Buildner, in collaboration with building materials manufacturer Kingspan, has announced the winners of the MICROHOME Kingspan Edition with a 100,000 EUR prize fund.
Housing: The Latest Architecture and News
Buildner Announces Winners of the MICROHOME Kingspan Competition with 100,000 EUR Prize Fund
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https://www.archdaily.com/1031027/buildner-announces-winners-of-the-microhome-kingspan-competition-with-100000-eur-prize-fundRene Submissions
From Churches to Homes: Conversions and Contemporary Renovations That Fuse Past and Present
What does a change in use and/or scale in buildings imply? How can a church or chapel be transformed into a home? While the architecture of many contemporary sacred spaces shows a remarkable capacity for adaptation and evolution, the creative boundaries of many professionals extend beyond their conception as structures of spirituality or worship. Globally, the conversion of large churches and small chapels into private residences reveals a wide field for intervention and exploration, one that can preserve, restore, adapt, and/or renew the character of spaces originally conceived for other uses and scales, which for various reasons have been abandoned, become obsolete, or now require transformation.
https://www.archdaily.com/1030944/from-churches-to-homes-conversions-and-contemporary-renovations-that-fuse-past-and-presentAgustina Iñiguez
The Estonian Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale Questions Massive Insulation Projects Through a Façade Installation
The installation and exhibition representing Estonia at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia is curated by architects Keiti Lige, Elina Liiva, and Helena Männa. Titled Let Me Warm You, the national exhibition explores different dimensions of sustainability by questioning whether insulation-driven renovations in Estonia are simply compliance measures to meet European energy targets or whether they can also serve as opportunities to enhance the spatial and social quality of mass housing districts. To make this point, the Estonian installation covers the façade of a Venetian building with insulation panels, replicating how they are commonly installed in Estonia for mass housing renovations.
https://www.archdaily.com/1029140/the-estonian-pavilion-at-the-2025-venice-biennale-questions-massive-insulation-projects-through-a-facade-installationAntonia Piñeiro
MAST Reveals Floating Neighborhood Design for Rotterdam’s Disused Spoorweghaven Dock
Danish maritime architecture studio MAST, in collaboration with construction company BIK Bouw, has designed a new floating community for the disused Spoorweghaven dock in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The proposed neighborhood, which has received initial support from the Municipality of Rotterdam, includes over 100 apartments, public spaces, commercial units, and a recreational harbor near the city center. Floating architecture is MAST's response to the Netherlands' housing crisis, offering a modular, adaptable solution for building a wide range of structures on water.
https://www.archdaily.com/1030546/mast-reveals-floating-neighborhood-design-for-rotterdams-disused-spoorweghaven-dockAntonia Piñeiro
The Kitchen in the New Spatial Economy: 5 Contemporary Design Approaches
Space has become a luxury in many of the world's most densely populated cities—a growing reality that's hard to ignore. Megacities like Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, Mexico City, and São Paulo already have populations exceeding 20 million, while other urban centers across Asia and Africa continue to expand rapidly. Among these, Delhi stands out: if current trends continue, it is projected to become the most populous city by 2028. As these cities expand, housing—especially new developments—follows a new logic: as square meters shrink, furniture adapts, and daily life learns to fit and thrive in high-density environments. This change isn't just about size; it reflects a new way of living. Where spaciousness once dominated, density now rules. Every corner gains spatial and commercial value, with the kitchen emerging as one of the biggest challenges in housing design today.
https://www.archdaily.com/1030485/the-kitchen-in-the-new-spatial-economy-5-contemporary-design-approachesEnrique Tovar
Unpolished Narratives: Exposed Materials in Latin American Affordable Housing
What makes a building architecture? The eternal debate over what distinguishes architecture from mere utilitarian construction has often included affordable and social housing as an influential topic, sparking different points of view. This question is particularly significant in the Latin American context, where unique conditions go beyond cost concerns, whether imposed or unavoidable. Limited access to financing, the prevalence of self-construction, and the spread of informal settlements are interconnected factors shaping the built environment. These dynamics foster an aesthetic that, for some, challenges notions of good architecture, manifesting in urban landscapes where exposed materials become a defining feature.
