Social Housing Units 2104 is the result of an urban mining operation, as the architects themselves describe it. The reason for this is the process involved in recovering parts of the pre-existing building on the site, which had to be demolished due to the impossibility of using its structure. From then on, a process of separating this material began – while ceramic material and concrete were used for the foundations, sandstone was used to make cyclopean concrete blocks, used as the building’s load-bearing walls, whose thickness decreases with each floor.
Social Housing Units 2104 is the result of an urban mining operation, as the architects themselves describe it. The reason for this is the process involved in recovering parts of the pre-existing building on the site, which had to be demolished due to the impossibility of using its structure. From then on, a process of separating this material began – while ceramic material and concrete were used for the foundations, sandstone was used to make cyclopean concrete blocks, used as the building’s load-bearing walls, whose thickness decreases with each floor.
Rahmah Library / The MAAK
The Rahmah Library is grounded both physically and symbolically through its hyper-contextual details. Placed in an area violently reshaped by Apartheid-era forced removals, the project utilizes clay and rubble from the surrounding neighborhood to compose decorative tiles and door pushplates. Furthermore, gentle changes in level create distinct library zones that embrace different ‘postures of reading’ throughout the facility, from sitting to lounging, alone or in groups.
Studio-Workshop for Photographers / Roman Bauer Arquitectos
It is possible to draw parallels between the design for this workshop-studio for a photographer and the very etymological origin of the word photography: literally, “drawing with light.” Through a gradual movement in the roof’s height, openings for light and ventilation are created. These openings evoke the skylights, lanterns, and ceiling lights found in the heritage houses of Barranco, where the project is located.
Project Pick by Hana Abdel Latif
An Office Free in the Gaps of an Urban Village / LLC Studio
This office space is peculiarly set at the edge of an urban village. Given the growth of the area in the past years and the expansion of clans within the settlements, along with the influx of students and migrant workers, the village saw the diversification of activities, creating gaps and opportunities for design/programmatic experimentation. Thus, the creation of this workspace, with a view to year-long greenery and the beautiful sound of birds. All four walls can be opened, which allows employees to actively embrace the surroundings and heightens their sense of the passage of time as nature sounds and light shift through the day
Yongsan Francoreen HQ / JYA-RCHITECTS
The project is a renovation of an old residence into a shop, workshop, and office for Hermes. The designers started by questioning what makes something a luxury item and gives it an allure to users. The answer was the accumulated design history and narrative behind it, no different than how architects research and adopt classical or modern architectural values in today’s contemporary works. Therefore, Renaissance-era design values, which were linked to ancient Greek and Roman buildings, were adopted, mainly in terms of harmonious geometry and proportions. These were combined with a reinterpretation of modernist transparency and materials aesthetics, plus touches of the iconic Hermes orange.