Architecture studio Celoria Architects has completed House C, a concrete home in Mendrisio, Switzerland, informed by the region's grotti– cellar-like communal spaces where local cuisine is served.

Designed for the studio's founder, Aldo Celoria, the home's foundations are formed by what was once a traditional cellar and dining area dug into the sloping site, which used to be visited by Celoria's family.

Referencing this history, the home was designed as what Celoria describes as a "massive primitive object embedded in the mountain", centred around a large kitchen and dining room.

"This was the place where we used to go as children for lunch or dinner with friends or to sit in front of the fireplace and eat chestnuts," Celoria told Dezeen.

"The project arose with the idea of maintaining this spirit of conviviality and designing a house as if it were a grotto in relation to the surrounding nature," he explained.

House C is organised around four concrete cores along the edges of its square plan, each finished with wave-like sections of concrete wall.

Acting as giant, hollowed-out columns, these concrete forms house the home's infrastructure and utilities, including a spiral staircase, bathrooms, utility rooms and a fireplace.

This frees up the rest of the floor plates to be column-free, allowing for unobstructed views through the full-height windows and glazed corners that overlook the landscape.

"The elements bend inwards, containing the infrastructure of the house and designing the central square space of each floor, which increases in size towards the upper spaces," explained Celoria.

"The structure is therefore the expression of the architectural body, conceived to promote a close dialogue between interior and exterior and between architecture and landscape," he added.

The bedrooms take advantage of the partially subterranean ground floor to provide greater privacy, with the living, dining and kitchen floor above constituting the main entrance to the home.

On the home's second floor, a single multipurpose space sits beneath a diamond-shaped skylight in the home's roof and surrounded by fully-glazed walls.

Celoria Architects kept the monolithic concrete form as visible as possible on the interiors, with wood used for the doors, staircase and kitchen counters and a fir dining table in reference to the old table the family used for dinners on the site.

"It was important to work with only one material and to express an atmosphere that was monolithic and monochromatic," Celoria told Dezeen.

Elsewhere in Switzerland, architecture studio PPAA recently completed a concrete villa overlooking Lake Zurich and Atelier Rampazzi created a trio of concrete houses with warm timber panelling.

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A series of "monumental" concrete columns frame views across a large garden at this house in Dulwich, London, extended by local studio Proctor & Shaw.

Tasked with refurbishing and extending the existing terraced home, named Dulwich House, Proctor & Shaw focused on improving its connection to a 57-metre-long garden at its rear.

As a result, the studio focused its attention on the back of the home, adding a sequence of family spaces framed by a minimal, exposed concrete structure.

"The project was all about transforming the home's relationship with the westerly garden," founder John Proctor told Dezeen.

"The new extension and principal internal retrofit were all designed with this in mind."

Previously, the rear of the home sat 1.5 metres above the garden. Proctor & Shaw lowered this by two steps to create more generous ceiling heights and a closer connection to the outdoors.

Three sequential spaces – a boot room, a kitchen and a living space – connected by wooden steps overlook a five-metre-deep terrace at the rear of Dulwich House.

"The ground floor is reconfigured and extended to provide a series of 'broken-plan' family spaces whose architecture is defined with a series of monumental columns and beams," said the studio.

A short, thick wall with a bio-ethanol fireplace at its base divides the dining and living areas, while the kitchen is centred around a large concrete island.

In the living area, a large bi-fold window is positioned alongside a seat, while in the adjacent dining area, full-height sliding glass doors lead onto the patio.

"The bi-fold window seat experience captures the essence of the scheme," said Proctor.

"It's a beautiful spot to enjoy the garden as a visual amenity in the colder months, perhaps with the fire burning, but then can transform, with doors open, into a completely different experience in the summer," he continued.

"It was this transformational seasonal connection from home to garden that we wanted to create, and the architecture cleverly supports this."

At the centre of Dulwich House, an oak-lined staircase has been added to lead up to a newly-created loft space providing two additional bedrooms.

The existing bedrooms of the home on the first floor have been minimally altered, with the remaining budget being used to improve the bathrooms, one of which is finished in pink-toned plaster.

Other residential projects in London by Proctor & Shaw include an extension topped by a large zinc-clad roof and a townhouse expanded by a series of glazed volumes that draw in daylight.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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Mexican architect Carlos H Matos has completed a concrete house designed to be an "ode to antiquity" and "futurity" in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

Known as Casa Monte, the one-bedroom house was completed in 2023 with a rooftop terrace and a 150-square-metre (1,615-square foot) footprint. It is nestled between mountains and the Pacific Ocean and serves as a rental property.

"It is equally an homage to the profound transformations that shaped Mexico’s built environment in the 20th century," Matos told Dezeen. "It has many pasts, remote and recent, and a present one still taking shape."

The spaces were designed to prompt residents toward activity and engagement. The shelter serves as a simple and serene counterpoint to from houses with climate-controlled comfort and digital access.

"This way the house becomes deeply personal and intimate, and at the same time universal in the sense that it will have hundreds of users experiencing the house, and being able to incarnate the character, its way of living and rituals," Matos continued.

Rising out of cacti and low shrubbery, the ochre-coloured structure suggests "refuge" in the open landscape, more so than "home." It is located near the Tadao Ando-designed Casa Wabi art institution.

Approached by a winding sandy path, Matos described the house as an experiment in seclusion.

Constructed with more than 1,500 earth-tinted cast concrete blocks, the architecture is "fundamentally sculptural", according to Matos.

Smooth blocks form the main level, outlining spaces that blur the boundary between interior and exterior.

Organised like a portico set on top of a platform, the ground floor includes a compact kitchen, enclosed bathroom and half-sheltered living space that opens internally to a covered rectangular pool.

Off to the side, a small cube-shaped form holds a daybed and is topped with a green roof.

The corner of the portico contains a winding staircase that ascends to the upper level where a square bedroom holds most of the floor area, but is softened and warmed by wooden floors and window frames.

The bathroom is split into two portions on either side of the bedroom, while a terrace with a planted garden bed sits opposite of the staircase.

The blocks that form the upper level are raked with a vertically oriented pattern and step back from the perimeter of the building halfway up the second level, giving the appearance that the building is diminishing toward the sky.

"A richly textured terrace offers a full view of the ocean to wake up to, a space to bathe, and a thin ladder that leads to the roof, which completes the experience after nightfall," Matos said.

"This slice of domesticated space amid an otherwise untouched landscape at once suggests civilizations past and utopian gestures of futurity, like an ancient temple activated through sleek fixtures of brass and steel."

Matos was a co-founder of the Mexico City sculpture practice Tezontle, which contributed a sculpture and two tapestries to Casa Möbius as part of the 2019 Mexico City Design Week.

Another concrete residence recently completed in Oaxaca is Espacio 18 Arquitectura's Casa del Alma, designed as a "rock carved to create a sculpture".

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

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Concrete loggias overlook a courtyard at this social housing block in Paris, which French studios Francois Brugel Architectes Associes, H2o Architectes and Antoine Regnault Architecture have converted from offices.

Named Ilot Saint-Germain, the housing is located in two interconnected blocks previously owned by the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the city's seventh arrondissement.

To the south, a load-bearing stone building dating back to the 18th century faces the road, while to the north, an L-shaped, concrete-framed building from the 1970s hugs an internal courtyard.

Francois Brugel Architectes Associes, H2o Architectes and Antoine Regnault Architecture were tasked with transforming these former workspaces into 254 social homes, while adding a gymnasium and kindergarten for residents and the wider city.

Looking to highlight and complement the qualities of the existing buildings, the studios retained and restored their structures, drawing on their palette of pale stone and concrete for the gymnasium and kindergarten.

"The important thing was to work with the existing features, using the qualities of the original buildings and making them visible," H2o Architectes' Jean-Jacques Hubert told Dezeen.

"There is a real interest in thinking of the different ways in which these buildings, through the project, belong to the city," added François Brugel Architectes Associés's founder François Brugel.

An open courtyard space at the centre of Ilot Saint-Germain now also houses the gymnasium, which has a sunken concrete form with a wood-lined interior illuminated by clerestory windows.

On the opposite side of the central housing block, the kindergarten is contained in a matching pale concrete volume, finished with narrow vertical openings.

Both concrete volumes are topped by garden spaces designed by landscape architecture studio Élise & Martin Hennebicque, with ramps and steps providing access to the gymnasium's roof.

Ilot Saint-Germain's apartments are organised to minimise internal corridors and their interiors are kept minimal and flexible to allow residents to adapt them to their needs.

Facing the courtyard, the 18th-century block opens up with large, arched windows, while the 1970s block has been lined internally with loggias, providing each apartment with sheltered outdoor space.

"Each building offers specific layouts [that] result in a wide variety of typologies," said Hubert.

"Each user must find their place in the daily life of their home, the garden and the amenities," he added.

The use of pale concrete at Ilot Saint-Germain was guided by the stone and concrete finishes of the existing buildings, which have been complemented by dark wood window frames and pale metal balustrades.

Recently featured in Dezeen's Social Housing Revival series was another retrofit of a former military site in Paris, The Caserne de Reuilly, which saw h2o Architectes alongside six European practices adapt a former barracks site into nearly 600 homes.

The photography is by Jared Chulski.

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In this week's comments update, readers are discussing a skinny house with exposed concrete walls in Japan, designed by local studio IGArchitects.

Named 2700, the 2.7-metre-wide home was built on a long and thin site left over following a road expansion in the city.

"Doing more with less is always commendable" 

Several readers were impressed with how the design utilised the space available. "Doing more with less is always commendable," commented Jb.

"Another example of how strict codes and limited space force an architect to create something brilliant," wrote Duckusucker. "Japanese home architecture is easily the most inventive and attractive in the world."

Puzzello was also full of praise, writing "great house – this is urban density that only the Japanese know".

However, not everyone was convinced. Jack Woodburn called it a "concrete cave-like bunker abused by 24/7/365 roadway noise" before warning it was "likely at some point to be struck by a distracted and/or drunk driver".

Although they did acknowledge that it would be an "interesting take on a tiny home if located more sensibly".

Would you live in this skinny house? Join the discussion ›

"This is heartbreaking, one of my favourite buildings in any form or typology"

Commenters also reacted to the news of a fire at the 17th-century Børsen building in Copenhagen, Denmark, which caused its iconic dragon tail-shaped spire to collapse.

"You'd think these 'relics' would be protected by a 'tasteful' sprinkler system," proposed Dik Coates.

Meanwhile, in a comment that was upvoted seven times, Niles reflected "amazing how these historical buildings catch fire during construction works".

However, Applkonvurt was more preoccupied with the damage caused by the fire, lamenting "this is heartbreaking, one of my favourite buildings in any form or typology".

Later they added that "the three intertwined dragons that made up the spire were one of the coolest things you'll see on such an old structure – hopefully they can save it (or reconstruct it)".

What do you make of the news? Join the discussion ›

"I doubt there is even demand to fill one fifth of this tower"

Another story causing traction in the comments section this week was the news that a height variance request for what is set to be the tallest skyscraper in the US located in Oklahoma City has been approved.

Most commenters were not impressed. "What a colossal waste of resources – I doubt there is even demand to fill one fifth of this tower," condemned Franky four fingers.

"I hope they can't afford to build the clutter around the base – keep it classy OKC," wrote Steve Hassler.

Ervin Schömer was similarly incensed "I think this is a stupid investment in Oklahoma!" They went on to argue that "there can be better ways to use this enormous sum of money for better purposes!"

"Nobody cares about skyscrapers anymore," added Jb.

Nevertheless, Apsco Radiales chipped in with words of encouragement, exclaiming "go for it, Oklahoma City!"

Are you a fan? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page and subscribe to our weekly Debate newsletter, where we feature the best reader comments from stories in the last seven days. 

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The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a family home in the South Downs National Park by Sandel Rendel Architects. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

The five-bedroom home was built on the site of a 1950s bungalow situated on a gently sloping terrain on the outskirts of Pulborough.

Readers analysed the home, with one characterising it as "a peaceful place to live a peaceful life." Another, concurring, lauded the studio for its "dignified and thoughtful design."

Other stories in this week's newsletter that fired up the comments section include Heineken and Bodega's release of The Boring Phone, Renzo Piano Building Workshop's concept for a cultural centre and film director David Lynch's installation at Salone del Mobile during Milan design week.

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.

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Walls of exposed concrete define this skinny house in Saitama, Japan, which local studio IGArchitects designed with a width of just 2.7 metres.

Named 2700, the home is designed for a young couple on a long and thin site left over following a road expansion in the city, which is close to Tokyo.

To maximise usable space, IGArchitects created a series of layered living spaces across two storeys, with flexible spaces on the ground floor and private spaces on the first floor.

"Land in Tokyo and surrounding cities is very expensive," IGArchitects founder Masato Igarashi told Dezeen.

"We thought we could shape the possibility of living in the city by directly forming the idea of living in Tokyo with the readiness to live on a small piece of land that most people would not even look at," he continued.

IGArchitects described 2700 as a "concrete box" with eight chunky concrete columns rising through it to support the upper storey.

The site is open to the north, south and west. Taking advantage of this, IGArchitects placed windows on all four facades of the home, allowing natural light to pour in.

On the ground floor, windows are placed at a clerestory height to provide privacy. Upstairs, smaller slot windows punctuate the concrete to provide light to the bedroom, bathroom and hallway.

"[The] building is composed of simple geometry, yet with a floating heavy-looking mass that creates a seemingly uneasy appearance," said Igarashi.

"The intention was to create a state in which these two spaces correspond and complement each other," he explained.

Wooden double doors lead into the home's open-plan living space, where wooden platforms step up and down to define different areas. A small kitchenette is followed by a dining area, with a seating area to the rear.

A compact staircase at the centre of the plan leads from the dining room up to the first-floor landing, connecting the bathroom and bedroom that are positioned to the north and south respectively.

"The space feels like the inside of a cave, with tall walls and large pillars," explained Igarashi. "However, as it goes further inside, windows get closer, and the space feels closer to outside."

The interior spaces of 2700 are finished in a pared-back palette of just four materials, allowing the client's furniture and belongings space to take centre stage.

Many residential projects by IGArchitects have focused on creating similarly flexible and deliberately simple living spaces.

Previous examples include a pair of family homes with open-plan living spaces framed by slender timber columns and a lantern-like dwelling with translucent windows.

The photography is by Ooki Jingu.

Project credits:

Architect: IGArchitects
Lead architect: Masato Igarashi
Engineering: Yousuke Misaki, EQSD
Collaborators: Susumu Murata, Kamo Craft
Construction: Toru Inagaki, Yasugoro Inagaki Inc.

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A "classical" two-storey colonnade characterises this family home in the South Downs National Park, completed by London studio Sandy Rendel Architects.

Named Bury Gate Farm, the five-bedroom house replaces a 1950s bungalow on a sloped site on the outskirts of Pulborough, which overlooks fields and woodland.

According to Sandy Rendel Architects, it is designed as a modern interpretation of a "parkland villa", intended to complement both the rural site and local vernacular.

This led to its colonnaded southern elevation, which draws on classical architecture but is crafted from concrete and brick, offering a more contemporary look.

"The South Downs National Park requires a landscape-led approach that respects local character," Sandy Rendel Architects founder Sandy Rendel told Dezeen.

"The challenge was how to craft sensitive contemporary design that responds to and enhances this protected landscape without resorting to historic mimicry," he continued.

Bury Gate Farm has a stepped plan, with living spaces positioned to the south and organised linearly along the colonnade.

"The colonnade offers the building presence and scale in the wider landscape and a classical order that is reminiscent of a parkland villa," said Rendel.

"On a more pragmatic level, it also provides passive solar shading to the large areas of glazing on the south facade and sheltered external pockets from which to enjoy the landscape," he added.

Externally, the home is defined by a palette of brick and rammed and precast concrete. Their muted tones were selected to complement the oak trees in the woodland to the north, as well as stone architecture in the area.

"The predominant historic local sandstone and ironstone are a key feature of the local built environment but unfortunately are no longer quarried in a quality suitable for building stone," Rendel explained.

"Instead their tones and textures were reflected in the new house with a simple palette of materials consisting of waterstruck brickwork combined with rammed and precast concrete," he continued.

Inside Bury Gate Farm, the walls are finished in clay plaster and the floors with timber, providing a warm and natural look to all spaces.

