facility unusable when it rained. Now, a barrel-vaulted roof structure provides shelter and shade for users. The Gika waterpoint has a sunken floor, so was previously unusable when it rained "These structures serve as aggregating elements in the public space, as well as providing a supply of water," said Paulo Moreira Architectures. "They are gathering places and living spaces at the neighbourhood level." A new roof structure provides shade and shelter Luanda Waterpoints is among a series of socially conscious projects that Paulo Moreira's studio has completed in disadvantaged communities in Portugal and abroad. Others include self-build workshops in Porto's Bairro do Leal neighbourhood and the Kapalanga School built in Luanda in 2014. The installations make the water points safer and more multifunctional Moreira has a particular interest in Angola, a former Portuguese colony, having worked on the exhibition Angola is Not a Small Country in 2011. This project was completed for the architect's post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Lisbon, as part of a research project titled Africa Habitat. Other Angola project showcased on Dezeen include the brick-clad Lubango Center and a church by Portuguese architect Francisco Castro Rodrigues that was featured in our architecture highlights from central Africa. The photography is by Ivo Tavares Studio. Project credits Architecture office: Paulo Moreira Architectures Project architect: Paulo Moreira Partner: Development Workshop - Angola Collaborators: Allan Cain, Adão Adriano, Leonardo Lumbongo, Otinebo António, Faustina Silva Funding: Foundation for Science and Technology, Aga Khan Development Network (Knowledge for Development Initiative programme coordinated by Isabel Raposo) The post Paulo Moreira installs blue pavilions at Luanda Waterpoints in Angola appeared first on Dezeen.

SANAA founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been named the recipients of Le Prix Charlotte Perriand for 2025 by the Créateurs Design Association & Awards. Sejima and Nishizawa were chosen as the year's winners for being "at the forefront of architectural innovation" and in recognition of their "minimalist yet profound designs", said Créateurs Design

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SANAA founders Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have been named the recipients of Le Prix Charlotte Perriand for 2025 by the Créateurs Design Association & Awards. Sejima and Nishizawa were chosen as the year's winners for being "at the forefront of architectural innovation" and in recognition of their "minimalist yet profound designs", said Créateurs Design Association & Awards (CDA). Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa have won Le Prix Charlotte Perriand. Illustration by Yohei Sugiyama The 2025 award marks the fourth edition of the competition, which was launched in 2021 by the CDA to spotlight architecture and design trailblazers and honour the legacy of French modernist Charlotte Perriand. It is the first time the prize, also known as the Charlotte Perriand Award, has been awarded to two people. The pair were commended for their "minimalist yet profound designs". Photo by Dean Kaufman "It is a great honour to receive an award that bears such a great name," said Sejima and Nishizawa. "Charlotte Perriand is one of the masters of modern architecture, and we admire her delicate interior and furniture designs." The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is among their notable works. Photo by SANAA Sejima and Nishizawa were born in Japan in 1956 and 1966, respectively. Sejima studied at Japan Women's University, completing an architecture master's degree in 1981, before working for Toyo Ito and Associates. In 1987 she started her own practice, Kazuyo Sejima & Associates, where she employed Nishizawa while he was studying architecture at Yokohama National University. Read: Kazuyo Sejima wins 2023 Jane Drew Prize for women in architecture The pair founded SANAA in Tokyo in 1995. Since then, the studio has gained global recognition for projects such as the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa in 2004, the New Museum of Contemporary Art in the US in 2007 and the Louvre-Lens Museum in France in 2012. Recent projects by SANAA include the Bocconi University New Urban Campus in Italy and the Sydney Modern extension to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. SANAA designed the Sydney Modern art gallery. Photo by Iwan Baan Sejima and Nishizawa were awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010. Other accolades they have received include the Architectural Institute of Japan Award in 2006 and the Praemium Imperiale award for architecture in 2022. Last year, Sejima was named the recipient of the annual Jane Drew Prize for Architecture for her contribution to raising the profile of women in architecture. The studio also created a perforated metal-clad campus for Bocconi University Sejima and Nishizawa will receive Le Prix Charlotte Perriand at the Créateurs Design Awards ceremony, which will take place in Paris on 18 January 2025. Last year's winner was Mexican architect Frida Escobedo, who was chosen by the CDA for "ushering in a new era of architecture". In 2023, Studio Gang director Jeanne Gang won the prize and was celebrated for her design of Aqua Tower, which was once the world's tallest building designed by a woman. The portrait of Sejima and Nishizawa is by SANAA. The post SANAA's Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa win Le Prix Charlotte Perriand appeared first on Dezeen.

Local architecture studio Archipelago has transformed a former brutalist post office in Belgium into a learning centre, stripping it back to reveal its "spacious, generous and luminous" interiors. Located in Louvain-la-Neuve, the building was renovated for the Centre d'enseignement supérieur en Brabant wallon (CPFB), an education centre linked to the University of Louvain that focuses

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Local architecture studio Archipelago has transformed a former brutalist post office in Belgium into a learning centre, stripping it back to reveal its "spacious, generous and luminous" interiors. Located in Louvain-la-Neuve, the building was renovated for the Centre d'enseignement supérieur en Brabant wallon (CPFB), an education centre linked to the University of Louvain that focuses on social development. Originally designed as a post office by André Jacqman and since subject to a series of alterations, Archipelago sought to bring the original spatial and material clarity back to the concrete structure to accommodate its new use. Archipelago has transformed a former brutalist post office into a learning centre in Belgium "The building is spacious, generous and luminous," project architect Sophie Laborde told Dezeen. "When we took it over, after numerous alterations, it was over-compartmentalised to accommodate a functional programme to the detriment of the architecture of the site." "The first task was to strip the building bare, recovering the concrete that could be salvaged, rediscovering the colour of the brick," she continued. "The aim of the project is to restore the building to its pristine condition as far as possible, while providing it with the technological and thermal comfort it will need for the next 30 years." A communal area is hosted beyond the ground floor entrance The core concept for the CPFB was to create what Laborde calls a "stimulating and collaborative learning space", which Archipelago looked to achieve through flexible spaces that do not have strict functions. Entering into a shared social area on the ground floor, a series of multi-purpose spaces including work alcoved and larger rooms open onto the adjacent square. Above, a collaboration area and auditorium spaces sit alongside the administration area, meeting room and a recording studio. "To adapt to new learning methods, we propose to do away with the permanent assignment of a place to a function – with the possible exception of certain offices," said Laborde. "Functions are mobile and people move around depending on the activity they have to carry out in order to find the right place. We are going to define places, strongly characterised, designed to accommodate uses." The centre contains a series of multipurpose spaces The boardmarked concrete and brickwork finishes of the original structure have been left exposed throughout, with the addition of wood-framed glass partitions, colourful floors and exposed ventilation and lighting. "Once the original materials have been recovered, a screed of smooth concrete is poured to restore the dominant colour," explained Laborde. "The joinery was lightened to contrast with the existing black, and the yellow of the staircase contrasted with the red of the brick." "The contrast enhances the existing features and the graphic colours bring them to life," she added. Original boardmarked concrete and brickwork have been left exposed on the interior Another recent project that looked to reassess the value of Belgium's Modernist architecture was the conversion of a 1960s home in Hoeilaart by Mamout, which similarly stripped away later extensions to highlight its original design. The photography is by Johnny Umans. The post Archipelago converts brutalist post office in Belgium into learning centre appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studios Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Perkins&Will have completed a multi-functional art centre in Beijing, referencing the shape of a granary that once occupied the site. Located in the Tongzhou district in east Beijing, China, the centre sits near the starting point of the over 2,500-year-old Grand Canal and comprises an opera house, a theatre

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Architecture studios Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Perkins&Will have completed a multi-functional art centre in Beijing, referencing the shape of a granary that once occupied the site. Located in the Tongzhou district in east Beijing, China, the centre sits near the starting point of the over 2,500-year-old Grand Canal and comprises an opera house, a theatre and a concert hall. Beijing Art Centre comprises three buildings and contains an opera house, a theatre and a concert hall "We always think of this project as a 'container of culture'," said Chris Hardie, design director of Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL's) Shanghai office and the lead architect of the project, which was designed by SHL and Perkins&Will's combined Shanghai studio. "This used to be the Tongzhou granary that stored food for the capital," he added. "Now we want to create a 'cultural granary' that carries local and global culture, creating an important hub for promoting art and culture in Beijing." The roof design was informed by a granary that once stood on the site The centre is comprised of three buildings defined by their swooping roof structures. These were informed by the ancient granary that once sat alongside the Grand Canal, which connects Beijing and Hangzhou. Their folding facades also nod to the sails of old canal boats, as well as the movement of theatre curtains. A shared platform connects the three architectural volumes, extending the interior space to the surrounding landscape via a series of steps, which creates a viewing point of the nearby Grand Canal for the public. The folding facade resembles old sailboats "Each container has its own characteristics and is closely integrated with its function," project director Chen Chao said. "For example, the shape of the opera house has taken into account the acoustic requirements," "But the three containers are connected, like three lanterns lit by art along the Grand Canal, welcoming visitors," he added. Read: Schmidt Hammer Lassen transforms cement factory into West Bund Dome Art Center The facade features perforated triangular aluminium panels, which serve as external shading facilities that improve the thermal performance of the facade by 20 per cent compared to local energy-saving standards. Green landscape and permeable pavement form a porous "sponge" that absorbs and stores rainwater. The design of the opera house had to meet its acoustic requirements The public can access the art centre via an underground subway station where an additional theatre, a library, a museum, car park, as well as retail and dining areas are also located. Sunken gardens are arranged in between these spaces, guiding visitors to the shared platform that eventually leads them to the designated building. The centre will host almost a thousand performances annually Almost a thousand performances and activities are expected to be held at the centre every year. Schmidt Hammer Lassen also recently adapted a domed cement factory in Shanghai to a performing arts and sports venue. Among Perkins&Will's latest projects is a Californian research centre crowned by greenhouses. The photography and video are by Zhu Yumeng. Project credits: Principal-in-charge: Chris Hardie, James Lu Lead architects: Chris Hardie, Rong Lu, Chao Chen Design team: Simon Persson, Steven Yingnien Chen, Anna Nilson, Tim Kunkel, Han Lin, Bartek Winnicki, Li Wen, Chencheng Li, Xiaoshu He, Fangzhou Zhu, Trushit Vyas, Thomas Grannells, Lukasz Trucahlski Agent construction Company: Beijing Investment Group Co., Ltd Local design institute: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co.,Ltd. (BIAD) Theatre consultant: Theatre Projects; Michel Cova Consultant Acoustic consultant: Kahle Acoustics srl.; East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Stage engineering: China Radio Film & Television Design and Research Institute Curtain wall consultant: Shenzhen OEC Façade Technology Co., Ltd Lighting design: Gala Lighting Design Studio Interior design: BIAD Decoration Engineering & Design Co., Ltd Landscape design: Beijing Yuanben Shanchuan Technology Co., Ltd Contractor: Beijing Construction Engineering Group The post Swooping roofs of Beijing Art Centre evoke the site's granary history appeared first on Dezeen.

Montreal design-build studio Atelier L'Abri has overhauled a triplex residence in the city's Petit Laurier neighbourhood, using a stark white palette inside to contrast the building's burgundy exterior. The 3,000-square-foot (280-square-metre) Triplex Fabre project was designed to accommodate two generations of the same family. The triplex typology, which comprises three connected units stacked on top

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Montreal design-build studio Atelier L'Abri has overhauled a triplex residence in the city's Petit Laurier neighbourhood, using a stark white palette inside to contrast the building's burgundy exterior. The 3,000-square-foot (280-square-metre) Triplex Fabre project was designed to accommodate two generations of the same family. Atelier L'Abri restored the building's red-brick facade, stone details and ornamental cornices The triplex typology, which comprises three connected units stacked on top of one another, is common to the Plateau-Mont-Royal. The area is also known for its historic red-brick facades, stone details and ornamental cornices — all of which Atelier L'Abri restored on this building. At the rear, openings were expanded and the balconies were made larger "The restoration of the original architectural components of the front facade preserves the project's integration into the surrounding built environment," said the team. "The simplicity of the reconstructed front balconies and staircase highlights the artisanal red clay brick and the new cornice." Burgundy window and door frames, railings and flooring blend in with the brickwork for a homogenous appearance Across the rear facade, openings were enlarged and the balconies were expanded to create more outdoor space accessible from each level. Burgundy window and door frames, railings and flooring blend in with the brickwork for a homogenous appearance. The ground-floor patio is separated from the parking area by a metal structure that incorporates raised planters and a gate In contrast, a tower that acts as a "backyard shed" and connects to each balcony is clad in new white corrugated-metal siding. The ground-floor patio is separated from the parking area by a metal structure that incorporates raised planters and a gate. Read: L'Abri renovates Montreal home with slatted timber floors and walls "The landscaping concept embraces the material palette of the rear facade and promotes interaction with the lively alleyway," Atelier L'Abri said. Inside, the spaces were reconfigured to open up the floor plans, giving more room to living areas while scaling down the bedrooms. Horizontal lines are accentuated by floating shelves and linear light fixtures in the kitchen "The project provided an opportunity to rethink the typical interior layout of Montreal apartments to make more room for natural light and ease of movement," said the studio. In the two minimalist kitchens – which are almost identical — horizontal lines are accentuated by floating shelves and linear light fixtures above the islands. Wide-plank floors and wooden dining furniture add warmth and texture Wide-plank wood floors and warm-toned dining furniture and accessories add natural texture to the stark white living spaces. The remaining rooms are also kept as minimal as possible, with millwork details, lighting and bathroom fixtures all contributing to the clean and unfussy look. The interiors are kept simple and unfussy Atelier L'Abri has also recently completed a shed at a Quebec farmhouse with a galvanized steel and hemlock timber structure. The studio's earlier projects range from a collection of A-frame micro cabins and a sculptural triangular guest house, to a residence designed for a young carpenter to build himself. The photography is by Alex Lesage. Project credits: Architecture: Atelier L'Abri Project team: Pia Hocheneder, Vincent Pasquier, Nicolas Lapierre, Francis Martel-Labrecque Construction: Modulor Structural engineer: RW Harvey Collaboration on design: Julien Rozon Brick: Vande Moortel Metal work: Atomic Soudure Windows: Schüco (back), Marvin (front) Ceramics: Céragrès Metal siding: Vicwest Lights: Lambert & Fils, Artemide Furniture: Noguchi, Ethnicraft, Cassina, Zara Home Equipment: Newform Objects: Alessi, Verre d’Onge The post Atelier L'Abri renovates trio of apartments for a family in Montreal appeared first on Dezeen.

