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traditional wooden hanok roof frame tops nomal's renovated restaurant in korea

Architecture

wooden hanok roof frame tops nomal’s restaurant in korea

By Zarkon Group,04/12/2023

NOMAL’s Joomak revitalizes abandoned house in Palbok-dong

NOMAL studio’s project, Joomak, revitalizes the landscape of Palbok-dong in Jeonju, Korea, addressing the challenges of neglected industrial zones and structures. The once-thriving industrial area faced a decline during the 1990s, resulting in abandoned factories and neglected spaces. The project is part of the ‘MBC Empty House 3’ initiative that aims to regenerate four old disused houses in Palbok-dong. The design transforms one of the old structures into a modern restaurant, incorporating elements of traditional hanok architecture and a spatial layout resembling a Joomak, a term for a traditional Korean tavern.

all images by © Roh Kyung

renovation project preserves existing structural elements

The design team at NOMAL prioritizes the preservation of the building’s historical integrity, emphasizing existing structural elements and traces integral to the town’s long-standing village landscape. For the hanok, a meticulous process involves the removal of the roof to prevent structural collapse. The deteriorated wood structure undergoes reinforcement by enveloping the lower section with metal and infilling it with concrete. To meet contemporary load requirements and enhance roof performance, modern materials are employed in place of traditional roof tiles.

the project transforms an old structure into a modern restaurant, integrating traditional hanok elements

open layout blurs the boundaries between inside and outside

The project is centered around the concept of openness. Various design elements intentionally blur the distinction between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating a symbolic representation of an external environment within the interior. Utilizing metal for exterior walls and extending it to the kitchen and main hall, along with an opening directly connecting the roof frame with the interior ceiling, conveys the internal hall as a symbolic external space akin to a traditional joomak. Additionally, floor-to-ceiling windows facing the landscape further dissolve the delineation between the inside and outside, ensuring a visually open atmosphere within the relatively narrow space. The conversion of the adjacent vacant lot into a green patio enhances the ‘Joomak’s’ front yard prominence. This project initiates the process of revitalizing Palbok-dong through urban regeneration.

NOMAL preserves the building’s historical integrity and existing structural elements

deteriorated wood structure is reinforced, enveloping the lower part with metal and infilling it with concrete

the project’s core concept revolves around openness, blurring lines between indoor and outdoor spaces

Reference

Built Works design red timber sauna in East Sussex

Architecture

Built Works creates Drying Shed sauna in East Sussex woodland

By Zarkon Group,03/12/2023

Red shingles and an oversailing roof characterise this sauna, which London studio Built Works has completed in a woodland in East Sussex.

Located on the edge of a family-run farm in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Drying Shed serves guests staying in two nearby cabins.

The sauna was commissioned by Architects Holiday, a platform created by the Built Works team that specialises in architect-designed holiday cabins in the countryside.

It is situated in a small clearing within walking distance from the cabins and is reached via woodland paths.

The Drying Shed in East Sussex — The structure is covered with red shingles

Built Works’s design references the historical agricultural drying sheds of the area, evident in its geometric form and the patterned use of larch shingles.

The rich, red hue of the cladding aims to complement the surrounding woodland while ensuring it is easily identifiable.

Interior view of the Drying Shed commissioned by Architects Holiday — A wood-burning stove features inside

“The choice of red adds a subtle, updated twist to aid wayfinding, yet still sits harmoniously within its setting,” said the studio.

“Detailing features at each corner, in a contemporary take on the traditional cladding found on drying sheds,” the studio continued. “Overhanging panels would open and close to aid the drying process.”

Wood-lined interior of Built Works' sauna — The interior is lined with alder wood

The Drying Shed is constructed from a timber frame, insulated with recycled plastic and sheep wool. It is crowned with a corrugated roof that oversails the structure and offers cover from the elements.

Elevated above the ground, the sauna offers views of a stream and the adjacent countryside through a large picture window.

“The sauna is elevated above ground to reduce harm to surrounding habitats and features discrete root-sensitive screw piles for additional stability,” the studio told Dezeen.

“[It is] perched on stones salvaged from an old barn on the site.”

Built Works create sauna in East Sussex — The Drying Shed is elevated above the ground

The interior is lined with alder timber, a choice inspired by trees in the vicinity.

Central to the experience of the Drying Shed is a wood-burning stove. A bench beside it is crafted from the trunk of a silver birch, the top of which has been carved to form a flat, slatted seat that echoes the floor and walls.

Built Works design red timber sauna called the Drying Shed in East Sussex — Its red colour aims to make it identifiable in the woodland

Built Works was founded in 2020 and has studios in both London and the Lake District. The construction of the Drying Shed was carried out through a live-build workshop involving staff from Built Works and Architects Holiday as part of an annual summer programme.

Other saunas featured recently on Dezeen include one in Devon with blackened-wood cladding and a large square window and a lakeside one alongside an Art Museum in Finland.

The photography is by Holly Farrier.

Reference

Architecture

Sustainable Practice: The Miller Hull Partnership’s “Regenerative Porch”

By Zarkon Group,02/12/2023

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

Front porch living is a staple activity in many parts of the world; this culture of chatting with passersby, catching a fresh breeze and watching over the neighborhood was long viewed as a cultural mainstay of the southern United States. In addition to contributing to more socially-oriented communities, porches were historically important design features to help inhabitants cope with warmer weather (and a signature element of the New Urbanism movement). As the advent of air conditioning revolutionized the way architects and the broader population alike responded to heat, the porch became less integral to home design; however, today, several firms are making a strong case for its revival.

Architects have a responsibility to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare. Between climate change and increasingly extreme weather conditions, this charge also encompasses more sustainable and resilient design. For the Kendeda Building in Atlanta, the team at The Miller Hull Partnership (who took home the jury accolade for Best Sustainable Firm in the 10th Annual A+Awards) set out to create a model architecture that could foster environmental education and research. The resulting building doubles as a forum for community outreach, grounding approaches to sustainability and resiliency within the campus and beyond — all hinging on a clever evolution of the “porch” concept.

Located in the heart of Atlanta, The Kendeda Building was designed to make a statement. Created for the Georgia Institute of Technology, the building’s design also became an expression of its value system. These ideas are shown on display both inside and out, from the massing to material choices like mass timber. Working with Lord Aeck Sargent, a Katerra Company (LAS), the team at Miller Hull wanted to demonstrate that rigorous design and sustainability go hand-in-hand.

