The main role of architecture is to create structures that protect us from the environment and create spaces that are safe and comfortable for all types of needs and activities. By providing shelter, architecture also shapes the way people interact with their surroundings. Building technologies of the past rarely managed, however, to create a complete separation between us and the outside world.
While impermeability was a desired outcome, the porous building materials available always allowed some water, wind, or outside particles to leak into the interior spaces. In contrast, modern technologies now allow for almost completely impermeable building envelopes, allowing for complete separation between indoors and outdoors, thus relying on engineered systems to regulate temperature, airflow, or humidity. This article explores the differences between these two contrasting approaches, exploring how building facades are equipped to regulate indoor comfort and its environmental impact.
Just as fashion designers use pins, needles and textiles to bring their creations to life, architects rely on materials to shape our built environment. From steel and glass to wood and concrete, these form the artistic palette that transforms blueprints into tangible structures, bridging the gap between imagination and reality. It’s as simple, yet as complex as that. But with so many materials –and countless shapes, finishes, textures and colors– available in this day and age, making the correct choices for a particular project can be quite challenging. Several questions naturally arise: How do architects navigate the endless possibilities to handpick the elements that will breathe life into their designs? What does the material specification process entail? Where does one begin?
As one of the smallest spaces in the home, shower rooms often find it difficult to get enough light. While bedrooms are given priority to choose the most favored spots alongside exterior walls – giving them access to the fresh air, natural light, and better views provided by windows – sanitary spaces are often left to feed from the scraps in the aftermath, afforded only a sliver of external wall, if any.
Due to issues with privacy and water damage, meanwhile, when a shower room does have the opportunity to add a window, it’s rarely positioned in the shower itself. But with many using an energizing shower to gently wake themselves up in the morning, and with steam making the shower an environment with extra high humidity levels, a window in the shower can make a big difference, adding natural light to the space itself, while keeping the entire room well-ventilated.
In the perception of many, the favela embodies contradictory and opposed representations. For those outside its boundaries, the favela is frequently associated with crime, poverty, or illness. Yet, it is also regarded as the aesthetic embodiment of a nation, serving as the birthplace of culturally renowned elements worldwide, such as samba in the case of Brazil.
CityMakers, The Global Community of Architects Who Learn from Exemplary Cities and Their Makers, is working with Archdaily to publish a series of articles about Barcelona, Medellin, and Rotterdam. The authors are the architects, urban planners, and/or strategists behind the projects that have transformed these three cities and are studied in the "Schools of Cities" and "Documentary Courses" made by CityMakers. On this occasion, Jaume Barnada, coordinator of the award-winning Climate Shelters project in Barcelona schools and speaker at the "Schools of Cities", presents his article "Barcelona, the public place as a synonym for the adaptation of the built city."
Cities are dense, built spaces in which pavements have been efficiently imposed on the natural soil. Cities like Barcelona have almost 75% of the land paved and waterproof. Without a doubt, it is an excess to reverse at a time of climate emergency, where we must reconnect with nature. Oriol Bohigas [1] told us that good urbanization had paved the squares of Mediterranean cities and that no one wanted to live in a mudhole. I'm sure he was right. Also, he taught us that the green and, consequently, the natural soil had to have dimension and especially an urban position. Squares are squares and parks are parks, and each space has a type of project. Today, concepts are too frequently confused when urbanizing public places and consequently, we find projects that blur the model.
As an additive manufacturing method, 3D printing has been characterized by the construction of objects through the horizontal deposition of material, layer by layer. This still restricts, nonetheless, the manufacture of elements and limits the shape of early prototypes to within the range that allows the addition of material in a single direction, making it difficult to create complex shapes with smooth curves.
However, the team from the Chair of Digital Construction Technologies at ETH Zurich—integrating computational design, digital manufacturing, and new materials—has been exploring an innovative non-planar robotic additive manufacturing system. This method facilitates the printing of thin structures with double curvature, significantly expanding the possibilities of their application in architecture on a larger scale.
Each piece of furniture, be it a table, a chair, or a sofa, is much more than just a functional element. It is a bearer of stories, a keeper of memories, and a reflection of the craftsmanship of those who brought it to life. When it comes to wooden furniture, this connection with history and skill is even deeper; every grain, knot, and shade tells the story of the tree it came from, and the craftsmanship of the artisans is manifested in the curves and joints. In the contemporary context, where mass production and fast-paced trends tend to standardize the world around us, furniture making remains a beacon of authenticity, and wood continues to be highly prized. It's a haven where exclusivity and connection with the natural are celebrated, resisting the passage of time.
