California studio Kadre Architects has used bold graphics and vibrant colours to transform a dilapidated motel into The Alvarado, which offers beds for families experiencing homelessness.
Designed by local firm Kadre Architects, the adaptive reuse project involved converting a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-metre) motel built in 1984 into a shelter for families transitioning out of homelessness in LA’s Westlake neighbourhood, one block north of MacArthur Park.
Kadre Architects transformed a former motel into a homeless shelter
The Alvarado project was led by Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partner, Hope the Mission. It was designed and completed in eight months.
The four-storey building contains 43 units with a total of 172 beds, along with support spaces and offices.
The building has a graphic blue and white facade that spells HOPE
The Alvarado project was led by Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partner, Hope the Mission. It was designed and completed in eight months.
The four-storey building contains 43 units with a total of 172 beds, along with support spaces and offices.
Bold colours feature throughout the building
The majority of tenants are single mothers and children. The project is part of the state of California’s Project Homekey initiative, which provides funding for local governments to rapidly create housing for the homeless.
Working on a limited budget, the architects opted to use bold colours and graphics to bring “new life to the blighted building”.
The entrance facade formerly had a pale green colour and Italianate-style detailing. The team replaced it with a blue-and-white graphic that spells out “Hope”.
“Paint goes a long way when budgets are low, and the welcoming graphic greets each resident with an inspiring message, creating a sense of belonging and dignity,” the team said.
Graphics in hues such as yellow, purple and green are also found indoors, providing a sense of “moving through a colourful composition”.
The shelter contains space for 172 beds, offices and support spaces
“[We] used the palette to enliven spaces and bring about a sense of ownership, with each floor having its own graphic identity throughout each of the rooms, floors, walls and furnishings – like one’s own neighborhood,” the team said.
The ground level holds a covered gathering area and support spaces. The upper three levels encompass the living units, each of which has bunk beds, a bathroom, a microwave and small refrigerator. The units average 280 square feet (26 square metres).
The building was originally built in 1984
An outdoor area has been transformed into a dining deck for tenants, who are provided three meals each day.
The project has a number of sustainable features, including drought-tolerant landscaping and a white-painted roof that helps reduce heat gain. A photovoltaic array meets about half of the building’s energy needs.
A gathering space is located on the ground floor
“Collaborating closely with the contractors and specialty consultants, the architects were able to eliminate fossil fuels completely and switch the entire building to electric power, in-step with the goals of the California Energy Commission,” the team said.
The project marks the first of three designed by Kadre Architects and Hope the Mission. The other two are slated to open later this year.
It forms part of California’s Project Homekey initiative
They are all part of the state’s Project Homekey initiative, which aims to address California’s escalating homelessness crisis. In 2022, there were over 171,000 homeless people in the state. About 30 per cent of the nation’s homeless population lives in California, according to a federal government report.
The founder of Kadre Architects, Nerin Kadribegovic, is a third-generation architect who has experienced “chaotic social and environmental disruption” due to being a refugee of the wars in Yugoslavia and Bosnia.
His refugee experience ignited his interest in addressing complex urban problems like homelessness.
It is located in the Westlake neighbourhood in Los Angeles
“This awareness evokes deep empathic connection to critical issues facing metropolitan urban centers around the world,” said his studio.
Prior to launching Kadre, Nerin was a partner at the LA-based studio Lehrer Architects, which has designed a number of housing projects for the homeless in Los Angeles. These include an apartment complex in the Willowbrook neighbourhood with shared patios and splashes of yellow, and a tiny home village on a narrow plot in North Hollywood.
Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson set up the brand’s annual craft prize to decode the “chintz” and “pastiche” associations of the discipline, he tells Dezeen in this interview.
Luxury fashion house Loewe recently announced the sixth winner of its annual craft prize at NYCxDesign, which celebrates applied arts and innovation in modern craftsmanship.
A spiky egg sculpture by Japanese ceramicist Eriko Inazaki was selected for the 2023 award from more than 2,700 entries.
“It became chintz”
Anderson established The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2016 in an effort to honour the brand’s 19th-century origins as a leather-making craft collective.
Speaking to Dezeen at the awards ceremony for the prize at The Noguchi Museum in Brooklyn, he explained he also wanted to redefine contemporary understandings of artisanal production.
“I think from the ’80s onwards, [craft] had become this thing which was linked to mid-century, it was pastiche,” said Anderson.
“In Britain, for example, there was a lot of money put into crafts and the Arts Council to boost this idea of making, and then it became maybe chintz at some point.”
The winning sculpture by Eriko Inazaki (front) was displayed among an exhibition of shortlisted projects at NYCxDesign. Photo courtesy of Loewe
“The reason why I set the prize up was to try to sort of decode that,” he told Dezeen. “It was like it wasn’t marketed right. The work was there, but the platform was not there.”
Young creatives are now becoming interested in craft once again, he suggested.
“I think younger people are starting to realise that, as much as it’s interesting being a contemporary artist, it can be just as interesting to be a rug maker or to make ceramics or to work with wood,” said Anderson.
