Photographer: Alex de Rijke | ArchDaily

The Architecture of Restraint: When Choosing Not to Build Becomes Design

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In a world facing ecological exhaustion and spatial saturation, the act of building has come to represent both creation and consumption. For decades, architectural progress was measured by the new: new materials, new technologies, new monuments of ambition. Yet today, the discipline is increasingly shaped by another form of intelligence, one that values what already exists. Architects are learning that doing less can mean designing more, and this shift marks the emergence of what might be called an architecture of restraint: a practice defined by care, maintenance, and the deliberate choice not to build.

From Tradition to Innovation: How Modern Technologies are Transforming the Potential of Wood

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Wood, one of the oldest building materials, has been continuously reinvented throughout history. As contemporary architecture becomes more and more concerned with sustainability and environmental responsibility, the popularity of the material has also increased. As trees absorb carbon dioxide during their growth, their wood stores that carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere. The materials derived from wood are thus associated with less greenhouse gas emissions on the condition of trees being harvested from sustainably managed forests. But in order to capture the full potential of this material, a plethora of techniques and modifications have evolved with the purpose of adapting and customizing wood's characteristics to the demands of modern design and construction. From thermal modification to engineered wood or versatile particle boards, these methods not only enhance wood's suitability for the rigors of contemporary architecture but also expand the usability of this sustainable material to an unprecedented scale.

How (and Why) to Let Weather Into Your Buildings: 6 Projects that Bring Nature Inside

Megan Schires — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 07:30:00 +0000

Bringing the weather inside is usually the opposite of what you want from a building envelope. However, new research from the University of Oregon, described in an article by The Washington Post, aims to show the physical and psychological benefits of letting nature inside. Signs of nature and change are both beneficial to our well-being, yet we don’t always have access to them when inside buildings—and humans are now spending 90% of our lives inside. But even in an urban setting, where nature may be hard to come by, there’s no escaping the weather. When researchers found ways to bring things like wind and dappled reflections of the sun inside, they found that exposure to these natural movements lowered heart rates, while being less distracting than similar artificially generated movements.

Cork House / Matthew Barnett Howland + Dido Milne + Oliver Wilton

Andreas Luco — Mon, 04 May 2020 02:00:00 +0000

Cork House is the first of its kind, with monolithic walls and corbelled roof pyramids made almost entirely from solid load-bearing cork. Its distinctive structural form and rich sensory environments are the results of a whole life approach to architecture, in which environmental sustainability is embedded into every stage of a building’s lifecycle. With a focus on what is solid, simple, and sustainable, the project is an inventive response to the complexities and conventions of modern house construction.

How To Design for Senior Citizens

Flavia Ranieri — Sun, 26 Aug 2018 16:00:00 +0000

The population’s aging phenomenon is occurring worldwide. We say phenomenon because all population pyramids are reversing, which means birth rates are steadily decreasing over the years, and at the same time, life expectancy has been increasing. Thus, the elderly population is growing at a faster rate than children.

RIBA Announces 2018 National Award Winners

Tom Dobbins — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 18:00:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the 49 winners of the 2018 RIBA National Awards. From skyline-altering buildings to sensitive small-scale sculptures, this year’s top projects showcase a wide-ranging selection of scales, featuring designs from Foster + Partners, Hawkins\Brown, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and Niall McLaughlin Architects.

dRMM’s 2017 Stirling Prize Winner Hastings Pier Seeks New Owner After Charity Folds

Patrick Lynch — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Just four months after winning the 2017 Stirling Prize, the UK’s top honor for architecture, dRMM’s Hastings Pier is now up for sale, as the charity that owned and operated the structure was declared insolvent for failing to reach self-funding status.

dRMM's Hastings Pier Wins 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize

Patrick Lynch — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 17:01:00 +0000

London-based architects dRMM have been announced as the winners of the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize for their renovation of Hastings Pier, beating out a shortlist including projects by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; Baynes and Mitchell Architects; Reiach & Hall Architects and Michael Laird Architects; Groupwork + Amin Taha; and 6a architects.

Hastings Pier / dRMM

Cristobal Rojas — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 15:00:00 +0000

The 2010 destruction of Hastings Pier by fire was an opportunity to redefine what a pier could be in the 21st century; transforming the shanty town of commercialism it was in the 20th century.

2017 Stirling Prize Shortlist Leaves Critics Divided and Underwhelmed

Megan Schires — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 07:00:00 +0000

The 2017 winner of the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, the Stirling Prize, will be announced on October 31. Leading up to the main event, The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has released its list of the six shortlisted buildings, a collection that has left many critics scratching their heads. What the list left out seems to be as noteworthy as what was included, and while critics’ opinions on individual buildings differ, they seem mostly united in finding the overall list uninspiring and underwhelming. Read on to find out what they had to say.

2017 RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist Announced for UK’s Best New Building

Patrick Lynch — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 19:01:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the shortlist of six projects competing for the 2017 Stirling Prize, the UK’s most prestigious award for architecture, given to the building “that has made the biggest contribution to the evolution of architecture in a given year.” Selected from the list of national award winners, the finalist buildings range from an elegantly detailed photographer’s studio in west London, to an immense new campus for the City of Glasgow College.

Maggie’s Oldham / dRMM

Daniel Tapia — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 09:00:00 +0000

Maggie’s Centres seek to provide ‘the architecture of hope’. They offer free practical and emotional support for people affected by cancer. Built in the grounds of NHS cancer hospitals, the centres are safe and welcoming spaces. They lift the spirits and set the scene for people to draw on strengths they may not have realised they had in order to cope.

RIBA Announces 2016 Stirling Prize Shortlist

Rory Stott — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 20:51:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced six projects that will compete for the 2016 Stirling Prize, the award for the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the first year. Selected from the pool of regional winners around the country, the shortlisted buildings range from a small house in the south of England to a new college campus in Glasgow, Scotland. However, in a first for the Stirling Prize, the shortlist features two buildings coming from one client, Oxford University.

RIBA Announces 46 Winners for 2016 National Awards

Sabrina Santos — Wed, 22 Jun 2016 19:01:00 +0000

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the winners of the 2016 RIBA National Awards. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best building of the year will be drawn from these 46 award-winning buildings.

See All 36 Winners of the 2016 RIBA London Awards

Eric Oh — Sun, 08 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

From a shortlist of 68 buildings, 36 London projects have been awarded the 2016 RIBA London Awards for architectural excellence, the city's most prestigious design honor. The winners include a home for ravens, a Japanese-inspired London terrace home and a historical restoration. All of these designs will be further considered for the RIBA National Awards, to be announced in July. The winners of the national award will then create a shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize – the highest award for architecture in the UK.

Shortlist Announced for 2016 RIBA London Awards

Eric Oh — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 06:00:00 +0000

A total of 68 buildings have been shortlisted for the 2016 RIBA London Awards, including projects from John McAslan + Partners, dRMM Architects, Níall McLaughlin Architects, Eric Parry Architects and Rogers Stirk Harbour. All shortlisted buildings will now be visited and carefully assessed by one of four regional juries, and regional winners will be considered for a RIBA National Award. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize - given to the UK's best building of this year - will be composed of the winners of the RIBA National Award.

Tower of Love / dRMM

Daniel Sánchez — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The "Tower of Love" on the Tower Festival Headland is the first building to be built on the Golden Mile for a great many years. It provides a focal point for visitors; a large sea view restaurant and terrace with local tourist information office at promenade level, and registry offices with ceremony hall above.