Architecture: Research Guide

Miners enjoy the beach and beach houses. Casa Inaê was built on Praia do Forte, Salvador, for a mining family of three siblings, six nephews, a matriarch, and many friends.

The station area of Borgloon has undergone a transformation into a vibrant meeting place and a symbolic gateway to the 'Fruit Route'. The Loon Fruit Station features a unique planting concept, immerses visitors in the rich history of fruit cultivation, and references the former railway line that once traversed the landscape in several ways. The thorough transformation of Borgloon's station area is part of the realisation of the Fruit Route. The "Fruit Line" is the nickname for railway line 23, which was constructed in 1879 between Sint-Truiden and Tongeren, primarily used to transport fruit and sugar beets. The tracks were dismantled in 1971, but the route is still visible today as a straigh..

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Anchored in Elegance - Powerhouse Company Delivers Huis aan de Haven: A New Landmark in Leeuwarden's New Urban District | On the southern edge of Leeuwarden, the Huis aan de Haven residential building has been completed. Designed by Powerhouse Company for MWPO and built by Reitsma Bouw, it serves as a striking landmark in Middelsee, the newest urban development in the city. Surrounded by water and greenery, the area offers an authentic northern Dutch atmosphere. With its modern appearance and strategic location, the apartment complex presents a contemporary interpretation of the region's maritime identity.

In the complex ecosystem of architectural development, where innovative concepts meet market realities, a distinct role exists to bridge diverse professional interests and realize impactful spaces. Elisa Orlanski Ours exemplifies this function. This is the domain of Elisa Orlanski Ours, a designer, educator, and industry leader. As Chief Planning & Design Officer at Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, Elisa founded her department two decades ago. Now, her extensive portfolio spans master plans and individual villas across continents, including significant New York City developments like Hudson Yards and 220 Central Park South, as well as international developments in collaboration with pr..

CLIENT AND BRIEF – Our clients commissioned us to masterplan a 42-acre villa development in Raipur—Rama Greens—featuring 90 villas across four types, a well-equipped clubhouse, and ample green and lung spaces to promote community living.

This café, set gently over a body of water, draws from the rich local craftsmanship of Korat and materials sourced from the Dan Kwian village, an area famed for its traditional pottery. The project reinterprets these elements in a contemporary language, responding to the design brief, which called for a water-based structure that complements the existing context of "Chai Thung Restaurant", a local restaurant by the pond. The café was envisioned as an additional zone to accommodate customers while maintaining the ambiance of the original space.

Foundations established by architects have increasingly become involved in architectural education through scholarships, fellowships, and interdisciplinary academic programs. These initiatives often aim to support students, promote research, and facilitate broader engagement with architecture and the built environment. Some architect-initiated foundations, such as the Zaha Hadid Foundation, which recently launched the Zaha Hadid Scholars Program at the American University of Beirut, along with the Norman Foster Foundation and the SOM Foundation, have introduced educational programs connected to their missions. While these programs differ in structure and focus, they commonly seek to extend t..

Casa Amankay reveals itself with calm. Stone steps ascend through the vegetation, marking the rhythm of arrival. The surroundings invite a slow progression. To the right, a tall, leafy tree makes its presence felt; on the opposite side, a vertical volume seems to respond, maintaining a quiet balance. The architecture presents itself clearly, yet finds a gentler way to appear in the shade and vegetation.

Heatherwick Studio has unveiled the first design images of Hatai, a new public space and two hotels in the heart of Bangkok's Silom district. The complex marks the studio's first project in Thailand and is located on the historic site of the original Narai Hotel, within a bustling business area. The project envisions 5,200 square metres of new public space, including elevated walkways and a publicly accessible ground level with retail and services. The building design draws inspiration from the craftsmanship of traditional Thai lanterns, featuring a series of stacked, rounded forms.