Czech practice Studio Acht has renovated the 19th-century provostry at St Vitus Cathedral in Prague, combining careful restoration with modern interventions. Studio Acht has renovated the neo-Gothic New Provostry, which sits alongside the cathedral in the historic walled complex of Prague Castle and was originally designed by Czech architect Josef Mocker in 1877. After being

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Czech practice Studio Acht has renovated the 19th-century provostry at St Vitus Cathedral in Prague, combining careful restoration with modern interventions. Studio Acht has renovated the neo-Gothic New Provostry, which sits alongside the cathedral in the historic walled complex of Prague Castle and was originally designed by Czech architect Josef Mocker in 1877. Studio Acht restored New Provostry and created two annexes After being seized by both the Nazis and subsequently the Communist regime, the building was partially destroyed, and has stood largely abandoned since the 1950s. The ownership of the New Provostry was returned to the church in 2016, which then tasked the studio with both restoring the surviving structure to host events and adding new visitor facilities. The original facades were preserved and a new slate roof was added Two new annexes containing a cafe and shop face one another on the footprint of a former stable and coachhouse, reinstating the form of a small courtyard at the centre of New Provostry. "An important aspect of the spatial modelling of the new annexes was to complement the northern panorama of Prague Castle," chief architect Václav Hlaváček told Dezeen. "The task was not to disrupt this compact area of fortress-like character while opening it up to the Deer Moat." The two annexes were built where a stable and coach house once stood The treatment of the building's original neo-Gothic exterior focused on its preservation and restoration, with the addition of a new slate roof. Inside, Studio Acht combined the restoration of original elements with the insertion of modern upgrades that would allow it to host events, such as new heating, lighting and glass partitions. Read: Jones Studio and Chris Winters Associates restore Phoenix abbey to be "garden in a ruin" "The facade was meticulously restored to evoke its appearance at the end of the 19th century," explained the studio. "The interiors were partially restored to their historical state while also being renovated to meet modern standards, resulting in a harmonious blend of contemporary and original features." Sandstone panels clad the annexe extensions Drawing on what the studio call the "timeless forms" of the existing building, the extensions are housed in two mono-pitched structures clad entirely in panels of sandstone from the Vyhnánov quarry. The western extension overlooks the courtyard through a large ribbon window, and the eastern extension through a row of tall, narrow windows. The interior was restored and upgraded to host events To the north of the site, a new outlook and fountain extends slightly beyond the site's boundary wall, which Studio Acht designed based on an unrealised designed by Mocker. Water flows from a cross at the top of a stone obelisk over the names of three saints and down into a basin, which has been edged in copper panels featuring a poem by one of the building's former provosts. Other projects recently completed in Prague include the renovation of an apartment for a sculptor and glassworker by Czech studio Neuhäusl Hunal, which is divided by curved, translucent glass screens. The photography is by Tomas Slavik. The post Studio Acht adds "strict yet delicate" additions to historic Czech provostry appeared first on Dezeen.

A slatted floor is among the wooden features that fill the interior of Cooper House, the self-designed home of the founders of local practice S2B Studio in north London. Nestled in the garden of a listed building, Cooper House is designed by the husband-and-wife founders of S2B Studio to reference the history of the site, which

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A slatted floor is among the wooden features that fill the interior of Cooper House, the self-designed home of the founders of local practice S2B Studio in north London. Nestled in the garden of a listed building, Cooper House is designed by the husband-and-wife founders of S2B Studio to reference the history of the site, which once belonged to a cooper – a craftsman responsible for making barrels. The founders of S2B Studio have self-designed their home in London The two-storey home has a timber structure and natural material palette dominated by wooden finishes, intended to evoke a feeling of craftsmanship. According to the studio, these elements also take visual cues from ancient wooden temples. The design references the history of the site "The materiality and pared-back palette of Cooper House were inspired by ancient wooden temples, aiming to create a tranquil and harmonious environment," studio co-founder Joan Lim told Dezeen. "We used natural materials like African iroko timber, oak, and limestone to enhance the sense of calm and connection to nature." Wooden finishes feature throughout the home's interior Cooper House is topped by a pitched roof and encased by a brick facade dotted with large evenly-spaced windows. These windows frame views of the street outside, which is separated from the house by a brick wall with black gates. "The design respects the street's character with a modest side-gable roof, blending seamlessly into the neighbourhood's architectural form," said Lim. "The two-storey wooden structure with a pitched roof and perforated flooring connects the two levels, creating an expansive, airy ambience that celebrates the essence of living." Timber slats form a semi-open floor on half of the upper level Inside, Cooper House has a mix of work and living spaces designed to feel interconnected. Half of the upper level features a semi-open floor made from slats of African iroko wood, creating a connection with the ground-floor living and dining room. The slats rest on dark grey beams and create a play of natural light throughout the day. The slatted floor forges a connection between the two levels The kitchen is located on one side of the dining room, where the perforated ceiling ends to create more closed-off spaces. "The core aim of the design was to address evolving work and living needs by challenging conventional spatial dynamics," Lim explained. "Addressing the evolving needs of work and living, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, the design challenges conventional spatial dynamics connecting two levels with a perforated floor." Read: Benjamin Hale Architects extends light-starved Victorian home upwards and outwards Wooden finishes and joinery feature throughout the home, including floor-to-ceiling cupboards that extend along one full wall of the kitchen and in the bedrooms. Where wooden joinery does not line the walls, a rough plaster finish has been applied to create a neutral backdrop intended to enhance the interior's natural feel. Windows and skylights draw light into the upper floor A bespoke timber spiral staircase leads upstairs, where a spacious sunroom sits on top of the slatted portion of the floor, brightened by tall windows and skylights. "Large roof lights offer skyward views, while expansive portrait windows provide picturesque garden vistas," said the studio. "At night, the pitched soffit space is illuminated by a simple strip light, preserving the purity of the design," it continued. "This lighting scatters and reflects off the oak finishes, making the house glow like a welcoming lantern in the neighbourhood." A timber spiral staircase connects the two levels The bedrooms and utility spaces are nestled into the north-facing side of the home, away from the perforated floor. Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom, where the floors and walls are lined with tiles that match the grey colour of the textural plastering around the rest of the home. Other spaces throughout Cooper House include a north-facing terrace that is located beyond the bedrooms, as well as a rear-facing art studio filled with furniture handmade by S2B Studio. Grey tiles line the bathrooms "Designing Cooper House was a deeply personal process for us as an architect couple," said Lim. "We meticulously crafted every detail, managed the project ourselves, and even made our own furniture in the rear art studio, ensuring the home perfectly balances practicality and aesthetic serenity." Other timber-filled homes in London recently featured on Dezeen include a listed villa that was overhauled by Proctor & Shaw and a Victorian house extension that features a palette of natural materials. The photography is by Jay Yang. The post S2B Studio separates levels of London home with slatted floor appeared first on Dezeen.

Developer Related Companies has released additional images of the SOM-master-planned Hudson Yards West development in New York, amidst an outcry from local advocates. First announced last year, the development is proposed for a disused rail yard to the west of Hudson Yards – a neighbourhood master-planned by KPF, with buildings including Diller Scofidio + Renfro's

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Developer Related Companies has released additional images of the SOM-master-planned Hudson Yards West development in New York, amidst an outcry from local advocates. First announced last year, the development is proposed for a disused rail yard to the west of Hudson Yards – a neighbourhood master-planned by KPF, with buildings including Diller Scofidio + Renfro's The Shed performance centre and BIG's The Spiral skyscraper. Related Companies has released new images of the proposed development Related Companies (Related) has released new renderings of the scheme, which add more details to the potential structures and show a massive Hollander Design and Sasaki-designed park. SOM will be carrying out the development master plan, and will activate what it calls an "urban void". SOM said that a "vast platform built over the railyard" will created on top of which the development will sit. "Equipped with ventilation and critical fire and life safety measures, the platform will modernize the Long Island Rail Road's infrastructure, while supporting a 5.6-acre park that unites the site with all of its surroundings," said SOM. It is planned for a rail yard on the Hudson River The project is still being reviewed by the city, but it will contain three skyscrapers – the tallest of which may reach 1,172 feet (357 metres) in height, making it a supertall. In the renderings, the largest of the skyscrapers is roughly pyramidal in shape with floor-to-ceiling glass covered in louvres. No details about the skyscrapers' architects have been released. The images also show a park weaving around the buildings and extending to the area along the waterfront. Read: High Line "under threat" from proposed skyscrapers and casino say Friends of the High Line founders SOM has worked with Hollander Design and Sasaki to devise a scheme where all car traffic is pushed to the perimeter, opening up the middle of the development to parks and pedestrians and providing easy access to the aspect of the park along then Hudson River. "By designating Hudson Green exclusively for pedestrians, all car traffic will be pushed to the roads that border the site," said SOM. "These streets, which currently operate as a makeshift parking lot and service roads where pedestrians rarely walk, will be completely redesigned." It will include skyscrapers, a park and a school According to the proposal, Related is working with global hospitality group Wynn Resorts to plan a hotel and casino for the development, one of many such proposals as New York prepares to issue three casino licenses next year. Other proposals include a development on Manhattan's East Side designed by BIG. As of now, the resort and amenities will occupy the podium of the pyramidal skyscraper on the north side of the plot, and will also service the Javits Convention Center across the street. Affordable housing has also been included in the Hudson Yards West development, according to Related, which said 324 affordable units out of 1,500 apartments are part of the plan. A K-8 school is also included in the proposal. SOM also noted its commitment to sustainability for the project, and said that it plans to make the buildings all-electric, outfit the site with photovoltaic panels, and irrigate the park with storm water recycled on site. Local advocacy group Friends of the High Line has protested the proposal The development has recently been criticised by Friends of the High Line, an advocacy group that led the conversion of a former elevated train track into a landscaped walking path designed by studios Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf. The renderings show the High Line extending to the south of the development, wrapping around the development to the west. Friends of the High Line claimed that the development will negatively affect views from the High Line and the success of businesses in the area. Read: Two linked skyscrapers proposed for casino complex in New York City However, Related denied the claims, calling them "disinformation". "First, the High Line is not remotely under threat by our proposal to develop the Western Rail Yards; as longtime neighbors and supporters of the High Line, we have met with them 10 times and made substantial amendments to our proposal in response to their concerns," a spokesperson told Dezeen. "Since that time, they have failed to communicate any substantive concerns and instead have launched a disinformation campaign." The 5.9-acre park will wrap between the proposed structures Other developments around the original Hudson Yards development include two massive skyscrapers by SOM as part of the Manhattan West development. The images are courtesy of Related Companies/Wynn Resorts. The post SOM unveils renderings of Hudson Yards West skyscraper and casino development appeared first on Dezeen.

A pale blue and terracotta-hued rear extension inspired by the warmth of the Caribbean has been added to a 1950s home in the suburbs of south-west London by local studio Artefact. Named Triangle House, the home overlooking Roseberry Park in Epsom has been extended by Artefact to create a new wing with a series of

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A pale blue and terracotta-hued rear extension inspired by the warmth of the Caribbean has been added to a 1950s home in the suburbs of south-west London by local studio Artefact. Named Triangle House, the home overlooking Roseberry Park in Epsom has been extended by Artefact to create a new wing with a series of interconnected and expanded living spaces. Generous openings in the facade of the extension and its expansive terrace help to create a strong connection between the house and its garden. Artefact has overhauled a home in Epsom The client's heritage and the book Caribbean Style, which the client's son shared with the studio, informed the hues and textures of the extension. "[The book] documents a series of vernacular buildings from across the Caribbean, many of which use bold colours in unexpected combinations to elevate everyday materials," studio co-founder Daniel Marmot told Dezeen. "These references helped drive the client's ambition for an optimistic colour palette, and their desire for joyful, celebratory interiors rooted in their heritage," he continued. A new wing has been added to the rear garden The house is located at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a triangular plot that tapers out from the street towards the park. The studio used the extension to address the street with a new entrance, and to define the garden with a new wing that stretches out along the plot edge. The two-storey extension is visible from the street, with the new entrance marked by a red canopy supported on a blue triangular column. The house is located at the end of a cul-de-sac To the rear, the extension houses a kitchen, dining room and snug, all of which are linked by an open circulation space with expansive views of the garden. "The creation of an enfilade of free-flowing spaces was key to the project," explained Marmot. "We designed the house without internal doors or corridors – while making a concession for the bathroom," he added. The extension contains a series of interconnected living spaces A lean material strategy helped to reduce embodied carbon within the construction of the extension. Hollow fair-faced blocks line internal spaces and are clad with insulation and render externally, while exposed timber beams and OSB used for the ceiling are painted in yellow. Read: Al-Jawad Pike combines robust and affordable materials for extension to Peckham house Internally, the studio made considered adjustments to the layout of the house, highlighting changes through the application of colour or introducing a new material treatment. A small palette of primary colours including sky blue, mustard and red have been applied to specific elements such as built-in furniture, kitchen cabinetry, and the ceiling, bringing the warmth of the Caribbean to the interior. A dining room is among the rooms in the extension "Internally, our ambition was to create a surprising sequence of spaces that transport you from the everyday street into a celebratory inner world," said Marmot. "The use of colour is typically integrated with architectural elements rather than simply applied to surfaces," he added. Hollow fair-faced blocks line internal spaces Completing the project is the garden elevation of the extension, which takes on a civic quality with its more ornate facade. Blue-toned concrete blocks were cut to create triangular columns, and are complemented by inset terracotta tiles which hark back to the hung arrowhead tiles of the original house. Artefact is a London practice founded by Daniel Marmot and Benedetta Rogers. Previous projects by the studio featured on Dezeen include an installation crafted from stone bricks as part of Clerkenwell Design Week, and a house with a red timber, cloister-like extension in Islington, London. The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri. The post Artefact expands Epsom home with "optimistic" extension overlooking park appeared first on Dezeen.

