Tag: small-scale | ArchDaily

6 Unbuilt Retreats Exploring Hospitality Through Landscape and Refuge

Nour Fakharany — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Spaces of retreat continue to offer fertile ground for unbuilt exploration, revealing how architecture can support rest, reflection, and immersion in nature amid shifting environmental and cultural conditions. In this Unbuilt edition, submitted by the ArchDaily community, the selected projects assemble a diverse range of proposals that reconsider hospitality through the lens of refuge. These works position accommodation not as spectacle or excess, but as spatial frameworks shaped by landscape, climate, material restraint, and shared experience.

Small Structures, Big Impact: 4 Rural Prototypes for a Changing Planet

Miwa Negoro & Susanna Moreira — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Facing an interconnected planetary climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, regenerative design emerges as a pathway toward building resilient and ecologically attuned rural futures. At the intersection of architecture, agriculture, and local ecosystems, new models of resilient, self-sufficient agricultural practices are emerging. These projects are not grand industrial systems but small-scale, precise, and deeply contextual architectural interventions that create spaces that foster sustainable cultivation while respecting environmental rhythms, local materials, and community knowledge.

Cabins in Spain: Small-Scale Accommodations in Natural Settings

Agustina Iñiguez — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Amid coasts, rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges, Spain’s natural environment encompasses a wide variety of climates, topographies, and vegetation species. Aiming to raise global awareness of the impact of construction on the environment and the importance of addressing climate change through new ways of creating architecture, several architectural practices and research teams are exploring the design of cabins or small-scale lodging prototypes. While capable of integrating harmoniously with their surrounding natural context, they also demonstrate strategies for self-sufficiency, resource utilization, and space maximization, as well as broad applications of innovative technologies and material solutions adapted to each region.

Between Wood Craftsmanship and Small-Space Design: Discovering the Work of Madeiguincho in Portugal

Agustina Iñiguez — Fri, 02 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000

How is it possible to maximize livability in small spaces? What design decisions contribute to functionality and the fulfillment of the inhabitants' essential needs? Over the past decade, small-scale architecture has gained prominence in the quest to find new ways of living in connection with nature and in pursuit of relative self-sufficiency, among other reasons. From minimal homes or tree houses to fine carpentry solutions and sculptures, the Portuguese design studio Madeiguincho is dedicated to developing timber-based projects with the aim of promoting knowledge of wood craftsmanship as both a raw material and a building medium.

The Power of Scale: How Proportions Shape Human Experience

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The way we perceive and experience spaces extends beyond aesthetics—they directly influence our emotions, thoughts, and even creativity. Spacious environments with high ceilings often evoke a sense of freedom and inspiration, while smaller, enclosed spaces encourage focus and introspection. This is not merely a subjective impression but a scientifically studied phenomenon. In the 1960s, anthropologist Edward T. Hall introduced the term "Cathedral Effect" to describe how ceiling height impacts cognition and behavior. More recent research has expanded on this idea, demonstrating how architecture shapes decision-making and emotional states in various contexts.

Meet the 75 Finalists of the ArchDaily 2025 Building of the Year Awards

Romullo Baratto — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:00:00 +0000

After two weeks of open voting in the 16th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have meticulously narrowed down a pool of almost 4,000 projects to a select group of 75 finalists spanning 15 categories. This year's awards honor the pinnacle of design, innovation, and sustainability on a global scale, showcasing an exceptional range of projects within the shortlist. As a crowdsourced award, we take pride in affirming that your selections authentically mirror the current state of architecture, and the caliber of this year's finalists further underscores the excellence and diversity prevalent in the field.

Cabins in Latin America: 12 Floor Plan Projects Under 50 m2

Agustina Iñiguez — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The Latin American territory encompasses a vast diversity of climates, atmospheres, and temperatures across its entire expanse. Amid forested landscapes, jungles, or coastal settings, many architects choose to design cabins immersed in natural surroundings, seeking to foster a deeper connection with nature by distancing themselves from the city. While experimenting with different materials and local techniques enhances a stronger bond with the site's traditions and creates a distinct architectural identity for each region, the integration of technological innovations and new construction materials can offer greater resilience to climate change, improve short- and long-term maintenance, optimize construction timelines, and address other key considerations.

Should We Prototype Architecture More?

Eduardo Souza — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Prototyping is an essential element in sectors such as automotive design and technology, where iterative development enables testing, refining, and innovating. It involves creating initial models or early versions to validate concepts and fine-tune solutions before moving on to final production. This stage is crucial for identifying flaws, optimizing designs, and reducing risks, saving time and resources in the final implementation. In architecture, however, prototyping remains an underused tool. Despite the unique challenges inherent in architectural projects—whether programmatic, climatic, or related to site conditions—the benefits of prototyping can be profound. It offers architects the opportunity to experiment with new materials, validate construction methods, and test spatial configurations in a tangible, measurable way. As a result, it not only reduces uncertainties in the creative process but also drives bold and efficient solutions, fostering a more robust balance between aesthetics, functionality, and feasibility.

