In buildings where openness, brightness, and outward views are highly valued by the users of our projects, glass predominates as an exterior cladding in cities all around the world. This forces us to look for options that can manage the excess of solar radiation and maintain thermal comfort in all seasons, without obstructing the views or darkening the interior spaces.
Prefabricated metal meshes provide certain qualities and flexibility that can work well in conjunction with glass; here we present 8 tips to work with this material and take advantage of its potential.
Far from the noteworthy neighborhoods that often have buildings design by renowned architects, São Paulo's houses capture the modest scale that permeates the identity of its citizens. Alberto Simon, an artist based in the city of São Paulo, photographed the remarkable details of these unassuming housing in his project titled "tamanho_M," which roughly translates to Size M.
Find out more about the project in the artist's own words and see the impressive photos below.
Small spaces often need to accommodate essential functions. How can you incorporate a kitchen into your design in the best possible way when floor space is limited? We've carefully reviewed our published projects to select seven houses where architects have effectively addressed this challenge through intelligent and innovative configurations.
These kitchens manage to appear larger than they actually are by being connected to adjacent spaces such as living rooms or dining rooms. They occupy very small areas themselves, taking a different approach from the traditional kitchen, which usually occupies a separate and exclusive room.
As the profession becomes more aware of the variety of users who will use their architectural creations it is necessary to consider certain basic rules. In the end, the idea is that a building or space can be used comfortably, effectively and (if necessary) quickly by all users. Today the use of BIM technology encourages the incorporation of pre-modeled products in projects, which facilitates the processes. However, if pre-modeled products are not inclusively designed, there is an increased possibility of overlooking these accessible considerations–especially when their architects have no experience or are unaware of accessible design guidelines.
Bradley Corporation USA, a manufacturer of plumbing fixtures and bathroom accessories, has developed standard models of bathrooms for people with disabilities, delivering the basic requirements that must be incorporated according to the guidelines specified by organizations such as the ADA and the ANSI. Below we present an example of an accessible bathroom for a single person, incorporating, among other things, a touchless handwashing sink (all-in-one: soap, water, and hand dryer) and a series of safety bars. Before including it in your project, don't forget to check the local regulations of your country/region.
Seeking to combine traditional education with the responsible use of resources and the development of sustainable human relations, the first sustainable public school in Latin America was created. Designed under a constructive method developed by the North American architect Michael Reynolds, who has now built such schools around the world.
The 270 square meters building is on the coastal portion of Jaureguiberry, Canelones and was raised in only seven weeks. Its construction is made up of approximately 60% recycled materials (covered with plastic and glass bottles, cans, cardboard) and 40% of traditional materials.
Gonzalo Viramonte has released a series of photographs that focus in on the use of bricks by engineer Eladio Dieste in his Atlántida Cristo Obrero church.
Viramonte shows us the essence of the project with an artful register that places the serial yet simple material element (the brick) at the forefront. This gallery also celebrates the potential and versatility of bricks by highlighting the artfully geometric interior and exterior spaces and the apertures that allow natural light to cast upon the walls, floors, and other surfaces.
BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a methodology that allows architects to create digital design simulations to manage all the information associated with an architectural project.
While CAD creates 2- or 3-dimensional drawings that don't distinguish between their elements, BIM incorporates 4-D (time) and 5-D (costs). This allows users to manage information intelligently throughout the life cycle of a project, automating processes such as programming, conceptual design, detailed design, analysis, documentation, manufacturing, construction logistics, operation and maintenance, renovation and/or demolition.
In any design and construction project there are an unlimited number of participants, as well as infinite interactions between parties. The projects are multidisciplinary and include information that is not necessary to all involved. So who is responsible for what in each project? How far does my responsibility go and where does yours start? BIM helps to order the complexity of this process. [1]
Architecture students of the American University of Beirut used an ephemeral design to approach the lack of awareness of marine biodiversity and responsible use of the coast of Tyre. The proposal consists of a lightweight and deployable structure constituting a programmatic point of meeting and information on the sand.
