© Pedevilla Architects
CategoriesArchitecture

30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy

Virtuoso chefs and leaders of culture, the Italians have long been revered for their passion and creative excellence that extends to their built environment. As a relatively recently unified nation, there is a myriad of architecture — both historical and contemporary — waiting to be explored and differing largely from region to region. Whether touring the ancient aqueducts and temples in Rome, marveling over the Renaissance feats in Florence, or discovering the Byzantine and Islamic influence in Sicily, the country certainly requires multiple visits just to scratch the surface of architectural riches. And for the admirers of pious architecture, Italy has its fair share of basilicas and churches that date back to the reign of Constantine the Great.

In the contemporary context, the Italian built environment took on a new identity after the fall of Fascism. Eager to break from Fascist architecture, the nation’s architects began to redefine modernist architecture void of Rationalism. Whether it be a winery built inside a Sasso (home dug inside a rock formation), a total revitalization of a napolitan subway station, or a monolithic church nestled in the Calabrian mountains, marveling over Italian’s contemporary landscape is almost as easy as it is savoring its delicious cuisine. Just like Brunelleschi, the Italian architects of today uphold the title of capomaestri (master builders) and continue to erect a noteworthy built environment that influences global architectural trends.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Italy based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking in order of priority:

  • The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2023)
  • The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2023)
  • The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2023)
  • The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2023)
  • The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2023)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Italy architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Italy:

30. Pedevilla Architects

© Pedevilla Architects

© Pedevilla Architects

Pedevilla Architects was founded in 2005 by brothers Alexander and Armin Pedevilla. Among the main tasks of the office are challenging architectural projects in private and public spheres as well as creative interior designs and innovative design concepts. The objective of the layout is always to implement the desires and needs of the people and to incorporate these with a clear architectural stylistic vocabulary.

Some of Pedevilla Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • House at Mill Creek, Sand in Taufers, Italy
  • Alpine Residence & Chalet La Pedevilla, Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy
  • Elementary School Rodeneck, Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, Italy
  • Fire Station Vierschach, Innichen, Italy
  • Fire Station Sand in Taufers, Sand in Taufers, Italy

The following statistics helped Pedevilla Architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 6

29. deamicisarchitetti

© Gabriele Leo

© Gabriele Leo

deamicisarchitetti is an Italian firm practicing architecture, urbanism and design. From the year 2005 — when deamicisarchitetti was founded — our design approach has centred on making good use of our typically Italian ability to interpret, cross-pollinate and blend together ideas and lexicons from a variety of places, times and cultural contexts. Our aim is to realize projects that preserve a sense of time while providing new and original results in terms of performance and meaning: a synthesis of memory and the contemporary.

Fueled by curiosity, research and the constant study of the world around us, we pay particular attention to connections and to the value of the space between “things”, always aiming to increase the usability, diversity and the beauty of places, be they transport nodes or destinations.

Some of deamicisarchitetti’s most prominent projects include:

  • Suburbian Villa, Pavia, Italy
  • Digital Entity workspace, Milan, Italy
  • Alpine foothills house, Borgiallo, Italy
  • Borgo Merlassino, Novi Ligure, Italy
  • House on the roof, Milan, Italy

The following statistics helped deamicisarchitetti achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 7

28. EXiT architetti associati

© EXiT architetti associati

© EXiT architetti associati

EXiT architetti associati is an architecture studio based in Treviso. It focuses on architectural and urban design as well as interior and landscape design and draws upon the collective professional experiences of its founders in Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 2009 and 2011 EXIT was nominated one of the best emerging architecture firms in Italy by Giarch. In 2010 projects realized by the studio were displayed in the Italian Pavillion at the Shanghai EXPO 2010. The projects were on display in the “Ventisettetrentasette” exhibition dedicated to emerging Italian architecture.

Some of EXiT architetti associati’s most prominent projects include:

  • Z House, Mogliano Veneto, Italy
  • Renovation of an alpine barn, Selva di Cadore, Italy
  • Alpine barn DZ, Selva di Cadore, Italy
  • D House, Treviso, Italy
  • FVL – Reclaimed natural wood, Lozzo di Cadore, Italy

The following statistics helped EXiT architetti associati achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 17

27. AMDL Circle | Michele De Lucchi

© AMDL Circle | Michele De Lucchi

© AMDL Circle | Michele De Lucchi

The philosophy adopted by Michele De Lucchi’s office seeks to maintain a steady interaction between architectural thinking, industrial design and global communication. This transverse approach is backed by Michele De Lucchi’s own international experience acquired in more than forty years’ work. Founded in the early 1980s, the office has kept its original multicultural and multidisciplinary origins.

Producing architecture and design for Italian and foreign institutes, public and private organisations, businesses and individuals, it carries out in-depth surveys of matters relating to contemporary society, especially the role of industry and crafts, technology and nature. Formed by architects and designers from all over the world, the office shows a predilection for teamwork.

Some of AMDL Circle | Michele De Lucchi’s most prominent projects include:

  • EARTH STATIONS MANY HANDS
  • ST. JAKOB’S CHAPEL, Bernbeuren, Germany
  • “La Pista di Milano” Racetrack, Arese, Italy
  • Residenze Litta, Corso Magenta, Milano, Italy
  • PAVILION ZERO, EXPO MILANO 2015, Milan, Italy

The following statistics helped AMDL Circle | Michele De Lucchi achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 13

26. MASK Architects

© MASK Architects

© MASK Architects

MASK Architects is a young international architecture and design firm established in Sardinia, Italy and Istanbul, Turkey by Turkish Architect and Architectural Designer Öznur Pınar Çer & Italian Luxury Industrial Designer Danilo Petta in the fields of priority public and cultural projects, workspaces, mixed-use, luxury industrial design, medical design equipment, and health, education, living space, yacht and watch design as well as production and master planning sectors across the world. Our design vision is to combine Science, Architecture, and Technology in the Parametric and Kinetic design field.

We have been improving ourselves in the design are Parametric Design, Robotic Fabrication and Construction, Mathematics, Art, Interactivity Design, Interactive and Kinetic Art Installations, Sustainability, Climate Changes, Interactive Movements, Human Physiology, Public Design Elements, Pavilion Structures and Engineered Technologies in Advanced Technology. Our design philosophy is based on creating a ‘Magnetic Design Field Curve’ in the design, where they believe users as a “Magnetic Force” in the space getting attracted to something equally magnetic within the space.

Some of MASK Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • “The artificial breathing palm modular structure system”, ” Oasys + System”, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • Seoul Art and Photographic Museum, Seoul, South Korea
  • “Villa G01” New Generation Luxury Villa, Porto Rotondo, Italy
  • The Flower Clouds I Zhengzhou Metro Line-7 Stations, China
  • Leaf and Bean Coffee Co Pavilion, Heinrich-Kraft-Park, Frankfurt am Main Ost, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The following statistics helped MASK Architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 14

25. OFL Architecture

© OFL Architecture

© OFL Architecture

OFL Architecture is an office founded in 2009 by Francesco Lipari and Vanessa Todaro, that operates between Rome and Sicily. OFL Architecture is an interdisciplinary architectural practice focused on emergent design processes through a design methodology that integrates architecture with other disciplines, redefining the relationship of the significant modern city and its current urban conditions.

Some of OFL Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

  • St Horto, 159, Via di Pietralata, Rome, Italy
  • Wunderbugs, Rome, Italy
  • Zighizaghi, Favara, Italy
  • Nuovo Palazzo della Provincia di Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
  • New Columbarium, Campofranco, Italy

The following statistics helped OFL Architecture achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 2
Featured Projects 3
Total Projects 20

24. CN10 Architetti

© CN10 Architetti

© CN10 Architetti

CN10 architects was founded in 2004 by Gianluca Gelmini. The study deals with architectural planning and recovery of historical heritage at different scales of intervention. Over the years the firm has participated in national and international competitions winning prizes and awards.

