Wood architecture

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about wood architecture

Project • By Studio Puisto • Swimming Pools

Loiske Ähtäri

The Ähtäri Swimming Hall, known as Loiske (“Splash”), is a new wellness destination located in one of Finland’s most unique settings, right next to the Ähtäri Zoo and the iconic 1970s Hotel Mesikämmen. The project introduces a contemporary swimming hall to an area that combines natural beauty with architectural heritage, creating a space where leisure and landscape meet.The concept was shaped by the site’s distinctive character: a forested lakeshore and the bold geometry of the existing hotel. The design responds to these conditions by integrating the building into its surroundings while establishing a strong identity of its own.  Marc Goodwin Marc Goodwin Studio Puisto Arch... More

Project • By OKIDOKI • Train stations

Varberg Station

In Sweden, OKIDOKI Architects has designed a train station that sits at the heart of a broader urban transformation that will reconnect the coastal town of Varberg to the Kattegat Sea. Inspired by traditional cold water bathing huts and constructed almost entirely from engineered timber, Varberg Station is a thoroughly contemporary coastal landmark for the city's new harbour-side district of Västerport. Esson Lindman Esson Lindman   ❌︎ Remove Applied Products block will be inserted here     Context The design draws from the Varberg's history as a seaside resort, combining a lightweight timber structure with a durable stone and concrete base and a large planted roof. The green roof improves the bu... More

Project • By expandstudio • Exhibitions

GiganteBlu

GiganteBlu is a temporary installation created for the 2024 Rome Architecture Festival. The proposal was selected as the winning entry in the competition launched by the Rome Order of Architects at the end of 2023. Originally conceived for the Parco Marconi site along the Tiber River, the structure was later built at the Acquario Romano, the current headquarters of the OAR. Taking inspiration from the abandoned structure of Rome’s former granary, the installation reflects on the value of architectural heritage in the contemporary city. Francesco Marano Daniele Raffaelli Francesco Marano In the Marconi distric, at the corner of Via Blaserna and the Lungotevere, sits an uninhabited giant who has just returned from a thou... More

Project • By Triangular • Private Houses

VE House

The project is conceived as a second home located along the shores of Lake Rupanco, in the commune of Puerto Octay, in southern Chile. The brief called for a house capable of adapting to varying patterns of occupancy, allowing for flexible subdivision depending on the number of visitors, while ensuring independence between areas designated for parents, children, and guests. At the same time, the design resolves the program on a single level, prioritizing spatial continuity and a direct relationship with the surrounding landscape. NICO SAIEH NICO SAIEH NICO SAIEH NICO SAIEH The site features a pronounced slope descending toward the lake, offering expansive open views and exhibiting high levels of surface moisture charact... More

Project • By Laboratory Sustaining Design / LSD Architects • Private Houses

Casa Vista Encantada

Located in the mountains of Mar Vista, Guanacaste, Casa Vista Encantada is a residential project composed of a main house and a guest house, organized as a direct response to the site’s elongated topography. The project adopts a linear configuration that follows the natural contours of the terrain, allowing each space to establish a specific relationship with the surrounding landscape. This spatial strategy generates a sequence of views and transitions, reinforcing the connection between interior and exterior environments. Fernando Alda Fernando Alda A central component of the project is its roof system, designed as an integrated environmental strategy. The sloped roofs enable controlled rainwater collection, which is comb... More

Project • By S&AA - Patrick Schweitzer & Associés Architectes • Wellness Centres

Medidation space

Everything is made of solid wood to encourage meditation. Devoted to prayer and meditation, the space is non-denominational and open to all. Wood is almost the only material used for this project. Pierre Pommerau Pierre Pommerau More

Project • By INNAUER MATT ARCHITEKTEN ZT GMBH • Museums

Museum Bezau

In Museum Bezau, two architectural styles converge to create a reimagined “Wälderhaus” (forest house). Located in the town of Bezau, within the Bregenzerwald region of Austria, the museum’s original listed house is seamlessly integrated with a contemporary extension. Designed by Bezau-based studio Innauer Matt Architekten, the updated museum building is an impressive exhibit in its own right. Dominic Kummer Dominic Kummer   The Wälderhaus A local history museum, the Wälderhaus was founded by Anna Katharina Feuerstein who had recognised increasing threats to cultural heritage. Feuerstein and the local Heimatschutzverein, a heritage preservation society, purchased the historic property in Bez... More

News • News • 6 Jun 2024

Enrico Molteni Architecture completes a timber and glass inclusive education center in Parma

Milan-based Enrico Molteni Architecture has completed the development of an inclusive education center in Parma, Italy. The center is the result of a collaboration between the University of Parma (UNIPR) and the Accademia dei Giorni Straordinari Foundation (the AGS Foundation promotes the “social inclusion of adolescents in fragile conditions”). The design comprises two interconnected and symmetrical buildings, each with a distinct purpose and a shared educational ethos: One building is a public facility that serves as a nursery and kindergarten — a “Childhood Hub” — for children aged 0 – 6 years, providing support for university employees and students. The other building is a private facility dedic... More

