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The History of Kitchens: From the Great Banquets to the Built-in Furniture

The discovery of fire was one of the great events that changed the social organization of human agglomerations, which gradually passed from nomadic to sedentary lifestyle. Fire, which in that context served to keep people warm and protect the group, was also being explored as a source for cooking food, which not only changed human eating habits, but also made it possible to conserve food, changing the social organization of communities. The preparation and meals were collective acts, which brought people together to feed, warm up and protect themselves. It is from this habit that we inherited the practice of large banquets and the appreciation of food and meal times. Food preparation, on the other hand, was gradually marginalized.

While the Egyptians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks and Romans shared the habit of holding large banquets, the preparation gained less and less prestige, losing its collective social dimension until it was physically segregated in a specific room: the kitchen.

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Designing With (And For) Flowers: Beauty and Sensitivity in 7 Flower Shop Projects

From celebrations of important conquests to expressions of wishes for someone who is sick to get better, the act of gifting someone (or oneself) with flowers is present at different stages of our lives and can carry numerous meanings. This kind of ritual materializes the expression of a feeling and, in many cultures, it is a delicate and sensitive choice, which usually takes into account the selection of specific species for each event.

For this reason, flower shops and stores specializing in flower arrangements are often places where the diversity of species is arranged in order to make it possible to choose the right arrangement or bouquet of flowers. In this sense, many florists take advantage of spatial organizations and design elements that seek to enhance the natural beauty of flowers. Some examples of this strategy are the use of more neutral tones on the surfaces, in contrast to the colors of the different species, and the use of innovative displays in dialogue with the arrangements.

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What’s the Point of Architecture Criticism?

What’s the Point of Architecture Criticism? - Featured Image

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

What, exactly, is the point of architecture criticism? The word “criticism” is derived from the Greek term krinein, meaning to separate, to sift, to make distinctions, to discern, to examine, or to judge. According to Wayne Attoe, an architect and educator who writes about architecture criticism in his book Architecture and Critical Imagination (now sadly out of print), this does not necessarily mean to disapprove of, or to find fault with. It can be favorable or unfavorable; it can praise or condemn.

New Interiors: Hotels Elevating Hospitality Design for Travel

Hotels are a hub for commerce, transportation and culture. Today, interior designers are redefining hospitality spaces to accommodate new forms of travel, communication and rest. From historic renovations to contemporary ground-up hotels, these projects center around leisure and memorable guest experiences. In turn, they express brand identity to rethink what interior design and hospitality will be in the future.

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Computational Design is a Tough Nut to Crack. Here’s How Architects Can Succeed

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Although computational design as a technique applied in the architectural field has been around for two decades, the infinite possibilities it presents are only just being discovered. The horizons of designing using programming software are expanding alongside the growing popularity of tools like Rhino 3D and Revit. What aspiring architects will hereon have to be mindful of as they train themselves for the industry is that computational design software is not to be treated as a ‘to-do item’ to be ticked off for only adding to one’s résumé. Rather, it’s an opportunity to delve deeper into one’s creative instincts.

BIG Unveils "First of its Kind" Center for Neuroscience and Psychiatrics in Denmark

Bjarke Ingels Group has unveiled the design of a new Neuroscience Center building that will bring together psychiatry and neuroscience under one roof, combining research and treatment of physical and mental brain diseases, spinal cord, and nervous systems. The 20,000 sqm facility, which will be a part of the Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, translates the "gyrification of the human brain" in a spatially-efficient structure that creates synergies between the different disciplines within the hospital.

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Construction Advances on OMA's Simone-Veil Bridge in Bordeaux

Construction is underway for OMA’s Simone-Veil Bridge in Bordeaux, with the first elements of the metal framework installed on the right bank of the Garonne river. Spanning 548 metres, the sixth bridge across the Garonne will connect the municipalities Floirac and Bègles and provide the city with a new public space, thus framing the bridge as a contemporary boulevard. Designed as a continuous surface extended to landscaped public spaces on each bank, the 44-metre bridge will accommodate cars, public transport, bicycles, with the largest surface dedicated to pedestrians. When completed, the project will become the first bridge in OMA’s body of work.

