The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features an apartment block in California constructed like a "real-life Lego-kit". Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.

Florida-based manufacturer Renco has completed a Palm Springs apartment complex that was made using Lego-like blocks made of repurposed materials and designed by architecture studio Arquitectonica.

Constructed from a composite blend of glass fibres, resin, and stone, the blocks were designed to be stronger, less energy-intensive and more affordable than conventional materials.

This week's newsletter also featured Ghanaian-Scottish architect Lesley Lokko being named the recipient of this year's RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the reveal of plans and the architect for this year's Serpentine Pavilion and a "first aid kit" for furniture designed by Yalan Dan.

Dezeen Agenda

Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Tuesday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. 

The post Dezeen Agenda features apartment building made from Lego-like blocks appeared first on Dezeen.

Florida-based manufacturer Renco has used stackable, Lego-like blocks made of repurposed materials to build an apartment block in Palm Springs designed by architecture studio Arquitectonica.

Made of a composite of glass fibres, resin and stone, the were designed to be stronger, less energy-intensive and more affordable that traditional materials, according to Renco.

The blocks were first used in Turkey after earthquakes to rebuild infrastructure faster and more affordably after natural disasters.

"Renco's structural building system is a new way to build that is 23 times stronger than concrete, less expensive and finished in a fraction of the time," said the company.

"Think of it like a real-life Lego kit – moulded blocks that interlock and create entire structures," it continued.

"By simplifying construction into a Lego-like kit, Renco buildings can be assembled much faster, reducing time on the job and energy consumption."

An individual block is made using a composite of glass fibres, resin and stone with 40 per cent of materials repurposed from sources like the "massive boat building industry" that would otherwise go to waste.

Each moulded block is rectangular and topped with a series of knobs, which interlock and stack in the same way as a Lego block.

The typical block measures 8 by 8 by 16 inches (20 by 20 by 40 centimetres) and weighs 20 per cent less than a traditional concrete block, according to the team.

A two-part methyl methacrylate adhesive was used to bind the blocks to one another.

"To build with Renco, all that is required is a fork truck to lift up the materials, a glue gun powered by a small generator and a mallet," said the team.

"Crews don't need heavy equipment or power tools – no exterior scaffolding, no big cranes, no cutting, burning, welding or grinding."

The block's design also reduces construction time.

"It only takes about two hours to train a person to build with Renco, so construction projects are not delayed due to traditional labour shortages," said the team.

"For example, the first Renco USA housing complex in Palm Springs, Florida was finished in record time. With 11 unskilled workers, it took about eight weeks to assemble each of the four identical three-story buildings."

According to the team, the construction method can triple a building's lifespan and is rated to be hurricane and earthquake-resistant.

Additionally, the company claims that the blocks are fire, water, mould, termite and pest-resistant.

"It simply won't rust or rot and nothing will consume it," said the team.

The construction blocks have passed over "400 rigorous safety tests" to be used in the US.

The apartment complex by Arquitectonica, which is the first US project to employ the blocks, contains 96 apartments distributed between four identical, rectangular buildings which are marked by colourful entrances.

Recently, Chinese materials company Yi Design created a porous brick using 90 per cent recycled ceramic waste that could be used to mitigate flooding.

The photography is courtesy of Renco.

The post "Real-life Lego kit" used to create Palm Springs apartment block appeared first on Dezeen.

A massive curving slab of concrete covers the new school of architecture building at the University of Miami, by local firm Arquitectonica.

The Thomas P Murphy Design Studio Building is the latest addition to the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida – southeast of Downtown Miami.

Arquitectonica designed the 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-metre) building for the institution's architecture school. It is dedicated to Thomas P Murphy Senior, the father of the founder of Coastal Construction – the local construction firm that built the project.

The project was also personal for Arquitectonica: the partner in charge of the project, Raymond Fort, served as faculty at the University of Miami, as did his parents – the firm's founding principals – Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Laurinda Spear.

The Thomas P Murphy building is toped with a bowed roof that swoops across the project in a wave-like manner, and extends far out to form a covered patio alongside floor-to-ceiling windows.