The home is complete with a large rooftop array of solar panels, an air source heat pump and an MVHR system to enhance its energy performance.

Sandy Rendel Architects is a London studio founded by Rendel in 2010. Previous projects by the studio include a barrel-vaulted barn conversion in West Sussex and a narrow house slotted into a disused alley in Peckham.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

Project credits: 

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Traditional materials and building techniques "celebrate the essence" of south Indian architecture at Telugu Medium, a restaurant in Hyderabad by local practice Sona Reddy Studio.

Telugu Medium is located in the Jubilee Hills neighbourhood and housed in a vaulted structure of exposed brick and concrete, designed to suit the area's arid climate and reference its vernacular architecture.

"The architecture engages massive brick domes, vaults, and exposed, load-bearing walls, minimising the use of concrete and steel, thereby creating a passively cooler interior environment tailored for Hyderabad's arid climate," explained Sona Reddy Studio.

Organised across two floors, the dining room is centred around a double-height, skylit atrium with a small pool and planting at its base framed by slender concrete columns.

A central staircase stands alongside this atrium, with arched openings finished with panes of fluted glass. On its opposite side, a pink-granite bar overlooks the southern end of the ground floor.

"[The atrium] provides for a moment of pause to surrender and take in the immersive design vocabulary," described Sona Reddy Studio.

"The ceiling becomes a canvas of the crafted brick domes and vaults, interacting with silhouette lighting to create an ever-changing atmospheric ambience."

To complement Telugu Medium's exposed load-bearing brick walls and concrete structure, the interiors are finished with pale pink lime-washed walls, Tandoori stone floors and dark wood window frames.

These finishes are combined with minimal furniture made of dark wood, chosen by the studio to be "timeless, simple, and evocative".

Outside, the northeastern edge of the site is wrapped by a brick-paved terrace, providing a waiting area and outdoor seating for the restaurant, partially sheltered beneath the vaulted soffit of the restaurant's first floor.

Long, concrete benches incorporating planters sit alongside the textured brick walls of the exterior, which have been enlivened with protruding concrete planters, curved brick fins and areas of projecting brickwork.

"The alfresco waiting space, entirely paved in brick, seamlessly connects the building to its surroundings," explained the studio.

"The northern edge hosts outdoor seating under sprawling canopies, creating an interplay with curved brick fins and inset portals framing views of the exterior."

To the west, Telugu Medium faces the road with a parking area and a rear service entrance that leads directly into the kitchen.

Other recently completed restaurants in India include Terttulia, which Otherworlds created in a 1980s villa in Panjim, and a lakeside eatery with a wavy tiled roof in Karnataka by Play Architecture.

The photography is by Pankaj Anand.

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Portuguese studio Spaceworkers has completed a geometric garden pavilion near Porto, featuring an overhanging roof and monolithic walls of concrete and green ceramic tiles.

Pavilion in the Garden is a multipurpose event space that sits on a former parking lot in the green outskirts of the Portuguese village of Sobrado.

Looking to capture the "essence" of this place, Spaceworkers created a glazed, column-free interior intended to feel like an extension of the surrounding landscape.

"The search for essence can be understood as the attempt to understand and express the true nature of something, in this case, the relationship between man, nature and architecture," Marques told Dezeen.

Pavilion in the Garden is formed of two offset concrete blocks containing visitor facilities and services. These support a large gridded canopy punctured by square skylights, which sits over a central events space.

Full-height, sliding glass doors wrap the events space, while the canopy and stone floor extend outwards to create a sheltered terrace around its edges.

"We were able to have a perception of lightness in the building, further accentuated by the apparent fragility with which the heavy slab rests on a very occasional contact with a pillar, freeing the entire room from any structural elements," Marques told Dezeen.

"This lightness and feeling of integration helps us reduce the project to its most basic essence, which in practice are two dominant materials in a volumetric composition where the balance of the elements is the dominant element," he added.

While Pavilion in the Garden's roof has an exposed, board-marked concrete finish, the supporting volumes and a slender vertical column have been clad with green, marble-effect ceramic tiles.

"The choice of materials was based on two aspects, the first related to the reduction of long-term maintenance – the raw materials, such as concrete and the ceramic coating of the facade, do not require much maintenance beyond their spot cleaning," said Marques.

"The second aspect is related to the attempt to integrate the built mass into the natural context, so that the building blends in with the surroundings, thus reducing its impact despite its scale," he added.

A bar stands at the southern side of the central area, while to the east a recessed serving counter with a pizza oven is lined in matt gold-coloured panels.

Spaceworkers was established by Rui Dinis, Henrique Marques and Carla Duarte in 2007. Previous projects by the studio include a blocky concrete home in Sobrado punctured by deep window reveals and a museum in Lousada dedicated to the history of Romanesque architecture.

The photography is by Fernando Guerra.

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A series of circular voids and "halo" skylights create spaces for trees to grow through this home in Semarang, Indonesia, which has been completed by local studio Tamara Wibowo Architects.

Named Halo House, the dwelling comprises two gabled, barn-like forms clad in charred wood flanking a central strip of internal and external spaces that sit beneath a flat concrete roof.

A series of circular cut-outs define this central roof. Above the external spaces, large voids open to the elements have been created, forming a canopy for the areas below.

Inside, above the living room and bedroom, only the edges of these circles have been left open to create halo-like skylights.

"These circular voids – or as we call it "halos" – give a strong characteristic to the architecture and spatial experience in the house," explained the studio.

"The halo allows light to penetrate in an interesting form into the house throughout the days and gives shape to the falling rainwater."

At the front of the site, a large paved driveway leads onto a carport between a garage in the single-storey eastern wing and a fully glazed office space in the two-storey wing opposite.

The entrance into the home is tucked between this glazed office and a latticed wooden screen, which gives glimpses of the home's central courtyard while shielding its more private spaces from view.

At the heart of the home is a large dining area, which is lined by full-height, pivoting glass doors to the north and south that open onto courtyards and a swimming pool, providing ventilation through the home and a visual layering of spaces.

"The house is arranged in a way that it creates multiple layers of indoors and outdoors so each room has access to air and light on two sides of the room," said the studio.

"One will experience the swimming pool being in between indoor and outdoor space, as the haloed concrete canopy shelters half of it while the rest is completely open."

Alongside the central dining space is a more intimate living area and guest bedroom, while the main bedroom is afforded the most privacy at the end of the site, where it sits alongside the rear garden.

A staircase in the living area leads up to the second storey of Halo House's western volume, where the children's bedrooms sit shielded by an external cladding of narrow wooden slats.

This second storey opens out onto the central concrete roof, where the enclosed "halos" have been topped with small, circular areas of wild grass.

The eastern block houses the home's service areas, including a wet kitchen and a separate bathroom that is directly accessible from the pool.

Tamara Wibowo founded her eponymous practice in 2015. Previous projects by the studio include a home for Wibowo's own family, also in Semarang, which can be opened to the elements using pivoting glass doors.

The photography is by Andreaswidi. 

Project credits: 

Architect: Tamara Wibowo Architects
Principal architect: Tamara Wibowo
Project architect: Adi Iman Wicaksono
Project designer: Rieza Amalia
General contractor: RAH Contractor
Interior contractor: Ideaform
Electrical subcontractor: Kencana Elektrindo
Lighting solution: H+Works
Pool contractor: Bluepool
Plumbing subcontractor: Rejo Makmur
Steel subcontractor: Metalindo
Airconditioning: Arviatech
Wood contractor: Handpicked by Hend
Aluminium door and window systems: Astral Aluminium and MiLL Aluminium
Concrete flooring: Radja Finishing
Gypsum ceiling: Gypsum Classic
Terazzo flooring: Reflecto
Porcelain tile: Phillip Lakeman
Granite tile: Wisma Sehati and Venustiles
Marble: Stone Gallery
Wood parquette and ceiling: Teka Parquet
Window covering: Prima Jaya Interior
Sanitary fixtures: Kohler, Toto, Hansgrohe
Furniture: Forme Furniture, Fritz Hansen, Knoll, Hay Design, Ethnicraft, Santai Furniture
Lighting: Louis Poulsen, &Tradition, Luceplan, Tom Dixon

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Local architecture office Studio Morphogenesis has used dusty pink coloured concrete to build a waterside mosque that sits on a sloping site in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Named after the land owner's late mother, the Zebun Nessa Mosque is situated in the rapidly growing industrial outskirts of Dhaka. It was constructed to serve as a spiritual sanctuary and communal space for local workers.

"We wanted to frame the view towards the water," Studio Morphogenesis partner Saiqa Iqbal Meghna told Dezeen.

"This creates a sense of calmness for the devotees as they enter the space from a busy industrial surrounding to a serene atmosphere merged with the body of water."

Perched on a gradually sloping landscape, the studio adopted vernacular construction methods used to build residential structures in the region.

The process involved using a "dig and mound" approach, where structures are elevated on high plinths to deter overflow during heavy monsoon rains.

The mosque was constructed using pink concrete to soften the harsh industrial surroundings. The dusty pink hue references the earthy pink and red tones of historic Mughal, Sultanate and Indo-Saracenic architectures.

During the pouring process, vibrant pink pigments were blended into the concrete. The decision to retain the as-cast concrete finish aimed to reflect the industrial environment surrounding the building, preserving the raw aesthetic of the material.

The warm hue of the rusted pink concrete contrasts the interior, which features a cooler turquoise palette for the flooring.

In contrast to conventional mosques that feature enclosed prayer spaces, the qibla – which marks the direction Muslims face during prayer – is defined by a large, arched opening that allows a clear view of the surrounding waterbody.

According to Meghna, the mosque was designed as a "breathing pavilion" to optimise natural light and airflow. Its thick concrete walls are perforated with small rectangular voids to provide ventilation and allow light to gently emanate through to the interior.

"The perforations create an interplay of light seen in old Islamic architectures that are adorned with intricate 'jali' works," said Meghna.

"The filtered light that seeps through the small perforations also resembles hanging lanterns of old mosques."

The prayer hall's semi-open configuration was designed to further enhance natural ventilation, while providing shade from direct sunlight.

"[The building] celebrates the seasonal attributes of the tropical climate," Meghna said. "Wind flow becomes a gentle breeze, while rainfall soothes and heals the atmosphere."

The mosque is devoid of glass surfaces with the exception of the translucent glass mihrab – a niche indicating the qibla direction, which is the focal point of prayer halls in mosques.

According to the studio, the building's plan evolved from simple geometric shapes, with a square outer wall that envelops a central circular volume to create four enclosed courtyards on each side.

The courtyards feature endemic plants and tree species, including Shimul trees and Chhatim trees, which were chosen for their revered status in Bangladesh.

The building was topped with a shallow, thin shell dome that shelters the prayer hall and is supported by a single peripheral beam.

"The floating dome evokes the structural ingenuity of covering large spaces without intermediate supports, seen in mosque architecture in the Islamic world," Meghna said.

An essential aspect of the project's objectives was to engage female workers by providing designated areas for prayer and communal activities.

Accessed via an external steel staircase, the mosque features a crescent-shaped upper floor that serves as a gathering space and prayer area specifically for women, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment among women workers.

"I feel blessed as lead architect to design a mosque named after a pious woman, where women workers are addressed equally with importance and care," said Meghna.

Outside, red cement and locally sourced broken brick pieces were carefully laid to create the mosaic-style flooring and ramps, which references traditional craftsmanship of the local area.

The outdoor ablution area transitions into a turquoise mosaic floor to evoke a sense of purification during the act of cleansing before prayer.

Studio Morphogenesis was co-founded by Meghna, Shahla Karim Kabir, Suvro Sovon Chowdhury and Minhaz Bin Gaffar in 2014.

Its projects include places of worship, residential towers and offices that blend local traditional crafts with contemporary design and technology.

Other mosques in Dhaka include the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Jame Mosque, which features an open-air prayer space, as well as the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque, distinguished by its perforated brickwork and light wells.

Photography is by Asif Salman.

Project credits:

Architect: Studio Morphogenesis
Lead architect: Saiqa Iqbal Meghna
Partner in charge and design team member: Suvro Sovon Chowdhury
Associate project architect: Muntasir Hakim
Other team members: Shahla Karim Kabir and Minhaz Bin Gaffar
Construction: IDS Adress Maker
Structural consultant: TDM
Metal stair structural consultant: Faysal Anwar
Electrical consultant: Eyashin Ahamad
Plumbing consultants: Shafiqul Bari and Shah Newaz Kabir
Glass mihrab artist: Wakilur Rahman

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Promotion: the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has announced the winners of its annual Concrete in Life photography competition that aims to highlight the "beauty and essential role that concrete plays around the world".

The winners were picked from 21,000 entries submitted by professional and amateur photographers across the globe, with subjects ranging from skyscrapers, urban cityscapes and transport infrastructure to sea defences and rice fields.

The results were announced this week at the opening of a new exhibition at London's Brunswick Art Gallery, where more than 100 photographs from the competition's five-year history went on show for the first time.

The top accolade, Concrete in Life Photo of the Year, was awarded to Saeed Rezvanian for his black and white photograph of a boy flying a kite on the steps of the Teopanzolco Cultural Center in Mexico. Rezvanian received the grand prize of $10,000.

"My photo shows how concrete develops both artistic and functional environments in our lives. I was captivated by the children playing amongst the beautiful structures," said Rezvanian. "It's a great honour to win the Concrete in Life 2023 competition."

The image received praise from the judging panel, with Digital Camera World content director Chris George describing it as "a beautifully framed image and a good use of black and white".

A new award, the People's Vote Prize, was introduced this year to mark the competition's fifth anniversary. Decided by a public vote, the $5,000 prize was presented to Muhammad Murudin for his photograph of the Mandara Toll Road in Bali.

"This toll road is built on the sea that connects the city of Denpasar, Ngurah Rai International Airport and Nusa Dua in Bali," explained Murudin.

"It is a great honour to be one of the winners of the Concrete in Life 2023 photography competition and show how concrete is an excellent link between people in my country."

Submissions were divided into four categories, with a winner from each category also receiving $2,500.

Owen Davies was recognised in the Urban Concrete category for his photo of the Armstrong Rubber Building in New Haven, Connecticut, in the US.

Andre Hidayat Arrasuli's image of the New Priok Container Terminal in Jakarta, Indonesia won the Concrete Infrastructure category.

Alexander Arregui Leszczynska was awarded the top prize in the Concrete Beauty and Design category for his image of the Maurerhalle lecture hall in Basel, Switzerland.

Meanwhile, A P Hari Wibowo was named the Concrete in Daily Life category winner for their photo of the Aquatic Stadium Gelora Bung Karno, also in Jakarta.

"Many congratulations to Saeed Rezvanian, and all this year's winners. Their outstanding images highlight how concrete is so many things – strong and enduring, but also touching and beautiful, supporting our many lives across the planet," said GCCA chief executive Thomas Guillot, who helped judge the competition.

"Now, with the public exhibition to mark five years of the competition, we hope as many people as possible get the chance to see for themselves just how impressive the images are."

The Concrete in Life exhibition is open until 28 March at the Brunswick Art Gallery and is free to visit.

For more information about the Concrete in Life photography competition and to see the winning and shortlisted photographs, visit the GCCA website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for GCCA as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Australian studio Lahznimmo Architects has completed Powerhouse Castle Hill in northwest Sydney, a shed-like storage facility wrapped in corrugated aluminium and concrete.

Owned by the Powerhouse Museum group, the 9000-square-metre facility is intended as a public-facing storehouse containing a mix of storage, exhibition and conservation facilities, alongside spaces for research and community engagement.

Its design is intended to echo its industrial surroundings in Castle Hill while providing the museum with "something special", Lahznimmo Architects said.

"We aimed for 'beautiful utility' – a building with a calmness and cool precision that would functionally serve the activities within and protect the collection," said Lahznimmo Architects director Andrew Nimmo said.

"The building sits within the tradition of large industrial sheds, and it was important that it be true to type, but as the new public-facing representation of the Powerhouse Museum at Castle Hill, it needed something special," he continued.

Powerhouse Castle Hill is one of seven buildings at The Museums Discovery Centre in Sydney, a site owned by Powerhouse Museum for the storage and conservation of its collection. It was built with government agencies Create NSW and NSW Public Works.

