Currency Museum / Costa Lopes

The new Currency Museum is located on the waterfront of Luanda, just in the heart of the city downtown, nearby the charismatic headquarters of the National Bank of Angola.

Rural House in Portugal / HBG Arquitectos

The brief was to transform an ancient community oven, owned by the client’s family for decades, into a comfortable, single bedroom vacation house, with space to gather the family when needed. The original construction was a small, single-story volume, with thick exposed granite walls and a gable roof. A walled area, including an almost ruined porch, complemented the property.

Say No Mo Beauty Salon / balbek bureau

Say No Mo is a conceptually new format of a beauty salon. The ‘heart’ of the salon is a bar used for both beauty services and traditional cocktail receptions. The main task faced by balbek bureau from the very start of the design process was to break away from a traditional perception of a conventional beauty salon, and its gender distinction.

Modano Coffee / AD+studio

The seasonal and adrift lifestyle of the people in Mekong River delta was partly narrated through the architecture of stilt house, nhà đá, nhà đạp, …  These all belonged to a typology characterized by simple structure, which comprised one light roof system covering the temporary framework below. Prior to urbanization, this regional architecture had long been in harmony with its then context, hence resonated with the surroundings. 

The Broken House / NPS Arquitectos

It was probably a few hours after the "Grândola Vila Morena"1 by Zeca Afonso, echoed on the telephony, the 2nd 'password-song’ of a revolution that would free Portugal from a dictatorial regime, on 25 April 1974, that a journey which had begun a few months earlier was abruptly interrupted. The construction site was abandoned that same day, becoming a kind of contemporary ruin of an anonymous residential building. 42 years later the process was retaken, redefining a new journey to turn this peculiar lot into a House – Atelier.

Studio thonik Studio Office / Studio thonik + MMX architecten

The building is a spatial manifesto of thonik’s design philosophy, characterised by social commitment and a playful take on modernism’s heritage. Founded in 1993 as a mostly analogue graphic design practice, thonik rapidly evolved towards digital, using moving images as a starting point for all forms of expression. Studio thonik is the practice’s latest creation and its first architecture venture.

Oslo Cowork / BABELstudio

Oslo Cowork, a minimalist and compact office space designed by BABELstudio represents the new studio of architecture photographer Erlantz Biderbost and a co-working space located in Olabeaga, Bilbao. Situated alongside the Nervion River, the Olabeaga neighbourhood formerly was home to shipyards, industrial plants and warehouses, then left abandoned and forgotten. However, for a few years the area is slowly rediscovered and revitalized. The design brief was to integrate 3-5 working places, a meeting and retreat space, kitchenette, bathroom, and extended storage in a rather small, 39 sqm gross floor area space with double height.

How to Make a Facade with Recycled Materials: 21 Notable Examples

With the aim of supporting architects to become active agents of sustainable design, this week we present a selection of facades that incorporate different recycled materials. Beyond the typical uses of plastic and glass, in this article, you will find innovative materials such as mattress springs, ice cream containers, plastic chairs, and recycled waste from agricultural and industrial products. A look at 21 remarkable projects using recycled materials to create an attractive facade.

Fluid Dynamics: Iconic Swimming Pools Around the World

Subscriber Access | 

Aquatic centers are defined by activity. Making space for focused exercise and leisure alike, they are designed to support different scales of movement. At their core, they center on swimming pools. These structures explore ideas of light and space spanning millennia, from Pakistan's "Great Bath" at the site of Mohenjo-Daro and Ancient Greek palaestras to contemporary swimming complexes.

100architects Regenerates Pedestrian Bridge in Shanghai, China, with Colorful Spaces

100architects has designed a proposal that regenerates the Puji Road pedestrian bridge in Shanghai, China. Entitled High Loop, the proposal reimagines the 1-kilometer elevated platform, adding playfulness and color to the city, without transforming the structure.

US Olympic and Paralympic Museum / Diller Scofidio + Renfro

The US Olympic and Paralympic Museum is a tribute to the Olympic and Paralympic movements with Team USA athletes at the center of the experience. The 60,000 sqft building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, in collaboration with Architect of Record Anderson Mason Dale Architects, features 20,000 sqft of galleries, a state-of-the-art theater, event space, and cafe. Inspired by the energy and grace of the Team USA athletes and the organization's inclusive values, the building's dynamic spiraling form allows visitors to descend the galleries in one continuous path. This main organization structure enables the museum to rank amongst the most accessible museums in the world, ensuring visitors with and without disabilities can smoothly share the same common experience.

In conversation with Anastasia Elrouss: Architect, Activist, and Founder of Warch(ée) NGO

Subscriber Access | 

I’ve known since I was a child that change would never happen on its own. My dream was to make a positive change as a woman architect and urban planner.” Architect, Activist, and Founder of Warch(ée) NGO, Anastasia Elrouss has been involved in architecture and advocating for women in the field, for nearly 15 years. Through her own practice, she is always seeking to create interventions that are constantly adapting to the users and the environment, “putting the human layer at the center of the architectural experience”. Through her platform, she is encouraging an ongoing conversation about gender equality and the role of women in the workplace and the world.

Dois Trópicos Shop / MNMA studio

“... the front door continues to appeal to our sense arrival. Call it the ceremony of coming home.”
Akiko Busch

Boys and Girls Club / CCA | Bernardo Quinzaños

After-school time is critical for children’s comprehensive development. In marginalized areas, many children are left without adult supervision when classes finish, a situation that poses a risk to their health, safety and general wellbeing. In these areas, the lack of safe spaces for recreation means that violence, drug and alcohol use, and insecurity hinder healthy development and lead to the weakening of the social fabric. This situation perpetuates negative cycles that generate inequality, among many other serious consequences for the community.

City Library Het Predikheren / Korteknie Stuhlmacher Architecten + Callebaut Architecten + Bureau Bouwtechniek

The Predikherenklooster is a more than impressive building. The baroque monastery was built starting in 1650 and was deconsecrated in the 18th century. In the 19th and 20th centuries it was mainly used for military purposes and has been abandoned since 1975. We developed our design with respect for the particular characteristics of the existing edifice. The programming, the spatial design, our concept for the restoration as well as the design of the technical installations, and all structural interventions are intended to preserve and reinforce these characteristics. The building has a clear structure consisting of an outer ring consisting of broad multifunctional rooms, an inner ring (the cloister), the courtyard, the attic and the church. Over the years the structure has been entirely preserved and can be experienced everywhere in the building.

Dengshikou Hutong Residence / B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio

Located in a hutong near the historical centre in Beijing, the L-shaped house is sandwiched between the old hutong wall and a two floor building. The renovation aimed to transform the dated 43 m² residence into a convenient, functional modern living space for a family of six people .

House of the Big Arch / Frankie Pappas

Marrying sandstone cliff and riverine forest - The Site - The building occupies a unique place in a nature reserve in the Waterberg mountains of South Africa; a landscape of remarkable plants, inspiring cliffs, and prodigious wildlife. 

Garden House / Hayhurst and Co.

Garden House is a new home, studio and gallery under a 'hanging-basket' roof for Whitaker Malem: the artist and costume-maker duo behind works by Allen Jones, fashion designers Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen and numerous film costumes including Harry Potter, Batman and Wonderwoman.