Any action inevitably causes changes, every new building as well as any recovery intervention involves a transformation more or less radical of the territory. Only by being aware of these conditions do architecture, it is possible to act with the utmost respect for a given environment. It is an attitude supported by a certain autonomy from the possible constraints imposed by the location and history, a position that asserts the secularity of architectural design.

Some of CN10 Architetti’s most prominent projects include:

  • Parish Center, Carvico, Italy
  • CN10 studio, Province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy
  • Torre del Borgo, Villa d’Adda, Italy
  • Former Monastery of San Giuliano, Bonate Sotto, Italy
  • Cemetery pavilion, Province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy

The following statistics helped CN10 Architetti achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 7

23. arcari cimini architettura

© arcari cimini architettura

© arcari cimini architettura

arcari cimini architettura is an international and flexible team of several independent architects and architectural firms, based in different countries. They collaborate flexibly, tailoring the team to the needs of each project arcari cimini architettura is a brand with which to communicate the team’s work.

Some of arcari cimini architettura’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped arcari cimini architettura achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 8

22. duearchitetti

© duearchitetti

© duearchitetti

duearchitetti is an architectural practice based in Varese, Italy. We take a humanistic approach to our design. The focus is first on the PERSON and his needs, then on the PLACE in which the building fits and the environment where we are going to operate. The knowledge of the place is further deepened by the research of its HISTORY.

PERSON, PLACE, HISTORY are thus spheres that intersect with each other and give us a first reading of the project. It is then the sensitivity of the designer who has to manage them by intervening in the emotional sphere and the dynamics of relationships between the parts. Man within the space, his movements, his pleasures. Our goal is to meet the needs of the client by preparing and sharing with him the different proposals, taking care to realize in the best way what has been designed.

Some of duearchitetti’s most prominent projects include:

  • La casa di Andrea, Varese, Italy
  • La casa di Simona e Carlo, Varese, Italy
  • La cappella. Arialdo, Varese, Italy
  • La casa di Chiara e Stefano , Varese, Italy
  • casa A.G., Varese, Italy

The following statistics helped duearchitetti achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 9

21. Cino Zucchi Architetti

© Cino Zucchi Architetti

© Cino Zucchi Architetti

The studio Cino Zucchi Architetti is constantly searching spatial solutions for contemporary life in the delicate and rapidly changing context of the European landscape.Its goal is to conjugate innovation and research with a professional completeness able to respond to complex programs at any scale, employing when needed a well-established net of specialized consultants (structures, plants, traffic, economy, landscape, graphics, light design).

Some of Cino Zucchi Architetti’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Cino Zucchi Architetti achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 7

20. 3ndy Studio

© 3ndy Studio

© 3ndy Studio

Our activity is not only a work, but a real passion. Our purpose is to live the architecture as a mission, but also as an entertainment. According to our philosophy every project, whatever its size was, is imaged first of all as a work of art. What is architecture Vitruvio said that architecture “nascitur ex fabrica et ratiocinatione” (“is born out of the material structure and reason”). Moreover it must not be overlooked the ethical dimension that gives architecture proper life and a sense.

3ndy Studio designs a conscious architecture to everyone, in order to convey a positive and democratic message. Our projects are based on some fixed and essential points: the respect for the environment, for the society and for the future generations. Our buildings belong to high energetic classes and moreover they are powered by renewable energy, such as solar or geothermal energy. They are comfortable and at the same time they have a strong aesthetic and architectonic spirit. Those buildings give a new identity to urban spaces that have lost their value due to the speculation.

Some of 3ndy Studio’s most prominent projects include:

  • FAEDA, Montorso Vicentino, Italy
  • “ARZERGRANDE RENOVATION” – CASONE AZZURRO AND NEW PAVILION , Arzergrande, Italy
  • PALAZZO DI VIGONOVO “CAMPIELLO”, Vigonovo, Italy
  • STEEL HOUSE, Fossò, Italy
  • RED STONE HOUSE, Campolongo Maggiore, Italy

The following statistics helped 3ndy Studio achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 15

19. ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel

© ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel

© ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel

Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV) is an international and cross-disciplinary firm headquartered in Milan, Italy, founded by architects Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel, in 2000. With some activities dating back to the Seventies, the firm is currently involved in several international projects, embracing different scales of intervention — from master planning to mixed-use developments, to residential and commercial buildings, corporate headquarters and hotels — in collaboration with a qualified network of specialist consultants.

The firm can rely on a staff of more than 130 people, coordinated by eight partners. Recent projects include luxury hotels in Europe, China and the Middle East, NOVE — an office building in Munich (Germany) – a residential condominium in Miami (US), Nexxt–Fastweb’s new HQ in Milan, and La Bella Vita high-rise in Taichung (Taiwan).

Some of ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel’s most prominent projects include:

  • Technogym Village, Cesena, Italy
  • Salaino 10, Milan, Italy
  • EXPO 2015, Milan, Italy
  • La Bella Vita, Taichung City, Taiwan
  • Enel Headquarters, Rome, Italy

The following statistics helped ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 13

18. Perathoner Architects

© Perathoner Architects

© Perathoner Architects

The top priority of this firm of architects is the creation of high-quality architecture that combines modern construction technology and timeless elegance. For us, good architecture implies the harmonious integration of individually designed buildings into a given context. A condition for this is that a building respects the characteristics of the particular location and is thus able to communicate with it.

This is, on the one hand, achieved by a restricted design vocabulary as well as the intelligent combination of selected materials on the other. The decisions taken must however always be questioned, reassessed and, if necessary, modified during the entire development process of a building in order to achieve optimal results in all aspects. RP Architects.

Some of Perathoner Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Perathoner Architects achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 2
Featured Projects 4
Total Projects 7

17. Burnazzi Feltrin Architetti

© Burnazzi Feltrin Architetti

© Burnazzi Feltrin Architetti

The collaboration between the architects Elisa Burnazzi and Davide Feltrin was born in 2001, on the occasion of their honorary degree examination in Architecture at the University Institute of Architecture in Venice (I.U.A.V.), with the dissertation “INTEGRATING MARGINS. A City Park and a Purification Plant in Mantova,” supervised by Professor Architect Giuseppe Gambirasio.

Architects Burnazzi and Feltrin usually work in the design and planning field applied to a wide range, from the single object up to landscape, and to several sectors, such as the residential, the museum, the commercial, the tertiary. Since 2004, they have both been Expert Designers Casa Clima, certified by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano; they constantly apply to their projects the high energy saving and environment sustainable criteria. Their planning design produces architectural projects able to connect and interact utility and emotion, spatiality and sociality.

Some of Burnazzi Feltrin Architetti’s most prominent projects include:

  • GI multi-family housing, Ischia, Italy
  • MP apartment, Valcanover, Italy
  • PF single family house, Valsugana, Italy
  • Multi-aged community centre, Poggio Picenze, Italy
  • CS apartment, Trento, Italy

The following statistics helped Burnazzi Feltrin Architetti achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 16

16. studio raro

© studio raro

© studio raro

Based in Trento, Studio Raro was established in 2004 by Roberta Di Filippo and Roberto Salvischiani and deals with architecture and visual communication, winning and acknowledgements in both fields. The invaluable experience acquired over the years through the on-site direction of numerous construction projects, stable collaborations with professional figures in various fields, attendance of update courses on sustainability and communication and of course the simple passion and attention to detail, has allowed the Studio to tackle, in a complete, competent and professional way, a wide range of small to large-scale projects.

