Curated lists of the best new building-products, materials and design solutions to inspire your next project.
While many of us have fond memories of treehouses from our youth, they can also make for proper buil dings for grown-ups. Earlier this week, we celebrated Earth Day with a collection of rammed-earth architecture; today, in honor of Arbor Day, we’re pleased to present five treehouses. Although they’re not necessarily supported by the actual trees…
As an eco-friendly alternative to concrete, rammed earth has been trending for a minute; suffice it to say that the sustainable and cost-effective building solution has come a long way from ancient times. By using natural and usually local materials like sand, soil, clay, chalk, lime, or gravel, compressed into blocks, rammed earth buildings have…
Bow trusses were a popular structural system in the early 20th century, especially in America. They consist of an arched beam above and a straight beam below. The engineering feat has historically been popular both for bridges and for industrial architecture such as hangars due to its ability to clear-span large distances. This prefabricated bridge…
One of the most controversial stories in architecture so far this year has to be that of Jean Nouvel , who boycotted the opening of his Philharmonie in Paris. The French architect complained that it had opened its doors — as (much-belatedly) scheduled in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo incident — despite remaining unfinished and…
Given the trend of inhabiting smaller, more modest homes, a proper bathtub is increasingly a rarity if not an outright luxury. But for those individuals who truly value a good soak, these projects show just how a little creativity can go a long way toward having your personal space and bathing in it, too. Haffenden…
The Nordic countries are known for their ability to build wondrous wildness cabins (and make anythin g beautiful out of birch). From perennially snowbound to handsomely patina’d over time, we’ve compiled a collection of six Nordic Cabins that are never short of a spectacular view. Juvet Landscape Hotel by Jensen & Skodvin Arkitektkontor Located on a…
Wood has long been a building material that expresses warmth while acting as a structural element, a s well. The earliest huts and wooden low-rise buildings have given way to steel, but wood is still coveted as a façade material. As technology has progressed, wood can be used in a variety of ways, often defying convention.…
Architects have found a place for polycarbonate panels in the modern home, but only after proving th eir worth in a number of nonresidential settings. Given what we now know about the connection between natural lighting and workplace productivity, it’s no surprise to find these light-permeable panels on the rise in modern offices. In their most…
A staple in modern greenhouses, polycarbonate panels have made their way into residential architectu re in recent years, where the same light-diffusing effect that makes them perfect for plant nurseries has a number of pretty cool corollaries. These tough thermoplastics make for great daylighting. From the outside, their translucence provides an impression of a space’s interior…