Architecture

MVRDV, in collaboration with local co-architects ACS Integrated and PWA Architects, has broken ground on a 12,000-square-meter mixed-use office block in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Known as the Veranda Offices, the 8-story building draws inspiration from local Sri Lankan weaving patterns, creating a system of flexible interior office spaces that open onto verandas and panoramic glass windows.

This narrow 18th century house in the south west of the Netherlands had been in decay since the 70’s when it lost its historical exterior and had lain empty for several years. Essentially reduced to just a 3-meter wide shell by the time the owner purchased it, the property, like similar houses in the area, presented a number of challenges to overcome before it could become a modern and workable home – long dark corridors, poor privacy caused by the ground floor windows facing the street, and critically a lamentable lack of daylight throughout the house. Dutch architect Tim de Graag recently finished the transformation of this residence.

Architectural Record has released the 2017 edition of its annual list of the “Top 300 Architecture Firms” in the United States. Compiled by Record‘s sister publication Engineering News-Record, the list ranks firms based on architectural revenue from the previous year (2016). This year, the top 4 firms held fast to their spots, led by Gensler with a record-best $1.19 billion in revenue. Moving into the top 5 was HOK, while the designation of biggest mover in the top 25 belongs to Dallas-based Corgan, who jumped from 22nd place in 2016 to 14th this year.

314’s refurbishment proposal of a summer house is set on a western cliff of corfu island in greece, covered in olive trees and surrounded by sea.
The post studio 314 refurbish summer house in corfu embracing local architecture appeared first on design…

Initially built by native dwellers 2000 years ago and rebuilt for modern society over a century ago are 181 miles of canals that bring water to the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona. These canals often go unnoticed, as the city has largely turned their back on these assets until recently. Canal House is a new home inspired by the forms of the missions in southern Arizona on a left over, irregularly shaped vacant lot along the Arizona Canal. The Ranch Mine designed the home to be a beacon, glimmering in the sun with its rusted, corrugated metal roof, drawing focus to the life giving resource slicing through the gridded city.

Ah, clients. Sadly, we can’t all be paper architects, dreaming up improbable futures (and even the members of Archigram eventually settled down to found studios that actually build stuff). As a result, we’re forced to work with people who often think that just because they’re paying for our services, they own us like slaves. They come in many different varieties, from the client that thinks that everything is an emergency to the client that obsesses over the design budget. The following infographic produced by “startup studio and accelerator” Coplex will help you diagnose your own clients—and more importantly, offers some tips on how best to deal with them to make your life easier.