Articles by Pilar Caballero

At a compact 700 square feet (65 square meters), this weekend getaway in Napoles, Ecuador goes back to basics and celebrates the vernacular architecture of its surroundings. The home’s four primary materials—locally sourced brick, steel, concrete, and glass—interact through simple and pure forms, dappled by an interplay of lights and shadows. In addition to sourcing local materials, Make Estudio, the Design-Build division of PJCArchitecture in Ecuador, employed local craftsmen and crew members to create this hidden gem. The resultant “tiny” home contains one bedroom, one bathroom, and a flexible loft space, and features a passive solar design to accommodate the rapidly shifting temperatures of its locale.

The Roxbury House marries art and landscape in intimate and broad moments. The house is positioned uphill and on the edge of the 12-acre property to strategically take advantage of prevailing winds for natural ventilation and to minimize site disturbance, allowing the existing open meadow and forest to support local wildlife and native vegetation. The undulating roofs and their deep overhangs simultaneously draw in sunlight at different times of the day and frame landscape views while also reducing direct glare and solar heat gain. Rainwater management— through a series of rain gardens and retention ponds— mitigate erosion along the steep terrain.

Co’met brings together three distinct programs in a new and powerful architectural image. The Arena, the convention center, and the exhibition center come together in a spectacular sequence along the southern entrance to Orléans. The whole constitutes a vast multifunctional facility, a unique tool for sports, culture and events. By installing the functions in a way that is both distinct and continuous, Co’met drastically changes the perception of the entrance to the Orleans metropolis.

At the beginning there was a large plot on the outskirts of Bratislava, overlooking the forest. And also a large, growing family, with a desire to live in a brick house. However, the orientation of the plot was difficult, with new family houses quickly growing up in the neighbourhood. So the idea of three massive houses, interconnected by light, transparent spaces, arose. Thus, the sun and daylight will reach all the rooms, and the family will have a sense of privacy, even if the house stands in a built-up area.

Located in the culturally rich district of Deep Ellum, The Stack is a mixed-used building that transforms work environments, provides for occupants’ well-being, and embraces the cultural history of the area.