"The building is, in essence, a single, oversized shed, featuring a vaulted roof suspended 18 feet (5.5 metres) over the floor by narrow steel columns and a few fixed walls," said a project description.

"The exposed structure of glass and concrete serves as a teaching tool by illustrating some of the basic tenets of modern architecture, construction and sustainability."

Situated on a grass plot, the building creates a plaza at a prominent intersection on the campus, with a pathway that connects to the Miami Metrorail.

Inside, a concrete envelope forms a lobby, with a spacious open-plan area for students taking up most of the floor plan. Red fabric curtains can close off a portion to create a more intimate area.

A studio space is formed by a 25-foot (7.6-metre) square module, which can accommodate a variety of desk configurations, ranging from 90 to 130 workstations.

"It complements the school's constellation of buildings that constitute a campus-within-the-campus," said Rodolphe el-Khoury, dean of architecture at the University of Miami.

The east and west walls are lined in felt, so students can pin up their projects, while a nave features movable boards for exhibitions and reviews.

In addition to its durable concrete shell, the Thomas P Murphy building is also designed for Miami's hot and wet climate, and its glass facade includes hurricane-resistant panels.

The undulating roof warps over the southernmost point of the building, to shade the interior from direct sunlight. No artificial light is needed inside during the day.

Arquitectonica's other projects in its home city of Miami include a residential tower with a crinkled facade on pilotis, located in the Edgewater neighbourhood.

Photography is by Robin Hill unless stated otherwise.

Project credits:

Partners-in-charge of design: Bernardo Fort Brescia, Laurinda Spear
Architect of record and project director: Sherri Gutierrez
Project manager: Rafael Guissarri
Project designer: Raymond Fort
Landscape architect: Arquitectonica Geo
Interior designers: Arquitectonica Interiors, University of Miami Interior Design, Office of the University Architect
Structural engineering: GMG
Acoustics: Shen Milsom & Wilke
Mechanical engineering: Stantec
Civil engineering: VSN
Geotechnical engineering: NV5
Surveying: Atkins
Sustainability: SUMAC
General contractor and construction manager: Coastal Construction Group

The post Warped concrete roof tops Miami architecture school by Arquitectonica appeared first on Dezeen.

Football star David Beckham has made a major step towards building a home for his professional soccer team in Miami, after the public voted to approve the project.

The vote – which took place on 6 November 2018 to coincide with US midterm elections – invited the Miami public to decide whether city officials can negotiate a no-bid lease deal for Beckham's soccer stadium for the city.

The former England captain wants to transform the former site of Melreese Country Club, next to Miami International Airport, into a complex dedicated to his new professional football team Club Internacional de Futbol Miami — or Inter Miami.

It would include a 25,000-seat stadium, along with a 23-hectare park, a hotel, shopping precinct and public sports grounds, designed by Miami-headquartered firm Arquitectonica.

While the vote does not confirm the park, it marks a major move forward for Beckham, who has been trying to realise his dream of a major league soccer (MLS) team for years.

His attempts to bring a team to Miami began in 2013 – the same year that he retired from the profession – but proposals for a home venue have been stalled by rejected planning applications, deals falling through and resistance from locals.

"I started this dream five and a half years ago... to bring a team to Miami, to bring a team to this great city," Beckham reportedly said at a rally following the vote.

"We've had some speed bumps along the way," he added. "We've had a few problems along the way."

If negotiations with the city are successful, Miami Freedom Park and Soccer Village is slated for completion in 2021.

Beckham, 43, focused on developing the Melreese scheme in September 2018, following a past ambition to build a stadium on another plot of land designed by Populous – the architecture firm behind the London 2012 Olympic stadium.

Populous, however, was recently dropped in favour of Arquitectonica – the firm that developed the first proposal for the Miami stadium in 2014 with 360 Architecture, which was rejected by politicians.

Earlier this year, Beckham confirmed that the team will be named Internacional Club de Fútbol Miami, and signified by a black and pink crest.

The team, which is now expected to begin playing in 2020, will be the region's first in the soccer league since Fort Lauderdale-based Miami Fusion stopped in 2001.

The post David Beckham's Miami football stadium backed by public vote appeared first on Dezeen.

