Photographer: Yoshihiro Koitani | ArchDaily

Layers of Meaning: Exploring the Depth of Architectural Envelopes

José Tomás Franco and Eduardo Souza — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Architecture has always played a key role in providing shelter and protection for human beings. In prehistoric times, we sought refuge in caves, taking advantage of rock structures for protection against the natural elements and predators. Over time, shelters began to be made from materials found in nature, such as branches, leaves, and animal skins, evolving into more permanent and complex homes, with walls made of stone, bricks or wood, roofs to protect against rain and sun, and doors to control access. As we developed more advanced building skills, we used materials such as wood, stone, and clay and architecture evolved significantly, with the construction of temples, palaces, and fortifications that provided not only shelter but also symbolized power, status, and cultural identity. Even so, our buildings can continue to be seen as shells that protect us from the outside world.

Architecture in Mexico: Projects Using Stone

Mónica Arellano — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Due to their aesthetic, sustainable, durable, and resistant qualities, stone materials have accompanied the disciplines of architecture and engineering since their origins. As is known, in Mexico, stone has been a fundamental element in pre-Hispanic constructions where experimentation was done with vaults, ashlars, masonry, etc.

Maya Shala / Toh Balam

Benjamin Zapico — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0000

The temple aims to be an inspiring space that blends Mayan tradition and yoga, representing the four elements and the sunrise. It achieves structural efficiency through the design of hyperbolic paraboloids and the use of local materials, respecting the identity and sustainability of the region.

House CX3 / LM Arkylab

Valeria Silva — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Within the Tierraverde condominium to the north of the city of Aguascalientes, on a 750m2 plot, the CX3 house project is located. This is a single-family residence with a typical program for a family of 5 members, where the premise set by the users was to enhance the spaces for family and social interaction with visitors, make the most of the relationship with the immediate green areas, and thus create different environments according to their uses.

Dos Hijas Gallery / CLACLÁ Taller de Arquitectura: Claudia Turrent y Axel De La Torre

Valeria Silva — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Dos Hijas Gallery is a project that pays homage to the vernacular architecture of arid areas around the world, seeking to reinterpret it in a contemporary way. With a focus centered on a single compositional axis, the intervention is organized as a living machine, where the facilities become the backbone of a vertebral column that connects the house, gallery, and guest house through an elevated exterior corridor traversing the entire site. This external circulation allows for the enjoyment of the landscape and climate every time the user moves between spaces.

Concrete Wonders: 40 Impressive Details Using the Cement-Based Building Material

Fabian Dejtiar — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Due to its ability to mold and create different shapes, concrete is one of architecture's most popular materials. While one of its most common uses is as a humble foundation, its plasticity means that it is also used in almost all types of construction, from housing to museums, presenting a variety of details of work that deserves special attention.

Music House / Colectivo C733

Agustina Coulleri — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Music and festivities play a fundamental role in Nacajuca´s daily life, both in the Mesoamerican-rooted pochó dance and in contemporary manifestations.

FUTABASOU Apartments / Masashi Miyamoto Architects / mmar

Hana Abdel — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A housing complex consisting of six units, planned for spring 2019 and completed in autumn 2021. Located in Shitamachi Tokyo, it is in the heart of a quiet residential area with a local shrine and shopping district, as well as many long-term residents. This housing project aims to provide a space for "Life and Work" that can accommodate one or two people, couples, siblings, or friends, as well as those who need a home and office, and who need a place to live and work.

House Maza / CHK arquitectura

Igor Fracalossi — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 15:00:00 +0000

The Maza house is a holiday home located in the natural setting surrounding the Lake of Valle de Bravo. It Is placed in an irregular difficult and steep slope area. The house is surrounded by a rill of clear water on one side, the vegetation of other buildings on the other side and lush forest in the rest of the edges.

Casa Akúun / Arkham Projects

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 16:00:00 +0000

It is a project to enjoy Yucatan, its sky, its wind and its vegetation. The footprint of the house is just one fifth of the land extension, always leaving free space and vegetation as the protagonist. Open in its entirety to the north and south to be able to generate comfort in terms of winds and sunlight in all spaces, and views towards the vegetation, which generates a green barrier all around the property, and as a result, a absolute privacy for users in each space, at all times.