Some of studio raro’s most prominent projects include:

  • Casa MF, Trento, Italy
  • Agritur “La Dolce Mela”, casa dell’agricoltore, Ciago, Italy
  • Agritourism , Vezzano, Italy
  • Casa RR, Trento, Italy
  • Agritur “La Dolce Mela”, ampliamento, Ciago, Italy

The following statistics helped studio raro achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 13

15. Plasma Studio

© Plasma Studio

© Plasma Studio

The term Plasma comes from Classic Greek and means modeling, form, fabric, imagination, fiction. In Physics the Plasma State- or fourth state of matter- describes a unique condition of matter arising at a complex overlay of external forces. Plasma, a charged field of particles, conducts energy.

Folding space into space, Plasma draw landscapes into buildings, streets into facades, inside to outside. Transformative tectonics set spaces, planes and bodies into unforeseen relationships that challenge conventional topographies and spatial codes. While the angular and complex qualities of their forms might superficially affiliate
them with ‘computer-generated’ architecture, decision-making is never relinquished to the computer.

Some of Plasma Studio’s most prominent projects include:

  • Appropriate_Bistro Bergsteiger, Sexten, Italy
  • Dolomitenblick, Sesto, Italy
  • Creativity Pavilion_Xi’an Expo’, Ba He Dong Lu, Baqiao Qu, Xian Shi, China
  • Strata Hotel
  • Cube Haus, Sexten, Italy

The following statistics helped Plasma Studio achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 2
Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 51

14. GEZA Architettura

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

Established in 1999 by Stefano Gri and Piero Zucchi, GEZA Architettura is a multi-disciplinary architecture studio that focuses on the perfect balance between Ideas, Beauty and Functionality.

Some of GEZA Architettura’s most prominent projects include:

  • Furla Headquarters & Production Complex, Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy
  • PRATIC 2.0, Fagagna, Italy
  • FP Private house, Codroipo, Italy
  • FABER Headquarters, Cividale di Friuli, Italy
  • PRATIC Headquarters and Production Complex, Fagagna, Italy

The following statistics helped GEZA Architettura achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 2
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 25

13. Archiplan Studio

© Archiplan Studio

© Archiplan Studio

Archiplanstudio has been carrying out research activities related to architectural design for years, investigating relationships with the context. The studio’s architecture is translated into gestures and punctual interventions, which search in their own construction, the reasons of belonging to places, appropriateness and spirituality.

Some of Archiplan Studio’s most prominent projects include:

  • Appartamento AL, Mantua, Italy
  • Private Residence, Sarginesco, Sarginesco, Italy
  • Pozzolo, Italy
  • Ristorante Lacucina – Mantova, Mantua, Italy
  • Percoreso Paesaggistico Culturale, Virgilio, Italy

The following statistics helped Archiplan Studio achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 12

12. Messner Architects

© meraner-hauser.com

© meraner-hauser.com

The collective is founded in 2013 by David and Verena Messner, brother and sister. The studio is located at 1,200 m.a.s.l. near Bozen / Bolzano in Northern Italy inside their father’s workshop. The practice is working on a contemporary approach in many scales, ranging from housing and functional buildings to furniture-design up to landscape projects. The primary aim of developing user- and site-specic concepts is to think and build high quality architecture. A largely regional context defines the studio’s field of action characterizing the architects’ view on the delicate relationship of built and grown. The critical look at something given and the use of transdisciplinary strategies lead to a creative dialogue between architecture, landscape, art and design.

Some of Messner Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • WORKSHOP RENOVATION, Collalbo, Italy
  • BELLA VISTA I _Dolomites UNESCO Viewpoint Monte Specie, Dobbiaco, Italy
  • GROCERY STORE, Collalbo, Italy
  • JURI 2.1 – Stage design, Renon, Italy
  • CASA PLONER, Collalbo, Italy

The following statistics helped Messner Architects achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 19

11. Didonè Comacchio Architects

© Didonè Comacchio Architects

© Didonè Comacchio Architects

Didon Comacchio Architects is a Rosà-based design firm that operates in different scales with a disposition toward material and sensory experimentation. Context, emotion and origin are heavily explored in the firm’s work.

Some of Didonè Comacchio Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • house PB, Rosà, Italy
  • Interior DM, Bassano del Grappa, Italy
  • interior SS, Nove, Italy
  • Interior DR, Rosà, Italy
  • Depandance DCA, Rosà, Italy

The following statistics helped Didonè Comacchio Architects achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 33

10. Caprioglio Architects

© Caprioglio Architects

© Caprioglio Architects

The Caprioglio Associates Architecture Firm was founded in 1999 as natural prosecution, progress and unification of the offices of Veneto and Friuli. Giovanni Caprioglio and son Filippo Caprioglio have created a practice that extends not only on the national territory, but also internationally and industrially. The values that the study promotes are those of the advanced culture of the project, above all for its attention to the real requirements of the client and of the historical and physical atmosphere in which it becomes part.

Some of Caprioglio Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • Home P+E+3, Veneto, Italy
  • Private house in the foothills, Treviso, Italy
  • Casin di Palazzo Lezze, Venice, Italy
  • Nic Playroom Apartment, Mogliano Veneto, Italy
  • Home F+T+3, Mogliano Veneto, Italy

The following statistics helped Caprioglio Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 16

9. Matteo Thun & Partners

© Matteo Thun & Partners

© Matteo Thun & Partners

Matteo Thun & Partners is an architecture and design studio, headed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez with headquarters in Milan, Italy and a subsidiary in Munich, Germany. The studio’s designs are inspired by timeless simplicity and centered on the human scale.

Founded in 1984, the company is operating internationally in the hospitality, healthcare, residential, offices and retail sectors and product design. Encompassing a team of 70 interdisciplinary architects, interior, product and graphic designers, Matteo Thun & Partners works from micro to macro scales with a focus on the management of highly complex projects. The work prioritizes aesthetic durability, technological longevity, and the future lifespan of buildings and products.

Some of Matteo Thun & Partners’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Matteo Thun & Partners achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 31

8. bergmeisterwolf architekten

© bergmeisterwolf architekten

© bergmeisterwolf architekten

“We consider architecture as a developing process, a challenge of the task, a never-ending thinking process. Problems are seen as an opportunity whose aim is to go far beyond the originally assigned and to let new possibilities evolve”. Projects are seen as a positive tension between builders and architects allowing an informal access to space, material and colors. Our architecture is often experienced as simple.

Simplicity — at its first encounter — mostly gives the deep-rooted impression of having always existed: being part of the world, working with its forces not against them. It is the goal of our architecture to find these synergies. Gerd Bergmeister was born in Brixen, Italy, in 1969.

Some of bergmeisterwolf architekten’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped bergmeisterwolf architekten achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 9
Total Projects 17

7. Mario Cucinella Architects

© Duccio Malagamba Fotografía de Arquitectura

© Duccio Malagamba Fotografía de Arquitectura

Founded in 1992 MC A – Mario Cucinella Architects is based in Bologna and Milan and specializes in architectural design that integrates environmental and energy strategies.
The studio has carried out projects in Europe, China, North and Central Africa, the Middle East and South America. MC D – Mario Cucinella Design — specializes in the theme of recycling and the circular economy, launching in 2018.