Project • By hethos • Secondary Schools

SFDA.lab

The SFDA.lab addresses the needs of a school group by designing a cafeteria space that allows students to dine informally outside of the school restaurant's regular hours. The project is envisioned as a versatile space that not only serves as a cafeteria but also introduces new functionalities to the school group. Adrien Fouéré   The project is located at the junction of a 1970s building and a monolithic extension housing the high school. Besides the expressed requirement for a new cafeteria, it appears that certain existing spaces, such as the auditorium or the entrance hall, have reached their maximum capacity or could be enriched with complementary uses. Rather than implementing multiple separate interventions,... More

Project • By Spectrum • Residential Landscape

Wood Cabin

The primary objective behind the design was to establish a profound connection with nature, maximizing the picturesque views of the backyard and cultivating a serene atmosphere for the inhabitants to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life. Throughout the design, the juxtaposition of untamed nature and a secure, inviting interior is accentuated, steering the overall experience. The use of simplicity, natural materials, and a minimalist aesthetic serves to instill a sense of peace and harmony, fostering a feeling of detachment from the outside world. Caption Caption The incorporation of clean lines, contemporary architectural elements, and a minimalist design ethos, paired with natural materials, creates a distinctive and tranq... More

Project • By Stanacev Granados • Private Houses

Casa Kuvo

Casa Kuvo was commissioned to us in 2021 for the coastal locality of Matanzas in Chile, known for its weather conditions that favor the practice of water and wind sports. The brief called for a small unit of only 70 m2, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, suited for a younger population and preferably spread across two stories to make the most of the views towards the ocean. Manu Granados Manu Granados Manu Granados Volumetrically and chromatically reduced to a white prism of 6 x 6 x 6 m, the outward expression of the house is rather abstract and barren. The compact form has to do with extreme rationalization of the layout in order to maximize the available floor space, while the chromatics enters into a dynamic interplay w... More

News • News • 23 Jan 2024

School in Noisy-le-Grand by r2k architecte blends progressive environmental and educational design principles

Oiseau Lyre, a school in the French commune of Noisy-le-Grand, is exploring a Finnish-inspired pedagogical method of learning. Designed by Grenoble-based r2k architecte, Oiseau Lyre is an energy-positive building made from wood that offers a diversity of shared spaces. The school provides a framework for active pedagogies — active learning — based on cognitive research. ERIETA ATTALI ERIETA ATTALI The spatial design of Oiseau Lyre includes introducing the latest educational expertise of Nordic schools alongside lessons learned from Lab-École — this Quebec “School-Lab” initiative is based on a combination of physical environment, physical activity and well-being, and nutrition. Nordic p... More

Product • By Grupo GUBIA • GUBI-vFolding ® Motorized vertical folding system for wooden facades

GUBI-vFolding ® Motorized vertical folding system for wooden facades

GUBI-vFolding is our solar control system for facades with a folding in the vertical direction. Equipped with a completely concealed motorized system, it allows the aperture of the opening in different positions. It is composed of two aluminum frames joined by stainless steel hinges, which fold guided by a mechanical lifting system embedded in the side guides. With a multitude of possible cladding materials, the version with horizontal or vertical wooden slats becomes the ideal solution for buildings that stand for sustainability.   The vertical folding lattice is one of many examples for the design of architectural envelopes where functionality and aesthetics are combined. Innovating in this sense, we would like to tell you about our G... More

News • Detail • 23 Nov 2023

Detail: The material essence of Liuba multifunctional service center

Shulin Architects has completed a multifunctional service center in Liuba County, in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China. At the entrance to Liuba’s scenic mountain area and the Qinling Mountains, the service center provides a reception, public toilets, and retail facilities. With a material palette of warm wood, concrete, and natural stone, the meticulously crafted structure offers travelers and locals a place in which to stop and rest. Zhao Yilong Zhao Yilong Zhao Yilong Based in Zhuantang Town, Hangzhou, Shulin Architects was founded in 2015 by architect Chen Lin. A small architectural studio, the firm places an emphasis on rural construction and traditional culture, materials and nature, the enviro... More

Project • By Naza AyD • Housing

4 Social Housing Units in Garralda

The project has been defined with two fundamental objectives, on the one hand, its landscape integration in an environment as cared for as that of Garralda and the Aézcoa valley, and, on the other, to achieve the highest housing quality of the proposed homes. Alberto Amores Alberto Amores Alberto Amores After the analysis of the archetypal features of the traditional Basque-Navarrean “Caserío” (farmhouse), it was decided to divide the required program into two volumes, with steeply pitched roofs, whose proportions allow better adaptation to the volumetrics of the area. These two pieces are arranged in opposite directions to promote dialogue with the rural landscape. The choice of materials is sensit... More