H-House - Widjedal Racki Bergerhoff

A private residence in the archipelago of Stockholm situated on a beautiful site overlooking the ocean. The setting is scenic but the climate is harsh. Summers are light but short and the wind can often be a problem in these coastal areas. As in many of our projects great emphasis is put on exploring the border between inside and outside – protected and exposed – building and nature. 1/3 of the built area consists of outdoor areas under roof.The H-shape helps creating intimate and wind protected courtyards that prolong the summer season.

Marina & Beach Towers By Oppenheim

For the U.A.E. Marina and Beach towers project, Oppenheim created an high-rise mixed-use building that in addition to the typologies, is a response that is simultaneously building and landscape; a project whose fluidity merges sky and water. This allows for more varied living experiences beyond the capabilities of the normative tower. Basing the unit types on a standard module has allowed its shifted repetition to develop into the woven tapestry of the facade; a surface that responds to every nuanced shift of light, while providing critical protection from the intense sun.

Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo Architecten

Dutch architects Mecanoo have unveiled their design for the new library in Birmingham, England. The Library of Birmingham, opening in 2013, will occupy a prime site on Centenary Square, the city’s largest public square, acting as the flagship for the regeneration of Birmingham, and celebrating the ‘Global City with a Local Heart’. Sited between the 1970s Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the 1930s Baskerville House, the new Library of Birmingham will “bring the spoken and written word together to inspire creativity and discovery.” The 31,000 sq metres building will provide 20% more space than the existing Birmingham Central Library and will be capable of taking up to 10,000 visitors a day.

Vanguard Way - Morrison Seifert Murphy

This was the first house completed in new Dallas neighborhood devoted entirely to Modernism. We accommodated the program in a compact, two-story structure that essentially extends to the buildable limits of the property but reserves some space for private outdoor uses. The entire house is rendered in hard-troweled, white stucco with sealed concrete floors throughout the ground level.

Woodhead - Interpretive Centre in West Australia

The ritual burning of the Pinnacles Interpretive Centre in Western Australia, as part of its design and building process underscores the unique role of fire both culturally and environmentally in Australia. This incredibly evocative gesture by Woodhead and project architect for the Centre, John Nichols, introduces this specific practice into contemporary Australian architecture. The forces at play in the landscape determined the configuration of the elements and distinct staging of construction.

EX FONDERIE RIUNITE by modostudio

The competition brief was the regeneration of an urban area called Ex Fonderie Riunite, a strategic area for the city of Modena with important historical value. The basic idea was the recovery of a former industrial building and a new detailed urban plan in the other areas of the competition. The proposal of the architects for this existing industrial complex, characterized by historically protected office buildings, was to keep the identity as a symbol for the history of the Italian workers movement. The buildings are of different heights with plans that follow the structure of the industrial building.

Japan’s Hi-Tech Toilets

Open the door to the bathroom, and the toilet lid automatically rises. A soothing sound emanates from the toilet, and as you sit down, deodorizing functions begin to work. Push a button, and the toilet washes your rear end. Push another button and it gently dries it with warm air. The toilet will automatically flush, and when your leave the room, the lid will automatically close. People living in Japan are used to such toilets, but for people visiting for the first time, it can be a source of culture shock. During Tokyo Design Week, people could visited bathrooms that looked like spaceships, and talked to Mariko Shimasaki, from toilet manufacturer Toto.

Mensa Moltke J Mayer H Architects

A new canteen for the Technical College, Teacher Training College and the State Academy for Fine Art has been completed north of the Moltkestrasse. This new address will form an attractive new centre for the campus where the disciplines can meet, eat and exchange ideas.The dissolution of the structure into stem-like posts shows an associative relationship to the wooded areas nearby and creates an atmospheric transition between the buildings to the south and the shady forest to the north.