Wood is inherently imprecise. Its grain reverses and swirls. Trauma and disease manifest in scars and knots. Instead of viewing these natural tendencies as liabilities, Achim Menges, an architect and professor at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, sees them as wood’s greatest assets. Menges and his team at the Institute for Computational Design and … Read more
Los Panchos in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, is a housing complex catering to surfers and beach lovers. The organic shell of the building features curved walls and fluid arches. Los Panchos maximizes views, solar orientation, and ventilation. Construction employs sustainable methods and locally sourced materials like wood, stone, and clay, emphasizing energy efficiency, and incorporating green building … Read more
Drakoni House is a 19th-century stone building converted into a holiday home in Crete. It has been uninhabited since 1920. Alterations to the traditional building were kept virtually unnoticeable from the outside and easily reversible in the future. The least possible construction interventions were made, mainly focusing on the restoration and reinforcement of the stone … Read more
Africa Lao had spent her career designing homes from an office in Barcelona, so when she moved to the country to get closer to nature, she was inspired to transform a crumbling 18th century stone barn into a small, minimal dream home. Located in the middle of protected forest, the location was an urban refugee’s … Read more
The Open Space Visitor Center in Albuquerque, NM has erected an all-natural hut for children to gather in and use during field trips to the center. Willow branches had were collected from a nearby field over several days for this purpose. “We can definitely use this hut as an opportunity for a learning space or … Read more
This thatch-roofed tea house supported on bamboo pillars was built in 1986. The 510-square-meter (5490 sf) structure with its high arched roof was inspired by traditional rural residences in the Yangtze River Delta. After undergoing a major, two-year restoration project, it has now reopened to the public. It was designed by Feng Jizhong (1915-2009), who … Read more