Tag: buildings | ArchDaily

One Day, Four Earthquakes: What Seismic Resilience Reveals About the Built Environment

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Within a 36-hour window between June 24 and June 25, four significant earthquakes struck three different regions of the world. A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Japan's northeastern coast, a magnitude 5.6 event was recorded in Northern California, and two major earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 occurred just 39 seconds apart along Venezuela's northern coast. Although their close timing prompted speculation online, seismologists confirmed that the events were unrelated, occurring independently along different tectonic plate boundaries.

Can Shading Become Energy? From Passive Facades to Productive Envelopes

Eduardo Souza — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 07:45:00 +0000

As the primary interface between interior spaces and the external environment, facades play a central role in both the performance and architectural expression of buildings. Increasingly, they are no longer seen as static envelopes, but as active mediators between climate, energy, use, and aesthetic. In dense urban contexts, however, they are also gaining relevance for another reason: while roof surfaces are often limited, fragmented, or already occupied by technical equipment, vertical envelopes remain largely underutilized in terms of energy production.

Fragile by Design: How Can Buildings Be Designed to Outlast Their First Purpose?

Rene Submissions — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 02:30:00 +0000

Having explored adaptability at the city scale, we are now zooming in on the building itself—and, crucially, on practice. How can architects, developers, and consultants embed adaptability as a measurable, mainstream outcome? This question will be on the agenda at the Adaptable Building Conference (ABC) on January 22 at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, where architects, engineers, policymakers, and industry leaders will explore the potential of adaptable buildings—and how to deliver them at scale.

Fragile by Design: Can Buildings Learn to Bend Without Breaking?

Rene Submissions — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Where cities were once shaped by simple structures that could adapt to new uses, they are now packed with rigid dwellings—often designed with a single use in mind and fixed in both layout and lifespan. As climate deadlines tighten, communities demand more resilient, resource-conscious spaces, and work and living patterns continue to shift, this rigidity is becoming a liability. When buildings refuse to bend, they are often treated as disposable, triggering cycles of demolition, downtime, and loss. Adaptability, once considered an added convenience, is becoming an imperative—something the inaugural Adaptable Building Conference (ABC) in Rotterdam aims to put front and center.

What If Buildings Evolved Instead of Being Rebuilt?

Rene Submissions — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 06:45:00 +0000

Buildings must change faster than they were built to. Shifting tenant needs, tightening climate policies, and rising office vacancies expose the cost of static stock: waste, noise, downtime, and—in the worst case—stranded assets. The consequence is clear: buildings across typologies must be designed to adapt over time. The inaugural Adaptable Building Conference (ABC), taking place on January 22, 2026, at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, brings the industry together to turn adaptability from principle into practice.

Innovative Architecture Designs Recognized in A' Design Award 2024/2025

Rene Submissions — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 06:45:00 +0000

Innovation is thriving around the world—and the latest results from the A' Design Award & Competition make that clear. The 2024–2025 edition has recognized 1,823 remarkable designs from 115 countries across 157 creative fields. From architecture and product design to fashion and communication, these entries highlight what happens when imagination meets craftsmanship.

The Second Studio Podcast: Executive Architect and Design Architect Roles Explained

The Second Studio Podcast — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 03:30:00 +0000

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.

What is Over-Providing? A Strategy for Resilient Architecture

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Over-providing traditionally implies offering more than is necessary, often carrying a negative connotation due to the potential for excess and waste. However, could there be scenarios within the built environment where over-providing proves advantageous? The question critically examines how overprovisioning might enhance a building's flexibility and adaptability to diverse and evolving conditions.

How to Adapt Static Structures for New Demands ? Lessons from SoHo in New York City and Wong Chuk Hang in Hong Kong

Jonathan Yeung — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 07:30:00 +0000

How have architecture and building design adapted to unforeseen future uses? As cities evolve, their needs for buildings inevitably change. Buildings may transition between cultural, commercial, industrial, and office functions depending on a city's identity and economic activity. In a world that is becoming increasingly dynamic and fast-paced, it's essential to consider the challenges static structures face when required to meet new demands. Cities have repurposed these static structures in ways not anticipated during their original design, with many successes in repurposing industrial buildings. Unlike structures designed with flexibility in mind, most manufacturing facilities were not initially intended for multiple uses. Yet, how have cities, communities, and occupants used these spaces, and what are the challenges of transforming a building’s existing uses?

