Articles

Ventilation serves two main purposes in a room: first, to remove pollutants and provide clean air; second, to meet the metabolic needs of the occupants, providing pleasant temperatures (weather permitting). It is well known that environments with inadequate ventilation can bring serious harm to the health of the occupants and, especially in hot climates, thermal discomfort. A Harvard University study demonstrated that in buildings with good ventilation and better air quality (with lower rates of carbon dioxide), occupants showed better performance of cognitive functions, faster responses to extreme situations, and better reasoning in strategic activities.

It is not difficult to see that ventilation plays a vital role in ensuring adequate air quality and thermal comfort in buildings. We have all felt it. But when we talk about ventilation, a light breeze from the window might come to mind, shifting through our hair and bringing a pleasant aroma and cooling temperature that brings fresh air and comfort. In mild climates, this experience can even be a reality on many days of the year. In harsh climates or polluted spaces, it could be quite different.

Hemp is one of the oldest crops domesticated by humans. With its wide variety of uses and applications, it’s easy to understand why it’s been a desirable product throughout history. Hemp seeds and flowers are used in health foods, medicines, and organic beauty products; the fibers and stalks of the hemp plant are used in clothing, paper, and biofuel. Today even a waste product of hemp fiber processing, so-called hemp shives, is being utilized to create sustainable building materials like hempcrete.

WeTransfer recently released its 2020 Ideas Report, which showcases the effects COVID-19 has had on creativity. At a time when the economy, employment rates, and overall morale were down, the report found a reason for hope—nearly half (45.3 percent) of the 35,000 creatives polled claimed that they experienced more creative ideas during the pandemic than before.

Which begs the question: How do we replicate the good that has come out of the pandemic and keep it going for the industry over the long term? ThinkLab sat down with business leaders within—and outside—the interiors industry to understand the shifts companies made to remain relevant in these changing times.

Continuing our quest to redefine how architecture is perceived nowadays and exposing the different notions out there, ArchDaily gave space for its users to answer four fundamental questions: "What is architecture? What can architecture do? What is your architectural position? What is your design method?" With around 200 entries per interrogation, gathered from all over the world, the ideas shared are mostly complementary and non-conflicting, underlining a general understanding of the role and essence of this field.

After having shared insights, in collaboration with WIA, from 16 different notable figures in the architectural scenes, such as Odile Decq, Kjetil Thorsen from Snøhetta, Peter Cook, Anna Heringer, Yona Friedman, Ma Yansong from MAD Architects, Liam Young, and Wolf D. Prix from Coop Himmelb(l)au, to name a few, this article highlights the best responses of our readers to the timeless interrogation "What is architecture?"

+ 5

Just before the global lockdowns began in response to the spread of the widely discussed COVID-19, we met with Saint Gobain experts at their new headquarters in Paris to discuss an extensive investigation conducted in 2019, with the aim of understanding the transformations that architecture and construction have experienced in recent years. After an interesting exchange of ideas, we chose the most relevant topics to be analyzed in depth by our team of editors, resulting in a series of articles that combined the trends identified with the unexpected events that occurred during 2020, connecting them directly to architectural design.

Now, entering an uncertain but promising 2021, we took the time to stop and reread these articles carefully. How many of these trends are still valid and how much have they evolved? What new trends are likely to develop in the coming years?

This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights cultural structures submitted by the ArchDaily Community. From pavilions to installations, this article explores the topic of cultural urban interventions and presents approaches submitted to us from all over the world.

Featuring a pavilion nestled in the sand dunes of the Persian desert, an afrofuturistic, interactive art installation proposed for the upcoming Burning Man event, and a new take on summer cinemas in Russia, this roundup explores how architects reimagined traditional gathering places and created urban interventions in all scales. The round up also includes a collection of structures in the United Arab Emirates, United Sates of America, France, and the United Kingdom, each responding to different contexts and topographies.

+ 62

+ 27

The following article, based on the exhibition conceived by the Projective Drawing course and developed by the Digital Fabrication and Parametric Design Laboratory of the Institución Universitaria Colegio Mayor de Antioquia (FABLAB COLMAYOR), demonstrates the adaptability of undergraduate programs after COVID-19. This initiative, utilizing rendering and augmented reality, showcases a new approach to applying relevant tools in both academic and professional fields.

