Beyond the Dropped Ceiling: 10 Interior Projects for Making Services and Conduits Part of the Architecture

In contemporary interior architecture, service provisionsmechanical, electrical, HVAC, plumbing—are almost always treated as elements to be concealed. Thickened wall cavities, extensive dropped ceilings, and, in regions where solid construction such as brick or concrete prevails, furred-out walls are routinely employed to hide these systems. This approach has become so normalized that it often forms the starting assumption for spatial planning, inherently constraining imagination and reducing the range of spatial possibilities. The priority shifts towards covering-up, rather than exploring how these systems might coexist visibly within a design language.

Hope for the Blind Eye Hospital / LEMEG Architects

Hope for the Blind Eye Hospital: A Visionary Alternative to Traditional Healthcare Design — Traditional hospitals often prioritize efficiency over patient experience, creating sterile, impersonal environments. Hope for the Blind Eye Hospital challenges this norm by merging medical excellence with human-centred, nature-integrated design. From its pioneering cross-subsidisation model to the incorporation of art and wildlife, Hope for the Blind represents a fundamental shift in how hospitals are designed and experienced. Located on a game farm in Modimolle, South Africa, the hospital fosters healing, dignity, and a connection to nature.

Obeid Retail Complex / nunc Architecture and Design

Obeid Retail Complex is a contemporary commercial hub in Lebanon's mountainous region that houses a major local supermarket chain and contributes to elevating its public presence and reach. The project introduces an unconventional architectural approach that redefines local retail experiences and has since attracted established brands, positioning the center as a new commercial destination.

House of Local Spirits / atelier SALAD

A Michelin-starred chef relocated to a 90-year-old traditional wooden house in a small fishing village in Akune City, southern Japan. Deeply inspired by the chef's unique worldview, which values local materials and traditions, we sought to express a similar sense of regional identity and cultural continuity through architecture.

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