The Second Studio Podcast: Interview with Jai Kumaran

The Second Studio Podcast — Sun, 14 Jan 2024 03:30:00 +0000

MVRDV and Orange Architects Design an Adaptable Mixed-Use District in Kyiv, Ukraine

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 06:30:00 +0000

MVRDV and Orange Architects collaborate on the NUVO project, a new mixed-use complex to be built in Ukraine’s capital, the team of architects has revealed their design for three of the buildings that will become part of NOVO. Commissioned by Kovalska, the project is now restarting after work was put on hold due to the active conflict in Ukraine. The two firms are collaborating to refine the master plan initiated by APA Wojcehowski Architects.

A Glimpse into the Evolution of Insulation Materials in Architecture

Enrique Tovar — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Although more related to evolutionary aspects than to architecture itself, the inherent physical fragility of human beings has required, since prehistoric times, that we protect our bodies and our buildings from external elements. As an example, beginning with the primitive huts used in the earliest forms of domestic architecture, furs were employed as an exterior covering to restrict the flow of air and, consequently, regulate the interior environment.

Coil Coating Solutions for Designing Unconventional Building Envelopes

Camila Prieto — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 01:30:00 +0000

Building envelopes create a physical boundary or shell integrated to the outer skin of a structure, separating indoor and outdoor environments. By assembling architectural components such as walls, roofs, windows and doors, the building is enclosed to provide protection and insulation, playing a determining role in the energy efficiency, comfort, structure, and durability of the project. Through multiple styles and shapes, they are key to giving character to a building, its visual appearance and integration with the surrounding environment.

“I Think of My Work as Imploding Rather than Exploding:” in Conversation with Michael Rotondi of Roto Architects

Vladimir Belogolovsky — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 03:30:00 +0000

Michael Rotondi’s buildings—museums, civic centers, education facilities, monasteries, restaurants, and residences—evoke kinetic mechanisms that fold, hinge, twist, and split open. They express the architect’s feelings, thinking, and mood at the time they had been designed, and, on some occasions, during their assembly and construction. Rotondi was born in 1949 in Los Angeles.

Max Fordham: Engineering Ideas, Engineering Change

Rene Submissions — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Max Fordham is pleased to announce a special exhibition celebrating the life and work of its founder, Max.

Max Fordham (1933 - 2022) was a visionary engineer and pioneer of low-energy, sustainable building design. His courage, intellectual rigour and engaging personality allowed him to form creative partnerships that drove the evolution of environmental design into the mainstream.

The exhibition will present a curated collection of drawings, models, original letters and videos from Max’s life and career. Through seminal projects from the last 50 years, it explores many of his key ideas and their impact on the design of the built environment.

It will

In Praise of 5-Over-1 Buildings

Randy Nishimura — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 03:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Common Edge.

The Importance of Constructive Details in Architecture: Interview With Building Science Fight Club

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 07:30:00 +0000

It is difficult to measure, observing a completed building, the amount of work, resources and knowledge that were deposited there. All decisions made influence in some way the performance of the building and its durability. As for the execution details, not all architects allow the dissemination of their constructive solutions. There are professionals, however, who go against the grain and focus on disseminating knowledge, identifying common design decisions that can lead to pathologies (such as leaks, rot, corrosion, mold and odors) and more economical ways to avoid them. This is the idea behind Building Science Fight Club, an Instagram profile whose purpose is to explain some issues and critically analyze certain constructive details and ways of installing materials. We spoke with Christine Williamson, creator of the platform, about her journey. See the full interview below:

The Power of Concrete: Twisted Tree-Shaped Supports and Beams

Olivia Bartolini — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 01:30:00 +0000

The new headquarters of the building materials manufacturer HeidelbergCement consists of three interconnected building sections of different heights. The atrium of each building section provides plenty of light and luminance. The building was opened in June 2020 and provides up to 1,000 employees with a state-of-the-art work environment. The architectural firm AS+P Albert Speer + Partner based in Frankfurt was responsible for the project as a general planner, and carried out the design in collaboration with W+Architektur, with the latter providing the consulting office for the client’s project manager.