Inspired by the perceptual play of a kaleidoscope, Fumi Aso Architect & Associates has completed a single-story family residence that explores how light and seasonal conditions can continually reshape interior experience. The Kaleidoscape home sits on a flagpole-shaped plot in downtown Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, a commercially zoned area now characterized by population decline and underused land. Although the generous site could have supported a far larger structure, the architects honored the client’s wish for a modest, ground-hugging dwelling. The design arranges a cylindrical main volume intersected by a secondary wing, creating a simple and climate-responsive composition that quietly transforms as natural light and daily life interact with its form.

all images by Yousuke Ohtake courtesy of Fumi Aso Architect & Associates

SHIFTING LIGHT BRINGS MOVEMENT TO SIMPLE VOLUMES

The T-shaped site offered many possible arrangements, but Fumi Aso Architect & Associates chose a streamlined strategy in response to rising construction costs during the COVID-19 period. Within this clarity of form, the cylindrical volume becomes the experiential core of the project, with carefully placed openings that frame shifting fragments of sky, sunlight, and surrounding views. As light moves across the white interior surfaces, the atmosphere drifts between softness and intensity, giving the home a quiet sense of motion.

Along the southern edge, a deck and deep eaves establish a versatile zone that is warm and sheltered in winter and comfortably shaded in summer when a tarp is hung. A nearby veranda, designed for a family who enjoys outdoor living, extends daily activities into a semi-outdoor space where meals, play, and rest can unfold with ease. To the north, a freestanding wall creates a shaded terrace that protects the exterior from direct sun, an essential consideration in Tajimi, a city known for some of the highest summer temperatures in Japan. The Kobe-based practice also left the northwest corner open for future gardening and connected it to a wide corridor outside the children’s room.

the home sits on a flagpole-shaped plot in downtown Tajimi

A HOME SHAPED BY APPROACH, FORM, AND CLIMATE

A long approach path gradually shapes the experience of arrival, and the western side of this entry sequence has been reserved for the planting of fruit trees that will mature over time. Inside, the high ceiling and triangular roof enhance gravity ventilation, easing the demands of the region’s extreme heat. From the street, the broad roof surface becomes a defining feature, its gentle slope toward the town giving the building a soft and welcoming presence. Through its simple geometry, climate responsiveness, and sensitive attention to light, the residence settles into the neighborhood with an understated yet expressive character.

the simple and climate-responsive composition quietly transforms as natural light interacts with its form

carefully placed openings that frame shifting fragments of sky, sunlight, and surrounding views

the high ceiling and triangular roof enhance gravity ventilation

as light moves across the white interior surfaces, the atmosphere drifts between softness and intensity

the residence settles into the neighborhood with an understated yet expressive character

the veranda is designed for a family who enjoys outdoor living

the architects honored the client’s wish for a modest, ground-hugging dwelling

daily activities extend to a semi-outdoor space where meals, play, and rest can unfold with ease

the open-plan core of the residence features vaulted ceilings

exposed timber beams create a dynamic living space

the openings allow light to pour in and interact with the wooden flooring

project info:

name: Kaleidoscape
architects: Fumi Aso Architect & Associates | @fumiaso
location: Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
photography: Yousuke Ohtake | @yosukeohtake_archiphoto

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Poppins Nursery School Karuizawa Kazakoshi, designed by NIKKEN SEKKEI, is a single-story wooden nursery school in Japan. Located in a highland resort area of Karuizawa, near Lake Shiozawa and Kazakoshi Park, the structure overlooks Mount Asama. The building is positioned diagonally at the center of the site to naturally separate the south-facing playground from the north-facing parking area, making use of the site’s existing slope and minimizing the need for new barriers along the western retaining wall.

The project is defined by two leaf-shaped roofs of different heights. Childcare rooms are placed beneath the lower roof, while the higher roof covers the hall and staff facilities. The floor plan is designed so that all childcare rooms face the outdoor garden, and the hall functions as the central gathering space where children engage in group activities. Large windows introduce daylight and provide views of the surrounding landscape throughout the year.

