Community facilities are spaces for social interaction where people find leisure and information. Whether a cultural or a community center, this type of equipment aims to bring people together, creating opportunities for interaction in an environment of care and neighborhood.
In the majority of family homes, it’s common for children to be given the smallest rooms. They are, after all, the smallest people. But where grown-ups have the rest of the house to fill with their accrued material wealth, children’s only freedom to decide what they do and where things go, is in that one small room.
Learning about the world can be frustrating, and quickly lead to misdiagnosed ‘bad’ behavior. So creating a safe, welcoming, comfortable space where children can feel calm, loved, and protected while enjoying their independence and individuality, is essential for a happy, healthy childhood. Children’s bedroom design, therefore, has more in common with open-plan living than simple sleeping quarters.
Chicago, The Windy City, Chi-Town, or The Second City. It’s a place that is known by many names, but to architects and urban planners alike, it’s famous for its history which has given us some of the best-known buildings and important advancements that have helped to shape other cities across the United States. From its inception, Chicago has long served as an architectural hub for innovation.
If you want your work to have a worldwide impact on millions of people and feel aligned with ArchDaily's vision to empower everyone who makes architecture happen to create a better quality of life, then our organization is the right place for you.
As climate change continues to reach unprecedented levels, many are pointing towards enhancing circularity in the construction sector. Essentially, the circular economy aims to eliminate waste and the continual use of resources by repeatedly reusing, repairing or recycling materials. The cyclical approach is able to meet demand and minimize CO2 emissions by extending a product’s lifespan, which is especially important when dealing with limited resources. Unlike the traditional linear extractive method –where everything goes through an extremely contaminating process of 'take-make-waste'–, circularity keeps materials in use for as long as possible to extract maximum value. This, in turn, reduces pollution, regenerates natural systems and contributes to a healthier built environment, hence building economic, natural, and social capital.
Mexican architect Gabriela Carrillo has built an exemplary career and is passionate about the city, territory, and diversity. Her widely awarded works, first in partnership with Mauricio Rocha and now running her own studio, have become the reference image when discussing contemporary architecture in Mexico. Her projects translate the world's needs, developing constant work to recognize the values of the territory in order to provide spaces that dignify its inhabitants. Situated between praxis, theory, and research, her interests are focused on the everyday, leading a flexible and dynamic practice that allows her to maintain a balance between working and living.
Alongside Toshiko Mori and Johanna Meyer-Grohbrügge, Gabriela Carrillo is part of the new documentary "Women in Architecture" to be released on the 3rd of November 2022. The film promoted by Sky-Frame, in exclusive collaboration with ArchDaily and under the direction of Boris Noir, is an impulse for inspiration, debate, and reflection around one of the most pressing issues in architecture.
Although things seem to have returned to normal, it is undeniable that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone. The truth is, its impacts on the economy and society can still be felt and will remain for some time. As a consequence, most people have become more conscious about public health, disease dissemination and the importance of science in everyday life. Many began to place more importance on time spent with family and at home, while companies have realized that not all office spaces are really essential and that home office can be just as effective.
The result is that people have began modifying their spaces to accommodate new uses which might have been unthinkable before. Our homes had to become, in a few weeks, places for rest, work, study, sports and leisure. Most were not prepared for this change, but gradually both residents and architects and designers found ways to adapt to the new reality. We've learned that accommodating new functions into a home means more than just setting up a table in the only free corner of the apartment. The pandemic also accelerated certain global trends and changed our relationships with products, companies and services, in terms of sustainability, social justice, digitization and individualization. The common factor between these different elements is that now they no longer require you to make a choice between one thing or another. Instead, all these elements are now connected, making life, people and products more agile and long-lasting. Under the motto “Create Transitions”, EGGER shows how decors and wood-based products can create and shape change in everyday living.
