Photographer: Chao Zhang | ArchDaily

Transparent Lightness: When Pneumatic Architecture Connects with the Environment

Agustina Iñiguez — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In Six Memos for the Next Millennium, Italo Calvino explores lightness from a literary perspective and argues, "Opposed to lightness is weight. Removing weight produces lightness; it is a value, not a defect." Drawing on Greek mythology, he reflects on one of Perseus's feats after severing the head of the terrible Gorgon Medusa without being turned to stone. Assisted by the gods Hades, Hermes, and Athena, Perseus flies with his winged sandals and uses a bronze shield as a mirror to reflect her image. Relying, like many architects, on what is lightest—the wind and the clouds—he also fixes his gaze on what is revealed through indirect vision: an image reflected in a mirror.

Ideology of Performance: Sustainability and the Limits of Efficiency

Olivia Poston — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +0000

This article is part of our new Opinion section, a format for argument-driven essays on critical questions shaping our field.

Hongling Middle School Shixia Campus / Tumushi Architects

Andreas Luco — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Intervention of Hongling Middle School Shixia Campus: A Street-Life Community — In 2018, Shenzhen launched the "8+1 New Campus Initiative" to explore new models for schools in high-density urban environments. The intervention of Hongling Middle School Shixia Campus—founded in 2004—became the only expansion project completed in the plan's first phase, laying groundwork for the subsequent "100 Campus Renewal" initiatives.

Evenly Lit, Not Overlit: Rethinking Brightness in Subtropical Cities

Jonathan Yeung — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

In South China, there is occasionally an urban myth—especially across Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou—about choosing a home that avoids western light. Over decades, the west-facing sun has proven to be a particularly difficult condition to live with: its low angle in the afternoon, its aggressive heat gain (especially in summer), and the way it penetrates deep into interiors. With global warming and longer, hotter seasons, that much-romanticized "afternoon glow" is increasingly experienced less as romance and more as glare, heat, and fatigue. Although this wisdom circulates as a community-driven rule of thumb, it carries an undeniable architectural clarity about building orientations: avoiding western light is not only about thermal comfort, but also about avoiding the sharpest, most intrusive form of direct illumination—light that strikes at the most unforgiving angle, washing surfaces, flattening depth, and turning rooms into high-contrast fields of discomfort.

Making Infrastructure Visible: When Systems Become Architecture

Daniela Andino — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:00:00 +0000

For centuries, large-scale infrastructure operated in the background. Ports, power plants, and energy facilities were positioned at the edges of cities, designed primarily for efficiency, and rarely considered part of civic life. Their function was indispensable, yet their architectural presence remained secondary. These structures supported urban growth and global exchange while maintaining a spatial distance from everyday urban experience.

Archiving the Technosphere: How Museum Architecture Mediates Human-Made Systems

Susanna Moreira — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Far from the perception of the exhibition space as a sterile and untouchable, almost sacred place, the contemporary technology museum has emerged as a performative participant in the systems it seeks to document. The architecture of these institutions has become increasingly fluid and bold, often mirroring the velocity and complexity of the systems it houses. They operate as mediators between the human, the ecological, and the technological realms, transforming from encyclopedic warehouses into active educational engines. By spatializing complex scientific data through immersive rooms, these structures make the technological networks of our world accessible, engaging, and tangible.

Hospitality as Heritage Catalyst: 5 Adaptive Reuse Strategies Across Diverse Latitudes

Moises Carrasco — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Hospitality-driven programs, specifically coffee shops and social hubs, are partly defined by their role as "third places": social anchors that bridge the gap between private and public life. Unlike residential or commercial office programs that require rigid partitioning for privacy and utility, they rely on expansive, open-plan environments. This allows for an architectural strategy of minimal intervention, allowing the structural envelope to remain intact. By avoiding the subdivision of space, architects maintain uninterrupted sightlines to original masonry, timber frames, or decorative ceilings, ensuring the building's historical narrative remains the protagonist. Simultaneously, the commercial activity provides the necessary maintenance and public engagement to ensure the site's continued existence.

Nerve Lab. Experimental Sports Support Buildings on Double Happiness Island / Studio 10

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 02:00:00 +0000

Studio 10 has designed a set of experimental water sports support buildings for Nerve Lab on Double Happiness Island in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. The project is an integrated facility combining light cultural tourism, water sports, and community services, aiming to provide retail, casual dining, small-scale exhibitions, stepped public seating areas, and public restrooms for sports enthusiasts, visitors, and nearby residents.

Kengzi Cultural and Technology Centre / Tanghua Architects & Associates

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:01:00 +0000

The site is located west of Guangzu Park, east of Guangzu South Road, south of Jikang Road, and north of Danzi East Road in Kengzi Street, Pingshan District. The site is divided into two plots—north and south—with a distance of over 130 meters between them, covering a total area of 21,543 square meters. The northern plot includes a six-story building above ground and two basement levels, housing the Pingshan District Science and Technology Museum and a Book Mall. The southern plot features an eight-story building above ground with two basement levels designated for the Pingshan District Cultural Center. Between these two plots lies the western entrance to Guangzu Park, while underground, there is a public parking lot that also serves civil defense purposes. The total construction area is 72,436.62 square meters, including 43,176.92 square meters of floor area ratio (FAR) and 29,259.70 square meters of non-FAR area.