The concept of The Kendeda Building is inspired by the vernacular southern porch. Taking this element and expanding it from the residential to the civic scale, the team imagined a “regenerative porch” that could create a cool microclimate on the surrounding site. The resulting structure invites visitors inside to rest, learn and to look up as they learn about the space around them. Inside, the building continues the concept of learning by example through the design itself. As the team explained, gravity and lateral elements are left exposed creating a visual register of the structural forces at work.

The Kendeda Building hosts a variety of learning spaces to welcome all students and disciplines from campus. Traditional classrooms as well as laboratory space and meeting rooms fill the building. Each space has generous daylighting, operable windows and is free of Red List chemicals. Indoor environmental quality was the primary driver in the design of these spaces to support learning. The Kendeda Building is Georgia Tech’s first timber building since its earliest load bearing masonry and timber structures from the 1880s. Climate smart mass timber was selected for its significantly smaller embodied carbon footprint, compared to concrete and steel systems.

The design of the Kendeda Building demonstrates that ‘Living Buildings’ are possible in even the most demanding climates. The Living Building Challenge is one of the world’s most rigorous performance sustainability certification standards for buildings. It was assumed Living Buildings could never be built in the hot and humid climate of the southern United States, especially Georgia, where swampy summers typically necessitate the use of high amounts of energy to keep buildings cool.

“People thought that a building like Kendeda could work in other places – California. Arizona, maybe. But certainly not Georgia,” says Shan Arora, Director of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design.

Yet, the project achieved full Living Building Certification in 2021 after proving its net positive energy and water performance during its year-long occupancy period. At the heart of this was the “Regenerative Porch” — a structural system and PV canopy that generates more than 100% of the building’s energy demand and captures enough rainwater to meet 100% of the water used in the building. At the same time, the design blurs interior and exterior conditions while providing weather-protected outdoor classroom space. As the first Living Building of its kind in the Southeast US, the project set a new standard for design.

The Kendeda Fund provided ongoing funding to support programs in the building that engage local Atlanta communities beyond the university. The atrium, lecture hall, roof garden, and multipurpose room were all designed to be made available for community events. As the team outlined, Georgia Tech’s mission is to maximize the impact of the building by exposing as many students as possible to the project. After learning in a building expressing such a strong position on resiliency and sustainability, the hope is that they will take those values with them into the future.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

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Architecture

7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco

By Zarkon Group,01/12/2023

Colorful and dreamlike: this is how Morocco’s architecture and built environment could easily be described. Located between the edge of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, Africa’s most “Western” country is fascinating and full of contradictions. Also known as The Kingdom of the Western Place, Morocco has a diverse array of landscapes and rich architecture, thus becoming one of the most famous cultural destinations as well as film sets in the world.

From the signature riads — courtyard houses — located in Marrakesh to the modernist architectural identity of Casablanca to the famous Zellij tilework found across the country, Morocco’s architecture is imbued with many distinct cultural elements. An evocative example is Maison Brummell Majorelle, a “dreamy” new boutique hotel designed by Moroccan-based architect Amine Abouraoui Architects and Spanish architect Bergendy Cooke. The design playfully employs the iconic vernacular shapes of Moroccan architecture, adding, however, a contemporary twist and successfully integrating it into the surrounding context. In its entirety, the country’s unique architecture has been faithfully preserved throughout Morocco’s history, becoming somewhat of an architectural legacy.

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 Morocco 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 Morocco architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 7 best architecture firms in Morocco:

7. Estrecho Studio

Based in Tangier and Brussels, this young international firm creates unique and new experiences through architecture. We believe sharing knowledge and experience will make our community stronger. We consider architecture as a key of resilience, growth and development. Our approach is based on research, speculation and experimentation. We seek to provide solutions to contemporary architectural and urban issues.

Some of Estrecho Studio’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Estrecho Studio achieve 7th place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

6. Gregoire Maisondieu Architecture & Interior Design

Grégoire Maisondieu is a DPLG architect and interior designer. After working for a long time with Philippe Starck, Bruno Borrione and Christophe Pillet, he is now developing his own projects, mainly in France and Morocco.

Some of Gregoire Maisondieu Architecture & Interior Design’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Gregoire Maisondieu Architecture & Interior Design achieve 6th place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

5. Yachar Bouhaya Architecte

Yachar Bouhaya Architecte is an architecture and interior design firm based in Casablanca. The firm was founded by Yachar Bouhaya, a graduate of the Special School of Architecture in Paris, he continued his training in the Parisian agencies Anne Démians and AW2. At the end of 2010, he founded the eponymous architecture agency Yachar Bouhaya Architecte, whose project methodology frees itself from formal language and ready-made, thus revealing the uniqueness of each project.

Some of Yachar Bouhaya Architecte’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Yachar Bouhaya Architecte achieve 5th place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	3

4. Driss Kettani Architecte

Driss Kettani graduated from the National School of Architecture in Rabat in 2003 and founded the agency Driss Kettani Architect in 2005, after some collaborations and study trips. He has a constant interest in the place, culture and inhabitants as an essential starting component of a reflection, a project. This approach goes hand in hand with an imperative of modernity and contemporaneity, in a constant quest for creativity and meaning.

His work is part of an approach combining architectural rigor and research into the sensitive and poetic dimension of architecture. Architecture being the reading canvas of our time, which it can contribute to raising by offering users a living environment expression of a culture and high aspirations.

Some of Driss Kettani Architecte’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Driss Kettani Architecte achieve 4th place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	3

3. El Kabbaj – Kettani – Siana – Architects

El Kabbaj – Kettani – Siana – Architects is an architecture firm based in Morocco specializing in educational and mixed-use buildings.

Some of El Kabbaj – Kettani – Siana – Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped El Kabbaj – Kettani – Siana – Architects achieve 3rd place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

Featured Projects	4
Total Projects	3

2. Studio CAYS

Born in 2019, Studio Cays owes its name to the founders of the agency. Twin sisters and associates, CAYS is in fact the anagram of the abbreviations of their respective first names. CAYS is a duality naturally creating a complementarity, a link of interdependence of two phenomena: beauty and ergonomics. Eclecticism is the motto of the agency; each project differs from another. The objective is to learn from each project, we must feed this appetite through the nature of our architectural design.