Some of Mario Cucinella Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Mario Cucinella Architects achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 16

6. Carlo Ratti Associati

© Carlo Ratti Associati

© Carlo Ratti Associati

CRA is an Architecture and Design Firm with a special focus on the synergies between sustainability and digital technologies. With offices based in Turin and New York, the firm engages in small and large-scale interventions ranging from furniture to urban planning.

Some of Carlo Ratti Associati’s most prominent projects include:

  • CURA, Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, Italy
  • The Circular Garden, Milan, Italy
  • A Garden With Four Seasons, Milan, Italy
  • VITAE, Milan, Italy
  • The Greenary , Parma, Italy

The following statistics helped Carlo Ratti Associati achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 2
A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 11

5. Roland Baldi Architects

© Oskar Da Riz

© Oskar Da Riz

The architectural studio Roland Baldi is active in architecture and urban planning, but also covers the fields of interior and landscape architecture as well as design. The projects — for the most part following successfully entered competitions — span over a large variety of different architecture manifestations including industrial and commercial buildings, residential buildings, urban planning, infrastructure, buildings for educational purposes and a variety of other studies up to furniture design. They have been built for private and business contractors in industrial areas, historical city centres, residential areas or even in the high mountains.

Some of the most important projects of the office have been the “Masterplan Zone Rosenbach” (former Mignone barracks) in Bolzano, the industrial park Syncom in Bressanone, the University in Brunico, the district heating plant in Chiusa, the mountain railway “Merano 2000” and the TechnoAlpin headquarter in Bolzano.

Some of Roland Baldi Architects’s most prominent projects include:

  • The new lunch room of “Ex-GIL”, Bolzano, Italy
  • House Lemayr, Bolzano, Italy
  • Cultural Center Rosenbach, Bolzano, Italy
  • Angela Nikoletti Square, Bolzano, Italy
  • Fire Station Fleres, Pflersch, Bozen, Italy

The following statistics helped Roland Baldi Architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 10
Total Projects 22

4. MIDE architetti

© Alessandra Bello

© Alessandra Bello

MIDE Architects is an architectural firm that specializes in different areas: urban, architectural, and interior design, with particular interest in the simplicity of lines and volumes, extreme attention to detail, and finishes and choice of materials that characterize the design approach. The suggestions that inspire architectural production arise from the analysis of the functional needs of the client and the emotional reading of the place; the project is given the role of response to the vocation of the site of action, where the typical features are reinterpreted and translated into new architectural solutions. The firm’s work is distinguished by a particular attention to issues of environmental sustainability and energy consumption, thanks to many qualified specialists.

Some of MIDE architetti’s most prominent projects include:

  • Temporary School Gymnasium, Massa Finalese, Italy
  • 028_HOUSE, Abano Terme, Italy
  • 037_Country House Renovation, Lucca, Italy
  • 081_AGOSTINI SHOES manufacturing plant, Province of Padua, Veneto, Italy
  • 015_Detached house on the Riviera Del Brenta, Fiesso, Italy

The following statistics helped MIDE architetti achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 10
Total Projects 16

3. monovolume architecture + design

© monovolume architecture + design

© monovolume architecture + design

monovolume architecture + design is a South Tyrolean architecture and design firm. The two founders Patrik Pedó and Jury Pobitzer met during their studies at the university of Innsbruck and in 2003 founded monovolume architecture + design, which today realizes both refurbishments as well as new constructions. Its portfolio includes conceptual studies, architectural and design projects, constructions´ planning and supervision, project management, visualization 3D and virtual reality as well as urban planning and masterplans.

In addition to architectural projects, exhibition and product design are the core fields of the office’s activity. At the heart of monovolume architecture + design is a young, interdisciplinary and international team of fifteen creatives: architects, industrial designers, 3D artists and graphic designers.

Some of monovolume architecture + design’s most prominent projects include:

  • Dr. Schär, Italy
  • House M Meran, Meran, Italy
  • House M2, Bolzano, Italy
  • Rotho Blaas srl, 2, Etschstraße, Neumarkt, Italy
  • Hans Klotz, Bolzano, Italy

The following statistics helped monovolume architecture + design achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

Featured Projects 12
Total Projects 26

2. Peter Pichler Architecture

© Peter Pichler Architecture

© Peter Pichler Architecture

Peter Pichler Architecture is an award-winning laboratory for architecture based in Milan. We are a young, dynamic and experimental team dedicated to developing an innovative and contemporary approach to architecture. Understanding tradition is the key to radical evolution. Hence, we incorporate close familiarity with local culture and respect for the natural environment into every single project. This credo builds our studio’s foundations and reflects the way we work.

Some of Peter Pichler Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

  • Kastelaz Hof, Tramin an der Weinstraße, Italy
  • Hotel Milla Montis, Maranza, Italy
  • Mirror Houses, Bolzano, Italy
  • Oberholz Mountain Hut, Obereggen, Italy
  • Hotel Schgaguler, Kastelruth, Italy

The following statistics helped Peter Pichler Architecture achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 15
Total Projects 15

1. noa* network of architecture

© Alex Filz

© Alex Filz

noa* is an architecture and design studio established by Lukas Rungger and Stefan Rier and based in Bolzano (Italy) and Berlin (Germany). Lukas and Stefan met while working as project architects with the renowned architect and designer Matteo Thun in Milan, being responsible for a series of challenging projects in the field of tourism, modern living and contemporary workplaces.

Before joining forces to found noa* back home in Bozen/Bolzano in 2010, both Lukas and Stefan improved their skills and fine-tuned their work-ethos during a decade of work experiences both locally and abroad. They gained particularly diverse cultural and social influences from living and working in New York, London, Berlin, Milan, Ferrara and Graz…which until present remains the crucial influence and input on their recent designs.

Some of noa* network of architecture’s most prominent projects include:

  • Biwak
  • Zallinger, 36, Via Saltria, Alpe Di Siusi, Italy
  • Mohrlife: The theatrical spa, Lermoos, Austria
  • Ötzi Peak 3251m: Reaching the peak, South Tyrol, Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy
  • Hubertus, Mitterolang, Italy
  • Apfelhotel Torgglerhof: In full bloom, Saltusio, Italy

The following statistics helped noa* network of architecture achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Italy:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 3
Featured Projects 25
Total Projects 38

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “”+”” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

  • Project completed within the last 3 years
  • A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
  • Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
  • High quality, in focus photographs
  • At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
  • Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
  • Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 30 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

Top image: Kastelaz Hof by Peter Pichler Architecture, Tramin an der Weinstraße, Italy


 

We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

Reference

Brown bedroom in house in Mexico City by Chloe Mason Gray
CategoriesInterior Design

Ten earthy bedrooms that use natural colours and textures

In our latest lookbook, we highlight 10 bedroom interiors that introduce earthy colour palettes and natural materials to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility.

Warm tones of earthen brown and light neutrals were used alongside colourful pops of terracotta and leafy greens on soft furnishings, headboards and decorations to create a peaceful atmosphere in these bedrooms.

Stone surfaces, timber panelling, linen fabric, accents of clay and limewash finishes add subtle textures to the interior spaces.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring jewel-toned hotel interiors, kitchens with marble surfaces and biophilic homes.


Brown bedroom in house in Mexico City by Chloe Mason Gray
Photo by Fabian Martinez

Colonia Condesa House, Mexico, by Chloé Mason Gray

For the renovation of this mid-20th century house in Mexico City, local interiors studio Chloé Mason Gray embraced the lack of natural light coming into the space by introducing dark, earthy colours and textures.

The walls of the primary bedroom were coated in brown plaster, and the space was finished with a brown leather headboard and linen furnishings in deep shades of forest green.