“It’s a less sort of diminished form of the arts.”
“I am probably a shopaholic”
Before being appointed by Loewe in 2014, Anderson founded his eponymous label, JW Anderson.
Although differentiated by what Anderson describes as an “angst” at JW Anderson and a “heightened perfection” at Loewe, the two brands share an emphasis on art, design, craft and interiors.
His collections at Loewe often incorporate elements of applied arts – bringing in collaborators and craftspeople, such as metal artist Elie Hirsch who created solid copper and pewter jackets for its Autumn Winter 2023 collection.
Loewe also presented a collection of decorated wooden chairs during Milan design week that were created by global artisans.
“Art for me is always going to be a language no matter what brand I’m in,” he said. “Because I think this is a way for me to kind of explain to the consumer, what I love, or things that I’m fascinated with.”
Anderson works with the internal architectural team to design stores. Photo by Adrià Cañameras
The Northern Irish designer’s love of craft and art extends to the conception of store interiors for both of his brands.
JW Anderson recently unveiled its first flagship store in Milan during Milan design week, designed by Anderson in collaboration with 6a Architects.
“I sometimes feel like I fell into doing fashion but ultimately the interior part is what I love the most,” he said.
“The thing I love about interiors is, it is a singular kind of environment. Whereas fashion is like a transient period that goes in different environments. I quite like with interiors the control that you can have within space.”
He described his love of shopping for items to appear in stores.
“I think I am probably a shopaholic,” he said. “I could be at an auction or be in a gallery and I’ll be like, ‘oh, that’s perfect for Korea or that’s perfect for…’.”
“I think it just adds this element and a pleasingness for a consumer to go in and to a store and to see an original Rennie Mackintosh chair.”
Anderson feels that for Loewe, the design of stores is sometimes more important than fashion shows.
“I think stores can be more than just like these commercial vehicles,” he said. “I think, for me, the store is just as important as doing a show. It’s sort of even more important because they have to last longer.”
“I’m in a very lucky position at Loewe where I decide everything,” he added. “I have an internal architectural team, but I decide every artwork, I decide every door handle, every fixture.”
However, that does not tempt Anderson to cross over from fashion into interiors permanently.
“I enjoy it because it’s probably more like a hobby,” he said. “It’s something that distracts me from what I do as a day job, but I do it because of the stage of Loewe or JW Anderson.
“But I would never see it as something where I would be like, ‘oh, I’m going to be an interior designer’,” he continued. “There are other people out there that are actually really good at it. I think I’m good at it to an extent, but I change my mind too quickly. I would like it for like a day and then I would want to redo it again.”
Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno has changed the HVAC and electrical system of the Serpentine gallery in London, in an effort to make an exhibition for all the nearby species.
Titled Web(s) of Life, the exhibition presents some of the artist’s most recent and well-known environmentally focused works, while also encompassing interventions into the building itself.
These interventions aim to make the Serpentine South building housing the exhibition more porous and responsive to its setting in Kensington Gardens, challenging anthropocentric perspectives that only consider the interests of humans and not any other beings.
Tomás Saraceno has made changes to the Serpentine South building for his exhibition
Sculptures made for the enjoyment of a variety of different animals are placed on the building’s grounds, facade and roof as well as inside the building, while complex webs woven by multiple types of spiders working “in collaboration” with Saraceno feature inside the dimly lit galleries.
“You see that many architectures today are somehow not so inclusive of what is happening on the planet,” said Saraceno, who trained as an architect. “I’m very happy to think that for the first time at the Serpentine, there are many spiderweb pavilions.”
“It’s a little bit about trying to think how animal architecture could enter into the discourse and how we need to have a much more equilibrated and balanced way of building cities today on Earth,” he told Dezeen.
Saraceno’s Cloud Cities sculptures can be found in the grounds
To make the gallery interior more comfortable for spiders and other insects, the equipment that controls the building’s temperature and humidity has been switched off and some doorways opened to allow for free movement of both air and animal life.
Given the exhibition will run throughout the British summertime, this might mean some discomfort for human visitors – but within limits. According to the Serpentine’s chief curator Lizzie Carey-Thomas, the gallery will allow the staff on its floor to decide when conditions are too hot for them to work safely or for visitors to have an enjoyable time.
At that point, the gallery will close rather than switch on the air-conditioning, encouraging visitors to enjoy the installations outside in the park and under the trees.
The sculptures also feature inside the gallery
A further intervention by Saraceno comes in the form of a new solar array on the Serpentine’s roof, which will power all the films and lights in the exhibition.
The destructive effects of lithium mining on the environment and Indigenous communities is a key theme of the exhibition. So Saraceno and the Serpentine are avoiding the use of a lithium battery and instead embracing the intermittency of solar power by adapting the exhibition’s energy use to the level of sunshine outside.
On cloudy or partly cloudy days, films will run less frequently and lights will be dimmed. On particularly sunless days, the films may switch to audio-only, while some lights will switch off altogether.
