Carbon footprint

Surat, a thriving hub of commerce and culture in Gujarat, has steadily transformed into a city that balances tradition with rapid modernisation. Known for its bustling textile industry and diamond trade, it is a city of resilience, innovation, and growth. Amidst this vibrant backdrop, Amoeba, a groundbreaking office project by Hiren Patel Architects, emerges as a beacon of contemporary design that integrates seamlessly with the natural environment. As an over 8000 sq ft masterpiece, the space does more than just house corporate operations—it reimagines what an office can be. The project’s organic, free-flowing design is fresh air in the architectural landscape, where rigid structures often dominate. Vinay Panjwani Vinay... More

Maximising space without extending: THISS Studio renews Victorian terraced home in Waltham Forest THISS Studio has transformed a Victorian terraced house in Waltham Forest, North East London, reviving the dark and cramped ground floor of the property into an airy and comfortable family space.  A creative reconfiguration of the existing floor plan has created a much-loved, carefully tailored home without the need for an extension, showing that sometimes unlocking the space already in our homes can be just as valuable as extending, with a fraction of the carbon. Henry Woide Henry Woide Initially approached by the client to design a side return extension on the property, THISS Studio instead re-imagined the brief, honing in o... More

This apartment, a characteristic 1930's house in Amsterdam West, located in the De Baarsjes neighbourhood, has been renovated in a fully sustainable and responsible manner. The renovation focused on three main pillars: 1. Insulating the house and eliminating the use of gas.2. Using as many sustainable and healthy materials as possible.3. Optimizing the use of available square metres. Bart Molenaar 1. Saving Energy According to the Trias EnergeticaThe house has been made energy-efficient following the principles of the Trias Energetica model: - Step 1: Minimize energy loss.The facades have been insulated from the inside using wood wool, a circular and sustainable material.- Step 2: Use renewable energy.The gas meter has been removed... More

Taaza: A Prototype for Sustainable Green-Grocery Shopping in Gorakhpur Nestled in the bustling yet underdeveloped fabric of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, "Taaza" is a green grocery store that redefines what a small-scale, budget-conscious retail space can achieve. This project, conceived as a prototype, serves as the cornerstone for a larger vision: a network of branded neighborhood outlets and mobile vending carts tailored to semi-urban communities. The brief was straightforward yet challenging: create a store that feels fresh, is eco-friendly, economical to construct, and offers customers effortless access to green groceries—all within 300-350 square feet. Dhrupad Shukla The design strategy for "Taaza" was a delicate dance betwee... More

This ambitious urban project involves the revitalization of a 5.5-hectare site of the former cavalry barracks of the Polish Army. The site is located in the heart of Poznań, and the entire area, along with four buildings dating from the 19th century, is listed as a historical monument. This concept implements the ideas of the 15-minute city, with a mix of functions allowing for the eventual development of approximately 22,000 square meters of commercial and tertiary functions (offices, retail, gastronomy, services) and 52,000 square meters of housing (about 1,000 apartments). BPI Real Estate Poland and Revive Poland BPI Real Estate Poland and Revive Poland BPI Real Estate Poland and Revive Poland BPI Real Estate Poland and... More

Located near the Montaudran train station, the Rangueil campus, and the ring road, the plot is bordered by Avenue des Herbettes to the north and Avenue de Lespinet to the west, along with the Montaudran aeronautics site, placing it within the heritage area. The plot was occupied by a student residence, which was subject to a demolition permit. The shape of the project’s plot results from the passage of a Public Equipment Easement, which includes a bus lane and a cycle path. Philippe Rol Philippe Rol Philippe Rol Philippe Rol Philippe Rol The easement process encroached on the original plot where the student residence was located, creating a new, smaller plot for this project. The site is located in a rapidly... More

Queen Elizabeth Hall is the new girls boarding house at Shrewsbury School, the historic private school famed for its beautiful campus perched above the river Severn. The new house sits on the edge of the campus with panoramic views over the river towards the centre of Shrewsbury town. The design makes the most of the location with a double-height moon door on the main internal communal space, addressing the view. This space is at the eastern end of the linear building which wraps around a centuries-old cedar of Lebanon creating an enclosed private garden for the girls. Fisher Studios Fisher Studios Fisher Studios Fisher Studios The new building is designed to feel like a home not an institution. Externally the f... More

