Happy new year from Dezeen. We'll be back tomorrow, but you can read our review of 2021 in the meantime.
As we welcome the new year, take a look back at the most popular stories from the past year as part of our review of 2021.
The review also includes the top houses, home extensions, residential interiors, most controversial buildings of the year and much more.
Read the full review of 2021 here.
The post Happy new year from Dezeen! appeared first on Dezeen.
A glazed courtyard occupies the centre of this Florida residence by Seibert Architects, bringing light to the interiors and organising the circulation around the building.
Completed earlier this year, the Schechter Residence is a low-slung home that offers its owners a beach-focused lifestyle in Sarasota, Florida.
Located just a few metres above from the shore, the 4,000-square-foot (372-square-metre) home enjoys a gently stepped-back garden leading down to the water.
"The pool area and waterfront yard are terraced to provide flat outdoor space for waterfront activities, children at play and to ease the transition down to the water," said Seibert Architects, which is also based in Sarasota.
The entry sequence into the home leads into a lush courtyard. This exterior space enclosed by glass walls brings light into the building and also offers a space for the owners children to play.
"The courtyard, surrounded by glass on three sides, enriches movement through the house and enhances the entry by bringing light, vegetation, and sky to these experiences," said Seibert Architects.
The living spaces and primary bedroom are laid out as an enfilade of spaces facing the water. These rooms have much higher ceilings and are vaulted to make room for clerestory windows.
"These curved forms contrast with the more serious rectilinear nature of the design," said Seibert Architects. "Its inhabitants describe them as uplifting."
Open shelving that separates these spaces helps to define each without completely enclosing them.
The western facade of the home is fronted by tall sliding glass doors that lead out to the pool deck.
This outdoor space is sheltered by a large retractable awning and a screened enclosure to protect users from harsh direct sunlight and insects.
This offers a year-round connection between the inside spaces and the pool and backyard.
The remainder of the bedrooms are located on the opposite side of the home, facing the street.
Two children's bedrooms share a common play area away from the living room, while the guest bedroom has its entrance closer to the foyer, for more privacy.
The home's mostly white finishes reflect Florida's beach-oriented lifestyle. Seibert Architects provided pops of colour with bright furnishings, while the exposed wooden ceiling vaults add some warmth to the overall palette.
Other residences in Florida include an all-white home by Jeffrey Dungan that was completed in a range of different architectural styles, and a Miami Beach home for an art collector by Shulman + Associates.
The photography is by Ryan Gamma.
Project credits:
Architectural firm: Seibert Architects
Architect of record: Samuel C Holladay
Project architect/designer: Michael Epstein
Structural engineer: Hees & Associates
Contractor: Yoder Homes
The post Seibert Architects designs Florida home for indoor-outdoor living appeared first on Dezeen.
A twisted, stacked form clad in black timber creates both terraces and cantilevering canopies at this holiday home in the Cotswolds, designed by prefab specialists Koto.
Falcon House is the first two-storey modular house completed by the British studio, which designs and manufactures prefabricated cabins.
The two-bedroom house is located alongside a lake on the Lower Mill Estate, the development of a former gravel pit by Habitat First Group that originally launched in 1999.
It was constructed from two cross-laminated timber (CLT) cabins which were, stacked on top of one another and slightly twisted to create triangular terraces at either side of the first-floor kitchen, dining and living room.
Below, this twisted form means that the upper storey cantilevers outwards, creating two triangular canopies that shade the ground-floor bedroom windows.
"The upside-down home was created to maximise views of the surrounding nature from the living spaces," explained the practice, "creating the feeling of living within the trees, whilst the lower floor was designed to accommodate more intimate spaces."
"Though the sculptural form is strong, the striking design sits well within the surrounding nature," it continued.
To connect the home to the surrounding landscape, the upper storey is a single, open space with large windows at either end.
A sitting area is organised around a wood-burning stove in one corner of this space, while a terrazzo-topped kitchen counter defines the dining area at the opposite end.