“The irony there is that on the extreme heat days with lots of sun, we will have full power but we won’t be able to open the exhibition,” said Carey-Thomas.
As the Serpentine South building is heritage listed, both Carey-Thomas and Saraceno say the process for making any alterations was complex and drawn out, with approval for the solar panels taking two years and other plans to remove windows and doors quickly abandoned.
The exhibition environment is meant to be more comfortable for spiders, whose webs are on display
The works within the exhibition include Saraceno’s Cloud Cities sculptures, which feature compartments specifically designed for different animals such as birds, insects, dogs, hedgehogs and foxes.
The artist is also screening a film that documents one of the instalments of his Aerocene project, which involves making an entirely fossil-free aircraft powered purely by air heated by the sun with no need for batteries, helium, hydrogen or lithium.
In the film, the Aerocene team completes the world’s first piloted solar-powered flight, flying a balloon sculpture over the highly reflective salt flats in Salinas Grandes.
A film in the exhibition documents Saraceno’s fossil-free flight project
There is also a work created specifically for children, called Cloud Imagination, which is accessed through a dog-shaped door that’s too small for most adults to enter.
Saraceno and the Serpentine describe the Web(s) of Life exhibition as having been created “in collaboration” with a host of different contributors, both human and non-human.
These include the communities of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc in Argentina, spider diviners in Cameroon, the communities around Aerocene and Saraceno’s Arachnophilia project, and the lifeforms found in the Royal Parks surrounding the Serpentine, which will continue to evolve the works over the next three months.
The work Cloud Imagination is created for children only
The artist and gallery also want to extend the ethos of the exhibition to the potential sale of the artworks by developing a scheme called partial common ownership or, Saraceno hopes, “partial common stewardship”, which means any buyer would “co-own” the work along with a designated species or community.
Another recent artwork to have explored ideas of intermittency in energy and design is Solar Protocol, which looks at the potential of a solar-powered internet.
The photography is by Studio Tomás Saraceno.
Tomás Saraceno In Collaboration: Web(s) of Life will take place at Serpentine South in London, UK from 1 June to 10 September 2023 and culminate with a day-long festival on Saturday, 9 September including a weather-dependent Aerocene flight. For more information about events, exhibitions and talks, visit Dezeen Events Guide.
Spotted: Despite all pledges to reduce emissions to reverse the worst effects of climate change, scientists believe that even if we fully implement all 2030 nationally determined contributions, pledges, and net-zero targets, global warming of nearly two degrees Celsius is still expected later this century. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) operational costs will naturally rise alongside temperatures, and use of those systems further exacerbates environmental damage.
One way to help reduce reliance on traditional HVAC systems is to retrofit existing structures with energy-neutral solutions that reduce indoor heating during the summer while allowing the sun’s rays in during winter. French technology company Immoblade has taken inspiration from the space industry to create low-cost, quick-to-install, custom sunshade blades on windows and roofs.
The blades are available in a range of shapes and sizes, from the barely visible designs of the Immoblade Mini to the wide, closely fitting stripes of the Immoblade Serigraphy. Installed in the same way as regular double glazing, the blades allow light into the building while blocking heat when the sun reaches a certain angle. Similarly, when the sun is below a certain angle during the winter, the blades allow heat to enter the building.
Each solution is custom designed for the location and the structure, with the Immoblade team conducting a full thermal review of the building’s façade and local environment. The design of each set of blades meets the exact heating and cooling requirements of each piece of glass, and performance is monitored throughout the duration of the lifespan of the blades. Maintenance costs are zero as the designs and applications are fixed.
Immoblade was first spotted by Springwise in 2021, and was one of the featured solutions at ChangeNOW 2023.
Glass bricks that collect solar energy and nailable solar shingles are two other recent innovations in solar energy that Springwise has spotted helping to make renewable power more accessible and widespread.
Across the industry, architects are embracing a new partner in their creative pursuits: artificial intelligence. Once plagued by repetition and monotony, the architectural workforce finds itself on the cusp of a digital revolution where bits and bytes hold the key to automation and once unimaginable possibilities.
The AI revolution is not knocking at our door; it has already stepped in, taken off its hat, and is ready to get to work. The dynamics of design are evolving, and we are at the forefront, blending human creativity and machine precision. The future of architecture is not just being written — it’s being coded, and these are fourteen of the most valuable AI tools you could be using right now.
It’s safe to say that the list of AI tools for architects is progressing rapidly, with new programs being announced each and every day and as the architectural and technological landscapes continue to evolve, architects can expect the emergence of even more innovative AI tools, each promising to further revolutionize the field. These advancements will shape the future of architectural design, empowering professionals to deliver exceptional projects while pushing the boundaries of creativity and efficiency and, with hope, saving our planet at the same time.
Midjourney is everywhere right now. The AI-powered image generation tool presents architects with a canvas as boundless as their imagination. Working from written prompts, Midjourney deftly weaves photorealistic images that can be used to illustrate conceptual thinking.