Meet the 75 Finalists of the ArchDaily 2024 Building of the Year Awards

Diego Hernández — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 09:15:00 +0000

After two weeks of open voting in the 15th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have meticulously narrowed down a pool of over 4,000 projects to a select group of 75 finalists spanning 15 categories. This year's awards enthusiastically honor the pinnacle of design, innovation, and sustainability on a global scale, showcasing an exceptional range of projects within the shortlist. As a crowdsourced award, we take pride in affirming that your selections authentically mirror the current state of architecture, and the caliber of this year's finalists further underscores the excellence and diversity prevalent in the field.

Rethinking the Roles of Small-Scale Informal Wood Industries in Tropical Africa

Paul Yakubu — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Tropical Africa boasts vast forests that cover 3.6 million square kilometers of land in West, East, and Central Africa. These forests provide valuable timber resources that significantly impact sectors, such as the furniture, fuel, and paper industries. However, interestingly, timber is seemingly absent in the contemporary architecture of the countries in this region. While architectural taste plays a role, the main reasons for this absence can be attributed to the wood industries' inability to meet the requirements of availability, affordability, aesthetic appeal, durability, and climatic and structural performance of timber. The wood industry in tropical Africa is mainly composed of informal and small-scale operations, focused primarily on sawing logs rather than refining wood for architectural or structural purposes. Despite this, the large number of informal enterprises in the region presents an opportunity to reshape the wood industry and utilize the local forestry resources to construct timber buildings.

Sauna Construction Details: Examples of Small-Scale Wooden Architecture

José Tomás Franco — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Due to its specific characteristics, the architecture of the sauna is interesting because it gives us lessons related to efficiency and the beauty of simplicity. These are generally very basic structures with a clear function, created to contain different levels of heat and humidity. Thanks to this steam bath, people can release toxins and improve their blood circulation. In addition, they are widely used in cold climates, in close proximity to nature and utilizing the presence of water.

Why are Scale Models So Appealing?

Paula Cano — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 06:30:00 +0000

Ambitious and diverse, models are representative tools non-exclusive to architects. Peculiar fascination with miniatures – and what they tell us about our larger world- extends to all ages, cultures, and purposes. From scaled temples of clay from 200 B.C. found in Mexico, ceramic models carried during medieval Islamic journeys, Victorian doll houses, and LEGOS, models are more than baby buildings. Miniatures unveil the essentials, explain much larger concepts, contain intimate and historical data, and invite us to challenge our known selves and perspective.

Meet the 75 Finalists in ArchDaily's 2023 Building of the Year Awards

Diego Hernández — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

After two weeks of voting in our 14th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have narrowed down over 4,500 projects to just 75 finalists across 15 categories, casting over 100,000 votes. This year's awards celebrate the very best in design, innovation, and sustainability from around the globe, with the shortlist featuring an exceptional range of projects, from a house in a favela to cutting-edge cultural centers and innovative public spaces that are sure to impress. As a crowdsourced award, we are proud to say that your selections are a true reflection of the state of architecture, and this year's finalists are no exception.

How to Ensure Comfort and Well-Being in Small Spaces?

Susanna Moreira — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

While some aspects of comfort and well-being in an indoor environment are related to external factors, such as natural lighting and ventilation, others are directly associated with the interior layout and the sensations created by architecture in the people living in that space.

Public Spaces and the Challenges of Covid-19: UN-Habitat’s Small-Scale Urban Responses in Vietnam, Bangladesh and India

Christele Harrouk — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 07:30:00 +0000

The Un-Habitat or the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development, whose primary focus is to deal with the challenges of rapid urbanization, has been developing innovative approaches in the urban design field, centered on the active participation of the community. ArchDaily has teamed up with UN-Habitat to bring you weekly news, article, and interviews that highlight this work, with content straight from the source, developed by our editors.

Elo Studio / Ticiane Lima Arquitetura & Interiores

Valeria Silva — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 14:00:00 +0000

The architect was inspired by a work of art to present the new post-pandemic home concept in a compact project inside a Container in São Paulo. 'The new home' is the theme of the Janelas CASACOR 2020 exhibition, an event that brings a reflection on innovations in architecture and décor of post-pandemic houses. Invited as part of the cast, the architect Ticiane Lima presents the Elo Studio. The environment is divided into kitchen, office, bathroom, bedroom and rooftop, and occupies a 15 m² showcase container. The space will be on display, through glass, between November 8 and December 8, at Praça Vinicius de Morais - Morumbi, in São Paulo. For those who want a more in-depth visit, all the internal details can be seen virtually on the windowscasacor.com website.

Sisters Houses / Daher Jardim Arquitetura

Pilar Caballero — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:00:00 +0000

The sister houses are two small semi-detached and mirrored residences, each measuring 40m², located in a residential neighborhood in Brasília. The work was implemented in such a way that those who walk down the street see only a white wall that does not reveal what is happening inside, in the other direction the houses open with large openings to the garden, creating a rich interior - exterior relationship, and thus, allowing good lighting and ventilation of internal spaces.

How Are Public Washrooms Shaping Places in China?

Scarlett Miao — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 04:00:00 +0000

In recent years, with the accelerated urban development of public spaces in China, public washrooms have been assigned numerous new roles. Designers have come up with a variety of proposals which suggest turning public washrooms into a place where social gathering can be redefined, and temporary stay can be more engaging. Although the scale of public washrooms is significantly smaller than that of any other type of architecture, Chinese architects have been working innovatively on fitting the public washrooms into the changing social contexts. Below are a few examples that demonstrate some current architectural experiments with public washroom design in China.