Month: August 2021

Wood is an extremely versatile material. It allows for the construction of robust and strong structures, while it can also be used as the raw material for delicate objects such as musical instruments. Understanding all its particularities, properties, and behavior is a journey of knowledge that could take a lifetime. Basically, wood is made up of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and mineral elements, and each species has its own unique characteristics. The history of Stradivarius violins, for example, is interesting to mention: they are still worth fortunes and experts argue that luthiers have never been able to replicate their timbre on newer instruments. Researchers point out that the differentiated sound is due to the wood in the body and arm, which went through a submersion process with a mineral solution that increased the decomposition of hemicellulose. The treatment made the wood absorb less moisture, making the sound brighter and more pleasant.

Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava has unveiled the design of the Qatar Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE. The design is inspired by a flying falcon that pays tribute to Qatar’s rich cultural heritage. The Qatar Pavilion will include two main galleries and exhibition spaces, providing visitors with engaging, inclusive, and interactive environments. Along with the pavilion, Santiago Calatrava is designing another structure at the Expo 2020 Dubai that is yet to be unveiled.

The chapel Fuego Nuevo is conceived as a space where natural light is an essential part of the architecture. The structure works as a unity of the columns, walls, beams and slabs. They remain as bare and heavy elements and are constantly repeated generating a rhythm of solids and voids that allow natural light to play its role as a protagonist. We were commissioned to develop a project for a church with very specific needs for the congregation lead by the priests. When the project was presented to the community it was very well received. Many of the church’s resources have come from donations from parishioners and some foundations, so we also aimed to work with low-maintenance materials that could age with dignity.

OMA / David Gianotten has revealed the design for a five-story office building in Amsterdam, replacing a 1980s bank headquarters. Located on one of the city’s main avenues among high-end offices, housing and luxury hotels, the architecture of the new project is shaped by the characteristics of its surroundings. Featuring interlocking glass volumes towards the boulevard and brick-clad facades towards the residential area, Apollolaan 171 creates a dialogue with both the green avenue of Amsterdam’s south district and the neighbouring 20th-century Berlage architecture.

As an architectural project comes to its last phases, it is time to put together the smaller details in bathrooms and kitchens, which means choosing finishes for the walls and floors, as well as the countertops, and picking the right fittings and fixtures. These elements are essential for a well-designed space, regardless of the style.

The rustic village of Vals in the Swiss Alps is one of the country’s most picturesque areas, located at an altitude of 1250 meters above sea level with numerous exceptional projects. The main square is surrounded by original Vals houses roofed with stone tiles made of Vals quartzite. Throughout the years, the village maintained its authentic residential and rural typology, making sure that its agriculture and rural fabric remained intact. Perhaps the most powerful natural resource of the Vals Valley, one that has nurtured its landscape and wilderness, is the water. For millions of years, ice and rain have forged the deeply-cut topography, and provided the village with a 30-degree thermal source, the only one in the Grisons Canton which springs straight from the ground.

A series of viewing platforms on a hill in southern Stockholm. Vårbergstoppen is a constructed hill in the southern suburbs of Stockholm. The artificial landscape was created in the 1960s using masses from the construction of the new subway lines. City landscape architect Holger Blom leads the work of creating the two artificial peaks surrounding a perfectly round crater with a diameter of 100 meters. The perfect geometries of the constructed landscape worked as inspiration for our work, designing a bird-watching tower, viewing platforms, signs, and playground equipment for the public park.

Mayan Villa is located on the outskirts of the third summer tourist village of Mashhad, which is 1800 years old. A land with an area of ​​265 square meters with a width of 9 meters, on a rocky land with a steep slope, which its special character is a pristine landscape and its connection with the context.