Rehabilitation involves repairing, renovating, altering, or reconstructing any building or structure. It addresses the need to significantly improve a building's failing features, primarily through strengthening or replacing elements to restore the structure's optimal performance. The impact of building rehabilitation on the physical environment is significant. It is a sustainable strategy for preserving the built environment and mitigating the construction industry's impact on climate change.
However, its social impact is also considerable when viewed as a fundamental framework for sustainable outcomes. Rehabilitation can serve as a model that brings community members together for inclusive repair and restoration of structures. This positively affects communal life quality, social integration, environmental sustainability, and community perception of local architecture.
For a long time, the construction industry has followed a linear process - extract raw materials, build structures, demolish them, and then dispose of the garbage in landfills. This approach has serious negative effects on the environment and society and is inherently unsustainable. Reconsidering traditional methods and workflows requires support from all stakeholders and a sense of urgency proclaimed by authorities. In the United States, city organizations have begun to implement new policies to keep construction waste out of landfills and support circular practices. Several cities like Seattle and Pittsburgh, have started implementing deconstruction ordinances that require older buildings to be carefully deconstructed rather than demolished. How might their key provisions influence circular practices in the country?
Riverside Art Studio by Patrizio Maria Puppo & Martina Di Marco (Winner). Image Courtesy of Dar[e]-Europe
The Sustainable Hub in Seville emerged as an innovative concept through an open idea passive Sustainable Design Competition, launched in October 2023 with submissions received by February 2024. Spearheaded by Dar[e]-Europe, a renowned research firm based in Seville, Spain, the competition aimed to foster sustainable design solutions while promoting comfort for users with minimal reliance on non-renewable energy sources and environmental impact.
For centuries, arid environments have solved the problem of light, privacy, and heat through a statement architectural feature of Islamic and Arab architecture, the mashrabiya. Crafted from geometric patterns traditionally made from short lengths of turned wood, the mashrabiya features lattice-like patterns that form large areas. Traditionally, it was used to catch wind and offer passive cooling in the dry Middle Eastern desert heat. Frequently used on the side street of a built structure, water jars, and basins were placed inside it to activate evaporative cooling. The cool air from the street would pass through the wooden screen, providing air movement for the occupants.
Similar to the Indian jali, the vernacular language also offers a playful experience with daylight while still maintaining a certain degree of privacy. Traced back to Ottoman origins, the perforated screens protected occupants’ from the sun while simultaneously letting daylight through in calculated doses. Although the mashrabiya was a statement in arab and Islamic architecture languages, it wasn’t until 1987 that the archetypal element began appearing with a revised contemporary application.
Credits: SpaceClip, Photographer: Mr. Daijiro Okada
In nature, zinc is mainly found as zinc sulphide ore or zinc carbonate, which is mined to obtain the metal. Once refined, it is used in a variety of applications, including metal alloys, battery manufacturing, medicines and supplements, as well as in the fabrication of pigments, chemical compounds and coatings. In the latter, which is used in architectural applications, zinc is well known for its weather resistance and self-healing properties and is highly durable, with a lifespan of up to 100 years, requiring minimal maintenance. In addition, because it is 100% recyclable and has a low environmental impact during its production, zinc is a sustainable choice for construction projects.
When delving into the envelope of construction and examining how the interior relates to the exterior, the concept of greenhouses emerges as an opportunity to cultivate life indoors, whether dependent on external factors or not. Defined as spaces enclosed by glass or other transparent plastic materials, greenhouses facilitate the growth of vegetables and ornamental plants even during periods of adverse external weather conditions. However, what does designing for plants involve?Climate, species, structural design, and the type of covering are just a few of the considerations to take into account.
The architecture of cultural centers in Mexico has gained relevance in recent years. There has been a growing interest in providing spaces for recreation and education, transforming them into urban landmarks that attract visitors from all over the country year after year.
Black Females in Architecture (BFA) is a social enterprise supporting a membership of more than 450 Black women in built environment professions worldwide. Founded by architects Neba Sere, Selasi Setufe, and Akua Danso, the group advocates for diversity, race and gender equity across all sectors of the built environment, including architecture, urbanism, landscape, engineering, design, and construction.
