Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica has created a concrete community centre defined by a series of arches in Jálpa de Mendez, Mexico.

The 13,350-square foot (1,240-square metre) Community Development Center (CDC) was completed in 2022 near the southern edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica (CCA), which was founded in Mexico City by Bernardo Quinzaños, organised the orange concrete building around a linear, planted courtyard garden over which eight semi-circular arches form a monumental colonnade.

The CDC is part of a larger urban master plan for Mexico's Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development SEDATU and works to "revitalize the city's public life by creating a space that offered inclusive opportunities for cultural and educational development within the local community," CCA told Dezeen.

The concrete arches create a sculptural sequence, through which the rest of the program can weave, while the central garden provides an oasis-like area for occupants.

The educational spaces – including classrooms and a library – face inward to the open-air courtyard, with inset floor-to-ceiling glazing in dark red metal frames.

A floating walkway was cut into the arches with a smaller rounded portal forming an elevated colonnade along the upper storey.

A secondary arched cutout runs transversely across the centre of the plan, creating a portal on either side of the center and connecting it to the surrounding landscape.

A double-height auditorium holds the southwest corner of the building.

The trapezoidal space has rounded corners created with vertical ribbed concrete.

The rest of the building's exposed concrete was poured using horizontal formwork with phenolic plywood.

"This collaborative approach with the local builders incorporated traditional woodworking techniques, minimizing formwork waste and optimizing material costs," said the studio.

In addition to training the local workforce in traditional crafts and innovative building systems, the technique maintained control of the concrete's quality and ensured its strength.

The orange-coloured material draws its tone from the region's architectural identidy and serves multiple purposes: reflecting heat, preventing moisture build-up and contributing to the project's sustainability.

"Regarding environmental considerations, the CDC project incorporates strategies to maximize re-use, minimize waste, and reduce the building's embodied carbon," the team said.

Using local materials and efficient construction practices, the project minimizes waste generation, reduces environmental impact and carbon footprint and contributes to a sustainable future for the community and the planet.

"The Community Development Center brings numerous benefits to the community, enhancing the quality of life for its users by providing services and activities that promote personal and collective development." the team said.

"It also contributes to reducing social inequalities by offering equitable access to community spaces and resources for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and provides the community with a dignified, aesthetically pleasing, and functional space to accommodate the cultural activities they need."

The CDC in Jálpa de Mendez has been shortlisted in the civic project section of the 2023 Dezeen Awards alongside projects by Studio Weave and James Gorst Architects.

In 2020, CCA completed a Boys and Girls Club with monumental concrete steps that lead up to an arched colonnade in Mexico. Other structures in Mexico that reflect local building and material practices include a museum in Progreso by Estudio MMX.

The photography is by Jaime Navarro.

Project credits:

Architect: CCA | Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica / Bernardo Quinzaños
Design team: Bernardo Quinzaños, Andrés Suárez, André Torres, Miguel Izaguirre, Javier Castillo, Carlos Cruz, Gabriela Horta, Florencio de Diego, Lorenza Hernández, Mara Calderón de la Barca, Norma Mendoza, Jair Rodríguez, Santiago Vélez, Begoña Manzano, Fernanda Ventura, Victor Zúñiga.
Construction: TRASGO. José Fernando Orozco González, Gerardo González Gutiérrez, Eber Castellanos Ramos
Client: SEDATU, Municipio de Jalpa de Méndez

The post CCA runs arched colonnade through community centre in Mexico appeared first on Dezeen.

A series of playful concrete arches overlook a public square at the base of these office and social housing blocks in Pau, France, which have been designed by architecture studio CoBe with design agency WEEK.

Called Pôle Laherrère, the project forms part of the wider urban renewal of Pau's Saragossa district, an area that is defined by large blocks of social housing built in the 1960s.

Replacing a disused hospice that was demolished, the new buildings provide social and student housing, offices, restaurants and a police station, organised around an existing square popular for its weekly markets.

"In a dynamic of resilience, the Saragosse district is reinventing itself around a new centrality: Laherrère Square, an urban piece already realized when we started working on the project," CoBe Architecture & Paysage told Dezeen.

"The two buildings of the project were located around this major public space, in the heart of a housing estate landscape," it continued.

To animate the square below, the Pôle Laherrère blocks were split horizontally, contrasting exposed concrete bases punctured by fully-glazed arches with timber-clad upper storeys finished with awnings.

"We pay close attention to the life of the ground floors, supporting the idea that the base of the city must be intense, and encourage uses and meetings," the studio said.

"This is why we worked on a very transparent base, which gives to read the rich programming of the ground floors."

"The arches are inspired by the classical language reminiscent of the squares Reine-Marguerite or Gramont in Pau – these thick arches give order and stability to the square and create a high-quality inside/outside relationship," CoBe added.

The eastern block contains housing above a multipurpose room, cooking school and police station, while the western block contains offices for companies that focus on integration through employment.

Inside, the different uses of the buildings are united by a similar material palette, with white walls, wooden ceilings and shelving and accents in yellow for elements such as splashbacks and awnings.

"We wanted to see a common and readable expression for very different programs that take place on all floors of the buildings: bright and white spaces, highlighting natural materials such as wood," the studio said.

"As a social residence project for students and low revenue families (especially single mothers) it was also important to create apartments that give a feeling of confidence using a warm colour scheme and natural, quality materials," it added.

Pôle Laherrère was recently longlisted in the mixed-use project category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Other mixed-use social housing schemes recently completed in France include a timber and hempcrete building in Paris by Barrault Pressacco, which was modelled on one of the city's typical apartment blocks.

The photography is by Luc Boegly.

Project credits:

Main architect: CoBe Architecture & Paysage
Partner architect: WEEK
Main engineer: AIA
Acoustic engineer: Gamba

The post Concrete arches overlook public square at Pôle Laherrère apartment blocks in France appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio Heryco has completed a renovation of a pink apartment building with arches influenced by the form of aqueducts in the city of Querétaro, México.

The 5,920-square foot (550-square metre) building was completed in 1994 two blocks from the city's iconic Querétaro Aqueduct.

Heryco converted the previous building into a restored apartment block that holds four spacious, three-bedroom apartments and a ground-floor architecture office that serves as the street-level connection and anchor.

"Our inspiration blends history and modernity, taking the curves of the building as a starting point and using the warm colors of Querétaro's traditional local quarry to create a contemporary and youthful space," the studio told Dezeen.

In order to achieve a monotone pink, the studio clad the structure in Nanocal-pigmented lime stucco across the facade and courtyards.

The local material blends in with the surroundings, resonating with colonial architecture and reinforcing the studio's "commitment to the local identity and culture".

Previously square windows were capped by arched steel frames that were painted one shade darker than the walls to create contrast.

The arched motif continues to the interior courtyard with curved portals and exterior window frames.

Greenery climbs up the pink walls and spills over the terraces, while white globe sconces illuminate the passageways.

The renovation revealed an outdated construction system – based on steel beams and lightweight concrete slabs – that limited options and prevented the studio from demolishing partition walls.

This led the team to search for ways to reinforce the building's structure and repair the corroded roof without making too many interventions into the floorplan.

"We managed to find an aesthetic solution by leaving the exposed steel beams uncovered, enhancing the spaciousness and natural lighting in the spaces," the studio said, noting that it also added steel details like a gate.

On the interior, the studio configured three interlocking, two-story apartments around a central stair corridor. The fourth apartment stacks on top of the others and holds the north end of the building.

The apartments are set up to be used as Airbnb rentals, and each of the terraces open views out to the surrounding landscape.

As part of the renovation, the studio also installed an efficient heating system, ensured optimal water pressure at all times and selected high-quality furnishings.

"To complement the modern aesthetics of the building, we integrated artwork by various Mexican artists, creating a unique and sophisticated atmosphere," the studio said.

Contrasted to the pink exterior, the architecture office is finished in white with off-white steel details and open wooden shelving. Globe-shaped lighting is suspended in the office.

The renovation gave new life to an existing building while preserving its historical details while adding accomodations in a reclaimed space.

The renovation also "reduces pressure on land use and prevents uncontrolled urban expansion".

Also in Querétaro, Cuartopiso and Barragán Arquitectos recently completed an apartment building with planted balconies and Reims 502 topped a basalt-clad home with a pool.

The photography is by Ariadna Polo.

Project credits:

Architect: Heryco
Lead architect: Luis Carlos Aguilar González

The post Heryco blends "history and modernity" in renovation of pink apartment block appeared first on Dezeen.

Arched doorways and a rooftop studio feature in the Y.27 House, which has been overhauled by architecture firm Estudio Estudio in a way that honours the historic building's original character.

Located on a 195-square-metre site in Mexico City's Hipódromo Condesa neighbourhood, the project serves as a full-time residence for a client who is a social entrepreneur and collector of Mexican craftwork.

Originally built in the 1930s, the stucco-clad dwelling had endured years of neglect, said local firm Estudio Estudio.

The design team set out to revamp the home's interior, aiming to restore its original charm while enhancing its functionality.

The project involved removing walls, reconfiguring the layout and making structural improvements, in addition to adding new finishes. Moreover, a small storage room on the roof was replaced with a 43-square-metre studio building.

"The main goal was to unveil the hidden architectural treasures beneath layers of past modifications, meticulously restoring them to their original state to reveal the essence of the time," the team said.

"Architectural interventions aimed to preserve the authentic character of the house, rejuvenating ornamental elements while avoiding unnecessary embellishments."

Rectangular in plan, the home has a mix of communal and private spaces spread across three levels. Curves and arches – many of them original – create a "harmonious flow".

On the ground level, the layout "seamlessly integrates daily living requirements". The front portion holds an entry hall, garage and office, while in the rear, one finds a kitchen, dining area, service rooms and a patio.

At the heart of the ground floor is an airy living room with a 5.9-metre-high ceiling. A tall shelving system with a metal-and-wood ladder acts as a focal point.

A gently curved, skylit staircase leads to the first floor, where the team placed a primary bedroom, two bedrooms and a family room.

Atop the building is the new studio, which was constructed using pine. In addition to the studio, the building contains an onsen room with a barn-style door.

The studio opens onto a terrace with terracotta flooring. Rainwater is collected on the roof and channelled to a reservoir below.

"The roof terrace serves as a space to gather but also works as a rainwater collector, where rain travels throughout the house into a water reservoir and filter system beneath the back patio," the team said.

Throughout the home, the team used earthy materials and neutral colours. The lighting design – created in collaboration with lighting expert Luca Salas – is meant to balance "ambiance, functionality and aesthetics".

Notable finishes include oak parquet flooring and closets faced with cotton-canvas. Oak was used for window frames, kitchen cabinets and other elements.

In the kitchen, the team took a sample of existing checkered tiles, made of pigmented concrete, to a local craftsman, who then replicated them.

This style of flooring – called pisos de pasta – is very common in older homes in Mexico City and southwest Mexico, said Estudio Estudio.

Overall, the house is meant to balance historic elements with a contemporary lifestyle.

"This house proudly stands as a harmonious blend of past and present, inviting residents to embark on a captivating journey of refined and simple ways of living," the team said.

Other projects in Mexico City's Condesa district include a renovated house by Chloé Mason Gray that embraces its lack of natural light, and an apartment block covered in small, wooden squares that were inspired by vegetable crates.

The photography is by Zaickz Moz Studio.

The post Estudio Estudio unveils "hidden architectural treasures" in Mexico City house appeared first on Dezeen.

Inverted brick arches crown the Central Somers Town children's community centre near King's Cross, London, created by local studio Adam Khan Architects.

The project forms the home of Plot 10, a community children's play project established in the 1970s that previously occupied a series of self-built timber structures on the site.

It sits adjacent to an apartment block, also designed by Adam Khan Architects and completed with matching arched motifs.

Adam Khan Architects was tasked with creating the buildings as part of the Central Somers Town masterplan, developed by architecture studio DSDHA.

The aim is to provide community facilities and housing for one of the London Borough of Camden's most deprived areas.

Both buildings are finished in London brick, concrete and red metalwork, and are enlivened by arched forms chosen to evoke a variety of references.

"We like architecture that is rich in associations and open to being interpreted by people in multiple, diverse ways and by people of diverse backgrounds and levels of interest and engagement," founder Adam Khan told Dezeen.

"If you see a palace, a mosque or a sandcastle, that's fine. If you're keen on eighteenth-century Parisian hôtel particuliers you'll notice some affinities. Or, if you live locally you'll already be familiar with arched openings giving glimpses into planted courtyards," he added.

In order to provide privacy to the children's centre, Adam Khan Architects sandwiched the building between two external play areas that are wrapped by brick walls.

Where the centre faces directly onto the street, the studio positioned a series of arched "shopfront" windows that provide an opportunity to display children's work while obscuring the play areas from view.

"A hierarchy of openings, glimpses into courtyards and deep window reveals quietly satisfy the many and stringent safeguarding and privacy demands, whilst projecting welcome and vitality," explained the studio.

Inside, the "creative improvisation" that has characterised Plot 10's history informed a double-height space for "free-form play" across a variety of scales, developed through exploratory workshops with the organisation.

In the corner of the building, a timber toilet block is topped by a more private, glazed room, overlooking the play areas below.

On the roof, a crown of inverted brick arches surrounds a playing field, with the parapet framing views out across the surroundings.

"It is difficult to self-build or improvise big, high-excitement structures, so we built two big towers that provide exciting high-level play – including wheelchair-accessible play at higher levels, which is unusual," explained Khan.

"Then, we made a strong timber armature framing the rest of the playground, allowing easy slinging up of swings, ropes and theatre drapes," he continued.

In the adjacent residential block are 10 social-rented apartments. Each one is triple-aspect, with day-lit hallways, large windows and generous balconies.

The arched motifs of the children's centre are subtly reflected in an arched entranceway and the gentle wave-like form of a concrete canopy where the apartment block faces the street.

Elsewhere in the Central Somers Town development, Hayhurst & Co created the Edith Neville Primary School, which features a landscaped playground.

Other arched buildings recently featured on Dezeen include a row of six brick-clad townhouses in London and a Mexican holiday home by CO-LAB Design Office.

The photography is by David Grandorge unless stated otherwise. 

The post Arched brick forms enliven London children's centre by Adam Khan Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Two symmetrical steel arches define this bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects, which stretches 295 metres across a tributary of the Tuojiang River in Chengdu, China.

Named Jiangxi River Bridge, the structure is used by cars, cyclists and pedestrians and is intended to become a landmark for the city in Sichuan province.

Zaha Hadid Architects designed the bridge to tie in with the city's existing road system and Airport New Town, a new development surrounding Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.

Its steel arches extend 30 metres up from either side of the deck, leaning together as they rise, and are supported by tapering piers and abutments that contribute to its sculptural form.

"As they rise, the arches lean together to touch tangentially at their crown, stabilising the structure from lateral wind forces," said Zaha Hadid Architects.

"The dynamic curvature of the bridge's supporting piers and abutments taper into its primary arches and road deck, defining a sculptural landmark within Chengdu's transport infrastructure."

Jiangxi River Bridge, which is also known as Chengdu West First Bridge, has a 185-metre-long central span. The secondary spans that connect to the riverbanks are 55 metres long.

The structure was predominantly prefabricated, meaning it was delivered to the site in sections before being connected with on-site welding, helping to reduce construction time.

According to Zaha Hadid Architects, arches are used in the design because they "provide the most efficient bridge structure for spans between 120 and 250 metres".

Meanwhile, the meeting of the two arches at the top of the bridge is designed for stability against lateral winds.

Jiangxi River Bridge's deck was made from precast concrete panels, and its edges are lined with box girders engineered to withstand the outward forces of each arch while reducing loads on the concrete foundations.

There are no foundations in the river over which the bridge spans, and instead it sits on piers on each bank.

Founded in 1980, Zaha Hadid Architects is the eponymous studio of the late architect Zaha Hadid. Today the firm is headed up by Patrik Schumacher.

Other bridges designed by the studio include the wavy Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi and a 3D-printed concrete bridge it presented in Venice in 2021.

It is currently also developing a 46-metre-wide bridge with a curved timber roof for Vilnius railway station in Lithuania.

The photography is by Arch Exist unless stated otherwise.

The post Sculptural steel arches support Jiangxi River Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

New Zealand studio Bergendy Cooke took cues from Moroccan architecture to create Maison Brummell Majorelle, a sculptural boutique hotel in Marrakech.

Located next to Marrakech's famous Majorelle Gardens, the hotel was designed in collaboration with Moroccan architect Amine Abouraoui to reflect local architecture and celebrate the site's history with a contemporary twist.

"We aimed to create a playful foreign interpretation of recognizable Arabic architectural elements combined with a reference to the ancient rampart walls of the Marrakech Medina," studio founder Bergendy Cooke told Dezeen.

