The architecture and design blog

The transformation of Presqu’ile de Caen moved a step closer with the announcement that MVRDV will be the chosen masterplanners. Their vision saw gardens from old factories, and an intensification of the urban area to create an attractive city quarter. There will also be a better connection to the sea. Read more

Photos: Jussi Tiainen.

In France mayors have the power to choose architects and decide how public buildings should look. Often this power is exercised with considerable skill and care producing public buildings of excellent quality, as is the case here. The Mayor of Limeil-Brevannes had hitched his political wagon to sustainability, and in his view this meant wooden schools. The practice r2k-architectes, were only too happy to oblige with this accomplished performance, executed without drama.

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Seeing this building recalled the work of the celebrated artist and sculpture David Mach. But surprisingly when I learned it was a nursery school in Boulogne-Billancourt, beautifully designed by Hondelatte Laporte Architectes, my immediate enthusiasm transformed into a more contemplative mood. Read more

Image: Gang Architects The Garden in the Machine. Model photographed by James Ewing

The financial and property crisis have soured the American Dream to the extent that some believe it needs re-defining and re-imagining. The Museum of Modern Art is holding an exploration and exhibition titled Foreclosed: Rehousing the American Dream. It invited 5 design teams working within the findings of the Buell Hypothes – a research report into the state of American housing resulting from the crisis – to re-imagine how things could be. Read more

Photos: Olaf Mahlstedt

Reflecting the proportions and form of the traditional timberframed houses of Wolfsburg, Stephan Braunfels has developed a contextual response for the Gifhorner Volksbank. The historical urban structure of the old town is characterised by narrow street frontage with a deep plan and narrow alleys between the houses connecting the public and private realms behind the building line. Read more