Author: adminparamet
In some of the world’s harshest desert landscapes, people learned to build entire cities using mud. Made by mixing earth, water, and straw, mudbricks were shaped by hand and dried under the sun, creating a building material that was inexpensive, accessible, and surprisingly effective in extreme climates. For centuries, mudbrick became the foundation of architecture, especially in regions where stone and timber were scarce, but its popularity was not just about availability. Thick earthen walls naturally kept interiors cool during scorching days and warm during cold desert nights, making mudbrick ideal for survival in arid environments. The material also enabled…
Foster + Partners has completed Jia Art Gallery, a new cultural destination at the center of the Changfeng mixed-use development in Shanghai’s Putuo District. Designed as a civic landmark and community destination, the project blends art, public life, and architecture into a sculptural building inspired by the blooming flowers of nearby Changfeng Park. Positioned at the intersection of the development’s main urban axes, the gallery acts as the social and cultural heart of the wider “Live-Work-Play” masterplan. A Cultural Anchor for Changfeng District Jia Art forms a key part of Foster + Partners’ larger vision for the Changfeng development, which…
The modern construction industry is facing increasing pressure to improve health and safety, meet stricter compliance regulations, and deliver higher-quality projects while remaining commercially competitive. Across the UK construction industry, construction firms are investing heavily in digital tools, smarter workflows, and modern compliance systems to protect workers, avoid legal trouble and improve operational efficiency. Many businesses are now replacing outdated manual processes with solutions such as RAMS software for construction projects to improve safety compliance, reduce project delays and maintain accurate site documentation. As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, construction companies must now demonstrate compliance across every stage of…
Deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Witoca Lab by Al Borde revolves around how architecture, agriculture, and ecological preservation can coexist. Situated in the Huaticocha community near the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, the project functions as a center for cultivating biological pest-control agents while embracing traditional ecological knowledge. By combining agroecological systems with earthen construction, the laboratory indicates how low-impact architecture can support scientific research and sustainable farming practices within one of the world’s most sensitive ecosystems. A Laboratory Rooted in Amazonian Agroecology The project draws inspiration from the Kichwa concept of the chakra, an ancestral land-management system based on biodiversity,…
The inaugural edition of Global Design Forum Istanbul transformed Istanbul into a city-scale conversation on design, memory, and cultural exchange. Held from May 13–16, 2026, the forum moved beyond the conventional structure of exhibitions and conference halls by using the city’s historic landscape as an active participant. Developed through a collaboration between London Design Festival and People Places Ideas (PPI), the event brought together architects, designers, urban thinkers, artists, and cultural leaders to examine design’s role in a rapidly changing world. A Forum Built Around Ideas, Cities, and Cultural Memory The forum adopted the theme “Worlds in Contact,” positioning design…
A bedroom is often treated as the softest room in a home, but from a planning perspective, it is also one of the most disciplined. One object controls most of its usable area: the bed. Its height, mass, edges, headboard, material, and relationship to light decide how the room feels before any artwork, rug, or lamp has a chance to contribute. For architects and interior designers, the bed can be read less as furniture and more as a low architectural plane. It sets the room’s ground logic. It determines whether circulation feels generous or compressed. It shapes how the eye…
Set along the Someș River in Cluj-Napoca, the former Carbochim industrial site is being transformed into RIVUS, a large-scale mixed-use district, with construction now officially underway. Commissioned by Rivus Investments S.R.L for IULIUS and Atterbury Europe, the masterplan has been designed by UNStudio together with Felixx Landscape Architects and Planners. The proposal introduces a mixed-use district where public space, landscape, and urban life are organized around renewed access to the Someș River. Long before the site became an industrial center, the area was known as the “Meadowland Garden.” Over time, factory development transformed the riverfront into a restricted and inaccessible…
In Banff National Park, an international design competition commissioned by Parks Canada in collaboration with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for a new visitor center and community space has been won by Kengo Kuma and Paul Raff Studio. The winning proposal reimagines Banff’s central 200-block corridor as a low-rise, landscape-integrated civic campus. Rather than a single landmark structure, it is composed of multiple timber, glass, and stone volumes arranged around shared public spaces, shaped through Indigenous consultation and ecological priorities. A Connected Public Landscape for Banff As part of the 200-Block Banff Avenue redevelopment, the scheme brings together ten…
Dubai has announced the launch of the region’s first dedicated Museum of Digital Art (MODA), adding a new cultural institution to the city’s growing architecture and arts landscape. The project will be developed within the expansion of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and is positioned as a long-term cultural anchor focused on digital creativity, immersive technologies, and interdisciplinary research. The museum was unveiled by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, as part of a broader strategy linking culture with future technologies. The institution is planned as an environment where digital…
The urban fabric of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, showcases one of the most complex and visually interesting architectural histories in the Eurasian region. Often described as a city of layers, Baku’s development is a physical narrative of the intersection between ancient Silk Road commerce, the explosive wealth of the nineteenth-century industrial revolution, the ideological monumentality of the Soviet era, and the neo-futuristic ambitions of a post-independence global oil power. The Concentric Evolution of Urban Form Baku’s growth can be analyzed through three primary concentric circles that define its historical and geographic heart. The first circle is the medieval core,…