The Architecture of the City

Designed by Ana Paula Barros and located in Brazil, Loft Bauhaus is an example of modern architecture in its purest form. Inspired by the famous Farnsworth House by Mies Van der Rohe, the residence is said to explore five points of contemporary architecture: open plan, pilotis, free facade and ribbon windows.

According to the architects, “the project is composed by a large living room / dining room, which also works as a balcony. The room and the bathroom are in the same environment, having only the toilet hidden. The bath is open to the outdoor garden with a huge glass panel. The kitchen, which has no divisions, is located on the opposite side of the room and it is integrated with the dining room”.

 

Sustainability was not left aside when developing Loft Bauhaus. Suspended 60 cm above the ground, and constructed using mainly organic materials, the house has a minimum impact on the environment.

Via Lauren Moss

Replacing a lone turnstile and guard’s hut behind the Brooklyn Museum with a series of glass-wrapped, green-capped pavilions and a plaza, the new Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) Visitor Center by New York–based Weiss/Manfredi is a sight for sore eyes. Nestled within a rich context and history—the nearby Prospect Park was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century and the Gardens by his two sons in the early 20th—the Center’s most impressive feature, its steel-frame design, is also its most vital. The custom-made structure forms a curving vertebrae that is formally elegant and light on the ground, yet structurally robust.

“We wanted it to be an inhabitable topography,” said Manfredi. Indeed, the center’s serpentine form responds to the site’s existing undulations and is shaped to accommodate the grade differential and maximize sunlight and views to the gardens, as well as reap the geothermal benefits of a berm. To successfully do this the exposed 10x6 columns have been welded to varying roof beam depths, ranging from 10x6 to 18x6 to form frames that are organized in a curvilinear, 12-foot on-center grid in an east-west configuration.

Via Lauren Moss