While Midjourney is yet to fill the shoes of your favorite visualizer, the intelligent program can help designers convey complex designs by producing stunning visual narratives to help demonstrate to clients and stakeholders our vision. Even the most intrepid architectural ideas can spring from the mind’s eye onto the screen with Midjourney, making it a treasure trove for experimental design.
Adobe Firefly, still fluttering in the chrysalis of development, is already showcasing the strength of its potential. This emergent member of the generative AI family promises to ignite the creative flame in architects and designers alike while streamlining workflow and providing a versatile and trusted platform for generating images, text effects, and other creative content.
Currently, Firefly, like Midjourney, is a dynamic companion that can illustrate innovative design ideas using text-to-image prompts. The program is included as part of the Adobe suite. Firefly is a trusty liaison, promoting collaborative relationships with colleagues and clients through a recognized and dependable platform.
As a relatively new program, many of the promised features of Firefly are not available yet. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to conceive that the brains behind the interface didn’t want to fall too far behind the incredibly popular Midjourney and so decided to drip-feed users functions before the program was complete. However, as Adobe Firefly continues to mature, we will likely see heavy development in Adobe’s ambition to create seamless transitioning between their popular design programs, which promises to make image creation and editing a breeze in the not-too-distant future.
Where architects once navigated the labyrinth of multiple design options alone, Maket.ai stands ready as a steadfast companion. With Maket.ai, the challenge of client-specific requirements and spatial restrictions becomes an opportunity for diverse design exploration. Rather than presenting a singular vision — or whatever number timescale allows — architects can now offer a visual banquet of design alternatives, each as meticulously tailored as a Savile Row suit.
Yet the true magic of Maket.ai lies in its promise of liberated time and resources. By taking on the laborious task of generating design options, Maket.ai gives architects a bounty of time, freeing them to engage more deeply with creativity and clients.
The pièce de résistance of Maket.ai is the potential to stir the stagnant waters of architectural convention. By generating unexpected design options, Maket.ai propels architects into the thrilling unknown of innovative design. The tool serves as a launchpad for creativity, inspiring architects to reach beyond their tried-and-true and embrace the unknown.
ARCHITEChTURES is a transformative AI-powered tool revolutionizing residential planning. Meticulously designed for the discerning architect, it streamlines decision-making and maximizes efficiency.
Harnessing the cutting-edge power of artificial intelligence, ARCHITEChTURES analyzes site conditions, climate dynamics, budget constraints, and client aspirations. With this wealth of knowledge, it unveils an array of design options, flawlessly harmonizing form and function while bringing architectural visions to life.
ARCHITEChTURES is already the trusted ally of many architects, empowering them to surpass limitations and unlock unparalleled efficiency. Through automation, liberation from mundane tasks is a reality. With an extensive palette of design parameters to work with, it is possible to set boundaries and set the program to work on all the available options.
From site planning, where ARCHITEChTURES navigates constraints and explores opportunities, to meticulous building design encompassing room sizes, window placements, and sustainable material selections, ARCHITEChTURES enables accuracy and adjustment with ease.
ArkDesign.ai is the answer to schematic design packs, a boon for architects and developers alike. The intelligent platform optimizes building designs in a flash, leaving you to make informed, expedited decisions.
ArkDesign.ai is armed with an AI brain that scrutinizes and learns the metadata of architectural designs, spawning variations while accounting for US local regulations and ordinances, ensuring that each project is innovative as well as compliant, championing efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness.
Sidewalk Labs is the brainchild of Alphabet Inc. and is now part of Google. With urban inefficiencies on an upward trajectory, this revolutionary AI maverick aims to change the landscape of urban planning.
It’s all about digital dexterity. Sidewalk Labs marries AI, machine learning, and sensor technologies, enabling your designs to work harder while you work smarter. Having already been adopted globally, Sidewalk Labs is shaping reality in Toronto, New York, and Singapore, managing city congestion one street at a time.
Picture this: AI splashes an array of design options onto your canvas, and machine learning flexes its muscles to optimize building performance — we’re talking energy efficiency, comfort, and safety wrapped up in a cost-effective package. Next, sensor technology steps to provide invaluable data on traffic patterns, air quality, and noise levels.
Sidewalk Labs is absolutely the new kid on the block, but the program has great potential in the race to rethink our urban landscapes.
Kaedim is a standout performer in the realm of AI-powered 3D modeling that is backed by many in the gaming industry. It harnesses the transformative potential of machine learning, generative adversarial networks, and natural language processing to morph simple 2D design ideas into stunningly accurate 3D models.
Kaedim serves as an architect’s dynamic ally, taking the weight of manual 3D model creation off their shoulders. With Kaedim, architects and designers can freely explore various design concepts, iterate them, and refine their vision in a virtual space before they take tangible form.