Spatial divisions rely on wooden columns rather than enclosed walls, creating a continuous interior environment that supports movement and visual connection across age groups. The six nursery rooms, grouped into zones for ages 0-2 and 3-5, feature lower ceiling heights and a smaller spatial scale suited to young children. Each room connects to the hall through column-defined openings, allowing for gradual transitions between spaces and enabling interaction between different age groups.

all images by Norihito Yamauchi

NIKKEN SEKKEI employs Timber framework and Dual Roof Planes

The design team at NIKKEN SEKKEI opts for material and environmental strategies that emphasize wood as the primary interior finish. This approach aims to create a unified atmosphere across childcare rooms, circulation zones, and the hall. High-side windows located between the two roofs supply natural light and support gravity-based ventilation during mild seasons, reducing dependency on artificial lighting and mechanical cooling.

Structurally, the project employs two simple, untwisted roof planes cut into organic, leaf-like geometries that taper toward the eaves. These roof surfaces were constructed using standard laminated timber without special curved components. Columns are slightly angled along the curve of the plan so that their intersections with beams remain nearly vertical, allowing the use of common connection hardware and reducing the need for custom structural fittings. Double timber columns (120 × 240 mm European red pine) are arranged at regular 1,820 mm intervals, corresponding to plywood module dimensions and creating a rhythmic structural grid reminiscent of loosely defined forest-like zones.

By standardizing short-span joint details and optimizing material use, the project maintains a clear structural expression while remaining efficient to construct within a limited schedule and budget. The spatial volume beneath the high roof accommodates the hall, kitchen, and staff areas, while mechanical equipment is placed in the ceiling space under the low roof to maximize usable interior area.

a leaf-shaped roof defines the low, child-scaled volumes of the nursery

the building sits on a highland site overlooking Mount Asama

organic roof geometries taper toward the eaves

wooden columns replace walls to create an open interior flow

large windows bring natural light into the hall

laminated timber is used to form the untwisted roof planes

column-defined openings allow gentle transitions between spaces

wood surfaces unify the childcare rooms and circulation areas

double timber columns create a rhythm across the interior grid

all childcare rooms face the outdoor garden

nursery rooms are divided into zones for ages 0-2 and 3-5

structural spacing corresponds to standard plywood module dimensions

mechanical equipment is placed beneath the low roof to maximize space efficiency

high-side windows between the two roof levels channel light in and out of the interior

project info:

name: Poppins Nursery School Karuizawa Kazakoshi
architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd | @nikkensekkei_global
location: Karuizawa, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

site area: 2699.04 sqm

total floor area: 494.46 sqm

contractor: Seibu Construction Co., Ltd.

photographer: Norihito Yamauchi

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Drawing Architecture Studio has completed a large-scale, site-specific rolling ball installation in Chengdu, China, commissioned by Taikoo Li Chengdu, an open-air, low-rise commercial and cultural district in the city center. Installed for the holiday season in a central plaza facing a thousand-year-old temple, the installation titled Fun Palace transforms the site into an immersive landscape of movement, combining five looping ball-track systems with five sculptural architectural forms. Drawing on Aldo Rossi’s ideas of architecture as a repository of collective memory and echoing the spirit of Luna Luna, the 1987 Hamburg art amusement park that turned works by artists such as Keith Haring and Salvador Dalí into playful public experiences, the public installation frames architecture as a tool for joy, participation, and everyday wonder.

2025 winter public art installation at Taikoo Li Chengdu | all images © Arch-Exist Photography unless stated otherwise

‘fun Palace’ Weaves Kinetic Landscape into Chengdu plaza

The Fun Palace installation occupies a plaza framed by ginkgo trees and a shallow reflecting pool, a space that becomes the setting for a temporary artwork each holiday season. Drawing Architecture Studio fills the site with overlapping tracks that weave around five miniature buildings, creating a layered environment that visitors can walk through, observe, and inhabit. Each building functions both as an independent sculpture and as a key node within the kinetic system, redirecting the rolling balls and altering their speed as they pass through.

