Photographer: Darren Bradley | ArchDaily

Flower House / Craig Steely Architecture

Pilar Caballero — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

A house for a family located in a converted neighborhood corner store.

On Juneteenth, Discover 8 Museums and Cultural Institutions Dedicated to African American History and Culture

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19th, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States, marking a moment of liberation and reflection on a complex and often overlooked history. Originally celebrated in Texas, Juneteenth has grown to symbolize broader themes of freedom, resilience, and cultural identity, fostering conversations about justice and representation. This day also presents an opportunity to highlight the ways in which architecture can serve as a medium for preserving and presenting African American history and cultural values.

Musubi House / Craig Steely Architecture

Hana Abdel — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 06:00:00 +0000

The Musubi House is located on 100 acres of grassland and Ohia forest along the northeast slope of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. This cast-in-place concrete house is completely off the grid—powered by photovoltaic panels and catching all domestic and landscape water from rainfall captured off the roof and stored in cisterns.

Mosque of Reflection / waiwai

Hana Abdel — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Mosque of Reflection in Dubai re-imagines the role of the mosque in the city. Drawing reference from the traditional Arabian mosque typology where there is a communal element, the mosque reframes the spaces to encourage community use alongside its purpose as a sacred space of worship.

UTS Thomas Street Building / Durbach Block Jaggers

Hana Abdel — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

UTS Building 7 takes its place in the Master Plan as the final wall of Alumni Green. Its envelope preserves the sunlight onto the collegiate heart of the campus, through canting and sweeping arcs. The building façade is a monolithic light weight material, with double layers of offset windows for each floor. The windows are arranged in a concertina pattern, billowing with the building’s curving form. Graded coloured reveals are reminiscent of a grove of trees.

Roofless House / Craig Steely Architecture

Rayen Sagredo — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 19:00:00 +0000

Atherton California, just down El Camino Real from Stanford University, is in the heart of Silicon Valley. It is a suburban city characterized by mature trees and homes on large plots hidden behind fences.

Pine Needles Residence / NDD

Andreas Luco — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 18:00:00 +0000

The Pine Needles Residence pays homage to the original mid-century era style of architecture infused with today’s modern elements: post and beam construction, multiple atriums to bring in natural light, floor-to-ceiling glass, and built-in furniture are just some of the unique features you will find here. The home’s most prevalent highlight is the natural connections between indoor and outdoor spaces. Each room has a direct view of or access to the ethereal beauty of the Torrey Pine tree- and sandstone-filled lot. The best of both worlds—although it’s located only a few blocks from the ocean, it feels like a cozy abode nestled deep within a dreamy forest.

Split-Level Argentine Houses: Using Height to Separate Spaces

Belén Maiztegui — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

In architecture, split-level houses are typically in response to a plot's uneven or sloping topography. In the case of the houses featured here, their split level interiors are a matter of function, allowing spaces to be virtually separated by dividing them between raised and semi-subterranean floor layouts. For example, adjoining two spaces with a 50cm step up or drop off allows for separation without the use of walls or other physical barriers.

Capital Projects: New Architecture Rethinking Design in Washington D.C.

Eric Baldwin — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 07:30:00 +0000

Washington D.C. has earned a reputation for iconic architecture. Emerging from the L'Enfant and McMillan Plans, Washington’s cityscape includes wide streets and low-rise buildings that sprawl out from circles and rectangular plazas. From the White House to Lincoln Memorial, Washington’s architecture was built to symbolize the nation’s values. Today, new projects are designed to rethink the city’s morphology while respecting its identity.

Gardenhouse / MAD Architects

Paula Pintos — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Located at 8600 Wilshire Boulevard in California’s Beverly Hills, “Gardenhouse” is a mixed-use scheme consisting of 18 residential units above ground-floor commercial space. Evoking the lush landscape of Beverly Hills, the scheme becomes a “hillside village” with residential units “growing” from the building’s living green wall. Peaking above the landscaped envelope, a cluster of white façaded, irregular-shaped windows and gabled-roof structures create a dynamic neighborhood, and a playful, witty, though simple homage to the iconic hillsides of Los Angeles.

