Articles

The theorization of the workplace has become a global discourse, spanning research on new spatial trends, experiments in hybrid models, the digital revolution and its impact on productivity, workplace wellness, and the elusive balance between life and work. Yet, as a New York Times article on the digital workplace notes, while this theoretical debate has spanned decades, successful implementation remains in its infancy. Propelled by the rise of tech giants like Slack and Zoom, alongside the global disruptions of recent years, our working patterns have fundamentally shifted. We have seemingly adapted to remote work, often forgetting the efficiency of physical presence and the nuanced connection of face-to-face interaction. As “digital distraction” increasingly permeates our daily lives, this is a challenge we must confront when rethinking the design of the physical office.

Can our work, then, be fully digitized and done remotely?

As part of a new collaboration between Mexican firms Dellekamp Arquitectos and Rojkind Arquitectos, Casa Roca is presented in Puerto Los Cabos, San José del Cabo, Mexico. Inspired by the rock formations at the site's summit, the project features a radial layout carefully organized in response to its topography. Sited on a 5,000 m² lot, the 1,200 m² house organizes its program along the natural landscape, minimizing its footprint and establishing a close relationship with nature as the core living experience.

Recently, many Brazilian cities have turned to tactical urbanism as a way to intervene in the design of their streets, making them safer and more appealing—all at a low cost and on a short timeline.

The volume and nature of these interventions have been particularly remarkable in addressing the immediacy imposed by the pandemic in our cities. They seek to adapt street layouts to modes of travel that reduce the risk of transmission during daily commutes, even amidst scenarios of restricted activities.

genarchitects was founded in Shanghai in 2013. Whether operating in dense urban environments or amidst natural landscapes, the firm remains committed to the authentic realities of design and construction practice. By carefully balancing site conditions and functional requirements, genarchitects seeks to find calm and honest solutions for complex and uncertain realities. 

Led by founding partners Fan Beilei, Kong Rui, and Xue Zhe, genarchitects engages in a comprehensive range of design work. Their projects span from schools and art museums to bridges, sports fields, furniture, and urban design. Representative works include the Dingshu Vocational School, the Pavilion of One Court, the Aranya MCSC Hotel, and the Wallpaper* Apartments at Friendship Bay. The firm's work has received numerous honors, including the Architecture China Natural Construction Award, the WA China Architecture Award, the Architectural Creation Award of the Architectural Society of Shanghai, the AIA Shanghai Design Award, the German Iconic Awards (Best of Best), and Italy's THE PLAN Award. 

As part of the FUGAZ Greater Concepción Urban Interventions Festival, a team comprising Álvaro Parraguez, Beatriz Harriet, Bárbara Schumacher, Josefa Acevedo, and Luis Cambiaso developed an installation at the Villarrica coastal resort in Dichato (Concepción, Chile) that won the 2022 Ephemeral Installations Competition. The competition called for an ephemeral installation to serve as a functional venue for the festival, accommodating various daytime performances and activities across dance, theater, music, and other disciplines.

As widely reported, the global building sector is responsible for 36% of final energy consumption (Global ABC, 2022)—across its full life cycle, from material extraction to end-of-life. Crucially, the energy consumed during building operation accounts for more than 80% of the building's total life-cycle energy. Furthermore, 66% of this energy is known to be consumed primarily by HVAC systems [1].

Against this backdrop, a series of global measures have been promoted to reduce building operational energy, such as improving the thermal insulation of building envelopes, implementing solar shading, incorporating renewable energy, and upgrading to more efficient equipment, among others.

We are living in a state of emergency. Since the dawn of industrialization, we have rushed through our planet's finite resources as if they were limitless, depleting and destabilizing the very ecosystems we depend on for our sustenance, economy, food, health, and quality of life.

In just 50 years, we have lost more than half of the world's wildlife. Currently, the Earth is on track to warm beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius, which scientists warn is a hard planetary boundary for existing ecosystems. This is a “code red for humanity,” as described in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. Continuing on our current path will mean irreversibly damaging the very conditions that sustain life on this planet.

Today, the kitchen has evolved into an architectural hub for gathering and socializing, displacing the living or dining room as the home's primary social center. Similarly, in contemporary design, the bathroom has taken on a central role. Design concepts now reflect the user's personality, whether in small or spacious layouts, by combining wall and floor coverings, materials, and decorative elements.

Bathroom and kitchen renovation has become a booming sector within architecture, driven by a vast range of product options and projects that are increasingly accessible to execute. These spaces are no longer merely utilitarian; they can also be designed to reflect the overall character of the home.

Casa Batlló, located on the iconic Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, Spain, is an architectural masterpiece that embodies a synthesis of creativity, innovation, and architect Antoni Gaudí's deep connection with nature. Built between 1904 and 1906, this residence is a major tourist attraction in the city and an important contribution to architectural history. Here, we analyze Casa Batlló through concepts central to the field of neuroarchitecture.