Inside, the 130-metre-long structure's primary wing hosts the museum's double-height storage space and loading docks to the rear. The shorter edge along the main entry integrates staff workspaces and multi-functional exhibition rooms, including a 10-metre-high event space.

A glazed accessway punctures the width of the building, separating the storage facilities from the exhibition and staff areas and connecting the ground floor to additional archives, laboratories and documentation facilities on the first floor.

Lahznimmo Architects emphasised the facility's role as a "visible store" through the entrance vestibule, where a permanent 3.5-metre-high and nine-metre-long glass window allows visitors to look through to the Very Large Object (VLO) zone.

With a 3000-square-metre footprint, the VLO storage space can accommodate items such as planes, trains and cars.

The exterior's industrial material palette of corrugated aluminium and concrete is complemented by cool-toned rooms inside, which subtly shift from whites and greys to black.

"The building has a dual role as a large storage shed and public-facing museum exhibition space, however, we wanted to give the building a singular expression so that the different functions merged into the one whole," the studio explained.

"The material palette throughout is minimal and elemental, with the raw expression of materials on display to showcase their natural properties; including mill finish aluminium, off-form concrete walls and polished concrete floors."

Lahznimmo Architects wrapped the corrugated metal cladding tightly around the building's geometric apertures and extrusions to emulate the surrounding industrial sheds.

It has a reflective finish and covers layers of thermal insulation and precast concrete walls that help regulate internal temperature and humidity levels.

"The corrugated aluminium skin provides a singular utilitarian expression in the tradition of the industrial shed," said the studio.

"It sits atop a corrugated precast concrete base that protects the aluminium from on-site vehicle movements [and] gives the building a beautiful shimmering quality that changes with the light of the day."

Sydney-based Lahznimmo Architects was founded in 1994 by Nimmo and Annabel Lahz. It said it hopes Powerhouse Castle Hill can raise "the expectations of what utility can be".

Another recent cultural building in Sydney is SANAA's Sydney Modern Art Gallery, which features a translucent gallery shop by Akin Atelier.

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

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Pyramidal Corten steel roofs define a distillery designed by ODOS Architects on the outskirts of Monasterevin in rural County Kildare, Ireland.

Located by the banks of the Grand Canal, the distillery occupies an existing 18th century grain mill and and an extension made of fair-faced concrete and corten steel.

Designed by ODOS Architects for whiskey producer Church of Oak, the architecture of the distillery celebrates the industrial heritage of the site and aims to creates a landmark along the canal.

"The intentional choice of a pitched roof design was driven by the client’s vision for a contemporary and iconic structure that stands out while remaining true to its time," project architect Elisa Maye told Dezeen.

The working distillery is open to the public and has a cafe, as well as mezzanines and glass floors throughout the production area which offer views into the whiskey making process.

The buildings of the old Ballykelly mill now contain exhibition halls and flexible office space for the Church of Oak, and are topped with a new roof terrace.

The diverse programme for the distillery was arranged in a linear fashion, with the extension that houses the production area and public entrance positioned to the south of the existing mill buildings.

The materials used in the additions were chosen to reflect the industrial nature of the site's past and its present. Fair-faced concrete defines the walls of the extension and acts as a contemporary link between the historic fabric of the site and its distinctive roof.

The extension was crowned with a roofscape of Corten pyramids, the weathered material symbolising the passage of time and providing a "striking" contrast against the grey of the other buildings.

"The introduction of new pyramidal corten steel roofs and concrete buildings required a delicate dance between honouring history and embracing innovation," Maye explained.

"Careful consideration was given to scale, proportion, and material selection to ensure that the new structures harmonised with the old, creating a seamless blend of tradition and modernity."

On approaching the distillery from the road, sculptural retaining walls of corten cut through the landscape, with beds of planted wildflowers softening the hard edges.

The industrial structures that contribute to the whiskey production process are celebrated throughout the building. Large grain silos are prominently displayed above the single storey entrance outside the distillery, and can be viewed through circular rooflights.

Inside the distillery, large copper stills rise through a void in the floor and can be viewed from a mezzanine above.

ODOS Architects was established in 2002 by David O'Shea and has studios in London and Dublin. Previous projects by the studio include designs for the London and European offices of the workplace messaging system Slack, and a house designed to look like a garden wall in Dublin, Ireland.

Elsewhere in Ireland, Gro Works have completed an infill home clad in red brick and perforated metal panels in Dublin, and Stirling Prize-winning studio Niall McLaughlin Architects have designed a seven-storey museum for the International Rugby Experience in Limerick.

The photography is courtesy of ODOS Architects.

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Terracotta-coloured render made from local soil covers the curving, concrete structure of Hampi Art Labs, an arts centre in Karnataka by architecture studio Sameep Padora & Associates.

Hampi Art Labs is designed by Sameep Padora & Associates to appear as though it was "born from its surroundings" near the village of Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in India known for its historic Hindu temples.

To achieve this, the studio took cues from the area's topography and history, as well as its modern condition as a more industrialised area.

Hampi Art Labs' undulating form references the nearby Tungabhadra River, while its distinctive colour was achieved using iron oxide sourced from the nearby JSW Vijayangar Works – one of the largest steel and cement-producing facilities in India. Earth excavated from this facility was also used as concrete formwork.

"The incredible riverine landscape of the Tungabhadra river and her gentle sculpting of the surrounding hills was the inspiration for Hampi Art Labs," studio founder Sameep Padora told Dezeen.

"With the JSW industry plant nearby, we had access to steel and cement for the building, and we used the excavated earth from the site itself to make formwork for the casting of the building’s fluid forms," he added.

Hampi Art Labs was commissioned by the JSW Foundation – the social arm of Indian conglomerate JSW Group – for both the production and display of artwork.

It provides workshops for printmaking and sculpting in stone and metal alongside galleries and educational spaces for schools and the local community.

Smooth white-plastered walls inside the centre mirror the curving form of the exterior, while full-height glazing overlooks small courtyard gardens created by the snaking shape of the building's plan.

"The form of the building is an abstract 'space of flows' through which people move," said Padora.

"The gallery spaces are atypical, punctuated by courtyards bringing natural light into the interiors of what would have been otherwise standard linear black box spaces," added Padora.

Hampi Art Labs opened to the public on 6 February 2024 with Right Foot First, an exhibition of work from the Sangita Jindal Collection, and its first cycle of artist residencies.

Padora established his Mumbai-based practice in 2007.

Previous projects by the studio include a stepped Hindu temple complex in Andhra Pradesh and a school library in Kopargaon that is topped by an undulating brick roof.

The photography is courtesy of JSW Foundation.

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Rectilinear volumes of timber and concrete form a residence in coastal Washington by MW Works that merges with the wooded landscape and is "designed to be overlooked".

The project, called Longbranch, is located on Key Peninsula within the Puget Sound. The house sits on a sloped, 7.8-acre (3.2-hectare) overlooking an inlet and is site studded with evergreen trees.

The owners are a couple who had visited the area for decades, staying in a small beach cabin.

When a nearby property became available, they purchased it and embarked on creating "a new home for themselves, a bunch of foster dogs, a few horses, and visiting family and friends," the team said.

The property came with an ageing, suburban-style home with a tennis court, along with a series of retention walls that disrupted the landscape.

These structures were removed, and in their place, Seattle-based MW Works designed a single-storey house that blends with the "landforms, trees and understorey".

"Longbranch is a home designed to be overlooked," the architectural firm said.

The home is positioned on a downward slope, looking toward the inlet. Access is provided by a gravel driveway that gently curves through the property and offers glimpses of the building's roof upon approach.

The main dwelling consists of a central volume and two wings, which together encompass 3,100 square feet (288 square metres).

These elements are organised around an entry courtyard with a rock garden and two mature Douglas fir trees. The owners had requested that the house be designed around the soaring trees.

Just steps away from the main dwelling is a detached garage totalling 800 square feet (74 square metres).

The exterior features a mix of dark-stained cedar and concrete. The concrete mix was modified to accentuate "the natural and fluid nature of the material".

The foundation makes use of pin piles and grade beams, which "carefully cross above tree roots so that the building and forest can share the same ground".

Green roofs help the building blend with its natural setting and provide habitats for small creatures.

"That small patch of meadow grass has already become the habitat for a colony of frogs and a favoured perch for a variety of birds," the team said.

Upon entering the house, one finds cosy rooms with earthy materials such as rough-sawn timber and knotty oak.

The central pavilion contains the communal spaces – a kitchen, dining area and living room – which flow onto a spacious outdoor deck. The great room's ceiling is crossed by beams made of locally sourced timber.

To one side of the pavilion is a primary suite wing, and to the other side is a flexible guest wing and mudroom.

"Guest rooms provide just enough space for visiting children but also double as a media room and sewing area," the team said.

Each interior space has a carefully calibrated relationship to the outdoors. Sleeping areas feel tucked within the trees while the public spaces offer broader views of the terrain.

"Each room offers its own connection to the landscape – sometimes intimate in scale, sometimes expansive," the team said.

Overall, the home is meant to provide a strong connection to the natural environment and to enhance the rituals of daily living.

"The design strives to provide practical solutions that elevate the simple routines of everyday life, resulting in a home to ensure and be loved for generations," the firm said.

Founded in 2007 by Steve Mongillo and Eric Walter, MW Works has completed a number of dwellings in the Pacific Northwest.

Others include an "intentionally modest" home that serves as a nature retreat for a multi-generational family and a compact, rectangular cabin with facades made of blackened cement and weather cedar.

The photography is by Andrew Pogue.

Project credits:

Architect and interiors: MW Works
MW Works team: Eric Walter, Christian Kittelson, Bradley Kinsey
General contractor: Sparrow Woodworks
Engineer (structural): PCS Structural Solutions
Engineer (civil): SCJ Alliance
Landscaping: Black Lotus Landscaping
Plaster: Studio C / Cathy Connor
Geotechnical engineer: Georesources LLC
Arborist: Steve Wortinger
Survey: Aspen Land Surveying LLC

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Promotion: architect Ben van Berkel has created an apartment block in Munich featuring a pixelated exterior clad in ivory-hued concrete panels made by manufacturer Rieder.

Named Van B, the housing was designed by van Berkel – the founder of architecture firm UNStudio – to serve as a model for adaptable urban housing suited to various demographics and family structures.

Van B is situated next to Munich's Kreativquartier in Schwabing-West and comprises a range of flexible apartments alongside outdoor areas and communal spaces.

Its exterior is defined by asymmetrical projections, including large windows and balconies that have been lined with copper-coloured metal.

This gives rise to a pixelated facade, which is covered with large cladding panels made of glass fibre-reinforced concrete. These were prefabricated by Rieder with a thickness of just 13 millimetres.

The panels are finished with an ivory hue designed to visually soften the look of the concrete while creating a juxtaposition with the copper-coloured metal.

According to Rieder, the panels were chosen for the project as they are durable and designed "with the future in mind" – in line with van Berkel's ambition for the housing complex.

Like the building's adaptable homes, the panels are customisable, with their format, surface, texture and colour able to be modified.

"Just as modern living space should be flexible and sustainable, Rieder's concrete facade solutions also follow the principle of 'individual, straightforward and durable'," said Rieder.

"The mix of different nuances and textures is what makes the glass fibre-reinforced concrete facade product stand out," added the brand.

"Copper-coloured metal and rough concrete skin elements prove to be an unbeatable team in the facade design of Van B."

The concrete panel range has been developed by Rieder to help architects achieve "architecturally sophisticated facades".

"Rieder has made it its mission to reimagine and make usable the world of concrete," the company said. "The often rather unwieldy concrete is delicate-looking and a great solution for the building envelope with a wide range of applications."

The concrete panels are prefabricated and designed to be hooked into place and adjusted on-site, to save both time and resources during construction.

"Pre-assembly in the factory independent of weather conditions and a high degree of prefabrication ensure a high standard of quality, rapid assembly on-site and an efficient construction process," said Rieder.

"This is what the future of building construction looks like: resource-saving, time-saving and sustainable for people and the environment."

For more information about Rieder products, visit www.rieder.cc.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Rieder as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Czech architecture studio Objektor has created a cemetery outside of Prague defined by a grid of low-rise concrete extrusions and a monolithic utility building.

Located in a forest clearing next to an existing 18th-century chapel, the Hřbitov Suchdol Cemetery was conceived as a network of burial spaces that can be extended over time, while remaining understated within the landscape.

"Our design de-stigmatises the concept of a cemetery by eliminating the high walls that are usual for cemeteries in our culture, and by conceiving it as an open public space," Objektor co-founder and partner Václav Šuba told Dezeen.

"Understanding the existing conditions was the crucial starting point," he continued. "We proposed a scheme that naturally interacts with the site, using the concept of horizontality in proposed elements to make the existing chapel and mature trees stand out."

Objektor used a pre-existing trail that passes between the original chapel and cemetery as a guiding boundary for the new burial plots.

The grid of dividing walls was designed to grow in the future without compromising the site's overall layout, while their low height maintains visual permeability between the cemetery functions and surrounds.

"The core concept of our design for the new Suchdol cemetery is based on the geometric grid that defines the future burial places," Šuba explained.

"This grid is inscribed to the landscape in the form of one-metre-high concrete walls and these walls then create the framework for developing the future cemetery," he continued. "They also have a functional element, controlling the future appearance of the public space – graves and tombs cannot exceed their height."

At the entrance to the site, a rectilinear shelter for use by the cemetery keeper and includes bathrooms, storage and a skylit room for small services and memorials.

The structure – described by Objektor as a "utility object" – was formed by interlocking concrete planes punctured by rectilinear openings and topped by an overhanging roof projection.

Objektor's design also involved revitalising the small original chapel, which was once used for community church services and weddings, but had become neglected in recent years.

"When we got the assignment, we knew that it would be important to respect and revive the old beauty of this small historical structure," Šuba explained. "We proposed the renovation of the old chapel together with some interventions to better connect it to its surroundings."

The studio primarily used reinforced and prefabricated concrete for the project, intending to blend into the surrounding landscape by capturing the site's geological conditions.

"We decided to utilise concrete because we think it is the material that can be perfectly modified for [our] purposes," Šuba said. "It can be pigmented to match the natural colour of local stone, it is durable and has a wonderful ability to age in time and merge witch the nature."

To balance the allocation of space for traditional and alternative burial methods, Objektor integrated a small grove behind the existing chapel for scattering or burying ashes.

A public orchard with concrete benches and trees dedicated to local community figures also creates a partially regulated landscape within the cemetery site for reflection and contemplation.

Prague-based Objektor was founded by Šuba and Jakub Červenka in 2017 while they were studying at the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design.

Elsewhere in the Czech Republic, ORA has recently completed the renovation of a 500-year-old house in Český Krumlov and Atelier Hajný has designed a charred timber housing block outside of Prague.

The photography is by Pavel Kučera.

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Architects Michael Hansmeyer and Benjamin Dillenburger are creating a 30-metre-tall tower in the Swiss Alps, which is being 3D-printed with concrete by technology university ETH Zurich.

Named Tor Alva, or White Tower, the building will become the world's "tallest 3D-printed structure" once complete in Mulegns later this year, according to Hansmeyer and Dillenburger.

ETH Zurich has commenced the 3D printing process and so far created eight out of 32 structural columns.

Hansmeyer and Dillenburger are developing Tor Alva to promote the potential of 3D printing with concrete and how the technology can help minimise the amount of material used in construction.

"At 30 meters in height, Tor Alva will be the tallest 3D-printed structure in the world," said the architects.

"The goal was to advance the state of 3D concrete printing to explore how this technology can reduce material consumption while offering a new freedom of design," Hansmeyer told Dezeen.

Tor Alva will sit atop an existing building that was formerly used as a blacksmith's shop. The first eight of its Y-shaped columns will form part of its first floor.

The columns have been 3D printed using a concrete extrusion process developed at ETH Zurich by its Digital Building Technologies (DBT) team, during which they are reinforced with steel.

According to Hansmeyer, it is the first time the printing method has been used for structural components, as it had previously only been used for decorative features.

"One of the challenges was to create columns that would be thin-shelled and hollow in order to reduce material usage while maintaining structural strength," said Hansmeyer.

"Such thin-shell concrete prints are so far predominantly used as a hull or stay-in-place formwork that is filled with cast concrete and regular reinforcement," Hansmeyer continued.