Some of Studio CAYS’s most prominent projects include:

ZAI House, Casablanca, Morocco
LNKO Office, Casablanca, Morocco
Studio Cays X Studio BO, Casablanca, Morocco
MAYZ House, Rabat, Morocco
Atelier Skin, Casablanca, Morocco

The following statistics helped Studio CAYS achieve 2nd place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

Featured Projects	4
Total Projects	10

1. TARIK ZOUBDI ARCHITECTE

We are an international award-winning architecture studio. Based in Morocco since 2008, during these many years we have worked a lot on various projects such as social housing, health or education… In our opinion, architecture is about poetic and spatial translation of human’s aspirations for a better life. we believe in contextual architecture, whit sense of belonging to a place, like if it has always been a part of it.

We think that architecture must resist to the collective temptation of “Folk Mimicry” and passing fashion by yearning for timelessness. We love the dramatic mood of ruins, witnessing the collective memory, that time roots in space, the grass that grows in the roadway; and the nature taking back gradually its rights.

Some of TARIK ZOUBDI ARCHITECTE’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped TARIK ZOUBDI ARCHITECTE achieve 1st place in the 7 Best Architecture Firms in Morocco:

A+Awards Winner	2
A+Awards Finalist	1
Featured Projects	3
Total Projects	2

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 31 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.

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

Architecture

marc thorpe’s livingston manor exemplifies passive design upstate

By Zarkon Group,30/11/2023

Livingston Manor: A Graphic Designer’s Rural Retreat

Hidden among the forested West Catskills just two hours northwest of New York City, the Livingston Manor house takes shape with architecture by Marc Thorpe Design. Covering just 1,800 square feet, the remote dwelling offers a private rural escape for a Brooklyn-based graphic designer and his family. Central to the design is a spacious open living and dining room, two bedrooms, as well as utility and bathroom areas. What sets this project apart is its unique cantilevered roofline, triangulated to provide a sense of weightlessness as it gracefully hovers over the surrounding deck.

images © Marco Petrini

the low-energy home beneath a cantilevered roof

The defining feature of Livingston Manor is its deep triangulated cantilevered roofline, which architect Marc Thorpe shapes to create a sheltered outdoor space over the wrapping deck. In alignment with contemporary environmental awareness, the Livingston Manor house adheres to the principles of passive design. The architects strategically reduced the building’s ecological footprint by implementing standards that ensure ultra-low energy consumption for space heating and cooling. This commitment to sustainability exemplifies the studio’s dedication to responsible architecture.

just two hours from the city, Livingston Manor is a private escape designed for a Brooklyn-based graphic designer

passive design + responsible architecture by marc thorpe

Marc Thorpe Design works together with the Narrowsburg-based team at Wild & Balanced High-Performance Building to construct the Livingston Manor using responsible strategies. Advocates for thoughtful building practices, the contracting group adopts a methodology centered around passive construction. Its approach involves creating an air-tight, super-insulated, and thermally broken structure that is continuously vented with filtered fresh air (ERV/HRV). This method results in a range of benefits, including significantly lower heating and cooling bills, even temperature distribution, and a reduced reliance on fossil fuels and electricity. ‘One shouldn’t get caught up in the term (passive),’ says the firm, describing its methodology. ‘Simply put, Passive construction is the evolution of homebuilding and renovations.’

the home is enclosed by a unique cantilevered roofline, sheltering a wrapping deck

Livingston Manor follows passive design standards, ensuring ultra-low energy use for heating and cooling
Marc Thorpe Design reduces the project’s ecological footprint with eco-friendly construction

Reference

Architecture

Dezeen Awards 2023 winners announced at ceremony in London

By Zarkon Group,29/11/2023

All 50 Dezeen Awards 2023 winners have been announced at this evening’s ceremony in central London.

The winners were revealed at a party at Shoreditch Electric Light Station attended by shortlisted studios along with Dezeen Awards judges past and present including Nelly Ben Hayoun, Omar Gandhi, Patricia Urquiola, Sumayya Vally and LionHeart.

All Dezeen Awards 2023 winners revealed

The winning projects have been selected from more than 4,800 entries from 94 countries. The 39 project category winners were shortlisted for the architecture, interiors, design and sustainability project of the year awards. These projects went head to head to win the overall project of the year awards.

The six Designers of the Year and the inaugural Bentley Lighthouse Award winner were also announced at the ceremony.

View the winners on the Dezeen Awards website or read below:

Architecture

Simba Vision Montessori School by Architectural Pioneering Consultants won the prestigious architecture project of the year award, sponsored by Material Bank. It was also named education project of the year.

The judges said: “This exemplary building manages to do the most with the least. A truly sustainable project with a very limited budget, the building provides a much-needed educational space for the local community that is responsive to people, place and purpose.”

The winning Montessori school with tactile qualities was up against projects that included a linear park with an elevated walkway in Mexico City, a copper-clad shelter constructed from bamboo in Bali and a timber-lined community centre made from salvaged local wood in east London.

Read more about Simba Vision Montessori School and the architecture winners ›

Xokol by Ruben Valdez — A restaurant in a former mechanic’s workshop in Guadalajara won interior project of the year. Photo by Gillian Garcia

Interiors

Restaurant Xokol in Guadalajara by studios Ruben Valdez Practice and ODAmx was named interior project of the year, sponsored by Moroso. It also won restaurant and bar interior of the year.

“Xokol understands the place where it lives and the importance of designing in a specific way for a specific location,” commended the judges. “The result of this understanding is deep and poetic.”

A palazzo with circular elements in Rome, a retail space defined by curved resin walls in the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an exhibition with shrink-wrapped blocks as scenography in Hanover were a few of the projects competing with the Mexican cross-cultural dining space.

Read more about Xokol and the interiors winners ›

CIONIC FUSEPROJECT — Design project of the year was awarded to designer Yves Behar for his bionic leg wrap

Design

The Cionic Neural Sleeve by Yves Behar’s Fuseproject and neuro tech startup Cionic was crowned design project of the year, sponsored by Solus Ceramics and Mirage Spa. It was also awarded product design (health and wellbeing) project of the year.

“For the millions of people suffering from muscular degenerative diseases or injury, this product has the greatest potential to improve the user’s ability to walk and therefore their quality of life,” said the master jury.

Projects vying with the winning bionic leg wrap included sunglasses that have adaptive focus lenses, a climate-change calculator that makes use of real-world data and a minimalist log-like perch designed for active waiting.

