Architecture

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As Shenzhen's population and urban development continue to expand rapidly, the availability of land for construction and growth is becoming increasingly constrained, presenting significant challenges in providing adequate school and kindergarten seats. To address these challenges, designing high-density campuses that efficiently utilize land while meeting future educational needs has become a critical topic.

© Linlv architects: Yijing Architectural Design Location: Yongchun Road, Longhua District, Shenzhen, China Project Year: 2023 Photographs: Linlv Area: 29266.0 m2 Read more »

A Wooden Wedding Compound: Marrying Tradition with Modernity –  K-Thengono Design Studio was tasked with designing the Kencana Valley wedding compound, comprising a modest chapel, a family villa, a bridal villa, a service building, and a bridge. The chapel's design approach draws inspiration from the distinctive curved rooflines of Sundanese architecture, native to the Bogor region where the compound is located. Its organic-shaped roof, crafted from glulam arches and clad in meranti and sirap ulin wood, frames picturesque views of Mount Pangrango, creating an idyllic backdrop for wedding ceremonies.

© Indra Wiras architects: K-Thengono Design Studio Location: Kecamatan Megamendung, Indonesia Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Indra Wiras Area: 880.0 m2 Read more »

In the heart of Hidalgo's landscape, Mexico, o.d.e (Oficina Documental de Espacio) presents Casa Zempoala, a retirement home designed for an older couple, intertwining contemporary design with local traditions. This 189 m² project is organized around two interior courtyards, conceived as spaces for gatherings and family conversations, while also serving as a serene refuge for this stage of life—celebrating both togetherness and intimacy.

© Zaickz Moz architects: o.d.e. Location: Zempoala, Mexico Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Zaickz Moz Area: 189.0 m2 Read more »

The residence was designed as a summer home for a Brazilian family living abroad, emphasizing its primary function: to be a “veranda-house” with spacious, open, yet inviting areas.

© Rafael Ribeiro architects: Marchetti Bonetti+ Location: Garopaba, Brazil Project Year: 2022 Photographs: Rafael Ribeiro Area: 365.0 m2 Read more »

The concept of this small apartment building reflects our vision of creating high-quality urban living. The design emphasizes respect for the urban scale, integration with the surroundings, cultivated greenery for both residents and passers-by and bright, rational layouts with dual orientations and shared living spaces.

© Alex Shoots Buildings architects: Kuklica x Smerek Architekti Location: Podunajská 9, Bratislava, Slovakia Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Alex Shoots Buildings Area: 283.0 m2 Read more »

Project summary
Archer + Braun, a London-based architectural practice, recently transformed a ground-floor flat in Edinburgh into a stunning, modern 5-bedroom family residence. Located within a conservation area, the property featured both historical importance and site constraints. Initially unaware of impending historical designation, the homeowners enlisted Archer + Braun to achieve their vision of modern, airy living, balancing contemporary style with the historic fabric of the structure. The architects' sensitivity to local conservation regulations, coupled with their experience on other listed projects in Edinburgh, played a pivotal role in achieving planning approval and meeting the family's design brief.

© Will Scott Photography architects: Archer + Braun Location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom Photographs: Will Scott Photography Area: 384.0 m2 Read more »

SO-IL (Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu) is an architectural design firm based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2008 by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu. Known for an architecture deeply engaged with social, cultural, and environmental contexts, the studio focuses on exploring innovative materials, creating fluid spatial experiences, and prioritizing ecological sustainability. SO-IL's work spans various scales and program types, reflecting their versatile approach to design. In 2024, their housing project 450 Warren in Brooklyn was selected as ArchDaily's Building of the Year by the audience in the housing category.

Rooftop looking out to NYC Housing Authority housing and the Downtown Brooklyn skyline. Image © Iwan Baan SO-IL (Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu) is an architectural design firm based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2008 by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu. Known for an architecture deeply engaged with social, cultural, and environmental contexts, the studio focuses on exploring innovative materials, creating fluid spatial experiences, and prioritizing ecological sustainability. SO-IL's work spans various scales and program types, reflecting their versatile approach to design. In 2024, their housing project 450 Warren in Brooklyn was selected as ArchDaily's Building of the Year by the audience in the housing category. In their latest book, In Depth: Urban Domesticities Today, SO-IL explores the evolving concept of home in contemporary urban contexts, transforming it "from a source of vulnerability into a tool for empowerment." The book redefines domesticity as an active and shared experience and examines how architects can address pressing urban challenges such as affordability, density, and sustainability. SO-IL's work advocates for flexible, resilient housing that fosters community while integrating ecological and social dimensions. ArchDaily spoke with the architects about the innovative solutions and ideas presented in the book, delving into how their projects challenge conventional systems and envision a future where architecture is a tool for empowerment. Read more »

In a forest glade south of Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland, lies Sommarhus E. The main building is comprised of several intersecting volumes which create shielded spaces both indoor and outdoor. The guest house is given the same treatment but on a smaller scale.⁠

© Lina E. Adamo architects: Johan Sundberg arkitektur Location: Gotland, Sweden Project Year: 2023 Photographs: Lina E. Adamo Area: 280.0 m2 Read more »

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced its 2025 World Monuments Watch, highlighting 25 sites facing significant challenges. This biennial program, launched in 1996, aims to raise awareness and mobilize action for the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. The 2025 list includes diverse locations across five continents and, notably, the Moon, representing the need to protect artifacts from humanity's first lunar missions. The selection process involved over 200 nominations, revealing regional trends such as climate change impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa and urbanization challenges in Asia and the Pacific.

Defense wall at the Erdene Zuu monastery at Karakorum, Mongolia. Image © Chantal de Bruijne via Shutterstock The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced its 2025 World Monuments Watch, highlighting 25 sites facing significant challenges. This biennial program, launched in 1996, aims to raise awareness and mobilize action for the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide. The 2025 list includes diverse locations across five continents and, notably, the Moon, representing the need to protect artifacts from humanity's first lunar missions. The selection process involved over 200 nominations, revealing regional trends such as climate change impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa and urbanization challenges in Asia and the Pacific. Read more »

A Village for Kids Hidden in the Woods - The project was commissioned by a Waldorf school in Nairobi, an institution deeply connected to nature and grounded in Anthroposophy. The buildings needed to be constructed quickly, cost-effectively (achieving a cost of 250$/m²), and with a temporary lifespan, as the plot lease is set to expire in 10 years.

© Javier Callejas architects: Urko Sanchez Architects Location: Nairobi, Kenya Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Javier Callejas Area: 3162.0 m2 Read more »

In a recent interview with Louisiana Channel, acclaimed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban shared his perspectives on architecture, his journey in the field, and his dedication to socially responsible design. Known for his innovative use of materials such as paper and timber, Ban has spent much of his career creating solutions for disaster-stricken communities and displaced populations around the world.

In a recent interview with Louisiana Channel, acclaimed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban shared his perspectives on architecture, his journey in the field, and his dedication to socially responsible design. Known for his innovative use of materials such as paper and timber, Ban has spent much of his career creating solutions for disaster-stricken communities and displaced populations around the world. Read more »

The construction industry, traditionally reliant on the intensive use of non-renewable natural materials, is at a decisive moment to reevaluate its processes and mitigate its significant environmental impact. How can the growing demand for infrastructure, housing, healthcare, and education be met without depleting natural resources? While recycling initiatives are gaining traction, they remain insufficient. In this context, more innovative solutions are emerging, proposing the use of agricultural waste, such as sugarcane bagasse, to create sustainable and disruptive alternatives for construction.

© Megan Jones The construction industry, traditionally reliant on the intensive use of non-renewable natural materials, is at a decisive moment to reevaluate its processes and mitigate its significant environmental impact. How can the growing demand for infrastructure, housing, healthcare, and education be met without depleting natural resources? While recycling initiatives are gaining traction, they remain insufficient. In this context, more innovative solutions are emerging, proposing the use of agricultural waste, such as sugarcane bagasse, to create sustainable and disruptive alternatives for construction. Read more »

Phyllis Lambert has been a key figure in the preservation of Canada's cultural heritage. As an architect and advocate for heritage conservation, Lambert has left an indelible mark in Montreal and other cities worldwide. Her contributions to Montreal's architectural scene can't really be judged in terms of individual buildings, but rather in terms of the city as a whole. She not only cofounded the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA), but also helped reshape the way cities like Montreal think about heritage and the importance of community voices in urban planning.

Aerial view of the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal. Image © Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf via Wikipedia under license CC BY-SA 4.0 Phyllis Lambert has been a key figure in the preservation of Canada's cultural heritage. As an architect and advocate for heritage conservation, Lambert has left an indelible mark in Montreal and other cities worldwide. Her contributions to Montreal's architectural scene can't really be judged in terms of individual buildings, but rather in terms of the city as a whole. She not only cofounded the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA), but also helped reshape the way cities like Montreal think about heritage and the importance of community voices in urban planning. Read more »

Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) is pleased to announce the completion of Ziraat Bank Headquarters. Conceived as the centerpiece of the Istanbul International Financial Center (IIFC), the design of the landmark twin towers integrates highly crafted detail with the demands of a modern workplace and draws on the architectural and cultural heritage of one of the world's oldest and most diverse cities. The development extends to more than 450,000 m2 incorporating Ziraat Bank's headquarters, auditorium, ground-floor retail, and below-grade parking.

© Dirk Lindner architects: KPF Location: İstanbul, Turkey Project Year: 2024 Photographs: Dirk Lindner Area: 355300.0 m2 Read more »

Embodying the architectural attributes of Northern Gulf architecture of privacy and discretion, the White Fortress is enveloped by towering, thick walls that offer protection from the harsh climate and arid surroundings, while enclosing a serene and inviting interior. The dwelling program is laid out on the ground floor and organized around patios within a rectangular walled enclave. Glazed facades in the main social area and patios are thoughtfully integrated, complementing the dwelling's traditional composition. Given the diversity of experiences, each patio or courtyard is designated with a different function; to greet, to rest, and to celebrate.

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG architects: TAEP/AAP Location: Al Khiran, Kuwait Project Year: 2023 Photographs: Fernando Guerra | FG+SG Area: 1045.0 m2 Read more »

The evolution of bathrooms into their modern configuration traces back to ancient civilizations like the Ottoman and Roman, where sanitation held significant cultural importance. During the Middle Ages, however, personal hygiene practices declined, setting back developments in sanitation until the Renaissance revived interest in cleanliness. This shift paved the way for key innovations in the 18th century, including modern plumbing systems that enabled the widespread adoption of modern sanitation spaces. Today, it's unimaginable to design an architectural project without incorporating these facilities, highlighting the essential role of hygiene and well-being, now closely tied to technological advancements.

The evolution of bathrooms into their modern configuration traces back to ancient civilizations like the Ottoman and Roman, where sanitation held significant cultural importance. During the Middle Ages, however, personal hygiene practices declined, setting back developments in sanitation until the Renaissance revived interest in cleanliness. This shift paved the way for key innovations in the 18th century, including modern plumbing systems that enabled the widespread adoption of modern sanitation spaces. Today, it's unimaginable to design an architectural project without incorporating these facilities, highlighting the essential role of hygiene and well-being, now closely tied to technological advancements. Read more »

The site area of the project is 107,071㎡, with a total building area of 110,916㎡. It consists of 7 floors above ground and 2 underground floors (3 underground floors in certain points), with a building height is 57m. The BIAD team aims to reconstruct the locality and the affinity of urban spaces by using cultural context as a guidance, citizen life as a focus, and theatrical design as an opportunity.

© SK Studio architects: BIAD Location: No. 68 Hudong Road, Chongchuan District, Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China Project Year: 2020 Photographs: SK Studio Area: 107071.0 m2 Read more »

Located in the suburban context of Palm Springs, a subdivision of Papamoa, this house combines aspects of New Zealand and Australian coastal architecture with modernist mid-century elements present in the iconic works of Richard Neutra, Alvar Aalto, and Harry Seidler, among others. This blend of architectural influences is both an intrinsic aspect of the design brief and a response to the context, exploring the subtle cues in the subdivision name and theme.

© Robert Hunter, Hunter Studio architects: Arkhefield Location: Papamoa, New Zealand Project Year: 2022 Photographs: Robert Hunter, Hunter Studio Area: 215.0 m2 Read more »

This blog wrapped in early 2024, though it continues as a Substack newsletter with the same name: archidose.substack.com

I'm breaking my blogging silence to do two things: Alert readers to the fact I am still writing reviews of architecture books under the title A Weekly Dose of Architecture Books, but over at Substack, not Blogger. Put a new post at the top of this blog so I don't have to look at those photos of me every time I come here to find an old post that I want to link to. That is all.

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.

Phillippe Starck has shared news of a newly completed architectural project in Spain called LA Almazara. The resorted olive oil manufacturing plant now allows for an inspiring epicurean museum-like experience for tourists in search of a day trip or hands-on romantic getaway. Image courtesy Starck Network/LA Almazara. References to Picasso beset the architecture, which stands out against the Andalusian landscape near the artist’s birth city of Málaga thanks to the decorative bull’s eye smokestack and Corten steel horns inscribed on and punctured through the facade at either orientation. Image courtesy Starck Network/LA Almazara. This otherwise surrealism-inspired blend of food production, food culture, design, art, and gastronomy contains a working mill press and wastes no gestures or materials (save for the monumental half olive embedded into its weather steel walls) with the deliberate exclusion of cladding or exterior finishes. Image courtesy Starck Network/LA Almazara. Starck himse...

The latest edition of our curated jobs roundup from the Archinect Job board features eight employers in the Los Angeles area offering senior-level architecture, design, and project management jobs. To explore specific job titles from the architectural profession, consult Archinect's Guide to Job Titles series. Also, follow our Archinect Tips series to improve your portfolio, resume, and interviewing skills, to increase your overall chances of getting that next job. Rapt Studio seeks a Practice Director (Project Director / Senior Creative Project Manager/Producer) "At Rapt, Studio Leads hold a project and resource management position. They’re responsible for overseeing the project lifecycle—guiding the studio's delivery process, crafting new business proposals, developing project scopes, onboarding new initiatives, mentoring Project Leads, and driving project operations. Ultimately they’re responsible for ensuring teams are thoughtfully constructed to deliver projects on time, within...

A group of architects and historians in the Washington, D.C. metro area are now spearheading a push to enshrine the contributions of Black professional architecture's forefathers to the built environment of our nation’s capital through preservation research. Their advocacy was recently picked up recently by Washingtonian magazine, which mentioned their involvement with the DC Preservation League in creating the new Black Architects Archive. The group includes Princeton University assistant professor Jay Cephas and Melvin Mitchell, one of the more prominent advocates for the better development of an academic-to-professional pipeline at HBCUs including his alma mater Howard and Morgan State University in Maryland. Mitchell’s efforts at getting to a more equitable profession were also featured in last year’s look at existing barriers to licensure with NCARB CEO Mike Armstrong and former NOMA President Pascale Sablan.

[As] the former head of the federal emergency management agency, Craig Fugate, has said: “A house that gets destroyed is not an affordable home.” It’s not a sustainable one either. The city needs greater urban density, not more firebelt bungalows. Ironically, it might be the inability of the insurance industry to pay up that finally forces LA to change. Oliver Wainwright takes the adage "Build up, not out" as his clarion call for rebuilding Los Angeles County in the wake of the (still ongoing) urban wildfires that have also sidelined many other critics of its present urban stasis, which was not addressed at all in the directive Mayor Karen Bass proffered yesterday only a week after the crisis began. The recent "exclusionary" decision to restrict most new developments to already high-density zoned neighborhoods, which account for just 28% of the city, hangs in the background here.

A coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists led by the J. Paul Getty Trust has established an emergency relief fund for artists and art workers who have lost residences, studios, and livelihoods or have otherwise been impacted by the latest major Los Angeles fires. The LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund has launched with $12 million and is expected to continue growing, with donations made through the Getty website. Among the organizations involved in the fund’s launch are the Mohn Art Collective (Hammer Museum, LACMA, and MOCA), as well as East West Bank, the Mellon Foundation, Qatar Museums, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The fund will be administered by the Center for Cultural Innovation, a longstanding intermediary providing funding, advocacy, and research support on behalf of individuals in the arts. From January 20, artists and art workers from all disciplines who have been impacted by...

Japenese studio IGArchitects, led by Masato Igarashi, has completed a home on a narrow plot in Tokyo. Titled ‘Building Frame of the House,’ the scheme was designed for a married couple who sought a home that supported their busy work-from-home schedules while feeling each other’s company. Image credit: Ooki Jingu Image credit: Ooki Jingu As a result, the home is designed with large airy volumes that form connections and interactions between interior and exterior spaces. “This led to the idea of the house of frame which is strong but flexible, where it allows a liberty way of living,” Igarashi says. Image credit: Ooki Jingu Image credit: Ooki Jingu The home provides 645 square feet of space across seven floors. The north wall of the building is skewed to create a space that connects to an adjacent vacant site. On the internal side of the wall, the heights and depth of each floor change throughout the building, while openings in the structure allow natural light and ventilation through th...

The forthcoming Calder Gardens museum and cultural space designed by Herzog & de Meuron with landscape designer Piet Oudolf in Philadelphia has announced it will open to the public in September 2025. Sited along a 1.8-acred site on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the sculpture garden dedicated to Alexander Calder's work. Its new director, Juana Berrio, says it "provides a perfect context for Calder Gardens to become one of the most innovative and forward-thinking spaces for art and culture today." As was previously announced by the Calder Foundation, programming for Calder Gardens is being operated jointly with the Barnes Foundation.

The results from the Norman Foster Foundation-led competition to rebuild Freedom Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine, have been announced following the selection of winners by a jury headlined by Deborah Berke, Moshe Safdie, and Beatriz Colomina. Featuring a cash prize pool of more than $10,000 USD (around $3,000 for each Prize Winner and $1,000 for the Student Award winner), the competition "encouraged designs that respected the city’s heritage while aligning with its aspirations for renewal and progress." The Foundation adds that it "represents a pivotal step in shaping Kharkiv’s future, reflecting the city’s enduring resilience and commitment to creating a space that serves both its historical identity and its evolving needs." The competition also relates to the Foundation’s previous Kharkiv Housing Challenge. The Kharkiv Freedom Square Revival competition induced a total of 84 total submissions, with 21 coming from within Ukraine. Each reimagines the square — described as one of the world...

Mayor Karen Bass has released a detailed plan for the rebuilding of key commercial and residential structures destroyed in last week’s devastating fires in Los Angeles County. The plan, which follows an earlier executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that eliminated CEQA reviews and other building requirements for future developments in those areas, essentially establishes a "one-stop shop" to rapidly issue building permits and allow for "like-for-like" rebuilding by waiving the discretionary review processes. The city’s Department of Building and Safety will also be directed to expedite approvals for 1,400 units of housing pro forma in order to accommodate the tens of thousands of Angelenos who are estimated to have lost their homes due to the catastrophe. The important debris removal process will also be streamlined. Bass says its aim is to "organize around urgency, common sense and compassion." Some other key lines included as bullet points in the order as they apply to ...

A new Zaha Hadid Architects-designed showroom for Chinese women’s fashion brand Marisfrolg, built with recycled materials, has opened in Shenzhen. Image: Marisfrolg Located at the heart of the Marisfrolg Fashion Group’s headquarters, the roughly 31,215-square-foot showroom interiors was inspired by the design ethos, textiles, and tailoring embodied within the group’s nine labels. Image: Marisfrolg The project includes the main flagship store, a pop-up store for temporary exhibitions and events, a homeware gallery for décor and furniture, a café, and an outdoor courtyard. Image: Marisfrolg Echoing the headquarter’s “butterfly-wing” structure, the showroom exhibits a unifying architectural language of dynamism, with distinct elements unique to each label. As a result, there are different spatial experiences throughout the site. Image: Zhu Yumeng The showroom comprises a variety of recycled aggregates. Its floors feature recycled crushed glass, quartz, sand, and stone. The space’s partitio...

The 2025 edition of the World Monuments Fund (WMF)'s biannual World Monuments Watch List has been announced with 25 new cultural sites considered to be under threat from a variety of different sources both natural and manmade. Leading the list was the notable and important inclusion of the "Historic Urban Fabric" of Gaza. We’ve covered the difficult-to-account scale of destruction there since the beginning of the Israeli military incursion, which has to date destroyed at least 66% of all buildings (per the U.N.) and countless important heritage sites. Ukraine’s equally prolific war losses were also represented by the Kyiv Teacher’s House which was damaged by Russian missiles in October of 2022. Kyiv Teacher’s House, Ukraine. Photo: World Monuments Fund The Moon (yes) is another off-beat, if not peculiar, inclusion. The Fund says: "As a new era of space exploration dawns, international collaboration is required to protect the physical remnants of early Moon landings and preserve these...

A new grant of $558,232 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation will go towards the restoration of the historic Matthewis Persen House Museum in Kingston, New York. What is considered to be one of America’s oldest existing residential structures was first constructed by Dutch colonists in 1661 and survived the British Army’s burning of the town during the Revolutionary War prior to its turn as a site of refuge for escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. Preservationists will replace its wood shingle roof and make other exterior repairs to preserve the building’s "historic character." (h/t Hyperallergic)

As we kick off the Get Lectured Spring 2025 academic term, it’s time to choose the best Fall '24 architecture school lecture poster! Revisit the top designs from our series and vote for your favorite graphic creation below. In our last reader poll for Spring '24, the East Los Angeles College Architecture Department poster won first prize, followed by the Pratt Institute School of Architecture poster in second place and Texas Tech University Huckabee College of Architecture's design coming in third. Check out the 18 posters we've featured throughout the Fall '24 term. Voting closes on Tuesday, January 28, at noon Pacific Time. The lecture posters with the most votes will be announced on Wednesday, January 29. Have fun and spread the word! Want to share your school's latest lecture series and be included in the current Spring 2025 series? Send us your poster design and event details. Loading…

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Stanford University have released a study highlighting the potential for construction materials to store billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Published on January 10 in the journal Science, the research suggests that integrating carbon storage into building materials could complement broader decarbonization efforts in the built environment. Led by Elisabeth Van Roijen, a graduate researcher at UC Davis, the study evaluated the feasibility of carbon sequestration in materials such as concrete, asphalt, plastics, wood, and brick. More than 30 billion tons of conventional versions of these materials are produced worldwide every year, the researchers note. Carbon sequestration involves capturing CO2 from production sites or the atmosphere, converting it into stable forms, and preventing its release into the atmosphere. While traditional methods such as underground storage face challenges, the study suggests construction materi...

Following our previous look at an opening for a Museum Technology Manager at the California Science Center, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Project Captain at Practice (formerly GGA+). The role, based in Pasadena, calls for an individual who will engage with design, project execution, team leadership, quality control, marketing, and firm culture advocacy roles across the studio. Among the responsibilities for the role are coordinating project design and developing creative concepts, overseeing team adherence to project delivery standards, and developing and maintaining positive relationships with internal and external collaborators. A minimum of 5-7 years of postgraduate professional experience is required for the position. The California Endowment 'Hope Village' Restorative Health Campus. Image credit: Practice Why the role interests us At a time when Pasadena has endured some of the worst destruction and...

AIANY’s picks for the 2025 AIA New York Design Awards winners were just announced from the Center for Architecture in Manhattan. A total of 24 projects representing the very best contributions made by members to the urban environment locally and abroad were selected by a jury whose 2025 members included ICON's Melodie Yashar, Yale's Anna Dyson, and Lucas ter Hall of Studio RAP. Projects were divided into four categories (Architecture, Interiors, Projects, and Urban Design), with Honor, Merit, and Citation designations given across each. Each of the winners will next be honored as part of the chapter’s April Honors and Awards Luncheon. The Center for Architecture will also be hosting an exhibition of the winning projects. ARCHITECTURE CATEGORY

A settlement has been reached in a dispute over the removal of land artist Mary Miss’ Greenwood Pond: Double Site at the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa. The Art Center will pay the artist $900,000 for a breach of contract for its planned demolition of the 29-year-old outdoor sculpture last spring despite a court injunction. At her victory, Miss stated: “I hope the resurrection and reconsideration of this project will lead to further reflections on the relationships between artists, environmental issues, communities and our public cultural institutions. I trust this experience can help to develop stronger bonds moving forward.”

Archigram, the revolutionary architectural collective that reshaped the discipline in the 1960s and 70s, is back with Archigram 10, 50 years after their last issue. Published by Circa Press and edited by founding member Peter Cook, the new edition features contributions from original members Dennis Crompton, David Greene, and Michael Webb, alongside architects and critics from across generations and continents, including Hitoshi Abe, Odile Decq, and Thom Mayne. Known for their neo-futurist, Pop Art-inspired visions of architecture, Archigram continues to challenge conventional thinking, now exploring digital influences and natural inspirations. Archigram 10 is supported by ABB and packed with the group's signature imaginative drawings, rekindling their enduring spirit of experimentation and innovation.

Construction input prices decreased by 0.2% for the month of December, according to a new Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices decreased 0.2% for the month, and overall construction input prices are 0.9% higher than a year ago. December’s nonresidential construction input prices are now also 0.6% higher. Prices for steel mill products (-3.0%) and iron and steel (-2.5%) dropped while the price of softwood lumber (1.1%) and hot rolled steel bars, plates, and structural shapes (2.5%) increased. Chart credit: Associated Builders and Contractors “Construction materials prices declined slightly in December and are virtually unchanged over the past two years,” ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said. “Of course, there is significant variability across input categories. Much of the recent moderation can be tracked to lower energy prices; diesel prices, for instance, are down rou...

Take a look at our latest curated selection of architecture and design firms currently hiring on Archinect Jobs: This week's featured employer highlight includes job openings in Brooklyn, Los Angeles/Long Beach, and San Francisco. For even more opportunities, visit the Archinect job board and explore our active community of job seekers, firms, and schools. Brooklyn-based firm Kiss-Architects is hiring for two roles: a Research/Sustainability Intern who is currently attending or has attended a college or university within the last 12 months, has a passion for the environment, and familiar with BIM, LCA, and energy analysis software; and an Intermediate Architect with three or more years of experience and who possesses a knowledge of passive house, LEED, BIM workflows, energy/daylighting simulation, and LCA/embodied carbon analysis. Bushwick Inlet Park by Kiss-Architects. Photo: Paul Warchol Studio One Eleven is in search of an experienced Senior Designer in Long Beach, California. The...

A code adoption tracking resource produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that shows the status of different states’ compliance with hazard-resistant zoning measures is especially relevant given the recent spate of catastrophic weather events affecting Los Angeles and other American cities. The BCAT portal includes data through the end of Q4 2024. Overall, just one-third (33%) of all "natural hazard-prone jurisdictions" have successfully adopted the most current hazard-resistant building codes. This includes protections against damaging wind loads, hurricanes, floods, seismic activity, and tornadoes and can be taken as a snapshot of the overall readiness for buildings in the U.S. to protect against other kinds of natural disasters. We saw succinctly in the past six months the efficacy of these codes in protecting structures (or not) against forces such as hurricanes and other extreme weather events. Related on Archinect: Burning down the house to make American hom...

A roundtable featuring four program chairs from the Southern California Institute of Architecture left Thayer-D skeptical “I'm sure Sci-Arc is well meaning, it's just seems like the school values visually engaging art work rather than being able to solve real life problems creatively". Based on personal experience both Janosh and sameolddoctor agreed "As an LA-based architect who has been doing hiring in a design firm for 15 years I can say that SCI-Arc grads are definitely among the most graphically accomplished but also least prepared for practice compared to graduates of other California schools….anecdotally it seems that a higher percentage of them pursue jobs outside of architecture." Yet as Orhan Ayyüce argued "It has always been that way. It relentlessly seeks what's beyond. You need self-confidence to do that; that is where the school's strength lies foremost." Plus, the latest Archinect Studio Pin-Ups shared work from three Adaptive P/Re-use studios at USC School of Archite...

Hiroshi Hara, an important Japanese architect and educator who influenced the country’s design syndicate through highly elaborate buildings and theoretical contributions to academia, has died in Japan at the age of 88 according to local outlets. He will be remembered for the remarkable Umeda Sky Building, Sapporo Dome, and Kyoto Station, which count among the best-known contributions in his native country. In 2005, he expanded abroad to inaugurate the Casa Experimentada in Argentina. Among other things, his work embodied postmodernism’s yearning to reify what he called "homogeneous space," tells the scholar Mikio Wakabayashi. The Umeda Sky Building in Osaka, Image: Kakidai/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) Archinector Will Galloway commented: "If you go to Kyoto you will experience his architecture in the Kyoto train station, one of the most amazing buildings in Japan from the 1990s. He was also the teacher of Kengo Kuma and Riken Yamamoto at the University of Tokyo and had a very la...

The fires, in their destructive rage, have highlighted the spectacular architectural legacy of Los Angeles — one that is often taken for granted, or even ignored. They remind us that the city has long been one of the world’s great laboratories for residential architecture, and that its best buildings are vaunted pieces of art, and equally vulnerable to the ravages of nature. Writing for The New York Times, architectural journalist Sam Lubell laments the many “architectural gems” already consumed by raging fires in Los Angeles. Among those destroyed are the Will Rogers House (1926), which a colleague of Lubell previously described as “magical.” The fires have also claimed Ray Kappe’s Keeler House (1991) which, for Lubell, “typified Kappe’s bravery and intuitive craft.” The Will Rogers House before its destruction in January 2025. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Los Angeles licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 Beyond the Palisades, Lubell also notes the destruction of the Mediterranean-style Zane Grey Estate (1907) and the Andrew McNally House (1887), both in Altadena. “Now comes the anxious waiting, to find out what else has fallen, and may still,” Lubell writes. “We refresh fire maps, whose red outlines inch ever closer to beloved landmarks. Some of the world’s great architecture sits helplessly on the edge.” You can follow Archinect’s ongoing coverage of ho...

Governor Gavin Newsom of California has announced the state’s intention to create a zero-emission, fully interconnected rail and transit network by 2050. Under the so-called State Rail Plan, every region of the state will be linked with a zero-emission rail network, spanning intercity, regional, and local transit systems. According to state officials, the plan will require investment of $310 billion from local, state, federal, and private funding, with an estimated economic return of over $540 billion by 2050. Officials also expect the project will see rail and transit constitute 20% of all miles travelled in California by 2050, with today’s figure standing at only 2%. Proposed State Rail Plan network. image credit: Office of the Governor of California “Our vision is simple: by 2050, every Californian should be able to choose rail as a way to get to their destination, near or far,” Governor Newsom said about the plan. “Our rail plan is ambitious, but as the world’s fifth largest econ...

Snøhetta has offered an update on construction progress at the Busan Opera House in Busan, South Korea. The Norway-based firm won the competition for the scheme’s design back in 2012, proposing a new opera house along the city’s northern seaport. Over a decade later, new photographs show construction advancing at the site, with the facade structure being installed. The distinctive roofline of the scheme is now visible, following Snøhetta’s design for a geometry of two opposing curves. While the lower arching curve bridges the site and anchors the project to the ground, the upper curve “embraces the sky,” with the opera space formed by the interplay of the two surfaces. https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"...

Hawaii's statewide building code has "absolutely failed to do what it was intended to do when it was created — to provide a uniform building code for Hawaii," a local critic of it tells the Honolulu Civil Beat. Officials there are mulling different changes to the three-year adoption cycle in the wake of the 2023 wildfire catastrophe that claimed 102 lives and 2,200 structures. Some would like to see the timeframe doubled to allow for technological advances that could save lives, but, as another detractor to this plan puts it: "A six-year code cycle denies communities the opportunity to incorporate these advancements safely into our homes, businesses, schools and critical infrastructure." Hawaii, which reports another 6,500 structures to be under the threat of sea level rise, is also currently facing a housing shortage of at least 50,000 units.

A new office project in Rennes, France from the Rennes-based firm ALTA Architectes that successfully utilizes its triangular plot in a "radically restrained design" has opened, creating a balance between occupants' well-being and the needs of its clients RÉALITÉS Group. Image: © Charly Broyez Clad in eggshell-colored polished concrete panels and highlighted by outdoor loggias, the building’s central design consideration is the generous amount of natural light that is infused within thanks to the rhythmic composition of the facade. Image: © Charly Broyez A slight (3.9-foot) gradient defines the east-west axis of the site, which abuts Jules Vallès Street, allowing for cantilevers to be enacted at the uppermost floors, hovering above a two-story glass facade and topped by outdoor terraces that provide open-air spaces for workers to take their reprieve from the pace of office life. Image: © Charly Broyez Image: © Charly Broyez Overall, this six-story construction tops out with a total surf...

As sprawling fires continue to devastate Los Angeles, the latest reporting estimates that more than 12,000 structures (including houses, cars, and outbuildings) have been damaged or destroyed. Since the first fires erupted on January 7th, 2025, social media timelines have become saturated with images and videos showing warzone-like destruction across Pasadena, Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and beyond. Amid the tragic footage, one home has gone viral for more positive reasons. No words really - just a horror show. Some of the design choices we made here helped. But we were also very lucky. pic.twitter.com/kpqfiRj49M — g chasen (@ChasenGreg) January 9, 2025 In an image that has been viewed on X over 14 million times, a brand new home in Pacific Palisades stands alone, seemingly unscathed, amid a landscape of charred and ruined structures. The image was posted by Greg Chasen, who claims to be the architect responsible for the design of the scheme. According to Bloomberg, the Malibu-bas...

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order that includes two major stipulations aimed at rebuilding homes in Los Angeles County in the wake of the unprecedented fires that continue to damage homes and structures across the region. The order clears the way for expedited construction delivery by eliminating all California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review requirements for builders—in addition to those included in the California Coastal Act—as they are so constituted at present. The language of the order also calls for various state and local agencies to direct the streamlining or elimination of other building codes and requirements at their discretion. Protections against the price gouging of building materials have likewise been extended until January 7th, 2026. The most current estimates say that 10,000 or more structures have been lost to the blazes since last Tuesday. Here are some more of the latest updates on the ongoing fire and recovery efforts in LA...

Inspiration and Tools for Architects

These architecture firms are leading the way in Vietnam and beyond.

The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Vietnam appeared first on Journal.

These annual rankings were last updated on January 16, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Following the dramatic political changes of the 20th century, a branch of modernist thinking made its way to Vietnam’s architectural landscape. Locals began to embrace this new wave of modernist architecture as a form of self-expression that differentiated itself from past colonial design. Vietnamese architects found unique ways to express themselves in an increasingly international structural language. Concrete, glass and metal took precedence over the past favoring wood, and modern structures began to appear — especially in Ho Chi Minh City — which attracted foreign business, bolstering the country’s urbanization and featuring site-specific architecture and biophilic design. Like anywhere in the world, Vietnamese architecture is not only informed by its governance and faith but also the local climate. Regionally speaking, the architecture differs to accommodate specific climatic conditions. In the highlands and midlands, for example, one will find stilted homes that accommodate the region’s rain-prone conditions, whereas traditional one-storied dwellings are found in the region’s dryer lands. Such a hybrid blend of architectural styles and diverse topography makes for a fascinating yet widely diverse built environment. 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 Vietnam 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 Vietnam architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Vietnam: 31. Vo Huu Linh Architects © Vo Huu Linh Architects VHLArchitects is a consulting architecture design firm located in Vietnam. We work in all project stages from the conceptual idea to its development as well as all in the construction stage and supervision. VHLArchitects follow guidelines to ensure that all projects that are designed in high quality. Some of Vo Huu Linh Architects’s most prominent projects include: Red Flower Coffee Shop, Hải Châu District, Da Nang, Vietnam PHONGHOUSE Awaken the abandoned house Project, Cẩm Lệ District, Da Nang, Vietnam Parametric Bench design, Hải Châu District, Da Nang, Vietnam HOUSING FOR WORKER, Bình Dương, tp. Thủ Dầu Một, Vietnam BF House, Da Nang, Vietnam The following statistics helped Vo Huu Linh Architects achieve 31st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 75 30. LVHQ © LVHQ LVHQ is an architecture studio based in Vietnam that specializes in residential and commercial architecture. Some of LVHQ’s most prominent projects include: F-coffee, Đồng Hới, Vietnam O-House, tt. Đô Lương, Đô Lương, Nghệ An, Vietnam The following statistics helped LVHQ achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 29. the bloom architects © the bloom architects The Bloom Architects company specializes in designing and constructing residence, cafes, restaurants and hotels. Some of the bloom architects’ most prominent projects include: Tile House, Vietnam Đóm, 60, Quang Trung, thành phố Bảo Lộc, Vietnam 117, Vietnam Nguyên, Bảo Lộc, Vietnam The following statistics helped the bloom architects achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 28. Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates © Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates is an architecture and interior design studio based in Hue, Vietnam. Its work is centered around residential architecture. Some of Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates’ most prominent projects include: Labri, Hue, Vietnam Tiam, Hue, Vietnam H.A House, Hue, Vietnam Nala, Hue, Vietnam % Arabica Ho Chi Minh City Roastery, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped Nguyen Khai Architects & Associates achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 27. MAS Architecture © MAS Architecture Established in 2013 by Founding Principal and Design Director Nguyen Cong Thanh, MAS Architecture is a design studio operating in fields of project consulting, architectural design, interior design, landscape design, and product design. Our orientation is building a solution called \”The Circle\” – an ecological chain of services to create a cohesive spatial experience. MAS Architecture’s vision is pursuing the spirit of minimalist architecture, connecting the order of spaces, expressing the essence of light and structure. Our design philosophy is creating projects whose architecture conveys the spiritual essence of place and cultural identity of the region. With each step of development, we specialize in consulting high-rise buildings and hospitality projects. MAS Architecture consults and provides a comprehensive solution called “The Circle” in creating a project. Some of MAS Architecture’s most prominent projects include: STELLA Residence, Da Nang, Vietnam DKS House, Vietnam VIETSING Kindergarten and Elementary School, Vinh, Vietnam M HSH, Vietnam DRACO Hotel & Suite, Da Nang, Vietnam The following statistics helped MAS Architecture achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 10 26. Sunjin Vietnam Joint Venture Company © Sunjin Vietnam Joint Venture Company Sunjin Vietnam Joint Venture Company was officially established in 2004 on the basis of a joint venture with Sunjin E&A Design Group (Korea). Currently, Sunjin Vietnam Joint Venture Company is one of the leading architectural design and urban planning consulting company in Vietnam. With the guidelines “PROFESSIONALS – CREATIVE – DYNAMIC”, in recent years, the company has built a large team of experts included native and international architects and engineers who had professional level and synchronous many design consultancy categories. Some of Sunjin Vietnam Joint Venture Company’s most prominent projects include: Dich Vong Hau Kindergarten, Hanoi, Vietnam Sunflower Kindergarten, Hanoi, Vietnam Cau Giay Secondary School, Hanoi, Vietnam TRAN DUY HUNG SECONDARY SCHOOL, Vietnam The following statistics helped Sunjin Vietnam Joint Venture Company achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 25. INFINITIVE ARCHITECTURE © INFINITIVE ARCHITECTURE Infinitive Architecture is a professional practice founded in 2008. The firm has gained exposure as a prestigious design firm based in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Known for its expertise in architecture, interior design, planning, and landscape projects, the office has made significant progress in commercial, golf club, hospitality, residential, F&B, and venue design projects. In recent years, Infinitive Architecture has focused on environmentally friendly constructions, enhancing the quality of space with a direction towards Healthy Building concepts. The firm has been awarded numerous global design awards, with its works reflecting a commitment to improving the quality of life and lifestyle, and conveying a message of harmony with nature, energy saving, promotion of technology, easy access to greenery, and the inheritance of traditional values in architecture design. Some of INFINITIVE ARCHITECTURE’s most prominent projects include: THE VIBES CO-SPACE, Quận 2, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam PHU HAI MANGROVE ECOLOGICAL PARK, Phan Thiet, Vietnam Xuan Thanh Golf Clubhouse, Hà Tĩnh, Vietnam “The Indigo” Driving Range, Bát Xát, Lào Cai, Vietnam The Nostalgia Hall, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped INFINITIVE ARCHITECTURE achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 24. CONG SINH ARCHITECTS © Quang Tran CongSinh is the creative team, in that each member has won the national and international architecture awards; has the best conditions to express their proficiency. With high responsibility, each project is team’s dedication and seriously working with the wishing to create more nice architectural works for society. It is also to satisfy the passion and career love of every member of CongSinh. Customer satisfaction is the golden key to open our next success! Some of CONG SINH ARCHITECTS’ most prominent projects include: The Gills, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam Kaleidoscope, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Vegetable Trellis, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped CONG SINH ARCHITECTS achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 3 23. SILAA © SILAA SILAA architects is a Vietnamese architecture studio, based in the city of Huế. the firm focuses primarily on residential and hospitality projects. Some of SILAA’s most prominent projects include: SAHI W&D, Hue, Vietnam Sahi Homestay Retreat, Hue, Vietnam Hachi Homestay & Spa / Hachi Lily House, Vietnam Hachi Homestay & Spa / Hachi Pomelo House, Vietnam The following statistics helped SILAA achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 4 22. Chi.Arch © Chi.Arch Chi.Arch is an innovative Aachitecture, interior, landscape design studio in Vietnam led by principal architects Mr. Truong Minh Tung and Mrs. Ho Nguyen Thuy Quynh. The company was born in Quy Nhon, Vietnam in 2019, but we work in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. We are a small team with around 10 members. Architecture is a profession with many advantages when working online, so we organize work with many partners in the localities where the works are built in order to control and supervise them. We focus on building all kinds of houses, schools, libraries, resorts, cafes and restaurants, service works and more with the goal of bringing nature into the building through light, trees and ventilation. Some of Chi.Arch’s most prominent projects include: LN-House, Vietnam QH-Villa, Qui Nhơn, Vietnam WATER BOTTLING PLANT, Nha Trang, Vietnam POPTECH-OFFICE, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam VOOC Village, Vietnam The following statistics helped Chi.Arch achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 8 21. Space+ Architecture © Space+ Architecture Space+ Architecture is an architecture firm based in Vietnam. Its work includes mainly residential projects. Some of Space+ Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Flexible Facade House, Can Tho, Vietnam Sun house, Vietnam Villa D15, Vietnam K-Villa+, Vietnam 3become1 House, Vietnam The following statistics helped Space+ Architecture achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 8 20. mw archstudio © mw archstudio MW archstudio is a practice based in Ho Chi Minh city, Nha Trang city, and Hue city, Vietnam. The firm offers professional services in masterplanning, architecture and interior design. Some of mw archstudio’s most prominent projects include: Thao Ho Home Furnishings, Vietnam Natural breeze & lighting symphony, Nha Trang, Vietnam The flow of time, Hue, Vietnam 204 House, Nha Trang, Vietnam Lotus House, Hue, Vietnam The following statistics helped mw archstudio achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 7 19. CTA – Creative Architects © CTA - Creative Architects CTA stands for Creative Architects, was founded in 2018, is a group of young architects, architectural activities with the spirit of learning and promoting creativity, in order to create experiences, interesting in the architectural space. Besides architectural activities, CTA also has academic, research and creative activities to create solutions to overcome outstanding issues of society today. Some of CTA – Creative Architects’ most prominent projects include: Am house, Cần Giuộc, Vietnam 2Hien, Tây Ninh, Vietnam C6, Dong Nai, Vietnam Wallhouse, Bien Hoa, Vietnam T house, Dĩ An, Vietnam The following statistics helped CTA - Creative Architects achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 8 18. Inrestudio © Inrestudio Inrestudio is an architectural design studio based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Led by a Japanese architect Kosuke Nishijima, the studio aims to discover new architecture specific to Vietnamese culture based on international perspectives. The studio’s design philosophy is represented by its name “in re,” which can be interpreted as “in relation.” As it signifies, the studio engages itself in not only “what we design” but also “what we design about,” valuing the understanding of environment where each project is situated, in order to propose longstanding designs in the rapidly growing society. Some of Inrestudio’s most prominent projects include: The Kaleidoscope, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam The Gamelle, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam The Proscenium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The Rouge, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The Sauvage, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped Inrestudio achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 2 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 5 17. 23o5 Studio © 23o5 Studio We, the young architects with enthusiasm of creative labour, with a strong heart and a violent passion, always cherished to create the novel projects and the worth spaces. Some of 23o5 Studio’s most prominent projects include: Lộc House, Tân An, Thủ Dầu Một, Vietnam Up2green, Lái Thiêu, tx. Thuận An, Vietnam The Memory, Tân An, tp. Thủ Dầu Một, Vietnam The Longcave, Trà Ôn, Trà Ôn, Vĩnh Long, Vietnam BQ-17, Bình Chánh, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam The following statistics helped 23o5 Studio achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 6 16. 85 Design © 85 Design 85 Design is an architecture studio in DaNang city, Vietnam, whose work is centered around residential architecture. Some of 85 Design’s most prominent projects include: VUx House, Da Nang, Vietnam Waves House, Tam Kỳ, Vietnam TH house, Da Nang, Vietnam Milo’s House, Da Nang, Vietnam 85 coffee house, Sơn Trà, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam The following statistics helped 85 Design achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 7 15. Pham Huu Son Architects © Pham Huu Son Architects Led by Pham Huu Son Architect, the PHSA team is young, dynamic, with a range of personal interests and specialities. We focused about simplicity, modernity and sustainable green architecture. Some of Pham Huu Son Architects’ most prominent projects include: Bi House, A green resort at home! , Nha Trang, Vietnam Santo by the Sea villa, Ninh Hòa, Vietnam Santo by the sea Villa (final version), Ninh Hòa, Vietnam SkyGarden House, Nha Trang, Vietnam Lieden Homestay, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped Pham Huu Son Architects achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 8 14. KIENTRUC O © Hiroyuki Oki KIENTRUC O is an architectural firm based in HCMC, Vietnam. Lead by a dynamic duo DAM VU and ANNI LE. Its mission is to create architecture that facilitates and embrace a coherent symbiosis between human and the environment. The firm seeks for architectural manifestation as a collective result of keen observations and thoughtful application of local architecture, its people and their cultural tradition, all of which to achieve a harmonious relationship that satisfy human needs and stimulate coexistence between human and the natural ecology. Some of KIENTRUC O’s most prominent projects include: BÓ MON PRESCHOOL – The idea of a connecting station, Sơn La, Vietnam CHUON CHUON KIM 2 KINDERGARTEN, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam HOUSE 304, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam CHUON CHUON KIM KINDERGARTEN, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Layerscape-VAS Office, Da Nang, Vietnam The following statistics helped KIENTRUC O achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 2 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 8 13. Block Architects © Block Architects At Block Architects, we undertake a complete solution, covering all stages of design. We actualize projects that possess sustainable values, tremendous vitality and satisfy the human demand for harmony and respect. Some of Block Architects’ most prominent projects include: OldMeetsNew House, Trà Vinh, Vietnam Duyen Casa II, Cao Lãnh, Vietnam Vegan House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Lee&Tee House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam THE GAPS APARTMENT, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped Block Architects achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 5 12. 07BEACH © 07BEACH 07BEACH was founded by in 2011 Joe Chikamori, who moved to Vietnam from Japan to grow his practice. He enjoys the freedom to experiment with architecture in Vietnam. Chikamori oversees every part of the design process, which ensures good work is produced for his clients every time. Some of 07BEACH’s most prominent projects include: Cheese Tart Shop “BAKE” in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Sushi restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam Ramen Bar Suzuki House in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan House Renovation In Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped 07BEACH achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 2 A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 7 11. atelier tho.A © atelier tho.A atelier tho.A was founded in 2015. Here, every day we share our belief in a “no-architectural” architectural practice. Architecture retreats behind, as a background, on which activities are freely shown and life continues proliferating. For us, architecture is part of an ecosystem. Its focus is on architectural practice by interrelated activities, including theoretical research (Alab), interior design studios (S.norm) and materials manufacturing (Xay Solution), etc. In particular, at the beginning of each project, Alab provides the database and direction for the designs. At the end of the chain, S.norm utilizes the built space as a given context from which unique and conceptually rich interior products would be created. Some of atelier tho.A’s most prominent projects include: Dali office, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam FA house, Dalat, Vietnam Tien Giang house, Tien Giang, Vietnam Gamma’s office renovation, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Lib house, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped atelier tho.A achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 7 10. Nghia-Architect © Nghia-Architect Nghia-Architect was founded in Hanoi in 2016. We are a young and creative architectural firm dedicated to creating sustainable architecture and high quality designs. We approach our design through both Asian and European principles in order to create a contemporary Vietnamese architectural language. Some of Nghia-Architect’s most prominent projects include: Maison A, Vietnam Maison T, Hanoi, Vietnam Maison TL, Hanoi, Vietnam MAISON Q, Hoàng Mai, Hanoi, Vietnam Villa LP, Ba Vì, Hanoi, Vietnam The following statistics helped Nghia-Architect achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 10 9. AD+studio © AD+studio AD+studio is a small architectural firm expressing the pride of Vietnamese cultural identity through its design. Not paying attention to generating a unique architectural language, our buildings integrate the abundance of construction context with the differences in the users’ lifestyle habits. Diversified local culture and lifestyle of each individual which are aroused and conveyed to the main works are the rich sources defining the characteristics of our architectures. We would like to ‘draw’ the vitality of the works: colorful and motive as always. Some of AD+studio’s most prominent projects include: THE UMBRELLA, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Stacking-Roof House, Thái Nguyên, Vietnam BACKYARD house, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam BOUNDARY house, Binh Duong, Vietnam STACKING BOX, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped AD+studio achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 12 8. a21 studio © a21 studio Established in 2009, a small group of designers wishes to bring their conception of life to the surroundings by architecture. Some of a21 studio’s most prominent projects include: The Tent 1, Natural Heritage Area Trang, Vietnam The Cloud, Natural Heritage Area Trang, Vietnam The Tent 2, Natural Heritage Area Trang, Vietnam Saigon House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The Nest, Binh Duong, Vietnam The following statistics helped a21 studio achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 7 Total Projects 12 7. 1+1>2 Architects © 1+1>2 Architects 1+1>2 was founded in 2015 by Hoang Thuc Hao. We are a reality-focused firm dedicated to providing exceptional and personalized design services. Our work aims to make a lasting contribution to the urban and natural context by challenging, provoking and exciting. We pay great attention to our material choices and the influence of light in architecture. Some of 1+1>2 Architects’ most prominent projects include: Chieng Yen Community House, Mộc Châu, Sơn La, Vietnam Dao School, Lao Cai, Vietnam Mother’s House , Sơn Tây, Vietnam Bottle Sail, Đồ Sơn, Haiphong, Vietnam Cam Thanh Community House, tp. Hội An, Vietnam The following statistics helped 1+1>2 Architects achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 9 6. MIA Design Studio © MIA Design Studio MIA Design Studio is an innovative master planning, architecture, and interior design studio in Asia and was leading by Mr. Nguyen Hoang Manh as principal architect. The company was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2003. Presently, MIA Design Studio employs 50 regular members of staff, among which are architects, landscape architects, interior designers and technicians. Furthermore, the company frequently collaborates with various freelance associates (civil engineers, mechanical engineers, lightning and acoustic consultants, graphic and textile designers, artists, etc.), who are selectively incorporated in the composition of the design team, accordingly to the specific requirements of the project. The team of architects and designers with great admirers of the modernist movement seeks to fulfill the difficult task of rethinking and giving continuity to this iconic generation. Some of MIA Design Studio’s most prominent projects include: Naman Retreat Pure Spa, Da Nang, Vietnam Villa Tan Dinh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Wyndham Phu Quoc, Phu Quoc, Vietnam Sky House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The Straw, Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped MIA Design Studio achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 4 A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 10 5. idee architects Vietnam © idee architects Vietnam Principal Architects Tran Ngoc Linh, Nguyen Huy Hai. Established in 2010, Idee Architect is a professional company in architectural, interior, resort and house design. The main goal of the company is: to become the first class architect company and bring Vietnamese Architecture to the World. Design perspective: “Simplicity,” focusing on the pure beauty and simplicity. IDEE practices to design on the projects with the scale ranging from small to large. We always look towards nature and are interested in the affection of the design on environment improvement as well as the human’s awareness. Through many years, we have won many honor awards and many of our projects are published in newspapers worldwide. Some of idee architects Vietnam’s most prominent projects include: Kabuchin Penthouse, Hanoi, Vietnam Mian Farm Cottage, Kim Sơn, Sơn Tây, Hà Nội, Vietnam House under the Pines, Hanoi, Vietnam Cam Hai House, Cam Ranh, Vietnam VH6 House, Hanoi, Vietnam The following statistics helped idee architects Vietnam achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 11 Total Projects 22 4. MM++ Architects / MIMYA © MM++ Architects / MIMYA From traditional to contemporary architecture, from high end to low cost solutions, from small to XXL scale, our practice is based on three core principles: create beautiful space for everyday life, stay free of “ready-made” solutions, and embrace a collaborative creative process. My An Pham Thi, Architect, graduated from University of Hanoi. After more than 10 years of practice in different international architecture offices she founded Mimya co. ( MM++ architects ) in Ho Chi Minh City in 2009 with the continuing goal to design an architecture, affordable, adapted to its environment, taking advantage of the tropical weather conditions and bringing to its inhabitants a unique living experience, close to nature. Michael Charruault, Architect, graduated from the French architecture school Paris-Belleville. Some of MM++ Architects / MIMYA’s most prominent projects include: Go Vap House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam STONE HOUSE, Nha Trang, Vietnam Pattern House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam D2 Town House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Oceanique Villas, Phan Thiet, Vietnam The following statistics helped MM++ Architects / MIMYA achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: Featured Projects 11 Total Projects 15 3. TROPICAL SPACE © TROPICAL SPACE TROPICAL SPACE is an architecture firm based in Ho Chi Minh city, founded by architect Nguyen Hai Long and Tran Thi Ngu Ngon. We are specialized in designing and planning from master planning, urban design, architecture, landscape and interior design. With a deep understanding in Vietnam’s culture and climate, Tropical Space is committed to encouraging the clients toward the use of environmentally friendly, building practices and sustainable material selection. Tropical Space is confident to satisfy clients with innovative and unique designs while ensuring to deliver the projects on time and budget. Some of TROPICAL SPACE’s most prominent projects include: Terra Cotta Studio, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam ORGANICARE SHOWROOM, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam TERMITARY HOUSE, Da Nang, Vietnam LONG AN HOUSE, Long An Province, Vietnam CUCKOO HOUSE, Da Nang, Vietnam The following statistics helped TROPICAL SPACE achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 3 Featured Projects 10 Total Projects 14 2. H&P Architects © H&P Architects H&P Architects (HPA) was established in Vietnam in 2009 by architect groups, engineers, planners and project managers. H&P Architects’ goal is to provide professional solutions to customers. This is demonstrated through multiple investment categories: office, residential, hotel, resort, hospital, private housing, planning and urban design as well as industrial, educational and infrastructure. H&P Architects is committed to meeting the needs and wants of each individual customer with a total solution to satisfy the highest standards of quality projects as well as economic efficiency. Some of H&P Architects’ most prominent projects include: Brick Cave, Vietnam Cheering restaurant, Hanoi, Vietnam Toigetation, Cao Bang, Vietnam BE friendly space, Vietnam Blooming Bamboo Home, Hà Nội, Vietnam The following statistics helped H&P Architects achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 6 A+Awards Finalist 3 Featured Projects 11 Total Projects 18 1. Vo Trong Nghia Architects © Hiroyuki Oki Established in 2006, VTN Architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects) is a leading architectural practice in Vietnam with offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. All employees work closely on cultural, residential and commercial projects around the world. By experimenting with light, wind and water, as well as using natural and local materials, VTN Architects uses contemporary design vocabulary to explore new ways to create architecture. Some of Vo Trong Nghia Architects’ most prominent projects include: Featured image: Stepping Park House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Nocenco Cafe, Vinh, Vietnam Torus House Binh House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Stepping Park House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam The following statistics helped Vo Trong Nghia Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Vietnam: A+Awards Winner 2 A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 14 Total Projects 18 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 and Design Firms in Vietnam appeared first on Journal.

