Tag: materials | ArchDaily

From Homes to Coffee Shops: Adaptive Reuse Projects Transforming Domestic History

Agustina Iñiguez — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In the twenty-first century agenda, adaptive reuse is understood as a creative and meaningful approach to the development of the built environment. In the face of an era marked by adaptation and transformation, the shaping of human experiences aligns with the principle of "reuse, reduce, recycle." From the authenticity of place to the inherent value of materials, working in dialogue with the past makes it possible to envision new futures that engage with the uses, traditions, and beliefs of earlier eras. By considering each building as a collection of tangible and intangible elements that shape its identity, adaptive reuse interventions require a deep understanding not only of construction methods, structural systems, and spatial rhythms, but also of the cultures that built, inhabited, and will one day occupy these places.

Designing Quietly: Rethinking Architecture’s Overlooked Surface

Kiana Buchberger — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:09:40 +0000

The ceiling is one of the largest continuous surfaces in a space, yet why is it rarely the first architectural element people notice? Often perceived as the plane that conceals structure and building services, it quietly recedes into the background while facades, materials, structural systems, and furniture define a building's architectural identity. Yet few architectural elements influence the experience of a space as consistently as this one. The ceiling shapes how sound travels, how light is reflected, how air moves through a room, and ultimately how architecture is experienced, bringing together technical performance and architectural expression through a single continuous surface.

Can Global Architecture Still Reflect Local Identity?

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000

The accelerating rise of a homogenized, worldwide aesthetic is forcing creators to confront a critical reality: design trends are effortlessly transcending geography, but local identity is paying the price. The fifth episode of the Room For Dreams podcast tackles a head-on investigation into whether a boundaryless market is quietly erasing design diversity. Recorded live at Milan Design Week 2026 in cooperation with INDX|GLOBAL, host Claire Broadka of designboom sits down with Sachi Gupta, Shilpi Sonar, Krithika Subrahmanian, and Sumit Dhawan to map out the reality of the borderless creator.

Beyond the Visual: Reframing Architecture Through the Senses

Eduardo Souza — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 01:30:00 +0000

An experiential rebellion takes center stage in the fourth episode of the Room For Dreams podcast, hitting directly at the heart of today's screen-deep, image-obsessed design culture. Recorded live at Milan Design Week 2026 in cooperation with INDX|GLOBAL, host Claire Broadka sits down with four Indian architectural voices — Indrajit Kembhavi, Manish Gulati, Sanjay Singh, and Sidhartha Talwar — to explore a critical question: have we sacrificed the soul of architecture for the sake of a picture-perfect Instagram post?

Beyond Movable Walls: Acoustic Flexibility for Multi-Purpose Spaces

Eduardo Souza — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 01:30:00 +0000

One of the defining qualities of contemporary interiors is flexibility. Offices, education facilities, hotels, and cultural venues need to be adaptable. They require spaces that can expand, divide, open, and close according to different activities, without sacrificing comfort, or accoustics. How a space is subdivided, then, is no longer a secondary decision, but a central component of architectural performance.

Agricultural Afterlives: When Waste Becomes Architecture

Ananya Nayak — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

A building material rarely begins where architecture encounters it. By the time concrete reaches a construction site, its limestone has already been quarried, processed, and transformed. Timber arrives long after the forest. Glass appears detached from the sand from which it was made. By the time materials enter construction, much of the landscape and industry that produced them has already disappeared from view.

The Building in Motion: How Vertical Mobility Is Redefining Contemporary Architecture

Eduardo Souza — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 06:45:00 +0000

In 1743, a small cabin suspended by ropes was installed in a courtyard of the Palace of Versailles for the private use of King Louis XV. Manually operated by servants hidden from view, the so-called "flying chair" allowed movement between floors without stairs, and unknowingly introduced one of the central questions of modern architecture: how to move people vertically in a way that is efficient, safe, and integrated into the building.

From Quarry to Countertop: Tracing the Origins of Natural Stone in Architecture

Camilla Ghisleni — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

For some time now, it has become common to wonder where the things we consume come from. We check labels, seek out local producers, and investigate supply chains in an attempt to understand the impact of our habits, whether on our own health or on the planet.

