Mexico City-based architects, Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica (CCA) have designed the Community Development Centre (CDA) as part of the Urban Improvement program in Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco, Mexico. The project was conceived as a sculpture created from eight giant concrete panels perforated with arches, forming spaces for workshops, a multi-purpose room, a library, and an auditorium. Void spaces within the arches provide interior gardens, while a central communal garden offers views from the interior spaces.
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Villa Tarika at Lake Garda, by architects Bricolo Falsarella
Italian architects Bricolo Falsarella designed Villa Tarika at Lake Garda in Italy, allowing the inhabitants to experience the intensity of the landscape. The approach was to create a combination of spaces that allow views of the lake and those that restrict the view.
A large stone wall and a slatted wall enclose the villa at its entrance. A small opening at the entrance level on the first floor leads to a semi-enclosed space that frames views of the Rocca di Garda, Monte Luppia and the dense surrounding vegetation.
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Apartment building in Aarau, Switzerland by Gautschi Lenzin Schenker
Swiss architects Gautschi Lenzin Schenker have designed a building with six small apartments to replace a residential building in Aarau, Switzerland. The three-storey building comprises six 2.5-room apartments across three floors and an attic, with ancillary rooms in the basement. A covered area with space for bicycles leads to the ground floor, which is raised for flood protection.
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House in Fukui City, Japan by Mizukami Architects
Japan-based studio Tetsuya Mizukami Architects has designed a house for a young couple in a residential area of Fukui City, Japan. The site is accessed by climbing a slope that offers mountain views in front and, from the southern end of the site, views of the city with mountains beyond. The architects aimed to incorporate this experience into the house by creating bright, open spaces that are offset by half a floor, providing views through openings onto void spaces that connect to the surrounding landscape. Photo Ken'ichi Suzuki. Mizukami Architects
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Selldorf Architects designs David Zwirner’s headquarters in Chelsea, New York
New York City-based Selldorf Architects have designed the headquarters for the contemporary art gallery David Zwirner, which has galleries in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. The headquarters span 36,000 sq ft over two floors of a historic warehouse building in Chelsea, New York City. The flexible, open-space work environment accommodates a library, two pantries, a wellness space, and an outdoor terrace.
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Winery in Jenins, Switzerland by Bearth and Deplazes
Swiss architects Bearth and Deplazes have created Winery Obrecht at the eastern entrance to the village of Jenins in Switzerland. The architects have formed a courtyard by adding a new building to the 'assembly' of existing structures, which include the former 'Zur Sonne' inn and wooden stable, with later additions including an additional stable, a shed, and a barn.
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Luis Barragán Archive at the Vitra Design Museum
Barragán Gallery, Vitra Schaudepot, GERMANY
The Barragan Foundation has been caring for the estate of Luis Barragán (1902-1988), widely regarded as the most important Mexican architect of the 20th century. The archive material was recently moved to the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Luis Barragán drew international attention with his first works in his hometown of Guadalajara. After moving to Mexico City in 1935, he developed his architectural language, combining international modernism with traditional elements of Mexican culture and landscape.
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John Morden Centre by Mæ wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2023
The RIBA Stirling Prize 2023 for the UK's best building has been awarded to the John Morden Centre by Mæ, a retirement day centre in Blackheath, London
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Student accommodation in Berlin by Sehw Architektur
Berlin-based Sehw Architektur has designed a building comprising 159 apartments for students in Oberschöneweide, Berlin. The corner building with similar treatment of its walls and sloping roof gives it a monolithic appearance. The external colour divides the building into two parts, and the slight horizontal shift in the windows provides the facade with a 'playful dynamic’. The building features open-plan kitchen-living rooms, common areas to promote social interactions, and compact apartments with large windows. Photo Helen Bereket. Sehw Architektur
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High-rise H1 building in Zurich by Bolthauser Architekten
Swiss-based Bolthauser Architekten has designed the high-rise H1 building on the Zwhatt site, in the Banhoff Nord development area of Regensdorf, near Zurich. The building is a response to a pavilion designed by artist Alexander Brodsky and is part of Peter Märkli's masterplan, which includes a second high-rise building designed by Märkli. The 24-storey, 75-meter tall building is constructed with a three-floor concrete 'table' supporting a timber structure above. The ground floor is accessible to the public and includes a bistro, while the next two floors comprise co-working areas. Above this, there are 150 apartments of various sizes, configured according to the timber structure.
