In architecture, split-level houses are typically in response to a plot's uneven or sloping topography. In the case of the houses featured here, their split level interiors are a matter of function, allowing spaces to be virtually separated by dividing them between raised and semi-subterranean floor layouts. For example, adjoining two spaces with a 50cm step up or drop off allows for separation without the use of walls or other physical barriers.
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Split-Level Argentine Houses: Using Height to Separate Spaces
Tired of Planning Complicated Hot Water Systems That Don't Last?
Nestled at the base of Vail Mountain, along the banks of Gore Creek, Grand Hyatt Vail is located in the heart of Vail Valley within the Cascade Village neighborhood. The hotel features bold, vibrant architecture inspired by its scenic locale, as well as welcoming service with exclusive amenities ideal for both leisure travelers and conference attendees alike. When they were due for repairs to their current water heating system, Grand Hyatt Vail knew they needed a solution that could be implemented quickly, plus handle the hotel’s demand for years to come. Grand Hyatt Vail turned to Intellihot for tankless water heating reliability, cost savings, and cutting OPEX, and ended up saving on both upfront and installation costs.
Women of ArchDaily Talk About the Future of Architecture
Every March 8 at a global level, the struggle for equal rights and universal suffrage is commemorated as part of a date set by the UN in 1975. This commemoration brings together the efforts of women who demanded their right to vote, to work, to vocational training, to hold public office and to combat labor discrimination. This fight is the result of the work of women who sacrificed for the cause. Various events that we experience every day show that the social situation has changed. However, it is essential that both men and women, commit to progress and justice to make things happen.
Lina Bo Bardi Wins Special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Memoriam
Lina Bo Bardi, one of the most important architects of Brazilian architecture, was selected as the recipient of the Special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in memoriam of the Venice Biennale 2021 (also known as the Biennale Architettura 2021), which will open to the public on Saturday, May 22nd, 2021.
QS Reveals the World's Top Universities for Architecture in 2021
Every year in March, the QS World University Rankings reveal the top universities to study each profession, covering 51 different subjects. Grading schools based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact, the annual QS- Quacquarelli Symonds has unveiled that for the second year in a row, in the 2021 Architecture/ Built Environment division, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is still in the first position.
MoMA Launches Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America
The Museum of Modern Art has launched Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, the fourth installment of the Issues in Contemporary Architecture series. Investigating the intersections of architecture, Blackness and anti–Black racism in the American context, the exhibition and accompanying publication examine contemporary architecture in the context of how systemic racism has fostered violent histories of discrimination and injustice in the United States.
The Benefits of Rammed Earth in Brazilian Houses
Ancestral, but overshadowed by other technologies that have emerged over time, the rammed-earth walls are again gaining prominence in Brazil for being a low-impact, sustainable and economical solution. Known in Portuguese as taipa, it is a rudimentary construction system that compresses the earth into wooden boxes until it reaches an ideal density that allows a resistant and long-lasting structure.
Conserve Resources and Plan for Demolition With Digital Construction
The construction industry is traditionally one of the most resource-intensive sectors, but with rigorous planning and digital tools, the construction process can instead make an active contribution to environmental protection. Energy, resources, and materials can be intentionally saved during the construction process to widen the conversation from simply sustainable buildings as an end product, but sustainable construction as a process. Digital solutions can play a decisive role, yet the industry has so far made too little use of the numerous possibilities that are available. Below, the experts from the Nemetschek Group present some of the opportunities they provide.
How Did the Evolution of Women's Role in Society Change the Built Environment?
In theory and practice, in the modern era, the idea of spatial separation between home and work was related to the traditional sexual division of men and women, and of their role in life. Going back to the earliest feminist thinking in architecture, in western industrialized communities, we are elaborating in this article on women’s changing role in the 20th century and its impact on the space we experience today.
Second Season of Esther Choi's Office Hours Promises More Opportunities for Young Bipoc Designers
Last year, as the pandemic kept many housebound, artist and architectural historian Esther Choi found herself fielding a lot of requests from BIPOC students and young professionals looking for advice. She noticed several of the same concerns cropping up, specifically those having to do with the stresses of studying or working in environments that were overwhelmingly white. So, as one will do these days, Choi took to social media, where she announced virtual information sessions in which she would talk about her professional experience in an attempt to help others. The success of these initial, informal get-togethers led Choi to plan a series of events where BIPOC design students and young professionals could pick the brains of established BIPOC architects, designers, and writers about their careers and ways to navigate often unsupportive fields. The conversations would be casual, frank, and encouraging. Choi named the initiative Office Hours.