"Our 3D-printed concrete has rebar integrated into it during the robotic printing process," he added. "The integrated rebar, combined with a post-tensioning system, gives the columns the necessary strength that allows us to build 30 metres high."

Hansmeyer explained that 3D printing the material negates the need for formwork typically required with concrete construction and provides precise application so the material is only used where needed, minimising waste.

The construction method also allows the creation of complex geometries and bespoke components, as seen in the geometric patterns on the surfaces of Tor Alva's structure.

"In the tower's thin-walled, hollow columns, concrete is used only where it is structurally required, similar to optimised structures that we know from nature," said Hansmeyer. "This saves mass and material."

"Also, 3D printing allows a formwork-free fabrication," he added. "Even for complex geometries, custom formwork is not required, thereby further reducing material usage."

"Finally, it allows the easy fabrication of bespoke parts and non-standard geometries, and it offers a new freedom of design for architects."

The 32 Y-shaped columns that will make up the tower are being printed with geometric textured surfaces.

They will be connected without adhesives, using removable screws and post-tensioning cables to ensure the structure can be easily dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere in the future.

Once complete, Tor Alva will host music and theatre performances and act as a "beacon" to attract visitors to the historic alpine village of Mulegns, the architects said.

A spiral staircase will lead to a domed performance space on the top floor, with panoramic views of the surrounding landscape through the columns.

Tor Alva's total estimated print time is 900 hours and its full construction is expected to be completed in summer 2024.

ETH Zurich has also used 3D printing to create a contoured concrete ceiling slab designed to save energy and formwork made from recyclable mineral foam.

Other structures made by 3D printing include a store in Amsterdam with rippling facade tiles and a house in Texas designed by BIG and ICON.

The images are by Hansmeyer and Dillenburger.

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A reinforced concrete frame defines the twisting form of a tower designed by local studio Hamonic + Masson & Associés for the port city of Le Havre in northern France.

Called the Alta Tower, the residential building has a prominent position in the city at the centre of Le Havre's 20th-century postwar masterplan designed by French architect Auguste Perret.

At 55 metres tall, the tower is the third-tallest structure in the city centre – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – after the Perret-designed St Joseph church and the Le Havre town hall.

"The port of Le Havre is the horizon. It is the sea and the sky that come together," studio founder Jean-Christophe Masson told Dezeen.

"Alta presents a new high point in the city and so it had to convey this dynamism."

The Alta Tower was designed to make a "bold and expressive statement", the studio added.

Hamonic + Masson & Associés' design for the tower builds on Perret's reinvention of Le Havre, and responds to a nearby cultural centre with curvaceous forms designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.

The resulting ascending twist was designed to combine Perret's gridded streets and buildings with Niemeyer's sinuous curves, using concrete in a nod to the city's existing architecture.

"The plot is located at a pivotal point in the history of the reconstruction of Le Havre," said Masson. "Sitting at the junction of the two urban grids of the general plan proposed by Perret, the location gives the building a singular character and geometry."

"[The tower] combines the form and sensuality of Niemeyer, [and] the grid and order of Perret, with concrete being the material common to all three projects," he continued.

The competition-winning proposal has 64 apartments and a creche across 17 storeys. Each home offers residents generous wraparound balconies with panoramic views across the city and the docks.

The form of the stacked floorplates was made possible through the use of concrete in three key areas – in the facade framework, the superstructure, and the balconies.

The curving gridded facade is formed of precast concrete elements, each one unique in dimension and inclination. The superstructure was cast in situ with specialised formwork to support the tower's flowing form.

Custom-made balcony tables were made for the formwork of the balconies, which feature large overhangs that are supported using pre-stressed floors developed by Freyssinet.

"The rebuilt centre of Le Havre is the history of concrete. The project had to be part of this history," explained Masson.

"The design of the project conveys a uniqueness that has more semblance to a work of art, than a standardised housing building," he added.

Inside the tower, the floorplates are column-free, allowing the interiors to be configured by residents early in the design stage to reflect their needs and to create alternative layouts.

"The open-plan also means that the homes can be developed over time, allowing new layouts, subdivisions and groupings of homes to be created in the future in line with changing lifestyles," said Masson.

Hamonic + Masson & Associés was founded in 1997 by Masson and Gaëlle Hamonic, and has studios in both Paris and Marseille.

Other waterside towers recently featured on Dezeen include a quayside "lighthouse" like tower with a dramatic cantilever in Montreal, Canada, by Provencher Roy, and a pair of spiky high-rise buildings on the banks of the canal in Copenhagen, Denmark, by BIG.

The photography is courtesy of Hamonic + Masson.

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Gabled concrete forms surround a planted courtyard at Samuel Paty School in Béziers, France, created by local studios Ateliers O-S and NAS Architecture.

Located in the city's Devèze district, the single-storey school is designed by Ateliers O-S and NAS Architecture to balance well-lit, navigable spaces with a feeling of enclosure and privacy for those inside.

This was achieved by creating a "double-walled" structure, where a concrete exterior and corridor create a buffer from the city outside and the interiors look inwards at the central courtyard through full-height windows.

"The project is characterised by a double structure, which is mineral and thick on the city side on the outside and lighter and scalable metal on the inside," explained Ateliers O-S.

"The result is a hybrid building that offers a strong contrast based on an opening to the interior landscape, composed of playgrounds, learning gardens and relaxation areas," it continued.

Samuel Paty School's entrance to the northwest is covered by a section of roof with circular openings. This allows the site's existing trees to continue to grow while providing a sheltered space for children and parents to gather.

Once inside, two entrance halls lead to the separate nursery and primary school wings that form the school's O-shaped plan.

A corridor on each side acts as an "internal street", lined with storage spaces, narrow windows looking out to the city and circular openings into the classrooms.

"The school's corridor winds around the school as a second protection to the classrooms," explained the studio.

"Considered as external but sheltered, this space of distribution and exchange has a non-insulated external concrete facade that leaves the tinted concrete of the facades visible on both sides."

Full-height, sliding glass doors allow each classroom to open onto the courtyard, which is divided in two by stepped concrete seating.

Alongside the main school building, separate structures house the medical centre and canteen, with a delivery entrance to the south. At the far eastern end, a small two-storey building contains offices and an independent entrance for staff from the neighbouring Place Rosa Park.

Ateliers O-S was founded in 2007 by Vincent Baur, Guillaume Colboc and Gaël Le Nouëne. Previous projects by the studio include a performing arts school and library in the suburbs of Paris which is clad in strips of golden aluminium.

Other recent schools in France include Eugénie Brazier, which Vurpas Architectes created from a converted market, and Auguste Benedict School by Amelia Tavella Architectes, which has a textured stone facade.

The photography is by Cyrille Weiner, Ateliers O-S and NAS Architecture. 

Project credits:

Architect: Ateliers O-S and NAS Architecture
Structural work steel framework: Fondeville
Exterior carpentry: Sonzogni
Metalwork: Solatrag
Interior carpentry arrangement: Carayon
Dry lining: Cuartero
Hard floor-coverings parquet: Vassileo
Flexible floor coverings: Carrillo
Painting: Escriva
Plumbing, Ventilation And Heating: Axima Equans
Electricity: Ineo Equans
Elevator: Otis
Kitchen: Thermasud
Espaces verts/green spaces: Id Verde
External works: Eurovia

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Czech studio Ehl & Koumar Architekti has revealed a sculptural footbridge made from steel and concrete that features cantilevered viewpoints on both sides.

The footbridge, which creates a pedestrian route across a busy motorway in Litomyšl, the Czech Republic, is made from welded steel supported by exposed concrete pillars.

"The heavy shapes of concrete pillars contrast to the lightweight steel structure and we like to use the exposed concrete for its almost tactile qualities," Ehl & Koumar Architekti architect Tomas Koumar told Dezeen.

The bridge is constructed as a continuous beam with two spans and cantilevered ends that function as viewpoints, one of which provides a view of the nearby Loučná River.

Ehl & Koumar Architekti designed the 56.6-metre-tall bridge using a Vierendeel truss with rectangular frames in order to make its deck as low as possible.

"We wanted to give the new footbridge the human scale, have its deck as low as possible and protect pedestrians from the busy I/35 highway," Koumar said.

"Therefore, we designed the horizontal part as a spatial 3D Vierendeel girder."

As well as using concrete for the pillars of the bridge, the studio created a concrete elevator tower that doubles as a structural support and faces Litomyšl's historic city centre.

This is located on the axis of an existing staircase and is designed as a nod to the town's baroque tower.

"The elevator tower creates a new landmark visible through Ropkova Street from the historical square, where the old town hall is with its baroque tower," Koumar explained.

"We were very careful designing the Vierendeel girder geometry and details to achieve harmonious proportions. "

The studio also added a staircase on the side of the bridge that didn't already have stairs.

Artist Ivana Šrámková created decorative graphics for the elevator entrances and the rear wall of the elevator tower, which the studio said "enlivens" the bridge.

"We have already worked with Ivana Šrámková on another projects," Koumar said. "She brings a different and sensitive approach to our work. Her art enlivens the very simple structure with the human emotions."

The footbridge in Litomyšl was the winner of the 2023 Czech Architecture Award.

"A good bridge is like a good deed in an unkind world, an altruistic investment in the public realm, a way to connect people and places, designed in such a way that it is pleasing to experience and to look at," the jury said.

"Litomyšl's new footbridge is exactly that: an entirely convincing synthesis of architecture, engineering and urbanism, connecting two segments of the town, like a contemporary version of the Charles Bridge in Prague."

Czech architecture is currently making waves, with Chybik + Kristof co-founder Ondřej Chybí telling Dezeen that the Czech Republic and other Eastern European countries are "becoming a hotspot for contemporary architecture".

Other recent projects in the country include a Prague apartment with sculptural glass partitions and a triangular housing block.

The photography is by Tomáš Souček.

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Dutch architecture firm UNStudio has unveiled plans for The Kyklos building, a mixed-use office building in Belval, Luxembourg, designed in collaboration with local studio HYP Architects.

Aiming to create a building with the "smallest possible carbon footprint", the studios implemented a hybrid construction approach of concrete and 100 per cent recycled steel, using a sustainable-design framework developed by UNStudio to calculate and monitor the building's carbon impact.

This includes the 'carbon builder' – a tool that allows designers to study various construction options to reduce the carbon footprint at an early stage of the design process.

"The Carbon Builder is a software tool we are developing at UNStudio that allows our designers to begin testing options for, and fixing, carbon objectives to our earliest design concepts," studio founder Ben van Berkel told Dezeen.

"We created it because we realised how essential it is to begin measuring the embodied carbon of a design as early as possible."

Using the tool, the studio determined that a hybrid construction solution offered a better long-term carbon performance in comparison to other methods – stating that "timber is not always the best option".

The Kyklos building by UNStudio and HYP Architects will form the "centrepiece" of the Belval masterplan – a redevelopment project led by development company Agora that has transformed an old industrial site into an urban centre.

The urban centre contains a university and technological centre, residential and office spaces, and hotels and retail spaces, with The Kyklos building forming the last structure of the redevelopment's Central Square District.

The 7,600-metre-square office building will host eight floors of office space along with a 2,250-metre-square basement level.

On the ground floor, a lobby will offer a reception and commercial functions that are accessible for both office users and the public.

Floor plates, which branch out from the structure's circular core, will be suspended from steel cables to reduce the need for load-bearing columns and increase useable floor space.

In response to the geometry of the surrounding context, the building will feature a largely orthogonal shape, with one rounded corner set back to create an overhang and prevent overheating on the interior.

At this rounded corner, an internal curved staircase will wrap around the glass facade. This was designed to form visual connections with the neighbouring Place des Bassins, which is formed of two basins from the former industrial steelworks site.

According to the studios, the proposal has an embodied carbon footprint that is 8o per cent smaller than a traditional office building in Luxembourg.

Other recently completed office buildings include a geometric office block with pleated facades in Italy and a headquarters built on a renovated 1930s train terminal in the US.

The visualisations are courtesy of Play-Time Barcelona.

Project credits: 

Architect: UNStudio (Ben van Berkel, Arjan Dingste with Stella Nikolakaki, Bruno Peris Vila and Cristobal Ignacio Burgos Sanhueza, Laura Lopez Iglesias, Regiane Fernandes de Oliveira, Taliia Nurutdinova, Matthias Kooijman)
Local architect: HYP Architects
Client: Atenor, Ahrs Group​​

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British architecture studio Allies and Morrison has created a university building for London College of Fashion at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.

Conceived as a "21st-century factory", the London College of Fashion (LCF) building is defined by its gridded concrete structure and a rectilinear facade lined with tall warehouse-style windows.

"We think of the building as a 21st-century factory for fashion – a super-sized atelier, dense with creativity and productivity," studio partner Alex Wraight told Dezeen.

"Like the 19th-century factory and warehouse buildings that formerly occupied the site and the trade schools from which LCF originated, the building is characterised by the lofty, well-lit and adaptable workshop spaces it contains," he continued.

Spread across 17 floors, the 40,000-square-metre building by Allies and Morrison is designed to operate as a "vertical campus". Among its facilities are classrooms and workshops, as well as offices, a lecture theatre and social spaces.

The building is fronted by a large, sheltered entrance that opens up to a generous atrium housing the building's public functions including a cafe, gallery, auditorium and library.

Also in the atrium is a statement spiral staircase cast from concrete, which links the public spaces on the lower floors to the workshop and teaching areas above.

"By vertically connecting these uses and enabling views, social interaction and movement between them, the central heart space acts like the courtyards, streets and footpaths in a conventional 'horizontal' campus," Wraight said.

Transitioning from the spiral stair, a rounded steel staircase connects the higher floors. It is punctured with openings to facilitate visual and physical connections while filtering daylight and ventilation.

Further circulation spaces and services are provided in the building's core, where there are lifts, staircases and restrooms.

A repeated layout on the upper floors provides a series of well-lit studios, accompanied by facilities including a refectory and roof terraces that overlook the surrounding area.

The workspaces vary in size and have non-load-bearing partitions to ensure they can be easily adapted and reconfigured in the future.

Aiming to emphasise the building's "long-term robustness" and showcase students' work within the design, Allies and Morrison used a restricted material palette of exposed concrete contrasted with maple wood surfaces and black metal detailing.

"A simple, modest and muted palette – concrete, timber, black metal – is deployed and detailed consistently and rigorously throughout, enabling the informal character of students and their activities and creative outputs to take centre stage," Wraight explained.

Previously dispersed across six London sites, LCF's departments are now under one roof for the first time in the college's history.

The LCF campus forms a "key part" of the wider Stratford Waterfront development led by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), with it being the largest of four cultural and educational buildings there.

Also situated within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is UCL's East building – a concrete structure designed by Stanton Williams.

Other recently completed education buildings include a university for textiles wrapped by a web of robotically woven fibres and a boarding school with rooflines informed by nearby mountains.

The photography is by Simon Menges.

Project credits:

Architect: Allies and Morrison 
Client: University of the Arts London, London Legacy Development Corporation
Structure/ services/ facade: BuroHappold
Landscape: LDA
Design acoustics: BuroHappold
Cost: Gardiner & Theobald
Lighting: BuroHappold
Management: Mace

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Vienna-based studio Steiner Architecture has completed a private clinic in Salzburg, Austria, made from wood-textured red concrete and topped with a serrated roof.

Named Clinic in Anif, the two-storey project by Steiner Architecture houses a ground-floor respiratory clinic along with two individual apartment units on the upper floor.

Fronted by a sculptural facade, the 750-metre-square building is punctured by irregular circular and rectangular openings on the upper floor, while operable windows line the ground floor.

"One of the facades looks like a toy face with a winking eye," the studio said. "On the opposite side, the staircase suggests teeth."

Split between two distinct volumes, the clinic is centred by a circular reception room wrapped with floor-to-ceiling openings that will host seating space for visitors.

A corridor through the reception provides circulation between the two volumes, which each hosts consulting rooms of various sizes, along with restrooms, waiting areas and storage space.

Access to the upper-floor apartments is distinguished from the clinic and is provided by two individual entrances. One is reached via a raw-concrete external staircase at the building's western facade and the other by a spiral staircase at the opposite end.