Plans have been approved to create a downtown art museum designed by Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré in Las Vegas, USA. The city council approved initial plans for the 90,000-square-foot (8,350 square metre) Las Vegas Museum of Art, which is set to be built on a parking lot in the Symphony Park area of Downtown

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Plans have been approved to create a downtown art museum designed by Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré in Las Vegas, USA. The city council approved initial plans for the 90,000-square-foot (8,350 square metre) Las Vegas Museum of Art, which is set to be built on a parking lot in the Symphony Park area of Downtown Las Vegas. First render revealed As part of the approval process, the trustees of the Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA) revealed the first rendering of the building concept. Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Kéré, the building will contain two floors of gallery space raised above a lobby and entrance area. The galleries will overhang the lower floor and shelter the entrance as part of a plan to turn the adjoining square into a "front porch" for the museum. Design blends "beauty of the desert with local building principles" According to Kéré the design was informed by both the city and the surrounding desert in Nevada. "Our design blends the beauty of the desert environment with local building principles and the passion and collaborative spirit of the Las Vegas Museum of Art to create a space where dreams come to life," said Kéré. "It is a tremendous honor, and a highlight of my professional journey, to create a space that will bring art and joy to the residents who call Las Vegas home." Read: Ten key projects by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Diébédo Francis Kéré The museum is set to be developed in partnership with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which will lend the institution art and expertise in hosting exhibitions and running programs. It will be built alongside The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Discovery Children's Museum as part of a growing cultural district in Symphony Park. Construction on the project is set to start before February 2027. Kéré, who founded Kéré Architecture in 2005, was named the winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2022 and in 2023 was listed among Time's 100 most influential climate leaders. Recent projects by the studio include a community centre in Uganda and a Kenyan education campus informed by termite mounds. The image is courtesy of Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA). The post Diébédo Francis Kéré set to design Las Vegas Museum of Art appeared first on Dezeen.

From Studio Gang's triple-tower St Regis skyscraper to one of the last projects designed by iconic architect Helmut Jahn, we've rounded up nine skyscrapers completed in Chicago in the last decade. Below, we've outlined some of the most significant skyscrapers to be built in the lake-side city since 2015. The projects were created by a

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From Studio Gang's triple-tower St Regis skyscraper to one of the last projects designed by iconic architect Helmut Jahn, we've rounded up nine skyscrapers completed in Chicago in the last decade. Below, we've outlined some of the most significant skyscrapers to be built in the lake-side city since 2015. The projects were created by a variety of studios – some Chicago-based and others international. Goettsch Partners is heavily represented, with four structures that all made it into the city's top 20 tallest. Chicago is the home of the first skyscraper and holds some of the most iconic tall buildings in the world, from the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Towers) to the corncob-shaped Marina City building, which was the tallest residential structure in the world in the 1960s when it was built. Its skyscraper culture has also been exported. Studios like SOM have had hands in building skyscrapers around the world, breaking records from Chicago to Dubai. Read on for nine recently completed skyscrapers in the city of Chicago. Photo by Tom Rossiter 1000M by Jahn, 2024 One of the last projects designed by German-American architect Helmut Jahn, this 788-foot-tall skyscraper (223 metres) is located in Chicago's Michigan Avenue Historic District. The building's podium is more rectilinear with darkly coloured aluminium panels to fit in with the historic buildings on the street, while the top features curved sides clad in glass curtain walls to conform to the modern skyline. Find out more about 1000M here › Photo by Jason O'Rear Salesforce Tower by Pelli Clarke & Partners, 2023 Located at the confluence of rivers in the city's core, the 852-foot-tall (259 metres) Salesforce Tower was the final development in the four-acre Wolf Point development, which includes two other, smaller towers and a park. The structure has a thin profile to conform to the site and has distinct vertical segments that make it appear as though it's made of several smaller planes. Find out more about Salesforce Tower › Photo by Tom Harris The Row by Morris Adjmi Architects, 2023 This 480-foot-tall (146-metre) building in Chicago's Fulton Market District was modelled on the quadrilinear skyscrapers with darkly coloured steel made popular by German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who designed several iconic mid-century skyscrapers for Chicago. It has a structural system made of reinforced concrete with post-tension slabs and has a wide five-storey podium at its base to hold retail for the growing district. Find out more about The Row › Photo by Nick Ulivieri Photography BMO Tower by Goettsch Partners, 2022 This 727-foot-tall skyscraper was created in Chicago's West Loop neighbourhood as a headquarters for BMO Bank. It has a stepped form with terraces at each of the three major setbacks and V-shaped structural columns of polished steel at its base. It is part of a larger redevelopment that includes the historic Chicago Union Station. Photo by Nick Ulivieri Photography One Chicago by Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, 2022 At 973 feet tall (296 metres), the east tower of One Chicago is the eighth tallest building in the city and includes a stepped form with distinct vertical sections. Located in Chicago's River North district, it holds luxury residential as well as offices spread over 77 storeys. Photo by Nick Ulivieri Photography Bank of America Tower by Goettsch Partners, 2022 Located between draw bridges, this 817-foot-tall (249 m) stepped office tower was placed on a narrow strip between the river and a road that runs alongside it. In order to account for the slender site, the structure was given an "unusual stepped center core", according to the studio, as well as a cantilever supported by columns attached to foundations at the river's edge. The photo by Tom Harris Photography St Regis Chicago by Studio Gang, 2020 The second skyscraper completed by the Studio Gang in the city, St Regis Chicago (once known as Vista Tower) features three connected towers that descend in height as they move towards the lakefront. At 1,198 feet tall (365 metres), it is the third tallest structure in the city. Its glass facade features a blue gradient to modulate the sun, and it has a vertical gap at the ground of the central tower that allows for pedestrians to pass under the structure. Photo by Halkin Mason NEMA by Rafael Viñoly Architects, 2019 Designed by the studio of Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly, at 896 feet tall (273 metres) NEMA is the 10th tallest building in Chicago and the tallest in the city's South Loop neighbourhood. According to the studio, the skyscraper has a stepped form meant to emulate that of Willis Tower so that the two structures could "bookend" the skyline. Photo by Nick Ulivieri Photography 150 North Riverside by Goettsch Partners, 2017 Another skyscraper with a narrow base due to being wedged between a road and the river, 150 North Riverside is a 752-foot-tall (229 metres) skyscraper. To account for the site, which is also boxed in by active train tracks, the 54-storey skyscraper has a height-to-base ration of 20:1, and the base appears as an inverted pyramid. Find out more about 150 North Riverside here › The post Nine recently completed skyscrapers in Chicago appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio The DHaus Company has combined digital fabrication with arts and crafts influences at this extension in London, which is covered in shingles in a variety of shapes. Named Gingerbread House, the 1960s home in the north London neighbourhood of Muswell Hill was refurbished and expanded to create a new kitchen and dining area

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Local studio The DHaus Company has combined digital fabrication with arts and crafts influences at this extension in London, which is covered in shingles in a variety of shapes. Named Gingerbread House, the 1960s home in the north London neighbourhood of Muswell Hill was refurbished and expanded to create a new kitchen and dining area overlooking the garden. The existing building is finished with a distinctive cladding of concrete shingles, which served as the starting point for The DHaus Company's design. The DHaus Company has extended a 1960s home in London "The first thing that caught our eyes as architects going on their first site visit was the existing facades – they were clad in a kind of concrete shingle," explained the studio. "We were fascinated by this architectural dress, and wanted to see if we could blend the new rear extension with the rest of the shingle house," it added. "When researching shingle designs, we went down a rabbit hole that led us into a wondrous place of William Morris and arts and crafts." The extension is clad with timber shingles Designed to maintain a feeling of "individuality and uniqueness", the single-storey extension is clad with CNC-cut timber shingles in a variety of curved, arched and angular shapes, some of which mirror the original home's facades. Together they are also intended to evoke a gingerbread house, inspiring the project's name. "While Morris might have been sceptical of modern digital fabrication, the principles of the arts and crafts movement can indeed be compatible with contemporary digital tools," said the studio. The studio added a kitchen and dining area overlooking a garden "The movement emphasised the use of high-quality, sustainable materials and ethical production practices, and digital fabrication can reduce waste through precise material use and can support local, small-scale production," continued The DHaus Company. "Both of which are aligned with Morris's vision of sustainability and ethical production." Read: The DHaus Company revamps London house with butterfly-roof extension Gingerbread House's extension connects directly to the home's existing reception and is centred around a skylit dining space. It overlooks the garden through full-height windows and a sliding door that leads to a small outdoor seating area. An L-shaped glazed area creates a courtyard-like space next to the kitchen counters, where an additional door provides access out onto a gravel patio. The extension is centred around a skylit dining space "We actually had to reduce the size of the rear extension to get the project to work financially, the extension was at the start a full-width extension going out into the garden, but we halved it, and strangely it made the project quite special," explained founder David Ben-Grunberg. "By making the rear extension and kitchen-dining area a kind of L shape, it meant the garden was more linked to the living space and actually this was a lovely thing to happen out of arguably something negative," he told Dezeen. Glazed openings frame views of the garden The walls and ceilings of Gingerbread House's extension have been given a rough plastered finish, which is continued in the refurbished reception and complemented by wooden frames, furniture and built-in storage. The energy efficiency of the home has also been improved through the introduction of underfloor heating, triple glazing and air-source heat pumps. Plastered walls and ceilings feature across the interior The DHaus Company was founded in 2010 by Ben-Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson. Other projects by the studio include an extension in London that is clad in angular brickwork and a row of arched brick townhouses on the site of a former petrol station. The photography is by Matthew White. Project credits: Architect: DHaus Project architects: David Ben-Grunberg, Daniel Woolfson, Nikki Smith Digital fabrication: Base Models Glazing: Oakmont Energy consultant: Bertie Dixon (Inside Outside Engineering) The post The DHaus Company clads Gingerbread House extension in wooden shingles appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa referenced louvres on townhouses in Kyoto when designing the concrete House in Aoyama, which is intended to foster a sense of privacy. Located in Tokyo's central Aoyama area, the home is designed for a family with a child and two dogs. House in Aoyama's location at a busy intersection led Keiji

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Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa referenced louvres on townhouses in Kyoto when designing the concrete House in Aoyama, which is intended to foster a sense of privacy. Located in Tokyo's central Aoyama area, the home is designed for a family with a child and two dogs. The home is located by a busy intersection in central Tokyo House in Aoyama's location at a busy intersection led Keiji Ashizawa Design to create a design that would offer its owners privacy, which informed the choice of concrete as the building material. "We had to choose a material resilient to acoustic disruption and vibration for the urban context," studio founder Keiji Ashizawa told Dezeen. "Considering the need for a basement, rooftop, and balcony, we picked concrete as the best fit." Louvres made from Itauba wood offer privacy Tall wooden louvres shade the entrance of the four-storey house and its balcony, helping to shield it from neighbours and passersby. "Louvres create subtle seclusion within the urban setting with a soft ambience, often seen in traditional townhouses in Kyoto," Ashizawa explained. "They serve both as a privacy screen and light filter." The louvres also help shade the interior The studio used a tropical hardwood to create the louvres. "To achieve a sleek and slender design in the delicate louvres, we chose Itauba wood, a tropical hardwood known for its water resistance and strength, making it ideal for thin and long parts," the architect said. Artworks decorate the walls of the house Inside House in Aoyama, the concrete structure is left exposed but given a variety of different finishes, including ribbed ceilings and washed and blasted walls. "Concrete is exposed throughout the interior, contrasting with the insulated exterior," Ashizawa said. "We curated a palette of finishes: raw concrete on the entrance ceiling, ribbed textures for acoustic enhancement in the living room, water-washed concrete in transitional spaces such as the entrance and stairs, and shot-blasted concrete in wet zones like the kitchen." Read: Wooden furniture and artworks decorate Hiroo Residence in Tokyo Bedrooms are located on the first and third floors of House in Aoyama, while the second floor holds the living and dining room. The floors are connected by a winding wooden staircase, which combines with wooden furniture to add a more organic feel to the house and contrast the stark concrete. Ribbed concrete was used for the ceilings Keiji Ashizawa Design planned the house to create space for the clients' art collection, with walls in neutral hues functioning as a backdrop. The studio also wanted to fill the home with natural light and added a skylight to illuminate the interior. A winding staircase connects the floors "The blend of soft natural light filtering through the louvres and dramatic illumination from the toplight enhances the living experience," Ashizawa said. "The gentle light creates a serene ambience for everyday life, while the toplight adds a dynamic, poetic glow to the space – transforming it into a luminous sanctuary within a bustling city." A planted rooftop sits on the highest floor of House in Aoyama House in Aoyama is complete with a basement and a tree-planted rooftop designed as a "garden in an urban residence", intended to be used for relaxation and socialising. "The design blends urban architectural principles with a desire to create a comfortable living environment," Ashizawa concluded. "We wanted to craft an urban retreat within the heart of Tokyo." Wooden furniture adds an organic touch Other recent residential projects by Keiji Ashizawa Design include a minimalist Tokyo home and an apartment decorated with wooden art pieces. The photography is by Tomooki Kengaku. Project credits: Architect: Keiji Ashizawa Design Project architect: Keiji Ashizawa / Rie Honjo Structural engineer: Tetsuya Tanaka Structural Engineers Construction: Matsumoto Corporation The post Wooden louvres create "subtle seclusion" at Tokyo house by Keiji Ashizawa Design appeared first on Dezeen.