Read more about Cionic Neural Sleeve and the design winners ›

Exterior of Phase 2 of Park Hill estate in Sheffield — The latest phase of the redevelopment of Park Hill estate in Sheffield was crowned sustainable project of the year

Sustainability

London architecture studio Mikhail Riches won sustainable project of the year, sponsored by Brookfield Properties. Park Hill Phase 2 was also named sustainable renovation of the year.

The judges said: “Mikhail Riches has taken the ruin of a concrete post-war mass housing project, which was an iconic building of its time, and shown how to care for its legacy while giving it dignity.”

Other contenders for sustainability project of the year included an affordable housing block with pigmented precast concrete panels, a whiskey bar decked with oak from discarded distillery barrels and a chipless, paper-only version of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

Read more about Park Hill Phase 2 and the sustainability winners ›

Stormwater Pond at Exercisfältet by White Arkitekter — Photo by Måns Berg

Designers of the Year

Scandinavian practice White Arkitekter took home the architect of the year award and Sumayya Vally of Counterspace Studio was named emerging architect of the year.

Interior designer of the year was awarded to Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola and emerging interior designer of the year was awarded to Paris-based studio Uchronia.

London design duo Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd won designer of the year for their practice Pearson Lloyd and Parisian Audrey Large was named emerging designer of the year.

These categories are sponsored by Bentley.

Read more about the Designers of the Year winners ›

Bentley Lighthouse Award

Natural Material Studio founder Bonnie Hvillum has been named the first winner of the prestigious Bentley Lighthouse Award.

The inaugural award recognises designers who are curious and courageous in their approach, and whose work has had a beneficial impact on social and environmental sustainability, inclusivity or community empowerment.

“The whole oeuvre is impressive and beautiful and demonstrates the path that our industry needs to take towards bio-based research, creating greater material diversity whether by repurposing waste or growing new materials,” lauded the master jury.

This category is sponsored by Bentley.

Read more about the Bentley Lighthouse Award winner Bonnie Hvillum ›

Dezeen Awards 2023

Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.

Reference

Architecture

Philippe Block on Sustainable Construction: “Building Technique Is More Important Than Materials”

By Zarkon Group,28/11/2023

The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today.

There is a quality one finds in people who really believe in what they do. It is not excitement in the voice or a twinkle in the eye. No, it is simply the fact that they are eager to explain what they do as clearly as they can. With this type, there is no space for any sort of conversational filler. Time is of the essence, and at the end of the discussion, they want to make sure, above all, that you “got” it, that you grasped their message.

The type I am thinking of is the opposite of the dissimulating salesperson who speaks with an agenda in mind. Ironically, of course, a person who believes in what they do is far more convincing than any salesperson.

In any case, this was my experience speaking with Philippe Block, a structural design researcher at ETH Zurich who is best known for his commitment to “strength through geometry,” or the idea that the mass of buildings — and with it their embodied carbon footprints — could be greatly reduced if architects were more thoughtful about load distribution. Instead of beams and flat floor plates, Block envisions a future of vaults and curves. With the right shapes, he argues, we could create high-rise buildings with far less concrete and, in many cases, almost no steel reinforcements whatsoever. And like the Gothic cathedrals he loves, these structures would stand for centuries, persisting through hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.

The fan-vaulted stone ceiling of King’s College chapel at the University of Cambridge, UK: fully unreinforced, standing over five centuries, and proportionally as thin as an eggshell. Photo by J. Kurt Schmidt. Used with permission from Block Research Group.

Reducing the amount of concrete used in construction would have a major impact on climate change. It is estimated that 8% of global carbon emissions are caused by the manufacture of cement, the binding agent in concrete.

Block, it must be noted, is no longer simply a researcher. He recently launched a company called VAULTED AG which produces customizable modular floor plates made from unreinforced concrete. The plates, of course, use the most sustainable concrete available on the market. But the most important aspect of them is not what they are made from, it is their shape. Due to the use of vaulting, these floor plates use 60% less concrete and 80% less steel than the standard floor plates used in the industry.

Yet they are just as strong, and can easily be used in the construction of high-density, high-rise buildings, meeting a practical need in a world with a population projected to grow by over 2 billion in the next thirty years. Geometry, Block explained, is not just about beautiful shells, opera houses and stadiums. It isn’t just for show.

VAULTED AG commercialises a low-carbon, fully circular prefab vaulted floor, called the Rippmann Floor System (RFS), that reduces the global warming potential (GWP) compared to a flat slab in reinforced concrete by at least two-thirds. Here, workers install a Rippmann floor plate in a 10 story project in Zug, Switzerland. Photo by Gabriele Mattei, used with permission by VAULTED AG.

When I spoke to Block over Zoom, he was eager to get down to the nuts and bolts of the discussion, which ended up lasting over an hour. The questions I had prepared ended up being irrelevant, as his slideshow presentation covered all that I wanted to ask and more. It never occurred to Block that I might be interested in talking about his background or personal life. From the jump, our conversation was all about proving his thesis that geometry, or building technique, is more important than materials when it comes to sustainable construction. This, he explained, is the concept behind VAULTED AG’s revolutionary floor plates. And if this principle were widely applied, it could change the future of construction forever.

“When speaking of sustainability, so many people, in a very un-nuanced and simplistic way, talk about materials only, right?” he said, about a minute into the conversation. “Wood is good, concrete is bad. That is an absolute absurdity. It is not just about material, it’s also about how much you need, which is where structural design and optimization comes in, and then, increasingly important, the extending of resources or entire components past the first life of a building — to keep things in the loop in a circular construction economy.”

The three main levers that contribute to the environmental impact of a building or construction, focusing on embodied emissions and resources. Graphic prepared by Catherine De Wolf & Corentin Fivet. Used with permission from Block Research Group.

Here Block pulled up a graphic showing how he calculates the environmental impact over the lifespan of a building. He emphasized that his goal was not only to lower the mass of buildings, reducing the amount of carbon, but also to use forms of concrete that are recyclable, and that can be reused once a building has been demolished. Concrete used correctly, he explained, is just as sustainable as wood, especially if one takes into account the lifespan of the building and the ability for unreinforced concrete to be reused and repurposed.

