Month: November 2022

KCAP won the design competition for the Coastline of Yantai, Shandong Province, south of Beijing. As one of China’s top 10 ports and a gateway city for communication between Japan and South Korea, Yantai Seafront Garden will transform the underused coastal area into an influential economic and technological development zone in Northeast China. The conceptual proposal was selected by its vision of 4 stages along the 95km of waterfront, including water conservation zones, a “sponge city” community, and a resident tidal shoreline.

Ricardo Rocha writes about the German-Brazilian architect Hartmut Thimel. Forgotten by canonical historiography, he worked with Georges Candilis, Yona Friedman, and later with Oscar Niemeyer. His work is a bridge between 1970s Brazil, addressing the international avant-garde – Team X, Metabolism, Spatial Urbanism, and Prospective, among others.

Widely recognized as being responsible for 8% of global CO2 emissions, concrete should be a blacklisted material, relegated to the shameful annals of architectural history. Rapid global urbanization, however, will ensure its unequaled production simplicity and structural strength help retain concrete’s firm grip on the construction industry.

Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have long dominated the conversation around how different generations influence architecture and the built environment. From views around city planning and zoning efforts to the great debate about whether workplaces should be completely open or office-intensive, each generation has had its strong opinions about how spaces we inhabit are designed- largely shaped by the socio-economic, political, and technological influences that have shaped our lives in different ways. Looking ahead, what can we expect next? Enter Generation Alpha, the first generation born entirely within the 21st century.

La Mejicana looks for opportunities in the limitations. A project that consciously respects the existing and attempts to reduce interventions to a minimum. A special focus on reviving disregarded elements and reinventing interior and exterior spaces. This project is a renovation of an existing building. It would be impossible to build a new house in that proximity to the seafront, given the strict regulations in Spain for coast protection. The only allowed interventions for this existing building were repair, upgrade, structural consolidation, and energy improvement. Being expressly forbidden to increase the built volume. These restrictions have both strongly conditioned the development of the project and at the same time opened up unexpected possibilities. The transformation of the existing space is designed from a deep understanding of what is inherited from the original structure and its inhabitants, the conditioning factors of strict regulation, the needs of the new residents, and what the place gives.

Seat Usage Reporting is added in October 2022

Museums play a critical role in preserving local cultures, promoting a better understanding of our collective heritage, and fostering dialogue, curiosity and self-reflection. In recent years –and largely driven by the Covid-19 pandemic– technological advances have enabled users from all over the world to visit exhibitions virtually, at any time and from the comfort of their own home. However, although online tours are a good way of increasing accessibility, there is something about the in-person museum experience that will never get old: the ability to witness, embrace and closely admire artefacts, paintings and sculptures in their true form, as well as the chance to experience the unique ambiance and essence of a traditional museum setting. Viewing the Mona Lisa virtually will never live up to appreciating it face-to-face at The Louvre, for instance.

The house Furggaleidis is located in Buchen, a small village in Graubünden, Switzerland. Surrounded by beautiful nature and an unobstructed agricultural zone. The long and calm volume has its roots in regional stables, which have shaped the landscape for decades. In this way, house Furggaleidis takes up various themes and structures without ignoring the actual purpose of a contemporary residential building.