Articles by Fernanda Castro

At one time in Korea, the book “botong-ui jonjae” (Normal Being) was a best seller. The beauty that is found in ordinary life is the theme. The emergence of this viewpoint is a natural phenomenon in Korea, which has achieved rapid growth in a short period of time. Through this book, the public reflects on the past that lived without the preciousness of mediocrity, and was comforted by the situation that it became harder to live than before. 

‘Residence Rabbits’ is a home of a landscape architect, his wife and their young son. Because the owner is a landscape architect, his brief to the architect was that he needed ‘a house with a series of courtyards. The architecture was created within basic design principles to deal with Thailand’s extreme climate. Series of white walls were proposed in the East+West axis. The solid walls create blockage to the strong afternoon sunlight from the South. Rooms are integrated between those walls. With full glass windows, every room has 2 garden views towards the East and the West. The house has two and a half stories with double volume at living and dining area. Two study rooms, for the owner and his wife, were placed on top of a guest bedroom and main restroom. Two bedrooms were located above the living room and the dining room. Between the living room and the main restroom, ‘V’ shape court was strategically proposed to bring light and space into the house.

‘Residence Rabbits’ is a home of a landscape architect, his wife and their young son. Because the owner is a landscape architect, his brief to the architect was that he needed ‘a house with a series of courtyards. The architecture was created within basic design principles to deal with Thailand’s extreme climate. Series of white walls were proposed in the East+West axis. The solid walls create blockage to the strong afternoon sunlight from the South. Rooms are integrated between those walls. With full glass windows, every room has 2 garden views towards the East and the West. The house has two and a half stories with double volume at living and dining area. Two study rooms, for the owner and his wife, were placed on top of a guest bedroom and main restroom. Two bedrooms were located above the living room and the dining room. Between the living room and the main restroom, ‘V’ shape court was strategically proposed to bring light and space into the house.

For the past two years, we have found ourselves wanting to highlight what is the foundation of architectural practice: the architectural drawing. We realized that even after almost a decade of publishing the best projects from around the world, we should take on the task of singling out the exceptional cases of representation, taking into account all varieties and species of drawings. Following up on the criteria used in the previous edition, all the architectural drawings we have selected this year have a sensitive expression— whether it be artistic, technical or conceptual—and they all aim to express and explain the respective project using simplicity, detail, textures, 3D and color as main tools.

Below you will see the selection of drawings arranged under eight categories: Architectural Drawings, Axonometrics, Context, Diagrams, Sketches, Animated Gifs, Details and Other Techniques. 

Design has become and will be more and more the keyword of our world and our next worlds. The word will be the carrier of the thinking processes towards new societies. It is about the phase before production. It is about the thinking before the making. Design products change our world and so do the machines that produce new products. A society led by design is under endless construction and in an expanding smartening universe, there is an emergence of a new world of digitized making.

Founded by collectors Yan Shijie and Cao Mei, the Red Brick Art Museum opened in May 2014 in the Chaoyang District to showcase Chinese and world art, since then, it has become a haven for photographers. In this photo series, He Lian focuses his lens on the museum and captures the sculptural beauty of the punctured brick walls.

Today is the opening of Michel Rojkind’s newest project in Mexico.
During recent years there has been a clear enrichment of the musical and cultural life of Boca del Rio, Veracruz. In 2014, the Boca del Rio Philharmonic Orchestra was formed, and through its performances it has attracted diverse musical expressions, local and foreign musicians, making it the heart of the cultural life of the city.

Today is the opening of Michel Rojkind’s newest project in Mexico.
During recent years there has been a clear enrichment of the musical and cultural life of Boca del Rio, Veracruz. In 2014, the Boca del Rio Philharmonic Orchestra was formed, and through its performances it has attracted diverse musical expressions, local and foreign musicians, making it the heart of the cultural life of the city.

Proven to be tied to the areas of the brain responsible for emotion and memory, smells are more tied to a perception of place than any other human sense. And there are few sensations more powerful than the smell of delicious food wafting in from your own kitchen. In that regard, kitchens are the true heart of the home, the space most closely related to joyfulness, childhood, and family.

Here, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite kitchens that also double as dining rooms – spaces where you can bake your cake and eat it too. Each different in material and arrangement, these kitchens all share one thing in common: We can’t seem to shake them from our memory. Check out the list below!

Huangshan, located near the ancient villages of Hongcun and Xidi in China’s Anhui province, is home to one of the country’s most beautiful mountains. Known for its rich verdant scenery and distinct granite peaks, the beloved landscape has long inspired artists, offering them sheltered spaces for contemplation and reflection. As a UNESCO Heritage Site, the humanistic atmosphere and beautiful, tranquil environment has become an increasingly popular tourist destination. It is here that MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, has realized “Huangshan Mountain Village”.