At ground level, the curved outline of the installation echoes the fluid geometry of the tracks above, while parts of the system extend into the surrounding tree clusters, visually integrating architecture and landscape. Colorful metal balls and custom benches are scattered throughout the plaza, encouraging visitors to pause and watch the choreography of movement unfold.

the Stage, echoing the forms of Sichuan opera headpieces

Everyday Rituals Transformed into Playful Architectural Forms

The five sculptural forms reinterpret familiar local activities, eating hotpot, visiting teahouses, playing mahjong, watching Sichuan opera, and skiing in nearby mountains, into fictional ‘architectural sculptures.’ These memories shape both the appearance of the structures and the specific routes of the rolling balls, turning cultural references into spatial and kinetic experiences.

Constructed from ordinary corrugated PVC panels, the installation maintains an everyday material language while achieving a precise and carefully crafted finish. Fun Palace ultimately proposes a lighter, more playful role for architecture in public space, one that invites curiosity and shared experience within the contemporary urban fabric. 

the Mahjong Building, referencing both mahjong tables and the zigzag staircases of the locally well-known Yuanyang Building

the Teahouse | image © UNIQ Energy

the Hotpot City, drawn from the image of a hotpot

the Teahouse, inspired by Sichuan’s long-neck teapots

the Ski Tower, reinterpreting the watchtowers of Qiang villages outside Chengdu

the Hotpot City within the track network | image © UNIQ Energy

the rolling ball track network | image © UNIQ Energy

the installation titled Fun Palace transforms the site into an immersive landscape of movement

the Stage interwoven with the track network

the installation combines five looping ball-track systems with five sculptural architectural forms | image © UNIQ Energy

project info: 

name: Fun Palace
architects: Drawing Architecture Studio | @drawingarchitecturestudio
design team: Li Han, Hu Yan, Zhang Xintong

curation & track structure design: UNIQ Energy

location: Chengdu, China

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Atelier RUA arquitectos’ single-family house in Galamares, Portugal, is defined by a light pink exterior that gives the project a clear and memorable identity. Located around 30 minutes from Lisbon with open views over the Serra de Sintra, the project dubbed Casa Galamares is organized across two above-ground floors and a basement, structured around a central courtyard and complemented by a panoramic wraparound terrace that frames the surrounding landscape.

atelier RUA’s single-family house in Galamares

Pink Envelope Shapes Space and Light

The pale pink tone envelops the entire exterior, transforming the house into a singular architectural volume set against dense greenery. Rather than acting as a decorative finish, the color softens the building’s mass and heightens the perception of light and shadow, allowing the architecture to shift subtly throughout the day while remaining distinct within its natural context.

The building takes the form of a near-square volume, from which the northern corner is cut along a diagonal defined by the site boundary. This subtraction introduces a key opening toward the garden and breaks the otherwise inward-looking character of the ground floor. Entry is made from the southern corner, leading directly into the central courtyard, which becomes the spatial and social heart of the house.  Arranged around this courtyard, the kitchen, living room, and dining room form a continuous open-plan environment. Structural elements such as exposed beams and the staircase subtly articulate different areas without interrupting visual continuity, reinforcing a fluid relationship between interior spaces and the outdoor core. Privacy from the surroundings is largely achieved through this inward-facing organization.

a light pink exterior gives the project a clear and memorable identity

Terraces and Light-Filled Basements Extend Living Spaces

The first floor adopts an L-shaped layout and accommodates four bedrooms oriented east and west, with the corner rooms opening onto a shared terrace. Wrapping around the building to the east, south, and west, this elevated outdoor space offers continuous sunlight and panoramic views of the Serra de Sintra, including the Pena and Monserrate palaces. Integrated seating, planting beds, wooden shutters, and a steel pergola supporting climbing vegetation enhance both comfort and use.