At this point, Block moved to a slide of the famous fan vaulting over the nave of King’s College Chapel at the University of Cambridge, England. This structure, he explained, has stood for over 500 years. More impressive than this, the stone vaults of this structure are simply “masonry systems… just pieces of stone held together in compression. They stand because they have a good geometry while being proportionally as thin as an eggshell.”

The Armadillo Vault, shown at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale: 399 pieces of cut stone, held together through geometry, without mortar, glue or reinforcement, using the same principles as Gothic Cathedrals and demonstrating the beauty of strength through geometry. Photo by Iwan Baan. Used with permission from Block Research Group.

Block then opened his next slide, an installation he and his team created for the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. “What you are looking at are 399 pieces of cut stone that are held together because of their geometry, no glue, no mortar, no reinforcement, fully dry assembled,” he explained. “So the same principles as to why the cathedrals are standing make this possible.” What struck me about this installation was just how thin the shell was. With the right geometry, a lot can be done with a small amount of materials.

Concrete, he explained, essentially behaves like stone once it is cast, so masonry principles apply to concrete construction. However, most modern buildings require massive amounts of steel-reinforced concrete because the structure is not assembled according to intelligent masonry principles. The key is to “align the structure to where the compressive forces naturally want to be,” unlike a “typical beam,” which does not offload the weight in any kind of strategic way, but simply braces the structure.

Concrete is an artificial stone, and like stone, it does not want to be a straight beam, it wants to be a masonry arch. A rib-stiffened, arched floor with tension ties uses up to 70% less concrete and 90% less steel compared to a flat slab in reinforced concrete for the same structural requirements. Graphic prepared by Block Research Group, ETH Zurich. Used with permission.

These are the principles that underlie Block’s vaulted floors, called the Rippmann Floor System or simply RFS. Aesthetically, I told Block, I really appreciated how these floors looked once installed, especially from underneath, where they can be installed to appear as beautiful vaulted ceilings. In the future, I proposed, perhaps flat roofs and ceilings will be associated with the 20th century, while geometrically informed construction will be considered a more contemporary building practice.

Block agreed, adding that there is something about these spaces that, like Gothic cathedrals, “feel good” to the visitor. One can tell that the materials are “happy,” that they are in an arrangement that “makes sense.” However, he added, he did not want to really push this point too hard. One could hang a simple flat suspended ceiling, concealing the expressive elements under thin shells. Architects who want to work with flat ceilings are still free to do so with this new system. Plates are fully customizable and easy to dry assemble on site. They are just as easy to work with as traditional floor systems; they just use drastically less material, and have a much smaller carbon footprint.

The CreaTower project in Zug, Switzerland, designed by Gigon+Guyer Architects, introduces the Rippman Floor System in a 10-story office tower. In the interior view, note the beautiful ribbed detailing on the ceiling, which makes structural elements of the flooring system visible. PONNIE images. Used with permission from Gigon+Guyer

The Rippmann Floor system is already being employed in commerical projects. In Zug, Switzerland, Gigon+Guyer is using the system for their CreaTower project, which includes a 10 story, 40 meter office tower.

I left my conversation with Block with a renewed sense of optimism about the future of architecture. Beautiful, powerful buildings need not be accompanied by a guilty conscience. With the right kind of ingenuity, we can have dense urban construction without catastrophic waste. Sustainability does not mean thinking smaller — just thinking differently. And maybe lighter…

Cover image: An early, sand-3D-printed prototype of the discrete masonry floor, which was further developed into the Rippmann Floor System. Used with permission from Block Research Group.

Reference

apaloosa's open-air chapel engulfs worshippers in a celestial experience in rural mexico

Architecture

apaloosa unveils open-air chapel in rural mexico

By Zarkon Group,27/11/2023

La Escondida Chapel sits in rural La Garza in Mexico

Designed by Apaloosa Estudio de Arquitectura y Diseño in collaboration with Walter Hugo Flores, La Escondida Chapel sits in the rural area of La Garza in Mexico. A public space amid a housing complex, the chapel seeks to spatially create a connection with its users while fostering direct spiritual connection with the divine. Its pavilion-like form crafted from steel and wood encourages visitors to become enveloped by the large-scale, open space and gaze upwards for a celestial experience. Its deliberate placement, visible yet requiring a lengthy journey towards it, creates a reference for its surroundings and imparts a sense of anticipation to approaching worshippers.

all images courtesy of Apaloosa Estudio de Arquitectura y Diseño

Apaloosa Estudio crafts a pavilion-like experience

La Escondida Chapel manifests the universal human quest for a celestial connection, exploring the interstitium — a space that channels the infusion of natural zenithal light and fosters a communion between the worshipper and the divine. Apaloosa Estudio de Arquitectura y Diseño (more here) embraces the concept of an intangible direct relationship, acknowledging the personal or collective pursuit of expression with a higher being.

To enhance this connection, the project introduces a silo that serves as a conductor of light, absorbing, sifting, and diffusing natural light while controlling its intensity within the interior space. The feature’s strategic height also ensures a uniform distribution of temperature, creating an atmosphere conducive to spiritual reflection.

sited in the rural area amid a housing complex

Apaloosa Estudio de Arquitectura y Diseño unveils La Escondida Chapel

a silo serves as a conductor of light

Reference

Entrance of Yukinohako snow-powered cool store

Architecture

Kei Kaihoh Architects forms snow-cooled rice warehouse from local cedar

By Zarkon Group,26/11/2023

Japanese studio Kei Kaihoh Architects has completed a timber-framed storage facility in Joetsu City that offers rice farmers a way to refrigerate their harvest without relying on gas or electricity.

Instead, the Yukinohako facility is naturally cooled using snow – an abundant local material in this mountainous part of Niigata Prefecture, surrounded by ski resorts and terraced rice paddies.

With the aim of creating a model that could be cheaply and easily replicated across the prefecture, Kei Kaihoh Architects constructed the two-storey structure using local cedar instead of reinforced concrete or mass timber, which would have to be shipped in.

The studio hopes that Yukinohako, which is Japanese for “treasure chest of snow”, can encourage locals to find a new appreciation for snow and its natural cooling abilities, rather than just seeing it as a burden.

“If inexpensive snow rooms can be realised, farmers will be able to easily build snow rooms in both new construction and renovations, increasing momentum for snow utilisation rather than snow removal,” Kei Kaihoh Architects said.

“By doing so, we can love snow, which has been an obstacle to people’s lives, costing them money and effort to dump it into the ocean, and was not well-liked by the local population.”