"Inspired by the local vernacular, without replicating it, we have created a unique and playful contemporary language while maintaining a textural reference to the site's rich history."

Drawing from the arched shapes that it noticed in local buildings, the studio designed the hotel as a monolithic sculptural mass with large curved recesses and openings carved into its facade.

Arched tunnels and entrances have been carved into the ground floor, while U-shaped balconies and windows of varying scales feature on the first floor, mirroring the carvings on the floor below.

"We embraced instantly recognisable elements of the local architecture such as the arch but did not want to replicate it, hence reversing it to create openings at higher levels, balconies and recesses," said Cooke.

"Intentionally it was an exercise in reduction, simplifying the language to just singular elements."

Coated in a pink-toned mixture of earth and quicklime, Maison Brummell Majorelle is surrounded by a matching wall carved with a pattern of vertical lines. Two curved black doors are set back into the sculptural wall, leading to a stepped, plant-filled garden.

"Varying levels of planting form private gardens for guests and a dynamic layer of foliage throughout, contrasting to the sculptural building form and enhancing the idea of urban oasis," said the studio.

A staircase that runs alongside a slope leads guests to a tunnel with a dramatic brass door at its end that provides access to the hotel.

Sculptural walls with arched openings define the interior spaces, while the carved recesses of the exterior walls create uniquely shaped rooms and voids that invite light into the interior.

"Like a sandcastle or sculpture, the exterior openings transition into a private interior," said Cooke. "Deep recesses serve like the ancient mashrabiya screens, which served to protect women from being viewed from the exterior, giving privacy to the bedrooms where the deeper recesses have been implemented."

In other spaces, the sculptural form of the building creates terraces that extend from the rooms, including a bedroom balcony with U-shaped walls and built-in benches.

The walls of the balconies are finished in a light pink Tadelakt plaster that matches the hotel's exterior walls. The same plaster was applied to the interior in a neutral colour chosen to highlight the sinuous curves of the walls.

"We wanted to showcase the rich artisanal heritage of Morocco and so embraced local artisans, materials and their application in a less traditional context," said Cooke.

Locally made steel joinery and finishes feature throughout the interior spaces, including handmade tiles, and brass elements. Almost all interior elements were designed by Bergendy Cooke.

The rooms are spread across three floors, including a garden floor that sits below street level and hosts communal spaces for dining and leisure alongside a swimming pool and a traditional hammam, with a plunge pool and a massage room.

A reception area and shop occupy the ground floor, as well as three garden rooms with private gardens and baths, while the first floor features five more bedrooms.

Other boutique hotels recently featured on Dezeen include a Menorca hotel converted from an 18th-century townhouse and a hotel in Berlin that references the city's history.

The photography is by Emily Andrews.

The post Bergendy Cooke draws on Moroccan design for sculptural earth-clad hotel in Marrakech appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a row of townhouses by The DHaus Company featuring brick-clad arches. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

Architecture studio The DHaus Company has finished a row of brick-clad townhouses within the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area in north London called The Arches.

The homes, which replace a derelict petrol station, are named after the arches that form the facade of each house.

Most commenters adored the project. One loved "the colonnade-like feel", while another labelled it "breathtaking and inspiring". Yet another said that while the home was "robust and luxurious" they questioned "the scale decision".

Other stories in this week's newsletter that fired up the comments section include a modular cabin in the Netherlands by Caspar Schols and an opinion piece by Aaron Betsky questioning the decision to award David Chipperfield this year's Pritzker Architecture Prize. We also looked at the Tamedia Office Building by Shigeru Ban as part of our Timber Revolution series.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, 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 Debate features "robust and luxurious" brick-clad townhouses appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio The DHaus Company has completed The Arches, a row of six brick-clad townhouses in a north London conservation area.

Replacing a derelict petrol station, the terrace is named after the monumental arches that form the facades of each partially sunken, three-level home.

The DHaus Company designed the row to echo its surroundings, which include Georgian-era housing named Grove Terrace and a row of Victorian railway arches.

The arch is a recurring motif, so the studio decided to create a contemporary interpretation.

"We undertook a study of local buildings in and around the local area," explained architects David Ben-Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson, the founders of The DHaus Company.

"These buildings highlighted a strong mixture of rectangles and arches set within a brick canvas," they said.

The site is a highly prominent location within the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area, so the design process involved lengthy consultation.

As Ben-Grunberg grew up in the area, and Woolfson had lived nearby, the pair were able to use their instincts to come up with a design that felt appropriate for the setting.

A key aspect was the decision to partially sink the buildings below ground, so the roof is no higher than the petrol station that occupied the site previously.

Another idea was to reinstate green spaces along the street both in front and behind the terrace.

"Our initial design idea was inspired by the historic green lung of open green spaces along the Highgate Road," said the duo.

"This meant reinstating the green lung as close to how it was back in 1873 – a futuristic Victorian throwback."

The view seen by most passersby is of the west-facing facade. Here, two rows of arches provide balconies for the two upper levels, while a glass-fronted basement opens out to a sunken patio.

"Because of the stepped nature of the site, this lower level does not feel like a basement," said Ben-Grunberg and Woolfson.

"The living spaces enjoy a secluded feel with plenty of access to natural light despite sitting close to the main road."

Entrances are located on the east-facing side, which has more of a quiet, residential feel.

Here, a single row of arches incorporates screens with a matching scallop pattern, while a second sunken patio helps to bring more natural light down to the floor below.

Inside, each 130-square-metre home has a layout that places a lounge, dining area and kitchen on the lowest level, and three bedrooms and a study across the upstairs floors.

Concrete retaining walls are an essential part of the build, but other parts of the structure are constructed from prefabricated timber components.

The arches are also concrete, clad with red-brick slips that match the tone of the adjacent brickwork.

"We explored brick bonding patterns to differentiate the different areas of the building and give order to each facade," said Ben-Grunberg and Woolfson.

The homes are topped by green roofs and photovoltaic solar panels.

The DHaus Company is best known for its experimental approach to residential design, on projects like its shape-shifting house concept and the playful Columbia Road extension.

More recently, the studio completed an overhaul of The Bull and Last, a pub located very close to The Arches, with the addition of two Japanese-inspired duplex flats.

The completion of this project marks the end of a five-year project, delayed by both the planning process and Covid-19 pandemic. Visualisations were first published on Dezeen in 2019.

"Over the last five years, this project has been such a big part of our lives," concluded the studio.

The photograhy is by Matthew White and Izzy Scott, for AVR London, and Richard Chivers.

Project credits

Architect: DHaus
Client: Design Ventures/EFKERIA
Structural engineer: AMA
Planning department: Camden
Planning consultant: The Heritage Practise
Glazing contractor: Vitrocsa by Brava Windows
Brickwork: Ibstock

The post Monumental brick arches outline London townhouses by The DHaus Company appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studios ERDC Arquitectos and Taller General have constructed a brick and glass house with an arched roof and mezzanine level in Quito, Ecuador.

Completed in 2022, the 60-square-metre house is called Horno de Pan – which translates to brick oven – for its vaulted form that is open on either end through glazed walls, which transform the house into a lamp at night.

Architects Fernanda Esquetini and Pablo Puente of ERDC Arquitectos and Martín Real and Florencia Sobrero of Taller General were inspired by "a close reading of the context, needs and resources."

The 584-square metre lot slopes down Auqui hill toward the capital city, and despite its rural character, maintains a visual relationship with the city.

The house is oriented toward Quito and "adapts itself to the uneven topography through a set of levels," the studio said.

The designers used brick because of its local availability, thermal properties and structural flexibility. Wide, load-bearing brick walls provide a thermal mass and are topped by the lowered vault.

"Because the project's location is a seismic zone, the vault is reinforced with a three-centimetre-thick concrete layer, obtaining a light cover with a large surface area," the studio said.

The construction system reduced the project's use of concrete and steel and provided colour and texture, serving as the finish material on both the exterior and interior.

Inside, the simple form distributes space in three levels. The lowest level contains the living, dining, and kitchen space. Up a half-flight of stairs sits the entry and bathroom, and up another half-flight is the bedroom and studio in an open mezzanine.

The poured-in-place concrete foundation mitigates the grade change and serves as the lower staircase.

The compact interior is efficient, using the finish floor of the bathroom as the countertop in the kitchen and the bathroom counter as the kitchen shelf.

The upper staircase transitions to warm wooden details that alleviate the rough concrete textures and also serve as the material for countertops and shelving.

End glazing brings light throughout the entire house, and glass block provides privacy in the bathroom. Two-storey integrated gates swing open during the day for an unencumbered view of the hillside and close at night for security.

A small utility and study space borders the house and provides opportunity for expansion and connection with an unfinished brick tie-in wall.

The entire plan is designed for flexibility as future stages of construction may reappropriate the interior space.

While uncommon in this area of Ecuador, brick vaults are not unheard of in South America. Argentinian architect Gabrizio Pugliese topped a weekend home with three flattened brick arches outside of Buenos Aires while Equipo de Arquitectura created a structure with steel-reinforced brick vaults in Paraguay.

The photography is by JAG Studio.

Project credits:

Architect: ERDC arquitectos (Fernanda Esquetini and Pablo Puente) & Taller General (Martín Real and Florencia Sobrero)
Collaboration: Santiago Leon
Engineering: Patricio Cevallos

The post ERDC Arquitectos and Taller General create a "bread oven" house with vaulted brick in Quito appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture office OHLAB has renovated a historical apartment building in Palma de Mallorca introducing contemporary elements including a meandering wooden walkway that contrast with the original features.

Can Santacilia is a 3,300-square-metre residential development containing 15 apartments and common areas distributed across two adjoining buildings in the heart of Palma de Mallorca's old town.

Parts of the existing building appear to date back as far as the 12th or 13th century, although the main building as it stands was erected in the 17th century and was subsequently modified in the 18th and 20th centuries.

Local architecture and design office OHLAB was tasked with overseeing a modernisation project involving repairs to the existing structure, as well as the sensitive restoration of key original features including the main central courtyard.

"The building was abandoned and in a really bad shape with some parts about to collapse, while the best parts did not meet the most basic living conditions," OHLAB directors Paloma Hernaiz and Jaime Oliver told Dezeen.

A carefully conducted restoration process placed emphasis on maintaining the historical integrity of the building whilst adapting it to meet the needs of its new occupants.

"We had to do a thorough and intensive renovation of the whole building," the OHLAB architects explained.

"The distribution was changed and reorganised, new partition walls and layouts were added to accommodate the housing proposal and new installations were required to adapt the apartments to contemporary comfort and energy-efficient standards."

The project preserves the original features that make the building unique, such as the wrought-iron balustrades, stone columns, traditional courtyard and a wooden coffered ceiling that was uncovered during the restoration.

The courtyard was enclosed in the 20th century, with blank walls used to conceal a parking area. Based on other traditional buildings in the city, the architecture studio restored this space to how it might have looked in the early Baroque period.

The courtyard's typical staircase and porched gallery were retained and two arched openings were added – one alongside a new indoor pool and the other in front of the entrance, supported by a pair of ionic columns.

Internally, the common areas of the two buildings are connected by a wooden walkway that mitigates a height difference of approximately 90 centimetres.

The studio said the walkway was designed to take users on a journey, "as if discovering an archaeological ruin", leading them past some of the building's key historic features, including a fireplace, a stone arch, a tiled floor and ornate plaster mouldings on the ceiling.

Architectural interventions were implemented using a material palette that clearly separates them from the existing structure. The walkway was made from light oak that was also used for other circulation areas including a staircase and the lift interiors.

"We added pieces that are always clearly new and contemporary," explained Hernaiz and Oliver, "with shapes and materials that in no case want to imitate or hide the ancient ones."

The contrast between old and new is also evident in the apartments, some of which feature modern mirrored volumes used to partition the existing spaces whilst maintaining their overall proportions.

The mirrored boxes never reach all the way to the ceilings, ensuring the original wood-beam construction or decorative mouldings remain visible and uninterrupted.

"The mirror box disappears in its reflection, giving back the space stolen by its presence and returning a complete image of the room," the OHLAB architects added.

"Only when you get closer, do you realise it's a contemporary partition that lets you enter into another space, made of stone."

One of the most surprising discoveries made while stripping back the dilapidated interiors was an ornate medieval ceiling made from painted wooden beams and coffers, supported by a central stone pillar.

OHLAB claimed that this find prompted the redesign of 40 per cent of the total project, including six of the 15 apartments, in order to persevere the integrity of the coffered ceiling and incorporate it into one of the living spaces.

The palette used throughout the public and private spaces favours natural, local materials chosen to emphasise the building's history and Mediterranean character.

Stone and timber structural elements was combined with plaster and wood mouldings, mortar and lime coatings and floors in ceramic and wood finishes.

High-quality fixtures and details in local stone, bronze, porcelain and textiles including local linen and cotton enhance the premium feel across the interior spaces.

Hernaiz and Oliver originally founded OHLAB in Shanghai in 2007 before moving to Madrid and eventually settling in Palma de Mallorca, where they head up a team of 18 architects, interior designers and engineers.

OHLAB's previous projects include an apartment block in Palma de Mallorca covered with thin wooden slats that shade the interiors, and a standalone villa at a hotel on the island with a window designed to frame a panoramic view of the landscape.

The photography is by José Hevia. 

The post OHLAB celebrates historical details at Can Santacilia apartments in Palma de Mallorca appeared first on Dezeen.

Arched openings create a sense of fluidity inside a holiday home by Mexican studio CO-LAB Design Office, which was designed to encourage occupants to feel connected to the lush surroundings.

Villa Petricor sits on a slender, angled site with tropical vegetation in the beach town of Tulum. The 300-square-metre house is oriented to take advantage of prevailing winds.

Named after the "earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil", the dwelling is meant to evoke feelings of renewal and stillness.

"Villa Petricor connects us to the natural world by providing spaces that encourage us to slow down and marvel in the beauty of the present moment," said local studio CO-LAB Design Office.

The concrete house was built around several clusters of trees, and windows were carefully positioned to provide "green views". The glazing also ushers in daylight and enables shadows to dance across the walls.

"Projected shadows cast by the surrounding vegetation extend the presence of nature in all the rooms of the house," the team said.

On the entrance facade, the team created a distinctive brise-soleil made of concrete blocks. The screen offers glimpses of within while providing privacy.

A walkway to the front door is topped with a canopy punctured with circular holes, allowing trees to grow upward.

The interior features many arched openings and niches, which create a sense of fluidity between rooms, and between the interior and exterior.

The ground level holds two bedrooms, along with an open space for lounging, cooking and dining. Large pivot doors open onto a terrace and a small swimming pool.

"Built-in furniture such as the platform bed and benches merges with the walls, floor and vaulted ceiling, creating a continuous, seamless space," the studio said.

Custom finishes in the home were carefully considered and contribute to the serene atmosphere and "sculpted monolithic interior".

Pivoting windows were fabricated from rolled, stainless-steel tube frames with recessed frames.

Walls are made of polished cement, and floors are covered with terrazzo. Both materials were coloured with a mineral pigment that was mixed on-site.

Four skylights bring daylight deep within the home and accentuate the surfaces.

"The washed light on the walls and floors enhances the texture of the polished cement interiors, revealing the perfectly imperfect handwork of local artisans," the studio said.

Rooms are fitted with bespoke furnishings and lighting fixtures designed by CO-LAB Design Office.

Santo Tomás marble, which is quarried in Mexico, was used for kitchen countertops and bathroom elements. The same marble was used for a dining table designed by the architects and largely built on-site.

Founded in 2010, CO-LAB has completed a number of projects in Tulum. Others include a yoga pavilion made of bamboo and holiday home with large openings and a backyard wall made of rustic, excavated stone.

The photography is by César Béjar.

Project credits:

Architecture, interiors and landscape: CO-LAB Design Office
Design team: Joshua Beck, Joana Gomes, Alberto Avilés, Adolfo Arriaga, Lucia Altieri, Alejandro Nieto, Elzbieta Gracia, Gerardo Dominguez
Construction: CO-LAB Design Office

The post Villa Petricor sits within a tropical garden in Tulum appeared first on Dezeen.

In this lookbook, we've rounded up 10 home interiors that use archways to punctuate spaces and elevate the transition between rooms.

An arch is a curved structure that spans over an opening, typically to distribute the weight above it. Because of their structural effectiveness, arches were used as early as Roman times for the construction of bridges and aqueducts.

Arches have been reinterpreted throughout history and are often used to evoke classical or traditional architecture.

They can add charm and architectural detail to doorways, entrances and passageways in residential spaces, and are often framed with ornate mouldings to create a sense of grandeur.

Arched openings can also be used to mark transitions between rooms and punctuate otherwise plain walls in contemporary interiors.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with statement balustrades, interiors that feature the Eames chair and living spaces with decorative use of tiles.