Below ground, the basement mirrors the upper floor’s footprint and opens onto two patios to the east and west, bringing natural light and ventilation into the lower level. Through its consistent use of color, compact geometry, and carefully choreographed indoor–outdoor spaces, Casa Galamares presents a restrained yet expressive approach to contemporary domestic architecture in the Sintra landscape.

the structure is complemented by a panoramic wraparound terrace

the house is located around 30 minutes from Lisbon with open views over the Serra de Sintra

the pale pink tone envelops the entire exterior

elevated outdoor spaces offer continuous sunlight and panoramic views

playful features complete the pink residential project

the color heightens the perception of light and shadow

the light pink tiled exterior wraps walls, ceiling, and door

the house is structured around a central courtyard

the light pink exterior contrasts with the greenery

rather than acting as a decorative finish, the color softens the building’s mass

a fluid relationship between interior spaces and the outdoor core is reinforced

the building takes the form of a near-square volume

entry is made from the southern corner, leading directly into the central courtyard

project info: 

name: Casa Galamares
architects: atelier RUA arquitectos
design team: Francisco Freitas, Luís Valente, Paulo Borralho, Rui Didier, Ana Tomé, Sandra Imaz, Ana Carvalho, Fabrizia Della Penna, Cláudia Ribeiro, Marianna Angelucci
landscape architecture: Oficina dos Jardins – Sónia Caldeira, Inês Bordado 
engineering: Acribia Projetos de Engenharia
general contractor: Sampir Engenharia
construction supervision: Ana Santos
location: Galamares, Portugal
area: 420 sqm
photography: Francisco Nogueira

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Renowned architecture firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) reveals a new proposal for the Ulsan Performing Arts Venue in South Korea. Submitted as part of the second phase of an international design competition, the concept presents a ribbon-like structure, envisioning a cultural landmark that bridges the past, present, and future of Ulsan.

BIG reveals a new proposal for the Ulsan Performing Arts Venue in South Korea | all images via @big_builds

two architectural ribbons connect city, river, and public life

The concept by BIG is defined by two sweeping ribbons that extend from opposite directions: one reaching into the urban fabric, the other stretching toward the river. Together, they frame the site while creating a dynamic dialogue between the city and its natural surroundings. Beneath the ribbons, a continuous public realm unfolds, featuring plazas, promenades, and outdoor stages. These open spaces are intended to encourage gathering, performance, and cultural engagement, making the venue not only a place for staged events but also a living public landscape.

With this proposal, the Copenhagen-based firm emphasizes flexibility and openness, allowing the building to host a variety of cultural programs while maintaining visual and spatial connectivity with the surrounding environment. The ribbons themselves become both architectural signature and functional structure, guiding movement across the site and shaping the experience of the venue.

beneath the architectural ribbons, a continuous public realm unfolds

the concept presents a ribbon-like structure, envisioning a cultural landmark that bridges the past, present, and future

the building hosts a variety of programs while maintaining connectivity with the surroundings

the ribbons themselves become both architectural signature and functional structure

project info: 

name: Ulsan Performing Arts Venue
architects: BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) | @big_builds
location: Ulsan, South Korea

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Pavilions are architecture’s fast, experimental structures that test ideas long before they scale up to cities. This year’s highlights push that spirit further, blurring the lines between sculpture, shelter, ritual space, and ecological device. From bamboo vaults rising in flood-prone villages to inflatable dream temples, from wind-driven feather structures on remote islands to LEGO-built playscapes in London, the pavilion becomes a tool for storytelling.

Across the ten projects, a set of shared themes emerges: material reinvention, circular design, and a renewed focus on community. Bread waste becomes structure, bamboo becomes climate infrastructure, and woven rattan becomes a water-harvesting system. Some pavilions introduce new behaviors, gathering, dreaming, resting, learning, while others revive old rituals like bathing or communal reading. What ties them together is their willingness to ask what a temporary space can do, and how it can shift our relationship to place, resources, and each other. Here are ten pavilions reshaping how we think about space.

LINA GHOTMEH’S EXPO PAVILION TAKES GOLD IN OSAKA

image courtesy of Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture

Lina Ghotmeh—Architecture designs the Bahrain Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, crafting a timber-and-aluminum structure inspired by the nation’s traditional dhow boats and its long maritime history. Positioned along the waterfront in the Expo’s Empowering Lives zone, the pavilion bridges Bahraini boat-building heritage with Japanese wood craftsmanship, expressing cultural exchange through material and form. The structure reinterprets millennia-old construction techniques with a lightweight wooden frame, an aluminum outer layer, and passive cooling strategies that reduce mechanical energy use.

