Lithuania's architectural narrative is a mosaic of diverse influences and styles, representing its historical evolution, cultural heritage, and resilience through changing times. Despite a focus on traditional craftsmanship, functional minimalism, and sustainable materials, the country's design language has been profoundly influenced by its geopolitical position and historical events, resulting in a blend of styles from different periods. A key factor that cuts across all expressions, however, is Lithuanian architecture's seamless connection with its natural surroundings.
The role of a school is to prepare children for life. But with life-changing faster than ever, schools need to change just as quickly. Recent additions to school curriculums reflect the complexities of modern life, with environmental crises, societal injustices, and the dangers of social media now major parts of the syllabus.
Although it’s often said that long-term change begins at ground-level, change is never easy, wherever it starts. For example, a curriculum that responds to environmental issues is said to cause growing instances of eco-anxiety in children, one of a number of causes of another crisis, in children’s mental health.
Although considered common practice today, the concept of hand hygiene was not initially deeply ingrained in society. It wasn't until 1847 when the Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis, supported by scientific evidence, proposed that hand washing was a hygienic measure with a direct impact on people's health. From this point on, the rest is history. Hand hygiene has become a widespread practice, ranging from washing to drying, accompanied by various accessories that play specific roles in the process.
In contemporary environments, especially in the context of collective well-being, public restrooms have become a focal point. This shift in focus is, in part, a response to the post-pandemic emphasis on hygiene and the role of restroom accessories in these settings. Among the accessories available, hand dryers have garnered significant importance, even transcending their primary function. In light of this, Mediclinics has innovated by introducing a new hand dryer concept that places a strong emphasis on enhancing the user experience while offering innovative restroom equipment with a distinctive U-shaped design.
https://www.archdaily.com/1009500/hands-in-to-hands-through-a-new-generation-of-hygienic-and-aesthetic-hand-dryersEnrique Tovar
Humans have always been fascinated by reflections. Although they are no more than light bouncing back after striking a surface, there will always be something mystical and fascinating about them –whether it be a lake mirroring a beautiful landscape or a small hand mirror reflecting our face. This explains why some ancient cultures considered mirrors to be sacred objects with magical powers, while others associated them with portals leading to an unknown world. Since then, mirrors have evolved to adopt many valuable functions that are indispensable in everyday life, being found in cars, medical equipment and, of course, in countless architectural applications, especially in interiors. Experimenting with the reflection and perception of space has become an easy way for architects, designers and homeowners to transform any room. And when looking to maximize this impact, the power of exceptionally large mirrors is unparalleled. After all, the bigger the mirror, the bigger the impact.
Nanaimo Cruise Ship Terminal. Image Courtesy of Checkwitch Poiron Architects & HA Photography
Design confidence is crucial to the team at Checkwitch Poiron Architects. If they can be confident in their design, then it becomes much easier to advocate for it with clients. The team builds that confidence with flexible software and cultural awareness.
Nowadays, we spend over 90% of our time indoors, and it is becoming increasingly evident that architecture has a profound influence on our brains and bodies. The interest in comprehending how the environment affects human well-being is on the rise, with a growing number of new studies on this subject emerging each year. Moreover, architecture firms are increasingly enlisting the expertise of researchers and human experience design consultants to explore and optimize these effects.
Synonyms for ‘dark’ read like a who’s who of negativity. Words like ‘gloom’, ‘murk’, and ‘despair’ are a world away from the light and airy interiors we’re told to covet by magazines and influencers. But for many people who look for tranquillity in the bathroom, there is comfort to be found in the dark.
Many of us tend to close our eyes while searching for peace and mindfulness. In turning off the sense of sight we can retreat inside of ourselves, and focus on our own self-care. These four dark bathrooms from the ArchDaily catalog use this theory of peaceful darkness to create calming bathrooms with low, ambient lighting; natural materials, and dark surfaces.
In the last three years, we have gone from asking ourselves how we will live together to doubting if we can ever live together.
Despite the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the anticipated urban transformations resulting from it have yet to materialize. Global polarization and geopolitical unrest have us fixated on immediate issues, overshadowing our outlook for the future.
https://www.archdaily.com/1009691/the-supporters-newsletter-issue-number-6ArchDaily Team
Chris Bosse started LAVA, Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, with his partners Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck the year Watercube, the Aquatics Centre for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics was completed. Bosse was one of the leading designers of Watercube when he worked at PTW Architects in Sydney. Now LAVA employs about 100 people in four offices in Ho Chi Minh City,Sydney, Stuttgart, and Berlin. There are also two satellite offices in Honduras and Parma, Italy, led by former associates. Projects range from furniture to houses and hotels to master plans, urban centers, and airports in the Middle East, Central America, Europe, Australia, and Vietnam.
Bradbury Works / [Y/N] Studio. Image Courtesy of [Y/N] Studio
In the contemporary context, global warming has marked a turning point in the way we think about architecture. We are witnessing record temperatures on our planet and a challenging panorama in many large cities, characterized by heatwaves and, in some cases, more severe winters. These circumstances have triggered a cycle in which the demand for heating and cooling systems increases, which, in turn, translates into higher energy and operating costs for buildings.
