As another year comes to a close, the ArchDaily team looks back at the year's architectural highlights, compiling a selection of projects to review the content featured in 2022. As part of this retrospective, our curation team presents one of our readers' favorite categories—residential architecture—bringing together the projects that represent the very best of a vast year of architectural production, as chosen by our audience.
At a time marked by anticipation for the future of architecture, yet also by reflection on what has been accomplished over the past year, we present the 50 most-visited houses on ArchDaily in Spanish in 2022. In doing so, we continue our ongoing mission to provide tools, inspiration, and knowledge to everyone working toward a better built environment.
An emblematic building for Meliana and the entire region, the Palauet Nolla dates back to the 17th century and has long served as a symbol of the famous Nolla mosaic factory. Situated within the landscape of Valencia's northern agricultural region (the huerta norte), after decades of neglect, the building had fallen into ruins by 2010. Its conservation status was critical, marked by a lack of exterior woodwork, a compromised structure, collapsed roofs, and severe natural and human-caused damage to its ornamentation, among many other issues.
The finalist projects for the 2022 edition of the Mapei Award have been announced. The prize aims to promote sustainable architecture by recognizing projects that combine high architectural quality with the lowest possible environmental impact. Addressing the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century, the Mapei Award is presented to both new construction and renovation projects.
Concrete, metal, or wood—all building materials degrade over time when exposed to water and moisture. Moreover, every building element is exposed to weathering to varying degrees, from the foundation to the roof. Consequently, protective layers must be incorporated to prevent water from contacting raw materials—a process known as waterproofing—ensuring the structure's maintenance and longevity.
LaBoqueria is an architecture studio in Barcelona that has the experience of multiple local and international collaborations. This global, multidisciplinary and participative perspective allows them to have a renewed and different vision of architecture.
Focusing on social, economic and environmental aspects, they seek to approach their projects in a comprehensive way, bringing together the different people involved in the process. Among their works are the housing building La Balma carried out together with the architects' cooperative Lacol; the Reformation of premises together with Marta Peinado Alós; and the Ca's Bouer House together with Jordi Queralt.
ArchDaily, interested in collaborative and participatory processes through the theme Democratization of Design, conducted an interview with LaBoqueria to learn about their main inspirations, challenges and visions.
Cooperative housing, or co-housing, is a residential model that promotes access to housing in cities. This model first developed in countries like Denmark and Uruguay, and it is becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe. Indeed, it arrived in Barcelona several years ago and has since steadily expanded throughout the region, spreading beyond the boundaries of the Catalan capital. Below, we explore the cooperative housing model in Barcelona and how it contributes to a more democratic architecture for its citizens.
While online stores have existed since the democratization of the internet in the late 20th century, the pandemic has marked a turning point in the evolution of e-commerce. In response to mobility restrictions and lockdowns, businesses of all scales were forced to embrace digital transformation, saving time and, in some cases, reducing costs. Furthermore, as more consumers discover the convenience of home delivery, online shopping is likely to continue growing even in the post-pandemic era.
When talking about energy efficiency in buildings, it is inevitable to mention thermal insulation. We rarely see it in a finished building and, even in the technical drawings, the insulating layer appears as a thin hatch. But this is an element that is of vital importance, as it acts as a barrier to the flow of heat, hindering the exchange of energy between the interior and the exterior, reducing the amount of heat that escapes in winter and the thermal energy that enters in the summer. In a building with good thermal insulation, there is less need for heating to keep the house at a pleasant temperature, also reducing its carbon footprint. Currently, there are many countries that require a minimum level of thermal insulation for buildings, with increasingly strict parameters. But how should this issue be dealt with in the near future, with the worrying climate crisis forecast?
Whether it's by sharing a meal at a restaurant or preparing a home-cooked meal together, food does in fact, bring people together. With that in mind, architects placed kitchens at the heart of homes, giving residents a space to cook, dine, and spend quality time with their families and friends. However, not all homes can fit spacious kitchens, some are too small and others don't have the proper spatial configuration for it. In this interior focus, we will explore how architects and designers opted for different kitchen layouts based on different spatial and user needs.