Fireplaces have profoundly shaped architectural design, influencing how spaces are organized, experienced, and perceived. More than merely functional elements, they represent symbols of power, community, comfort, and culture, tracing humanity's evolving relationship with the built environment. From the primitive hearths that characterized early human settlements to the sophisticated ecological designs of contemporary architecture, fireplaces have reflected broader cultural, social, and technological changes, serving as enduring focal points in the spatial narrative of architecture. Scholars have frequently explored the intimate relationship between architecture and fire. Luis Fernández-Gali..

Since 2017, Snøhetta has been engaged in the transformation of an old quarry to an environmentally and socially sustainable neighborhood in Mölnlycke, outside Gothenburg in Sweden. What started as a lofty concept of healing a wound in the ground and regenerating the surrounding nature has now manifested itself as a garden city with varied housing typologies suitable for any family. Wendelstrand offers diverse public areas and a park that meanders through the development and has its crescendo as the roofscape of Lakehouse – a communal building to be used and enjoyed by everyone living or visiting Wendelstrand.

Andanzas y visiones españolas is the book in which Miguel de Unamuno collects his experiences during excursions through Spain's cities and countryside, accompanied by friends and colleagues. More than a precise geographical description, the text consists of narratives in which each region and every feature of the territory leaves a deep imprint on his thought. The literary discourse actively weaves the diversity of setting, climate, and contextualism as foundational threads, presenting the territory not only as a physical place but also as a space for reflection and contemplation. This attentive engagement with the landscape—so diverse within Spanish architecture—also resonates in the b..

The original building features a steel frame structure with a rectangular plan, elongated north-south and shorter east-west. It is composed of two immediately adjacent volumes of differing heights: The lower southern volume is a single-story, forming a large, undivided space, while the taller northern volume spans two stories, incorporating a 9-meter-high double-height space at its junction with the lower volume.

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The reimagined Doris Duke Theatre is approximately 20,000 sq. ft., compared with the former Duke's roughly 8,500 sq. ft. footprint. The design allows for multi-use flexibility, so that the building can support performances, events, residencies, and more, sometimes simultaneously. The flexible seating configurations can accommodate 220 - 400, depending on the size of the performance space, with an array of seating and stage configurations.

AP House is a renovation of a home located to the east of Madrid, in a privileged position next to Casa de Campo. With an area of 130m2, the project transforms a previously very compartmentalized state into a more open and fluid space.

Rural areas have long played a foundational role in the social and economic development of nations. Until the 18th century, they were the primary sites of production and social organization. However, the Industrial Revolution brought profound structural shifts that reshaped this landscape. Industry took center stage, anchoring itself in urban environments and establishing a hierarchical, binary view of rural versus urban, agriculture versus industry. Within this new paradigm, two opposing narratives gained prominence: one predicted the decline of rural life in the face of urbanization and economic progress; the other envisioned its persistence and eventual renewal. Today, it is clear which o..

The Outdoor House, set along the tranquil shores of the Aegean Sea, captures the essence of simple living under the warm summer sun of Greece. The main element of the house is a large pergola that creates a welcoming space for enjoying the Mediterranean climate to the fullest; the open roof filters intense sunlight while allowing gentle breezes to circulate freely. It prevents the floor and stone walls from accumulating and radiating heat, ensuring a comfortable and cool environment even at the height of summer.

The Japan Art Association has named Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura as the 2025 Praemium Imperiale Laureate for Architecture. Now in its 36th edition, the award honors artists for their lifetime achievements in the fields of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, and Theater/Film. The Praemium Imperiale was established in 1988 to recognize individuals whose work has contributed significantly to the enrichment of the global cultural landscape. Souto de Moura was recognized for producing architecture that thoughtfully engages with the present moment while maintaining a timeless quality.

Maud Caubet Brings New Life to the Château of the Hertford British Hospital - In Levallois-Perret (Greater Paris), the Château of the Hertford British Hospital is about to begin a new chapter. Built between 1877 and 1879 by architect Paul Ernest Sanson, this Neo-Gothic building with English-inspired design long welcomed British patients, notably in its maternity ward, which remained in operation until the end of the 20th century. The agency Maud Caubet Architectes has led the complete rehabilitation of the site on behalf of the Hertford British Charitable Fund (HBCF), with the ambition of restoring the identity of the place while adapting it to contemporary uses. The Château will host tra..