Within the clinic, the structure's red-coloured concrete ceiling has been left exposed and is offset by an off-white interior palette and black steel detailing.

A curved reception desk and storage unit mimic the circular shape of the central space, along with a rounded LED ceiling light.

On the first floor, well-lit apartment units are organised around internal open-air courtyards, which reveal the building's coloured concrete structure and draw light into the surrounding spaces.

The home interiors offer a similarly subtle material palette with off-white walls and black steel detailing, though complemented instead with pale wooden flooring.

"Upstairs in the apartment units one gets the peaceful ambience of off-whites and pastels, but without the anxiety of medical procedures," the studio said.

"Here the views are more expansive, the natural light vaster and through the openings, on the extra thick window reveals, the ever-present red concrete."

Other recently completed projects with brightly coloured concrete facades include a monolithic exhibition centre that appears as if "carved from a complete stone" and a multi-level community centre featuring blue-tinted concrete walls.

The photography is by Florian Holzherr.

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A vaulted concrete base supports an elevated football pitch and running track at the Hexi Sports Field, which The Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University has completed in Shaoxing, China.

Hexi Sports Field is located on a site to the northwest of Shaoxing University's campus, which borders the old town and overlooks the Fengze River.

According to The Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University (UAD), it is intended as a public space shared by the students and the city.

UAD was commissioned to create new and extensive sports facilities for Shaoxing University, but as it already had a sports field, the studio decided to "overlap" them.

The existing track field has been replaced with an elevated version, which now also incorporates a football pitch.

It shelters a partially sunken ground floor with basketball, badminton, volleyball and tennis courts, alongside a gym, climbing wall and skateboard area, all framed by large concrete vaults and columns.

"Faced with the huge challenge of insufficient space, the core contradiction of this project is to retain the existing track field and add more functional venues to meet the needs of teachers, students and residents for exercise activities," UAD told Dezeen.

"By lifting the existing track field into the air, a super large overhead roofed space is naturally formed below," it added.

Looking to create a feeling of openness, three sides of the vaulted concrete structure have been left open to the surrounding city, intended to encourage "shared experiences and mutual support", UAD said.

Areas that require greater climate control have been placed inside the centre or to the rear of the site and are enclosed by walls.

"The arch forms a continuous combination of spatial rhythm and a sense of enclosure within the venue, blurring the boundaries of beams, slabs, and columns," the studio told Dezeen.

"Meanwhile, the grey space under the eaves blurs the interior and exterior boundaries of the building, achieving integration with the campus."

Two long ramps at the east and west ends of Hexi Sports Field lead to spiral staircases that wind up to the pitch, finished with perforated white-metal balustrades. Additional ramps and stairs provide access to spaces that are partially sunken due to the sloping site.

The concrete structure has been left exposed throughout the interior, complemented by glossy green and black tiles informed by the more impromptu public gathering spaces found in the city.

"These public spaces do not require fancy decorations or high costs, and they are simple and rustic in nature," explained UAD.

"Every time the scorching sun shines or showers pour, people would quickly burrow into these sheltered open areas."

UAD is an architecture firm established as part of Zhejiang University in 1953.

Its other projects include Shunchang Museum, which is organised around an "urban living room", and a hall for the Shaoxing Hotel.

The photography is by Zhao Qiang.

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Irregularly placed square openings puncture the thick concrete exterior of SV House in Portugal, recently completed by architecture studio Spaceworkers.

Located on a sloping site near the town of Sobrado, the blocky, three-storey home occupies a plot once occupied by the home of the client's grandfather.

It is formed from board-marked concrete, designed by Spaceworkers to "stand out" but also present a "quiet silence" to the street, while the square openings are positioned to frame outward views while maintaining privacy.

"Openings for the different spaces go beyond the mere need for ventilation and natural ventilation," explained Spaceworkers.

"From the outside, they are an important element in the composition of the elevations and in the perception of the occupation of the house, but without revealing too much," the studio said.

"Internally, these openings focus on framing pieces of the distant landscape, or even the sky, avoiding the surroundings punctuated by houses."

Due to the sloping site, the entrance to SV House sits off the street at first-floor level, with a ramped driveway leading to a garage on the ground floor.

While only two openings overlook the street, to the south of the home are sliding doors that connect a double-height living area to a private garden.

A central, skylit staircase leads up to the second floor, where the bedrooms enjoy expansive views of the landscape through the square windows.

"Each space has a critical look at a particular point in the landscape, allowing users different views of the same landscape depending on the position and size of the window they are looking at," explained Spaceworkers.

Contrasting the sheer concrete exterior, the interiors of SV House are finished with pale wood and white walls, with minimal window frames that emphasise the deep reveals.

"On the outside, the use of exposed concrete emphasises the idea of solidity that we wanted to express in contrast to the light wood and white walls of the interior that express lightness," explained the studio.

"It is also in this dichotomy that the house relates to its neighbours and with those who inhabit it and walk through its spaces."

Portuguese architecture studio Spaceworkers was established by Rui Dinis, Henrique Marques and Carla Duarte in 2007.

Previous projects by the studio include the Romanesque architecture interpretation centre in Lousada, which was also designed with blocky concrete forms, and a house with a concrete roof and concave sides.

The photography is by Fernando Guerra.

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A cantilevering concrete canopy shelters a new entrance at this extension to a modernist-style home in Ardèche, which has been completed by French practice Alors Studio.

Located in a small village in the south of the French, the house was originally built in 2007 as a holiday home and is comprised of three separate areas connected by an external path.

Looking to unify the home and create a more "intimate atmosphere", Paris-based Alors Studio created a new entrance and internal corridor linking each of the home's blocks, as well as extending it with additional bedrooms.

"The existing house, made of separate units, develops itself on its length," co-founder Baptiste Fleury told Dezeen.

"One of the key points of our intervention was to recreate a new centrality, a heart for this house, that could reconnect these independent elements."

"We wanted the new plan to recreate density for a better use of the house on a daily basis," he added.

The studio designed a new entrance with a cantilevered concrete canopy to the west, underneath which a corridor connects an existing and a new bedroom block. This creates an axis that leads past a small seating area into the home's central block.

The newly created bedrooms are organised around a small patio that looks towards the back of the site, framing views of an existing drystone wall.

In the central block, the living, dining and kitchen area overlooks a paved patio partially sheltered by a canopy, providing elevated views out across the landscape.

"The site on the back of the plot is characterised by the retaining dry stone wall, a strong architectural element on the region of Ardèche," explained Fleury.

"We decided to develop the project along this strong landscape element to reveal a formerly neglected nature by the previous project."

At the eastern end of the site, the original external paved route has been maintained, leading to an additional bedroom block that stands separate from the rest of the home.

The extension mirrors the modernist style and exposed concrete surfaces of the original home, with an appearance contrasting the area's vernacular architecture that Alors Studio wished to maintain.

In the main corridor, the concrete surfaces are softened by built-in storage and window benches finished in dark wood.

"We decided to use the same exposed concrete language on the facades, floor and ceiling, but to propose a very different approach to the atmosphere it creates," explained Fleury.

"While the geometry and general organisation of the existing plan generate spaces that are very exposed to sunlight with hard shadows and views towards the horizon, we wanted the extension to be more quiet and intimate."

"It creates a softened atmosphere, even if the materiality is the same," he concluded.

Other projects in France recently featured on Dezeen include the wood-shingle-clad Gilbert Raby Therapeutic Workshops by Tolila+Gilliland, and a series of apartment blocks by architecture studio CoBe and design agency WEEK raised on concrete arches.

The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri.

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Mexican architect Cesar Mancillas used high concrete walls while creating a linear house with spaces focused on relaxation in the often-changing urban landscape of Ensenada, Mexico.

With a floorplan of 251 square metres, Casa Malbec was completed in 2022 by Cesar Andrés Mancillas de la Torre, an architect based in the northern Mexico state of Baja California.

The narrow property is only 12 metres wide and has a gradient leading from public to private programs along its 40-metre site.

"The natural condition of the site allows it to distribute the spaces around different atmospheres created by interior patios and lightning boxes that gave sensorial experiences," Mancillas told Dezeen.

The high walls isolate the house from the prevailing winds of the Valle de Guadalupe.

On the site's eastern edge, the main facade is a rolling garage door, which provides a transition from the street to the house. A rectangular concrete portal with an extra large wooden board door serves as the main entry.

Inside the perimeter wall, the parking area is separated from an outdoor patio by a planted linear garden bed.

A thick roof profile caps the covered patio, where a wooden soffit continues uninterrupted to the interior. Residents pass through a floor-to-ceiling glass sliding wall into a kitchen and living room.

Sculptural white pendant lights hang over the dining table and waterfall concrete kitchen island.

The centre of the plan is composed of the primary suite and an open-air courtyard that creates "boxes of light in movement according to the sunlight".

The sandy courtyard is planted with Mexican fence post cacti.

Three secondary en-suite bedrooms are stacked in a row on the western side of the property and open to a private back deck with a concrete hot tube.

Each room in the house has direct access to an outdoor area, giving residents contact with nature without compromising privacy. Extra-tall doors rise to the full height of the walls, emphasizing verticality in the linear house.

Smooth concrete walls and floors are complemented by wooden details, furniture and millwork, while delicate metal sconces wash light throughout the rooms.

"The architecture and interior design of this project synergise by developing a leisure space using natural materials available in the area that allow its composition to speak for itself within each of the spaces; wood, volcanic stone and natural fabrics are some of them," said Mancillas.

"The natural conditions and the urbanization where it is located, have a close relationship in their materiality and form; a home that nourishes from the exterior to reflect on the interior."

Other projects recently completed in Baja California include a rammed earth house for a retired archaeologist by Arquitectura Nativa and a concrete seaside home with a viewing platform on the roof by Felipe Assadi Arquitectos.

The photography is by Onnis Luque.

Project credits:

Architect: Arq. Cesar Andrés Mancillas de la Torre
Builder: Arq. Cesar Andrés Mancillas de la Torre
Text: Arq. Hanna Appel Hernandez
Interior design: Ivanna Chapluk

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Danish architecture studio CEBRA has revealed its designs for three visitor centres in Albania, which will be topped with protruding concrete slabs that reference "shifting tectonic plates".

CEBRA has designed the centres for Vjosa National Park – Europe's "first wild river national park" – which was established in 2023 to preserve 13,000 hectares of the Vjosa River region.

The aim of the project is to create immersive spaces for knowledge sharing and ecotourism.

"The main intention of our architectural idea is to illustrate how a wild river interacts with the landscape," founding partner of CEBRA Mikkel Frost told Dezeen.

"The projects should integrate with the natural environment to a point where they almost disappear," he continued.

"We want them to appear as a part of nature rather than manufactured objects placed within it."

Across the scheme, the trio of structures will host educational, research, exhibition and community programs to encourage public exploration of the park's ecosystems.

Each one will aim to draw attention to different aspects of the environment but will share a monolithic, geometric language informed by the natural forces that shaped the Vjosa River.

"The architecture for all three stations comprises only two elements, rocks and plates, which are combined, stacked and placed together in many different ways," Frost explained.

"The plates, all cast in rough concrete, symbolise tectonic movement and serve as roofs and floor slabs. The rocks carrying these plates refer to the rocky landscape and the terrain along the river."

The most significant element of the project is Tepelenë Visitor Centre, which will be positioned on the edge of the Vjosa River and host water-related public experiences and accommodation for researchers.

Here, a double-height lobby with deep clerestory windows will serve as the heart of the building, while an undercover botanical garden, stage, picnic area and promenade will enable visitor activities to spill out into the landscape.

The second building is Përmet Information Station, which will house education and exhibition spaces examining the region's geology.

Embedded next to a giant stone in the city of Përmet – named the City Stone – the pavilion will connect to an existing tunnel and become an underground auditorium for cultural events.

The final building in the proposal is Vlorë Information Station, which CEBRA will strategically position away from the river to focus on its wider impact as a "life-giving force".

With panoramic views overlooking a lowland lagoon and pink flamingo habitat, the partially enclosed pavilion will be framed by angular concrete overhangs and an accessible green roof for education and bird-watching.

Throughout the project, slender glazing will enclose internal spaces and boulders will puncture rooms with the aim of blurring the boundary between what is constructed and what is natural.

CEBRA has also looked to the process of erosion and the Vranisht Dolmen – an ancient Albanian stone formation – to inform the look of the textured concrete walls and weaving roof planes.

Established in Aarhus in 2001 by Frost, Carsten Primdahl and Kolja Nielsen, CEBRA has recently completed another visitor centre project in Denmark that aims to blend into the landscape. The studio also referenced rock-like forms in their design for the Al Musallah prayer hall in Abu Dhabi.

The images are courtesy of CEBRA.

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Seoul studio AOA Architects has created Hoji Gangneung, a series of uniquely shaped concrete dwellings linked by a raised, circular path in the South Korean countryside.

Located in Gangwon-do, Hoji Gangneung includes a family house for the owner and three guesthouses, along with a communal building.

AOA Architects designed one of the four homes with an octagonal shape and central courtyard while another, named the Round House, has a semi-circular end.

The remaining two dwellings and the communal building have rectangular floor plans and differ from each other by their roof shape.

The communal building has a mono-pitch roof and one rectangular house has a regular gable roof. The final house, named the Long House, features a gable roof with a raised central section topped with a skylight, creating an elongated light well.

"Every building has its own shape, size and character, allowing guests to enjoy each space distinctly through shadow play," said AOA Architects principal Jaewon Suh.

AOA Architects took cues from countryside structures, such as warehouses and cabins, when designing Hoji Gangneung, aiming to create a project that references its surroundings while establishing itself as something new.

"The main concept and goal of the design is to build something familiar and also unfamiliar in a rural area," Suh told Dezeen.

"For some, the Octagonal House looks like a nomadic tent and feels like an octagonal pavilion, the Long House looks like a milk carton or a grain warehouse, and the Round House looks like a slender piece of wood or a face with a hat, but these associations do not matter."

A concrete ring elevated above the grassy landscape connects the five buildings, a decision the studio made to prevent the need for multiple paths.

"A circular shape was the best gesture to connect the five buildings at once," Suh said. "As a result, while avoiding typical countryside alley shape and showing the main concept of the design, an artificial circular raised walkway was created."

According to the studio, the choice of concrete also deliberately juxtaposes the grassy landscape below.

"By raising a walkway slightly from the land, a tension between the gently floated concrete walkway and weak grasses of the land occurs," said Suh.

The buildings are all built from textured concrete and topped by corrugated metal roofs.

In the communal building, the concrete structure is left exposed. Large glass doors spanning one wall open onto the concrete walkway and give views of the dwellings.

The interiors of the houses are finished with wood to add a sense of warmth and "make one feel that they have entered a box of musical instruments", according to Suh.

AOA Architects was founded in 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. The studio previously designed a Minecraft-themed apartment in Seoul with a stepped roof and red- and white-tiled exterior.

Elsewhere in South Korea, architecture studio Atelier Koma recently created a concrete chapel and YounghanChung Architects designed a two-storey study space for a retired university lecturer.

The photography is by Chin Hyosook.

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Cultural institution Qatar Museums has released visuals of the Lusail Museum, a robust, drum-shaped gallery and museum designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.

Located on Al Maha Island near Doha, the museum will reference historic Islamic architecture throughout its interior, aiming to become a cultural destination for education, exhibitions and research.

Herzog & De Meuron's proposed, five-storey building will have a form derived from three spheres that intersect and overlap to distinguish the internal volumes of the museum.

Responding to the coastal surrounds, the building's exterior will be rough and sand-like, with striated concrete in an earthy tone intended to blend into the land.

Deep cuts and geometric punctures will create recessed windows and entry points around the museum, while a series of skylights will be scattered across the building's roofscape.

According to the studio, the building was designed to ensure visitors have a visual connection to the sea, while also protecting the art from excessive natural light.

A crescent-shaped, skylit boulevard will curve between the building's looping volumes and act as a connection between the entrance, central lobby and gallery programs.

In addition to a library, auditorium, cafe, prayer space and rooftop terrace, the building will also house Lusail Museum's collection of Orientalist art at its upper levels.

Anchoring the exhibition spaces, four gallery rooms will replicate interior details abstracted from significant Islamic buildings, including the dome over Sultan Murad III’s bedroom in Istanbul's Palace of Topkapi and the Aljafaria Palace dome in Zaragoza, Spain.