Spanish cities are clear examples of the overlapping of historical periods. Medieval urban layouts coexist with modernist urban plans, and their buildings show traces of Roman, Arab, Gothic, and Romanesque architecture. Moreover, in the era of Maritime Expansion, Spanish architecture was exported from the Iberian Peninsula to much of the world, especially the Americas. It is also difficult to speak of Spanish architecture without mentioning the Catalan genius Antoni Gaudí, whose distinctive style remains unparalleled in architectural history – inspiring and unsettling, without fitting into any particular single stylistic movement. In recent decades, Spanish architects have remained highly respected throughout the world. From the complex structures of Calatrava and the virtuosity of Enric Miralles, to the respect for context of Rafael Moneo. There are many others that should be noted, such as Ricardo Bofill, Alberto Campo Baeza, and the recent Pritzker winners, RCR Arquitectes.
Used by artisans across the globe for thousands of years, colored glass is one of the oldest art forms. Its origins date back as early as the 7th century, when stained windows began adorning churches, cathedrals and convents – often representing religious symbols and Biblical stories. These expanded to Islamic mosques and palaces during the 8th century, and by the Middle Ages could be found in countless churches across Europe. The intricate glass work reached maximum splendor in the monumental buildings of the Gothic period, resulting in giant, elaborate windows with extremely complex figures, patterns and geometries. However, gone are the days when this was reserved exclusively for prominent places of worship or ancient structures. Hand in hand with innovative production methods and new technologies, colored glass has made a comeback in contemporary architecture, enhancing countless buildings with its bold, lively hues.
The construction industry's future will undoubtedly include "carbon reduction" as a mandatory task. Aside from locally sourced, virgin materials, an increasing number of new materials are becoming available. New materials can be developed in several ways, including low-carbon substitution, recycling, performance enhancement, and 3D printing. New materials will not only be more environmentally friendly and enable new construction methods, but they will also influence the starting point and direction of design concepts, resulting in new buildings with new perceptions and spaces.
“Art aims to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”, Greek polymath Aristotle remarked. Public art in cities worldwide seeks to pursue this aim by offering a sense of meaning and identification to its residents. Taking the form of murals, installations, sculptures, and statues, public art engages with audiences outside of museums and in the public realm. This art presents a democratic manner of collectively redefining concepts like community, identity, and social engagement.
The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.
A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
This week David and Marina are joined by Mitchell Joachim, PhD, Associate Professor, NYU and Co-Founder, Terreform ONE to discuss the complexities of urban design; the role of the urban designer; the real-life applications of his research; funding projects; cricket farms; and more.
In architecture, the most common is to design for humans only. However, covering the scope of the project for other species is an exercise that has been proposed in several orders. From specific furniture to interior design planned for the animal, the possibilities of creating a more playful and comfortable ambience, both for humans and animals, are diverse.
Stairs are often an inevitable part of a building's DNA. Nowadays, staircases not only serve the function of practicality but are also a showcase of their own kind, especially if paired with a color that is guaranteed to grab attention. Among warm colors, red is considered to be the most powerful one. On one hand, it evokes feelings of joy and energy, and on the other, feelings of alertness and danger. Red can stimulate a whole range of emotions. Therefore, its usage should be attentive, delicate, and thought out.
Cities have been, and will always be multi-faceted, elastic sites. They are settlements in continuous evolution, molded by proximity to natural resources, by migrating populations, and by capital. Despite the diversity in the urban character of disparate cities, it has been said that cities look alike now more than ever before, a uniformity that means a glass-and-steel tower in Singapore would not look out of place in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
Architectural projects have been growing in complexity at an exponential pace while delivery times have shortened. In response to these demands, specialized visualization studios have become essential to architects and firms with high demands and tight deadlines. Brick Visual, the Budapest-based high-end visualization studio, reflects on its 10 years in the industry and the current state of architectural visualization.
Brick Visual was founded in 2012 by a few ambitious young professionals whose dream was to create visuals for the most reputed architecture firms around the globe. From a small downtown apartment in Budapest, the handful of visualizers worked to address the needs of its clients while building a culture of innovation and artistic excellence. Since then, the small Hungarian collective transitioned into an international team of nearly 100 experts, who are based in their loft headquarters in Budapest, and satellite offices in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and Verona, Italy.
