Tag: storage | ArchDaily

Why Smart Lockers Are Architecture’s New Micro-Infrastructure

Kiana Buchberger — Fri, 29 May 2026 06:45:00 +0000

How can the most structured elements in architecture give rise to unplanned forms of everyday life? "Spontaneous order" describes how structured systems can generate unplanned but coherent patterns of behavior. In urban discourse, it is often used to describe cities: frameworks of streets, plots, and buildings that are designed, while everyday life is not. Movement, encounters, routines, and informal uses emerge from simple spatial rules rather than explicit programming. In cities, this is visible in how sidewalks, stations, and thresholds operate. The structure is fixed, but the social order is fluid, setting conditions for behavior rather than defining it.

Beyond Circulation: Stair Solutions for Small-Footprint Living in Asia

Jonathan Yeung — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In many high-density cities across Asia, the staircase is often treated as a necessary evil. Whether in apartment buildings, private homes, or retail interiors, it is frequently hidden, tucked away, or pushed to the margins—an element to be minimized so more area can be given to "usable" space. Yet as density intensifies and square footage becomes increasingly scarce, architects and designers are forced to rethink this vertical puzzle.

How Can Hidden Niches Transform Walls into Functional Architecture?

Kiana Buchberger — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 01:30:00 +0000

The niche has been a space of visible intention throughout the history of architecture. In ancient Roman architecture, it served as a formal device carved into masonry to display statues, vases, or other objects. These recesses animated the walls of temples, bath complexes, and civic buildings, adding rhythm, depth, and focal points to otherwise massive structures. The interior spaces of the Pantheon framed statues of gods, and the Baths of Caracalla used similar voids to structure expansive halls. By the Renaissance, the niche evolved into a refined architectural frame. In Florence, the external cavities of Orsanmichele held guild-commissioned statues, while the Uffizi Palace's recesses displayed sculptural works. Whether filled or intentionally left empty, these openings articulated internal and external walls and facades, introduced hierarchy, and provided visual interest, serving as deliberate gestures meant to be seen.

Behind the Scenes, On Display: Self-Curated Journeys through the Museum Archive

Jonathan Yeung — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000

The museum and gallery visit has long been a highly curated experience. Visitors are guided through a carefully orchestrated sequence of rooms, with hand-picked works arranged to tell a specific narrative, supported by signage, graphics, scenography, and calibrated lighting. Even the rarely changed exhibitions - the permanent collections, also typically rely on a strong curatorial voice— led by noted artists or curators—to set institutional stance and shape interpretation.

Overprovision: Exploring Purposefully Wasteful Spaces in Residential Design

Jonathan Yeung — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Overprovision can be seen as an architecture strategy through the lens of resilience—making spaces adaptable to changes, reinterpretations, and future needs. However, could overprovision also offer a productive lens for rethinking spatial design? Are there parallels in architectural theory or practice that align with this concept, as explored by notable figures in the discourse on space?

The Future of Energy: Can Buildings Become Reservoirs of Power?

Ankitha Gattupalli — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Environmental degradation has shed light on the need for new sources of energy. A shift in energy sources calls for innovative means of storing energy. For centuries, buildings have proven able to store people, objects, and systems, inviting a conversation about their untapped potential to efficiently store large amounts of energy. In this new era, can buildings go beyond being structures of function to potential reservoirs of power?

Utilizing Low-Height Interior Spaces: 19 Creative Solutions for Extra Storage in Attics and Under Stairs

James Wormald — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 04:00:00 +0000

By converting the unused areas hidden in the roofspace, homeowners are able to add extra bedrooms, games rooms, or simply give themselves easier-to-access storage space, without having to move house or apply for planning approval. And with more of our lives now occurring under our own roofs, the additional space provided by an attic conversion is more popular than ever.

Design Depot: 30 Projects that Explore Diverse Storage Solutions

Dima Stouhi — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 07:30:00 +0000

With the rise of small houses and dense cities, we were forced to sacrifice a good amount of storage space. Ironically, we did not compromise our purchasing habits, so with a few square meters to work with, architects and designers had to come up with efficient storage solutions and make the best of the limited space they have. However, if you were lucky enough to be occupying a large, unobscured space with a generous budget, your storage design possibilities are endless. In this article, we look at how architects and designers found creative ways to store their belongings in spaces with different functions, scales, and spatial constraints, ranging from completely invisible units to sculptural centerpieces.

28 Houses With Utility Rooms and Other Specialized Spaces

James Wormald — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 07:30:00 +0000

The traditional architecture of the past can sometimes seem a long way from the modern, open-plan environments we enjoy today. But while some seemingly bygone upper-class room typologies like parlors, drawing rooms, and smoking rooms still exist by other names – dens, snugs, and man caves, to name a few – other architectural intricacies are more rarely replicated.

How To Take Advantage of the Space Under The Bed

José Tomás Franco — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Over the last few years, we have explored different ways of taking advantage of small spaces in residential architecture. From efficient furniture to kitchens with transformable systems to adapting essential household appliances, architects have begun looking for effective ways of optimizing scarce floor space or making spaces more flexible in multifunctional and mixed-use typologies.

18 Interior Projects that Use Open Storage to Hide Clutter in Plain Sight

James Wormald — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Home spaces filled with clutter and mess can be mentally exhausting, making it impossible to relax with the weight of life visually bearing down on an interior. ‘Tidy space, tidy mind’ as the idiom instructs, and home environments that focus on clean lines – either with a minimalist lifestyle, decluttering, or expansive and well-organized storage systems – cultivate a more meditative mindset. Perhaps, however, the demonization of clutter and these are, characterless spaces it creates, can get a little, well, boring.

Beyond Storage: Shelving Systems as Design Elements

Valeria Montjoy — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Shelves have a clear function: to organize, store and display. This simple, yet vital role has made them a must in every household, keeping the place neat and tidy by holding books, clothes, toys or any other items that would otherwise be scattered on the floor. Although usually found in closets, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, shelves are useful wherever the extra storage is necessary. They are especially ideal for making the most out of small rooms, which will always benefit from having cleaner, clutter-free floor space. Responding to this crucial storage need and following a strict 'form follows function' approach, traditional shelves are often comprised of minimal, flat horizontal planes attached to a wall –a simple layout that is not particularly meant to draw attention. Hence, people don’t tend to think about shelving ideas beyond storage, and in that sense, the countless design possibilities they offer are often overlooked.

The Laundry Room as an Unnecessary Luxury (or Where to Place the Washer in the Modern Home?)

José Tomás Franco — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 04:30:00 +0000

In residential architecture, there have always been central, indispensable spaces and peripheral spaces more easy to ignore. When designing a home, the task of the architect is essentially to configure, connect, and integrate different functions in the most efficient way possible, necessarily prioritizing some spaces over others. And although today many are designing in ways that are increasingly fluid and indeterminate, we could say that the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are the fundamental nucleus of every house, facilitating rest, food preparation, and personal hygiene. Then meeting spaces and other service areas appear, and with them lobbies, corridors, and stairs to connect them. Each space guides new functions, allowing its inhabitants to perform them in an easier and more comfortable way.

Storage Solution for Small Houses: Useful Examples

José Tomás Franco — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 08:30:00 +0000

Dense cities mean small homes. With more and more frequency we are forced to adapt to spaces within which some elements simply do not fit. As architects, these restrictions actually provide us with opportunities and remind us that our goal is to give precise solutions to specific problems. Designing with infinite number square meters and/or an unlimited budget is practically unheard of.