Hermit Resort / Domain Architects

Andreas Luco — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The project site is close to a famous ancient relic—the Xing Kiln Ruins. Dating back over 1,500 years, these kiln remnants have lost much of their architectural detail to the passage of time, yet the layout of the kilns remains vividly clear. The most typical arrangement features several kiln chambers arranged in a horseshoe shape, semi-enclosing a small courtyard, allowing a single craftsman to oversee multiple chambers simultaneously.

From Rapidity to Specificity: Multiple Dimensions of Shenzhen's Architectural Development

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Shenzhen is China's first Special Economic Zone（SEZ), serving as a window for China's Reform and Opening-up and an emerging immigrant city. It has evolved into an influential, modern, and international metropolis, creating the world-renowned "Shenzhen Speed" and earning the reputation of the "City of Design." Architectural design stands as the most intuitive expression of Shenzhen's spirit of integration and innovation. Over the past decade (2015-2025), the development of urban architecture in Shenzhen has closely integrated with its open and inclusive urban character, ecological advantages of being nestled between mountains and the sea, and the local spirit of blending traditional culture with innovative technology, showcasing Shenzhen's unique charm and robust vitality across multiple dimensions.

More Than Parking: 12 Projects to Reclaim Urban Space

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Marginalized in architectural discourse and often dismissed as purely functional, parking garages remain among the most ubiquitous structures in the urban landscape. Designed to accommodate the needs of private vehicles, they occupy central locations, shape skylines, and consume considerable resources, yet rarely receive the same attention — or architectural care — as cultural institutions, schools, or housing. Despite their prevalence, these buildings tend to fade into the background of daily life, treated as infrastructural necessities rather than as design opportunities.

Shenzhen Art High School / O-office Architects

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Spatial Superposition as Resolution for the Density

Luohu, as the east node of Shenzhen's linear urban development, failed to prioritize the relationship between the city and its natural environment in its early urban planning and construction. Instead, it simply and crudely implemented modern functional and transportation planning. Buildings and urban living spaces were arranged on the land according to the demands of functionality and efficiency, with nature serving only as a backdrop to the man-made city. In this process, people (regardless of individual differences such as age, identity, gender, and background) and their activities were merely functional objects of efficiency planning.

The Xue Village Community and Tourist Service Center / Studio 10

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Xue Village Community and Tourist Service Center is located on a triangular plot in Xue Village, Wangcun Town, Xingyang City, Henan Province in central China. This unique site is positioned closeby the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. To the southwest, clear water diverted from the Danjiangkou Reservoir flows northward through an artificial channel, passing through a tunnel beneath the east-west flowing Yellow River, and then emerging several kilometers to the north, continuing its journey.

AYDC Public Art Center / Atelier XI

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In 2022, the architect was invited to design a comprehensive public art complex at the AYDC in Guiyang. AYDC (A Yun Duo Cang), derived from the Yi language of Guizhou, means "our land of dreams." It is a culture-driven experimental hub that integrates community, innovation, and nature. Curated to promote creative industries and community expression, this branded district is inspired by the spiritual essence of Guizhou's mountainous landscape. Here, people and ideas can grow freely within nature. The originally planned singular building was disaggregated into a constellation of public art pavilions across the landscape. These spaces, while embedded in nature, remain distinct yet connected, offering a network of flexible and diverse platforms where the local art community can independently gather and spontaneously create.

Nanjing University Suzhou Affiliated Primary School‌ / Tus-Design

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 02:00:00 +0000

Nanjing University Suzhou Affiliated Primary School is located in the educational core area of Suzhou High tech Zone Science and Technology City. It is a key link in extending the scientific and technological innovation chain and building a research and learning industry hub in the eastern area of Nanjing University. It was officially put into use in September 2024. The base is surrounded by the excellent landscape pattern of 'the Taihu Lake Lake lies in the west and mountains look east'. The southeast sides are surrounded by two winding rivers, which are rich in natural resources. The unique natural advantage of being located between mountains and waters has led the design to focus on how to abandon the old model of traditional primary schools that overly emphasizes efficiency, and instead create a new type of campus complex that integrates nature, environmental education, openness, inclusiveness, and flexible spatial layout. Multiple green building technologies are used to create a resilient campus that meets the educational needs of the new era.

likeuu Concept Exploration Center / Studio 10

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 02:00:00 +0000

The core concept behind the design of the likeuu Concept Exploration Center is deeply rooted in the exploration of adolescent personality development and its characteristics. Drawing from Nietzsche's belief that adolescence is a crucial period for forming an independent personality and self-awareness, the center's design encourages teenagers to explore, experience, and question their identity and the world around them. The space design is a projection of this "ideal personality" trait and, through a multi-sensory experience involving visual and tactile elements, aims to help teenagers connect with their environment, sparking their curiosity and deep thinking about the relationship between appearance and essence.

Shekou Cultural and Sports Park / Tanghua Architects & Associates

Andreas Luco — Tue, 06 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the past, sports and cultural facilities in China were often designed with iconic, exaggerated forms. However, recent trends have shifted towards focusing on the experience of the site and its connection to the surrounding urban environment. The Shekou Cultural and Sports Park proposal responds to this human-centered era, emphasizing public engagement, accessibility, and a blend of indoor and outdoor spaces, while maintaining a strong sense of place. The site is a medium-sized public park on reclaimed land, surrounded by high-density residential communities. We aimed to preserve the park's character by dividing the site into two equal parts: the park and the main building. The park features winding pathways, undulating lawns, and sheltered public squares of various sizes, creating a welcoming, versatile space for different activities and providing a public area open to all.