Tarabot: Weaving A Living Forum, inspired by an idea by architect Adib Dada of studioOtherDada in Beirut, is a sustainable pavilion inaugurated during COP28 at the Jameel Arts Centre in Dubai. Made with locally sourced materials such as clay, mycelium, date palm waste and upcycled fabric, the pavilion incarnates a circular, ecological ethic and promotes biodiversity.
Dutch architectural practice MVRDV has completed an important project transforming an old monument in the Albanian capital. A facility opened in 1988 as a museum about the dictator Enver Hoxha has now been given new life as a vibrant cultural centre and educational facility in the heart of Tirana, demonstrating the great potential of historic constructions in Brutalist style.
Located on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD or Central Business District, Fitzroy used to be a degraded suburb but has evolved into a trendy district first made popular by artists, combining history with urban chic. In this eclectic neighbourhood stands Helvetia, a Victorian terraced home renovated by Austin Maynard Architects. After being converted into a boarding-house with a fragmented layout, Helvetia has undergone a new metamorphosis incarnating the ideals of sustainability, practicality and beauty.
Lufa Farms was founded in 2009 in Montreal by Lauren Rathmell and Mohamed Hage, growing produce based on their five principles of responsible agriculture: using no new land, recirculating water, conserving energy, reducing waste, and using biocontrols instead of synthetic pesticides. The four greenhouses can feed 2% of the inhabitants in Montreal.
Located in the Puente de Vallecas district, near Madrid’s M-30 ring road, the new headquarters of the famous creative collective of artists, Boa Mistura occupies the ground floor of a 1960s building. A project completed with the professionals from Estuyo Studio and Imaginean.
The Chinese studio Cheng Chung Design (CCD), has renovated a historic hotel in the scenic area of Huangshan. They retained the five original buildings of the former Yungu Hotel, and they gave the interiors a complete overhaul to bring them into the modern-day world, infusing the facility with elegance.
The Mexican architecture studio BAAQ’ founded by Alfonso Quiñones is behind the refurbishment and conversion of a 1960s building in a neighbourhood where the population density is rising. The project generates inclusive spaces, improves the use of daylight and implements sustainable solutions, including the harvesting of water.
The studio Rooi Design and Research designed Pavilion S, a sustainable project under the banner of the circular economy. Within their pavilion, the multidisciplinary team addressed one of the big problems of temporary showrooms in the exhibitions and fairs that come and go, at a time when it is essential to save resources.
The Amos primary school, designed by the Czech studio SOA architekti is the first school - and one of the Czech Republic’s few public buildings - designed to passive energy standards. Taking its cue from the region’s vernacular architecture, this building just outside Prague doubles as a community centre for the village of Psáry.
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