Archinect - News

Portugal apartment renovation by Mass Lab features a blue modular design

2018-09-14T15:13:00-04:00

Mass Lab has renovated Pinheiro Manso Apartment, located in the center of Porto, Portugal, for an integrated flow of space. The dwelling was previously a disconnected 2 floor typology with small, closed off rooms seeing little sunlight.

Pinheiro Manso Apartment by Mass Lab, located in Porto, Portugal. Image: Mass Lab.

The newly remodeled space features blue wood panelling on the inside and a connected design to the outdoor courtyard. A modular wall contains the different functions of bathrooms, cabinetry, kitchen, and eating area.

Pinheiro Manso Apartment by Mass Lab, located in Porto, Portugal. Image: Mass Lab.

The bedrooms are located on the first floor allowing the basement to used as a social space. A blue wooden staircase was inserted to connect the two floors and serve as a modular wall on the ground floor.

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MAD’s tent-like conference center breaks ground in China's rugged mountains

2018-07-26T15:08:00-04:00

MAD Architects' new China Entrepreneur Forum Conference Centre has broken ground in the rugged, snow-capped mountains of Yabuli, located in northeastern China.

China Entrepreneur Forum Conference Centre by MAD Architects, located in Yabuli, CN. Image: MAD Architects.

The new centre will act as a permanent venue for annual summits hosted by the China Entrepreneur Forum (CEF) in Yabuli. CEF commissioned MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, to design a building that embodied China's entrepreneurial industry.

China Entrepreneur Forum Conference Centre by MAD Architects, located in Yabuli, CN. Image: MAD Architects.

Cited along the axis of a mountain, MAD designed a dynamic, tent-like structure defined by soft and sloping lines. The building reaches only 78 feet in height allowing the structure to quietly integrate into the surrounding landscape.

China Entrepreneur Forum Conference Centre by MAD Architects, located in Yabuli, CN. Image: MAD Architects.

Organized into four floors, the st...

Fair Housing Act ruling now vulnerable with Justice Kennedy’s retirement

2018-06-28T15:49:00-04:00

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the most important decision on fair housing in a generation. He’ll almost certainly get to see it overturned in his lifetime. When Kennedy announced his long-rumored retirement on Wednesday, he shined a spotlight on the tenuous political balance of the U.S. Supreme Court. Famously a swing vote, Kennedy sided with the court’s four liberal justices on defining decisions on reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, the death penalty, and other hot-button social issues.

The "disparate impact" ruling of the Fair Housing Act is now being reconsidered by HUD. This could lead to the department repealing altogether, despite the fact that the Supreme Court already affirmed its constitutionality. Justice Kennedy's legacy of further integrating society is vulnerable to be overruled under Trump.

In Chicago, forming economically integrated suburbs is more complex than it looks

2015-07-20T15:37:00-04:00

Housing advocates have long debated the merits of moving low-income families from high-poverty urban areas to suburbs like Glenview. The move can be challenging for families, who leave behind family and friends and enter a new, affluent world. But the research is increasingly conclusive: Living in a 'good' zip code dramatically improves kids’ chances of going to college, getting a good job, and escaping poverty.

Midwest developer planning shared residence for seniors and young adults out of foster care

2015-02-02T14:14:00-05:00

The Vecino Group of Springfield, a developer based in Springfield, Missouri, is proposing intergenerational housing as a long-term sustainable solution. Inspired by a similar project in Portland, Oregon,, Vecino hopes to build a 60-unit affordable housing project in Tulsa, with 30 units designated for people aging out of foster care and 30 set aside for local seniors.[...] “Your hope is that your next door neighbor becomes your surrogate family. That would really be the hope”