Designed for disassembly and reuse after the Expo, the pavilion embodies Bahrain’s commitment to sustainability and craft-driven innovation. The structure received the Gold Award for Best Architecture and Landscape in the Self-Built category, recognizing Ghotmeh’s precise, contextual approach and the pavilion’s refined expression of Bahrain’s cultural and environmental heritage.

read more here

SIR PETER COOK’S LEGO PLAY PAVILION FOR THE SERPENTINE

The Play Pavilion, designed by Peter Cook (Peter Cook Studio Crablab), in collaboration with Serpentine and the LEGO Group © Peter Cook (Peter Cook Studio Crablab) | images courtesy of Serpentine; photos by Andy Stagg, unless stated otherwise

Serpentine and the LEGO Group’s Play Pavilion by Sir Peter Cook, installed in London’s Kensington Gardens, is a bright, bowl-shaped structure wrapped in orange and animated with LEGO-built topographies. The exterior walls of the pavilion rise and dip like a shifting landscape, inviting visitors to touch the tactile brick formations before stepping inside.

Sunlight filters through gaps between the roof and base, filling the interior with natural light while maintaining a breezy, open feel. A towering central pillar, assembled from LEGO bricks, anchors the space like a watchful robotic figure. Visitors are encouraged to play, build, and modify the pavilion in real time through an interactive brick wall and a trove of LEGO pieces. Multiple openings frame views of the garden, while a yellow slide offers a playful exit route.

read more here

SIX-SEAT FOREST BAR PAVILION BY ELMGREEN & DRAGSET 

images by Andrea Rossetti, courtesy of Khao Yai Art

Elmgreen & Dragset unveil K-BAR, a six-seat cocktail pavilion tucked deep within Thailand’s Khao Yai Art Forest, inserting an urban typology into a remote natural setting. Appearing most days as a charcoal-gray sculptural object amid dense foliage, the pavilion occasionally comes to life: visitors arriving at the right moment are guided through the forest to find the bar glowing from within.

Inside, stainless steel surfaces, dark wood, red leather stools, terrazzo flooring, and a backlit display channel the intimacy of classic metropolitan bars. A permanently installed 1996 painting by Martin Kippenberger, visible even when the bar is closed, anchors the installation, paying homage to the artist’s legacy and echoing Elmgreen & Dragset’s long-standing interest in ‘denials,’ functional forms that resist predictable use.

Open only once a month, K-BAR plays with visibility, access, and displacement, placing a European artwork in a Southeast Asian forest as a subtle inversion of museum repatriation debates. As part of the newly launched Khao Yai Art Forest, the pavilion underscores the initiative’s mission to merge contemporary art with ecological immersion, offering an unexpected moment of encounter in one of Thailand’s most pristine environments.

read more here 

LEOPOLD BANCHINI INSTALLS TIMBER BATHHOUSE IN SPAIN

image by Gregori Civera

Leopold Banchini Architects installs Round About Baths at the Concéntrico Festival in Logroño, Spain, transforming the center of a traffic roundabout into a temporary public bathhouse. The circular timber structure reclaims an overlooked urban void, introducing cold-water basins, steam rooms, and changing areas that revive the communal spirit of historic public baths.

Built with a standard timber frame and clad in uncut wooden panels intended for reuse, the pavilion emphasizes material efficiency and circularity. High perimeter walls provide privacy while clearly marking the intervention within the car-dominated landscape, prompting visitors to reconsider how urban land is allocated and who it serves. By situating a shared bathing environment at the heart of a vehicular crossroads, Round About Baths challenges conventional urban hierarchies and highlights the potential of underutilized spaces. Once dismantled, the site returns to its previous state, but the project leaves behind a conceptual proposal.

read more here 

TOGUNA WORLD’S NOMADIC PAVILION LANDS IN ATHENS

all images courtesy of Toguna World

Toguna World’s immersive nomadic pavilion, The Sanctuary of Dreams, combines film, ritual, and collective storytelling within an inflatable structure presented as part of Plásmata 3 | We’ve met before, haven’t we? in Athens. Rooted in African philosophies of cyclical time and ancestral memory, the space invites visitors to enter barefoot and step into a meditative environment where a 44-minute, three-channel art film brings together animation, collage, soundscapes, and archival textures.

