Tag: glass-facade | ArchDaily

Making a Characterful Entrance: The Architectural Impact of Wooden Bi-Folding Doors

Rene Submissions — Thu, 21 May 2026 01:30:00 +0000

Bi-folding doors flood a room with light, offering the spatial flexibility to establish a dialogue with the surroundings. The Woodline series by Solarlux integrates manufacturing quality and technical expertise with architectural freedom, providing transparent facade solutions for versatile, sustainable architecture. The natural surfaces further enhance the building envelope with a distinct tactile quality.

Centre Pompidou Expands to Seoul with the New Hanwha Center Designed by Wilmotte & Associés

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The French museum and cultural institution Centre Pompidou is opening a new Korean branch in collaboration with the local Hanwha Foundation of Culture. Well known in the architectural field for its French headquarters, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers and recently closed for renovations, the Centre Pompidou is expanding its international presence with a new venue, adding to its sites in Spain, Belgium, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The Korean building is a 12,000 m² renovation project at the base of the 63 Tower skyscraper, led by Wilmotte & Associés. Located on Yeouido Island, along the banks of the Han River, and at the heart of Seoul's financial district, the Hanwha Seoul Pompidou Center is conceived as both an exhibition venue and a meeting point where education and art converge, offering adaptable spaces to host a broad range of activities.

OMA’s Metropolitan Village Advances Toward Completion in Taipei’s Xinyi District

Antonia Piñeiro — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 05:30:00 +0000

OMA's Metropolitan Village, also known as Taipei Xinyi–Wenchang Residence, is a new high-rise residential tower located in Taipei's Xinyi Central Business District. The project, led by David Gianotten and Chiaju Lin, with HCCH & Associates Architects Planners & Engineers as local collaborator, provides 11,961 m² of residential floor area on a 736 m² site. The 95 m, 23-storey building follows the concept of a "vertical village," reflecting the increasingly fluid boundary between living and working identified by the architects in post-pandemic Taipei. Commissioned by Continental Development Corporation, the project broke ground in 2024 and is scheduled for completion in 2027. Recent images show construction progress, with the highest structural element now being installed.

Eliminating the Barrier Between Indoor Spaces and Nature

Rene Submissions — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 06:45:00 +0000

For centuries, architecture has been shaped by the aspiration to create a smooth transition between the indoors and the outdoors. Today, technologically sophisticated window and facade systems allow architects to design open, light-flooded room concepts without losing heat. The Solarlux cero maximum sliding window can eliminate the boundaries between spaces, demonstrated most impressively when large-format elements replace building corners. This is a technical achievement accomplished entirely without supports that disrupt the view. cero creates a direct, immediate connection to nature that goes far beyond what standard solutions can offer.

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.

Van Nelle Factory: The Story Behind a Modernist Icon in Rotterdam

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 04:00:00 +0000

The Van Nelle Factory, located in Rotterdam, is one of the most significant examples of Modernist Industrial Architecture. Designed by Johannes Andreas Brinkman and Leendert van der Vlugt between 1925 and 1931, with the involvement of Mart Stam — a pioneer in modernist furniture design and architecture — the factory was conceived as a progressive and functional building for processing coffee, tea, and tobacco.

Healing Through Design: The Story Behind Alvar Aalto’s Paimio Sanatorium

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

In the early 20th century, tuberculosis presented a significant public health challenge across Europe, prompting the construction of specialized facilities for patient recovery. The Paimio Sanatorium in Finland stands as a groundbreaking example of architecture's potential to promote healing. Designed by Alvar Aalto between 1929 and 1933, the sanatorium combined innovative design principles with a deep understanding of human needs, setting new benchmarks for healthcare architecture.

Kunsthaus Graz: A Friendly Alien Among Historic Landmarks

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 04:00:00 +0000

The Kunsthaus Graz, designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, boldly redefines contemporary architecture in a historic city. Completed in 2003 as a centerpiece of Graz's European Capital of Culture celebrations, its biomorphic form, nicknamed the "Friendly Alien", captured global attention. Amidst Baroque and Medieval surroundings, it bridges past and future, standing as a testament to the city's cultural ambitions.

Architectural Glass 101: Transparent Trends in 2024

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:00:00 +0000

In the 21st century, Glass has become a cornerstone material for architecture. Once limited to apertures and openings, Glass now dominates entire facades, especially in high-rise buildings where transparent cladding material is preferred to maximize views. The technological advancements in Glass have been remarkable, transitioning from single-pane panels, such as those used in Bauhaus' iron window frames, to today's triple-pane systems with specialized gas infills, such as argon, designed to address Glass's long-standing thermal limitations.