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Jonathan Tuckey Design refurbishes farmstead in Piedmont, Italy
London-based architecture studio Jonathan Tuckey Design has refurbished and converted a 200-year-old farmstead in Piedmont to create a home and studio. The project, named Cascina, aims to open up the facade to reconnect the building to the landscape and also to strip back additions made in the 1990s. With the methodology of 'elegant appropriation', the original fabric, including the stone walls and roof timbers, together with roof tiles, are reused. New repairs and upgrades are woven into the existing structure, creating a rich tapestry.
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LAMA Pavilion in Chile by Pezo von Ellrichshausen
Chile-based architecture studio Pezo Von Ellrichshausen has created the LAMA Pavilion in Yungay, Chile to provide views of the Andes Mountains. The pavilion consists of two stacked towers with an extended, cantilevered plate dividing the two. The plate holds a shallow volume of rainwater reflecting the upper part of the tower, suggesting the presence of the lower part. Inside, a spiral staircase is surrounded by murals of 30 native flowers, leading via a timber staircase, to a blackened room with four peepholes. This, in turn, leads to a rooftop firepit, giving the building the appearance of a chimney when viewed from a distance. Pezo von Ellrichshausen
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lahznimmo architects design a new building at the Museum Discovery Centre in Sydney
Sydney-based studio lahznimmo architects has designed a new building for the Powerhouse Museum's Museums Discovery Centre (MDC) in Castle Hill, Sydney, Australia. The new 9,000 square-meter building, known as Building J, adds to the six buildings currently on the site. This building provides storage for the Powerhouse collection and archives, and includes a public viewing space capable of housing planes, trains and automobiles. There are additional spaces for workshops, events, laboratories, photography and research work.
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Hawthorn House in Victoria, Australia designed by Edition Office
Melbourne-based Australian architectural studio Edition Office has designed Hawthorn House in Victoria, Australia. The house features two arched structural concrete shrouds linked by a walkway and a courtyard garden. Ground floor formal and informal living spaces are separated into two pavilions connected by a north-facing garden and courtyard. Sleeping and bathing spaces are located on the first floor, set in from the concrete shell, creating space for private courtyards. The rough-sawn formwork timber boards used for the concrete shell are reused for the perimeter fencing.
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The Polish Army Museum in Warsaw was designed by WXCA as part of one of the largest museum complexes in Europe
Polish architectural studio WXCA has completed the South Building of the Polish Army Museum in the Warsaw Citadel as part of a plan to create one of the largest museum complexes in Europe. The South Building consists of eight separate blocks connected by glass walls providing glimpses of the surrounding park. The blocks are constructed of coloured architectural concrete, similar in colour to the Citadel's walls, and they feature a chevron pattern with a military reference, scaled to the size of a human hand.
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Grain House in the Jutland region of Denmark by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter
Norway and Denmark-based architects Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter have created the Kornets Hus (Grain House), a centre in the Jutland region of Denmark that informs visitors about the importance of grain locally and its significance for human civilisation. The region has a rich food and farming culture, and the new centre is situated on the grounds of an existing farm and bakery in Hjørring, a town with some of the country's oldest settlement remains.
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Multi-generational housing in Erfurt, Germany by architects Dorschner Kahl and Heine Mildner
Dorschner Kahl Architekten in collaboration with Heine Mildner Architecken, both based in Germany, have created Andreasgärten, a complex for multi-generational living in the centre of Erfurt in Germany. The complex comprises three new three-storey timber buildings hosting 100 rental apartments, a therapy centre, and a chapel, together with an adapted former brick carriage house that serves as a kindergarten.
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Elcano apartment building in Madrid by FRPO
Madrid-based architects FRPO, founded by Fernando Rodriguez and Pablo Oriol, have created an apartment building in Elcano, a street previously comprising low-rise warehouses and workshops, close to the city centre in Madrid, Spain. The building comprises 13 apartments, with storage rooms, a garden, a swimming pool and 32 underground parking places. It occupies the maximum volume allowed by the regulations, in this case, a floor plan of 22m by 12m with a 14m height.