Repair/transform an old industrial siteThe project aims to bring together all the services of the community of municipalities on one site, as well as the bus terminal for the community. The redevelopment of a former industrial site along the canal is achieved through various means: the creation of an office building extending from the existing technical center, the reintroduction of greenery, the reuse and relocation of old hangars on the plot, and soil decontamination. Transforming this artisanal and commercial area, located in a region in decline, is a current challenge for our territories. It involves initiating an urban and landscape transformation of an outdated commercial area through a contemporary intervention. De-artificialize/dec... More

Studio Gang, the international architecture and urban design firm led by Jeanne Gang, has completed its first project in France: the University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center in Paris. Serving as a European hub for scholarship and research in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, the new academic center is described by the architect as "a gracious campus environment" where intellectual work is enlivened with social activity and biodiverse habitat. The Center, part of a new development in the rapidly transforming Paris Rive Gauche neighborhood in the 13th arrondissement, also includes a mixed-use residential building by the locally-based PARC Architectes. The project builds on the successful existing collaborations between the University... More

Sundersea, Sunderland Sundersea is a state-of-the-art multi storey carpark in Sunderland. Being an intrinsic part of Sunderland’s new urban quarter, its impact extends beyond providing a sustainable parking solution. The Riverside Sunderland masterplan includes a new eye hospital, housing, workplaces, and leisure spaces, for which the carpark facilitates the creation of amenities, a pedestrian priority zone, reduction of congestion. Open 24 hours, the multistorey car park provides 657 spaces, including 49 accessible spaces, 115 EV spaces, and motorcycle and cycle parking. David Valinsky Tonkin Liu became involved in the project by winning the art competition organised by arts consultant Working Parts. The brief called for... More

In contrast to the extremely urbanized downtown, the mountain area surrounding the city center of Beijing is still kept rural and natural. The site was a primary school abandoned for years in a mountain village in Beijing, consisting of four rows of brick and timber frame houses arranged in a repeated way and surrounded by high perimeter walls. As a rent property, the client wanted to renovate it into a high-end boutique hotel. Due to the lease terms and local regulations, any addition, subtraction or major change to the original structures was not allowed. The project hired local villagers for construction in order to strengthen the connection with the village. Affected by the COVID-19 traffic controls, the building materials had to be sou... More

Since the clients’ property is situated on the slopes of Crni Vrh Mountain, in the untouched nature of the Homolje Mountains, this house represents a true sanctuary of peace, quiet, and tranquility. For clients living in the capital, it was particularly important that the house be surrounded by dense, expansive forests, offering an escape from the urban hustle and fast pace of modern life—a perfect retreat to relax and reconnect with nature. The location is completely off-grid, with no possibility of connecting to electricity, water, or sewage. The lower section of the western part of the property falls into the third and second zones of protection of the newly established Kučaj-Beljanica National Park, while the area where the... More

Insertion in the site  Part of a vast redevelopment operation of the agro-industrial brownfield, it is located to the west of the Brétigny-sur-Orge train station, where the first inhabitants began arriving in 2012.Its three main façades are oriented towards significant spaces:· The forecourt overlooks the Avenue Jacqueline de Romilly and serves as the building’s main entrance.· The southern part of the lot overlooks the Jardin de Traverse, designated as the “school children’s path” of the urban project. This pedestrian and cyclist way is the main artery into the district.· The Rue des Cendrennes running along the north side marks the limit between the urbanization of the Vall&e... More

The ChallengeIn the era of urban renaissance, rapid population growth, and climate change, residential high-rise buildings are not only expected to provide high-density urban lifestyle living, but minimize their impact on the environment and be resilient to the changing climatic conditions. The Astra Tower seeks to take this challenge to the next level by developing a unique urban community focused on health and wellness that will tackle one of the region’s most imminent environmental threats, air quality. Caption The Design SolutionPoised to promote wellness and resiliency at a variety of scales, the HKS design team will focus on the physical and cognitive well-being of Astra Tower residents through an extensive amenity program... More