With the proper know-how, readily available earth, sand, chalk, lime, or gravel can yield a versatile, strong, and durable construction material. Its colorful results vary from region to region, depending on the natural soil component, climate, and treatment. While some prefer to minimize any added processing, others relish the exploration of rammed earth surfaces. Different textures and mesmerizing layers of multitoned or multicolored earth can be used to create a solid surface that enriches the visual quality of a space and carries a sense of warmth to any project.
Photos of the Week: The Latest Architecture and News
Exploring Architecture through Performance, Photography and Fashion
The purpose of architectural photography is to show a design in the best possible way, with the artform often characterized by perspective correction and atmospheric lighting. However, few architectural photographers have experimented with other artistic disciplines. Miguel de Guzmán, Paul Vu and Jules Couartou are among those who have challenged the limits of this form of photography, generating an interesting crossover between architecture photography, fashion and performances. In their images, the relationship between space and the user is shown through a scene designed to register an effect on the viewer. The results are images which are full of creativity.
10 Bathrooms To Match Your Favorite Bathbomb
With the right configuration of materials and shapes, small enclosure, such as bathrooms, have unending design potential. Progressively, architects and designers are striving to make washrooms more welcoming and attractive places for its users. Often times we will hear clients ask for their bathroom to be somewhat of a personal spa. This week we have compiled 10 compelling images of bathrooms from all over the world. Bathrooms whose materials, patterns, colors, shapes, and textures begin to tell a story. Below, photographs by Peter Clarke, José Hevia, and Erieta Attali.
Best Small Chapel Architecture & Design
This week we’ve selected the best chapels previously published on our site. They reveal different ways of designing a small and sacred space. For inspiration on how to create these atmospheres, integrate different materials, and make proper use of light, we present 32 remarkable examples.
18 Fantastic Permeable Facades
Recently, a new trend in architecture has emerged: Several of the latest projects highlighted by ArchDaily, including some winners in the Building of the Year Awards, are using permeable facades as an attractive option for their exterior finishes.
Better lighting, ventilation, and visibility are some of the advantages brought by this type of façades. Below is a selection of 15 images from prominent photographers such as Andrés Valbuena, Pedro Nuno Pacheco, and Koji Fuji Nacasa & Partners Inc.
15 Eye-Popping Projects That Don't Apologize For Using Color: Photos of the Week
This week, colorful projects are here to steal the show. Few architects have dared to use color in their works, however, when done so the results can be incredible. Here is a selection of 15 images from prominent photographers such as Gregori Civera, Julien Lanoo and Subliminal Image that show us the huge potential of color.
10 Images of Architecture Reflected in Water
This week we have prepared a selection of photographs in which reflections in water is used as the main compositional element. In these images, the surface qualities of the water play a fundamental role in giving the composition its final effect—either acting as a perfect mirror or giving a diffuse touch. Below is a selection of 10 images from prominent photographers such as Lu Hengzhong, Yao Li, and Nico Saieh.
Tensile Structures: 11 Edgy Images Under Strain
Capable of transforming a facade or shaping a sculptural roof form, tensile structures test the limits of our imagination (and understanding of geometry). This week’s photo set features structures that rely on cables, anchors, posts and membranes to create expansive, dramatic spans of open space bathed in natural light. Stark shadows and fair curves make tensile structures particularly photogenic, as captured in this set of images from Christopher Frederick Jones, Marie-Françoise Plissart, Yoshihiro Koitani and more.
Mexican Houses That Show the Many Ways to Use Bricks
This week we present a selection of the best images of brick houses published on our site. These 11 Mexican projects reveal the diversity of expression that architects in the country have achieved through creative arrangements of the brick modules. read on for a selection of images from prominent photographers such as Carlos Berdejo Mandujano, Onnis Luque, and Patrick Lopez.
13 Beautiful Barns from Around the World
This week we present a selection of the best photographs of barns, both still in use and converted for residential use, that we have previously published on our site. These 13 projects reveal the relationship of these agricultural areas with rural work, the storage of food and livestock, and the imposing natural landscape in which they are located. Read on to see images from prominent photographers including Erich Spahn, David Aebi, and Matthieu Gafsou.
11 Works of Asian Architecture in Full Bloom
This week, we present a selection of the best images of Asian architecture in bloom. These 11 projects from Japan and South Korea incorporate the springtime beauty of trees such as cherry and almond. Read on for a selection of images from prominent photographers such as Shigetomo Mizuno and Kai Nakamura.
11 of the Most Impressive and Innovative Rooftop Spaces
This week, we present a selection of 11 of the best images of rooftop spaces. These spaces, usually terraces conceived for the enjoyment of views and fresh air, can often be the most important element of a design. Some of these rooftops surprise us with wonderful gardens, others with impressive pools, and others even with fun games for children. Below is a selection of images from prominent photographers such as Nico Arellano, Hiroyuki Oki, and Amit Geron.
11 Houses with Unique Living Rooms
Living rooms are spaces dedicated to sharing time with family, receiving visitors, working, and carrying out a wide range of unpredictable activities. Regardless of their size, the key to an innovative design for this part of a house is in creative spatial organization, in its connection to other parts of the home and, above all, in programmatic flexibility. Here, we present a selection of exceptional living rooms captured by renowned photographers such as Hiroshi Ueda, David Foessel, and Wison Tungthunya.
15 Bars That Combine Texture, Lighting, and Materials to Perfection
Bars are the perfect meeting place to finish the day in the company of friends and a few drinks. The relaxed atmosphere and lighting allow intimate discussions around tables, while the social butterflies can instead meet around the focal element of the space, the bar.
The atmosphere provoked by the mixture of textures, smells, materials, and darkness—ideally accompanied by a cocktail menu—is an essential component in helping us find our favorite watering holes. Read on for a selection of 15 incredible examples of this typology, with images by prominent photographers such as Frank Herfort, Serena Eller Vanicher, and Yann Deret.
11 Houses With Incredible Cantilevers
Cantilevers, structures that protrude from a building without the need for supports, are highly popular not only for their dramatic aesthetic effect, but also for the demonstration of technical mastery involved in their development. But we rarely see cantilevers in housing. For this reason, in this installment of our Photos of the Week, we have made a selection of 11 houses that seem to defy the physical laws of construction. Keep reading to see photos of renowned photographers such as Cécile Septet, Ema Peter, and Juan Solano.