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Four masonry cultural buildings by Architecture Research Office: Your Next Employer?

2023-12-04T12:56:00-05:00

Following last week’s visit to Massachussets-based I-Kanda Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to New York this week to explore the work of Architecture Research Office.

From their studio in Brooklyn, the firm has built a portfolio that, in their words, “unites beauty and form with strategy and intelligence.” In September, we reported on the firm’s plans for the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape in Upstate New York, while in May, the firm was part of a wider team behind the design of a Brooklyn high school campus with a hydroponics greenhouse and outdoor teaching spaces.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Junior Designer to join their Brooklyn office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four masonry cultural buildings by Architecture Research Office that exemplify the studio’s ethos.

Dia Chelsea. Image credit: Elizabeth Felicel...

Glazed brick accentuates Shakespeare, Gordon, Vlado: Architects’ new Brooklyn apartment complex

2023-11-24T09:00:00-05:00

Shakespeare, Gordon, Vlado: Architects (SGVA) has offered an insight into their completed multi-family housing scheme in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Named The Garnet, the project is defined by a gray and black masonry facade punctuated by jewel-toned glazed-brick accents.

Image credit: Alexander Severin

Built on a 15,000-square-foot lot adjacent to the Fulton Street subway line, the scheme holds 103 apartment units above a 12,000-square-foot ground-floor retail space. A second-floor roof terrace seeks to strengthen the residents’ connection to the outdoors, adding to an overall mission of creating “housing that feels expansive and liberating, rather than constrained by its affordability.”

Image credit: Alexander Severin

From the outside, the eleven-story structure is clad in textured masonry with bright accents to form a “pleasant and visually engaging street wall.” A red motif first established on the facad...

SOM unveils new algae-based Bio-Blocks technology at the Chicago Architecture Biennial

2023-09-29T14:01:00-04:00

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has debuted a new concrete alternative material as part of its participation in the fifth Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB 5), which is taking place now through February 11th at multiple locations citywide.

The firm’s Bio-Blocks technology is being presented as a replacement for traditional Concrete Masonry Units (or CMUs) and can reduce emissions on a project by up to 8% if used at scale. The blocks were fabricated with help from Prometheus Materials using microalgae that were then subject to the company’s patent-pending photosynthetic biocementation process. The results seen therein offer a one-metric-ton total offset, according to the product team.

Image © Dave Burk | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Displayed in a spiral construction courtesy of the International Masonry Institute and J&E Duff, Inc., in The Mews space at their 167 Green development in the city’s Fulton Market District, the product demonstrates its future potential as a building...

A perforated brick facade wraps Tropical Space’s new Ho Chi Minh City office building

2023-06-13T11:42:00-04:00

Vietnam-based architecture practice Tropical Space has completed an office building in Ho Chi Minh City featuring perforated brick walls. Named Premier Office, the scheme was developed with attention to maximizing natural light throughout the rental office spaces without exposing the interior to intense direct sunlight.

Photo credit: Trieu Chien

The building is anchored by a central void rising to the full height of the interior, allowing natural light and airflow across the property. On one side of the central void are the office spaces, where two facades can open to capture sunlight and ventilation. The other side of the void accommodates restrooms, storage, and circulation spaces. “By connecting the void between the corridors and empty spaces, both vertically and horizontally, the building can create moving light areas and space displacement during the day,” the design team explains.

Photo credit: Trieu Chien

While supported by a co...

10 new examples of brick and stone in architecture

2023-05-13T07:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Harbour House in Chichester, UK by McLEAN QUINLAN; Photo: Peter Cook/Jim Stephenson

↑ Monitor's Rest in Park City, UT by CLB Architects; Photo: Kevin Scott

↑ Jiunvfeng · Cloud of Hometown Resort Hotel in Tai’an, China by line+; Photo: Pan Jie, zystudio

↑ Museum Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands by KAAN Architecten; Photo: Simon Menges

↑ GIORIO CASA Store in Xuzhou, China; Interior Design: CATANIAN; Photo: Jin Weiqi

↑ East Rock Community Magnet School in New Haven, CT by Newman Architects

↑ BOX in Paredes de Coura, Portugal by Tiago Sousa; Photo: Ivo Tavares Studio

↑ Wai'olu Residence in North Kona Coas...

TenBerke’s new Princeton residences blend a refined exterior with an eclectic interior

2023-05-11T14:43:00-04:00

TenBerke, formerly Deborah Berke Partners, has completed what the firm calls its “most ambitious completed work to date.” The 485,000-square-foot project comprises two new residential colleges at Princeton University, each serving 510 students.