The project materialized with wood, metal ties and ropes, approach the possible application of light and temporary systems to generate a large social impact and at the same time minimum physical impact on the site.
https://www.archdaily.com/889286/how-a-lightweight-deployable-structure-of-wood-and-metal-can-have-a-large-social-impactAD Editorial Team
The use of bamboo in construction is not yet widespread. This is the reason why Eleena Jamil proposes the use of this sustainable material in different configurations, resulting in a resistant, light and permeable structure.
The project, an urban pavilion in Malaysia built mainly with circular bamboo rings, explores the different possibilities of the linear material with a variety of measurements and links of joinery and strings.
https://www.archdaily.com/889273/permeable-bamboo-walls-for-an-urban-pavilion-in-malaysiaAD Editorial Team
With the aim of promoting more efficient ways to isolate and protect building envelopes, the Chilean team Rootman has developed Thermoroot; a biodegradable and 100% natural insulation made from roots without genetic modifications or chemical additives. These roots make up what the company is calling a Radicular Mattress which, in addition to thermally and acoustically insulating the walls, floors, and ceilings of buildings, it is fire resistant.
The hashtag officially became part of the Oxford English Dictionary in 2014, and whether you tend to use them or not, they are a pretty unavoidable internet tool that helps users connect related internet content. Maybe you’re hashtagging photos to get featured on a certain account or to poke some fun at yourself (see Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon)? But serious ArchDaily readers have been using “#” to group beautiful photographs of architecture for the better part of a decade. When Instagram announced that it was possible to follow hashtags, die-hard taggers found a way to discover and like new content without actively seeking it out.
San Diego Airport has unveiled their permanent interactive artwork DAZZLE on the Airport’s Rental Car Centre commissioned by San Diegos County Regional Airport Authority, that features the debut of E Ink's revolutionary prism technology on a large architectural scale. The installation has been designed to manipulate the form of the façade using inspiration from the World War I military technique “razzle dazzle” that camouflaged the outlines of ships. This phenomenon of visually scrambling the shapes to hide from being spotted can be witnessed in nature too, as the stripes on a zebra equally become an optical illusion to disrupt the predator’s perception.
Courtesy of Lapyote Prasittisopin, Chanita Chuaysiri / Siam Research and Innovation
Siam Research and Innovation Company (SRI) is a Thailand-based cement manufacturer that has been developing innovations to push the limits of 3D printing in architecture. Their project 'Triple S' –developed in 2017– is based on traditional Thai craftsmanship to generate Surface, Structure, and Shelter in a single process; its specific artisanal form creating beautiful framework for structural purposes, easily building living spaces.
Ateliereen Architecten has proposed a metal and wood configuration for an observation tower in Peize, Netherlands. Their plan is to construct a resistant, permeable and playful structure.
The project is designed so that people climbing up the tower will have unique viewpoints. This tower is also easily assembled from screws and bolts.
"Exoskeleton" is a pavilion that shows how Computer Aided Manufacturing can create rapid prototypes. This manufacturing process allows for real-scale construction and experimentation with limited resources.
In this project, a system of modules, designed with different dimensions, is put together with simple joints without nails or screws. This allows for different surfaces to be formed and for the pieces to be rotated and assembled at various angles and heights.
Designing public spaces without considering the circulation and parking of bicycles is no longer an option in today's world. Accessibility for the free traffic of cyclists must also be accompanied by adequate security conditions, incorporating these devices in the best possible way to parks, sidewalks, parking lots, and the streetscape as a whole.
Are you designing an urban space, or do the exteriors of your project require a correct link with the circulation of bicycles? Check these support elements that can help you to generate a better city for the urban commuter on wheels.
https://www.archdaily.com/887343/urban-equipment-for-public-spaces-helps-to-build-a-bike-friendly-cityAD Editorial Team
Guidelines and Requirements for Inclusive Architecture Projects. Image via Municipalidad de Rosario
Last year we shared a guide to the United States' ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Given the article's success and the diversity of our audience, we're making available a collection of guideline documents from Latin America and Spain. Whether you're working on projects in these countries or you're looking to broaden your knowledge of universal design, these guides should come in handy.
