Tag Sustainability

08-01-2014

Shigeru Ban’s Tamedia offices: architecture that’s all about details in Zurich

Known for his focus on sustainability and the architectural potential of humble but long-lasting materials, Shigeru Ban built an office building for the Tamedia Group overlooking Sihl canal in Zurich. The Japanese architect has designed a building with an exposed frame, a double skin of glass and a joint connecting the column and the beam.

04-09-2013

ViTre Studio: new Sisma premises in Piovene Rocchette

Sisma appointed ViTre Studio to construct its new headquarters in the province of Vicenza, and the project won second prize in the Renzo Piano Foundation Award. Accomplished by a 14-strong team of designers, the shape and the choice of materials for the industrial unit architecture reflect its setting. The plant systems adopted take into account the values of sustainability, earning the work Class A energy performance certification.

31-07-2013

Mehdizadeh: architecture with recycled cladding in Mahallat

Ramin Mehdizadeh in Mahallat is an example of a housing complex and shopping centre in which contemporary architecture is rooted in local tradition. Inspired by the presence of stone quarries in the area, the project uses scrap stone from quarry processes as a cladding material: a sustainable, money-saving project that has won the favour of local builders and been shortlisted for the 2013 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

19-06-2013

Baan Dumneon, holiday home in Thailand

On the basis of the principles of bioarchitecture, Methus Srisuchart and Ginggal Metchanun have built a holiday home in the Damnoen Saduak district near Bangkok, which they entered in the Next Landmark international architecture contest organized by Floornature. The building’s orientation, use of local materials and the flexibility of the walls permitting natural ventilation are the principles underlining the design of the project, with its form inspired by traditional Thai homes.

17-04-2013

FRPO Rodriguez & Oriol: MO house in Madrid

By interpreting the design of a house like that of a city area or urban community, the FRPO Rodriguez & Oriol studio has deconstructed residential architecture into a series of functions, combining them according to paths and focusing on what links the separate parts. Their choice of building materials was vital: crossed plywood panels that reflect the environmental sustainability of the work.

13-02-2013

Tyin Architects: Cassia Coop Training Centre in Sumatra

The design of the Cassia Coop, a training centre for cinnamon production in Sumatra, is inspired by the desire for action of an emerging architectural practice, Tyin tegnestue Architects, which uses local labour and materials to create this sustainable building.

19-09-2012

Naf architect: leftover concrete home

Drawing inspiration from the spontaneous dwellings built on beaches and on riversides, the holiday home in Etajima, Japan, designed by Tetsuya Nakazono of naf architect & design is made from cement blocks using leftover building concrete. Meaning that even non-recyclable material can be used for sustainable building.

05-09-2012

Karawitz: passive home in France

Karawitz designs the second home recognised by the Passivhaus Institut in France, in Bessancourt. The value of the acknowledgement lies in having completed a project which is exemplary not only in terms of comfort and environmental sustainability but also in its architectural composition.