Image credit: Chris Cooper

Image credit: Christopher Payne/Esto

The taller building, named New College West, features soft-grey metal ‘treehouses’ inspired by its woodland setting. Meanwhile, the smaller Yeh College building is described by the team as “low-slung by outward-looking.” Both buildings feature a mixture of warm grey calcium silicate brick to create a “contemporary interpretation of historic masonry on the campus.”

Image credit: Chris Cooper

The ground floor of the buildings sees wood-formed precast concrete blended with extensive glazing framed in warm white oak. Inside, public and social activities are concentrated on the ground floor, seeking to depart from what the team calls the campus’ “traditionally h...

BNIM completes Iowa’s Stanley Museum of Art behind ‘dynamic and kinetic’ brick facade

2023-02-20T10:28:00-05:00

The new Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa has opened fifteen years after historic flooding destroyed the campus’ previous arts destination. Designed by BNIM, the new venue serves as a learning and teaching laboratory for the arts and a hub for the wider campus.

Image credit: Nick Merrick

Externally, the new museum is clad in what the design team describes as a “dynamic and kinetic” facade of dark, warm brick. Complimenting the masonry characteristics of neighboring buildings, the material palette also references the academic and cultural brick masonry buildings of Alvar Aalto, Louis Kahn, and Eero and Eliel Saarinen. Through an alternating composition of texture and finish, the façade changes character due to daily and seasonal changes in sunlight, creating varying levels of reflection and shadow.

Image credit: Nick Merrick

The museum is designed as a rectilinear solid form permeated by interconnected voids, creating what the team calls a “protective and respectful home ...

The UK's new Part O regulations are being implemented at the right time

2022-07-25T09:00:00-04:00

New regulations, called Part O, took effect in England in June, requiring that new homes are built with some measures to combat overheating. The regulations aim to reduce solar gain — the increase in room temperature caused by sunlight — ensuring the safety of occupants, even if it may remain uncomfortable.

Hundreds of UK residents died in this week’s “heat apocalypse” that posed particular challenges to those living in the country’s many recently-converted office buildings and council housing. Brick masonry remains the predominant residential construction material, though Low Energy Architectural Practice Principal Mark Siddall says the regulations will “help designers, architects and engineers make more informed decisions so that the risk of overheating can be reduced in new properties.”

Extreme summer temperatures seen this week are expected to occur more regularly by century's end. At the other end of the spectrum, certain antiquated home designs can’t be kept warm enough in winter, prompting RIBA to call for an expansive £38 billion ($51.5 billion) upgrade plan.

Kashef Chowdhury’s Friendship Hospital named 2021 World’s Best New Building by RIBA

2022-01-25T19:47:00-05:00

One of designer Kashef Chowdhury and URBANA’s superlative recent works has received a huge honor from the UK’s oldest architectural organization. The Royal Institute of British Architects has today announced the firm’s Friendship Hospital project in Bangladesh as the winner of the 2021 International Prize for the World’s Best New Building.

The rural hospital is one of several firm projects in the country commissioned by a nonprofit group called Friendship that looks to empower underdeveloped communities in different regions of the country through hands-on social innovation and collaboration. The hospital provides the village of Satkhira, which has been heavily impacted by rising sea levels related to climate change. The village has particularly bad agricultural problems related to the rising waters, which the project was also able to address through the introduction of a new stormwater drainage system that simultaneously produces valuable drinking water and serves in the much-neede...

10 examples of brick and stone in architecture

2021-04-02T08:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Jianye Lanhai Zheng Tendency Demo Plot in Zhengzhou, China by Lacime Architects; Interior Architect: VVS Architect; Photo: CAAI, GuoMing Architectural Photography

↑ Stone House in Callicoon, NY by General Assembly; Photo: Matthew Williams

↑ 10 LaSalle in Hong Kong by LWK + PARTNERS

↑ Chetian Cultural Center in Guizhou, China by West-line Studio; Photo: Jingsong Xie, Haobo Wei

↑ La Mandarina in Tapalpa, Mexico by LVS-Architecture; Photo: Lorena Darquea

↑ Cork Trees House in Braga, Portugal by Trama Arquitetos; Photo: João Morgado

↑ SHURAN Wellness Space in Shenzhen, China by E Studio; Photo: Zhang Chao

↑ House 432...

Worrell Yeung convert old masonry factory near Brooklyn Navy Yard into flexible workspaces

2020-08-19T16:24:00-04:00

New York City-based architects Worrell Yeung have renovated and redesigned a six-story, 38,000-square-foot former masonry factory situated near the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The project updates an existing brick and timber building from the 1920s as well as a collection of four ancillary structures to crate a "mutable, multi-use workspace that can flexibly accommodate an array of tenants."