Conde Duque Apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera

Spanish architecture studio Sierra + De La Higuera refurbished this Madrid apartment by organising open-plan living and dining areas on either side of a wood-panelled entrance hall.

The studio added two arched openings in wooden frames central to the hall, creating an intimate buffer zone in the open apartment.

Find out more about Conde Duque Apartment ›

Broadview Loft, Canada, by StudioAC

Canadian firm StudioAC inserted a millwork box with a large arched cutout into this open rectangular apartment in Toronto, separating the bedroom from the living space.

The impactful entry and lowered wall height of the box help to mark the transition from the open living space to the cosy sleeping nook.

Find out more about Broadview Loft ›

Diplomat's Apartment, Italy, by 02A

This one-bed flat in Rome was designed by architecture and interiors studio 02A to adequately display the owner's extensive collection of antique furniture and objects.

An arched passage with an integrated bookcase leads from the lounge to an intimate dining area. The change of space is also indicated by the change in pattern on the solid-oak parquet flooring.

Find out more about the Diplomat's Apartment ›

Greetings from Rome, Lithuania, by 2XJ

Three arches punctuate a structural stone wall that separates social and private spaces in this family apartment in the old town of Vilnius, designed by local architecture firm 2XJ.

The arches reminded the architects of the Colosseum in Rome, lending the project its tongue-in-cheek name – Greetings from Rome – and leading the studio to clad the wall in the material used for the landmark's external walls, Italian travertine.

Find out more about Greetings from Rome ›

Casa Mille, Italy, by Fabio Fantolino

For his own apartment, Italian architect Fabio Fantolino overhauled the 1930s extension of a 19th-century palatial building in Turin by introducing accents of bright green and blue colours.

In the living room an opening with curved corners looks through to a dining area, which is complemented by the rounded corners of the taupe sofa.

Find out more about Casa Mille ›

Upper Wimpole Street Apartment, UK, by Jonathan Tuckey Design

Architecture studio Jonathan Tuckey Design introduced MDF storage walls with built-in cupboards and arched niches to this townhouse apartment in London.

The studio also added tall arched openings into the joinery, which were informed by 15th-century oil paintings depicting biblical figures under soaring archways.

Find out more about Upper Wimpole Street Apartment ›

House in Akishima, Japan, Office M-SA

This house in Akishima, Tokyo, was arranged by Japanese architecture studio Office M-SA around a series of exposed concrete elements, including a staircase that runs over an archway that separates the kitchen and dining area from the study.

The concrete elements were designed to be permanent anchor points for the home's timber wall construction, which can be altered or extended in the future to suit the owner's needs.

Find out more about House in Akishima ›

A Room for Two, UK, by Studio Ben Allen

Built inside a flat in London's Barbican Estate, this plywood structure designed by architecture firm Studio Ben Allen transforms the room into a pair of bedrooms and studies for two children.

The cut-out arches, which mimic the barrel-vaulted shape of the housing estate's terrace apartments, indicate the entrances to each child's space.

Find out more about A Room for Two ›

Maison à Colombages, France, by 05 AM Arquitectura

Spanish studio 05 AM Arquitectura aimed to incorporate a contemporary aesthetic while maintaining the traditional features of this 19th-century house located near Paris.

The studio removed partitions in the archways between the kitchen, dining and living spaces to connect the spaces and improve natural lighting while retaining the ornate wall mouldings that frame the openings.

Find out more about Maison à Colombages ›

Penthouse, Spain by PMAA

Architecture studio PMAA divided the living space of this Barcelona apartment with partition walls punctuated by a series of arched openings.

A large modular sofa dominates the living space and morphs around the columns of the archways. The geometric repetition of the arch was informed by the apartment's vaulted ceiling and arched windows.

Find out more about Penthouse ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with statement balustrades, interiors that feature the Eames chair and living spaces with decorative use of tiles.

The post Ten homes with arched openings that add architectural interest appeared first on Dezeen.

Arched passageways that act as tunnels connect the six black-clad, single-room volumes of Ghent House in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York by Thomas Phifer and Partners.

Ghent House is located on an expansive, 78-acre site in upstate New York, a two-hour drive from Manhattan. The home was completed in 2020.

It is made up of a series of volumes connected by vaulted corridors that run under the hillside in which the home is partially set.

"The Ghent House was designed as a linear collection of structures, slightly askew from one another and partially embedded into a hillside," said New York studio Thomas Phifer and Partners.

"Each structure contains one room," the studio added.

On the exterior of the building, black siding helps mask the angular forms of the construction. Because it is built partly below grade, the building is only visible from certain angles.

Two access staircases lead into the 4,100 square-foot (380-square-metre) residence. One is located near the middle of the building, while the other is at one of the extremities.

"A small, elevated entry building leads down and into the passage that connects the house’s four bedrooms, kitchen, living, and dining rooms," the studio explained.

The circulation takes on the basic pattern of an enfilade, with the home's bedrooms at either extremity, and the kitchen, living, and dining room placed in the middle.

Within the compact rooms that make up the home, the views are all oriented in the same general direction. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer perspectives of the surrounding hills and the Catskill Mountains beyond.

"Each room is focused on a large, glazed opening that provides spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains and access to the exterior," explained Thomas Phifer and Partners.

Additionally, each room can open to the outside, making the most of the property's expansive grounds.

"The site design accommodates sculpture, sitting areas, a pool, walking paths, beehives and provides ample grazing land for local cattle farmers," the architects explained.

The intermediate spaces between each room are raised by a single step, which the architects say helps to "link the rooms spatially and conceptually".

Because of the slight changes in orientation from one volume to the next, there is no sight line that crosses throughout the entire home.

Inside, the spaces were designed with a minimal palette that includes white walls and ceilings, arched openings between each room, and a polished black floor throughout that is slightly elevated in some of the corridors.

The dining room forms an exception to this colour scheme. Its walls, floors, and ceilings were finished with wooden panels, offering a contrast to the other rooms.

Thomas Phifer and Partners is led by Thomas Phifer, who founded the office in 1997. Other notable projects by the firm include an expansion to the Glenstone Museum in Maryland, and another upstate New York cottage made up of a cluster of irregular volumes clad in black shingles.

The photography is by Scott Frances.

Project credits:

Design team: Thomas Phifer Andrew Mazor Caroline Alsup Gregory Bonner
MEP: Petersen Engineering Group
Structure: Rodney Gibble Consulting Engineers
Contractor: Bill Stratton Building Company

The post Black-clad volumes set into a hillside form Ghent House by Thomas Phifer and Partners appeared first on Dezeen.

Scalloped walls finished in earth-coloured plaster wrap an airy interior filled with arches at this home in Bhilwara, India, designed by Mumbai-based studio Sanjay Puri Architects.

Called Mirai House of Arches, the house was designed for three generations living together and is located on a small corner plot bordered by roads to the south and gardens to the north.

In order to mitigate heat gain in the hot Rajasthan climate, the living spaces were wrapped in a sculptural second skin with a wave-like form, creating cooler interstitial spaces that are accessed through large, arched openings.

"A curvilinear, punctuated envelope surrounds the house, creating interstitial, semi-open spaces all along the perimeter, with deeper recesses on the garden-facing sides," explained the studio.

"This envelope reduces the heat gain substantially while providing sheltered open spaces around the house to each room," it continued.

Inside, spaces were organised around a central corridor running east to west that divides the home, featuring a small pool of water at one end on the ground floor.

Living, dining and kitchen spaces, as well as the main bedroom, occupy the ground floor, with three further bedrooms on the first floor and a study and gym on the floor above.

Depending on the use, these spaces have been designed with different ceiling heights, with open, double-height living and dining spaces contrasted by smaller bedrooms.

The upper levels have been set back to create shaded terraces and balconies, finished with wooden decking and sheltered by slatted canopies.

"The house is contextual to its surroundings, the climate and the owner's needs, resulting in a play of open, enclosed and semi-enclosed spaces at every level," said the studio.

"Sectionally, the heights are varied with an interesting play of volumes in each part of the house, including bedrooms of a single volume, a dining area of double volume and a living area of an intermediate 1.5 level volume."

Continuing the forms seen on the exterior, rooms are separated by arched openings, framing layered views through the home and also aiding natural ventilation.

Earthy tones of stone, wood and plaster define the interior palette, making use of locally-sourced materials and finishes.

Founded in 1992, Sanjay Puri Architects often takes a highly context-specific approach when designing projects across India.

These have recently included a a housing complex in Raipur featuring colourful volumes with protruding box balconies, and a school in Rajasthan with deep red walls to provide shade for its classrooms.

Photography is by Dinesh Mehta.

The post Scalloped walls shade interior of family home in India by Sanjay Puri Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Snøhetta has unveiled its design for an expansion to St Louis Orchestra's Powell Hall that will feature scalloped walls, a grainy brick facade and glazed arches.

The 65,000-square-foot (6,039-square-metre) expansion will add new lobby space, backstage space and educational facilities to the historic building in St Louis, Missouri.

Snøhetta is managing both the structural and landscape architecture for the addition to the home of the second-oldest orchestra in the United States.

"Drawing on the spatial language of historic concert halls and the instruments within, the new entry is shaped as a series of canted shells assembled from raked masonry units, creating a front-of-house addition defined by simple inclined surfaces and arched openings inspired by the musicality of the historic building and its program," said Snøhetta.

The entrance will have a grainy brick facade that will wrap around the current 1920s brick-and-stone structure. The addition will be shorter than the current building and decrease in height as it wraps around the building.

"The scalloped walls of the new front-of-house building, as well as the eastern addition’s exterior, are clad in light-coloured brick echoing Powell Hall’s ornamental terracotta," said Takeshi Tornier, project leader for Snøhetta.

Where the new structure meets the old will be a pane of vertical glass, which the architects call a "glass ribbon", that corresponds with the paned, vertical glazing on Powell Hall's face.

A glazed archway will serve as the primary entrance to the lobby. Through this entrance, a spiral staircase will take visitors into the multiple levels of the concert hall.

Within the lobby, the staircase will branch out onto mezzanines that look over the volume and out through the glazing of the arch into the outdoor plaza.

The plaza will replace an existing parking lot on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive.

With multiple pathways through the plaza into the hall, the space will be a way for the public to gather and for the concert experience to extend outside, according to the architects.

"Inspired by the music created and performed within the building, the site design works to create light and lyrical entry groves that frame the new addition," said Tornier.

The structure is set to be completed in 2025, in time for Powell Hall's centennial.

Snøhetta was founded in 1989 in Oslo and now has offices internationally. Its recent projects in the United States include an extension to Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts as well as a curved glass research centre for Ford in Dearborn.

The post Snøhetta to add entrance shaped like "canted shells" to St Louis' Powell Hall appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture firm Snøhetta has released plans for an expansion of the Hopkins Center for the Arts (the Hop) at Dartmouth in New Hampshire.

The expansion will include a new plaza for the area in front of the centre, as well as a new building and renovations to the existing structure.

The space is used for performances by artists from around the world, to hosts artist residencies, and supports student work. The Hop is the "front door to the campus as well as a vital place of gathering for visitors, staff, and students", according to Dartmouth.

A new lobby area, called the Forum, will sit between and connect the plaza and new facilities with the existing structure, which was designed by Wallace K Harrison — the architect behind the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan.

With striated wooden walls and a long, curved staircase, the lobby area will connect the two floors of the new building with the preexisting 900-seat Spaulding Auditorium, which will be renovated under the current plans.

"We are excited to expand the Hop's pioneering legacy as a venue for emerging forms of artistic collaboration and creative expression by bringing new rehearsal and production spaces to the building, ensuring continued support for a variety of perspectives and ways of making," said Craig Dykers of Snøhetta.

A 150-seat, second-storey structure dubbed the Recital Hall will be the most significant addition.

Meant to resemble a "glass-enclosed lantern", the hall will feature tapered arch-framed windows with an "an innovative, curved mullion system" – intended to elaborate on the glass-in arches of the Harrison design.

Also in this building will be the Performance Lab.

The campus's first dedicated dance studio will also be part of the new build. The partially submerged space will have 24-foot-tall (7.3-metre) ceilings as well as clerestory windows that will look out into the plaza.

The distinctive barrel vaults of the original complex will be retained, with the focus on renovation happening mostly to the interiors.

This proposal joins a few notable projects on Dartmouth's campus recently. In 2019, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects overhauled Charles Moore's Hood Museum of Art, just around the corner from the Hop.

First founded in Norway and now with offices worldwide, Snøhetta has undertaken a number of high-profile designs in the US. They include a research facility for Ford in Dearborn, as well as the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota, which is blended into the rolling hills of the high prairie.

The images are courtesey of Snøhetta and Methanoia.

The post Snøhetta to expand Dartmouth's Hopkins Center for the Arts appeared first on Dezeen.

Designer Alexis Readinger of US studio Preen has incorporated earthy hues, wide arches and textured plaster into an Arizona eatery and bar that is part of a casino owned by a Native American community.

The restaurant, Prime, is located on the top floor of an 11-storey tower at a casino and resort complex just south of Phoenix. The site, called Wild Horse Pass, is owned by the Gila River Indian Community.

The space was designed by Preen, a Los Angeles-based studio led by hospitality designer Alexis Readinger.

Given that American casinos can often be ostentatious or kitschy, the design of Prime is meant to "challenge the traditional concept of a casino restaurant".

Readinger took cues from the surrounding landscape, which is dotted with cacti, shrubs and other vegetation found in the Sonoran Desert and the Estrella Mountains, located to the west of the site.

"The design originates with the desert and is created intentionally to frame, to view and to honor the sacred land," the designer said.

The restaurant also exhibits a "stylised, lightly French aesthetic", the designer added.

Rectangular in plan, the eatery consists of multiple dining spaces that are arranged around a central bar and lounge.

Rooms are divided by wide arches that reference those found at Arcosanti, an experimental, 1970s housing complex in the Arizona desert that was designed by architect Paolo Soleri.

In addition to the arches, the designer created a large, inverted pyramid that hovers over the main dining space. The pyramid is coated with textured "slagged plaster".

Throughout the restaurant, the team used earthy materials and colours.

In the main room, seating areas are enclosed within half-walls made of rainbow limestone – a reference to "the desert moiré of sediment, horizon and time", the designer said.

Banquettes are wrapped in ultra suede in a reddish-orange hue. Chairs from Stellar Works are made of ash and oak.

Other elements include round tables with steel edges and mirrored tops, and globe-shaped pendants by John Barlow of Lightspeed.

The globes have a finish that looks like a pockmarked moon, and are counter-weighted by long rods. "Another moment of time and suspension," the designer said.

Beyond the dining rooms, the restaurant has two waiting areas that are monochromatic. One is has an earthy red hue, while the other is a deep shade of green.

Both spaces are fitted with leather chairs designed by Preen and built by the fabricator Jecco. Small, rounded tables are from Blu Dot.

The bathroom features a vanity with a powder-coated countertop and sink basins made of glazed lava stone. Motion-activated faucets come down from the ceiling. Affixed to a wall are sconces from Rich Brilliant Willing.

The eatery also has outdoor terraces where guests can take in the scenery. One setting features iroko wood furnishings and sculptural, built-in shelving that holds an array of candles.

Other hospitality projects in Arizona include the Mountain Shadows resort, which features interiors by Mark Zeff that were inspired by desert mid-century modernism, and the Hotel Valley Ho, an iconic 1950s hotel that was brought up to date by architect Edward L Varney.

The photography is by Brandon Barré.

The post Preen designs Prime steakhouse for a casino in the Arizona desert appeared first on Dezeen.

German studio Batek Architekten has refurbished Yorck Kino Passage, one of the oldest cinemas in Berlin, adding a foyer bar with pistachio-coloured arches and covering its screening rooms in saturated colours.

The local studio wanted the renovation to pay respect to the original neoclassical style of the 1908 cinema, while still giving it a contemporary feel.

The basic structure of the foyer in the 325-square-metre cinema, which has decorative stucco elements, is the original, as are the staircases and large cinema hall. Other rooms had been renovated and refurbished over the years.

Batek Architekten drew on the building's large arched windows when designing the new foyer bar, which has pistachio-green arches that contrast against the original linoleum floor's reddish-brown colour.

"The brown floor colour was specified due to monument protection and our resource-conservative approach," Batek Architekten founder Patrick Batek told Dezeen.

"This led to the general choice of earthy tones, but we chose the pistachio as a surprising addition."

The studio also added a natural cork covering to the cupboards in the foyer, which has a number of practical advantages.

"The natural cork wall cladding was installed for acoustic reasons, it conceals the drinks storage and staff room spaces and allows for the hanging of posters and notices," Batek explained.

In addition, existing materials were reused as part of the renovation. Corten-steel cladding from the cinema's old bar was upcycled and reinstalled as panelling, edging and fitting elements of the new bar.

