Curved brickwork fronts Mendoza apartment building by Primer Piso Arquitectos

Rounded walls, courtyards and portholes outfit this apartment complex in Mendoza, Argentina, designed by local practice Primer Piso Arquitectos.

Located in the city's Sexta Sección district, or Sixth Section, the brick building comprises four, one-bedroom apartments.

Primer Piso Arquitectos designed the project, called Martinez 3458, to comprise a pair of two-storey volumes accessed by a courtyard.

Two ground-floor units have private patios with gardens and a terrace, and the units above have large patios. These outdoor areas, including the central courtyard and outdoor walkways, promote cross ventilation and good natural light for the homes.

Architectural designs include portholes, exposed concrete, wood, perforated metal screens and sifted walls made from spraying sand and small stones.

Inside, the four units each have an open-plan kitchen and living room, a bathroom and a bedroom in almost exactly the same floor plan – aside from slight alterations.

"Although the programme is repeated in each cabin, they all have particular details that characterise them," said Primer Piso Arquitectos. "This is mainly manifested in the window system, to take advantage of natural light and create privacy conditions."

Sliding glass walls bring in ample nature while other glazed portions are fronted by brick screens to create privacy between units and filter sunlight. A vertical garden is also designed around a brick screen near the building's entrance.

The outdoor floors are reconstituted granite in a dark grey colour, while indoor floors are Calcareous travertine stone tiles in a similar grey tone.

Martinez 3458 is built on a site that is 9.5 meters wide and 28 meters deep, and it measures 210 square metres.

At the front of the complex is a carport enclosed with a black gate. Beyond is a curved brick wall, forming one of the unit's gardens. This rounded detail is repeated on the wall next to the outdoor staircase.

"Taking full advantage of the lot, without neglecting the neighbourhood scale in which it is incorporated, it is decided to withdraw the building from the municipal line," the studio said.

"In this way, the main characteristic of the area is respected, which is the garden neighbourhood."

The project is in a low-density residential area of Mendoza and designed to be in scale with neighbouring buildings while making the most of the site.

Other small-scale apartment buildings are Delfino Lozano's House B836 in Guadalajara, Mexico, a red brick building in Montreal by Natalie Dionne Architecture, and Taller Hector Barroso's LC710 and a concrete structure by Studio Rick Joy – both in Mexico City.

Photography is by Luis Abba.

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Project credits:

Architects in charge: Mariana Delfino, Alejandro Wajchman
Project team: Hernan Cruz, Fernando Neyra

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VDF live streams special performance of Studio Drift's Franchise Freedom flying sculpture

Virtual Design Festival has teamed up with Studio Drift to live stream a special performance of Franchise Freedom, the Amsterdam studio's kinetic artwork comprising hundreds of illuminated drones. Tune in from 9pm UK time to watch it live.

The performance takes place above an undisclosed city on the 75th anniversary of Liberation Day, a public holiday marking the end of Nazi occupation in the Netherlands.

The exact location is being kept secret so that people do not flout social distancing regulations to watch it in person.

Franchise Freedom was previously performed at the Kennedy Space Center

First unveiled at Miami art week in 2017, Franchise Freedom comprises 300 illuminated drones that have been programmed to mimic the behaviour of a murmuration of starlings in the sky.

The artwork has previously been performed at Burning Man and at the Kennedy Space Center to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

The performance tonight, which is supported by arts organisation Mothership, is intended to help replace all the events that would normally take place across the Netherlands to make Liberation Day, but which have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're flying Franchise Freedom for the healthcare workers and the people who are suffering from the virus," Studio Drift co-founder Ralph Nauta said. "Unfortunately, art cannot be the solution, but it can create comfort during desperate times."

"We have seen during our previous performances that when people see the artwork together, it unites them," added fellow Studio Drift co-founder Lonneke Gordijn. "They are all looking at the same thing, and feel a part of a collective experience."

Studio Drift was founded in 2007 by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta

Studio Drift, which Nauta and Gordijn founded in 2007, produces experiential sculptures, installations and performances, which often use technology to explore natural phenomena and humans' relationship to nature.