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Brandenberger Kloter Architekten completes primary school building in Aarwangen, Switzerland
Basel-based Swiss architects Brandenberger Kloter Architekten have created a primary school building on the existing Sonnhalde campus in the centre of Aarwangen in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Seamless in-situ concrete is used as the primary construction and facade material, in keeping with the existing 1960s buildings. A deep incision in the building at ground floor level marks the entrance, with a large entrance hall leading to the library, kindergarten and workrooms on the ground floor, and classrooms on the upper floors.
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Community building in Suffolk by James Gorst Architects
James Gorst Architects designed the Castle Community Rooms for the Framlingham Parochial Church Council (PCC) in the historic town of Framlingham, Suffolk. Situated between two Grade I listed buildings, St. Michael's Church and Framlingham Castle, the new building replaces an existing 1898 hall that had reached the end of its structural life. The new timber-framed structure is protected by black zinc cladding and supported by piled foundations that protect existing archaeology and tree roots.
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RIBA announces Reinvention Award shortlist
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have announced the shortlist for the first Reinvention Award, celebrating the creative reuse of buildings to improve their environmental,social, or economic sustainability. The shortlist includes projects by 6a architects x Caragh Touring, van Heyningen and Haward Architects, Wright & Wright Architects, and Associated Architects with Rodney Melville and Partners.
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Office Winhov transforms a former laboratory building in Amsterdam into a boutique hotel
Amsterdam based architects Office Winhov transformed a former university dissection laboratory in Amsterdam into the 5* Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park, as part of the city's transformation of Oosterpark. The Oosterpark masterplan enabled changing the use of adjacent monumental buildings and encouraged their integration with the park.
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The Olive Grove House in Valencia, Spain by Balzar Arquitectos
Valencia-based architects, Balzar Arquitectos, have created a house in an olive grove on the outskirts of Quesa, a small town founded by Spain's Moorish community in Valencia. The building is designed with a steel frame, enabling 18-meter wide openings, and features three courtyards and a wide verandah with a pool that extends out into the olive grove. Terracotta tones are used in the facade and floors, along with Iranian travertine, brass and olive green joinery. The house has been designed to Passive house standards. Photo David Zarzoso. Balzar Arquitectos
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Christ & Ganterbein design a new bridge in Aarau, Switzerland
Architects Christ & Ganterbein, with headquarters in Basel, have designed the new Aare Bridge in Aarau, northern Switzerland. The new bridge replaces a concrete bridge from 1949 and forms an urban public space at the entrance to the historic old town. Drawing inspiration from the stone buildings of Aarau, the bridge features a seamless reinforced concrete design with geometry that minimises the use of concrete.
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Níall McLaughlin architects create a museum dedicated to rugby in Limerick, Ireland
Stirling Prize-winning London-based architects Níall McLaughlin have designed The International Rugby Experience, a cultural institution and visitor experience dedicated to rugby. It is situated on the edge of a conservation area in Limerick's Georgian Quarter in Ireland. The seven-floor building is conceived as a civic building in a Georgian landscape rather than a townhouse.
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Nature observation pavilion in Houston by Jesús Vassallo
The Mass Timber pavilion, an observation deck, was designed by Spanish architect and Rice University professor Jesús Vassallo, along with a team formed by graduates Pouya Khadem and Lene Sollie. It is located in the biodiverse Rice University campus in Houston, within a restored watershed housing various microhabitats. Made of Cross Laminated Timber, this carbon-negative structure resembles a large furniture piece, showcasing the logic of its assembly. Photo César Béjar. Jesús Vassallo
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Henning Larsen designs ferry terminal and HQ in the capital of the Faroe Islands
International studio Henning Larsen has unveiled detailed designs for an 8,000m2 public harbour and headquarters for shipping company Smyril Line in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands. Traditional Faroese wooden fishing boats and the hand-built coastal paths inspired the wooden structure and concrete base of the building.
The terminal is located close to the Faroese parliament and was once the primary gateway between the Faroe Islands and the rest of the world. A terrace ramp offers the public impressive views, and the office features an expansive private internal garden. Visualisation credit ELEMENT. Henning Larsen
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Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, New York by Herzog & de Meuron
Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron have transformed a derelict 115-year-old power plant in Brooklyn, New York, into 170,000 sq ft of workshop space for artists and fabricators. The Turbine Hall of the power plant was repaired and preserved, exposing concrete vaults, brick chases, glazed tilework, and graffiti from the time when the site was known as the 'Bat Cave'. The upper level of the Turbine Hall, with its exposed structure displaying refurbished steel trusses, is left as an open flexible space for exhibitions and events.