The studio also restored Yorck Kino Passage's brass light fittings and plaster moldings.

As well as making interventions in the foyer, which now also features seating covered in forest-green and spring-green velvet fabric, Batek Architekten renovated two of the cinema's smaller auditoriums.

Here, the team added intense, deep colours that they felt were suitable for the ambience of the screening rooms, using blue for one and red for the other.

"The auditoriums are in the basement of the building, and we wanted to create a more intimate atmosphere than in the original large lighter-coloured auditorium," Batek said.

"That's why we clad it in dark Prussian blue fabric which contrasts nicely with the warm glow of the yellow-upholstered seating rows."

A more traditional colour was chosen for the second room.

"The other screening room is an interpretation of the classic cinema interior with a range of reds from rust to crimson covering walls and seating alike," Batek explained.

The studio also installed new podiums in the two auditoriums to create optimal visibility.

Batek Architekten has a history of designing cinema interiors – having previously completed the Kino Delphi Lux cinema for the same client and refurbished the historic Blauer Stern cinema in Berlin.

Among the studio's other designs in the city is a duplex townhouse comprised of stacked cubes.

The photography is by Marcus Wend.

The post Batek Architekten renovates historic cinema in pastel and earth-coloured hues appeared first on Dezeen.

Design studio Snarkitecture incorporated tiled walls and arches into a club in the US capital that offers a barbershop, a coffee bar, a boutique and a speakeasy.

Open to the public, Manifest occupies a slender, four-story building in Washington DC's Adams Morgan neighbourhood.

Meant to put "a sophisticated spin on self-care", the club was conceived by the entrepreneur KJ Hughes, along with his partners Brian Merritt and Susan Morgan.

The aim was to create a distinctive location where people could get a haircut or beard trim, grab an espresso, buy upscale streetwear and enjoy a cocktail.

The owners turned to New York's Snarkitecture to design the project.

"When we set out to design Manifest, it needed to be a new kind of barbershop, inviting to all people," said Alex Mustonen, a firm partner.

"Simultaneously, we wanted to create a sanctuary, a community space, an institution, a one-of-a-kind experience that still feels like home," he said.

Set back from the street, the Manifest building is entered through a courtyard lined with wooden walls.

The outdoor space is adorned with pockets of greenery and curved concrete benches. At the base of the benches are illuminated reveals made of LED strips with an acrylic diffuser.

Inside, walls are clad in white tiles, and the floor is covered in large-format cement squares. For the millwork, the team used white oak with a natural finish.

The barbershop – which encompasses four stations and an area for washing hair – is fitted with chairs wrapped in buttery leather. The coffee bar features a counter with a fluted wooden base and a terrazzo top.

In the retail zone, clothing by brands such as Engineered Garments and Homme Pliseé is displayed within arched, wooden niches. The store also sells apparel from Manifest's own line, Of US.

Stretching across the ceiling are wooden beams with embedded LED strips – a design element that contributes to the interplay of straight and curved lines in the space.

"Unifying details throughout the space include archways – which are meant to represent the sloughing off of the old and moving into a new phase of life – while linear elements symbolise a sense of community and connection," the designers said.

A "secret staircase" leads up to the speakeasy, which seats up to 30 guests. In contrast with the lower-level space, the bar has a moody atmosphere.

Walls are sheathed in a custom green plaster, and floors are finished with dark-stained oak. Seating areas are adorned with green velvet banquettes and leather chairs from Nikari.

Overhead are arched forms that help create a sense of intimacy while also drawing a visual connection to the arches in the lower level. The arches are finished with mosaic green tile and safety glass with wire mesh.

Throughout the club, Snarkitecture aspired to create an environment that was both comfortable and stimulating.

"Every single element was designed to create a welcoming, intimate atmosphere that will invoke conversation and appeal to all the senses," the team said.

Later this spring, Manifest will expand to include a rentable apartment with a retractable glass roof and a terrace.

This is not the first project in Washington DC by Snarkitecture. In 2018, the firm created a Fun House installation in the National Building Museum's great hall that featured a white gabled house and a kidney-shaped ball pit.

Other projects by the studio include a shop for streetwear brand Kith within a Parisian mansion, and an installation in a Manhattan gallery that consisted of 168 white spherical orbs that changed colours when touched.

The photography is by Michael Grant.

The post Snarkitecture designs Manifest "self-care" club in Washington DC appeared first on Dezeen.

For our latest lookbook, we have collected 10 projects from the Dezeen archive with vaulted ceilings that add structural interest and make interiors feel more spacious.

Vaulted ceilings, which were first used in ancient Egypt and are often seen in sacral architecture, use arches to stretch the ceiling upwards from the walls.

As seen in this look book, vaulted ceilings are still a popular option for contemporary projects, with variations including the barrel vault, the groin vault, and the dome vault.

Vaulted ceilings can be made from a variety of materials, ranging from wood to stone, and can be extended into attic spaces to make a design appear more spacious.

Many of the these ten projects also use principles of adaptive reuse to take advantage of vaulted ceilings in renovated structures.

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bedrooms with clever storage solutions, interiors by Ukranian designers, and coastal hotel interiors.

Intermediate House, Paraguay, by Equipo de Arquitectura 

Asunción-based practice Equipo de Arquitectura added a vaulted brick ceiling to expand the volume of this home, set on a narrow lot in Asunción, Paraguay.

Using handmade bricks, the architects vaulted the ceiling on steel rafters. The roof and ceiling are the same, so its curve can be seen from the outside. Windows were placed in the gaps between the vaults and support beams to seal the space and let in light.

Find out more about Intermediate House ›

Es Pou, Spain, by Marià Castelló

Marià Castelló created Es Pou, a three-volume home on Formentera in Spain's Balearic Islands, with simple geometric forms "in accordance with the scale of the landscape."

Each volume is rectangular, but the living spaces and corridors have slightly vaulted wooden ceilings, which, along with the contrast between the darker wood of the ceiling and the white walls, makes the single-storey structures seem more voluminous.

Find out more about Es Pou ›

Casp21, Spain, by Bonba Studio

Bonba Studio turned this 170-square-metre office in Barcelona into a double-height apartment that showcases the original vaulted ceiling.

Its vaulted brick ceiling, known locally in Barcelona as a Catalan arch, had been covered in the construction of the office space but was re-exposed by the studio during the renovation.

By painting the ceiling white, the ceiling was integrated into the contemporary look of the apartment, making the space seem larger and brighter.

Find out more about Casp 21 ›

Sunny Apartment, Taiwan, by Very Studio

Very Studio transformed an apartment with very few windows in Taichung, Taiwan into a bright, spacious abode.

A contemporary take on the groin vault, the ceiling comes to points at arches from the partition walls and at columns arranged throughout the floor plan.

The arches have timber framing and the walls have been painted white in order to create diffuse light in the recesses of the apartment.

Find out more about Sunny Apartment › 

Barcelona Home, Spain, Arquitectura-G

Arquitectura-G took this classic Barcelona apartment, situated between the street and an interior courtyard, and renovated it to fit contemporary standards.

The studio created various different floor levels to give the apartment a layered feel. Decorative arched ceilings create a sense of space and unity throughout the space and have been painted white to underline its minimalist interior.

Find out more about this Barcelona home › 

Casa Monopoli, Argentina, by Fabrizio Pugliese

Argentine architect Fabrizio Pugliese created this holiday home outside of Buenos Aires by combining handcrafted and industrial elements.

Its vaulted ceiling, which also serves as a roof, is shaped into long sloping brick barrel vaults. The large vaults run partway through the width of the house, and clerestory windows between the frame and the top of the arch let in plenty of sunlight.

Find out more about Casa Monopoli › 

High Park Residence, Canada, by Batay-Csorba Architects

Batay-Csorba Architects, a Canadian practice, modeled the single vaulted tunnel of this Toronto home on the architecture of ancient Rome.

Visible from the front of the house, the vault extends from a recessed entryway through the centre of the home. Breaks in the vault create double-height spaces, which the studio topped with skylights to let light into the middle of the tunnel.

Find out more about High Park Residence ›

Cruïlles 2, Spain, Majoral Tissino Architects

Majoral Tissino Architects renovated this house in the village of Cruïlles, Spain, adding a studio that opens onto a terrace to the historic home.

The building features a sunken ground floor with a vaulted ceiling made of natural stone masonry that spans the entire width of the house, and the studio added a plate to part of the ceiling to accentuate the curve.

Find out more about Cruïlles 2 ›

House Recast, UK, by Studio Ben Allen

Studio Ben Allen renovated this Victorian home in north London using pigmented patterned concrete for the structure and finishes.

The studio added decorative louvered vaulted ceilings to both the kitchen and bathroom. This unique feature allows light to pass through the ceiling from skylights and opens the ground floor up to a mezzanine.

Find out more about House Recast ›

Vaulted House, Chile, by Edward Rojas Arquitectos

Edward Rojas Arquitectos designed this home in Chile, aptly called Vaulted House. An exterior walkway connects three two-storey vaulted volumes.

The house has distinctive  ceilings made of wood panels that mirror the slopes of the structure's exterior with windows set in vaulted arches.

The studio referenced the religious connotations of the vaulted ceiling with stained glass windows, which add a touch of colour to the natural-wood walls.

Find out more about Vaulted House ›

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bedrooms with clever storage solutions, interiors by Ukranian designers, and coastal hotel interiors.

The post Ten contemporary residences with decorative vaulted ceilings appeared first on Dezeen.

Colourful marble accents and looming arches characterise this restaurant by Spanish studio Masquespacio, which takes cues from traditional Italian eateries.

Called Piada, the restaurant sells Italian flatbreads and is the second of its kind to be designed by Masquespacio in the French city of Lyon.

The interiors of the latest Piada blends retro design elements borrowed from traditional Italian restaurants, such as marble and gold finishes, with colours and materials that were chosen to echo the eatery's healthy food menu.

"First, we investigated ancient Italian restaurants and bars to bring the traditional concept into the design," Masquespacio co-founder Christophe Penasse told Dezeen.

"Then, we sought elements that could represent a sort of healthy aspect, which at the same time have a splashy and young colour concept that represents the brand's identity," he added.

A garland of lush plants and flowers is suspended above the entrance to the two-storey restaurant, under which floor-to-ceiling arched windows were designed to draw visitors in from the street.

Inside, guests are met with a collection of booth-like tables that offer a mixture of built-in seating, including banquette benches and rounded wooden stools.

This area is defined by a bold palette of sugary pastel colours, ranging from pale lilac seat cushions to mint-green walls.

Piada's external arch motif is also continued in its interiors, where curved alcoves have been outlined with columns of bulbous sconce lights that resemble oversized Hollywood-style mirrors.

"We used five elements to represent the traditional Italian bar and restaurant – arches, light bulbs with gold finishes, marble and mirrored menus," explained Penasse.

In a nod to Piada's healthy food concept, Masquespacio added clusters of plants that spill out of backlit rounded nooks behind the seating areas both upstairs and downstairs.

The studio also incorporated stucco on the walls and tiles with a handmade effect to create a more organic feel to the restaurant interior. All of Piada's furniture was custom-made by Masquespacio to match the restaurant's eclectic themes.

Founded in 2010 by Penasse and Ana Milena Hernández Palacios, the Spanish studio has completed a number of other interior projects with designs rooted in bright colour.

These include a playful burger joint in Turin, multi-hued student housing in Bilbao and a colour-clashing phone repair shop in Valencia.

The photography is by Gregory Abbate.

The post Masquespacio puts colourful spin on traditional Italian restaurant concept appeared first on Dezeen.

Cresting ocean waves served as a blueprint for the arched forms found on the interior and exterior of this beachside hotel that GS Design has created in Sanya, China.

Located on the tropical island of Hainan, the Sumei Skyline Coast hotel was designed to reference its immediate environment.

The building's facade is punctuated by curved windows and balconies that suggest rolling waves, and is painted in a crisp shade of white to contrast the rich blues of the surrounding sea and sky.

"We worked to craft the space into a timely and sophisticated art piece with a long lifespan of usage by adopting this classic colour," explained Chinese architecture firm GS Design.

On the ground floor, a series of upside-down arches runs along the wooden decking adjoining the infinity pool.

More spots for swimming are found on the expansive roof terrace as well as in the first-floor lounge, where stepping stones lead over a curvy-edged indoor pool.

The light-filled room is otherwise dressed with a couple of potted plants and an array of sculptural white armchairs with matching side tables.

The curved shapes seen on Sumei Skyline Coast's exterior are echoed throughout its guest rooms, which are accessed via vaulted corridors.

Some rooms have circular skylights or huge round headboards that project over the beds. Others feature arched recesses accommodating cushioned bench seats or vanities.

All bathrooms come complete with a standalone tub, positioned next to the windows to give guests optimum views of the island beyond.

In keeping with the rest of the hotel, the guest rooms are finished completely in white with textural interest provided by tufted beige decorative cushions that are scattered over the soft furnishings.

GS Design was established in 2014 and is based in Shenzhen.

The studio's Sumei Skyline Coast project joins a number of hotels that have recently opened across China. Among them is BAN Villa, which was designed to look like a "floating village", and Grotto Retreat Xiyaotou, a hotel modelled on ancient cave dwellings.

The photography is by Ao Xiang.

Project credits:

Architecture, interiors and furnishing: GS Design
Design directors: Liangchao Li, Yuanman Huang
Design team: Chao Li, Zigeng Luo
Furnishing director: Yu Feng

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen's official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

The post GS Design repeats arch motifs throughout Sumei Skyline Coast hotel on Hainan Island appeared first on Dezeen.

Argentine architect Fabrizio Pugliese has incorporated both handcrafted and industrial elements while creating a family's holiday home just outside of Buenos Aires.

Casa Monopoli is located in San Vicente, about 50 kilometres from downtown Buenos Aires. The project serves as a weekend home for a couple with a daughter who is an industrial designer.

The 155-square-metre house was designed to embody two systems: "a handcrafted one and an industrialised one", said architect Fabrizio Pugliese, who leads an architectural practice in the Argentine capital.

Rectangular in plan, the home consists of low-slung, rectilinear volumes formed of white-painted brick and metal. On the front elevation, the architect added screens made of kiri wood.

The home sits atop a concrete slab that is lifted slightly above the ground.

"The thickness of the slab at the edge was reduced to give an effect of lightness, like the rest of the operations in the house," said Pugliese.

The dwelling is topped with a series of barrel vaults made of local red brick – which the architect described as the handmade aspect of the project. At night, uplights illuminate the roof and emphasise its arched shape.

To build the distinctive canopy, bricks were placed on a wooden mould, and a four-centimetre layer of concrete was then placed on top.

"The structural system is called 'ceramica armada', taken from Eladio Dieste," said the architect, referring to the late Uruguayan engineer who was known for creating thin, vaulted roofs.

The project's industrial aspect is found in the steel beams that make up the structural frame. This framework extends beyond the home's walls to help support the roof and balance the overall structural composition.

Crescent-shaped openings between the roof and the walls are filled in with glass.

"The gaps highlight the structure and allow light to enter, tinting the house with reddish reflections," said Pugliese.

Within the dwelling, there is a clear separation between public and private.

The front portion of the home contains two bedrooms, a studio and a bathroom. There also is a carport, which runs along one side of the house.

The rear area holds a kitchen, dining area and living room. A wide, sliding door connects to a patio with a built-in grill and a grassy yard.

Between the private and public zones is a room with a flat ceiling and a wood-burning stove. It adjoins a central patio that brings in daylight.

"The site does not have favourable orientation," said Pugliese. "It is from this situation that a courtyard is created in the centre of the house, in order to have direct light from the north."

Interior finishes include smooth concrete flooring and white-painted walls. In the kitchen, cabinetry is made of medium-density fibreboard with a guatambu wood veneer.

The homeowners participated in the construction of the home's furniture, given their love of art, carpentry and painting, said Pugliese.

Other recent Argentinian houses include a white house by S_estudio that is wheelchair accessible, a house along a golf course by Mariano Fiorentini that looks like a "huge block of concrete", and an isolated dwelling by architects Nicolás Barrionuevo and Juan Villanueva that is wrapped in operable wooden screens.

The photography is by Javier Agustin Rojas.

Project credits:

Architect: Fabrizio Pugliese
Construction: Atenea Construcciones
Collaborators: Julieta Lettieri, Floriana Chab
Furniture: Giovanna Monopoli

The post Vaulted brick roof tops Casa Monopoli in Argentina by Fabrizio Pugliese appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio Masquespacio added undulating, earthy-toned walls to an intimate Valencia restaurant that takes cues from the "organic forms" of Middle Eastern architecture.

Living Bakkali is located in the Spanish coastal city of Valencia and features bespoke furniture designed entirely by Masquespacio, a design studio known for its use of colour in projects.

