Photographer: David Foessel | ArchDaily

When Façades Become Habitats: Architecture Making Room for Other Species

Daniela Andino — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

When we think of façades, we rarely think of them as habitats. We see them as the elements that separate interior from exterior, regulate temperature, reduce noise, and protect buildings from external conditions. They give architecture its visual language, but they are also expected to keep the outside world at a distance. In doing so, façades have often been understood as barriers: surfaces that define where human comfort begins and where the environment is meant to remain outside.

Le Carrier Cabin / Léo Brouel + Gauthier Cammas + Hugo Rubio + Seddik Lemcherfi

Hadir Al Koshta — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The monolith, born from the limestone quarry and detached from its slope after mining ceased, slowly opened up over time. With a gap carved out, hikers rush in.

Recreation Center Morel de Vindé / SCHÉMAA

Valeria Silva — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 17:00:00 +0000

The new recreation center integrates the site of the Morel de Vindé school group and uses part of the recreational area of the schoolyard. The playground is planted with trees and is bordered to the east by a planted embankment which gives it a remarkable landscaped character.

Cooking School for Migrants of Renovation Industrial Hall / FREAKS

Hadir Al Koshta — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000

The project consists of setting up a cooking school for the « Cuistots Migrateurs » association in a former local industrial building located in Montreuil, France, made up of a metal structure with hangar roofs.

Kanna Pavilion / Laure Friès Architecture

Valeria Silva — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 02:00:00 +0000

Kanna is a fishermen's retreat, a cabin nestled on the shores of Marlens' water body, offering tranquility and privacy away from prying eyes. Its triangular shape unfolds to reveal the panorama, safeguarding the majesty of the mountains. Standing at a height of 4.50 meters, it enables precise lure casting and effortless fishing. Poetic and practical, Kanna entices both fishing enthusiasts and wanderers seeking escape.

Architecture Beyond Humanity: Designing for Non-Human Species

Olivia Poston — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Are humans the only stewards of the built environment? For many architects and planners, spaces are designed with a focus on the needs, comfort, and health of humans. A spatial ordering, in constructed spaces and the urban fabric, designates humans as the default, singular user in this scenario. However, as much as humans have influenced the trajectory of the world, other species play a crucial role in designing, forming, and maintaining the urban landscapes of the twenty-first century.

Beautiful, Functional, and Romantic: Spiral Staircases in Paris

James Wormald — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Whether rising to the highest room of the tallest tower in a Disney-esque castle, giving an admirer the chance to confess their love on an apartment building fire escape, or connecting a basement or attic room with a decorative period feature, there’s something unavoidably romantic about spiral staircases. But there’s more function behind these coiling forms than just their good looks.

Medical Center / OVERCODE architecture urbanisme

Paula Pintos — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The lack of medical services in the countryside in France has been increasing in the last decades leaving its population in medical-less limbo, in cases taking more than an hour journey to reach a doctor in case of necessity. Thus, the mayor decided to build a small medical center to propose doctors, physiotherapists, nurses, etc. to come and practice locally.

Ploc! Installation / ici-bas

Valeria Silva — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Built as part of the competition for the Festival des Cabanes 2023 in the Annecy region, Ploc! is a reinterpretation of the Japanese fountain system known as shishi-odoshi.

10 Tiny and Under 38 Square Meters Apartments

María Francisca González — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Finding an efficient configuration for a small apartment is not an easy task. Basic housing programs should be distributed in minimal spaces without losing comfort. Below, we have made a selection of 10 apartments under 38 square meters and compiled their axonometric drawings, to inspire you.

Patagonian Shadow Pavilion / DRAA

Benjamin Zapico — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0000

A particular cultural mix has provided a series of unexpected suspended objects to the Patagonian landscape. Structures that are seemingly useless or at best oversized with a single cover become landmarks, indicating ownership or marking the way.

3 Houses / NOVO architectures

Andreas Luco — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Building the increasingly dense city carefully. The project is located in rue Beausejour in Colombes, a suburb located northeast of Paris. It concerns the construction of three houses, in a residential-type district characterized by strip plots - the project plot, is only accessible by a short side of the plot, thus having a width of 9.50 meters for a length of 60 meters. This district testifies to the densification of the municipalities close to Paris, efficiently served by public transport from the center of the capital.

How To Take Advantage of the Space Under The Bed

José Tomás Franco — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Over the last few years, we have explored different ways of taking advantage of small spaces in residential architecture. From efficient furniture to kitchens with transformable systems to adapting essential household appliances, architects have begun looking for effective ways of optimizing scarce floor space or making spaces more flexible in multifunctional and mixed-use typologies.

Sport Equipment & Tribune Robert Gazzi Stadium / SCHÉMAA

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 15:00:00 +0000

A new Sports Equipment was arranged in an L-shape at the south-eastern corner of the stadium. It opens towards the entrance to the site and the football field and contains the forecourt and landscaped areas.

Banquet du belvédère Pavilion / Still at Work

Valeria Silva — Sat, 17 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +0000

The project is part of Festival des Cabanes 2021 in the area of Faverges-Seythenex, near Annecy lake. The site is located on a cliff overlooking the surrounding villages. Only accessible by foot, it was used as a gathering point by locals and hikers.

Charcot Sports Centre / ODILE+GUZY architectes

Clara Ott — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 01:00:00 +0000

Charcot Sports Centre is part of a multi-program urban operation including an underground car park, a road bridge (extending from rue du Chevaleret and avenue de France), and a public garden.

54 Montaigne Facade Intervention / FRESH Architectures

Luciana Pejić — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000

From the first sketches, the 54 avenue Montaigne project has been positioned as a continuation of the approach undertaken by FRESH Architectures in terms of rehabilitation: imagining the transformation of the existing building while taking into account the issues of durability and comfort of use, and ensuring the coherence of the project in its environment.

Multifunctional Stairs: 9 Options to Take Advantage of Vertical Circulation Space

Audrey Migliani — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 07:30:00 +0000

On other occasions, we have written about how to design stairs and calculate their dimensions. We have also collected references from Portuguese projects that demonstrate the versatility of wooden staircases. Today, we present some of our best examples highlighting the multifunctional potential of staircases in interior spaces.