Articles

BIM and 3D modeling are essential in today’s architecture field. What they aren’t, however, is static or prescriptive. The way BIM is integrated varies not just by firm, but even by individual project. The size of the building, structure of the project team, or even government mandates can dictate how a firm utilizes their BIM capabilities. Belgian firm Osar Architects found that Vectorworks is the best match for the way they run their office. Specifically, Vectorworks Architect is well-matched for the type and extent of modeling they do because it's flexible to fit the needs of each project.

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In 1942, less than a year after the United States was pulled into World War II, the U.S Army Corps of Engineers quickly and quietly began acquiring large parcels of land in remote areas in three states. Soon after, thousands of young designers, engineers, planners, scientists, and their families, began arriving at these sites that were heavily shielded from public view. Workers there constructed hundreds of buildings including houses, industrial structures, research labs, and testing facilities at unprecedented speed and scale.

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Through the Contemporary Culture and Reality Seminar course—then coordinated by Professor José Guilherme Pereira, together with Baque Cidade and the Carmen Portinho Feminist Collective—Escola da Cidade welcomed Mestra Joana Cavalcante, from Nação do Maracatu Encanto do Pina, for a discussion on what Maracatu is and how, in its local territories—with the city of Recife (PE) serving as an emblematic case—it resists as a social organization while exposing issues such as racism, sexism, real estate speculation, and socio-spatial segregation.

When things change, we change the way we live.

Questioning where we live, even in an era of telecommuting, Zoom education and mass transit avoidance, is a complicated, high-risk endeavor. Houses are unique. Whether we rent or own, for most people where we live consumes the greatest amount of money we make.

Successful landscaping is more than just an innate desire to always be in touch with nature. Designing the landscape of public spaces, gardens, or even indoors is an ever-growing concern due to how the arrangement of elements in space can impact not only spatial but also psychological perceptions, contributing to improved comfort and quality for visitors.

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Combining the efficiency—in terms of both time and cost—of prefabrication with the inherent flexibility and adaptability of on-site construction, DUMAY Arquitectos presents Casa Aditiva, a modular architectural system that leverages standardization to create homes of diverse designs, floor areas, and layouts.

It is not clear where and when the wheel was invented, but according to American anthropologist David Anthony, author of a book on the history of the wheel, there is a series of archaeological evidence of wheeled vehicles dating from 3400 BC in Eurasia and the Middle East. Since its creation, the wheel has revolutionized the way human beings handle many activities, especially moving around.

In architecture, a field closely related to occupying spaces with strong and mostly permanent constructions, wheels may at first seem to be somewhat out of place. However, due to the increased popularity of small scale houses, which concentrate the many functions of a residence in minimal spaces, a new possibility for architecture is emerging: locomotion.

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An emerging design trend is filling the gap between furniture and architecture by shaping space through objects at the intersection of the two, creating a dynamic and highly adaptable environment. Either a consequence of the increased demand for flexibility in small spaces or the architectural expression of a device-oriented society, elements in between architecture and furniture open the door towards an increased versatility of space. Neither architecture nor furniture (or perhaps both), these objects operate at the convergence of the two scales of human interaction, carving a new design approach for interior living spaces.

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This article was originally published on Common Edge as "The Mental Disorders that Gave Us Modern Architecture".

How did modern architecture happen? How did we evolve so quickly from architecture that had ornament and detail, to buildings that were often blank and devoid of detail? Why did the look and feel of buildings shift so dramatically in the early 20th century? History holds that modernism was the idealistic impulse that emerged out of the physical, moral and spiritual wreckage of the First World War. While there were other factors at work as well, this explanation, though undoubtedly true, tells an incomplete picture.

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In Mexico, the practice of self-construction remains a divisive topic within the architectural community, with proponents both for and against a practice that is highly conventional and widespread throughout the country. However, though far from a consensus among construction professionals, autonomous building processes are an undeniable reality driven by economic, cultural, and social conditions—a phenomenon that knows no borders. With this in mind, over the last few years, architects have launched a series of initiatives aimed at developing and providing informative materials, support guides, and manuals for self-construction, addressing safety and well-being, and ultimately bringing to light a practice that is increasingly difficult to ignore.

Although Juscelino Kubitschek is remembered for executing the project for Brasília, he was not its creator. The political will to build a new capital in the country's interior dates back to 1808, driven by the desire to elevate Brazil's international standing and symbolize its post-independence development. This developmentalist ethos, or rather the pursuit of the new, underpinned the arguments of most advocates for the relocation, each proposing a different approach.

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In early 2020, along with the implementation of worldwide social isolation measures, we published several articles in order to help our readers increase productivity and comfort in their home offices. After months of continued isolation, surveys show that more than 80% of professionals want to continue working from home even after quarantine ends. In addition, a good number of companies are similarly satisfied with current work practices, showing a high tendency to adopt this practice indefinitely, since the majority of companies observed that remote work was as or more productive than face-to-face work.

However, with respect to children and home studying during the pandemic, the result was not as positive. One of the main reasons for this difference is that it can be difficult to get students to concentrate and motivate themselves for a long time in front of screens. Lack of physical interaction with other children is also a contributing factor. Yet until the global situation improves, it is likely that the return to schools will continue to be postponed. With this situation in mind, we decided to share in this article a series of efficient strategies to transform study spaces at home into better spaces for learning.

It’s easy to think of Modernism as inseparable from air conditioning, simply because we are surrounded by so much of it that is. A valuable reminder that this wasn’t always the case is provided in University of Pennsylvania architecture professor Daniel A. Barber’s Modern Architecture and Climate: Design Before Air Conditioning (Princeton University Press), which outlines the story of the febrile, flexible, and often-forgotten early experiments in climate control.

This article is a contribution from the Medellín-based firm El Taller de Arquitectos, who share their experience in structuring their practice by understanding and approaching architecture competitions as commissioned projects. Read on to explore their insights.

Houses and Villas are the most researched topics on ArchDaily. Putting together a curated selection of conceptual interventions, this week’s Best Unbuilt Architecture focuses on the residential sector. From all over the world, this group presents proposals submitted by our readers.

This article highlights a floating terraces project from India, a lodge in Ethiopia, a seasonal home for an Iranian family in Germany, and a residential compound in Saudi Arabia. Beach houses in Greece, Croatia, and the U.S. are also featured, showcasing different approaches for the same program. Moreover, more futuristic interventions include the Mountain House on the rocky cliffs of British Columbia, and the blue house, an aquarium-like type of home.

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Why should any 21^st Century architect bother to draw by hand? There is, after all, an abundance of readily available digital tools that make pens and pencils seem little more than primeval artefacts. Fondly regarded, perhaps, yet as charmingly irrelevant to contemporary architecture as heavy horses are to today’s farmers or typewriters are to newspaper journalists.

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One of the most critical factors in architectural design is local climate. While extreme conditions can pose challenges—requiring insulating materials to adapt to changing weather—Mexico's favorable climates work to the designer's advantage, enabling the creation of microclimates and spaces that blur the transition between indoors and outdoors.

The A’ Design Award was "born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well-designed products." It is an international award whose aim is to provide designers, architects, and innovators from all design fields with a platform to showcase their work and products to a global audience. This year's edition is now open for entries; designers can register their submissions here.

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