The restaurant is characterised by sloping, sandy-toned microcement walls that pay homage to the decorative motifs often found in Middle Eastern architecture, such as multifoil arches.

Designed in various hues of desert-like browns and pinks, Living Bakkali's curved arches are arranged in intricate formations that create intimate seating areas within the restaurant.

"We used the recognisable brownish colour from the East, although we added slightly different colours to the palette – such as red – but always in a soft way and through earthy tones," Masquespacio co-founder Christophe Penasse told Dezeen.

"Middle Eastern seating is also almost always lower and more loungy than in the western world," he added, referring to the restaurant's low-slung dark crimson sofas and chairs.

Guests enter the space at a central hall that is connected to the kitchen, which was designed to create the feeling of exploring a street filled with ancient houses.

"Interiors [in the Middle East] are almost never shown directly from the outside, although you can [often] find windows of arch forms that create a sense of double walls," explained Penasse.

The restaurant's thick walls are interrupted only by cut-out holes that create small windows between each table, some of which are tucked away in intimate booths. Among the various dining areas is a private room, which is reached through a corridor flanked by gauzy curtains.

Described by the restaurant itself as an "ode to adobe architecture," Living Bakkali takes cues from this natural construction material, as Masquespacio said that the venue's walls were designed to create an adobe effect, which means mud-brick in Spanish.

The studio also designed all of the floors and ceilings in microcement in order to immerse visitors in a wholly cavernous environment that is intended to be reminiscent of traditional Middle Eastern houses.

Penasse said that Masquespacio's design process for Living Bakkali involved the exploration of many aspects of Middle Eastern culture – from architecture and materials to ways of eating through history.

"We got connected with the organic forms that have been used throughout Middle Eastern architecture, which was made mainly with clay materials by hand," Penasse explained.

"We wanted to bring the [traditional] Arabic aesthetic to the future in a new and more modern way, but still sought to maintain its essence," he said.

Masquespacio was founded by Penasse and Ana Milena Hernández Palacios in 2010. Similar projects by the studio include Pukkel, a restaurant in Aragon that features winding stucco walls that were informed by the curvature of the nearby Pyrenees mountains.

The photography is by Sebastian Erras.

The post Masquespacio designs cavernous restaurant interior that nods to adobe architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

Colombian studio AGENdA Agencia de Arquitectura and Mexican firm Dellekamp/Schleich have completed a replacement for a church in Jojutla that was destroyed in Mexico's 2017 Puebla earthquake.

Jojutla, a town in the state of Morelos in central Mexico, was struck particularly hard by the earthquake on 19 September 2017. In addition to destroying over 2,600 homes, it also severely damaged the Santuario Señor de Tula (Sanctuary of the Lord of Tula), which had stood for over 500 years.

"Four years after the earthquake, the Jojutla master plan is continuing with its strategy of reconstructing the public space to empower citizens through their collective identity and make public space the home for everyone," said the team.

The 450-square-metre structure that replaces the church comprises a simple brick-vaulted roof that rests on arched concrete walls on all four sides.

The walls only touch the ground at the corners, leaving large gaps under the arches for air and light to pour in.

"This solution allows the passage of air and the entry of comfortable light for ceremonies, thus avoiding the use of mechanical air conditioning systems and excessive energy consumption in artificial lighting," the team explained.

In plan, the church's layout nods to historical Christian designs, with a central nave flanked by two aisles. Worshippers enter from the back via a public plaza.

The altar is at the front, partially enclosed by a semi-circular concrete wall.

The architects created a stepped floor that runs the entire length of the space and out into the plaza.

This causes the overhead height to be lowest at the church entrance and highest above the altar.

"The staggering of the floor from the atrium towards the altar produces a slow detachment from the outside world, which allows building a relationship of privacy and seclusion without losing contact with the tropical space of the gardens and nature," the team said.

Behind the altar, the brick arches stop short of the back wall. This creates an opening in the roof, through which sunlight illuminates a large metal cross.

AGENdA and Dellekamp/Schleich used a minimal palette for their intervention, leaving the brick pavers that form the floors and ceiling and the walls of cast-in-situ concrete exposed.

On the exterior facing the plaza, a church bell was salvaged from the ruins of the original sanctuary, as a reminder of the building that was lost.

Elsewhere in Jojutla, earthquake recovery efforts have included a new public square designed by MMX.

Meanwhile in Mexico City, which was also hit, a pavilion designed by Lanza Atelier, TO, and architect Alberto Odériz was built to commemorate the event.

The photography is by Rafael Gamo.

Project credits:

Clients:  Carlos Zedillo, Alejandra de la Mora, Javier Garciadiego, Carlos Farah (Infonavit), Cristina Rubio (Fundación Hogares)
Architects: Derek Dellakamp, Jachen Schleich (Dellekamp/Schleich), Camilo Restrepo Ochoa (AGENdA Agencia de Arquitectura)
Team: Francisco Eduardo Franco Ramírez, Jose Manuel Estrada, Gustavo Hernández, Elizabeth Molina, Sana Frini, Samuele Xompero, Santiago Sitten, Mariana Víquez (Dellekamp/Schleich), Mariana Mejía, Camilo Toro, Helen Winter (AGENdA Agencia de Arquitectura)
Structural design: Oscar Trejo, Sergio López
Installations: Ubaldo Velazquez
Landscape design: Hugo Sánchez, Tonatiuh Martínez, Paulina Zarate (Taller de paisaje Entorno)
Lighting design: Carlos Hano (Lightchitects)
Acoustic design: Xicotencatl Ladrón Guevara
Construction: Serafín Adame, Eloy Cruz, Francisco López, Alexis Garicoits Hernández, David Herrera, Andres Flores Castañeda, José Apolinar Ballesteros Rodríguez, Ricardo Antonio Ballesteros Amaro, Bernardo Pedro Cruz López
Site supervision: Juan Carlos Martínez, Marcelino Delgado Castrejon
Project management: Rafael Luna, Juan Fronjosa, Ruth Cantera
Municipal management: Roque González
Materials: Concrete CEMEX, Ladrillera Mecanizada
Special thanks: Diocese of Cuernavaca, Obispo Ramón Castro Castro, Germán Arrieta Fuentes

The post Vaulted church replaces building destroyed in Mexico's 2017 earthquake appeared first on Dezeen.

London and Mexico city-based Aidia Studio has proposed a mosque for Preston, England, that is designed to be a "quintessential archetype of Islamic Architecture".

If built the New Preston Mosque would be located on the northern outskirts of Preston at the top of a small hill.

Its elevated position aims to create a symbolic journey of ascension to the religious building from the surrounding area.

"Our approach places the mosque at the highest point on the site, in doing so, apart from cultivating the symbolic gesture of the ascendance, we are able to define a journey which starts in the landscape," Aidia Studio co-founder Rolando Rodriguez-Leal told Dezeen.

The studio designed the mosque and its surrounding site on a grid that aligns the structure and its internal architectural elements with landscaped areas and a car park.

It was designed around a repeated block system that used a collection of cascading lancet arches – an arch with a pointed tip, used across Islamic architecture – to create its form.

A rear row of 4.7-metre-wide arches stretches across the rear of the building while shorter, half-width arches are positioned at the front of the building.

If built, the New Preston Mosque's arches would be constructed using reinforced ground natural stone or cast in glass fibre reinforced concrete.

Cast bronze mashrabiya screens – a decorative screen typically found in Islamic buildings – will be fitted between the arches to allow natural light into the interior of the mosque.

"Perhaps the most poetic of all Islamic architectural archetypes, the mashrabiya filters the light and sets the stage for a dimmed ceremonial atmosphere," said Rodriguez-Leal.

"We have designed a pattern that reinforces the fractal linearity of the overall scheme. The mashrabiya cassettes, intended to be cast bronze, close the vaults along the north west-south east axis creating a kinetic play of lights and shadows across all three levels of the mosque."

A 32-metre tall minaret tower will be situated beside the mosque and will serve as a landmark for Preston.

Visitors will be able to enter the mosque at the front of the structure between a collection of small arches.

A lobby at the front of the building will serve as a transitional space providing access to a library, a large prayer room, plazas and offices.

Separate entrances for men and women will be placed at either end of the building and lead to dedicated men's and women's only prayer rooms. The main prayer hall, located on the ground floor, occupies the rear of the building.

The landscaped car park has a stepped, cascading look that was designed to not resemble its function. It will use strips of slate and stone that intertwine to create a panelled design between grassy areas.

"Possibly one of the biggest challenges we faced was to design a car park which doesn't resemble one," said Rodriguez-Leal.

"Our approach aims to blur the boundary between parking and landscaping, and we do so by establishing a playful array of shifting slates, plates, and benches."

The design for the New Preston Mosque was part of an international competition held by the Royal Royal Institute of British Architects.

Luca Poian Forms' design titled Brick Veil Mosque which has a large elliptical form was selected as the competition's winning proposal.

Earlier in 2021, Marks Barfield Architects designed a sustainable mosque in Cambridge that looks to local architecture and incorporates traditional Islamic design elements.

The post Aidia Studio designs mosque in Preston with cascading arched volumes appeared first on Dezeen.

Named after a mythical warrior queen, this house by RED Arquitectos features arched doorways and windows that overlook the Pacific Ocean from Mexico's Baja peninsula.

The 200-square-metre house is located in Todos Santos, a town sat roughly midway between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, in Baja California Sur – known for its beaches and warm weather.

An American couple commissioned Mexican studio RED Arquitectos to complete their holiday home, which is named Casa Calafia after a queen from local legend.

"Its name is inspired by a warrior from Baja California Sur," said studio founder Susana López González, referring to Califia – who first appeared in the 1500s novel Las Sergas de Esplandián ("The Adventures of Esplandián") by Spanish poet Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.

The fictional character signifies abundance, and over the centuries has come to represent a type of patron saint of the region, even lending her name to the modern state of California.

This powerful female icon, as well as the area's arid landscapes and views of the Pacific Ocean, led López González to develop a language of curved openings for the two-storey home.

"Formal expression through curves and sculptural geometry informs this second home on the Sea of Cortez," she explained.

A large terrace surrounds the home on the ground floor, and is slightly elevated to offer better views of its surroundings. The architect describes the cement-covered building as a "monolithic sculpture".

"The house is built with concrete block, since it is the most accessible material in the area, and its exterior and interior are covered with cement and natural pigments," she said.

Two guest bedrooms are on the lower level, separated by an open-concept kitchen, living and dining room that faces the ocean.

Outside, a set of stairs leads to the upper level. The circulation is partially screened by a brick lattice, which harks back to an industry once present in the town of Todos Santos.

The main bedroom is located upstairs, with its own ensuite and a wraparound terrace that provides views on three sides.

Pigmented cement covers most of the interior and exterior surfaces, lending the project a natural, uniform hue.

Several hospitality projects have recently been completed in the region. Other projects include a hotel made with traditional rammed earth walls and breezy thatched roofs by Estudio ALA, and a structure made of curved concrete walls for the Paradero Hotel.

The photography is by Miguel Angel Vazquez Calanchini.

Project credits:

Architect: Susana López González (RED Arquitectos)
Collaborator: Angélica Azamar Villegas
Construction: Rogelio Rojas Castro
Structural engineer: Apolinar Sanchez

The post Earth-toned concrete covers Casa Calafia in Mexico by RED Arquitectos appeared first on Dezeen.

Interior architecture studio Emmanuelle Simon used arched shelving coves, sandy tones and rounded furniture in the Liberté bakery in Paris.

Founder of Boulangeries Liberté Mickael Benichou gave Emmanuelle Simon free rein to create "a unique spot" in the 25-square-metre space.

The designers aimed to create cosy interiors that would prompt visitors to stay inside for a little longer than usual while on their daily bakery round.

"I wanted to create an authentic and memorable experience, in a place of daily passage which is rather brief, as it is for buying bread," the studio's founder Emmanuelle Simon told Dezeen.

"The cosy atmosphere is a feeling that results from a multitude of details: natural materials, colours, the round shapes of the furniture, lighting and the arches of this bakery," she continued.

The bakery contains a series of arched coves where customers can sit and enjoy their coffee and pastries.

Four further coves behind the main counter are used to display the selection of bread.

"Arches make the gaze travelling between the volumes and the play of light, its roundness shape is enveloping and welcoming," Simon explained.

"You find yourself surrounded by arched, like a cloister, making the gaze travel between the play of lights and volumes," she added.

Elsewhere, built-in shelves display the store's baked goods, kitchen utensils and neutral-coloured ornaments.

Raku tiles – ceramic tiles that have been made using the Japanese firing technique – decorate the central island and the arched alcoves.

"I chose the Raku, a Japanese ceramic technique which uses a thermal shock to create random cracks, as it is reminiscent of bread hot out of the oven," said Simon.

"The Raku plaques adorn the central island and the arch-shaped niches, and create a rhythmic drawing."

Other custom details include 12 round ceiling lights made from chamotte clay and frosted glass, and the round, solid wood stools.

"The presence of solid wood, shaped by the hand of the craftsman, brings a refinement to this place made to measure," said Simon.

The popular bakery chain already has a store in rue des Vinaigriers, Paris. This new location in Paris' 7th arrondissement, marks part of the bakery's expansion.

A narrow vertical opening at the back of the room allows customers to watch the baker at work as they prepare the delicacies, added to the "authenticity" of the experience.

Other minimalist bakery designs include craft bakery Sofi, which is located in Berlin. Danish architects Mathias Mentze and Alexander Vedel Ottenstein designed the bakery around an open kitchen, to allow customers to enjoy watching the bread-making process.

Photography is by Jerome Galland.

The post Emmanuelle Simon designs "welcoming" Parisian bakery appeared first on Dezeen.

Artist Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong has designed an interactive installation on the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York state with LED animations that respond to people passing by.

Called Current, the permanent sculpture is located on the Westchester County side of Tappan Zee Bridge spanning the Hudson River between Tarrytown and Nyack.

Current is composed of 12 triangular steel arches positioned on a poured concrete foundation. The arches are lined up alongside each other and gradually decrease in height.

Each arch is fitted with an iridescent glass fin on its apex that refracts sunlight and creates shadows during the day, while integrated LED lights produce a white glow after dark.

"The name was chosen in reference to the ebb and flow of river currents on the Hudson River, as well as currents of light and currents of time," artist Wing-Zi Wong told Dezeen.

The installation features motion sensors that detect movement from passersby, which triggers LED light animations that respond to pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.

"In the evening, Current creates a shared spatial experience through the light animations that respond to movements of passersby," explained Wing-Zi Wong.

Similar to a clock's chime, the sculpture also plays a different light animation at the start of each hour of the day.

"The work is a dynamic and interactive sculpture that celebrates transformation," said the artist.

Officially named the Governor Mario M Cuomo Bridge, the Tappan Zee Bridge replaced a former version of itself in 2017.

Current's foundation, cladding and the mullions securing the glass fins in place are all made of steel reclaimed from the old bridge.

Wing-Zi Wong's process involved studying the site and history of the Hudson River and the old Tappan Zee Bridge, after which she developed the installation using 3D-drawing software Rhino.

"Current pays homage to this connection and to the legacy of the Tappan Zee Bridge as the historic primary connection point spanning the Hudson between the two counties north of New York City," said Wing-Zi Wong.

Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong is a New York-based artist whose work explores the boundary between art and architecture.

Recent installation designs include a mirrored kaleidoscope catwalk created by artist Doug Aitken for last week's Saint Laurent menswear fashion show in Venice, and a sculpture at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed that can be transformed into a race track using an augmented reality app.

The images are courtesy of Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong.

Project credits: 

Lighting design and programming: ARUP: Xena Petkanas, Christoph Gisel
Commissioned by: New York State Thruway Authority, ArtsWestchester
Engineering: SGH
Fabrication: Elemental Metalworks
Installation: Sultz, NYSTA

The post Current light sculpture on the Hudson responds to movements of passersby  appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture firm Limdim House Studio has renovated the Brown Box apartment in Vietnam adding curving walls, tiered cornices and terrazzo surfaces that aim to create a "calm" and "gentle" space. 

Limdim House Studio reorganised the previously "commercial" two-bedroom apartment by removing walls to convert it into a spacious one-bedroom home named Brown Box.

"The idea comes from the byname of the owner of the house, Ms Brown," studio founder Tran Ngo Chi Mai told Dezeen. "Since she also loves the colour brown, our idea was to create a living space as gentle and calm as this colour itself."

"[We] processed the space with the aim of creating a new colour, a new breath to get rid of the boredom in commercial apartments."

As part of the opening up of the home, the studio removed existing walls and added curving partition walls in their place.

The curved walls were surrounded by stepped cornices as a modern take on crown mouldings that remove the harshness of corners in the open-plan kitchen diner.

The studio used a natural colour palette throughout, employing light browns, beige and wood tones to create a peaceful yet sophisticated look.