Winners Announced for the 21st Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Set on the banks of the Sava River in Belgrade, Serbia, the site of a former cement factory became the starting point for the 21st edition of the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest. Organized in cooperation with the World Green Building Council, OneClick LCA, the City of Belgrade, the Academic Yachting Club Belgrade, the Serbia Green Building Council, and the Green & Blue Corridors Association, invited students to imagine a new Sports and Recreation Hub capable of transforming an industrial waterfront into a year-round public destination. More than 200 universities from 34 countries participated in this 21^stedition of the Architecture Student Contest.

What Should Stay, What Must Change: Exploring Adaptive Reuse and Long-Term Flexibility

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

The third episode of the Room For Dreams podcast confronts one of the most pressing dilemmas in modern urban planning: how to breathe in new life into old structures without erasing their history. Recorded live at Milan Design Week 2026 in cooperation with INDX|GLOBAL, this dynamic session gathers a panel of architects — Kiran Gala, Vivek Gupta, and Carl Bhesania — to unpack the complex realities of adaptive reuse.

Architectural Decisions, Planetary Implications: Interview with UIA 2026 Barcelona Curatorial Team

Romullo Baratto — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Barcelona is the first city in the history of the UIA World Congress of Architects to host the event twice. The 1996 edition, Present and Futures: Architecture in Cities, arrived at a charged moment, when the post-Olympic city was consolidating an urban model that would become one of the most studied and contested in contemporary urbanism, and when architecture was learning to think through the large metropolis as its primary site of inquiry. Thirty years later, the same city reopens the question under a different condition: one in which the built environment can no longer be understood as a self-contained object, but only through the wider ecological, material, and political systems that sustain it. The theme of the 2026 Congress — Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition — does not abandon the urban concerns of 1996; it reopens them from a planetary scale.

How a New Generation of Architects Is Designing with Natural Light

Eduardo Souza — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Long before it becomes a matter of performance, comfort, or energy efficiency, natural light is a way of giving presence to architecture. It reveals the texture of a wall, the depth of an opening, and the silent passage of time within a space. In works as distinct as those of Tadao Ando and Alvar Aalto, daylight appears as an essential material of design: in some cases, guiding the eye toward contemplation; in others, making spaces feel more human, welcoming, and connected to everyday life.

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.

Ferruccio Laviani Designs a Greek Theatre-Inspired Stage for MARA at Salone del Mobile 2026

Eduardo Souza — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:30:00 +0000

At Salone del Mobile 2026, MARA presented its latest collection within a fair-stand concept designed by Italian architect and designer Ferruccio Laviani. Conceived as a micro-abstraction of an arena, the installation placed visitors at the center of an ascending spatial composition, where the brand's newest products were displayed across stepped tiers.

Function Follows Form: Designing Adaptive Buildings That Outlast Their Original Use

Eduardo Souza — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0000

With forty-eight psychogeriatric beds and sixty-eight wheelchair-accessible apartments, accommodation for informal caregivers, and space for bedside care, the De Keyzer building opened in Amsterdam in 2011. Its program had been conceived entirely for elderly people requiring assistance, but shortly after completion, the building was sold to an investment fund, and the apartments began to be rented to young families with children.

From Stone Waste to Bamboo: Indian Architects Explore the Future of Regenerative Design

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 01:30:00 +0000

The premier episode of the Room For Dreams podcast series, produced in collaboration with INDX|GLOBAL, features an engaging panel discussion centered on materializing the future through the lens of Indian architecture and design. Recorded live at Milan Design Week 2026 and moderated by Claire Broadka of designboom, the conversation brings together three visionary architects: Rachna Agarwal, custodian of Studio IAAD and Zoera; Vaibhav Dimri, founding partner of Anagram Architects; and Dinesh Panwar of Urbanscape Architects.

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.

An Era of Renovations: 6 Reasons Why Roofing Membranes Can Extend the Lifespan of Existing Structures

Agustina Iñiguez — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 01:30:00 +0000

Building roofs are advancing through a multidimensional optimization process that encompasses technological innovations, new materials, energy-saving performance, and faster construction methods. From green roofs and rainwater harvesting systems to solar panels, contemporary architects are working to balance aesthetics, performance, durability, and environmental impact in their projects. Roof renovation not only extends the service life of buildings but also reflects an environmental commitment by improving efficiency and sustainability.