Find out more about Colonia Condesa House ›


Interior of Casa Maiora by Studio Andrew Trotter in Puglia
Photo by Salva López

Casa Maiora, Italy, by Studio Andrew Trotter

Designed to mimic the surrounding landscape, Italian architecture practice Studio Andrew Trotter created this villa in Puglia with sandstone and limestone walls coated in a pink lime wash.

Stone floors complement the warm-toned walls while in the bedrooms, locally-sourced wooden antique furniture and large woven rugs add hints of deeper earthen shades.

Find out more about Casa Maiora ›


Bedroom interior of Dumbo Loft by Crystal Sinclair Designs
Photo by Seth Caplan

Dumbo Loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair Designs

New York interiors studio Crystal Sinclair Designs punctuated the pale white backdrop of this bedroom in a Brooklyn loft apartment with caramel shades of brown and natural textures.

A yellow-brown velvet chair, rustic tiles that wrap around the lower half of structural columns, and a wooden batten wall help to make the space cosier and more inviting.

Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›


De Beauvoir Townhouse by HÛT
Photo by Emanuelis Stasaitis

De Beauvoir Townhouse, UK, by HÛT

As part of the overhaul of a home in London, British architecture studio HÛT finished the surfaces and joinery in the main bedroom in sage green, nodding to the use of green shades in the kitchen and living room downstairs.

According to the studio, the muted green colour was chosen for its timelessness and longevity, as well as for its visual appeal when paired with exposed timber.

Find out more about De Beauvoir Townhouse ›


Interior of Hygge Studio by Melina Romano
Photo by MCA Estúdio

Hygge Studio, Brazil, by Melina Romano

Brazilian designer Melina Romano used a myriad of earthy colours, textures and decorations to achieve a modern interior with “rustic charm” in this São Paulo apartment.

Terracotta flooring and creamy brick walls were complemented with comfy furniture and soft furnishing in earthy tones, including the rust-coloured bed frame and elongated headboard in the bedroom.

Romano also added a tropical leafy plant, branches speckled with lichen and insect-shaped wall art to the space.

Find out more about Hygge Studio ›


Custom bed in Twentieth house by Woods and Dangaran
Photo by Joe Fletcher

Twentieth, USA, by Woods + Dangaran

Wood panelling, vintage furnishings and earthy-brown colours characterise the interior spaces of the Twentieth house in Santa Monica by Los Angeles studio Woods +Dangaran, which was built around an olive tree.

The primary bedroom was designed to feel flush and luxurious, with a Mehraban silk shag rug, brass fixtures and a custom bed recessed into a wooden surround.

Find out more about Twentieth ›


Bedroom in Flat#6 by Studio MK27
Photo by Fran Parente

Flat #6, Brazil, by Studio MK27

Also featuring a custom-made wooden bed surround is this bedroom designed by local architecture and design practice Studio MK27.

The practice added tactile rugs, blankets and fabric wall panels in various shades of brown and light neutrals to contrast with the basalt stone flooring in the São Paulo apartment.

“Natural light warms up every piece and every corner, letting the woods, the velvets and the stones speak louder,” said Studio MK27.

Find out more about Flat #6 ›


Escondido Oaxa Hotel by Decada Muebles
Photo by Undine Pröhl

Escondido Oaxaca Hotel, Mexico, by Decada Muebles

Interiors studio Decada Muebles finished the bedrooms of this boutique hotel in Oaxaca City with woven palm leaf headboards and sabino wood furniture pieces made by local artisans, including side tables, bed frames and shutters.

Alongside the wood accents, stucco walls help to add warmth and texture to the space and create a relaxing place for vacationers to stay.

Find out more about Escondido Oaxaca Hotel ›


The Palace Gate by Tala Fustok
Photo by Michael Sinclair

The Palace Gate Apartment, UK, by Tala Fustok Studio

Local interior design practice Tala Fustok Studio transformed this west London apartment into a “calm sanctuary” with a mixture of stone textures, earthy fabrics and a soft-warm colour palette.

The centrepiece of the bedroom is a 1960s-style velvet bed in a dusty pink hue. Decorative items surrounding it include a wall tapestry, a modern stone fireplace and an organically-shaped ceramic statue.

Find out more about The Palace Gate Apartment ›


Lom Haijai by Studionomad
Photo by Supee Juntranggur

Lom Haijai, Thailand, by Studionomad

Lom Haijai is an apartment block in Bangkok designed by architecture practice Studionomad, which features trees growing through the facade’s louvres.

Each bedroom in the apartment block has a Juliet balcony that looks over an internal courtyard. Wooden flooring and wall panelling add to the nature-inspired theme of the design.

Find out more about Lom Haijai ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring jewel-toned hotel interiors, kitchens with marble surfaces and biophilic homes.

Reference

Smart sockets reduce building energy consumption
CategoriesSustainable News

Smart sockets reduce building energy consumption

Spotted: Small power refers to unfixed electrical equipment, products, and appliances, commonly plugged into the electricity network. In an office environment, there may be thousands of these devices left turned on 24/7, and they can account for up to 40 per cent of energy usage. Yet, it is not practical to go around turning these devices on and off all the time.

To lower the energy usage of small power, startup measurable.energy has developed a smart socket designed specifically for commercial use that incorporates machine learning to automatically measure and eliminate small power waste. The sockets work like a normal socket but contain software that can automatically identify devices plugged into the sockets, monitor their energy use, report granular real-time data, and automatically turn devices on or off to avoid wasted energy.

The sockets can measure the exact usage of small power energy per socket, showing when and where energy is in use or wasted. Organisations can then use this data to decide the best way to cut back on energy usage.

On its website, measurable.energy emphasises that its hardware and software is designed to help individuals and businesses adjust their behaviour to use more renewable energy. The company writes that their solution, “pays back within two years and allows businesses to reduce electricity bills by at least 20 per cent.”

Nowadays, it seems like just about every appliance and device has smart capabilities. When used correctly, many of these can help people save energy and money. Some recent smart devices Springwise has spotted include a smart cooking pot that helps users save energy, and a self-powered smart pillow that monitors sleep.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Notpla by Superunion
CategoriesSustainable News

Greenhouse-in-a-box among 2022 Earthshot Prize winners

Prince William has announced the five winning projects of this year’s Earthshot Prize, founded by the royal together with British wildlife presenter David Attenborough to find solutions to “repair our planet”.

The Earthshot Prize winners each received a £1 million grant to scale their projects, with each tackling a different topic from regenerating nature and fighting climate change to eliminating pollution – whether at sea, on land or in the air – based loosely on the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

Notpla by Superunion
Seaweed packing Notpla is one of the winners of the 2022 Earthshot Prize

Among this year’s winning projects is Notpla – a plastic packaging alternative that is made from seaweed, making it not just biodegradable but also edible – and an affordable flat-pack greenhouse by Indian start-up Kheyti.

This so-called “greenhouse-in-a-box” can help small-scale farmers, whose harvests have been affected by climate change, to produce seven-times higher yields using 98 per cent less water, the company claims. At the same time, the modular structure is 90 per cent cheaper than a standard greenhouse, combining a simple shading cloth with a drip irrigation system and netting on all sides to ward off pests.

Greenhouse-in-a-box by Kheyti from 2022 Earthshot Prize winners
Also among the prize winners is Kheyti’s flat-pack greenhouse

Omani company 44.01 took home another of the competition’s top prizes for its development of a carbon storage system that takes excess carbon dioxide from the air and reportedly sequesters it “forever” by turning it into rocks.

This involves sourcing the atmospheric CO2 from direct air capture (DAC) companies such as Climeworks, dissolving it in water and injecting it into formations of a rock called peridotite, which is abundant in Oman.