“The existing buildings were so rich with history and layered with texture that we wanted our design to highlight these found conditions while also updating to accommodate new uses and new programs,” explains co-principal Max Worrell in a statement.

The architects worked largely to peel away and reveal the buildings' historic materials and spaces, removing an existing roof that had previously covered an interior courtyard to make it an outdoor one, for example.

In addition, the design adds new features, like finely detailed entry into a loft space that is marked by wood shelving and glass blocks, to crea...

Princeton University researchers crack secret to Italian renaissance dome construction

2020-05-22T17:44:00-04:00

As part of a recent study, researchers at Princeton University and the University of Bergamo have uncovered the engineering techniques behind the self-supporting masonry of the Italian renaissance, reports the Princeton Engineering website. "Researchers analyzed how cupolas like the famous duomo, part of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, were built as self-supporting, without the use of shoring or forms typically required," the school writes.

"The double loxodrome is comprised of rows of vertical bricks that crisscross around the dome and are filled in by horizontal bricks. Effectively, each course of bricks creates a structural element known as a plate-bande that wedges interior bricks between the vertical end caps." Image: courtesy of the researchers. via engineering.princeton.edu

Looking at structures such as the famous Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, which is the largest masonry dome standing today, the team was able to discover an intricate geometric pattern...

10 fresh examples of brick and stone in architecture

2020-05-22T07:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ Waverly Residence in Palo Alto, CA by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects; Photo: Matthew Millman/Joe Fletcher

↑ Pearl Marzouq Complex in Ras, Kuwait by PAD10 Architects + Designers; Photo: Sylvette Blaimont

↑ Long House in Cirencester, UK by Bureau de Change

↑ MOMA Lotus Resort, Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui, China by Lacime Architects; Photo: Schran Images

↑ HHF - School Campus Hanhoopsfeld in Hamburg, Germany by AllesWirdGut; Photo: tschinkersten fotografie

↑ Mandeville Canyon Residence in Los Angeles, CA by Marmol Radziner; Photo: Richard Powers

↑ Barefoot Luxury in Mindelo, Cape Verde by POLO Architects; Photo: F...

A breezy masonry home in Australia designed to "get better, not worse, with time"

2020-05-18T19:52:00-04:00

UK architect Peter Besley, a co-founder of Assemblage Studio who now runs his own eponymous architecture practice, has recently completed work on the Couldrey House in Brisbane, Australia.

The 3,400-square-foot, two-and-a-half level home is built out of brick and deploys a selection of earth-bound climate control approaches that include thermal mass, radiant cooling, and passive ventilation strategies.

Besley writes, "I [...] designed Couldrey House to spring directly from the subterranean rock and to be made of heavy materials lasting a very long time," adding, "The forms and spaces are compelling, but simple. They sit heavily on the ground. They seem to say to the landscape: 'I can accompany you in your long journey.'"

Attempting to tap into the overlooked geologic monumentality of the Brisbane area, Besley has created a home that is inward looking and intentionally shuts out the sounds of the city through its massive walls and cloistered internal organization.

"The architecture ...

10 new examples of brick and stone in architecture

2019-06-07T09:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ Father‘s House in China by MADA s.p.a.m. 上海马达思班建筑设计事务所

↑ Casa CAF in Mexico City by Estudio MMX

↑ Lake Austin Residence in Austin, TX by A Parallel Architecture

↑ The Interlock in London, UK by Bureau de Change; Photo: Gilbert McCarragher

↑ The Institute for Integrated Learning in Management in Greater Noida, India by Morphogenesis

↑ Staggered House in Athens, Greece schema architecture & engineering

↑ M·Cube in Beijing, China by MVRDV; Photo: Seth Powers Photography

↑ Housing for Elderly People in Huningue, France by Dominique Coulon & associés; Photo: Eugeni Pons

↑ Hello House in Melbourne, Australia by OOF! ...

10 impressive examples of brick and stone in architecture

2018-08-31T18:14:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ iA_house in Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain by LANDÍNEZ+REY architects [eL2Gaa]; Photo: Raúl del Valle

↑ St James's & Bury Street in London, UK by TateHindle; Photo: Philip Vile

↑ L House in Mexico City by Dellekamp Arquitectos; Photo: Sandra Pereznieto

↑ Partnership Centre in East Calder, UK by Collective Architecture

↑ Stikeman Elliott offices in Montreal, Canada by Saucier+Perrotte Architectes; Photo: Olivier Blouin

↑ Cubic Houses in Copenhagen, Denmark by ADEPT ; Photo: COAST Studio

↑ Step House in London, UK by Bureau de Change

↑ BIN 61/ TACKarchitects in Omaha, NE by TACKarchitects

↑ St. Ann's Warehouse in Brookl...

