Beyond being a prefabricated material currently produced in large quantities, the use of concrete blocks in architecture continues to evolve to meet the demands and needs of contemporary societies that are constantly changing. Whether in interior or exterior spaces, their use can align with concepts of circular economy, resource efficiency, sustainability, and more, with the goal of creating habitable spaces while also understanding their constructive advantages and disadvantages, their expressive and aesthetic qualities, and so on.
As dwellers of big cities, we tend to be dragged into a very fast-paced lifestyle. Surrounded by monumental buildings and infrastructure, we can easily lose sight of key spaces that connect us with our neighborhood and provide us with rare moments of peace and enjoyment. Appropriation of the environment we inhabit becomes an uncommon circumstance.
The act of play creates a welcome escape from the demands of daily life, encouraging joy, creativity and collaboration, with tangible benefits from stress relief to improved cognitive function. So when it comes to the interiors of spaces for play—for leisure and socializing for example—how can design enhance these effects? Specifying adaptable modular furniture that can blend the boundaries between indoor and out is one method to improving the freedom and spontaneity of space, bringing agency to moments of joy, possibilities for fresh configurations and equipping interiors for shifting future dynamics.
For Italian designer Matteo Nunziati’s latest collection of outdoor furniture for Unopiù, the Davos collection, he was inspired by the geometric simplicity of children’s games as functional devices for enlightenment and to reconnect spaces to movement and expression. The generous yet lightweight modular seating system, which includes sofas, chaise longues, armchairs and coffee tables, is easy to assemble and offers infinitely adaptable scenarios to encourage play in daily life. To unlock these qualities, Nunziati was drawn in particular to the logical beauty of the abacus, with its magnetic balls connected on linear elements.
For architects and designers, unbuilt/unrealized projects are confounding, bittersweet, frustrating, elusive, even ghostly—the ultimate what-ifs. Often launched with the grandest ambitions, only to become derailed by the multiplicity of complications that can beset every proposed work of architecture. Author, editor, and critic Sam Lubell has spent a healthy chunk of his career cataloging these thwarted fever dreams. Now he has released, with co-author Greg Goldin, a new compilation, Atlas of Never Built Architecture (Phaidon), a global survey of more than 300 unbuilt projects ranging from the 20th century to the present day.
Recently I reached out to the writers to talk about the book, what unbuilt projects say about the culture at large, and some of their favorite unrealized projects. This interview was conducted via email, with Lubell and Goldin choosing to respond jointly.
As an architect I find it truly interesting to read cities and architecture through films, and this is why I went to see the latest film by one of my favourite directors Wim Wenders: Perfect Days. In Wenders’ cinema, his gaze over the city is always the protagonist. He possesses the remarkable ability to make the space of the photographic image the central focus of his filmmaking. It is not only the story that is important to him, but the time and space in which the story takes shape almost by chance.
Concert halls, music, and performance venues stand as iconic symbols of cultural vitality within urban landscapes. Through these structures, which often become landmarks of the city, the residents are invited to take part and experience artistic expression, fostering a sense of community and connection. For architects, this program poses the intricate challenge of balancing form and function, creating spaces that enhance the acoustic experience, allow for the flow of audience and performers, and create visual spectacles in their own right.
Featuring both emerging and internationally recognized offices, this week’s curated selection showcases music and performance venues, from mixed arts and cultural centers to opera and ballet halls. Including proposals for international competitions such as David Chipperfield Architects or SHL and PAX architects’ designs for the Polish Royal Opera in Warsaw or Hariri Pontarini Architects’ design for an integrated center for the arts in Canada, the selection explores the program of music venues across scales and programs.
Following various studies and polls, a number of players in the US real estate market that focus on offices (CBRE, JLL, and Gallup) agree that managers and operators must offer flexible, amenity-rich offices to support the modern employee commute. Broadly speaking, we are all being called to do more with less space, and for many in the office space world, pods will prove part of the solution. Let’s consider the trends supporting this notion.
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.
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Meeting room with Pyrymyd DECO. Visualization: Studio Spacer. Image Courtesy of Intra Lighting
We talk a lot about designing for the senses these days; about human engineering, ergonomics, people-centric products. It’s particularly a hot topic when it comes to looking at the modern working environment. If today’s office is to compete with home, it needs to bring similar feelings of comfort, but promote productivity and collaboration at the same time. Designers and architects are responding with increased attention towards auditory comfort, finely-tuned lighting, and cosseting touches via texture, color and shape.
https://www.archdaily.com/1017114/a-multi-tasking-ceiling-system-for-both-sound-and-light-controlEmma Moore
Architects are known for returning from travel with more photos of buildings than people and for having an esoteric vocabulary of their own. Of course, these are clichés that are not always true. But something that unites most designers is the tendency to pay attention to each detail that makes up a project, be it the material that covers the facade, the junction between different floors, how the doors open, the type of window frame, how the forms were put together for concreting, and more. But a detail that often goes unnoticed – and that makes a huge difference in interior design – is baseboards.
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The Phoenix will be built at about half the cost, time, and carbon footprint of a typical multi-family building in the San Francisco Bay Area. Image Courtesy of Autodesk
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.
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.
https://www.archdaily.com/1016627/a-bathtub-and-sink-in-a-single-sculptural-element-antonio-citterios-vision-for-a-nature-retreatMark C. O'Flaherty
A ground scraper is essentially the opposite of a skyscraper - a large building that sprawls outward horizontally instead of soaring vertically into the sky. Though no strict definition exists, groundscrapers are generally described as extremely long but low-rise buildings with over 1 million square feet of space, sometimes called sidescrapers or landscrapers. The term came into the spotlight with Google's plans for their massive $1.3 billion London headquarters. Designed to be only 11 stories tall but over 1,000 feet long, this vast office block epitomizes using horizontal expansion to create immense space for thousands of employees.
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.
Chroma Pool. Image Courtesy of Courtesy of Agrob Buchtal/photo: Rasmus Hjortshøj
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.
Organizing, shaping, stacking. Transforming raw materials from the soil into architecture. This is a challenge that many Latin American architects embrace, demonstrating that scarcity can be daunting but also a rich opportunity to unleash creativity.
The use of materials extracted from the local soil serves a dual purpose. In regions with limited industrialization, using locally sourced materials makes economic sense because industrial materials such as concrete and steel are expensive and often require long-distance transportation, adding to their cost. Environmentally, choosing locally sourced materials from the start of a project reduces transportation needs and carbon emissions, supporting sustainability efforts.
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.
https://www.archdaily.com/1017054/the-second-studio-podcast-dynamics-of-working-for-small-and-large-architecture-officesThe Second Studio Podcast
In response to the diverse topographies and natural conditions throughout the Argentine territory, the works of Luciano Kruk propose an architecture that works in harmony with the environment, the landscape, and the nature in which they are situated. Whether immersed in a forest, on sloping terrain, or on a rural plain, among other geographies, his intention is to enhance the relationship between the interior and exterior of the architecture, using concrete as the main material in most of his projects.
Urban infrastructure intended for city connectivity disrupts urban patterns and often leaves behind a series of spaces without a properly defined use. Fortunately, the notion of space beneath infrastructure is being redefined, as architects are generating public spaces nestled under flyovers, bridges, and other urban structures.
Formerly neglected spaces, overlooked or dismissed as mere leftovers of urban planning, are now transformed into dynamic environments for community engagement and artistic expression. Architects, city planners, and the users themselves are embracing the challenge of reclaiming forgotten or underutilized areas and developing innovative solutions, integrating greenery, art installations, and sustainable elements into the urban fabric.
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.
