Regardless of the design adopted for kitchen spaces, for some years now and with increasing frequency, many architects have been deciding to design kitchens by integrating them into other rooms in the home. Free of dividing walls or joinery, integrated kitchens are implemented with the aim of leaving the activities that take place there in full view of everyone, encouraging interaction and communication between the inhabitants.
The oldest record of barrel vaults is estimated to date back to 4000 BC. These provided the spans in the Sumerian ziggurat at Nippur in Babylonia, built from fired bricks amalgamated with clay mortar. This type of vault was built as a continuous round arch and became a characteristic architectural element of Roman architecture, later used also in Renaissance architecture.
What role do forests play in our daily lives? In what ways can they be converted into living spaces? What strategies can be implemented to reduce the environmental impact of our buildings? On the International Day of Forests, which is celebrated every 21st of March, this year we propose to raise awareness of the links between forests and our daily lives. Even though deforestation continues to advance, forests represent a source of great economic, social and ecological benefits.
The strategy of raising houses off the ground gained popularity in the 1920s when Le Corbusier announced structures on pilotis as one of the 5 points of modern architecture. A great contribution, especially in the urban issue, as it enables the creation of a free space with greater connection between the public sphere of the street and the private sphere of the building. His iconic Villa Savoye is a paradigmatic example of the use of pilotis that preserves the natural terrain and, as Le Corbusier himself said, places the house on the grass like an object, without disturbing anything. In addition, the pilotis also served as a strategy for the flow of vehicles, which can be seen in Lina Bo Bardi’s equally emblematic Casa de Vidro and its slender steel tubes. Arranged in a modulation of four modules in width by five in depth, they maintain the house as a transparent floating box in the midst of nature, respecting the terrain and assisting in the building's thermal comfort by allowing air circulation.
The history of architecture is made up of demographic, cultural, and social changes. In its relatively short history, American architecture has evolved with changes in the country, representing the catalog of various cultural influences that make up the United States as a whole. Many elements of American home design have remained intact over the past 450 years, reflecting longstanding American traditions and values that have stood the test of time.
We love to fill our houses with wonderful creative decoration that brings us pleasure every time we enter a room. It’s these decorative features that transform a house into a home. But for those houses lucky enough to be surrounded by captivating landscapes, why shut out all that natural decoration only to replace it with interior imitations?
Using either glass partitions or ground-flush, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass panels, by inviting the environment in, specifiers can connect interior and exterior spaces for a deeper connection with nature, allowing the local landscape itself to become the largest interior in the home. Here is a selection of residential projects that use the latest innovations in sliding windows to form a relationship with the surrounding landscape:
The RIBA House of the Year Award, which highlights the best new architect-designed house in the UK, was given this year to House on the Hill, designed by Alison Brooks Architects. Located in Gloucestershire, the house represents a contemporary extension to an 18th-century farmhouse that functions both as a home and repository of art. Over ten years in the making, the project creates a rich spatial experience while establishing a strong connection between the dwelling and the landscape. The jury commended the house for the “amalgam of architecture, landscape, inhabitation and art” that aptly manages to create a light and calm atmosphere.
Although the design diversity of private homes often relies on how each project responds to the topography, context, and material availability, the most significant factor of residential architecture is users and what they require in terms of spatial needs and preferences. This user-centric approach has long been practiced, Mies van der Rohe once explained that "the architect must get to know the people who will live in the planned house. From their needs, the rest inevitably follows".
This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights private residential projects submitted by the ArchDaily community. From a private family house nestled in the forests of Russia to a reinvention of Colombia's traditional courtyard typology, this round up of unbuilt projects showcases how architects design private spaces that combine nature, functionality, privacy, and locality. The article also includes projects from Kosovo, Spain, United States, and Serbia.
The team at Cazú Zegers Arquitectura gave us an inside look at their three Chilean projects--Ye house, Llu House, and Fire House. The film, completed by ClaraFilms, seeks to capture the human dimensions of the homes and centers on how spaces are inhabited throughout time.
Clara Larraín, one of the team members, wrote the following text to accompany the architect's vision of encapsulating the feeling of the three videos into one poetic montage:
Argentina is positioned in the extreme south and southwest of South America and given its extension, it has a multiplicity of climates and differences in the incidence of sunlight. These conditions led many architecture professionals to think about pergolas to generate transitional spaces between the interior and exterior of the homes that allow meeting the needs of its inhabitants by creating shaded, meeting and resting spaces in the open air.
Implemented as a means to take full advantage of space, built-in furniture has grown in popularity as well as ingenuity as designers tackle the needs and tastes of a wide range of users. It's ability to adapt and integrate into architectural spaces allows it, through a variety of configurations and materials, to fulfill various functions; however, this poses an interesting question. Is it truly the furniture that adapts to our living spaces? Could it not itself become the protagonist and creator of the spaces that we project?
The ample supply, durability, and affordability of brick makes it one of the most widely used and iconic materials in Spanish architecture, especially within the Mudejar tradition. Throughout history, they have added both beauty and function to the spaces that use them, offering protection from the elements while also permitting the entry of natural light and air flow.
In recognition of brick's impact on Spanish architecture throughout history, we have created a compilation of contemporary projects that highlight its aesthetic and functional benefits along with advice from their creators about how best use this tried and true material.
"Here in the tropics, shade is the prime air conditioner and, unlike the stove, it can be created everywhere," says Bruno Stagno about architecture for the tropics. In this sense, how has Costa Rica been "building" it's shade over the years?
The European Commission and the Fundació Mies van der Rohe have announced the second list of 85 works competing for the 2022 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. Joining the batch of first nominations announced in February 2021, the full list comprises now of 532 competing works for the EU Mies Award 2022. The shortlist of 40 will be announced in January 2022, the winners in April 2022, and the Award ceremony will take place in May 2022.
In 1984, the Menil Museum in Houston, Texas, commissioned the Mexican architect Luis Barragan to build a 3,000-square feet guest house to be located across the street from the famous Rothko Chapel. The architect came back with a design for a dazzling purple, pink, and orange 8,000-square feet mansion that looked to be more at home in Mexico City than a Houston residential suburban lot. So, due to the ensuing conflict between client and architect, the house would never get built, only displayed as an exhibition within the Menil’s galleries.
Reclaimed wood is wood that has been taken from its original application and repurposed. Old buildings such as houses, barns, and warehouses, often have to be torn down, resulting in demolition waste, which can be recycled and reused. Reclaimed wood can be used for many purposes, from cladding to building structures, and is very popular in contemporary architecture all over the world.
To get you inspired, here is a selection of 12 Brazilian houses that use this recycled material in flooring, walls, decks, bathrooms, outdoor areas, and stairs.
_Maureen_M._Evans.jpg?1646840531 "© Maureen M. Evans")
.jpg?1642689075 "Casa Redux / Studio MK27 - Marcio Kogan + Samanta Cafardo. © Fernando Guerra | FG+SG")
.jpg?1393473425 "© Yoshihiro Koitani")
