Brick architecture

A century-old duplex in Montreal's Mile-end, abandoned for several years, has been extended with a large rooftop apartment and a backyard bedroom wing on each floor. The project aims to answer the delicate and sensitive question of “architectural intervention on modest heritage. ". How to densify in a gentle way by adding new housing, while retaining the authenticity of the original design and the urban landscape of the street and the lane. How to achieve this in a dialogue between the existing and the new, without one speaking louder than the other, while maintaining the modesty that forms a district of the city. Raphael Thibodeau Raphael Thibodeau Raphael Thibodeau The answer for the project was to lay a white veil o... More

Nestled into a hillside, this timber-framed family home enjoys uninterrupted views out across the countryside of the North Downs. A newly built property, it is an elegant fusion of traditional crafts and materials with contemporary design. Jim Stephenson Jim Stephenson Jim Stephenson Our clients had a vision for a modern sustainable house with practical yet beautiful interiors, a home with character that quietly celebrates the details. For example, where uniformity might have prevailed, over 1000 handmade pegs were used in the construction of the timber frame. Jim Stephenson Jim Stephenson The building consists of three interlinked structures enclosed by a flint wall. The house takes inspiration from the local ver... More

The Residential N8 is located on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, establishing a strong connection with the surrounding residential areas and its proximity to the beach. The building features a recessed ground floor, creating space between the building and the street, and elevates the ground floor via ramps and stairs for increased safety. Alexandre Zelinski Alexandre Zelinski Alexandre Zelinski Alexandre Zelinski Alexandre Zelinski With two residential units per floor, its prime location ensures a more dynamic façade facing the street, while providing significant thermal and lighting comfort, as all rooms have large openings. Vertical circulation occurs on the southern front façade, cleverly con... More

The house Los Juncos, located in a gated community in Lujan, Buenos Aires, is envisioned in the depth of an environment where communion with the surrounding landscape and spatial efficiency are fundamental pillars. The dwelling, stripped of artifices, is divided into two clearly defined strata by the choice of materials and the arrangement of its spaces. The genesis of this home finds its roots in the need to build a versatile abode, adapted to an unknown audience, within the framework of a low-budget real estate project. Adaptability thus becomes the essence of the design, allowing the house to mold itself to various circumstances and lifestyles throughout its existence. Caption Caption Caption The main challenge was collab... More

The villa is located in the charming Omsheh village near Sangar town, in the beautiful Gilan province of Iran. It has a generous area of approximately 70 square meters and includes two main rooms as well as a spacious veranda. The first room not only leads to the main entrance and kitchen but also provides access to the veranda. The second room functions as a cozy bedroom complete with its toilet and bathroom, benefiting from ample natural light streaming in from the veranda. A corridor seamlessly connects the second room to the main room. Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption The villa's sloping roof is artfully supported by multiple pillars, elevating it with a clearance of 45 cm above the walls. This design ma... More

The site of the Music Academy of the Federation of German Brass Music Associations is located in an industrial estate on the north-western outskirts of Staufen im Breisgau. The new building responds to its faceless surroundings with a powerful architectural appearance. The building, clad homogeneously with water-struck clinker brick, defines a new, identity-creating address. A connecting foyer opens up the striking square new building in a north-south direction. Peter Ziegner Peter Ziegner The first floor houses the large concert and rehearsal halls, the dining room and the administration. A single-flight staircase leads to the second floor, where the smaller rehearsal rooms are arranged around the two-storey hall. Two centrally... More

Its purpose lies in the creation of collaborative and meeting spaces, with an introspective approach that adapts to the surrounding industrial environment.  Camila Cossio Camila Cossio Camila Cossio The design of the pavilion is aimed at generating flexible areas for collaboration and design, as well as meeting spaces that encourage interaction between workers. These aspects are complemented by plant elements that make up a green oasis, acting as a barrier against visual and acoustic pollution. Camila Cossio Camila Cossio Camila Cossio The "H"-shaped arrangement stores blind areas at the ends and transparent areas in the center, allowing unique permeability. The materiality of the pavilion is made up of... More

Taller MRD and DFArquitectos collaborate to revitalize the Santa María Petapa market in Oaxaca, Mexico, offering it a new opportunity after the devastating earthquake of 2017. Established by the Urban Improvement Program (PMU) and headed by the Secretariat of Agrarian and Territorial Development and Urban (SEDATU), this project had as its main objective the unification and integration of a previously urban and socially fractured space. By preserving the site's distinctive cultural elements, such as ocher-toned brick and clay structures, the team not only managed to preserve its origin, but also forged a lasting legacy. Jesús Omar Luis Salvatierra Jesús Omar Luis Salvatierra What we found on the site was an ur... More

In the realm of residential architecture, the seamless integration of form and function is paramount, particularly in the design of a family home that must cater to the diverse needs of its inhabitants. This architectural project—a sprawling bungalow designed for a joint family—embodies this integration, melding traditional materials with contemporary design elements to create a living space that is both aesthetically appealing and highly functional. PRACHI KHASGIWALA PRACHI KHASGIWALA PRACHI KHASGIWALA The structure of the bungalow is primarily made of brick and concrete, offering robustness and longevity, while the cladding of red Agra stone paired with exposed red brick lends a distinctive character that is bo... More

In 1973, the Gujarat United School of Theology embarked on the construction of a modest library and cultural centre spanning two hundred and sixty square meters. Originally intended to house a specialized book collection and serve as a communal space for small gatherings, the project took an unexpected turn during its development. It was eventually repurposed to accommodate the Alliance Française, a move that would lead to the creation of a striking architectural statement. Caption Situated within the confines of a late nineteenth-century institution characterized by brick and stone accents, the Alliance Française at Ahmedabad stands as a testament to modernist design principles. Every element of its construction underwe... More

The project area is located in Viale Fulvio Testi 223 in Milan, and it is an opportunity to recover and enhance the structure of the former Pirelli Institute, built in the 1950s, after several transformations. The structure, once used as a workshop-school and now abandoned, is composed of two parts: one used as classrooms and later transformed into offices, and one that is a typical factory made up of a sequence of bays with a pitch of about 8 metres and a length varying between 15 and 30 metres with an average height of 7 metres. Federico Covre Federico Covre The brick structure is peculiar, with a shed roof with a metal structure. In recent times (the 1990s) the building has been adapted as a space for events and training, wit... More