"We choose tones around brown and beige," explained Chi Mai. "when designing with this colour tone, we want the apartment to be peaceful, plain and still full of sophistication."

A rounded island at the centre of the kitchen diner was clad in pale terrazzo to provide additional counter space in the one-wall kitchen.

An arched niche frames a sink, terrazzo countertops and a row of taupe brown overhead cabinetry which was arranged in a semicircle to fit within the alcove.

Terrazzo slabs extend across the floors of the apartment and to the living space which is zoned by floor-to-ceiling Melaleuca wood cabinetry and wooden furnishings.

The ceiling above the living area has a curved design and merges into an arched wall that visually separates the living area from the kitchen diner.

"We use terrazzo all the way from the kitchen island, like a stream going down the floor and spreading everywhere," said Chi Mai.

"Choosing this type of material helps the colour in the house to become light and soothing."

"Physically, Terrazzo has good hardness, just enough gloss, and more heat dissipation than wooden floors, so it creates a cool feeling, especially in tropical areas."

An arched doorway leads from the open-plan living area to the bedroom space. Its walls were covered in a grey plaster-like finish providing a textural quality.

An en-suite next to the bedroom was fitted with a free-standing terrazzo bathtub below a large circular window that looks into the bedroom.

"The important thing when designing a space, in our opinion, is to create a new, sophisticated and especially to bring comfortable feeling to the owner," said Chi Mai.

"If the owners come back after a hard days work, they don't enjoy the life in this space, this space will forever be just a place to provide basic needs like eating, sleeping and that will be our failure in this project."

Limdim House Studio is an architecture, design and interior design practice based in Vietnam.

Other Vietnamese projects include this apartment by Whale Design Lab which references the work of Louis Kahn, along with this holiday home that has a thatched roof.

Photography is by Do Sy.

The post Limdim House Studio calms Vietnam apartment with curved walls and arched niches appeared first on Dezeen.

A series of vaulted, brick arches overlook a circular swimming pool at a boutique hotel in Puerto Escondido designed by Mexican architect Alberto Kalach.

Casona Sforza, or House Sforza, is located in the coastal town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

The hotel was conceived by the entrepreneur Ezequiel Ayarza Sforza, who worked with Mexico City architect Alberto Kalach of TAX Architects to design the property.

"The process took years of inspiration, planning, sketches and successive modifications," the team said.

The hotel – which offers 11 guest suites and a bar and restaurant – is set on a 4,500-square-metre site that looks toward the ocean. The property was designed to integrate with the landscape and to offer comfortable spaces for reflection.

"It places centre-stage the value of being aware – of contemplating and understanding the beauty of an environment in balance," said the architecture studio.

The resort consists of arched volumes of varying heights, which are arranged in an asymmetrical manner. The vaulted shape offers several benefits, including being able to withstand earthquakes and allowing positive energy to flow into the suites, the team said.

The volumes are constructed of local bricks – a material that helps keep interior rooms cool without the use of air conditioning. The bricks have a pale yellow hue that reflects sunlight and further aids in cooling.

The rounded forms overlook a circular swimming pool that is intended to enhance the property's tranquil atmosphere. A linear corridor runs through the centre of the hotel and terminates at the pool.

Guest suites were placed either high or low. Six are located on the upper floors and offer balconies with views of the sea. Five are at ground level and come with a terrace and private pool. All of the units have vaulted ceilings.

The interior design – overseen by Mexico City's MOB Studio – is meant to feel bohemian, with the use of earthy colours, tropical woods and handcrafted decor. It also draws upon the hotel's seaside context and distinctive architecture.

"Elements highlight the attributes of the site and the surroundings – such as the sunset, the sound of the ocean, and the movement of the breeze – and combine with the textures and colours of the architecture," the team said.

Much of the furniture and decor was made in Mexico. Rugs were woven in the small village of Teotitlán del Valle, and palm-leaf lamps came from the port city of Veracruz. Curtains, chairs and hammocks were fabricated in the Yucatán Peninsula.

The property also has many pieces, such as cushions and glassware, by artisans who are part of Pueblo del Sol, a community in Oaxaca that is focused on sustainability and indigenous culture.

Described as a social project, Pueblo del Sol is financed by Casona Sforza and is about an hour's drive from the hotel.

"Guests can visit the project to learn about where the products consumed in the hotel come from, experience the forest, and learn about building such a community from the ground up," the team said.

Situated along the Pacific Coast, Puerto Escondido is known for its palm tree-lined beaches and challenging surf spots.

Other projects there include a sprawling beach house by Anonimous that is made of concrete, parota wood and dried palm leaves, and a Japanese-Mexican restaurant by TAX Architects that features an open-air dining room and a large thatched roof. The area is also home to Casa Wabi, the famed artist's retreat designed by Tadao Ando.

Photography is by Alex Krotkov.

Project credits:

Project design and development: Ezequiel Ayala Sforza
Architecture: Taller de Arquitetura X, Alberto Kalach
Interior design: Ezequiel Ayala Sforza and MOB Studio
Contractor: Efraín Salinas

The post Arched volumes define Casona Sforza resort in Mexico by Alberto Kalach appeared first on Dezeen.

Canadian studio Batay-Csorba Architects has carved a barrel-vaulted tunnel through a brick home in Toronto designed to evoke the architecture of ancient Rome.

Named High Park Residence, the new-build home has two storeys and a basement and was designed for homeowners with Italian heritage.

The ground and first floors exist within a barrel-vaulted archway that tunnels through the length of the property.

"The vault, in its many permutations, is one of the most common archetypes of ancient Roman architecture, characterised by its powerful modulation of light and its sense of lightness," said studio co-founder Andrew Batay-Csorba.

"Its geometry informs a relationship between the house's facade and its interior."

The front of the house is defined by a arched carport formed by a curved cutaway from the monolithic brick facade. This element takes cues from porticos, the covered porches leading to the entrances of buildings often found in Roman architecture.

A pattern of bricks protruding from the side of the facade casts patterns of light and shade cast and creates small shelves for snow to fall on and settle in winter.

Batay-Csorba Architects chose bricks to complement the surrounding homes while adding a contemporary twist.

"The tradition of brick in Toronto's residential fabric dates back to the 19th century when Toronto's stock of Victorian houses was built," said Batay-Csorba.

"In these Victorian houses, ornamental detail normally presents itself in single isolated moments of brick coursing located above apertures, along corners and at cornices. We took this singular moment of ornamentation and blew it up."

In order to bring light to the narrow building, the walls and vaulted ceiling are painted white throughout the home.

A series of open living spaces housed within the vaulted structure form the ground floor. The vault also shapes the floor above, where the rooms are sliced into closed spaces and connected by bridges.

Downstairs, a double-height entrance features a blocky glass skylight that extends from the front-facing facade and connects the lower and upper levels.

The ground floor comprises a powder room, dining and living rooms, and a double-height kitchen topped by another skylight.

"The vault is punctured, cut and peeled into new geometries that help to distribute light and air in key locations," said Batay-Csorba.

On the first floor, the main suite includes a bedroom and open bathroom which are next to another bathroom and two bedrooms, as well as a laundry room.

Interspersed at various intervals are more skylights that flood the otherwise cave-like house with light. In addition to those above the entrance and kitchen, skylights are placed atop the main suite's shower, and the other bathroom too.

High Park Residence's millwork is a combination of rift-sawn white oak and smoked white oak, which blends with the kitchen's blueish grey laminate cabinetry and porcelain countertops.

Batay-Csorba Architects is an architecture and interior design studio co-founded by partners Jodi and Andrew Batay-Csorba in 2012.

The firm renovated another Toronto home with a facade formed from a patchwork of wood shingles and stones. More recent projects include a greyscale concrete bar that snakes through an oyster restaurant in Vancouver.

Photography is by Doublespace Photography.

The post Vaulted tunnel runs through brick house by Batay-Csorba Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Beijing-based IS Architecture and Design has created a hair salon and cosmetic spa in Beijing with avocado-green interiors informed by space-age design.

Ego Hair Salon is located in Beijing and was designed to have a futuristic feel while also embracing the surrounding nature.

IS Architecture and Design redesigned the interior of the building, a former gym, by adding curved walls and large arches to its circular plan.

The studio looked to 1960s space-age design and how it was informed by technological inventions when creating the salon, which aims to combine technological elements with a more natural feeling.

"We were looking to create a space that was relaxing and cosy but at the same time vitalising and somehow surprising," IS architecture and design founder Fabrizio Gurrado told Dezeen.

"The original space was used as a gym before, an open space with a circular plan and a whole 270-degrees glass facade, immersed in the foliage of the trees outside."

The studio looked to the foliage of the surrounding trees when it was deciding on a colour scheme, opting for a bright avocado green which it used to cover both walls and other surfaces in the salon.

A coarse-grain plaster was used throughout the design to add softness to the "space-shuttle hub" interior.

The studio filled the design with space-age style furniture, including a curved reception desk finished in the same avocado green as the walls and a large oversized domed ceiling light that Gurrado described as an "artificial acrylic sun".

Three arches lead from the lobby to the salon. Instead of being perfectly circular, these have a natural curvature that gives the space a cave-like feeling.

"The arches also instead of being perfectly circular like they would be in a plane have a natural curvature more similar to what you would find in the natural caves," Gurrado said.

Pale wood covers the floor of the salon and provides a neutral contrast against the bright green.

Tangerine-coloured soft furnishings and pale-green Italian storage units, combined with chrome finishes and strip lighting, continue the space age theme while giving it a more modern Italian feel.

Private treatment rooms employ an ochre colour palette to differentiate them from the general salon space.

The studio used contrasting colours to mark the different rooms.

"Sprout greens and Tangerine orange worked the best for this purpose, while for the VIP room we have chosen a more relaxing Twine ochre colour," Gurrado explained.

Large planters, cacti, palm trees and tropical plants were placed around the salon to further support the nature theme.

"In this project of ours, we have opted to propose a world of the future in which artifice and nature coexist in a serene and clean balance," Gurrado concluded.

IS Architecture and Design was founded by Fabrizio Gurrado in 2013 and is based out of Beijing, China. The studio creates works spanning, commercial spaces, offices, residential and retail.

Other space-age informed designs include a tonal office in Oslo and this day spa by Atelier Caracas modeled on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Photography is by Shawn Koh.

The post IS Architecture and Design creates "space age" interiors for Beijing hair salon appeared first on Dezeen.

New images of the interiors of 130 William, architect David Adjaye's concrete skyscraper in New York, show repeating arch motifs that recall the tower's facade.

The 66-storey residential building, which is due to complete later this year, is located in Lower Manhattan.

Residents have already begun to move into some of 130 William's 242 apartments. Developer Lightstone has released new photographs of the lobby and an apartment inside the 800-foot (244-metre) skyscraper.

Each of the homes, which range in size from studios to four-bedrooms, is framed by the arched bronze-framed windows that define the skyscraper's exterior.

David Adjaye has used the arches as a repeating motif throughout, with arched niches filled with ornaments lining the dramatic lobby and even arched mirrors in the bathrooms.

Bronze accents that recall the windows are also picked out in the interior's hardware, such as the door handles and showerheads.

The dark-walled lobby features a cantilevering black marble reception desk and bronze chairs upholstered in plush blue velvet in front of a fireplace.

In one of 130 William's model residences, an open plan living, kitchen and dining area features a custom Pierre Frey sofa facing a pair of Pierre Paulin pumpkin chairs upholstered in matching cream. A fan-shaped coffee table of oxidised bronze completes the lounge section.

A light feature with bubbles of hand-blown glass by Bocci is suspended over a wood and steel dining table by Atelier and eight silver Tom Faulkner dining chairs.

The kitchen features cabinetry by Pedini Italian and countertops made from Italian Pietra Cardosa stone quarried in the Alps.

A slab of Spanish Nero Marquina marble cantilevers from the kitchen island to form a breakfast bar for two high stools.

In the main bedroom, there is a platform bed with a stuffed headboard facing a Pierre Frey chair with walnut legs upholstered in alpaca wool and a wall-mounted console with gold-leaf doors.

The primary bathroom is clad in Bianco Carrara Italian marble textured with fine ridges, with a bathtub and a walk-in shower behind smoked dark glass. A pair of sinks sit below a medicine cabinet designed by David Adjaye.

British-Ghanian architect David Adjaye, the founder of Adjaye Associates, has already collaborated with luxury carmaker Aston Martin to design homes and matching SUVs for five residents of 130 William.

The skyscraper will be clad in dark, textured concrete and the architect has already suggested that his firm's first high-rise project in New York will be well suited to the city's birds and drone photography enthusiasts.

Images courtesy of Lightstone.

The post David Adjaye unveils more interiors for 130 William skyscraper in New York appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture firm Taller Sintesis has completed a series of brick volumes with arched roofs for a large kindergarten in Colombia.

El Porvenir Children Center is located in Rionegro, a town about 30 kilometres southeast of Medellín. The campus sits along the edge of a dense, middle-class neighbourhood.

Taller Sintesis, a Medellín-based firm started in 2008, was charged with designing a new facility to replace a smaller one that did not meet the public kindergarten’s current needs.

The firm conceived eight distinct structures for the kindergarten, which is located on a verdant site bordered by a ravine. In total, the 2,620-square-metre facility can accommodate up to 400 children.

At the core of the complex is a central, bar-shaped volume that stretches across the site. Perpendicular to this volume is a staggered row of seven barrel-vaulted pavilions, which project toward the ravine and a newly planted forest.

These have walls formed of red brick and roofs sheathed in white metal. The team incorporated floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors, which enable occupants to feel connected to the outdoors.

This connection is strengthened by the presence of grassy courtyards between the pavilions.

"These allow not only adequate ventilation and lighting but also enable a direct relationship between the children and nature, giving the landscape a permanent presence in the educational spaces and enabling the effective integration of the classrooms with nature," said the firm.

The central volume encompasses a range of spaces, including offices, services for parents and students, a sheltered waiting area and an auditorium that opens to the exterior. There also is a canteen that doubles as a large, covered courtyard.

The arched pavilions hold classrooms and play areas. Bright colours, including vibrant shades of blue and yellow, give each room a particular character while also allowing for easy identification.

Many elements were designed with the size of children in mind, such as carved-out spaces for reading and playing.

"Niches, windows and furniture are arranged at their height, allowing them to build their own landscape, only available to them," the team said.

Other educational facilities in Colombia include a preschool in Santa Marta by El Equipo Mazzanti, which features modular units arranged around triangular courtyards.

Photography is by Mauricio Carvajal.

The post Taller Sintesis creates kindergarten with vaulted rooms in the Colombian Andes appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio MAPAA has created a barrel-vaulted concrete office for a family-run wine business based in Pirque, Chile.

MAPAA used pigmented concrete to create a trio of arching vaults over the offices, which are raised on trusses to sit against the sloping site.

Built for the Viña Haras de Pirque vineyard in the Maipo River valley at the foot of the Andes mountains, the form takes cues from traditional cellars found in the area.

"The barrel vaults reference the ancient underground cellars used for the storage of wine, characteristic of the winemaking tradition of the central area of our country," MAPAA co-founder Cristián Larraín told Dezeen.

Wooden formwork and a series of trusses were used to create the archways, which frames a wall of glazing looking out over the vineyards and an olive grove.  A wide balcony runs along the front of the offices.

The board-marked concrete walls have been left bare in the interiors, contrasting with ceramic floors and doors and furniture made of wood.

The office is shared by a father and son, who wanted separate but connected workspaces. Their private offices are at either end of the building on either side of a shared central space.

This area is oriented around a huge Italian tapestry belonging to the vineyard's owners, which separates a smaller reception area and a larger meeting area.

MAPAA designed the walls and ceiling around accommodating this large-scale artwork.

"The challenge was to find an adequate void that would allow us to fulfil this condition," explained Larraín

"Finding in the barrel vault that spatiality capable of responding to the problem of a neutral spatiality, of filtered light and that, in turn, is strongly rooted in the traditional forms used in the construction of the place."

The office also has bathrooms and a kitchen for entertaining. A wine cellar is located underneath.

MAPAA was founded by Cristián Larraín and Matías Madsen and is based in Santiago.

More examples of vineyard architecture includes a French winery carved out of stone by a robot and a winery in Greece with an undulating brick facade.

Photography is by Pablo Casals.

Architect: MAPAA
Lead architects: Cristián Larraín, Matías Madsen
Collaborating architects: Felipe Miquel, Alessandra Delisio
Structural engineer: Manuel José Ruiz

The post MAPAA builds vaulted concrete office for family wine business in Chile appeared first on Dezeen.

Hñähñu Multimedia Center by Aldana Sanchez Architects is a house in Mexico's Mezquital Valley that has a top-floor community internet cafe.

The home and community centre is located in the Ex Hacienda Ocotzá neighbourhood of a settlement called Julian Villagran. The nearest city, Ixmiquilpan, is 11 miles away.

