Articles by Andreas Luco

This comprehensive reform project transforms a potato chip store into a cafeteria. Its main objective is to create a versatile and welcoming space that adapts to the activity without limiting its use to a single category. The aim is to provide a comfortable and enjoyable experience for customers from the moment they enter the premises, by creating enveloping and intimate environments with a palette of warm and natural colors.

28.0855 is located in rural development in the Sierra of Tapalpa, Jalisco; from its inception, honesty in design was sought, creating a well-defined narrative guide, along with constant respect for the natural environment, making it an integral part of it. In the rustic estates of Mexican towns, dry stone walls are used for delimitation. VAN VAN Atelier reinterprets this concept by using stone in its walls as the fundamental anchoring material. These are erected and assembled naturally, where each stone harmoniously rests upon the other with angular shapes meeting and fitting together, creating boundaries with the exterior. These boundaries are framed with curves to soften their robustness leaving a reminiscent touch of those limiting walls in the fields. Hence, the project’s name: 28.0855, the atomic weight of Silicon, the predominant element in silica the basis of most stones found in nature.

Dzen House is a sanctuary crafted for those in pursuit of serenity and unity with nature and the universe within the confines of their home. Its architectural design and intricate details pay homage to Japanese traditions, featuring an overarching roof with exposed structures, wood cladding using the kisugi technique, a streamlined layout, and a tatami area on the second floor.

This is a single-family house of 180m2 for a couple with two teenage children, located in a gated community within the city of Ezeiza in the Greater Buenos Aires region.

This gesture is both powerful and delicate. Instead of the anticipated courtyard development, we proposed demolishing the old too-small hall and the additions that have accrued over the years. Building a new hall in their place, preserves and unambiguously closes the courtyard, between the school, the playing fields, and the street.

Glasblokkene at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen is an ambitious vision for a comprehensive pediatric and women’s hospital, where all expertise related to children, youth, and women converges in a singular facility. The holistic patient view, encompassing both physical and mental challenges, following the patient in a life-course perspective until adulthood, innovates how to offer healthcare services to children. Comprising eight building blocks, Glasblokkene was completed in two phases; the second phase was unveiled in December 2023. It is one of the world’s first fully digital and hence resource efficient hospital construction projects. Focus on energy efficiency and sustainability right from the beginning has resulted in numerous green solutions and the best energy label in the market.

Casa Verde is located in the walled enclosure of the City of San Francisco de Campeche, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. This rescued colonial house has a plot of 2906.26 SQ FT with construction on two floors of 2852.44 SQ FT. The name is taken from the original color of the façade, which the client wanted to keep. The colors of the houses in this area are previously designated by the INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historía), and although they can be changed, they are subject to a specific color palette and its approval. The first two bays of the house were in perfect condition, where the original wooden beams were preserved and only some of the intermediate joists were replaced.

PH Boris is the transformation of a classic residential typology in Buenos Aires. This architecture, prevalent in the city, was characterized by solving a set of housing units that share the same land and access. Each one gained natural ventilation and lighting through internal patios while fragmented spaces defined its rooms. The design proposal aims to rethink these characteristics as an opportunity to create a central space that would improve the versatility of the environment.