Including sustainable strategies in architectural projects is not just a trend, it is a necessity. Each day we become more aware of the importance of responsibly managing natural resources and understanding the environmental factors involved in designing a project.
Solar energy is one of the most commonly employed strategies in residential architecture, both active and passive. Many countries around the world offer incentives to encourage the use of solar systems, and the benefits of installing these systems can be seen in a short period of time, with a reduction of up to 95% in the monthly energy expenses, which makes this strategy one of the most attractive of all sustainable solutions. Furthermore, the average lifespan of a solar panel is 25 years, operating entirely on its own and requiring only basic cleaning once a year.
Located 270km north of Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and near the border with Mauritania, is the Island of Saint-Louis. It is a prominent colonial city in West Africa, known for its blend of Mediterranean architecture with a tropical climate. Saint-Louis was founded by the French Colony in 1659 as its first trading post on the Atlantic coast of Africa. It later became the capital of French West Africa (AOF) and Senegal. However, it lost this status in 1902, which led to its economic decline.
This complex history has made Saint-Louis a melting point for different layers of architecture and urbanism. The island showcases a grid urban form with double-storey villas, which is typical of 19th-century French colonial urbanism. Additionally, it features tropical courtyards, shaded balconies, 1920s art déco houses, and early '30s modern civic buildings. However, due to its economic and infrastructural isolation, this architecture and urban heritage have continuously degraded. Therefore, it seeks new interventions for the conservation, restoration, and re-adaptation of the city.
The need for natural materials to replace synthetics in our homes is driving innovation in all areas of design. Typically high on plastic and glass content, lighting is particularly up for scrutiny. While some have provocatively returned to the likes of animal bladders in search of organic translucency, others have looked to natural fiber favorites such as rattan, cane and linen. For others, it’s a choice of minerals such as alabaster, whose properties allow for beautiful ambient diffusion of light. And the search goes on.
Have you ever considered how spaces are perceived, experienced, and enjoyed from a height of 95 cm? Considering urban design from the child's perspective is essential for fostering inclusive, healthy, and secure cities. Components tailored to these needs benefit children and enhance the experience for adults, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Blocks play a pivotal role in this discourse as key urban elements. These spaces provide several opportunities for utilization and adaptation within urban environments. They can be modified and designed in diverse ways, incorporating strategies to better cater to the specific needs of children.
In his Robie House, Frank Lloyd Wright created an ingenious arrangement of public and private spaces that slowly moving away from the street through a series of horizontal planes. Pronounced eaves made the interior space expand toward the outside. Considered the first phase of the American architect's career, the so-called Prairie Houses had marked horizontality, mainly due to the enormous plans created by slightly inclined eaves. Eaves are ubiquitous in most traditional architecture, and in addition to their aesthetic role, they serve several important functions, the primary one being to keep rainwater away from the building's walls and structure. But for some time now, we have seen plenty of projects with sloping roofs without eaves, forming pure and unornamented volumes. This brings us to the question: in these projects, how are practical issues such as draining rainwater?
With Hommage, Villeroy & Boch has been recalling, for over two decades, the origins of the bathroom at the start of the 20th century. Now, the collection of washbasins, WCs and a freestanding bathtub is getting a color update in matte black. Image Courtesy of Villeroy & Boch
What if François Boch –a frustrated French cannonball foundryman who left it behind to instead found a pottery workshop with his sons in Audin-le-Tiche, France– had never existed? What might the modern bathroom look like today?
The vomitorium and its purpose is one of historical architecture’s most common misconceptions. It’s said that the vomitorium was a room that neighbored Roman feasts, where guests could socially eject the contents of their stomach before returning to the feast with renewed capacity. Although this theory was not entirely based on fiction – as Romans are known to have indeed taken up habitual regurgitation, possibly as a sign of excess wealth – there’s no reason to believe there was a specific room dedicated to the practice.
The original usage of the term ‘vomitorium’ – taken from the same Latin root ‘vomere’ – in fact refers to a room that allows a large building to disgorge itself of its contents. A vomitorium, therefore, is nothing more than a corridor. Specifically, a wide, arterial corridor leading to or from a high-capacity public space such as a theatre, arena, or stadium, designed with the intention to get as many people in or out of the venue as quickly as possible. A well-designed vomitorium, for example, is essential for efficient emergency evacuation procedures, but even during day-to-day activity, the ability to move large numbers of people quickly helps with a venue’s turnover and creates a more pleasant crowd experience.
As has been widely reported, the construction industry is responsible for approximately 40% of all global carbon emissions. This is an enormous issue, and there is no single solution.
It is in this context that Codesign has proudly partnered with 2050 Materials to launch an early-stage Carbon Calculator. This simple tool takes the building data from Codesign's building model and combines it with user-selected properties to calculate the carbon impact of the design.
