Issue

Interview with Ralf Pasel

In northern Thuringia, Pasel-K Architekten have built four healthcare kiosks using an economical timber-frame construction method. Here, we speak to the founder of the practice, Ralf Pasel. 

Good design has the power to influence and support the human healing process. This issue presents exemplary special-purpose buildings from the health-care sector.  

A duo of rammed earth and wood

A new building made of prefabricated rammed earth elements has been constructed to complement a historic 17th-century half-timbered building, breathing new life into it.

Focus on natural materials

HEMAA Architectes has constructed a children's and sports centre at Parc des Loges, to the east of Paris. The deliberate use of natural building materials creates a harmonious balance between nature, functionality, and materiality.

Interview with Mariam Issoufou

Mariam Issoufou began early on to make earthen architecture socially acceptable in West African cities. An interview about her experience with natural materials, climate change in Africa, and what she has learned from software engineering for her career as an architect.

A beacon for modern timber construction

Sawa is a timber building that makes a statement: 55 m tall, comprising more than 100 apartments that ­permit flexible conversion, and intended to contribute to species diversity. A new trailblazer for contemporary residential construction?

Enveloped in willow mats

The small residential building by Atelier du Ralliement sits enthroned on a rocky plateau above a floodplain in the Loire river landscape. Simple willow mats from the hardware store cover the wooden structure.

In this issue, we showcase the beauty and potential of natural building materials; visit a reconstructed “Strickbau”; and examine the timber-earth slabs at Hortus.    

Embedded in the topography

The Quinta de Adorigo winery's horizontally curved shapes respond to the Alto Douro's flowing vineyard contours. 

Danish architectural tradition

The Heatherhill Beach House combines Danish tradition with modern design, featuring clean lines, natural materials, and deliberate perspectives that open up spaces to the landscape, creating an understated elegance.

How can architecture deliver on its promises when budgets are tight, tasks are pressing, and resources are limited? In this issue, we hear from architects who have embraced the discipline of doing more with less.    

Strengthening the community

DeRoche Projects' Backyard Community Club in Accra is a pioneer in the use of prefabricated rammed earth systems for construction. It is also helping to develop a tennis culture beyond the elite.

Art instead of coal

The architectural firm Nomos has transformed a former coal-fired power plant into an exhibition space for art. A polycarbonate facade allows filtered daylight to enter the interior.

Colossus in a new shell

Following its renovation, the former administrative building on the outskirts of Brussels now offers space for a hotel and other uses. The appearance of the new glass facades largely corresponds to the original design from the late 1960s.

Assisted living

Malte Kloes Architects are designing a residential and work complex that will enable people with disabilities to enjoy a structured daily routine while strengthening their connection to nature. 

A profiled glass shell

In this infrastructure project in western Zurich, the building's structure and technical features are visible through a profiled glass facade. Graber Pulver has created a modern cathedral of energy supply. 

What forms of transparency remain desirable amid social uncertainty and urban densification? Do transparent or translucent envelopes still make sense when contemporary energy concepts are applied? The examples in this issue provide numerous positive arguments.  

Protective shell made of stamped concrete

The four-group nursery school in Espalion in south-west France has two radically different faces: on the outside, metre-high tamped concrete walls protect the open spaces and interior rooms. Inside, however, floor-to-ceiling glazing dominates the impression of space.