Tag: bricks | ArchDaily

The Productive Clash: Heritage Interiors, Contemporary Projects, and the Value of Imperfection

Jonathan Yeung — Thu, 14 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Heritage, in interiors, is increasingly rarer to be only a matter of preservation alone. More often it arrives as friction: the encounter between what a building already is—its plan logic, its scars, its structural inconsistencies—and what contemporary life demands of it.

Sordo Madaleno and építész stúdió Selected to Design New Natural History Collection Center in Debrecen, Hungary

Antonia Piñeiro — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Sordo Madaleno, in collaboration with építész stúdió and Buro Happold, has been selected to design the 43,000-square-meter New Debrecen Collection Center for the Hungarian Museum of Natural History. Debrecen, Hungary's second-largest city, is currently the focus of significant urban and university-related development, including plans to relocate the Hungarian Museum of Natural History from Budapest to the edge of Debrecen's Great Forest. The proposed Collection Center is conceived as a facility dedicated to the controlled storage and study of more than 11 million objects, drawing conceptual inspiration from traditional Hungarian clay vessels, structures historically used to protect and preserve. The project would mark the first European cultural commission for the Mexican architecture practice, which operates studios in London and Mexico City.

Indigenous Materials Towards an African Modernity: An Interview with Worofila

Romullo Baratto — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Founded by Senegalese architect Nzinga Mboup and French architect Nicolas Rondet, Worofila is a studio dedicated to bioclimatic and ecological architecture. Based in Dakar, Senegal, the firm explores the potential of vernacular materials like earth bricks and typha, applying modern techniques to create effective construction solutions. Their work addresses key issues of the environment, sustainability, and urbanization, merging traditional materials with innovative practices.

Turning Surfboard Waste into Climate-Resilient Homes in Hawaii

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Surfing is, without a doubt, one of the most visually striking and fascinating sports. A fluid choreography that combines strength and delicacy, like a dance on the waves, gathers enthusiasts across the world's oceans. Yet, behind this image of freedom and connection with nature, the sport also carries contradictions. It is a symbol of outdoor life and respect for the ocean, but on the other hand, it is marked by territorial disputes over waves and by an environmental footprint that rarely receives the same attention given to its aesthetics. In times of climate crisis, this paradox becomes even more evident. Surfing depends directly on the health of marine ecosystems, the very ones most affected by pollution and global warming. This tension has been pushing a new generation of shapers, architects, and material designers to seek alternatives, from plant-based and recycled foams to the reuse of industrial waste, in order to reconnect the sport with its ecological dimension.

Context-Responsive Architecture in Spain: 7 Projects Highlighting Material Strategies

Enrique Tovar — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Andanzas y visiones españolas is the book in which Miguel de Unamuno collects his experiences during excursions through Spain's cities and countryside, accompanied by friends and colleagues. More than a precise geographical description, the text consists of narratives in which each region and every feature of the territory leaves a deep imprint on his thought. The literary discourse actively weaves the diversity of setting, climate, and contextualism as foundational threads, presenting the territory not only as a physical place but also as a space for reflection and contemplation. This attentive engagement with the landscape—so diverse within Spanish architecture—also resonates in the built environment, fostering in contemporary practice a sensitive adaptation to the country's varied climatic conditions, both through design strategies and material choices.

Refracting Light and Redefining Space: Glass Bricks in Contemporary Interiors

Moises Carrasco — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Glass bricks have been widely used in architecture, eventually becoming a staple of the 1980s architectural styles. Some examples of construction with this material could be the classic "Maison de Verre" by Pierre Chareau and Bernard Bijvoet in Paris or the more modern take of Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP with the Optical Glasshouse in Japan. In recent years, glass bricks are becoming increasingly popular, no longer relegated to older aesthetics. Instead, they have evolved into versatile design elements that bring light, texture, and character into contemporary interiors. Their ability to diffuse natural and artificial light while maintaining privacy has reignited interest among designers seeking innovative ways to enhance indoor spaces while taking advantage of natural light.

AD Classics: Maison Hermès / Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000

In Tokyo's bustling Ginza district, where tradition and modernity converge, the Maison Hermès emerges as a luminous architectural icon. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and completed in 2001, the 15-story structure serves as the Japanese headquarters of Hermès, the renowned French luxury brand celebrated for its craftsmanship and timeless elegance. Beyond its function as a commercial hub, the building encapsulates Hermès' ethos, transforming its urban site into a dialogue between light, materiality, and context.

Contemporary Yet Traditional Courtyards: Enhancing Living Spaces in 10 Chinese Residential Projects

Paula Pintos — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Courtyards have long been a fundamental aspect of traditional Chinese architecture, serving as central spaces around which domestic life is organized. These spaces play a vital role in creating a harmonious living environment, offering benefits that range from regulating indoor temperatures to enhancing social interactions and fostering a close connection with nature.