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Francis Kéré: "I Draw on Paper, but I Prefer to Draw on the Ground"

"I Draw on Paper, but I Prefer to Draw on the Ground". This phrase caught my eye during Diébédo Francis Kéré's speech at the AAICO (Architecture and Art International Congress), which took place in Porto, Portugal from September 3 to 8, 2018. After being introduced by none other than Eduardo Souto de Moura, Kéré began his speech with the simplicity and humility that guides his work. His best-known works were built in remote places, where materials are scarce and the workforce is of the residents themselves, using local resources and techniques.

10 Architecture and Design Books to Add to your Spring Reading List

10 Architecture and Design Books to Add to your Spring Reading List - Featured Image
Courtesy of Publishers

Around the two-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is little that looks the same as it did in March 2020, whether it’s how we work, how we study, or even how we move about our own homes. Many titles in this selection of spring architecture and design book releases show just how authors and design professionals are grappling with the major changes of our time. Volumes such as Debbie Millman’s Why Design Matters and Paola Antonelli’s Design Emergency share the diverse viewpoints and design solutions of some of the world’s leading creative voices; Otto von Busch’s Making Trouble and Max Holleran’s Yes to the City evaluate forms of DIY and housing activism; and Stephen Vider’s Queerness of Home and Suchi Reddy’s Form Follows Feeling tap into a more empathetic, human-centered approach to space. All of them, in some way, look at the past as a way to see clearly into the future of the built environment.

Leveraging Technological Advancements to Bring Workers Back to Office

Office repositioning is one of the biggest struggles global businesses face today. This stands true for both: architecture businesses and the clients you’re servicing with your design solutions. In the last 18 months there have been enormous transformations within the AEC industry and arguably across most industries, many of which have influenced and shaped business decisions made during the pandemic. You could say the pandemic has only sought to accelerate some of the transformation we had started to see. The biggest and most notable is in the area of communication and connectivity. Staying connected and providing employees with the tools and platforms they need to collaborate, innovate and stay productive has been at the forefront for all companies.

Call for Entries: ICONIC AWARDS 2022 - Innovative Architecture

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The registration for the international ICONIC AWARDS 2022: Innovative Architecture is on. The awards of the German Design Council honour the best achievements in architecture, pioneering interior and product design, outstanding communication concepts and particularly innovative materials. The winners will be honoured at a festive awards ceremony on 4 October 2022 at the Pinakothek der Moderne and will have the opportunity to network internationally.

David Chipperfield Architects are Designing the 2026 Winter Olympics Arena in Milan

David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and Arup have unveiled the design of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games arena. The structure will sit in the core of Milano Santa Giulia, a new urban district currently under redevelopment in the south-east of Milan. The new arena will house sports and cultural events with up to 16,000 visitors, and offer individuals of all demographics a vast outdoor area that promotes social gatherings and recreational activities.

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BIG Reveals Design of Treetop Hotel Room Wrapped in Bird Nests

BIG revealed the design for a treetop hotel room wrapped in 350 bird houses created for the Treehotel in Lapland, Sweden. Designed in collaboration with ornithologist Ulf Ohman, the 34 square-metre Biosphere room seeks to enhance the surrounding biosphere by providing a habitat for local birds while allowing guests to be immersed in the surrounding forest. The project is the latest addition to the hotel's series of individually designed rooms created by some of Scandinavia's most renowned architects, such as Snøhetta, Rintala Eggerstsson, and Tham & Videgard.

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Women in Urban Management: Six Names That Changed the Game

In different parts of the world, women are transforming cities and taking up spaces in urban planning and management as never before. Paris, Barcelona and Rome, for example, in addition to being cities where almost anyone would like to live, are now cities managed by women for the first time in their history, all in their second term. Major changes and currently celebrated plans, such as the “15-minute city” in Paris, the opening of Times Square to the people in New York, and the urban digitization of Barcelona as a smart city, were led by women.

A Coastal Villa in Santorini and a Shelter in the Forests of Thailand: 9 Unbuilt Houses Submitted to ArchDaily

This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights private residential projects submitted by the ArchDaily community. From a residential quarter comprising eight urban villas, to private getaways in the suburbs of Hyderabad, India, this round up of unbuilt projects showcases how architects design private spaces that combine locality and functionality in structures that cater to the residents’ lifestyles and behaviors. The article also includes projects from Iran, the United States, Thailand, and Greece.

