The Arc required many months of research and development and fine-tuning of tailor-made details. It employs one of nature’s greatest strategies for creating large spaces with minimal structure. “The Arc operates like the ribs of a mammal’s chest, stabilised by tensile membranes analogous to tendons and muscles between ribs,” explains Jörg Stamm, design conceptor at […]

Situated prominently on a corner site, the Ngói building features a striking cellular brise-soleil composed of reclaimed terracotta roof tiles. The classic reddish-coloured tiles are stacked vertically against the five-storey facade, in three typical formations, and perform the vital tasks of filtering the hot sun, offering shade and inviting cross-breezes to keep the interiors cool.  […]

Headquartered in Beijing, MAD Architects has released preliminary illustrations of the Jiaxing Civic Centre in China. The development signals MAD's latest significant public project in the city, after the firm's plans for the Jiaxing Train Station were unveiled in early 2021. Shown to enjoy elegant river views amid forest-lined parklands, the centre is to be situated along Jiaxing’s central axis; a prominent position adjacent to South Lake and Central Park.

Laid with reclaimed bricks from the region, the walls that surround the chapel are of varying heights, intersecting at times to “create a choreographed landscape journey leading into the building itself,” the architects say. Above the brick walls rises the centrepiece of the chapel – the imposing cube of the main hall – which comprises a white-plastered […]

After its shuttering in 1988, the majestic space remained mostly out of service – only coming to life briefly as a place to shop or worship. But its legacy of nurturing technological innovation has resumed some 90-plus years later. The opulent venue has been reborn as Greater Los Angeles’ 26th Apple store; a fitting tenant whose […]

The circular structure is inspired by the more than 4000-year-old Mesopotamian story of the ark. But the architects at Olson Kundig say that it resembles a “spaceship”, too. Visitors to ANOHA Children’s World are invited to step onboard the craft and unleash their imaginations, fuelled by the Jewish concept of tikkun olam which calls on […]

As shown in preliminary illustrations of the structure, the Sou Fujimoto team investigated how the ‘tower’ typology could be reimagined in the 21st century, informed by the success of well-established, more traditional landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  ‘Floating’ tower in Shenzhen by Sou Fujimoto Architects The resulting design sees 99 towers ‘floating’ with limited […]

Procured by the client, the Chinese artefact in question is the timber residence of a high-ranking Qing dynasty official, replete with ornamental carvings and intricate joinery. Relocated from the province of Anhui, about ten hours drive north of its new home in Fuzhou, the Hui-style structure is now enshrined as an inhabitable centrepiece; a fascinating […]

3 House by Channon Architects and Burton Architects explores the pragmatic versatility of masonry in medium density housing on small lots. Comprising an office, a granny flat and a family home, the project focusses on an adaptive plan, where the functions of its self-contained spaces can change when needed.
 Located on a corner block in New Farm, Brisbane, the site was already occupied by a four-room workers’ cottage. The reimagined cottage was the first dwelling to be developed, becoming an office with a granny flat and car park tucked underneath, followed by a separate 3-bedroom house with two-car garage constructed at the rear.

When fire destroyed the original guest house of a Georgian Revival manor in Southern Ontario, Canada, the owners of the property approached Toronto-based architecture studio Partisans to replace the structure with something far more adventurous. “Our clients had to run out and literally watched the cottage burn down,” Partisans’ co-founder Alex Josephson said at the time. “They were inspired to replace it with an innovative work of architecture that would be a nature-orientated escape to share with immediate family and friends.”