Line Up for Concrete Curves: Curvilinear Facades Doing the Trick

Agustina Iñiguez — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:30:00 +0000

Contemporary architecture evolves in tandem with the materials and construction techniques available in each region. In addition to the architectural trends of the moment or historical ideas that may inspire creativity, understanding how materials are used, cared for, and maintained, as well as their technical and aesthetic properties, is crucial to the concepts envisioned by many architects. Each material carries its own inherent logic. In fact, architect Louis Kahn suggested that the way materials interact can lead to unavoidable combinations of structure, walls, and assembly in buildings. Rieder products exemplify this by offering modular, flexible solutions that help buildings seamlessly adapt to urban environments, enhancing both interior and exterior spaces while maintaining cost-effectiveness.

Architectural Details of the Bauhaus Movement: Revisiting the Glass Corners and Tubular Steel Construction

Jonathan Yeung — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Bauhaus's designs have influenced our contemporary society in obvious and subtle ways. Iconic examples include Marcel Breuer’s Wassily Chair, the B55 Chair, the Bauhaus typeface, and the graphic design principles emphasizing clean lines, primary colors, and geometric shapes. However, the architectural construction details of the Bauhaus movement are much less discussed. While most can readily identify modern or Bauhaus buildings by their geometric forms, functionality, and industrial materials, their architectural details are often overlooked. They not only echo the design language of Breuer’s renowned furniture pieces but also have influenced the much-celebrated architectural glass details of Mies van der Rohe. How were Bauhaus's details executed, and how might they be translated into contemporary details today?

15 Landscaped Offices With Garden Space For Free-Range Employees to Roam

James Wormald — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Representing 32% of the global population, Generation Z (those born between 1995 – 2010) accounts for a healthy chunk of the workforce (27% by 2025 and rising every year). These are the fresh young minds employers are fighting to attract. With prospective employers’ impact on society (93%) and a healthy work/life balance (77%) the two biggest motivators in deciding where Gen Z’ers want to work, a large part of any new office building’s design brief is green space.

UNStudio Unveils Design for Mixed-Use Complex in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Area in China

Maria-Cristina Florian — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 05:30:00 +0000

On a site that also hosts the Olympic Sports Centre, the 2023 Asian Games complex, UNStudio has unveiled the design of the new Hiwell Amber Centre, a complex of four high-rise towers planned to add a mix of offices, apartments, hotels, art spaces and retail to the city center of Hangzhou, China. Responding to the area’s rapid economic and cultural growth, the new development aims to provide a wide range of services to residents and visitors alike. To open up towards the city, the smooth glass curtain wall of the towers peels apart to reveal a tapestry-like facade that envelops the main plazas and civic spaces, creating an ‘urban living room.’

The Importance of Bird-Safe Glass in Exteriors: The Case of The Helios School

Camila Prieto — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 06:45:00 +0000

Glass has become a central element in modern architecture with the introduction of new strategies for designing and experiencing buildings. Its transparency and material composition allow for natural light to enter, while creating seamless connections between interior and exterior spaces. However, the prevalence of this material has meant that every year, billions of birds collide into glass structures.

Glazed Façades and How They Protect Against Wind, Cold and Noise

Rene Submissions — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 06:45:00 +0000

Higher noise emissions, higher wind loads and a desire for greater energy efficiency – the structural requirements for façades in multi-storey residential buildings and skyscrapers are becoming increasingly demanding, for both new builds and renovations. This is the result of the urban densification that is taking place in response to the acute lack of available housing and the more extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change.

Glazed Facades: Increasing Access to Natural Light with See-Through Surfaces

James Wormald — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Sunshine has been an integral part of life ever since the sun and the earth began their merry dance. The feel-good ambiance provided by natural light is a recurring theme in human culture, from popular music, fashion, and photography, to our most luxurious environments.

The Future of Glass Construction in a Warmer World: A Selection of Glazed but Efficient Projects

Hana Abdel — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 07:30:00 +0000

If you’ve been avoiding some of the latest news recently, here’s a quick update; European and North American countries have been facing one of the hottest recorded summers in modern history. Discussions over the climate crises have therefore been reignited and so has the role of the design and construction industry in providing solutions that would mitigate the experienced heat effects in our daily lives. While passive cooling solutions have always been used in some parts of the world, where local resources and vernacular builds are adapted to high temperatures, other regions are looking to technological and innovative manufacturing means that would maintain human comfort, aesthetic values, and energy efficiency/ cost.

C House / Studio Arthur Casas

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 16:00:00 +0000

C House is located in the central part of São Paulo, in one of the rare neighborhoods where it is forbidden to build high rises. The plot is narrow and deep, which renders the task of making a project with open-air spaces and gardens more difficult. Retreats are short and, in order to meet the client’s demands for a house where he could feel nature, we had to rethink the distribution of the program.