Tag: flexible | ArchDaily

Urban Banquet at the Curb: Hong Kong’s Third-Space Dining

Jonathan Yeung — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:30:00 +0000

Across cities worldwide, architecture unfolds continuously at the scale of people and community—not only through new buildings, renovations, or monumental works. "Third spaces" are especially revealing. Consider the street-side culinary realm: how seating, serving, and lingering occupy the edge of the street often discloses a city's cultural codes and spatial habits. What forms of dining and inhabitation have emerged in response to local climate, regulation, and social custom—and how have they evolved over time?

Achieving Precision in Flexible Design: The Path to 10,000 Vertically Folding Skyfold Walls

Enrique Tovar — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 01:30:00 +0000

Today, our use of space—and by extension, our built environment—embraces a variety of functions, dimensions, and configurations. However, one key trait stands out: flexibility and multi-purpose design. This marks a shift from the traditional model, where spaces were rigidly defined by function, with distinct areas for working, resting, or socializing, each separated by fixed, solid walls. A key example of this shift is Skyfold's vertically folding retractable walls. With over 10,000 installations, Skyfold's operable walls redefine spatial boundaries and enhances versatility, enabling dynamic adjustments that quickly respond to evolving needs. Their widespread adoption underscores their effectiveness in addressing the challenges of modern interiors and architectural design.

From Modernism to Multiculturalism: The Historical Evolution of Student Housing

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Student housing has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last century. Once seen as a utilitarian necessity, providing shelter and basic amenities for students, this architectural typology has evolved to address increasingly complex societal, cultural, and urban demands. Starting with Le Corbusier's modernist approach at the Cité Universitaire in Paris, student housing has reflected broader trends in architecture, urbanism, and social change.

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?

Movable Walls: The Transformative Effect of Retractable and Folding Partitions

Enrique Tovar — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 01:30:00 +0000

Flexibility has become a distinctive feature of contemporary interiors, driven by factors like the evolution of architectural programs and the progressive reduction of interior spaces, among others. This transition has shifted interiors from static to dynamic, aiming to achieve a state-of-the-art balance in space configuration. This sentiment is well encapsulated by Ricardo Bofill's statement that "architecture is the art of structuring space."

OMA, Studio A Kwadraat, and Circlewood Win Amsterdam School Competition with Modular Wood Construction System

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 06:30:00 +0000

As part of the Schools by Circlewood consortium, OMA’s David Gianotten and Michael den Otter, together with Studio A Kwadraat, represented by Jimmy van der Aa, have won the competition to design the Wisperweide school in Weesp. This will become the first school to be built using Schools by Circlewood’s prefabricated wooden modular system, developed in collaboration with OMA. The system has earlier been chosen by the administration of Amsterdam to be employed across the city to provide flexible and sustainable elementary schools.

Maximum Flexibility: The Possibilities of Vertically Folding Operable Walls

Valeria Montjoy — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 06:45:00 +0000

As a response to this rapidly changing world, flexibility has become a top priority in contemporary interior design. That explains, for example, the growing demand for spacious and multifunctional spaces over rigid, enclosed floor plans –as is the case of the open kitchen trend. This shift in spatial needs suggests that designing for the present and the future is about creating spaces that can easily adapt to many uses: one day, a room may be destined for a big event; another day, it may be needed for smaller, more private environments. Therefore, materials, products and other interior design elements must respond accordingly, integrating technology and innovation to create flexible, yet functional spaces.

Haptic and Ramboll Explore the Future of Timber High-Rise

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 24 May 2022 05:30:00 +0000

Haptic and Ramboll conceptualize a novel structure that hopes to eradicate the need for demolition. The timber high-rise construction is built for maximum flexibility and longevity, being able to change its configuration and, consequently, its functions to adapt to the city’s changing needs. The design concept is based on the idea of maximizing the potential of sites in inner-city neighborhoods. To exemplify the regenerative potential of this model, the architects have applied the concept to a tight urban area in the center of Oslo, Norway.

How Can We Double the Living Space in Our Homes? BEYOME: The Flexible and Modular System with Robotic Furniture

Agustina Iñiguez — Mon, 09 May 2022 07:30:00 +0000

BEYOME, led by Project Consortium together with the architects of Enorme Studio, seeks to transform traditional dwellings by providing a greater degree of flexibility in their spaces, so that they can adapt to contemporary lifestyles, taking into account the different uses that their inhabitants give to them. But how can we make the same space capable of adapting to different uses? What strategies could be developed to double the surface area of our homes and make better use of them?

UNStudio Introduces New Flexible Urban Living Concept in the Van B Residences in Munich

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 06:30:00 +0000

UNStudio and Bauwerk have created a new ‘analog smart’ urban living concept for the Van B residences in Munich, Germany. The completely new form of housing reimagines the future of city living, catering to changing demographics and multiple family constellations. Through adaptable partitions and a system of plugin furniture, the project allows an easy change of configuration. “Quality meters over square meters”.

Traditional Solutions, Modern Projects: Wooden Screens for Sun Protection and Ventilation

Belén Maiztegui — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Throughout history, sunshades--light-weight screens typically made of interwoven wooden reeds--have been the go-to method of sun protection and temperature control for dwellings across civilizations, especially those located in tropical and Mediterranean climates. While offering protection from the sun's heat and rays, sunshades also allow air to permeate, making them an effective and economical cooling system for interior spaces.

Brazilian Interiors: 8 Projects with Flexible Furniture

Camilla Ghisleni — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 05:00:00 +0000

When designing in times of quick and constant transformations, one must keep a close eye on the surge of new demands, and one must design spaces that embrace such mutability.

Why Should We Design Spaces with Furniture on Wheels?

Lilly Cao — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 04:30:00 +0000

In a time where space grows more and more limited and people increasingly spend time at home, flexibility presents itself as an underutilized strategy of interior design. With flexible furniture, residents can optimize square footage and easily reshape configurations according to specific requirements and shifting needs. Below, we discuss the benefits and variations of furniture on wheels, closing with 7 example projects illustrating their creative and practical application.

FCBStudios' Net Zero Carbon Timber Workspace in London, Receives Planning Commission

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 06:30:00 +0000

A new six-story net-zero carbon office development in Vauxhall, London, UK has been granted planning commission by the city council to move further. Designed by FCBStudios, the timber workspace named Paradise, will transform an abandoned site on old Paradise street, and replace the existing disused roastery.

UNStudio Designs a Multifunctional and Flexible Education Building for TU Delft in the Netherlands

Christele Harrouk — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 05:30:00 +0000

Part of Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), in the Netherlands, Echo is a new multifunctional and flexible inter-faculty building, now under construction and due for completion in Dec 2021. Designed by UNStudio, in collaboration with Arup and BBN, the future-proof facility meets the needs of the ever-increasing numbers of students.