The rezoning of land in New York City for skyscrapers and a casino puts the experience of the city's High Line "under threat" according to the founders of Friends of the High Line. Friends of the High Line founders Joshua David and Robert Hammond made a series of criticisms about proposed developments in an opinion

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The rezoning of land in New York City for skyscrapers and a casino puts the experience of the city's High Line "under threat" according to the founders of Friends of the High Line. Friends of the High Line founders Joshua David and Robert Hammond made a series of criticisms about proposed developments in an opinion piece published in NY Daily News today. The duo expressed concerned about the impact of a proposed development at West Side Yard on the experience of the High Line – a disused railway track that was turned into a raised park by studios Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf. Earlier this year, New York developer Related Companies applied for a rezoning of the West Side Yard – an under-utilised train depot adjacent to the skyscraper-filled Hudson Yards development in Manhattan. It released proposed designs for skyscrapers to fill the site and was one of a few to apply for what would be Manhattan's first casino license for the development. "The High Line is under threat again" The pair claims that such a development would negatively affect both the experience of the High Line and community-oriented urban development that has they say has resulted from the conversion of the elevated industrial rail line into a planted walkway a decade ago. "Today the High Line is under threat again from Related and its casino partner, Wynn Resorts," said David and Hammond. "They are now proposing a massive, Las Vegas-style development on the western rail yard that would wall off city views and eviscerate a hard-won, community-supported plan for a more balanced development centered on a major, riverview green space." Related has put forward plans to put skyscrapers on an under-utilised plot of land on the Hudson River According to David and Hammond, the West Side Yard site was part of negotiations between the Friends of the High Line, the city and Related in 2009 that slated the the site for housing, a school, and green space. "Now the developer wants to undo the agreement and rezone the site again," said David and Hammond. "The principal changes include much taller and wider buildings at an overwhelming scale, less accessible green space, more office space (in a city that has a glut), and less housing in a city that has a desperate shortage." Read: BIG completes twisting One High Line skyscrapers in New York The pair claims that the development would "block" the views from the High Line, which ends at Hudson Yards, and suggested that the casino and restaurants would negatively affect local businesses. "So much for supporting the community fabric of Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen. This stands in contrast to other NYC-area casino proposals that offer incentives to patronize neighborhood restaurants," they said, adding that they support development of the site that would conform to the 2009 agreement. The comments come after the Friends of the High Line organisation announced a campaign to stop the development, which includes several local business and community leaders in its supporters. Friends of the High Line "have failed to communicate any substantive concerns" Related denied the claims, highlighting its status as a "long-time supporter" of the High Line. It claims that Friends of the High Line have engaged in a "disinformation campaign". "First, the High Line is not remotely under threat by our proposal to develop the Western Rail Yards; as longtime neighbors and supporters of the High Line, we have met with them 10 times and made substantial amendments to our proposal in response to their concerns," a spokesperson for the company told Dezeen. "Since that time, they have failed to communicate any substantive concerns and instead have launched a disinformation campaign." Related also claims that the 2009 plan was scrapped because of economic feasibility, and noted the inclusion of housing under the proposed scheme, adding that the development will add housing and maintain the views from the High Line. "While the High Line hand wrings over the impact on their 'city views' of a rail yard, this proposal will create a 5.6-acre new green public park, 5,000 permanent union jobs in the resort, more than 300 units of new affordable housing and much needed economic investment in NYC, all while enhancing access to the High Line." Related has published a video rendering of what the proposed development might be like for visitors of the High Line. Related's proposal is one of many that have been forth to create developments that include casinos. Others include a parcel on Manhattan's East Side by BIG and another with designs by CetraRuddy, also near Hudson Yards. The High Line was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Field Operations and opened in 2009. It has since been extended with additions such as a glulam bridge by SOM and Field Operations. The top photo by Iwan Baan. The post High Line "under threat" from proposed skyscrapers and casino say Friends of the High Line founders appeared first on Dezeen.

Chicago-based studio Wheeler Kearns Architects has created a wood-wrapped lake house with three separate structures whose design was informed "by the natural beauty and tranquillity" of Lake Michigan. Completed in August 2022, the Meadow Lane Retreat is a multi-structure house on a wooded site in Michigan. "By using natural materials and optimising the home's orientation

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Chicago-based studio Wheeler Kearns Architects has created a wood-wrapped lake house with three separate structures whose design was informed "by the natural beauty and tranquillity" of Lake Michigan. Completed in August 2022, the Meadow Lane Retreat is a multi-structure house on a wooded site in Michigan. Wheeler Kearns Architects has built a Lake Michigan house inspired by the surrounding landscape "By using natural materials and optimising the home's orientation and layout, we aimed to harmonise the architecture with its environment, creating a space that is both restorative and timeless, " Wheeler Kearns Architects principal Jon Heinert told Dezeen. The house is separated into three blocks – the main house and entertainment block that measure 8927 square (830 square metres) and a detached garage building – that maximise privacy, views of the lake and natural light. The Meadow Lane Retreat restores a natural stormwater ravine, integrated into a bridged driveway The two spaces are set perpendicular to the lake. The main house – which includes the kitchen and dining room as well as two lounge spaces on the ground floor and the large primary suite above – is located on the southwestern side of the property and screens the guest house from view upon entry. The entertainment space includes a den, recreation room, and gym and doubles as a guest house with four private suites that are entirely separate from the shared areas of the home. The property has three separate structures – the main house, entertainment block and detached garage In addition to forming a garden courtyard on the northeast side of the property, the blocks are sited to restore a natural stormwater ravine on the 2.55-acre property in Lakeside, Michigan. Integrated into a bridged driveway, the ravine captures stormwater from neighbouring properties and redirects into the base of a lakefront bluff. The main house is located on the southwestern side and screens the guest house from view upon entry Excess rainwater is absorbed into permeable aggregate paving and planted roofs that serve as a pollinator source for bees. "Natural native materials define the architectural palette, fostering a timeless connection with nature," the team said, noting the durable species. The second floor of the house interlocks domestic black locust boards that weather with a silver finish Selected to echo the surrounding woodlands, the ground floor is wrapped in Accoya tongue-and-groove siding stained dark and milled into narrow vertical slats to serve as a textured reference to tree trucks. In contrast, the second floor is clad in short, interlocking domestic black locust boards that weather with a silver finish. "At the entry, the cantilevered black locust upper level reveals a slatted white oak ceiling that extends into the living spaces," the team said. Read: Cylindrical voids accommodate trees at Mexican lake house by MCxA Group The whole house is set on a stereotomic limestone wall base that connects the interiors to the pool terrace through floor-to-ceiling glass openings with mitred glass corners that extend views outward in multiple directions. "The focal point of Meadow Lane's design is its deep connection to nature, achieved through the home’s staggered configuration, natural materials, and expansive floor-to-ceiling glass openings," the team said. "These elements create a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing sunlight to flood each room and enhancing harmony with the ever-changing surrounding vista." The wood-wrapped house is set on a stereotomic limestone wall base that connects interiors to a pool terrace Recently, Wheeler Kearns has completed a multipurpose greenhouse with internal wood-clad living rooms for an organic farm in southwestern Michigan, an art-filled penthouse with a library wall in Chicago and a lake house with a cluster of wood-clad buildings with zig-zagging gables, also on Lake Michigan. The photography is by Steve Hall. Project credits: Architect: Wheeler Kearns Architects; Jon Heinert, Emily Ray, Laura Cochran General Contractor: Bulley & Andrews Structural Engineer: Enspect Engineering Landscape Architect: Hoerr Schaudt MEP Engineer: Building Engineering Systems Lighting Design: Lux Populi The post Wheeler Kearns wraps Michigan lake house with two tones of wood appeared first on Dezeen.

As the long-awaited final report from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire is published, Nat Barker reflects on the role of the lead architect on the building's notorious refurbishment project. And so we come to the end. I watched hundreds of hours of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Among the dozens of witnesses I

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As the long-awaited final report from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire is published, Nat Barker reflects on the role of the lead architect on the building's notorious refurbishment project. And so we come to the end. I watched hundreds of hours of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Among the dozens of witnesses I saw give evidence, the one I still think about most is Bruce Sounes. Sounes was the lead architect on the fateful refurbishment project that effectively turned the tower into a death trap. He gave evidence right at the beginning of phase two, four-and-a-half years ago now. Decisions he had made, emails he had sent several years prior, were scrutinised in forensic detail It was hard going. The cross-examination was highly technical, digging into every minutiae of Sounes's involvement in the refurbishment. Over six days of hearings – significantly more than most witnesses – decisions he had made, emails he had sent several years prior, were scrutinised in forensic detail. It all seemed too much for Sounes. Sitting in the witness box, his voice faltered frequently, his boyish features twisted and tremored. Proceedings twice had to be halted because he was "taken ill" – and all of us in the room had an idea what that meant. Sounes's position was that he had no idea about how dangerous the cladding installed on Grenfell Tower was. He claimed that he understood this aspect of the project to fall under the purview of the cladding sub-contractor, Harley Facades, and that compliance with building regulations would be established by building control. Read: Architecture education has "shifted away" from fire safety, experts say on Grenfell anniversary Whether or not we believe that – whether or not Sounes himself believes it – it was abundantly clear: he was traumatised by the disaster. I do not for a second mean to equate Sounes's suffering with that of the people unfortunate enough to have been inside Grenfell Tower on that dreadful night, or their loved ones. I think also of Marcio Gomes, who plunged through thick black smoke for 35 minutes as he tried to escape the tower, believing the family he had been separated from in the terrifying darkness were all dead. His baby son, Logan, was the youngest victim of the fire before he even took his first breath. He was stillborn in hospital shortly afterwards. It is not often you see an ordinary person struggling to live with themself I think of Nabil Choucair, who lost six members of his family. I think of the little girl who lived in flat 175, who lost literally everything in the fire: her mum, her dad, and her two sisters. She was six years old, and will now be about 13. I think too of the aspiring young architects Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi, trapped in their flat together on the 23rd floor having moved to London from Italy only a few months before. Trevisan ended a call home shortly before she died so that her mother would not have to listen. Their stories are just a snapshot of the unbelievable, unhealable pain caused by that fire. But, still, for some reason, time and time again my mind returns to Sounes and the haunted figure he cut as he answered the inquiry's questions. It is not often you see an ordinary person struggling to live with themself. Read: "Putting architects in control will not solve the building safety crisis" There are few surprises in the mammoth report published today. The strength of the language it uses to describe the architect's role in the disaster is perhaps its most remarkable aspect. Studio E, the firm that employed Sounes, "bears a very significant degree of responsibility for the disaster", the report said. This is more damning terminology than I have seen applied to any other participant. In the hierarchy of blame, the inquiry apparently considers the architects to be very near the top. My own personal opinion is that Sounes displayed a startling lack of knowledge and curiosity about building regulations and fire safety, but may have had more of an inkling than he let on; his first instinct when looking for an insulation product was to reach for non-combustible mineral wool. Asked why, he replied: "It's the safest." Criminal charges, with prison sentences for the convicted, are generally believed to be likely Sounes wanted the refurbishment to be a success, but seems to have only really thought about the criteria that he personally was interested in: how it looked, and whether it improved thermal efficiency. Everything else, he was content to leave to someone else. In the context of what happened and his lack of any public apology to the victims, some may consider that to be unforgivable. Others may recognise it as behaviour they themselves tend towards. Regardless, among all the people who worked on the refurbishment called to give evidence to the inquiry across 80 weeks of hearings, Sounes was the most visibly affected. It is not clear what the future holds for him now. A police investigation into the fire is ongoing, and criminal charges, with prison sentences for the convicted, are generally believed to be likely. Read: Over 900 Grenfell fire victims reach civil settlement Will Sounes be among those individuals? I don't know. Either way, the eerie shadow of Grenfell Tower's burnt-out husk will follow him forever. Architects must, of course, pay close attention to the inquiry's findings and recommendations beyond the news headlines that will emerge over the next 24 hours. In particular, its conclusion that Studio E was responsible for ensuring that the cladding complied with building regulations and not the contractor, or the specialist sub-contractor, or building control, may be an alarming wake-up call. But they should also think about Sounes. Think about him working on that project, and him on the witness stand several years later, barely able to come to terms with his role in one of the worst peacetime disasters in modern British history. Try to feel what Sounes must feel today Let's be honest, lengthy reports – even ones as important as this – can be difficult to engage with emotionally. You may know what it says, but do you feel it? Well, try to feel what Sounes must feel today. Try to imagine what it would be like to work on a project, and later have to live with the fact that it turned out to cause even a fraction of the anguish caused by the Grenfell Tower fire. If that does not motivate you to learn whatever lessons are relevant to you from this disaster, I doubt anything will. As we sift through the 1,700 pages of the phase two report in the coming days, the stories of Gomes, and Choucair, and Trevisan and Gottardi, and the little girl from flat 175, and everyone else affected who is still waiting for justice, and will have to wait for some time longer, should never leave our minds. I wonder if they ever leave Sounes's. Nat Barker is features editor at Dezeen. The photo is courtesy of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Dezeen In Depth If you enjoy reading Dezeen's interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines. The post "The shadow of Grenfell Tower's burnt-out husk will follow the refurbishment architect forever" appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter has completed the concrete Trekroner Church on the outskirts of Roskilde, Denmark. Located in the growing suburb of Trekronor, the church was designed to combine a contemporary, organic form with more traditional ideals. It was built as a multifunctional space that could function "both as a church and a

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Architecture studio Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter has completed the concrete Trekroner Church on the outskirts of Roskilde, Denmark. Located in the growing suburb of Trekronor, the church was designed to combine a contemporary, organic form with more traditional ideals. It was built as a multifunctional space that could function "both as a church and a community house". Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter has completed Trekroner Church "The client, Himmelev Parish Council, envisioned a building that could accommodate everything from traditional religious ceremonies to concerts, teaching and conversation and contemplation," Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter CEO Nicolai Overgaard told Dezeen. "Our design aimed to create a modern church that could host a range of ceremonies, social activities, and provide quiet spaces for reflection," he continued. "Although the church's organic form is innovative, the floor plan remains rooted in tradition, with classic liturgical elements such as the nave, choir, sacristy, and an eight-meter-high apse." It has a sculptural curved form Designed as an "enduring and adaptable structure" that would sit in contrast to its suburban context, the church's curved, concrete form was constructed using over two hundred custom moulds for the on-site casting. Opening into a large open-plan worship area with a flexible multi-use space, the curved organic floor plan contains a kitchen, cloakroom and storage area with a sacristy at the rear. It is intended to contrast its suburban context Within the main space, the ceiling was constructed tessellated panels that were made from recycled cans cut with water-jets. These serve a dual function by reflecting light and dampening sound, to help create "a serene and contemplative atmosphere within the church". A bespoke bench, constructed from light ash wood, follows the meandering walls, which is complemented with slatted ash panels along the walls. Recycled cans were used to form the ceiling Ash was also used for the worship altar, selected for its light, natural tones that complement the ceramic flooring and exposed concrete walls. In the main congregation space, Danish conceptual artist Henrik Plenge Jakobsen's large perforated cross takes centre stage. It incorporates the Northern Cross constellation and is highlighted by a skylight that runs around the church's perimeter, providing soft, natural light. Ceramic flooring lines the interior Jakobsen also created the agate stone door and ceramic tiled floor, which was informed by a pentagonal tiling pattern discovered by mathematicians at the University of Washington, He also curated the collection of artwork featured in the church. Notable contributions from artists Alexander Tovborg and Lea Porsager, include an oak altar and a baptismal font fashioned from South African sodalite. Read: Traditional Islamic architecture informs ornamental concrete vaulting in Punchbowl Mosque "In Trekroner Church, art is not an afterthought; it has been integral from the very beginning," explained Overgaard. "The integration of art and architecture enhances the experience for the congregation, concertgoers, and other visitors," he continued. "Every artistic element, from the cross to the baptismal font, the door, and the floor, was seamlessly integrated into the architecture, creating a unified and enriching environment." The design aims to redefine "the traditional concept of a religious space" The studio is currently implementing a landscape strategy to surround the church with a wild meadow, a small forest and a pond that will support the bio-diversity of the local area. Other churches recently featured on Dezeen include the Mountain church of Julong which evokes the form of a biblical ark and a circular church in Brazil by Architecture studio ARQBR. The photography is by Adam Mørk. The post Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter unveils curved concrete church in Roskilde appeared first on Dezeen.