10 buildings from around the world reinterpreting the humble brick

2017-09-22T18:32:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ CASA IV in Matola, Spain by MESURA

↑ Corner House in London, UK by DSDHA

↑ Krøyers Plads in Copenhagen, Denmark by COBE

↑ Bulgaria 533 in Mexico City by Dellekamp Arquitectos; Photo: Sandra Pereznieto

↑ NUA Studio in Tarragona, Spain by NUA

↑ The Marx in Queens, NY by Fogarty Finger Architecture PLLC

↑ The Lined Extension in London, UK by YARD Architects; Photo: Richard Chivers

↑ FA house in Da Lat, Vietnam by atelier tho.A

↑ Lateral House in London, UK by Pitman Tozer Architects; Photo: Nick Kane

Click here to see more "Ten Top Images on Archinect's Pinterest Boards" posts.

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Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Bricks & Stones" Pinterest Board

2017-03-10T17:55:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ Horsted Park in London, UK by Proctor & Matthews Architects

↑ MIT Collier Memorial in Cambridge, MA by Höweler + Yoon; Photo: John Horner

↑ Pages Lane in London, UK by Kirkwood McCarthy

↑ Harvey Road House in London, UK by Erbar Mattes; Photo: Ståle Eriksen

↑ Slot House in London, UK by Au Architects; Photo: David Butler Photography

↑ Harbor Houses in Aarhus, Denmark by ADEPT

↑ Real del Valle in Mexico City by Sobrado + Ugalde Arquitectos

↑ West London House in Hammersmith, UK by Neil Dusheiko Architects; Photo: Charles Hosea and Agnese Sanvito

↑ Canyon House in Los Angeles, CA by Aaron Neubert Architects; Photo: Brian Thom...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Bricks & Stones" Pinterest Board

2016-08-26T16:40:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ Design Republic Design Commune in Shanghai, China by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office; Photo: Pedro Pegenaute

↑ Travelodge Excel in London, UK by Aros Architects

↑ Tribunal in Montmorency, France by Dominique Coulon & associés; Photo: David Romero-Uzeda

↑ Hotel Zenden in Maastricht, the Netherlands by Wiel Arets Architects

↑ Branksome Hall Athletics & Wellness Centre in Toronto, Canada by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA)

↑ Blooming House with Wild Flowers in Seoul, South Korea by studio_GAON; Photo: Youngchae Park

↑ Noyes Transformation in New Canaan, CT by Joeb Moore & Partners Architects, LLC; Photo: David...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Bricks & Stones" Pinterest Board

2015-09-04T16:03:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ Manhattan Townhouse in New York, NY by Susan Wisniewski Landscape, LLC in collaboration with BWArchitects

↑ Jeju Bayhill Pool & Villa _ Egoistic Cropping in Jeju, South Korea by L'EAU Design; Photo: Sun Namgoong

↑ Casa López / Lujano in Tijuana, Mexico by Oficina 3 estudio de arquitectura

↑ Alma Street in Montreal, Canada by T B A

↑ CIVICA - Dynamic voids in Trento, Italy by Atelierzero Architects; Photo: Fernando Guerra

↑ BELL Architects Office in Washington D.C. by Bell Architects

↑ Student housing DUWO in Delft, the Netherlands by Mecanoo; Photo: Christian Richters

↑ El Tallercito in Babahoyo, Ecuador by Natura Futura A...

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Bricks & Stones" Pinterest Board

2015-01-02T15:01:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

(Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles!)

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Bricks & Stones.

↑ Operable Boundary in New York, NY by Dean/Wolf Architects

↑ Torre Espacio in Madrid, Spain by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

↑ The Old Vicarage in Rendham, Suffolk, UK by Studio RHE

↑ Contino Winery in La Serna, Spain by NINOM; Photo: Jesús Granada

↑ Newcastle Museum in Newcastle, Australia by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp-FJMT

↑ UNISON HQ in London, UK by Squire and Partners

↑ Públia Hortênsia de Castro High School in Vila Viçosa, Portugal by Cândido Chuva Gomes, Arquitectos Lda.; team member: Bruno Trindade Bernardo

↑ Burrell Sexual Health Centre in London, UK by Urban Salon

↑ Cabbagetown Garden in Toronto, Canada by PLANT Archi...