Over the span of a year, the peridotite mineralises this carbon dioxide and turns it into solid rock in a natural process known as mineral carbonation, which normally takes thousands or even millions of years.

Talal Hasan standing in front of a rock formation
44.01’s carbon storage system makes use of peridotite

44.01 is among a growing cohort of companies developing technologies to accelerate this process, which is being billed as a solution for carbon storage that is stable and permanent, and thus does not require long-term monitoring.

“We have found a natural process that removes carbon and we’ve accelerated it,” explained founder Talal Hasan. “We believe this process is replicable globally and can play a key role in helping our planet to heal.”

Also among this year’s Earthshot Prize-winning projects is a stove developed by a women-run company in Kenya that runs on processed biomass instead of straight charcoal.

As a result, Mukuru Clean Stoves produce 70 per cent less air pollution than the traditional charcoal cookstoves currently used by around 700 million people across Africa.

The Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network received this year’s final accolade for its work in protecting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef by making use of “60,000 years of Indigenous knowledge” combined with modern, digital technologies such as drones.

Woman holding Mukuru Clean Stoves
Mukuru Clean Stoves run on processed biomass

The winning projects for the Earthshot Prize, which says it was “designed to find and grow the solutions that will repair our planet” were announced during a high-profile ceremony in Boston’s MGM Music Hall. This was broadcast by the BBC and presented by the Prince and Princess of Wales alongside celebrities including singer Ellie Goulding and footballer David Beckham.

“I believe that the Earthshot solutions you have seen this evening prove we can overcome our planet’s greatest challenges,” Prince William said. “And by supporting and scaling them we can change our future.”

“Alongside tonight’s winners and finalists, and those to be discovered over the years to come, it’s my hope the Earthshot legacy will continue to grow, helping our communities and our planet to thrive.”

Rangers in Australia standing around a small fire
The Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network was the final winning project

The ceremony received criticism from some viewers, as celebrity presenters and performers were flown into Boston to attend the event while the awards’ actual recipients accepted their awards virtually to save travel emissions.

Similarly, Beckham was called a “hypocrite” for his involvement in the event due to his ambassadorship of the Qatar World Cup, which has recently come under fire for its “disingenuous” carbon neutrality claims as the event looks to be on track to emit more CO2 than any other sporting event in recent history.

The Earthshot Prize was awarded for the first time ever last year, with winners including a restorative ecosystem scheme in Costa Rica and a tool that creates fuel from waste. The prize is set to run annually for the next eight years, during what has been dubbed the “decisive decade” for climate change action.

Reference

paul clemence le corbusier
CategoriesArchitecture

unite d’habitation shot by paul clemence in tribute to le corbusier

unite d’habitation through the lens of paul clemence

 

Photographer Paul Clemence journeys to Marseille to discover Le Corbusier‘s Unite d’Habitation, one of the most recognizable works of modernism. Following his stay at the Hôtel le Corbusier, which occupies the third floor of the iconic building, the Brooklyn-based photographer offers new a glimpse inside the vertical city. The 1952-built project was first erected in response to the baby boom and subsequent housing crisis of post-war France, and takes shape as a monumental, seventeen-story block raised atop an array of heroic pilotis.

paul clemence le corbusier

images © Paul Clemence / ARCHI-PHOTO@photobyclemence

 

 

discover the concrete city in the sky

 

Unite d’Habitation exemplifies Le Corbusier’s call for a new modern architecture, and is brought to life with modernist innovations a range of scales. An early example of the brise-soleil shows thoughtful, environmentally-responsive detailing, which integrates a system of sun shading directly into the facade. Meanwhile, a modular logic ensures that each narrow unit spans two levels and receives sunlight and ventilation from either end — this concept of a simple component to be aggregated is typical of Le Corbusier’s new school of thought.

 

On the whole, the project is designed to function as a city, a ‘machine for living in,’ and integrates all necessary amenities for its occupants to live. When first conceived, Unite d’Habitation was tightly fit with 330 units for 1,600 people, a post office, a two-level shopping center, library, restaurant, hotel for visitors, clinic, and a rooftop gymnasium and track. Even a school was located on the eleven-acre grounds.

paul clemence le corbusier

 

 

le corbusier’s mediterranean masterpiece

 

The design of Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation takes vernacular cues from the Mediterranean context — the French architect was largely influenced by his early travels throughout Greece and Rome, and drew from its built landscape of ubiquitous white walls and roof gardens. More than historical styles, he applied the spatial ideas of the urban armature to his work. Thus, the project harmonizes the individual dwelling with the ‘urban plan.’ 

paul clemence le corbusier
the monumental block rises seventeen stories, its modular logic expressed along its patterned facade

paul clemence le corbusier
the building is elevated atop an array of heroic pilotis

paul clemence le corbusierOra Ito’s MAMO (Marseille Modulor) art space occupies the rooftop (see designboom’s coverage here)



Reference

Exterior view of two-story home and lawn; hand holding infrared imaging gun in foreground shows heatmap of front facade
CategoriesSustainable News Zero Energy Homes

DOE Targets Air Leaks in Path to Zero Carbon

The Department of Energy released the residential segment of the U.S. Building Stock Characterization Study to give decisionmakers a science-based tool to identify technologies and solutions to drive the US housing stock toward zero carbon operation. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with input from the Advanced Building Construction Collaborative led by the Rocky Mountain Institute, developed the benchmark survey and accompanying dashboard. Typology studies like this have valued precedents in other countries, particularly in Europe, but this is the first-ever, national-level study of the US housing stock.

Updated in 2022 to include commercial buildings, the analysis segmented the US housing stock into 165 subgroups based on climate zone, wall structure, housing type, and year of construction. For each segment, thermal energy use (i.e., energy used for HVAC and water heating) was analyzed by end-use and segment. This gives policymakers and business owners insight to prioritize specific regions, housing segments, and target technologies for efficiency and electrification upgrades.

Primary high-level takeaways

Single-family detached homes

Not surprisingly, most residential thermal energy use is in single-family detached homes, which constitute the majority of residential buildings in the US. Single-family detached homes also have the highest thermal energy end-use per square foot (energy intensity); plus the largest square footage per home. This one-two punch means that any zero-carbon strategy must address this sector and its complex ownership structures, small individual building sizes, and diverse architectures.

Air leakage

Air leakage (infiltration) is the primary driver for heating loads in every climate region studied. For example, in multifamily buildings in cold climates, air leakage is nearly double all other envelope heat transfer component loads combined. This prioritizes insulation and other air-sealing strategies—especially those that limit disruptions for occupants during renovations. More research is needed on panelized walls, drill-and-fill insulation, and window retrofits to prove their effectiveness. Reducing air leakage, combined with mechanical ventilation, could also provide additional, non-monetary benefits for occupants, such as better thermal comfort, reduced moisture, and improved indoor air quality.

Mobile Homes

Mobile homes are extremely energy-intensive. Despite comprising a relatively small share of total housing units in most climate regions (around 4% to 9%), mobile homes typically have much larger thermal energy consumption per square foot than other building types. This inordinate energy intensity increases in older mobile homes in cold or mixed climate regions, where oil and gas heating are common; but is also problematic in hotter climates, where electric heating and cooling dominate.

Retrofitting mobile homes will likely offer an array of benefits for occupants, starting with reduced energy bills. Often, this might entail replacing the unit completely, although there could be significant barriers, such as local codes, taxes and ownership structures, as well as potential equity implications of displacing occupants.