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James Gorst Architects create a temple complex in Hampshire
London and Suffolk based James Gorst Architects have designed a multi-faith temple complex in Rake, Hampshire, located within the South Downs National Park. The plan comprises orthogonal pavilions that house a temple, library, chapels, meeting spaces, public foyer and a kitchen. The pavilions are connected by a cloistered walkway facing a courtyard garden, set within landscaped grounds.
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Serpentine Pavillon 2023: À Table designed by Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture
9 June 2023 - 29 October 2023
The 22nd Serpentine Pavilion was designed by French-Lebanese Paris-based architect Lina Ghotmeh. The title 'À Table' is a French call to sit at a table and engage and participate while sharing a meal. The pavilion's lightweight timber structure is built predominately of bio-sourced and low-carbon materials, and designed to be lightweight and demountable, allowing it to be reused.
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PPA Architectures design the ‘Conservatoire de Musique et de Danse’ outside Toulouse, France
Toulouse-based PPA Architectures has designed the Conservatoire de Musique et de Danse (Conservatory of Music and Dance) in Blagnac, a suburb of Toulouse, France. Set in a landscaped site, the project consists of a horizontal two-storey volume and a perpendicular single-storey concrete building.
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McLaren Excell restores and extends a listed 18th century cottage in Hampstead
London-based interior design and architecture studio, McLaren Excell, has completed the restoration and extension of a listed semi-detached 18th-century cottage in Hampstead, London. The removal of a 1950s side extension allowed for the addition of a corten steel-clad extension at the lower ground floor level. The interior of the Regency building has been restored to its original 1820s state, while the new extension features shuttered in-situ concrete walls and coffered ceilings. The Douglas fir boards used for shuttering have been re-used for the internal joinery. Photo of corten-clad extension by Simone Bossi. McLaren Excell
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Wespi de Meuron Romeo architects design house with bed and breakfast accommodation in Bruges
Switzerland-based architects Wespi de Meuron Romeo have created a house with separate bed and breakfast accommodations set in a forest in Bruges, Belgium. The house and each of the bed and breakfast accommodations feature private courtyards. The walls of the buildings and courtyards, both internally and externally, are constructed of old bricks, including broken pieces, coated with a thin render to preserve the visible texture of the bricks. Wespi de Meuron Romeo
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Mæ architects design a day care centre in a South East London conservation area
Mæ has completed the John Morden Centre, a daycare centre and health facility for the elderly in the Blackheath Park conservation area in South East London. The hub includes a workshop, café, art space, medical facilities and social lounges with the aim of tackling social isolation.
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Sanden+Hodnekvam designs a Brick House with a Tower in Lillehammer, Norway
Norwegian architecture studio Sanden+Hodnekvam has designed a house on a steep hillside overlooking Lake Mjøsa, south of Lillehammer in Norway. In keeping with the area's tradition of masonry buildings and brickyards, shades of red brick have been used to clad a load-bearing timber structure. Ash joinery is used externally, and ash plywood is used internally, along with an exposed pine roof structure. The main living and sleeping spaces are on the first floor, with children's accommodation and an apartment on the ground floor. On the top floor, a small tower provides a sitting area with views of the city and the lake. Sanden+Hodnekvam
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Casa Enso II in Guanajuato, Mexico by HW Studio Architects
Mexico-based architects HW Studio, designed Casa Enso II in Guanajuato, Mexico using stone as the primary construction material, an abundant local material with deep cultural significance. The project is organised as a crucifix creating four quadrants each with a separate purpose. The entrance quadrant houses a garden, the second quadrant provides space for cars with shading by preserved trees, there is a one-bedroom house in the third quadrant and a contrasting vertical element in the fourth quadrant forming an office. Photo Cesar Bejar. HW Studio
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HKW Bookshop in Berlin by Sauerbruch Hutton using recycled elements
Sauerbruch Hutton has redesigned the bookshop at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin, with reused elements from previous exhibitions. Light grey MDF boards are used for the tables and shelves, and steel-framed recycled polycarbonate sheets are used as movable screens. In contrast to the muted colour of the furniture elements and the architecture, the books and textile ceiling flags provide colour and help define the boundary of the bookstore. Photo © Jan Bitter. Sauerbruch Hutton
