Residential architecture in India is a direct reflection of the ethnic practices and lifestyles led by its diverse citizens. The earliest houses were developed as units of larger community-centric settlements. The architecture of Indian residences is deeply enmeshed with cultural values - usually centering on the ideas of family and community relationships. A single home often shelters a large joint family and meets the needs of various age groups under one roof. Multigenerational living demands a unique spatial syntax to foster connections.
One of the most common decorative objects in projects, mirrors have existed since the Badarian civilization, around 4,000 BC. With several transformations in its material and manufacture, the mirror is a decorative object and can also serve as a design strategy.
How narrow can a space become without losing its habitability? What are the minimum dimensions that a dwelling must have to ensure the comfort of its inhabitants and the correct performance of their daily activities?
The city block is a typically urban element that, historically, has appeared in different forms and designs, structurally shaping city planning guidelines. When observing urban fabrics in cities such as Barcelona, Paris and Copenhagen, one can see significant variation between block models. This defines their landscapes and dynamics in countless ways. Style and format alterations, volumetric changes in the relationship between full and empty spaces, and modifications in connections to the surroundings are some examples of typological particularities that differentiate them. Blocks, therefore, are often emblematic and representative not only of certain urban planning models developed throughout history but also of their cities.
Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining houses of worship. While faith institutions, at least the Christian ones, have been asking WWJD (What would Jesus do?), municipalities need to get them to ask another question: WWJJD (What would Jane Jacobs do?). Doing so might lead to a new model for true community houses of worship.
OPEN Architecture has won the competition to design the Yichang Grand Theatre in China. The project is situated where the Yangtze River and its tributary Huangbai River converge at the tip of the Pinghu Peninsula. There are about 70,000 square meters of building space overall. The performing arts center will feature a 1600-seat grand theater, a 1200-seat concert hall, a 400-seat black box, and two outdoor theatres — one on the rooftop and one by the water. It is housed within the fluid and partially floating building. The building also has rehearsal rooms, event and exhibition spaces, coffee shops, restaurants, and observation decks. The diverse lineup reflects efforts to keep the big theatre a welcoming and active gathering place for the public at all times.
Guest rooms, BBQ areas, party areas, and even libraries – a backhouse can have many uses. Common in many townhouses, this is a unique part of a residence that presents a certain freedom regarding the main program, which can be explored both with diverse uses and through the constructive solutions employed.
The mosque; the Islamic holy place of prayer, carries a distinct structural characteristic and identity. It is a serene and spiritual architecture that brings individuals closer to their faith and divine entity. Prophet Muhammad's original house in Medina (in present-day Saudi Arabia) is believed to be the first place of prayer, and served as a model for early mosque architecture; a mud-brick structure with living quarters on one side of an enclosed rectangular courtyard. Soon after, the allocation of open spaces in the center of towns where Muslims could gather and pray became more frequent, resulting in several spaces of worship with a universal spatial characteristic: their orientation towards Mecca.
The design process of the mosque started with a single enclosed geometric form, reinforcing the idea of spirituality and seclusion. Soon after, this simple spatial prototype evolved into the first formal hypostyle mosque, known for its vast prayer hall and series or arcades. Variations of this model saw the first mosque in Medina, known as the Quba Mosque (622 CE), the Kairouan Mosque in Tunis (670 CE), and the Umayyad mosque in Damascus (715 CE), some of which incorporated column details from ancient Greek and Roman architecture. However, the role of mosques evolved throughout the years from just a place of worship to an architecture that helps in re-establishing the values of Islam and offers contributions to society, including educational, civic, and ceremonial.
From Thomas Edison's empty glass bulb to AI-controlled LEDs, hundreds of years of constant evolution have passed, which culminated in what we now know as artificial lighting. Edison could not have imagined how dependent we would become on his invention almost two centuries later. It led to a way of life where we spend up to 90% of our time in enclosed spaces deprived of natural light, such as shopping centers and offices. Places where artificial light remains constant throughout the day, without any variation of color temperature or luminous intensity are where artificial lighting practically eliminates day and night differences.
A new award from NASA will support ICON in developing construction technology that could be used on the Moon and Mars. Image Courtesy of ICON/BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
From inflatable and 3D-printed structures to entire habitats, architecture plays an unprecedented role in space exploration missions. As NASA plans for long-term human exploration of the Moon and Mars under Artemis and CHAPEA missions, new technologies are required to meet the unique challenges of living and working in another world. In response, figures like Buckminster Fuller, Foster + Partners, SOM, and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, in collaboration with emerging businesses such as ICON and SEArch+, have nourished the architectural catalog in outer space.
