Month: April 2026

Photographer Paul Clemence documented the Gateway Centre in West Kowloon, a mixed-use development by Zaha Hadid Architects in Hong Kong, as it approaches completion. The photo series captures the project at a stage where its overall massing, facade systems, and spatial organization are largely realized, while final works continue across public and interior areas. Clemence‘s close-range views highlight the vertical shading pleats, the curvature of the glazed envelope, and the transitions between structural and environmental elements, underscoring how the building’s formal language is resolved through construction.

This vacation house is a “Less is Enough” project. The client’s starting point was the need to build a new summer house that could accommodate the entire family, allowing them to spend the whole summer together in one place. Instead of prioritizing large spaces and maximum comfort, this compact house embraces the idea that it is only a summer house. The everyday standards of permanent living are intentionally left behind. Rather than spending the budget on maximizing square meters, the project focuses on investing in durable, sustainable materials and a thoughtful spatial concept.

Across Europe and North America, pedestrianisation is increasingly being deployed as a context-specific urban strategy shaped by distinct economic, social, and spatial pressures. As cities continue to reassess the role of streets in the wake of economic shifts, climate pressures, and changing mobility patterns, pedestrianisation is emerging as a tool in current urban transformation efforts. Across London, New York, Houston, and Stockholm, ongoing pedestrian-first projects are testing different pathways toward more resilient and walkable cities, ranging from statutory planning and capital construction to research-driven visioning. London’s Oxford Street is advancing through consultation and governance reform to address retail decline; New York’s Paseo Park is moving from a temporary pandemic intervention into permanent infrastructure; Houston is accelerating the pedestrianisation of its downtown core in preparation for a global sporting event; and Stockholm’s Superline is using design research to rethink the future of an inner-city motorway. These initiatives reveal how pedestrianisation is being actively negotiated, designed, and built today, adapting to local motivations while converging on a shared objective of streets that perform as resilient public spaces rather than traffic conduits.

Studio NEiDA operates at the intersection of architectural practice, research, and curatorial work, with a consistent focus on how buildings emerge from the material and cultural conditions of a place. Rather than treating materiality as a finishing language, the studio frames it as the beginning of an architectural narrative—starting from what is locally available, they look at what craft knowledge exists on the ground, and how those resources and skills situate a project within an architectural lineage. This approach foregrounds limitations and possibilities as productive forces, and positions design as an iterative process of aligning spatial intent with the realities of construction culture and vernacular intelligence.

Studio NEiDA operates at the intersection of architectural practice, research, and curatorial work, with a consistent focus on how buildings emerge from the material and cultural conditions of a place. Rather than treating materiality as a finishing language, the studio frames it as the beginning of an architectural narrative—starting from what is locally available, they look at what craft knowledge exists on the ground, and how those resources and skills situate a project within an architectural lineage. This approach foregrounds limitations and possibilities as productive forces, and positions design as an iterative process of aligning spatial intent with the realities of construction culture and vernacular intelligence.

The waters and mountains of Jiulong Lake set the emotional tone for this space. Taking “returning to the nest” as the central theme, we gently weave the everyday warmth of Lingnan dessert traditions into Aranya’s distinct sense of retreat and belonging. The authentic textures of materials form the structural framework, while the warmth of Lingnan culture becomes its flesh and soul. Here, the body often recognizes “home” before the mind does—the moment one sits down, a sense of familiarity quietly settles in.

This weekend retreat is set within a mountain forest, designed as a grounded place of dwelling immersed in nature. Typically, mountain vacation homes are elevated on slopes to offer stunning views, but through dialogues with the client, it became evident that being close to the ground, without detachment from nature, was more important than floating for the view.