Videos

Incredible lighting, shining finishes, healthy trees, and properly positioned human figures seem to be the perfect kit for a good and traditional image of architecture, which, however, is not always representative of reality or context. We are accustomed to thinking of renderings as visions of future buildings, occupied and in use, which serve to sell or convince customers of the worth of a project. But what if rendered images also helped us understand the construction, systems, and functioning of some parts of the building? We talked to two professionals who have developed images that are both beautiful and explanatory.

Prefabrication is not a new concept for architects, but its usage is evidently on the rise. With today’s limited spatial capacity and need for cost efficiency, the industrial strategy of architectural production has shifted towards an all-around-efficient approach, in some cases assembling projects in a matter of days or weeks [1][2].

Prefabricated wood components, used in both wooden frames and mass timber constructions, have helped solve many design and engineering challenges. In addition to material and time efficiency, reduced waste, and cost control [1][2], prefabricated wood elements offer the advantages of high performing and energy efficient passive designs [3].

+ 3

Few places have embraced sustainable design practices like California. Experiencing dramatic droughts, wildfires and environmental issues, the state has started to create new policies and initiatives to promote environmentally-conscious design solutions. From eco-districts and water management strategies to net-zero building projects, the Golden State is making strides to reshape its future. Forming long-term visions and procedures through the lens of physical resource consumption, California is working to better integrate its economic development plans with sustainable building methods.

+ 10

Today, April 12, 2021, marked the passing of architect Carlos González Lobo, a leading proponent of social and participatory architecture in Mexico. A 1963 graduate of the National School of Architecture, he went on to earn a Master of Architecture from UNAM's Faculty of Architecture in 1995. That same year, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Rhode Island School of Design, later receiving a PhD in Architecture from UNAM in 2007.

Designed by award-winning architect Rudy Ricciotti, the designer of the MuCEM in Marseille, the Jean-Boutin Stadium in Paris, and the Islamic Arts Exhibition in the Louvre Museum, the Manufacture de la Mode reintroduces Chanel's intricate craftsmanship in an architectural and urban context. Architectural photographer Simon Garcia uncovers the newly-inaugurated fashion community in a series of photographs.

+ 3

In the face of contemporary changes, architects and urban planners must revisit their roles. In contrast to planning approaches that produce increasingly massified and generic cities, establishing practices of resistance to reclaim the city for pedestrians is paramount. To be effective, these practices must foster connections between the people who experience the city daily and the urban space itself, moving away from technical definitions that treat public participation as fragmented. Instead of fueling collective paranoia that builds insurmountable walls in search of excessive security, the city should align with technology to promote openness, open-source models, collaboration, and collective creation. Beyond its practical connective function, the street must enhance lived experiences, becoming a space for chance encounters, reflection, and, above all, appropriation.

Videos

When creating a contemporary atmosphere for living, many factors come into play. The surrounding environment, its climate, use of materials, spatial organization, and the attention to detail in both the interior and exterior design, all impact the quality of the design as a whole.

With increasingly better renderings becoming ubiquitous, students and architects alike feel the pressure of mastering an additional set of skills to get their ideas across. To what extent do renderings make or break a portfolio or a project? How important are they in the design process, and do renderings inform of a particular set of skills besides the software ones? This article explores different perspectives on the role of renderings within the profession.

+ 3

+ 9

This article by Hugo Mondragón and Manola Ogalde (both from the School of Architecture of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) was originally published in the 29th issue of Dearq journal on 01/01/2021 under the title "Consecration and Exclusion: The Disputed Canon of Colombian Architecture, 1951-1981" (https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq29.2021.08) and is part of a joint dissemination partnership.

Guillermo A. Blanco Alcón shares a summary of his research '"Seeing, Being Seen: The Evolution of the Trafalgar Lighthouse and its Social Influence Today".' This study outlines the aspects most affected by its influence on two highly contrasting realities: tourism and illegal immigration.

+ 37

Designing spaces below ground level is always a major challenge, particularly regarding lighting and ventilation. However, creative solutions make it possible to create welcoming, airy subterranean spaces, such as the use of perforated panels to bring light into Casa K or even the strategic implementation of a glass-bottomed reflecting pool on the ground floor, allowing natural light to reach the basement of Jardim do Sol House.