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From its starting to point as a tree to its product form as a beam or piece of furniture, wood used in architecture and interior design goes through several stages and processes. A renewable resource and popular traditional building material, wood is also often cited as a promising construction material of the future, one that is suitable for the new demands of sustainability. But unlike concrete, whose molds can create even the most complex curves, wooden architecture most commonly uses straight beams and panels. In this article, we will cover some techniques that allow for the creation of curved pieces of wood at different scales, some of which are handmade and others of which seek to make the process more efficient and intelligent at a larger scale.

Waugh Thistleton Architects or WTA has won an international design competition in collaboration with In Praise of Shadows and Land Arkitektur, to deliver the new head office of Gotlandshem, the national housing association of the Swedish island of Gotland in Visby, Sweden. The project, low carbon, and low impact building will be a multifunctional place, providing a healthy hub for businesses, accessible by the whole community.

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Proposing a reflective “floating garden” to counterpoint the existing absolutist castle, MVRDV has won the competition for the masterplan of the Ettlinger Tor area in Karlsruhe, Germany, taking joint-first place alongside Max Dudler Architekten. Inspired by the historical fabric of the city, the project imagines a new composition, blurring divisions, and bringing more greenery to the area.

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How do we define “home”? Although ideas about our homes are constantly being rethought, the careful examination of “home” has recently come to the attention of architects and nonarchitects alike. We’ve all had to confront our perspective of “home” as we have adapted workplaces, social gatherings, fitness routines, and everyday life in recent months. Not only do we now internalize a home, but we now look at how our homes can connect to the rest of the outside world.

For the past three years, The HOME Competition has challenged architects to rethink the “home”. Through the ages, architects have continuously investigated the role that homes play in our lives, like Peter Eisenman’s House VI or Kurokawa’s Nagakin Capsule Tower. Today, it may be more important than ever to consider the modern role that a “home” must play and the inherent connection that exists between a “home” and its residents.

Now more than ever, architecture is in need of innovation. The pandemic has made us fundamentally rethink the functioning of our cities, public spaces, buildings, and homes. Meanwhile, the recent Black Lives Matter and racial justice protests have us questioning architecture’s complicity in broader socioeconomic issues. These challenges are pressing, and we cannot put off changing architecture any longer.

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