Architecture in Mexico: Projects that Highlight the Coast of Guerrero

Mónica Arellano — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Guerrero is a state in the southwest corner of Mexico that shares land borders with the State of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, and Michoacán and a coastline with the Pacific Ocean. With over 64,281 km² of territory, it is the twelfth most populated state in Mexico. It's capital city is Chilpancingo de Juárez and it's most populated city is Acapulco de Juárez.

Architecture in Mexico: Emblematic Houses of Valle de Bravo

Mónica Arellano — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Mexico's Valle de Bravo region, to the southeast of Mexico City, is characterized by the Presa Miguel Alemán lake, created in 1947 as a reservoir for Mexico City and Toluca's water supply. Thanks to its proximity to the capital, Valle de Bravo is a popular weekend destination for residents of surrounding cities. This in turn has sparked the interest of various architects, who have aimed to create projects that enhance visitors' experience such as offering an optimal view of the lake, or an immersive experience in the surrounding forest.

Amani Building / Archetonic

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:00:00 +0000

AMANI has a privileged location in the city of Puebla. The building is located in front of a large park and is immersed in a constantly growing area that incorporates a variety of services such as banks, schools, shops, green spaces and recreational spaces.

50 Impressive Details Using Wood

Fabian Dejtiar — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 06:30:00 +0000

Over the course of history the unique characteristics of wood, which are dependent upon the species of the tree and the location in which it has grown, have enabled humanity to flourish in all parts of the globe. The architectural details of wooden construction therefore show a great diversity of meetings and joints, showing not only a project's constructive and structural logic, but also embodying the value and complexity of each project.

Why Do Architects Love Designing Houses?

Nicolás Valencia — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 04:00:00 +0000

Home. Our shelter. Our private space. In an urbanized world with dense megalopolises like Tokyo, Shanghai, and São Paulo, homes are getting smaller and more expensive than ever. If you are claustrophobic, Marie Kondo is your best ally in the quest to earn some extra space. And even though private backyards have become a luxury for most, our data shows that single-family houses are still the most popular project type on ArchDaily. Why is this? (Especially when it seems incongruous given the reality of today’s crowded cities.) Why do some universities still insist on designing and building houses as academic exercises? Wouldn’t it be more creative—and more useful—to develop architecture in small-scale spaces? Would it be more rewarding to develop solutions on bigger scales?

Casa Meztitla / EDAA

Florencia Mena — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 16:00:00 +0000

“Casa Meztitla is an intervention of a natural scenario. It showcases the luxurious value of leisure, the tropical weather, the intense sunlight, the smells of nature, the over 500 year-old landscaped terraces and the ever-present rock mountain: El Tepozteco. It is context in itself. The house, built out of rough stone, crawls low under the trees, aligned with the vegetated-covered stone slopes. It is the creation of pure space within the natural space (Paz, O., 1987). It has an introverted living yet is continually open to its surroundings. Only two elements reveal its existence to the outside world: the colorful bougainvillea flowers showing randomly through the trees’ dense foliage, which mark the plot’s perimeter; and the massive and monolithic white box that emerges through the treetops.”

30 Plans, Sections and Details for Sustainable Projects

Fabian Dejtiar — Tue, 19 Mar 2019 07:00:00 +0000

The dramatic improvement in recent decades in our understanding of sustainable design has shown that designing sustainably doesn't have to be a compromise—it can instead be a benefit. When done correctly, sustainable design results in higher-performing, healthier buildings which contribute to their inhabitants' physical and mental well-being.

AIRA / anonimous

Daniel Tapia — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 13:00:00 +0000

Located in one of the most extensively developed areas in the north of the city of Querétaro, and 100m from one of the principal avenues, AIRA is a tower of 35 apartments. The project is located on a narrow and deep site measuring 2,100 m2. Its compact volumetry reflects the intention to generate open space and to create green areas and offers a forceful vertical response to an area dominated by horizontal architecture.