With its green roof garden of large trees for shade, VTN Architects Binh House in the “House for Trees” series in Vietnam, is a study in glass, cement and greenery. Designed to infuse tropical gardens, open spaces and water into a crowded urban area that has lost its connection to nature, Binh House’s plan improves the microclimate by introducing natural … Read More
How Glass Can Enhance and Transform Advertising
Glass and advertising. Two ubiquitous staples in our culture. Both are virtually everywhere we look. One has always served a purpose architecturally. The other is an influential device that both shapes and reflects who we are. But together, combining the force of advertising with the latest high-tech smart glass delivery system, they are the ultimate power couple, impacting consumers on … Read More
Photovoltaic Glass Architecture Exposed into Two Scales
For proof that the future is now, look no further than photovoltaic glass. This cutting-edge technology essentially transforms glass into solar panels that convert light into electricity. Lest there be no misunderstanding, the answer is yes. We are talking about windows that generate their own power. It’s clean, green, and very cool. Photovoltaic glass incorporates transparent semiconductor-based photovoltaic—or solar—cells by … Read More
Expanding Role of Glass in Construction
The science of glass continues to expand by leaps and bounds, creating the foundation for a unique, new architectural dimension that is revolutionizing construction and building design. More and more daring buildings, featuring soaring glass facades, arching canopies, delicate footbridges, and other load bearing glass elements, have onlookers shaking their heads in amazement, wondering if glass wall construction is really … Read More
The Power of Graphic Design
For centuries, graphic design and architecture have been creatively linked, each contributing to clarifying and communicating a building’s message. Architecture seeks to inspire with shape and form and purpose. With typography and images, graphic design supports and echoes that story, becoming the visual representation of the built environment. Graphic design also plays a key role in presenting architectural concepts for … Read More
3D Buildings: The Homes of the Future?
It’s been around since the 1980s, creating everything from car parts, to fashion accessories, to artificial human organs for transplant patients. In the construction industry, 3D modeling has become a popular fixture, affording both clients and design teams the opportunity to visualize a project on a smaller scale, avoiding miscommunication and errors down the road. So, the question: Is 3D … Read More
Open Plan Offices: The Next Step
The goal: Organizational health. The key: A workspace that promotes and supports the mental, physical and social health of the workforce. It’s as simple—and complex—as that. Faced with the task of creating environments that foster optimal achievement, today’s office designers are forced to think outside the cubicle and adapt to a new, more organic office culture. Pursuant to our deeper … Read More
History of Doors : Design and Usage
No matter who we are or where we live, doors around the world have consistently protected us from the elements and defined our comings and goings. These iconic structures are symbols of life passages; transitions, endings, new beginnings. As we move through them—literally and figuratively—every day, we are part of a shared human behavior that began as an instinct for … Read More
The Importance of Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Ironically, BIM is one case in which technology improves human interaction. In the past, with a myriad of plans bouncing back and forth between departments until all issues were resolved, the potential for miscommunication and finger pointing was great. The engineer would blame the architect for an inexecutable design. The construction crew would fault the engineer for unrealistic expectations. Everybody … Read More
School Architecture and Design
More and more school architecture projects are transforming entire buildings into inspiring comprehensive learning environments. Enlightened designs feature open classroom plans with a wide variety of flexible indoor and outdoor spaces to support teachers’ efforts and stimulate exploration, discovery and sharing of information. The school building and its surroundings become an integral part of the educational process.