In the client-facing phase, Kaedim plays a critical role in visual communication, enabling architects to present 3D models that resonate with clients’ imaginations. It also carries its weight during the construction planning phase, ensuring accurate documentation via detailed 3D models. In an industry where precision and realism are paramount, Kaedim emerges as a crucial asset.
3D modeling is time-consuming. Welcome, Sloyd.AI, a trailblazer in cloud-based 3D modeling. It’s not just a tool but an innovative platform that leverages machine learning, generative adversarial networks, and natural language processing. It renders high-quality 3D models, capturing intricate details from architectural designs to produce exceptional representations.
Sloyd.AI doesn’t merely mimic the architect’s concept but extends its precision to breathe life into designs with a high degree of realism. It liberates architects from time-consuming physical model creation, opening up a playground of virtual exploration and design refinement.
Sloyd.AI proves invaluable from project conception to completion. It allows architects to present dynamic 3D models to clients, creating an immersive experience that static images simply cannot match. For construction planning and documentation, Sloyd.AI’s exactness ensures each specification is captured in the 3D models it generates. In the fast-paced world of architectural design, Sloyd.AI is the companion architects need to maintain their creative edge.
Like Kaedim, Luma.AI is a distinguished pathfinder in AI-driven 3D scanning and modeling. This platform takes the laborious task of creating detailed 3D models and reimagines it, deploying advanced AI techniques such as computer vision, deep learning, and generative adversarial networks. It crafts accurate, realistic 3D models from photographs that can provide architects a comprehensive perspective of objects, be it buildings, furniture, or intricate architectural elements.
Luma.AI is not just a 3D modeler; it is a digital reincarnation expert. The true genius of Luma.AI occurs in renovation and restoration projects, where it can capture existing structures with striking accuracy and creates virtual twins. It bridges the gap between the tangible and the virtual, allowing architects to visualize the renovated structure even before the first brick is laid.
Its prowess doesn’t stop there. Regarding design visualization, Luma.AI ensures that the newly proposed modifications are compatible with the existing structure and enhance its aesthetic and functional appeal. The created 3D models can also be utilized in interactive virtual reality or augmented reality presentations, taking client and stakeholder engagement to new heights.
Best AI Tool for Building Information Modeling (BIM)
BricsCAD BIM is the tool where AI and BIM converge for a seamless, efficient architectural design process. While BIM encapsulates the architecture, engineering, and construction of a building in a 3D model, enabling a holistic view of the project. BricsCAD BIM amplifies the capabilities of BIM by introducing AI, creating a nexus of innovation and practicality.
BricsCAD BIM isn’t just a tool but an efficient assistant that works tirelessly, automating repetitive tasks such as drafting dimensions and annotations. It employs AI to translate 2D sketches into detailed 3D models while offering real-time visualization, enabling architects to interact with their design, tweaking it to perfection.
BricsCAD BIMs’ capabilities extend beyond aesthetics. The program enables architects to identify and rectify errors, enhancing the quality of the final output and minimizing post-construction issues. The provision for real-time visualization empowers architects to make informed design decisions, visualizing the impact of each modification.
Yet, the charm of BricsCAD BIM lies in its ability for effective collaboration. It ensures that architects, engineers, and builders are in sync, providing a shared platform that brings everyone on the same page. This collaboration streamlines the design process, reduces redundancy, and ensures a consistent understanding of the project among all parties involved.
The generative design capability of BricsCAD BIM is another aspect of its brilliance. It can conceptualize 3D building models based on user-defined parameters such as number of floors, building size, and the materials to be used. This encourages exploration, providing architects with a multitude of design options that adhere to the set constraints.
BricsCAD BIM is a true paragon in the world of AI-assisted BIM tools. It integrates the detail-oriented approach of BIM and the automation capabilities of AI, improving the design process, promoting collaboration, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality buildings.
Arko.ai enters the architectural scene as a promising AI-powered rendering service by providing high-quality, photorealistic renders in minutes. Through the power of AI and the convenience of a cloud-based platform, Arko.ai transforms 3D models into stunning visual masterpieces that mirror reality.
The key to Arko.ai’s appeal lies in the ways it can enhance the design process for architects. Primarily, it offers a powerful medium for architects to visualize their designs, as it breathes life into 2D sketches and models, translating them into realistic renders that provide architects with a glimpse of their creations in the real world.
Moreover, Arko.ai is a time-saver, taking over the labor-intensive task of rendering and freeing architects to focus on the creative aspects of their designs.
Compatible with SketchUp®, Revit®, and Rhinoceros® Arko.ai is a promising addition to an architect’s toolbox, offering realistic visualizations of designs and saving time.
Veras
Recently announced as being available within SketchUp® Veras is an AI-powered visualization tool that leverages 3D model geometry to inspire and promote creativity. Architects can turn to Veras to create photorealistic renders of their designs using text prompts, bringing to the fore the power of AI in architectural visualization.
Ultimately, the strength of Veras lies in its versatility and speed. It generates stunning renders way faster than traditional methods, affording architects and designers more time to dedicate to the more complex aspects of design. It allows designers to explore variations quickly so that informed design decisions can be made without the shackles of cost or time implications.