Window in cedar building by Kei Kaihoh Architects in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture — The gabled building is constructed from local cedar

Yukinohako replaces a reinforced concrete warehouse cooled by an emissions-intensive air conditioning system, which was damaged by a fire during renovation works in 2017.

The gabled building stretches over two storeys and is held up by a system of braced timber columns that are supported by auxiliary beams.

This allowed Kei Kaihoh Architects to use local small-diametre cedar wood rather than having to ship in mass-timber members.

Double-height warehouse inside Yukinohako snow-powered cool store — A double-height storage space is at the heart of the facility

At the centre of the building is a double-height, 159-square-metre warehouse, which takes over the majority of the ground floor. It sits alongside a small temperature-control room and a reception.

The storage space itself is split in two, with one side holding up to 90 tonnes of snow that is piped into the building using an automatic snow blower and an inlet on the east side of the building.

The other side can accommodate around 30 pallets or one tonne of rice and 200 kilograms of vegetables.

Break room inside warehouse by Kei Kaihoh Architects in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture — The break room is located on the second floor

In order to maintain airflow, the two halves of the space aren’t separated by a wall but by steel containers filled with snow, while an auxiliary fan on the ceiling circulates cold air from the snow into the food store.

A maintenance bridge runs across the double-height space to provide an overview of the warehouse and connects to a break room on the second floor.

To ensure the interior stays as cool as possible, Kei Kaihoh Architects installed insulation panels across the walls and ceilings of the warehouse, creating an air-tight envelope.

Even the forklift trucks used to transport palettes of rice are powered by batteries instead of engines to avoid emissions and reduce the need for mechanical ventilation.

The studio also constructed an external corridor that runs along three sides of the building, creating a double facade to prevent solar radiation from reaching the inner insulated wall.

Taken together, Kei Kaihoh Architects says these measures help to keep the warehouse at a consistently low temperature while generating a fraction of the emissions as a traditional air conditioning system.

Timber walkway inside Yukinohako snow-powered cool store — A covered walkway runs along the building on three sides

“In low-temperature warehouses, the storage method involves the constant use of electric air conditioners to keep the temperature at 10 to 20 degrees Celsius,” Kei Kaihoh Architects told Dezeen.

“On the other hand, at Yukinohako, the temperature is kept at zero to five degrees with only the cold air of snow and the humidity is kept high.”

Aside from providing a covered walkway around the building in winter, the external corridor also provides a space to enjoy views of the surrounding nature.

Timber-framed walkway in warehouse by Kei Kaihoh Architects in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture — Openings frame views of the snowy scenery

Strategic openings in the facade frame views of the snowy landscape while slatted sections allow light to filter in alongside the sounds of the Oguro River, which rushes along the back of the warehouse.

“We aimed to create a place where people could take pride in farming in the snow country,” the studio said.

The building’s timber structure was pre-cut and assembled at a nearby factory before being sent to the site, catering for quick and easy construction despite the region’s heavy snowfall.

Nighttime exterior shot of light spilling out of Yukinohako snow-powered cool store by Kei Kaihoh Architects in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture — Slatted sections allow light and sound to filter through

“The processing and storage of prefectural cedar timber is done in Joetsu City, minimising transportation costs and fuel consumption,” the studio said.

To protect the wood from water and inclement weather, the building’s exterior walls are finished in a glass coating, which Kei Kaihoh Architects says was also used in Kengo Kuma’s Japan National Stadium.

Yukinohako has been shortlisted in the sustainable building category of this year’s Dezeen Awards alongside a girls’ school in India made from local sandstone and Waugh Thistleton Architects’ mass-timber Black & White office building in London.

The photography is by Soichiro Suizu.

Reference

Architecture

20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia

By Zarkon Group,25/11/2023

Nestled within the vibrant landscapes of South America, Colombia holds a rich architectural heritage that reflects its diverse history and innovative attitude. Being a country that is famous for its ancient origins, and which is believed to be the place where the legendary city of El Dorado was located, Colombia’s architectural story is deeply rooted in its pre-Columbian civilizations.

The country’s latest architectural fabric has been greatly shaped by architects like modernist Rogelio Salmona and avant-gardist Giancarlo Mazzanti. Operating in an increasingly open society, Salmona’s Torres del Parque in Bogotá redefines how brick and concrete create spaces that seamlessly blend with the city’s natural landscape and invent new ways of building residential architecture.

Today, Colombian architects continue to push boundaries, embracing sustainability, cutting-edge technology and cultural context in their designs. One remarkable example is the Metrocable system in Medellín, a transportation structure that addresses the difficult topography of the region without spoiling the city’s natural landscape. This infrastructure project generated global recognition for its transformative impact on public spaces and social dynamics and acts as a testament to the forward-thinking vision of contemporary Colombian architecture.

With so many architecture firms, 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 Colombia based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

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 Colombia architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 20 best architecture firms in Colombia:

20. Arango Arquitecto

Arango Arquitecto is an architecture firm based in Bogotá, Colombia. It specializes in residential architecture.

Some of Arango Arquitecto’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Arango Arquitecto achieve 20th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

19. OPUS – Oficina de Proyectos Urbanos

OPUS is a space for conceptualizing creative and sustainable ideas that collects opinions, recognizes locations and analyzes data and other phenomena as the raw materials for our projects. Our work acknowledges diversity, time, multiple variables and encounters of different positions and, therein, apparent opposites such as nature-city, architecture-landscape, urban planning-interior design, are blended, integrated and related.

Since our beginning in 2007, we’ve participated in identifying, formulating and designing architectural, urban design and landscape architecture projects, which have allowed us to build methods and teams with the capacity for integrating different disciplines, aimed at contributing to society, culture and standards of living.

Some of OPUS – Oficina de Proyectos Urbanos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped OPUS – Oficina de Proyectos Urbanos achieve 19th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

18. Relieve Arquitectura

Architectural studio led by architect Juan Pablo Giraldo with a particular interest in formal and material experimentation through drawing, detail, model and image, in order to design a house, a school, a museum, a park, an interior space, interesting, functional and quality architectural pieces. We understand architecture as a new experiment, an unprecedented situation where the architect mediates between a network of components (time, place, animal, human, artifact, information, processes, etc.) to generate new forms of exchange, social dynamics and urban processes.