Beyond flashy aesthetics, AI and parametric tools are transforming building efficiency, bridging the gap between form and function.

The post From Algorithms to Architecture: Why Architects Are Turning to AI for Smarter, Greener Designs appeared first on Journal.

For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in our Tech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has entered the mainstream conversation, its application in architecture remains mostly unfamiliar to those outside the AEC professional or academic circles. Terms like parametric design and computer algorithms sound like technical jargon, creating a disconnect between these technological processes and the real-world constructions that people interact with. As a result, AI’s potential to analyze data, optimize energy use and predict environmental challenges goes unnoticed by the broader public. People engage with architecture daily, yet often without awareness of how these design innovations impact their lives. Iconic buildings are easily recognizable and often admired for their eye-catching aesthetic or shape. However, the connection between these constructions and the AI-powered design processes behind them isn’t always clear to the public. People may appreciate a building’s form, size, materials or distinctive features without realizing that many of these elements result from algorithmic design processes that respond to specific parameters. To the average observer, such buildings appear as products of architectural progress, while the role of advanced technologies remains hidden. The lack of visibility of AI tools’ role in the architectural design process creates a disconnect, leaving people unaware of how these tools are used to create adaptive, efficient and sustainable designs — benefits they experience without realizing their origin. This gap between design intent and public perception underscores a broader challenge: bridging the gap between architectural innovation and public understanding, particularly regarding technologies like parametric design and AI tools. The Public Perception Gap in Architectural Innovation 170 Amsterdam designed by Handel Architects, New York, New York | Photo by Bruce Damonte Architects use AI-powered and parametric design tools to create innovative solutions that optimize functionality, efficiency and sustainability, yet these advancements often go unnoticed or are poorly understood by the public. This disconnect limits engagement and appreciation for the transformative role of modern architecture. People may admire or react — positively or negatively — to visually striking buildings but are often unaware that the parametric design they observe spans beyond aesthetics, responding to site constraints, structural performance, energy efficiency, user behavior and environmental parameters. For example, the 170 Amsterdam residential building in Manhattan, New York, features an exoskeleton that serves structural and shading purposes, addressing functional and environmental challenges. The average passerby, unfamiliar with the design’s parametric principles, would interpret it as a bold architectural statement. They would likely recognize the dynamic character of the building’s exoskeleton and the contrast between the robust structure and the expansive glazed surfaces as the building’s most distinctive features. Yet they may be unaware that this design optimizes usable floor area and energy efficiency. Design That Speaks: How Design Features Connect with the Public Sun Shading System designed by Tilt Industrial Design for the University of Technology (UTS) Central building, Ultimo, Australia | Photo by Brett Boardman While the complexities of AI technologies and parametric design often go unnoticed, the rising awareness of sustainability has made some architectural features more recognizable and relatable to the public, especially when they visibly and effectively showcase their environmental purpose. This connection is significant because AI tools and parametric design play an important role in achieving sustainable goals. They enable architects to analyze data, optimize energy efficiency and design thoughtful solutions that respond to environmental challenges. The growing environmental awareness among the general population has made many people more conscious of the efforts in the architectural industry to address sustainability. There might not be a complete understanding of the complex strategies that architects use to achieve sustainable goals. However, when visually striking, some features are more likely to be recognized and associated with sustainability and effectively communicate their purpose to the public. Such features include green roofs and living walls, solar panels, dynamic shading systems and materials such as bamboo or recycled wood. For example, the central building of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in Ultimo, Australia, features an automated sun-shading system that regulates solar heat gain and minimizes glare. In addition to playing a critical role in the building’s energy-saving design, the shading system also creates a striking visual impact. At the same time, it informs of its functional purpose as an integral part of the overall architectural design. Even if people are not fully versed in sustainable design principles, the dynamic shading system on the UTS building conveys its purpose through its visible functionality. The movement of the louvers in response to sunlight and their integration into the building’s façade make their role as a solar heat regulator intuitive. This blend of practicality and visual impact allows the shading device to communicate its environmental intent clearly, making sustainability tangible and relatable to the public. Enhancing Public Awareness to Shape User-Centered Environments The visibility of sustainability through AI-powered architectural designs can be extended to other areas of the built environment. Improving public awareness of how AI and parametric design tools shape the built environment can help people recognize the positive impact these technologies have on their daily lives. This awareness, in turn, can promote a stronger societal interaction with architecture and greater support for functional, efficient and sustainable development. The benefits can be particularly evident in high-traffic public areas, like open public spaces, transportation hubs, schools, universities and medical facilities, where efficiency and functionality are paramount. AI is a valuable tool for analyzing human movement, usage patterns and parameters to optimize layouts for circulation and accessibility. This strategy ensures that design outcomes are user-centered while optimizing functionality and efficiency. A Public Education Imperative: How AI Shapes the Built Environment The Airport Typology Reconfigured. Study Area: Des Moines, Iowa. Created by Blake Gallagher at NBBJ The gap between AI-powered design processes in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry and the general public is significant. However, it also offers an opportunity for a greater and more productive connection. If the AEC community takes an educational approach to bridge this divide, the interaction between the public and architecture can be transformed. Educational initiatives — whether through exhibitions, talks by experts, interactive websites or collaboration with schools — and continuous cooperation between architects and the public structured around participatory workshops can demystify design choices, making architecture more relatable. These efforts can showcase how elements like form, materials and layout are thoughtfully considered to optimize functionality, efficiency and sustainability. As AI and parametric tools continue to revolutionize how the built environment is designed and experienced, educating the public about their impact will encourage a deeper connection to architecture. This understanding can lead to more inclusive, adaptive solutions aligned with people’s needs. For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in our Tech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers. Top image: Philadelphia Net-Zero Mixed-Income Residential TOD by AECOM The post From Algorithms to Architecture: Why Architects Are Turning to AI for Smarter, Greener Designs appeared first on Journal.

These incredible models showcase the artistry, precision and storytelling power of physical model-making.

The post Architectural Role Models: 6 Times Architectural Models Outshine Constructed Buildings appeared first on Journal.

The 13th A+Awards invites firms to submit a range of timely new categories, emphasizing architecture that balances local innovation with global vision. Your projects deserve the spotlight, so start your submission today! It is no secret that architectural design involves countless iterations of turning conceptual ideas into visual representations. These, in turn, eventually reach a point where they can be considered as works of art and architecture themselves. Countless architectural drawings and models have been exhibited in museums across the world, entire books have been created that showcase even the most abstract sketches and finally, renders are nowadays the bread and butter of architects in practice. this year’s A+Awards recognizes the significance of models and renders on par with architectural design itself, through the “Architecture + Models & Rendering” category, which celebrates the detailed craftsmanship and communicative power of architectural representation. Start Submission Still, the making of physical models has somewhat become extinct. Now, that the world is becoming increasingly digital, physical models are replaced with virtual walkthroughs, animations and even interactive design environments. Contrary to creating digital imagery or even hand drawings, physical model-making requires a lot of time, materials, planning and patience and often begs the question, is it a craft worth preserving? Below are some examples of incredible models — built and unbuilt projects, old and new, conceptual and technical — all showcasing the artistry, precision and storytelling power of physical model-making, reminding us of its enduring value in architectural representation despite the digital shift. Model + Concept: Tatlin’s Tower JuanCamacho, Tatlin 2, CC BY 3.0 Let’s begin with quite an unconventional project: Tatlin’s Tower is one of the most famous unrealized projects of the 20th century, initially aimed to be made of spiraling pieces of iron, steel and glass and serve as a monument that would challenge the Eiffel Tower. Even though the Tower itself was never built, there have been many models throughout the years, exhibited in Stockholm’s Museum of Modern Art, Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery and the Pompidou Centre, all showcasing the ambition of the design. In 2011, the Royal Academy built another 1:40 scale model for a the “Re-Building Tatlin’s Tower” exhibition. The most impressive aspect was the construction process itself, since model-makers had to interpret the only two sources that were available to them: Vladimir Tatlin’s test models and his notes. Model +Materiality: Grafting New Context for Urban Fragments By JWC Finalist, Architecture +Models and Rendering, 12th Annual A+Awards This project suggests a new context for a neglected and isolated urban fabric for the city of St. Louis. The design is comprised of a lightweight architectural canopy that expands outwards across the highway and the abandoned ground, hosting an array of programs. The physical model has been meticulously crafted, showcasing not only the complex geometry of the structure but also the immediate context – fundamental in the project’s inception. Additionally, the physical model vividly conveys the canopy’s fabric materiality, achieving a level of realism and tactile authenticity that digital modeling would struggle to replicate. Model +Landscape: Residence in Sikamino By Tense Architecture Network, Sykamino, Greece ‘The field is elongated, rural, planted with olive trees. The land is dominant. –How could a residence rise out of the ground; how could it be confined to a roof? The residence is its roof. A sixty meters long one. While approaching the plot, it can be perceived as a slightly elevated strip of earthy crust in front of the distant mountains of Euboea. It can be walked on. The roof is born from and returns back to the ground/’ Apart from its complicated geometry, this residence is seamlessly integrated into the landscape. The Greek Island terrain has always posed a great challenge for architects, whose designs have to constantly consider the rugged grounds and steep slopes. The physical model for the Sikamino residence, made of plaster and cardboard, captures both the unpredictable nature of the local terrain and successfully materialises the interrelation between the ground and the roof. Model +Fabrication: South HeXi Yuzui Financial District Tower (Runmao Tower) By Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Nanjing, China This 1,640-square-foot-tall tower will anchor a new financial district in Nanjing. Being part (and eventually the winner) of an international design competition, AS+GG put a lot of their effort into creating a physical model that would capture the project’s ambition. The solid, polished aluminum, 1:500 scale model of Runmao Tower was engineered entirely in-house by Nick Berchtold. It was fabricated using both three and four axis CNC Machines, with 60 individual milled aluminum components being held together with 55 hidden screws and 48 hidden magnets. Model +Performance: Forest of Joy By Studio Tip & CRAB Studio View this post on Instagram A post shared by @studiotip_ Forest of Joy is a project that responds to the New London Award’s open call for a Playable Structure that would be featured at Dulwich Picture Gallery. The design concept involved utilizing a re-use material pallet of industrial loose parts that were collected from all over London. The studios produced a series of child friendly models that were used in a free-play session and co-design workshop at the gallery, which eventually led to a design that encourages play, joy and fantasy. The model-making process was not treated as merely a representational development but rather as a performative process that explores and reiterates the playable sculpture sets. Model +Lighting: McMurty Building for the Department of Art & Art History By Diller Scofidio + Renfro View this post on Instagram A post shared by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (@diller_scofidio_renfro) This innovative new facility houses Stanford’s Department of Art & Art History as well as the Art & Architecture Library and unites, within a 100,000-square-foot space, the making and studying of art under one roof. The model is made by an array of materials – transparent and colored plexiglass, etched cardboard and thin wooden strips, evoking a sense of materiality and atmosphere. It is primarily a conceptual model that focuses on the composition of volumes as well as the way they operate with the immediate context. The 13th A+Awards invites firms to submit a range of timely new categories, emphasizing architecture that balances local innovation with global vision. Your projects deserve the spotlight, so start your submission today! Featured Image: South HeXi Yuzui Financial District Tower (Runmao Tower) by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Nanjing, China The post Architectural Role Models: 6 Times Architectural Models Outshine Constructed Buildings appeared first on Journal.

From LA to Madrid to Haiti, Morphosis’ NOW Institute combines data and design to address global urban challenges with actionable strategies.

The post NOW and Next: Morphosis’ Urban Research Division Tackles Today and Tomorrow’s Challenges appeared first on Journal.

Calling all architects, landscape architects and interior designers: Architizer's A+Awards allows firms of all sizes to showcase their practice and vie for the title of “World’s Best Architecture Firm.” Start an A+Firm Award Application today. Since its inception, Morphosis has been an interdisciplinary practice that combines design and research, producing innovative buildings and urban environments. The firm’s projects vary in typology — from residential, institutional and civic buildings to large urban planning projects — responding simultaneously to social, cultural, political and technological urgencies. In 2001, Morphosis launched the NOW Institute, an urban research division within the firm, whose work is dedicated to understanding and improving urban settings worldwide. Throughout the years, the NOW Institute has partnered with local and national governments, universities, social and cultural institutions and industry partners, undertaking key projects that develop impactful strategies for cities. The word “NOW”, present in both the institute’s name as well as in many of its research publications, underlines the urgency behind the division’s practice. Recording, drawing and acting on contemporary urban scenarios, suggest speculative albeit applicable proposals, based on existing sets of data and even historical overviews, establishing synergy between academic research and professional practice. L.A. NOW, 2001-2005 View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Now Institute (@thenowinstitute) L.A. NOW 1 is one of the Institute’s earliest research projects. It is an urban cultural almanac of Los Angeles that investigates proposals for housing and urban revitalization. The first volume includes an array of texts, data, graphic design and photography, constructing a snapshot of L.A. in the early 21st century. It exposes the city’s notable heterogeneity and fragmentation and explores narratives between Los Angeles, habitat, people and money. Volumes 2, 3 & 4 expand on the proposals and speculations within the series, addressing downtown Los Angeles and its future development, underutilized urban sites in the city core and their transformation into alternative schools and urban housing as well as the historically charged Chavez Ravine site. More specifically, the proposition for the relocation of Dodger Stadium to downtown and the infusion of a 30,000 resident community on the site integrates and expands Elysian Park’s potential. Madrid NOW, 2006-2007 View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Now Institute (@thenowinstitute) The Now Institute acted as a consultant and advisor to the City of Madrid during the years 2006-2007, exploring the possibilities of a Spanish new town model. In an attempt to improve Madrid’s housing PAU (Programa de Actuación Urbanística) or Programs of City-planning Performance, the Institute developed extensive research for five prototype communities, providing opportunities for diversity and the rejuvenation of local identity for future residents. The critique towards the PAU system was that the current strategy is indifferent to the local context, it limits future integration with future commercial, civic and cultural programs due to its rigid morphology and negates any potential for high rise developments. In response the project investigated three sites (recommended by the city) that presented particular challenges which drove the design strategy, leading to the creation of a transportation hub, an off-grid urban farm community and finally, an alternative high-density residential lifestyle. Haiti NOW, 2011-2013 View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Now Institute (@thenowinstitute) Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Haiti NOW project looks into the question of ‘what is the difference between relief, recovery and planning? The project looks into the three, urging the planers to construct a sustainable vision of the region’s futures. Relief is reaction – immediate, urgent and lifesaving – recovery is a strategy that resurrects local systems, planning, however, is prevention – a long-term vision for development. Accurately stated, long-term planning seems distant and often operates on assumptions. Consequently, contacting local partners and inquiring about their own future vision for the region offers local knowledge and leadership which is critical for constructing a disaster-resistant city. Haiti becomes a deep case study for developing strategies and processes that stop the reconstruction-post-disaster cycle and rather prove that disaster-resistance urban design has the best potential for dealing with such crises. South Sea Pearl Eco-Island, 2016 View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Now Institute (@thenowinstitute) Contrary to the previous research projects, the South Sea Pearl Studio begins with a speculative investigation on self-sustaining urbanism that integrates culture, nature and business in an attempt to investigate intelligent ecology. Delving once more into past histories and looking at small, often isolated city-states, the research began by understanding these communities as micro engines of cultural, agricultural and social sustainability. Addressing the scenario where China constructs a 290 hectare island as a laboratory and demonstration project of urban sustainability in Hainan, the studio develops five different approaches: floating landscape, Archipelago, Infrastructure Urbanism, Extreme man-made urban environment, and the pods, to test possibilities and the potential of future artificial island-making. What is perhaps the most valuable asset of the Institute’s work is the way the research is developed through rigorous recording and cataloguing, each time pulled from very tangible and contemporary scenarios. Many research practices offer astounding speculative proposals, based on thorough exploration and inquiry, often however being somewhat detached from worldwide urgencies. The NOW Institute stands out by bridging the gap between speculative proposals and actionable strategies that directly address current global challenges. By grounding its research in real-world data and contexts, the Institute ensures that its findings and proposals remain relevant and applicable. Calling all architects, landscape architects and interior designers: Architizer's A+Awards allows firms of all sizes to showcase their practice and vie for the title of “World’s Best Architecture Firm.” Start an A+Firm Award Application today. Featured Image: Orange County Museum of Art by Morphosis Architects, Costa Mesa, California The post NOW and Next: Morphosis’ Urban Research Division Tackles Today and Tomorrow’s Challenges appeared first on Journal.

As our societal demographics change, architecture must strive to support everyone, no matter what their age.

The post Century-Long Lives: The Architecture of Longevity 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. The grey tsunami. A demographic time bomb. The aging crisis. Alarmist headlines like these make it sound as though one of humanity’s greatest achievements — people living longer and healthier lives — is some sort of disaster waiting to happen. But, here’s the truth: aging populations aren’t the problem. The real issue lies in how unprepared our cities and communities are for this demographic shift. We often think of the future as a tech-driven haven built for the young. Yet today, global life expectancy has reached an unprecedented 73 years. By 2050, over two billion people will be aged 60 or older, outnumbering children under 15 for the first time in history. Cities, home to more than half the world’s population, are at the epicenter of this demographic transformation. Urban areas are aging faster than their rural counterparts, with the older urban population growing by 68% between 2000 and 2015, compared to just 25% in rural areas. The implications for the built environment and its architects are fascinating. While cities promise opportunity and innovation, their design often excludes the very people who helped shape them. Streets become impassable, homes unsafe and public spaces unwelcoming as urban environments prioritize speed and efficiency over accessibility and inclusion. 41st and 43rd Street Pedestrian Bridges Chicago by Cordogan Clark & Associates, Chicago, Illinois The World Health Organization (WHO) offers a roadmap for change. Its eight interconnected domains for age-friendly cities — outdoor spaces, transport, housing, social participation, respect and inclusion, civic engagement, communication and community support — each present a more inclusive vision for cities to support and celebrate aging populations. These principles, together, suggest redefining how we live, work and age. It begins with the streets. In many cities, uneven pavements, poorly timed pedestrian crossings and a lack of seating turn a summer stroll into a frustrating obstacle course. Falls are now the leading cause of injury among older adults globally, costing healthcare systems billions — £1 billion in the UK each year. Yet these are not unavoidable accidents; they are failures of urban design. Streets and outdoor spaces must prioritize safety and usability for people of all ages. Features like tactile paving, well-lit walkways, appropriate surface materials, easy, readable navigation and regular seating create environments that encourage mobility and support traveling on foot. Research has indeed shown that improving urban walkability can lower rates of depression and dementia. Hangzhouxi Railway Station by CCTN Design, Hangzhou, China | Image by Aoguan Architectural Vision. Transport, the second domain, is equally crucial. Inaccessible public transport systems can trap older adults in their homes, cutting them off from essential services and social opportunities. As we know, mobility isn’t all about movement. It allows individuals independence and agency at any age. In Japan, where over 28% of the population is aged 65 or older, cities like Tokyo have retrofitted metro systems with elevators and clear signage to accommodate their aging demographic. Similarly, many cities have begun integrating mobility-friendly public transport, like buses with lowered floors and bus stops with dropped curbs. These are simple considerations that allow residents to navigate their city with confidence. Housing, the third sector, anchors the experience of aging. Globally, the majority of older adults express a desire to “age in place,” remaining in the homes and communities they know and feel comfortable in. Yet, most housing stock is ill-equipped to meet this need. In the United States, only 3.5% of homes are fully accessible, while in India, rapid urbanization has led to housing shortages that disproportionately affect older residents. Universal design principles — incorporating step-free entrances, adjustable countertops and single-level layouts — are vital. Multigenerational flats and co-housing communities offer innovative models that combine private living with shared spaces to foster intergenerational interaction and built communities that offer mutual support. But housing extends beyond four walls. Neighborhoods must be designed to encourage social participation. Loneliness, often described as a silent epidemic, is linked to higher rates of depression, dementia and cardiovascular disease. In South Korea, “silver towns” integrate housing with recreational and cultural facilities, creating vibrant communities. Meanwhile, community hubs — combining libraries, activity centers and healthcare facilities — are a way in which public spaces can combat isolation. One Green Mile – Public Space and Streetscape Design by StudioPOD and MVRDV, Mumbai, India | Photo by Suleiman Merchant Safety is a huge problem for many adults as they age. Respect and social inclusion are vital in challenging the widespread ageism that often affects older adults and discourages them from participating in their communities. In many cultures, aging is viewed as a decline rather than an opportunity and the design decisions we make for our spaces can either reinforce or dismantle these stereotypes. Intergenerational projects and spaces show how design can celebrate the contributions of older residents and educate others. Civic participation and employment builds on this foundation. Our older generations are often seen as passive dependents, yet more than any other demographic, they contribute significantly outside the workforce. In the European Union, people over 55 account for 25% of all volunteer hours, supporting everything from local schools to disaster response initiatives. Societies that prioritize accessibility and inclusion in their spaces, such as polling stations or civic centers, ensure that these adults can continue to engage in public life and contribute to the communities they inhabit for much longer. The seventh domain, communication and information, is becoming increasingly critical amid the rapid digitalization of our world. For many older adults, navigating online services can be daunting, and this digital divide only becomes more exacerbated as technology speeds forward. Initiatives such as smart city kiosks for sharing wayfinding, travel, weather and community information demonstrate how technology can bridge this gap. Simple interventions — clear signage, intuitive interfaces and public Wi-Fi — can make cities more navigable and inclusive for all. Kia Lab by Davood Boroojeni Office, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. | Photo by Parham Taghioff. Finally, community support and health services, the eighth domain, are the backbone of age-friendly cities. In places where traditional caregiving structures are under strain, mobile and pop-up health centers bring essential services directly to the people who need them. Integrated care facilities combine medical services with community spaces, ensuring that health support is embedded within daily life. Access to healthcare is a prerequisite for aging well, and decentralizing it or including services in public buildings not only allows patients to get the care they need but also allows older practitioners to continue utilizing their vast experience in positions and locations that might be more appealing in later life. The WHO framework is not a set of abstract ideals. It is a practical, actionable vision. Each domain is interconnected, reinforcing the others. Well-designed streets encourage mobility, which supports social participation and reduces reliance on healthcare services. Accessible transport enables older adults to remain active in civic life. Inclusive housing fosters respect and connection. Together, these elements create cities that work not just for older residents but for everyone. As urban populations continue to age, the question is not whether we can afford to implement these changes but whether we can afford not to. To design for aging is to design for the future that is already on its way. With thought and consideration, architects can help build a future where we embrace our oldest citizens with the same energy and ingenuity we reserve for the young. 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. The post Century-Long Lives: The Architecture of Longevity appeared first on Journal.

From Amazon to Apple to TikTok, explore how tech giants push the boundaries of workplace design with flair and ambition.

The post By Arch Giants for Tech Giants: Inside 7 Groundbreaking Big Tech Office Spaces appeared first on Journal.

Calling all architects, landscape architects and interior designers: Architizer's A+Awards allows firms of all sizes to showcase their practice and vie for the title of “World’s Best Architecture Firm.” Start an A+Firm Award Application today. Big tech doesn’t just dream big — it builds big too. And when it comes to their office spaces, these companies are aiming for workplaces that push boundaries and reflect their forward-thinking values, often collaborating with some of the most renowned architects in the world. From campuses that feel like futuristic parks to skyscrapers with views to match their innovation, these offices are not just workplaces; they’re masterful designs that prioritize sustainability, creativity and employee well-being. Whether it’s Apple’s glass-ringed sanctuary by Foster + Partners or TikTok’s sky-high NYC playground designed by Gensler, each workspace tells a story about the company’s unique culture, vision and commitment to excellence. Let’s take a closer look at seven groundbreaking tech offices redefining what it means to work in style. Amazon HQ2 at Metropolitan Park By ZGF Architects, Arlington, Virginia Popular Choice Winner, 12th Annual A+Awards, Sustainable Commercial Building Amazon’s HQ2 campus includes two 22-story towers with green roofs, outdoor meeting areas and operable windows for fresh air. A charcoal terracotta podium nods to the site’s history as a brickyard, while passive thermal lobbies and public art create an engaging environment. The project transformed a two-acre underused green space into a public park with gardens, playgrounds and dog areas. It also added over half a mile of protected bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly pathways. Powered by 100% renewable energy, the campus features water recycling systems, bird-friendly glass and energy-efficient systems that exceed industry standards. With retail spaces, local cafes and a daycare on-site, it connects work, sustainability and community in one thoughtful design. Google Borregas By MGA | MICHAEL GREEN ARCHITECTURE, Sunnyvale, California Jury Winner and Popular Choice Winner, 12th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace Jury Winner, 12th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Wood Google’s first mass timber office building sets a high bar for sustainable and adaptable workplace design. The five-story structure prioritizes health and carbon reduction, using exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam beams to create a warm, natural environment. A four-story atrium with a timber-glass skylight floods the interior with natural light and connects open spaces across levels. Unique features like a façade with climate-responsive wooden blinds and high-performance glass optimize energy use and reduce glare while offering views of the surrounding landscape. Cantilevered floor plates, made with a wood-concrete composite system, create covered outdoor seating and bring light deep into the interior. With flexibility built into its design, the building supports future reconfigurations to meet evolving needs. Google Borregas demonstrates how mass timber and thoughtful engineering can create a workspace that prioritizes well-being and environmental responsibility. Spotify At Mateo Campus Los Angeles By RIOS, Los Angeles, California Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace This campus brings together recording studios, editing suites, performance stages and social spaces under one roof. Every element supports the creative process, from focused production to casual collaboration. Spaces like the food hall and coffee bar offer relaxed areas to connect, while thoughtfully chosen materials and local artwork reflect the character of the LA Arts District. Recording and listening rooms are designed with precision, ensuring creators have the tools they need in a welcoming environment. The campus goes beyond being a workplace — it’s a creative space where employees, artists and collaborators come together to push boundaries and bring ideas to life. Apple Park By Foster + Partners, Cupertino, California Apple Park reimagines the workplace as a connection between architecture and nature. At its center, the Ring Building features expansive curved glass panels that offer uninterrupted views of the surrounding park. Innovative “void slabs” combine structural support with integrated heating and cooling, showcasing clever engineering throughout the design. Natural light floods the interior through eight atria, creating open, collaborative spaces that flow into landscaped courtyards. One standout feature is the restaurant – a campus town square, where massive sliding glass walls open entirely, merging indoor and outdoor spaces. Running on 100% renewable energy, the campus is also North America’s largest LEED Platinum-certified office. Apple Park demonstrates how thoughtful architecture can support both sustainability and a functional, inspiring workplace. TikTok By Gensler, New York City, New York TikTok’s New York City headquarters occupy the top five floors of the H&M Tower at 42nd and Broadway, encompassing 150,000 square feet designed to reflect the city’s vibrant energy. The 57th floor serves as the main arrival and social area, featuring a signature pink glass and metal staircase that interconnects the floors. Large-format LED screens in the lobby display imagery inspired by New York icons such as pizza, yellow cabs and the Statue of Liberty, bringing the dynamic atmosphere of Times Square into the workspace. The 58th-floor penthouse includes exterior terraces offering 360-degree views of Manhattan. A notable feature is the blackened European oak bleacher seating, positioned to provide dramatic vistas directly into Times Square. Above, a ceiling installation mimics the primary-colored lines of the NYC transit map, paying homage to the city’s subway system. Throughout the office, design elements such as LED tubes abstracting the subway map and climbing ropes referencing urban adventures contribute to a workspace that embodies TikTok’s creative spirit while celebrating its New York City location. Pinterest HQ2 By IwamotoScott Architecture, San Francisco, California Jury Winner, 5th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Stairs Jury Winner, 5th Annual A+Awards, Office Interiors (> 25,000 sq ft.) Pinterest’s new six-story headquarters in San Francisco’s SOMA district creates a connected urban campus with their earlier workspaces nearby. The design reflects Pinterest’s ethos: clean, simple and intuitive with the aim of fuelling creativity. The ground-level lobby doubles as a Privately Owned Public Outdoor Space (POPOS), with glass walls and an operable corner opening to a landscaped alley. Inside, a custom wood ceiling and built-in furniture create a warm threshold between the company and the city. A striking central staircase cascades through the building, linking all floors and encouraging spontaneous interactions. Its porous white steel enclosure allows filtered views across the workspace. Meeting spaces line the stairwell, creating a functional connection between the core, stair and workstations. Daylight streams through large windows on three sides, brightening perimeter workstations and lounges. The thoughtful layout prioritizes collaboration, creativity and a strong relationship between the building and its urban setting. NVIDIA HQ: Voyager Building By Gensler, Santa Clara, California NVIDIA’s Voyager building in Santa Clara, California, is a 750,000-square-foot workspace designed to connect employees with nature. Its undulating roof, featuring numerous triangular skylights, floods the interior with natural light, creating an open and airy environment. Inside, a central “mountain” structure serves as a focal point, with communal areas at its base and adaptable spaces ascending upward. This design encourages exploration and collaboration among employees. The building incorporates sustainable features, including a trellis lined with solar panels producing approximately 50,000 watts of power and efficient water use strategies that contribute to a 66% savings in outdoor potable water demand. By integrating biophilic design elements and flexible workspaces, Voyager fosters a healthy and inspiring environment for innovation. Calling all architects, landscape architects and interior designers: Architizer's A+Awards allows firms of all sizes to showcase their practice and vie for the title of “World’s Best Architecture Firm.” Start an A+Firm Award Application today. The post By Arch Giants for Tech Giants: Inside 7 Groundbreaking Big Tech Office Spaces appeared first on Journal.

These visionary storytellers are transforming how design’s impact is shared — and now they’re helping select the world’s best architecture.

The post A New Lens on Design: 3 Architectural Media Leaders Join the A+Awards Jury appeared first on Journal.

The A+Awards are back, and with the Final Entry Deadline on January 24th, now’s your chance to have your work evaluated by some of the most influential minds shaping the built environment. Our jury, comprised of over 250 experts from architecture, publishing, technology and beyond, reflects the diversity and innovation celebrated by the A+Awards. Each year, we’re thrilled to welcome new thought leaders whose expertise and vision elevate the conversation around design. To showcase your projects to this exceptional assembly of influential thinkers and doers, submit them for consideration for the prestigious A+Awards: Enter the 13th Annual A+Awards This year, we’re proud to introduce three exceptional jurors who are redefining how architecture and design are communicated to the world. From championing sustainability and equity in architectural storytelling to crafting compelling narratives for design publishing and developing cutting-edge communication strategies for creative industries, these leaders are shaping how the built environment is perceived, understood, and celebrated globally. Learn more about these inspiring champions of architectural media and how their unique perspectives are helping to drive the future of design discourse: Avinash Rajagopal Editor in Chief, Metropolis Avinash Rajagopal is the editor-in-chief of Metropolis magazine, a leading publication at the intersection of architecture, design, and sustainability. A dedicated advocate for sustainable design, Rajagopal has spearheaded initiatives that address the climate, health, and equity impacts of the built environment, including the Climate Toolkit for Interior Design and the Interior Design Pledge for Positive Impact. As a historian of contemporary design, he has authored Hacking Design (Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum) and contributed to seminal volumes such as Adhocracy, Making Africa, and the forthcoming Atlas of Furniture Design (Vitra Design Museum). A frequent speaker at global industry events, Rajagopal also lectures on design history and writing at esteemed institutions, including the School of Visual Arts, the University of Texas at Austin, and the National Institute of Design in India. Through his work, he challenges designers to rethink their practices in the face of pressing global challenges. Jill Cohen Editor in Chief, Luxe Interiors + Design Jill Cohen was named Editor in Chief of Luxe Interiors + Design in 2024. Prior to taking the helm, she had an accomplished career in book publishing. Over the course of her career, Cohen has held numerous positions in the industry, including Founder, President and Publisher of Conde Nast Books; President, Random House Direct Marketing; VP of new business development at QVC and Vice President and Publisher, Time Warner Book Group, Bulfinch Press. In 2006, Cohen founded her agency, Jill Cohen Associates, which has produced hundreds of best-selling architecture and design books. Today, JCA continues as a Sandow Company. Jean Francois Goyette Founder, Future Future Jean-Francois Goyette, founder and CEO of Future-Future, is a consultant and communications strategist specializing in architecture and design. He has extensive international experience working across various disciplines, including architecture, urban planning, communications, branding, and cultural strategy. He previously held positions as Public Relations Manager at OMA and Communications Director at Bruce Mau Design. At Phaidon, he was editor of the Phaidon Atlas of Architecture Online, the publisher’s largest editorial endeavor and first-ever digital project. Jean-Francois has also held posts within the digital departments of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and the Barbican Centre. He is trained as an architect and holds an M.Sc. from The Bartlett, University College London. Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work! The post A New Lens on Design: 3 Architectural Media Leaders Join the A+Awards Jury appeared first on Journal.

These architecture firms are leading the way in Seattle and beyond.

The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Seattle appeared first on Journal.