Autodesk Forma carves a niche for itself as an all-encompassing AI-powered planning tool that offers architects and urban planners the ability to design sustainable, livable cities with heightened precision.
Operating on a cloud-based platform, Autodesk Forma is easily accessible from any location and works in tandem with AutoCAD and Revit.
The new addition from Autodesk harnesses the power of AI to simulate the implications of diverse design decisions on critical factors, such as energy consumption, traffic flow, and air quality, with an aim to help designers make more informed and sustainable design choices while enhancing the sustainability and livability of projects. Autodesk Forma is also equipt to help identify potential design flaws before implementation, circumventing costly future rectifications.
In essence, even in its earliest stages, Autodesk Forma is a comprehensive architecture AI tool that supports architects in designing more thoughtful and sustainable cities. It facilitates informed design choices, promotes time and cost efficiency, and encourages the creation of sustainable designs, thereby redefining the landscape of urban planning and architecture.
ClickUp is a project management tool that has been adopted across many different industries. It has become a secret weapon, revolutionizing project management with features tailored for enhanced workflow efficiency. This cloud-based application seamlessly organizes and tracks projects.
ClickUp harmonizes tasks, deadlines, and team assignments in a simple platform, ensuring project progression from design to construction, avoiding missed deadlines and maintaining momentum.
Effective communication is key, and ClickUp delivers. Chat, video conferencing, and file-sharing tools synchronize efforts with team members and clients.
In ClickUp’s virtual realm, real-time collaboration can be used to refine designs collectively, while ClickUp’s reporting tools provide invaluable insights to identify improvement areas and fine-tune workflows. Analytics and visualizations offer panoramic project views.
The Best AI Tool for 3D Sketching
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SketchUp will be announcing the beta versions of two new AI features in June 2023, both which help accelerate and streamline design workflows so architects can spend more time designing and less time on tedious tasks. We’re keeping our eyes out for their announcement.
For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in our Tech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers.
London design studio Pirajean Lees referenced Mayfair’s pastoral past and created a series of spaces that nod to the idea of a Georgian manor house when designing restaurant 20 Berkeley.
Pirajean Lees aimed to build a story around the space and its sequence of many small rooms, while tapping into the restaurant’s British produce-led culinary approach.
Pirajean Lees has completed the 20 Berkeley restaurant in Mayfair
“The restaurant is situated in the heart of Mayfair, a place once on the cusp of the city and countryside,” Pirajean Lees told Dezeen.
“The farming history of the area and its connection to the surrounding rural lands is prevalent throughout the project and paramount to the dining experience.”
The restaurant features a series of cosy rooms on the first floor
Pirajean Lees wanted to put nature and craft at the heart of this design project to align it with the ethos of Creative Restaurant Group, the restaurant’s founders.
“This led us to build on the strong connection of an imagined Mayfair Georgian manor house and its rural lands, which would have been used to grow produce,” the studio said.
“A central staircase leads to rooms usually found in a traditional family home, such as the drawing room, music room, pantry, orangery and salon. Each room has its own character whilst belonging to the one property.”
Among them is the music room
On the upper-ground floor are the richly designed reception and main dining rooms.
The lower-ground level houses a 14-seat private room with its own exclusive lounge and dining area, alongside the kitchen, wine cellar and main bar, The Nipperkin.
The design of the interiors references the arts and crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Stained glass features in the drawing room
“At 20 Berkeley, we have developed a layered story of handmade details and tactile finishes that exude elegance,” said Pirajean Lees.
“The project’s expression is rooted in the traditions of craftsmanship and how the process of making decorative objects and furniture should showcase the beauty of both its materials and construction.”
Antique mirrors were used to surround the building’s columns
The resulting aesthetic is detailed, with a palette of rich, warm tones including ambers, ochres and dark reds, used across upholstery and textural wallcoverings. Floor tiles have been hand-crafted in Wales and feature clay embedded with fossils.
Bespoke joinery work was utilised throughout the space, including for the wall panelling, dowelled ceilings and an English oak staircase.
The project also features bespoke elements that were added to bring a sense of opulence to the various spaces.
These include a pantry, in painted timber, that provides a strong focal point of the upper floor. Here, chefs prepare dishes on the pantry island, “inviting guests to witness the chefs’ craft, as one would do in one’s home, whilst hosting guests for dinner,” said Pirajean Lees.
In the orangery, a bespoke pickling cupboard, made from sapele wood and marble, serves as “a pleasing curiosity”, used by the chefs to store jars of vegetables for their recipes.
An English oak staircase leads down to 20 Berkeley’s lower ground level
The bespoke dining tables and chairs were made of oak, while the chairs have been traditionally upholstered for maximum comfort.
“The bespoke and craft elements bring depth to the project, anchoring it in its strong narrative and creating timeless interiors,” said Pirajean Lees.