Earlier today, the duo spoke to Dezeen's editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about their work in one of our live Screentime conversations as part of VDF.

Virtual Design Festival is the world's first online design festival, taking place from 15 April to 30 June. For more information, or to be added to the mailing list, contact us at virtualdesignfestival@dezeen.com.

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"This is pure magic"

This week, readers are enchanted by an arched public shelter designed to bring the community together in Olot, Spain.

Neighbourhood watch: readers have fallen for a party wall in the town of Olot in Spain, which Unparelld'arquitectes created from the ruins of a former house to "catalyse activity" on the street.

"Extremely thoughtful solution!" praised JZ. "More of this in our urban centres please!"

Charlie Bing was also impressed: "I started smiling when I saw the red metalwork and by the time I saw the glass and the nighttime shots, I was grinning like a fool! So easy to misstep with something like this, but this is pure magic."

"This is one of the most exciting, well thought out, beautifully designed projects I've seen in a long time," added Moatoh. "The description of the subtleties of this commission plus the photographs achieved an article flow which just kept getting better and better. Congratulations to Unparelld'arquitectes and thanks to Dezeen."

"Lately, I've seen so many projects fail at enhancing a historic context and end up destroying the charm of a place," continued Zea Newland. "This on the other hand is perfection. It's original, it's not a copy and still it is tying the neighbourhood together."

This reader was also delighted.

What do you think of Emergency Scenery? Join the discussion ›

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Party dress: creative studio Production Club has designed a personal protective suit which could offer people a way of safely gathering and partying at gigs and nightclubs during the coronavirus pandemic. Readers are divided.

"I want one," said Georgie Girl.

TKO was also keen: "As a conceptual, satirical project, really great job – fun and interesting forms and shapes, nice renders, etc. Reminds me of the Mass Effect universe or something."

"No reason to not relocate to the moon now," added JZ.

Ben Chow was less convinced: "Defeats the purpose of clubbing. Can't check people out if they're completely covered."

As was this commenter:

Would you wear the Micrashell suit? Join the discussion ›

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Concrete idea: a concrete house in Mérida, Mexico, which Ludwig Godefroy designed as a nod to Mayan traditions and culture, has inspired some readers – but not all.

"That sleeping room is like in a war-bunker pressed down by bare, suffocating concrete slabs," said Cawa.

Geofbob felt similarly: "Its closed off, private nature – without even the conventional, welcoming features of windows onto the street – and use of concrete as the main material almost inevitably triggers thoughts of wartime bunkers or shelters."

"I think this is one of those projects that you want to forget about for about 10 years and come back to, with the weathering and development of landscape, etc," replied JZ. "Capturing those gutters in rainfall is also a must!"

Wilson MK was stunned, on the other hand: "One of the best concrete projects I have ever seen. Good job to the architects/engineers/builders involved."

As was this commenter:

War-bunker or dream home? Join the discussion ›

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Green with envy: commenters are torn over a house on Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, which Vo Trong Nghia Architects designed with trees growing through its concrete walls.

"This looks very nice," praised Leo. "But I don't think it qualifies as sustainable given all the concrete."

Geof Bob was also unsure: "Nice concept, nicely accomplished, but does not represent 'living in nature'. The most obvious contradiction is that any 'green' credentials will have been submerged in the concrete sea used in construction. Nevertheless, I'd quite like to live there."

"House of the century so far," replied Lemi. "Vietnamese architecture is killing it."

"Wow, amazing, mind-boggling," added Sim. "I can come up with several objections that I have brought up when looking at other designs, however I think they fall away against the astounding qualities that this building also has in other areas. Vietnamese architecture continues to surprise and inspire me."

This reader found the house of their dreams:

Are you impressed by Ha Long Villa? Join the discussion ›

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Preview The Met's postponed About Time: Fashion and Duration exhibition

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has created a virtual version of its About Time: Fashion and Duration exhibition, which has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Met's Costume Institute has made a short Youtube video of the museum's annual major spring exhibition to coincide with its original opening date this week. The rescheduled opening date is still uncertain.