These annual rankings were last updated on January 6, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Seattle, also known as the Emerald City — not the one in the Wizard of Oz but rather a nickname that speaks of the city’s breathtaking surrounding greenery — is considered one of the most futuristic cities in the United States. Starting as a humble timber town in the 19th century, post-industrial Seattle was violently destroyed after the 1889 Great Seattle Fire razed much of the downtown area. Following this pivotal event, Seattle underwent a rapid architectural rebirth. Architectural works such as John Graham’s Jr. Space Needle, OMA’s Seattle Library and Frank Gehry’s Museum of Pop Culture mark the West Coast city’s modern architectural history. In addition, Seattle is a city that continually attracts some of the most visionary architectural projects, such as the Amazon Spheres — Amazon’s workspace housing an impressive range of plant species — not just through sustainable and technologically driven practices but also through socially invigorating designs. In recent years, the city has become a hotbed for mixed-use developments, seamlessly blending residential, commercial, and recreational spaces to create vibrant, livable communities. 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 Seattle 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 Seattle architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Seattle: 30. Graphite Design Group © Graphite Design Group Graphite Design Group is a Seattle-based design firm recognized for crafting people-focused integrated environments that elegantly solve complex problems. Their diverse portfolio spans office, retail, hospitality and mixed-use typologies, serving a broad clientele from boutique retail spaces to $400M development projects. With a team of experienced architects and designers, Graphite Design Group seamlessly blends creativity with functionality, consistently delivering bespoke designs that surpass expectations. Some of Graphite Design Group’s most prominent projects include: Mary’s Place Family Center, Seattle, Washington Amazon.com Phase 8, Seattle, Washington Parque, Kirkland, Washington Apollo, Seattle, Washington Nitro, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Graphite Design Group achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 12 29. HEWITT © HEWITT “On successful city streets, people must appear at different times. This is time considered on a small scale, hour by hour through the day.” – Jane Jacobs HEWITT is an integrated architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design firm dedicated to solving complex urban challenges with energy, optimism and a sense of responsibility. Some of HEWITT’s most prominent projects include: Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center, Federal Way, Washington Excelsior, Seattle, Washington Capitol Hill Station Transit-Oriented Development, Seattle, Washington The Emerald , Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped HEWITT achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 28. Graypants © Graypants Anchored in Seattle and Amsterdam, design studio Graypants was founded as an opportunity to apply an architectural mindset to product design and art, enhancing space and enriching experiences. Graypants’ work is rooted in light-minded design, and includes architecture, product design, art installation and exhibition. Some of Graypants’ most prominent projects include: Tomo, Seattle, Washington Garage, Vashon, Washington The following statistics helped Graypants achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 27. Weber Thompson © Weber Thompson Founded in 1988, Weber Thompson is a majority women-owned architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and sustainable design firm. We have a staff of over 60 professionals, including architects, space planners, interior designers, LEED APs, landscape architects and construction specialists. Our dynamic, integrated design practice is led by curious people who challenge conventional wisdom, lead with integrity and design with guts. Our disciplines are underscored with strong technical experience, a commitment to sustainability, and a heartfelt dedication to creating spaces that serve their future users and operators. Weber Thompson is a JUST company. Some of Weber Thompson’s most prominent projects include: Watershed, Seattle, Washington DATA 1, Seattle, Washington Stratus, Seattle, Washington Arbora Court, Seattle, Washington Nexus, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Weber Thompson achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 26. Stettler Design © Stettler Design Stettler Design’s goal is to enrich the functional needs of the client with experiences of space, light and material. We forge close relationships with our clients, making us better able to respond to their needs in a practical and aesthetic way. Each design is an evolving process, from the initial ideas about the context to the finish materials and details. Together, these elements of the project work together to form a meaningful whole. We approach each new project with the belief that a building and its site are fundamentally linked. The setting, views, sun orientation, landscape and other environmental factors help shape our designs. Some of Stettler Design’s most prominent projects include: Burke Gilman House, Seattle, Washington Renton House, Renton, Washington The following statistics helped Stettler Design achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 25. Verge Architecture & Design © Verge Architecture & Design We pride ourselves on our welcoming and open minded personalities because this allows our clients to feel as though they can ask anything. We listen carefully because we wouldn’t be here unless you asked us to be, and we form lifelong relationships with the folks we design for as well as the ones that we design with. Some of Verge Architecture & Design’s most prominent projects include: Kirkland Residence, Seattle, Washington Juanita Residence, Seattle, Washington Shoreline Kitchen, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Verge Architecture & Design achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 3 24. Neiman Taber Architects © Neiman Taber Architects Neiman Taber Architects is a full service architecture firm, based in Seattle, providing innovative designs for residential, commercial and institutional clients throughout the state of Washington. We specialize in contemporary architecture that is uniquely responsive to the climate of the Pacific Northwest. Our work is a continual exploration of configuration, material, and technology that creates buildings uniquely suited to their place and time. Some of Neiman Taber Architects’ most prominent projects include: Marion Green Courtyard Townhomes, Seattle, Washington Walsh Hollon Residence, Seattle, Washington Beach Drive, Seattle, Washington Saratoga Springs Residence, Saratoga Springs, New York The following statistics helped Neiman Taber Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 23. Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects © benjamin benschneider Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects is an 10-person design firm located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Our firm is a tightly-knit and collaborative group of designers and professionals who bring a wide spectrum of skills and expertise to each project. We specialize in the careful crafting of buildings and spaces for civic, academic, environmental and residential use. Some of Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects’ most prominent projects include: West Mercer Residence, Seattle, Washington Madrona Remodel, Seattle, Washington Brook Bay, Seattle, Washington Chophouse Row, Seattle, Washington Westside School, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 22. chadbourne + doss architects © Kevin Scott Photography chadbourne + doss architects take a holistic approach to creating unique environments that are relevant to their place and deeply responsive to our client’s needs and desires. Our work embodies a fascination with the contrasting relationships of everyday life — inside/outside, public/private, technology/nature — through the innovative use of form, materials and light. Taking on creative projects at all scales; we have a particular interest in work that engages the arts, environment and community. Some of chadbourne + doss architects’ most prominent projects include: Wood Block Residence, Mercer Island, Washington The Perch, Seattle, Washington Prow House, Oregon Lobster Boat Residence, Seattle, Washington Past Present House, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped chadbourne + doss architects achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 7 21. FINNE Architects © FINNE Architects Raised in the United States and Norway, Nils Finne established FINNE Architects in Seattle in 1994, bringing a Scandinavian understanding of craft and landscape to the Pacific Northwest. Dedicated to the idea of Crafted Modernism, Nils typically designs custom lighting, furniture, cabinets and hardware for every project. FINNE has produced more than 80 pieces of custom fabrications, which are also sold as stand-alone items. At FINNE Architects in Seattle, we have been practicing sustainable design for over fifteen years. We are members of the Cascadia Green Building Council and we are LEED certified. We design every project to conserve resources by using passive heating and cooling, to maximize the use of natural light, and to employ sustainable building materials. Current work also includes active systems such as photovoltaic panels and ground-source heat exchangers. Some of FINNE Architects’ most prominent projects include: Lake Forest Renovation, Lake Forest Park, Washington Bainbridge House, Bainbridge Island, Washington Port Ludlow Residence, Seattle, Washington Eagle Harbor Cabin SKLI Pendant Light Fixture The following statistics helped FINNE Architects achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 14 20. Silk Cavassa Marchetti © Silk Cavassa Marchetti Silk Cavassa Marchetti is an architecture and interiors firm known for the design of bespoke site-specific residences and commercial buildings that stand the test of time. Serving clients throughout the Puget Sound region and across the country, we believe in the power of design to positively impact lives and enhance our built environment. For over thirty years we have pursued an approach that adheres to the foundational principles of functionality, proportion, and craft. Partnering with our clients is our passion, purpose, and privilege. We delight in the multi-layered process required to match functionality with design and embrace sustainability as an integral part of the solution. Some of Silk Cavassa Marchetti’s most prominent projects include: Salmon Bay Landing, Seattle, Washington Hidden Cove Residence, Seattle, Washington Yellowstone Residence, Big Sky, Montanna Santa Lucia Residence, Carmel Valley, California Lake Cove Residence, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Silk Cavassa Marchetti achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 14 19. Lane Williams Architects We are a team of architects devoted to the design of modern, custom, single-family residences. Projects range from new homes and remodels in the greater Seattle area to vacation retreats in the San Juan Islands and Central Washington, plus works in Oregon, California and Connecticut. Our designs have been featured in Metropolitan Home, Trends, Fine Homebuilding, Sunset, Residential Architect and many regional publications. We are a team of architects devoted to the design of custom, single-family residences. Some of Lane Williams Architects’ most prominent projects include: Queen Anne Mid-Modern, Seattle, Washington Interlock House, Medina, Washington Push Pull Pavilion, Medina, Washington Sunrise Vista, Seattle, Washington Enetai House, Bellevue, Washington The following statistics helped Lane Williams Architects achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 16 18. Land Morphology © Kevin Scott Photography Land Morphology is a Seattle-based landscape architecture practice focused on creating rich, emotive landscapes. Founded by Richard Hartlage, Land Morphology is comprised of a talented interdisciplinary team of landscape architects, designers, urban planners and horticulturists, who create highly varied spaces that integrate exquisite built form, sophisticated horticulture, and the fine arts. Each space is uniquely memorable, vibrant, carefully crafted and environmentally sustainable. Some of Land Morphology’s most prominent projects include: Leach Botanical Garden – The Upper Garden, Portland, Oregon The Perch, Seattle, Washington InSitu Garden, Redding, Connecticut Leach Botanical Garden, Portland, Oregon Village Green, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Land Morphology achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 6 17. Patano Studio Architecture © EHDD Patano Architecture Studio produces High-Performance, low energy use buildings for public and private clients. We work in a highly collaborative manner to design projects that are direct responses to the local climate. Our approach utilizes the available site resources to create comfortable, healthy spaces that use as little energy as possible. Durable, elegant structures that utilize cutting edge building technologies result from our process. Our integrated team affords our clients great value while simultaneously producing projects that drastically reduce annual operating costs. Some of Patano Studio Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Riverstone Office Building, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho University of Idaho, Reveley Classroom Building, Moscow, Idaho Lake Sammamish State Park Bathhouse Replacement , Issaquah, Washington Smith Cove Cruise Ship Terminal and Event Center, Seattle, Washington BLK_LAB, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Patano Studio Architecture achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 7 16. CAST architecture © CAST architecture CAST architecture is a Seattle based firm, specializing in warm modern residential design. We strive to make fluid, functional spaces that are elegant, vibrant and a joy to inhabit. Some of CAST architecture’s most prominent projects include: Mazama Ranchero, Okanogan County, Washington RAINIER BEACH URBAN FARM AND WETLANDS (RBUFW), Seattle, Washington Icicle Creek Retreat, Leavenworth, Washington Sunset Substation Park, Seattle, Washington Greenwater Cabin, Greenwater, Washington The following statistics helped CAST architecture achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 19 15. grouparchitect © Doug J Scott Grouparchitect, a Seattle based architecture firm, designs concise architectural solutions for all sizes of residential, multifamily and mixed-use/commercial projects. Creating great work requires an ongoing process of dialogue and our flexible, collaborative team approach results in beautifully designed and well functioning buildings of all types. Our experience ranges from vacation cabins to urban residences to six-story mixed-use buildings to high-rise towers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Some of grouparchitect’s most prominent projects include: Elford Remodel, Seattle, Washington Transnet Office Building, Issaquah, Washington Ballard Remodel, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped grouparchitect achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Total Projects 3 14. Paul Michael Davis Architects © Paul Michael Davis Architects, PLLC Before starting his own office, Paul gained several years of experience in leading architecture firms in LA and New York. He has led the design and construction of numerous projects, from creative designs for three children’s libraries on very limited budgets to a major renovation and addition to a landmark townhouse for a hedge fund. While working in Frank Gehry’s Los Angeles office, Paul developed advanced architectural concepts on projects like the Louis Vuitton Foundation museum in Paris. He has also been on a member of the Interior Design faculty of Bellevue College. Paul attended the University of Washington, earning two Bachelor’s degrees in 2000, and a Master of Architecture in 2003. Some of Paul Michael Davis Architects’ most prominent projects include: Wyss Family Container House, Mercer Island, Washington Burke Gilman House, Seattle, Washington The Dog’s Breakfast, Redmond, Washington Cafe Javasti, Seattle, Washington The Fire Lookout House, California The following statistics helped Paul Michael Davis Architects, PLLC achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 10 13. Signal Architecture + Research © Signal Architecture + Research Focused on connecting people with place, Signal Architecture + Research works to design inspiring places for humankind, drawing distinct influence of experience through materials, function, light, nature and sound. Communication, listening and collaboration – from clients to communities creates the foundation for our approach to integrative design dialog. Some of Signal Architecture + Research’s most prominent projects include: Cottonwood Canyon Experience Center, Wasco, Oregon E-9 Trekking Cabin Power of Trust, Seattle, Washington Coos History Museum & Maritime Center, Coos Bay, Oregon Northwest Railway Museum Archives, Snoqualmie, Washington The following statistics helped Signal Architecture + Research achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 13 12. First Lamp Architects © First Lamp Architects At First Lamp Architects, our journey began as a vision rooted in the profound connection between architecture, design and construction. Founded on the principles of blending creativity with craftsmanship, we emerged as an Architect-led Design Build company with a distinct focus on crafting stunning and functional net-zero and Passive homes that transcend the ordinary. Our mission, firmly anchored in the poetic sense of space, drives every facet of our work. One of the most compelling aspects of Residential Architecture is the unique ability of those who conceive the design to also bring it to life through construction. This dynamic process allows our projects to evolve organically, maintaining the same unwavering creative focus from the initial spark of inspiration to the final nail hammered into place. Some of First Lamp Architects’ most prominent projects include: Lake Tapps Residence, Pierce County, Washington Badger Mountain House, Richland, Washington Ballard Aperture, Seattle, Washington Lever Homes, Seattle, Washington Ballard Passive House, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped First Lamp Architects achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 5 Total Projects 13 11. SHED Architecture & Design – Modern Architects Seattle © AMZ Arquitetos SHED Architecture & Design, located in Seattle, specializes in modern and sustainable projects including custom homes, remodels and commercial interiors, as well as landscape, furniture and conceptual designs. SHED’s origins as a design/build firm continue to inspire and inform the design process, as they collaboratively work with clients and partners to seek unique solutions that embody the qualities of economy, beauty and craft. Some of SHED Architecture & Design – Modern Architects Seattle’s most prominent projects include: Treehouse, Seattle, Washington Main Street House, Seattle, Washington Stable Conversion , Seattle, Washington Alley Cat, Seattle, Washington Me-Kwa-Mooks Net-Zero, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped SHED Architecture & Design - Modern Architects Seattle achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 17 10. mwworks © mwworks mwworks is a Seattle-based design studio offering architectural and interior design services to residential and commercial clients. Formed in 2007, our offices remain small, focused on compelling, collaborative projects of all scales. Some of mwworks’s most prominent projects include: Helen Street, Seattle, Washington Whidbey Island Farm Retreat, Island County, Washington Canyon Barn, Leavenworth, Washington Case Inlet Retreat, Gig Harbor, Washington Laurelhurst Midcentury, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped mwworks achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 6 Total Projects 7 9. GO’C © GO'C Founded in the Pacific Northwest, GO’C is an award-winning architecture and design studio inspired by the interplay of rational design and artistic expression. From residential to commercial and arts-focused public spaces, we thrive in the challenges and opportunities of site-specific work. Our mission is to cultivate a collaborative design ethos dedicated to producing expressive and contextual architecture that enriches its place. Some of GO’C’s most prominent projects include: IN-KIND HOUSE, Seattle, Washington Oiselle Flagship Store, Seattle, Washington wa_sauna, Seattle, Washington COR Cellars, Lyle, Washington Sound House, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped GO'C achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 7 Total Projects 13 8. Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects © Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects We design with the belief that nothing is impossible, and temper it with good old-fashioned pragmatism, embracing both big ideas and intricate details. Taking into account location, context and other inherent attributes of a specific project, we strive to create a balanced whole, integrating the structure and the environment. We consider the interplay between inside and outside, light and shadow, aesthetics and utility, carefully selecting materials that harmonize with nature, prioritizing efficiency and sustainability. Some of Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects’ most prominent projects include: Boathouse, San Juan County, Washington Wintergreen Cabin, Winthrop, Washington Cortes, Strathcona, British Columbia Foster Loop, Okanogan County, Washington Ballard Cut, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 30 7. Best Practice Architecture © Rafael Soldi Meaningful design is a balance between content, beauty and function. Inspiration from our client’s real-life needs is used to choreograph intuitive experiences with distinct levels of interaction. Our devotion is to never losing sight of the needs of the people with whom we work. This is our Best Practice. Some of Best Practice Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Granny Pad, Seattle, Washington Eye Eye, Seattle, Washington Rainier Annex Studios, Seattle, Washington Smith Tower Tenant Improvement, Seattle, Washington Big Mouth House, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Best Practice Architecture achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 1 Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 38 6. GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS © GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS is a vibrant Seattle architecture firm recognized for the successful place-making of commercial, residential and arts spaces. Whether through the renovation of existing buildings or in new construction, the firm believes authenticity can — and should — be found in every building by use of honest materials such as metals, wood and glass celebrated in their natural state. Through subtle and economical design moves, Graham Baba creates places that tell a story, places that people are drawn to and spaces that encourage social interaction and community. The Graham Baba team is driven by thoughtful creativity and collaboration and works to celebrate the embedded qualities of spaces as well as the potential of a site and program and client vision. Some of GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS’ most prominent projects include: Washington Fruit Company Headquarters, Yakima, Washington Trailbend Taproom, Seattle, Washington Alaska Airlines Flagship Lounge, Seattle, Washington Klotski Building, Seattle, Washington The Shop by Porter, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped GRAHAM BABA ARCHITECTS achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 4 A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 42 5. Robert Hutchison Architecture © JSa Arquitectura, Robert Hutchison Architecture Robert Hutchison Architecture (RHA) specializes in the design of contemporary projects that balance beautiful, inspiring spaces with economic, pragmatic solutions. In partnership with clients, consultants and builders, we seek creative solutions for an architecture that is elegant and efficient. At the core of our work lies an interest in investigating the boundaries of architecture, balancing the permanent with the ephemeral to create works evoking a strong sense of place. Our diverse list of projects includes custom homes and remodels, cabins, art studios, commercial interiors and institutional and public works. Always striving for a holistic practice, we balance architectural commissions with research, writing and installation projects. Some of Robert Hutchison Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Casa de Baño, Temascaltepec de González, Mexico Rain Harvest Home, Temascaltepec de González, Mexico Alley House #2, Seattle, Washington Courtyard House on a River, Greenwater, Washington Cantilever House, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Robert Hutchison Architecture achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 1 A+Awards Finalist 3 Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 25 4. SkB Architects © SkB Architects SkB Architects was founded in February 1999 by Shannon Gaffney, Kyle Gaffney and Brian Collins-Friedrichs. The firm seeks to create meaningful, sensory-rich environments for individuals, corporate clients, retailers, developers and culturally-connected communities. Based in Seattle and with projects located throughout the United States, the diversity of the firm’s practice allows ideas from different project types to cross-pollinate and influence one another, ultimately leading to more comprehensive and informed design solutions. The firm is driven by the idea that thoughtful, insightful, and creative design has the power to enrich people’s lives. Some of SkB Architects’ most prominent projects include: Bay Area Research Company, California Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois U.S Bank Center, Seattle, Washington Wild Ginger, Bellevue, Washington 400 Fairview, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped SkB Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 4 A+Awards Finalist 2 Featured Projects 7 Total Projects 31 3. LMN Architects © LMN Architects LMN Architects specializes in designing convention centers, cultural arts venues, higher education and sports facilities, commercial and mixed-use developments and urban environments that celebrate and enrich communities. Founded in 1979, LMN has earned an international reputation for high quality design, successfully managing complex projects and delivering progressive, sustainable solutions. Some of LMN Architects’ most prominent projects include: University of Iowa School of Music: Suspended Theatroacoustic System, Iowa City, Iowa Sound Transit University of Washington Station, Seattle, Washington Voxman Music Building Terracotta Facade, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Voxman Music Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Asian Art Museum, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped LMN Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 3 A+Awards Finalist 4 Featured Projects 8 Total Projects 42 2. The Miller Hull Partnership © The Miller Hull Partnership Founded in 1977 by David Miller and Robert Hull, partners with a defining background in the Peace Corps, The Miller Hull Partnership is strongly influenced by site and environmental conditions. The heart of our work is understanding the power of natural surroundings. Our legacy of environmentally responsible buildings is inspired by the efficiency and elegance of passive systems and regional materials. We leverage the openness and flexibility of modernist form to celebrate connections inside and out. We continually explore the boundaries of current thought, pulling from the latest technology, materials and cultural context. Miller Hull is widely recognized for innovative, timeless designs that provide enduring value by harmoniously elevating the ordinary with nature. Partnership is at the core of our practice. Some of The Miller Hull Partnership’s most prominent projects include: Loom House, Bainbridge Island, Washington The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, Atlanta, Georgia Renton Public Library, Renton, Washington Mercer Island Fire Station 92, Mercer Island, Washington Pike Place MarketFront, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped The Miller Hull Partnership achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 2 A+Awards Finalist 8 Featured Projects 16 Total Projects 36 1. Olson Kundig © Nike Olson Kundig is a Seattle-based design practice founded on the ideas that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture and people, and that inspiring surroundings have a positive effect on people’s lives. Led by five owners, the firm’s work can be found across the globe, with projects as wide ranging as huts to high rises, homes — often for art collectors — to academic, cultural and civic projects, museums and exhibition design, places of worship, creative production, urban design and interior design. The firm began its creative existence in 1966 with the architect Jim Olson, whose work at that time centered on explorations of the relationship between dwellings and the landscapes in which they inhabit. Some of Olson Kundig’s most prominent projects include: ANOHA—The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin , Berlin, Germany 242 State Street, Los Altos, California Martin’s Lane Winery, Kelowna, Canada Shinsegae International, Seoul, South Korea Charles Smith Wines Jet City, Seattle, Washington Featured image: Water Cabin, Seattle, Washington The following statistics helped Olson Kundig achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Seattle: A+Awards Winner 6 A+Awards Finalist 12 Featured Projects 55 Total Projects 107 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 and Design Firms in Seattle appeared first on Journal.

Food has evolved from a basic necessity to a commodity and a symbol of power, highlighting the need to integrate food systems into city planning.

The post Vertical Farms and Food Futures: Architecture’s Response to a Hungry Planet appeared first on Journal.

Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work! ‘Vertical farms’ is a topic widely discussed in the past couple of years. It is one of those cases where architecture provides an actionable solution to wider issues that go beyond sustainability challenges, touching upon economic, political and societal aspects. Lack of sufficient food due to overpopulation, water scarcity and unexpected environmental factors are only a few of the matters vertical farms can allegedly solve. Before discussing farming, however, let’s talk about pigs. One radical project, which addresses the wider issue of food production in cities, is Pig City by MVRDV. Conducting extensive research regarding the pork industry within the Netherlands as well as meticulous calculations on pork production in wider Europe and the grains and water necessary to support the livestock, the proposal sought to design alternative, more humane pig farms. Just for reference, in the year 2000, the average area required for each pig in organic farming was approximately 1,726 meters squared. If this standard were applied across the Netherlands, it would result in 75% of the country’s land being dedicated to such farms. In response, the proposal combines organic farming with all the associating production activities, creating an intensive concentration of farms and eliminating the need for costly and polluting transportation and distribution. As the T?F (The Why Factory) researchers very accurately stated, “Either we become vegetarians, or we change production methods and demand humane farming procedures.” Even though Pig City examines the economic viability of biological farming, I wonder whether the answer to food scarcity and negative environmental impact, is further construction. Architecturally, the concept of a vertical farm implies “stacking”, i.e., designing a building that occupies less footprint, while at the same time houses activities that would otherwise take up a lot more space. Additionally, vertical farms are usually controlled environments, where conditions that influence food production are effectively regulated. However, even though these new “agricultural typologies” provide an impactful solution to food challenges, they also serve and even encourage the ever-growing need for consumerism that plagues our planet. Perhaps, instead of trying to answer the question of how we can produce more food more sustainably, we need to evaluate this approach and turn towards a different paradigm. Asian Cairns – Sustainable Farmscrapers for Rural Urbanity by Vincent Callebaut Architectures, Shenzhen, China GEA by Taller Proyectual Food City is a book written by architect and academic C.J. Lim, originally published in 2014, that examines the reinstatement of food at the core of national and local governance. The book is split into nine chapters: Food + Business, Food + Community, Food + Culture, Food + Education, Food + Employment, Food + Energy, Food + Health, Food + Law, and Food + Transport. It provides an insight on 25 international cities, whose governance is described through the medium of food and re-evaluates the way in which cities can function spatially as well as politically. Through the book, C.J. Lim presents a speculative research study situated in the city of London. In a series of drawings, models and texts, the architect explores how a secondary infrastructure built over London can function as a living environment and a new food system. The Food Parliament is a fictional supreme food legislation body for London and its territories, which functions as a holistic ecology that is self-perpetuating, while engaging in dialogue with traditional London. It operates under three pledges: (a) it stands as an international center of excellence for food security, (b) it encourages local communities and individuals to participate in food cultivation, processing and distribution and finally, (c) it disseminates the new notion of health, which includes food security, good health, green space and fresh air. Through humorous illustrations and narratives, the book redefines governing bodies and political figures in an attempt to accentuate the polemic impact food has in politics and society. Some of the most notable speculative scenarios include a Ministry of Defense comprised of geese (farm animals known for their protective nature) as well as “fences” made of landscape, whose scent can keep specific insects and pesticides away. Additionally, an urban fish farm characterized as the Blue Carpet reintroduces “dreamy” traditional fishing practices, while Mr. Speaker — the figure that shouts “order, order” within the London Parliament — is tasked with cleaning the space using massive sprinkler systems that soar over the landscape. Finally, massive pyramidal structures, inspired from Westminster Hall and the coronation ceremony, become the new cultivation farms which gather seeds and water from the air, producing enough food for all the London burrows. From the moment humans practiced agriculture and settled on land, their relationship with food became increasingly complicated, intertwining with cultural, economic and political frameworks that define societies. Food transitioned from a basic necessity to a commodity, a symbol of power, and a driver of urban development. This evolution underscores the need to rethink how food systems are integrated into the fabric of our cities and governance structures in such a way that not only sustain human life but also respect the environment and foster community resilience. Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work! Featured Image: GEA by Taller Proyectual The post Vertical Farms and Food Futures: Architecture’s Response to a Hungry Planet appeared first on Journal.

The rise of the esports industry is making way for some of the most innovative and technologically advanced architecture of the moment.

The post Game Changers: Designing the Next Generation of Esports Arenas appeared first on Journal.

Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work! In 1997, Dennis “Thresh” Fong took the once sneer-inducing subculture of gaming and completely flipped it on its head. His victory in the Quake “Red Annihilation” tournament won him a cherry-red Ferrari that was previously owned by id Software’s John Carmack. It was a turning point — an unbelievable moment that hinted at what the world would eventually recognize as a legitimate competitive discipline. By the time Thresh entered the ESL Hall of Fame in 2016, the message was crystal: esports wasn’t some exclusive club reserved for people who knew how to build their own servers and overclock CPUs. It was a global industry that would soon eclipse many forms of traditional entertainment. Today, the esports sector has reached a level few could have predicted. Forecasts suggest revenues could hit £3.4 billion this year, driven by staggering audiences who assemble — both virtually and physically — to watch tournaments of games like Dota 2, League of Legends and FIFA. Millions of people gather online while thousands more meet in purpose-built arenas to watch professional gamers do their thing. Esports has become a platform for international diplomacy, branding and — crucially — a jumping-off point for some of the most innovative architecture in the world. The early esports competitions of the 1980s and ’90s were played on arcade cabinets or around makeshift LAN setups in internet cafés and college dorms. Gamers built their own setups and hunched over screens in badly lit rooms. Yet, as games like StarCraft, Counter-Strike and Quake became global phenomena and the internet grew, local fan groups evolved into massive, transnational communities. It was South Korea’s love of StarCraft in the early 2000s that really ramped things up. With dedicated TV channels being launched and players being recognized as celebrities, gaming became a mass spectator sport. Within a decade, streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming unlocked global reach and esports went viral. Now, as the industry continues to grow, cities all over the world are constructing architecturally ambitious arenas to house these incredible competitions. Allegiant Stadium by Manica Architecture, Las Vegas, Nevada | Photo by Jason O’Rear Photography Unlike traditional stadiums that have been honed over centuries around known parameters like a pitch, a court or a field, where players physically interact in three-dimensional space and spectators are fixed on a single point of action, esports competitions are primarily on screens and often, multiple players mean multiple focus points. The “field” can morph from a jungle in League of Legends to a sprawling sci-fi battleground in Halo. Camera angles shift instantaneously but players can remain seated for hours, completely inverting the rules of traditional sports. For architects, this means designing for multiple vantage points, ergonomic comfort and countless permutations. Most importantly, esports arenas must support highly complex technological ecosystems — powerful servers, ultra-low-latency data backbones and cutting-edge broadcasting facilities that would rival top-tier TV studios. Beyond technology, flexibility is paramount. Stages and setups must be modular to accommodate different games, formats and audience sizes, while seating arrangements may need to shrink or expand, potentially overnight. Sight lines must take into consideration both live-action and digital overlays, as well as the vast audience that experiences these events from the comfort of their own home. In some cases, the architecture must include “back-of-house” training facilities, VIP lounges, live-streaming studios and even coworking areas for content creators, each with its own spatial and technical requirements. Co-op Live by Populous, Manchester, United Kingdom | Visuals by Populous In esports architecture, technology is the central nervous system, and one firm is leading the way. With a design portfolio that includes some of the most advanced esports facilities in the world, including Esports Stadium Arlington, Fortress Melbourne and the NBA 2K League Broadcast Arena, Populous is at the forefront of cutting-edge venue design for the ever-expanding live gaming experience. Populous are well known for their incredible sporting arenas, and their first forays into esports are also setting new standards. The Qiddiya City Esports Arena in Saudi Arabia stands out. Combining the largest combined total video screen area of any esports arena in the world, as well as 4D haptic seats where visitors will sense, feel and even smell the action taking place in front of them, the striking design creates an iconic venue, capable of adapting to multiple experiences and events. With a distinctive architectural identity, the 5,300-seat multifunctional venue will provide a best-in-class experience for players and spectators alike. Extensive sightline studies have been carried out to optimize seating in the main auditorium for the best views, and parametric design tools have been utilized to refine screen locations, resulting in an innovative “digital chandelier” placed centrally within the seating bowl for enhanced gameplay content delivery. It’s not all plain sailing. While esports may spare us the grass maintenance of football pitches or the water demands of Olympic swimming pools, environmental scrutiny is rightly an issue. Data centers, high-end equipment and continuous streaming generate a significant carbon footprint. According to some estimates, information and communications technology accounts for around 3.7% of global emissions — nearly on par with the airline industry. Sphere by Populous and ICRAVE, Las Vegas, Nevada | Visuals by ICRAVE Latency can make or break an esports competition. Audiences expecting flawless 4K streams require bulletproof internet pipelines, multiple redundancies and data centers integrated into the architecture. Cooling systems become critical design challenges as massive server loads generate substantial heat. Architects and engineers are responding with a new ethos of sustainability. Arenas are adopting energy-efficient cooling systems that use recycled water or passive air strategies. Solar panels, high-performance insulation, responsibly sourced materials and state-of-the-art lighting systems help reduce the environmental impact. Advanced building management systems can modulate energy consumption in real time, while modular construction methods enable future upgrades without massive waste. Esports arenas, as future-oriented entities, are fantastic examples of green design and are set to revolutionize other entertainment venues that follow. The upcoming 2025 Olympic Esports Games will undoubtedly push architects and designers to up their game. Even more daring technological experiments are likely to emerge with holographic player introductions, AI-driven systems and a new era of arena that blur the boundaries between physical and digital architecture. In the centuries to come, historians may look back on this moment as the time when architecture had to rethink fundamental elements of spatial design: circulation, acoustic engineering and even the definition of a “seat.” Shifting from static structures to fluid, tech-driven environments that engage not only the body but also the imagination, these digital coliseums are the next evolution of cultural space — places where human creativity, advanced technology and architectural innovation come together. Architizer's 13th A+Awards features a suite of sustainability-focused categories recognizing designers that are building a greener industry — and a better future. Start your entry to receive global recognition for your work! The post Game Changers: Designing the Next Generation of Esports Arenas appeared first on Journal.

Dedicated to modern design

Nirvana House, by AtelierM, blends seamlessly with surrounding nature as it rises from the ground as a three-story garden in Argentina.

Nestled in the scenic surroundings of Pilar, Argentina, Nirvana House by AtelierM reimagines the boundaries of residential architecture. Overlooking a polo field, this 3,767-square-foot home combines innovation, sustainability, and a commitment to blending with its environment. The result is a home that transcends mere functionality, offering its inhabitants a seamless connection with the natural world. At the heart of Nirvana House lies an unconventional concept – a three-level garden that appears to rise organically from the earth, topped off with a lush green roof. This detail ensures the home integrates effortlessly into the surrounding terrain, creating a dialogue between structure and environment. The design’s flowing lines and organic contours mirror the undulating topography, forming a residence that feels as though it has grown from the ground itself. Concrete and wood were deliberately selected as primary materials, chosen for their durability, low maintenance, and capacity to develop a natural patina over time. These materials not only enhance the structure’s longevity but also deepen its visual and textural connection to the landscape. The home is divided into two primary zones – public and private – each designed with distinct yet interconnected purposes. The ground floor features open-plan living, dining, and kitchen areas that dissolve the boundaries between interior and exterior. Expansive windows and sliding doors draw in natural light and provide unbroken views of the gardens. The upper level houses the private quarters, including bedrooms designed as tranquil retreats. These spaces offer sweeping views of the polo field and beyond, fostering a sense of calm and introspection. A thoughtfully placed water feature acts as the home’s meditative core, reflecting sunlight throughout the space. Nirvana House embodies a forward-thinking approach to sustainability, incorporating passive design principles to minimize its environmental footprint. Strategic orientation allows for optimal natural light and airflow, reducing reliance on artificial lighting and climate control systems. By prioritizing efficiency and sustainability, the home not only respects its environment but also enhances the comfort of its occupants. The choice of noble materials – such as concrete and wood – ensures the house ages gracefully, maintaining its aesthetic integrity while requiring minimal upkeep. This commitment to sustainability extends to the design’s integration of vegetation, with greenery cascading across all three levels of the garden, uniting the home with its verdant surroundings. For more information on the Nirvana House or AtelierM’s projects, visit atelierm.ar. Photography by AtelierM, courtesy of BowerBird.

Designed by Dan Brunn, a renovated double A-frame cabin in Lake Arrowhead elegantly melds the nostalgia of vintage architecture with modern aesthetics.

Nestled amid the serene woodlands of Lake Arrowhead, California, the Arrowhead Double A-Frame House – also known as “Bern Double-A” – is an artful transformation of a 1970s cabin. Designed by Dan Brunn Architecture (DBA), this structure elegantly melds the nostalgia of vintage architecture with modern aesthetics, offering a unique retreat that balances luxury with eco-consciousness. The renovation re-envisions the original A-frame as a “double A-frame,” a novel approach that combines the firm’s distinctive minimalist aesthetic with warm, inviting elements. The cabin’s original T-shaped footprint proved ideal for expanding the A-frame structure in two perpendicular directions, creating a dynamic geometry that feels both familiar and bold. Central to this renovation is the addition of a glass wall on the short axis of the structure, a feature that allows ample light into the lofted areas and visually connects the indoors to the forested landscape beyond. Inside, DBA’s characteristic restraint in material selection is clear, ensuring an effortlessly timeless feel. Existing woodwork, including the cabin’s original beams and ceilings, was meticulously restored through a unique sandblasting process with walnut shells, preserving the wood’s natural texture while harmonizing with new floors. This thoughtful treatment emphasizes the continuity between the cabin’s past and its revitalized design. The living room serves as the focal point of the home, where a tall, glass-framed A-frame ceiling contrasts with a rustic fireplace clad in tumbled stone. Designed for relaxation and connection, this space offers sweeping forest views and a cozy semicircular sofa centered around the hearth. Hidden cove lighting enhances the ambiance by casting a warm, inviting glow across the vaulted ceilings, further enhancing the cabin’s connection to nature. The design unfolds across three levels, each carefully orchestrated to suit distinct functions. The ground floor provides a tranquil zone for bedrooms and utilities, while the second floor brings a social, open layout that includes a guest suite, living and dining spaces, and a kitchen that flows seamlessly into the surrounding scenery. The third floor, an airy loft, features high ceilings, cozy carpeted floors, and mid-century-inspired furniture, adding an element of playful sophistication. Floor-to-ceiling windows strategically placed throughout amplify views of the surrounding woods, inviting nature to become an integral part of the interior experience. A soft, dark navy hue – featured prominently in the cabin’s core elements, cabinetry, and select exterior areas – creates contrast against the lighter woods of the bedrooms and living spaces. This choice imbues the cabin with a grounded elegance, echoed by navy exterior siding and decks. The kitchen thoughtfully reflects 1970s design inspiration with dual-toned cabinetry and intricate details, including slim, dark-framed edges and custom wooden pulls. White, soft-touch Fenix laminate blends with dark blue-gray finishes, achieving a modern yet period-authentic feel. Up in the loft, oversized windows provide unobstructed views of the treetops, reinforcing the cabin’s integration with the landscape. Here, bespoke built-in cabinetry displays vintage records and a turntable, celebrating the cabin’s mid-century charm. Adding a touch of whimsy, a Noguchi Akari lantern placed in the corner, illuminates the space in soft light. The sleeping areas are designed as intimate retreats, each outfitted with Scandinavian-inspired decor, plush rugs, and soft fabrics. The main bedroom is particularly striking with its vintage-inspired reading nook accented in Irish Green, matched with a plush velvet sofa, creating an inviting spot to unwind. Thoughtful lighting fixtures, including wall sconces and floor lamps, add a gentle, ambient glow that enhances the overall sense of calm. Sustainability is at the heart of DBA’s approach. The renovation focused on minimizing waste, retaining as much of the existing structure as possible, and reducing the need for new materials. Upgraded insulation, energy-efficient windows, a high-performance heat pump, and LED lighting all contribute to the home’s energy-conscious design. By preserving the existing exterior and implementing sustainable upgrades, the Arrowhead Double A-Frame achieves a balance between environmental responsibility and luxurious comfort. For more information on Dan Brunn Architecture, visit danbrunn.com. Photography by Brandon Shigeta.

Karim El-Ishmawi, co-founder of Kinzo, shares his favorite installations at Salone del Mobile, a tea pavilion in Portugal, Boston City Hall, and more.

When Karim El-Ishmawi was a child he often visited a home located in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. The memorable residence, integrated into the mountainside, was designed by Hans Ziegler. Spacious and multilayered on the inside, the structure is barely visible from the outside, and to the young El-Ishmawi it was comparable to a cave. As he explored it, his interest in architecture was ignited. As a teenager, Karim El-Ishmawi experimented with different forms of expression, from graffiti and film to installations. The former East Berlin during the 1990s was a place where his imagination was allowed to flourish. Karim El-Ishmawi \\\ Photo: Sebastian Dorken With his pals (and co-founders) Chris Middleton and Martin Jacobs, El-Ishmawi was able to experiment and explore in new ways. “My passion has always been creativity in a collective,” he says. “Simply putting ideas into practice seemed to be a natural phenomenon in this constellation. I am firmly convinced that these two people unleashed my drive and creativity more than my parents or anyone else ever could have.” El-Ishmawi never had a set career path, but in 2005 the trio founded Kinzo. Noted for a holistic and participatory design approach, the team conceives new living and working environments. Responsible for project management and strategy, El-Ishmawi plans every facet from the perspective of future users. No matter what he dreams up, the end result is better because of his collaboration with Jacobs and Middleton. “We do what comes along and is interesting,” El-Ishmawi notes. “It is certainly easier to cast a team of experts with clearly defined skills, and a business plan within an existing network of parents and acquaintances. But the feeling of doing something like this with friends is unbeatable.” Today, Karim El-Ishmawi joins us for Friday Five! Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi 1. Alvaro Siza Boa Nova Tea Pavilion (1963) My partner Chris and I often go on vacation together with our families. Most recently we were in Portugal in the Porto area. For architects, it is a place of pilgrimage, and for the family, simply an outstanding experience. Siza’s projects in and around town are as well integrated into everyday life as they are into the landscape. Take the Boa Nova Tea House or the pools in Leça da Palmeira, for example: They are remarkably scenographic and yet somehow feels benevolent and modest. Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi 2. Salone I – The Saunarider (2022) This is such a Berlin collaboration! Together with fashion/art project BLESS, architect Sam Chermayeff furnished a classic Mercedes-Benz with an interior made of wooden beads and a stove in the trunk to create a mobile sauna – The Saunarider was last seen in the Salone in Milan in 2023. Hot shit! Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi 3. Boston City Hall (1968) In 2015, I spent some time in Boston, as I was a visiting professor at the Wentworth Institute. My first tour of the city took me straight to the brutalist icon. I am amazed of how close the ugly and the sublime can be. Photo: Karim El-Ishmawi 4. Your Rainbow Panorama (2011) What started as a pretty standard business trip to Aarhus quickly turned into the epitome of aesthetic sensory modulation: a visit to Olafur Eliasson’s spectral circle atop the ARoS art museum. Photo: Andrea Bonso 5. Salone II | Interna_Mente by Materica (2023) I saw this installation in the Alcova during Milan Design Week 2023: The interior of a former cold storage room was entirely covered with metallized sheets, and due to the oxidation and coloration the reflection of light made me feel like I was in a kaleidoscope. The guys from design studio Materica applied real-metal coating to every material to great effect. Shiny and mesmerizing! Works by Kinzo: Photo: Sebastian Dörken Admiralspalast (2023) The Admiralspalast on Berlin’s Friedrichstraße, an iconic building since 1911, has been transformed by Kinzo Architekten into the headquarters for a digital service provider. This project merges the building’s rich history with a forward-looking workspace. Originally featuring an ice skating rink, bowling alleys, a cinema, and a Roman-Russian spa, the Admiralspalast embodied the opulence of Berlin’s Golden Twenties. Kinzo Architekten preserved and integrated historical elements like Art Nouveau mosaics and Art Deco windows into the new design, creating a unique blend of past and present. The redesigned office spans three floors, offering spaces for collaboration, retreat, and individual work, aiming to bring employees back from remote work. Highlights include a communal area with a bench modeled after the former ladies’ pool, a relaxation room adapted for modern use, and a large hall with a circumferential gallery and various themed rooms. Photo: Schnepp Renou Das Center Potsdamer Platz (2024) Kinzo Architekten revitalized the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz, transforming it into a dynamic hub for community and participation. The holistic placemaking concept enhances Potsdamer Platz as a vibrant meeting place for visitors and an attractive location for businesses, retailers, and restaurants. The project involved developing target-oriented usage formats for commercial and public spaces to seamlessly re-integrate the site into the urban fabric. Lobby D, once merely a transit space, now offers two floors of work and meeting areas, including a separate workshop room. The renovation involved dismantling the interior façade and raising the mezzanine ceiling. Additionally, the Passerelle was converted into a bicycle parking area with space for over 200 bicycles, connecting the Potsdamer Platz subway and S-Bahn station with the Sony Center Forum. Photo: Sebastian Dörken Nike One Central HQ (2020) The Nike Central HQ, located in Berlin-Friedrichshain, seamlessly integrates into the urban fabric of the neighborhood, creating a diverse office campus for up to 300 employees. It features flexible work areas, influencer and athlete spaces, showrooms, and sports facilities. The building, a blend of an old carpentry workshop and new constructions, transitions from an intact old structure to a partially new middle section and a completely new third part that matches the original façade. The campus includes the City Hub, a central café and reception area next to an outdoor basketball court, and a roof terrace with urban gardening. Only 30% of the space is standard office area, emphasizing a dynamic and agile working environment. Recycled materials and finishes reflect the brand’s origins and philosophy, with distinct branding for Nike and Converse. Photo: Schnepp Renou Postfuhramt (2022) Following various interim uses by Berlin’s art, culture, and club scene, the Kaiserliches Postfuhramt, a former post office, was acquired by a new owner in 2012 and has since been renovated. Transformed both architecturally and as a historic preservation project by Kinzo iit now serves as an innovation center for a medical technology company, featuring exhibition, conference, and training rooms. Kinzo’s role extended beyond interior design to exploring and mapping the building’s layers, which were meticulously restored by conservators to integrate historical fragments into the overall design. New elements emphasize the use of steel, either raw or matte black, reflecting the industrial heritage of the Postfuhramt. The redesigned workspace aims to support flexible team and project structures, exemplified in the attic’s iLofts, which offer versatile office spaces, meeting rooms, lounges, retreats, and a library. The historical fragmentation is both felt and partially visible, harmoniously blending with contemporary interventions.

MuseLAB turned to the tenets of Vastu Shastra to design this sprawling Coimbatore Hacienda and create an oasis for a family of four.

What makes a house a home? What imbues structure with meaning? The ancient Indian tradition, nay science, Vastu Shastra outlines architectural guidelines to ensure each habitation hones positivity and that the appropriate vibrations resonate for those who dwell within. Designers Huzefa Rangwala and Jasem Pirani, the minds behind Mumbai-based MuseLAB, applied those principles to the design of this sprawling Coimbatore Hacienda tucked away in a city of the same name in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Equal parts first and forever home, the current owners brought the design team on board to build a residence that would satisfy unique conceptual goals: contextualize the hacienda typology within Chettinad vernacular, calculate Manaiyadi Shastram according to Vastu Shastra tenets, and create the perfect city center oasis. Just as thoughtful glazing can create sightlines, so too can the geometry of each room and the placement of furnishings elicit a visceral reaction. The 12,000-square-foot palatial construct is situated at the end of an internal road on a nearly 40,000-square-foot plot of luscious green land in an otherwise urban landscape. Spatially and programmatically, the two-story structure is parsed by floor with a dynamic interplay between the two through a generous central courtyard – a feature true to local building traditions. The ground floor unfurls horizontally such that the outdoor is in constant dialogue with the interior just as social spaces easily commingle. Guests may easily meander about the formal living and dining rooms, wet and dry kitchens, lounge, pool, gym, and even guest quarters. The first floor comprises private areas including the primary ensuite bedroom, children’s rooms, and library. While the upper level is connected by an elevator for convenience, the elaborate staircase, generous hallways, and sun-drenched walls beckon family and friends to ascend slowly enjoying circulation between the two levels. The structure itself pays homage to the rich architectural heritage of Spain and Mexico while appealing to local tastes and responding to Coimbatore’s tropical climate. To meet the moment MuseLAB opted for elements like recessed fenestration for shelter from the harsh sun rather than traditional overhangs. Pared-back decorative tile work in the courtyard calls back to historical aesthetics similar to the restrained floral pattern lining the tremendous vaulted pool room that looks to the future with its pixel-like composition. Design choices throughout the home’s common spaces make statements through rich surface texture, color, and bold home furnishings, which contrast a palette more sensitive to those occupying the secluded areas. Daylight also plays a pivotal role in creating an emotive experience from the way shadows track the sun’s movement to the reflections created by bold material choices. “This home is not a distinct departure from our usual gestures, but a conscious one where we have tried to champion the floor, focus on the vaulted forms, and select thoughtful elements within each space,” the firm shares. “The greatest challenge was marrying all these needs to create a modern, comfortable, personal home for a family of four. In a recent conversation with the client, they proclaimed that every day in this home is akin to a vacation.I think this statement is a testament to the fact that we nailed the brief.” To learn more about the creative duo and their talented team visit muselab.in. Photography by Ishi Sitwala.

Frame House, by Worrell Yeung, blends geometric precision with minimalist artistry, creating a modern home in the Hamptons inspired by a glass house.

Perched atop a bluff with sweeping views of Gardiners Bay, a new project on Long Island’s East End reimagines modern living in the Hamptons. Frame House, designed by Worrell Yeung, defies local design conventions by blending geometric precision with minimalist artistry, creating a home that harmonizes transparency, privacy, and sustainability. Frame House stands apart from the shingled facades and sprawling estates typical of the region. Instead, it embraces a 2x2x7 modular steel grid that defines its striking silhouette and informs its interior flow. Drawing inspiration from iconic modernist structures such as Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House and Le Corbusier’s Domino House, the design balances openness with deliberate seclusion. Solid cedar-clad walls provide privacy on the street-facing side, while expansive glass panels open the home to uninterrupted views of the bay and surrounding natural beauty. This dynamic interplay between solid and void transforms the house into both a protective cocoon and a transparent lens onto its environment. Visitors are welcomed by a gradual stone staircase leading to a cozy foyer, where the design’s rhythm begins to unfold. From the entry, sightlines extend through the home to the pool and water beyond, creating an immediate connection to the landscape. The right wing reveals a soaring double-height living area, framed by glazed walls that bring in natural light and highlight the site’s picturesque surroundings. Clerestory windows above the kitchen amplify this effect, offering views of treetops while diffusing sunlight throughout the space. On the left, two serene bedrooms with en-suite baths provide direct access to the outdoors. Upstairs, a tranquil primary suite offers a private retreat with panoramic bay views, complemented by a sculptural floating concrete tub at the center of the bathroom. A flexible second room doubles as an office or guest suite, peeking into the living space below. Every material choice in Frame House underscores its minimalist ethos. Polished concrete floors, warm cedar accents, and steel-framed columns compose a subdued interior palette. In the bathrooms, travertine-like marble adds a touch of natural elegance. The exterior mirrors this restraint with black-clad steel and stained cedar, further blending the home with its coastal surroundings. The home’s outdoor spaces echo its clean, intentional design. A linear pool extends alongside the house, surrounded by native grasses. A compact pool house – dubbed “the frame that got away” – offers a playful nod to the modular structure of the main building. The sloping site integrates seamlessly with the home, revealing a discreet carport embedded in the landscape. The minimalist approach extends to sustainable design elements, including rooftop photovoltaic panels and sedum trays to manage rainwater. The aluminum panels cladding the steel frame are recyclable, reflecting a commitment to environmentally conscious living. For more on Frame House and Worrell Yeung, visit worrellyeung.com. Photography by Rafael Gamo.

Step into Enfold, a pavilion that utilizes biomimicry to produce a sense of calm with the HUG bodysuit adding an ethereal, peaceful element.

As our lives reach frenzied peaks around the end of the year, restful and healing design is always a welcome respite. DEOND, a studio co-founded by Ila Columbo and Ross Lovegrove, is proud to present Enfold. This pavilion fuses the physical and digital to produce an environment that is calming along many different facets of human physiology and psychology. Enfold was recently unveiled at the d3 Design District during Dubai Design Week. The structure, made of repeating motifs of cardboard vertices, allows a glowing light to enter, the softness offering a sense of stillness. The slight blue cast of the diffused light, as opposed to the warmth of the sun coming in from above, allows for quiet reflection within the space. The more brilliant overhead light, itself a diffusion of the sun, features triangles in organic assortments. These formations strongly resemble a dappled forest floor, light filtering through the leaves to eventually end up gracing the ground. The triangles do a good job of tricking the eye, making sure the dappled effect is apparent. Specific light patterns, as well as different color therapies, have been proven to reduce stress and inflammation within the body. The centerpiece of the pavilion is the HUG (Holistic Unified Garment) bodysuit, an AI-infused ‘second skin.’ Silvery wires hold the pieces in space, the bodysuit effect only apparent when viewed from a certain angle. These unique supports offer visual lightness, the HUG seemingly suspended in space, with only wind to fluctuate between the pieces. Utilizing natural forms, the HUG combines AI technology and 3D printing to stimulate triggering points in the body. Eastern treatment techniques fused with Western approaches to science and technology allow us to envision new tools to treat anxiety and quiet the mind. Ila Columbo asks with this project, “What if technological acceleration could give us a chance to become closer to nature – to return to what has been neglected and forgotten? How can we envision embedded devices that prevent physical anxiety, acting as a protective, healing second skin? How should we merge technology and nature to bridge?” These questions are ever more important as technology embeds itself into our daily routines, an inescapable eventuality of modern life. Biomimicry is present in many aspects of Enfold, the outside facade inspired by a spiky seedling, hiding its nourishing cargo within. Once inside, the blaring sun is subdued by trickles of light, and the cool glow of the ambient light from the facade is a welcome respite. We can recognize ancient forms within the printed ridges of the HUG bodysuit, immediately expressive of organic matter. Many classes of aquatic creature are represented here, small shells and exoskeletons allowing evolution to do the work of perfect design. The Enfold pavilion is indeed calming, utilizing light therapies and modern technology to evoke a sense of quiet and rest. As we consider the external to be a reflection of the internal, Enfold subverts this idea. To create spaces for a quiet mind, we must first foster a quiet mind ourselves. This collaboration helps us design more holistic spaces, those that are centered around healthy human spirit, emotions, and community. For more on DEOND, please visit their website at deond.com. Photography by Deed Studio.

Amanda Gunawan, co-founder of OWIU Design, joins Friday Five to share her favorite Japanese ryokan, her love of running, Flos lighting, and more.

Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Amanda Gunawan knew that she wanted to be an architect by the time she was 10 years old, and she carefully mapped out her journey from then on. Travel was a key element of her enrichment as she considered various structures while studying at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). One particular building, however, made a lasting impression. Gunawan analyzed the Tama Art University Library in Japan via books and photos, but to view it in person, she had to make a 45-minute trek during a rainstorm. Yet nothing could have prepared her for the experience she had at the site. “I had never felt more inspired to become an architect,” she says. “Seeing the immense effort from every stakeholder reach such a level of perfection – and knowing it was achievable – filled me with a sense of assurance unlike anything I’d ever felt before.” Photo: Helena Price The Los Angeles-based design and build firm OWIU Design (Only Way Is Up Design) was founded in 2018. The brainchild of Gunawan and Joel Wong, the duo and their staff take on a range of projects, from furniture design to interiors and landscaping. At the studio, there is little difference between work and residential spaces, which fosters camaraderie among the group. Even team-building is relaxed, with activities taking place at the kitchen counter within the office. It’s no surprise then that OWIU Goods, the firm’s housewares line, began as a casual hobby when the team signed up for a membership at a nearby ceramics studio. “Our interior design clients began requesting specific ceramic pieces for their homes, so expanding in that direction just made sense for us,” Gunawan notes. “Before we knew it, everyone became so invested, and what started as small custom projects turned into hundreds, and eventually, thousands of orders. It all happened gradually and felt very organic.” Today, Amanda Gunawan joins us for Friday Five! 1. Beniya Mukayu in Japan Beniya Mukayu is a stunning ryokan (Japanese-style inn) located in the Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan. What sets this place apart is its deep commitment to art and design. Staying here feels like being in an art museum, with every element thoughtfully curated to create a unique experience of living with/ being surrounded by art. The ryokan features both permanent and rotating installations by renowned Japanese artists like Kenya Hara and Tatsuo Miyajima, blending art with everyday life like enjoying breakfast beside a calming installation, or relaxing in a library where the installation is part of the atmosphere. The interiors are filled with designer furniture and items are scattered throughout the rooms and shared spaces, adding to the aesthetic appeal. It is both a relaxing and inspiring place and I always have such a memorable experience. Not to mention this ryokan has the best kaiseki meal (coursed Japanese style dinner) of any ryokans I’ve been to. The photos are both taken by me. Photo: Official Berlin Marathon 2. Running Running is an integral part of my life and has very much shaped me into who I am today. It is a constant in my life – it’s there, it’s available for me. I can do it whenever I want, wherever I want, as long as I’ve got a pair of shoes. In that way, it’s almost meditative. When I’m running, I feel like I’m transported to a different world, a kind of vortex where I’m alone with my thoughts and completely in tune with my body. It’s taught me so much about life, bringing me face-to-face with some of my hardest but most important, truths. Running brings out parts of myself I might not always notice and helps me understand myself better. It’s built my sense of consistency and trust through self-discipline and a commitment to finish strong. But it’s also taught me to be forgiving, to remember that, like running, life is a journey with ups and downs. The key isn’t to keep score, but to enjoy the process. On that note, I’m absolutely obsessed with the brand ON. I’m proud to say I was an early adopter – I first discovered them when they had a tiny booth at a 5K run I joined in Singapore. I got my very first pair of ON shoes there, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve occasionally “cheated” on that pair with other brands and always end up coming back. The brand has evolved so much since then, and it’s easy to see why. They constantly surprise their fans, pushing the boundaries in the running world with cutting-edge technology and some of the coolest products. Their choice of celebrity endorsements is so spot-on, and their creative creative campaigns are always super fresh. Not even exaggerating – I’ve bought around 20 pairs of ON shoes over the years and convinced a bunch of my friends to jump on board too. And honestly, despite having so many pairs, I’m always still sold on the newest release because each one has a super cool design I’ve never seen before. 3. The Local Project This is the ultimate resource book for anything and everything related to residential projects. Watching Local Project videos has become part of my wind-down routine before bed – their content is so beautifully shot and calming. They curate a selection of the most stunning projects out there and capture them in a way that’s almost poetic, with a cinematic touch. Their coffee table books are some of my favorites – I have them both at home and in my office, and I flip through them whenever I need a quick dose of inspiration. It’s also my default gift for people when I need to find one in short notice. 4. Flos Flos is my absolute favorite lighting company right now! I’ve got seven of their lights just in my home alone. They create functional art through lighting, transforming any space into something that feels like a museum, with each piece resembling an art installation. I love sitting at home, just taking in the view of my Flos pieces. Their lights go through an extensive process from concept to launch, with so much attention poured into perfecting every detail, and it really shows. 5. Chidy Wayne When I first saw Chidy’s artwork, I knew I wanted a piece for my home. His art is bold, dynamic and deeply evocative while remaining simple exploring themes of human connection. Each piece evokes raw energy with layered textures. It was one thing to see his work on a computer screen and another completely different experience seeing them in person, in all of its grandeur, with all of the little intricacies and details carefully hidden behind the bold strokes. Works by Amanda Gunawan and OWIU Design: Photo: Justin Chung Photo: Justin Chung Photo: Finbarr Fallon Photo: Justin Chung Photo: Finbarr Fallon Photo: Alexandra Lopez Photo: Nastassia Brukin

Paul Bernier’s Des Lauriers House is a rural retreat that blends traditional materials, gabled volumes, and thoughtful design elements.

Set in a quiet rural landscape, the Des Lauriers House – located in Bromont, Canada and designed by Paul Bernier Architecte – was created as a place to pause and reflect. Its three simple gabled volumes, traditional materials, and protected outdoor areas imbue a sense of stillness. Every element, from the glass entry hall to the vaulted living space, invites residents and visitors alike to step back, look out, and appreciate the natural setting. Two volumes, housing the main residence and a garage with guest quarters, feature brick and stone exteriors, while a smaller, cedar-clad barn completes the trio. Together, these simple forms and natural materials lend the property a subtle, enduring presence. Stone walls extend outward from the home’s foundations, rooting it to the landscape. A fully glazed passage connects the house and garage, highlighting their distinct forms and serving as the main entrance. From this approach, visitors glimpse the surrounding plain beyond the property. Paul Bernier went on to say, “We aimed to imbue this house with a sense of calm, a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere, as this is what we felt upon discovering the site for the first time.” At the west end of the garage, an open-air kitchen and dining area is sheltered by soaring cedar ceilings and solid brick walls. A wide opening frames the mountain views, while a brick screen on the south side provides privacy and filtered sunlight. A discreet slot in the masonry helps release built-up heat in summer. Inside, the glass entry hall leads to the main living area, reached through a wooden partition that subtly directs movement. This central living space rises to the full height of the gabled structure, where horizontal openings give access to terraces. Overhead, a lime-plastered vaulted ceiling enhances the interior’s quiet character. Throughout, a restrained palette of white oak, lime plaster, and stone maintains a calm atmosphere. Exterior materials such as brick, stone, steel, and cedar were chosen for durability, with deep openings, masonry pillars, and stone walls imparting a sense of permanence. For more information, visit paulbernier.com. Photography by James Brittain.

Before the clock hits midnight, Design Milk takes a look back at the 10 most loved articles from 2024, including an airport and a retro CD player!

10. A Parking Lot Becomes a Colorful School for Early Childhood Education In Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, Estúdio Protobox converted an underused parking garage into the playful Children’s Studio at Colégio Salesiano, a dynamic, flexible space dedicated to early childhood education, embodying principles from the Montessori method and the guidelines of the National Common Core Curriculum (BNCC). The primary goal of the project was to create an environment that fosters autonomy, collaboration, and interactive learning among children. 9. Noovo Plus: A Modern Camper Van With a Super High Interior Ceiling If you’ve ever been inside a camper van or watched someone else in one, you know that typically one has to slouch or bend over due to their low ceiling heights. Then Noovo Plus set out to change that. Built on the Super High Roof platform, this innovative vehicle offers unparalleled comfort, versatility, and off-grid capabilities, making it an ideal choice for adventurers and remote workers alike. 8. The Astell&Kern P1 Is Built for the Audiophile on the Go Astell&Kern, for its high-end portable music players, came out with a slightly different take. The Astell&Kern P1 is just as premium as its previous models, but unlike previous devices, this one is built for those with a more active lifestyle. 7. Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8 Speakers: Ultimate Fusion of Design + Sound In a market flooded with inexpensive wireless speakers designed for mass purchase, finding meticulously crafted, high-quality speakers is increasingly rare. Though such products still exist, they’re becoming more niche with each passing year. Bang & Olufsen, however, continues to champion wireless connectivity while maintaining its tradition of iconic speaker design – exemplified perfectly by the Bang & Olufsen Beolab 8 speakers. 6. New KEF Q Series Speakers Feature “Acoustic Black Hole” Tech KEF is renowned for its high-quality speakers that deliver excellent sound while enhancing the aesthetics of any space. With the release of its Q Series speakers, KEF is bringing its cutting-edge Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) to a more accessible price point. 5. IKEA Reimagines Iconic Pieces From the 60s + 70s in Nytillverkad Collection Global Swedish brand IKEA took us all back in time with the third release of it’s iconic Nytillverkad collection. This latest edition pays homage to the carefree and creative spirit of the 1960s and early 1970s. Reviving timeless designs by influential IKEA designers Karin Mobring and Gillis Lundgren, the Nytillverkad collection offers a modern reinterpretation of the era’s relaxed and playful aesthetic. 4. FiiO Gives Portable CD + Cassette Players a Modern Spin FiiO is taking the technology of yesteryear and bringing it into the modern era. The Chinese audio gear company launched the FiiO DM13 portable CD player, alongside a refresh of the FiiO CP13 portable cassette player. Both have instantly classic designs and modern features, plus they allow you to dig out that CD and cassette collection that you’ve been storing in the garage to enjoy once again. 3. The Mid-Century Lark House Embraces Modernity While Preserving History In scenic West Seattle, Washington, perched atop a cliff with panoramic views of Vashon Island, the Olympic Mountains, and the Puget Sound, stands the Lark House. Originally designed in 1958 by esteemed architect Al Bumgardner, this mid-century gem underwent a transformative renovation, reimagining its space to better align with its present owners while honoring its legacy. The project, led by SHED Architecture & Design, breathes new life into the home by delicately balancing innovation with preservation. 2. Portland Airport Grows With Expansive Mass Timber Roof Canopy As an alternative to concrete and other conventional composites, wood has re-emerged as a popular building material. Long thought of as too fragile and prone to damage, this natural resource has been re-engineered into a suite of fortified structural elements known as mass timber: glued, nailed doweled panels and beams able to shore-up everything from large residences to full-scale skyscrapers. The massive canopy of the expanded main terminal at Portland Airport (PDX), designed by ZGF, might be its most impressive application yet. And the top post of 2024 is… 1. SHED Revives a Mid-Century House in Portland With Japanese Minimalism SHED Architecture & Design had three modern homes in the Top 10 Architecture Posts of 2024, so it’s no surprise that they came out on top overall with the Mori House. In a forested area of Portland, Oregon, this dreamy, mid-century modern home, originally designed by Saul Zaik in 1963, was thoughtfully reimagined to meet the aesthetic and functional needs of its new owners: a young family with a passion for design. Framed by towering trees, the peaceful retreat prioritizes connection with the natural environment. As always, thank you for reading Design Milk in 2024 and beyond! Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!

Architect Biran O’Brian and interior designer Gillian Segal synergize to update a Victorian-era residence tempered with contemporary Art Deco details.

Some of Canada’s most darling design vernacular is recorded within the historic walls of urban dwellings that continue to endear audiences. Architect Brian O’Brian of WORKS OFFICE, in collaboration with interior designer Gillian Segal, adds to the country’s rich architectural accomplishments with a charming residential renovation project in Toronto’s enviable Annex neighborhood. Here, a distinct heritage is infused with modern ingenuity for a Victorian-era informed domicile contemporized through Art Deco detailing. Bold geometry, striking forms, and inky hues all help to bridge the gap between past and present visual languages while leaving room for dialogue into the future. Rather than resist it, O’Brian’s structural solution capitalizes on the main facade’s whimsical composition, which comprises a few distinctive pieces original to the house’s construction. The angled wall off the front elevation and a previously underutilized bay window on the building’s south side are integral to the restructured relationship of local context with its current expression as well as its physical presence and expansion. “I’d say that I’m far more interested in working with and emphasizing the quirks and idiosyncrasies of buildings than I am in removing or rationalizing them,” O’Brian says. “In plan, the bay window was extrapolated into its implied circle. That circle became the singular rotunda of space that extends from the ceiling of the first floor up to the roof. Tangents and additional curves and circles emerge from that rotunda and move throughout the house.” The home’s curved partitions celebrate circulation as they anchor the volume vertically while providing cues for lateral movement through curvaceous tendrils that extend into individual rooms – features that echo Segal’s ethos. “We often live in such rectilinear spaces, curves always speak to me with the warmth softness, and feminine grace they radiate,” she says. “They provide a great juxtaposition to some of the harder aspects of any space.” The 3,900-square-foot residence is only typical of modern new-builds as it unfurls programmatically: a sprawling open kitchen, dining, and living space on the ground floor; bedrooms and a study on the first floor; guest and principal suites on the second floor; and a lower level housing the lounge and gym. Spatial and aesthetic solutions, as teased by the exterior, are delightfully nuanced. The clients, a family of four, invite excitement and intrigue inside with treatments carefully curated by Segal to create interest from tension between existing elements and contemporary concepts. Stained wainscoting and cement tile applied in a classic checkerboard pattern reference historical traditions whereas unexpected textures, extruded walls, and unique approaches to daylighting appeal to contemporary sensibilities. Daring reds, dark greens, and deep blues exude grandeur from cabinets, countertops, carpets, and upholstery in primarily public areas contrasted by more private spaces awash in dreamier hues or creamy off-whites. Subversive home furnishings also heighten the awareness of duality as it exists in the home. Though dubious looking, the silver ‘chainmail’ chairs are surprisingly comfortable. And lighting fixtures by Anna Karlin and Josef Hoffman nod to the Art Deco era without being ostentatious resulting in approachable sculptural forms. “This project was a very paired down, modern interpretation – things were focused. Streamlined forms. Rich, bold, and unique materiality. While something truly authentic to Art Deco would be overwhelming in today’s world,” Segal explains. “Using select components and reinterpreting for this project created something that feels very warm, bold, special, and timeless.” To see more works by the collaborators visit gilliansegaldesign.com and worksoffice.com. Photography by Ema Peter and Scott Norsworthy.

Blending Prague's historic charm with modern elegance, this rooftop apartment by OBLIQO redefines timeless living.

In the heart of Prague, where historic facades tell tales of centuries past, a unique rooftop apartment has emerged as a modern ode to the city’s layered history. Conceived by the team at OBLIQO, this 1,808-square-foot home blends classical elegance and contemporary functionality, nestled atop a building dating back to 1893. This project began with an evocative question posed by its new occupants, a couple transitioning into retirement: how can a home embody the emotions and memories of a lifetime, while embracing the future? Their answer lies in a space that masterfully intertwines the grandeur of Prague’s architectural heritage with sleek modernity and artisanal touches. Upon entering, the apartment’s design welcomes visitors into a light-filled, open-concept living area. Here, the entryway effortlessly transitions into dining and lounging spaces, underscoring a sense of expansiveness and unity. Anchoring the aesthetic are works by Alina Shupikov, whose textured pieces incorporate soil and sand from places significant to the homeowners – a poignant reminder of their shared journey. The kitchen occupies a central position in both layout and narrative. Its stone countertops and oxidized steel panels create a striking dialogue between old-world charm and cutting-edge design. Functionality remains paramount, with a concealed butler’s pantry offering additional practicality. From this nucleus, a staircase ascends to the rooftop terrace, an outdoor haven complete with bespoke furniture and a customized kitchen – ideal for hosting gatherings for family and friends. Throughout the home, an eclectic yet cohesive palette of materials tells a story of time’s passage. Oxidized steel and stone juxtapose with ceramic tiles that echo traditional stoves, while local artisans from TON and Javorina contributed wooden elements like chairs, tables, and the primary bed. These collaborations underscore the apartment’s deep connection to its cultural and geographical context. The apartment’s private quarters are a study in serenity, where soft gradients of color contrast with clean, white surfaces to evoke calm. A walk-in closet connects to the primary bedroom, which features a custom-designed jewelry cabinet crafted with painted veneer. Beyond, two bathrooms and a multifunctional home studio – designed for both jewelry-making and as a guest room – illustrate the thoughtful versatility of the space. To see more work by OBLIQO, visit obliqo.cz. Photography by Václav Beran.

Our Friday Five column delivers fresh inspiration every week. Come peek behind the curtain and see what made our top ten creatives tick!

10. Larry Booth Shares the Places + Spaces That Captivate Him + More Larry Booth’s natural flair for design and architectural convictions have garnered him some 50+ years of professional practice where he has significantly contributed to Chicago’s cultural landscape in addition to the broader academic arena. As the founder and principal/director of Booth Hansen, he has led by example proving that robust design solutions come from an open and organized collaborative studio. 9. Alda Ly Revels in Reeded Glass, Icelandic Baths + More Architect Alda Ly continues to assemble a portfolio of meaningful work designing for entrepreneurs and startups with her practice ALA Studio. She has a storied history of socially conscious contributions to the field and employs ethnographic research to inform her concepts. Though Ly’s practice tackles a wide range of projects, each space is imbued with a sense of play and reflective of her deep consideration for the client’s human experience. 8. Hadiya Williams on Connections, a Love of Old Objects+ More The tendrils of graphic thinking extend into almost every other facet of design, as evidenced by the work of Hadiya Williams and her design studio Black Pepper Paperie Co. She draws from two decades of experience in the graphic arts to inform fresh objects in the realm of ceramics and surface design. What’s more, her work builds on a storied tradition of West African art and textiles while referencing the Black Arts Movement and the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance. 7. Susan Maddux Shares Her Vintage Textiles, Art Collection + More Los Angeles-based artist Susan Maddux makes works that are an incredible three-dimensional experience drawing. Her origami-inspired technique transforms paintings into oversized wall sculptures through experimentation with proportion and patterning. The work also connects Maddux – a 4th generation Hapa-Japanese woman – to generations of artisans who came before her. 6. Kate Rohrer on Jumpsuits, Earthy Scents + More Creative practice is inextricably linked to life experience. And for interior designer Kate Rohrer, her time waiting tables and pouring cocktails in the food service industry still informs the way she approaches hospitality projects. Her firm ROHE Creative is responsible for some exhilarating spaces thanks to Rohrer’s unabashed use of color and penchant for rich textures seamlessly blending disparate styles into unique personal narratives. 5. Sarah Jefferys Prizes Sustainable Design, Lots of Natural Light + More Passive house design, net zero goals, and sustainability. These things might sound like headaches for some, but for Sarah Jefferys – who leads her namesake firm, Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors – they are the impetus to arrive at the most robust design solution for people and the planet. An expert in her field with over 20 years of experience, Jefferys is on a mission to reach net zero on all her studio’s projects within the next decade. 4. George Smart on His Favorite Modernist Residential Architecture Having defected from a career in consulting, George Smart set on a new path to pay it forward. While researching design precedents for a new family home, he noticed the lack of reputable online sources for the everyman. He decided to build his own repository, which marked the founding of NCModernist, and later USModernist – the world’s largest nonprofit educational archive dedicated to the documentation, preservation, and promotion of Modernist residential design. 3. Brigette Romanek Loves Alaia Dresses, Soulful Books + More Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Joe Jonas, Christian Bale, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z. While celebrity may be one throughline connecting these stars, interior designer Brigette Romanek is another. The award-winning creative started styling interiors roughly a decade ago and has already grown her creative practice into a highly sought after design studio now stepping into the realm of product design. 2. Kickie Chudikova Loves the Art of Scent, Issey Miyake + More Industrial designer Kickie Chudikova’s curiosity for artful objects is exercised in the design of every product, home furnishing, and artifact she manufactures – with the hopes that it will provide their owners with enrichment or fulfillment for a lifetime. Chudikova has never limited herself in material palette or by color, always looking for a solution that invites interaction, with future aspirations to tackle food. And the most popular Friday Five post of 2024 is… 1. Dale Chihuly Shares His Favorite Architect + Beloved Collections Glass is enchanting, and for master of his craft Dale Chihuly, the medium’s properties are incomparable. His work includes more than 200 museum collections worldwide and his résumé is equally as decorated. It boasts many accolades including two fellowships, 13 honorary doctorates, and title as co-founder of the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. Chihuly is one of few leading the development of this industry into the future. Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!

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YDR estudio has shared photos of a contemporary stone house they completed in Mexico that includes a central courtyard with sunken outdoor seating. Nestled between the beach and the mountains, the home has a cactus wall that introduces two mirror modules flanking the entrance: a car garage and a service house, each seamlessly integrated into […]

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MacCracken Robinson Architects has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Lake Tahoe, California with an intentionally muted yet refined palette of natural materials including cedar, oak, fir, and steel, allowing the house to harmoniously blend with the surroundings. The site of the home is located near the historic 1960 Olympic Nordic track […]

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Architecture firm NAQI & Partners, has shared photos of a villa they completed in the heart of the coastal city of Nha Trang, Vietnam, that integrates plants and an indoor swimming pool into its design. The Nha Trang Pool Villa is the living space for a young family, balancing modern living with the desire for […]

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This article has been brought to you by A’Design Awards. A’Design Award and Competition have released their World Design Rankings (WDR) in Arts, Architecture and Design, with China taking first place, followed by the USA, and Japan. The World Design Rankings ranks all the countries based on the number of designers that have been granted […]

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Architecture and Interior Design firm Hacker, has shared photos of Black Butte Ranch Lodge that they completed in Sisters, Oregon. Originally planned and built in the early 1970s, Black Butte Ranch sits the base of The Three Sisters mountains, it received a comprehensive redevelopment plan in 2013, and after working with Hacker on the new […]

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Scott Posno Design has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Vancouver, Canada, that showcases a dark brick exterior. The house presents a series of stacked, dark brick volumes that create a strong geometric presence, evoking strength and privacy. The home also features overlapping forms, giving it a modern, sculptural feel. At the […]

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Architecture and interior design firm S+PS Architects, has shared photos of a penthouse apartment in Mumbai, India, that has two eye-catching orange spiral staircases. Stepping inside the penthouse, there’s an open plan living room with a variety of sitting areas and decor that complements the orange staircase. The living space is backed on one side […]

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Still Architects has shared photos of a small contemporary cabin they completed in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada, where the Rosseau River flows into the lake. The 800-square-foot (74-sqm) cabin has a wood exterior with black accents. Its wood deck, with steps down to the gravel, expands its living space. The heavy Douglas fir […]

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Blaine Architects together with Marshall Interiors, have completed the renovation of a mid-century modern home in San Mateo, California, for a young couple who wanted to update the kitchen, living room, dining room, and family room. Here’s a glimpse of the original kitchen and entryway… The renovated home includes a pivoting glass front door that […]

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Photography by Brett Boardman Multidisciplinary architectural practice fjcstudio, has completed a building in Sydney, Australia, that includes colonial stone masonry, lofty geometric forms, and a layered tapestry of handcrafted materials. Photography by Brett Boardman Photography by Brett Boardman Nestled within Sydney’s heritage-listed legal precinct, the lower facade of the King & Phillip residences showcase panels […]

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Are you exhibiting or holding an event at Milan design week? Get your event listed in Dezeen's digital guide to the festival, which will feature the week's key events. Taking place from 7 to 13 April, Milan design week is the world's largest celebration of design. If you're hosting a fringe event, collectively known during

The post Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide to Milan design week 2025 appeared first on Dezeen.

Are you exhibiting or holding an event at Milan design week? Get your event listed in Dezeen's digital guide to the festival, which will feature the week's key events. Taking place from 7 to 13 April, Milan design week is the world's largest celebration of design. If you're hosting a fringe event, collectively known during the festival as Fuorisalone, or taking part in Salone del Mobile, get in touch with the Dezeen Events Guide team to be featured in the guide. The guide will feature exhibitions, talks, fairs, open showrooms and product launches by global brands, taking place across the city's participating districts, such as Brera Design District, Isola Design District, Tortona Design Week and 5Vie Design Week. The 2025 festival also marks the 63rd edition of design fair Salone del Mobile, which will run from 8 to 13 April at Fiera Milano, which will be presenting the biennial Euroluce lighting exhibition. This year's guide will also feature an interactive map, highlighting the events featured in the guide and helping you navigate the city during the design week. How to get listed in Dezeen's digital guide to Milan design week Get in touch with the Dezeen Events Guide team at eventsguide@dezeen.com to book your listing or to discuss a wider partnership with Dezeen. There are three pricing tiers: Standard listings cost £125 and include the event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event. Standard listings are included at the discretion of the Dezeen Events Guide team. Enhanced listings cost £175 and include all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing's page and a preview image on the Dezeen Events Guide homepage. These listings will also feature up to 100 words of text about the event. Featured listings cost £350 and would include everything as part of an enhanced listing plus a post on @dezeen Threads channel, inclusion in the featured events carousel on the right hand of the homepage for up to two weeks and 150 words of text about the event. This text can include commercial information such as ticket prices and offers and can feature additional links to website pages such as ticket sales, newsletter signups etc. About Dezeen Events Guide Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year. The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks. For more details on inclusion in the Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to Milan design week, please email eventsguide@dezeen.com. The illustration is by Justyna Green. The post Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide to Milan design week 2025 appeared first on Dezeen.

The "ethereal beauty" of classical Japanese Noh theatre informed Kengo Kuma and Associates' design for the Banyan Tree hotel in Kyoto, with a dedicated stage hidden in its stepped gardens. Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto is set in the foothills of the city's easterly Higashiyama mountains, in a historic district brimming with temples and shrines, ancient

The post Kengo Kuma embellishes Kyoto hotel with timber-skeleton theatre stage appeared first on Dezeen.

The "ethereal beauty" of classical Japanese Noh theatre informed Kengo Kuma and Associates' design for the Banyan Tree hotel in Kyoto, with a dedicated stage hidden in its stepped gardens. Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto is set in the foothills of the city's easterly Higashiyama mountains, in a historic district brimming with temples and shrines, ancient cemeteries and burial grounds. Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto (above) has its own Noh stage (top image) The area's symbolic role as a bridge to the afterlife led Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKA) to find the main inspiration for its design in the 14th-century art of Noh, sometimes called the "theatre of ghosts" because it tends to feature spirits as key characters. "The hotel was inspired by the ethereal beauty of Noh," Kuma told Dezeen. "Noh is a traditional art form that has roots in Kyoto, Japan, and is a wonderful expression of the inner struggles and complex emotions of human beings." A miniature gabled roof shelters the hotel's entrance These references can be seen not just in the hotel's dedicated Noh stage – a timber skeleton made of yellow cedar and Kyoto cypress – but also in the architecture of the hotel itself and the interiors of its 52 guest rooms designed by the late designer Yukio Hashimoto. The hotel's design was guided by the Japanese aesthetic principle of yūgen, describing a mysterious, quiet beauty that is one of the central tenets of Noh, as set out by playwright Zeami Motokiyo. Different forms of timber dominate the triple-height lobby "The entire hotel was designed to provide a place for reflection," Kuma said. "And the Noh stage, set against the surrounding greenery, is arguably the most symbolic place within the hotel that reflects the concept of yūgen." Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto is set on a sloped site with a height difference of 12 metres between its lowest and highest point. The Ryozen restaurant serves multi-course kaiseki meals To make the most of the limited space, KKA created a pair of mid-rise reinforced concrete volumes, providing panoramic views over Kyoto and framing the stepped gardens, which can be accessed from different floors of the hotel. Banyan Tree's main four-storey building houses the bedrooms and all of the common areas – including a triple-height lobby, the Ryozen restaurant, a cavernous bar and gender-split onsen baths – while the perpendicular three-storey annexe accommodates additional guests. Rough stone walls frame the cavernous Bar Ryozen KKA installed three tiers of eaves with slatted timber overhangs to break up these two monolithic volumes and provide a modern take on traditional Japanese architecture. "The limited site meant that the hotel build would be significant in volume," Kuma said. "To match the scale of the surrounding area, we decided to use the eaves to visually divide the building into smaller sections." "Continuous rafters were then installed to create the deep, elongated eaves and soft shadows that reflect the traditional Japanese dimension system and harmonise with the surroundings." The hotel has gender-split onsen baths The hotel's entrance is sheltered by a miniature gabled roof, held up without columns. Instead, the cantilevered structure is supported by an elaborate stack of criss-crossing beams. "By employing cutting-edge resin-based construction methods to securely join the wooden beams, we achieved a sense of levitation that would not be possible with conventional wooden construction," Kuma said. "This innovative blend of modern technology and traditional craftsmanship allows us to present a remarkable architectural feat – a massive wooden structure seemingly floating in the air to welcome visitors." Read: Kengo Kuma tops sculptural community centre with swooping bamboo roof To blend the building into the Higashiyama landscape, KKA used weathered stones from an existing masonry wall on the site alongside rustic chunks of granite to clad the base of the main building. The studio also preserved and restored the existing landscaping on the site, including moss, stones, trees and a small bamboo grove, which hides the hot spring feeding the hotel's onsen baths. A craggy rock pond sits on the same level as the ground-floor lobby and annexe, while the bamboo grove and Noh stage can be accessed from the second floor via the terrace of restaurant Ryozen, which serves multi-course kaiseki meals. A newly created rock pond sits on the same level as the annexe The stage itself is set on stilts above a shallow reflecting pool and offers an even more pared-back interpretation of a typically minimalist Noh stage, with no solid walls or roof hiding its timber skeleton. Instead of the traditional kagami-ita backdrop of a painted pine tree, the stage now frames views of real trees. The Noh stage is accessed via restaurant Ryozen on the second floor "Constructing a roofed building was not permitted on the site where the Noh stage now stands," Kuma said. "However, this restriction inspired a unique approach to the stage's design." "To honour this art form, we designed the Noh stage with an exposed wooden framework that reaches towards the sky, seamlessly integrating with the surrounding natural landscape, while aiming to retain the features of a traditional Noh stage as much as possible." Tatami flooring features in the guest rooms The interior also aims to translate traditional Japanese design details via a simplified, modern material selection, drawing heavily on wood and stone. To maintain visual interest despite this pared-back palette, timber was treated in different ways throughout the lobby – either charred to form decorative columns or laid in a chequerboard pattern of alternating grains across the floor. The horigotatsu seating area was raised for Western-style seating A mottled texture reminiscent of hammered metal was translated into wood to form the base of the reception desk, making use of a traditional Japanese carving technique known as naguri. This same pattern, covered in locally sourced gold leaf, also features across headboards in the guest suites. The rooms are rich in traditional details like tatami flooring and cypress-wood bathtubs – although many were adapted to suit modern tastes. Cypress tubs feature in all of the rooms The moveable shoji screens enclosing the tub, for example, have their timber lattices hidden behind layers of washi paper, while the horigotatsu seating area was raised to cater to Western seating preferences and create a small workspace. "We blend classic Japanese elements with a contemporary execution in subtle ways throughout our design," said the Hashimoto Yukio Design Studio team. "An example would be the tea table, where we combined a natural solid piece of tochi for the tabletop with hexagon-shaped legs – a subtle and sophisticated detail to match the style of the room." KKA has previously been responsible for designing a number of popular hotels across the country including the Ace Hotel Kyoto and Edition hotels in Tokyo's Toranomon and Ginza districts. The post Kengo Kuma embellishes Kyoto hotel with timber-skeleton theatre stage appeared first on Dezeen.

A glazed double-height extension by EBBA Architects and a green terrazzo-lined home by ConForm Architects are among London's best new home renovations, according to this year's 14-strong Don't Move, Improve! shortlist. An extension by architecture studio DHaus illuminated by a wall-to-wall skylight was also featured in the competition's shortlist, alongside a bomb-damaged home that was renovated by British studio

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A glazed double-height extension by EBBA Architects and a green terrazzo-lined home by ConForm Architects are among London's best new home renovations, according to this year's 14-strong Don't Move, Improve! shortlist. An extension by architecture studio DHaus illuminated by a wall-to-wall skylight was also featured in the competition's shortlist, alongside a bomb-damaged home that was renovated by British studio Bindloss Dawes. Top image: ConForm Architects' terrazzo-lined extension is in the Don't Move, Improve! shortlist. Photo by James Retief. Above: DHaus was shortlisted for its skylit extension. Photo by James Retief Now in its 15th edition, the annual Don't Move, Improve! awards programme aims to celebrate the most innovative home improvements in London. Over 150 houses were entered into this year's competition. A peer review panel made up of last year's shortlisted architects made a refined list, from which 14 shortlisted projects were selected by the judging panel. This included writer Anna White, urban designer Ed Jarvis, Mary Duggan Architects founder Mary Duggan, and architecture photographer Peter Molloy. The Archmonger director's self-designed home is among London's best home renovations. Photo by French + Tye The jury praised the diversity of scale in the shortlisted projects, adding that renovations and extensions of all sizes can significantly improve a home. "The shortlisted projects all demonstrated exemplary approaches towards the material considerations prioritising existing fabric and energy performance," said Duggan. "Projects ranged in typology from whole house remodelling, space extensions to smaller intricate reconfigurations, all aspiring to achieve long-stay arrangements adaptive to growing families." Read: Terracotta-tiled extensions by Emil Eve Architects named London's best home improvement project "These projects offer inspiration and practical solutions for Londoners looking to improve their homes, demonstrating that great design is accessible to all," added NLA head of programme Federico Ortiz. "From small-scale refurbishments to bold architectural statements, these homes are proof that Londoners are embracing the potential of their spaces in incredible ways." Bindloss Dawes's bomb-damaged Lordship Park also made the shortlist. Photo by Nick Dearden Other projects on the shortlist include an extension informed by tropical modernism by London studio Sonn and a home by architecture practice Curtaz Studio that celebrates the owners' shared love for photography and nature. Timber dominated in some of the homes, including the Hope Villa extension by architecture studio Proctor & Shaw and Upper Addison Gardens by studios Woodrow Vizor Architects and LonProp. Johan Hybschmann, director of London studio Archmongers, was shortlisted for the transformation of his own 1970s home, while homeowner Natallia Tanko showcased DIY initiative with her self-built Hands-on Home. A former clergy house is in contention for winning the competition Projects that focused solely on making use of an existing home, rather than extending it, included architecture practice THISS Studio's transformation of an underused space in Hartley House and a former clergy house that was renovated by design studios Nina+Co and Roar. Loca studio O'Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects transformed a south London home to make it more suited to hybrid working, while VATRAA created a connection with the outdoors by designing a sunken kitchen extension where the seating aligns with the garden level. The winning home renovation will be announced on 19 February by competition organiser New London Architecture (NLA), with which Dezeen is a media partner. Last year's overall winner was a terracotta-tiled extension by London studio Emil Eve Architects, which was praised for its playful use of colour. Scroll down to see all 14 shortlisted projects: Photo by French + Tye Aperture House by Curtaz Studio Photo by James Retief Datum House by DHaus Photo by French + Tye Elemental House by Archmongers Photo by Natacha Bisarre Hands-on Home by Natallia Tanko Photo by Henry Woide Hartley House by THISS Studio Photo by Jim Stephenson Hope Villa by Proctor & Shaw Photo by James Retief House Extension in Islington by VATRAA Photo by Nick Dearden Lordship Park by Bindloss Dawes Nina's House by Nina+Co and Roar Photo by Philippa Langley Plaster House by Sonn Photo by Stale Eriksen Raw House by O'Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects Photo by Rikard Kahn Steel House by EBBA Architects Photo by James Retief Terzetto by ConForm Architects Photo by Adam Scott Upper Addison Gardens by Woodrow Vizor Architects and LonProp The post Don't Move, Improve! 2025 shortlist spotlights London's best home renovations appeared first on Dezeen.

Next in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series we examine SOM's Burj Khalifa – the most significant building completed in 2010 and still the world's tallest skyscraper. "In 2010, when the Burj rose from the sand dunes of the Arabian desert, it announced the emergence of Dubai as a global powerhouse," wrote Julie Satow

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Next in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series we examine SOM's Burj Khalifa – the most significant building completed in 2010 and still the world's tallest skyscraper. "In 2010, when the Burj rose from the sand dunes of the Arabian desert, it announced the emergence of Dubai as a global powerhouse," wrote Julie Satow in the Wall Street Journal last year. Indeed, it is difficult to think of another building that has done a more effective job of putting its city on the map since Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum Bilbao completed in 1997. The Burj Khalifa was the most significant building of 2010 Dubai's meteoric rise to become a city of undisputed global significance has been one of the most distinctive geographical phenomena of the last 25 years. The Burj Khalifa, then, reasserted the power of skyscrapers and the ability of architecture to placemake. Rising 828 meters above Downtown Dubai, the mixed-use tower transformed the landscape of skyscraper design when it topped out in January 2009, dramatically surpassing Taiwan's 508-metre-tall Taipei 101, which formerly held the title of the world's tallest building. It was designed by Adrian Smith during his time at SOM Fifteen years after it officially opened on 4 January 2010, the 160-storey Emirati megatall tower has comfortably maintained its ranking, highlighting the landmark's enduring significance on the global stage. It is roughly three times the height of Paris's Eiffel Tower. Architect Adrian Smith designed the neo-futurist Burj Khalifa, made of reinforced concrete and clad in vertical glass fins, while practicing at Chicago-based office SOM. The skyscraper is supported by a central buttressed core, an architectural invention by the building's lead engineer Bill Baker first applied to Seoul's Palace Tower III. Construction took place over six years. Photo by Bradley Young Sculptural wings fan out from the Burj's Y-shaped tripartite floor plan, built into a solid-rock foundation. The wings taper upwards in 27 setbacks, which create outdoor terraces, gradually decreasing the tower's cross-section and concluding in a record-breaking steel spire. This three-pronged design was chosen to echo the hymenocallis, or spider lily – a desert flower found across the region. Smith was also inspired by examples of Islamic architecture; in particular, the 9th-century Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, defined by its ancient minaret encircled by a distinctively bottom-heavy spiralled ramp. The Burj Khalifa's sturdy foundations were, and remain, a feat of engineering. Each of the skyscraper's wings contains its own concrete core and perimeter columns, which buttress the others thanks to a six-sided central core, creating a torsionally stiff tower. The stepped shape helps to confuse the windAdrian Smith in the Wall Street Journal "This innovative structural solution allows the Burj to be remarkably tall and remarkably thin, with one-third less square footage than [Chicago's] steel-framed Willis Tower even though it almost doubles Willis's height," wrote Blair Kamin in the Architectural Record in 2010. "This skyscraper looks like a skyscraper, its elegant, exultant verticality providing Dubai's random clumps of high-rises with an unmistakable centre of the tent," he added. The Burj's aerodynamic profile means that the building can sway up to two metres in the wind, reducing the risk of structural damage or collapse. Sculptural wings fan out from the skyscraper's Y-shaped tripartite floor plan. Photo courtesy of SOM "The stepped shape helps to confuse the wind," Smith told the Wall Street Journal in 2011. "The wind doesn't have an opportunity to organise very rapidly because of the steps." It is impossible to consider the significance of the Burj without acknowledging the precarious economic backdrop against which it was achieved. Originally called Burj Dubai, the skyscraper was renamed the Burj Khalifa after the former ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, granted Dubai a $10 billion bail-out loan to complete the project. After a sustained period of rapid architectural expansion around the millennium, the emirate was hit hard by the global financial crisis of the late 2000s. A series of mixed-use spaces make up the interior Writing in the Financial Times on the day of the building's official opening, Simeon Kerr called the Burj Khalifa "a testament to a boom-time mentality that gripped the city in the first decade of this century – but one that has been replaced by a more sombre reality". "It would be shortsighted to conflate the messy circumstances surrounding the Burj Khalifa's completion with the tower's exhilarating and surprisingly refined architecture," agreed Kamin. "And such a dismissal would ignore previous supertall sagas," he added, referring to the 1929 Wall Street Crash that threatened the success of New York City's Empire State Building, which prevailed against the odds to become arguably the world's most recognisable skyscraper. The Burj is an almost perfect representation of Dubai's own complexities and contraditionsLandon Thomas Jr in the Architectural Record "To be sure, the world's record-breaking skyscrapers, such as Burj Khalifa, often presage recession," continued Kerr. "But with time these buildings have gone on to form the centrepiece of thriving economic centres." The most significant building of 2010 is not without controversy. In 2006, 2,500 migrant workers, mostly from South Asia, went on strike and rioted to protest against their poor living conditions and lack of pay while constructing the Burj Khalifa. Subsequent investigations brought global attention to working conditions in the United Arab Emirates, while other commentators were quick to express a lack of faith in the skyscraper's sustainability credentials. Read: Waugh Thistleton Architects' Murray Grove was the most significant building of 2009 "The Burj is an almost perfect representation of Dubai's own complexities and contradictions," summarised Landon Thomas Jr in the New York Times on the day of the day of the skyscraper's official opening. Since its opening, the landmark has attracted visitors from across the globe, who have ascended to the world's highest observation deck on the building's 148th floor to take in sweeping views of the cityscape. Actor Tom Cruise scaled the building when performing stunts seen in the 2011 Mission: Impossible film Ghost Protocol, while renowned urban climber Alain Robert reached the Burj's spire the same year. The Burj Khalifa has maintained its title of tallest building in the world for 15 years The Burj Khalifa marks the first time that the Arab world has hosted the tallest building on Earth since Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, built over 4,000 years ago, and its height is yet to be beaten. That looks likely to change in the coming years as other places – notably Saudi Arabia – seek to mimic its success, but many critics agree that the Burj's distinctly thin and stepped design will ensure the skyscraper's enduring reputation. "Building booms and busts come and go, as do the temporary wearers of the world's-tallest-building crown. What matters, in the long haul, is the artistry that separates skyscrapers that are merely yardstick-tall from those that make of their tallness a smashing aesthetic virtue," wrote Kamin. "And the Burj Khalifa easily meets – and exceeds – that standard, soaring in both height and design quality above Dubai's often-ludicrous collection of architectural cartoons," he added. "I think human nature is always going to go after spectacular achievements," reflected Smith in 2011. "As long as they can, they will." Did we get it right? Was the Burj Khalifa by SOM the most significant building completed in 2010? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and the photography is by Nick Merrick unless stated otherwise. 21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by I M Pei 2009: Murray Grove by Waugh Thistleton Architects 2010: Burj Khalifa by SOM This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post SOM's Burj Khalifa put Dubai on the map appeared first on Dezeen.

The deadly wildfires are prompting architects and critics to call for changes to how development is carried out in Los Angeles. Frustrated with irresponsible development practices in the face of fire threats, dozens of architects and critics have speculated on ways that architecture and urban planning can be utilised to rebuild in a way that

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The deadly wildfires are prompting architects and critics to call for changes to how development is carried out in Los Angeles. Frustrated with irresponsible development practices in the face of fire threats, dozens of architects and critics have speculated on ways that architecture and urban planning can be utilised to rebuild in a way that limits future damage. "The cataclysmic events of recent days should trigger a rethink" As the wildfires continue to burn in multiple areas of Greater Los Angeles, displacing people and destroying thousands of buildings, there are questions as to whether the typical cycles of return and rebuild should happen as they have in the past. Massive fires have happened in the area as recently as 2018 when the Woolsey Fire tore through parts of Malibu. "Rather than simply rebuild, as these fire-ravaged areas have done time and again, the cataclysmic events of recent days should trigger a rethink as to how the city could grow back," wrote critic Oliver Wainwright in the Guardian. Building in steep areas that border chaparral – natural zones with small trees and shrubs that rely on fire for rejuvenation – creates ideal fire conditions exacerbated by climate change and severe drought. Some have suggested that the building culture in general needs to change. Speaking to New York Magazine, professor of environment history Char Miller questioned if the county and city should allow the same sort of rebuilding at all. "Where we build produces the conditions for where fires erupt," said Miller "There's nothing that could have stopped this fire." "We consume our environment" Others agree, and many in Los Angeles accept the risks of fire as a part of life there, while conscious that the building practices have not integrated properly with the environment, which naturally burns. "Los Angeles is a city of pleasure and peril, we've always known this," Zeina Koreitem, founding partner of local architecture studio Milliøns, told Dezeen. "We consume our environment instead of living with it." Read: Richard Neutra house among iconic homes lost during LA fires Others, such as local councilwoman Traci Park noted the "chronic underinvestment in critical infrastructure". This led to bottlenecks in places where people were trying to flee, exacerbated by poorly connected neighbourhoods often designed to emphasise privacy or safety from crime. These infrastructural bottlenecks were exacerbated by problems with water resources in the area. LA has some of the "toughest" wildfire regulations Despite the shortcomings, Los Angeles does have some of the "toughest" wildfire regulations for buildings in the county, according to NPR. These include parking regulations on high-risk days, fines for not clearing flammable foliage away from structures and the banning of certain materials such as wooden roofs for new builds. NPR also noted that many of these building regulations don't apply to older homes. Architects and critics have begun suggesting ways in which rebuilding can happen, as, given the housing crisis in California and the thousands displaced from their homes, it seems unlikely that the land would be converted into green space. "We were already working closely with AIA and the City of Los Angeles to figure out better procedures for permitting to assist with the immediate and constantly growing need for housing in our city," Harper Halprin and Aaron Leshtz of LA-based AAHA Studio told Dezeen. "Overnight, that need has skyrocketed," he continued. "Now we are not only talking about affordable housing and building up rental options for multi-family development but are also going to need to accommodate the influx of thousands of single-family residences that have been lost." "Stop building on the land" The severity of the fires and the likelihood that they will repeat should make local legislators and communities hesitant to build in the same places, according to Miller. "I would suggest that the county, city, and state consider the possibility of creating a policy that would buy land from willing sellers so that they can get some assets out – then stop building on the land," said Miller. "If you think the policy of green-lighting development is a bad idea because of this fire, then flip the policy." Read: Los Angeles mayor issues executive order for "residents to rapidly rebuild" Architectural solutions to these problems such as material changes, creating "defensible spaces" and increasing fireproofing have been increasing in usage and requirement. Some believe that locals need to rethink how development goes forward altogether, focusing more on acknowledging fire-prone areas and building densely. In an opinion written last year in Dezeen, architect Greg Kochanowsk suggested rethinking urban development as opposed to simply retreating from nature or changing building tactics. "Architecture cannot solve this problem," he wrote. "In fact, all the individual design professions are incapable of addressing the magnitude of the sheer complexity of the climate crisis alone." "There are no substitutes for a broader conceptualization of innovative planning, typologies, and disciplinary strategies". This would go beyond single buildings, instead thinking about soft infrastructures that work with the possibility of the need for resilience and recovery, while also increasing density to shelter inhabitation. Utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge Many have put forward calls for redevelopment in line with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) – or land management tactics derived from the pre-colonial system. Local studio Metabolic has created a petition calling for "restoration practices that align with natural systems, ensuring sustainable land and water governance for future generations". Among the petition's demands are calls for the training of locals in ecosystem restoration, the retention of rainwater, and creating a government liaison to to integrate "TEK, scientific research, and community input" into policy. Others have added to this, specifying building techniques and ecological interventions that could be implemented immediately. "Mixing ancient wisdom with contemporary technology, we are leaning on the climate cycles in Topanga, and taking advantage of the house's thermal massing to imagine a different routine that does not rely on HVAC or static spaces," said Koreitem, referencing a recent project in the area. "We are interested in a built-in seasonality and nomadism. Most invasive and non-native landscapes that have been introduced to LA are part of the problem. And we can start with the iconic LA palm tree." The photography is by Kelvin Cheng. The post Architects and critics call for development "rethink" following deadly LA fires appeared first on Dezeen.