Double-height ceilings, commonly found in museums and industrial warehouses to accommodate large objects, offer both aesthetic and functional advantages. This concept seamlessly translates to residential designs, where these ceilings are often strategically placed near social areas or stairs. By doing so, they enhance the overall space, increase illumination, and add an impressive sense of height. In this context, we present examples to illustrate how to maximize the benefits of double-height ceilings in your home.
Some of the most picturesque projects are those built in the mountains; the rustic cabin wrapped with a floor-to-ceiling glass panel that overlooks the snow-covered trees. Visually, the architecture exudes an enchanting feeling, but is it truly a habitable space? When houses are built on an elevation of 3,000 meters, installing a fire element alone is not efficient or sustainable. Spaces on such altitudes or particular geographic locations require to be treated thoroughly, beginning with the architecture itself. Whether it's through hydronic in-floor heating systems or wall-mounted chimneys, this interior focus explores how even the most extreme winter conditions did not get in the way of ensuring optimum thermal comfort.
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Aesthetically, Steelcase Karman is made to blend into a modern interior with soft technology that is not visible to the eye. It diminishes the style gap between office and living furniture. Image Courtesy of Steelcase
Essential design. I’ve found myself writing this phrase a lot lately. It can be applied to many new products put out by furniture brands who are aware of their role in preserving the environment’s resources, and of the changing, more mindful market. It has become in itself an aesthetic direction that acknowledges the need for restraint. It is performance with no excess, technology that’s invisible; functionality with economy of form. Today, if we are putting more stuff out there, it needs to justify its existence more than ever.
https://www.archdaily.com/1010028/form-and-function-in-balance-the-essential-design-office-chairEmma Moore
Shortly before the First World War, Harry Brearley (1871-1948), who had been working as a metalworker since he was 12 years old, developed the first stainless steel. Seeking to solve the problem of wear on the inner walls of British army weapons, he ended up obtaining a corrosion resistant metal alloy, and added chrome to the cast iron. The invention found applications in almost all industrial sectors including for the production of cutlery, health equipment, kitchens, automotive parts, and more, replacing traditional materials such as carbon steel, copper, and even aluminum. In civil construction, this was no different, and stainless steel was soon incorporated into buildings.
Amidst the immense possibility of constructive solutions, all have advantages and disadvantages, gains and limitations. Whether for economic reasons, deadlines, material availability, or spatial performance, each type of material responds to the project in a certain way and gives it a specific visual and environmental aspect. In general, multiple construction systems are required, enabling the offsetting of any shortcomings in one material through the performance of another. This approach ensures a balanced and effective implementation of diverse materials to address specific project requirements. Drywall panels, or drywall, are on this threshold between rejection and preference.
Hidden in plain sight right above our heads, there’s around 50-150cm of wasted space going unused and unnoticed. Those hard-to-reach spots atop wardrobes, kitchen cupboards, and bookcases are reserved only for seldom-used objects, left to be forgotten and gather dust. Helping rooms with high ceilings make full use of their additional height, however, interior ladders allow storage spaces to reach their full potential, while making sure they remain safe, comfortable, and easy to access by everyone.
Like most countries, India faces a perpetual housing crisis. As the world’s most populous nation, with an urban population expected to grow from 410 million in 2014 to 814 million by 2050, this becomes a pressing concern. The Indian built landscape brings further complexities in the form of a pervasive market-driven approach and the need for socially relevant housing. Looking into the future, how will India address the needs of its growing population to house the next million urbanites?
Respecting others seems like something still distant from prevailing in humanity. In a world where news bombards us with various forms of violence, it is always necessary to find ways to recognize the worth and dignity of each person and to respect differences. We need to cultivate tolerance towards what we don't know, and in this regard, architecture can be an important ally.
Smartphones and tablets have become so powerful that has abruptly changed the concept of workshops since the introduction of apps into the architecture industry. They have generated a more productive and efficient workflow on-site or on the go, covering different aspects of the field with versatility and variety. While some are specific to professionals, others appeal to every architecture enthusiast, with user-friendly interfaces, simplified navigations, and reachable information.
ArchDaily has selected the best architecture apps in 2023 featuring technical drawing and modeling essentials, sketching canvas for all levels, construction and management platforms, toolbox apps, and interfaces to get inspiration from.
Winds of change continue to blow through the international textile sector. From 9 to 12 January 2024, when the exhibition halls in Frankfurt am Main will once again be full and bustling for Heimtextil, visitors will experience an omnipresent reorientation in the field of home and contract textiles: a move away from the classic trend concept as an economic driver, towards transformation in the direction of sustainable value creation.