https://www.archdaily.com/1024259/unpolished-narratives-exposed-materials-in-latin-american-affordable-housingEnrique Tovar & José Tomás Franco
Internal Acoustics: Effective Noise Mitigation Techniques in Architecture
The internal environment is the focus of this second article about designing for noise to improve well-being. According to several recent studies, noise in cities has become an increasing hazard to health. Environmental noise, that is, noise from traffic, industrial activities, or amplified music, which reaches internal spaces, is not merely an annoyance. It has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, and mental health issues. As the world urbanizes, more people are exposed to excessive levels of noise. In medium- and high-density housing, in office buildings, and in schools, noise pollution can emanate from internal as well as external sources.
https://www.archdaily.com/1029581/internal-acoustics-effective-noise-mitigation-techniques-in-architectureMohieldin Gamal
Winners of the Denver Single Stair Housing Challenge Unveiled by Buildner
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Buildner has released the results of its Denver Single Stair Housing Challenge, an international design challenge inviting architects, designers, and urban planners to explore innovative solutions for high-density residential living. Participants were tasked with reimagining a common point access block typology—often characterized by vertical circulation concentrated in a compact core—and transforming it into a more sustainable, community-oriented, and adaptable living environment. The competition was focused on sites in Denver, Colorado, though its issues are relevant to urban situations throughout the United States and around the globe.
https://www.archdaily.com/1028772/winners-of-the-denver-single-stair-housing-challenge-unveiled-by-buildnerRene Submissions
Maison Guiette: Le Corbusier’s Modernist Outpost in Antwerp, Belgium
Amidst the traditional streets of Antwerp, where centuries-old townhouses stand as remnants of a historic European city, a stark white volume quietly asserts its presence. Maison Guiette, designed by Le Corbusier in 1926, is an anomaly in its surroundings — a bold statement of modernity in a context that had not yet embraced it.
While today it is overshadowed by the architect's more famous works, this house holds a unique place in history: it was Le Corbusier's first built project outside France, a precursor to his later architectural experiments, and a manifestation of his emerging Modernist principles. Despite its modest scale, it was a manifesto in built form — a house that encapsulated the essence of an architectural revolution.
https://www.archdaily.com/1028269/maison-guiette-le-corbusiers-modernist-outpost-in-antwerp-belgiumDiogo Borges Ferreira
Case Studies in Community-Centered Living: Innovative Residential Design
Architecture evolves, particularly in how it reflects the relationships between people, their behavior, and the environment. Even subtle variations in these dynamics can influence how we think and live in our communities. According to the World Bank, 56% of the population currently lives in urban environments, and it is estimated that by 2050 this number will reach 70%. This projection echoes the speed and magnitude of urban growth, posing challenges for architects and design firms, from the viability of buildings to the sustainability of the built environment, encompassing residential architecture and other typologies that influence daily life.
https://www.archdaily.com/1027788/case-studies-in-community-centered-living-innovative-residential-designEnrique Tovar
ELEMENTAL Designs Prefabricated Housing Project for Reconstruction in Viña del Mar, Chile
A year after the Viña del Mar mega-fire in Chile and with reconstruction efforts progressing at just 26%, the architecture firm ELEMENTAL and local authorities have begun construction on a prefabricated housing project in one of the residential neighborhoods most affected by the disaster. The project consists of a mid-density residential building with a modular steel structure, intended as a starting point for similar initiatives in response to what is now considered one of the most catastrophic events in Chile's recent history. As stated by Alejandro Aravena and the city's mayor, Macarena Ripamonti, the goal is for the technology and management model behind this project to set a precedent for delivering rapid and permanent housing solutions in emergency situations.
https://www.archdaily.com/1027269/elemental-designs-prefabricated-housing-project-for-reconstruction-in-vina-del-mar-chileAntonia Piñeiro
Meet the 75 Finalists of the ArchDaily 2025 Building of the Year Awards
After two weeks of open voting in the 16th edition of the Building of the Year Awards, our readers have meticulously narrowed down a pool of almost 4,000 projects to a select group of 75 finalists spanning 15 categories. This year's awards honor the pinnacle of design, innovation, and sustainability on a global scale, showcasing an exceptional range of projects within the shortlist. As a crowdsourced award, we take pride in affirming that your selections authentically mirror the current state of architecture, and the caliber of this year's finalists further underscores the excellence and diversity prevalent in the field.
https://www.archdaily.com/1026738/meet-the-75-finalists-of-the-archdaily-2025-building-of-the-year-awardsRomullo Baratto
Designing for Density: How Modernist Principles Continue to Shape Social Housing Solutions Today
When discussing modernist living, several iconic private residential projects may first come to mind—Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, the Case Study Houses, most notably by Richard Neutra, Pierre Koenig, and Charles and Ray Eames, as well as the glass houses by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. Most of these projects exemplified an idealized vision of modern living, set in picturesque landscapes and characterized by experimentation with new construction methods, materials, and spatial concepts. Their designs embraced openness, blurring the boundaries between private and public spaces, largely unburdened by constraints such as density, efficiency, accessibility, public transit integration, or communal considerations.
