Archinect - News

This Japanese housing project utilizes regenerative architecture to support its natural surrounding environment

2023-07-10T18:37:00-04:00

Japanese regenerative architectural design studio tono Inc. has designed a sustainable residence noted for its positive impact on the surrounding environment.

Image: Rui Nishi

Located on the southern Japanese island of Yakushima, Sumu Yakushima applies regenerative architecture to reconceptualize the relationship between human habitation and the natural environment.

Image: Rui Nishi

The project’s design takes a holistic view of the surrounding river basin, mountains, and sea. It combines traditional Japanese civil engineering with contemporary technology.

Image: Wataru Aoyama

The key aims of the design included designing the underground environment, orienting buildings based on a thorough understanding of water and air flows through the landscape, and creating an ongoing connection with nature through architecture.

Image: Rui Nishi

Sumu Yakushima consists of several separate buildings that are organized in a layout that respects the pre-existing nat...

A case for nature: Architect and regenerative design strategist Amanda Sturgeon pushes for rewilding cities

2021-04-06T20:39:00-04:00

More cities are incorporating biophilic design approaches for several reasons. While some firms genuinely practice regenerative and sustainable design methods, others could be placed into the category of "greenwashing" to satisfy trends and bolster their firm's PR efforts. However, according to architect and regenerative design strategist Amanda Sturgeon, the goal is to have buildings "that are intimately connected to the living systems that have evolved with us, that celebrate the human-nature connection that is central to our wellbeing."

In her recent article for The Guardian, Sturgeon makes a case for rewilding cities. She explains, "rewilding is about adding nature everywhere, not just in parks, by using nature-based solutions or green infrastructure at the edges of our streets, in leftover spaces, and on and within our buildings."

Featured on Archinect: McMansion Hell's Kate Wagner dissects issues with big tech and the 'blurred line' between private and public space. Image cou...

Online events today worth checking out include David Gissen, Eric Salitsky & Rachel Armstrong

2020-05-13T12:39:00-04:00

Today's featured virtual event happenings, from Archinect's Virtual Event Guide, address issues from the climate crisis, resilience, health and wellness, and diversity and inclusion to equity, economy and environment and much more.

Are you hosting a virtual lecture? Presentation? Tour? Interview? Happy Hour? Submit it for consideration by clicking here.

Are you an expert in an arena that's especially important right now? Let us know if you would like to work with Archinect to host an online event.

UCLA Virtual Lecture: David Gissen
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PDT
David Gissen, architecture historian and designer, to speak as part of UCLA's Architecture & Urban Design 2019-20 lecture series.
Click here to attend and/or register

LeBrun Grant Lecture - Exploring the Phenomenon of Multifaith Spaces with Eric Salitsky
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
In this webinar, Eric Salitsky will present his 2018 Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant research in which he...

In Paris, concrete is out and trees are in

2019-06-20T13:05:00-04:00

Under a plan announced last week by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, thickets of trees will soon appear in what today are pockets of concrete next to landmark locations, including the Hôtel de Ville, Paris’s city hall; the Opera Garnier, Paris’s main opera house; the Gare de Lyon; and along the Seine quayside.

"Islands of freshness" are on the way to Paris, according to a recently-unveiled plan by mayor Anne Hidalgo.

The environmentally-aggressive mayor is aiming to have 50 percent of the city's land area taken up by permeable surfaces and planted areas, Citylab reports, and so, she is turning spaces around some of the city's most cherishes sites and monuments into mini-forests. A pine grove will come to a swatch of concrete in front of city hall, for example, while parking lots near Garnier's opera house will give way to a cherry orchard.

View of proposed changes to the areas around the river Seine. Image courtesy of Ville de Paris/Apur/Céline Orsingher.

The plan comes as Hidalgo prevails over legal challenges launched against her environmental makeovers along the Seine, where cars are limited, soon to be replaced with grasses and shrubs. The city's notorious boulevard périphérique is being reformatted, as well, with a lane of traffic taken away to plant trees.

Will the changes turn Pa...

Modernism Week remembers the legacy of modernist landscape architect Dan Kiley

2019-02-19T18:21:00-05:00

Kiley was among the most important, influential, and idiosyncratic landscape architects of the 20th century and the designer of more than 1,100 projects. Yet today his work is not well known outside of the field of landscape architecture and, to a lesser extent, the architecture profession. Despite his renown and importance, his legacy remains fragile.

There are many amazing architects and designers whose work sadly remains unnoticed due to the lack of exposure and presence outside of certain circles. With Modernism Week well underway the traveling exhibition "The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley" makes its debut in California's unmatched modernist getaway, Palm Springs. Housing one of the largest collections of modernist architecture and landscape architecture, the exhibition of Kiley's work during Modernism Week is an appropriate fit.