The Architecture of Liminal Spaces
Liminal spaces are everywhere, both literally, and as a popular topic of intrigue on Reddit and other image-sharing platforms. Posting photographs of empty dilapidated spaces followed by collective reminiscing of childhood experiences is proving to be a popular activity these days. At one time or another, the spaces depicted in these eerie photos seemed like a good idea, a useful solution to the problem of providing shelter for crowds in the act of movement or commerce. Architecture had specific terms for these spaces too and defined them through theories that explained their role in our culture. In this video, architectural professor Stewart Hicks presents how architects think about liminal spaces, what goes into them, why they exist, and why some architects and artists still work to produce their effect.
Pritzker Prize 2021 Winner To Be Announced Tuesday, March 16th
The Hyatt Foundation has revealed the announcement date of the Pritzker Prize 2021 Winner(s). The most relevant recognition in architecture will be announced on Tuesday, March 16th, 10:00 am EDT.
Foster + Partners Designs Hotel 12, part of the Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia
Foster + Partners is designing Hotel 12, on the Ummahat AlShaykh Island in Saudi Arabia. Developed by the Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the project is one of two hotels on the island, the first being planned by Kengo Kuma.
Bjarke Ingels and Xiye Bastida on Designing the Ideal City
What kind of cities do we want to live in? What do we believe is important for a good life? And what makes a good home for all of us? SPACE10 with gestalten have teamed up to gather insights from world-renowned experts to explore a better urban future for humanity. Compiled in a book entitled The Ideal City, the findings draw five core principles: The city of tomorrow should be resourceful, accessible, shared, safe, and desirable.
Taking a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to rethinking how we could design, plan, build and share our cities going forward, the publication unfolds projects from 53 different cities in 30 different countries. Discover in this article, excerpts from the book, with the foreword by Bjarke Ingels and the last word by Xiye Bastida.
Harriet Pattison on the Creative Process of Louis Kahn and Making History
This article was originally published on Common Edge.
Nathaniel Kahn’s 2003 documentary, My Architect, was at its beating heart a son’s search for his father. The film, which was nominated for an Academy Award and will be re-released later this year, explored the complicated domestic life of Louis Kahn: three children, by three different partners, all of whom were kept largely in the dark about the existence of each other. But the film was as much about the work of Louis Kahn as it was about his personal life. And, as a result, it ignited a renewed interest in his buildings, both in the mainstream culture and across architectural academia.
Foster + Partners Designs Saudi Arabian Hotel in Sand Dunes
Foster + Partners has shared a new design for a hotel in Saudi Arabia set within sand dunes. Dubbed Southern Dunes, the project is part of The Red Sea Project tourist development. The hotel will include 40 villas that are constructed from timber and arranged to take advantage of surrounding views. Designed as part of the first phase of The Red Sea Project, it aims to be part of the world's "most ambitious" tourism development.
New Zealand Luxury Lodge Features Panoramic Views of Lake Wakatipu
Design Base Architects have shared new details of Waimarino Luxury Lodge, a development on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand. The high-end accommodation aspires to create a sustainable destination and an eco-conscious property that connects with nature through villas topped with living roofs. Waimarino – Maori for Still Waters – aims to be a modern, minimalist luxury that reimagines traditional hunting style lodges dotted across New Zealand.
Vertical Urbanization As Seen From Above
Because of the decrease in the availability of land area and the ever-increasing price per square meter, cities often tend to grow vertically. When we picture large metropolitan areas, we almost always imagine high-rise buildings, and the recognizable skyline becomes an icon that immediately evokes the places in which they are located.
UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design's Virtual Summer Programs: Now Accepting Applications
The College of Environmental Design (CED) at the University of California, Berkeley is offering a slate of introductory and advanced virtual programs for those interested in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, environmental planning, urban design and sustainable city planning.