This article was originally published on Common Edge.
A famous skyline can evoke rich associations and unleash imagination, but the real experience of a city is in its streets. Early humans evolved to see the first 20 feet in front, above, and around them so they could identify potential threats in the landscape. In our modern urban environment, this is still how we experience buildings and places. While aerial views and Google Earth imagery are useful for reference, the main experience of the outside of a building is what we pass by on the street, up to about the second or third story. The height of a building doesn’t necessarily matter if the street experience is rich and accessible.
Lessons Learned is a podcast by Dutch Design Week and ArchDaily. In each episode we pair young design talents with seasoned designers to further their practice and help them learn from the mistakes of the past. The young talented individual asks one pressing question, and the designers share their learnings and their biggest fuckups.
Blending in with its urban context or standing out to draw attention, a façade tells a building’s story. It is an expressive medium through which we engage with architecture, defining first impressions and setting the tone for the interior by experimenting with transparency, movement, texture and color, among other aesthetic possibilities. Of course, the envelope also plays a crucial functional role, acting as a protective barrier against extreme weather conditions and directly impacting light transmittance, energy efficiency and acoustic comfort. Architects therefore face an important challenge: to achieve a balance between an attractive look and performance. To do so, it is pivotal to specify the right materials during the design stage.
The noisier the environment, the harder it is to concentrate on the sounds we really want –and need– to hear. We spend about 90% of our time indoors, either at home or at work, often with little concern for acoustic qualities, making our body remain in a constant warning state. In offices this is an even more critical issue. While traditional open plan working spaces encourage teamwork and effective communication, many professionals face the challenge of being able to concentrate with the frequent noises, whether from a nearby conversation, the construction site next door, or a noisy espresso machine. Among the problems that noise pollution can cause in the human body are stress, accelerated heartbeat, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and a constant state of vigilance. Studies also show that poor acoustics negatively affect productivity.
This can be further amplified by the environment itself, often composed of "hard" surfaces (masonry, concrete, glass) that reverberate sound several times over, making it necessary for people to raise their voices to be understood. Furthermore, acoustic devices are generally perceived as accessories that are not very aesthetically pleasing, often with clumsy designs and with little or no flexibility.
From smartphones to space rockets and self-driving cars, the power of technology in this modern digital era is enormous (and practically limitless). It has impacted every aspect of our lives and will continue to open up endless possibilities that today we cannot even begin to fathom. When applied in a socially and environmentally responsible way, technology has the power to enhance productivity, communication and sustainability, enabling global communities to function efficiently, addressing people’s everyday needs and improving their quality of life. Simply put, good technology serves humanity. And just as the healthcare or manufacturing industries have taken advantage of this, the architecture, design and construction world cannot fall behind.
The global pause of the COVID pandemic has provided an opportunity to assess present-day globalism and the architecture that has emerged alongside it. Stemming back to the broad expansion of free trade in the 90s at the end of the Cold War, globalism’s cultural promise was simple and aspirational: integrating markets globally would increase the interaction between and learning of different cultures. By normalizing such experiences in our daily lives, we would become global citizens liberated from our previous prejudices–all well-intentioned objectives.
Architecture is human. So when I entered Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning in 1973 and the entire faculty were as white and male as I was, it made no sense to me but reflected the end times of the full-on male dominance in my chosen profession. In that world, a few professors would often comment on how female students looked at juries, and some sexually victimized some students (none of whom were male).
The A' Design Awards - the world's leading annual international juried design competition - were established to promote and recognize the best design work in all countries and in all creative disciplines. The Award has 100 main categories, including Architecture, Building and Structure Design, Interior Space and Exhibition Design, and Furniture Design, in addition to others related to the world of Lighting, Landscape, Building Materials, and some "Super Categories" such as Good Industrial Design, Good Architectural Design, and more. Next year's edition is now open for entries; designers can register their submissions here.