The practice may not receive as much praise or recognition; however, the importance of landscape architecture was emphasized thanks to the works of esteemed designers such as Kiley, Caldwell, and Jensen. The beautiful blend and appreciation of horticulture, ecology, art, and design are what these incredible designers sought to create. The history of landscape architecture can be dated back to Europe in the 18th century when royal families hired designers to transform the grounds and land...

A residential complex on the coast of Mexico renovated by MAIN OFFICE

2018-09-20T16:33:00-04:00

Mexico and Sweden-based architectural practice MAIN OFFICE has recently completed CASA LT, an expansion and restoration of a residential complex located on the coast of Mexico.

CASA LT by MAIN OFFICE, located in Sayulita, MX. © Rafael Gamo

Situated in the well known surfers’ town of Sayulita, the new residential design provides a clear waterfront view of the Pacific Ocean from all spaces both inside and out.

CASA LT by MAIN OFFICE, located in Sayulita, MX. © Rafael Gamo

The new complex consists of three small houses situated on the top of the hill. The original house was built in the 50's in poor condition due to lack of maintenance.

CASA LT by MAIN OFFICE, located in Sayulita, MX. © Rafael Gamo

MAIN OFFICE restored the original house and added a new main building along with a guest house facing the be...

Seoul housing development builds traditional hanok designs for a slower lifestyle

2018-09-04T13:36:00-04:00

Eunpyeong Hanok Village was selling locals hanok, the traditional Korean tile-roofed residences that have, after hundreds of years, increasingly been destroyed and replaced by towering steel structures; indeed, not since the 1930s have hanok been constructed in significant numbers. The decline of vernacular architecture in the face of global urbanization is, of course, hardly new, though traditional Korean hanok are a particularly stark contrast to modern city living.

A new housing development, Eunpyeong, in northern Seoul is solely dedicated to constructing traditional Korean hanok houses. The design adheres to certain guidelines on proportion and design, with a low center of gravity, a courtyard, and an orientation towards nature.

The hanok's popularity comes from a need to connect to Korean identity and a desire to slow down from a past-paced economy. The minimalist design confronts the occupant with the amount of stuff they own and orients them to reconsider a new, slower way of life.

MAD Architects restore a historic lookout tunnel for Japan's 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Triennale

2018-08-07T18:21:00-04:00

MAD Architects have restored Japan's historic Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel as a permanent art installation, “Tunnel of Light”, coinciding with the 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Triennale. The art event hosts approximately 160 artworks across 200 villages, inhabiting abandoned spaces as sites for interaction. Located in the Niigata prefecture, the 2,500-foot long passageway cuts through rock formations to offer visitors panoramic views of Japan's mountainous snow country.

"Tunnel of Light" by MAD Architects, located in Echigo-Tsumari, Japan. Image: MAD Architects.

The firm's scheme for this historic lookout consists of transforming several points along the tunnel as spaces for interaction with art and nature.

"Tunnel of Light" by MAD Architects, located in Echigo-Tsumari, Japan. Image: MAD Architects.

Upon approaching the tunnel, a small wooden hut has been constructed to serve as the café and souvenir shop. Inside the pitched cedar roof on the upper level is a hot spring foot spa.

"Tunnel of Light" ...

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...

A new "super wood" nanofiber biomaterial is stronger than spider silk

2018-05-11T14:56:00-04:00

Spider silk has long held the title of strongest natural biomaterial, so scientists have been trying to harness it, mimic it and even improve on the recipe for years. Now, researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new biomaterial out of wood nanofibers that steals the strength record.

A new material called "super wood" is eight times stiffer than silk, which has been considered one of the strongest bio-based materials. KTH researchers found a new technique to "densify" wood where fibers assemble to make the cell walls stiff and strong, a process called cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs).

This wood nanomaterial is found to be as strong as steel, surpassing metals, alloys, ceramics and E-glass fibers. Researchers assert the technique could be used to produce strong and lightweight materials for constructing cars, planes, bikes, and furniture—as well as helping to assemble other nanofibers like carbon tubes.

What ants can teach us about the Eiffel Tower

2017-07-18T17:36:00-04:00

Scientists at Georgia Tech were trying to figure out how ants built themselves into towers to escape confinement or danger. They put a small pole in the middle of a dishful of ants and filmed what happened. The ants, they found, climb upwards, on top of each other, until they find an empty spot. Then they stop. The next one does the same, and so on.

Alexander McQueen, rebel of the fashion world renowned for his wildly imaginative designs, always said that there is no better designer than nature. Through billions of years of evolution, life's products, so to speak, have been extensively prototyped, market tested, upgraded and refined. So, it is no wonder then why creative minds increasingly turn to nature to look for innovative design solutions.

Often referred to as biomimicry, the discipline has had a growing presence in the field of architectural design. With a recent study from Georgia Institute of Technology on how fire ants form towers, the architectural world has a new potential take away from nature. Done simply through trial-and-error, the fire ants create bell shaped structures by climbing on top of each other until they find an empty spot, at which point they stop. Each ant supports only three others above them, creating a structure where each ant bears the same load and the results look a lot like the famed Eiffel To...