Electrification

Fossil fuel–based space and water heating must be replaced to achieve decarbonization. These are the largest contributors to energy intensity and total loads. Again, electrification is needed across the US, in colder climates where oil and gas space and water heating are most common, and warmer regions with less reliance on fossil fuels. By benchmarking the different segments, the study informs decision-makers on where existing technologies are cost-effective, and where additional incentives or other cost reductions might be needed. (The DSIRE database is a great place to easily search and find a wide variety of state and federal financial incentives for sustainable new construction and renovations.) Some housing segments may also require envelope retrofits, to make electric heating pencil out, such as in the cold Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Solutions work across segments

The good news is that retrofit and building solutions are largely transferable among different residential segments. For example, energy efficiency packages developed for single-family detached, midcentury wood frame construction (which is the single-family segment with the highest thermal energy use in three of the five climate regions) will likely be applicable to other segments, such as other wood frame single-family detached vintages, as well as low-rise, wood frame multifamily buildings. Similarly, solutions developed for Marine-climate multifamily buildings, where water heating is the largest energy end use, could potentially apply broadly, as water heating retrofits aren’t impacted by the existing envelope.

Next steps to zero carbon

Local policymakers and building professionals should check out the free online dashboard that accompanies this report. Deep dive to explore building characteristics by specific state or county, examine nonthermal energy use, explore detailed HVAC configurations, and more. The online dashboard can serve as a baseline for the development of local efficiency and decarbonization strategies; and inform businesses on local opportunities. The commercial building recommendations and dashboard are also worth exploring.

In addition, this comprehensive, building characterization study will directly support technology and development goals nationwide, and further the work of the Advanced Building Construction Initiative as they explore avenues toward better performance and zero carbon. Beyond the major takeaways above, the ABC Analysis Working Group will identify additional home segments and strategies to prioritize for high decarbonization impact. And then model individual and packaged upgrades appropriate for particular segments.

Reference

Wooden furniture inside Ikoyi by Studio David Thulstrup
CategoriesInterior Design

David Thulstrup decorates Ikoyi restaurant with curved metal-mesh ceiling

Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup drew on spice-making processes when designing the interior of London’s Ikoyi restaurant, which features a variety of materials including copper and oak.

The 150-square-metre restaurant, which has a menu based on seasonal British produce and spices from sub-Saharan west Africa, is located inside the brutalist 180 The Strand building in central London.

Wooden furniture inside Ikoyi by Studio David Thulstrup
Studio David Thulstrup has clad London’s Ikoyi restaurant in copper sheets

Thulstrup completely renovated the interior, adding panels of a specially-designed metal-mesh weave that curve up from the restaurant’s windows and cover the ceiling. The ceiling design was informed by the process of spice production.

“I was inspired by sifting spices and thought the mesh could both capture and reflect light coming from the outside, the street light in the evening and sunlight in the daytime, but also be respectful to the exterior,” Thulstrup told Dezeen. “The lights from inside the restaurant will be captured and ‘sifted’ towards the street.”

Metal-mesh ceiling decoration in Ikoyi restaurant
Decorative metal mesh was used to cover the ceiling

Thulstrup also layered materials to create a restaurant interior that references the “boldness and intensity of the gastronomy” delivered by Ikoyi‘s founders Jeremy Chan and Ire Hassan-Odukale.

The restaurant walls were lined with oxidised copper sheets finished with beeswax, while the floors were covered in Gris de Catalan limestone that was flamed and brushed to develop a hammered surface.

Curved walls in London restaurant by Studio David Thulstrup
Ikoyi is located inside a brutalist building

The custom-built furniture and built-in joinery were made from British oak, while banquettes, chairs and wall panels were lined with ginger-coloured leather.

“I always work with contrasts and I like honest juxtapositions of materials that activate your senses – the copper that is warm in colour but cold when you touch it, the warm natural ginger leather against the colder steel mesh and the rough Catalan limestone floor against the warm English brown oak,” Thulstrup said.

Large round wooden table inside Ikoyi restaurant
The colour palette was kept warm and earthy

The earthy, rustic hues chosen by Thulstrup for the interior were informed both by the restaurant’s food and the building in which it is located.

“Ikoyi is placed on the ground level of the beautiful and very active brutalist building 180 The Strand,” he said.

“The restaurant’s gastronomy plays an essential role in the palette as well,” he added. “It’s not an interpretation of a dish but an exchange in colour and tracing ingredients back to their natural form and colour.”

On arrival, visitors to the restaurant are also greeted by a large copper-clad fridge that shows the produce served at Ikoyi, with slabs of meat and fresh fish hanging from meathooks.

Copper fridge in London restaurant by Studio David Thulstrup
Large copper fridges showcase fresh produce

Thulstrup wanted the fridges to remind people of where their food is coming from.

“[The idea was] that we know where a piece of fish comes from and that we are aware what a piece of meat looks like,” he said. “It traces the story back to when the animal was alive and underscores that we have to take good care of them and appreciate them.”

“I thought it would be a modern interpretation and celebration of our awareness of food.”

Ikoyi restaurant facing the garden
Wooden and leather-clad furniture was used for the interior

Thulstrup founded his studio in 2009 and it is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio works in architecture, design and interiors.

Previous projects by the studio include an office in Borough Yards, London, and the revamp of a winery in California’s Sonoma County.

The photography is by Irina Boersma.

Reference

Underground storage for hydrogen - Springwise
CategoriesSustainable News

Underground storage for hydrogen – Springwise

Spotted: Increasingly, green hydrogen is touted as a crucial element in the world’s journey to carbon zero. UK startup and underground energy storage specialist, Gravitricity, is completing its design of purpose-built underground lined rock shafts which would enable efficient underground hydrogen storage. 

Gravitricity believes its storage technology, which it calls FlexiStore, is a ‘Goldilocks’ solution to the obstacles facing hydrogen storage. Unlike above-ground hydrogen storage alternatives, FlexiStore provides a much bigger and more secure system. It is also more flexible than subterranean salt caverns – another commonly suggested method of underground storage.  

One FlexiStore could store the green hydrogen generated by an offshore wind farm, but this would fill up daily and would need to be emptied regularly. To make the process more efficient, multiple stores could be constructed so that large amounts of wind energy that would otherwise go to waste could be soaked up. And unlike salt cavern storage, which naturally requires specific geological environments, Gravitricity’s stores can be built wherever they are needed.  

Gravitricity has already identified many sites for its UK pilot project and is discussing the project and future commercial schemes with site owners. The company recently completed a £300,000 (around €341,000) feasibility study, which showed it is technically and commercially viable to store large amounts of compressed hydrogen with the Flexistore technology.  

Springwise has spotted other innovations aimed at storing hydrogen. HydroSolid developed a way to store and transport large amounts of hydrogen at low pressures using a new nanomaterial, and EPRO found a way to transport green hydrogen in powder form.  

Written By: Anam Alam 

Reference

Photo of translucent plastic tubes branching underneath a concrete slab ceiling
CategoriesSustainable News

BVN and UTS rethink air conditioning with 3D-printed “breathing” system

Australian architecture practice BVN and the University of Technology Sydney have created a low-carbon, 3D-printed system that “breathes” like frog skin.

Named Systems Reef 2, the invention was made of recycled plastic 3D printed into a computationally optimised design that BVN said has 90 per cent less embodied carbon than a standard air-conditioning system.

The system also uses less operational energy because the air flows more easily around the organically shaped, branching tubing, with no corners to get stuck in.

Photo of translucent plastic tubes branching underneath a concrete slab ceiling
Systems Reef 2 is a reimagined system of air conditioning with an optimised design

The invention was designed to tackle the many deficiencies the architecture studio identified with air conditioning, a technology that BVN co-CEO Ninotschka Titchkosky describes as not having changed much since its invention in the early 1900s and having been “largely designed for manufacturing processes as opposed to human comfort”.

