© Liao Yusheng

With a history unlike any other, Wall House 2 redefines the limits of architectural design as a function of context in both time and culture. 28 years after the completion of the initial designs and one year after the death of architect John Hejduk, construction began in a completely different environment than where it was initially imagined.

The house is a study of the relationship between inside and outside and is reminiscent of Corbusian architecture, although a bit more eccentric.

More on the history of Wall House 2 after the break.

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© Roland Halbe

Architects: Ensamble Studio
Location: Mexico D.F, Mexico
Architect in Charge: Antón García- Abril
Associate Architect: Elena Pérez
Construction manager architect: Alba Cortés
Project Team: Débora Mesa, Joaquín Gallegos, Alba Beroiz, Jaime Alcayde, Cristina Moya, Juan Ruiz Antón, Tomaso Boano, Federico Letizia
Developer: SGAE – GRUPO CARSO
Project Management: INPROS
Construction Company: GRUPO PC
Structural Engineering: COLINAS DE BUEN
Project Area: 11,500 sqm
Photographs: Roland Halbe, Ensamble Studio

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© Ludvík Koutný

An architect celebrated for his breathtaking studies of light and materiality in the creation of memorable architecture, Louis Kahn did not fail to maintain his rigor in the Esherick House of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Admired for it’s spatial and luminous qualities, this is the first residence of its kind to convey the grand ideas of Kahn-style architecture. The two story dwelling, which is one of only nine private houses designed by Kahn to come into realization, rests on a lively six acre garden.

More information on the Esherick House after the break.

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© Nico Saieh

Architects: Eugenio Simonetti + Renato Stewart
Location: Santiago, Chile
Design Team: Juan Santa Maria, Danilo Magni, Alvaro Romero
LEED certification (Silver): Energy ARQ
Lightning: Oriana Ponzini
Structure: Eduardo Spoerer
Client: Inmobiliaria Almahue S.A.
Year: Costanera Lyon 1, 2009-2011 (Completed), Costanera Lyon 2, 2011-2013 (Under construction)
Area: 42,000 sqm
Photographs: Nico Saieh, Guy Wenborne, Ana Maria Pincheira

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Take a tour through the newly built Taltal Public Library, designed by Santiago based firm Murua-Valenzuela. The small town project is located opposite of the main square and close to the Alhambra Theater, which was also recently refurbished by the architects. Responding to a narrow site of 7 by 40 meters while being situated between mediators, the architects conducted a series of indoor spaces in order to “avoid the domestic condition.” The spaces of varying heights house the library activities and end with a reading room that is connected to an interior courtyard. Construction has been completed and the Taltal Public Library is already in use.

The author of the project stated, “We are delighted to see the library being used by the community. We hope that in future the building will become a meeting place.”

The video was completed by Nicolas Rupcich.

Architects: Benjamín Murúa, Rodrigo Valenzuela
Location: Taltal, Chile – Region of Antofagasta
Development: Ximena Vallejos, Miguel Mallea
Project Year: 2008
Construction: 2009-2010

© Thomas Herrmann

Architects: Roger Christ
Location: Karlsruhe, Germany
Assistants: Ronni Neuber, Julia Url
Structural Engineering: Schmitt + Thielmann und Partner
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 455 sqm
Photographs: Thomas Herrmann

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This short film by Pablo Casals-Aguirre captures the formal perfection and daily life within Louis Kahn’s architectural masterpiece, the Salk Institute. Kahn was commissioned in 1959 to design the inspiring facility for scientific research. The iconic facility became a designated San Diego Historical Landmark in 1991 and continues to attract daily admirers from all corners of the earth.

Review detailed information, images and drawings at AD Classics: Salk Institute / Louis Kahn.

© Koichi Torimura

Architects: Eastern Design Office
Location: Shiga, Japan
Client: TOYO-KAIHATSU Co., ltd
Constructor: Okudakomuten Co., Ltd
Structure Planning: HOJO STRUCTURE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 261 sqm
Photographs: Koichi Torimura

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© Julien Lanoo

Architects: OLGGA Architects /  Alice Vaillant, Guillaume Grenu, Nicolas Le Meur
Location: Grande Synthe, France
Client: City of Grande Synthe
Engineering: Sogeti ingénierie
Acoustic: Abe acoustique
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 2,433 sqm
Photographs: Julien Lanoo

Upon its Grand Opening September 4, 2011, the Stadium du Littoral, constructed in Grande Synthe, is the first facility north of Paris integrating five athletic disciplines under one roof. Designed by OLGGA Architectes, this athletic complex includes stadium seating for 617, two club houses, locker rooms, a community recreation room and administrative offices.

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© Luuk Kramer

Architects: BBVH Architecten
Location: Den Haag, The Netherlands
Constractor: BB-X
Developer: Willson Real Estate
Project Year: 2009
Project Area: 250 sqm
Photographs: Luuk Kramer

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© Claire Arni

Architects: Cadence
Location: Bangalore, India
Project Team: Smaran Mallesh, Narendra Pirgal, Vikram Rajashekar, Rejin Karthik
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Claire Arni

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© Nils Petter Dale

Architects: Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS Arkitekter MNAL / Einar Jarmund, Håkon Vigsnæs, Alessandra Kosberg, Anders Granli
Location: Thorpeness, Suffolk, England
Client: Living Architecture
Collaborating Architect: Mole Architects Ltd.
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 250 sqm
Photographs: Nils Petter Dale

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© Silvio Posada

Architects: ALT arquitectura / Ángel Luis Tendero, Bernardo Cummins
Location: Madrid, Spain
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Silvio Posada

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© Amit Giron

Architects: Senan Abdelqader
Location: Jerusalem, Palestine
Project Area: 1700 sqm
Photographs: Amit Giron

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© Nelson Kon

Architects: Studio mk27 / Marcio Kogan
Location: São Paulo, Brasil
Co-Author: Carolina Castroviejo
Interior Design Co-Authors: Diana Radomysler, Carolina Castroviejo
Collaborator: Eduardo Chalabi
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 1000 sqm
Photographs: Nelson Kon

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© Daniel Hopkinson

Architects: Hawkins Brown with Studio Egret West
Location: Sheffield, England
Landscape Architects: Grant Associates
Main Contractor: Urban Splash Build Ltd (North)
Structural Engineer: Stockley
Services Engineer: Ashmount Consulting Engineers Limited
Project Area: 130,000 sqm
Project Year: 2011
Photographs: Daniel Hopkinson, Keith Collie and Peter Bennett

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© Daici Ano

Architects: Keiji Ashizawa Design / Keiji Ashizawa, Lie Honjo, Silvia TasaniÅ
Location: Chiba, Japan
Structural Engineer: ÅFASA Akira Suzuki
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Daici Ano

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Courtesy of Anastasia Arquitetos

Architects: Anastasia Arquitetos
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 370 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of Anastasia Arquitetos

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© Flickr / _gee_

The Balfron Tower by architect Erno Goldfinger is an iconic Brutalist residential high rise located in London’s eastside Poplar borough. Designed in 1963 for the London County Council and completed in 1967 by the Greater London Council, this social housing estate broke the traditions of typical residential architecture. Conceived as a solution to sprawling suburbia, Goldfinger embraced verticality as the cure. More details after the break. read more »

© David Frutos

Architects: Rstudio
Location: Valencia, Spain
Project Year: 2010
Engineering Management: Seg_Ineco
Landscape Architecture: Alfonso Peris
Photographs: David Frutos

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