Diana Balmori, revered landscape architect, has died at age 84

2016-11-15T14:33:00-05:00

Landscape architect and innovative urbanist Diana Balmori has died at age 84, as announced by her firm's website. The Spanish-born Balmori, who founded her own firm in New York City at age 58, was known for her site-defining and inventive landscape architecture works, including the Abandoibarra District in Bilbao, Spain, the Prairie Waterway Stormwater Park in Minnesota, and numerous green roofs in Manhattan. In addition to their striking aesthetic beauty, Balmori's projects integrated sustainable practices, resulting in a holistic pairing of nature and architecture.

Abandoibarra Masterplan, Bilbao, Spain

Balmori, who graduated from high school at age 16, started her career in academia, taking a teaching position at the State University of New York shortly after receiving her Ph.D in urban history from UCLA. Eventually, she became a partner at Cesar Pelli Associates (now known as Pelli, Clarke, Pelli, Architects), creating the firm's in-house Landscape Architecture department. Her dea...

New renderings of Tadao Ando's living wall in Manhattan

2016-06-30T13:27:00-04:00

As luxury condominiums go, 152 Elizabeth Street displays an unusual rigor and finesse: this is not an exercise in overindulgence, but in refined balance.

With its 32,000 square feet split between seven individual residences, Tadao Ando's floor-to-celling windowed, burnished metal, poured-in-place concrete structure also features a 55' x 99' living wall with vegetation that shifts seasonally for the ideal mix of color and texture. English Ivy, Boston Ivy, Virginia Creepers, Jasmine Clematis and climbing Hydrangeas will make up this constantly evolving green wall, a blend that was picked in part by landscape firm M. Paul Friedberg and Partners.

According to a press release, "the building’s design references four primary elements - light, sound, air, and water." Sited in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood, the design of 152 Elizabeth Street's interiors is a collaboration between Ando and Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the latter of which is serving as the architect of record.

Once likened t...

Winners of the Hypernatural book giveaway

2015-06-20T17:36:00-04:00

In Archinect's latest book giveaway, readers had the chance to win a copy of "Hypernatural: Architecture's New Relationship with Nature" authored by Blaine Brownell and Marc Swackhamer from the University of Minnesota. Published by Princeton Architectural Press, Hypernatural highlights 42 case-study projects that demonstrate a fresh array of possible architectural applications in the evolving connection between the built and natural environments.

The five winners are:

Martin L. - Toronto, Canada
Anthony S. - California
Matt W. - Florida
Lisa S. - California
Chrysi K. - New York

Congrats! Thanks to all who participated.

Win a copy of "Hypernatural: Architecture's New Relationship with Nature"

2015-06-05T15:31:00-04:00

The growing presence of biomimicry in architectural design takes the spotlight in Hypernatural: Architecture's New Relationship with Nature, authored by architecture and materials academic experts Blaine Brownell and Marc Swackhamer from the University of Minnesota. Published by Princeton Architectural Press, Hypernatural highlights 42 case-study projects that demonstrate a fresh array of possible applications in the evolving relationship between the built environment and Mother Nature.

Sounds interesting? Archinect is giving away five copies of Hypernatural to our readers!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: Fill out this survey by the deadline on Wednesday, June 17. Five winners will be chosen. Good luck!

More book details below:

(Top) Echoviren; (Bottom): The Cloud | Photos courtesy of Princeton Architectural Press.

Hypernatural features a foreword by Michael Weinstock, an Introduction to the book, and an international collection of 42 case-studies. A few of the projects include the botanical Ech...

BUREAU A's Swiss alpine cabin lets you camp out inside a boulder

2014-12-17T14:49:00-05:00

Up in the slopes of the Swiss village Verbier in the Alps, BUREAU A's "Antoine" is a little wooden cabin hidden inside a concrete rock that camouflages with its environment. Inspired by Swiss cultural elements like the literature of iconic writer Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, hidden bunkers, and the unique experience of living in an alpine landscape, "Antoine" looks like one comfy, cool space to get away from it all — with a hint of adventure.

BUREAU A provided more detail into their latest project:

"The mountains have the power to call for feelings of fascination and fear at the same time. Switzerland has a strong tradition of observing the Alps, living with them, hiding inside them. The awe and the anxiety that this monumental landscape appeals is reflected in the writings of Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, one of the most important Swiss writers. His novels, Derborence, describes the massive rock fall that covered the pastures of the valley of Lizerne in 1714. Antoine, the main character, surv...

Will the buildings of the future be grown underwater?

2014-02-17T14:40:00-05:00

In a new exhibition, Michael Pawlyn lays out his vision for architecture inspired by the natural world – including biorock buildings grown entirely underwater and whole office blocks being lit by learning from the blind sea star. [...] “All my work is driven by a frustration with the word ‘sustainable’,” he says. “It suggests something that is just about good enough, but we need to be looking at truly restorative solutions.