In the latest update, NASA awarded Austin-based company ICON a contract to continue ICON's Olympus construction system in partnership with BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. The project will help build infrastructures such as landing pads, habitats, capsules, and roads on the lunar surface and Mars, using extrusion-based additive construction technology (3D printing) and local materials like lunar regolith. The contract runs through 2028 and supports Artemis, a mission for long-term human exploration of the Moon.
SAP Headquarters / Yashar Architects. Image Courtesy of Yashar Architects
In architecture, choosing the right construction materials is crucial to improve efficiency, ensure structural integrity and maximize performance, ultimately setting the standard for the finished product. But because any building – from its outer skin to its framing system – consists of many layers and parts, understanding how these fit and work can be just as important during design and manufacture. Technical specification of materials and constructive systems plays a key role in conveying this information, providing all of the necessary knowledge, properties and characteristics for any successful project. After all, the more you know about what lies between walls and behind finishes, the better your architecture will be.
The São Paulo Biennial Foundation has just announced details of the Terra project that will occupy the Brazil Pavilion at the 18th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia. With a curatorial effort by Gabriela de Matos and Paulo Tavares, the Brazilian exhibition will feature a diverse group of collaborators, comprising Mbya-Guarani indigenous peoples, Tukano, Arawak and Maku indigenous peoples, weavers from Alaká (Ilê Axé Opô Afonjá), Iyá Nassô Oká (Casa Branca do Engenho Velho), Ana Flávia Magalhães Pinto, Ayrson Heráclito, Day Rodrigues with collaboration from Vilma Patrícia Santana Silva (Etnicidades Group FAU-UFBA), Fissura Collective, Juliana Vicente, Thierry Oussou, and Vídeo nas Aldeias.
Vertiport Terminal, Dubai. Image Courtesy of Foster + Partners
Foster + Partners has developed a provisional concept design for a Vertiport terminal, located next to Dubai International Airport, in collaboration with Skysports Infrastructure, the leading designer and operator of Vertiport technology for advanced air mobility.
Skyports Infrastructure and Dubai's Highways and Transport Authority are now considering four initial locations, with the DXB vertiport being one of them (RTA). The locations are envisioned as part of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) infrastructure network that will link Dubai's most populated and well-known places and offer high-speed, zero-emission transportation. The RTA's Dubai Metro network and Dubai International Airport are just two existing transportation hubs with which the vertiport network will interact. By 2026, the RTA and Skyports Infrastructure intend to have a network of vertiports ready for use for air taxi services.
Foro Internacional de Tokio, Japón. Imagen de kazuhiro. Image via Shutterstock
Addressing diverse scales, users, and themes, Rafael Viñoly has been involved in numerous architectural projects ranging from museums and educational facilities to airports and skyscrapers. Beyond the economic, geographic, technological, social, or cultural variables he has faced, the wide range of works he has left us as a legacy is the fruit of a trajectory that we propose to go through from his beginnings in the profession to his most controversial and most recent projects.
One of the most important factors when designing is the specific climate of the site. This can be a difficulty when dealing with extreme climates and it is necessary to use insulating materials that adapt to the changing conditions. However, when talking about Mexico and its particular climate this works in the architects' favor allowing them to create microclimates and spaces that blur the transition of what turns out to be indoors and outdoors.
The first image that comes to mind when we think of an office is a place with a table and chair. But it was not always the case. In the Middle Ages, monasteries were the main places for study and knowledge, with private rooms designed to help monks concentrate when researching. However, records state that such spaces were uncomfortable since scholars remained standing most of the time.
The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.
A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
This week Architect Rick Joy, Founder and Principal of Studio Rick Joy joins David and Marina of FAME Architecture and Design to discuss his background; transitioning from his career as a percussionist to architecture; his philosophy and practice; the pros and cons of design-build; his process and thoughts on architectural style; and more.
The traditional architecture of the past can sometimes seem a long way from the modern, open-plan environments we enjoy today. But while some seemingly bygone upper-class room typologies like parlors, drawing rooms, and smoking rooms still exist by other names – dens, snugs, and man caves, to name a few – other architectural intricacies are more rarely replicated.
Back staircases, sculleries, and drying rooms, for example, were at one stage imperative for properties of a certain size and status to function. But just like a woolen jumper accidentally washed on the wrong setting, technology has reduced the size of laundry workspaces over the past century. Small homes like Under the Barao’s Sky Apartment in Sao Paolo, Brazil, for example, are now able to replace separate laundry rooms and pantries with all-in-one kitchen-diners that integrated small washing/drying appliances into an open kitchen layout, leaving more room for living.
