Salem Mostefaoui

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Design Guide: Endless Possibilities of Wooden Floor Layout Patterns

Design Guide: Endless Possibilities of Wooden Floor Layout Patterns - Featured Image
© Eduardo Souza (ArchDaily)

Wooden floors bring warmth, personality and style to any interior space, whether old or new. Rustic and elegant, wood also has excellent thermal properties, a pleasant temperature to the touch, and can even improve the acoustics of a space by absorbing sound waves. They are also highly durable and resistant to daily use. It is therefore no surprise that they are one of the favorite and most coveted materials for residential interiors. Wooden flooring is also very visually appealing, with a huge amount of variations possible in its design. Pieces can vary greatly depending on which part of the trunk they come from, even if they are from the same manufacturer and tree species. Colors and designs also vary according to different tree species, from light yellows to dark browns, with infinite possibilities. In addition, it is possible to create various types of patterns when laying the floor, according to the dimensions of the pieces used and the desired effect for the space. See below a selection of wooden floors in Architonic catalog.

What Materials Can Be Used for Façade Cladding?

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What Materials Can Be Used for Façade Cladding? - Featured Image
House of Ile-de-France / ANMA. Image © Cécile Septet

Cladding systems have important functions in buildings. They can confer thermal insulation, protect internal spaces from the weather and–just as important–give the building a "face", improving its appearance and clearly identifying the element of design. "Cladding" refers to the components that are linked to the structure of a building to form non-structural external surfaces. While in the past wooden cladding was the only option, there are currently multiple possibilities of materials, colors, weights, textures, anchoring systems, and many other variables available. Below, we outline some of the main materials used for façade cladding, and the projects that use them in a remarkable way:

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The Comeback of Curved Design: Materials That Can Bend and Curl

The Comeback of Curved Design: Materials That Can Bend and Curl - Featured Image
Hongkun Art Gallery / penda. Image © Xia Zhi

Take a second to imagine a building or a room. Chances are you are envisioning flat rectangular surfaces and straight lines. Whether it be walls, beams or windows, most architectural elements come in standard and extremely practical orthogonal shapes. However, the pandemic has shed light on designs that are not only functional, but also that improve our mood and well-being. In that sense, the power of curved, free-flowing surfaces is unmatched, which explains why they have been making a comeback as a modern design trend. Adopting beautiful nature-inspired shapes, organic curls and bends energize rooms and make users feel good. In fact, neuroscientists have shown that this affection is hard-wired into the brain; in a 2013 study, they found that participants were most likely to consider a space beautiful if it was curvilinear instead of rectilinear. In short, humans love curves.

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Durability and Aesthetics of Slate Façades in 5 Projects

Slate is a metamorphic rock formed from the transformation of clay under high pressure and temperature. Very homogeneous and sober, with shades ranging from dark gray to black, it is commonly used in floors and roofs due to its durability and appearance. Slate also works very well for façades, combining the aesthetics of natural stone, shaped by nature for over 500 million years, with the thermal comfort and ease of installation of ventilated façades.

Habib Bourguiba Hall / Explorations Architecture

Habib Bourguiba Hall  / Explorations Architecture - More Images+ 17

"A Room for Imagination" Hotel 1818 / Lina Ghotmeh Architecture

A Room for Imagination Hotel 1818 / Lina Ghotmeh Architecture - More Images+ 13

How to Bend Wood

From its starting to point as a tree to its product form as a beam or piece of furniture, wood used in architecture and interior design goes through several stages and processes. A renewable resource and popular traditional building material, wood is also often cited as a promising construction material of the future, one that is suitable for the new demands of sustainability. But unlike concrete, whose molds can create even the most complex curves, wooden architecture most commonly uses straight beams and panels. In this article, we will cover some techniques that allow for the creation of curved pieces of wood at different scales, some of which are handmade and others of which seek to make the process more efficient and intelligent at a larger scale.

Mix of Commercial Activities Binet / ECDM

Mix of Commercial Activities Binet / ECDM - More Images+ 7

A Room For Tomorrow Prototype / ciguë

A Room For Tomorrow Prototype / ciguë - More Images+ 26

  • Architects: ciguë
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  30 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019

Wood Ribbon Apartment / Toledano+Architects

Wood Ribbon Apartment / Toledano+Architects - More Images+ 25

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  130 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  AutoDesk, Ariostea, Flos, Glas Italia, Hager, +6

175 Haussmann Office Complex / PCA-STREAM

175 Haussmann Office Complex / PCA-STREAM - More Images+ 13

  • Architects: PCA-STREAM
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  11979 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Andreu World, Fritz Hansen, STACBOND, Vibia, Alki, +15

Peuple Belge Building / Coldefy & Associés Architectes Urbanistes

Peuple Belge Building  / Coldefy & Associés Architectes Urbanistes - More Images+ 25

Galeries Lafayette Champs-Èlysèes / Bjarke Ingels Group

Galeries Lafayette Champs-Èlysèes / Bjarke Ingels Group - More Images+ 29

La Vrillette / ENSA Paris-La-Villette

La Vrillette / ENSA Paris-La-Villette - More Images+ 28

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  60 m²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2018
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  BM MONTAGE, McNeel, Piveteau bois

Laborde / PCA-STREAM

Laborde / PCA-STREAM - More Images+ 23

Vanille Gymnasium / Raphaël Betillon et Guillaume Freyermuth Architects + CTV Architects

Vanille Gymnasium / Raphaël Betillon et Guillaume Freyermuth Architects + CTV Architects - More Images+ 28

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Villefranche-de-Lauragais, France