Below, the two bedrooms were placed on either side of a central core that houses the main bedroom's en-suite, a second bathroom, utility room and stair.
An approach of "quiet luxury" informed the interiors, which were designed by Koto's in-house interior design arm, Koto Living.
The CLT of the prefabricated cabin has been left exposed in the living space, with minimal fittings focusing attention on the views outside.
The terraces, which are accessed through black-framed sliding glass doors, are decked with wooden planks and surrounded by black steel balustrades.
On the ground floor, a "feeling of character and homeliness" has been created through the use of plaster paint, textured wood headboards and woven rugs in the bedrooms, with smaller windows providing focused views while maintaining privacy.
"This is a house to slow down in, where spaces have been designed to contemplate and watch the leaves rustle in the trees, or to be social and embrace the joy of celebration with friends and family," said the practice.
Other prefabricated structures designed by Koto include the Work Space Cabin at the New Art Centre's sculpture park, and designs for prefabricated ADUs or Accessory Dwelling Units in California.
The photography is courtesy of Koto.
The post Koto designs twisted holiday home overlooking the Cotswolds appeared first on Dezeen.
To conclude our review of 2021, editor Tom Ravenscroft takes a look back at this year's most-read stories, including Richard Rogers' final building, a transparent mid-air pool, Dubai Expo pavilions and a Virgil Abloh-design car.
January – Supertall skyscrapers linked by planted terraces to be built in Shenzhen by Zaha Hadid Architects
The year began with news that Zaha Hadid Architects was designing a pair of interconnected skyscrapers in China called the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters.
The buildings were part of a trend for the world's best-known architects to design supertall skyscrapers. Alongside Zaha Hadid Architects, BIG, Foster + Partners and Dorte Mandrup are among the leading architects designing these tall buildings.
Read more about Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters ›
February – Richard Rogers balances his final building over Provence vineyard
In February, Prizker Architecture Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers revealed photography of his final building designed before his retirement from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.
Named The Richard Rogers Drawing Gallery, the building cantilevers 27 metres out from a hill at a vineyard in southern France. The year ended with news that Rogers, who was a pioneer of high-tech architecture, had passed away aged 88.
Read more about The Richard Rogers Drawing Gallery ›
March – IKEA unveils Allen key lamp in homage to "the most iconic IKEA item of all"
IKEA made headlines in March when it unveiled a lamp shaped like an oversized Allen key.
Created as a nod towards the company's flat-pack furniture, it was designed by Gelchop so that "arguably the most iconic IKEA item of all" could have its time in the spotlight.
Read more about IKEA's Allen key lamp ›
April – Ten domestic interiors featuring statement plants that help bring nature indoors
The most popular story on Dezeen in April was our roundup of domestic interiors that contain carefully chosen plants.
The piece was part of our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home.
Read more about interiors with plants ›
May – Photos reveal Thomas Heatherwick's Little Island in New York ahead of opening
In May, the long-awaited Little Island designed by Thomas Heatherwick opened on the Hudson River in New York.
Originally called Pier 55, the elevated park supported on 132 mushroom-shaped concrete columns was completed following a lengthy delay to construction amid a campaign opposing the project by advocacy group The City Club of New York.
Read more about Little Island ›
June – Fully transparent Sky Pool provides "a swim like no other" between two housing blocks in London
A video showing a transparent swimming pool that spans between two buildings at the Embassy Gardens development in Battersea, London, was the most popular story on Dezeen in June.
Designed by architecture studio HAL, the 25-metre-long Sky Pool was suspended 35 metres above the ground. According to HAL, the pool was designed to have "a sense of fun" and give people "a swim like no other".
During June and July, we ran our carbon revolution series, which aimed to explore how the element could be removed from the atmosphere and put to use on earth.
In interviews conducted as part of the series, key figures told Dezeen that afforestation is an unreliable way of permanently sequestering atmospheric carbon. The story was the most read in the month of July.
