Articles

Urban development in China has been a contentious issue, represented by megacities and endless gated communities, remnants of the country’s large communal working and living units, the ‘danwei’. However, in recent years, the paradigm has been shifted largely by developers for more innovative living concepts, the practice of designing inclusive communities anchored by public and cultural buildings serving the wider community. One of the earliest experiments, Liangzhu New Town by Vanke is now a benchmark for creating diverse community.

10 projects, 10 functions. Featuring a multitude of different programs, this week's curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights diverse and innovative conceptual approaches. Submitted by our readers, this variety of proposals includes sports, religious, cultural, educational, and social purposes.

Compiling projects from all over the world, this article puts together a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand, a ring-shaped experience center and eco-tourism catalyst for Latvia, a cemetery in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the biggest extreme sports park in Russia. Moreover, unconventional office spaces are underlined with an innovation start-up center in Vietnam, headquarters in Shenzhen, and Tirana's new municipality building.

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Who said three’s a crowd? With the new Livre armchair, Manto dining table and Bonfire table lamp, Italian furniture specialists Gallotti&Radice have added a trio of designs to their range that are all big on personality.

This article is part of a collaboration with the website coolhuntermx, and was originally published under the title "Decolonial Practice in Design."

If you have not read “Decolonizing Design: Towards an Inclusive Practice” by Ashby Solano, I recommend starting there to engage with a discussion that is gaining increasing resonance—though still not enough—across various design circles. But what exactly is decolonial thinking in design? Can we believe in the decolonization of design in Mexico and Latin America when its professionalization was established under the dogma of Eurocentric thought? In other words, we were taught what correct design is, what good design is, and what deserved to be professionalized.

The pursuit of security in architecture is closely linked to creating sheltered interiors that allow us to carry out our daily activities comfortably and without unforeseen disruptions. However, the challenges involved in protecting people and property have shifted dramatically in recent years. Today, we seek to feel safe wherever we are, and in an increasingly open and transparent architecture, the building envelope material becomes more and more critical, particularly in its glazed areas.

What parameters should be considered when choosing safety glass? We spoke with technical experts from Cristales Dialum, who have developed solutions with different resistance levels for single- and double-glazed units.

You probably see brick on a daily basis, whether it’s structuring a building, paving the road, or perhaps serving as a fireplace or chimney. But do all these applications use the same type of brick? How are the bricks supporting or being supported? What are these bricks actually made of? Brick’s versatility and ubiquitous nature mean there’s more than one answer to these questions. Even among brick’s most common applications as a building facade and/or structural wall material, there are a variety of types and construction methods employed.

Idaho's nickname is "The Gem State" for its abundance of natural resources and scenic areas, from steep canyons and valleys to snow-capped mountains. It's no surprise that the state's architecture draws from this context, especially for remote housing projects. Reinterpreting building methods, materials, and spatial relationships, architects have designed a series of incredible homes across Idaho that are redefining how to live in nature.

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Ranging from yellow, to gray, to traditional red and orange, bricks are ubiquitous in many of our cities and widely used in construction. Briefly, the manufacturing process of traditional bricks involves molding clay and firing it in ovens, facilitating the creation of solid blocks, perforated blocks, cobogós, tiles, and other shapes. Ceramic bricks are inexpensive; easy to find; boast strong resistance, thermal inertia, and finish; and do not require such specialized labor for construction. But if the installation is done near sources of high heat, the common brick will end up cracking and breaking, making refractory bricks more suitable. But what does that mean?

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Historically, bamboo has been used as a raw material in traditional low-income construction, serving as a substitute for other woods to build structures, cabinetry, and even furniture. Today, due to its numerous advantages regarding durability, strength, versatility, and low environmental impact, it has earned the moniker "vegetal steel," securing a privileged place in the construction industry. The current search for sustainable development materials has generated new construction fusions that bring contemporary materials and techniques into play with traditional elements, merging and highlighting the unique qualities of materials from each region.

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For decades, companies have relied on disposable plastic packaging to bag and contain products worldwide. Today, the staggering detrimental effects of this plastic dependence are well-known: since the 1950’s, over 9 billion tons of plastic have been produced, only 9% of which was recycled; around the world, one million plastic bottles are bought every minute and two million plastic bags are used every minute; and per the Plastic Pollution Coalition, by 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by weight. Moreover, plastic is a petroleum product, and its production only further contributes to the devastating climate effects of mass fossil fuel use.

The study of architecture and its relationship to daily life and gender has prompted researchers to seek new sources and expand the analysis of their ideas and achievements. This essay explores the female presence in urban spaces through fragments of daily life gathered from columns, news reports, and advertisements published in the newspaper *O Estado de São Paulo*.

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While concrete is without a doubt the world's go-to building material thanks to its durability, malleability, and ability to withstand a wide range of climates, it is also the principal source of CO₂ emissions within the realm of construction. To combat this and reduce their creations' carbon footprint, many architects have begun experimenting and innovating in a bid to optimize concrete's technical qualities while diminishing its impact on the environment. Among these efforts, there are several projects that have explored the possibility of replacing traditional frameworks with more sustainable materials like bamboo, a resource that grows in abundance throughout many regions of the world and, along with having minimal environmental impact, renders high quality textured detailing on a variety of architectural surfaces.

Every company across the country is talking about “diversity” and “inclusion”—but what actions are actually being taken to address the issues? In May, following the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, conversations were had, statements issued, and boxes checked. But achieving diversity and inclusion will involve addressing long-term, systemic issues that cannot be solved with a black square on Instagram or a carefully crafted statement from a PR department.

The first step toward diversity and inclusion is recognizing that talking about it is not enough, and the path to real change is going to be a process.

Human impacts on Earth are a common issue nowadays, and many people say that there is no turning back. Climate crisis, greenhouse gases, exploitation of natural resources, production of solid waste and atmospheric pollution are some of the most pressing issues that the global community must address if we want to ensure a sound future for the next generations.

These topics can be viewed in full-color and high-definition in the new book Overview Timelapse: How We Change the Earth, by Benjamin Grant and Timothy Dougherty, which compiles 250 satellite and drone photographs of places on Earth that are in constant transformation.

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Fungi are everywhere—in the air, in water, on our bodies, on trees, on bathroom ceilings, and underground. They can manifest as mushrooms (including edible, medicinal, psychedelic, or highly toxic ones) or in other simple forms like mold. They can trigger illnesses, but they also produce life-saving antibiotics like penicillin and help ferment excellent cheeses and breads. Could they, then, also become the packaging and construction materials of the future?

Few historical events have been as pivotal to the history of architecture and urbanism as the Industrial Revolution. To accommodate the productive framework that transformed capitalism starting in the 18th century, an entire spatial system was created. Beyond factories, this network included raw material processing plants, power generation and distribution hubs, warehouses, and transport terminals. In urban terms, this process did not merely allocate large swaths of land to industrial activities; it triggered a multisystemic transformation that reshaped how people lived, occupied, and moved within the urban environment.

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The sixth edition of the international architecture and city festival Open House Madrid was held from September 25 to 27, featuring a special edition organized to comply with necessary health measures and ensure the safety of all participants. The event offered visits to 27 renowned architecture studios across the city—some in virtual formats, others in person, and some in both.

As our cities continue to grow and expand rapidly, there has been an increasing demand for architects and craftsmen to build houses more cost-efficiently under tight deadlines. Modular architecture has been introduced as a concept which involves assembling multiple pre-fabricated modules on site to create a working unit. By joining similar elements together in various ways, modular architecture allows for more flexibilities in design and standardized repair.