World Class: 8 Translucent Skins Built to Inspire

The materials and structures we choose shape both spatial experience and perception, creating distinctive atmospheres, moods and conditions.

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Innovative enclosures can radically redefine architecture. The materials and structures we choose shape both spatial experience and perception, creating distinctive atmospheres, moods and conditions. By reinventing typical construction techniques and cladding systems, architects can radically reimagine how people connect to place. By combining different materials, or assembling them in a new way, novel experiences are created that force us to wonder and reflect.

The following collection takes a closer look at buildings formed with a range of scales and programs, each using ideas of transparency and translucency to reimagine building skins. As retail, cultural and religious projects, the designs are located across multiple continents and climates.

Odette Estate Winery by Signum Architecture, Napa County, Calif., United States

Designed around the idea of a sweeping swan’s wing, this winery in Napa was inspired by the Tchaikovsky ballet character Odette. The project was made with a backlit perforated metal screen that allows for ventilation into the winery tunnels and explores ideas of translucency and transparency through the building envelope.

Östermalm’s Temporary Market Hall by Tengbom, Stockholm, Sweden

Formed to bring fresh produce to Östermalm’s Square in Stockholm, this temporary market utilizes lightweight, sustainable and cost-efficient materials. Market stalls, storage and restaurants are located on the ground floor, while kitchens and technical spaces are found on two mezzanines stretching along the north and south façades.

Information Point in Glorias Square by peris+toral.arquitectes, Barcelona, Spain

Designed as an ephemeral building that could be thought of as reusable and removable, the Information Point utilizes a scaffold structural system and a waterproof polycarbonate skin. This translucent envelope combines with a shading metal mesh to filter sunlight and blur the boundaries of the building.

Crystal Houses by MVRDV, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Expressing Dutch heritage and international architecture, Crystal Houses was designed as a flagship store along Amsterdam’s only luxury-brand street. Utilizing an extensive amount of glass, the project’s façade mimics the original house design but was realized with a series of glass bricks.

© PANCORBO+DE VILLAR+CHACON+MARTIN ROBLES

Congress Center and Auditorium by Pancorbo+De Villar+Chacón+Martin Robles, Spain

The “Vegas Atlas” Center is located among land that’s both agricultural and urban. Designed as a kind of giant straw bale floating in the landscape, the project uses a screen structure to clad the cubic volume and create a sense of layering.

The Bahá’í Temple of South America by Hariri Pontarini Architects, Santiago, Chile

Inspired by light and its spiritual qualities, this temple in Chile is located in the foothills of the Andes. As the last of the eight continental temples commissioned by the Bahá’í Community, the project uses translucent marble from the Portuguese Estremoz quarries combined with cast-glass panels.

Visual Arts Building, University of Iowa by Steven Holl Architects, Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Formed around seven vertical centers of light, this visual arts building includes 126,000 square feet of loft-like space for everything from metalsmithing to virtual reality. Shifting geometry and floor plates combine with multiple balconies and a blue-green Rheinzink skin.

Pinterest HQ by IwamotoScott Architecture, San Francisco, Calif., United States

Inspired by the redesign of Pinterest’s website, this headquarters in San Francisco features a clean, simple and intuitive design logic. Organized with porous concentric layers, the project includes a central stair wrapped in perforated steel cladding.

Author: Eric Baldwin

Based in New York City, Eric was trained in both architecture and communications. As Director of Communications at Sasaki, he has a background spanning media, academia, and practice. He's deeply committed to trying as many restaurants as possible in NYC.