The architecture studio that refurbished Grenfell Tower has been excoriated in the final report of the long-running public inquiry into a devastating fire at the building in 2017. London-based Studio E was determined to have "demonstrated a cavalier attitude to the regulations affecting fire safety" during its work on the project, which included the installation

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The architecture studio that refurbished Grenfell Tower has been excoriated in the final report of the long-running public inquiry into a devastating fire at the building in 2017. London-based Studio E was determined to have "demonstrated a cavalier attitude to the regulations affecting fire safety" during its work on the project, which included the installation of highly flammable cladding to the block's exterior. Published today, the 1,700-page report found that Studio E, which has since gone into liquidation, "bears a very significant degree of responsibility for the disaster". Studio E "fell below standard of a reasonably competent architect" "As architect Studio E was responsible for the design of the external wall and for the choice of the materials used in its construction," the report said. The studio had specified zinc cladding for the project, which was later swapped for a deadly aluminium composite material (ACM) product by the client, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), in a bid to reduce costs. But the inquiry concluded that it was still the architect's responsibility to check that the ACM complied with building regulations. "Its failure to recognise that ACM was dangerous and to warn the TMO against its use represented a failure to act in accordance with the standard of a reasonably competent architect," the report said. During the course of the inquiry, Studio E contended that its role on the project was to guide aesthetics, and that responsibility for fire safety and compliance lay with other parties. Read: "The shadow of Grenfell Tower's burnt-out husk will follow the refurbishment architect forever" Studio E, as well as the project contractor, Rydon, and the cladding sub-contractor, Harley, were criticised for taking "a casual approach to contractual relations". "They did not properly understand the nature and scope of the obligations they had undertaken, or, if they did, paid scant attention to them," the report said. "They failed to identify their own responsibilities for important aspects of the design and in each case assumed that someone else was responsible for matters affecting fire safety." Studio E was also at fault for failing to recognise that the combustible Celotex foam insulation fitted as part of the project was unsuitable, the inquiry found. It also failed to ensure that fire-safety consultant Exova completed a fire-safety strategy for the refurbished building, failed to understand that it was responsible for work by sub-contractors and missed errors around the windows that helped the fire to spread. "The deaths that occurred were all avoidable" Seventy-two people were killed after a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower, a 1970s North Kensington social-housing block, in the early hours of 14 June 2017. Started by a faulty fridge-freezer, the fire spread rapidly up and around the building via the external cladding system installed as part of the refurbishment project, which was completed only a year earlier. Today's report marks the end of a seven-year-long public inquiry into the disaster, which was the deadliest residential fire in the UK since world war two. "The simple truth is that the deaths that occurred were all avoidable, and those who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years and in a number of different ways by those who were responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants," inquiry chair Martin Moore-Bick said in a statement this morning. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry was published this morning "All contributed to it in one way or another, in most cases through incompetence, but in some cases through dishonesty and greed," he added. In particular, manufacturers of the cladding and insulation products – Arconic Architectural Products, Celotex and Kingspan – were concluded to have engaged in "systemic dishonesty". "They engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing processes, misrepresent test data and mislead the market," the report said. Meanwhile, the UK Government was "well aware" of the danger posed by combustible cladding and insulation, but "failed to act on what it knew". Criminal charges not expected until end of 2026 Phase two of the enquiry aimed to identify the causes of the disaster, with more than 80 weeks of evidence heard. A phase one report focusing on the events on the night of the fire published in 2019 already concluded that Grenfell Tower's external walls did not comply with building regulations. Though the inquiry is barred from drawing conclusions about criminal responsibility, its findings are likely to have a bearing on the ongoing police investigation into the fire. Detectives are not expected to pass charging files to prosecutors until late 2026. Lawyers representing Studio E confirmed to Dezeen that it would not be commenting on the inquiry report. In a closing statement to the inquiry, the studio had argued that the large number of high-rise buildings found to have similar cladding to Grenfell after the fire "demonstrates that Studio E acted in a manner consistent with a responsible body of its profession". But the inquiry report turned this claim on its head, suggesting that this could be point to "a widespread failure" across the architecture profession. Read: "Putting architects in control will not solve the building safety crisis" "The evidence, not least the fact that similar materials have since been found on hundreds of other high-rise buildings, suggests that there may be a widespread failure among the profession to investigate properly or understand the nature of the materials being chosen for that purpose," it said. While recognising steps taken by the Architects Registration Board and the Royal Institute of British Architects to improve knowledge among architects since the fire, the inquiry recommended that these changes be reviewed to ensure they are sufficient in light of its findings. It also recommended that architects be legally required to issue a statement declaring that "all reasonable steps have been taken" to ensure projects comply with building regulations as part of applications for building-control approval on higher-risk projects. In April 2023, a group of more than 900 people affected by the fire agreed a settlement with companies and public bodies involved in the refurbishment, including Studio E, for an undisclosed sum of compensation. In July, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission and the Royal Institute of British Architects launched the process to select the design team for a memorial on the site of Grenfell Tower, which is still standing. The design brief specifies that the memorial should be in the form of a garden and display the names of the 72 people who perished in the fire. A shortlist of five studios will be selected in the autumn. The main photo is by Iordanis via Shutterstock. The post Grenfell Tower Inquiry concludes that architect "bears a very significant degree of responsibility" appeared first on Dezeen.

Panels of translucent fibreglass envelop this multi-level stage designed by Cake Architecture for London arts and music festival Rally, revealing the reusable scaffolding structure at its heart. Named Agnes after American abstract painter Agnes Martin, the stage was designed to resemble a giant canvas and is surrounded by 40-metre-long, seven-metre-high walls on two sides. As

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Panels of translucent fibreglass envelop this multi-level stage designed by Cake Architecture for London arts and music festival Rally, revealing the reusable scaffolding structure at its heart. Named Agnes after American abstract painter Agnes Martin, the stage was designed to resemble a giant canvas and is surrounded by 40-metre-long, seven-metre-high walls on two sides. The Agnes stage at Rally festival resembled a mini-nightclub As part of the day-long festival, these walls helped to create a long, narrow enclosure much like a mini-nightclub in London's Southwark Park, with an elevated DJ booth and stage in the centre. Using a rentable, demountable scaffolding system, the walls were elevated three metres off the ground, allowing the audience to flow freely into and around the stage. Elevated walls allowed the audience to flow into and around the stage Two raised platforms on either end also allowed festivalgoers to climb up into the structure, effectively surrounding the performer on all sides. "It's quite different to just a big stage that faces outwards," said Cake Architecture director Hugh Scott Moncrieff, who describes the stage as a two-storey building complete with a small roof. "It feels like you're somehow inside a club." Festivalgoers could also stand on elevated platforms at either end of the stage The narrow architecture of the stage, which is just eight meters wide, was informed both by its compact site in Southwark Park and by the layout of the nearby Dilston Gallery – a former church that at the time of its construction in 1911 was England's first poured-concrete building. "It's just one big, long space with a raised pulpit up at one side," Scott Moncrieff told Dezeen. "So it seemed interesting to start testing something long and linear, that felt a little bit like a church for a congregation of music fans." Agnes resembles a giant lantern at night To save costs for the grassroots festival and ensure the stage could be reused year after year, Cake Architecture designed Agnes to be fully demountable using a modular scaffolding system rented from a stage production company in Germany. "The material we're cladding it in is called GRP, glass-reinforced plastic, which is obviously not necessarily a renewable product," he said. "But, the idea is that it gets packed up every year and the stage still exists in five years or more." "So it's not being trashed and thrown in the bin, which happens a lot with temporary builds." Read: Cake Architecture draws on Bauhaus principles for Hoxton bar Typically, this modular scaffolding would be hidden layers of painted plywood. But Cake Architecture used translucent plastic cladding to allow the structure to shine through and illustrate the DIY ethos of Rally, which spotlights local London venues and artists. "It's about exposing the guts of what these structures are made of," Scott Moncrieff said. Rows of baton lights illuminate the stage Sections of the fibreglass were covered in red and blue vinyl, creating a sequence of colour across the facade that references the repetitive grids found in the work of Martin. "The whole point is that observing her work is kind of a meditation," Scott Moncrieff said. "I think that translates in an interesting way to what we're trying to do with this stage." "I'm hoping it will feel like a very large artwork," he added. Red and blue vinyl was used to colour the fibreglass cladding Rows of colourful baton lights were installed along the length of the stage, illuminating the translucent facade like a lantern and sparkling off the minuscule glass fibres suspended in the plastic. The Cake Architecture team built Agnes alongside a "ragtag group of makers and fabricators who become festival builders for the weekend", Scott Moncrieff said. "It's not our typical day-to-day wheelhouse at all, but it's been fun," he explained. The festival took place in Southwark Park Cake Architecture previously created a smaller stage for the inaugural Rally festival last year – a kind of "dance music bandstand" called Visionnaire, which also returned for the 2024 edition. Elsewhere across London, the studio has worked on a number of buzzy nightlife projects including A Bar with Shapes for a Name in Hoxton and Soho cocktail bar SOMA, as well as spearheading the upcoming refurbishment and extension of east London club The Pickle Factory. The photography is by Angelina Nikolayeva, Rory Gaylor and Jake Davis. Rally took place at London's Southwark Park in London on 24 August 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. The post Cake Architecture "exposes the guts" of Rally festival with demountable fibreglass stage appeared first on Dezeen.

British studio David Chipperfield Architects has completed the Hertogensite residential complex in Leuven, Belgium, with a series of interconnected brick-clad forms. Situated on a narrow site between a fragment of the city's medieval wall and a branch of the river Dyle, the complex comprises a 14-storey tower, nine townhouses and a small apartment block united

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British studio David Chipperfield Architects has completed the Hertogensite residential complex in Leuven, Belgium, with a series of interconnected brick-clad forms. Situated on a narrow site between a fragment of the city's medieval wall and a branch of the river Dyle, the complex comprises a 14-storey tower, nine townhouses and a small apartment block united "into one coherent building". David Chipperfield Architects has the Hertogensite housing in Belgium "The design process was influenced by two main questions: how to tie together three different typologies into one coherent building, and how the building should respond to its unique surroundings," said David Chipperfield Architects associate Julien Gouiric. "The townhouses, a small apartment building and a tower were unified by the architectural expression of each unit," he told Dezeen. The complex unites three typologies into a single building Hertogensite sits at the centre of a masterplan involving the redevelopment of a former hospital campus, which aims to reintegrate the site into the surrounding city. Grey-toned brick cladding is used throughout the 8,000-square-metre complex to unify its three typologies, while also emphasising their sculptural character. The tower can be seen within the Leuven skyline Rising above the apartment block and townhouses, the tower is intended as a symbol of the new neighbourhood and can be seen within the Leuven skyline. Two apartments are hosted on each floor of the tower, while a penthouse sits at the top. Its lower floors are connected to a park and its upper floors look towards the city centre. Read: White Arkitekter draws on Scandinavian principles for east London estate regeneration Geometric cut-outs in the tower host inset balconies that alternate on either side of the tower – reflecting the height of each apartment unit. "The mirroring of balconies resulted in openings in each corner, a key design move to make the building omnidirectional," Gouiric said. Geometric cut-outs contain the tower's inset balconies Sandwiched between Hertogensite's tower and apartment block is the row of nine townhouses, each featuring similarly blocky forms with inset and protruding balconies. The townhouses step up in plan from three storeys at the front to four storeys at the rear, where private gardens overlook a branch of the river Dyle. "The stepping in plan of the townhouses enriches their relationship with the medieval wall, alleviating the narrow street in between," Gouiric said. A row of townhouses and apartment blocks sit adjacent to the tower Bookending the Hertogensite development is the four-storey apartment block, which contains smaller flats, while also forming a connection between the townhouses and an existing building on the site. Other residential buildings recently featured on Dezeen include an east London estate regeneration that draws on Scandinavian design principles and a cooperative housing block near Zurich that references "robust" industrial structures. The photography is by Maxime Delvaux. Project credits: Architect: David Chipperfield Architects Client: Resiterra nv Directors: Benito Blanco, David Chipperfield, Mattias Kunz, Billy Prendergast Project architect: Julien Gouiric Team: Katie Jackson, Kelvin Jones, Peter Jurschitzka, Nayem Mohammad, Ele Mun, Jusin Park, Renato Pimenta, Joana Ribeiro, Gabor Tajnafoi, Oliver Ulmer Local architect: Bureau Bouwtechniek Structural engineer: Establis MEP consultant: Creteq Facade consultant: Bureau Bouwtechniek Quantity surveyor: Bureau Bouwtechniek General contractor: Vandeobos Landscape architect: Wirtz International Landscape Architects The post David Chipperfield combines three housing typologies at Hertogensite in Belgium appeared first on Dezeen.

