AGENCY: The Power of Architects Inside, Beside, and Beyond Practice
AGENCY (noun) is defined as: 1a: the office or function of an agent 1b: the relationship between a principal and that person's agent 2: the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power 3: a person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved 4: an establishment engaged in doing business for another 5: an administrative division (as of a government)
SUPSI and MC2.0 present the contest “Solar Design for Public Co-working Spaces”. This contest highlights the crucial interplay between solar energy and buildings in creating multifunctional solar architectures to redefine the use of solar energy as a building and design material. For the contest “Solar Design for Public Coworking Spaces”, participants are asked to design a temporary co-working space in which a flexible and lightweight photovoltaic film is integrated into one or more technological systems such as shading systems, facades, roofs, street furnishing elements, etc. This space, accommodating approximately 10 workers, should encompass essential co-working amenities such as desks, chairs, electrical outlets, and a small outdoor workspace. The jury will be looking for designs that study how the photovoltaic elements are integrated into the built environment and used as a construction materials and how the technology can influence and shape architectural decisions. Participants may select any urban environment for their “Solar Design for Public Co-working Spaces” and propose a design solution for the fully functional building. Winning proposal, 3 special awards. The MC2.0 consortium will award a maximum of 3’000 € in in-kind services to competition winners.
While sculpture remained central to his artistic practice, Isamu Noguchi’s (1904–1988) interests and production spanned an exceptionally broad terrain that included furniture and lamps, stage sets for dance, plazas, courtyards—and gardens. Noguchi made no distinction between design, craft, and the so-called fine arts: in his view all of these could all be considered art should their aesthetic qualities sufficiently transcend those generated by the simple address of need.
Designing the Regenerative School profiles case studies from around the world that exemplify best practices in creating healthy, climate appropriate learning environments for early learners through high school with designs that are not only beautiful places to learn, but embrace restorative principles—enhancing the lives of the occupants, the environment, and the community they reside in. Each project will be profiled with eight pages of content including multiple photographs, plans, diagrams and approximately 1,000 words of narrative capturing the unique solutions. Case studies were evaluated on five metrics: • Net-Zero Energy/Carbon Strategies • Healthy, Regenerative Building Attributes • Utilization of Evidence Based Informed Design • Occupant Satisfaction • Post Occupancy Data The case studies will be supplemented will essays from leading subject matter experts addressing topics ranging from: • Evidence Based Design • Occupant Health • Net Zero Energy • Net Zero Carbon • Designing for Resilience in the face of Climate Change • Best Practices in Designing for Safety and Security • Biophilic Design • Pathways to Advocacy Extensive research, communications, interviews data analysis were utilized in compiling the book with the mission to share knowledge and insights that are vital to creating healthy, regenerative ECE-12 learning environments in all manner of contexts. Outcomes for each project will be profiled in the form of post occupancy data, certifications received, and client perspectives.
Mass-produced from the 1970s to the 1990s, modular kiosks like the seminal K67, designed by the Slovenian architect Saša J. Mächtig, and similar systems – including the Polish Kami, the Macedonian KC190, and the Soviet ‘Bathyscaphe’ – could be found anywhere throughout the former Eastern Bloc and ex-Yugoslav countries, from bustling city squares to socialist-era housing estates. They served as hot dog and Polish zapiekanka joints, farm egg and rotisserie chicken vendors, funeral flower shops, newsstands, car park booths, currency exchange offices, and more. Featuring over 150 kiosks – from Ljubljana to Warsaw, and from Belgrade to Berlin – this photobook provides previously unseen documentation of the remaining modernist booths that witnessed the socio-political transformation of Central and Eastern Europe at the end of the 20th century. While some remain active or have undergone refurbishment, others have been abandoned or have slowly faded from the urban landscape. The photographs in this unique collection were taken over the last decade by Zupagrafika’s founders, David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka. The book includes a foreword and an introduction, offering invaluable insights into the history of these mobile structures.
"American Dream Homes in Watercolor" is a visual celebration of the architectural diversity and beauty that defines the American residential landscape. This book offers a journey through twelve distinct architectural styles, each captured in exquisite watercolor paintings that bring to life the unique features and charm of these homes.
Gazeley Regional Distribution Centre. Image Courtesy of Kingspan
Insulation plays an essential role in today’s buildings—whether it is to provide thermal efficiency to reduce energy demand and cut carbon emissions, or to reduce noise transmission to provide acoustic comfort. Every building has different requirements for the type of insulation needed in floors, roofs, ceilings and walls, and to meet these varying demands Kingspan has developed a range of holistic insulation solutions fit for the future of the built environment.
From lower embodied carbon products to bio-based materials, reducing environmental impact is an area of increasing importance. Meanwhile, the pressing need to upgrade the thermal efficiency of existing buildings often demands insulation technologies that can work with existing structures without requiring excessive thickness. For cladding systems, reaction to fire can be every bit as important as thermal conductivity, and for acoustic panels that form part of the internal décor, aesthetics is as crucial as sound absorption.
Transforming an initial idea into a concept design is a complex process. It requires understanding project requirements like context, program, budget, and functionality and rapidly iterating—usually with a team—to arrive at a concept, leading to multiple iterations at an early stage.
A common frustration among architects is that concept tools today are either too rigid for design exploration or don’t integrate well with BIM tools—forcing them to either constrain their design to the tool or spend days re-working a concept model on Revit to transition to schematic and detailed design.
The Romanian Order of Architects (OAR), with the support of OAR Brașov, Covasna, Harghita Territorial Branch, together with the Contracting Authority – the Municipality of Brașov, are glad to announce the official launch of the „RULMENTUL, BRAȘOV” International Design Competition.
Founded in the memory of Professor Kurula Varkey, a former Director of the School of Architecture and a prominent figure in the institution’s pedagogical reforms, the forum brings together students from various architectural schools, academicians and practitioners from around the world.
Camposaz 40:40 Trento edition is organized in collaboration with AGATN (Associazione Giovani Architetti Trentino) and Comune di Trento. The workshop is included in "Fiori al centro" festival and in "Trento European Volunteering Capital 2024".
Join us for our Design Awards ceremony at Sir Denys Lasdun’s Royal College of Physicians on Regent’s Park, where we will celebrate this year’s outstanding entries.
The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) in Barcelona announces a new edition of the Global Summer School (GSS), marking another milestone fostering global collaboration and innovation in the field of architecture and design.
