Concept House / Joao de Barro Arquitetura

In Patrocínio, Minas Gerais, stands a residence that redefines the concept of contemporary living, harmonizing the lightness of a metal structure with the solidity of stone and the warmth of cumaru wood. This exemplary project was meticulously designed to establish a deep connection with the lush natural surroundings, offering a sophisticated refuge that is intrinsically linked to its environment.

Kresge College Expansion / Studio Gang

Studio Gang, the international architecture and urban design firm led by Jeanne Gang, has completed an expansion of Kresge College at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The firm's expansion plan involves the construction of four new buildings–three mass-timber residential halls and the new Kresge College Academic Center – as well as improvements to the site that increase the College's accessibility and better connect it with the surrounding natural ecology and the greater UCSC campus.

M House / Silverline

The project consists of the design of a two-story single-family house. The plot has a significant slope of approximately 3 meters between the street level and its midpoint. To address this challenge while also taking advantage of the site's potential, a "split-level" system was adopted. The façade facing the public road appears as a single-story volume, while the rear part of the house is developed across two distinct levels. Thus, the pedestrian and vehicular entrances are positioned at the street level, leading to an upper half-floor where the private areas are located, and to a lower half-floor designated for social areas, situated approximately at the existing ground level.

Should Buildings Be Designed to Decay?

Buildings are physical, static, and permanent. To imagine them otherwise often requires some creative thinking. The industry has operated with this strong association between structures and permanence, unknowingly constraining perspectives on building life cycles. Innovations in building materials have opened up avenues for cirular design that challenge the long-held notion that buildings must endure indefinitely. Emerging approaches promote architecture that ebbs and flows with nature.

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