French architecture studios Pratique and Fanum took cues from Roman architecture when creating the Forum des Vestiges plywood pavilion, which is located in the gardens of Rome's historic Villa Medici. Pratique and Fanum designed the pavilion, which was informed by ancient Roman forums, to encourage social interactions and conversation. "The main design goal was to create

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French architecture studios Pratique and Fanum took cues from Roman architecture when creating the Forum des Vestiges plywood pavilion, which is located in the gardens of Rome's historic Villa Medici. Pratique and Fanum designed the pavilion, which was informed by ancient Roman forums, to encourage social interactions and conversation. "The main design goal was to create a place of life, exchanges and representations, a space of freedom, socialisation and debate," Pratique told Dezeen. Forum des Vestiges sits in front of Roman remains in the gardens at Villa Medici Fragments of Roman column ruins scatter the garden outside Forum des Vestiges, whose name translates to Ruins Forum in French. Made entirely from notched panels of maritime pine plywood, the pavilion features a central rectangular room surrounded by a geometric colonnade. Pratique and Fanum aimed to create a rhythmic facade that referenced the ruins and the surrounding gardens of Villa Medici, which was built in 1544. Square columns surround the pavilion "This cabin, with the appearance of a pavilion, finds its proportions and limits in the relationship it maintains with the garden, responding to the rigorous geometry formed by hedges," said Pratique. "The project weaves a link with historical remains, reinterpreting them through a new materiality," it continued. "The wooden columns, seeking to match the mass of the stone remains, draw an imposing monolith." Forum des Vestiges was informed by Roman architecture The colonnade was raised from the grass ground on a rectangular base measuring 6.25 metres wide by 12.5 metres long. The central gathering space steps down onto the grass and features a long table and stools made from the same maritime pine plywood as the surrounding structure. Inside the colonnade, benches were built into the hollow columns to provide more solitary places to sit. Read: Chart exhibits artworks in pavilion made from recycled ship sails "We hope that people interact with the project by appropriating all its spaces to take a real break in the heart of the gardens," said Pratique. "The project offers several uses, such as sitting alone in the columns or gathered around a table, but invites each user to invent new uses." A plywood table was placed in the central room The plywood walls of the central space extend above the tops of the columns to create a lightwell, casting natural light onto the table below. A semicircular cut-out in the floor marks the main opening into the central space, which can be concealed by drawing a curtain. Pratique and Fanum aimed to create a space that fosters social interaction "The half-circle floor reinforces this idea offering a platform for sitting and exchanging," said Pratique. "Animated by the curtain, playing the role of stage background, the theatrical dimension of the project appears and the visitor becomes the actor for a moment." Seating was built into the hollow columns Forum des Vestiges was one of the winning entries of the 2023 Villa Medici Festival des Cabanes architecture competition and will remain in the gardens until 29 September. Other wooden pavilions that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a triangular charred-timber shelter in a rocky Shanghai garden and a pop-up gallery at Copenhagen's Chart Art Fair. The photorgaphy is by Gautier Baufils. The post Pratique and Fanum add "imposing" plywood pavilion to Villa Medici gardens in Rome appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture firm NBBJ has integrated a series of curved buildings into a sloped California site to create an "inclusive, healing environment" for a behavioural health campus for adolescent patients. The 55,600 square foot (5,165 square metres) campus is located in Monterey and serves as a local and adolescent-focused branch of Montage Health, a California-based non-profit

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Architecture firm NBBJ has integrated a series of curved buildings into a sloped California site to create an "inclusive, healing environment" for a behavioural health campus for adolescent patients. The 55,600 square foot (5,165 square metres) campus is located in Monterey and serves as a local and adolescent-focused branch of Montage Health, a California-based non-profit that offers physical and mental health services across the state. NBBJ has created a behavioural health campus in California. Top photo by Sean Airhart. This photo by Amy Tang The Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (Ohana) offers a range of care for pediatric patients and their families who are experiencing conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The campus is composed of two long, waving volumes that enclose central gardens and a gymanisum, which is located in a third, smaller building. It is composed of three curving volumes. The photo is by Sean Airhart Each volume was clad in a prefabricated facade made of thin slats of wood that are regularly punctuated by large, rectangular windows. They contain a range of care facilities, including a residential area, outpatient care, a crisis care unit and amenities such as a cafe. Primarily constructed using cross-laminated timber, the buildings' design follows the latest neuroscience research to create "an inclusive, healing environment" for patients and caregivers alike, according to NBBJ. The buildings enclose gardens and a central gymnasium. The photo is by Ty Cole "The design of Ohana applies the latest in neuroscience research to provide an inclusive, healing environment for pediatric patients, families and caregivers," said NBBJ. "Ohana features sweeping views of nature, spaces to promote patients' sense of safety by allowing them to observe the surrounding environment while feeling protected, rounded edges and natural materials, gardens for therapy and to use in cooking, and private balconies for caregivers to recharge." The campus "terraces" down its sloped site According to the studio, the campus design "celebrates nature for wellness" and beyond its large windows and gardens, was integrated directly into the slope of its site. The building's longest volume sits at the campus's highest point, while the gymnasium and second volume sit slightly downhill. Public-facing spaces were located in the campus's most uphill volume Inside, the programming was organised around the "severity of the patient's conditions", with more public-facing programming uphill and residential areas tucked into the lowest point. "To provide greater wellness, privacy and safety, the facility terraces down the site," said the studio The design promotes a connection to nature "Spaces are organized around the severity of patients' conditions, from the most public and lowest-acuity areas at the top to the highest-acuity residential spaces at the base." The gymnasium building was centralized to promote movement among patients, which helps people "control behaviours and other cognitive abilities" through the improvement of executive function, or skills used to manage everyday tasks. Read: NBBJ completes nature-infused California school for neurodiverse students The gardens, planted with species shown to boost the immune system, also promote wellness. "Many patients with behavioral health illness also experience a higher rate of coincident health issues, which can be mitigated in part through heightened immune function," said the studio. Residential areas were located in a lower volume "Specific plants are located throughout the project, a result of research which shows they activate natural killer cells, boosting immune function by 40 per cent." The gardens also provide spaces for staff breaks, as the studio noted staff wellness was another key factor for the campus design. A centralized gymnasium promotes movement for patients According to the team, turnover rates in the industry can be as high as 40 per cent, so dedicated areas inside and out were created for staff members to rest. The team hopes the building serves as a prototype for other behavioural health facilities. Dedicated staff break areas were integrated into the design "The building itself becomes an element of our prevention program," Ohana executive director Dr. Susan Swick. "It creates a sense of possibility, of hope, and the ways in which mental health must be built." "Mental illness must be treated and its curable. But it must be built. The building itself is a reminder, a promise, and a facilitator." NBBJ recently designed a California school for neurodiverse students and an interactive display to ease young patients' anxiety at a children's hospital. The photography is by Ty Cole unless otherwise noted. The post NBBJ uses "softly curving" buildings for adolescent behavioural health campus appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studios Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture have renovated and expanded a mid-century modern house in Montreal, dividing the original residence from the addition with a monumental skylight. Architects Morin & Cinq-Mars originally constructed Residence Ave Duchastel on Mount Royal in the Outremont district in the 1950s, drawing inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. Completing

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Local studios Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture have renovated and expanded a mid-century modern house in Montreal, dividing the original residence from the addition with a monumental skylight. Architects Morin & Cinq-Mars originally constructed Residence Ave Duchastel on Mount Royal in the Outremont district in the 1950s, drawing inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture have renovated and expanded a mid-century modern house in Montreal Completing the renovation in 2023, Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture worked to honour the historical essence and reestablish a serene retreat in the heart of the city. "The interventions pay homage to this iconic architect and integrate Japanese and Scandinavian influences, which are highly appreciated by the owners," the team said. "The result is a spacious, welcoming living space that is deeply connected to the natural beauty of the surrounding forest." Textured brick clads the street side of the house The street side of the house is composed of light-coloured, textured brick and stone with large horizontal slate roofs and bands of windows on the second story that emphasize the original design's horizontality. The additional volume is located at the back of the house, maintaining proportions and keeping the house in harmony with the neighbourhood. The interior has a strong connection to the garden Primarily glazed, the addition has a strong connection to the outdoors with vertical Ipe wood slats that juxtapose the horizontal brickwork. Tin-coated copper details outline corners and edges. Inside, a large angled skylight carves through the space, separating the original perimeter from the addition and flooding the interiors with diffused light. Oak flooring was blended with walnut cabinetry The interiors blend oak flooring with walnut cabinetry and a heavy stone fireplace with thin marble countertops. Shou Sugi Ban burnt wood is paired with a lightweight spiral staircase with a glass railing. "The imposing height of the cathedral ceiling, paired with textured walls and gentle curves, creates a balance that is both grandiose and soothing," the team said. Scandinavian design influence led to clean planes and sinuous lines Scandinavian design influence negated the inclusion of baseboards and mouldings. The studio opted for clean planes and sinuous lines, as seen in the seamlessly integrated doors that extend the full height of the wall. Architectural lighting and artworks were carefully selected to continue the toned-down approach. Read: OEO Studio adds Nordic influences to Japandi-style apartment in Tokyo The landscaping – which blends into the interiors through floor-to-ceiling windows – is a Japanese-inspired Zen garden with lush greenery and multiple water elements in addition to the backyard pool. A tranquil pond marks the main entrance, a shallow rectangular water feature is set into the rear deck next to the sunken lounge area and a fountain sits in the side courtyard. River pebbles and planted thyme enhance the serenity of the garden. The landscaping is a Japanese-inspired Zen garden With a blend of mid-century principles, Japanese design, and Scandinavian influences, the house is "a modern and welcoming residence that imbues a sense of well-being through the finesse of the design team's choices and the diligent execution of every detail". Other recent renovations nearby include Ménard Dworkind's addition of a sculptural mezzanine into a 1980s home and Talo Studios introduction of "Japandi" interior elements into a 100-year-old Mount Royal house. The photography is by Adrien Williams. Project credits: Architecture: Salem Architecture + Atelier Chardonnat Interior design: Atelier Chardonnat General contractor: Construction Archetype Structural engineer: HBGC + Habitat-Fix Landscaping: Collaboration le Paysagiste, Boutique Vivace et Atelier Chardonnat Domotic: Environnement Électronique Electrical: Electric Eel inc. Fine woodworking: Élément Bois Marble: Atelier Stone Age Kitchen: Key Cucine Pure Cuisine Kitchen stone: Casone Faucets: CEA Wrought metals and staircase: Félix Lepage Design Windows: Josko Living room skylight: A.D. Prévost Fireplace: Norea Concrete bathtub: Balux Staircase lighting fixture: Bocci Living room sofa: Meubles Reno Living room lighting fixture: Davide Groppi The post Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture overhaul mid-century Montreal house appeared first on Dezeen.

Indian practice Studio Terratects has completed Urul, a house on a forested site in Kerala, India, which features a mud-plastered interior. Designed for a client engaged in environmentalism, the home in Wayanad has an earthy material palette intended to evoke nature as much as possible. Studio Terratects has also celebrated local craftsmanship and "artisanal techniques"

The post Studio Terratects nestles earthy home into Keralan forest appeared first on Dezeen.

Indian practice Studio Terratects has completed Urul, a house on a forested site in Kerala, India, which features a mud-plastered interior. Designed for a client engaged in environmentalism, the home in Wayanad has an earthy material palette intended to evoke nature as much as possible. Studio Terratects has also celebrated local craftsmanship and "artisanal techniques" throughout to help connect Urul to its context. Studio Terratects has completed an earthy home on a forested site in Kerala "The core concept behind the design was to create a residence where every corner and element narrates a unique story of craftsmanship and nature's interplay," principal architect Roshith Shibu told Dezeen. "The design integrates artisanal techniques and natural materials, resulting in a home that feels both thoughtfully crafted and organically connected to its environment." Urul has a clean-cut geometric form. The lower level of its front portion is contained within a cuboidal, earth-toned block, left open on one side to make space for a terrace. The home has a geometric form Its upper level has a smaller footprint, enclosed by black and grey walls with large windows. It is topped by a flat roof with deep eaves to shelter a balcony. Additional volumes intersect to form the remainder of the home, including a pale grey form and an earth-toned block that are connected by a glass link. A C-shaped black addition forms the home's front porch A black C-shaped volume extends from one side of the home's raised ground floor, perforated with a circular opening that forms the front porch. Accessed by a small flight of steps with a wooden handrail, this sheltered porch opens into a bright living area, bordered on one side by a fully glazed wall with sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains. Natural materials and mud-plastered walls feature across the interior The living space is further brightened by white sofas and a skylight near the home's entrance, while wooden furnishings give the space a natural feel. Wooden battens line the ceiling and add texture to the room, in tandem with exposed structural elements made of concrete and steel. Beams and columns frame the home's spaces In addition to the other materials, mud plaster made with locally sourced earth was used across the interior walls. "In designing this residence, the material palette was chosen to reflect the client's environmentalism and desire for a nature-inspired, earthy home," said Shibu. "Mud plastering was selected for its thermal insulation properties and natural aesthetic, with the added significance of bearing the fingerprints of the local tribal community, telling a story of traditional craftsmanship." Read: Expansive roofs create indoor-outdoor spaces in concrete Indian home A walkway extends from one side of the living space, where a wooden workstation runs along a wall lined with woven artwork. Behind this is a small courtyard. "The arrangement of the spaces, including the outdoor areas, was guided by a commitment to creating a harmonious flow between the indoors and the natural surroundings," said Shibu. The kitchen and dining room are hosted on the ground floor "Key considerations included maximising natural light, ensuring optimal ventilation, and fostering a seamless transition between the home's interior and its external environment," added Shibu. "Functional zones are arranged to promote both privacy and social interaction, ensuring that each space serves its purpose while contributing to the overall harmony and balance of the residence," he continued. A terrace and bedroom are hosted on the upper floor Other spaces on the ground floor include a bedroom illuminated by floor-to-ceiling glazing, a kitchen and dining room that borders a small courtyard and a bathroom. Beside the walkway is a winding staircase surrounded by walls with geometric cutouts and irregular voids. The upper level of Urul features rooms designed to blend with the outdoors, including a generously sized terrace and a second bedroom. The walkway to the terrace borders an interior void decorated with hanging lights, offering views of the home's ground floor. Other recently completed Indian homes include a curving home with walls lined with discarded toys and compressed earth blocks and a rammed-earth home informed by vernacular building techniques. The photography is by Prasanth Mohan. The post Studio Terratects nestles earthy home into Keralan forest appeared first on Dezeen.

A community for students, professionals, and lovers of architecture.

