Vibrant colors, ping-pong tables, video games, free food and extravagant decorations. Photographs of the Silicon Valley offices of the early 2000s became the model for ideal, disruptive work environments, meticulously designed to attract and retain new talent in a highly competitive job market. Most importantly, they were the extreme opposite of the famous cubicles of previous decades. Over time, these same companies have invested in creating healthier and more dynamic working environments, giving special consideration to providing contact with nature and better ergonomics for employees. Among the innovations of the past years, the so-called “standing desks” have been gaining popularity, as they offer flexibility and promote a culture of health and well-being. Having the flexibility to work either standing up or sitting down encourages more movement throughout the day and has been proven to improve health and stretching, burn more calories and even increase concentration.

In contemporary architecture, the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces has increasingly been dissolved. This dissolution establishes a smooth transition between spaces, promoting a sense of harmony and connectivity with the surrounding environment. This trend reflects a fundamental change in contemporary lifestyles, where seamless integration between humans and their environment is increasingly valued and sought after. One of the ways this can be achieved is through fluid spatial arrangements or distinctive architectural elements, such as large windows, open plans and integrated outdoor areas. 

Other elements that promote integration and connection are multifunctional furniture. These can play a fundamental role in blurring the boundaries between indoor comfort and outdoor freedom. Andreu World, a Spanish company, offers furniture that transitions easily between indoor and outdoor environments. Three of their furniture lines—Dado, Nuez and Liceo—work especially well in both indoor and outdoor setting.

The historical local markets of San Lorenzo and Sant'Ambrogio in the centre of Florence, Italy, have been a meeting point for local people for decades; a privileged location from which a sense of community, belonging and sharing has grown. The structure-symbol for local residents and a major tourist attraction, they recently underwent a series of renovation works to update their image and strengthen relations with customers and retailers, with a view to preserving their identity and authenticity. 

The Hainan Science Museum, designed by Ma Yansong / MAD Architects, is progressing through its construction phases. The project began its design phase in 2020, broke ground in November 2021, and completed its main structure in June 2023. The museum, located on the west coast of Haikou City in Hainan Province, aims to be a landmark that integrates modern architecture with natural surroundings, promoting the convergence of technology and nature. The museum is expected to finish its curtain wall and landscaping by June this year and open for visitors in 2025.

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Construction has reached the roof level in Zaha Hadid Architect’s development above Hong Kong High-Speed Rail West Kowloon Terminus. Adjacent to the West Kowloon Cultural District, this development connects established and emerging neighborhoods with a network of public gardens and landscaped plazas. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), it seeks to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding station and rooftop park, offering civic, office, and retail spaces.

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At the turn of the century, architects embraced 3D parametric modeling through building information modeling (BIM), and in the last 10 years connected BIM to the cloud to improve coordination and productivity. But BIM struggles to unify data and workflows across the entire plan, design, build and operate lifecycle. Integrating AI—along with granular data and automation—will empower the next generation of architects with a more connected and outcome-based approach to design, enabling them to focus on outcomes like building performance or sustainability from the very beginning of a project. 

United Kingdom-based office For Everyday.Life (FEL) is one of the three selected winners for the Open Category of ICON’s Initiative 99, an open competition aiming to promote affordable home designs that can be built for under $99,000 employing ICON’s 3D printing technologies. FEL’s project, titled “Housing Salinas,” focuses on community living while applying principles of long-term sustainability, and social and environmental responsibility.

Gustav Düsing and FAKT have just won the competition to design an adaptive reuse project in Siegen, Germany. Following Gustav Düsing’s recent win of the EU Mies Award 2024, the NAS project was developed through a comprehensive participatory process involving students, faculty, staff, and community members. The New Architecture School (NAS) is an adaptive reuse proposal transforming the former printing facility into a new type of central campus. Aspiring to act as a dynamic urban entity, the design combines academic pursuits with cultural and public spaces.

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Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio is renowned for creating spaces that transport individuals to a mood as much as a physical place. He’s a designer of sets and a storyteller as well as a creator of objects. As he says: “I always imagine the product in a movie set, an ambiance where people interact with the product and the space.” His latest collaboration with AXOR—a collection of distinctive bathroom fixture designs—is a paradigm of his craft, expanding the idea of the objects into idealized "light box" domestic spaces, in which they feature. One of these spaces is his "Nature Bound Vacation Home" concept.

Architecture opens up new perspectives, leads the eye across endless expanses and gives a deep sense of absolute freedom. In the Cole Residence, a fantastically situated estate high above Los Angeles, these qualities merge together. A dance transports the audience to another world. 

Conceived by Sky-Frame, a leading international supplier of frameless sliding door systems, the film—directed by Boris Noir—conveys the attitude to life that the brand wants to convey with its products. The architecture of the buildings we live in influences how we perceive our environment, how we move around in it and how we shape it. A view, not a window.

The Lindau Art Museum is hosting an exhibition titled “Christo and Jeanne-Claude - A Lifelong Journey.” Running from April 13th to October 13th, 2024, this display marks the first comprehensive museum exhibition on Christo and Jeanne-Claude in southern Germany, created in collaboration with the Christo and Janne-Claude Foundation. Featuring artistic drawings, detailed collages, early objects, and photographs, the exhibition documents the lifelong journey that led the artists to their famous large-scale temporary projects.

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Tinnerbäcksbadet, a leisure center established in 1965 on the shores of a lake in Linköping, Sweden, was showing signs of aging. To revitalize the area and meet the ever-changing demands, the city launched an international architectural competition for a new facility. The winning design, conceived by the Danish firm 3XN, blends modernity and functionality. This integration into the surrounding urban landscape, with the new structure serving as a focal point in a newly reimagined neighborhood square, was crucial to the project's success.

However, it is in the material details and subtle undulations of its layout that the genius of the design is revealed, guiding visitors and users to the indoor spaces and verdant extensions surrounding the bathing lake. The project exudes warmth and sophistication with its palette of natural, earthy colors, through the extensive use of exposed wood, concrete, and ceramic tiles. Manufactured by Agrob Buchtal from natural raw materials, these tiles contribute to the space's elegance while promising longevity, a hallmark of truly sustainable architecture. Covering 18,000 m², the ceramic surfaces play a fundamental role in promoting visual comfort and unifying the entire structure.

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The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design discuss the benefits and negatives of working for small and large architecture offices as a young professional. The two share their own experiences and cover why working at different-sized offices can be beneficial.

In pool design, one big challenge is to make sure that the pool blends in with the rest of the architecture. If it is being designed from scratch, the materials must meet the necessary design criteria, as well as the technical requirements of areas exposed to the elements and in direct contact with water.

These were the premises that Sebastián Arquitectos took into account in this project for a villa—Casa EA!—, using a single floor tile collection by Gres Aragón. Set in the midst of Litago nature reserve, at the foot of Mount Moncayo in Zaragoza (Spain), the villa blends in beautifully with its surroundings.