Photographer: Satoshi Shigeta | ArchDaily

Facing the Age of Robots? Material Innovation in Architectural Structures

Agustina Iñiguez — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000

By exploring the art of robotics in construction, advances in architectural technologies are increasingly shaping multiple aspects of human life. From robotic arms and drones to robots that move across large surfaces and even 3D printing robots, their use in construction is accelerating research and the development of new working methods, as well as structural and material experimentation. In collaboration with multiple disciplines and spanning various facets of architecture, the role of robots in the contemporary landscape demonstrates a potential that extends beyond merely automating processes or reducing construction times and costs. This raises the question: Are we building architecture to serve technology, or technology to serve architecture?

Hotel VMG Villa Kyoto / Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier

Miwa Negoro — Tue, 27 May 2025 19:00:00 +0000

This is a hotel renovated from a Sukiya-style building in Kyoto. The existing building was built in 1920, and the carpenter was a man who built many teahouses around the Gion area in Kyoto, and the owner was recorded as a tea master. Records of tea ceremonies from that time, there was a description of this building as a place to hold tea ceremonies.

Inokashira Connected Residence / Moriyoshi Naotake Atelier

Hana Abdel — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Creating comfort by connecting tenements. The problems faced by collective housing in cities include the problems of ensuring privacy within the neighborhood and the comfort of the dwelling units due to the narrowness of the site and the difficulty of creating townscapes and opening them to the community while realizing these. I aimed to solve them and discover the advantages and characteristics of living together in small groups. Then, I wondered whether the existence of other dwelling units in the collective housing would not hinder privacy or lighting and ventilation and would rather create a comfortable structure.

3dpod Pavilion / Obayashi

Andreas Luco — Sun, 28 May 2023 21:00:00 +0000

3D-printed, earthquake-proof building completed in Tokyo: 3dpod. Obayashi, one of the largest general contractors in Japan, founded in 1892, has completed “3dpod”, the first 3D-printed and earthquake-proof building in the country to receive ministerial certification and a building permit. The demonstration facility, open to the public, was built to evaluate the durability, structural, and environmental performance of 3d-printing, and to foster further its technological development. Architectural 3D printing is particularly challenging in earthquake-prone Japan, and, due to building regulation restrictions, it has so far been employed only in civil engineering and non-habitable, small structures. The main goal of the project was to meet the strict local requirements without relying on conventional reinforcement.

Dolce Tacubo Patisserie / Tadokoro Architects

Hana Abdel — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 21:00:00 +0000

DOLCE TACUBO is a Western confectionery shop where you can simply cook high-quality ingredients and enjoy the charm of the ingredients. We pursued a shop design that fits the philosophy of sweets. The interior is a minimalist space stripped of architectural elements as much as possible to bring out the sweets. We aimed to create a space that makes the products stand out even more by adding variations to the colors and textures of the minimalist interior.

Aquarium House / NAO IWANARI Architecture

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 18:00:00 +0000

Looking at the aquarium that reproduces the inside of the sea through the glass, wide-open areas, shades of rocks and plants, cave-like holes, etc. Places with various properties are mixed in an unseparated space. It opens towards the surface of the water at the top and brightens, the fish come and go on each level while performing activities suitable for the place.

House O / SAKUMAESHIMA

Hana Abdel — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 22:00:00 +0000

The site is located in the northern part of Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture, surrounded by vineyards, with a panoramic view of the Kofu Basin and Mt.Fuji. This architecture is located in a corner of the site with a total area of 920m2, consisting of 470m2 of area for building and 450m2 of area for the vineyard. This is a two-storied wooden building with a total floor area of 123m2 and a building area of 92m2.

Atami Tower House / Ashida Architect & Associates

Valeria Silva — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 03:00:00 +0000

Atami Tower House is located on a steep site in Atami where it faces a beautiful view to the sea using reinforced concrete structure since it is strong to the vibrations generated through the coastal wind. With the beautiful ocean views the client wished to have the living room on the fourth floor and bedrooms on the lower levels shaping this tower form volume.

Sorano Hotel / Curiosity

Hana Abdel — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

SORANO HOTEL is one of main facilities in new-born urban development in Tachikawa city, 30 minutes away from Shinjuku, Tokyo. With the concept of “Wellbeing”, the hotel suggests us a new holiday style, “Wellbeing short trip”, offering health conscious activities. Located in the area adjacent of renown National Park, the luscious green and amazing view are captured in all interior.

Four Rectangles / Jun Igarashi Architects

Rayen Sagredo — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 22:00:00 +0000

I started thinking and practicing about the middle area (‘engawa’, sunroom etc.) with the airlock entrance as a trigger. I was born and grew in cold climates and continued design while living there, so I began thinking about the middle area. At the beginning of my design I had a consciousness of "a middle area to protect". It is a space "between" the human consciousness from the inner space to the outer space. This resembles the process of Alva Aalto architecture, which was built against the Northern European severity of nature.

House for 4 Generations / tomomi kito architect & associates

Rayen Sagredo — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 19:00:00 +0000

This is an interior renovation project of an existing two-story timber structure house in Tokyo built approximately 40 years ago. The client is a young couple, and the wife’s parents were living there before the renovation. The client decided to live with their parents in this house. Soon after, the wife’s grandmother who lives alone in the countryside – far from Tokyo – also decided to live together in this house. As such, the client requested to renovate the house suitable for accommodating 4 generations - the grandmother (1st generation), parents (2nd generation), the client (3rd generation), the client's son (4th generation).

House in Yamanashi / UENOA

Cristobal Rojas — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 20:00:00 +0000

It is a house for young couple and three children.

Serviced Apartments in Otuka / Takashi Nishitani Architects

Florencia Mena — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 19:00:00 +0000

This project is renewal the entire building to a serviced apartment of Asian international students. This building is built 40 years ago.

Wood Design & Building Magazine Announces Winners of its 2014 Wood Awards

Rory Stott — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Wood Design and Building Magazine has announced the winners of its 2014 Wood Awards. Run in partnership with the Canadian Wood Council, this year the awards included for the first time an international awards category in addition to the North America awards. With 166 submissions, the 24 awarded projects were selected by a jury consisting of Larry McFarland (Principle, McFarland Marceau Architects), Brigitte Shim (Principle, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects) and Keith Boswell (Technical Partner, SOM).

Timber Dentistry / Kohki Hiranuma Architect & Associates

Daniel Sánchez — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The location became a Housing Expo at around 90 years ago as its quiet ambience remains from the inherited residential surroundings. However, after 11 months of research and analysing the environment, the convenience of people was adopted for their essential needs in everyday life with the flow of time.

Milan Design Week 2013: Energetic Energies for Panasonic / Akihisa Hirata

Karissa Rosenfield — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Envision a future where undulating “solar plants” transform the rectangular masses of our cities into a vibrant metropolis where technology aids in the coexistence of humans and nature. Represented in the conceptual installation “Energetic Energies” at the Milan Design Week 2013, this notion of redefining our relationship with the sky through photovoltaics is based on years of technological research and development by the Panasonic Corporation, who commissioned Japanese architect Akihisa Hirata to imagine the possibilities.

Tato House

Nico Saieh — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We are convinced that architecture is a means to find to love the environment and have been in quest for creating architecture to make the environment be felt more attractive.

House in hieidaira / Tato Architects

Nico Saieh — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000