The studio will extract ornamental features and geometries from the historic architecture to integrate into the cupolas, aiming to create unexpected spatial experiences for visitors.

At the roof level, the domed rooms will protrude through the floor plate, which will otherwise remain open to host public events such as an open air cinema.

While the building will primarily be shaped from rough and expressed concrete, Herzog & de Meuron will introduce zones of material contrast to designate key moments in the design.

For example, a spiral staircase leading to exhibition spaces will be sculpted from polished plaster, while the prayer room will be clad in reflective metal.

Tactile wood, textiles, ceramic tiles, upholstered niches and metal accents will also intersperse throughout the complex.

According to Qatar Museums, construction work will be a collaborative process with local artisans and craftspeople to ensure the design's vernacular references maintain genuine connections to the region.

Construction for Lusail Museum is expected to commence later in 2024, with a projected completion date of 2029.

The design for Lusail Museum follows Qatar's announcement to build three new museums by internationally recognised architecture studios Herzog & de Meuron, OMA and Elemental.

The city of Lusail also underwent recent development for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with a golden football stadium and four aluminium-clad skyscrapers – currently under construction – both designed by studio Foster + Partners.

Pritzker Prize-winning studio Herzog & de Meuron has unveiled designs elsewhere for a giant cube storage building for Seoul museums and has completed an infinity pool at Lake Como that blends into the water.

The images are courtesy of Qatar Museums

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Chinese studio Lin Architecture abstracted and merged local architectural forms for the design of this angular pavilion in rural Yunnan, which is made from white-painted concrete.

Simply named Concrete Pavilion, the structure is surrounded by rice fields near Botou Village in Eryuan County and functions as a pumphouse, as well as an orienting landmark for local farmers and a viewpoint for tourists.

"For the local villagers we hope that it can be used as a 'lighthouse' for working in the fields, so that people can have a clear direction when they come to work in the fields or go home for a rest," Lin Architecture founder Lin Lifeng told Dezeen.

"For the tourists, we hope that they can use our space to feel the beautiful scenery of the field, to explore and discover the fun of the farmland," he added.

To relate the structure to the surrounding context, Lin Architecture took forms commonly found in the village's buildings – such as angled rooflines, doorways and openings – and abstracted them to create a "dynamic, ever-changing" structure.

"We attach great importance to some design elements of the countryside because it is difficult for us to have this kind of thinking about architecture when we live in big cities," said Lin.

"Sloping roofs, shadow walls, high and low windows, platforms, ascending steps, and skylight holes are just some of the village's countless architectural elements which have translated into the juxtaposed architectural symbols in the space," he added.

Concrete Pavilion has a rough rhombus-shaped section and a sloping roof punctured by small, irregular openings that cast light onto the angular and curved forms of its interior.

Inside, a gravel floor and low seating spaces provide areas for visitors to dwell, and a central staircase leads through a large opening onto a thin cantilevering terrace.

Intersecting with the pavilion's central form, this terrace provides both an elevated place to sit and survey the landscape and a covered space below to shelter from the sun or rain.

While Lin Architecture originally sought to create a "monolithic" concrete structure, the nature of the site required that it be visually lighter, so a steel frame with concrete panels was used to achieve a similar effect.

To enhance the abstract appearance of the pavilion in the landscape, it was painted entirely white, to become what the studio calls a "paintbrush in the field".

"Thick clouds reflect on the walls, contrasting with the pristine white," described the studio.

"On sunny days, radiant sunlight shines on the material, and the texture of the skin becomes visible, when it rains, the skin of the material becomes a canvas for the sky."

Elsewhere in China, Atelier Xi used peach-coloured concrete to create a community pavilion and bar overlooking a field of peach trees in Henan province.

In Somaliland, Rashid Ali recently used pink concrete to create a pavilion with a "miniature botanical garden".

The photography is by Chen Zhitong and Zhuo Hongduo.

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Chinese studio Vector Architects has completed a monolithic, concrete concert hall in the coastal resort of Aranya in Qinhuangdao.

Located centrally within the town's public square, the three-pronged concrete structure was designed as an intimate space for musical performances.

Its three concave walls were informed by the Echo Wall that encircles the Imperial Vault of Heaven in Beijing – also known as the Whispering Wall because its curving shape transmits sound over long distances.

"We envision this chapel as an exquisite musical instrument landing onto the plaza," Vector Architects told Dezeen. "We think that echoes can form a unique sound landscape, like the Chinese Echo Wall. By orchestrating sound, light and air, we aim to create a new type of music hall."

The entire building is raised above the ground, with a curved ramp leading up to the entrance lobby to maintain the open character of the plaza and provide places for shelter.

Vector Architects conceived the Chapel of Music as a series of vertical layers, with a nine-metre-high reflection room placed below the main amphitheatre.

Holes drilled into the floor slab and fitted with brass "sound transmission tubes" allow music played above to filter into the room underneath.

"The music hall has a sunken stage in the centre," the studio explained. "Viewed from the meditation rotunda, it appears like a suspended disc."

"As the performance unfolds, the sound fills the hall and transmits down to the rotunda through nine brass sound transmission tubes embedded among the seats."

The auditorium accommodates 48 people across two seating levels and features a translucent roof that can be raised – projecting up to 4.9 metres when fully opened – to turn the building into an open-air theatre.

"The music hall is crowned with a retractable, circular pneumatic roof," the studio said.

"In favourable weather conditions, the roof ascends, transforming the music hall into an outdoor theatre."

Outside the amphitheatre's wooden doors, the studio placed a large window for audiences to connect with the nearby sea as they exit.

In the reflection room on the lower level, natural light is drawn into the space and onto the expressed formwork concrete through open corners and the suspended stage above.

"By leaving a 50-centimetre-wide gap with operable glass panels at the corners of walls, natural light softly diffuses through the gaps as well from the upper gaps around the suspended stage," the studio explained.

"Polished concrete seats are arranged along the wall, resembling a lounge chair and allowing people to recline naturally, immersing themselves into the music, natural light and the permeating breeze."

Vector Architects conceived the overall form of the concert hall with its three curved walls to reflect the flow of people from the public square to the sea, aiming to delineate a "harmonious co-existence" with the adjacent plaza buildings.

The Chapel of Music joins a trilogy of buildings completed by Vector Architects, which was founded in 2008 by architect Dong Gong, for the Aranya resort since 2015.

These include a cast-concrete library facing the East China Sea, a raised chapel built along the beach and a sprawling restaurant with greenery-filled courtyards.

The photography is by Arch-Exist unless otherwise stated.

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Chinese studio DUO has completed Nanchang OCT Contemporary Arts Centre, a series of exhibition spaces housed in stepped concrete forms with accessible green roofs.

Overlooking a wetland park and the nearby Gan River in Nanchang, the building is designed by DUO to "coexist" with the site.

This is achieved by creating natural-looking, hill-like forms rather than a "spectacular figure", the studio said.

"The site, influenced by the distant wetland landscape and the nearby Festive Square, eschews a spectacular figure in favour of a public space," explained DUO, known fully as Decode Urbanism Office.

"The expected image of the project is not so much a spectacular figure, but rather a public space for relaxation, viewing the wetlands and observing the squares and festive events," it continued.

Each level of the centre curves upwards out of the site, increasing in height as they step backwards. This creates four separate terraces overlooked by fully glazed facades referred to by DUO as "cracks".

In addition to the ground floor entrance, each of these glazed facades features its own entry point.

These lead directly into three exhibition spaces and are intended to make the building feel more open, public and accessible.

"People can enter and exit through 'cracks' at different heights above the interface, enjoying exhibitions or scenery," DUO explained.

"All these 'cracks' are equal in status, at least in scale, and the key role of the entrance on the ground floor is weakened," it added.

Inside, the curving forms of the building are expressed as sweeping ceilings, complemented by mushroom columns in white concrete and a spiral stair at the centre.

Grooves in the ceilings emphasise their sweeping horizontality while providing spaces to conceal lighting and mechanical services.

The tops of each concrete column are slightly different sizes depending on how much weight they are supporting, a decision DUO made to visualise the "structural logic of the project".

Nanchang OCT Contemporary Arts Centre's exhibition areas are left open and flexible, with each level including a block of toilets alongside a lift at the rear of the building.

On the ground floor, these facilities are accompanied by two small office spaces, as well as a multifunctional events space with curved, stepped seating.

Elsewhere in China, Studio Zhu-Pei drew on traditional architectural forms for the Zibo OCT Art Centre in Shandong, which features stone walls and sweeping concrete roofs.

Zaha Hadid Architects is currently designing the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre, which will span an eight-lane motorway in Xi'an.

The photography is courtesy of DUO.

Project credits:

Architect: Decode Urbanism Office (DUO)
Design team: Deng Guochao, Chang Fei, Li Dongsheng, Chen Si, Liu Hongyuan, Lai Bingqiang, Wen Shunhe, Wei Zhuo, Ni ming
Clients: OCT (Nanchang) Industrial Development Co. , Ltd.
Engineering: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD)
Landscape: DUO
Interior: DUO
Consultants: ThorntonTomasetti (TT), WenGe (Shenzhen) Design

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Madrid-based Zooco Estudio has created a striking restaurant within the Cantabrian Maritime Museum in Santander, Spain, that celebrates the building's brutalist architecture.

The restaurant is set within a dramatic vault of concrete paraboloids that were unearthed during the renovation, while a slatted timber ceiling pays homage to the area's shipbuilding legacy.

Overlooking the tranquil waters of Santander Bay, the restaurant is located on the second floor of the landmark Cantabrian Maritime Museum, which was designed in the mid-1970s by architects Vicente Roig Forner and Ángel Hernández Morales.

The paraboloids were an original fixture of the structure and supported the roof of what was once the museum's patio.

The studio focused on restoring the historic fabric of the space and reviving the paraboloids, which had been concealed for around 20 years, as "a vestige of the past".

"In 2003, the building was renovated and as part of this intervention, the paraboloids were covered with a new roof and the space between them and the perimeter of the building was closed with glass, generating a covered space where there was previously a terrace," Zooco Estudio co-founder Javier Guzmán told Dezeen.

"We wanted the concrete paraboloids to be the absolute protagonists of the space and by removing the paint and the coating, the paraboloids are visible again and regain their full prominence."

The previous renovation also altered the dimensions of the space and reconfigured the volume as a square.

To promote symmetry, four additional concrete triangles were added to balance out the original paraboloids in the brutalist restaurant.

Overhead, a false ceiling of slatted timber panels frames the concrete arches.

The studio designed theses triangular boards to reference the arrangement of timber across the hull of a boat, a nod to the museum and the area's nautical past.

The panels also serve the purpose of concealing the restaurant's mechanical systems.

"The wooden slats bring warmth and friendliness to the space while allowing us to solve all the technical needs for air conditioning, heating and lighting, leaving them hidden," Guzmán said.

"In this way, we ensure that all these elements do not interfere with the dialogue of concrete and wood, which are presented as continuous and clean elements."

The interior layout was largely dictated by the low arches of the elliptic paraboloids that dominate the brutalist restaurant.

"The geometry of the existing structure conditions the space, because its height in its lower part is impractical, so a large bench is arranged around the entire contour that allows us to take advantage of that space and organise the distribution of the rest of the floor plan," added Guzmán.

Like the ceiling panels, the interior finishes and furnishings allude to the maritime history that the building commemorates.

"The use of wood and steel for all the furniture is reminiscent of the materials used in shipbuilding – the furniture has slight curvatures that are reminiscent of the aerodynamic shapes of boats," explained Guzmán.

"Likewise, the lamps are inspired by the masts for ship sails."

Another key change was the replacement of the perimeter glass wall.

The inclined glazing was swapped for vertical glass, a decision that reclaimed external space for the patio, which stretches the length of the restaurant and overlooks the harbour below.

"When we are inside, the feeling is the same as when we are inside a boat, there is only water around, and that is why we used clean glass from floor to ceiling, generating a perimeter terrace as happens on boats," said Guzmán.

Other projects by Zooco Estudio include a renovated house in Madrid and a co-working space with a kids' play area in California.

The photography is by David Zarzoso.

Project credits:

Architect: Zooco Estudio
Construction: Rotedama Constructora SL
Lighting: Zooco Estudio
Furniture: Zooco Estudio

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Australian studio Winwood McKenzie has extended a former worker's cottage in Northcote, Melbourne to create a house arranged around two courtyard gardens.

Named Quarry House, the home is located alongside the former Northcote Quarry and Brickworks – now the All Nations Park – and references the site's industrial past with a palette of exposed brick and concrete.

Constraints on the narrow site meant that the new spaces had to be accommodated across a single storey, and to ensure ample daylight Winwood McKenzie inserted a fernery and internal courtyard, splitting the home into three distinct areas.

"Due to the budget and a small site, the design had to evolve with clever responses to dealing with compact space and easily constructible but highly crafted architectural detail," said the studio.

"This gave impetus to think cleverly about adaptability, future use and the ability to contract and expand, allowing for the clients desired indoor-outdoor lifestyle," it continued.

"The design does not impede or draw attention to itself within the urban context, giving it the feeling of a secret garden."

Facing the street, the original white frontage and verandah was restored and refurbished with while tiles and a metal canopy, creating a covered seating area overlooking a small front garden.

Within the existing footprint of the worker's cottage two bedrooms and bathrooms, which look out onto a small fernery, were created.

To the south, a long corridor creates an axis connecting the old and new spaces of the home, leading into a living, dining and kitchen area that overlooks a central paved courtyard.

Defined by a concrete kitchen island, a wall of timber cupboards and exposed wooden ceilings this space forms the heart of the home, intended to provide an "inner-city oasis" for the family.

Full-height sliding glass doors open out onto the central courtyard, on the opposite side of which a multi purpose room, study space and laundry room were created.

"A concrete kitchen island rises from the concrete floor to create the new hearth of the home for a growing family, while the floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows and doors surround the courtyard but protect the interior from Melbourne’s inclement weather," said the studio.

In the new spaces, the exposed grey masonry walls were left exposed both internally and in the garden areas, intended to create the feeling of a single space in keeping with the desire for an "indoor-outdoor lifestyle".

A historic worker's cottage was also the subject of a contemporary renovation by Australian practice Studio Bright, which added a rear extension to a home in Melbourne wrapped by patterned breeze blocks.

The photography is by Rory Gardiner. 

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A spiralling staircase and concrete flooring characterise this renovation of a dilapidated row house in Mortsel, Belgium, designed by local studio Memo Architectuur.

Originally comprising two stacked apartments, Memo Architectuur overhauled the spaces to form a single-family home, adding an additional floor to align the building with the streetscape and maximise interior space.

"The residents wanted a light-filled home with spaces that seamlessly flowed into each other and where as much contact as possible would be encouraged," lead architect Yasmijn van Winkel told Dezeen.

"The only elements that have been preserved from the existing home are the front facade, the party walls, and the basement," she continued.

The 240-metre-square home opens up to an entryway, lined with blue ceramic tiles, that contains storage space and a small toilet.

Beyond the centralised staircase and utility area, the ground floor hosts an open-plan kitchen and dining room lit by openings to the home's south-facing garden.

Green-hued polished concrete flooring, raw concrete and wooden furniture bring cool, earthy tones to the home interior, which is decorated with leafy plants.

"The residents prioritized the use of natural and honest materials to foster a relaxed and homey ambience," van Winkel explained.

"Despite the vibrant array of colors, a sense of tranquility is achieved by embracing simplicity and straightforwardness in the material palette."

With a width of 4.75 metres and length of 16 metres, the studio was tasked with drawing light into the darker areas at the centre of the home.

To address this, the vertical circulation was relocated to the home's centre to operate as a light shaft, complemented by circular skylights and large openings at the building's front and back.

A curved, concrete upper floor hosts a living space that overlooks the kitchen area below, with floor-to-ceiling windows both drawing in sunlight and providing views of the garden.

Meanwhile, an additional living space is provided at the front of the home.

On the newly built second floor, the main bedroom opens into a large en-suite bathroom centred by a walk-in shower wrapped by a circular rail and curtain and crowned with an overhead skylight.

Pale blue ceramic tiles extensively line the bathroom and are contrasted by a white bathtub and blue sink fixtures.

