Editor’s note: Please welcome our new contributor, Alex Levin. Learn more about Alex on our About page. The world took notice of Marta Costa and Henrique Pinto, principal architects of Consexto, when they won the prestigious ArchDaily “Building of the Year” award in 2010 for their work on Closet House, an exercise in space management. We talked with Marta Costa about her architectural philosophy and the challenges and rewards of designing a 44 square meter (~475 sqft) home. Read on for
Courtesy of Johann E. Bierkandt German architect Johann Bierkandt has shared with us his second-place winning proposal in the Classic Siftung Weimar international competition for the New Bauhaus Museum. His concept was praised by the jury for its clever integration into Weimarhallenpark through a series of small-scale pavilions that differentiates the museum from the surrounding context. Bierkandt‘s proposal is one of the final four designs still competing in the two-stage competition. The jury
© Adrià Goula Architects: Javier de las Heras Solé + Bosch Tarrús Arquitectes Location: Roses, Spain Arquitecture Contributors: Mercedes Sánchez Hernández, Asunción Belda Esteban Contributors: Blàzquez-Guanter Arquitectes, Proisotec, Jordi Roig Fontseca Completion: 2011 Photographs: Adrià Goula © Adrià Goula The aim of this project is the alteration and extension of IES Cap Norfeu in Roses. The intervention involves the enlargement of the school complex in the site’s north region wit
Located in Cold Spring, NY, the Hudson Valley Country House was designed by the New York City-based studio of Fractal Construction. Completed in 2011, the family weekend retreat was built from prefabricated pieces and assembled onsite. The exterior is covered in wood panels that give the modern design a rustic look. The house is made up of two buildings connected by a bridge that’s a piece of art all on its own. The main house consists of three floors: a to-die-for first level, main flo
Courtesy of Michael Green Architecture Driven by the desire to find safe, carbon-neutral and sustainable alternatives to the incumbent structural materials of the urban world, Michael Green, Principal at Michael Green Architecture, has shared with us this highly-anticipated feasibility study, The Case for Tall Wood Buildings. The 200-page document encourages architects, engineers and designers to push the envelope of conventional thinking by demonstrating that wood is a viable material for tall
Courtesy of ENSITU Architects: ENSITU – Patrick Dillon Location: Panama Client: Eugene Eisenmann Avifauna Foundation Design/ Production Team: Brenda Gotti, Zitta Pozo, Aristides Robles, Emilio Rivadeneira Structural Engineer: Arquinde. Martin Isaac, Luis McNulty MEP: Luis Carlos Gotti Area: Visitor’s Center- 150 sqm, Observation Tower- 32m height Photographs: Sylvia Grunhut, Colibri Productions Courtesy of ENSITU The extensive investigations of isthmian avi fauna carried out by the re
Dutch architect Hans van Heeswijk designed his own home, a waterfront abode called Rieteiland House on the recently developed island of IJburg near Amsterdam. I’m always insanely jealous of architects because they always live in the nicest homes. No fair. This large, light-filled home was a labor of love for van Heeswijk, who challenged himself to push the limits of his abilities and the materials and methods used. The home is clad in perforated aluminium panels and the rear is entirely
© Chris Guy After many years spent fighting to preserve the famous Robin Hood Gardens social housing complex in East London, the architecture community mourns another loss. Tower Hamlets Council and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporations have approved the demolition of the 1960s Brutalist complex in an effort to make way for a new £500 million sustainable development comprised of energy efficient, mixed-tenure homes and an enlarged central park. The historic building was built by mo
© Scott Burrows Architects: Richard Kirk Architect Location: New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Completed: 2009 Structural Engineer: Bornhorst & Ward Hydraulic Engineer: Cushway Blackford Photographer: Scott Burrows © Scott Burrows Arbour House, located on the Bulimba Reach of the Brisbane River, is a study in siting and intricate articulation to yield views and landscape connections . The long thin 13 meter wide site is located between two key public spaces, namely an establish
Courtesy of Studio Echelman © Christina O. Haver Inspired by the local materials and culture of Mahabalipuram, an Indian fishing village famous for sculpture, American Artist Janet Echelman stumbled upon a material that would change her art, and life, forever. One evening, while observing the fishermen’s nightly routine of bundling their nets, Echelman imagined a new type of sculpture – a volumetric form that could be the scale of a large building but remain light enough to ripple in the
© Stéphane Groleau Architects: acdf* Location: Ville de La Malbaie, Québec, Canada Completion: 2011 Costing: 6.5M $ Area: 2,040 sqm Client: Ville de La Malbaie Team: Jonathan Bisson, Normand Desgagnés, Benoit Dupuis, Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Caroline Lajoie, Matthew Belaen, Hugo Blanc, Sabrina Boivin, Antonio Di, Bacco, Jacques Dion, Angélique Dufour, Michelle Dufour, Luis Arias Duque, Yolande Jeanson, Julie Lapointe, Jean-Philippe Parent, Chloé Barabé-Pépin, Joan Renaud, Émilie Turgeon Photogra
Courtesy of Aron Losonczi Pratt Manhattan Gallery has unveiled their exhibition “Bright Future: New Designs in Glass” featuring innovative and mesmerizing uses for the centuries-old material. The exhibit, which features furniture, tableware, architectural elements and lighting designs, will be on display until May 5th, 2012. The artists and firms featured here displays a refined use of glass in conjunction with metal, concrete and pigment to evoke its qualities of flexibility and