While these modern homes remain influential in contemporary residential design, they also—perhaps unexpectedly—laid the groundwork for high-density housing principles. Concepts such as the interplay between public and private space, modular construction, and prefabrication, initially explored in these private residences, have been adapted to the vastly different constraints of social housing.
https://www.archdaily.com/1026428/designing-for-density-how-modernist-principles-continue-to-shape-social-housing-solutions-todayJonathan Yeung
Alejandro Aravena’s Elemental and Holcim Collaborate on Carbon-Neutral Housing at the 2025 Venice Biennale
From May 10 to November 23, 2025, a carbon-neutral housing project designed by Elemental, the firm led by Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravena, will be showcased at the Venice Architecture Biennale. The project aims to combine the Chilean office's expertise in social housing with the construction products of Holcim (the company behind the Holcim Foundation) to create a prototype for resilient and affordable housing.
The design incorporates a specific type of low-carbon concrete, which aims to emit 30% less CO₂ than standard concrete. The prototype will be featured in the Time Space Existence exhibition, organized by the European Cultural Centre.The goal of the project is to test the sustainability of a housing prototype in response to the ongoing climate and humanitarian crises.
https://www.archdaily.com/1026339/alejandro-aravenas-elemental-and-holcim-collaborate-on-carbon-neutral-housing-at-the-2025-venice-biennaleAntonia Piñeiro
Redefining Urban Domesticity: How SO-IL Transforms the Concept of Home
SO-IL (Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu) is an architectural design firm based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2008 by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu. Known for an architecture deeply engaged with social, cultural, and environmental contexts, the studio focuses on exploring innovative materials, creating fluid spatial experiences, and prioritizing ecological sustainability. SO-IL's work spans various scales and program types, reflecting their versatile approach to design. In 2024, their housing project 450 Warren in Brooklyn was selected as ArchDaily's Building of the Year by the audience in the housing category.
In their latest book, In Depth: Urban Domesticities Today, SO-IL explores the evolving concept of home in contemporary urban contexts, transforming it "from a source of vulnerability into a tool for empowerment." The book redefines domesticity as an active and shared experience and examines how architects can address pressing urban challenges such as affordability, density, and sustainability. SO-IL's work advocates for flexible, resilient housing that fosters community while integrating ecological and social dimensions. ArchDaily spoke with the architects about the innovative solutions and ideas presented in the book, delving into how their projects challenge conventional systems and envision a future where architecture is a tool for empowerment.
https://www.archdaily.com/1025728/redefining-urban-domesticity-how-so-il-transforms-the-concept-of-homeChristele Harrouk
Winner Announced: ArchDaily X ICEX's Spanish Refurbishment Competition
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Why demolish when you can embellish? A collaboration between ArchDaily and ICEX highlights the most outstanding remodeling, reuse, extension and renovation works recently built in Spain. This competition focuses on how Spanish architecture values the revitalization of historic buildings and centers, and recovers existing structures promoting a more balanced urban development. In Spain, old casonas become boutique gems, and factories like Madrid's Matadero morph into cultural havens—a clever mix of tradition and modern flair. After all, good design isn't built—it's built upon.
https://www.archdaily.com/1024354/winner-announced-archdaily-x-icexs-spanish-refurbishment-competitionArchDaily Team
From Modernism to Multiculturalism: The Historical Evolution of Student Housing
Student housing has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last century. Once seen as a utilitarian necessity, providing shelter and basic amenities for students, this architectural typology has evolved to address increasingly complex societal, cultural, and urban demands. Starting with Le Corbusier's modernist approach at the Cité Universitaire in Paris, student housing has reflected broader trends in architecture, urbanism, and social change.
Today, these buildings must cater to a highly diverse and transient population, navigating the pressures of affordability, density, and the evolving living standards of young adults. With rapid urbanization and increasing student mobility, universities now face the challenge of designing housing that is not only functional but also adaptable to different cultural and social contexts. This has led to more flexible, innovative solutions that promote both privacy and community living.
https://www.archdaily.com/1023396/from-modernism-to-multiculturalism-the-historical-evolution-of-student-housingDiogo Borges Ferreira