Air conditioning systems are typically made from steel sheets, which the BVN and UTS team’s analysis showed results in high embodied carbon and the use of much more material than is necessary. The systems also waste energy because they are structurally inefficient and difficult to change after installation.

“At the moment, the systems that we have, they’re really inflexible, they’re not particularly great for human comfort, they’re really expensive to change and they really limit the way we want to occupy buildings now in the 21st century, which is much more adaptive and agile,” Titchkosky told Dezeen.

Photo of a 3D printer nozzle extruding clear plastic in a layers to form a tube
The system is made of recycled plastic that is 3D printed into tubes

A key difference with Systems Reef 2 is that it’s “designed for air”, removing one of the key sources of inefficiency in existing systems: right angles.

These systems’ orthogonal designs, while suiting sheet metal construction, lead to air becoming stuck in corners and needing more energy to force it out.

“The most shocking thing we realised is that existing air conditioning systems basically aren’t aerodynamic and don’t even go through a computational fluid dynamic modelling process most of the time,” said Titchkosky.

Photo of two people holding up a length of clear plastic tubing as if to install it on a ceiling
The tubing is meant as a replacement for steel air conditioning ducting

Systems Reef 2 instead has an irregular, branching form with no sharp corners, and with a tapering shape so that extra energy isn’t needed to push cool air out of the furthest reaches of the tubing.

With the friction removed from the system, it is also smaller and slimmer, using overall less material.

To increase the comfort level for people sitting under the contraption, the team drew inspiration from frogs, which breath through their skin. Instead of using ducts, they covered Systems Reef 2 in tiny pores that effectively mist cool air into the space below.

Close-up photo of translucent plastic tubing forming the Systems Reef 2 air conditioning system
The tubing is said to have a beautiful, crystalline appearance

For a low-carbon material solution that is suitable for 3D printing, they chose recycled plastic, on the basis that not only is plastic waste plentiful but it can be easily recycled again and again, making Systems Reef 2 a circular design.

BVN used waste plastic that was obtained from hospitals, crushed into pellets and fed into the 3D-printing robot.

The material gives Systems Reef 2 a translucent, crystalline appearance that BVN says is “very beautiful”. There is also the possibility to print it in colours or illuminate it to personalise an office environment.

Close-up photo of the Systems Reef 2 tubing showing the texture of fine coils of plastic filament
The 3D-printing process gives BVN and UTS the ability to precisely control the shape of the ducting

The team’s final goal for Systems Reef 2 was that it be adaptable, which they achieved with a click-and-connect system with standardised fixings and seals to facilitate easy changes.

Because it is so simple and light, BVN estimates that it cuts down on onsite labour by more than 50 per cent — a significant draw given worldwide labour shortages — while being friendlier to the health of the installers.

The team uses generative design to tailor Systems Reef 2 to specific spaces, with an algorithm generating hundreds of iterations based on a given floor plan and the final design being chosen and tweaked through manual review.

BVN installed a prototype Systems Reef 2 at its own studio in Sydney, replacing the existing tertiary ducting and diffusers. It is now exploring more demonstration projects while getting the design ready to launch as a commercial product.

Photo of BVN's Sydney studio with Systems Reef 2 air conditioning system installed
BVN has installed a prototype of Systems Reef 2 at its studio in Sydney

It particularly sees the product as having great potential for retrofitting ageing buildings and says it could theoretically be installed in any office with an open-plan layout.

BVN and UTS were awarded Best Green Building Material/Product at the Australian Sustainability Awards 2022 for the design.

It is the second Systems Reef project BVN has undertaken, with each dedicated to some aspect of building services.

Photo of 3D-printing robot extruding material in coils
The team is now aiming to bring their invention to the market

“The reason it’s called Systems Reef is because we were starting to think about all the layers that exist in the ceiling as sort of like a reef — this kind of multi-layered environment where everything plays a part,” said Titchkosky.

“We wanted to move away from the idea of a services infrastructure to a services system that was more holistically interwoven and a lot smarter.”

BVN is an Australian architecture practice with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, London and New York. Its current projects include the Sydney headquarters for technology company Atlassian, which will be one of the world’s tallest hybrid timber towers at 40 storeys in height.

Reference

Interior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation by DF Creative Group
CategoriesArchitecture

DF Creative Group transforms former heating plant into cultural centre

Slovakian architecture studio DF Creative Group has converted a former heating plant in Bratislava into a cultural centre, complementing its industrial structure with a series of contemporary additions.

The heritage-listed Jurkovič Heating plant, originally designed in the 1940s by Dušan Jurkovič, was formerly part of the Apollo Refinery.

While the rest of the refinery was demolished, the former heating plant now sits at the centre of the Sky Park Masterplan by Zaha Hadid Architects, which completed its first phase in 2020.

Interior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation by DF Creative Group
DF Creative Group transformed the industrial building to contain workspaces

Following an invited competition, DF Creative Group, led by architect Martin Paško, was awarded the project to convert the plant into a space that would combine co-working offices with public exhibition, events and hospitality areas.

Looking to celebrate the original industrial structure of the plant, DF Creative Group approached its retrofit as the creation of distinct contemporary structures within its original, historic shell, organised around the full-height turbine hall at its centre.

Between the vast, exposed concrete volumes of the former hopper heaters, steel-link bridges and glass walls create new routes and lines of sight through the building.

Exterior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation by DF Creative Group
The historic exterior was maintained

“The architectural solution uses the void interior space in the boiler room and the turbine hall for the construction of new independent structures, while creating new areas and floors consistently offset from the original building,” explained the practice.

“This concept makes it possible to separate and distinguish historical constructions from new ones, while simultaneously embracing and respecting history and harmony,” it continued.

Interior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation by DF Creative Group
Office spaces were finished with contemporary details

The ground floor of the building has been reimagined as a “living square”, focused around a skylit atrium that extends the entire height and length of the building.

A restaurant, cafe, contemporary art gallery and multi-functional hall are all organised around the ground floor atrium, in between the existing columns of the original structure.

Above, five floors of co-working spaces occupy a newly-created glass envelope that overlooks the central void, with black steel-link bridges connecting spaces between the large concrete hoppers.

The office interiors have been finished with minimalist, contemporary detailing to create a contrast with the historic backdrop of the plant, with lighting fitted directly to existing trusses or walls and complemented by simple furniture and planting.

Interior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation by DF Creative Group
Steel bridges span across the turbine hall

“The intervention highlights many historical construction details, including the structure’s original rugged columns and three cominant hoppers,” explained the practice.

“The reconstruction created an original representative space with materials in their original ‘roughness’ and colour,” it continued.

Interior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation by DF Creative Group
The architecture studio wanted to showcase the building’s original structure

At the top of the building, a roof terrace provides visitors with views out over the newly developed Sky Park, where three new apartment towers by Zaha Hadid Architects sit within a green landscape.

“The new design is a symbol of the former plant, a symbol of Sky Park, and a symbol of the capital, Bratislava, itself,” said the practice.

Exterior of Jurkovic Heating Plant transformation in the Sky Park Masterplan
The project is located within Zaha Hadid Architects Sky Park Masterplan

The project is one of several recent schemes across the world transforming former power plants into new cultural spaces that celebrate their industrial heritage.

In China, ARCity Office adapted the concrete frame of a power plant into a new, glazed community hub, while in the UK, London’s iconic Battersea Power Station recently re-opened following its transformation into shops, offices and apartments.

Reference