London studio Woo Architects has redeveloped its design for the UK Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka, which will now pay homage to the innovations of English mathematician Ada Lovelace. The pavilion will be defined by perforated aluminium panels intended to evoke punched cards – a type of card punctured with holes and once commonly

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London studio Woo Architects has redeveloped its design for the UK Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka, which will now pay homage to the innovations of English mathematician Ada Lovelace. The pavilion will be defined by perforated aluminium panels intended to evoke punched cards – a type of card punctured with holes and once commonly used for inputting data to computers. It replaces a more pared-back design revealed by Woo Architects and Japanese contractor ES Global early last year, which was lined with digital screens and centred around the principles of circular economy. The UK Pavilion is designed to evoke punched cards According to Woo Architects, the new design aligns with the theme Come Build The Future and celebrates the work of Lovelace, who is known as the world's first computer programmer. Specifically, it references her use of punched cards to instruct the Analytical Engine – a prototype steam-powered programmable computer designed by engineer Charles Babbage – in the early 1840s. "The pavilion's design celebrates Britain at a pivotal moment; our global reputation for innovation and creativity shines through, while the playful facade reflects our innate curiosity and ability to find opportunity in every challenge," the studio's director of culture  Emma Owens said. "This is a space where a rich historic narrative comes alive, and we hope it inspires conversations about British resilience and industriousness for years to come." Read: Thirteen national pavilions designed for Expo 2025 Osaka According to Woo Architects, while celebrating the role of Lovelace in computer programming, the pavilion will also nod to the role of textile industries in the 19th century. The panels will be arranged in an undulating pattern, intended to evoke woven fabric. "These strands have been intertwined using a weaving technique, paying homage to the textile industries which were instrumental in the Industrial Revolutions which took place in both Manchester and Osaka during the 19th century," said the studio. As per the original design, the pavilion will be constructed using modular components to enable its structure, floor plates and external cladding to be easily disassembled. Woo Architects hopes this will enable it to be easily relocated after the event. The specific method that will be used is ES Global's Global Modular System, which it developed to meet the "time-critical needs of clients" while being adaptable and reusable. It replaces a more pared-back design revealed in 2024 The upcoming World Expo is set to take place on the artificial island Yumeshima in Osaka Bay from 13 April to 13 October 2025. It has been masterplanned by Sou Fujimoto Architects in line with the theme titled Designing Future Society for Our Lives, set by organisers Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Sou Fujimoto Architects recently released construction photos of The Grand Ring, a vast wooden structure designed to encircle the pavilions at the event. Other national pavilions revealed so far include a cluster of angular volumes for Saudi Arabia that Foster and Partners is modelling on the kingdom's traditional villages and a "canyon" designed by Trahan Architects for the USA. Today, the mascot for the UK Pavilion was also unveiled. Named PIX, it is made from red, blue and white building blocks and can be transformed into various shapes. The post Woo Architects updates design for UK Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025 appeared first on Dezeen.

Industrial designer Maruán Attia has created Cocoon Freelancer, a wooden cabin informed by Alpine houses and Japanese temples that can fit on flatbed vehicles and be used as a mobile living space. Attia used a type of timber called moon wood to construct the mobile home, which is harvested to align with the lunar cycles

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Industrial designer Maruán Attia has created Cocoon Freelancer, a wooden cabin informed by Alpine houses and Japanese temples that can fit on flatbed vehicles and be used as a mobile living space. Attia used a type of timber called moon wood to construct the mobile home, which is harvested to align with the lunar cycles during the coldest months of the year. The designer says the wood, which is free from glue, plastics and chemical treatments, has many advantages over regular timber. The home is designed to fit on truck flatbeds "Moon wood, harvested during a specific lunar phase, is more durable, resistant to pests, and less prone to warping," Attia told Dezeen. "Over time, it develops a beautiful grey patina resembling tree bark, providing natural and long-lasting protection, inspired by the enduring Alpine houses and Japanese temples that have stood for 500 to 1,500 years." Attia also avoided using screws on exterior surfaces, so that the wood wouldn't be susceptible to water absorption. It can also be placed on the ground The cabin measures 185 centimetres by 320 centimetres internally, has a height of 200 centimetres and is designed to fit on vehicle flatbeds. It can either be used as a mobile home that remains on the truck, giving the user a more elevated cabin, or placed on the ground. Cocoon Freelancer is made from moon wood. Video by Attia Design "Cocoon is weight-optimized to fit standard 3.5-ton flatbed vehicles, such as Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, VW Crafter, MAN TGE, avoiding special driving licenses tolls and road limitations," Attia said. "It can also be transported via trailer or placed on adjustable pillars, which are coming soon, or directly on the ground, offering flexibility for various terrains and use cases." The cabin is heated by a wood stove The cabin is made from thick wood and heated by a Tiny Wood Stove – a compact wood-burning stove. "We intentionally avoided additional insulation because our high-tech vacuum glass and approximately eight-centimetre thick solid wood walls – exclusive construction – feature special stabilising and breathing chambers," Attia explained. Read: IAAC creates mobile Moca dwelling with openable fabric facades He said this lets the wood naturally dry the facade. "Traditional insulation materials could trap moisture, increasing the risk of mould and compromising durability and air quality without significantly improving insulation performance," Attia added. It has a desk that can be changed into a bed Cocoon Freelancer has floor-to-ceiling windows on the side facing outwards, making it easy for users to enjoy the landscape from inside the mobile home. The glass used for this was chosen for its insulating properties. "The light safety vacuum glass achieves an exceptional insulation value of 0.7 watts-per-meter-square-kelvin, matching the performance of standard 44-millimetre triple-layer glass, while being six times thinner and lighter at just 7.7 millimetres," Attia said. "In practice, this design has performed exceptionally well. Even at outdoor temperatures of seven degrees Celsius, Cocoon can be heated to a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius within 30 minutes using the Tiny Wood Stove." A cooking station sits by the window The Cocoon Freelancer features a roof made of solar panels, which Attia said are "capable of generating over 900 watts, 37.5 volts, and 24 amps." Inside the cabin, the designer has created a compact interior with space-saving built-in features, including a desk that can be folded down and turned into part of the bed. "We conducted standard research on existing cabins, but Cocoon's interior is a fully self-developed design based on practical usability needs," Attia said. "A key feature is the bed-to-desk transformation, which took 18 months design iterations to perfect, ensuring maximum comfort, space efficiency, easy, light and harmonic integration." Cocoon Freelancer can be unloaded by just one person The interior was secured with hand-tightened nuts, so that it could be disassembled without tools, and is designed for unloading by a single person. Other innovative mobile homes on Dezeen include a 1990s van with plywood furniture and a dwelling with openable fabric facades. The photography is courtesy of Attia Design. The post Maruán Attia creates cabin-like mobile home from moon wood appeared first on Dezeen.

DesignMarch, Milan design week and Dubai Design Week are among the key architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide for 2025. It promises to be a busy year ahead for design with events such as Osaka Expo, Venice Architecture Biennale and the 15th Shanghai Biennale all keenly anticipated. Read on for the 2025

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DesignMarch, Milan design week and Dubai Design Week are among the key architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide for 2025. It promises to be a busy year ahead for design with events such as Osaka Expo, Venice Architecture Biennale and the 15th Shanghai Biennale all keenly anticipated. Read on for the 2025 highlights and see Dezeen Events Guide for more design events around the world. IDS Toronto 23 to 26 January, Canada Trade show IDS Toronto will celebrate its 26th edition in 2025, returning to the city's Metro Toronto Convention Centre to host an exhibition, talks programme, networking opportunities and an opening party. Speakers include brand strategists, designers, marketing directors and consultants, with several talks moderated by Dezeen's US editor Ben Dreith. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Stockholm Design Week 3 to 9 February, Sweden Stockholm Design Week's 2025 edition will see the return of Stockholm Furniture Fair and its talks programme at Stockholmsmässan. Alongside the fair, the festival will present exhibitions, installations, open showrooms, workshops, product launches and parties across the city over seven days. Daniel Heckscher was appointed to be the director of this year's festival and fair, which invites architecture and design professionals and enthusiasts alike. Dezeen is launching its digital guide to the festival in January. In the meantime, take a look at last year's guide here. Dezeen is a media partner of Stockholm Design Week and Stockholm Furniture Fair. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. DesignMarch returns to Reykjavík for its 17th edition. Photo is courtesy of DesignMarch. Above photo is by Michael Rygaard DesignMarch 2 to 6 April, Iceland Five-day festival DesignMarch takes place in Iceland's capital Reykjavík, celebrating its 17th edition with its annual DesignTalks programme and fringe events. The festival will explore a range of design disciplines, including interior, fashion, furniture, graphic, jewellery, landscape, product and textile design. The 2024 edition saw over 100 exhibitions and 200 events hosted across the city. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Expo 2025 Osaka 13 April to 13 October, Japan Across Yumeshimanaka island in Osaka Bay, a series of exhibitions will be on display over seven months for Expo 2025 Osaka, exploring topics such as sustainability and technology in design. The world expo will see global design projects spotlighted on the island, in keeping with the Japanese government's Society 5.0 initiative. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Milan design week hosts a Salone del Mobile and fuorisalone Milan design week 7 to 13 April, Italy The world's largest furniture fair Salone del Mobile will host its 63rd edition at Fiera Milano during the 2025 edition of Milan design week. Taking place alongside the fair, fringe events such as exhibitions, open showrooms, product launches, talks and tours – collectively known as fuorisalone – are set to demonstrate and explore global design projects over seven days. Take a look at last year's guide here. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Venice Architecture Biennale 10 May to 23 September, Italy Italian architect and engineer Carlo Ratti is curating this year's Venice Architecture Biennale, which will follow the theme Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. The 19th edition aims to address how architecture can utilise intelligence to combat global issues such as climate change. While the biennale takes place across Venice, two main exhibition spaces are Giardini della Biennale and Arsenale di Venezia. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Design the World You Want is the theme for Melbourne Design Week 2025. Photo is by Tim Carrafa Melbourne Design Week 15 to 25 May, Australia The theme of this year's Melbourne Design Week is Design the World You Want, asking participants to create meaningful and enriching designs that can combat global issues. The festival programme covers mediums such as communication, industrial, urban and service design, architecture, gaming, fashion, craft and art. The 2024 edition saw more than 100,000 people attend the festival, which launched over 400 events across Melbourne. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. NYCxDesign 16 to 23 May, USA NYCxDesign expects to present hundreds of events across Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn during May, including trade shows, talks, tours, exhibitions and product launches. The design week is built on nine core values, including seeking to make New York City a hub for design, encouraging more sustainable practices and serving as a platform for global cultural exchanges. Take a look at last year's guide here. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Design Shanghai 4 to 7 June, China The Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center is once again the setting for annual trade show Design Shanghai, located across four halls in the venue. Aiming to spotlight a mix of Eastern and Western designs, the event will present an exhibition and conference, focusing on furniture, textiles and kitchen and bathroom products. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. 3 Days of Design presents exhibitions, talks, workshops and parties. Photo courtesy of Jianze 3 Days of Design 18 to 20 June, Denmark Copenhagen's annual design festival 3 Days of Design returns in June, located across 11 of the city's regions, with each district named after a local monument. 2025 marks the festival's 12th edition, which is set to host exhibitions, installations, talks, tours, workshops and parties. The events will explore indoor and outdoor furniture, lighting, office equipment, surfaces and materials. Take a look at last year's guide here. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2025 1 September to 31 October, South Korea British designer Thomas Heatherwick has been appointed general director of this year's Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism. The event will arrange exhibitions and forums, located across Seoul for two months, that explore and harness the city's architecture. The biennale wants to engage with the inhabitants of Seoul, encouraging them to communicate what they want from their city. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. London Design Festival takes place from 12 to 21 September 2025. Photo is by James Harris London Design Festival 12 to 21 September, UK The 23rd edition of London Design Festival will take place across 10 days, hosting exhibitions, talks, workshops, tours, parties, open showrooms and product launches across a range of design disciplines. The Global Design Forum is the festival's talks programme, incorporating daily themes for the speakers to explore. Take a look at last year's guide here. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Chicago Architecture Biennial 12 September 2025 to 28 February 2026, USA Chicago Architecture Biennial has appointed architect and academic Florencia Rodriguez as its latest artistic director. 2025 marks the event's sixth edition and 10th anniversary, with the biennial launching with an exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center. Over 400 works by architects and designers have been displayed across the five previous editions. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Dutch Design Week takes place each year in Eindhoven. Photo is by Sem Hovingh Dutch Design Week 18 to 26 October, The Netherlands Located in Eindhoven, Dutch Design Week will focus on five key elements when hosting its annual events: Thriving Planet, Living Environment, Digital Futures, Health and Wellbeing, and Equal Society. More than 100 venues and locations are expected to host events across the Canal, Centre, Hallenweg, Sectie-C, Station, Strijp-S, Strijp T+R and West districts. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. 15th Shanghai Biennale: Does the flower hear the bee? 8 November 2025 to 31 March 2026, China Shanghai Biennale has set the theme Does the flower hear the bee? for it's 15th edition, starting November. The theme addresses the power of communication and intelligence within design, with writer and curator Kitty Scott as the biennale's chief curator. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Photo is courtesy of Designart Tokyo Designart Tokyo 31 October to 9 November, Japan Designart Tokyo is an annual festival that highlights art, design, architecture, interiors, and fashion through exhibitions in Japan. Around 100 venues are expected to host exhibitions and parties over 10 days, with hundreds of international brands participating. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Design Week Lagos October, Nigeria While the dates for the 2025 edition of Design Week Lagos are yet to be announced, the festival has previously taken place in October. The festival hosts exhibitions, installations, talks and fairs across Lagos, celebrating the design industry across Africa. The event was founded in 2019 by Nigerian interior designer Titi Ogufere and this year will welcome its sixth edition. Dubai Design Week 4 to 9 November, UAE The Downtown Design fair is one of the largest events to takes place during Dubai Design Week 2025, running alongside the Editions art fair. The design week also incorporates exhibitions, installations, workshops, markets and talks into its six-day programme, exploring regional and global creativity. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Photo is by Aman Alam Design Mumbai 26 to 29 November, India Trade show Design Mumbai hosts its second edition, showcasing indoor and outdoor furniture, kitchen and bathroom equipment, textiles and surfaces by global brands. Organised by designers and production managers Ian Rudge, Michael Dynan and Piyush Suri, the inaugural edition hosted the exhibition alongside a talks programme. The event returns to Jio World Garden in Mumbai. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. Miami art week 1 to 7 December, USA The latest edition of Miami art week is set to take place across the Miami Beach and Miami Design District neighbourhoods in the city. Hosting fairs such as Art Basel Miami Beach, Design Miami and Alcova Miami, the festival also welcomes exhibitions, installations and pop-up events. Take a look at last year's guide here. See Dezeen Events Guide for more details. About Dezeen Events Guide Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year. The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks. Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen's discretion. Organisers can get standard, enhanced or featured listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee. In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com. The post Twenty of the best design events in 2025 from Dezeen Events Guide appeared first on Dezeen.

British studio Squire and Partners has renovated and vertically extended Space House in London, a pair of mid-century modern office buildings originally designed by architects George Marsh and Richard Seifert. Squire and Partners aimed to celebrate the buildings while modernising the facilities to include a restaurant, clubhouse, rooftop terrace, bike storage, outdoor square and events

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British studio Squire and Partners has renovated and vertically extended Space House in London, a pair of mid-century modern office buildings originally designed by architects George Marsh and Richard Seifert. Squire and Partners aimed to celebrate the buildings while modernising the facilities to include a restaurant, clubhouse, rooftop terrace, bike storage, outdoor square and events space. Squire and Partners has renovated Space House in London Originally completed by Marsh and Seifert in 1968, the grade-II listed Space House comprises a rectangular building called the Block connected by a three-storey bridge to a cylindrical high-rise called the Tower. In collaboration with property developer Seaforth Land and real estate company Quadreal, Squire and Partners retained 90 per cent of Space House and replaced parts of the facade that had fallen into disrepair. The office buildings were originally completed in 1968 Distinguished by a faceted concrete exterior raised on Y-shaped columns, the Tower was extended by adding an office penthouse wrapped with outdoor terrace space. The Block was also vertically extended to include a clubhouse with a rooftop terrace and bar. Space House contains a cylindrical and a rectangular building Intending to honour the original design by Marsh and Seifert, Squire and Partners stripped back previous interventions that had been made to the buildings. "Space House is a very special and rare listed design icon," said Squire and Partners partner Tim Gledstone. "The opportunity for its full refurbishment demanded massive passion and drive to bring it back to life and reimagine it as something even better than it started out." Read: Conran and Partners unveils residential conversion of Richard Seifert's Centre Point "Originally built in 1968 and refurbished in 1996 and 2003, our design has removed the layers of interventions to retain, expose and celebrate the original architecture and vision," Gledstone continued. "We have created respectful and highly sustainable new additions to publicly activate the ground floor, accommodate modern working environments, and answer the needs of tomorrow's occupier and visitor, prolonging the life of the building for many more years to come." Roof extensions were added to the buildings Squire and Partners claims to have made significant carbon savings by retaining most of the buildings' concrete structures and installing an automated window system for cooling. "The completed and modernised Space House is fully electric and net zero carbon," said the studio. "The successful retention of 90 per cent of the original building saved an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions." Most of the structure was retained Sharing the faceted concrete exterior of Space House is Seifert's Centre Point tower in London, which was converted into apartments by architecture firm Conran and Partners. Brixton-based Squire and Partners was founded in 1976 by Michael Squire. Other projects by the studio include the transformation of a Victorian warehouse in London and a timber community centre built beside the Brixton Windmill. The photography is by Gareth Gardner. Project credits: Client: Seaforth and Quadreal Architect and interior designer: Squire and Partners Structural engineer: Pell Frischmann MEP, BREEAM and sustainability: Atelier Ten Cost and commercial: Gardiner and Theobald Landscape architects: Gustafson and Porter and Bowman Construction: BAM The post Squire and Partners unveils renovation of "very special and rare" office in London appeared first on Dezeen.

Global architecture and engineering company HDR  has created an interactive museum and workshop for children with a dynamic aluminium facade in Omaha, Nebraska. The 83,000-square foot (7,710-square metre) Kiewit Luminarium was completed in downtown Omaha in April 2023. Commissioned by Heritage Omaha, the museum was designed to offer "hands-on experiences in engineering and science for

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Global architecture and engineering company HDR has created an interactive museum and workshop for children with a dynamic aluminium facade in Omaha, Nebraska. The 83,000-square foot (7,710-square metre) Kiewit Luminarium was completed in downtown Omaha in April 2023. HDR designed an interactive museum and workshop for children Commissioned by Heritage Omaha, the museum was designed to offer "hands-on experiences in engineering and science for people of all ages" through exhibits and workshops. HDR, which is headquartered in Omaha, modeled the space after the Midwestern vernacular "machine-shed," creating a simple, performative container with the versatility to accommodate a diverse range of programming and exhibits. Each facade of the aluminium exterior is different The simple rectangular form – that emerged from the grain of the street grid – was split lengthwise to create two linear bars that were then offset slightly. The western portion was elevated to create an all-glass ground floor that draws in visitors. Each facade of the aluminium exterior is different, responding to the optimal shading needs of each orientation. To the west where the box was elevated, the facade serves as "an illuminated canvas" with a protected pedestrian space under the cantilever. The eastern portion anchors the museum to the ground The eastern bar anchors the museum to the ground along the riverfront boardwalk, where passersby can catch a glimpse of the interiors through glazing divided by vertical shading fins and museum guests can see out the Missouri River and pedestrian bridge. Through the shaded glass of the southern facade, visitors can see the geometric climbing structure in the newly built children’s playground. A stellated icosahedron structure hangs in the lobby The entrance – located on the southwestern corner – is flanked by the gift shop and flexible classroom space, through which visitors can see the main exhibition space around the corner or proceed to the cafe that shares the entry plaza. "Once inside, eyes are immediately drawn to the colourful, large-scale stellated icosahedron structure hanging overhead, one of several immersive exhibits integrated with the architecture," said HDR. Read: Colectivo C733 installs museum inside 18th-century Mexican port building The connection of the bars creates a large atrium-like gallery where two floors of exhibition space connect visually. "Activity is everywhere – kids engaging with exhibits and playing in the geometry playground, families enjoying a meal in the cafe, and creators using the maker space – visible by way of the open-concept design, which not only creates exciting energy but also ensures the space can adapt and change to multiple exhibit configurations and possible future uses," said the studio. The warm interiors invite the idea that science can be "friendly" The warm interiors were designed to project the idea that science can be "friendly, familiar and approachable" with interactive elements like custom-milled plywood walls that act as a modular pegboard and technicolour lights that bounce off the shading system and exposed chrome ducting. Other projects recently completed in Omaha include a "weightless" pavilion addition to Nebraska's largest museum by Snøhetta and the revitalisation of three parks – totaling 72 acres along the riverfront – by OJB, HDR and Gensler. The photography is by Dan Schwalm. Project credits: Architect: HDR - Mike Hamilton, Tim Williams, Tyson Fiscus, John Dineer, Xin Zhao Engineers: HDR Exhibit design: Exploratorium Envelope design: AWS General contractor: Kiewit Building Group Client: Heritage Omaha The post HDR references Midwestern machine-sheds for Kiewit Luminarium in Omaha appeared first on Dezeen.

UK architecture studio Foster + Partners has unveiled designs for the "undulating" Tempo development in Brazil, which encompasses a hotel and apartments facing a central garden. Located outside of São Paulo along Praia Brava in the state of Santa Catarina, the Tempo project is designed to offer guests and residences a view of the nearby

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UK architecture studio Foster + Partners has unveiled designs for the "undulating" Tempo development in Brazil, which encompasses a hotel and apartments facing a central garden. Located outside of São Paulo along Praia Brava in the state of Santa Catarina, the Tempo project is designed to offer guests and residences a view of the nearby beach while incorporating nature throughout its two main buildings. Foster + Partners have unveiled designs for a beachfront hotel and residence in Brazil "The undulating development is designed to capture the best views of Praia Brava – a spectacular beach that is frequented by surfers – and the mountainous landscape," said the studio. Renderings show two irregularly-shaped buildings made up of stacks of amoeboid floor plates lined with terraces. An expansive garden is pictured at the centre of the buildings, while plants are shown covering each private deck. The development will have private terraces for each guest "The Tempo hotel and residences capture the spirit of this vibrant coastal location," said Foster + Partners head of studio David Summerfield. "Nature is woven through every part of the development, which will take residents and guests on a truly spectacular journey from the beach to their whole-floor residences and private suites," According to the studio, each hotel room will feature a terrace that faces the oceanfront, divided from the interior by timber screen sliders. Read: Foster + Partners unveils Dubai skyscrapers linked by penthouse swimming pool At ground level, a valet area will connect to a "striking" lobby and restaurant containing a central, sunken outdoor seating area. Interior images show a palette of predominantly dark timber and neutral-coloured concrete. Fluted glass is pictured running along exterior balconies. The development's residential building will contain single, whole-floor condominiums, while amenities such as pools, nature trails, pavilions and water trails will be interwoven throughout the development. The buildings will be predominately made of concrete and timber "Every element of our scheme has been carefully designed to establish new connections with the spectacular surroundings while providing the highest level of comfort and luxury," said Foster + Partners partner Juan Frigerio. "Tempo will be a new global destination that offers an entirely unique oceanfront experience." Other recently completed projects in Brazil include a penthouse redesigned by Philippe Starck and two skyscrapers by UNStudio, both in São Paulo. The images are courtesy of Foster and Partners The post Foster + Partners unveils design of beachfront residences in Brazil appeared first on Dezeen.

A timber veranda frames a courtyard at House for Ela, a home by Switzerland-based architect Ewa Kaszuba on a forested site in a spa town near Warsaw. Designed for a retired couple, the house is a modern take on the grand parkland villas that rub shoulders with modernist mansions in Konstancin, a 19th-century town approximately 20

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A timber veranda frames a courtyard at House for Ela, a home by Switzerland-based architect Ewa Kaszuba on a forested site in a spa town near Warsaw. Designed for a retired couple, the house is a modern take on the grand parkland villas that rub shoulders with modernist mansions in Konstancin, a 19th-century town approximately 20 kilometres south of the Polish capital. Ewa Kaszuba has created House for Ela in Poland Kaszuba was commissioned to design a house to replace an existing 1930s villa, named Ela, which had deteriorated to the point where it required demolition. Built on a V-shaped plan, the replacement consists of two intersecting volumes, arranged in a near-mirrored layout. Its two wings meet at a precise 60-degree angle creating a semi-courtyard on the south side. It replaces an existing 1930s villa in need of demolition Running around House for Ela's courtyard, Kaszuba placed a wooden facade punctured by glazing and lined with repeating columns, influenced by the garden structures and verandas of many of Konstancin's historic villas. This larch veranda-like structure supports a deck on the first floor, providing balconies for the upstairs bedrooms with views over the pine forests. The street-facing elevation offers privacy in contrast to the courtyard-facing wooden facade "The client wanted bright living spaces with plenty of southern exposure and garden views," Kaszuba told Dezeen. "At the same time, they valued their privacy, so we knew that the house had to be oriented primarily to the private side of the property." Read: Studio Onu draws on vernacular architecture for home in Polish forest House for Ela's ground floor contains the living area in one wing and a terrazzo-lined indoor pool in the other, while the first floor holds the main bedroom and guest rooms. On the street side, Kaszuba kept the massing similar to the old house to ensure the project did not feel larger. In contrast to the warm wood facade, the street-facing entrance is solid and textured with rough plaster, designed to fulfil the need for privacy. The living spaces occupy one wing on the ground floor "The house achieves a balance between monumentality and domesticity. It certainly makes its presence known in the streetscape and does not go unnoticed," added Kaszuba. "However, inside, it offers numerous opportunities for both small and large interactions." Wooden finishes are used throughout the home Inside, a foyer space leads to a wooden floating staircase. This is among the wooden finishes used throughout the home, including on its walls and cupboards. Rocks uncovered during excavation were intentionally integrated into the landscape, corresponding with interior spaces and the garden planting. House for Ela is complete with a geothermal heat pump and solar panels, designed to help offset the energy demands of the indoor swimming pool. An underground level contains the house's services and a garage, reducing the building's above-ground footprint. Terrazzo lines the indoor pool area House for Ela is the first independent project completed by Ewa Kaszuba, who was born in Warsaw and is now based in Zurich. Other Polish houses recently featured on Dezeen include a farm house built with local craft and materials and a holiday home clad in corrugated metal. The photographer is Robert Świerczyński. The post Ewa Kaszuba frames villa in Polish spa town with larch veranda appeared first on Dezeen.

We continue our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series with a look at Waugh Thistleton Architects' Murray Grove, "the original timber tower". On an unassuming street in the east London borough of Hackney is a relatively small housing block that looks entirely unremarkable. But this building – the world's first plyscraper – kickstarted a

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We continue our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series with a look at Waugh Thistleton Architects' Murray Grove, "the original timber tower". On an unassuming street in the east London borough of Hackney is a relatively small housing block that looks entirely unremarkable. But this building – the world's first plyscraper – kickstarted a timber revolution. Murray Grove was the most significant building of 2009 A blockbuster year for architecture, 2009 saw numerous landmark projects opening around the globe. Highlights included Zaha Hadid's MAXXI in Rome, David Chipperfield's Neues Museum in Berlin and the first section of the High Line in New York by James Corner Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro. However, the much more low-key Murray Grove would have the greatest impact on architecture in the following years. Described by east London studio Waugh Thistleton Architects as "the original timber tower", it was the first high-rise housing project in the world to be constructed almost entirely from engineered timber. "The exemplar project has spearheaded the introduction of CLT [cross-laminated timber] in the UK, and pioneered a wider international movement in its use," Waugh Thistleton Architects co-founder Andrew Waugh told Dezeen as part of our Timber Revolution series. "It seems to have really kickstarted a whole tall-timber movement – in the US, Asia and Europe it's much more widely known about." The building has an entirely timber structure Built at a time before mass-timber was widely used, let alone for high-rise housing, the nine-storey block demonstrated that wood could be a safe and viable structural alternative to steel and concrete. According to Waugh Thistleton Architects, using timber instead of reinforced concrete prevented 125 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere, while the structural fabric of Murray Grove stores more than 180 tonnes of carbon. It was constructed from CLT panels Built for developer Telford Homes, the block contains 19 private and 10 subsidised apartments. The timber structure acted as an alternative way to meet sustainability targets without using add-ons like solar panels. To enable it to be built, Hackney Council waived the standard London planning requirement for housing developments to have on-site renewable energy generation to reduce carbon emissions. Read: Diébédo Francis Kéré's Gando Primary School was the most significant building of 2001 From the first floor upwards, load-bearing walls, floor slabs, lift cores and stairs were constructed from CLT on top of foundations and a ground floor made from reinforced concrete. It was built using load-bearing panels made from layers of spruce, which were manufactured in Austria by timber supplier KLH and shipped to London on trucks before being assembled on site. The prefabricated structure was assembled by KLH employees in 27 days, with the whole building completed in 49 weeks. According to a report by the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) a concrete building would have taken 72 weeks to build. The timber structure was not visible in the apartment interiors Although the timber structure was highly innovative, it was largely hidden both internally and externally, with the developer concerned that timber might put off buyers. The pixelated facade, which was informed by Gerhard Richter's painting Les gris entre ciel et mer du nord, was made from 2,500 panels made from wood pulp and fibre cement. Inside, the apartments were finished to a standard developer specification. Described as a "game-changer" by the World Economic Forum, the tower drew global attention and proved to many that building tall with timber was possible. Almost more significant than the building itself was the research that surrounded it. While the building won a Judges Special Award at the Wood Awards, a book published about the process won the RIBA President's Medal for Research. The building started a revolution in high-rise timber housing It prompted multiple countries to reconsider timber as a structural material, with many governments changing regulations to allow it to be used. "What's surprising is the lack of precedents to this project in the woodier parts of Europe, principally for regulatory reasons," Oliver Lowenstein wrote in the Architect's Journal at the time. "For the moment, the irony remains that the UK, a country with hardly an engineered wood sector to its name, is producing the tallest cross-laminated timber high-rise across the continent." In the UK, Murray Grove was treated as a pilot scheme by the National House Building Council and Building Research Establishment. Read: Ten significant mass-timber buildings that changed the way we think about wood In the 16 years since it completed, mass-timber construction has become much more normalised. Large buildings – often housing – with engineered timber structures are regularly being built in numerous countries around the world. If Waugh Thistleton Architects set out to prove that timber could be a viable, low-carbon alternative to concrete and steel, its project has been a phenomenal success. Did we get it right? Was Murray Grove by Waugh Thistleton the most significant building completed in 2009? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and photography is by Will Pryce. 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by I M Pei 2009: Murray Grove by Waugh Thistleton Architects This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post Waugh Thistleton Architects' Murray Grove was the most significant building of 2009 appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Schemata Architects has created Blue Bottle Coffee Toyosu Park Cafe, a wooden cafe in Japan with an open design that gives visitors an unobstructed view of the sea. The wooden building comprises three volumes with sloping roofs of different heights and was designed to blend in with the trees in Toyosu Park, Tokyo,

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Architecture studio Schemata Architects has created Blue Bottle Coffee Toyosu Park Cafe, a wooden cafe in Japan with an open design that gives visitors an unobstructed view of the sea. The wooden building comprises three volumes with sloping roofs of different heights and was designed to blend in with the trees in Toyosu Park, Tokyo, which sits next to Tokyo Bay. The cafe is located in Tokyo's Toyosu Park "Because of the park's good location, the aim was to create a relationship in which the entire park would feel like a seating area from the point of view of the cafe side, and the cafe is one of the diverse places to be from the point of view of the park side," Schemata Architects founder Jo Nagasaka told Dezeen. "Not to diminish the good qualities of the park by the construction of the building, the entire building was created as a cluster of human-scale volumes," he added. Schemata Architects used mainly wood for its structure Schemata Architects designed the cafe for Blue Bottle Coffee as a "gradation of outdoor, semi-outdoor and indoor activities" that can be accessed from all sides of the building. To further blur the indoors and outdoors, the studio used bricks both inside and outside the 300-square-metre eatery. "Instead of a clear separation between inside and outside, we wanted to create a pleasant experience with gradational connections between indoor, semi-outdoor and outdoor areas, so we used bricks on the floor and counters as a motif to connect inside and outside," Nagasaka explained. Wooden pillars create outdoor "rooms" with FRP tables Blue Bottle Coffee Toyosu Park Cafe's overall structure is made from two types of wood, which form decorative pillars supporting roofs that vary in height to give the building a dynamic feel. The pillars also create "rooms" that enclose cafe spaces while being open to nature. Read: Funamachi Base cafe and sweet shop designed as "extension of the park" "The tree species used are cypress (hinoki) and larch," Nagsaka said. "The safety engineering construction method using laminated wood allows column spans to be skipped and seating to be arranged freely." "The eye-level areas use glass extensively to allow unobstructed sea views through the building," the studio added. Red brick was used both inside and outside The facade of Blue Bottle Coffee Toyosu Park Cafe is covered in beige-hued fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP), which also forms small tabletops that either sit on steel legs or are attached to the wooden pillars of the cafe. Schemata Architects chose to use this FRP to create a coherent colour palette for the cafe, where the brown hue of the natural wood is enhanced by red tables and chairs that match the red brick. The cafe's roofs have different heights "The use of FRP in the same beige as the wood reduces the overall number of colours," Nagasaka explained. "The transparency of the material also gives the furniture a light impression." Other recent Schemata Architect projects that make extensive use of wood include a collection of low-lying angular guesthouses in Okinawa and a sweet shop in Funamachi, Japan. The photography is by Takumi Ota. The post Wooden pillars support Blue Bottle Coffee cafe overlooking Tokyo Bay appeared first on Dezeen.

Crisscrossing bamboo poles combine with woven raffia mats to form this pavilion built by architecture studio HTL Africa in Lagos, Nigeria. Site Office was installed at the Ecobank Pan African Centre on Victoria Island for the inaugural Ecobank Design and Build Expo back in November, but will now serve as a community reading room. HTL

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Crisscrossing bamboo poles combine with woven raffia mats to form this pavilion built by architecture studio HTL Africa in Lagos, Nigeria. Site Office was installed at the Ecobank Pan African Centre on Victoria Island for the inaugural Ecobank Design and Build Expo back in November, but will now serve as a community reading room. Site Office is a pavilion formed of crisscrossing bamboo poles HTL Africa – a studio with offices in Lagos and Dubai – designed the structure to highlight the greater potential of a common material in Nigerian construction. Bamboo scaffolding is typically used on small-scale construction projects in the country, particularly in rural areas, but often discarded after use. Circular raffia mats provide shade and decoration The studio's ambition was to reimagine bamboo, "the unsung hero of African construction", as a "sustainable and innovative architectural element". "We wanted to highlight bamboo scaffolding's quiet yet vital contribution to modern architecture," said architect James Inedu-George, founder and head of design at HTL Africa. Plywood boards form a built-in bench seat The pavilion suggests how bamboo could be used to create structures that are built to last rather than disposed of. Bamboo rods were pinned and tied together to create an imposing three-dimensional lattice. Read: Bamboo pavilion by AtArchitecture references traditional Indian handlooms and construction Plywood boards provide an entrance portal, a matching first-floor mezzanine, the staircase leading up to it, and a bench seat built into the interior. Circular raffia mats hang down in the grid gaps, providing both shade and decoration, while larger woven discs form custom-made lighting fixtures. A staircase leads up to a first-floor mezzanine Inedu-George hoped to change perceptions of bamboo to be "both a historical artefact and a symbol of sustainable innovation", creating a space that felt "both ancient and futuristic". It follows other examples of Nigerian architects and designers exploring new uses for bamboo, from Nifemi Marcus-Bello's Waf Kiosk to Kunlé Adeyemi's Floating School. "This project aims to inspire reflection on how traditional materials can inform contemporary practices, making a case for sustainability in architecture that is both functional and beautiful," said Inedu-George. The structure aims to highlight the greater potential of bamboo During the Ecobank Design and Build Expo, which ran from November 27 to December 1, Site Office hosted an exhibition of HTL Africa's work titled Generations. Instead of dismantling the bamboo scaffolding after the exhibition, the pavilion will now serve as an outdoor reading room for the local community. Other projects featuring bamboo on Dezeen include a sculptural community centre by Kengo Kuma and a renovated school in India. The photography is by Olajide Ayeni. The post HTL Africa installs bamboo scaffolding pavilion in Lagos appeared first on Dezeen.

Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has issued an executive order that expedites or negates permit requirements, expands ADU usage and provides for the cataloguing of damage to historical buildings as unprecedented wildfires continue to destroy lives and property. Named Return and Rebuild, the executive order seeks to clear away bureaucratic red tape in order to

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Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has issued an executive order that expedites or negates permit requirements, expands ADU usage and provides for the cataloguing of damage to historical buildings as unprecedented wildfires continue to destroy lives and property. Named Return and Rebuild, the executive order seeks to clear away bureaucratic red tape in order to aid residents who have lost homes or businesses in the wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and caused the deaths of at least 24 people. The order was issued to provide a "streamlined path for the rebuilding of the City of Los Angeles' fire-devastated communities". It deals mostly with the expedition or waiving of permit requirements for rebuilding for those affected by the Palisades, Hurst, Kenneth, Archer, and Sunset Fires, fires that took place fully or partially within the city limits The order covers three main categories: clean up, rebuilding, and government assistance programs. It adds details to a state-wide executive order issued by governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday, which "suspended" aspects of California permitting such as the California Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for affected residents. Cleaning and rebuilding For cleaning up efforts, the Return and Rebuild order establishes a "debris manager" role within the city government office and a Watershed Hazards Task Force to protect infrastructure against flash floods and mudslides. The rebuilding section of the executive order is extensive and provides details on the waiving of environmental reviews first announced by Newsom. Read: "The scale of the damage is unfathomable" say Los Angeles architects It also expedites all necessary reviews, including a 30-day limit on any building permit reviews for structures affected by the fires. It substantially decreases limitations of demolition, and waives permit requests for the demolition of affected structures, as long as someone "notifies" the Department of Building and Safety and properly disposes of waste. The order also states that a status report of all historic properties within the affected zones will be released within 10 days of "safe access" to the areas. Tiny homes and temporary occupancy The order also allows for the unpermitted use of "recreational vehicles, tiny homes, modular structures and mobile homes" on affected properties for three years, or as long as building permits are in effect. It also proposes an "interdepartmental task force" to allow for multi-family projects to obtain Temporary Certificates of Occupancy (TCOs) that would allow occupation of buildings before they are complete in order to "create more available units in the market". The latter is specifically important for many evacuees as reports of spiking rents in the area are being released, despite emergency bans on price gouging in Newsom's executive order. Though the order points to a return home for some, the fires in the city and county are still active, with strong winds and continued droughts worsening conditions in some places with an "unprecedented" extreme fire alert being declared in some areas. In light of the foreseen need to rebuild, a number of organisations and working groups have formed to provide engineering, architecture and legal resources to the community, and are calling for volunteers. The AIA is currently offering a course on how to apply for FEMA relief, while the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority has released a long list of resources that support those affected by the fire. Past executive directives released from Bass' office have revolved around temporary structures relating to the housing and homelessness crisis in the city. The photography is by Kelvin Cheng The post Los Angeles mayor issues executive order for "residents to rapidly rebuild" appeared first on Dezeen.

Houses by Richard Neutra and Ray Kappe are among more than 12,000 structures lost in the ongoing fires in Los Angeles. Here, we roundup five of the most significant to have been destroyed. The Palisades and Eaton fires are the two largest of the several fires that have caused at least 24 deaths and the

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Houses by Richard Neutra and Ray Kappe are among more than 12,000 structures lost in the ongoing fires in Los Angeles. Here, we roundup five of the most significant to have been destroyed. The Palisades and Eaton fires are the two largest of the several fires that have caused at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 buildings in Los Angeles since they began early last week. The fires, exacerbated by strong winds and drought conditions, have destroyed whole neighbourhoods, and hundreds of thousands of people have had to evacuate. Power outages and contaminated drinking water have affected thousands more. As of today, increases in wind speeds threaten to expand the ongoing fires. Above: a home designed by Richard Neutra was destroyed in the fire. Image via Los Angeles Damage Inspection (DINS) database. Top: the house before the fire. Photo copyright of Julius Shulman and Juergen Nogai Groups such as the Los Angeles Conservancy and Save Iconic Architecture are tracking the status of buildings deemed iconic or noteworthy in the midst of the "unfathomable" damage in the city. Many iconic structures that were under threat have now been marked safe including: Eames House and adjacent Eames Case Study Houses, Getty Villa, Craig Ellwood's Hunt House in Malibu, Buff, Straub & Hensman's Bass House and The Alfred Newman-Martha Montgomery House by Frank Lloyd Wright. Read: "The scale of the damage is unfathomable" say Los Angeles architects Meanwhile, officials have been compiling data on a house-by-house destruction report. Many of the destroyed modernist homes are located in Malibu and the Palisades, while the Eaton fire destroyed many historical Spanish Revival and Craftsmen-style homes in the town of Altadena. Below are some of the most significant houses lost in the ongoing Palisades and Eaton fires: Photo copyright of Julius Shulman and Juergen Nogai The Benedict and Nancy Freedman House by Richard Neutra, Pacific Palisades Renowned modernist architect Neutra designed this small house in 1949 for two screenwriters. Built primarily with wood, the original structure had a single low volume with massive glass windows and clerestories. It was slowly expanded to become a two-level house over the years, remodelled by local studio Nonzero\architecture (studio bau:ton). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Save Iconic Architecture (@saveiconicarchitecture) Robert Bridges House by Robert Bridges, Pacific Palisades Architect Robert Bridges designed this home to cantilever off a cliffside in the neighbourhood, supported by massive concrete pillars. It was built in the 1980s in the brutalist style but clad in California redwood. Photo courtesy of Tim Street-Porter/Crosby Doe Associates Keeler House by Ray Kappe, Pacific Palisades SCI-Arc founder Kappe built this home for a jazz musician in 1991, using his own house nearby as a reference. The modern structure featured mostly wood construction and multiple tiers with terraces that cantilevered out towards the street. It was one of many Kappe designs to be destroyed, including the Culbert House in Malibu. Photo via Wikipedia Andrew McNally House by Frederick L Roehrig, Altadena Built for the president of technology company Rand McNally, this Queen Anne-style mansion in Altadena was one of the first significant works in the area and had become indicative of its late 19th-century architecture. New York-born architect Frederick Louis Roehrig designed the house, constructing it out of mostly wood with massive rotundas on one side. Photo via Wikipedia Scripps Hall by C W Buchanan, Altadena Also known as the Pasadena Waldorf School, this Craftsman-style structure was designated on the National Historic Register. The three-storey structure was made from wood and brick and featured the extruded rafters typical of the style when it was completed in 1904. The post Richard Neutra house among iconic homes lost during LA fires appeared first on Dezeen.

A grass-topped roof of compacted earth appears to float above this glazed restaurant near Parma, Italy, designed by Turin-based studio Carlo Ratti Associati for tomato company Mutti. Named Quisimangia, or Here We Eat, the restaurant will operate as a public restaurant by night and a staff canteen by day, serving workers at the nearby Mutti

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A grass-topped roof of compacted earth appears to float above this glazed restaurant near Parma, Italy, designed by Turin-based studio Carlo Ratti Associati for tomato company Mutti. Named Quisimangia, or Here We Eat, the restaurant will operate as a public restaurant by night and a staff canteen by day, serving workers at the nearby Mutti factory that is currently being redeveloped by Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) following a 2017 competition. Looking to "fully immerse" diners in the surrounding landscape, CRA's design for the restaurant involved excavating the site to create a slightly sunken interior, with the leftover soil used to create a thick green roof. Carlo Ratti Associati has completed a restaurant for tomato company Mutti "The canteen is conceived as a clod of earth lifted from the ground, with a green roof crafted from compacted earth sourced directly on site," the studio told Dezeen. "This bold gesture creates a space where diners are fully immersed in the surrounding vegetation, literally dining at the level of the meadow," it continued. Connecting to a former tavern facing the adjacent road, which has been repurposed as the canteen's kitchen, the glazed dining hall curves gently to overlook a 1.1-hectare garden designed by landscape architect Paolo Pejrone. Soil from site excavations were used to create the restaurant's roof Curving bar-style seating lines the dining hall's fully-glazed facade, elevating diners to be almost level with the grass outside, while in the centre of the space, tables are organised around a central serving area. Earth excavated from the site was compressed to create the raw edge of the canteen's roof, which is elevated five metres above the dining areas on slender black steel columns and planted with local vegetation. Read: Junya Ishigami hides mud-covered house and restaurant below ground level in Japan "The defining moment is the elevated earth roof – a poetic yet practical statement," the studio said. "This architectural gesture blurs the line between building and landscape, immersing diners in an unexpected relationship with the land." The restaurant's fully-glazed facade is lined with bar-style seating "The vertical cut, inspired by the French ha-ha concept, creates surprise while maintaining uninterrupted views," CRA added. "The canteen becomes less of a building and more of an extension of nature itself, elevating both the experience and the environment." The walls and ceilings have black finishes Inside, the walls and ceilings of the dining areas have a black finish, which combined with the full-height glazing, enhances the floating effect of the roof when viewed from the outside. CRA also looked to incorporate recycled materials into the interiors. The distinctive red floors are formed of a combination of resin and tomato skins, while in the kitchen hundreds of Mutti cans were used to create a feature in the large road-facing window. Other projects completed by CRA for Mutti include a home for the company's CEO, Francesco Mutti, which was designed with the late architect Italo Rota around a 10-metre-tall ficus tree. Elsewhere, the studio recently revealed its plans to overhaul the postmodern European Parliament building in Brussels, with a design featuring a latticed framework and a rooftop botanical garden. The photography is by DSL Studio. The post Carlo Ratti Associati shelters Mutti restaurant with "clod of earth lifted from the ground" appeared first on Dezeen.

Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, by IM Pei, the first "mega-museum in the Gulf". This austere stack of limestone-clad blocks perched atop its own man-made island was in many respects the original template for the now hugely familiar and multi-billion-pound

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Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, by IM Pei, the first "mega-museum in the Gulf". This austere stack of limestone-clad blocks perched atop its own man-made island was in many respects the original template for the now hugely familiar and multi-billion-pound narrative of starchitects designing museums in the Middle East. The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) was borne of a somewhat more optimistic era, before the lure of soft power gained through such buildings had escalated into a fully-fledged "cultural arms race", to borrow a term from the Guardian's Oliver Wainwright. "It was a big bang," the MIA's former director Julia Gonnella told Al Jazeera. "It's a huge museum and, of course, it was an event because it was the first of these sort of mega-museums in the Gulf." The Museum of Islamic Art was the first "mega-museum in the Gulf" There is a strong sense that the museum's architect, the late Pei, knew what the legacy of this "big bang" meant for Doha's architectural landscape. Fearing the MIA would be crowded out by future developments, he demanded it occupy its own man-made island off the main waterfront, which has since become home to projects including the National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel. Pei's instincts were certainly proven right. Writing in Al Jazeera, Hamid Dabashi called the museum "the singular grace of a landscape otherwise flooded with the rambunctious debris of the gaudiest specimen of architecture from around the world thrown at Doha." It is located on an artificial island The MIA project began as a competition organised by the Aga Khan Foundation in 1997 from which Indian architect Charles Correa and Palestinian-Jordanian architect Rasem Badran emerged as the frontrunners, with Badran eventually being awarded the project. These plans, however, never came to fruition, and Chinese-American architect Pei – who famously deemed competitions a waste of his firm's time – was instead directly approached by a jury member who had convinced Qatar's emir that he would be a good choice for the project. The design aimed to blend tradition and modernity Pei, who was in his 80s at the time, had retired from full-time practice in 1990, but the MIA was one of several high-profile museums projects he took on in something of a late-career revival. He told the Architectural Record how he "started to get kind of antsy". Immediately, Pei made a defining change to the brief for the MIA. When offered several sites across the Doha Corniche, he rejected them all for fear that future developments would block out views to and from the museum as well as the movement of the sun. Read: Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall was the most significant building of 2003 Instead, the MIA was to be constructed on its own man-made island off the Corniche, accessed via a long, dramatic promenade that includes a fountain, tree-lined boulevard and a small bridge over the water. "There were not yet too many buildings nearby, but I feared that in the future, large structures might rise that would overshadow it," explained Pei in an interview with Philip Jodidio. "I asked if it might not be possible to create my own site," he said. "This was very selfish of me of course, but I knew that in Qatar it is not too complicated to create landfill." A vast atrium is located at the centre of the museum Conscious of his lack of knowledge of Islamic architecture, Pei embarked on a global tour in search of what he called its "essence", which he believed he found most compellingly in the 9th-century Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo – one of the oldest mosques in Egypt. This blending of tradition and modernity – often termed neo-vernacular – defined the later era of Pei's career. It is also visible in two similar museum projects he was working on at the same: a new wing at the Suzhou Museum in China and the MUDAM in Luxembourg. It features a double staircase and a circular chandelier The austere forms of the Ibn Tulun Mosque informed the spartan stack of volumes that comprise the MIA, clad in cream-coloured limestone to emphasise the movement of sunlight across the building that Pei was so adamant be unobstructed by its surroundings. Such references led the New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ourousoff to describe the museum as a "temple of high art, placing culture on the same pedestal as religion". The museum has five floors of galleries Once inside, however, the MIA reveals itself as a true jewel box. Concealed by a blocky tower on the exterior is a faceted, skylit dome that shelters a vast atrium, which features a curved double staircase and ornate metalwork, including a large chandelier. On the ceiling, small domed coffers continue the play of light and shadow, while on the floors decorative tiling also adopts geometric patterns informed by traditional Islamic architecture. Around this central space, a total of 4,255 square metres of exhibition space are organised across five floors, with galleries designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte with darker stone and wood surfaces that contrast the limestone cladding. Read: Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002 While the stark exterior of the museum appears to feature almost no windows on approach, on its northern side a vast, 45-metre-tall glass tower looks out across the Gulf, as do a number of sheltered terraces on the museum's upper levels. To the east, across a large courtyard enclosed by high walls with arched openings – another nod to the Ibn Tulun Mosque – sits the museum's educational wing and library, housed in a simple rectilinear box clad in matching limestone. For all of the iconic architectural gestures that have followed in its wake, the Museum of Islamic Art remains perhaps the sole example that has achieved the rare feat of both standing out and blending in. Did we get it right? Was the Museum of Islamic Art the most significant building completed in 2008? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and photography is courtesy of the Museum of Islamic Art, unless stated. 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post IM Pei's Museum of Islamic Art was the most significant building of 2008 appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio KPF has completed the Ziraat Bank Headquarters skyscrapers as the centrepiece of the Istanbul International Financial Center in Turkey. Rising 40- and 46-storeys-high, the towers are made up of interconnected glass structures that widen at their tops and are joined by a podium at their base. Encompassing 450,000-square-metres, the complex completed by Kohn Pedersen

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Architecture studio KPF has completed the Ziraat Bank Headquarters skyscrapers as the centrepiece of the Istanbul International Financial Center in Turkey. Rising 40- and 46-storeys-high, the towers are made up of interconnected glass structures that widen at their tops and are joined by a podium at their base. Encompassing 450,000-square-metres, the complex completed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) in collaboration with local studio A Tasarim Mimarlik contains the headquarters for the bank along with an auditorium, retail space and underground parking. KPF has completed twin skyscrapers in Istanbul's Financial District Externally, the towers are defined by horizontal bands that divide each office level. Set off from this largely glass exterior, ornate screens typical of Islamic architecture surround the podium building. Designed as an extension of the district's public space, the podium contains retail space on the ground floor, which is accessed via entrances fronted by a courtyard. Ornate screens decorate the podium's exterior "Ziraat Bank Headquarters is a modern building with deep roots in Istanbul's physical and cultural context," said KPF design principal Mustafa Chehabeddine. "Our concept was for the podium to incorporate interpretive refences to the intricate style of the region's rich historic architecture, with a layered, screen-like approach to shading, while the towers display a horizontal banding," he continued. "The building geometry gently and gradually expands toward the top, resulting in a sculptural form that celebrates the growth and development of Ziraat Bank." Read: HEMAA uses black steel for narrow skyscraper in Mexico City Inside, the building opens up to a bright, lofty interior lit by expansive glass facades and complete with large structural columns, and stone and wooden details. An eight-storey atrium is crossed by a number of bridges that connect various parts of the building. An 8-storey atrium features within the building KPF used local stone and wood throughout the development – extending to the auditorium, which is clad in curving panels of CNC-milled limestone. According to the studio, timber was used to "create a sense of intimacy" in the auditorium, which has a series of waving roof panels designed to improve acoustics. Timber lines the auditorium's interior The towers contain office space for the bank with shared amenities such as prayer rooms and gardens provided throughout. Additionally, spacious, landscaped roof terraces provide shared outdoor space equipped with seating space. Roof terraces are hosted atop the towers Elsewhere KPF is set to complete a supertall skyscraper that pays homage to New York City's beaux-arts architecture in Midtown Manhattan and a redesign of Foster and Partners' HSBC skyscraper that will include a series of cut-out terraces. Dezeen also recently rounded up the top 10 skyscrapers of 2024, which include the One Za'abeel towers in Dubai by Nikken Sekkei. The photography is by Dirk Lindner. Project credits: Local architect: A Tasarim Mimarlik Structure: Arup Construction manager: Turner International Contractor: Kalyon İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi Facade engineers: ALT Workplace consultants: KKS Strategy Office interiors: A+I Asia Acoustical consultant: Mezzo LEED consultant: Altensis Signage: Symbius Landscape: DDS Kitchen design: Tricon AV, IT & BMU consultant: WSP Lighting design: PJC The post KPF completes twin skyscrapers for Ziraat Bank Headquarters in Istanbul appeared first on Dezeen.

The wildfires raging in Los Angeles are highlighting the underrated significance of the city's unique urbanism and 20th-century architecture, writes Daniel Elsea. This is a love letter to LA. In life, as in history, it takes a tragedy to appreciate something's value. This is a lesson that as an Angeleno transplant in London, I've been

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The wildfires raging in Los Angeles are highlighting the underrated significance of the city's unique urbanism and 20th-century architecture, writes Daniel Elsea. This is a love letter to LA. In life, as in history, it takes a tragedy to appreciate something's value. This is a lesson that as an Angeleno transplant in London, I've been reflecting on these last few days. As of the latest count, 10,000 structures in my hometown have been destroyed. Each one special, whether a home, a shop, or school. Like LA at large, they hover under the radar of architectural history. These are day-to-day buildings like Altadena's Theosophical Society or the cottages of Janes Village, destroyed by fire. LA boasts the world's most important legacy of 20th-century architecture. There is the Japanese influence of the Austrian Rudolph Schindler in the 1920s house that bears his name in West Hollywood. There are the 1940s-50s Case Study Houses that dot many endangered neighbourhoods. In 1949, the designer couple Charles and Ray Eames completed the most emblematic of them in the Palisades on the northwest edge of Santa Monica. It takes a tragedy to appreciate something's value Now a museum, the Eames House is one of the world's priceless architectural treasures. Its visible structure and lofty living room inspired a generation of architects. It was evacuated last week; rare objects removed for safekeeping. Thankfully, it has so far been spared the devastation that has befallen many of its Palisades neighbours. A particular delight is Pasadena's Bungalow Heaven, a stone's throw away from Altadena. Here, there are hundreds of craftsman homes, many over 100 years old. Small by today's Zillow-charged standards, they are nevertheless highly desirable. Pasadena is also home to The Gamble House, designed by architect brothers Greene and Greene for the family of Proctor & Gamble fame. The mansion was a refuge for the Midwestern magnates escaping the unseemly industrialisation back east. In Malibu, there is the Getty Villa; it thankfully has been spared too. Opened in the early 1970s, it was a re-creation of an ancient Roman villa unearthed in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. As a late 20th century boy, my father would often take me there. It's where an Angeleno might first encounter Europe. It remains a shrine of wonder in my mind. Read: Eames House under threat as more than 1,000 buildings destroyed in "apocalyptic" LA fire Living in Europe today, I am sometimes told my hometown doesn't have history. That it is rootless. Where is the heritage? Our Malibu villa might be a reproduction, but it houses one of the finest collections of Europe's most ancient and prized possessions. Safety is what gave birth to Los Angeles. The 20th-century world may have been on fire, but you could find refuge in LA. So, little nirvanas took root among other peoples' oases. You could safeguard your treasures here between the sea and the mountains. They came by the thousands, the millions. Armenians, Burmese, New Englanders, Jews, Iranians, Mexicans, Salvadorians, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Koreans, Filipinos, African-Americans and midwesterners. It didn't take us long before we were all Angelenos. I am sometimes told my hometown doesn't have history We pioneered the bungalow. We invented the drive thru. We crafted the strip mall. We built chateaux alongside temples. We sexed up main street. Yes, we embraced the automobile because we could. Our architecture is etched with this legacy. In London, my now adopted home, the legacy of fire looms large. The Great Fire of 1666 burned down most of the Square Mile, the commercial core. In the aftermath of the destruction, the starchitect of the day, Christopher Wren, dreamed up a grand plan to rebuild. He imagined grand axes and wide boulevards. It was an ordered and orthogonal vision that would have erased the messy layout of medieval London. Fortunately, the plan was never realised. The irregular streets, the tiny lanes, the totally incomprehensible grid (or absence of grid) stayed intact. Today, it remains not a city of grand gestures like Paris. Nor a city of straight avenues like New York. London stayed bent, quirky, tight. Post-fire, the intrinsic DNA remained. New buildings took the place where ones had burned. Instead of being timber framed, they were a bit taller, built of brick and stone. Read: "The scale of the damage is unfathomable" say Los Angeles architects The Great Fire of 1666 wouldn't be London's only major moment of destruction. Nearly 300 years later, it faced the Blitz. German bombardment destroyed so much of the same Square Mile. Again, the oddly shaped plots were left, like little leftovers, polygons of land so misshapen in the eyes of those used to the North American grid. The opposite of broad streets and big lots. People like to think London is ancient, yet 50 per cent of these buildings were built since the second world war. The twin disasters of the 17th-century fire and the 20th-century world war has produced a 21st century city of skyscrapers cohabiting with medieval churches. If a blind man from 14th century London who lived and breathed these streets were dropped into today's milieu, he would still know his way around. Because the fabric remains. The streets are the same. The scale and sense of place lives on. London has stayed London. Many LA neighbourhoods are more compact and characterful than a typical American suburb The global stereotype of LA is that of a sprawling non-city. Yet many LA neighbourhoods are more compact and characterful than a typical American suburb. Many houses in Bungalow Heaven are around 1,000 square foot. The average size of a new home in the US at large is approaching 2,500 square foot. The exurbia of the Sun Belt cities is crass by any comparison. So, we have in Los Angeles a series of precious moments of a city which had discovered the automobile but had not yet been overcome by it. Built in the 1930s, the four-lane Pasadena Freeway is the world's oldest highway. Today, it feels fragile in comparison to the brutal eight-lane tarmacs which dominate so much of the American landscape. In this early and mid-20th century LA, there is a pre-industrial spirit, albeit one borne in a wholly industrial world full of the possibility of mass prosperity. Read: Charles and Ray Eames changed the landscape of design with "just a few chairs and a house" Designers like the Eameses and Schindler saw in LA a landscape of bounty, but they didn't overdo it. This is an LA to eulogize. In Spanish, our city's mother tongue, the longform name of LA is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles". A town built for a queen and her angels. 'Tis the ring of a gentle paradise. The heart aches for it. What of the process of rebuilding? The temptation will be to go full Wren and try something new, or to simply retreat away. To do either would be to betray the character of that Los Angeles, to forget the moment when its architecture has so far shined brightest. The craftsmanship, the polyglot design language, these are the things that make a rich architectural vernacular. Let LA re-imagine these forms for a contemporary generation. And hopefully through this tragedy better appreciate what remains, and do more to protect it. May the world also now see Los Angeles for what it has long been – a precious cultural landscape. Daniel Elsea is an urbanist and design journalist, and a partner at Allies and Morrison architecture studio in London. The photo is by Jessica Christian via Unsplash. 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 "LA boasts the world's most important legacy of 20th-century architecture" appeared first on Dezeen.

Following the popular Rusty House in London, we've collected 10 residential buildings with striking Corten-steel – a type of weathering-steel – facades in this roundup. Among the buildings featured are a micro-home in Lithuania, a US house with pyramidal roofs and a Belgian guesthouse with a watchtower. While their designs would have been remarkable in themselves,

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Following the popular Rusty House in London, we've collected 10 residential buildings with striking Corten-steel – a type of weathering-steel – facades in this roundup. Among the buildings featured are a micro-home in Lithuania, a US house with pyramidal roofs and a Belgian guesthouse with a watchtower. While their designs would have been remarkable in themselves, they've all been further enhanced by the addition of Corten steel facades, which create a rusty surface that catches the eye. Read on for 10 homes where Corten steel adds tactile interest: Photo by French + Tye Rusty House, UK, by Studio on the Rye One of our most-commented residential projects of the year so far, Rusty House was designed as an extension to a London home and entirely clad in Corten steel. This was then sealed so as not to weather further. "The tone of the weathered Corten was carefully selected to fit with the red bricks of the original house," said architect Sarah Borowiecka. Find out more about Rusty House › Photo by Lara Swimmer Little House/Big Shed, US, by David van Galen US architect David van Galen designed these sloped-roof houses on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound, north of Seattle, as a retreat for himself and his wife. The project has a main house and a smaller cabin, which is used as a studio and guesthouse. Both were clad in Corten steel that was left to rust naturally. "Much like the trees themselves, each building surface uniquely responds to time, wind, water and sun," Van Galen told Dezeen. Find out more about Little House/Big Shed › Photo by Ema Peter White Rock Cottage, Canada, by Omar Gandhi This elevated cabin in Canada by local studio Omar Gandhi Architects has a whimsical design, consisting of a steel-clad volume perched on thin pillars. Gandhi designed the home to resemble a duck blind, with the entrance recessed underneath the volume. On its southern facade, steel canopies were cantilevered to shade large windows. Find out more about White Rock Cottage › Photo by Anthony Coleman and Greg Pittam Corten House, UK, by Barefoot Architects Tucked behind an old brick wall in Bristol, England, this weathering-steel-clad home is arranged around an internal courtyard and sits on a triangular site. Local studio Barefoot Architects chose to use Corten steel for the house's facade since the material's orange colour nods to both the brick wall and other buildings in the area. Find out more about Corten House › Photo by Ema Peter Y House, Canada, by Saunders Architecture Y House is notable not just for its Corten steel facade but also for its Y-shape, which gave the Canadian home its name. Floor-to-ceiling windows run along one side of the house, which derives its unusual floorplan from the site on a rural retreat near the Rocky Mountains. Find out more about Y House › Photo by Stijnstijl Fotografie Steel Craft House, the Netherlands, by Zecc Architecten Located in the city of Utrecht, this Dutch self-build project saw Zecc Architecten turn an old garage into a home for a steel artist. Fittingly clad in Corten steel, the house now has an additional two-storey timber structure that sits on top of the original ground-floor space. While it was designed by Zecc Architecten, the 95-square-metre house was built by the clients themselves with the help of craftsmen they knew. Find out more about Steel Craft House › Photo by Tim Van De Velde Alex Guesthouse, Belgium, by Atelier Vens Vanbelle Perhaps the most striking design on this list comes from Belgium, where Atelier Vens Vanbelle created the Alex Guesthouse from different layers of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) clad in Corten. The wooden part of the building was constructed in a studio and then rebuilt on-site. The final structure is accessed via an underground entrance while its watchtower gives guests a view of the Schelde river valley. Find out more about Alex Guesthouse › Photo by Casey Dunn River Bend Residence, US, by Lake Flato Architects Texan studio Lake Flato Architects designed this pyramidal home north of San Antonio to "sit lightly upon the land". It comprises a main dwelling and two detached buildings, all organised around a central garden. Pyramidal roofs give the Corten steel-clad homes a ceiling height of eight metres, with large skylights at the top. Find out more about River Bend Residence › Rust House, Norway, by Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects Rust House was designed for a plot in the Gamlebyen area of Oslo – the old town in the eastern part of the inner city that dates back to medieval times. Local studio Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects designed the house on an infill plot, using concrete, Corten steel and plywood to create a low-maintenance family home. Find out more about Rust House › Vilnius micro home, Lithuania, by IM Interior A former garage in Vilnius was clad in Corten steel to create this micro home by architecture studio IM Interior, which now acts as a studio flat for a single occupant. "I wanted to show how little a person needs," said Indrė Mylytė-Sinkevičienė, founder of IM Interior. "In 21 square metres, it is really possible to work and live. This particular interior is like another way of life". Find out more about Vilnius micro home › The post Ten Corten-steel homes with eye-catching rusty facades appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese studio IGArchitects has completed the Pyramid Hut, an angular, concrete home nestled into a sloping site in Okinawa. Influenced by the home's site, which backs onto a cemetery, IGArchitects designed the pyramidal home as a "closed structure" to distance the residence from its surroundings. As such, the home's concrete exterior is defined by window-less

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Japanese studio IGArchitects has completed the Pyramid Hut, an angular, concrete home nestled into a sloping site in Okinawa. Influenced by the home's site, which backs onto a cemetery, IGArchitects designed the pyramidal home as a "closed structure" to distance the residence from its surroundings. As such, the home's concrete exterior is defined by window-less facades and crowned with a glazed roof – with its shape and materiality also chosen to withstand the city's climate and encourage longevity beyond its current use. IGArchitects has completed a concrete home in Okinawa "This unique shape is derived from the structure of the building, the way it is built, and the environment of the site," studio founder Masato Igarashi told Dezeen. "The square pyramid is a structurally rational shape, and the roofless form is also considered for the workability of the concrete." "The closed structure is also chosen because the surrounding area is so dense that it is difficult to install windows," Igarashi explained. The interior spaces are hosted within a single volume A large wooden door serves as an entrance at the front of the building. Contained within a single 83-square-metre volume, the home is arranged in a "simple composition" across three stepped levels that respond to the sloping site. A roof opening crowns the living spaces Inside, the Pyramid Hut opens up to an open-plan kitchen space, which is complete with a concrete worktop, a wooden island and matching cabinetry. A discreet door off the kitchen provides access to the home's bathroom. Read: IGArchitects slots skinny 2700 house into narrow plot in Japan Beyond the kitchen, a set of wood and concrete steps lead down to the second level, where a centralised living area and study are hosted. In addition to the glazed roof, slim openings at ground level also draw light into the interior. A stripped-back palette of exclusively concrete and wood was used throughout the home. The bedroom is concealed within a wooden structure Stepping down from this space, the home's third level hosts an open area where sliding doors lead out the an adjacent garden. Contained within a wooden structure beside this is a bedroom, which is accessed via sliding doors and similarly has direct access to the home's garden. The home backs onto a cemtery Other homes recently completed in Okinawa include a series of angular guesthouses clad with locally sourced timber planks and a raw concrete house complete with a skylit interior. The photography is by Ooki Jingu. The post IGArchitects adds pyramidal concrete home to sloping site in Okinawa appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio HEMAA has completed the narrow, 13-storey Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 with steel, concrete and glass on a skinny, post-industrial lot in Mexico City. Located between a street and the remnants of the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Railroad, the 9,465 square metres (101,874 square feet) Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 building was designed as a skinny

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Local studio HEMAA has completed the narrow, 13-storey Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 with steel, concrete and glass on a skinny, post-industrial lot in Mexico City. Located between a street and the remnants of the Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Railroad, the 9,465 square metres (101,874 square feet) Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 building was designed as a skinny wedge on an underutilized property in the Polanco neighbourhood. HEMAA has completed the narrow Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 building in Mexico City. Top photo by Rory Gardiner "It required an act of imagination to envision the emergence of a graceful tower that would deftly adapt to the challenging terrain," the HEMAA team said. "Comparable to tenacious plants thriving amidst adversity, this tower would unfold, defying expectations." In addition to the site constraints, the narrow form resulted from a reinterpretation of classical architectural elements, incorporating the golden ratio in multiple places and dividing out into a base, shaft and capital through modulations and windows. It sits on a narrow plot next to a former railroad The use of a black structural steel facade – selected as a nod to the area's industrial history that has risen from a peripheral service neighbourhood to a vibrant area – accommodates Mexico City's seismic regulations while allowing the floors to be free of columns. Glazing wraps almost entirely around the building, bringing in natural light from every angle and connecting the spaces to their surroundings. The materials reference the industrial history of the area "Depending on the viewer's vantage point and the time of observation, its shape gracefully metamorphoses, offering a myriad of unique interpretations," the team said. "Its unequivocal identity creates an ideal backdrop for the tower to assume a vibrant existence once it becomes inhabited." The skyscraper includes a ground-floor commercial space – ideal for a coffee shop on the east corner of the building – two glazed entries that create a see-through enfilade between the north and south facades, and a circulation core complete with a glazed robotized pallet system and elevators on the west side of the building. Two glazed entries create a enfilade for the ground floor Embracing its responsibility toward public space, the design dedicates the southern portion of the site to public space, connects to the adjacent park and encourages interaction with the envisioned ground floor commercial space. This footprint reduction narrows the width of the building even further, rather than maximizing the available land. Below ground, 13 subterranean levels house storage and maintenance spaces while a robotic parking system accommodates 126 parking spaces in two parking cabins. The insides of the structure were left relatively sparse Above, the typical floors are reduced to include only the essential egress and restroom facilities. The remainder of the glazed space is available for future tenant build-outs. On the 13th floor, the exterior wall steps back to form a roof terrace that offers panoramic views of the Mexico City skyline and Chapultepec Park. Read: Seven narrow New York townhouses making the most of urban space The LEED-certified building includes advanced insulation and HVAC systems, high-efficiency lighting, rainwater harvesting and efficient plumbing fixtures, to ensure optimal energy usage, reduce carbon emissions and conserve water. "Indoor environmental quality is a top priority, with ample natural lighting and effective air replacement promoting occupant health and well-being," the team said. "The building's design encourages a connection to nature, with large windows, a rooftop garden, and outdoor gathering areas that enhance the overall user experience." It features a rooftop garden HEMAA recently completed a nuanced steel structure of a lakeside gathering pavilion outside Mexico City, as well as a pair of stone houses in the Jardines del Pedregal neighbourhood and the renovation of a mid-century Augusto H Álvarez house in Mexico City. The photography is César Béjar unless otherwise noted. Project credits: Architecture: HEMAA Design and construction team: Santiago Hernández Matos, Alejandra Tornel Cahue, José Miguel Fainsod Castro, José Pedro López González, Alonso Sánchez Toscano, Adriana Aguirre Becerra, Andrea Motilla Chávez, Daniela Parra Orozco, José Miguel Santivañez Gómez, Juan Octavio Ferreira, Mónica García Cruz, Patricio Salgado Rodríguez Structural engineer: PESA Electric engineer: DEC Plumbing engineer: Garza Maldonado HVAC engineer: CYVSA Special engineer: TecnoBuildings Landscape design: DLC Architects LEED certification comissioning: Alejandro Trillo + Gabriel Morales Architectural model: Taller Cuatro Cuartos Others: Omar Sad / Augusto Álvarez The post HEMAA uses black steel for narrow skyscraper in Mexico City appeared first on Dezeen.

Chunky columns wrap the exterior of Wood Up, an apartment block in Paris by French studio Local Architecture Network with a glued-laminated and cross-laminated timber structure. Created for developers Semapa and REI Habitat, the 14-storey building in the city's 13th arrondissement provides 132 timber-framed apartments raised on a concrete base containing commercial units. Paris-based Local

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Chunky columns wrap the exterior of Wood Up, an apartment block in Paris by French studio Local Architecture Network with a glued-laminated and cross-laminated timber structure. Created for developers Semapa and REI Habitat, the 14-storey building in the city's 13th arrondissement provides 132 timber-framed apartments raised on a concrete base containing commercial units. Paris-based Local Architecture Network (LAN) created the fifty-metre-tall block with timber sourced entirely from France and transported via the river Seine. It is left exposed both externally and internally. Local Architecture Network has completed Wood Up in Paris "Wood Up is one of the first buildings in France to surpass the typical height limits for timber constructions," said the studio. "Generally protected and hidden, the wooden structure is instead deliberately exposed. It is entirely encapsulated in glass to make it visible. Usually matte, the wood becomes reflective thanks to its protective layer." The glued-laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure is formed of Douglas fir on the exterior and beech and spruce on the interior, chosen based on the inherent properties of each. Douglas fir was used for the exterior columns. Photo by Daisy Reillet Raised on the concrete base, the wooden columns and the concrete floor plates of Wood Up form a grid that defines the exterior. It also forms a second skin that provides balconies, shade and privacy to the almost entirely glazed facades behind. On the block's eighth floor, a large cut-out contains a 300-square-metre communal terrace, with furniture made from recycled wood offcuts leftover from the building's construction. Read: Stone-clad blocks fill mixed-use Bordeaux district by LAN Smaller apartments and double-height duplex units at the corners of the block are organised vertically to give the potential for future reconfiguration. The internal glulam structure is left exposed to the frame full-height windows. "The 132-unit project is founded on a straightforward concept: for each large apartment on one floor, two smaller units are situated directly above on the next floor," explained LAN. The eighth floor features a communal terrace. Photo by Daisy Reillet "As a symbol of the link between the old ceiling of Paris and this new urbanism, the volume of the project opens to the city through the creation of a common floor," LAN added. "Positioned as a hybrid between a covered courtyard, a loggia, and a viewing area overlooking Paris and Ivry, this versatile space accommodates both spontaneous, informal daily activities and organised events for up to 300 participants," it added. A mixture of beech and spruce was used for the interiors Other examples of mass-timber structures in Paris include an academic building by Studio Gang, also in the 13th arrondissement, which was constructed using a hybrid structure of steel and timber. The race to construct ever-taller timber structures in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of construction was recently explored in Dezeen's Timber Revolution Series. The photography is by Charly Broyez unless stated otherwise. The post LAN "deliberately exposes" mass-timber structure of Paris apartment block appeared first on Dezeen.

The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series is Oslo Opera House, a Snøhetta-designed project that pioneered the concept of architecture as landscape. The home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet has become one of Oslo's most iconic buildings, primarily because of the sloping public plaza that forms its roof.

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The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series is Oslo Opera House, a Snøhetta-designed project that pioneered the concept of architecture as landscape. The home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet has become one of Oslo's most iconic buildings, primarily because of the sloping public plaza that forms its roof. The project kickstarted a wave of buildings with publicly accessible roofscapes and became the calling card for Snøhetta, an emerging architecture studio with big ambitions. A sloping public plaza forms the roof of Oslo Opera House. Photo by Helge Skodvin Snøhetta won the competition to design the Oslo Opera House in 2000, just as construction was completed on its first major commission, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina library in Egypt. The studio takes its name from the tallest peak in Norway's Dovrefjell mountains. Its ambition from the start was to make landscape design more integral to the architectural process. Founding partners Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and Craig Dykers saw an opportunity to push this concept even further with the opera house than they had with the library. Norwegian granite and Carrara marble clad the exterior. Photo by Helge Skodvin While the library was designed to merge with the landscape, the opera house was conceived as a landscape itself. "We were seeing at the time that construction projects didn't have budgets for their outdoor areas," said Thorsen in an interview with Dezeen in 2019. "We said this can't be the case, because we're neglecting our public space," he told Dezeen. "This is how we ended up at the Oslo Opera House, where there is no differentiation between public space, building and site." An oak "wave wall" encloses the auditorium. Photo by Erik Berg The building achieves this with a wedge-shaped form, built on the edge of the Oslofjord in the city's former docklands. Today this part of the city is home to many impressive buildings – examples include the Barcode Project office blocks, the Deichman Bjørvika library and the new Munch museum – but it was largely derelict at the time. Read: Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002 The building slopes down at its western end, allowing the groundscape to extend from the water's edge to the top of the roof. Snøhetta described it as "a carpet of horizontal and sloping surfaces". These surfaces are clad with Norwegian granite and Carrara marble, enhancing the sense of a snow-covered hill. Ammonia-darkened oak covers surfaces inside the auditorium. Photo by Hélène Binet The opera house's interior is just as impressive as its exterior. In contrast with the cool-toned exterior cladding, oak was the material of choice for the auditorium. This horseshoe-shaped concert hall resembles a giant drum, rising through the middle of the generous atrium. A powerful and beautiful statement, radiant with music and songJonathan Glancey in The Guardian Baltic oak clads the "wave wall" that wraps this drum and the walls, floors, ceilings and balcony fronts inside the auditorium. Some of this wood was treated with ammonia, which gives it a darker tone. The hall also includes a contemporary chandelier with 5,800 hand-cast glass crystals and 800 LED lights, providing a lighting spectacle overhead. The roof is a popular sledging site in winter. Photo by Birdseyepix Oslo Opera House was completed in 2007, which is when the city's residents were first invited to climb the roof. It officially opened in April 2008 with a ceremony attended by King Harald. It was an instant hit with critics, who applauded the way it gave back to the city without compromising the building's primary function as a world-class concert hall. "The Oslo opera house is a powerful and beautiful statement, radiant with music and song, one that announces Norway's arrival as a cultural centre," said Jonathan Glancey in The Guardian. In summer, it often hosts outdoor performances. Photo by Helge Skodvin The opera house was awarded the biennial European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, the Mies van der Rohe Award, in 2009. It also won the European Prize for Urban Public Space in 2010. Francis Rambert, chair of the Mies van der Rohe Award jury, described it as "more than just a building". "It is first an urban space, a gift to the city," she said. "The building can be considered a catalyst of all the energies of the city and is emblematic of the regeneration of its urban tissue." The waterfront is now popular with swimmers and sunbathers. Photo by Helge Skodvin The true indicator of the building's success is its popularity. In the summer, the roof is usually flooded with skateboarders, swimmers and sunbathers, and often hosts outdoor performances. It's also well-used in the icy winter months when it becomes a destination for sledging. In this way, Snøhetta achieved its aim of creating a truly democratic building, enjoyed by more than just those who enter inside to watch the opera. Did we get it right? Was Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta the most significant building completed in 2007? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford. 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post Snøhetta's Oslo Opera House was the most significant building of 2007 appeared first on Dezeen.

Salford City Council has approved the demolition of the University of Salford's Centenary Building, which won the inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize in 1996, despite Twentieth Century Society objection. Completed by British studio Hodder+Partners in 1995, the university building will be razed as part of a major redevelopment project named Adelphi Village. Salford City Council's go-ahead

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Salford City Council has approved the demolition of the University of Salford's Centenary Building, which won the inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize in 1996, despite Twentieth Century Society objection. Completed by British studio Hodder+Partners in 1995, the university building will be razed as part of a major redevelopment project named Adelphi Village. Salford City Council's go-ahead comes despite efforts by campaigners and conservation group Twentieth Century Society to get the building listed, after the threat of demolition was announced in November last year. Historic England denied heritage listing in December 2024. The Centenary Building is set to be demolished. Photo by Morley von Sternberg courtesy of the Twentieth Century Society "The Twentieth Century Society is disappointed and thinks this is the wrong decision," Twentieth Century Society director Catherine Croft told Dezeen. "As well as failing to recognise heritage value, the decision not to list has effectively stymied prospects of environmentally sustainable reuse of a substantial and soundly constructed building." The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded the Centenary Building the first-ever Stirling Prize in 1996, with judges praising it as a "dynamic, modern and sophisticated exercise in steel, glass and concrete". Originally designed for the University of Salford's School of Electrical Engineering department, the building was used by the Faculty of Art and Design Technology upon its completion. It has stood vacant for over eight years. Read: Cylindrical Bertrand Goldberg building at risk of demolition in Illinois Historic England rejected the request for the Centenary Building to be added to the National Heritage List for England in December last year. It claimed in its report that the building did not have the special interest required for listing status and that user complaints of noisy vents and poor temperature control contributed to the decision. "Although certainly possessing some claims to interest, when considered against the high standard required for buildings of its age, the Centenary Building lacks the special interest in a national context required to merit listing," Historic England said in the report. The building won the inaugural Stirling Prize "Criticism of the building's functionality, even for its rather narrow original purpose, mitigates against it being considered of sufficiently good quality to merit listing for a building only just over 30 years old," it added. "Although undoubtedly of some design interest, the Centenary Building was not technically innovative and has not been shown to be influential elsewhere, as was hoped when it was awarded the Stirling Prize." Croft argued the building has significant interest because of its Stirling Prize win. "As the first-ever recipient of the Stirling Prize, the Centenary Building certainly has historic interest," she said. "We are concerned that the report relies in part on 30-year-old hearsay, including comments about how well the services originally functioned," she continued. "This is frustrating, as is the somewhat cursory nature of the report." The proposed date for demolition to commence is 1 March 2025. Last year, the Twentieth Century Society selected 10 UK buildings turning 30 that it believes should be granted listed status, including Grimshaw Architects' Waterloo International Terminal in London. The group also recently launched a campaign to preserve a set of cooling towers following the closure of the UK's last coal-fired power station. The photography is by Hodder and Partners courtesy of the Twentieth Century Society unless otherwise stated. The post Winner of first-ever Stirling Prize to be demolished appeared first on Dezeen.

London practice Stolon Studio has completed The Parks, a housing complex that has been transformed from a group of neglected farm buildings in Herefordshire. Originally forming part of a dairy farm, the group of existing buildings dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and comprises timber-framed structures of different sizes topped with pitched roofs.

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London practice Stolon Studio has completed The Parks, a housing complex that has been transformed from a group of neglected farm buildings in Herefordshire. Originally forming part of a dairy farm, the group of existing buildings dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and comprises timber-framed structures of different sizes topped with pitched roofs. Stolon Studio has transformed a group of neglected farm buildings into housing Having fallen into disrepair after being left unused, the old structures were transformed by Stolon Studio into eight individual homes that share communal outdoor spaces including gardens as well as a pond and meadow. Due to the site's dilapidated state, portions of the buildings had to be demolished, including collapsed walls and faulty new additions that had been added to the structures by previous owners. The structures were originally built in the 15th and 16th centuries "The buildings were in a very dilapidated condition prior to development," studio co-founder Robert Barker told Dezeen. "Some of this was only discovered after intrusive investigation works. There were parts which frankly we were amazed were still standing," he continued. The studio reused materials from the demolitions to help form the new homes, including old bricks and timber elements. Stolon Studio created eight homes around a shared outdoor space "Almost all of the reclaimed materials were sourced directly from site, the local builder and craftsmen did an amazing job salvaging and reusing the old bricks and timbers with less than a handful of new oaks required," Barker explained. "There was a wonderful array of old bricks from different Herefordian brickworks, evident by their markings." With red brick facades, the homes are arranged around the former farmyard, which has been transformed into a courtyard that the studio hopes will act as the central community space for the residents. Bricks and timber from the dilapidated buildings were reused "We sought to make Parks a sociable rural development that would engender a sense of community and belonging for residents and provide agency over the land," said Barker. "Great thought was given to the design and layout to create the quiet opportunity for social interaction between residents, balanced by the provision of privacy and defensible space." Read: Tuckey Design Studio restores original character of Old Chapel in Devon Forming a C-shape around the edges of the courtyard, each of the eight new homes on the site is connected to a private garden and includes a share in a communally owned, on-site meadow as well as access to shared equipment. "The field at the back has become an opportunity for residents to take ownership of a two-acre shared land asset," said Barker. "We have recently secured planning for two new timber buildings, which will sit on the edge of this field providing a terrace of outhouses for residents to use as sheds, workshops or summer houses directly onto the field." "Some of the residents are planning to create a kitchen garden area alongside this and we hope to add a small orchard and mosaic habitat beyond," he continued. Red metal roofs top the buildings The homes, which have been named after their original agricultural uses, range from three- to five-bed units with differing layouts designed to accommodate a range of age groups. To match the red-brick exterior walls, each home is topped with a red metal roof and features red timber detailing. Neutral colour schemes were used for the homes' interiors "Materials are sympathetic to the traditions of the Herefordshire countryside with a combination of red brick, tile and terracotta reflecting the reddish pink gravel of the river valley and the rich red clay soil of the local area, renowned for its food produce," said Barker. Inside, the homes feature a neutral colour scheme and have been created to pair modern design with the site's original agricultural features. Historic features have been celebrated by the studio, including old fireplaces and original brick and stone walls, which were left exposed where insulation wasn't required. Some of the farm buildings' original features were left exposed Repairs to the original structures were also made where necessary, with beams and walls straightened and new steel plates and ties added to brace the old elm and oak beams. Each house has a unique design, with one home fronted by a bright kitchen with red cabinets that mimic the exterior and another having a kitchen with a more muted, green colour palette and exposed old timber framing. The complex is located on a former dairy farm in Herefordshire Another unit, which makes use of a loft in one of the old barn buildings, is characterised by its exposed timber framing and skylights. Other renovated barn buildings featured on Dezeen include a series of derelict agricultural buildings that have been converted into accessible holiday homes and a rural stone barn in Scotland that has been transformed into a restaurant with exposed timber beams. The photography is by French+Tye. The post Stolon Studio converts 15th-century farm building into brick and timber housing complex appeared first on Dezeen.

The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series profiles Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas Airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela, the peak of a golden age of airport design. Awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2006, the vast terminal – one of the largest in Europe – represented a high-point in airport

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The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series profiles Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barajas Airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela, the peak of a golden age of airport design. Awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2006, the vast terminal – one of the largest in Europe – represented a high-point in airport design, during which the typology became synonymous with the predominantly British style of high-tech architecture. With its undulating, bamboo-lined roofs, generous skylights and brightly coloured columns, Madrid-Barajas Terminal 4 achieved the rare feat of humanising the airport terminal, a space more often associated with anonymity, homogeneity and general unpleasantness. As Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright put it, Madrid-Barajas was "a place you might actually want to stay for a while, rather than escape as soon as possible". Madrid-Barajas airport opened in 2006 High-tech's reinvention of the airport terminal began in 1991, with the revolutionary London Stansted terminal by the aeroplane-obsessed Norman Foster, a close friend and former collaborator of Rogers. Stansted set a precedent for a rush of high-tech airport projects by both Foster himself and his high-tech compatriots, including Renzo Piano – notable in particular for the Kansai International Airport in 1994 – Nicholas Grimshaw, and Rogers. The terminal was the peak of a golden age of airport design. Photo by Richard Bryant / arcaidimages.com What the high-tech style had proven is that it was possible to blend the romantic era of the airport terminal with the decidedly unglamorous realities of a new era of climate-be-damned budget flights. The "big shed" terminal, as it was often termed, was here to stay. Jonathan Glancey summed this up in 2006, writing that "it might be said that between them, Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and Norman Foster, in collaboration with their fine engineers, have all but reinvented the international airport terminal". But of all the examples from these two decades, it is Rogers' work at Madrid-Barajas that feels the most civic-minded and human-centred. Madrid-Barajas airport has a distinctive roof. Photo by Amparo Garrido If, as Edwin Heathcote wrote in The Architectural Review, the big sheds of high-tech leaned more towards the "agricultural", Rogers and Lamela seemed to appreciate that the thousands of new passengers they were about to welcome to Madrid need not feel like cattle. "It's all about colour and light and space and transparency and it's all about making people look as though they are important in that space," Rogers told the BBC after his Stirling Prize win. "They're not squashed by low ceilings or dominated by retail and shops," he said. The gull-wing-shaped roof is supported on a steel structure. Photo by RSHP It was amid the airport terminal's reinvention that the competition for a new terminal at Madrid-Barajas was launched in 1997, intended as a means of putting the airport on a level pegging with other major international hubs in Europe. RSHP – then known as Richard Rogers Partnership – was awarded the project alongside Spanish practice Estudio Lamela and engineering firms TPS and Initec. The team's vision was typically high-tech; the terminal's spaces were to be loose-fit and flexible to enable future alterations, and designed with what Rogers called a "direct simplicity", both to maximise natural light and facilitate speedy construction. A place you might actually want to stay for a while, rather than escape as soon as possible Oliver Wainwright – Guardian Rogers knew all too well the importance of speed. At the time of winning the competition, the firm was still working on Heathrow Terminal 5 – awarded to the firm in 1989 – which would take 19 years to complete after the longest public inquiry in British history. But what had been bad news for Heathrow provided valuable lessons that could be applied to Madrid-Barajas, which despite its massive size was completed in just eight years. The steel is brightly coloured. Photo by Amparo Garrido The design of T4 has three core elements, the first being the main terminal for national and Schengen flights, which occupies a 500,000-square-metre volume abutted by a 310,000-square-metre car park. Across the runways, some two kilometres away, a tunnel connects to the terminal's satellite building, catering for international arrivals in an almost 300,000-square-metre volume. Even by airport standards, this was a vast undertaking, requiring the nearby River Jarama to be re-routed. Indeed, one of the Stirling Prize jury's comments was simply to acknowledge "the sheer scale and complexity of what has been tackled and achieved". Read: Ryue Nishizawa's Moriyama House was the most significant building of 2005 That the main buildings appear relatively low-lying in the landscape is thanks to a vast basement beneath, containing three levels in addition to three glazed storeys above ground, which in both volumes are topped by large wavy roofs. "We felt we needed to cover the building with a very light structure that could provide the impression of grace and elegance," Estudio Lamela founder Carlos Lamela told the Guardian. Colours were used to define different areas. Photo by Duccio Malagamba In section, this roof is a gull-wing shape, extruded via a series of repeating sections framed by curved beams overhead and forking steel columns with concrete bases below. The peaks of gull-wing shape divide the spaces below into three linear sections, separated by rows of circular skylights – described by Rogers as "canyons" – which pull natural light down through the building. I usually get off flights relieved to stretch my legs. Only Madrid adds a spring to my step Michael Skapinker – Financial Times Around the perimeter of the building, the roof extends outwards, where a wave-edged canopy shelters the external routes and drop-off spaces. Perhaps the most important gesture in the building is the distinctly un-high-tech choice of bamboo planks to line the ceilings, which combined with the ample natural light bring a feeling of warmth and openness to the interiors. Bamboo was used to add calm to the spaces. Photo by Roland Halbe The steel structure of both buildings is finished in a variety of bright colours, a Rogers signature that here serves as a way-finding tool both to specific terminals and the cardinal points – with blue for north, red for south and yellow for the central section. While the bright colours may have the opposite effect to the soothing wooden ceilings for some, they form a crucial part in the triumvirate of light, colour and space that define the scheme. Any time spent in the majority of airports today will demonstrate that Roger and Lamela's vision for a place that prioritised the experience of people remains a rarity, and that Madrid-Barajas remains one of only a handful of examples to be looked up to. As Michael Skapinker wrote in the Financial Times, "I usually get off flights relieved to stretch my legs. Only Madrid adds a spring to my step." Did we get it right? Was Madrid-Barajas Terminal 4 the most significant building completed in 2006? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and photography is by Manuel Renau unless stated. 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post RSHP and Estudio Lamela's Madrid-Barajas airport was the most significant building of 2006 appeared first on Dezeen.

Architects Eugenio Simonetti and Bastian San Martin have completed KW House in Chile, a "study in duality" that contrasts glass-walled living spaces with intimate wood-lined bedrooms. Located in an area of protected forest near Villarrica volcano in the Araucanía region, the 309-square-metre home is designed to both immerse its visitors in the forest during the

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Architects Eugenio Simonetti and Bastian San Martin have completed KW House in Chile, a "study in duality" that contrasts glass-walled living spaces with intimate wood-lined bedrooms. Located in an area of protected forest near Villarrica volcano in the Araucanía region, the 309-square-metre home is designed to both immerse its visitors in the forest during the summer and provide a comforting retreat during winter. To achieve this, Chilean architects Simonetti and San Marin created a dramatic contrast between the two levels of KW House, combining a fully-glazed ground floor dubbed the "aquarium" with a more private wood-lined first floor. Eugenio Simonetti and Bastian San Martin have completed KW House "KW House is a study in duality, combining a bold engagement with the natural environment on the first floor with a carefully crafted sense of seclusion on the second," Simonetti told Dezeen. "This duality not only reflects the seasonal adaptability of the house but also serves the diverse needs of its inhabitants, whether connecting with nature or seeking privacy," he added. In summer, full-height glass doors on either side of the ground floor can be opened up to the surrounding forest, where a small wooden veranda and walkways lead to viewpoints including seating areas and a fire pit. The home has a glazed ground floor overlooking a Chilean forest In winter, KW House can be "hermetically sealed", with a perimeter corridor connecting two living spaces at either end. One of these is slightly sunken with a wood-burning stove while the other is organised around a fireplace. Three structural staircases, two of which are framed by large X-shaped steel supports, separate the home's living spaces from a central kitchen and dining area. These staircases also divide KW House's first floor, which can either be separated into a series of "apartments" each with its own landing, or combined into a large, flexible family space. Staircases divide the ground-level living spaces "If the inhabitants of the bedrooms are part of the family, the second floor works with all the doors open, in which you circulate as if you were walking through a series of train cars," explains Simonetti. "If they are guests from outside the family unit, the lobbies are blocked, forcing guests to only travel along the stairs, which provides greater privacy," he added. Read: Hebra Arquitectos tucks Lone Oak House within wooded site in Chile Elevated above the glazed and exposed ground floor, KW House's cabin-like bedrooms are intended to provide a sense of solitude. Large skylights and small windows illuminate these areas while not detracting from the feeling of seclusion, with the pitched roof and walls panelled entirely in wood. Wood panelling is used throughout the upper floor "Few windows, abundant Lenga wood panelling, and skylights create warm, introspective spaces, while west-facing skylights provide controlled views of the El Cerduo mountain range," Simonetti explained. "The thoughtful material choices and functional adaptability ensure that the design responds to both its environmental context and the lifestyle of its occupants, resulting in a harmonious and enduring architectural statement." Small openings and skylights draw light into the bedrooms Other homes in Chile recently featured on Dezeen include a coastal residence by Swiss studio Emergentes Architectures Sàrl that also balances seclusion and openness and a dwelling elevated above a wooded site on steel pilotis by Hebra Arquitectos. The photography is by Pablo Casals Aguirre. The post Glass walls immerse inhabitants of Chilean home in surrounding forest appeared first on Dezeen.

Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, we take a look at the most significant building of 2005, Moriyama House in Japan by architect Ryue Nishizawa. For those unfamiliar, Moriyama House can be quite quickly summarised by artist Henk Visch's experience of it in 2007, when he visited to create sculptures

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Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, we take a look at the most significant building of 2005, Moriyama House in Japan by architect Ryue Nishizawa. For those unfamiliar, Moriyama House can be quite quickly summarised by artist Henk Visch's experience of it in 2007, when he visited to create sculptures for its owner, Yasuo Moriyama. "When visiting Mr Moriyama's house to find a spot for my sculptures, I could hardly describe where I was," Visch recalled. "This was no normal house. Where was the front door?" he asked. Ryue Nishizawa's Moriyama House was the most significant building of 2005 Nestled on a compact plot in the dense neighbourhood of Kamata in Tokyo, Moriyama House is a network of minimalist, non-hierarchical blocks stitched together with tiny gardens. Its design by Japanese architect Ryue Nishizawa – the co-founder of Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner SANAA – rewrote all the typical rules of privacy, thresholds and density when it comes to housing. Though describing the project as a house, or even a building, feels like a disservice to its design. Labelling it as a miniature city or a microcosm of Tokyo is somewhat more accurate. Moriyama House is made up of ten white blocks Moriyama House is made up of 10 white blocks, ranging in height from one to three storeys and occupying just half of its 290-square-metre plot. The blocks each serve a unique function, requiring residents to step outside as they move between the spaces, just as though they are navigating a mini village. Between them are paths and gardens that link directly to the surrounding streets, free of fencing and leaving the boundary between private and public space ambiguous. Nishizawa's tactic is reminiscent of the layering of ancient Japanese buildings Rob Gregory in The Architectural Review This feeling of openness to the public helps to establish an unusual sense of community at the site, which is enhanced by the placement of large square windows allowing views into the white boxes from all around – an unusual feature in a Japanese house, where privacy is usually prioritised. "Japanese people often like a fence to enclose the property," Nishizawa once said when discussing the design. "But this project, there's no fence to define the property. Anybody in this area can get in and out." Minimalist white finishes unify the individual buildings The fragmented layout mimics the surrounding urban fabric, in which individual homes fill their plot but do not touch the neighbouring structures, leaving small walkways between them. It also reflects Nishizawa's view that "life can't be contained within a single lot". "People's sense of living expands beyond it, effectively erasing all borders," he once said. Read: Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern was the most significant building of 2000 After visiting the house in 2007, former senior editor at The Architectural Review Rob Gregory said Nishizawa's design is "reminiscent of the layering of ancient Japanese buildings". "This striking group of six dwellings is a demonstration of how traditional notions of privacy and community can be adjusted," Gregory wrote. "The Moriyama House has echoes of primitive forms of dwelling, where functions were distributed as isolated units that collectively create a defensible settlement. It also addresses Nishizawa's key concern regarding how to open up the house as a component of the city," he continued. "Critical of the fact that many Japanese houses have become too hermetic and opaque, with homes that increasingly turn away from the street to focus on internal courts, Nishizawa's tactic is reminiscent of the layering of ancient Japanese buildings." The blocks each serve a unique function Currently, the owner occupies one of the volumes, which contains two bedrooms, a study and a living area. The rest of them are used as rental apartments. Despite their different functions, the blocks are unified by their bright and geometric designs, formed of thin steel sheet panels that lend a bold minimalist look to the site. In tandem with access to greenery and wide open windows that maximise natural light, this deliberate simplicity helps create a sense of expansiveness – offering a lesson in how high-quality living space can be provided in high-density areas such as Tokyo. Dutch architect Martin van der Linden of YouTube channel One Minute Architecture hailed it as "a possibility for an alternative density of habitats". "It shows a possibility for an alternative density of habitats in the city as a collection of cell-like architectures or an architecture as the city," he said. Nor does it appear, in the Japanese architectural imagination, that there are any limits to what a dwelling can be Oliver Wainwright Japan is a breeding ground for experimental housing like Moriyama House, largely a symptom of the short lifespan of dwellings there, which averages out at 30 years in Tokyo. This can be pinned to the evolution of housing in Japan in the wake of world war two, and the country's rapid population growth in the 1960s and 1970s that led architects to develop innovative, sometimes wacky, solutions for living in hyperdense metropolises. Today, Moriyama House is arguably the most famous Japanese home in the world and one of the most notable examples of 21st-century Japanese architecture, epitomising the country's experimental and innovative approach to construction. The design rewrites the typical rules of privacy when it comes to housing Though much-loved by architects around the world, it was catapulted further into the spotlight in 2017 when it became a focal point of a landmark exhibition at London's Barbican Centre. The Japanese House Architecture and Life after 1945 centred around a 1:1 mock-up of the home in the gallery's central space. It was co-produced by the Japan Foundation to showcase the changes in Japanese domestic architecture since the end of the second world war. Read: Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002 Its curator Florence Ostend selected the house for the main exhibit with the belief that it is "one of the most important houses of the 21st century". In his review of the exhibition, critic Oliver Wainwright shared a similar sentiment, referring to it as "the most startling domestic vision of all". "Visitors will not need to fly to Tokyo to experience the most startling domestic vision of all, thanks to a 1:1 recreation of Ryue Nishizawa's seminal 2005 Moriyama House," he wrote. "As Nishizawa puts it: 'life can't be contained within a single lot. People's sense of living expands beyond it, effectively erasing all borders.' Nor does it appear, in the Japanese architectural imagination, that there are any limits to what a dwelling can be." Did we get it right? Was Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa the most significant building completed in 2005? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and the photography is by Edmund Sumner. 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post Ryue Nishizawa's Moriyama House was the most significant building of 2005 appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture firms Field Operations and Studio Cadena have completed a plaza hemmed by angular concrete enclosures at the Domino Sugar development in Brooklyn, New York. With a central rink area covered by a shade structure, Domino Square sits between Selldorf Architects' porcelain-clad skyscrapers and PAU's office in the shell of the historic Domino Sugar Factory.

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Architecture firms Field Operations and Studio Cadena have completed a plaza hemmed by angular concrete enclosures at the Domino Sugar development in Brooklyn, New York. With a central rink area covered by a shade structure, Domino Square sits between Selldorf Architects' porcelain-clad skyscrapers and PAU's office in the shell of the historic Domino Sugar Factory. Field Operations and Studio Cadena have completed a plaza at the Domino Sugar development. Photo by Daniel Levin The team oriented the park to maximize views of the Manhattan skyline with the Statue of Liberty visible from the top of the tiered seating that lines the east side. The design of the park utilises the change in grade from the waterfront to Kent Street, allowing for a series of concrete enclosures designed by Studio Cardena to be at ground level facing the street. The tops of these blocks were landscaped and stepped down to the park. It is one of the final steps of the development, which was masterplanned by SHoP Architects and Field Operations. Photo by Daniel Levin Between the artificial berm created by the landscaped enclosures is an entryway lined with weathering-steel retaining walls, which provides access to the park and the greater development. According to Field Operations partner Lisa Switkin, this acts as a gateway to the plaza. "Its design is carefully orientated to respond to movement flows and sightlines, creating a sense of openness with multiple entry points, as well as moments of compression and expansion," she told Dezeen. Studio Cadena designed an enclosure that lines one side of the park The plaza is one of the last elements of the Domino Sugar development, driven by New York developer Two Trees Management, and masterplanned by SHoP Architects and Field Operations. Skyscrapers by SHoP Arhchitects and by CookFox have also been completed at the site in the last decade. Studio Cadena was responsible for the structures that line the street. Fronted by glass, the structures have fanned forms that rise from the concrete. The enclosure mitigates the slope from the waterfront According to studio founder Benjamin Cadena, the structures responded to the site's gradient while orienting the landscaping above. While the enclosures were designed to provide space for four different retail operations, the spaces have been combined, and soon a restaurant will fill the structure on each side of the entryway. Though part of the overall development, Cadena said that he wanted to differentiate the park and create a sense of "enclosure" while relating the materials to the infrastructure. The walls of the enclosure were designed to extend from the concrete from below, yet the aggregate was slightly changed to make it distinct. Concrete aggregate was chosen for the enclosures that merges it with the street while keeping the park distinct "We wanted to create a sense of enclosure in the bowl-like shape of the square and on the street side to create a very distinct figure, so it could be recognizable and also would be flexible to start to accommodate different things," Cadena told Dezeen. "Essentially, it's like a loggia that can be occupied in different ways." Elevated seating steps down from the lip of the enclosure Because of the dense urban environment and the size of infrastructure adjacent and below, the project had to integrate a variety of technical elements, including a series of ventilation and intake ducts for a water treatment facility below. Studio Cadena worked with Field Operations to conceive of bronze-coloured pipes that poke out through the landscape. Read: Six-acre park opens at Williamsburg's Domino Sugar Factory site "The idea was to express these, rather to hide them, because it is kind of part of the ethos of the site," said Cadena, noting the industrial history of the site. "I wanted these aspects to be integrated and expressed in the context of a city, because I think it's a project that really integrates things that operate at multiple levels." A shading structure covers the rink seating in the middle A final skyscraper is still underway as part of the development. Field Operations (formerly called James Corner Field Operations) has executed some of the most high-profile landscape projects in the city in the last decade, including the iconic High Line project. Studio Cadena operates out of New York and Bogotá and earned attention in 2018 for a sculptural pavilion in Flat Iron Plaza. The photography is by Michael Vahrenwald unless otherwise stated. The post Angular concrete buildings surround Domino Square plaza appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura has created a concrete woodland house with a ramping green roof near the coast outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in a coniferous forest in Costa Esmeralda, the 282-square metre (3,035-square foot) Forest House is set into a dune, using the uneven topography to create a shelter with voids and framed

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Local studio Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura has created a concrete woodland house with a ramping green roof near the coast outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. Located in a coniferous forest in Costa Esmeralda, the 282-square metre (3,035-square foot) Forest House is set into a dune, using the uneven topography to create a shelter with voids and framed views that create a connection between the interior and exterior spaces. Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura has completed a woodland house near Buenos Aires The 2023 design works to harmonize architecture and landscape by placing large voids filled with glass in the front and the back of the house, looking out, that allow residents to feel like they are surrounded by the trees. At certain points in the perimeter, in circulation areas, the house is almost completely buried, and the space between the hills created by the structure are crossed by glass enclosures, furthing the experience of immersion. The house is set into a dune and covered by a green roof The single-storey sleeping and service spaces are located in three linear pavilions partially buried in the dune and lined with extruding walls of board-formed concrete. The ground slopes up to form a green roof, which also bridges the pavilions over a large central space that holds the kitchen, dining, and living rooms. The green roof slopes upwards to cover the building Light filters in through floor-to-ceiling glass walls and from the side of the house where the living room transitions to a small side gallery. Over 50 square metres (560 square feet) of covered porch space is distributed across the plan with a large outdoor living area that heads out to the rectangular pool and a small awning off each bedroom that is created by the angled terminus of the stone walls. A central living area sits next to an outdoor pool "The architectural path in the Forest House is the main axis of the whole design, for which every sequence and space has been thought through," said said Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura founder Gonzalo Bardach. "It is a clear example of how to take into account not only morphology and program needs, but also the impact on the environment." Selected for minimal life cycle maintenance and ability to integrate with the environment, the interior material palette includes liquid stone, wood, iron and glass. Liquid stone, iron, glass and wood were used on the interior "The liquid stone emerges as the distinctive and expressive element of the project, adapting to the terrain topography and enabling an effortless relationship between the architecture and the surrounding landscape," the studio said. "The work is materially integrated into the environment, and this connection generates a sense of rootedness and refuge in the middle of the forest." Read: BHY Arquitectos adds gabled greenhouse to 1980s Buenos Aires home The materials allow the building to become a "living canvas" for sunlight filtering through the tree canopy, creating shadow patterns. "In this refuge in the middle of the forest, sunlight becomes a dynamic element that constantly transforms the perception of the space, inviting us to experience a deeper connection with nature and with ourselves," the team said. Native Buenos Aires plant species cover the roof Stemming from botanical research of native Buenos Aires species, the garden roof promotes cross-species support and a more organic, less-controlled approach to maintenance. The biodiversity and adaptability allow the garden to develop its own rhythm. Other projects recently designed in the forests of South America include a prefabricated house with a green roof in Brazil by MAPA and Minimod and a stilted glass house in Chile by Aguilo + Pedraza. The photography is by César Béjar. Project credits: Architecture studio: Gonzalo Bardach Arquitectura Architect: Gonzalo Bardach Design team: Gonzalo Bardach, Martín Macca, Manuel Enriquez. Landscape design: Gonzalo Bardach Interior design: Gonzalo Bardach Structural design: VH, Julián Venturini The post Gonzalo Bardach tops Argentinian forest retreat with garden roof appeared first on Dezeen.

Irish studio O'Donnell + Tuomey has completed a brick-clad dance theatre in London that houses a 550-seat auditorium and six studios. Located in Stratford, London, Sadler's Wells East is the latest addition to the East Bank development at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which hosted the London 2012 Olympics. O'Donnell + Tuomey designed the building, which

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Irish studio O'Donnell + Tuomey has completed a brick-clad dance theatre in London that houses a 550-seat auditorium and six studios. Located in Stratford, London, Sadler's Wells East is the latest addition to the East Bank development at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which hosted the London 2012 Olympics. Above: O'Donnell + Tuomey has completed Sadler's Wells East in Stratford, London. Photo by Peter Cook. Top image: The building is Sadler's Wells' fourth venue. Photo by Peter Molloy O'Donnell + Tuomey designed the building, which is Sadler's Wells' fourth venue, to celebrate dance as an art form, while paying homage to Stratford's industrial past. It will open to the public on 6 February. "Our aim was for the building to feel archaic – as if it were not only designed to last a long time but also to seem as though it has always been part of the fabric of the town," said O'Donnell + Tuomey co-founder John Tuomey. The theatre's design features a sawtooth roof The building's exterior is wrapped in handmade Venetian brick and tiles that were crafted from the same clay to create a unified facade. This solidity is counterbalanced by chamfers and corbelled brick details to add texture. "Parts of the building are very blank because there are no windows where the auditorium is, so we worked with bricks to add a level of interest," O'Donnell + Tuomey co-founder director Sheila O'Donnell explained. "We wanted to contrast the glass and metal architecture surrounding the theatre by creating a building that feels as if it has a pre-existing presence in Stratford." The facade utilises handmade clay Venetian brick and tiles A defining feature of the theatre is its sawtooth roof, designed to mimic the movement of dance while maximising natural light. "We wanted the building to have a rhythmic composition so that you'd be able to see its dancing profile against the skyline from the park," said Tuomey. The fly tower, which rises above the rest of the building, mirrors the proportions of the Sadler's Wells Islington location to enable performance transfers between the two venues. Read: Mecanoo to create "world's most technologically advanced dance venue" in the Berkshires Inside, the building was designed to have an industrial character while using warm materials such as oak timber flooring. The L-shaped foyer, designed to function as a "public living room", is lined with fully-glazed windows that can be opened to Stratford Walk. Complete with a cafe and bar, the double-height foyer features a dance floor with an adjustable height that serves as a public performance space for community groups and guest artists. The double-height foyer houses a cafe, bar and dance floor The theatre's design is centred around the 550-seat auditorium, which occupies nearly half of the building's volume. Designed in collaboration with Charcoalblue, it has retractable seating, black timber walls and cork flooring, with a stage that matches the dimensions of Sadler's Wells' Islington venue to allow performance transfers. The main studio, located above the auditorium, is larger than the auditorium stage, offering choreographers the same spatial conditions while providing additional room to step back and review their work. "We wanted choreographers to have the same amount of space that they would have on stage as well as some distance to step back from it," explained O'Donnell + Tuomey director Jeana Gearty. The auditorium features retractable seating, black timber walls and cork flooring To ensure sound insulation, the auditorium and main studio are separated by a void. "Box-in-box construction was utilised to ensure acoustic isolation," explained Tuomey. "We didn't want the impact and noise from the use of one space to interfere with the acoustics of the other." The studio opens onto a garden terrace while smaller studios have windows facing the surrounding parkland. Sadler's Wells East will also house educational and training facilities, including the Rose Choreographic School and Academy Breakin' Convention. The main studio's dimensions are larger than the auditorium stage Dublin-based O'Donnell + Tuomey was founded in 1988 by O'Donnell and Tuomey. The pair were awarded the RIAI Gold Medals in 2021 and were the 2015 recipients of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. Other projects by the studio include a timber and concrete pedestrian bridge at University College Cork and the V&A East, also part of the East Bank development. The photography is by Peter Cook unless stated otherwise. The post O'Donnell + Tuomey draws on Stratford's industrial past for London dance theatre appeared first on Dezeen.

Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series we consider the legacy of Elemental's Quinta Monroy housing, which turned a relatively little-known Chilean architect into one of the profession's biggest stars. A social housing scheme on a half-hectare site in a small city in northern Chile, Quinta Monroy was an unlikely contender

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Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series we consider the legacy of Elemental's Quinta Monroy housing, which turned a relatively little-known Chilean architect into one of the profession's biggest stars. A social housing scheme on a half-hectare site in a small city in northern Chile, Quinta Monroy was an unlikely contender for the most celebrated architecture project of the early 21st century. But after its completion in 2004, the development of 93 homes in Iquique gained global attention for its unusual approach, which saw dwellings handed over to residents literally half built. "The assumption behind Quinta Monroy is logical if radical: when a site and budget offer real and extreme constraints, extreme design solutions need to be considered in order to ultimately service the interest of the occupants," wrote architecture theorist Dana Cuff in her 2023 book Architectures of Spatial Justice. Elemental's Quinta Monroy housing was the most significant building of 2004 Quinta Monroy was the first built project from Elemental, a social-impact architecture "do tank" funded by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and oil company COPEC, and led by director Alejandro Aravena. Elemental was appointed to the project by the Chilean government, which itself had been approached by residents who had been living in informal self-built housing on the site for many years but were now facing eviction following the death of the previous landowner. "At the time, social housing was the least cool thing to do," Aravena later told Dezeen in an interview. "I didn't know what a subsidy was." The housing was delivered half built Most of the social housing built in Chile in the early 2000s – some 100,000 homes per year – were poky units in undesirable locations, which was all that could be delivered with the $10,000-per-dwelling government subsidy available. In Aravena's words, the homes often looked "more like cars than houses", providing a roof over people's heads, but not providing them with a route out of poverty. Knowing that residents were desperate not to leave their central location, Elemental decided on a different approach at Quinta Monroy. The housing was designed to be extended and adapted by residents Working with an even smaller-than-usual budget of $7,500-per-home leftover after purchasing the expensive land, the studio sought to harness the residents' proven inclination to self-build. Using mass-production construction techniques to keep costs down, it created 13 three-storey blocks arranged around four courtyards in the style of traditional row houses. It was a beautiful idea successfully realised Rowan Moore in The Observer Each home was a generous size, but provided only a basic concrete structure and the bare essentials: a kitchen, a bathroom, some partition walls and an internal timber staircase. And, crucially, each was incomplete – accompanied by a gaping hole matching the size of the built structure. Since completion, the majority of the gaps have been filled in These empty spaces were designed to be easy and cheap for residents to fill in themselves according to their needs, as and when they could afford to. Central to the project was the idea that residents should have the opportunity to increase the worth of their homes over time as a means of enabling social mobility – unlike in most Chilean social housing, which tends to rapidly lose value. In material form, the housing demonstrates how it should grow and change Dana Cuff Elemental called it the "half a good house" approach, or "incremental" housing. "The project assumes that residents themselves are part of the housing provision equation by designing units that reflect their requirements and encourage their future interventions," wrote Cuff. "In material form, the housing demonstrates how it should grow and change." Elemental dubbed the approach "half a good house" The residents obliged, and in only a short space of time, the voids had been filled with a colourful mishmash of structures. Aravena claimed the homes tripled in value in only a year. "It was a beautiful idea successfully realised and became celebrated around the world," wrote The Observer's architecture critic Rowan Moore. Read: Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002 While there was some debate over just how radical Quinta Monroy really was, there is no doubt that the project was a crucial factor in Aravena's surprise Pritzker Architecture Prize win in 2016. The prize jury, which included British architect Richard Rogers, said Aravena's approach to housing "gives the profession of architect a new dimension, which is necessary to respond to present demands and meet future challenges of the field". The appearance of the housing has been dramatically change since completion It was a significant moment, in that it signalled more clearly than ever before one of the most important architecture trends of the last 25 years – a renewed interest in buildings whose main concern is their social impact. In this, Aravena sits alongside Shigeru Ban and Diébédo Francis Kéré, Pritzker winners in 2014 and 2022 respectively. "Alejandro Aravena epitomises the revival of a more socially engaged architect, especially in his long-term commitment to tackling the global housing crisis and fighting for a better urban environment for all," as the Pritzker jury put it. The housing has simple interiors Becoming a laureate of architecture's most prestigious honour, coupled with his curatorship of the Venice Architecture Biennale in the same year, embedded Aravena firmly within the starchitect constellation. By that time more than 2,500 of Elemental's half-houses had been completed in various forms, most notably at the Monterrey Housing project in Mexico in 2010 and in the Chilean town of Constitución in 2013. After the Pritzker press conference, Aravena announced that the drawings for four of its incremental housing schemes would be open-sourced, in a bid to help alleviate the global affordable housing shortage. Read: Key projects by 2016 Pritzker Prize laureate Alejandro Aravena Therein lies another key aspect of Aravena and Quinta Monroy's significance. In raising concerns about the escalating housing and refugee crises now gripping the world, he was well ahead of the curve compared to many of his peers. Nevertheless, Aravena has expressed despondence that the incremental housing model has not been more widely adopted. "It's still a failure," he told Moore. "The mainstream has not been affected. Why not? We ask ourselves these questions every day." By 2016 over 2,500 half-houses had been built Questions have also been raised about the outcomes at Quinta Monroy. A research paper published in 2020 by academics at the universities of Melbourne and Newcastle in Australia explored how the self-build element was working in practice 15 years on. It found evidence that building by some residents – in some cases in order to sub-let – was leading to conflict between neighbours, windowless rooms in ground-floor apartments and encroaching on shared communal spaces. While agreeing that Quinta Monroy "represents a major achievement", it warned that the site could return to "the same living conditions as existed before redevelopment", and criticised Elemental for its lack of a plan to govern resident-led infills post-construction. In any case, by propelling Elemental and Aravena to such global recognition, Quinta Monroy changed the rulebook in more ways than one. As we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, designing visually enthralling buildings is no longer the priority when it comes to achieving architectural acclaim. Did we get it right? Was Quinta Monroy by Elemental the most significant building completed in 2004? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and photography is by Cristóbal Palma unless otherwise stated. 21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post Elemental's Quinta Monroy housing was the most significant building of 2004 appeared first on Dezeen.

Projects by architects Ray Kappe and Martin Fenlon are among nearly 10,000 structures destroyed as deadly fires burn large swathes of Los Angeles in an "unprecedented, city-changing moment". Fires that started Tuesday in Los Angeles continued to burn through the past two days, causing the evacuation of as many as 180,000 people and the deaths

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Projects by architects Ray Kappe and Martin Fenlon are among nearly 10,000 structures destroyed as deadly fires burn large swathes of Los Angeles in an "unprecedented, city-changing moment". Fires that started Tuesday in Los Angeles continued to burn through the past two days, causing the evacuation of as many as 180,000 people and the deaths of at least ten people across multiple fires. Exacerbated by dry conditions and high winds, the fires have devastated the city, especially the northwestern neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades. Several fires have destroyed nearly 10,000 structures in Los Angeles. Above photo by Kelvin Cheng. Top photo courtesy of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Thousands of structures in the neighbourhood have been completely destroyed, including Keeler House by American architect and SCI-Arc founder Kappe. Architectural preservation group the Los Angeles Conservancy said that it has been compiling data and fact-checking reports of destruction as the fire continues to move across the area. "Not something we could have planned for" "It's a challenge, to say the least," Los Angeles Conservancy president Adrian Fine told Dezeen last night. "We're not able to get out into the field, in part because that's not what needs to happen right now in terms of the still active fires." "So at this point, it's being able to confirm with multiple sources, reliable sources, documentation," added Fine, who indicated a list of historic and noteworthy buildings, which includes religious structures, restaurants, homes and more, that the Los Angeles Conservancy posted on its website. "This was not something that we could have planned for." Images circulating on X (formerly Twitter) show whole blocks in the Pacific Palisades completely destroyed. New drone shot from Pacific Palisades shows entire blocks of homes literally burned to the ground. The Palisades Fire alone could become the "costliest" fire in U.S. history. Courtesy of @KitKarzen pic.twitter.com/L5z7mvdLTt — Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) January 8, 2025 According to news channel ABC, the Pacific Palisades fire is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history, with LA fire chief Brent Pascua calling scenes there "apocalyptic". Local architecture studio AAHA Studio said that several of its clients had completely lost their homes in the Pacific Palisades. "Scale of the damage is unfathomable" "The community is very tight knit, and we are fortunate to call many of our clients and collaborators friends," AAHA Studio partners Harper Halprin and Aaron Leshtz told Dezeen. "Sadly, a number of our clients have suffered total losses, and our hearts break for them and for the entire community. The scale of the damage is unfathomable and still not entirely known. Our hearts are with everyone as they navigate the days and weeks ahead." Read: Eames House under threat as more than 1,000 buildings destroyed in "apocalyptic" LA fire As of last night, the Eames House (Case Study House No. 8) home of the Eames Foundation, and Case Study House No. 18, were confirmed to be intact according to the foundation. The famous Getty Villa and Museum was also undamaged. In the city's northeast, the Eaton Fire grew quickly and has caused extensive damage in the hill communities and in the towns of Altadena and Pasadena, including the destruction of Andrew McNally House and Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. Local architect Martin Fenlon said he was informed of the destruction of his Turner House in Altadena. The Eaton Fire destroyed many buildings in the town of Altadena. Photo by Kelvin Cheng Local designer and founder of the Save Iconic Architecture Project (SIA) Jaime Rummerfield said the damage in the fires was "rattling", noting that stores and schools of family and colleagues had burnt. "My son's elementary school burned down," Rummerfield told Dezeen. "It's all just a bit rattling." "Altadena has so much history, and they're all gorgeous houses that people have loved for years," she said, adding that her husband had driven through Altadena out of concern for evacuees, observing the damage. "He just drove through the neighbourhoods, and they were just levelled," she said. "He said it looked like Lahaina. It was devastated. There was just nothing, block after block after block." "A city-changing moment" Yesterday a fire also began in the Hollywood Hills, putting much of the adjacent neighbourhoods at risk, but was contained. While fires in Los Angeles are not uncommon, usually they occur during the summer and into the fall. But a particularly dry winter has exacerbated conditions. Hundreds of thousands have had to evacuate the city. Photo by Kelvin Cheng "This fire is unprecedented in Los Angeles," conservation group Docomomo US board president Katie Horak told Dezeen. "Of course, fires are a cyclical part of our lives here, but typically they can be managed or steered away from causing widespread destruction to urban areas and residential neighborhoods," she continued. "I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life, including in areas prone to evacuations and fires, and this is unlike anything I have ever seen. This is a city-changing moment for us." "It's too soon to think about what's next" For now, most people are concerned with the ongoing evacuation orders in the area and making sure people are safe. "We are focused on being here now, supporting those who need help in any way we can," Rebecca Rudolph of local architecture studio Design, Bitches told Dezeen. "It's too soon to think about what's next other than that LA is resilient and filled with incredible creative, hard-working communities that we are lucky to be a part of." High winds and drought conditions have exacerbated the "unprecedented" fire. Photo by Kelvin Cheng Fine told Dezeen that the architectural community could be "very helpful and instrumental" in helping people rebuild when the time comes. "Many owners won't even know where to start, even for those that have had minimal damage, but certainly many others have had total losses," he said. Currently, the fires are still being battled by thousands of firefighters across the region, with the federal government pledging to cover 100 per cent of the initial response costs for the fire. As of Thursday night, both the Palisades and Eaton fires were less than 10 per cent contained. CNN has shared a list of California hotels, with some offering special rates for evacuees and LA County continues to broadcast alerts through its emergency notification system. CBS has outlined a number of places where people can offer support or donations to relief efforts. The post "The scale of the damage is unfathomable" say Los Angeles architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studios Local and Pir 2 have collaborated on a community park and playground in Etne on the West coast of Norway, featuring a pavilion made using recycled aluminium from a nearby plant. The community park, called Skakkeringen, is part of Vestland County's pilot programme to create innovative facilities that transform the role of public schools

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Architecture studios Local and Pir 2 have collaborated on a community park and playground in Etne on the West coast of Norway, featuring a pavilion made using recycled aluminium from a nearby plant. The community park, called Skakkeringen, is part of Vestland County's pilot programme to create innovative facilities that transform the role of public schools in rural municipalities. Skakkeringen is set in Etne on the West coast of Norway For this project, Local's Bergen office worked closely with Oslo-based architecture studio Pir 2 to tackle the question: "How can public schools play a greater civic role in rural places?" The 2,000-square-metre activity park adjacent to the Skakke Cultural Center was designed to be "a dynamic public square for Etne's residents" and "create new opportunities for meaningful connection", according to Local co-founder Jérome Picard. A red ring, which functions as a running track, weaves through and around the playground design Once a fenced, asphalted area, the rejuvenated site is now a flexible space for ball games, concerts, outdoor cinema screenings and community events. A central pavilion was constructed from CLT and clad with recycled aluminium from the nearby plant of manufacturer Hydro. "Due to the hidden electric outlet, so that performances and activities in the pavilion can be rigged, it has become – by happy coincidence – a hotspot to hang out and charge your phone," Picard told Dezeen. A concrete bench helps to demarcate different zones The pavilion, which has a green roof to make it "an integral part of the landscape", features rain chains that bring rainwater down to beds planted with meadow plants. Surrounding planting and landscaping provide green spaces, gardens and quiet zones for relaxation and informal gatherings. The different elements of the park are linked by an unbroken red pathway, or ring, which doubles as a running track. The CLT and aluminium pavilion at the centre is designed to be multipurpose The design of the project was shaped by community involvement. Through interviews, workshops and surveys, young people shared their ideas for a space where they could feel welcome and take ownership. Among other things, locals requested a full-size basketball court, which dictated the scale of the running track. The aluminum-clad pavilion features rain chains "We held iterative workshops where we modelled together, live in 3D, with the students," Picard explained. "Some wanted more trees and nature and others were erasing trees and wanted more sport equipment. The result is a balance between these two key qualities offering a green and active schoolyard." The community's involvement shaped a programme that includes climbing walls and ball game pitches plus areas for hanging out and relaxing in nature, catering to children, families and senior citizens. Colourful markings were used on the basketball court to provide alternative play inspiration The project is part of an innovative concept of open schoolyards that are "accessible by the general public without fences and open at all times, without schedule, to be used day and night", Picard explained "There is a strong focus on accessibility in Norway in general, and our project is designed for all, with accessible design principles," he said. The running track can also be used for cycling Accessibility is a focus of Local's practice via their Greymatter research initiative, which works to include seniors in daily life and local neighbourhoods. The adjacent cultural centre coordinates with the local sports club, the school, the retirement home and the farmers' association to co-organise and utilise the space. The site was previously a simple, asphalted area Skakkeringen has been used for farmers' markets, teachers have organised outdoor classes and the sports club uses the stage for trophy ceremonies and off-the-pitch activities. The cultural centre is planning events with the retirement home linked to gardening and growing a small community garden. There is even a cinema for weather-dependent outdoor screenings. Other playgrounds featured on Dezeen include giant boulders on wheels for a "risk play" space in Melbourne and a playground in LA designed with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The photography is by Artishot/Arkitekturfoto i Bergen. Project credits: Architects: Local and Pir 2 Team members: Christine Gjermo, Silje Lockert, Kjartan Neckelmann, Elida Mosquera, Jerome Picard, Ellen Reitan, Miriam Sharp Pierson Client: Vestland County Council and Etne Municipality Main builder: Vaglid AS Structural build: Procon Electrical contractor: Helgevold Sustainability consultant: BDL CLT: Splitkon Skatepark design: Betong park Rendering: Onirism, Local The post Multipurpose community park in rural Norway designed with local residents appeared first on Dezeen.

Work has begun on the GEM Factory of the Future building in Maine designed by architecture studio Grimshaw and SMRT to integrate technological and robotic advancements with fabrication. Located at the University of Maine, the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future (GEM building) is a research facility focused on providing space for students,

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Work has begun on the GEM Factory of the Future building in Maine designed by architecture studio Grimshaw and SMRT to integrate technological and robotic advancements with fabrication. Located at the University of Maine, the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future (GEM building) is a research facility focused on providing space for students, professors and researchers to integrate developing AR, AI, machine learning and other technological advancements with bio-based manufacturing. A research facility dedicated to bio-based and AI-enabled manufacturing has broken ground at the University of Maine "Construction has officially commenced for the Green Energy and Materials Factory of the Future – an innovative research facility focused on revolutionizing manufacturing through AI-enabled, large-scale bio-based additive manufacturing," said the team. Grimshaw designed the building in partnership with architecture studio SMRT and engineers Thornton Tomasetti. The building provides students and researchers with manufacturing spaces with integrated robotics "[The GEM building] is designed to be a nexus for the University of Maine's campus and a hub for bringing manufacturing back into the academic discourse," said Grimshaw New York principal Mark Rhoads. The two-storey building will be made with a mass-timber frame and clad in metallic panels. Renderings show a glazed primary entrance, with slim windows running along the height of the building intermittently. Read: Geodes inform design of Arizona research building by Grimshaw and Architekton The building's interiors will hold laboratories and large open spaces for manufacturing. Images show mobile robots hovering over desks, as well as a large manufacturing bay where two robotic arms are assembling the hull of a ship. According to the team, the building will contain two of these manufacturing bays, each with 40-foot (12-metre) clear heights and 120 feet long (37 metres). The spaces will provide room to fabricate components up to 60 by 100 feet (18 by 30 metres). A double-height lobby clad in windows sits at the entrance The facility will focus on bio-based additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing with wood polymers. "This revolution in clean technology and advanced manufacturing demands a new generation of highly skilled, tech-savvy makers fluent in the latest innovations," said Rhoads. "Higher education must recalibrate its approach, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and creating learning environments that emphasize experiential learning and cutting-edge research to equip future engineers, architects, and technicians for this dynamic landscape." The building will contain laboratories and manufacturing bays The building is slated for completion in summer 2026. Recently, Grimshaw completed another research building at the University of Arizona, while teams of students and professors built a series of pavilions on the historic grounds of Woodstock that explored a semi-automatic approach to construction The images are courtesy of Grimshaw The post Grimshaw breaks ground on research building in Maine designed to "revolutionize manufacturing" appeared first on Dezeen.

Mexican studio Colectivo C733 has helped preserve an 18th-century port customs building, constructing a cultural centre and museum around it using historical adobe and steel in Nayarit, Mexico. The municipality of San Blas hired Colectivo C733 to help preserve and recover what was left of an 18th-century customs building, consolidating the adobe remnants and preserving the

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Mexican studio Colectivo C733 has helped preserve an 18th-century port customs building, constructing a cultural centre and museum around it using historical adobe and steel in Nayarit, Mexico. The municipality of San Blas hired Colectivo C733 to help preserve and recover what was left of an 18th-century customs building, consolidating the adobe remnants and preserving the historic masonry. Colectivo C733 has preserved an 18th-century port customs building using adobe bricks The Port of San Blas was established in Nueva Galicia in 1768 to protect the Pacific coast and serve as a gateway for shipping goods from Asia. The first level old San Blas customs building is still standing. A corridor was used as an exhibition space and small workshops and remnants of the original structure constructed with handmade adobe bricks are scattered around the site. The cultural centre and museum were designed around the preserved customs building Around the historic structure in the centre of the complex, the team constructed an industrial-style bridge and viewing platform with red steel, flanked by screens of terracotta tiles. This reaches up to the roof of the historic building and allows visitors to pass through it on an elevated walkway. "The vertical walkway becomes a journey through time in the memory of one of the oldest buildings in this port," the team said. Many of the historical facades were maintained Then, the team constructed contemporary structures – the Centro Cultural Aduana de San Blas – made of local adobe elements to house the surrounding public spaces and workshops. Visitors access the site through a public plaza on the southwest side of the complex where they can see the juxtaposition of the historic chimeneas –outdoor enclosed fireplaces – and the contemporary viewing platform. Read: Colectivo C733 tops brick music school with soaring timber roof in Mexico The northwest side of the property houses a linear community building with a library, dance hall, classroom, and studio that are each oriented outwards through sliding glass doors shaded by awnings. A solid brick wall cuts the workshop building off from the rest of the courtyard, but the bridge brings it back into communication with the other structures by allowing visitors to access the roof. "The building seeks to unfold activities to a second level with other opportunities for wind, views, and light, turning the same rooftops into box seat spaces for cultural activities," said C733. Red steel and terracotta tiles were used to construct the bridge and viewing platform The northeast edge of the complex houses offices in a wedge-shaped structure set behind another terracotta screen. Between the offices and the chimeneas lies a forum based on Indigenous Mexican ceremoniay. "An outdoor forum [is] shaped like a Sikuli, a Huichol structure that represents the composition of the universe and the connection between human beings, nature, and the universe," the team said. The southeast portion of the property holds the new museum building, a large rectangular structure surrounded on three sides by an arched colonnade with columns made of salvaged materials. The pristine white building contrasts the earth tones of the rest of the complex. A terracotta screen on the northeast edge of the complex shields offices A lightweight metal and canvas awning sits on the roof of the museum providing a shaded rest area after visitors have passed through the chimeneas. "The composition of four adobe planes allowed for a new relationship between the existing building and the new structures, between the past and the present, and between nature and the constructed structures," the studio said. Colectivo C733 includes architects Gabriela Carrillo, Carlos Facio, and Jose Amozurrutia, together with researchers Erik Valdez and Israel Espin. Last year, Carrillo spoke with Dezeen about how the collective is working with the Mexican government to create public architecture to ease the stresses of human migration. Recently, WORKac and Ignacio Urquiza completed a project in Mexico City through its PILARES program, which helps to build public neighbourhood hubs. Other brick and terracotta projects Colectivo C733 has completed recently include a music school with a soaring timber roof in Nacajuca and a market with a roof formed by inverted trapezoidal umbrellas in Matamoros. The photography is by Rafael Gamo. Project credits: Architect: Colectivo C733, Gabriela Carrillo, Eric Valdez, Israel Espín, José Amozurrutia y Carlos Facio (TO) Design Team: Sofía Pavón, Roberto Rosales, Abraham Espindola Structures: LABG (Eric Valdez), GIEE Electrical and mechanical engineering: Enrique Zenón Landscape design: Taller de Paisaje Hugo Sánchez Other consultants: Luz en arquitectura, Pedro Lechuga, TEMAS MX Contractor: Constructora Gurría y Asociados Client: Sedatu, Municipio de San Blas The post Colectivo C733 installs museum inside 18th-century Mexican port building appeared first on Dezeen.

Japanese studio Schemata Architects has used locally sourced timber planks to clad this series of low-lying, angular guesthouses overlooking the sea on Kouri Island. Located on the western coast of the small island in northwestern Okinawa, the project named Yawn Yard comprises seven individual guesthouses spread across two nearby sites connected by a road. Tokyo-based

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Japanese studio Schemata Architects has used locally sourced timber planks to clad this series of low-lying, angular guesthouses overlooking the sea on Kouri Island. Located on the western coast of the small island in northwestern Okinawa, the project named Yawn Yard comprises seven individual guesthouses spread across two nearby sites connected by a road. Schemata Architects has completed Yawn Yard in Okinawa, Japan Tokyo-based Schemata Architects designed each of these guesthouses with an irregular, hexagonal plan. Created by two rectilinear blocks angled to create a V-shape, they shelter a central terrace and pool facing the sea. "The freestanding villas for families and groups of several people were all designed to allow guests to stay in privacy without worrying about the noise of adjoining guests," said Schemata Architects founder Jo Nagasaka. Each guesthouse has an irregular, hexagonal plan "Considering the inefficiency of making different plans for the individual buildings, we developed a more efficient design method using an inverted V-shaped unit combining two standardised plans," Nagasaka added. "The openings of the V-shape are adjusted and each unit is positioned according to the direction of the sea view and the site shape." The units are raised on concrete plinths that double as patios In each of the Yawn Yard guesthouses, a block containing a bedroom and bathroom sits opposite a block containing another bedroom and kitchen, encouraging "seamless" movement between indoors and outdoors throughout the day. They are raised on a concrete plinth, which also provides the surface for the external courtyards, and finished both externally and internally in wooden planks and panels that were made from locally sourced timber. Read: Feldman Architecture creates hilltop house in California's wine country Furniture and custom light fittings were designed with local design companies, with the aim of immersing visitors to Yawn Yard in local craft and culture. To the east, a larger communal block contains visitor facilities including a restaurant with a menu developed by local chef Takashi Kamieda with a focus on local ingredients and dishes. Locally sourced timber lines Yawn Yard externally and internally "Aiming to create a place where guests could experience Okinawan culture, we worked with an Okinawan construction company, Shinyo, for the buildings and used as much Okinawan-made furniture as possible," explained Nagasaka. "We also collaborated with many Okinawan artists, in particular Luft – Nami Makishi and Chinako Okeda – introduced us to local teams including Yuria Wood Workshop, Hachiman Tile Factory, and Ryuko Construction that process local materials such as Okinawan wood, Ryukyu bricks and limestone." Local design companies created the furniture and light fittings Other recent projects by Schemata Architects include the transformation of a 145-year-old townhouse in Kyoto into a store for perfumery brand Le Labo and the conversion of a brick and concrete structure in Seoul into an art gallery. The photography is courtesy of Ju Yeon Lee. The post Schemata Architects clads Yawn Yard guesthouses in Japan with local timber appeared first on Dezeen.

Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings is Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles by Gehry Partners, an icon of deconstructivism. Disney Hall is perhaps the most famous building by Frank Gehry who, despite being Toronto-born, is one of, if not the most, famous living American architects. Its completion in 2003,

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Next up in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings is Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles by Gehry Partners, an icon of deconstructivism. Disney Hall is perhaps the most famous building by Frank Gehry who, despite being Toronto-born, is one of, if not the most, famous living American architects. Its completion in 2003, after more than 15 years of stops and starts, marked the return of Frank Gehry's rising architectural stardom to his adopted home city of Los Angeles, where the architect had been living since the 1940s. Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall was the most significant building of 2003. Photo is by Carol M Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons With its crescendo of complex stainless steel panels, the symphony hall is considered an iconic example of deconstructivism – a movement that tended towards asymmetrical forms. Though Gehry himself eschewed being labelled a deconstructivist, his work brought global attention to the style. In the early 21st century Gehry designed countless projects, but this building's significance also stems from the near-ubiquitous influence of the Disney media empire's role in contemporary culture, though the building is owned by LA county's Music Center. It is widely considered an icon of the deconstructivist school of architecture. Photo is by Anthony Fomin via Unsplash A relatively rectilinear concert hall, which hosts the Los Angeles Philharmonic symphony, sits tucked inside of the imposing metal shell. At its heart is a sculptural organ made up of functional, asymmetrical tubes created in collaboration with tonal designer Manuel Rosales and organ builder Caspar Glatter-Götz. Read: Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern was the most significant building of 2000 The interior was clad with Douglas fir, chosen for its "psychological effect" according to Gehry, who worked with Yasuhisa Toyota of Japanese firm Nagata Acoustics to design the auditorium for sound. Gehry said that he designed the building "inside out", first focusing on the music hall and then moving outwards to the now-famous external stainless steel shell, which has been described alternatively as resembling petals or sails. Gehry designed the petal-like building "inside-out", focusing on the concert experience. Photo © Frank O Gehry. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2017.M.66) The building was intended to be a democratised version of a private arts complex, with Gehry stating he intended the Disney Hall to be a "living room for the city" with its lobby accessible to the public. The concert hall itself extends this sense of democratisation. Informed by Hans Scharoun's Berlin Philharmonie hall, the hall holds a relatively modest 2,200 people, the terraced, vineyard-style hall lacks columns and boxes. "There is no obvious hierarchy," wrote critic Paul Goldberger in the New Yorker in 2003. The concert hall was designed first and features a non-hierarchal vineyard-style seating arrangement. Photo by Adam Latham courtesy of LA Philharmonic Disney Hall was originally commissioned in 1987 by Lillian Disney, the widow of American animator Walt Disney, who donated $50 million (£38.5 million) to the project in memory of her late husband. With this seed money, a block of county-owned land on Grand Avenue was set aside and government funds were allocated to begin work on construction. The most gallant building you are ever likely to see Herbert Muschamp in the New York Times That a deconstructivist design was selected for such a large, high-profile structure in an American city may have come as a surprise, especially in the context of Downtown Los Angeles with its modernist pavilions and glass-clad highrises. However, Disney as a company had already chosen avant-garde designs with its selection of postmodern American architect Michael Graves. Lillian Disney herself was not immediately sold on the design but gave Gehry leeway. In return, the architect included a number of homages to her tastes, including the floral patterns on the seats of the auditorium and a garden that included a sculpture made of pieces of Delft pottery. The lobby is open to the public and includes massive wood-clad columns that resemble the shape of the organ in the concert hall. Photo © Frank O Gehry. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2017.M.66) The project progressed slowly and by 1995 only the foundations had been built. In 1997 the project received a boost with another round of funding after a campaign by American businessman Eli Broad and then-Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. When the building finally opened in 2003 it was well received – by the clients, concert-going community and architecture critics. At the time of its opening, New York Times architecture critic Herbert Muschamp wrote that Disney Hall was the "most gallant building you are ever likely to see". Floral designs in the hall are a homage to the taste of funder Lillian Disney. Photo by Farah Sosa courtesy of the LA Philharmonic The building is often referenced in the same breath as the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum Bilbao – a building that was credited for the artistic and economic upturn in the small Spanish city – a phenomenon named the "Bilbao effect". However, the funding and plans for Disney Hall had been hatched nearly a decade before Bilbao's completion. It is a serene, ennobling building that will give people in this city of private places a new sense of the pleasures of public space Paul Golberger in the New Yorker The success of Bilbao would ultimately play a role in shifts in the design. For example, Gehry originally intended for the facade to be clad in stone for its ability to create a soft glow at night. Gehry said he thought the metal would make the building look "like a cheap refrigerator" at night, eventually relenting. During the day though, it shone – perhaps too much. Just a year after it completed the facade had to be sanded down after the glare from its reflection was considered a hazard to drivers. At first, Gehry resisted plans to clad the building in metal, preferring stone. Photo by Adam Latham courtesy of LA Philharmonic Despite the similarities with Bilbao, the architecture of Disney Hall became iconic in its own right and represented Gehry's indelible mark on Los Angeles. "The building is a fantastic piece of architecture – assured and vibrant and worth waiting for," wrote LA Times critic Christopher Hawthorne. "It has its own personality, instead of being anything close to a Bilbao rehash." Gehry-designed high-rises recently went up across the street. Photo by Tim Hursley At the opening, mayor Riordan said that the building was a "symbol" of Los Angeles "finally having a downtown". Whether or not the structure inaugurated a Bilbao Effect in depressed Downtown Los Angeles remains to be seen – Gehry himself thought the structure should go elsewhere. Development in the area has continued, if slowly, with a pair of mixed-use towers by Gehry and the Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed The Broad museum rising in the vicinity in the decades since. Gehry is also at work on the Colburn School for music nearby. Read: Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002 Goldberger wrote in 2003 that he wouldn't "bet" on the building jumpstarting renewed growth in the area, but also that it "doesn't matter". "It is a serene, ennobling building that will give people in this city of private places a new sense of the pleasures of public space." The Disney and Gehry names together make this structure beyond emblematic of this century, and the question of sculptural architecture's role in the American city continues to be worked out in the petal-like shadows of Disney Hall. Did we get it right? Was Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall the most significant building completed in 2003? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential buildings from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford. 21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall was the most significant building of 2003 appeared first on Dezeen.

UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects and local studio Bureau Cube Partners are set to transform a paper mill in Belgrade, Serbia, into a museum with an elliptical roof informed by the scientific work of Nikola Tesla. In an effort to preserve Belgrade's architectural history, the Nikola Tesla Museum will be located in the Milan Vapa Paper

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UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects and local studio Bureau Cube Partners are set to transform a paper mill in Belgrade, Serbia, into a museum with an elliptical roof informed by the scientific work of Nikola Tesla. In an effort to preserve Belgrade's architectural history, the Nikola Tesla Museum will be located in the Milan Vapa Paper Mill, which was originally built in 1924. The Nikola Tesla Museum will have an elliptical roof informed by magnetic fields Zaha Hadid Architects and Bureau Cube Partners will preserve some of the mill's facades and vaulted ceilings while converting it into a cultural destination. The museum will be dedicated to celebrating the legacy of Serbian-American engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, who is known for inventing the Tesla coil and his contributions to the development of alternating-current electricity. The museum will be located in a former paper mill. Image by Zaha Hadid Architects According to Zaha Hadid Architects, Tesla's scientific work has informed the curving shapes in the museum's design. "The museum's design draws on Tesla's research into magnetic fields and wireless energy transfer," said Zaha Hadid Architects. "Informed by concepts of magnetic forces and interconnectivity, the design incorporates dynamic elliptical curves radiating from the old factory chimney, the site's dominant feature." Read: Zaha Hadid Architects unveils sweeping culture centre for China A circular opening will puncture the building's west facade to become the Nikola Tesla Museum's main entrance. Through this entrance, visitors will arrive in a triple-height atrium with an elliptical roof built around the building's original factory chimney. An existing masonry chimney will be preserved Additional curved openings will be inserted in the building's internal walls to improve visitor circulation between gallery and exhibition spaces. "To enhance circulation and functionality in the building's continued life as a museum, ellipsoidal sectional openings will be carved within the walls that divide the old factory's interior," said Zaha Hadid Architects. "These openings define a series of three-dimensional spherical voids that create an extended perspective viewed from the western entrance, through the atrium and terminating at the Tesla memorial at the eastern end of the museum." The museum will celebrate the work of Nikola Tesla. Image by Xuniverse Elsewhere in the museum, there will be a cafe, a multipurpose hall and a rooftop restaurant that overlooks the Sava River. In front of the museum, the Nikola Tesla Square will provide public space with curved paths and gardens informed by electromagnetic fields. Other designs recently unveiled by Zaha Hadid Architects include a cultural centre in Uzbekistan with a weaving brick form and an arts centre in China with a sweeping roof. On 20 December 2024, the High Court ruled that the studio must continue paying to use founder Zaha Hadid's name, in the latest legal battle between Zaha Hadid Architects and the Zaha Hadid Foundation. The images are by Norviska unless otherwise stated. Project credits: Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects and Bureau Cube Partners Sustainability engineering: Max Fordham Structural engineering for new additions: Lanik I SA Structural engineering for restoration: DB Engineering MEP engineering: Conventus Consultants Lighting designer: Lichtvision Design Ltd The post Zaha Hadid Architects references magnetic forces for Serbian mill conversion appeared first on Dezeen.