Welcome to the What Style Is This? / What Is This Thing ? megathread, an opportunity to ask about the history and design of individual buildings and their elements, including details and materials. Top-level posts to this thread should include at least one image and the following information if known: name of designer(s), date(s) of construction, building location, and building function (e.g., residential, commercial, industrial, religious). In this thread, less is NOT more. Providing the requested information will give you a better chance of receiving a complete and accurate response. Further discussion of architectural styles is permitted as a response to top-level posts. submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

Please use this stickied megathread to post all your questions related to computer hardware and software. This includes asking about products and system requirements (e.g., what laptop should I buy for architecture school?) as well as issues related to drafting, modeling, and rendering software (e.g., how do I do this in Revit?) submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

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From a visit to NYC last year. submitted by /u/No_Feedback_3340 [link] [comments]

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Su nombre completo es <<Califal Catedral de Jesucristo a la resurrección en los cielos de la sacra Guadallolíd>> Construida en el siglo XVI sobre la antigua mezquita mayor de Guadallolíd; qué data del Siglo VIII. Por ordenanza del arzobispo primado la catedral no derrumbó el complejo mezquital, reformando en su lugar la estructura previa como un símbolo de dominio político y cultural del cristianismo sobre el islam. Resultando así en la consagración del primer templo Cristi-brajimadi. submitted by /u/3nanonano3 [link] [comments]

Hi everyone, I’m currently in grade 12 and I’ve wanted to do architecture since I heard about it in grade 10. I knew I didn’t want to do anything in science, so I only took physics as you need that for architecture. 2 years later, I have to apply to uni soon and I’m seriously starting to doubt my decision to do architecture because everything I’ve read is negative and the pay isn’t good after 7-8 years of school. Is school and the debt worth it for the job? I was just considering arch because I love art and it seemed like the only career that could actually be successful and wasn’t risky. But if you are graduating arch school and masters and it doesn’t prepare you for working as an architect than what’s the point 😭I guess my question is, is it worth it to do architecture? I know you can also go into other fields with an arch degree but tbh if I’m studying for arch I’ll probably wanna be an architect. I don’t know if I’ll love architecture or not and it’s frowned upon especially in my family to take a major and then switch cuz it’s “a waste of money”. Thank you so much in advance for any answers - any help or advice is appreciated! submitted by /u/mangosluvs [link] [comments]

I know nothing about architecture so spill the beans submitted by /u/Bnmvgy [link] [comments]

Do you guys have any tips for model making from your school days? Please do share. I can never get mine to look neat for example. submitted by /u/ConsequenceJunior635 [link] [comments]

I am doing a road trip and would love to stop at some architectural landmarks and do a tour or two if possible. I love interior, residential buildings but am open to anything. Any suggestions? submitted by /u/HatenoCheeseMonger [link] [comments]

Mass timber - codes? Acceptance by AHJ? engineering principles? I'm thinking of using Mass timber for a self designed 3,000 ft² shop on my lot- my neighbors all have large pole barns, so it matches the scale of the neighborhood What part of the codes covers this ? If you see it in your area, what's the path to Acceptance by your local AHJ? Has anyone come across a good website that discusses the engineering principles? submitted by /u/McLuhanSaidItFirst [link] [comments]

I’ve never experienced this so just want to make sure before I potentially push back. I’ve been working at my current interior design firm for 3 years. It has been just me and the owner and we recently added an assistant. Projects from the covid boom have wrapped up and there are no new ones coming in so I’m thinking it’s the perfect time to leave and go off on my own. My current employer and I are currently talking about me transitioning out and the topic of project photos came up. (She looked up my personal website portfolio) She claims she has to think about me having access to them since she paid the photographer and potential stylists. It wasn’t said explicitly but the implication was that I might have to pay her a portion of those costs to get photos of projects I worked on. This will probably also apply to projects that have yet to be photographed but are completed. We plan on talking more about it but before we do, I want to go in with more information. So, is this something you’ve experienced before? None of my previous firms have done that so maybe that was the exception and not the rule? submitted by /u/bluedolphin58 [link] [comments]

Hi I am from buss. Management background..... And I wanna learn architecture courses which can teach me about civil, electric, plumbing and interior Related to builder floor as I wanna purse this field now can anyone help me with finding the right course to add above mentioned things to my skill set I have researched and talked to some institutes like AAFT etc. but i ammnot getting to know all the things I wanna learn..... any suggestions submitted by /u/CartoonistEuphoric29 [link] [comments]

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Short version: what’s a good book for a NON architect that works closely with architects who wants to better communicate, understand, and collaborate with my architects? Long version: I’m a housing developer who works with architects regularly. I have no desire, interest, or time to become an architect, but I am working on a new project that I would like to work more closely with my architects on because of the nature of the buildings (independent senior living homes designed for aging in place) and because I am interested in being more creative around sustainability practices. My main goal around sustainability is to reduce the costs of utilities for seniors so that the housing can be more affordable in general. I don’t have any crazy architectural visions that I want to force my architect to make work, I just want to be able to better understand the plans, I want to better informed about options, and I generally would like to have a more collaborative relationship with my team. I’m a big book learner so I thought I would start there before even hiring my next team. My previous relationships have been a little combative when I question choices and I guess I also want to better understand how architects think so that my questions don’t come off like some bossy ignorant demanding client who wants the impossible. So if you have a good intro books, or working with architects books or even books you wish your clients would read please let me know! If you have a bonus suggestion of great books about senior architecture or sustainability for cost saving for homeowners/renters I’m all ears for that too! submitted by /u/Puzzleheaded_Sea1220 [link] [comments]

Below are three hospitals (Regions, St. Paul MN, United, St. Paul MN, and Lakeview, Stillwater MN) that all have this similar design. I lived in two different rooms in the one at Regions. Each floor of each wing(?) had a nurse's station in the center, with short hallways that lead to two private rooms that faced outward. Does anyone know anything about this design? Is/was it popular for some time for the utility of the layout? Was it a specific architectural provider? Years after my stint at Regions I noticed the other two and it's been on my mind for a long time. https://preview.redd.it/xy14wy97q2pd1.png?width=511&format=png&auto=webp&s=b2fbc14ed4313647c3523075bd4241603932ce36 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.955634,-93.0946402,162m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D https://preview.redd.it/xuosc4qaq2pd1.png?width=738&format=png&auto=webp&s=6975fcdeb63031d651b379a402a072e40c1e5a54 https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9433745,-93.1081255,96m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D https://preview.redd.it/55rmwik4q2pd1.png?width=878&format=png&auto=webp&s=5dca5f1570348d2f41796c9f249a204c4782e8bc https://www.google.com/maps/@45.0464753,-92.8181247,107m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D submitted by /u/wildcattdw [link] [comments]

I am a second-year student of architecture however, I feel like I am learning nothing. I also have poor time management skills, I couldn't submit my plates completely. One, because I render very slowly. Two, even when I am just about 25% done with the plate, another one comes in, then another, then another, which makes it hard for me, since I can't really go on a day without sleep. Three, I already feel like I am a disgrace on the teachers' eye. I never felt like I belong, yet I want to continue it. I love architecture, I want to continue it however, I kept on gathering lower and lower grades as the semester passes. I feel like I shouldn't continue it but I want to continue it. I want to shift courses, but I would feel very bad if I left architecture. I just have this deep feeling in me that knows that I will regret if I don't continue, but I can't handle it anymore. I don't know anymore😭 submitted by /u/Sero_ToninX [link] [comments]

Does anyone know where I can find a detail drawing of a flat roof with ACM panel finish and wood plank soffit for reference? submitted by /u/venusxxi [link] [comments]

Hey everyone! I'm graduate architect from African Country and I'm seriously considering moving to Dubai to pursue my career. I'm really interested in learning about the job market for architects in Dubai, especially for those with degrees from Africa. • Are there good opportunities for architects in Dubai? • How do East African degrees generally fare in terms of recognition? • What are the best ways to find job openings and connect with potential employers? • Any tips on the visa process and getting settled in Dubai? Any insights or advice from those who've worked in the industry, or know someone who has, would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/SpecialBox884 [link] [comments]

Jennifer Garner has so much delicious fruit growing in her Orchard, including her first-ever cherry! Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

The untucked lounge is where all the drama happens on RuPaul's Drag Race and it's bigger and better than ever. Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Today Architectural Digest takes you inside some of the most stylish celebrity closets. From Emma Chamberlain's dream dressing room to Carmelo Anthony's dedicated sneaker paradise, look at the rooms where the fashion happens. 00:00 Intro 00:35 RuPaul 02:01 Emma Chamberlain 03:41 Benny Blanco 04:40 Jon Batiste & Suleika Jaouad 05:52 Amber Valletta 07:12 G-Eazy 08:17 Taylor Hill 09:48 Justina Blakeney 10:41 Carmelo Anthony RuPaul Editor: Alex Mechanik Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds Colorist: Oliver Eid Emma Chamberlain Editor: Lika Kumoi Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen Assistant Editor: Diego Rentsch Additional Editor: Paul Tael Benny Blanco Editor: Ron Douglas Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Billy Ward Colorist: Oliver Eid Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad Editor: Tristen Rogers Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Additional Editor: Paul Tael Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds Colorist: Oliver Eid Amber Valletta Editor: William Long Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Billy Ward Colorist: Oliver Eid G-Eazy Assistant Editor: Paul Tael Editor: Eve Hinz Post Supervisor: Steph Cardone Taylor Hill Assistant Editor: Paul Tael Editor: Robby Massey Post Supervisor: Rachael Knight Justina Blakeney Editor: Tristen Rogers Post Production Supervisor: Nicholas Ascanio Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen Assistant Editor: Diego Rentsch, Billy Ward Carmello Anthony Editor: Letícia Villarinho Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Lauren Worona Colorist: Oliver Eid Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Lily Collins takes you for a look inside Emily's apartment from 'Emily in Paris'. Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Today, AD is welcomed by fashion designer Harris Reed to tour his fantastical London home. When the trailblazing Nina Ricci creative director and husband Eitan Senerman first viewed their future home it was dark, gray, and in dire need of renovation–yet there was something about it Reed could not stop thinking about. The space felt like a blank canvas, and with the help of his godfather, Harry Harris of 4Corners Design, and Georgina Wood, founder and creative director of Studio Clementine, Reed turned the space into a “Wes Anderson–meets–Oscar Wilde” fantasyland. The 750-square-foot space transcends into opulence with embroidered silk walls, embellished ceilings, and marbled floors creating the perfect creative refuge for the couple. “It really is a safe queer space—all our friends can feel at home here,” he says. “We’ve created something so authentic, and it’s beautiful when a dream allows others to dream as well. I think that’s really special.” See more of Harris Reed's London home here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/visit-fashion-designer-harris-reeds-london-apartment Shop pieces inspired by Harris Reed’s London apartment: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/shopping/harris-reed-open-door 00:00 Intro 00:16 Living Room 02:30 Entryway 03:53 Bedroom 05:50 Bathroom 06:51 Kitchen 08:42 Library 10:01 Garden Tobias Keene: www.tobiaskeene.art Luzmaria Fernandez: www.luzmariafernandez.com Director: Leandra Behrens; Skylar Economy Director of Photography: James Fox Editor: Ron Douglas Interior Designer: Studio Clementine Producer: Preshita Saha Line Producer: Joe Buscemi Associate Producer: Noah Bierbrier Production Manager: Melissa Heber Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila Assistant Camera: Petar Velchev Audio Engineer: Mark Cheffens Production Assistant: Jack Haynes Global Entertainment Director: Dana Mathews Entertainment Editor: Ernesto Macias Entertainment Editor (On- Site): Eliz Akdeniz Director of Creative Development: Morgan Crossley Director of Content: Keleigh Nealon Senior Producer: Alyssa Marino Associate Director, Post Prodcution: Nicholas Ascanio Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Fynn Lithgow VFX: Samuel Fuller Colorist: Oliver Eid Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

From real Michelin-starred dishes to subtle nods to Normandy, Gabriel's restaurant is full of amazing design detail. Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Meet Neon, Antoni Porowski's lil shadow! Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Today, AD is welcomed by Antoni Porowski to tour his sophisticated New York home. The Queer Eye star has always been something of a self-professed nomad, but when the pandemic hit it was time to lay down some more permanent roots. Despite dreams of a historic loft in downtown Manhattan, Porowski wasn’t keen on a huge renovation, instead finding ‘the one’ in a new build. With the help of Andrew Torrey, a good friend, and AD PRO Directory interior designer, Porowski transformed his new home into a chic, sophisticated space full of unique art and custom artisanal furniture pieces. “Every corner here is a memory,” Porowski notes. “I do love to travel, but then I can’t wait to come home.” Shop pieces inspired by Antoni Porowski's Manhattan home: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/shopping/antoni-porowski-open-door 00:00 Intro 00:53 Kitchen 03:33 Living Room 06:09 Dining Area 07:37 Bedroom 09:38 Bathroom 10:42 Office/Guest Room Director: Joel Ahumada Director of Photography: Eric Brouse Editor: Alex Mechanik Talent: Antoni Porowski Senior Producer: Alyssa Marino Director of Creative Development: Morgan Crossley Line Producer: Joe Buscemi Associate Producer: Noah Bierbrier; Brandon Fuhr; Pichteeda Taing Production Manager: Melissa Heber Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila Talent Booker: Ernesto Macias Camera Operator: Marc Manasse Audio Engineer: Lily Van Leeuwen Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Andy Morell Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Jennifer Garner's kitchen is straight out of a farmhouse fantasy! Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Today, AD is welcomed by Jennifer Garner to tour her farm-style home in Los Angeles. When designing Garner’s home, there was no Pinterest board or pictures from a magazine; it was simply an in-depth discussion with designers Steve and Brooke Giannetti and a watercolor painting of their vision. Together, they designed a farmhouse-style oasis full of warmth and character. From her wooden kitchen with a dedicated baking station to an orchard in the backyard, it’s easy to forget Garner lives among the hustle and bustle of LA. “I wanted it to feel old and cool and historic, but I also wanted to make it work for a big family with a lot of things going on.” See more of Jennifer Garner's home here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/step-inside-jennifer-garners-cozy-california-home Shop pieces inspired by Jennifer Garner’s Cozy California Home: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/shopping/jennifer-garner-open-door 00:00 Intro 00:17 Living Room 02:00 Kitchen 03:09 Dining Room 03:50 Library 04:54 Orchard 05:56 Vegetable House 06:17 Pool Area 06:53 Landing 07:20 Reading Nook 07:59 Primary Bedroom 08:41 Primary Bathroom 09:21 Slumber Party Room 'Formia’ stone sculpture by Ole Mynster at Ruby Atelier Photography by Lara Porzak Stained Glass by Judson Studios, Reed Bradley Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Michael Wyetzner breaks down design details of the Beetlejuice house. Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

It's officially Virgo season! Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

Today, AD is welcomed by Yolanda Hadid to tour her modern Texas home. The reality TV star’s relationship with Fort Worth is a real love story; after visiting on her first date with her partner, Joseph Jingoli, over six years ago, the couple have now built their dream Texan refuge from the ground up. Hadid designed the home herself with an industrial, modern, and relaxing vision in mind. The former model masters the ranch aesthetic with beautiful reclaimed wood throughout and a mudroom that does not disappoint. And when her children, Anwar, Gigi, and Bella Hadid, come to stay there are plenty of cozy rooms including an adorable bunkbed room designed especially for granddaughter Khai and any future grandkids. An elegant mix of hard industrial lines and plush textures, Yolanda Hadid’s home is the perfect place to kick off your boots and unwind “I want people to be able to come in and wear their cowboy boots. I’m not going to worry about mud on the floors. It had to be casual,” she says. “I wanted to use a lot of organic materials because there’s something about cowboy culture that feels organic to me—going back to the earth.” Shop pieces inspired by Yolanda Hadid’s Lone Star State refuge: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/shopping/yolanda-hadid-open-door 00:00 Intro 00:22 Living Room 01:35 Kitchen & Dining Area 03:23 Pantry 04:20 Patio 05:19 Mudroom 06:16 Grandkids Room 07:23 Bathroom 07:53 Primary Bedroom 08:40 Primary En Suite 09:15 Closet Still images of The Wild Horses of Sable Island ® by Roberto Dutesco Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

The art department for RuPaul's Drag Race is stacked wall to wall with glitter and everything needed to make any object 'draggier'! Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

This delicate Murano glass chandelier has to be assembled piece by piece and is a real showstopper. Want even more AD? Subscribe to the magazine and get a free tote ►► https://bit.ly/3Oh8McU Still haven’t subscribed to Architectural Digest on YouTube? ►► http://bit.ly/2zl7s34 ABOUT ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST The leading international design authority, Architectural Digest features articles and videos of the best in architecture, style, culture, travel, and shopping.

