There is so much more to know about architects and their projects when you begin to learn the stories behind their work. When you know where and how they draw their inspiration from and how an idea becomes a reality that you can touch, feel and experience, you get a better idea of why the project ended up the way it did.
Together with photographer Marc Goodwin, as part of his project Atlas of Architectural Atmospheres this time in the city of Berlin, we had the opportunity to meet with German architect Christoph Hesse, of Christoph Hesse Architects, based in Korbach and Berlin, and we spoke about all these things that make up his idea of architecture and his work. Meeting a creator on their own workspace is also an added value; we went through different projects while looking at the physical models and the narrative of his work became a beautiful story about a place, a countryside town in Germany, its people, and their lives, and a sustainable future in nature.
California, as with most American states, has a housing crisis. Unlike the rest of the country, it is actually working to ameliorate the situation, with private and public initiatives that critics can’t help but label inadequate. The Bay Area made accessory dwelling units legal by changing zoning laws, but that has hardly made a dent. Some cities are now pushing for additional upzoning to give developers more room to bring new buildings to market at lower rents. There are all sorts of studies, university sponsored or underwritten by the industry, that recommend more-or-less radical fixes for a seemingly unfixable problem. Environmentalists are naturally cast as villains because they don’t condone greenfield developments. And Californians are tough on their elected officials, as the current governor learned last year.
https://www.archdaily.com/975506/new-construction-is-not-always-the-answerMark Alan Hewitt
Cool lights, wall-to-wall tiles and trivial fixtures. Little by little, public bathrooms have changed this aesthetic and opted for more careful designs. Gone are the days when designs were focused only on functionality, accessibility and ease of maintenance and cleaning. Along with these essential qualities, a good bathroom project can also bring tranquility and show values that the space or the company wants to convey to its users. whether through finishes, lightning, or less material factors such as inclusivity, making users feel good is ultimately the goal of all environments, including bathrooms.
Architecture has long been designed to symbolize and venerate shared values and beliefs. This is especially true in cathedrals and places of worship, structures that exists across environmental, economic and cultural boundaries. These buildings encompass ritual and gathering as they explore the relationship between human experience and the divine. Today, cathedrals are being reimagined for contemporary life and new building traditions.
The outer layer of surfaces and buildings is the interface with the world and communicates much of its appearance, characteristics, and conditions. There are times that, whether due to budget constraints, difficulties, or lack of time, we need to look for quick and easy-to-install solutions. 3M™ DI-NOC™ Architectural Finishes are adhesive decorative films that offer a sustainable, cost-efficient option for refurbishing surfaces, providing less landfill waste, minimal downtime, noise, and dust for use on casework, doors, columns and internals walls. There is also a version for exterior solutions, the 3M™ DI-NOC™ Architectural Finishes Exterior EX Series product line. The finishes can be applied directly over existing façade material, providing high design along with other features. Below we will explore two examples that will highlight the possibilities with 3M surface finishes.