Urban Flight: New Homes in the Move to Rural Living

Eric Baldwin — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Cities around the world are facing new questions of urban flight. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, it exacerbated a range of living conditions and housing crises, from telecommuting and construction to global economies. As Fast Company reports, almost 40% of those living in cities have considered moving out since the pandemic started. With the possibility of the pandemic stretching on for years, more urbanites are considering the move to rural areas and small towns.

Saltwater Farm Boutique Hotel / RAD LAB

Valeria Silva — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 17:00:00 +0000

Sited near the pristine shoreline of Washington’s San Juan Island – an island only accessible by sea or air – lies Saltwater Farm at Friday Harbor, a stylish boutique hotel and rural retreat on 162 wild and beautiful acres. The project includes five small guest cabins and a two-story house for the clients and their two children.

Spotlight: William Pereira

Dario Goodwin — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 03:30:00 +0000

Winner of the 1942 Acadamy Award for Best Special Effects, William Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) also designed some of America's most iconic examples of futurist architecture, with his heavy stripped down functionalism becoming the symbol of many US institutions and cities. Working with his more prolific film-maker brother Hal Pereira, William Pereira's talent as an art director translated into a long and prestigious career creating striking and idiosyncratic buildings across the West Coast of America.

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture / Adjaye Associates + Freelon Adjaye Bond / SmithGroup

Florencia Mena — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Winning the competition to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture has consolidated the practice’s US portfolio with arguably the nation’s most prestigious new building. Located on Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the National Museum of American History and the Washington Monument, the museum will house exhibit galleries, administrative spaces, theatre space and collections storage space for the NMAAHC. As lead designer for the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup (FAB) team, David Adjaye’s approach has been to establish both a meaningful relationship to this unique site as well as a strong conceptual resonance with America’s deep and longstanding African heritage. The design rests on three cornerstones: the “corona” shape and form of the building; the extension of the building out into the landscape – the porch; and the bronze filigree envelope.

Guide for the Ultimate Mid-Century Modern Architecture Road Trip

Sam Lubell — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 08:00:00 +0000

The following excerpt from Sam Lubell's Mid-Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide: East Coast USA—with excellent photos by Darren Bradley—provides an introduction to the revelatory and inspiring charm of the East Coast's Mid-Century Modern masterpieces. The book includes over 250 unique projects and serves as record of one of the USA’s most important architectural movements.

17 Unconventional Stair Railings To Inspire Your Next Project

María Francisca González — Sun, 02 Sep 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Guardrails and handrails are two elements that are often confused. While the first is used to close a space and prevent a person from falling, the second is a support bar for balance. Normally standard solutions are used for both elements, but with an attractive design, they can become standout details in a project.

For inspiration on materials, structures, and details of guardrails and handrails, here are 17 notable examples.

Split-Level Homes: 50 Floor Plan Examples

Fabian Dejtiar — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 08:00:00 +0000

Faced with the challenge of designing homes on terrains with steep slopes - or in compact urban contexts that do not allow much variation in plan - several architects have experimented and proposed split-level homes to enhance the use of space, allowing, among other things, interesting visual perspectives.

Small Bridges at Warren College UCSD / Kevin deFreitas Architects

Rayen Sagredo — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Douglas Hall and its 3 identical sister buildings at UC San Diego epitomize the repetitive, institutional, and aging soulless student housing found on many university campus’ that simply lack any “there”, there. So when a stack of concrete bridges spanning over the main pedestrian/bike path connecting this residence hall to the main campus became structurally compromised, the University seized the opportunity to implement this modest initial refresh as a test case for some exciting new ideas to be implemented as part of the entire Warren College residential neighborhood update already on the books.