This spectacular treehouse-style cabin sits high on a mountain with panoramic views. It’s modern charm somehow perfectly blending into the imposing surrounding landscape. This is a cabin that sits on top of the world, and yet for owners / builders John and Sharon, getting here was a hard mountain to climb. The couple suffered a bankruptcy, where they lost everything with the exception of a bit of forested land which sat on a steep section on a mountain side. The land, declared worthless by the bank was where they made a new home for themselves, living in a tiny caravan while they began to rebuild their lives. Their adversity didn’t stop there however, as John suffered a major heart attack that very nearly cost him his life. For many people, the story would have ended there, but for this resilient couple it just became a new beginning. Here on their mountainside they rebuilt their life, living in their caravan while building a small home. Once the first small home was complete, they moved into that while building another tiny abode. They then moved into that one while renting out the first and so on until they had constructed three incredible dwellings on their property which also turned into a small business in the form of a BnB. Sharing their home with others provided cashflow and helped them to financially recover and now, their thriving BnB business provides them a wonderful, peaceful lifestyle on their mountain. Building these tiny homes was really all about getting back to health, both physically and financially. In this episode, we explore their tree-house inspired cabin. This clever construction is an architectural marvel, elevated with the most awe-inspiring views that carry the eye across the valley and out towards the tremendous mountain ranges in the distance. This one-of-a-kind cabin stands not only as a brilliant bit of engineering and construction, but also as a monument to human perseverance and power of will. We hope you enjoy the tour of this stunning cabin. If you would like to visit John and Sharon (and we highly recommend you do, because as hosts, they are second to none) you can find them here: http://www.thejardincollective.com.au/ If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #smallhouse #treehouse #cabin

The idea of never needing to pay another utility bill again is the stuff dreams are made of, but for Perlin, that’s his new reality after building himself an impressive off-the-grid tiny house compound. I say compound because after completing his original tiny house he didn’t stop there. He has since expanded with a second tiny home which functions as an office / sleep out for guests, a workshop with car-port, and a storage container which is now used for storing materials for the further tiny homes he plans to construct in the future! As an off-the-grid paradise, this place is set up exceptionally well. The abundant solar system provides enough energy to not only power his home and workshop, but also enables him to charge his electric vehicle. Rainwater collection from the tiny house and also the extended shed and carport space gives him abundant rainwater. He even has a bio-digesting toilet which provides his cooking gas. This 100% off grid set-up is very impressive. Getting to this point wasn’t easy though and he had some trials and tribulations along the way. Wait until you see the damage done by the 2022 floods! EEK! All is well that ends well though, and now, his set-up has fully recovered and is running better than ever! We hope you enjoy the tour. Perlin has some big plans for his tiny endeavours in the future! You can follow his journey and find out more about what he is up to here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCBY6RoYV_966rbMSfe0Cgfw If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #offgrid

A big thanks to Klook for sponsoring this video! To get started on your next adventure, visit https://www.klook.com and remember to use our promo code LIVINGBIG for a discount when booking your experience. It's been five years since we last visited Paul and Annett in their incredible off-the-grid tiny house on the Gold Coast and a lot has changed over the years. It's not often that we get to interview people who have been living in their tiny homes for this long and so it's wonderful to be able to share their inspiring story and see how off-grid tiny house living works in the long-term! You can see the first tour we filmed of their home here: https://youtu.be/83vzo2J09VM And our first revisit here: https://youtu.be/ZJ7ZihueEe0 Their home is looking wonderful and enjoys some new features and developments since we were last here. From the expanded solar system which now charges an EV, through to the now much-more established fruit trees, there is still a lot to love about this place. But what's even more special is the life-style and freedom that this home has provided Paul and Annett. With energy from solar (which now also powers their electric vehicle), rainwater collection, gas created by a bio-gas digester, and much of their food coming from the garden, their only real outgoings are modest rent and their food budget. The rest of their income (both of them now work from home) can go towards travel, their hobbies and has also allowed them to do something very cool! You'll have to watch the video to find out about that though! It was such a pleasure for us to visit this tiny home once again. We hope you enjoy the tour! You can follow along with Paul and Annett here: https://www.instagram.com/livingtinyandgreen/ If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #hometour #offgrid #offgridliving

This stunning, modern tiny home is designed like no other. Cleverly thought out in all three dimensions the interlocking spaces make it seem as though the rooms are Tetris blocks, fitting perfectly together to form a home. Alan and Emily are newly-weds who have just moved into their dream tiny home. It’s a big tiny house at just over 10 meters (33ft) in length, and boasts a strikingly modern design. The matt black steel exterior of the home gives it an almost imposing look, as if it’s a monument on the landscape. This is a space which has been brilliantly designed for the couples current needs while also giving them plenty of room to grow. Beyond the cleverness of the house, the living space is further accentuated by the wonderful parking spot the couple have found. Here, they can enjoy complete privacy, immersed in nature with a picturesque pond right outside their front door. Who could ask for more? We hope you enjoy the full tour of this wonderful tiny home! To follow Alan and Emily's tiny house adventures, you can find their socials here: https://www.instagram.com/head_and_heart_club/ and here: https://www.instagram.com/emily_4eva_restored/ If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #hometour

This is a tiny house like no other we have seen before. An old bus, no longer drivable, has been transported onto a beautiful section and given new life as an artists tiny home amongst the trees. The bus sits in place almost as if a forgotten relic, slowly being overtaken by the beauty of nature and the surrounding flora. The first signs of habitation shimmer from the spectacular outdoor living area, glistening with thousands of fairy lights which surround the place and add to an otherworldly feeling. Upon entering the bus, there is a distinct feeling as though you’ve been transported to another world. Beautifully styled in a whimsical fashion, the tiny house is immediately warm and welcoming. The large windows help to retain the impression of being surrounded by nature while remaining protected inside the structure. Chelsea, an artist, created this space not only as a place to live, but also a place to create and to be inspired. The result, simply magical. We hope you enjoy the tour of this unusual and beautiful tiny home. You can follow Chelsea and her artistic adventures via her socials here: https://linktr.ee/studiolomandra If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #hometour

One of our absolute favourite tiny homes has somehow managed to get even better! In this weeks episode we re-visit Colin and Megan and their spectacular (not so) tiny home in Brisbane, Australia. You can watch our original tour of this home here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tac5Mtz3CP0 This tiny home was absolutely packed with incredible design ideas and now, after more than 5 years living in the home even more improvements have been made to this already outstanding design. In addition to the modifications to the tiny home, Colin and Megan have also been busy expanding out into the stunning outdoor spaces, having now included a 20ft shipping container workshop, a car-port, spectacular container gardens and even a golf green! What’s most impressive about their permanent-looking set-up, is that it’s all been designed so that in the future it can all be easily moved when they eventually decide to shift their tiny homestead onto their own land. This clever couple have built a space they can be exceptionally proud of and it’s a pleasure to revisit this home after more than four years to see how life is going in this dream tiny home. We hope you enjoy the tour of this stunning tiny home! You can follow Colin and Megan's tiny house adventures on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ourbigtinyhouse/ and Colin's wood working at https://www.instagram.com/serenitywoodcraft/ If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #hometour

This project is a dream come true and we are absolutely over the moon with how this cabin turned out. We hope you enjoy the full video tour of this very special place that I have crafted for my parents retirement. I want to say a huge thank-you to Palmako and Trade Tested (http://www.tradetested.co.nz) for teaming up with us on this project and helping to make all of this possible. To find out more about these cabins, visit: https://www.palmako.ee/en-us/houses?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=LivingBigInATinyHouse&utm_campaign=Living+Big+Video+Campaign&utm_content=Living+Big+Video+Campaign You can find Palmako kit-set cabins all over the globe! Find your local distributor here: https://www.palmako.ee/en/find-your-nearest-reseller?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=LivingBigInATinyHouse&utm_campaign=Living+Big+Video+Campaign&utm_content=Living+Big+Video+Campaign Here, we have taken a kit-set cabin and turned it into a dream get-away. A place where we can relax, unwind and be with nature. The exterior of this cabin is all about connection with nature, form the sun-soaked front deck with BBQ, table and chairs, through to the tree-house style rear deck with captivating views looking out over the forest canopy, this place is truly something else. Stepping inside, the cabin is quintessentially cozy with all the wonderful warmth coming from the beautiful Nordic spruce timber logs. Of course, there's a cozy leather couch in front of the fire, and the interior decor of this cabin is designed to make you relax into the space, with a hint of modern design thrown in there too for ease of living. We hope you enjoy the full tour of this beautiful cabin. We are very proud of what we've created here! If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #cabin #cabinlife #cabintour

In this weeks episode, we take our cabin build to the next level adding outdoor extensions and fitting out the interior! Discover June’s Journey for FREE! Tap here to download: https://woo.ga/sj4axj1d Play on Android, iOS, and PC through Facebook Games. Here, we take our cool Palmako kit-set cabin that we constructed in last weeks episode (view here: https://youtu.be/LzmHQuFsG_Q) and take the cabin build to the next level, creating decks and awnings which really help to connect the cabin to the outdoors and doing a full cabinetry fit-out on the interior. The front deck will be such a nice place to sit and enjoy all day sun, as well as a great place to BBQ and entertain. The interior fit-out will provide a huge amount of function and storage as we add a kitchenette, shelving, build-in-wardrobes and more. I think my absolute favourite addition though has to be the rear tree-house style deck, with stunning views looking out into the forest. To find out more about these cabins, visit: https://www.palmako.ee/en-us/houses?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=LivingBigInATinyHouse&utm_campaign=Living+Big+Video+Campaign&utm_content=Living+Big+Video+Campaign You can find Palmako kit-set cabins all over the globe! Find your local distributor here: https://www.palmako.ee/en/find-your-nearest-reseller?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=LivingBigInATinyHouse&utm_campaign=Living+Big+Video+Campaign&utm_content=Living+Big+Video+Campaign We hope you enjoy this episode! If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #cabin #cabinlife #cabinbuild #bringingjoytothegarden

In this weeks episode we start an exciting project turning an awesome kit-set cabin into the ultimate modern, off-grid getaway! To find out more about these cabins, visit: https://www.palmako.ee/en-us/houses?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=LivingBigInATinyHouse&utm_campaign=Living+Big+Video+Campaign&utm_content=Living+Big+Video+Campaign You can find Palmako kit-set cabins all over the globe! Find your local distributor here: https://www.palmako.ee/en/find-your-nearest-reseller?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=LivingBigInATinyHouse&utm_campaign=Living+Big+Video+Campaign&utm_content=Living+Big+Video+Campaign There's nothing quite like a cozy cabin. In fact, when I think of simple, close to nature human shelter the cabin is one of the first things that comes to mind. In this episode, we are building our own dream getaway cabin using the Palmako kit-set as a base and then adding onto it to take this cabin to the next level! In this first video, we cover the site preparation, the foundations as well as the construction of the kit-set cabin itself! Built from beautiful nordic spruce timber, these kit-set log cabins are quick and simple to construct and the result is very impressive! I want to say a huge thank-you to Palmako and their local NZ distributor, Trade Tested (https://www.tradetested.co.nz/c/sheds-carports/garden-studios-cabins?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=tiny_houses_1&utm_id=Tiny+Houses+1 ) for supporting this project and helping to make what we do possible. If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #BringingJoytotheGarden #DIY #CabinLife

I want to say a huge thanks to ITM Trading for partnering with us on this video. Don't let inflation eat away at your savings. Schedule your free Gold and Silver consultation with ITM Trading, by visiting https://learn.itmtrading.com/bryce or calling 866-838-6936. US mailing address or vault required. Now this is a video that I didn't really want to make, but I feel it's necessary. As much as I have a truly deep love of the tiny house movement, I can't ignore that there is a dark side to all of this and that is what I would like to explore in this video. My intention with this video isn't to put anyone off buying or building a tiny home. It's to take an honest look at some of the issues around the tiny house movement and also the wider economy that makes tiny homes so necessary. I hope you find the information here valuable. If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd

Now here is a tiny home design executed without compromise. Upsized and fully featured this three bedroom plus office tiny home has absolutely everything. The design of this home is like a game of Tetris played at the master level. Yes, this tiny house is larger than most. That doesn’t change the fact that each and every square inch of this home has been meticulously thought out to be incredibly spatially efficient. Beyond the cleverness of the design though, at its heart, this is a family home. It’s a place where beautiful memories are being created. Nourishing meals are crafted in the kitchen while laugher fills the dining table. It’s a place where togetherness and the human spirit shine through beyond the cleverness of the architectural design. That’s a real accomplishment. We hope you enjoy the tour of this spectacular home. If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #hometour

Nestled amongst the autumn trees lies a glimmering white house amongst the leaves. This little home, both quaint and fair, shines like a beacon with style and flare. Reflections gleam, the lake upon, this house cascades its light thereon. A fairytale home both good and true, complete with a dog who chews on a shoe. Forgive my poor attempt at verse, but this home is deserving of poetry. Tucked in on the lake-shore of this stunning property in rural Queensland is a home to be adored. The bright design of this home is nothing short of enchanting. With archways and plants climbing all throughout the house, this home is a tiny architectural masterpiece. Tucked perfectly into the wilderness and overlooking a magical dam filled with lily pads, this forest tiny house is completely off the gird. Here in this stunning tiny house, Nixie has found a simple life of luxury. We hope you enjoy the full tour of this incredible tiny home. You can follow Nixie's tiny house journey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nixie.moon/ If you enjoy our show and would like to help support our work, please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/livingbig Our Socials and Links: https://linktr.ee/livingbig Find out more about this tiny house and others on our website: https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/ Please subscribe for more videos on tiny houses, architecture, DIY, design, and sustainable, off-grid living. Presented and Produced by: Bryce Langston Camera: Rasa Pescud & Bryce Langston Editing: Sarah Binder & Rasa Pescud Title music in this video by Bryce Langston: http://www.youtube.com/brycelangston 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #hometour