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“Net Zero” Homes: Marketing Morality

Almost no one buys an automobile for its stated price with cash on hand, so those looking to buy a car look to what the cost will be each month to own their automobile. Homes are our deepest investment, and most homeowners are equally as proud of their home as they are of their car and are terrified of its cost. So it is not surprising that “Net Zero” homes use the same sales tactic, proving their value by promising no monthly energy bills.

Reimagining Airport Lounges with Bespoke Interior Design

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When it comes to the shaping of public spaces, an airport lounge provides glorious scope for the flexing of design muscles. When a space serves a broad spectrum of tastes and types, what guides the aesthetic? When hundreds of people tread its floors daily, what materials will withstand the wear and tear? And what furnishing and effects does the space require in the first place? Are people using it to fuel up on food before a flight, or as a temporary office? Are they making a library of the space or a crêche; are they catching 40 winks or drinking towards an airborne stupor?

Who Is Diébédo Francis Kéré? 15 Things to Know About the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Laureate

"I just wanted my community to be a part of this process," Diébédo Francis Kéré said in an ArchDaily interview published last year. It's hard to think of another phrase that so well sums up the modesty and impact caused by the newest winner of the Pritzker Prize of Architecture, whose work gained notoriety precisely for involving the inhabitants of his village in the construction of works that combine ethical commitment, environmental efficiency, and aesthetic quality.

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Francis Kéré: Get to Know the 2022 Pritzker Winner's Built Work

Diébédo Francis Kéré founded his architecture practice Kéré Architecture, in Berlin, Germany in 2005, after a journey in which he started advocating for the building of quality educational architecture in his home country of Burkina Faso. Deprived of proper classrooms and learning conditions as a child, and having faced the same reality as the majority of children in his country, his first works aimed at bringing tangible solutions to the issues faced by the community.

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Francis Kéré Receives the 2022 Pritzker Architecture Prize

The 2022 laureate of architecture’s highest honor, the Pritzker Architecture Prize is Diébédo Francis Kéré, known as Francis Kéré, Burkina Faso-born architect, educator, social activist, receiver of the 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture and designer of the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion. Recognized for “empowering and transforming communities through the process of architecture”, Kéré, the first black architect to ever obtain this award, works mostly in areas charged with constraints and adversity, using local materials and building contemporary facilities whose value exceeds the structure itself, serving and stabilizing the future of entire communities.

“Through buildings that demonstrate beauty, modesty, boldness, and invention, and by the integrity of his architecture and geste, Kéré gracefully upholds the mission of this Prize,” explains the official statement of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Announced today by Tom Pritzker, Chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, Francis Kéré is the 51st winner of the award founded in 1979, succeeding Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal. Praised “for the gifts he has created through his work, gifts that go beyond the realm of the architecture discipline”, the acclaimed architect is present equally in Burkina Faso and Germany, professionally and personally.

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Brutally New: Düsseldorf School Combines Subtle and Modern Brutalist Architecture

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As part of a major initiative to modernise schools and educational facilities in the city of Düsseldorf, the Friedrich-Rückert grammar school renovation represents a first step towards the future. In addition to renovating the interior of the school, much work was done to make the exterior of the aging building look more modern, inspiring and inviting. The new 3,000 m2 facade made of glassfibre reinforced concrete panels from Rieder bridges the architectural gap to the here and now. The innovative concrete is a symbolic step towards sustainability, fit for a modern school building. The new texture twine was also used for the first time in this project for the colour-matched formed parts, skilfully highlighting the building envelope.

Zaha Hadid Architects Designs Liberland, a "Cyber-Urban" Metaverse City

Zaha Hadid Architects - ZHA has unveiled a virtual "libertarian micro-nation" in the metaverse titled The Liberland Metaverse, where residents can buy vacant plots centered around a curated urban core, and access them as avatars. The community features hyper-realistic districts that encourage urban self-governance and zones where the absence of urban planning "allows for a spontaneous order via a free-wheeling discovery process".

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