In-depth case studies on amazing architecture and the building-products that helped make it a reality.
“Novelty is embraced not for its own sake, but for its potential to generate new archetypes, to prov ide a glimpse into a parallel world where architecture truly has agency: where design can change society for the better.” With these words, architectural designer and theorist Evan Chakroff struck on the profound sense of hope embedded within…
“This is the beginning of the timber age.” — Andrew Waugh, Waugh Thistleton Architects, November 201 5 Last year, the idea that timber-framed buildings could be at the forefront of sustainable urban development was consolidated, with a number of prominent firms buying into the “forest to frame” philosophy advocated by the winners of the US Tall…
Programming lies at the heart of architecture. While modernity brought new definitions to the famili ar term — from computer coding to radio broadcasts — programming as a spatial practice remains essential to design. Explored by Praxis almost a decade ago, programming is more than a list of spaces organized by ambiguous bubble diagrams. Approached as…
The emptiness and muted lighting of each scene creates a wistful atmosphere.
MAD Architects’ pursuit of an urban landscape at one with the natural environment has produced anoth er organic icon in Northern China. Following the opening of its wave-shaped China Wood Sculpture Museum in the burgeoning metropolis of Harbin in 2013, the Beijing-based firm has completed a remarkable venue for music and theater in the same city,…
Upon visiting the High Line for the first time in May 2004, the team members of James Corner Field O perations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro entered a lost world, far removed from the New York City they were so accustomed to. A decade later, their transformation of this industrial relic into a stunning elevated park…
One of the standout installations at the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial is, undoubtedly, SP IRIT OF SPACE’s collaboration with OPEN Architecture. This innovative group of moviemakers teamed up with Li Hu’s Beijing-based firm to tell the story of the Garden School in the Chinese capital, and new footage has now been released with compelling commentary on…
The challenge of utilizing stone in a fresh and dynamic way has been something of a hot topic lately . Renzo Piano found ingenious ways to modernize the sandstone of Malta in his Valetta City Gate master plan, and there have been numerous examples recently of cool, contemporary designs harnessing the age-old technique of gabion walling.…
In the history of tall buildings, the geographic epicenter has shifted numerous times. Almost a cent ury ago, North American cities New York and Chicago gave birth to sky-high structures spurred by the advent of steel frame construction and the invention of the elevator. Decades later, the Far Eastern cities of China saw an influx of…