Catalonian-style brick arches with glazed ends create a lofty, light-filled space for villagers to gather and drink coffee while using the internet on the computers, access phone services and play games of table football.

Downstairs is a residential apartment with separate access. A bedroom and bathroom for the house occupy part of the first floor, walled off from the community space.

The village only has a population of around 1,000 people, many of whom are Hñähñu – indigenous people of Mexico's central region.

Many residents have relatives who have immigrated to the United States, so accessing the internet and phone is an important way to keep in touch with loved ones.

Aldana Sanchez Architects screened the house with a lattice of bricks held together by nodes of concrete in a triangular pattern to provide shade and privacy from the comings-and-goings of the public cafe.

The building is raised on a plinth of cinder bricks, arranged in a contrasting herringbone pattern.

Concrete steps lead up the side of the house to the top floor internet cafe, which is topped by three brickwork barrel vaults.

Aldana Sanchez Architects took inspiration from colonial-era Catalan-style vaults for this element. Overhanging bricks create an interesting scalloped edge to the half-dome ends.

Inside the black steel beams of the building's structure are exposed, with stone tiled floors and walls that are a mixture of herringbone red brick and timber planks.

The railing of the outdoor terrace is a continuation of the latticed brick screen from the house below.

Aldana Sanchez Architects is a Mexican firm with offices in the US, founded by Mike Aldana and Tisha Sanchez.

Terracotta domes also feature in an apartment complex in Guadalajara designed by Mexican architect Delfino Lozano, while Escobedo Soliz used bricks for a house in Mexico City.

Photography is by Marcos Betanzos.

Project credits:

Architect: Aldana Sanchez Architects
Architects: Miguel Aldana, Patricia Sánchez, Thania Palma
Design Team: Diana Díaz, Andrea Molina, Alberto Landero
Client: Exatech
Engineer: Juan Aras, Claudi Jean Baptiste, Alberto Hernández.
Collaborators: Sandra León, Jessica León, Edgar Álvarez.

The post Aldana Sanchez Architects builds house topped by internet cafe in rural Mexico appeared first on Dezeen.

Soaring arches reminiscent of those seen in Ricardo Bofill's La Fabrica feature in this decadent restaurant in St James, London designed by creative director John Whelan.

Whelan – who leads artist collective The Guild of Saint Luke – told Dezeen that, prior to his intervention, Maison François simply looked like "one giant concrete cube".

The materiality of the space immediately encouraged Whelan to base his interiors scheme around La Fabrica – an abandoned cement factory just outside of Barcelona that Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill transformed into offices for his practice in 1973.

"I always try and find a creative route that respects the DNA of the building, and this felt appropriate," said Whelan.

"Furthermore, the client wanted to reference historic brasseries but create a contemporary version – also reflected in the food."

The exterior of Bofill's La Fabrica is notably punctuated with soaring arched windows. These have been reinterpreted inside Maison François, which boasts terracotta-coloured stucco walls inset with shallow arch-shaped recesses.

"La Fabrica is probably the greatest home that I will probably never visit, and so the arches were a sort of 'homage' to that wonderful creation," explained Whelan.

Walnut has been used to craft the restaurant's seating banquettes – their latticed backs are inspired by the pews in Germany's modernist Maria Heimsuchung church, which Whelan came across in a photography series by Robert Goetzfried.

Chairs have been upholstered in creamy linen to match the colour of the lacquered-wood dining tables. Tubular chandeliers have also been suspended from the ceiling, which has been finished with a faux-cement patina.

Mahogany has been used to craft a latticed hood above the open kitchen, where dishes that draw upon traditional French cuisine will be prepared.

Food will be served by both chefs and waiters, an attempt by the restaurant to diffuse the typical boundaries between front and back-of-house operations.

"Maison François will be everything a brasserie should be – welcoming, fun and hospitable, with classic dishes made with the best seasonal produce we can get our hands on – whilst also ripping up the rulebook when it comes to service," said the restaurant's founder, François O'Neill.

At the centre of the hood is a huge clock that Whelan had made bespoke from patinated nickel and bronze.

Weighing half a ton, the grills on the side of the clock are meant to subtly mirror those that feature on the front of vintage Rolls Royce cars, often seen outside the restaurant on the affluent streets of St James.

"The clock is a classic of historic brasserie design, and can be found around the world from Bouillon Julien in Paris to Fischer's in London," added Whelan.

"We wanted to have this iconic focal point but with our own style."

Stairs lead down to Maison François' adjoining wine bar, called Frank's. This space is intended to have a slightly more industrial feel, so has been completed with exposed white-brick walls, polished concrete flooring and black-leather seating.

Bofill's La Fabrica is referenced again at this level but this time in the form of arched mirror wall panels.

John Whelan established The Guild of Saint Luke in 2017, working with artists, artisans and architects to restore and revive historic French brasseries.

Earlier this year Whelan overhauled Parisian eatery Nolinski, filling its interiors with art deco-inspired details like gold-leaf "sunburst" columns.

Photography is by Oskar Proctor.

The post Maison François brasserie in London takes cues from Ricardo Bofill's architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

Design studio Integrated Field has created colourful arched interiors filled with animals and clouds to provide an enjoyable experience for children at a hospital in Samut Sakhon, Thailand.

Playful touches in EKH Children's Hospital include a bright yellow slide that spirals through the reception and animal shapes above hospital beds and light-up constellations that act as night lights.

EKH Children's Hospital has been shortlisted for leisure and wellness interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2020.

Integrated Field wanted the young visitors to the medical facility to be put at ease in what can be a scary and unfamiliar place.

The designers put fun elements, such as clouds above an indoor swimming pool and soft play areas in the waiting rooms, to help distract children who could be nervous or feeling unwell.

"Imagine being a kid dreading going into the hospital, the slide will definitely make you stop crying," said the studio.

"The waiting area of each clinic is designed into a playground, which becomes something of a burden for the parents when having to convince the kids to leave the hospital."

An indoor swimming pool adds to the fun, with arched windows that form circular reflections in the water and white clouds decorating the walls against a sky-blue backdrop.

In the pharmacy, the play area is designed so that parents can easily keep an eye on their charges when they're waiting at the counter.

Arches above doorways and alcoves and rounded seating areas were all designed with a child's perspective in mind, and these architectural elements were scaled to their height.

Rooms are painted in soft pastel tones, including pink, blue and yellow.

"The pastel colour tone encourages the children's use of imagination," Integrated Field told Dezeen.

"As a kid, we all create our own imaginary world when we are experiencing a space for the first time," it added. "Each specific colour refers to a specific animal representing each zone, such as sky blue for whales."

Rooms for overnight stays are given animal themes to make them more appealing – Whale, Turtle, Lion and Rabbit Constellation.

The animal's outline is picked out on the ceiling so that it is visible during the day. At night, soft lightbulbs and glow in the dark strips pick out a constellation of stars that acts as a comforting nightlight.

Lighting in all of the hospital rooms and corridors is also designed to be soft, rather than the harsh fluorescent lights usually found in hospital settings.

In the hospital bathrooms, the girls' toilets are tiled pink and the boys' yellow. Sinks and urinals are set into arched alcoves, with half of the facilities placed at a child's height for easy access.

On the exterior facade, pastel-coloured metal screens have perforations that form the shape of animals.

"As adults, we find ourselves amazed if not a bit jealous by the mesmerising variety and development of children’s toys or even snacks these days," said the studio.

"EKH Children Hospital will change everyone’s perception about what the space of a children’s hospital can be."

Integrated Field was founded in 2011 and is based in Bangkok.

Other colourful children's hospitals include a hospital in Brisbane with a colourful facade and a layout inspired by trees, and a brightly coloured children's outpatient clinic in Kyiv that is also designed to be deliberately un-threatening.

Photography is by Ketsiree Wongwan.

Project credits:

Owner: Ekachai Hospital
Interior architect: Integrated Field
Architect: S:CSB
Landscape architect: S:CSB
Lighting designer: Nopporn Sakulwigitsinthu
Environmental graphics: Integrated Field
Structural engineer: S:CSB
Electrical engineer: S:CSB
Sanitary engineer: S:CSB
Main contractor: Adisorn Construction
Interior contractor: Open Interior, Pansin
Signage contractor: D.R. Advertising

The post Integrated Field decorates children's hospital in Thailand with slides and a pool appeared first on Dezeen.

Precast concrete panels punctuated with swooping arches make up this family home in Perth, Australia, designed by architect Nic Brunsdon.

Nic Brunsdon squeezed the two-storey house onto a tight plot of land for a family keen to live closer to the city of Perth and all its amenities – even though it meant downsizing from their former property.

Working with a restricted budget, the architect and his eponymous studio decided to use precast concrete panels as the main building material.

"By using this commercial construction system as the main conceptual organising principle, the project was able to gain significant budget and time savings, while maintaining legible design integrity and innovation in housing type," the studio said.

North Perth House comprises eight precast concrete panels that are arranged in a grid-like formation. The ground floor has a sequence of four panels that run horizontally from east to west.

"On the ground floor these panels demarcate layers of privacy from the street front back towards the rear of the property, each signifying a threshold leading deeper into the private life of the house," explained the studio.

On the first floor are another four panels that have been turned 90 degrees to run perpendicularly from north to south.

These arches slot neatly into notches that have been made in the concrete panels on the ground floor.

The concrete panels are punctuated with arches – a shape that one of the clients was particularly fond of as it brought back childhood memories of the arched doorways that appeared in their grandmother's home.

Narrow arching doorways connect different living spaces throughout North Perth House. On the ground floor, these arches have been made to sit in line with each other so that there are clear sightlines from the front to the rear of the home.

The larger arches form windows or striking decor features. For example, one has been filled with bookshelves, while another has been inlaid with warm-hued timber to create a dramatic headboard in the master bedroom.

Timber is one of the three materials that Nic Brunsdon opted to apply throughout the interior – it has also been used for the cabinetry in the kitchen, staircase balustrades and sideboards.

Concrete has then been left exposed across the walls and floor, while insulated polycarbonate sheeting has been fitted in some of the windows to diffuse the harsh sunlight.

Pops of colour in North Perth House are provided by a selection of contemporary artworks.

"The simplicity of the design belies the complexity of the resulting spaces that are created; spaces that are compressed and dark, high and washed, raw and unfinished, and rich and intimate," added the studio.

Nic Brunsdon is based in Perth's South Freemantle suburb. The architect is longlisted in the hospitality building category of this year's Dezeen Awards for his project The Tiing – a boutique hotel in Bali that features rugged concrete walls that were cast against bamboo.

Its 14 guest rooms are each shaped like funnels, directing views towards the jungle on one side and the ocean on the other.

Photography is by Ben Hosking.

The post Arched precast concrete panels form North Perth House by Nic Brunsdon appeared first on Dezeen.

Peter Morris Architects has revealed the design for a pair of houses in north London, which will have a facade made up of pink arches "absolutely everywhere".

Cloud House, which is actually a pair of three-storey homes united behind a pink-arch-covered facade, is set to be built in Gospel Oak after winning planning permission earlier this month.

Peter Morris Architects designed the pair of houses, one of which will be its founder Peter Morris' own home, to bring an element of fun to the street it will be located on.

"The goal was to create a building that would bring joy and delight to the neighbourhood," Morris told Dezeen.

"Something that would feel like a surprising treat for anyone who came upon it, as well as to create a beautiful home for my family to live in, alongside one for someone else to buy."

The home will be built between a heritage-listed school and a modern, brick home on a street that has buildings in a variety of architecture styles.

It was the arches at St Martin's Church, which stands opposite the site and was referred to by architectural writer Nicholas Pevsner as "the craziest of London's Victorian churches", that informed the houses' many arches.

"I know it's not generally a very fashionable idea in architecture, but I love the idea that a building can be decorated on its outside as well as on its inside," said Morris.

"The arches on The Cloud House mostly aren't structural, but their decorative sculptural quality informs the whole look and feel of the building."

"Once I'd had the idea of exploring the arch shape which appears both in the interiors and exteriors of St Martin's Church opposite, it made sense to modernise and simplify that shape and then use it unapologetically, absolutely everywhere."

Morris arranged the pink arches, which will cover all four facades of the house, through a process of trial and error.

"More than three years ago, when I first began the drawings, I started to play around with the pattern of arches. I staggered them, cut them in half in places, doubled them in size in others," explained Morris.

"Some were solid, others became glazed. I added circular windows in various spots. The decision not to flatten the top of the arches was key, as that created the curves in the balustrades," he continued.

"The design happened like a game of consequences. Each decision changed the design, but at every stage, the house grew curvier and prettier and managed to reinforce the original concept, which was to create a joyful building that would surprise and delight."

Both of the houses have been designed as upside-down homes, with bedrooms on the lower floors and living spaces on the upper floors. Each house will be topped with a roof terrace and the large one will include a plunge pool.

The arched forms on the houses' facade will continue within the homes, which will include arched doorways and barrel-vaulted ceilings.

Both the exterior and interior colour scheme for the homes was drawn from the Art Deco architecture of Miami. On the facades, pale pink arches will be combined pale green metalwork.

Inside, the floors will be made from pale-blue poured resin, pink and white marquee stripes will run across the walls and ceilings and the kitchens will be emerald green with black and white terrazzo worktops.

"The buildings in the street range from red brick to yellow brick, with various buff tones in between, not least in the ragstone facade of the school next door and the church over the road," said Morris.

"It isn't a street with just one colour, so the choice of pale pink render with a yellowy hue complements the other buildings, without trying to match them," he continued.

"Once we'd chosen the pale pink tone, it felt right to pair it with pale green metalwork – they're colours that I've always loved, and they remind me of our honeymoon in Miami."

Morris believes that the colourful, fun architecture will be appropriate for a family home.

"I like fabulous spaces that are a joy to look at and a pleasure to inhabit, buildings that make you feel good and prompt a smile," he said.

"I think that spaces that make you feel a little bit like you have to be on your best behaviour can, of course, be wonderful, but this was about making a home for my family – a place for laughter and creativity and daftness. I crave more diversity in design."

The bright home is one of many colourful buildings that are being built in London as part of a trend called New London Fabulous, which was identified by designer Adam Nathaniel Furman during Virtual Design Festival.

The post Peter Morris Architects covers Cloud House in pink arches appeared first on Dezeen.

Arched doorways, altar-like tables and a nave-style display area feature in this Los Angeles showroom that McLaren Excell has designed for bathroom brand The Splash Lab.

The Splash Lab's showroom takes over a converted factory in LA's Culver City area that was originally built back in the 1930s.

As this is the bathroom brand's US flagship – and currently its only standalone space – McLaren Excell set out to develop an interiors scheme that "deviates from the typical showroom format".

"The display areas needed to feel integral to the architecture of the space and not afterthoughts within an independently conceived envelope," said the practice.

The showroom's floor plan is loosely informed by the layout of a church. Visitors enter via a lobby that is meant to be similar to a narthex – an antechamber or porch-like space that sits at the entrance of churches.

At the rear is a concrete counter denoting the brand's name. Suspended overhead is a minimal light fixture made from a network of slim metal rods.

Visitors then walk through a grand vaulted doorway that looks through to a central nave. Where there would typically be rows of pews, there are two grey-plaster partitions upon which taps have been mounted for display.

Just ahead lies a huge steel table, which the practice likens to an altar. It's surrounded by jet-black stools so that customers and staff can gather for product presentations or meetings.

Chunky walls punctuated by arched openings help divide up the rest of the showroom into a series of display niches.

Some of the niches simply show-off different tap models, while others have been styled as bathroom-like set-ups with sink basins and vanity mirrors.

Each dividing wall is composed of pale grey bricks that have been bonded together using the German mortar technique of ziegel geschlämmt, where more mortar than usual is applied so that joints in the brickwork are almost imperceptible.

"This process blurs the unit rhythm of the bricks to create a monolithic surface." explained the practice.

"The design needed to have enough tactility to achieve the weight and presence necessary to establish this identity but without competing with the existing building fabric."

The brick walls have also been balanced on concrete plinths to "give the sense that they have always been founded on [the factory's] existing concrete floor".

A grand triple-arched partition runs along the rear of the showroom, which is meant to offer the equivalent of an apse – a recessed sanctuary with a domed roof that's typically situated at the end of a church aisle.

Behind this lies a couple of private staff meeting rooms, screened off by heavy slate-grey curtains.

McLaren Excell was established in 2010 by Luke McLaren and Robert Excell.

The London-based practice has previously converted an office into a family home, decking out its interiors with smoked-oak furnishings, and added a pale brick extension to a black-painted Victorian property.

Photography is by Jason Rueger.

The post McLaren Excell channels church interiors for The Splash Lab's LA showroom appeared first on Dezeen.

