Unit 20, located in the heart of Mtatsminda, continues a series of projects that reconsider what it means to design for the contemporary rental market and, in this case, within historically charged contexts. Housed in a residential building of significant urban and cultural value—officially recognized as a heritage monument—the project engages in a careful dialogue between past and present.
The Roberval Courthouse is set within an exceptional natural site, at the heart of the historic downtown, at the meeting point between a heritage urban fabric and the lakeshore landscape of Lac Saint-Jean. This context revealed both strong potential and complex challenges for the project: restoring a fragile century-old building, repairing past interventions that had severed its relationship with the lake, modernizing judicial spaces, integrating a substantial expansion without compromising the building’s symbolic value, and improving accessibility and security.
Set against the lush backdrop of the Atlantic Forest, this residence is a manifesto of how contemporary architecture can engage in an intimate and respectful dialogue with its surroundings. The project balances the solidity of modern lines with the warmth and lightness of natural materials, creating a sanctuary of comfort and design.
Aqqu Central Café is an architectural regeneration project that restores a legendary landmark of Almaty from the 1960s. The name Aqqu translates from Kazakh as White Swan, which historically refers to the pair of live swans that lived in the adjacent ponds, making this site a cultural icon for the city. The design is entirely dedicated to restoring the city’s visual memory through a modern interpretation of 1960s modernism. The conceptual starting point for the project was a vibrant swan mosaic created by local artist Anastasia Zharko. Its bright palette of blue, yellow, red, and burgundy served as the foundation for every color selection throughout the interior.
Project Background and Site Understanding — The site is located on an elevated riverside plot along the Wuxi River in Wangcunkou Town, Suichang County, Zhejiang Province, descending toward a natural stone riverbank. Historically, it served as an important water transportation dock during the Ming and Qing dynasties and later became an active area of revolutionary history. With the shift of time, the site has remained abandoned for many years. Although the village is structured along the river, most of the riverbank is occupied by residential buildings, leaving little public access to the water. The renovated house sits between a small plaza and the riverbank, and its enclosed condition had long blocked villagers’ approach to the water. The design goal therefore emerged clearly: to transform “separation” into “connection” by renewing the old house and releasing an openly accessible waterfront public space for the community.
The ECoRE Building is a 280,000 SF engineering research and teaching engine at the heart of a new engineering precinct, across the Atherton Street divide, and located at the west terminus of the main campus axis. Funneling activity and flow, the building’s formal gesture invites pedestrian connections and pedagogical collaborations between the main campus and the new precinct.
La Villa de Santiago is a colonial town located 37 kilometers from the city of Monterrey. Every week a large number of visitors come to enjoy the different natural scenarios held in this part of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Rivers, waterfalls and forests are a perfect place to practice canyoning, climbing and trekking. Traditionally many weekend residences and cottages are located here. That is the case of this house, placed in a terrain with view to the nearby mountains on the outskirts of the town.
MEAN* (Middle East Architecture Network), led by Riyad Joucka, has completed the Send Location flagship store in Dubai, a 300 square meter interior conceived as a place of gathering as much as a place of retail. Designed for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lifestyle brand, the project is organized around an octagon shaped Majlis that brings cultural reference, spatial clarity, and everyday use into a single architectural framework.
“The very first artwork we encounter in life is a toy.” Maum Studio has created a play space filled entirely with wooden toys: Tokyo Toy Museum Seoul. Since its opening in 1984, the Tokyo Toy Museum has operated 14 branches across Japan, and now its story continues here in Seoul.
Located in Chicoutimi, Saguenay, l’école de l’Étincelle is a shining example of architecture firmly rooted in its context. The architectural approach rethinks the conventional school and proposes a scale that is friendly, accessible, and reassuring for children. Fragmented into small houses around a central courtyard, the architecture becomes familiar and warm, creating a calming and reassuring atmosphere that encourages students to love school and feel comfortable, just like at home.