Given this situation, it becomes imperative to design energy-efficient buildings to reduce both the environmental impact and the associated costs. One of the strategies to achieve this is to properly plan the facade, which, serving a function similar to the building's skin, can help reduce the energy required for heating and cooling. In this context, the polycarbonate panels developed by Rodeca contribute to the energy efficiency of buildings, in addition to their lightweight, slender construction, and translucent aesthetics.
https://www.archdaily.com/1009134/ecological-lightweight-and-slender-energy-efficient-architecture-with-translucent-polycarbonateEnrique Tovar
Moving away from top-down approaches, contemporary practices embrace more inclusive and participatory models and design processes. Participatory planning, a notion that prioritizes involving the entire community in the decision-making process, has earned widespread recognition and popularity globally. Cities across the world have interpreted participatory planning to fit their unique needs, using technology and government resources to expedite and enhance the process.
Representing a fusion of innovation and convenience, a smart home can be defined as an environment in which one or more devices are connected and can be controlled remotely, either through a smartphone or voice commands. Automation, or home automation, is an advanced technology that has become increasingly accessible and popular. It enables tasks ranging from efficiently controlling lighting and room temperature to managing security devices, entertainment systems, and voice-activated personal assistants. Smart homes empower residents with continuous and user-friendly control over their environment. This dynamic synergy of automation and connectivity not only promotes efficiency and resource conservation but also opens new horizons in customization and comfort, envisioning a future where homes adapt to the needs and preferences of their occupants, making life simpler and more enjoyable. However, these systems often require the installation of new cables and wiring to build the necessary infrastructure, as well as the hiring of highly specialized labor, which can often make their implementation impractical.
Of Palm / Abdalla Almula. Image Courtesy of Abdalla Almula
Happening between November 7 and 12, Dubai Design Week 2023 brought together over 500 designers, architects, and creative practitioners to explore the relationship between traditional practices and emerging technologies in an effort to create more environmental sustainability and design-led social impact solutions. As one of the most important cultural events in the Middle East, the festival brings forward a wide offering of installations, artworks, and immersive experiences, all exploring important topics of eco-friendly design.
This year’s interventions and installations drew inspiration from the region’s natural ecosystems as well as local traditions and craftsmanship while merging these practices with innovative technologies, biomaterial explorations, and reimagined ways of practicing. Across the interventions, a recurring motif emerges, that of celebrating Middle Eastern heritage and engaging productively with vernacular practices.
A home is a sacred realm, a place that embraces and honors a variety of emotions and sensations. As Gaston Bachelard asserts, it serves as our refuge in the world, our initial universe, a true cosmos in every sense of the term. Its intricate symbolism transcends mere functional aspects like room count or bathroom size. Entire universes find their place within its walls.
Let’s be honest. There’s been a certain amount of speculation over the past while about the future of imm cologne, the international furniture fair that’s traditionally kicked off the calendar year, acting as a compass to the design landscape of the following twelve months. Like every physical trade fair, it has had to navigate white waters: pandemic strictures, turbulent macroeconomics and the continued expansion of alternative channels.
Pink Floyd's song “Another brick in the wall” criticizes an alienating and demotivating educational system. People, or children, are portrayed as bricks due to their homogeneity, whether in the way of living or thinking in a society that is not very fond of opposition. Bricks work very well in this comparison, having changed very little throughout history and around the world in their rectangular shapes. But that's not true of their colors. Although we tend to think of red when we talk about bricks, there are infinite possibilities of shades, depending on the composition and manufacturing process of the pieces.
Today, architecture has become - or is in the process of becoming - more flexible and individualistic to accommodate people's diverse lifestyles and spatial needs. With this adaptation, the residential typology has changed and living rooms have become endangered. Many insist on the need of having a space dedicated to relaxation and leisure, while others claim it is simply a waste of space and money. This debate raised an important question: do we still need living/sitting rooms? In this interior focus, we will look at how living rooms evolved through the years, and how architects readapted and integrated the concept of “gathering space” in contemporary residential architecture.
Sir Peter Cook and Gavin Robotham’s CRAB Studio has unveiled the design for a new cultural center to be constructed in New Delhi, India. Located on the site of a former quartzite quarry, the BRIJ offers facilities for the visual, performing, literary, and culinary arts as well as a new arts academy. The scheme, aiming to promote interactions between artists and audiences via an immersive environment, is designed by CRAB Studio, now led by Gavin Robotham, and CP Kukreja Architects (CPKA) as Executive Architect.
The Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning in China (MoCAUP) has recently opened an exhibition titled “Ma Yansong: Landscapes in Motion.” This retrospective showcases the work of MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano, spanning nearly two decades and 52 projects. Running until December 17, the display is envisioned as a platform for imaginative exploration of future urban life.
The fabric of our cities is shaped by millions of small decisions and adaptations, many of which have become integral to our experience. Nowadays taken for granted, some of these elements were revolutionary at the time of their implementation. One such element is the curb cut, the small ramp grading down the sidewalk to connect it to the adjoining street, allowing wheelchair users and people with motor disabilities to easily move onto and off the sidewalk. This seemingly small adaptation has proven to be unexpectedly useful for a wider range of people, including parents with strollers, cyclists, delivery workers, etc. Consequently, it lends its name to a wider phenomenon, the “curb cut effect”, where accommodations and improvements made for a minority end up benefiting a much larger population in expected and unexpected ways.
Since the advent of Modernism, architects have become schizophrenic in dealing with the reality of time. This is a problem, because time and gravity are two universal forces. Architects are exquisitely good at dealing with gravity—it is present in everything we design. We study it and engineer its unrelenting requirements. Gravity does a symbiotic dance with structure. No matter how a design feigns weightlessness, its mass cannot be denied. Architects must deal with gravity, whether it’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s sagging balconies at Fallingwater or today’s steroidally enhanced parametric buildings.
