Articles by Andreas Luco

INSIDE Guangzhou is a gin bar and coffee shop located in Pazhou, Canton (Guangzhou). R-BAS was invited to reshape this mini-space within a limited construction budget by introducing a constantly changing panorama of dynamism into the interior. The homely bar provides semi-self-service beverages for the community. Expected to allow customers to use the facilities on site flexibly, the design was asked to study the environmental psychology that how laid-back emotions and perceptions could be brought about from the room, promoting positive internal and external interactions, thereby enabling diverse social behaviors in this small area.

Located on Monte Élbruz Street in Polanco, Mexico City, this condo-hotel spans 8 levels above street level and 3 below ground. The main structure of the building is made of concrete. However, what captures attention is its exterior wooden structure, which is not a common material for structural use in buildings in Mexico City.

As the site is set within an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, it was clear that the new home would need to be an exemplary piece of contemporary architecture that was sensitive and responsive to its location to secure planning approval. As a practice that designs & builds – Facit Homes uses Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Deploying their unique  Facit MicroFactory™ directly onto the site to fabricate and assemble the engineered wood components that form the integral high-performance chassis of the home. 

A series of undulating tectonic structures set against an aspen grove near Wilson, Wyoming, this mountain home serves as a creative retreat for a California-based couple. The 35-acre property is set at the base of the Tetons and encompasses several ecosystems, with old-growth forests merging into stands of young pine and aspen trees before transitioning into rolling meadows. The homeowners, authors who also own and manage an independent record label out of Mill Valley, California, were looking for a nature-oriented outpost in Wyoming in which to pursue their writing practice.

Initially, this was a project about functionality and efficiency, an entry pavilion for a mental hospital located in southern Taiwan. It serves as a gate entry which can transform into a fever screening station during the pandemic. Instead of building a linear wall, we created a boundary with a layer of spaces, which serves as a transition between the hospital campus and the external highway, also creates a series of collective spaces which has the potential for multi-functional use which also kept the building’s gesture more welcoming than a wall with a guard post.

Aqua is a modern cave that blends cohesively with the overarching hills, perfectly interacting with nature on one side while still allowing for privacy. Aqua preserves and nurtures the locals with its choice of material, its building process, and its elevated wellness experience in the wilderness. The fluidity of the form flows from the exterior to the interior walls, creating movement between different spaces.