We are happy to premiere their short film "A Voice for the 450 Plus" to a global audience for the first time since it was shown at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. The film is a celebration of the ongoing contributions of Black women in the built environment fields, showing the world how they contribute to shaping the future of our cities.
Glass brick facades have emerged as a captivating architectural trend, blending the enduring elegance of glass with the robust strength of bricks. Glass bricks can as well be more thermally resistant than conventional glazing.
These facades add a pixelated effect that plays with light and shadow, perfectly transmitting light, while maintaining privacy. The way glass bricks facades soften and blend the views of the outside can increase calmness and focus. From sleek commercial buildings to avant-garde residential projects, glass brick facades continue to push the boundaries of architectural innovation, captivating both designers and observers alike.
If you follow housing policy in America, you may have noticed a particular term cropping up a lot recently: social housing. Maybe you’ve read a longform academic article, live in a city that is codifying a social-housing policy like Seattle or Atlanta, or seen one of the recent mentions in The New York Times, highlighting U.S. and Viennese success stories. On the design front, Dezeen is running a social-housing revival series.
Flooring plays a fundamental role in defining the ambiance and atmosphere of a space. Among the variety of options on the market, solid wood plank flooring stands out as a timeless choice. Known for their classic beauty and enveloping textures, these floors not only enhance the visual aspect of a room but also provide exceptional thermal comfort, resistance, and resilience, able to withstand wear and tear and heavy traffic. Their easy maintenance and durability are further markers of their quality, making them one of the favorite choices of architects, designers, and homeowners in search of long-lasting elegance and functionality for their projects.
When we look at a meticulously installed floor, we often forget that it was once part of a tree that was taken through a series of processes to eventually become the flooring product beneath our feet. The round trunk of the tree naturally results in boards of different dimensions, from the wide widths of the central core to the narrower dimensions of the outer layers. Various methods can be used to optimize the use of these trunks, each with its advantages and disadvantages.
Environmental comfort is one of the aspects that contribute to the good performance of architecture. In project descriptions, the incidence of natural lighting and ventilation is often highlighted as advantageous characteristics that add to the aesthetics and functioning of the program. In a way, environmental comfort is part of the building's function, not necessarily linked to the activities that take place inside the construction but plays a role in its development.
Bamboo, renowned for its strength and eco-friendliness, often faces a formidable adversary: insects and fungi. Despite its resilience, these pests can compromise its durability over time. However, there exists a simple yet effective solution to bolster bamboo's longevity and sturdiness. In this article, we unveil the Vertical Soak Diffusion (VSD) method—a budget-friendly approach that ensures your bamboo projects stand the test of time.
As a highly transparent material that stands up to all but the most extreme of weather conditions, is easily formed into any size or shape, and, once formed, will last for thousands of years, glass is still one of the most innovative and crucial materials used in architecture. Although contemporary building practices allow us to form huge, glittering skyscrapers of glass that rise hundreds of meters into the air, the ancient material’s original purpose – to welcome light into weathertight and secure interiors – remains its most important more than a thousand years on.
As important as glass is to almost every typology of architecture in the form of windows, when it comes to the roof of a building, the use of glass is not so simple. We’ve understood the power and danger of combining light and glass ever since we saw a magnifying glass used to concentrate the heat of sunlight into incredibly high temperatures in children’s cartoons. Under a glass roof, the solar gain can make for uncomfortable internal environments without the correct protective precautions.
The concept of "eyes on the street" is perhaps the most famous within architectural and urban literature when it comes to urban security. Jane Jacobs uses this expression to refer to people who - consciously or unconsciously - use public spaces or observe them from their homes, generating natural surveillance. A movement that, within our discipline, is encouraged both through quality public spaces and through the powerful relationship between the public and private created through building facades. Advocating for this daily control, Jacobs believes in a way of making architecture and cities that condemns excessive verticalization, reinforced by isolated buildings and single-use ones that deny contact with the street
On April 4 – 6, the international conference FABRICATE 2024will be held at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. Since its inception in 2011, FABRICATE has established itself as a global forum for new radical possibilities for architecture and welcomed thousands of participants from practice, industry, and research.
In this third article we meet architect Zhu Peiwho is the founding Director of Studio Zhu Pei and Dean of the School of Architecture at Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The text is an excerpt from the upcoming FABRICATE 2024 book and is based on an interview conversation led by Co-chairPhil Ayres between Zhu Peiand architect Cristiano Ceccato, Director of Zaha Hadid Architects. The book will be published on the opening night of the FABRICATE 2024 conference.
