Passive architecture

Located in the historic Kasbah-Mechouar district of Marrakech, Hidden Echo is a conceptual cultural project that interprets Moroccan architectural traditions through a contemporary environmental approach. Developed for the Riad Garden 51 site near Agdal Gardens and Bab Agnaou, the proposal combines passive climatic systems, rammed earth construction, water management strategies, and local craftsmanship within a spatial framework inspired by kasbahs, riads, and Moroccan gardens. Caption The project was conceived as a low-energy and climate-adaptive architectural proposal rather than a technology-driven building. Its environmental approach relies on thermal mass, evaporative cooling, natural ventilation, solar control, daylight optimiz... More

This project has been conceived as a multi-layered approach to sustainability, social life and architectural expression.  As with the rest of Mumbai, the IIT Bombay campus faces the challenge of housing an increasing population on a limited parcel of land. The new cluster of three hostels is designed to accommodate 1127 students on a hostel plot that initially held 252 students.  Rajesh Vora Rajesh Vora The site abuts the Powai Lake and is covered with dense foliage of old trees. The primary gesture of organization comes from an impulse of preserving this invaluable natural habitat: The three blocks are located in voids created by the demolished hostel blocks and strategically arranged around the perimeter of the site... More

Located in a built-out residential area, the shape of the house plays an important role in optimizing light, ventilation, privacy and views. Majority of programs are organized in two south facing blocks connected with a perpendicular block forming an H-shaped in plan view. While most of the private rooms are in the northern block, the southern block includes guest areas with middle block serving as transition area with spaces common to guests and the family. The northern block is one story taller than the southern block so that all rooms get equal winter sun, summer breeze and immediate views of the courtyards and gardens. The roof of the southern block becomes a large spillout terrace for the rooms on the upper floor while reducing the sca... More

Tucked into a tight residential soi in Bangkok’s Ladprao district, Floating Court House navigates the typological constraints of inner-city living with architectural precision. The 10 x 20 meter plot, though generous by urban standards, becomes spatially restricted once statutory setbacks are applied—resulting in a three-story volume that nearly fills the buildable envelope. This condition sets the stage for a nuanced exploration of light, air, and spatial relief within a compact urban form. Witsawarut Kekina Witsawarut Kekina Witsawarut Kekina Witsawarut Kekina Rather than conform to the typology of a typical rowhouse, the design embraces sectional complexity. The architects relocated the main living space... More

How does the open, fluid spatial planning in Auroville’s architecture balance the ideals of collective living with the diverse cultural and personal needs for privacy and enclosure, and to what extent does it risk imposing a singular vision of spatial openness on its inhabitants? Saurabh Madan (Penumbra photo lab) Saurabh Madan (Penumbra photo lab) Amidst the lush landscape of Auroville, a one-acre plot serves as the setting for an architectural endeavor that seeks to embody harmony with both its natural surroundings and the diverse cultural fabric of its inhabitants. Designed for a family from Bihar who have embraced Auroville’s ethos, the project by Bayhauz Design Studio features two distinct homes thoughtfully pos... More

This residential transformation project reinterprets a 1960s house through a careful strategy of structural reuse, volumetric clarity, and spatial densification. Situated on a corner plot within a heterogeneous urban fabric of varying building scales and typologies, the intervention preserves the footprint and foundational concrete frame of the existing house while extending vertically with a lightweight steel structure engineered to withstand seismic loads. Giorgos Sfakianakis The architectural language is defined by a sculptural massing of opaque facades and calibrated openings. Responding to the proximity of taller neighboring buildings and the challenge of privacy, the house assumes a monolithic presence. To mediate light and spat... More

Carr, working with a progressive client, has designed a project that transfigures commercial architecture and interiors by embracing sustainability, longevity, and innovation. This project, situated on an urban industrial site in Collingwood, showcases Carr’s potential to transform industrial spaces into vibrant and sustainable environments. Rory Gardiner The design of 116 Rokeby echoes Collingwood's industrial materiality combined with a pragmatic approach to sustainability. Rory Gardiner Rory Gardiner Robust and tactile The form is robust and tactile, expressing strong architectural repetition on the facade while adopting a holistic, inside-out approach. Figurehead, a Melbourne-based construction company, is both... More

On a sloped plot of land in Yokohama, houses tower over the retaining wall on southern edge. On the eastern edge, a house juts against the site. In the winter, there is little sunlight, especially on the ground floor. Therefore, we designed a house that maximized the comfort of each season by setting the sunniest second floor as the "winter living room" and part of the cool shadowy first floor as the "summer living room".  koichi Torimura koichi Torimura Facing the southeast, which has the most sunshine, we arranged three floors that rise like terraces toward the light. It is in this direction that we placed the “winter living room” to take advantage of this most effective light. The living room reflects our comp... More

The buyers of the Bay View House, aptly named for its waterfront locale, were seeking a perfect home to retire in, one with a smaller footprint that meshed with their creative leanings, all while staying within a set budget. Energy and water savings, as well as working with the natural landscape, also were the key challenges. As outlined in Atlantic Focus magazine, Passive Design Solutions worked in conjunction with Carpentry Inc. and Engineering Ltd. to develop a concept that met these needs while leveraging the performance opportunities of a passive energy design.  Caption Performance efforts began with the orientation and layout of the home. The team considered existing trees and landscape, and clerestory and operable windows... More

Drawing inspiration from local Norfolk pines, the latest mixed-use residential project by Koichi Takada Architects is a sculptural and sympathetic addition to its coastal location in Burleigh Heads (Queensland, Australia). The organic, overlapping architectural curves and linear screening form the basis for this responsive building with passive design principles at play.  Scott Burrows   Designed to appreciate the 1,012 square-meter beachfront site on Goodwin Terrace at the southern end of Burleigh Heads Beach, the north facing 10-storey structure provides 15 unique apartments, two dual level penthouses with private rooftop pools, and impressive ground floor wellbeing amenities for residents to enjoy the prime location year... More

Casa de Victoria, an eco-guest house near the coast of Bay of Bengal The project is designed as cluster of small studio units for long term visitors to stay in a nature friendly environment.  Ramya Prasad Site Planning The guest house comprises of 3 studio units connected by a small corridor with an avenue of existing trees on one side, which have been retaining. The units are placed in a way, that there are small sit out spaces created in-between the units which gives privacy and acts as a small courtyard spaces. They also increase the cross ventilation and let in natural light inside the units. Caption Unit Design Each unit is designed as a small studio apartment. The units consist of a living room, bedroom, and a work... More

The idea of horizon is strongly felt on the site through the stark mesa that lies adjacent to the community. Overpowering in scale, the Mesa forms the backdrop of the project. Caption Caption This idea of horizon is grounded in the concept of TERRA. A single-story structure in constant connection to the desert floor, low in profile, the roof edge, demarcated with a steel ribbon, forms a datum line, characteristically reflecting the Mesa’s strong horizontal edge. Caption Caption Light is in constant play in the desert, reflecting off the desert floor...diffused through the leaves of mesquite trees. In TERRA, the roof encompasses the project, extending past the edge of the enclosure,  to form a series of prote... More

Urban planning and architectural design  The new school campus creates within the municipality a place with its own identity. Despite its size the building and its entrance area is not disturbing the spatial and functional context of the place as it stands on the other end of an urban axis connecting the campus with the village square unveiling its potential to become a lively street. The community character of the building is visually supported by a public library situated in an exposed corner facing the village. The school is set in a mellow slope and the design works with different floor counts facing the entrance area on one side and the school grounds on the other one. The large building is divided into several structural vo... More