Photographer: Jonathan Leijonhufvud | ArchDaily

SIGMA Space / ONOAA STUDIO

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 02:00:00 +0000

"Like water through a river" — a phrase used by SIGMA founder Michihiro Yamaki — describes the Aizu factory's camera and lens production: continuous, precise, and tightly connected, like flowing water. Restraint and prudence come from logical thinking, while warmth reflects intention carried through time. ONOAA STUDIO sought to translate this spirit into a space as pure as water, tucked beside a quiet garden yet adjacent to the city's bustle. SIGMA's philosophy, "Beyond the technology, is Art," became a central thread throughout the planning and design.

ZOLAND·Emei, Resort / Studio J. Bridgland

韩爽 - HAN Shuang — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

ZOLAND·Emei Resort is a boutique mountain retreat in Emeishan, designed by Studio J. Bridgland(SJB). Rooted in the philosophy of architectural quietude, the project transforms a series of dilapidated structures into a sanctuary that dissolves seamlessly into the forested landscape—inviting guests to reconnect with nature and with themselves.

Interiors of Pastry Shops and Bakeries: Design Strategies that Integrate Functions, Users, and Materials

Agustina Iñiguez — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

What is the link between architecture and pastry? What design strategies are applied in the contemporary interiors of bakeries and pastry shops? While architecture can serve as inspiration for the design of forms and configurations of edible elements, it also contributes the techniques of descriptive drawing, architectural composition, and staged planning to the culinary language. Focusing their thinking on people and their needs, both disciplines strive for precision, with interior design being a broad field where the use of figures, colors, materials, and various equipment can be explored to enhance user experiences.

Grounded Interiors: Exploring Earth-Based Flooring Through 10 Contemporary Interiors

Valentina Díaz — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Earth-based flooring materials comprise natural elements such as clay, sand, silt, lime, and organic fibres. They offer both structural performance and sensory engagement when used in both outdoor and interior spaces. Due to their thermal properties, durability, and sustainable qualities, these materials have evolved from vernacular construction techniques into high-value architectural elements that are always being reinvented and optimized. There are several types of earthen floorings, each offering unique benefits, and they are increasingly used in interior settings.

Songzhuang Z Museum / TEAM BLDG

Andreas Luco — Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Quartet – Songzhuang Z Museum - Located in Songzhuang Village, Songyang County, Zhejiang Province, the Z Museum sits over 400 meters above sea level, nestled deep within the mountains. With its winding roads and narrow paths, arriving here for the first time feels like stepping into a modern-day version of the "Peach Blossom Spring". It is said that prior to 2017, this was a place even most locals of Songyang had never visited—or even heard of. As a result, the village has managed to preserve much of its original character, including its traditional housing and historical spatial fabric. In early 2024, TEAM_BLDG was invited to undertake a project in this 600-year-old village: to transform a brick-and-concrete residential house built in the 1990s into Z MUSEUM – the first contemporary rural art museum in China dedicated to the theme of weaving.

Haikou GAOXINGLI Insun Cinema / One Plus Partnership

Valeria Silva — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Haikou is an island in China, it's situated on the north coast of Hainan Island, and the South China Sea is around the island. We wanted to create something related to the ocean because Haikou is surrounded by the ocean, but we wanted to create something unique and we didn't want to use the color blue like the ocean, so we decided to use the brick material for the theme of our design. Because bricks are made of sand which lay on the beach. Looking at this, you can perfectly build a story in your mind. This is timeless, just as bricks can be used to create beautiful and durable spaces that can't be worn down and improved as they blow out their birthday cake.

Sun Tower / OPEN Architecture

韩爽 — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Designed by OPEN Architecture, Sun Tower is an oceanfront public cultural facility in Yantai Yeda Development Zone, featuring outdoor theater, digital exhibition spaces, library, café and bar. Atop the summit is a unique semi-outdoor "Phenomena Space". Archeological discoveries revealed that Yantai was among the earliest places in China where ancient sun-worshiping culture emerged. OPEN designed the Sun Tower to capture and celebrate natural phenomena, re-establishing people's connection with nature's spiritual power while bringing much-needed cultural and communal facilities to the new urban district. The digital exhibition spaces and the library are intended to foster discussions on coastal community collaboration and raise environmental awareness.

Aesop Hangzhou / atelier suasua

Andreas Luco — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Bridge and Stone - Hangzhou is characterized by its numerous bridges. The "Qiantang County Records" states: "The residents of Qiantang are densely populated, with bridges every hundred steps and ten paces, with tracks and bridges for passage." In the Yuan Dynasty, Marco Polo wrote in his travelogue: "Traveling in Hangzhou, surrounded by various waters, there are twelve thousand stone bridges." We interpreted such bridge structures as symbols of connection and communication, equality and breadth. With this theme in mind, the space is conceived as a bridge between the global brand and its Hangzhou context. When entering the space, the huge water sink in the center is a concrete manifestation of the concept. People can stroll or stop by "the bridge," where the water is flowing from the tap and the rectangular stone slabs bridging it create a dynamic context for "connection."

Terraced Courtyard / Team BLDG

Pilar Caballero — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0000

In the summer of 2021, Qingshan Village, which is located in Hangzhou City, commissioned TEAM_BLDG to complete the reconstruction of the long-vacant Longwu Spring Water Plant into Qingshan Co-space, which can accommodate "residence, office, exhibition, shops," and other functions. This project intends to construct a "Co-Living & Co-Working" building with areas that accommodate start-up businesses and temporary vacation-style jobs in the village. In addition on attempting to address the building's current issues, this reconstruction project aims to strengthen the bond between residents and residents with the village by creating a shared place in which both the existing and new villagers may engage and share among each other.

