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Wood Design & Building Magazine has announced the winning projects for this year's Awards program. Launched in 1984, the awards program recognizes and celebrates the work of visionaries around the world who inspire excellence in wood architecture. Submissions included projects that weaved wooden architecture into the surrounding landscape in inventive ways.

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The history of timber construction stretches back as far as the Neolithic period, or potentially even earlier, when humans first began using wood to build shelters from the elements. The appearance of the first polished stone tools, such as knives and axes, then made wood handling more efficient and precise, increasing the thickness of wood sections and their resistance. Over the decades, the rustic appearance of these early constructions became increasingly orthogonal and clean, as a result of standardization, mass production, and the emergence of new styles and aesthetics.

Today we are experiencing another seminal moment within the evolution of timber. Nourished and strengthened by technological advances, new prefabrication systems, and a series of processes that increase its sustainability, safety, and efficiency, timber structures are popping up in the skylines of cities and in turn, is reconnecting our interior spaces with nature through the warmth, texture, and beauty of wood. Where will this path lead us? Below, we review 7 trends that suggest this progress is only set to continue, increasing both the capabilities and height of timber buildings in the years to come.

Videos

The Netherlands is the world’s second-biggest exporter of agricultural products. This is remarkable when one considers that the only country which tops the Netherlands, the United States, is 237 times bigger in land area. Nevertheless, the Netherlands exported almost $100 billion in agricultural goods in 2017 alone, as well as $10 billion in agriculture-related products. The secret to the Netherlands’ success lies in the use of architectural innovation to reimagine what an agricultural landscape can look like.

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After the great repercussions of Bjarke Ingels' meeting with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro last week, the Danish architect released a statement on why he came to Brazil. The meeting also brought together a delegation from the Be-Nômade group, which plans to invest in sustainable tourism in the country and the Minister of Tourism, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio. Read on for the text titled "Our Role and Impact in the World.

OMA and designer Shohei Shigematsu have released the design for 10,000 sq. feet of new and renovated galleries for the Denver Art Museum (DAM). The project is part of the phased reopening of the newly renovated Gio Ponti-designed Martin Building. OMA's work is done within the building’s original footprint, and the project is part of an overall campus reunification and building renovation project led by Machado Silvetti and Fentress Architects.

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Located in the western region of the United States, the state of California is the most populous state and the third-largest — it includes some of the most populated cities of the country such as Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Long Beach and Oakland.

Farshad Mehdizadeh Design created a hotel in the small city of Sagan, as a conceptual response to the lack of residential and hospitality functions in this newly developed area of Iran. The project consists of a low-rise structure in a 50,000 m2 plot.

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Henning Larsen was just selected for the design of the first phase of the Civic Campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. In collaboration with local firm RATIO, the project part of the city’s strategic plan consists of creating the East Civic Tower, the town's city hall.

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The School of Architecture and Design at IE University expands the boundaries of architecture and design to provide sustainable responses for a changing world. Located in Madrid and Segovia, Spain, this innovative school is one to watch.

The career of Gottfried Böhm (born January 23, 1920) spans from simple to complex and from sacred to secular, but has always maintained a commitment to understanding its surroundings. In 1986, Böhm was awarded the eighth Pritzker Prize for what the jury described as his "uncanny and exhilarating marriage" of architectural elements from past and present. Böhm's unique use of materials, as well as his rejection of historical emulation, have made him an influential force in Germany and abroad.

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Videos

Lateral Office, the Canadian experimental design practice that operates at the intersection of architecture, landscape, and urbanism, in partnership with CS Design, installed 12 seesaws in New York City's Garment District. The urban intervention will stay on display until the 31^st of January 2020.

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After 20 years in the planning, the International African American Museum is now under construction in Charleston, United States. Designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, IAAM aims to honor the site where enslaved Africans passed away, by sharing narratives, previously overlooked by historians.

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The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is recognizing seven projects with its 2020 Interior Architecture Awards. The Interior Architecture program celebrates the most innovative interior spaces. As the AIA states, these building interiors make their mark on the cities, places, and spaces where we live and work.

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The Energy Endeavour Foundation & the SDE21 Organisers in Wuppertal, Germany, are delighted to announce the competing Teams for the upcoming Solar Decathlon Europe (SDE) Competition, set for late summer 2021.

Powerhouse Company has revealed a new design for Floating Office Rotterdam (FOR), the headquarters of the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA). As the team states, construction will start this spring, and the all-timber project will be both energy-neutral and self-sufficient. The GCA will be housed in the Rijnhaven in Rotterdam for a period of 5 to 10 years.

Real-time architectural visualization provides a compelling immediacy that helps stakeholders in architectural projects better understand unbuilt buildings. With the interactive architectural visualization tool Twinmotion, it’s now possible to transform BIM and CAD models into these convincing real-time experiences quickly and easily. Architectural designers benefit enormously from tools that are easy to learn and use, but they also want to create visualizations that provide a genuine sense of presence. Realism is the key to achieving this, a focus of the upcoming release of Twinmotion 2020.

In this article, we’ll provide a sneak peek at some of the new Twinmotion features.

Videos

UNSense, the arch-tech company founded by UNStudio, is one step closer to the realization of the "100 Homes Project" after a successful feasibility study. Commissioned by the Brainport Smart District Foundation, the project is a collaboration between many different actors.

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Michelangelo's sculptures. The ancient Greek temples. Castle interiors and palaces. The iconic Barcelona Pavilion of Mies van der Rohe. When we approach the history of architecture and sculpture, it is inevitable that we speak of marble. Originating from a chemical reaction in limestone when exposed to high pressures and temperatures for thousands of years, this notable material is a metamorphic rock generally found in regions where volcanic activity has occurred. Its extraction, by itself, is already a spectacle.

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Design:ED Podcast is an inside look into the field of architecture told from the perspective of individuals that are leading the industry. This motivational series grants unique insight into the making of a successful design career, from humble beginnings to worldwide recognition. Every week, featured guests share their personal highs and lows on their journey to success, that is sure to inspire audiences at all levels of the industry. Listening to their stories will provide a rare blueprint for anyone seeking to advance their career, and elevate their work to the next level.

Michael Perry of the Robotics Company Boston Dynamics joins the podcast to discuss the release of Spot 1.1, and how their company is using robotics to revolutionize the construction industry.

Tadao Ando Architect & Associates revealed the design for He Art Museum (HEM), the first art museum dedicated to southern China’s regional Lingnan culture. Scheduled for opening on the 21^st of March 2020, with an inaugural exhibition curated by Feng Boyi, entitled From The Mundane World, the Tadao Ando-designed museum will become a gateway for the arts.

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Indoor gardens can contribute important benefits to home living, ranging from aesthetic beauty to improved health and productivity. Research has shown that indoor plants help eliminate indoor air pollutants called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that emanate from adhesives, furnishings, clothing, and solvents, and are known to cause illnesses. They also increase subjective perceptions of concentration and satisfaction, as well as objective measures of productivity. Indoor gardens may even reduce energy use and costs because of the reduced need for air circulation. These benefits complement the obvious aesthetic advantages of a well-designed garden, making the indoor garden an attractive residential feature on several fronts.

Bjarke Ingels is one of the most well-known architects of our time. During a conversation in Copenhagen between Ingels and Sky-Frame, he discussed his point of view, creating reality, immense courage and the secret behind his unwavering pragmatism.

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The Wikimedia Foundation selected multidisciplinary firm Snøhetta to develop the new brand identity for Wikipedia, its free open platform. Aiming to create visuals that push forward Wikimedia’s international commitment to “setting knowledge free”, the process will be entirely documented.