In its current form, concrete recycling does little to help climate protection. The CO₂-intensive cement is lost irretrievably in the process. Boltshauser Architekten are working with a consortium from the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain on the Respira research project to investigate how this can be avoided.
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Concrete floor slabs have the largest carbon footprint of all building elements. In the past, the material was lost irretrievably during demolition. A Swiss consortium is now cutting standard square slabs from buildings due for demolition and using them to manufacture prestressed segmental concrete elements with a higher structural performance than new reinforced concrete.
Sergio Sebastián discusses the restoration of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Sijena. How does he recreate the atmosphere without idealising a particular era?
Diezinger Architekten has transformed Nuremberg's Dreieinigkeitskirche (Trinity Church) into the GoHo Cultural Church. It is not only church services, christenings, and classical concerts that happen here; metal gigs are also welcome.
Seen from the air, the Brusk exhibition building looks like a spaceship that has made a stopover in Bruges' Old Town. From a pedestrian's perspective, it barely stands out in the cityscape. Paul Robbrecht explains why the building was constructed at this location and how its design relates to the neighbourhood.
A staircase in a private garden in Genoa demonstrates just how simple grand gestures in architecture can be sometimes. Fabrizio Polimone of Caarpa on the Scala San Filippo.
The Jewish Museum in Šeduva commemorates the culture of Eastern European towns before World War II. With their building, Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects from Finland reimagine the small-scale structure of one such village. Its residents were murdered in 1941 by Nazis and their local collaborators.
The Friedland transit camp on the former inter-German border remains a point of contact for asylum seekers to this day. The new building for the local museum makes the experience of crossing the border tangible in a physical sense.
Used cross-laminated timber (CLT) slabs and roof tiles as facade cladding: the LysP8 housing development is a pilot project for circular construction. Project manager Tenzin Tsamdha from Loeliger Strub Architektur talks about the challenges of planning with reclaimed materials.
At the entrance to the small town of Barbiano in South Tyrol, a bridge structure clad entirely in greenery welcomes visitors. One abutment is the village's new day-care centre; the other houses the tourist information office.
The Beyeler Museum, designed by Renzo Piano, is considered an architectural icon. However, since September 2026, it will no longer be the only building reflected in the ponds of the unique museum park. Peter Zumthor is extending the ensemble with three new buildings, in which art will glow in the side light. Nils Freiwald takes a first look at the new museum landscape in Riehen.
Enough of the debate about a lack of beauty and the 'triumphs of ugliness'. It is time to focus on architecture with social impact.
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