Shanfeng Academy / OPEN Architecture

韩爽 — Wed, 10 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Situated in a new district of Suzhou, Shanfeng Academy is the Cultural and Sports Center for Mountain Kingston Bilingual School, it also serves the local community as an active cultural hub. The architect is deeply influenced by the Chinese landscape drawings that have intricately intertwined and the seemingly endless flow of time and space, especially in the intentionally un-inked areas which mitigate the changing views, space, and events. This is also a building that pays tribute to the traditional Suzhou Gardens while directly confronting contemporary urban and educational challenges—it strives to maximize spatial potential in order to accommodate the large user population with a wide range of activities, all in the confine of a rather small piece of land.

Upper Cloister in Aranya Golden Mountain / Atelier Deshaus

Collin Chen — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 06:00:00 +0000

At the break of dawn I wandered in the ruins of an ancient temple,
On lofty trees of the woods the morning sun cast its rays.
Following a path amongst bamboos I came to a secluded place,
Hidden deep amidst lush flowery vegetation, it used to be a chamber for meditation.
Birds by nature took delight in mountain scenes,
In the pond, a mind cleansed by the waters a lucid reflection made.
Everything gave way to silence right there and then,
Save for the tolling of bells that resonates.
An Inscription for the Rear Meditation Chamber of a Mountain Temple in Ruins, by CHANG Jian [Tang Dynasty],

Lee’s Residence in Pu’er / Zhaoyang Architects

Collin Chen — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Pu’er is a small city in southern Yunnan Province. The region enjoys an agreeable climate and a preferable natural environment. The client had asked for a house in which three generations of her family would live together. The site is in an affluent area with freestanding villas, mostly three stories high. The new house is a three-story structure of grey off-form concrete walls textured with rough wooden formwork. This direct expression of concrete and a refusal to express a preference for color marks a humble but uncompromising posture against the light pink and yellow buildings nearby. A curved boundary wall on the north side acts as a buffer against traffic noise. Major spaces of the house are oriented to the hill on the southwestern side of the site since this orientation is relatively private and related directly to nature.

Trends Always Come Back: Retro Aesthetics with Modern Materials

Valeria Montjoy — Thu, 19 May 2022 04:00:00 +0000

As transitory as trends may be, they always have a way of coming back. We see it all the time in fashion, with clothing pieces we thought were long gone coming back in style and reconquering the market. Interior design is no exception. Although this century has set the ideal on subtle sophistication and simplicity – with white surfaces, clean lines and slick gloss finishes –, bold retro enhancements are reviving in residential and commercial interiors. Whether in the form of vibrant colored walls, floors with intricate geometric patterns or vintage-looking furniture pieces, there seems to be a renewed appreciation for design elements inspired by trends from the second half of the 1900s, particularly from the 50s to the 80s.

Yunlong Mountain Meditation Hotel / gad

July Shao — Mon, 16 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Usually, the particularity and complexity of the site also constitute the front label of the building. This design object is the Yunlong Mountain Meditation Hotel, Xuzhou, which is located on the axis of worshiping Buddha in Xinghua Temple. It has a natural tranquil atmosphere and a superior landscape vision. The operator hopes that the hotel can provide accommodation and commercial support for the worshiping Buddha meditation guests. Under this background, our intervention strategy for this site is to first consider following the original environment, then integrating into it, and finally creating a new "order".

Beans and Beams: 17 Projects that Explore the Design Elements of Coffee Shops

Dima Stouhi — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 06:30:00 +0000

Coffee shops have always been popular gathering spaces among coffee lovers, but with the rise of remote working, especially post-pandemic, they have become a hotspot for remote workers and students as well. One of the many reasons why they are such a popular hangout spot, other than the fact that they serve one of the most globally-adored drinks, is because of their well-designed interior spaces that promote comfort, relaxation, and productivity simultaneously. After all, it's always been said that architects and coffee go hand in hand. In this interior focus, we explore how different design elements shape the user experience of a coffee shop, and look at how architects have employed them through 17 examples.

BASAO Tea Lounge / NORM Architects

Paula Pintos — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 03:00:00 +0000

Entering the new BASAO Tea Lounge in Xiamen, China, one senses an instant change in pace, when the bustling cityscape is replaced by a calming acoustic. As natural light filters through from the outside and highlight the subtle colors and rich textures of the carefully selected materials, the space feels warm and welcoming. Just like the many scents of tea are vibrant and natural, so are the materials that make up the store, and combined with subtle storytelling as well as a curated architectural framing, the space feels rooted in its local surroundings.

New Interiors: Hotels Elevating Hospitality Design for Travel

Eric Baldwin — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 07:30:00 +0000

Hotels are a hub for commerce, transportation and culture. Today, interior designers are redefining hospitality spaces to accommodate new forms of travel, communication and rest. From historic renovations to contemporary ground-up hotels, these projects center around leisure and memorable guest experiences. In turn, they express brand identity to rethink what interior design and hospitality will be in the future.

Black Star Pastry Shanghai Flagship Store / Linehouse

Collin Chen — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Linehouse worked in collaboration with Louis Li, principal and creative director of Black Star Pastry, to convert a red-brick old villa on Yuyuan Road, Shanghai into Black Star Pastry’s first flagship store in China. Conceived as two venues over two floors, the ground floor operates as Black Star Pastry’s cake and coffee retail space, while the second floor reveals a new dining space for the brand - Black Star Gallery. The combination of the two spaces creates a futuristic retail complex that encompasses dining, design, art, and lifestyle.