Surfing is both a sport and a way of life. As the art of he'e nalu, it mirrors design as a play between spatial experience and environment. Today, the commercial and cultural architecture of surfing has become increasingly common, designs that break away from iconic seaside homes and waterfront retreats to create new connections between the public, surfers and the ocean.
Caddies & Clubhouses: The Architecture of Golf
The architecture of golf is directly tied to the landscape. As one of the few sports with no standardized playing area, its clubhouses and structures are usually unique to each course. Prioritizing views and access, golf architecture tends to be exclusive, especially when many courses are not open to the public. Clubhouses make room for players and spectators to gather and socialize while they overlook the course from multiple angles.
The Beauty of Exposed Wooden Trusses
Timber trusses are wooden structural frameworks used to support roofs or other heavy structures. Fabricated from a series of triangles linked by a ridge beam and purlins, wooden trusses are structurally advantageous due to their high strength-to-weight ratios and corresponding ability to support long spans. However, these structural components can also be used for aesthetic ends, and when left exposed, can complexify, beautify, and open an interior space.
Two Sheds / DREAMER + Roger Nelson
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Architects: DREAMER, Roger Nelson
- Area: 220 m²
- Year: 2019
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Manufacturers: Geberit, Fisher & Paykel, Miele, Alspec, Brodware, +9
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Professionals: Rosevear Planning Associates, Contour, 4D Workshop, Ecology and Heritage Partners, Ecotide, +5
Recycling Brick Constructions in the UK: 14 Building Restorations and Extensions
The use of brick plays a very important role in the architectural history of the United Kingdom. Construction techniques that involve brick and stone have been in constant progress. In fact, brick production improved over time, making the material the most popular one in the construction industry. From the 18th century onwards, brickwork was predominantly used in domestic and industrial architecture, but later on, it was introduced to the structure of warehouses and factories, as well as other various forms of infrastructure.
While many of these buildings are still operating to this day, it comes as no surprise. Refurbishment and reuse are highly recommended techniques, and in many cases, the only methods to maintain densely populated European cities. Therefore, the challenge lays in reusing these buildings and recycling the materials available, always trying to retain as much of the original structure as possible.
Mirrors in Architecture: Possibilities of Reflected Space
Humans have used mirrors since as early as 600 BCE, employing highly polished obsidian as a basic reflective surface. Over time, people began to use small pieces of gold, silver, and aluminum in a similar manner, both for their reflective properties and for decoration. By the 1st century CE, people had started using glass to make mirrors, but it was only during the European Renaissance that Venetian manufacturers began making mirrors by applying metallic backings to glass sheets, remaining the most common general method of mirror manufacturing today. Since then, mirrors have continued to play both a decorative and functional role in architecture, serving a clean, modern aesthetic despite its ancient origins. Below, we investigate how mirrors are made, provide a brief history of mirrors in architecture, and offer several tips for architects looking to use mirrors in their designs.
Possibilities of Forms for Molding Exposed Concrete
Peter Zumthor, in one of his most emblematic works, gives concrete an almost sacred dimension. The work in question is the small Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, located in a small village in Germany, a construction that is both robust and sensitive. Built with white cement, which was mixed with stones and sand from the region, the chapel is composed of 24 layers of concrete that were poured day after day by local labor, and compressed in an unusual way. The building's flat and smooth exterior contrasts with its interior, which was initially made of inclined wooden logs forming a triangular void. To remove these internal forms, the logs were set on fire in a controlled process, reducing them to ash and creating a carbonized interior that varied between black and gray and retained the texture of the negatives of the logs. The result is a masterpiece of architecture, a space for reflection and transformation, in which the same material appears in diametrically opposing ways.
Concert Hall House / Pandolfini Architects
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Architects: Pandolfini Architects
- Area: 125 m²
- Year: 2019
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Manufacturers: B&B Italia, Fisher & Paykel, Miele, Articolo Lighting, Bisazza, +8
Merida House / Ludwig Godefroy Architecture
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Architects: Ludwig Godefroy Architecture
- Area: 250 m²
- Year: 2018
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Manufacturers: CASTEL, Cemex, FLUA
Ayla Golfclub / Oppenheim Architecture
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Architects: Oppenheim Architecture
- Area: 5800 m²
- Year: 2018
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Professionals: Form Landscape Architects, GreuterAG, Oppenheim Architecture + Design, WMMEngineersAG
Entrepinos Housing / Taller Hector Barroso
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Architects: Taller Hector Barroso
- Area: 1700 m²
- Year: 2017
House in Wollishofen / Mathis Kamplade Architekten
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Architects: Mathis Kamplade Architekten
- Area: 220 m²
- Year: 2019
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Professionals: Synaxis AG
Leaning Yucca House / DF_DC
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Architects: DF_DC
- Area: 105 m²
- Year: 2019
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Manufacturers: Fritz Hansen, Duravit, Menu, Interfusion, Ystoria
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Professionals: AM Structural Design, DF_DC, CL McLemore
Terra Australis: Australia's New Cultural Projects Down Under
Australian architecture is rooted in the land. From environmental and climatic concerns to the country's unique cultural background, the built environment down under is defined by a history of connections to local contexts. Today, Australian architecture has also come to embrace a multicultural identity, with a new class of cultural projects showcasing how contemporary buildings and structures are being designed for the future.
Our Readers Decide Who Should Win the Pritzker Prize 2020
Since the winner(s) of the Pritzker Prize 2020 will be announced this Tuesday, March 3, we have asked our readers who should win the most important award in the field of architecture.
Chad Oppenheim on Ayla Golf Club and and his Influencers
In this interview with Can Ziyal, Chad Oppenheim, founder of Oppenheim Architecture + Design, talks about architecture, their projects, his way of thinking on how to approach and solve problems, and his fascination with nature and its purity.
Windsor Road House / Russell Jones
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Architects: Russell Jones
- Area: 60 m²
- Year: 2019
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Professionals: Consultancy 31, Haringey Building Control, TAD Builders, Techniker