Sales have officially launched for apartments inside this skyscraper in Boston by New York firm Arquitectonica, amid a "boom" in the city's luxury condo market created by its growing tech scene (+ slideshow).

The Pierce Boston residential tower is currently under construction in Boston's Fenway neighbourhood.

Set to rise 30 storeys to 340 feet (104 metres) tall, the building will include 109 condominium units, 240 rental units and over 20,000 square feet (1,858 square metres) of street-level retail space.

According to developers Samuels & Associates, 30 per cent of the condos had already been bought ahead of the official sales launch earlier this week.

"As Boston's luxury condo market booms, Pierce Boston pre-sales are emblematic of the market's larger paradigm shift," said the firm.

The tower is located close to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, in a rapidly gentrifying area that has seen house prices rise 65 per cent over the past 10 years.

"The interest and demand that we've seen for Pierce Boston would have been unimaginable in the Fenway just a few years ago," said Samuels & Associates principal Leslie Cohen.

"As a natural evolution of the Fenway's masterplanning process, Pierce Boston now occupies a coveted gateway parcel in the maturing neighbourhood, providing the neighbourhood's first luxury homeownership opportunity," added Sue Hawkes, president and CEO of The Collaborative Companies – the tower's sales and marketing agency.

The apartments are aimed at "younger innovation sector entrepreneurs and investors" living and working in the city, which is home to some of America's leading universities and a number of technology companies.

Starting at the 19th floor, the condos will feature three sides of floor-to-ceiling glazing to maximise views of Boston, Cambridge and the Charles River.

Amenities will include a fitness center with yoga studio, 24-hour concierge service and doorman, dedicated staff to plan events and social gatherings, private dining areas and 80 parking spaces.

On the 30th floor, there will be a communal space with a library, and a roof deck with a swimming pool, outdoor jacuzzi, outdoor fire pits and sky cabanas, which will provide 360-degree views of the city.

Prices for condos will start at $1 million (£757,000) and occupancy is slated for 2018.

The market for luxury condominiums is also booming in Miami – where towers by Zaha Hadid, Bjarke Ingels and Rafael Moneo are all underway – and New York, in the form of "super-slender" towers by the likes of SHoP Architects, Jean Nouvel and Rafael Viñoly.

The post Arquitectonica's Pierce Boston tower to feature apartments aimed at young tech entrepreneurs appeared first on Dezeen.

Thirty-six slender columns support the thin concrete canopy of this colonnade, which provides an outdoor events space for a house museum on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula (+ slideshow).

Designed by Mexico City studio Materia Arquitectonica, the Montes Molina Pavilion, frames three sides of a paved courtyard at La Quinta Montes Molina – a historic 20th century house in Merida that has become a museum.

The permanent pavilion structure was intended to take the place of the canvas tents typically used to host the museum's events.

"The client sought a permanent structure to hold all kinds of scales of events and to enhance a more intimate relationship with the existing building," explained the studio, which is led by Mexican architect Gustavo Carmona and Puerto Rican architect Lisa Beltran.

"The columns relate to the trees that surround the property and the balconies of the house," they added.

"The roof reinforces the presence of the emptied space below, contrasting with the solid nature of the house and connecting with the garden to its sides."

The pavilion creates a U-shaped promenade, located at the base of a sweeping staircase with ornamental balustrades.

It was built from white concrete, chosen for its similarity in colour to the facade of the old house.

"The light colour resonates with the character of the city and the house and allows light and shadow to mark the passage of the sun on its surfaces," said the architects.

Seams in the cast-concrete panels that make up the slender "knife-edge" canopy highlight its construction method, but at the same time mimic grooves in the museum's facade and the gaps between the paving slabs below.

The canopy is topped by a steel structure that will stabilise the structure in the event of a hurricane.

A canopy contained within this structure can be drawn across the roof of the pavilion to shelter the centre of the courtyard.

Photography is by Onnis Luque.

Project credits:

Design: Materia Arquitectónica (Gustavo Carmona, Lisa Beltrán), David Pompa
Team: Gustavo Xoxotla, Raybel Cueva, Jorge Covarrubias

The post White concrete pavilion by Materia Arquitectonica creates an outdoor events space for historic house appeared first on Dezeen.