Architectural case studies and material exemplars to spark your creativity and inspire your next project.
On a night of grand ceremony and big ideas, Bjarke Ingels picked up further recognition for his ambi tious plan to increase the resilience of New York City in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. In partnership with Amsterdam-based firm One Architecture, BIG received the LafargeHolcim Global Bronze Award for the Dryline — otherwise known as the…
Arctic architecture arises from its constraints. Few places across the world have such extreme envir onmental, socio-political, and material demands. While vernacular projects have been designed throughout the region for centuries, the Artic is currently experiencing intense, newfound attention, especially in architecture, planning, and infrastructure. Increasingly diminishing polar ice levels have opened up the Northern Sea…
Renzo Piano is mostly renowned for masterminding a string of cultural landmarks around the globe, fr om the Pompidou Center in Paris to the splendid Whitney Museum in New York City. However, the Italian architect has proven more than a match for his peers in the commercial realm, too, beating a host of illustrious names to…
Natural elements can wreak havoc on buildings. As architects and designers, we are always fighting w ater, solar heat gain, thermal bridging, and a number of different climatic or environmental conditions. Architecture simply does not exist outside its context; every building is sited among unique, broad systems that constantly challenge our “pure” forms. As architecture has…
Flooding spaces with natural light is more popular than ever in architecture today. Not only does it reduce the need for artificial lighting (and therefore translates to energy savings), but it provides a connection to nature and the outdoors. The sun’s power is a double-edged sword, however, causing heat gain that may negate those energy savings. We take a look at six outstanding products — winners and finalists of the 2015 A+Awards
“We’re not here to build for other architects, we’re here to build for all of humankind.” – Bjarke I ngels of BIG, A+Awards Firm of the Year 2014 The wait is officially over. The world’s premier awards program for architecture is back — and for 2016, it promises to be bigger than ever. Why enter? Because…
Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron know only too well how challenging it can be conceiving high-r ise designs in low-rise cities. They faced a protracted battle to get their pyramidal tower in Paris accepted by locals and the planning authority in the French capital. However, last week they successfully realized a project of similar proportions…
Under most circumstances, you’ll find yourself waiting to fill your prescription in the basement of some big-name drugstore. Longing for natural light, you may find yourself wondering why. Perhaps for security purposes? Maybe natural light taints whatever is being dispensed? Whatever the reason, it remains an unsolved mystery. One of the ways architects have fashioned…
Architects and design aficionados frequently get embroiled in heated debates over the value of rende rings when evaluating unbuilt projects, and rightly so — cleverly lit, artificially textured images can be misleading all too often. That’s why this Instagram photo — posted by New York-based developers JDS — constitutes the most satisfying preview of a building…