The adjoining bedroom overlooks the garden below, while two smaller bedrooms are provided at the home's front.

Memo Architectuur is a studio based in Antwerp, Belgium, led by Eleni Daelemans and Van Winkel.

Other residential projects recently completed in Belgium include a courtyard house built from materials reclaimed from a demolished warehouse and a refurbished townhouse featuring a skylit atrium.

The photography is by Evenbeeld.

Project credits:

Design and execution architecture and interior: Atelier Welleman - Aster Welleman
Lighting plan: Moon Lighting
Structure engineer: Yuvico
Ground floor – polished concrete: Luconfloors
Concrete stairs: Betontrappen Tom Hermans
Window decoration (curtains): Bijloos Interieur
Outdoor windows and doors: Acobo

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French architect Ludwig Godefroy discusses how working in Mexico has helped him to develop his concrete-heavy style in this exclusive interview.

Hailing from Normandy in northern France, Godefroy opened his eponymous studio in Mexico City in 2011 and has since become known for his distinctive brutalist-style buildings that are often punctuated by geometric openings and passageways.

"Now I don't even know how to do architecture in France because it's been almost 20 years since I left my country," he told Dezeen. "I would consider myself much more of a Mexican architect now."

"It's given me a lot of freedom, because in France they would consider me as the Mexican and in Mexico they're considering me as the French," he added. "And I'm like, 'Well, consider whatever you want.' I'm in between, so I don't have to belong anymore."

Godefroy traces his affinity for brutalism back to a youth spent playing in abandoned second world war bunkers in the small fishing village where he grew up.

"I got very into brutalist [architecture] because of my sensibility for concrete, because of my childhood – those bunkers," he said.

His interest in the style was further cemented by studying the work of highly influential Swiss-French modernist Le Corbusier, who was a major focus of the curriculum during his architecture courses in Paris.

"I really like the fact that it's a very simple and honest architecture, without finishing," Godefroy said.

He explained that his projects, such as the Casa TO hotel in surf town Puerto Escondido, often reference the cavernous language of both bunkers and pyramids – a throughline he discovered between his birth country France and his new home in Mexico.

Having worked for studios in New York, Barcelona and Rotterdam, he settled in Mexico City in 2006.

"I wanted to live in a big city and I wanted to learn Spanish," he recalled.

Upon moving to Mexico, Godefroy became fascinated by the temples and pyramids of pre-Hispanic architecture found throughout the country.

"Finally, I could find a bridge between my two countries"

"I never saw pyramids before arriving in Mexico," he said. "I find very similar the bunkers of Normandy and the pyramids and temples of pre-Hispanic architecture that you find in Mexico."

"And it started to make sense to me. Finally, I could find a bridge between my two countries."

Mexico's warm climate further allowed him to explore the brutalist style and experiment with cutaways and voids.

"I discovered new opportunities in architecture, something that you could not do in France, because we have a very strong winter so you have to protect yourself from the cold," he said. "You cannot imagine an open house. Totally impossible."

"When I discovered all of this, it was like, 'Oh, that's exactly what I want to do in my life.'"

Now, Godefroy says he is keen to continue honing his particular version of contemporary brutalism.

"You have to choose at some point: do you want to be this kind of architect doing a little bit of everything – do a project made out of wood, made out of stone, aluminium and concrete depending on what you want to do at this precise moment?"

"Or do you want to follow a line and try to develop this, and try to get your architecture more mature from one project to another, try to get deeper into your style?"

"I think I'm trying to do this, I have to confess. But at the same time, you never know."

He believes that growing up in a fishing village has also influenced his own particular style and its close ties to the "honesty" of brutalism.

"I'm sure that something which is important is that I'm coming from a fisherman village," he said. "What I've learned from fishermen: they're very simple people. When they do something, it has to have a meaning. It's always very simple and very honest."

"This is why I like to integrate vernacular details in my architecture, because I'm coming from this culture of being simple. It's like when you are born in a small village, you do not pretend to be someone else."

Godefroy, who works primarily with concrete and wood, said that working in the Mexican countryside, in places like the Alférez region and Zicatela Beach, has informed his choice of materials as it keeps construction simple for local workers.

"I prefer to work in the countryside. I want the local workers. If I work in Oaxaca, I want the workers to be from Oaxaca; if I work in the Yucatán, I want them to be from Yucatán. I have to keep it simple because they are just like regular workers, they're not specialised workers."

"I got rid of what I started to consider unnecessary," he explained. "That's why I didn’t want to work any more with leather – if you're in a village and ask a worker to do leather on the wall, they would not know how to do it, the same with copper."

Godefroy explained that working with concrete provides "freedom" on-site, allowing him to adjust the final 20 per cent of a design as he and his team build.

"You have this opportunity in Mexico that we still have a very good balance between the price of the materials and the price of the labourers," he said.

"We don't have to work in everything prefabricated and shorten as much as possible time on the construction site."

"When you open this door, then you also open the possibility to work with a lot of stonework, to work on-site, to make more structural architecture."

For Godefroy, buildings having a sculptural quality is highly important.

"This is something I really like – the fact that architecture is sculptural, architecture is playing with light and shadow," he said.

"Architecture is playing with emotion. For me, architecture is not about resolving a floor plan – a real-estate builder can do that as good as an architect."

"The only thing a real-estate builder normally is not doing as good as an architect is putting emotion inside of a building."

"Obviously, when we talk about sustainability, concrete has a very bad reputation"

Godefroy addressed the criticism concrete receives as a material, which contributes up to 8 per cent of total global CO2 emissions, making it the most polluting building material worldwide.

He claimed that using wood has a similar environmental impact, especially as it relates to tree harvesting practices around the world.

"Obviously, when we talk about sustainability, concrete has a very bad reputation," said Godefroy. "We all think that it's a very dirty material. And everybody would think wood is the best. I don't think it's a good material and it's not sustainable – it's the same."

"The way we produce wood now is in a very industrial way. In Mexico, for example, they're cutting trees in an illegal way, which means they don't have any management. This is also something that would happen in countries like Brazil and Indonesia. The tropical woods, they're coming from those countries where it's impossible to really trace and control the origin of the wood."

He also believes concrete is more durable over time as opposed to wood, and requires less maintenance.

"Concrete has a very long life with a very low maintenance," he added. "Yes, the very first day on the table, if you compare me to another kind of construction, concrete would be the dirtiest one. But then after 30 years – low maintenance. The fact that I'm not using chemicals every year to protect my concrete, then in 30 years, we should talk again."

Ultimately, the architect believes earth is the only true sustainable material.

"I think the only way to be sustainable is to take the material from the ground, on your land," he said. "So I would say probably the only sustainable material is earth, if you have it."

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Green terrazzo is teamed with concrete and clay-toned plaster at Terzetto, a London flat extension that architecture studio ConForm Architects has modelled on bay windows.

Located in a conservation area in Hampstead, the sunken rear extension opens up the existing flat, ridding it of its low ceilings and dark interiors, while reorienting its living spaces towards the garden.

ConForm Architects' design is defined by its bold material palette, which marries green terrazzo, concrete and clay-coloured plaster and is used both inside and out.

Externally, these distinct materials have been combined to evoke the components of a bay window – which are a plinth, column and pediment. This gives rise to a geometric form that is angled away from the neighbouring homes, helping to minimise the visual impact on them.

Balancing the coldness of concrete plinths and terrazzo columns, the clay-toned plaster of the roof adds warmth to the home while referencing the red-brick architecture of the surrounding terrace.

"The plaster takes direct reference from the red brick above and the green terrazzo blending in with the green verdant garden setting," said ConForm.

"These finishes were all put together with precision," the studio continued. "The rougher clay surfaces against the flat terrazzo and concrete really add to the composition of the material palette."

Inside, Terzetto contains an open-plan kitchen and living room that opens to the outside, alongside two bedrooms and ample storage space.

Its updated floor plan is a flipped version of the original layout, with the living spaces brought to the rear and the bedrooms towards the front of the flat.

The bathroom and an en-suite have been positioned at the centre of the plan where it is darkest, ensuring the bedrooms and the living area look out onto the outdoors.

"The bedrooms were both at the rear of the property, with the kitchen-dining space at the front," ConForm Architects told Dezeen. "This created the awkward result of having to walk through the bedrooms to reach the garden."

The polished terrazzo columns that surround the main living space also jut into the neighbouring bedroom, where they frame a small nook for a desk.

A hidden sliding door in the living area can be used to create an additional guest bedroom or a private snug away from the dining space.

Surrounded by mature trees, hard landscaping in the rear garden is designed by ConForm Architects as a continuation of the concrete floor and geometric plinths featured in the extension.

Meanwhile, oak kitchen cabinetry, flooring, doors and window frames aim to add warmth to the home while helping to further the connection between the inside and out.

ConForm Architects carefully considered the positioning of windows throughout the home, with skylights and smaller glazed areas offering curated glimpses of the garden from the entrance.

Meanwhile, a large trapezoidal skylight in the extension allows the kitchen to be filled with natural light while maintaining privacy from neighbouring buildings. In the rear bedroom, a high-level window above the desk frames views out to the garden, thanks to the sunken position of the kitchen in the extension.

Green terrazzo also took centre stage in architect Tim Robinson's garden studio, where it was used to help blend the building into its surrounding tropical planting.

Elsewhere in London, Gundry & Ducker used white terrazzo throughout White Rabbit House, which is a colourful extension of a neo-Georgian house.

The photography is by James Reteif.

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Funnel-shaped concrete skylights illuminate a plant-filled courtyard at the centre of this home in Bangalore, India, which has been designed by local studio A Threshold to "blur boundaries between the inside and outside".

Named Ineffable Light, the four-storey family home is located on a tight urban plot with neighbouring buildings on three sides, which required the careful balancing of natural light and privacy.

In response, A Threshold opened-up the eastern facade of the home with glazed openings and stepped balconies and created a large skylit void at its centre, both of which are shaded by extensive planting.

"We aimed to evolve a design language that maximises the use of natural light, ventilation, and accessible green spaces within the home," explained the studio.

"This approach creates a more porous environment, giving rise to a series of connections and fostering interaction, further enhancing the users' way of life," it continued.

"It's an attempt to transform the space into a place, making the house into a home that celebrates life."

Entering through a shaded porch alongside a parking area, kitchen and home office, the organisation of the home has been split into two halves on either side of large existing tree at the front.

To the north, a more open "public" side contains living areas, which merge with the full-height atrium and are overlooked by a series of balconies and internal gardens at the rear of the home.

"The green terraces [of the facade] are also multiplied internally to become extensions of living and bedroom spaces, offering a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living," described the studio.

"Interconnected green courtyards, overlapping sections and levels allow residents to have visual connectivity throughout the house."

To the south, the more private half of the building contains bathroom and bedrooms, which open onto and overlook the atrium and balconies through bi-folding windows and wooden shutters.

Looking to use light as a "significant material", the private side of the home is much darker than the public, creating transitions between lighting conditions that are likened by the practice to traditional Indian temples.

"Drawing inspiration from the quality of light in traditional Indian temples, the intensity of darkness increases as one moves from outside to inside," added the studio.

This quality is reflected in the internal finishes, with dark wood used in areas with less illumination and exposed concrete and white walls in the brighter, communal areas.

Previous projects by A Threshold include a subterranean community centre in Bangalore, which was designed around a series of freestanding brick walls intended to resemble "ancient ruins", which was longlisted in the sustainable building category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

The photography is by Atik Bheda.

Project credits:

Client: Shashi Kumar N
Project architects, design team: Avinash Ankalge, Harshith Nayak, Sameed Ahmed, Karthik Krishna
Execution team / builder:  Manjunath BR, design2konstruct.
Structural consultants: Radiance
Civil contractor: Design2konstruct
Landscape: A Threshold

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Large translucent windows bring a lantern-like quality to Check Patterned House, a concrete home in Saitama, Japan, completed by local studio IGArchitects.

Designed for a family of three with a limited budget, the home occupies a 70-square-metre site and is planned around two large concrete blocks.

These blocks provide structural support and contain service spaces, allowing the remaining walls to be finished with full-height glazing, creating a gridded facade that informed the project's name – Check Patterned House.

"Since the site is a prominent corner lot, we thought of a heroic way to build it that would be appropriate for the site," IGArchitects founder Masato Igarashi told Dezeen.

"As it would be costly to build a foundation for the entire building, two concrete blocks were erected like columns, and slabs were cantilevered from these concrete blocks without foundations," it continued.

"These wall pillars enclose private functions which don't require big windows, such as entrance, bathroom, toilet, storage, and pipe space," he added.

Located at the northeastern and southwestern corners of the site, the concrete volumes are bridged by open living areas and bedrooms across the home's two storeys.

These living spaces are wrapped by translucent glazing to provide light while maintaining privacy. At night, the glow from the glass creates a lantern-like effect.

Check Patterned House's entrance leads through into an open-plan living, dining and kitchen space opposite a bedroom, with a concrete stair leading up to a second bedroom and a workspace.

Wood-framed, sliding windows in the translucent facade allow both floors to be partially opened to the exterior. Outside, a small paved route and area of planting wrap the perimeter of the site.

The concrete corner blocks and floor plate are left exposed and teamed with wooden floors, timber partition walls and sliding doors that allow the interiors to be easily modifiable in future.

"This house is well insulated, but even inside you can feel the texture of the exterior concrete pour," Igarashi told Dezeen. "In other words, you feel like you are inside the house but still outside."

"The client's desire for concrete and cost are of course important factors, but the design theme of this project is to allow for other uses beyond the framework of the house in the future," he added.

Many of IGArchitects' projects focus on creating deliberately simple and adaptable residential spaces.

Previous examples include a home designed as "one big room" and a residence supported by a single concrete column to create open living spaces.

The photography is by Ooki Jingu.

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Architecture studio Linehouse has refurbished the CentralWorld shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand, introducing a double-layered facade punctured by arches.

According to Linehouse, the revamped facade and seven floors of retail space depart from typical shopping centres by drawing from the history of the site and creating opportunities for "peace in the chaos".

"The design conceptually explores contradictions between the chaotic and peaceful nature of Bangkok, offering a moment of respite in a dense urban district," the studio told Dezeen.

"Located in an area once abundant in lily pads, we examined the stemming, radiating and circular profile of the lily pads, translating this into a spatial narrative to the exterior and interior condition," it continued.

Linehouse used CentralWorld's existing structure as an underlay for its design. The updated facades are formed of concrete arches applied over the original elevation to frame views of the inside.

"The existing perimeter skin of the facade was treated as black render and a secondary skin in concrete formwork was applied to break the regular rhythm of the column structure," Linehouse explained.

Openings are carved behind several of the external arches to host terraces and add visual porosity to the shopping centre.

"We punctured a series of terraces offering exterior gardens for the food and beverage floors, providing a depth to an otherwise flat elevation and blurring the exterior-interior condition," the studio said.

Internally, a central atrium rises between the retail floors, shifting as it ascends to create a network of overlapping ceiling planes.

To support the shifting planes, Linehouse treated existing structural columns with radiating white fins that branch out to form distinctive canopies.

"Upon entering the interior, one is transported to space full of light and volume, offering a meditative journey away from the intensity of the surrounding streets," the studio said.

"As one ascends the interior atrium, the ceiling plane treatment shifts in materiality, beginning with tectonic green metal grids, evolving to natural and tactile textures, timber trellis and woven cane ceilings."

A food hall occupies the shopping centre's fourth floor and was configured to overlook the neighbouring park from the rounded facade opening.

Understated, neutral materials such as timber and stone line the interior to help create a calm atmosphere.

Linehouse is a Hong Kong and Shanghai-based architecture and interior design studio established in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling. The duo won the emerging interior designer of the year category at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.

The studio has also recently designed the interiors for a Hong Kong residence that respond to coastal views and a Shanghai restaurant with arched details informed by the New Wave art movement.

The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud and Depth of Field.

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German studio Atelier ST has completed Duplex, a generous family house near Leipzig that was designed to look like two semi-detached properties.

Home to a family of four, the residence spreads across two matching gabled blocks. They sit side by side, although one is positioned further forward than the other.

Atelier ST founders Silvia Schellenberg-Thaut and Sebastian Thaut said the aim was to satisfy the family's requirements for space while also creating a building that looked at home in the small-scale suburban neighbourhood.