Building Methods in Focus: The Solid vs Hollow Partitioning Debate

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Two primary building approaches are commonly identified in architecture and design: solid versus hollow construction. These methods vary significantly across different cultures and regions, specifically for interior partitioning systems, when they appear interchangeable. Each has its own established practices influenced by local materials, labor preferences, climatic conditions, and cultural traditions. When architects and designers focus on their local context, it is easy to overlook the broader construction assumptions, limiting design flexibility and methodology. This raises an important question: How do these two building approaches differ?

Between Modular and Vernacular: How Combining Construction Techniques Can Bring Agility and Identity to Social Housing in the Global South

Camilla Ghisleni — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 07:30:00 +0000

The opening scenes of the award-winning Brazilian film "City of God" (2002) portray a newly constructed housing complex situated on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Subsequently, this complex evolves into a hub of poverty and violence. Despite the film being set in the 1960s, the housing development depicted was a recent construction.

Solar Control and Sustainability in Hot Climates with Ceramic Textiles

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 01:30:00 +0000

When considering traditional brick facades, we usually conjure up images of solidity and robustness. Solid ceramic blocks, recognized for their ability to withstand compression and offer strength and durability to structures, are materials frequently used in architecture. However, innovation in construction materials has made space for solutions that combine tradition and modernity, transforming the use of materials such as brick. In contemporary construction, the integration of solar control measures has become essential to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, especially in hot climates where the need to mitigate the effects of solar radiation is critical. This is one of the areas in which brick can play a significant role, aided by new technologies.

Beyond Transparency: 5 Buildings Highlighting Glass Brick Facades

Clara Ott — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:30:00 +0000

Glass brick facades have emerged as a captivating architectural trend, blending the enduring elegance of glass with the robust strength of bricks. Glass bricks can as well be more thermally resistant than conventional glazing.

The Future Beneath Our Feet: Soil-Cement Bricks and the Path to Sustainable Construction

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Bricks are part of the collective imagination when thinking about construction. These are elementary, ubiquitous, modular, light, and reliable materials for erecting buildings. However, traditional ceramic block manufacturing relies on burning clay in kilns at high temperatures, often powered by non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas. Furthermore, the transportation process significantly increases its environmental footprint, as the materials are heavy and bulky. In light of this, there is a growing interest in alternative construction materials that offer a lower environmental impact and greater sustainability. Soil cement bricks –or Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks– are a good example of an existing alternative, as they have a smaller environmental footprint due to their use of local raw materials and the elimination of the burning process, while maintaining many of the intrinsic qualities of traditional bricks.

Gloria Cabral: “Everything Begins With the Wisdom of a Place”

Romullo Baratto — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Born in Brazil and educated in Paraguay, Gloria Cabral is an architect who early on learned that home can be many places—or none at all. Guided by a comprehensive understanding of the geography, culture, and social conditions of the places she designs, she has left her mark on buildings and artistic installations constructed in various locations, from Assumption to Venice.

Interspecies Design: Developing Materials That Allow the Growth and Inhabitation of Non-human Species

Carla Bonilla Huaroc — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 07:30:00 +0000

In architectural design, our interactions with non-human organisms have predominantly involved creating barriers to exclude them from the human realm. What if we were to adopt a different approach? Interspecies design is a movement that puts non-human organisms—fungi, insects, and various animals—on an equal footing with humans. This design philosophy provides frameworks that foster non-hierarchical relationships with other species. By doing so, it cultivates empathy for other life forms and shifts our perspective on the world around us. It aims not only for a net-zero approach but also seeks collaboration with non-human organisms to develop environments beneficial to all. Below, explore some emerging material technologies designed to benefit both humans and other life forms.

Patterns and Motifs Made With Ceramic Blocks

Helena Tourinho — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 05:00:00 +0000

A considerable part of architectural innovation involves the use of materials. Technical development and new formal languages utilize them to "announce" the "next" architectural era. Of course, materials are essential for construction and significant for the consolidation of languages. Glass, steel, concrete, or brick convey messages about buildings. However, like any language, the meaning of words can vary according to the prevailing social organization; there is a dispute over the meaning of certain expressions, or there is pressure for the abolition—or at least the dissociation—of certain senses associated with some words. It would not be any different in architecture.

Exploring Linear Brick Aesthetics in Contemporary Architecture

Camila Prieto — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 01:30:00 +0000

Bricks are versatile and long-lasting building materials that combine technical and aesthetic qualities. In a variety of shapes, dimensions, textures, and colors –depending on the manufacturing process and type of clay– incorporating bricks into architecture creates dynamic facades and structures. From traditional to modern styles, these versatile elements can be arranged in different patterns and easily integrated with other building materials, enabling diverse architectural expressions. In addition to these qualities, the use of bricks in contemporary architecture is distinguished by experimenting with placement, orientation, and material textures, as well as embracing minimalistic design principles focused on simple and clean lines.

Clay or Concrete, Solid or Hollow: Different Types of Bricks and Their Uses

Giovana Martino — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 07:30:00 +0000

The term brick is often used as a synonym for common clay solid blocks, but there's more to it. Bricks are perhaps the most elementary of building materials and can be used to design modular, optimized, and most importantly, versatile buildings. This article explores the most popular types of bricks according to their use in construction.