Can a light make a warehouse warm?
A warehouse is a warehouse, right? Well, not with a shape like this! The architects for KOP Warehouses replaced corrugated metal with corrugated transparent and translucent plastic sheets to let light in and out. The result is a simple twist on the traditional warehouse and proof that no building type is beyond innovation.
(KOP Warehouse. Puurs, Belgium)
A smart architect can make a gem out of a lump of coal.
A warehouse is a warehouse, right? Well, not with a shape like this! The architects for KOP Warehouses replaced corrugated metal with corrugated transparent and translucent plastic sheets to let light in and out. The result is a simple twist on the traditional warehouse and proof that no building type is beyond innovation.
(KOP Warehouse. Puurs, Belgium)
A smart architect can make a gem out of a lump of coal.
Does a building need to be tall to change the skyline?
In Europe, residential buildings surround courtyards; in Manhattan, they reach for the sky. West 57th is the best of both worlds: its walls create a sheltered green space for occupants while maintaining the sweeping city vantage point offered by a skyscraper. Rising to a 450-foot peak, the building`s shape lets sunlight deep into the block while keeping views of the Hudson River open for neighbors.
(West 57th. New York, United States. Bjarke Ingels Group)
A condo tower doesn`t need to be inward looking (and it doesn`t need to be a tower).
In Europe, residential buildings surround courtyards; in Manhattan, they reach for the sky. West 57th is the best of both worlds: its walls create a sheltered green space for occupants while maintaining the sweeping city vantage point offered by a skyscraper. Rising to a 450-foot peak, the building`s shape lets sunlight deep into the block while keeping views of the Hudson River open for neighbors.
(West 57th. New York, United States. Bjarke Ingels Group)
A condo tower doesn`t need to be inward looking (and it doesn`t need to be a tower).
Have we been thinking about windows all wrong?
The French call it a brise soleil (“sun breaker”). In Eastern architecture, it`s a muxarabi. Wooden screens have a universal appeal for their dramatic appearance and serious sun-shading ability in hot weather. At a residence in São Paulo, two huge wooden curtains shelter the home of a young family, letting air flow through and creating a private enclave amid other houses. The best part is the mystery of this seemingly “windowless” house.
(BT House. São Paulo, Brazil)
Every element of architecture is ripe for innovation.
The French call it a brise soleil (“sun breaker”). In Eastern architecture, it`s a muxarabi. Wooden screens have a universal appeal for their dramatic appearance and serious sun-shading ability in hot weather. At a residence in São Paulo, two huge wooden curtains shelter the home of a young family, letting air flow through and creating a private enclave amid other houses. The best part is the mystery of this seemingly “windowless” house.
(BT House. São Paulo, Brazil)
Every element of architecture is ripe for innovation.
Why can`t walls be invisible?
This is a museum for a glass collection, and the architects decided that a building for glass should be made of glass. The building is composed of a solid floor and a solid ceiling that appear to magically float on glass walls.
(Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art. Toledo, Ohio, Unites States. SANAA)
The boldest architecture is sometimes hard to see.
This is a museum for a glass collection, and the architects decided that a building for glass should be made of glass. The building is composed of a solid floor and a solid ceiling that appear to magically float on glass walls.
(Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art. Toledo, Ohio, Unites States. SANAA)
The boldest architecture is sometimes hard to see.
Can a library be a mountain?
The illiteracy rate in the Netherlands town of Spijkenisse is a whopping 10 percent, so the city launched a type of architectural public relations campaign for books. Near the town square, community, educational, and commercial spaces were stacked into a pyramd, then wrapped with a 480-meter-long bookcase. Glass facades expose the library`s collection, inviting everyone who passes to come inside.
(Stichting Openbare Bibliotheek. Spijkenisse, Netherlands. MVRDV)
Familiar buildings can still surprise us.
The illiteracy rate in the Netherlands town of Spijkenisse is a whopping 10 percent, so the city launched a type of architectural public relations campaign for books. Near the town square, community, educational, and commercial spaces were stacked into a pyramd, then wrapped with a 480-meter-long bookcase. Glass facades expose the library`s collection, inviting everyone who passes to come inside.
(Stichting Openbare Bibliotheek. Spijkenisse, Netherlands. MVRDV)
Familiar buildings can still surprise us.
