Practice: Materials

“We were a part of defining the project, not merely the creative problem-solvers.”

When New York City–based equities trader Laurence Cohen purchased one of the three floor-through uni ts in Obsidian House, he also heeded signs to treat the new home as a blank canvas. The 38-year-old had spent the previous decade in a low-ceilinged postwar apartment building in Greenwich Village, and Obsidian House’s Tribeca location, history of innovation…

Earlier this month, a popular Washington, D.C.–based architecture commentator took to one hometown n ewspaper to mull local developers’ propensities for all-glass new construction. Was the material’s popularity, combined with limitations like the city’s famous height moratorium, producing look-alike buildings? The thought piece imagined differentiating future projects with traditional materials or higher-flying design. And while these…

New York is a city full of aging buildings, manufactured in brick, terra cotta, cast iron and other materials vulnerable to time, erosion and gravity. Therefore, it represents a significant market for architects working in preserving, restoring and evaluating the resilience of historic architecture. “Because of the density and because of the amount of people…

Architects: Showcase your work and find the perfect materials for your next project through Architiz er. Manufacturers: Sign up now to learn how you can get seen by the world’s top architecture firms. Still looking for that perfect gift for your significant other, clients and colleagues, family members, pets or yourself? Or struggling to decorate for the holidays? We’ve…

Forget for a moment about the black décor of the bachelor pads of yore. These days, the color is hel ping craft sleek and polished looks for a diverse array of spaces and structures. Today, we look at a handful of recent projects that have tastefully and successfully incorporated the color — whether in large swaths…

In light of strenuous discourse on climate vulnerabilities, strengthening national infrastructure an d the role of architects within urban innovation and sustainability, it is crucial to give attention to and evaluate successful infrastructure that is both conscious of its environment and gives precedence to smart design. Enter NEXT Architects, a Dutch firm founded by Bart Reuser,…

A certain ethos pervades every tile, brick and timber board of Kevin Greenberg’s interior renovation s.

Parking facilities are typically massive, nondescript concrete structures, but one firm aimed to imb ue one with character — and bring it down to the human scale. The Athena Parking Structure at the University of California, San Diego, Medical Campus “is a bulky thing — a behemoth that’s seven stories tall, and it’s in a very…