Tag: craft | ArchDaily

Indian Architects Rethink the Digital Vernacular Through AI, Craft, and Memory

Eduardo Souza — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 01:30:00 +0000

The second episode of the Room For Dreams podcast series introduces a compelling dive into how architecture can embrace the future without losing its soul. Recorded live at Milan Design Week 2026 in cooperation with INDX|GLOBAL, this episode features architects Arun Sharma and Jaskaran Singh as they unpack the true meaning of the digital vernacular.

Island Logic: How Terrain Shapes Coastal Architecture

Kiana Buchberger — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Coastal landscapes often determine far more than views. Steep slopes, fragmented rock formations, dense vegetation, hidden coves, and limited accessibility can shape how privacy, movement, and occupation unfold before architecture enters the site. Their proximity to water and climate make coastal territories highly desirable for habitation, yet their ecological sensitivity and limited geography often place pressure on how development takes shape. Unlike cities, where density can support walkability, infrastructure, and collective urban life, coastal territories operate through more fragile relationships between land, vegetation, and water.

"Artisans of the Reiwa Era" Documentary Showcases Traditional Japanese Wood Construction and Craftsmanship

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

Rinshunkaku is a notable example of early Edo-period residential architecture. Originally built in the Wakayama Prefecture by the Kishu Tokugawa family, the villa was relocated to Sankeien, a traditional Japanese garden in the city of Yokohama, during the Taisho era (1912-1926). The garden was created in the early 20th century by businessman and art patron Sankei Hara and features a number of historic buildings relocated from Kyoto, Kamakura, and other areas of Japan. Rinshunkaku, one of the garden's gems, is a prime example of traditional Japanese architecture and wood construction. Its historical value motivated a large-scale restoration project in 2019, documented in the film Artisans of the Reiwa Era (Reiwa no Shokunin-tachi), filmed and edited by Katsumasa Tanaka and Hiroshi Fujiki. The documentary offers a close, detailed view of Japanese craftsmanship and wood expertise, highlighting rare traditional techniques and paying tribute to the artisans who preserve them.

Capsule Retreat: Building Through Process in Lebanon’s Mountain Landscape

Daniela Andino — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Set within the mountainous landscape of Zabbougha, Lebanon, Capsule Retreat by EAST Architecture Studio is shaped through the process of its making. The project unfolds through material decisions, on-site adjustments, and evolving conditions, allowing construction itself to guide its spatial logic.

How Contemporary Design Fairs Are Redefining Craft

Eduardo Souza — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:45:00 +0000

In an age dominated by screens and digital images, the full character of a designed object often remains hidden. Only when encountering an object in person can one sense its texture, notice how it interacts with light, or even perceive its subtle smell. These sensory qualities— so difficult to convey online—reveal why design fairs continue to matter. Increasingly, these fairs have become spaces for experimentation in contemporary design, where ideas about materials, collaboration, and social responsibility are publicly explored. Curated programs, exhibitions, and experimental installations transform these events into environments where designers, manufacturers, and researchers test new possibilities for the built realm.

The Line of Fragile Radiance: Neon Light as Atelier, Architecture, and Archive

Jonathan Yeung — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The fragility—and temporal beauty—of neon has captivated audiences since the early 1900s. First shown commercially by French engineer Georges Claude at the 1910 Paris Motor Show, neon spread rapidly, achieving broad popularity in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. Mid-century America saw it everywhere: from the casinos of the Las Vegas Strip to roadside motor inns along Route 66 and the spectacle of Times Square. By the latter half of the century, however, many signs were scrapped or left to decay, and numerous municipalities restricted neon as visually garish or power-hungry—despite the technology's comparatively modest energy use. In the U.S., renewed interest in neon arguably didn't meaningfully return until the early 2000s.

Architecture in Ecuador: 16 Projects Rooted in Territory, Craft, and Collective Practice

Daniela Andino — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Between the Andes, the coast, and the Amazon, Ecuador's architecture has evolved as a reflection of its layered geography, a place where climate, topography, and culture unite. Throughout the territory, architecture has been an act of adaptation: from vernacular traditions rooted in collective labor and local materials to the colonial and modernist influences that reshaped its cities. This diversity has produced distinct constructive systems, from bamboo and cane structures along the coast to earth and stone constructions in the Andes, forming an archive of adaptive design that continues to influence contemporary practice.

Small-Scale Solutions to Climate Challenges: 13 Highlighted Projects from the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale

Antonia Piñeiro — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 05:30:00 +0000

With just a few days left before the six-and-a-half-month 19th Venice Architecture Biennale comes to an end, it is possible to look back on some of the most notable contributions within its thematic framework. Marked by the largest call for participants to date, the Biennale's diversity of topics and the range of installations on display go beyond easy recapitulation. As part of that reflection, several initiatives can be highlighted as illustrative of the principles reflected in the curatorial theme, "Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective." The concepts interwoven in Carlo Ratti's title form a call to address the urgent need for substantial solutions amid the accelerating climate crisis, positioning the Biennale as a platform for diverse design proposals and experiments organized around three forms of intelligence: natural, artificial, and collective. Beyond the national pavilions and numerous collateral events held throughout Venice over the past six months, among the more than 700 participants are projects that, through practice, embody four shared intentions: opening conversations about the future, proposing systemic responses to local realities, placing technology at the center of design innovation, and pursuing material research rooted in local sensitivity.

Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 Reveals 'Slow Pavilion' Designs Built from Reused Materials

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 05:30:00 +0000

The first edition of the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial will take place from 18 September to 19 October 2025. Organized by CAFx (Copenhagen Architecture Forum), the event marks a transition from the previous annual Copenhagen Architecture Festival to a more expansive platform for architectural exploration. The theme of the inaugural edition, "Slow Down," invites participants to reflect on how the rapid pace of modern life affects the built environment. According to the organizers, this thematic shift encourages the envisioning of spaces that promote sustainability, longevity, and mindful engagement with our surroundings. In line with this vision, the organization launched an open call earlier this year for pavilion proposals that embody principles of circular design while serving as hubs for public programming during the event. Two winning proposals, modular structures by Slaatto Morsbøl and Tom Svilans x THISS Studio, were selected, each offering an approach to architectural deceleration.

How Can Modular Housing Production Incorporate Material Locality and Regional Craft?

Paul Yakubu — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Modular homes are houses either partially or fully constructed in a factory. This process involves creating a series of three-dimensional 'modules' delivered to a site in a predetermined spatial pattern and assembled into a complete product. These homes have become popular solutions to housing crises as they can be produced 50% faster and emit half as much pollution.

Heatherwick Studio's Educational Hub Celebrates Indigenous Crafts in Bogotá, Colombia

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Heatherwick Studio has just been selected to design a new educational facility for a university in Bogotá, Colombia. Marking Heatherwick’s Studio’s debut in South America, the construction is set to begin in 2025. Located on the existing campus in central Bogotá, the new design school and makers’ space for Universidad EAN will become a home for the university’s school of sustainable design. The seven-story structure features a striking façade adorned with colorful artistic columns and open terraces.

Arab Designers Crafting their Own Narrative: Design Doha 2024 Explores Identity and Innovation

Christele Harrouk — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Establishing a platform in the Arab world, Design Doha 2024 debuted its inaugural edition in Doha, Qatar. Facilitating dialogues between designers, the event challenges the misconception that the Arab world is composed of a singular culture. It highlights, therefore, the diversity of populations, landscapes, and histories it encompasses.

Sculpting Facades: Using New Technology to Create a More Textural and Expressive Architecture

Carla Bonilla Huaroc — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Advancements in 3D printing technology are progressing at an unprecedented pace, accompanied by a parallel surge in computational power for manipulating and creating intricate geometries. This synergy has the potential to offer architects an unprecedented level of artistic freedom in regards to the complex textures they can generate, thanks to the technology's remarkable high resolution and rapid manufacturing capabilities. If the question of production was out of the way, and architects could now sculpt virtually anything into a facade effectively and efficiently, what would they sculpt?

Snøhetta Integrates Norwegian and Upper Midwest Traditions in the Design of the Vesterheim Cultural Campus in Iowa, US

Maria-Cristina Florian — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Snøhetta unveiled the design of a new building and landscape design for the Vesterheim campus in Decorah, Iowa. The campus, which also contains the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School, explores the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience. The new 8,000-square-foot building, known as “the Commons,” is set to become the entry point and main gathering space for the cultural campus. Aside from anchoring the site, the intervention also aims to strengthen the site’s connection to the city. The building is scheduled to be completed in the Summer of 2023.

Crafts against Climate Change: Eco-materials from India

Ankitha Gattupalli — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Indians have traditionally lived close to the earth, their cultures shaped by symbiotic relationships with ecosystems. Indian arts and crafts strongly rely on nature for its form, philosophy, and existence. Native landscapes aroused the artistic sensibilities of resident communities, evolving craft practices that met utilitarian and ritualistic needs. The intersectionality of ecology and culture is evident through ancestral forms of craft.

Materials to Build India's Identity

Ankitha Gattupalli — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Upon becoming a sovereign country, free from British Rule, the people of India found themselves faced with questions they had never needed to answer before. Coming from different cultures and origins, the citizens began to wonder what post-independence India would stand for. The nation-builders now had the choice to carve out their own future, along with the responsibility to reclaim its identity - but what was India's identity? Was it the temples and huts of the indigenous folk, the lofty palaces of the Mughal era, or the debris of British rule? There began a search for a contemporary Indian sensibility that would carry the collective histories of citizens towards a future of hope.

Social Design Festival

Rene Submissions — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:38:00 +0000

A five-day national festival to seed, incubate and showcase socio-environment design successes.
Workshops are three-day hackathons that address design issues in the social realm.
Conference as a forum to understand how design can bridge the deficit in the public domain.

Social problems are design problems, and the design community has long felt the need to proactively push for positive change using the potent combination of government, design and active citizens.

This festival ties up with government departments and addresses different problems through three-day workshops, for instance, can we initiate thinking on how to cope with flooding of coastal cities, placing wide-ranging

Rene Submissions — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 21:00:00 +0000

It is vacation week! Looking to get out of the house and build?

Join the BSA Foundation for a LEGO® Challenge using BSA Space’s extensive collection of LEGO® bricks. What should a new building in Boston look like? Young designers will use the Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA) In the Public Interest exhibition as inspiration to design a new building for Boston, then create it with LEGO® bricks.

This drop-in activity is appropriate for children aged five to 13 years old accompanied by a caregiver. A maximum ratio of one adult per three children will be required. Feel free to drop in