French studio Tracks Architectes has built a cinema fronted by an irregular arched colonnade in the grounds of a former convent in the town of Riom, central France.

Arcadia Cinema at Riom forms part of the conversion of the Redemptoristine convent into the Jardin de la Culture cultural centre near the historic centre of the town.

Tracks Architectes designed the multi-screen cinema as the first stage of the conversion, which will also include a multimedia library built alongside it and a music school built in the former convent building and an exhibition hall in the chapel.

The cinema's distinctive facade was informed by a wall broken with seven arches that encloses the former convent and stands next to the cinema.

However, unlike the regular sized arches that break the wall, the arched openings that support the cinema's facade are three different sizes arranged in an irregular pattern. To add to the irregularity the arches turn the corner at the building's edges to create a larger opening.

"The arches were inspired by the rich history of the site of the convent of the Redemptoristines," explained Moïse Boucherie, partner at Tracks.

"We borrowed this element of architectural vocabulary from existing structures and then gave it a contemporary interpretation," he told Dezeen.

Tracks Architectes created the sheltered space in front of the building to open up the cinema to the public and the garden that forms part of the cultural centre.

"The design concept was to create a building that was open toward the green spaces of the garden of culture and the existing convent," continued Boucherie.

"Indeed a cinema programme imposes dark rooms and we tried to create a generously open and welcoming space functioning at night as 'light signal'."

Beyond the colonnade is a large barrel-vault shaped reception hall that leads to three cinema screens and a conference room.

In total, the cinema's have 543 seats, while the conference facility seats 112.

Paris-based Tracks Architectes is led by partners Boucherie and Jérémy Griffon. The studio previously designed a honey-coloured in the village of village of Perthes-en-Gatinais in France.

Photography is by Guillaume Amat.

The post Tracks Architectes creates colonnaded cinema in former French convent appeared first on Dezeen.

Unparelld'arquitectes has turned four buttresses supporting a party wall in the town of Olot, Spain, into an arched public shelter that aims to "catalyse activity" on the street.

Olot-based architecture studio Unparelld'arquitectes built the arched shelter, named Emergency Scenery, to replace a house that was purchased by the city's government and demolished in 2017 to improve the area's street alignment.

The three arches, which are supported on four buttresses that were built to supporting the party wall of the remaining house, are intended to be  used as a shelter and performance backdrop to encourage activity on the street.

"Basically, it is a scenery to achieve a more comfortable atmosphere in the street, and catalyse activity," said Eduard Callís, co-founder of Unparelld'arquitectes.

"It also guarantees the waterproof qualities of the party wall," he told Dezeen. "The work of formal definition is based on completing the existing – buttresses and party walls – linking the new parts with the old ones, with the intention of configuring a unitary final structure."

The structure was created as an alternative to building new paving and protecting the party wall in a more traditional way.

"In the compact city, we think the facades take responsibility for giving shape and character to the street," said Callís. "This is the reason why we reformulated the initial assignment for a new pavement."

"It was necessary to invest the available budged in the vertical plane," he continued. "Instead of a waterproof metal cladding we conceived a porous facade, in order to offer a scenographic support to urban life and to accommodate events."

The trio of red-brick arches, which stand opposite the Baroque church of Our Lady of the Tura, were designed to be reminiscent of a section cut through a church.

"It evokes the section of a church, and at the same time and on a different scale, the typical chapels on the facades of the buildings of the old town," said Callís.

"It is also inspired with the work by Sadurni Brunet. He was a decorator, working in the neighbourhood, and specialised in designing sceneries, shops and mangers."

Unparelld'arquitectes also hoped to capture a sense of the domestic building that was demolished and the history of the local area.

"The project is also attentive to the reality, in the way that it completes the existing elements, as the buttresses and the traces of domestic activity marked on the party wall," explained Callís.

"It is a way of remembering that the city is built on its own stratum and gives rise to an agglomeration of past stories. Emergency Scenery is the construction of an unreal, symbolic history that highlights this public space," he continued.

"We played to change the perception of those elements that are present in the town. They are 'as found' elements with a change of meaning."

In several areas patterned glass panels designed by artist Quim Domene have been included within the the arches to recall the city's history of crafts, while on one transparent panel there is a list of old shops that used to exist in this part of Olot.

"The glass panels and the performances in the niches aim to recover the memory of the important role of crafts and commerce in the neighbourhood," said Callís.

"It is an intervention by the visual artist Quim Domene. From left to right, the glass panels reproduce an original design for a hydraulic floor by Sadurní Brunet, two printed fabric designs produced in the local textile industry in the 18th century and the pattern of an existing glass tile in the doctor's house."

Unparelld'arquitectes is an architecture studio based in Olot run by Callís and Guillem Moliner.

Photography is by Jose Hevia, unless stated.

Project credits:

Architect: Unparelld'arquitectes – Eduard Callís, Guillem Moliner
Visual artist: Quim Domene
Design and construction team: Clàudia Calvet, Xevi Rodeja, Sara Palmada, Sergi Jiménez
Structural designer: Amaia López
Building engineer: Gemma Planagumà
Client: Olot town hall
Builder: Construo Construccions Generals

The post Unparelld'arquitectes creates Emergency Scenery public performance backdrop in Olot appeared first on Dezeen.

Chenchow Little Architects has completed a house in the Glebe suburb of Sydney featuring upside-down arches in the walls and curved openings in the floors.

Glebe House is designed to playfully reference its neighbour – a Victorian terrace with decorative arched windows.

Instead of matching these arches, Chenchow Little Architects chose to use them in various other ways.

On the facades, the shapes are turned upside-down to create large, high-level windows with views of the Sydney skyline.

Arched openings also create voids between the house's two floor levels, emphasised by an accompanying spiral staircase.

"Unlike traditional Victorian houses, the arched openings in the Glebe House occur in both elevation and on plan," explained the studio, which is led by architects Tony Chenchow and Stephanie Little.

"The arched windows on the elevation align with arched cutouts in the floor-plate to create three-dimensional internal voids within the space."

Glebe House is the residence of a family of five. Previously, the site was home to an old cottage, but this was demolished to make room.

The shape of the house was dictated by surrounding buildings, which also include a 1980s housing block.

To respect setbacks from these existing properties, as well as the sight lines from their windows, only one volume was possible on the site.

This shape is roughly four-sided in plan, but the northeast end is significantly wider than the southwest end, and there are some angular setbacks at the building's corners.

Inside the building the layout is kept fairly simple, to allow the geometry of the arches to be fully expressed.

The ground floor is largely open-plan, containing a kitchen, dining area and living space, and a connecting sheltered terrace. This terrace is fronted by the only arched window with a traditional orientation.

Upstairs, rooms are organised either side of a central corridor, which is punctured by curved openings in three places. There are four bedrooms on this floor, including a master suite with an additional two floor openings.

"The double-height voids maximise light penetration into the centre of the dwelling and add to the sense of space," added the studio.

Textural material finishes were chosen both inside and out. White-painted timber boards are arranged vertically across the facade, as well as in the living space and bedrooms, while the bathrooms feature hexagonal mosaic tiles.

Timber also features often, on flooring, partition walls and kitchen cabinets. Vertical timber mullions also provide the necessary support to the upside-down arched windows.

"The vertical mullions of the windows reinforce the verticality and rhythm of the cladding and help to abstract the facades of the dwelling," said the architects.

Chenchow Little Architects often works on quirky residential projects. The studio was longlisted for a Dezeen Award in 2018 for its Darling Point Apartment.

Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

The post Arches puncture floors and walls of Glebe House by Chenchow Little Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Red brick archways define the lower and topmost levels of Cadence, a housing development designed by Alison Brooks Architects next to Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross, London.

A total of 103 homes will be built behind the brick facades.

Dramatic brick archways will form a colonnade along the ground floor, reflected back in a water feature in a central courtyard. White-washed vaulted communal spaces will feature at the entrance.

Arches will also feature at the top of a multi-storey block of apartments that will have a row of recessed balconies.

"We've created a new language of brick arches and vaulted spaces that echo the exuberant architecture of King's Cross and St Pancras stations," said architect Alison Brooks, founder of Alison Brooks Architects.

"It will reveal itself slowly as you move around and through it."

Designed for developer Argent, the 103 homes will be a combination of studios, and one, two and three bedroom apartments.

Conran and Partners, the architecture firm that recently converted Centre Point tower into housing, will be designing the interiors for 53 of the Cadence homes.

Small homes developer Pocket Living will be managing the other 60 units in the development, renting them out to local workers on middle incomes.

Pocket Living collaborated with architecture studio Metropolitan Workshop to build a 27-storey tower of 86 apartments in Wandsworth.

Cadence, which is due to complete in 2022, will be located in London King's Cross area, close to the Thomas Heatherwick-designed shopping centre Coal Drops Yard.

Heatherwick converted two 19th-century coal houses for the project, adding swooping slate roofs that meet in the middle.

A large swathe of land behind the King's Cross railway station is under redevelopment. Victorian gas holders have been turned into housing by WilkinsonEyre, and both Facebook and Google are building office blocks.

Alison Brooks founded her eponymous architecture studio in 1996 The studio was a finalist for the Mies van der Rohe Award for a development of 44 homes that is part of the  South Kilburn Estate Regeneration Masterplan.

The post Alison Brooks Architects unveils brick archways on London apartments appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Naso has built a pale earthen brick house on a sloping site in rural Mexico to replace a property left devastated by the country's deadly 2017 earthquake.

Naso designed Casa Martha as part of the initiative led by Mexican organisation ReConstruir México to rebuild 50 houses left at risk following the natural disaster.

Measuring 484 square feet (45 square metres), the property is located on rugged terrain set between Malinalco, a distinguished tourist site and pilgrimage site Chalma.

The residence provides the home for a family composed of an elderly couple, who have difficulty walking, and their two children who are over 40 years old.

The key aims of the project were to make the home easily accessible for the parents, create adequate spaces for socialising and privacy, and also find a way to allow the family to make an additional income.

"The family situation and their conditions were a starting point for the project," Naso said.

In response, the firm designed the house which comprises two distinct volumes: a curved concrete roof structure placed above a single-storey rectangular unit.

The ground floor portion contains the kitchen, living and dining room and two bedrooms, including one for the parents so that they can live on one level.

The third bedroom is placed in a smaller volume on top, defined by the arched concrete roof.

"For this reason, having the third bedroom independent to the rest of the house allows us to think of an economic model that could support the family's income through future rentals on distinct platforms or independent social contracts," the studio added.

An exterior staircase means that it can be accessed separately from the main living areas, and could therefore be rented out to tourists visiting the area.

"This is how the house, in a very small area, has the possibility of accommodating different ways of life whilst offering a stable, social and independent future to a family that needs it," the studio said.

"Formally, the presence of this room adds character to the project through a concrete vault that refers us to the surrounding mountains, while responding to the rainy climate of the area."

Apart from the roof, all main components of the house – the walls, ceilings, floors and built-in counters – are constructed using compressed earth blocks manufactured on-site.

A set of sliding doors, painted red, front the exterior to allow the residents to open the house's social areas to the outdoors. The same coloured red paint also details the window frames and stair railings.

"The nucleus or the public space of the house can be opened completely using sliding doors and this not only integrates the exterior into the house, but also will end up functioning as a large porch allowing its inhabitants to be immersed within the natural and social landscape that surrounds them," the studio said.

The bricks are left exposed inside the house and complemented by simple wooden furnishings that include a dining table with several chairs, a small shelving unit in the kitchen and beds.

The deadly quake took place on 19 September 2017, with an epicentre in the state of Puebla. It killed over 350 people, with major destruction across the states of Puebla and Morelos, as well as the Greater Mexico City area, where over 40 buildings collapsed.

Mexican architect Rozana Montiel also recently completed a small house for victims of the earthquake.

Other reconstruction projects built by Mexican architects in response to the natural disaster include a brick arcade in Jojutla and a temporary pavilion erected alongside a pond that was turned into community centre.

Photography is by Maureen M. Evans.

Project credits:
Design Team: Patricio Aldrett, Julia Ruiz - Cabello
Landscape Design: Aldaba
Furniture Design: Nomah

The post Vaulted concrete roof tops brick house Casa Martha by Naso appeared first on Dezeen.

Archways, chequerboard terrazzo, and sherbet hues feature in this 1970s house in London, overhauled by architecture studio Gundry & Ducker.

The local practice designed the renovation and extension for White Rabbit House, which is set in a terrace of neo-Georgian houses built in Canonbury, Islington in the 1970s.

Gundry & Ducker could not add an extra level because of local planning restrictions, so instead they rearranged the two-storey building to make three floors.

The studio added an extension to the rear that is clad in marble and terrazzo, in a design that is meant to allude to Georgian fireplace decoration. Pale, strawberry-pink tiles line the top of the rear facade.

Gundry & Ducker then gutted the interior to create what they describe as a "modern interpretation of a Georgian house".

The centrepiece is a staircase that curves around into a cantilever. An overhanging lip from the top stair has a circular cut out for the end of the bannister to run through.

"The design is centred around a cantilevered pill-shaped staircase that sits in a triple-height space with the upper rooms accessed directly off the stair," Gundry & Ducker said.

"The cantilevered staircase was built entirely on-site and, although contemporary, is built in the same way a Victorian or Georgian staircase would be built."

The stair is painted a pale green with slim racing-green railings and a polished wood bannister. The steps are made from a custom terrazzo, which has large chips, to match other details in the house.

Marble and terrazzo slabs line the floor of the entrance hall in a chequerboard pattern with walls painted a pistachio-green shade.

The colour scheme continues into the kitchen, which has built-in wall cabinets and kitchen island painted in a more vibrant green – similar to the hue of absinthe.

A skylight brings natural light in from above and metal-framed doors open on to a back patio.

Arches are another repeated motif found throughout the property. Arched windows and doorways line up from the front door through an arched hallway, to the window from the kitchen to the garden.

Upstairs a new bathroom is painted pink, with an arched doorway and a rounded half wall separating the shower.

White Rabbit House has been shortlisted for the 2020 Don't Move, Improve! award for best home improvements.

Founded in 2007 by Tyeth Gundry and Christian Ducker, Gundry & Ducker has also designed a colourful bubble tea cafe in Soho and a by-the-slice pizza parlour in Dalston.

Photography is by Andrew Meredith.

Project credits:

Architects: Gundry & Ducker
Project architect: Sophie Campbell
Structural engineer: Feres
Main contractor: IC & T Projects
Terrazzo precast and in situ: Zan Peltek
Home automation: Uniqhome

The post Gundry & Ducker gives White Rabbit House makeover with green hues and terrazzo appeared first on Dezeen.

More than 2,000 dimmable light bulbs and a selfie-friendly fabric fill the grand interior of this cocktail bar on Moscow's Red Square in Russia.

Located in the city's famous 19th-century GUM shopping centre, the Mishka Bosco bar was recently overhauled by Sundukovy Sisters, a local studio run by twin sisters Irina and Olga Sundukovy, who were on the judging panel for this year's Dezeen Awards.

The duo wanted to create a contemporary space that celebrated the interior's original plasterwork walls and ceilings.

"The key was to not overfill the walls with legacy, but rather purify the space," said the duo. "We decided to stick with beloved minimalism, accentuating it with expressive details, which link back to the unique historic heritage of the venue."

The bar consists of a series of lofty spaces connected by large decorative plasterwork archways.

The design team opted to leave the plasterwork raw and unfinished to contrast with other materials used in the space, such as the marble tabletops, decorative wooden veneers and polished stainless-steel.

At the entrance, a reflective block of stepped seating made from mirrored stainless-steel sits at the centre of the space.

Arranged in a ziggurat-style, meaning that the levels narrow towards the top of the structure, the form of the seating block is inspired by the mausoleum on the Red Square. It functions as seating during the day and a podium for dancing at night.

The space is theatrically lit by spot lights arranged across lighting rigs, as well as rows of dimmable light bulbs which run along the interior's grand archways and columns.

"The central interlink between external and internal space are 2,050 dimmable light bulbs, which replay the facade illumination of GUM," explained the studio.

"Revealed magnificently through outer windows, they draw in guests with their comfort in the evening."

An iridescent reflective fabric that lines the underneath of the bar and hangs in alcoves was added with social media in mind. When illuminated by a camera flash it gives off an unexpected flare.

"Once the effect is discovered and revealed on camera, selfies continue endlessly, ensuring interest from friends on social media," said the studio.

In contrast to the minimalist furniture and reflective elements, the studio specified large antique tables and chandeliers in a nod to the building's history.

In West Hollywood, American design firm Home Studios used ribbed surfaces, soft colours and teardrop-shaped details to create a bar interior that looks part postmodern cafe and part Viennese speakeasy.

Photography is by Milhail Loskutov.

The post Reflective surfaces and light bulbs illuminate Mishka Bosco bar in Moscow appeared first on Dezeen.