Architecture

Bamboo-framed majlis installed at Venice Architecture Biennale as model of nomadic architecture Architects Simón Vélez and Stefana Simic have worked with craftspeople from Colombia, Morocco and Italy to create The Majlis, which recreates a traditional Islamic gathering space from bamboo and handwoven textiles. The structure is installed in the gardens of the Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice for the 2021 edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale. It aims to bring wider attention to the global importance of majlis, which feature on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Majlis structure is made from bamboo and hand-woven textiles In pre-Islamic Arabia, a...

The Venice Architecture Biennale Kicks Off—And This Exhibition Will Steal the Show The theme of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition revolves around sustainability All images are courtesy of the Venice Architecture Biennale While many events in Europe are still canceled, one reigns on—the 17th International Architecture Exhibition, which kicked off on May 22 in Venice. This year’s theme of the Venice Architecture Biennale is “How will we live together?” and showcases more than 100 exhibitors from 46 countries, which will be on view through November 21. At the Italian Pavilion, one exhibit is bound to steal the show. “Plasticity,” as...

Washington ferry terminal informed by Native American longhouses Seattle firm LMN Architects worked with the Coast Salish tribes to design the Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal on a sacred waterfront in Washington State. Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal is a two-storey building and a toll booth serving the Mukilteo-Clinton transport route for vehicles and pedestrians. A metal spindle whorl decorates the exterior Built to replace the 1957 terminal building, LMN Architects designed the new complex to be both environmentally sustainable and respectful of the site's history as the fishing and burial grounds of the Coast Salish tribes. The ferry terminal takes the form...

Black wood and glass volumes stagger down Oregon woodland to form Royal house US architecture firm William Kaven Architecture has stepped a black house with expansive balconies down a wooded ground to overlook an Oregon forest. Two stacked rectangular volumes clad with black siding by Aspyre and large windows comprise the geometric 4,352-square-foot (404.3-square-metre) house, which is set on a concrete foundation. The house called Royal is situated on one of nine plots owned by the local studio and its partners that extend into Forest Park, an urban forest with hiking trails, near downtown Portland. "Royal is the first of...

Schemata Architects designs tiny Nakamata sweet shop in Maebashi Tokyo studio Schemata Architects has designed a confectionery store in Maebashi, Japan, with a courtyard to help open up and revive a shopping street that was on the decline. The Nakamata sweet shop is located on a once-busy street that was at risk of becoming a so-called "shutter street" – a street in Japan where most of the stores have been closed up. Above: the store sells traditional Japanese sweets. Top image: it is located in Maebashi To combat the decline of the street, the Maebashi Machinaka Agency was founded in...