Solar protection

Two years after starting the Project for the Calle Abelias (stage I) we were commissioned to develop a proposal designed for a different financial situation, to execute the building in Calle Luca de Tena.   This 40,000 m2 office program also had to act as the bank’s representative headquarters, and contain the spaces dedicated to chairmanship and board of administration. The world economic crisis made it necessary to rethink various aspects: resource- and cost-effective optimizing per square meter and employee.   It is obvious that the easiest way of reducing costs in buildings is to separate the light from the perimeter by increasing the floorage. The less façade per square meter, the cheaper the building. The b... More

The product which we present today, taken from the gallery, is a Saxun Bioclimatic Pergola that has been installed in an exclusive home in the coast Alicante.As you can appreciate, it has been adapted to be fixed between walls, adding columns to help secure the structure. The slats remain perpendicular to the wall and it incorporates a free drainage system to prevent rain water from damaging the product.The Saxun Bioclimatic Pergola is ideal for being able to enjoy a terrace all year round, as it becomes a natural temperature regulator with the ability of effectively keeping the space protected from bothersome sun rays, rain or snow.Its trademark perimeter brush stops side rains while preventing the water from reflecting off the structure a... More

NEW MECHANICS HALL FOR THE EPFL The ME building, dedicated to the mechanical engineering department, was built by the Zweifel + Stricker + Associates team in the early 70s, during the first phase of development of the campus. Its spatial organization bears testament to the tenets of the original master plan: the separation of cars and pedestrians into two different flows, as per Modern Movement in architecture principles, means that access to the building happens on multiple levels. The building has a three-dimensional grid (23’-7” length by 12’-9” height) which divides its space in a controlled way, regardless of type or purpose. The original master plan was revised several times over the ensuing decades, to question some of the initial p... More

It has inspired a dedicated fan web-site, generations of fancy-dress costumes and countless YouTube tribute videos, and now a building. That’s right, Luna, Elenberg Fraser’s new four storey residential project on Barkly St, St Kilda, is based on Princess Leia’s infamous ‘dancing girl’ gold bikini, featured in Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. While Luna’s curvaceous form echoes the draping lines of Leia’s usual white robes, the shimmering gold glass and metal mesh materials are matched perfectly with the colours and textures of the gold brassiere. Callum says that 'the science of the building is the science of perception'. The metallic skin seems almost intangible, hovering between reality and fantasy – a comment on the tension be... More

The house on the lake is a projet designed by the french architecture studio AUM for a couple with two children in 2012. It is located on a narrow plot whose natural slope reaches the shores of Lake. Pierre Minassian, the architect of the project, followed this operation with his team of architects for 3 years. The house is entirely made of raw concrete and its structure is exceptional because of its apparent simplicity and its truthful sophistication.The dwelling consists of two main levels. On the ground floor are situated the largely open reception rooms, such as the living room, the kitchen and the dining room, as well as a guest room and an office. Upstairs is the sleeping area with three bedrooms and their bathrooms as well as a child... More

The Gem Building is a unique small-scale landmark surrounded by large buildings in King Abdullah Financial District. The size of the building is adapted to human scale and its crystalline form and faceted facades enhance its quality as a shining beacon. The Gem has a mixed-use programme: three separate buildings include a residential block, an office block and a multi-purpose podium with a terrace overlooking the garden - this is linked to the green pedestrian thoroughfare of the district. The cluster of gems creates spaces for fluid, flexible circulation around and through the buildings. As a small-scale icon, the form and intimate scale of the building provide a unique destination and meeting place; the facades enhance the express... More

The relationship between music and architecture is a classical one. Too classical for our times, may be the thought of many contemporary architects. But that is not our view; UNStudio likes classical with a twist… The theme of the acoustic space, explored for its dramatic potential by Le Corbusier and Xenakis is still to us a topic of fascination and incredible potential today. And since the MUMUTH theatre belongs to the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and is therefore a place where young musicians receive their instruction in the performing and musical arts, it seems to us even more appropriate to let the architecture communicate that this is a building in which music lives. This desire to make a building that is as much... More