Some of Relieve Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Relieve Arquitectura achieve 18th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

17. Ruta4 Arquitectura

Ruta4 Arqitectura is an architectural practice based in Pereira, Colombia. Its main interest lies in cultural architecture and public buildings.

Some of Ruta4 Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Ruta4 Arquitectura achieve 17th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

16. Sergio Reyes Rodríguez Arquitecto

Sergio Reyes Rodríguez Arquitecto is an Architecture studio with experience delivering projects of various scales, from interior design to masterplan urban schemes. The studio is led by Sergio Reyes Rodríguez. The studio focuses on delivering projects with a strong conceptual development through all stages of design, always nurtured by a close dialogue with the client and a rigorous research on the specific character of each context. A special attention is given to the environmental issues that pertain each project and its solutions aided with advanced computational tools.

Some of Sergio Reyes Rodríguez Arquitecto’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Sergio Reyes Rodríguez Arquitecto achieve 16th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

15. TAP Taller Piloto Arquitectos

The workshop is an open and collective space, where we seek the encounter, the influence and even the conflict of multiple disciplines that allow an architecture with the capacity to transform life.

Some of TAP Taller Piloto Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped TAP Taller Piloto Arquitectos achieve 15th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

14. Vicaria Arquitectura

We are driven by the strength to do things right, with high value in design, ethics, commitment to our values, our people and our environment. We dream of a new form of architecture based on the art and challenges of humanity. We are global, avant-garde, versatile, daring and memorable.

Some of Vicaria Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Vicaria Arquitectura achieve 14th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	2

13. Darp, de Arquitectura y Paisaje

DARP. De Arquitectura y Paisaje, is a studio based in Colombia. The work of DARP explores the field between landscape and architecture, seeks to generate in each project a social and cultural development in relationship with territory, looking for a practical, creative and sustainable answers.

Founded in 2012 for MArch Landscape, Jorge Emilio Buitrago and Arch. Jaime Eduardo Cabal Mejía. DARP conform an interdisciplinary team with professionals from different areas which make possible to offer integral answers, guided to the contribution in the society, the culture and the life quality.

Some of Darp, de Arquitectura y Paisaje’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Darp, de Arquitectura y Paisaje achieve 13th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	3

12. Simon Velez : GIGAGRASS

Simon Velez is a prize winning architect from Colombia, most famous for his innovative use of bamboo as an essential building component. He is the winner of the Principal Prince Claus Award 2009.

Some of Simon Velez : GIGAGRASS’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Simon Velez : GIGAGRASS achieve 12th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	4

11. La Rotta Arquitectos

La Rotta Arquitectos is an office that considers an essential part of its philosophy a close relationship between buildings and the city as a way to promote greater recognition of institutions in the urban environment. Something that results in a better image and sense of belonging on the part of its users and the general public. It is constant in the production of the office founded by Ricardo La Rotta in 2000 that has not only guaranteed the success of each of the projects that have been carried out there but has allowed these buildings to be today a reference for institutions, their users and cities.

Some of La Rotta Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped La Rotta Arquitectos achieve 11th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	2
Total Projects	2

10. aRE – Arquitectura en Estudio

We are a professional architecture and design firm based in Colombia. Creating exciting and inspiring spaces is our passion. We have experiences developing architecture and interiors projects both locally and internationally. Our work ranges from large urban interventions to institutional buildings, residential projects, houses and interior design.

Some of aRE – Arquitectura en Estudio’s most prominent projects include:

NAOS Business Campus, Bogotá, Colombia
Casa 3 at Colinas de Payandé, Villeta, Colombia
Casa 7A, Villeta, Colombia
Casa 5, La Calera, Colombia
Colegio El Nogal, Bogotá, Colombia

The following statistics helped aRE – Arquitectura en Estudio achieve 10th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	2
Total Projects	5

9. taller de arquitectura de bogotá

taller de arquitectura de bogot is an architecture firm located in Bogotá, Colombia. The practice mainly revolves around residential architecture, offices and public buildings.

Some of taller de arquitectura de bogotá’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped taller de arquitectura de bogotá achieve 9th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

A+Awards Winner	1
Featured Projects	1
Total Projects	1

8. Velez Valencia Arquitectos

We are a team of architects focused on public solutions that add value to the interests of our clients. We are the mix of global experience with local knowledge.

Some of Velez Valencia Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Velez Valencia Arquitectos achieve 8th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	2
Total Projects	3

7. DANIEL BONILLA ARQUITECTOS

Daniel Bonilla Architecture and Urbanism started formally in1997 even though Daniel Bonilla had practiced architecture in several enterprises internationally. Daniel Bonilla Architecture and Urbanism is a very well known Design Studio, where the three basic areas worked are: urban, architecture and industrial design.

This area variety gives us a wide vision on design in every scale, from urban planning and design, up to the development of delicate industrial pieces. Our rigor, enthusiasm, dedication and passion led to the recognition and goodwill, awards and the status to be on the young Colombian architects´ elite. Also, we’ve developed great team work capability not only among us, but also with other firms nationally and overseas.

Some of DANIEL BONILLA ARQUITECTOS’s most prominent projects include:

LOS NOGALES SCHOOL CHAPEL, Bogotá, Colombia
NOGALES CAFETERIA, Bogota, Colombia
LOS NOGALES HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING, Bogotá, Colombia
LOS NOGALES SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, Bogotá, Colombia
LOS NOGALES SCHOOL ARTS CENTER, Bogotá, Colombia

The following statistics helped DANIEL BONILLA ARQUITECTOS achieve 7th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	2
Total Projects	5

6. Juan Pablo Ortiz Arquitectos

© TALLER Architects, Juan Pablo Ortiz Arquitectos

We are a team of professionals with 15 years of specific experience in the design of high-quality buildings and institutional spaces, personally led by Juan Pablo Ortiz, professor and researcher at the University of the Andes in Bogota. Juan Pablo Ortiz arquitectos is a studio specialized in the integral development of unique buildings with a great communicative projection.

Our experience based on the research and execution of projects in this field of architecture, has allowed us to understand the commitment that our professional work has in the material and cultural construction of society. We believe that architecture is a service aimed at improving the daily life of the communities with which we work; understanding this service as the will to give additional values to simple construction. We are convinced that an architecture of excellence is built with ideas. In fact, our work stands out for the continuous search for fresh, proactive and innovative operational concepts and ideas, which allow us to project living spaces that are efficient, tiles, durable, responsible in the use of energy, beautiful and significant; all this within a framework of respect for local traditions and the natural landscape in which it is implanted. In addition, our buildings operate with a conscious and rational use of resources, which we understand as sacred. This way of exercising architecture becomes a sustainable construction in its social, economic and environmental facets.