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Snøhetta designs a viewing tower and panorama room in the Tyrolean Alps
Architecture firm Snøhetta, with headquarters in Oslo, has designed a viewing tower and panorama at 2,030 meters above sea level, near the Wiedersberger Horn peak in the Tyrolean Alps, Austria. The building is of timber construction, following the tradition of buildings in the Alpbactal region, with a concrete base and clad in locally made shingles. Situated adjacent to the cable car station, the building provides keyless access to an unheated but sheltered space with 360-degree panoramic views, in both winter and summer. Photo Christian Flatscher. Snøhetta
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Family home in Derbyshire by architects Blee Halligan
Architects Blee Halligan, with offices in London and Turks and Caicos Islands, have created 'Derwent Valley Villa', a family home in the village of Duffield in Derbyshire, England. Inspired by historic 18th-century red brick cotton mills in Derbyshire, the house is built of red brick with concrete banding, and designed as linked garden spaces in a wet woodland garden to provide the experience of 'living in a garden'. Photo ©Henry Woide. Blee Halligan
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Urban apartment building by Bovenbouw Architectuur in the Antwerp docklands
Belgian-based Bovenbouw Architectuur has created the 'Palazzo', an apartment building next to the Kattendijkdok in Antwerp. The Palazzo features an undulating facade on a prominent corner site and comprises 54 apartments over 6 floors with commercial units on the ground floor, a courtyard accessible from the street and underground parking. The building forms part of an urban block with the other buildings designed by Sergison Bates Architects and BULK Architectuur. Photo Stijn Bollaert. Bovenbouw Architectuur
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DEMOGO creates a cabin 2,667m above sea level in the Italian Dolomites
The New Bivouac Fanton, a cabin designed by Italian architects DEMOGO, is situated 2,667m above sea level in the Marmarole mountain range in the Italian Dolomites. The structure is characterised by its inclined profile and designed as a telescope to frame the vast natural space with a distant view of the town of Auronzo at the base of the valley. The shade of the exterior, with its natural metallic coating, is influenced by the surrounding rocks and it contrasts with the raw timber interior. Photo Iwan Baan. DEMOGO
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Sehw Architektur designs two buildings for use as temporary accommodation for professionals in Berlin
Berlin-based Sehw Architektur's project 'Twins for Modern Job Nomads' in Berlin Schöneweide provides temporary accommodation for 50 professionals on an urban in-fill site. Rather than completely fill the existing gap, a six-storey street-facing building is situated to allow entry to a semi-public courtyard, which then provides access to a 'twin' rear building via a private communal garden. Photo Helin Bereket. Sehw Architektur
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Maison à Bordeaux by Rem Koolhaas, OMA
Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas of OMA, designed Maison à Bordeaux, a three-floor house on a hill overlooking Bordeaux. The house was designed for a couple. Following a car crash, the husband became wheelchair-bound and his brief to the architect was clear, 'I do not want a simple house. I want a complex house because the house will define my world'. The heart of the house is a 3m by 3.5m elevator platform that moves between the three floors and itself becomes part of the kitchen, living space or office, giving easy access to books, artwork or a wine cellar. The house was completed in 1998. Photo Hans Werlemann ©OMA. OMA
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Gigon/Guyer extension to the Josef Albers Museum Quadrat Bottrop in Germany
Zurich-based Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architects have added a two-story extension to the Josef Albers Museum Quadrat in Bottrop's historic park Stadtgarten. The form, materials and colour of the structure are designed such that the architectural identity of the adjacent 1913 judge's villa and museum buildings from the 1970s and 1980s, are clearly legible. Photo Stefan Müller, Berlin. Gigon/Guyer
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Carvalho Araújo designs Casa na Caniçada on woodland in Viera do Minho, Portugal
Portuguese architect Carvalho Araújo designed a glass and concrete house situated in dense woodland near the Caniçada reservoir in Portugal. The form of the three-floor house was informed by an existing building on the site. The openings have been designed to allow continuity between the inside and outside, while the surrounding spaces have been preserved with the vegetation providing a sense of enclosure. Photo ©NUDO. Carvalho Araújo
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