British studio Foster + Partners has begun construction on two stepped-back towers for the BDO Unibank Inc campus in the Philippines, which will have exoskeletons to support solar shading and achieve structural stability. The studio is transforming five urban plots in Manila to create the campus, with the two towers – which are connected by a

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British studio Foster + Partners has begun construction on two stepped-back towers for the BDO Unibank Inc campus in the Philippines, which will have exoskeletons to support solar shading and achieve structural stability. The studio is transforming five urban plots in Manila to create the campus, with the two towers – which are connected by a covered walkway – rising above open ground floors. Foster + Partners looked to vernacular architecture for the buildings, which will step back at regular intervals. At each step back, there are triple-storey amenity spaces as well as outdoor terraces. The towers have a stepped-back design The two towers at BDO Unibank Inc campus will each have an exoskeleton, designed to support woven metal-mesh infill screens. These take visual cues from traditional weaving patterns and will shade the areas that receive the most sunlight. The exoskeletons will also be seismic-resistant, which the studio said is needed in the region. "The structure of the buildings is intentionally placed on the outside of their envelopes to actively shade the facades, while achieving an efficient structural design in a seismic zone," Foster + Partners senior partner Roland Schnizer said. "The exoskeletons create column-free spaces internally and support external solar shading screens." Artworks will be on display inside the campus According to Foster + Partners, the structural system reduces the concrete content of the buildings by more than 65,000 tonnes. Visitors to the campus, which will contain offices, a business centre, a public museum and a canteen, will enter on the ground floor before reaching an elevated reception. Read: Foster + Partners unveils Dubai skyscrapers linked by penthouse swimming pool On the open ground plane, the campus will feature artworks and plants to "enhance the public realm". An urban farm on the roof of BDO Unibank Inc campus will be used to grow food for the staff canteen, while more than 70 per cent of the campus' potable water will be recycled and reused. An exoskeleton will be used for seismic resistance The studio is aiming to achieve Green Mark Super Low Energy, which is the highest certification issued by the green building rating system Green Mark Building. It is awarded to projects that achieve at least 60 per cent energy savings when compared to 2005 building codes. If achieved, it would be the first building in the Philippines with the rating. "The new BDO campus offers a new model for the next generation of highly flexible and climatically responsive workplaces in the Philippines," Foster + Partners head of studio Luke Fox said. "Our holistic approach encompasses every element of the design – from the structural and environmental engineering to the landscaping and interiors – allowing us to create something completely bespoke and driven by extensive environmental analysis." Foster + Partners also recently unveiled a pair of Dubai skyscrapers linked by a swimming pool and added a barrel-vaulted structure to a Spanish winery. The post Foster + Partners designs exoskeletons for stepped-back skyscrapers in Manila appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Aedas has completed the Yohoo Museum on an artificial island in Hangzhou, China, which is shaped like an infinity loop. Located within Liangzhu Yohoo Park at the centre of Hangzhou's Yuhang District, the museum is located on an island in an artificial lake, which connects to the over 2,500-year-old Grand Canal. Named Yohoo

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Architecture studio Aedas has completed the Yohoo Museum on an artificial island in Hangzhou, China, which is shaped like an infinity loop. Located within Liangzhu Yohoo Park at the centre of Hangzhou's Yuhang District, the museum is located on an island in an artificial lake, which connects to the over 2,500-year-old Grand Canal. The museum is located on an artificial lake in Hangzhou Named Yohoo Museum, the building has an undulating roof design that takes the form of two interlocking rings. Two circular light wells were created within the interlocking rings that, according to the studio, symbolise the connection between heaven and earth. "It symbolises the connection between the culture of Liangzhu and the Grand Canal, serving as a link that bridges the ancient and the modern," Aedas explained. Two interlocking rings form the museum The two-storey museum has office space on the ground floor with exhibition space on the first floor. The museum is entirely clad in a glass facade and roof that was informed by jade, a rare gem stone in China. A walking path above the lake connects the museum to the nearby park A translucent multilayer laminated glass, known as "emerald glass", was used to create a bright and evenly lit interior for the museum visitors. According to the studio, the glass's crystal-like quality imitates jade's gentle warmth. Vertical and horizontal framing of the glass panels were organised to create a naturally flowing curvature. Read: Aedas unveils "most twisted tower in the world" in Chongqing "The glass panels resemble the form of jades, optimising a subtle balance of opacity and transparency between the exterior and interior and connecting between history and culture," Aedas global design principal told Ken Wai. "Sunlight penetrates the interiors through the translucent glass panels, creating a bright, soft interplay of light and shadow indoors." The edge of the building is lifted up from the ground to form a public plaza and the entrance of the museum Built with a steel frame structure, the two ends of the museum were gently raised off the ground without visible support. These elements overhand the entrances to the museum and partially cover a pair of public plazas. Visitors can access the museum via a meandering walkway above the lake on either side that connects to the green land of the park. Other projects recently completed by Aedas include a pair of round-edged towers with bronze fins in Hangzhou, and "most twisted tower in the world" in Chongqing. The photography is by Qianxi Zhang. Project credits: Client: Hangzhou Liangzhu Transportation Investment Group Co Design collaborator: Power China Huadong Engineering Corporatio The post Aedas unveils infinity loop-shaped museum in Hangzhou appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio EC3 and developer Prince Concepts have created The Canopy, a series of duplex buildings in Detroit with rooftop murals, native gardens and over 100 new trees. The Canopy involved transforming an abandoned, 17,000-square-foot (1,579-square-metre) lot into a residential complex with five buildings that vary in size and shape. Each building is a duplex

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Architecture studio EC3 and developer Prince Concepts have created The Canopy, a series of duplex buildings in Detroit with rooftop murals, native gardens and over 100 new trees. The Canopy involved transforming an abandoned, 17,000-square-foot (1,579-square-metre) lot into a residential complex with five buildings that vary in size and shape. Each building is a duplex with two units. The Canopy features rooftop murals It is located in Core City, where several other projects developed by local company Prince Concepts have been built. Others include The Caterpillar and True North, both featuring Quonset hut designs. The architects said that early on in the design process, they rejected the standard "double-loaded corridor" approach to multi-family buildings. EC3 designed a series of duplexes with strategically placed balconies Instead, they opted for a series of duplexes with strategically placed balconies. The buildings are organised around a series of outdoor "living rooms". "The five duplexes respond to a need for creative and inspired rental housing in Detroit," the team said. The units feature oak flooring and custom birch millwork The design takes cues from two sources in Detroit: the Lafayette Park townhouses, designed in the 1950s by Mies van der Rohe, and the massive Continental Motors engine factory, designed by Albert Kahn in the early 1900s. The team also took inspiration from the "raw exhibition spaces" in Marfa, Texas, by the artist Donald Judd. Exterior walls are clad in stucco Exterior walls are clad in stucco and offer an abundance of glazing. Buildings are topped with sloped roofs covered in abstract murals in blue and white, painted by local artist Victor Reyes. "Reyes' saturated blue murals play with the negative space between the five roofs, creating a continuous procession to mirror the sky above, taking inspiration from the moon phases and the surrounding landscape," the team said. The team prioritised natural light and a connection to the outdoors The development offers a mix of studios and units with one or two bedrooms. Rents range from $1,350 to $2,000 per month ( £1,069 to £1,584). Designed to enhance the "tactile quality of the living experience", the units feature oak flooring, custom birch millwork and high-end fixtures. Views are offered from multiple vantage points The team prioritised natural light and a connection to the outdoors. Views are offered from multiple vantage points, including the shower. The landscaped design, overseen by Prince Concepts, entailed the creation of native gardens and the planting of 121 trees. In many ways, the landscape drove the architectural design. Read: GM and Bedrock seek to demolish skyscrapers surrounding Detroit's tallest building "Our team approached this as a cultural project to emphasize public place-making and using the architecture to provide a context for the landscape," said EC3 founder Edwin Chan. The development is a short walk from a cafe, a park and a newly opened music-centric bar and restaurant – also developed by Prince Concepts. The second phase of the project calls for seven more duplexes that will offer a total of 14 units. The landscaped design entailed the creation of native gardens Other residential developments in Detroit include a cedar-clad housing block by LOHA that was built in Brush Park, a formerly neglected area that is undergoing redevelopment. The photography is by Chris Miele and John D'Angelo. Project credits: Design architect: EC3 Executive architect: Studio Detroit Landscape design and general contractor: Prince Concepts Construction manager: Victor Chavarria, Prince Concepts Landscape contracting: Randy Pardy, Prince Concepts Landwork and excavation: Brown Derby Boys and Sylvester McCormick Carpentry: Tom Watkins and Bill Berger Electric: Willie Marshall Electric Plumbing: Latona Plumbing HVAC: Fresh Aire Mechanical Millwork:Tom Watkins and Bill Berger The post EC3 adds "inspired rental housing" with trees to Core City development in Detroit appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Serie Architects has used interlocking walls cloaked in hand-chiselled bricks to outline Raj Sabhagruh, a complex dedicated to Jainism in Dharampur, India. Raj Sabhagruh comprises 16,000 square metres of space for discourse, study, rest and meditation, and takes visual cues from the architecture of India's Jain temples. Described by Serie Architects as "an

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Architecture studio Serie Architects has used interlocking walls cloaked in hand-chiselled bricks to outline Raj Sabhagruh, a complex dedicated to Jainism in Dharampur, India. Raj Sabhagruh comprises 16,000 square metres of space for discourse, study, rest and meditation, and takes visual cues from the architecture of India's Jain temples. Described by Serie Architects as "an ambitious complex", the building forms the centrepiece building in Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram – a 100-hectare monastery on top of a hill in Dharampur in India's Gujarat state. Serie Architects has created a complex dedicated to Jainism in Dharampur Raj Sabhagruh was designed for followers of Jainism, an Indian religion, and centres around a central auditorium with a capacity of 5,000 people. There is also a 1,000-square-metre museum, a 300-seater meditation hall and a number of classrooms. "The architecture that emerges can accommodate a wide range of uses and continues to evolve with the spiritual mission it serves," said Serie Architects. "It acts as a backdrop where Ashram life can unfold, anchoring it as a place for the acquisition of knowledge and inner spiritual experience." It forms part of Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram Serie Architects won a competition to design Raj Sabhagruh in 2012 and worked with the Ashram and spiritual leader Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji throughout its development. The building's key visual reference is the stepped structure of the mythical temple Jain Samavasaran and how this represents knowledge acquisition bringing worshippers closer to enlightenment, Serie Architects said. The building is formed of interlocking walls "We worked very closely with Ashram and the Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, listening to their needs and aspirations, responding with architectural ideas, and discursively refining them over a two-year-long design period," the studio explained. "We tested several iterations exploring typologies of sacred form. There was a deep desire to find an architecture that was contemporary, memorable and timeless, that could serve as a signifier for a young, growing Ashram." They are clad in small hand-chiselled bricks Outside, the Raj Sabhagruh is formed of gently curving and interlocking concrete walls, lending the building the appearance of a series of stacked boxes. They are unified by hand-laid and hand-cut brick cladding, which took two years to position across the building's 36 elevations, and punctured by circular windows. There are a total 800,000 bricks across the walls, each formed from white marble off-cuts sourced nearby in in Makrana. They are deliberately small in size to accommodate the curves of the building and have textured surfaces intended to create playful patterns of light and shadow. Read: Babnimnim Design Studio encloses Kuwait mosque within rotated square forms "The rough cuts expose the crystalline structure of the marble, which refracts and disperses light in numerous luminous tones and hues across the building's surfaces, changing with the sun's movement throughout the day," said Serie Architects. "Deep-set circular windows bring daylight deep into the interior, adding a layer of visual depth and animating the monolithic form." The building centres around a large auditorium Inside, the main 5,000 seater auditorium, or "discourse hall", is a 54-metre-wide and 20-metre-tall concrete space. Thanks to four curved arches that enclose the space, it is entirely column-free. The hall was positioned at ground level and accessed by a large foyer with eight entrances. Its concrete structure is warmed by wooden acoustic baffles, arranged concentrically to evoke the ceilings of Maha-mandapa – gathering halls in Jain temples. There are eight entrances to the auditorium To one side of the auditorium is a stage for the Guru, while a mezzanine level with additional seating sits at the other. The floors above the auditorium include a 20-metre tall meditation hall, located on the top level with a capacity for 300 worshippers. "The 300-seater meditation hall, placed above the auditorium rises 20 metres to cap the building composition as a glowing lantern, with over 1000 glowing pins of light etched into its marbled surface, visible afar from the streets of Dharampur," said the studio. A meditation hall occupies the top floor Raj Sabhagruh is complete with classrooms, a museum that celebrates the life of Shrimad Rajchandra – a Jain saint – and a library containing rare Jain texts. "Programmatically, one ascends upwards from spaces of the discourse hall at the ground level, to experiential learning within the museum at the second level, deep study within classrooms at the third and finally to introspection within the meditation hall at the apex tier," said Serie Architects. Classrooms feature in the upper levels Outside the Raj Sabhagruh, the plinth on which it is raised links to a large plaza, which incorporates a large dining hall to the north and a 5,000-seat open-air amphitheatre to the west. To the south is Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram. The plaza is laid in white marble that matches the brick cladding and is dotted with ficus trees designed to reflect heat in the summer. Other religious buildings recently featured on Dezeen include the red-brick Bait Ur Raiyan Mosque in Bangladesh and the "open and free" Frihamnskyrkan church in Sweden. The photography is by Rory Gardiner. Project credits: Architect: Serie Architects Client: Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Structural design: Lera Auditorium consultant: RMM Designs MEP consultant: Arkk Consulting Acoustical consultant: Andy Munroe Lighting consultant: Clarity Drawing manager: Gleeds The post Serie Architects adds "memorable and timeless" hall to Indian monastery appeared first on Dezeen.

The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series looks at Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump, which was the turning point in Hadid's career. Although it's hard to imagine now, at the beginning of the century Hadid was still called a "paper architect", known primarily for her drawings and numerous striking, but

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The next instalment in our 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series looks at Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump, which was the turning point in Hadid's career. Although it's hard to imagine now, at the beginning of the century Hadid was still called a "paper architect", known primarily for her drawings and numerous striking, but unrealised, schemes. Towering above Innsbruck in Austria, the Bergisel Ski Jump marked a turning point for Hadid as her first major completed project, clearly demonstrating that her ambitious designs could be built. Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was her first completed major building. Photo via Shutterstock Hadid's studio, Zaha Hadid Architects, won the international competition to replace the ageing ski jump in Innsbruck in December 1999. It was the latest in a series of high-profile competitions won by the studio. Hadid first gained global attention when she won the competition to design The Peak private club in the hills of Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1983. Although the project didn't end up being built, it in part led to her inclusion in the seminal Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1988, where she featured alongside Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Peter Eisenman and Coop Himmelb(l)au. The ski jump replaced a historic structure The studio went on to design several small-scale projects, including a restaurant in Singapore and a private fire station for the Vitra furniture factory in Weil am Rhein, as well as the first Serpentine pavilion. Hadid also won another high-profile competition in 1990 to design an opera house in Cardiff, but this project was also later abandoned. The result was that almost two decades after winning The Peak competition, the studio had still not completed any major projects. It is the architectural incarnation of the sensations experienced by the ski-jumpers Lilli Hollein in Domus That would change in Innsbruck, where a ski jump had stood on the Bergisel hill since 1926. Although the jump was updated in the 1960s – ahead of the town hosting the Winter Olympics in 1964 – by the 1990s it no longer met international standards. This prompted the Austrian Ski Federation to organise a competition to design a replacement, which, along with a launch ramp for the jump, would also contain a cafe and viewpoint. It also wanted to create a landmark for the city. "The challenge here was to integrate a new, initially alien element – the cafe and sundeck – into a given [ski jump] formula," Hadid told Building magazine at the time. "The result is a rather unusual silhouette on Bergisel." The structure combines a ski jump with a cafe and viewpoint Described by the studio as "a combination of a tower and a bridge", the structure is 50 metres high and 90 metres long. It has two distinct elements – a tower topped with athletes facilities and a cafe, and the ski jump itself. The sections are supported by a seven-metre-by-seven-metre-square tower that contains two lifts along with stairs for skiers to reach the jump and visitors to reach the cafe. Very few buildings can stand up to the Alps without retreating into modesty Joseph Giovannini Wrapped entirely in stainless steel, the three-storey block has athletes' facilities on its lowest floor, a cafe with 360-degree views above and an outdoor viewing platform on its top floor. The distinctive ski jump seemed to achieve the impossible of both standing out and sitting harmoniously with the impressive surrounding landscape. The structure overlooks the city of Innsbruck. Photo via Shutterstock Critics praised the project, which was shortlisted for a Mies van der Rohe Award in 2003. "It is the architectural incarnation of the sensations experienced by the ski-jumpers," wrote Lilli Hollein in Italian architecture magazine Domus at the time. "In a region where almost everyone has a strong relationship with sport and with the natural landscape, it has become a new symbol of the evolving Tyrolean identity." Read: Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Modern was the most significant building of 2000 Later it was described as "dynamic and lyrical" by architectural critic Joseph Giovannini in an essay to mark Hadid winning the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. "Very few buildings can stand up to the Alps without retreating into modesty, but Zaha Hadid's dynamic and lyrical Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck, Austria, completed in 2002, confronts the surrounding mountains with an equivalent architectural majesty," wrote Giovannini. The structure has the swooping forms that Hadid later became famous for Following the opening of the ski jump, the studio completed a series of major projects in quick succession, securing Hadid's reputation as a creator of actual buildings. The Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, opened in 2003, was her first major cultural building and was followed in 2005 by the Ordrupgaard Museum extension, BMW Central Building and Phaeno Science Center. As Dezeen founder Marcus Fairs wrote in UK magazine Building at the time, the Bergisel Ski Jump marked the "end of an era for Hadid". Did we get it right? Was Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid the most significant building completed in 2002? Let us know in the comments. We will be running a poll once all 25 buildings are revealed to determine the most significant building of the 21st century so far. This article is part of Dezeen's 21st-Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings series, which looks at the most significant architecture of the 21st century so far. For the series, we have selected the most influential building from each of the first 25 years of the century. The illustration is by Jack Bedford and photography is by Hélène Binet, unless stated. 21st Century Architecture: 25 Years 25 Buildings 2000: Tate Modern by Herzog & de Meuron 2001: Gando Primary School by Diébédo Francis Kéré 2002: Bergisel Ski Jump by Zaha Hadid 2003: Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry 2004: Quinta Monroy by Elemental 2005: Moriyama House by Ryue Nishizawa 2006: Madrid-Barajas airport by RSHP and Estudio Lamela 2007: Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta 2008: Museum of Islamic Art by IM Pei This list will be updated as the series progresses. The post Zaha Hadid's Bergisel Ski Jump was the most significant building of 2002 appeared first on Dezeen.

Car brand Toyota has revealed the first phase of its Woven City project in Japan, which was designed by Japanese studio Nikken Sekkei as part of a masterplan by Danish studio BIG. Woven City is currently being built near the base of Mount Fuji at the former site of Toyota Motor East Japan's (TMEJ) Higashi-Fuji

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Car brand Toyota has revealed the first phase of its Woven City project in Japan, which was designed by Japanese studio Nikken Sekkei as part of a masterplan by Danish studio BIG. Woven City is currently being built near the base of Mount Fuji at the former site of Toyota Motor East Japan's (TMEJ) Higashi-Fuji Plant in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The concept for Woven City was created by architecture studio BIG Buildings for the first phase have now been completed and approximately 100 residents are expected to move in around autumn 2025 or thereafter. Phase one will accommodate 360 people, Toyota said, with the official launch set for autumn. Projected to eventually house 2,000 people, the city features staggered wooden buildings flanking a central square and surrounded by a road. The masterplan, public realm and landscape for the project were developed by BIG with Nikken Sekkei carrying out the detailed design in collaboration with Obayashi Corporation. The city includes buildings with staggered forms The houses, primarily built of wood, feature solar panels on their roof while the apartments have been designed so that residents have access to planted terraces. Woven City sits on a 70-hectare site and will have a mix of housing, business and retail. It was designed to "demonstrate Toyota's long-term commitment to shaping the future of mobility". Its residents will be testing vehicles and products from companies including Toyota and its Woven by Toyota (WbyT) brand. Solar panels cover the roofs of buildings Other brands that have been confirmed for Woven City are Nissin Food Products, which will create "food environments to inspire new food cultures" and air conditioning company Daikin, which will test "pollen-free spaces" in Woven City. BIG designed the city as a "woven grid" that is 150 metres wide. Streets will be used by vehicles, pedestrians and "other mobility types", the studio said. Read: Toyota redesigns its e-Palette vehicle for Tokyo 2020 Olympic athletes Roads will be divided into three sections, with one – the primary street – occupied by autonomous vehicles including the Toyota e-Palette. A secondary section will be used by bicycles, scooters and other personal modes of transport, while the third will be a "linear park" dedicated to pedestrians and plants. Roads will be divided into sections for different modes of transport "Connected, autonomous, emission-free and shared mobility solutions are bound to unleash a world of opportunities for new forms of urban life," BIG founder Bjarke Ingels said when the project was first announced. "With the breadth of technologies and industries that we have been able to access and collaborate with from the Toyota ecosystem of companies, we believe we have a unique opportunity to explore new forms of urbanity with the Woven City that could pave new paths for other cities to explore." Buildings will be constructed from wood Work has begun on phase two and on the renovation of a former TMEJ Higashi-Fuji Plant facility into a manufacturing hub for Woven City. Elsewhere, BIG is also currently working on luxury residences for Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and the overhaul of a 1950s power plant in Connecticut. The photography is courtesy of Toyota. The post Nikken Sekkei and BIG's Toyota Woven City unveiled in Japan appeared first on Dezeen.

A circular healthcare facility designed by American architect Bertrand Goldberg is at risk of demolition in Illinois after being closed for more than 20 years, but is "worth preserving" according to Goldberg's son. In late 2024, the Chicago Sun Times reported that the cylindrical Elgin Mental Health Center Medical and Surgical designed by well-known architect

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A circular healthcare facility designed by American architect Bertrand Goldberg is at risk of demolition in Illinois after being closed for more than 20 years, but is "worth preserving" according to Goldberg's son. In late 2024, the Chicago Sun Times reported that the cylindrical Elgin Mental Health Center Medical and Surgical designed by well-known architect Bertrand Goldberg building was listed for demolition by the Illinois Department of Human Services due to structural hazards and asbestos, years after its closure in 2002. A circular healthcare facility by architect Bertrand Goldberg is at risk of demolition Completed in 1967 by Goldberg, best known for his design of the Marina City skyscrapers in Chicago, the building consists of a four-storey circular tower resting upon a square base. Archways surround the building at ground level, while the body of the building is clad in glass and external louvres. "It's very unusual in several ways," architect Geoffrey Goldberg, son of Bertrand, told Dezeen. "Overall, it's well worth preserving for the legacy. Whether that convinces anyone from a preservation or utility viewpoint is another matter." The medical building is part of a wider mental health facility outside of Chicago. The photo is by Bill Briska. The Medical and Surgical building is part of the wider Elgin Mental Health Center, a 100-acre campus outside of Chicago that opened in the late 1870s, serving a variety of functions such as a mental health facility, operating as a farm and veterans facility throughout its history. Inside, the building reflects its circular exterior and features a radial floor plan. Read: Chris Pratt's destruction of Ellwood house in LA symptom of "systemic problems" A snaking breezeway connects the building to a nearby brick laundry building, also designed and completed by Goldberg in the 1960s. Like the neighbouring Medical and Surgical building, it is also in disuse. At its largest, the Elgin Mental Health Center covered 1,139 acres (461 hectres) after World War II and served a maximum of 7,700 patients in the 1950s. A portion of the Center still operates today, but much of the original campus was demolished between the 1990s and early 2000s as the buildings fell into disrepair. The building contains a radial floor plan and is clad in louvres As of late 2024, there is no set timeline for the demolition of the Surgical and Medical building. Born in Chicago in 1913, architect Bertrand Goldberg studied at the Bauhaus and worked for Ludwig Mies van der Rohe before returning to the US. The fluted, concrete Marina City towers in downtown Chicago are one of the city's most recognizable works. Other news in Chicago includes the commencing of construction on the SOM skyscrapers on a Chicago site that has faced numerous setbacks and delays. Meanwhile, a Frank Lloyd Wright tower in Oklahoma has been embroiled in a legal battle over the preservation of its original furniture. The photography is by Geoffrey Goldberg unless otherwise stated. The post Cylindrical Bertrand Goldberg building at risk of demolition in Illinois appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a forest spa in China by Vector Architects. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now. Vector Architects designed the Wulingshan Eye Stone Spring spa in Aranya, China, incorporating a stack of eight chimney-style lightwells. Commenters shared mixed opinions on the structure, with one describing it as "stunningly powerful," while

The post Dezeen Debate features a "wonderful and powerful execution of space" appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a forest spa in China by Vector Architects. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now. Vector Architects designed the Wulingshan Eye Stone Spring spa in Aranya, China, incorporating a stack of eight chimney-style lightwells. Commenters shared mixed opinions on the structure, with one describing it as "stunningly powerful," while another referred to it as a "sublime and bonkers resolution of the brief". High Court rules Zaha Hadid Architects must continue paying to use founder's name Other stories in this week's newsletter that fired up the comments section included a High Court ruling requiring Zaha Hadid Architects to keep paying to use the founder's name, a Corten steel extension in South London and a red brick cinema in Hainan by One Plus Partnership. 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 a "wonderful and powerful execution of space" 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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This structure has always been on my bucket list and after seeing it for real I was mesmerized. I cant wait for it to be completed. submitted by /u/This-Egg-1816 [link] [comments]

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Hello designers, I would like to offer design & manufacturing consulting services for designers and decorators who are seeking to inject custom lighting, furniture, homewares or custom hardware into their projects. Also I would love to help them create their own offerings/collections of custom products to sell. My observation is that some things out in the current market can feel very homogenized especially when working within a certain price point. I find myself seeking niche and novelty items to accessorize a space that will allow for the unique identity of a designer to shine through. And my sense is the best way to do this is with something custom. I'm interested to hear what any of you have to say about this, if you have any interest or feedback or even what you are seeking and not finding in the current design market, if it is in fact product related. My background is in high end luxury design, originally fashion, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren Collection, as well as high end furniture and lighting design and manufacturing. I specialize in metal work, but I'm also well versed in glass, wood, stone, ceramic, casting... prefer to stick with natural material when possible, just bc the world is so full of plastic already.... I also have a vast network of wonderfully talented friends and colleagues who are absolutely genius fabricators and makers within their specialties. Currently working on my own product offering, but thought it would be fun to collaborate or offer services to anyone seeking some knowledge and guidance from a manufacturing pro. Maybe you have an idea that you want to see come to life but don't know where to start? Those are the people I'm trying to reach! Would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this! Thank you! submitted by /u/Ill-Reflection-6333 [link] [comments]

have a question about the One World Trade Center. In the black-and-white photo I took, you can see that one corner of the building isn’t rectangular like the others. If you notice, in that same photo, the spire of the church (St. Paul’s Chapel) aligns perfectly with that specific corner of the building. Was this just a coincidence, or did the architect design it that way on purpose? submitted by /u/Thick_Worldliness461 [link] [comments]

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For one of my classes, we are designing museums. It’s a group of 2 project, and we are in the early sketches and layout phases. It’s a 24000 sq ft lot, and a 3 storey building. Edit: and a basement. My partner believes we need to bring in a ramp going down into the basement of the museum (not open to the public) to then bring large sculptures into an elevator to bring them up to the display areas. Meanwhile, I believe we should be using a large overhead door to bring tall sculptures in. Note: the sculptures are all hypothetical at this point, but the examples and part projects we were shown all had open spaces that had sculptures rising above the 2nd floor. So the “hypothetical” sculpture brought into our museum are going to be very tall. That’s why I don’t believe bringing them into a basement and an elevator would work. Also note: the entrance to the ramp he wants would be in an alley (no measurements right now). So space is very limited for a large vehicle to transport the sculpture. submitted by /u/bmdonald [link] [comments]

Hi, sorry. A bit of a weird question. Can anyone corroborate this? I swear Hempcrete is ony a new thing? Do you think the Romans had hemp back then? https://www.hempcretevictoria.com.au/blog-articles/did-the-romans-invent-hempcrete? submitted by /u/According-Answer1907 [link] [comments]

I’m a student doing a project and I was looking for conversation pits that appear in films. If you could drop some films that include convo pits that would be great. submitted by /u/b_a_b_e_s [link] [comments]

This year I'm trying to apply for a Part 1 Architectural Assistant Position anywhere in the UK. I'm having a really hard time with it right now and I feel like my portfolio and/ or CV isn't good enough. I have sent a link to my portfolio and CV and any feedback back will be much appreciated. CV: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:6af5074a-1368-43f9-860b-bffa0bb436ca Portfolio: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:f49d5881-21a4-4935-9b02-380b7fef385b submitted by /u/PublicAstronaut1292 [link] [comments]

Hi! Is acrylic tsquare better than the hybrid one ? I read some reviews and they said acrylic is good for architecture since you can see the paper through but they’re not that sturdy compared to the hybrid. Some also said the hybrid is better cause its more sturdy and less prone to damage. Also please recommend your favorite tsquare brands. submitted by /u/Particular_Cabinet88 [link] [comments]

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Hey Reddit, I’ve always been interested in architecture. Had come fairly close to declaring the major in college, but with with a general BA degree instead. After about 5 years of working in the corporate business world, I became a carpenter. I’ve been doing that for about 5 years now, but I’m starting to wonder what’s next as there’s many aspects of that I see becoming harder as I get older. I feel like I’m at a point (almost 33 years old, married, mortgage, maybe a kid in the future) where I’m too far in to want to do a complete 180 in terms of a new career. I still love a lot about what I do and the building process in general, and I’d love to transfer those skills rather than build completely unrelated ones. This has me thinking that maybe I want to pursue architecture. I know it’s more schooling, I know it’s a tough job, and I know it’s not really paid commensurately for all of that. But I feel like there are many aspects of it that I’d enjoy, and I feel like my background in carpentry/construction as well as project management would be transferable. So - I’d love to get a better idea of what being an architect is really like before considering to the massive time & money investment in going back to school. Do you have any insight or pointers in what would give me the best look into that world? Should I reach out to smaller firms and try to get an internship? Do small firms typically hire inexperienced, non-licensed people to work on the ground floor? I should note that I mean in the actual design/planning/construction world, not as a receptionist or something that wouldn’t get much exposure to the actual architecture. I figured it would be an option to “shadow” an architect to get a good idea of the life and ask questions, but I figure if it’s at all possible to not only learn more about it but also have a job and make connections, it might make the investment in school that much more worthwhile. Thanks for any insight. Feel free to give me your thoughts on architecture as a career in general, would love to hear them. submitted by /u/robin_nohood [link] [comments]

Hello, I’m third year student. Just curious what can I do to improve?? submitted by /u/Responsible-Ad-5444 [link] [comments]

Today, AD is welcomed by supermodel Paloma Elsesser to tour her Brooklyn townhouse. An illustrious modeling career means Elsesser is often jet-setting the globe, and as a result, her time at home has become her vacation time. Brooklyn was always where the supermodel wanted to end up setting up home, with Gregory Rockwell and Hester Hodde of Gregory Rockwell Interiors helping bring her oasis to life. Her home takes its cues from Milan design, mixing vintage and artisanal pieces, a style Elsesser has been drawn to since her many travels to Italy’s fashion capital. As the model settles into her dream home, it’s already been a place of great personal evolution–“I feel like I became a woman here,” she admits. “I learned to navigate so many things—a breakup, a contractor, having agency over my decisions and my money. I’m under no one else’s jurisdiction. It’s scary, but also very freeing.” Shop furniture and decor inspired by the supermodel’s home: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/shopping/paloma-elsesser-open-door 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 welcomes interior designer Darren Jett to tour one of his most recent design projects, a full Soho loft renovation. From structural changes to interior design, every decision matters when renovating a space–Jett breaks down how he landed on the final design and what factored into his choices. 00:00 Intro 00:46 Design Inspiration 02:37 Light and Dark 04:55 A New Layout 07:34 Practical Magic 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.

Interior designer David Netto answers your top design questions. 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 of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects returns to AD to discuss prefab architecture and why it could be the future of housing–but probably won’t be. Prefabricated architecture has always posed a more affordable and sustainable future for housing as they’re fast and cheaper to build and produce less waste in the long run, so why hasn’t it taken over? Wyetzner delves into the history of prefab and why it failed to take off how many architects have hoped it would. ASSETS J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute 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 year, Kris Jenner gifted Kendall Jenner the ornaments she grew up with. 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 back by Kendall Jenner to tour her LA home while it’s decorated for Christmas. Over the years, the Kardashian-Jenner clan has become known for their flamboyant Christmas decorations but Kendall’s approach to holiday decorating is much more traditional. With the help of florist to the stars, Jeff Leatham, green garlands, a classic tree, and vintage decorations lace the halls of her home creating a nostalgic atmosphere. Much of this nostalgia stems from decorations from Kendall’s childhood handed down from her mom Kris–most notably her collection of Christopher Radko tree ornaments. “Growing up with [those ornaments] every year, they became so special to me,” she says. “And I can’t wait to share that with my kids one day, but I love sharing this with my friends. I love entertaining, I love hosting, and so these decorations get used really well.” Shop furniture and decor inspired by the star’s festive home: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/shopping/kendall-jenner-holiday-open-door Read more: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/kendall-jenner-christmas-decorations Never miss a story when you subscribe to AD https://bit.ly/4iUsTun 2024 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 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.

Liza Koshy slips into something more fancy ready to host her friends and family for the holidays. 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, AD100 designer David Netto joins Architectural Digest to answer your burning interior design questions. What color combinations should you avoid? Should you hang your TV over the fireplace? Netto shares his expertise to help solve any interior design problems you may face. 00:00 Intro 00:16 Creative ways to use lights instead of overheads 01:38 Best countertop for a kitchen that gets a ton of use? 02:24 What colors mix well and what combos should I avoid? 05:11 Should you mount your TV over the fireplace? 06:15 What design styles mix well? 07:11 How do you determine if a vintage piece is ugly or chic? 08:23 Good colors for someone who is afraid of color? 09:30 How can I make my home feel brighter? 10:41 I want to keep my house from feeling dated, any tips? 11:58 What piece is most worth splurging on? 13:16 Affordable upgrades that make a big difference? 14:03 How to start furnishing an empty apartment? Special thanks to EllsworthKellyFoundation and Gemini G.E.L. LLC 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.

Liza Koshy has a lot of special Christmas memories with her grandma and loves to honor her this time of year. 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.

Pro tips to level up your holiday garland this year. 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 joins Joshua Jackson and production designer, Jamie Walker McCall, to tour the set of Ryan Murphy’s ‘Doctor Odyssey’. Bringing The Odyssey cruise ship to life was no mean feat–from a fully functioning pool on the leisure deck to the most stylish infirmary a doctor could ask for, this set creates a luxurious backdrop for all the show’s medical drama. Catch up now on the first 8 episodes on Hulu. Doctor Odyssey returns March 6 at 9PM on ABC, stream next day on Hulu. 00:00 Intro 00:18 The Infirmary 03:22 Max’s Office 04:45 Leisure Deck 06:00 Grand Dining Room 08:25 Max’s Cabin 11:11 The Bridge 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.

Liza Koshy's kitchen island is one of the reasons she bought her 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.

Today, AD joins architect Beatriz Ramo (STAR strategies + architecture) in Rotterdam to tour The Cabanon, a space that claims to be the biggest smallest apartment in the world. When Beatriz and her husband, Bernd Upmeyer (BOARD), discovered that a tiny 74-square-foot storage room had become available in their apartment building, they knew it was the start of their next design project. The couple envisioned fitting a whole apartment comprising four rooms into the tiny space. Through the construction of an ingenious wooden insert the couple managed to fit a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen/living space, and even a spa into such a tiny space–compartments fold out when needed and slot perfectly back into place when the resident’s activity changes. 00:00 Intro 00:57 Design Concept 03:37 Living Room/Kitchen 06:08 Bathroom 07:44 Spa 09:22 Bedroom Director: Skylar Economy Field Directors: Laurens Peek; Tim Treurniet Director of Photography: David van der Meijde Editor: Letícia Villarinho Producer: Skylar Economy Field Producer: Laurens Peek Line Producer: Joe Buscemi Associate Producer: Amanda Broll Production Manager: Melissa Heber Production Coordinator: Tanía Jones Assistant Camera: Daniel Bos; Roy van Anraat Sound Recordist: Ton Spruit Director of Creative Development: Morgan Crossley Director of Content: Keleigh Nealon Senior Producer: Alyssa Marino Williams Associate Director, Post Production: Nicholas Ascanio Post Production Supervisor: Andrew Montague Post Production Coordinator: Holly Frew Supervising Editor: Christina Mankellow Assistant Editor: Fynn Lithgow Senior Motion Graphics Designer: Sam Fuller Colorist: Oliver Eid Design: STAR strategies + architecture and BOARD (Bureau of Architecture, Research, and Design) STAR - https://www.instagram.com/star_strategies_architecture/ BOARD – https://www.instagram.com/bureau_of_architecture_r_d/ Architects: Beatriz Ramo López de Angulo and Bernd Upmeyer Team: Geoffrey Clamour; Images: Efraín Pérez del Barrio, Ivan Guerrero Jiménez; Communication: Danae Zachariaki Thanks to: Ana Beatriz López- Angulo, Javier Ramo, Ana Ramo Photography: Ossip van Duivenbode Construction: Midwinter - Timmerwerk & Decoratie : Arjen van Caspel and Mirjam Groenendijk 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.

Liza Koshy sets the mood for Christmas with the help of her Steve Buscemi Santa. 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.

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem sits down with AD to discuss what home means to her and how she created a home for herself in New York City. 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.

As 2024 comes to a close, it's time for us to take a look back on the year that was and some of our top tiny house tours! Remember you can find the links to the full video tours of each of these wonderful homes listed below. ❤️ Thank-you for watching the channel this year and for all of your support. Happy new year! 🌟 ~ A Dream Cabin For My Parents! See The Full Tour - https://youtu.be/t30f9vTiME8 ~ Tiny House 2.0! Start To Finish Build of OUR Stunning New Tiny Home! - https://youtu.be/taccd4Kjq-I ~ Step Inside Middle Earth: Epic Hobbit Home Tour! - https://youtu.be/M10HrcYjjuc ~ This HUGE Tiny House Has EVERYTHING! - https://youtu.be/W3fhw1ZiI0o ~ Low Tech Self-Sufficiency in Her Amazing French Homestead - https://youtu.be/HwdOljMl8Q0 ~ Luxury Tiny Home with Stunning Conservatory! - https://youtu.be/jx5-erHYiyo ~ Ex Airline Pilot Takes Tiny House Design To New Heights! - https://youtu.be/M8NzjozJj3I ~Young Artist Transforms An Old Bus Into A Magical Tiny Home - https://youtu.be/pyIiT3yAdqc 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 #tinyhome #tinyhousetour #hometour

Wishing a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays you all! 🌟 It's time for the Living Big in a Tiny House Christmas Special, where we catch up with all the wonderful tiny house folk who we have visited this year and see how they are celebrating Christmas and decorating their tiny houses for the season. 🎄 We want to say a huge thank-you to all of you, our wonderful audience for coming on the journey with us this year. We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas / holiday season filled with love, connection and of course great food! With Lots of Love, Bryce, Rasa & The Living Big Team! ❤️ 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 We want to say a huge thank-you to the Making Spirits Bright Christmas Shop in Victoria for letting us crash their store last minute to film the intro to this video! ❤️ 'Living Big in a Tiny House' © 2024 Zyia Pictures Ltd #tinyhouse #offgrid #christmas #tinyhousechristmas #christmasdecoratoin #christmasdecor

In this episode we meet Ben, a man who has left the city to live life on his own terms; off-the-grid and free in a spectacular tiny home cabin. Now situated on an incredible property by the ocean and surrounded by space and fresh air, his peaceful tiny home is a far cry from the hustle and bustle that he left behind. The construction of his cabin home is quite unique. Ben has built two seperate buildings that both join together to function as one. The first contains his living room, office and kitchen, while the other has his bedroom and bathroom. The resulting home is spacious, comfortable and also provides wonderful indoor / outdoor living, capitalising on the stunning views surrounding the home. This place is totally off-the-grid, with abundant rain water collection and an extremely capable solar system that also enables him to charge up an electric car. So in addition to leaving the city life, he has also been able to say goodbye to his petrol bills. Here, Ben lives simply. He admits that he is still adjusting to rural, off-the-grid living, but overall is enjoying his newfound freedom and the beautiful simplicity of downsized living. We hope you enjoy the tour of his exceptional off-grid 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 #offgrid #cabin #tinyhousetour #tinyhome #homedesign

This tiny home design is like no other! It's a handcrafted tiny house that has been beautifully constructed and is packed full of clever, never before seen design features. David is an ex pilot who after retiring from flying made a radical life shift into a tiny home and a simpler way of life. A DIY project, David, together with help from a carpenter friend constructed this absolutely one-of-a-kind home. The quality of the finish in this home is second to none and the cleverness of the home's design is perhaps only outshone by the execution of the build! This spacious home is compact, but feature rich! This tiny house has absolutely everything David needs. It's provided not only a beautiful place for David to call home, but has also been key in facilitating a slower, simpler way of living. We hope you enjoy the tour of this epic tiny house. 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 #tinyhome #tinyhousetour #homedesign

If you’re searching for a supersized tiny home that wants for absolutely nothing, you’ve found it! This tiny house has been exquisitely executed. It’s an upsized design that doesn’t know the meaning of compromise. This is definitely on the larger size of tiny homes. It has an exceptionally spacious design with palatial kitchen, lounge bathroom and a downstairs bedroom with exceptionally high ceiling height. It’s unquestionably luxury! Upstairs, the two would-be sleeping lofts have been converted into a home office and reading room. It’s really a tiny mansion! The expansion of the home into the outdoors has been brilliantly executed, greatly extending the living space. There’s space for outdoor cooking and dining, lounging and a luxurious bath tub. Who could ask for more?! Barb and PK have designed this tiny house for their future downsized retirement. Until then, it has become a sanctuary space for their friends and family. We hope you enjoy the tour of this spectacular tiny 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 #tinyhome #tinyhousetour #homedesign

Eujenne and Laurin are designers who have pulled out every trick in the book to maximize functionality and take their tiny home to the next level. You won't believe all they have been able to fit into their ultra tiny, and feature packed home! At only 6x2.5 meters, this is a compact tiny house that packs a whole lot of function. Each and every zone of the home has been carefully considered to create practical multifunction and abundant storage, all with a visually striking aesthetic. Both with design backgrounds, Eujenne and Laurin are the founders of Tiny Easy (https://www.tinyeasy.com), a company that creates easy to use design software for both professionals and amateurs alike. We hope you enjoy the tour of this exceptionally clever tiny house. 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 #tinyhome #tinyhousetour #homedesign

Living off-the-grid is in Grant’s DNA and his home is testament to that. Constructed from two 40ft shipping containers, his rustic home is innovative off-grid living at it’s best. It took a lot of hard work to get to where he is, but the result speaks for itself. The home has been cleverly designed to maximise on living space. The twin shipping containers are separated with a large roof over the middle to create a central, undercover, outdoor living space complete with pizza oven, breakfast bar, dining table and outdoor lounger. The twin shipping containers have been divided into one hosting the lounge, kitchen and spare bedroom and the other housing his bedroom, office, a large wardrobe and bathroom. Grant’s home is a place where everything is multi-purpose and designed to be efficient while also making life comfortable. Despite the industrial nature of the home’s origins as shipping containers, he has also done a lot of work to improve the aesthetic, adding beautiful stone work, rustic timber elements and sub-tropical plants that make the house look truly at home set amongst the beautiful surrounding natural landscape. Here, Grant is on a dream 10 acre property, with native bush, fresh water springs, and grazing for his animals. He has also added onto his home by using an additional two 40ft shipping containers to construct a large barn and workshop for himself. This really is the off-grid dream! We hope you enjoy the full tour of this super cool off-grid container 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 #shippingcontainerhouse #shippingcontainers #offgrid

Architecture can sometimes feel like an open book, where anything is possible. But other times, we are constrained by limitations like budget, regulations, or, in this case, a super awkwardly shaped yet amazing coastal section boasting a short walk to the ocean. The designer of this ingenious 35m² home embraced the challenge, and the result is nothing short of remarkable. Inspired by years of living aboard a boat, Pirates Rest draws heavily on nautical design elements, making it a truly unique home. The unusual shape of the lot dictated much of the design, resulting in a host of fascinating and unexpected features. Working within constraints often sparks innovation, and that’s certainly the case here. The home is packed with fun, clever ideas that showcase just how creative design can be when pushed to its limits. If you’re looking for inspiration for a compact, cleverly designed home, this one is sure to deliver! Until Scott retires and is able to enjoy his home full time, he graciously shares his space on AirBnB to enable others to experience small space seaside living at the Pirates Rest. You can book your stay here: https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/46645562 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 #architecture #hometour

This weeks episode is very a very special tour indeed. We've never seen a tiny home quite like this before. It’s simple in its design and yet the brilliant execution and styling of this home has elevated it to a whole other level! The design of the home itself is ultra practical. It is spacious and open while also packing a whole lot of function. My favourite feature of the home though has to be the conservatory which not only significantly expands the living space in the tiny home but also adds a whole lot of beauty and character. Beyond the function of the home though, this has to be one of the most beautifully styled tiny houses we've ever seen. From every angle you look at this home it is as though the house has jumped right off the page of a Pinterest board! Plus, it's a tiny house filled with puppies. How does it get any better than that!? We hope you enjoy the tour of this incredible tiny house! 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 #homedesign #hometour

👟 Embrace your daily life adventure with Vessi! Visit https://vessi.com/livingbig for an automatic 15% off your first purchase at checkout! - In this weeks episode, we visit a family of four who are living in an absolutely stunning tiny home. With the help of some great design ideas, they have crafted a compact home that works like a dream for their young family. There are a lot of young families out there who love the idea of moving into a tiny house but aren’t sure they could make it work. This is a great example of how with the help of some good design, you can build a tiny house that enables a family to thrive! We hope you enjoy the full tour of this wonderful tiny home! You can follow this families inspiring adventures via their instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julia.grace.price/ 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 #tinyhousefamily #hometour