The rigorous technical work, under strict parameters, has resulted in public buildings of recognized quality, awarded and published in numerous national and international specialized magazines and books. We have won 15 awards in public project competitions. Our buildings have received distinctions such as the national L piz de Acero award, and have been selected in Colombian and foreign Biennials. Our work was nominated for the continental award Mies van der Rohe Crown Hall Am ricas. Juan Pablo Ortiz has been a guest speaker on numerous occasions in Colombia, Argentina and Mexico. We are also the first Colombian architects to execute public projects of great significance for another country such as the General Archive of the Nation of Mexico.

Some of Juan Pablo Ortiz Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Juan Pablo Ortiz Arquitectos achieve 6th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

A+Awards Finalist	2
Featured Projects	2
Total Projects	1

5. Alejandro Restrepo Montoya Arquitectura

CV Alejandro Restrepo Montoya August 4th, 1973, Medellín, Colombia University Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Pontificia University Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia. He has developed urban and architectural projects in the recent context of urban transformation of Medellín and has received international and national awards in recognition of his architectural work.

Some of Alejandro Restrepo Montoya Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Alejandro Restrepo Montoya Arquitectura achieve 5th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	3
Total Projects	2

4. Taller Sintesis

Office of architecture and urbanism founded in 2008 in Medellín. Winner of National Award of Architecture in Colombia at the XXIV Bienal architecture and first mention in the Pan American International Architecture Biennale of Quito in 2014. Winners of the Clinica de la mujer design competition, Park of Arts and Crafts and Cerro The Asomadera design competition.

Some of Taller Sintesis’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Taller Sintesis achieve 4th place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	3
Total Projects	2

3. CONNATURAL

CONNATURAL (formerly known as Laboratorio de Arquitectura y Paisaje) is situated in Medellín, Colombia and founded by the architects Edgar Mazo and Sebastian Mejia in 2011. Through its investigative work the office tries to establish a constant and mutual dialogue between art, architecture and landscape. This dialogue becomes evident through interventions and operations of territory.

Some of CONNATURAL’s most prominent projects include:

GARDEN HOUSE, Medellín, Colombia
MEDELLÍN´S AQUATIC COMPLEX, Medellín, Colombia
EDUCATIONAL PARK ENTRERRIOS, Entrerríos, Colombia
ROW HOUSE, Medellín, Colombia
POOL FOR A SCULPTOR, Medellín, Colombia

The following statistics helped CONNATURAL achieve 3rd place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

Featured Projects	3
Total Projects	5

2. EL EQUIPO MAZZANTI

EQUIPO MAZZANTI believes architecture is one of the keys for the construction of a more competitive and sustainable society. The studio reaches out to contribute towards social transformation and well being, devising detailed contextual research and involving local actors throughout its design processes. The studio produces innovative design based on the observation of day by day interactions, which hold unpredictable spatial and programmatic possibilities.

Some of EL EQUIPO MAZZANTI’s most prominent projects include:

Expansion of Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation, Bogotá, Colombia
Timayui Social Kindergarten, Santa Marta, Colombia
CHAIRAMA SPA, Bogotá, Colombia
V House, Bogotá, Colombia
Top image: Spain Library Park, Medellín, Colombia

The following statistics helped EL EQUIPO MAZZANTI achieve 2nd place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

A+Awards Winner	1
Featured Projects	9
Total Projects	13

1. plan:b

plan:b is an architectural office that defines the work through a practice in which equal status is given to dialogue, drawing, travel, layout, construction, etc. and which are handled continuously, professional or academic situations, publication of books, college classes or construction
of buildings. Plan:b trust in working collaborative, to make of it a statement on the architecture and understands the practice and the architectural project as open situations, interim agreements, not imposed phenomena embedded in eco-social networks, either local or worldwide.

The plan:b work is generated primarily through participation in architectural competitions, and collaborating with other professionals in those projects is constant and diverse. Over the years work has been shared with people like Miguel Mesa (Mesa Publishers), Juan David Diez (Taller Standard), Federico Mesa, Camilo Restrepo, Giancarlo Mazzanti, Felipe Uribe, Ana Elvira Velez, Izaskun Chinchilla, and Hernando Barragan Maria Jose Sanin.

Some of plan:b’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped plan:b achieve 1st place in the 20 Best Architecture Firms in Colombia:

A+Awards Finalist	1
Featured Projects	11
Total Projects	16

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

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

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

Reference

Architecture

NOMAL’s Joomak revitalizes abandoned house in Palbok-dong

renovation project preserves existing structural elements

open layout blurs the boundaries between inside and outside

How are these architecture firms ranked?

7. Estrecho Studio

6. Gregoire Maisondieu Architecture & Interior Design

5. Yachar Bouhaya Architecte

4. Driss Kettani Architecte

3. El Kabbaj – Kettani – Siana – Architects

2. Studio CAYS

1. TARIK ZOUBDI ARCHITECTE

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

A Guide to Project Awards

Livingston Manor: A Graphic Designer’s Rural Retreat

the low-energy home beneath a cantilevered roof

passive design + responsible architecture by marc thorpe

La Escondida Chapel sits in rural La Garza in Mexico

Apaloosa Estudio crafts a pavilion-like experience

How are these architecture firms ranked?

20. Arango Arquitecto

19. OPUS – Oficina de Proyectos Urbanos

18. Relieve Arquitectura

17. Ruta4 Arquitectura

16. Sergio Reyes Rodríguez Arquitecto

15. TAP Taller Piloto Arquitectos

14. Vicaria Arquitectura

13. Darp, de Arquitectura y Paisaje

12. Simon Velez : GIGAGRASS

11. La Rotta Arquitectos

10. aRE – Arquitectura en Estudio

9. taller de arquitectura de bogotá

8. Velez Valencia Arquitectos

7. DANIEL BONILLA ARQUITECTOS

6. Juan Pablo Ortiz Arquitectos

5. Alejandro Restrepo Montoya Arquitectura

4. Taller Sintesis

3. CONNATURAL

2. EL EQUIPO MAZZANTI

1. plan:b

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

A Guide to Project Awards

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