The Kingdom of Morocco's exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia highlights Moroccan earth architecture and traditional construction techniques. The exhibition, titled Materiae Palimpsest, was curated by architects Khalil Morad El Ghilali and El Mehdi Belyasmine. In an exploration that blends ancient techniques with digital technologies, the exhibit features textile works by architect and artist Soumyia Jalal, along with holograms of artisans and tactile installations. The narrative presents earth as a renewable resource and sustainable material, and earth construction as a key to both preserving architectural heritage and addressing contempora..

Vernacular architecture often utilizes locally sourced materials and construction practices honed over centuries. This approach raises questions about its potential relevance for contemporary design challenges. The prevalence of high-rise developments globally, often relying on sealed envelopes and mechanical climate control, contrasts with historical architectural practices. Traditionally, regional architectures emerged from local communities, fostering distinct cultural identities and integrating passive systems for ventilation, cooling, and heating, often utilizing natural elements. The Hanok, traditional Korean houses, serve as a case study. Beyond their current role in tourism, they are..

The project for Abby Kortrijk extends and transforms the historically significant complex of Groeninge Abbey into an arts space for site-specific temporary exhibitions and public events. Abby Kortrijk is a new kind of museum: a place for everyone, open and versatile, an urban living space in the wonderful setting of Begijnhof Park in the centre of Kortrijk.

Residing in good company, situated as it is in close proximity to a cluster of other Luigi Rosselli Architects designed homes, and built in the late 1930s, internally this house holds a number of desirable Art Deco features; externally, however, its original façade was an austere pastiche of Scotland sur Med. Located on a hilltop, the home commands eagle's nest views of both the city and Sydney Harbour, but the trade-off for such blessed vistas is the steep sloping site the house is built on; an aspect that sadly became too difficult for the previous owner – a wine merchant and widower – who moved out in favour of somewhere with fewer stairs and gentler gradients.

The project is nestled within expansive woodlands in Chongzhou, Sichuan Province. This secluded retreat is disconnected from urban contexts, accessible solely through a single forest path. The architects have conceived the complex through an abstract settlement approach, where three distinct architectural scales - monumental pitched roofs, mid-scale geometric volumes, and clusters of compact functional units - are unified through an implicit structural logic.

Nestled on the banks of the Mekong River, the community of Chiang Saen is steeped in centuries of riches. This profound heritage forms of Athita pool villa and spa. (Extended phase from Athita, the hidden court, Chiang Saen boutique hotel)

A Living House Inspired by the meaning of the Egyptian term per ankh, which can be translated as “house of life,” Casa Ankh aims to establish a coextension between body, environment, and everyday life. Located on a rural plot in the countryside of São Paulo, the house was conceived as a sensitive response to the surrounding natural context. Set on an extensive site with a pronounced slope, the residence engages in dialogue with the uneven topography and celebrates the mountainous landscape in the background, incorporating the presence of nature as a fundamental element of its architectural composition.

The new building, designed by Studio Gang, the international architecture and urban design firm led by Jeanne Gang, will provide students at the historically Black college with a cross-disciplinary and collaborative learning environment. Dedicated to the arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), the Center will create new opportunities for women of African descent to excel in fields where they are often underrepresented. The Center is the first new academic facility at Spelman in nearly 25 years. It is also the first building located beyond the gates of Spelman's historic campus and establishes new connections between the College and the Westside Atlanta community.

We're in Conca D'Oro, a densely populated neighborhood in the northern stretch of Rome, beyond the Aniene River, a tributary of the Tiber. This part of the city saw intense urban growth in the post-war decades, an era that left its mark on the architecture still standing today. The home occupies a 1960s four-story building, with a brick-patterned façade and signature cruciform concrete pillars that anchor the prominent canopy of the first floor. It's a solid, rational structure, one that quietly wears its age.