These documents—published as PDFs—have been made available by institutions and organizations and refer to the requirements and laws of the indicated countries.
This vertical cladding for facades is a high-density laminated panel, composed of a core of paper fibers -compressed at high temperature and pressure- and an outer coating highly resistant to weathering and UV radiation. The wood used in the panels has been treated with Everlook®, a component that - without the need for maintenance - extends the useful life of the panel and the stability of its color regardless of weather conditions.
To generate a ventilated facade with these panels, each unit must be installed on vertical profiles, producing an uninterrupted airflow behind the panel. Here's how to do it.
In his original article in the Arquia Foundation Architecture Blog, the author Alberto Campo Baeza talked about how important an architect is in the diagnosis and execution of a construction problem. Comparing the scenario to the importance of a doctor treating a disease, an architect is essential to executing a building project.
https://www.archdaily.com/880424/want-a-nice-house-without-breaking-the-bank-call-an-architectAlberto Campo Baeza
A city’s monuments are integral parts of its metropolitan identity. They stand proud and tall and are often the subject of a few of your vacation photos. It is their form and design which makes them instantly recognizable, but what if their design had turned out differently?
Paris’ iconic and stunning Arc de Triomphe could have been a giant elephant, large enough to hold banquets and balls, and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. could have featured an impressive pyramid.
GoCompare has compiled and illustrated a series of rejected designs for monuments and placed them in a modern context to commemorate what could have been. Here are a few of our favorites:
After years of publishing projects and articles related to bamboo, we are strongly aware of its qualities as a construction material. But is it really an option that you would use into your next project? Despite widespread appreciation, bamboo seems to be a material that is rarely considered for use in everyday designs.
The team of Manasaram Architects and CGBMT asked themselves the same question. Together they are seeking to understand the current perceptions of bamboo and to discover its potential as a commonly-used material in the construction sector. To help in this pursuit, they have shared a survey with us which seeks to evaluate how often architects and building professionals use bamboo, the problems they face, and how informed they are about the material.
We would like to invite our readers to spare 10 minutes of their time to help us expand knowledge about the use of bamboo using the survey below. The results will be shared on ArchDaily once the study is complete.
https://www.archdaily.com/886269/is-it-possible-to-massify-the-bamboo-as-a-building-material-in-the-construction-sectorAD Editorial Team
The social design from Natura Futura Arquitectura for a greenhouse in the warm subtropical climate of Nayón, Ecuador, the proposal approaches the use of local material resources in the construction of low-budget productive structures for the development of the collective.
The project, materialized with bamboo, wood and greenhouse plastic, is based on the basic geometrical figure of the triangle, proposing sectors with different levels of illumination for different types of farming.
It’s hard to find an architecture enthusiast who wasn’t obsessed with LEGO as a kid. Many of us would spend hours carefully placing the small, colorful blocks to make our crazy, imaginary environments in our heads a reality—well, somewhat. Whether it was building a dream home for your dolls or simply trying to construct the tallest tower, LEGO was certainly responsible for the first flirtations with the profession. It is no question this tool unleashes our creativity, and this can be demonstrated in a variety of ways.
For this reason, we searched our archive for some architects which highlight the creative and innovative ways LEGO is being used in adult-life. From a few pieces of the LEGO® Architecture Series to the appropriation of some important offices such as Zaha Hadid Architects and MVRDV, urban interventions are being inspired by toys and even serving as a furniture mold.
Universal Favourite have developed a range of modular chocolates Complementary that are formed in 3D printed moulds to satisfy any architect with a sweet tooth. The architectural forms have been developed to establish a connection between the two pieces to be eaten as one, complementing one and other.
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