Called About Time: Fashion and Duration, the exhibition is based on French 20th-century philosopher Henri Bergson's idea of time as la durée, or duration, something which can be measured through images but never perceived as a whole.

Lasting nearly 12 minutes, the virtual tour follows the intended format for the exhibition by showing historical and contemporary creations designs side by side to reveal similarities – such as a 1895 Mrs Arnold and a 2004 creation by Comme Des Garçons.

Images of the dresses – which are taken in The Costume Institute's collection – are shown with the year they were created and details of the designer or era to gradually explore fashion from 1870 to present day.

Other likenesses are drawn between a 1902 Morin Blossier dress and 2018 design by Nicolas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton.

Throughout the black-and-white movie illustrations of pared-back clock faces allude to the exhibit's time-travelling theme.

The moving images are also interspersed with quotations from novels by English writer Virginia Woolf such as Mrs Dalloway and Orlando. Woolf, who died in 1941, will serve as the exhibition's "ghost narrator".

About Time: Fashion and Duration was due to open on 7 May 202o, forming part of the museum's 150th-anniversary celebrations. The timeline used for the outfits begins with 1870 – the year The Met was founded.

The real-like showcase will include 160 items and a set designed Es Devlin.

The annual Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, was due to take place last night to coincide with the opening of the exhibition. It was also canceled due to the pandemic.

The Met closed its main building on Fifth Avenue, as well as its Met Breuer and Met Cloisters locations, in early March in response to the emergence of outbreaks of coronavirus in New York City.

At the same time, US schools including Harvard University, Stanford University, Columbia University and Yale University suspended in-person lessons and switching to digital learning materials and lectures.

A number of other events in North America like Toronto technology conference Collision, the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin have also decided to replace their physical events with virtual versions.

Burning Man cancelled its Black Rock City event this year and revealed plans to host a virtual alternative due to the "painful reality of Covid-19".

The Met's annual spring exhibit opening and Met Gala take place each year in early May.

Last year the exhibition and Met Gala theme was based around the American writer Susan Sontag's 1964 essay Notes on Camp.

Following the gala, trend forecaster Li Edelkoort said that the celebrities attending not only misunderstood the concept of camp, but showed levels of waste that will lead to a backlash against displays of decadence in an Opinion piece for Dezeen.

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A Hypochondriac’s Obsession is Amplified in Mesmerizing Anatomical Mandalas Cut From Paper

All images © Makerie Studio

For a hypochondriac, any sense of pain or discomfort can be a point of fixation, something specifically known as somatic symptom disorder. This type of obsession inspired paper artist Julie Wilkinson to create a project that would not only distract her from this consuming condition but also bring awareness to an often misunderstood disorder. Her project is aptly titled Manifestation.

Wilkinson told Fubiz that she’s “been hypochondriac for as long as I can remember, and I have always had a fascination with medicine and the psychology related to certain conditions. This project was a way of visualizing the endless cycle that hypochondriacs often find themselves in, where every feeling is magnified, amplified, and where one little ache can turn into multiple symptoms—real or imagined—which take up our thoughts entirely.”

These layered illustrations of anatomical parts in a mandala motif were cut by Wilkinson with none other than a scalpel. The result is a visual expression of somatic symptom disorder—a dizzying array of magnified and multiplied sensations across various interconnected body parts and systems. The mandala is befitting of the meditative and healing nature of the project.

Wilkinson and Joyanne Horscroft make up the transatlantic creative duo behind Makerie Studio. While Wilkinson lives in New York, Horscroft is based in London. Not only are they master paper artists but they’re also set designers, who create imaginative and exquisitely detailed paper sculptures for window displays, events, advertising, and special artistic commissions. They’ve gained the attention of Google, Gucci, Nike, and Victoria’s Secret, to name a few. Wilkinson and Horscroft have developed their own unique paper techniques and are inspired by nature, steampunk mechanicals, and whimsical worlds.

Follow Makerie Studio’s magnificent paper creations and installations on Instagram.

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