A private dining room is located on the lower ground floor
Bespoke stained glass, handcrafted in a North London studio, is another of the restaurant’s features.
Used in the reception and drawing room, the stained glass has been strategically positioned, backing onto the busy central bar to give a sense of movement and energy.
In front of the windows, it warms the light coming into the rooms to create an immersive atmosphere.
Mixed clay tiles are laid across the floor
“The stained glass introduces shadows and reflections, which change throughout the day and are different in each room,” said Pirajean Lees.
“As per each of our projects, the tailored finishes, joinery and surfaces here, have been carefully created to ensure optimum use of the space by the restaurateur and their guests.”
Other hospitality projects from the studio include an ornate sushi restaurant in Dubai with interiors informed by 1920s Japan and a members club in London, housed inside the iconic music venue Koko.
Spotted: Waste is a huge environmental problem. The world creates over 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, with at least a third of that total not being handled in an environmentally friendly way. In addition, around five per cent of global CO2-equivalent emissions come from the treatment of this waste.
To tackle this, Néolithe has developed a new way of processing unrecyclable waste, with a solution that will limit waste and emissions, while creating a value-added product. Essentially, its technology speeds up the millennia-long natural fossilisation process.
The company’s patented emissions-free fossilisation process turns unrecyclable and non-hazardous waste into stones for the construction industry. Néolithe’s Fossilizator process works with ordinary industrial waste like plastics, textiles, wood, plaster, and insulation materials from deconstruction – waste that would otherwise go to landfill or be incinerated.
First, metals are removed from the materials so that they may be reused elsewhere. In the Fossilizator, the waste is then crushed into a powder and mixed with water and a low-carbon binder. Finally, the created paste is pressed to make a new mineral, called Anthropocite, which has the same technical and mechanical characteristics as traditional aggregates and can be used in road sub-bases and concrete. Anthropocite is also carbon-negative – instead of biogenic waste within the used construction materials breaking down and releasing carbon dioxide, this carbon gets captured and stored in the final aggregate products.
The construction industry is booming with innovations that help reduce waste and protect the environment. Springwise has spotted an AI platform to optimise concrete recipes, and construction blocks made from sugarcane.
Judging for the 11th A+Awards is now underway! While awaiting the Winners, learn more about Architizer’s Vision Awards. The Main Entry Deadline on June 9th is fast approaching. Start your entry today >
The potential for making an architectural statement with solar PV panels, particularly in the form of a canopy, has been availed by architects for a while now. There is the often-photographed monumental solar canopy at the Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain, from way back in 2004. More recently, Gensler Architects have built an enormous hypostyle portico covered in solar panels at the Fifth + Tillery office in Austin, Texas. These sweeping expanses of glass and silicon on exposed latticework structures are naturally dramatic and expressive while providing a dappled shade or shelter from the rain.
Fifth + Tillery by Gensler, Austin, TX, United States
On residential houses, however, the pattern is to simply stick solar panels dumbly on the roof in any way they may fit. Newly built houses abound where exceptional care has been exercised over every detail and proportion, no expense spared on materials — except for the ill-shaped clump of solar panels laid out across the roof. It’s as if there is an unspoken agreement not to notice. But you can’t look away: there they are in full sun atop the house: ugly, unloved, visually jarring.
Renewable Energy Tartan
It’s a shame because solar canopies, awnings, eaves, and screens are an opportunity to add construction details and architectural rhythm that is inherent in the trellis-like structures supporting solar arrays. The cross-crossing supports of various thicknesses combined with a grid of individual solar cells naturally form a tartan plaid with layers of depth and visual interest. Although the panels can be mounted at any angle or even flat, the most efficient orientation is always a south-facing slant that can be a strong visual counterpoint to the normally rectilinear forms of a typical house.
Ernstbrunn Windkraft by Architekturbüro Reinberg ZTGesmbH, Energiewende Platz, Korneuburg, Niederösterreich, Austria
Solar Photovoltaics Everywhere
Solar canopies can power a house and provide well-modulated shade at the poolside, or they can float over the house, shading the roof while adding visual interest to the façade, as in this application of solar panels on an office building façade, with the array jauntily tipped over the front of the building at a skew angle. Panels can be integrated as a carport roof, a door awning, an eave line, skylights, an atrium roof, windows, a deck railing, a brise-soleil, a screening element, or even a garden fence. So it’s a wonder that they almost always just get stuck on the roof in the most unsightly possible way.
A shade trellis is an often-used feature when designers want to make an attractive sheltered backyard space. When made of solar panels, it can not only provide modulated shade but also rain cover. But any surface that receives sunlight can, theoretically, be made into a solar electric collector. Yet, few to no examples of solar panels are being used for features like railings or screening elements in residential architecture.
A solar eave will provide the shadow line of a traditional eave and the opportunity to de-materialize the eave as it reaches its edge. Combining bi-facial panels with clear glass panels offers another opportunity for modulation.
