Modernism could be described as one of the most optimistic styles in architectural history, drawing from notions of utopia, innovation, and the reimagination of how humans would live, work, and interact. As we reflected in our AD Essentials Guide to Modernism, the philosophy of Modernism still dominates much of architectural discourse today, even if the world that gave rise to Modernism has changed utterly.

As we say goodbye to 2019, a year that saw the centenary of the Bauhaus, we have collated a list of key architectural styles that defined Modernism in architecture. This tool for understanding the development of 20th-century design is complete with examples of each style, showcasing the practice of Modernism that lay behind the theory.

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Warsaw-based FAAB studio envisioned a mixed-use development that enhances its own environment, while involving its inhabitants in the process. In fact, the prototype architectural intervention aims to give tools for people to control and manage the changing climate.

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Interior design within architecture has become extremely relevant as architects and designers are responsible for creating pleasant spaces for people. Have you ever wondered why there are spaces in which we could stay for hours and others that generate instant rejection? These sensations are achieved through the correct management of various parameters that guarantee comfort in interior spaces.

Comfort in interior design, explained in a simple way, is provided in spaces that produce well-being. This, undoubtedly, can be a somewhat subjective and personal concept for each individual, but there are several parameters and building regulations to follow in design projects.

Highlighting and promoting architecture and design that impacts the educational field, the Design that Educates Awards revealed its list of winners for 2020. A collaboration between Laka Foundation and Solarlux GmbH, this year’s competition theme was inspired by the “Educating Buildings” research paper of Dr. Peter Kuczia.

Henning Larsen has designed a new Arctic Museum of Norway in Tromsø. Working in collaboration with COWI, Borealis and SLA, the team’s proposal was made for one of the northernmost cultural institutions in the world. Formed as a “cluster of glowing beacons”, the coastal project aims to draw visitors to the sea that surrounds the island city.

Unless you’re living in a news or social media bubble, it’s unlikely you’ve missed seeing the devastating effects Australia’s climate change exacerbated wildfires and drought have had on the continent. One of the images that still sticks with me is that of the young boy, mask over his face, steering his family’s boat as they flee a large bushfire – flames and smoke enveloping the entire scene within an apocalyptic reddish-orange glow.

The loss of life (humans and wildlife), the destruction of property, infrastructure and habitat, the negative impacts on air quality, biodiversity and access to water, and the resulting refugees will have long term impacts on Australia’s economy and general well-being. What’s worse, these negative impacts have been, and will continue to be, inequitably distributed among the continent’s populations. Not surprisingly, the resulting stress already placed on individuals and social institutions has weakened community cohesion through anti-social actions like water theft.

Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect, co-responsible for the design of 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics stadium and the 1990 Football World Cup Marassi stadium has died of pneumonia on Sunday 15 March 2020, after catching the coronavirus. Gregotti was being hospitalized with his wife Mariana Mazza in Milan.

Design and the City is a podcast by reSITE, raising questions and proposing solutions for the city of the future. In the sixth episode, Marianthi Tatari, Associate Director and Senior Architect at UNStudio, talks about creating inclusive spaces to connect people and generating 24/7 activity within their projects.

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Videos

Insufficiently regulated in much of the world, the fire resistance of glass is an important issue that is often poorly resolved, endangering people's lives. What characteristics must a glass have to resist a fire? What options are there to choose from? We talked with the experts of Cristales Dialum to investigate these essential questions.

In time for Women’s Day, the artistic outcome of the first call of the Lilly Reich Grant for Equality in Architecture opened at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona. Running till the 22nd March 2020, the exhibition entitled Re-enactment, carried out by Laura Martínez de Guereñu, aims to put the spotlight on Reich’s overlooked work.

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Architecture and design practice REX has submitted a revised design for a mixed-use tower development in Perth, Australia. Located along the city's Elizabeth Quay, the new project is created with executive architect Hassell, and will combine hotel, retail, offices and residences in two towers. The latest design has been submitted to the city's Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority, and if approved, would become Perth’s tallest skyscraper.

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Videos

With Twinmotion 2020.1 now available, the software is fast becoming the go-to visualization tool for professionals working in architecture, interior design, urban planning, and landscaping, for everything from designing residential properties to providing VR walkthroughs of large-scale infrastructure projects. The latest release raises the bar for realism and includes new features for project presentation and review.

Building surveys are one of the staples of the early stages of any architectural project. Although this task is commonly now outsourced to specialist surveyors for larger projects, especially in the new BIM world, smaller schemes such as residential renovations and extensions can still require an architect’s surveying tools. With that in mind, we have created a list of specific considerations and tips for measuring interior spaces.

One of our responsibilities as architects is to understand how to implement strategies into our designs that consider the people who inhabit the spaces,  our natural resource consumption, and ensuring these projects are profitable. All of this can be achieved through three main goals: Reducing our carbon footprint, creating healthy workplaces, and the design of efficient and profitable buildings.

Videos

In this short video, Jens Thomas Arnfred and Søren Nielsen from the Danish office Vandkunsten Architects talk about wood and the many reasons why it makes for such excellent building material. The two architects discuss the sustainability advantages of using timber and reflect on its influence on our senses and mind, on our feeling of wellbeing.

It is not your responsibility to finish the work [of perfecting the world], but you are not free to desist from it either.” —Rabbi Tarfon

On a recent flight, a gentleman sitting next to me noticed, aloud, that I was reading a book about architecture. Daring to engage in a conversation with more than two hours of flight time left, I confessed that I not only read about, but also practice architecture. His next question, with the earnest tone of a newly minted grandfather, was whether architects were “solving the housing crisis.”

The Midnight Charette is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by architectural designers David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features a variety of creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions. A wide array of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes provide useful tips for designers, while others are project reviews, interviews, or explorations of everyday life and design. The Midnight Charette is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina are joined by Dwayne Oyler, Architect, Professor at SCI-Arc, and Co-Founder of Oyler Wu Collaborative, to discuss the pros and cons of digital and physical making, building tricycles, the evolution of their office, translating conceptual work to buildings, welding, power tools, the importance of being selective in your work, and more!

Through its urban planning and civic buildings, Chandigarh represents an iconic fragment of Modernist architecture. This economic and administrative centre was meant to showcase the progressiveness of the 1950s' newly independent India.

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Last week the Venice Architecture Biennale announced it would postpone its opening to August 29 of this year, while maintaining the original closure date of November 29. The duration of the Biennale will thus be reduced to three months. The reason for this intervention is clear to everyone: the Covid-19 epidemic, which has threatened the usual intense preparations for the Biennale, and which, since the decision was announced, has exacerbated to a national state of emergency. The announcement of the decision reads as a lesson in common sense.

Videos

KPF with NYCHA created a resiliency and renewal program for the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The redevelopment plans aim to reduce the vulnerability of the area and its community.

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This week’s curated selection from our readers’ submissions focuses on some of the essential components of our present-day cities.

Featuring the best-unbuilt architecture, the article highlights adaptive reuse projects that transformed abandoned warehouses and factories, a street design in Luxembourg, a regenerative master plan in Seoul, and an emergency family accommodation to temporarily house those in need. Moreover, the roundup distinguishes a library in South Korea and an extension of a museum in Helsinki, because the cultural aspect is an integral part of our urban environment.

David Chipperfield Architects with Wirtz International Landscape Architects have won an urban competition in Berlin to convert the abandoned industrial and production site Georg-Knorr-Park into a lively residential and commercial neighborhood.

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