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Perhaps the aphorism that holds the greatest truth in both architecture and other areas of life is the following: “those who know the past can control their future.” This is reflected in architecture schools, where texts and works of traditional Mexican architecture are still taught, though 20th and 21st-century architecture is featured in a much greater proportion. Yet, an analysis of current architectural production suggests that recent graduates and professionals are unfamiliar with their own history. This is problematic as our identity, expressed through the architecture of our cities, is fading. At least, this is the view of the founders of the new multidisciplinary association “INTBAU México.”

Twenty years after the birth of cinema, audiences were already growing familiar with catastrophic, post-apocalyptic imagery. Cinema emerged at the end of the 19th century—specifically in 1896—with the demonstration of the cinematograph, a device capable of projecting moving images. For their debut, the Lumière brothers screened several short films, captivating the audience with movement projected onto a two-dimensional surface. Although there are records of brief recordings dating back months prior to this event, The Arrival of a Train at the Station, one of the shorts shown at the screening and filmed by the Lumière brothers themselves, is widely considered the world's first movie.

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Terra is the title of Brazil's participation in the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, an exhibition curated by Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Tavares that occupies the spaces of the Brazilian pavilion at the Giardini. Divided into two galleries, the exhibition challenges the canons of modern architecture while seeking alternatives for a decolonized and decarbonized future in marginalized ancestral narratives. Terra is the first Brazilian pavilion to be awarded the Venice Architecture Biennale's highest honor, the Golden Lion.

In an effort to expand access to the content exhibited in Venice, we present here the texts and images from the second gallery, titled Places of Origin, Archaeologies of the Future. The first gallery, Decolonizing the Canon, can be revisited here. ArchDaily would like to thank the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, which generously provided the material from the Terra pavilion for this publication.

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Increasingly robust and promising scientific evidence can assist architects and other designers seeking inclusive design by taking diverse minds into account—that is, creating built environments that engage with neurodiversity. Neurodiversity has always been a part of humanity. The term encompasses people with a wide range of neurological conditions and was coined by sociologist Judy Singer in 1999.

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Each year, the National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA), through the National System of Art Creators (SNCA), honors key figures of excellence in national culture through the Young Creators Program. By providing grants, the program supports the creative and educational development of young Mexican artists, fostering favorable conditions for the execution of original, meaningful, and positive creative projects. For this edition, the grant recipients in the “Architectural Design” category were Ruy Berumen, Diego González, Juan José Kochen, Ignacio Pérez, Elsa Ponce, Luca Salas, and Tania Tovar, who worked under the mentorship of tutors Elena Tudela Rivadeneyra, Rafael Ponce Ortiz, and Patricia Ivonne Álvarez De Anda.

As physical and digital commerce increasingly merge, designers and architects are creating shopping experiences that bridge the gap between physical and online spaces. We are beginning to witness the dawn of a new retail landscape that skillfully overlays disruptive digital behaviors with new aesthetics.

Choosing color palettes plays a fundamental role in any design strategy. Beyond their influence on aesthetics, spatial perception, and emotion, selected colors can define the character of an environment. When choosing a color palette, it is essential to consider the context, the building's use, and the lifestyle of its inhabitants, while also accounting for how the colors interact—whether as complementary hues, highlights, or counterpoints to predominant tones.

In addition to enhancing interior comfort, colors profoundly influence user perception and behavior. Alongside structural and ornamental elements, paint choices complete the definition of color palettes in architecture and design. As they do every year, Sherwin-Williams has presented its color trends—this year introducing Terra Colormix 2023, which features 40 trending colors inspired by the rich interweaving of our lives and spaces. Below, we present various color palettes tailored to different types of projects—such as workspaces, educational and healthcare centers, multifamily buildings, contemporary residences, and hospitality spaces—showcasing the versatility of this collection through practical applications.

Founded in 2006, Shanghai Hetai Architectural Decoration Co., Ltd. has spent the past 17 years specializing in the research and practice of fair-faced concrete restoration and long-term protection, as well as the creation of fair-faced concrete finishes (weather-resistant Portland cement and weather-resistant white cement finishes). Through rigorous product selection, performance testing, process exploration, project application, and technological innovation, the company has successfully completed the restoration and long-term protection of 36 fair-faced and conventional concrete buildings cast across various periods. Additionally, they have completed nine fair-faced concrete finish projects alongside ongoing weather-resistance and stability testing spanning 10 to 16 years.

Proper home insulation and selecting the right materials are fundamental when undertaking a construction project. These strategies enhance interior comfort and serve as a long-term cost-saving measure.