Solar panel and glass canopy. Image by Charles via Pixabay
Lots of Choices
Manufacturers offer a wide variety of specialized solar panels just for solar roofs, canopies, and walls. Bi-facial panels that are glass on both faces are the most commonly used. These panels contain an array of dark silicon cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass. The silicon cells can be arranged at various spacing to adjust the amount of opaque versus clear area. Amorphous silicon glass panels present a uniform look without tiled silicon cells and can be made in various colored tints. Panels are also available in different sizes and form factors as well. Some panels can even be combined with windows and skylights. What if a building’s cladding material were entirely made of solar panels? More power to it! Added to the variety of panels is the variety of off-the-shelf mounting systems available, from minimalist to water-tight.
There is no excuse not to make solar photovoltaics part of the architecture. So, architects and designers, it’s time to embrace solar PV as part of the design and not just an unsightly piece of electrical equipment mounted on the most visible part of the house!
This article was written in collaboration with Californian architect Ian Ayers.
Judging for the 11th A+Awards is now underway! While awaiting the Winners, learn more about Architizer’s Vision Awards. The Main Entry Deadline on June 9th is fast approaching. Start your entry today >
A lengthy walnut-panelled wall runs through the bright white living spaces inside this Barcelona apartment, renovated by local studio Raúl Sanchez Architects.
The Girona Street apartment is set within a 19th-century building in Barcelona’s affluent Dreta de l’Eixample neighbourhood and belongs to a design-savvy couple with two young children.
A 21-metre-long walnut-panelled wall runs the length of the Girona Street apartment
Prior to the renovation, the apartment contained a warren of small, dark living spaces bookended by an indoor patio and a sitting room that overlooks the street.
Raúl Sanchez Architects connected these two rooms with a 21-metre-long wall that stretches from one end of the floor plan to the other. While the majority of surfaces in the apartment were rendered in white micro-cement, the wall is crafted from walnut wood.
Spaces throughout are rendered in white micro-cement
“I thought of a material, which could contrast the whiteness with elegance and warmth while also adding texture and ruggedness,” founder Raúl Sanchez told Dezeen.
“We made several samples and trials until we got the right wood and the right porosity of walnut.”
A blue-painted dining room lies next to the lounge
A series of rooms run parallel to the wall, beginning with a dining area.
Here, a section of the rear wall was painted dark blue and fitted with a built-in bench seat, while the floor was inlaid with a square patch of patterned hydraulic tiles.
Further along the hallway, a sitting area was created just in front of a pair of stained glass windows. This is followed by two bedrooms that are partially painted blue to match the dining area.
One of them is fronted by a huge pivoting door that, like the apartment, is split into two sides. One half is clad with stainless steel and the other in brass.
A sea-green kitchen is hidden behind doors in the walnut-wood wall
More rooms lie concealed behind the long walnut wall, each accessed via a discrete flush door. This includes a U-shaped kitchen, which was almost entirely painted a sea-green hue.
There’s also a storage area, the family bathroom and the principal bedroom, where a floor-to-ceiling cream curtain helps conceal en-suite facilities.
Other rooms in the Girona Street apartment are concealed behind flush doors
The apartment’s indoor patio was freshened up, as was the street-facing sitting area. It now features a mint-green sideboard and bookshelf, as well as a decorative wall panel that mimics the brass-and-steel pivot door.
More hydraulic tiles were also incorporated into the floor, this time in mismatch prints.
Hydraulic floor tiles and mint-green furnishings feature in the living room
Raúl Sanchez Architects is behind a number of striking homes in Barcelona, aside from the Girona Street apartment.
This includes BSP20 House with its towering spiral staircase and the Tamarit Apartment, which is decked out with clashing materials.
Spotted: Globally, water scarcity is a growing problem. According to some estimates, demand for water could exceed supply by 40 per cent as soon as the year 2030. At the same time, a typical 300-room hotel will use nearly 200 gallons per room a day, with the bulk of that coming from the bathroom.
To encourage hotel guests to use less water, startup Shower Stream has developed a device that attaches easily to the shower head and connects to Wi-Fi for collecting water usage, temperature, and pressure data in real time. Guests turn on the shower as usual and, when the water has reached a desired temperature, the device will pause water flow and restart it at the same temperature once the motion sensors detect the guest has entered the shower.
Not only does the device lower water costs for the hotel, but it also provides monthly reporting of energy and water data that helps hotel operators identify potential maintenance issues before they become expensive. The data collected also helps hotels apply for local rebates and incentives that act as additional revenue streams.
According to Shower Stream, the device averages water and energy savings of around $30,000 (around €28,000) per hotel. The technology is also low-cost, at around $5 (around €4.67) per unit and $10 (around €9.34) per month for the advanced analytics. This device is attracting the attention of a number of hotel chains and investors, with Shower Stream already installed in properties belonging to Hyatt Hotels, Global Hotel Group, Extended Stay America, and more.
Hotels are not the only ones concerned with water savings. Springwise has recently spotted a number of innovations aimed at reducing water use. These include a water-recycling shower and sustainable laundry service.