"It was clear to us from the beginning that we needed to create a building that fitted into the context in terms of its proportions and silhouette, but also radiated a certain radicalism," explained the couple.

"Only upon entering the building does the complexity reveal itself," they told Dezeen.

The starting point for the design came from a "run-down and mould-infested" house that stood on the site previously. Comprising a main house and an extension, it set a precedent for a double-peak roof.

The arrangement allows the building's interior to be more complex than it appears from the outside, with split-level floors and a range of ceiling heights.

In particular, a setback on the first floor turns the main living room into a grand double-height space.

Atelier ST's clients previously lived in the city, in a converted school auditorium with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. This led to the use of arches and circles for doorways and windows.

The most striking is the main entrance, a circular glazing reveal with timber mullions.

The building structure is primarily built from concrete, which was cast against wooden boards to create a texture that resonates with the neighbouring woodland.

"The site is directly adjacent to a forest of deciduous trees with thick trunks and rough bark," said Schellenberg-Thaut and Thaut.

"Rough-cast concrete, created with boards of different widths and depths, seemed to us a suitable response."

To improve the building's eco-credentials, the architects chose a low-cement concrete that serves as both a load-bearing structure and exterior facade. The foundations are meanwhile built from recycled concrete.

"The building is insulated with an innovative, natural hemp-lime insulation on the inside of the exterior walls," said the pair.

The split-level floors create natural divides between rooms.

On the ground floor, they allow the kitchen to sit slightly slower than the living room. Upstairs, they separate the main bedroom suite from two further bedrooms and a study.

"One of our main goals is to always generate a floor plan that is tailored to the needs of its users like a good suit," added Schellenberg-Thaut and Thaut.

"The idea here was to create generously sized rooms with a connection to nature on the ground floor and secluded, private retreat areas upstairs," they continued.

"We wanted the family to feel at home immediately and, at the same time, like they are on vacation."

Other innovative residential designs in Germany include an aluminium-clad micro home and a "crystal-like" concrete house.

The photography is by Clemens Poloczek.

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New York studio CAZA has completed a cast-concrete house in the Philippines, aiming to optimise passive cooling and natural ventilation.

FR House comprises a series of "concrete cubes" that facilitate cross-ventilation and regulate the building's temperature at the warmest times of the day.

According to Carlos Arnaiz, founder of CAZA, this is essential in a climate that is hot and humid year-round.

"Concrete was chosen for its efficiency in combining thermal mass and structural volume, allowing for effective cooling of the house while minimising the space required for the structure," he told Dezeen.

"The concrete absorbs heat during the hot, sunny days, keeping the living areas cool. When the temperature drops, the heat is released into the interiors," added Arnaiz.

FR House is located in Punta Fuego, a seaside town on the west coast of the Philippines' largest island, Luzon. CAZA, which has a satellite studio in nearby Manila, designed it as the home for a couple who had previously lived abroad.

"Upon returning to the Philippines, they wanted to create their own architectural haven for relaxation and entertainment, a personalised slice of paradise inspired by their love for innovative designs," said Arnaiz.

Set into a slope, the 660-square-metre house is laid out over two main storeys with a basement underneath.

On the ground floor, bedrooms and bathrooms are organised into four distinct quadrants. In between runs a connecting corridor, a staircase and a casual lounge.

Also on this level is a swimming pool and courtyard, flanked on the opposite side by a shaded, open-air staircase that provides a second route up to the floor above.

The upper level takes the form of a glazed box, containing a combined living room, kitchen and dining space. This opens out to a balcony with a view of the seafront.

"The clients' brief was for a house that balances reservation and self-expression," said Arnaiz.

"The emphasis was on creating a home that connects with nature, particularly an existing acacia tree on the property. Additionally, the clients sought a residence suitable for hosting large gatherings of friends and family, with a specific requirement for social spaces that offer compelling views of the ocean."

Despite the passive cooling strategies, an air conditioning system is fitted in some parts of the house.

However, thanks to the layout, its use is limited. It is only installed in the inner rooms, leaving the rest of the building naturally ventilated, and it is not required all the time.

"The passive cooling strategies have been highly effective – they led to a remarkable reduction of over 50 per cent in energy usage compared to the norm," Arnaiz claimed.

Rooms on the lower level are more private than those above. Instead of windows, light enters via angular skylights that capture different views of the ocean, sky and garden.

"The skylights serve as both optical and environmental functions, connecting each room to the sky and acting as air valves and heat extraction chimneys," added Arnaiz.

"These elements contribute to cross-ventilation within the house and minimise the need for mechanical cooling."

FR House is one of several projects that CAZA has been working on in the Philippines, including a new building for the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.

The studio's other works in the country include the 100 Walls Church in Cebu City and a proposal for a hospital that serves as a model for rural healthcare.

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

Project credits

Architect: CAZA
Engineering consultant: RN Ferrer & Associates
Project manager: Argee Militante

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An elevated box formed of exposed concrete forms the Meditation Chapel in Incheon, South Korea, designed by local studio Atelier Koma and architect Lee Eunsok.

Located near the coast of Gangwha County, the chapel sits at the top of a site that slopes down towards the sea, hugged from behind by dense forest and mountains.

Atelier Koma and Eunsok raised it above ground level on a concrete terrace that is dug into this slope, sheltering an entrance route that leads directly into the elevated worship spaces.

"The simple chapel volume, set in the vast nature, is constructed as a lifted box, signifying a separation from the secular world," explained Eunsok.

"It allows [visitors] to reach the open sky quickly and succinctly, and to stand directly as solitary individuals before the divine," he added.

Alongside the main worship space on the first floor, which is named the Sea Chapel, the building contains two smaller prayer spaces. These are the Closet Chapel and the Sky Chapel, both of which have been given a distinct character.

In the Sea Chapel, pews face an altar that stands in front of a large horizontal window, framing a view out over the ocean and distant mountains.

On the opposite wall, an organ is built into the exposed concrete, while narrow stained-glass windows are set within deep, faceted reveals on the southeast side.

"The 12 funnel-shaped, stained-glass windows serve as metaphors of nature," said Eunsok.

"Unlike the coloured glass of medieval churches that tried to concretely express the contents of the Bible, here, they fill the interior and exterior with the abstract motif of greenery, enabling visitors to continuously perceive nature," he continued.

The second-floor Closet Chapel is a smaller space intended for more private worship and contemplation. It is illuminated by a skylight that projects from the southeastern side of the building.

On the roof is the Sky Chapel, which offers 360-degree views of the surrounding landscape to create a "complete sense of awe". This rooftop space can be accessed independently of the building using an external spiral stair made of metal.

Both inside and out, the exposed concrete of the chapel's structure has been left exposed, as part of a minimalist design approach that is echoed in the blocky wooden furniture.

Other contemporary chapels recently featured on Dezeen include a wedding chapel in China by Syn Architects that is topped by an illuminated "moon" and a minimalist concrete chapel in Mexico by WRKSHP.

The photography is by Lim Juneyoung (Urban Azit) and Kim Yongseong.

Project credits:

Architect: Lee Eunseok and Atelier Koma
Project team: Atelier Koma
Stained Glass Artist: Chung Kyungmi
Orgelbau Meister: Hong Seonghun
Structural engineer: Edun Struc.
Equipment engineer: Jusung Eng.
Mechanical engineer: Jusung Eng.
Electrical engineer: Hangil Eng.
General contractor: Eldream Construction
Client: Sangok Church

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Dutch studio Kaan Architecten has added a visitor centre to the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, with a concrete form that references American memorial architecture.

The only American cemetery on Dutch soil, the Netherlands American Cemetery (NEAC) was dedicated in 1960 across a 26.5-hectare site near Maastricht to commemorate soldiers who died in the second world war.

In 2017, Kaan Architecten was commissioned by the American Battle Monuments Commission to add a visitor centre to the landscaped site, providing a small display space and an auditorium.

To respect the cemetery's existing "monumental ensemble" and reference American memorial architecture, the studio created a concrete and glass form that would "claim its own space while blending into the greater whole".

"The United States has a strong tradition when it comes to memorials," Kaan Architecten co-founder Vincent Panhuysen told Dezeen.

"Just look around in DC – one memorial after another," he continued.

"Many wars and struggles for freedom are commemorated, all designed and built in a very solid manner with the intention of preserving these sacrifices for eternity," added Panhuysen.

"All these monuments are significant constructions, carved in stone and cast in concrete, with the purpose of enduring for many generations. This inspiring concept has set the tone for the design of this building for us," he continued.

Located east of the cemetery's central court of honour, a winding pathway framed by trees gently slopes downwards into a concrete patio at the front of the visitor centre. Here, a row of concrete blocks provides seating.

The ground floor of the centre is wrapped entirely by full-height glazing, which is installed with minimal framing to make it "almost invisible".

Above, a facade of layered, poured concrete surrounds the upper story. Supported by the internal concrete walls, this allows a small light gap to be created between the facade and the roof.

"From a distance, the building appears as nothing more than a floating stone above the grass," said Panhuysen. "The museum within and beneath the hollowed-out stone is hardly visible from the outside, while the landscape and cemetery are ever-present from within."

Inside, the wood-lined auditorium and visitor facilities sit at the centre of the space behind poured concrete walls that mirror the appearance of the exterior.

Curved nooks at each corner of the auditorium aim to "enhance the perception of spaciousness" for the display areas, which tell the personal stories of some of those buried in the cemetery.

Led by Kees Kaan, Panhuysen and Dikkie Scipio, Kaan Architecten has offices in Rotterdam, São Paolo and Paris. The studio previously looked to ideas of monumentality in its extension of the Museum Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn.

Other recent projects by the studio include the Loenen Pavilion, which offers space to rest and reflect in another Dutch war cemetery.

The photography is by Simon Menges.

Project credits:

Architect: Kaan Architecten
Landscape designer: Karres + Brands landschapsarchitecten B.V., Hilversum
Structural designer and supervisor: Pieters Bouwtechniek, Delft
Civil designer and supervisor: Smits Rinsma, Zutphen
Mechanical and electrical designer and supervisor: HP Engineers, Gent
Building physics supervisor: DGMR, The Hague
Fire safety engineer: DGMR, The Hague
Acoustics advisor: DGMR, The Hague
Building costs advisor: B3 Bouwadviseurs, Wassenaar
Site coordination supervisor: INEX Architecten, Maastricht
Main contractor: Groep Van Roey, Rijkevorsel
Structural engineer: DeClerk & Partners, Waregem
Structural engineer contractor: C T de Boer, Nieuwegein
Mechanical engineer: Deltha, Diepenbeek
Electrical engineer: Maris, Heusden-Zolder
Civil engineer: Dirix, Elsloo

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Danish studios EFFEKT and CF Møller Architects have completed the Svendborg International Maritime Academy in Denmark, using an exposed concrete frame to echo its industrial surrounds.

Overlooking the harbour in the North Quay of the former port city Svendborg, the 12,500-square-metre centre unites several previously separate departments of Svendborg International Maritime Academy (SIMAC), providing combined study spaces for 1,000 students.

EFFEKT and CF Møller Architects designed a "resilient grid" for the building formed of prefabricated concrete elements, which nods to the surrounding architecture and is divided with glass partitions to create teaching spaces that can be easily modified or adapted in future.

"We set out with the desire to create an extremely raw and transparent grid structure, contextually adapted to its industrious setting while capable of staging the school's workshop-based content," explained CF Møller Architects partner Mads Mandrup.

"[It is] a scaffolding of spatial possibilities, centred around encouraging young people to encounter and exchange ideas through informal meetings, both within and out towards its surroundings, activating the whole harbour front of Svendborg," Mandrup added.

SIMAC's teaching spaces are organised across five storeys around a central 20-metre-high atrium. Lined with balconies, this atrium visually connects each level to a communal seating area on the ground floor.

Double-height spaces house specialist workshops alongside conventional offices and classrooms, with the glass partitions intended to "stimulate communication and informal exchange" between areas, said the studios.

On the roof is a communal terrace for students and staff, providing both internal and external spaces with expansive views out across the harbour framed by the hollow concrete grid.

Taking cues from the raw concrete structure, interior finishes have been kept minimal and unfinished, with exposed ducting and steel balustrades. Social areas are visually softened by wooden details, including an area of tiered seating.

On the building's exterior, panels of glazing and corrugated metal have been pulled back to express the concrete structure. In each corner, the grid is cut away to create sheltered external areas for the cafe and canteen, which are open to the public.

"You see the same raw, minimalist exposed column-girder structure both from the outside and the inside," said EFFEKT co-founder Sinus Lynge.

"The space essentially flows through the building's structure, and the intriguing aspect concerning the concrete elements is that SIMAC's structure is the architecture," he added.

SIMAC is the first project to be completed as part of a wider masterplan for a new district in Svendborg, which is set to transform 5.5 hectares of industrial area with new education, business and residential buildings.

Elsewhere, EFFEKT also recently completed Denmark's first treetop walkway at the Hamaren Activity Park in Fyresdal and CF Møller Architects created the headquarters for Lego in Billund with a bright yellow atrium.

The photography is by Rasmus Hjortshøj.

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Brazilian architect Marcelo Couto and landscape designer Rodrigo Oliveira have created a cantilevering house with multiple courtyards and an interior staircase with a slide attached in Fazenda da Grama, São Paulo.

The concrete house with delicate wooden screens and heavy weathering steel elements is known as the Serra Residence. Located in Fazenda da Grama, São Paulo, the 12,809-square foot (1,190-square metre) house was completed in 2022.

The house is composed of three linear sections: two running parallel north to south on the ground floor and the third stacked on top crossing the lower floors, creating a U-shaped plan.

"The project was built upon the challenge presented by the clients' program: two twin brothers and their families with children of different ages, all desiring to share and enjoy the house simultaneously while preserving private areas," Marcelo Couto Architecture told Dezeen.

"Independent, parallel, and overlapping blocks with defined uses create built, semi-covered, and open spaces, integrating with lush gardens, water mirrors, decks, pools, all in complete harmony."

The plan is organized into three levels. The lowest level is semi-buried in the site's slope and contains a garage, flexible space and service areas.

The main level is divided into two halves.

The larger bar on the north section features two structural end walls and four large columns.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing runs along both sides creating a breezy, light-filled space for living, dining, and sitting by the large fireplace.

Two staircases float within the space and feature slides that playfully drop down into the underground level.

The smaller bar on the southern side of the plan stacks three-bedroom suites along a long corridor, followed by a sauna with a private garden, and ends in a kitchen.

These lower sections are connected by an expansive covered outdoor kitchen and dining area.

Above, the crossbar contains another four-bedroom suites with either end cantilevering over the main level with portal-like balconies.

"The idea was to create a solution that harmonized with the terrain using transparencies, a fluid relationship between interior and exterior, addressing natural ventilation, sunlight, and controlling high temperatures in the region through the use of louvers, dense landscaping, generous eaves and water mirrors," the team said.

Predominantly finished in exposed concrete and glass, the home also features untreated wood cladding and shading screens.

The retaining and closing walls are made of multi-coloured basalt and white cement to give texture and tonal variety.

Rodrigo Oliveira Paisagismo designed the landscaped areas as "a lush tropical garden that deconstructed the straight lines of the architecture and embraced the house, bringing visual and thermal comfort," the landscape studio told Dezeen.

Within the sloping, tree-lined property are five distinct gardens and five individual water features.

On the northwestern side of the living room section, a lawn leads to a rectangular lap pool and a hot tub.

The central courtyard features lush plantings that transition to a tranquil reflecting pool, spanned by a boardwalk on the northeastern side of the plan.

A private linear garden runs along the southeastern perimeter of the house, accessed through the bedrooms.

On the upper level, two shallow troughs – or "water mirrors" – run along the roof of the living room bar, creating a water-framed terrace with a planted roof and a fire pit. The roof of the bedroom bar is also planted.

"The success of this project undoubtedly lay in the perfect harmony among the architectural, structural, and landscaping professionals and projects," the team said.

Also recently completed in São Paulo is a renovated brick house with a pub in the basement by Goiva.

The photography is by Maíra Acayaba.

Project credits:

Architectural Design: Marcelo Couto Architecture
Structural Design: Modus Engineering
Installations Design: Etip
Landscaping Design: Rodrigo Oliveira Landscaping

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