Read more about the carbon revolution series ›
August – Amanda Levete designs world's first magnetised fusion power station for the UK
A prototype power plant with a nuclear fusion reactor, which is set to be built in England, drew global attention in August.
Designed by architect Amanda Levete's firm AL_A, the Fusion Demonstration Plant will be built to prove the viability of nuclear fusion technology as a carbon-free energy source.
It is one of a growing number of power plants that combine architecture and innovative energy solutions.
Read more about the Fusion Demonstration Plant ›
September – Bjarke Ingels designing "new city in America" for five million people
News that Danish architect Bjarke Ingels is master planning a city for five million people in the US desert was the most popular story in September.
Named Telosa, the city is the brainchild of entrepreneur Marc Lore and is set to be built "from scratch" on a yet-to-be-announced, 150,000-acre site in the western United States.
October – Ten must-see pavilions at Dubai Expo 2020
In October, the coronavirus-delayed Dubai Expo officially opened in the United Arab Emirates.
Our roundup of the 10 most interesting pavilions, which were designed by architects including Foster + Partners, WOHA and Santiago Calatrava, was the month's most-read story.
Read more about Dubai Expo pavilions ›
November – Architect resigns over mostly windowless Munger Hall dormitory at University of California
Architect Dennis McFadden made headlines in November when he resigned from a University of California committee to protest the design of the Munger Hall university dormitory.
Set to be built on the university's Santa Barbara campus, the block would reportedly house over 90 per cent of its 4,500 students in windowless rooms.
December – Virgil Abloh and Mercedes-Benz create solar-powered car with transparent front hood
The end of 2021 was marked by the deaths of a trio of architecture and design greats with fashion designer Virgil Abloh, and architects Chris Wilkinson and Richard Rogers passing away.
A Mercedes-Benz with a transparent front hood containing solar cells, designed by Abloh and revealed shortly after his death, was the month's most-read story.
Read more about Virgil Abloh's Mercedes-Benz ›
The post The biggest architecture and design stories of 2021 appeared first on Dezeen.
Egypt's only design film festival and consumer electronics trade show CES, which features a talk about non-fungible tokens with Paris Hilton, are among the architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide this month.
Other events taking place in December include Oslo Design Fair as well as two major international exhibitions on British architects Peter Cook and Norman Foster.
Read on for details of our five highlights from January and see Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
Urban Visions: Sustainable Communities
Until 18 February, China
Shanghai's Xintai Warehouse hosts a retrospective charting more than five decades of work from Foster + Partners, including international as well as local projects such as the Bund Finance Centre.
The exhibition collates models, videos and photographs to illustrate the firm's approach to sustainability, which span a variety of scales from industrial design projects to entire city masterplans.
Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
5 to 8 January, USA
The most important technology trade show in the world is taking place in person this year for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Transport is set to be a major focus, with General Motors CEO Mary Barra delivering the event's opening keynote while US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg will speak on the industry's efforts to decarbonise.
Meanwhile, a new programme dedicated to the rise of the "digital asset industry" will include exhibitions of virtual artworks backed by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and a panel talk featuring "OG Crypto Queen" Paris Hilton.
Peter Cook – City Landscapes
21 January to 8 May, Denmark
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art near Copenhagen is hosting an exhibition of drawings and collages by Archigram founder Peter Cook, charting his contributions to the architectural discourse since the beginning of his career in the 1960s.
The show will explore some of Archigram's seminal concepts such as the Instant City, which can be set up overnight, and the Plug-In City made of prefabricated capsule homes.
Oslo Design Fair 2022
26 to 28 January, Norway
The 2022 edition of Oslo Design Fair is set to go ahead at the Norges Varemesse conference centre in Lillestrøm, about half an hour east of Oslo.
The show features design products from around the world with halls dedicated to interior design, craft and fashion, food, and home and garden design.
Film My Design
27 to 30 January, Egypt
More than 30 screenings, talks and Q&As are scheduled to take place as part of the Film My Design festival in Cairo, which according to the organisers is the "first and only design film festival" in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
One section of the programme will focus on local stories, including four newly commissioned collaborations between emerging Egyptian filmmakers and designers, as well as the award-winning short The White Hell, documenting the working conditions in the limestone quarries of El Minya.
Another section, called Design Across Borders, will showcase a curated selection of design films from across the world including a tribute to Dieter Rams and a behind-the-scenes of Christo's artwork Floating Piers.
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks, as well as up-to-date information about what events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen's discretion. Organisers can get enhanced or premium listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.
In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.
The post Five architecture and design events in January from Dezeen Events Guide appeared first on Dezeen.
New York studio Neil Logan Architect has added glazing and completely renovated the interior of a beach house on Long Island originally designed by architect Norman Jaffe.
The project, called Heller Lane, is located on a coastal site in East Hampton. Designed by Manhattan-based Neil Logan Architect, the project involved an interior revamp of a two-storey house dating to 1978.
Featuring a massive roof with cedar shingles, the house was originally designed by Norman Jaffe, an American architect who created many sculptural dwellings on Long Island.
Known as the Gruss House, the residence is an example of the architect's self-described Zeus style.
"Referencing the mythological god of the sky, Jaffe found formal inspiration in the sky, clouds, and coastal dunes of eastern Long Island," said Logan.
U-shaped in plan, the 6,250-square-foot (581-square-metre) home consists of rooms organised around a central courtyard. Next to the main dwelling are a swimming pool and guest house.
Facades are clad in Tennessee sandstone and cedar. The home's large, pyramid-shaped roof is cut away in several areas to form openings and balconies.
The interior underwent several renovations over the years. For the recent update, Logan and his team sought to create more space and an enhanced feeling of openness.
Limited changes were made to the exterior. The windowless, front facade, which looks north, was preserved. On the south, however, large stretches of glass were introduced, providing views of the ocean and a stronger connection to the landscape.
The home is entered from the inner courtyard, which features heat-treated ash decking and a Japanese maple tree. One steps into a home with a fluid layout, earthy finishes and ample natural light.
The team removed a staircase, along with a large, masonry fireplace, which freed up space on both floors. New columns were installed to provide structural support.
"Due to the removal of the enormous fireplace and the uninterrupted expanses of perimeter glass, the house was reframed with steel," the architect said.
The ground level encompasses a kitchen, dining room, living room, study and two bedrooms.
The kitchen features an elongated island made of Caesarstone and streamlined cabinets made of European oak. Oak was also used for flooring and wall panels throughout the dwelling.
In the dining area, an existing stone-clad fireplace was kept in place. A slender, wood-burning fireplace was placed in the study, where a projector and screen are concealed in the ceiling.
Upstairs, one finds a main suite and three new bedrooms, which were made possible by the removal of the fireplace. Skylights were added to the new sleeping areas.
"With the removal of the fireplace and additional stair, the second-floor space below the enormous roof was transformed," the team said.
In the main suite, the team created a separate bathroom with a sauna, steam shower and freestanding marble bathtub, along with a new shower, vanity and water closet.
Beyond the main dwelling, updates were also made to the guesthouse. The team added windows, installed a kitchen and refurbished the bathroom. Moreover, the ceiling was clad in European oak.
Other projects by Neil Logan Architect include the conversion of a Brooklyn warehouse into a store with a freestanding skate bowl for streetwear brand Supreme.
The photography is by Christopher Sturman.
Project credits:
Architect: Neil Logan
Project architect: Max Golden
Project assistant: Helga Hansen
Landscape architect: Farm Landscape Design, Edwina von Gal
Construction: Trunzo Building Contractors
The post Neil Logan revamps a 1970s stone-clad dwelling in the Hamptons appeared first on Dezeen.