After the screening, participants join a guided reflection circle, contributing their visions to The Global Mapping of Dreams, a growing archive of future imaginaries from across Africa and its diaspora. Designed by Pierre-Christophe Gam, the pavilion functions as a contemporary ritual space, featuring dimmable lighting, scent, modular cushions, and spatial audio that shape an intimate environment for collective visioning. 

read more here

MERO STUDIOS BUILDS A PAVILION FROM 780 LEFTOVER BAGUETTES

all images by Paul Kozlowski

MERO Studios builds Paysage de Pain, a public pavilion made from 780 salvaged baguettes, turning surplus bread into a tactile, aromatic structure within the courtyard of Montpellier’s Hôtel de Lunas. Developed with the nonprofit Pain de L’Espoir, the installation reframes food waste as a spatial material, highlighting the staggering amount of unsold bread discarded daily in France.

Visitors move through warm, dough-scented walls that crack and age under the sun, transforming the pavilion into a living metaphor for nourishment, excess, and decay. Through its texture, smell, and temporal fragility, Paysage de Pain becomes a sensory monument to resourcefulness.

read more here

FEATHER-BLADE SEASIDE PAVILION SWAYS ON CHAISHAN ISLAND 

image by Liang Wenjun

GN Architects’ Seaside Pavilion brings new life to the abandoned pier of Chaishan Island, introducing a wind-driven structure whose long white blades sway gently above the water. Designed as part of the Hello, Island revitalization initiative, the pavilion acts as a symbolic arrival point, a contemporary echo of traditional village entrances where large trees once anchored community gatherings.

Suspended from a prefabricated steel frame, 36 seven-meter blades move with the sea breeze, creating a rhythmic, feather-like choreography that mirrors the quiet landscape of the island. The installation repurposes the old cargo pier into a resting and meeting place for the elderly residents. Built with corrosion-resistant materials and high-strength fishing ropes for durability, the pavilion balances engineering precision with a sense of lightness. Its movement shifts from subtle to visible depending on the wind, transforming the site into a landmark that reconnects Chaishan’s past, present, and future through motion and placemaking.

read more here

MARINA TABASSUM’S 2025 SERPENTINE PAVILION OPENS IN LONDON

Serpentine Pavilion 2025 A Capsule in Time, designed by Marina Tabassum, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA). exterior view. © Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA) | image by Iwan Baan, courtesy of Serpentine

Marina Tabassum Architects’ A Capsule in Time was the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion, a modular timber structure that explores impermanence, light, and temporality within London’s Kensington Gardens. Composed of four translucent capsules aligned with Serpentine South’s historic bell tower, the pavilion filters daylight into shifting patterns, echoing the hydrologic landscapes of Bangladesh, where land continually forms, dissolves, and reappears.

A kinetic capsule allows sections of the pavilion to expand for public programs, while a ginkgo tree anchors the interior as a living symbol of resilience. Built entirely from wood and translucent polycarbonate, materials chosen for their reuse potential, the project embraces dry construction and adaptability, ensuring the pavilion continues its life beyond the summer season. Integrated bookshelves house a curated selection of texts spanning Bengali literature, ecology, and identity, including works banned in Bangladesh. Tabassum frames the pavilion as a place of quiet resistance and shared knowledge, offering a contemplative environment where ideas can circulate freely. 

read more here 

BAMBOO PAVILION ANCHORS YASMEEN LARI’S PONO VILLAGE

all images courtesy of Nyami Studio

Nyami Studio and Jack Rankin complete the Juliet Center in Sindh, Pakistan, a bamboo pavilion that anchors Yasmeen Lari’s zero-carbon Pono Village, a prototype community built in response to the devastating 2022 floods. The lightweight vaulted structure is shaped from bamboo, mud, lime, and thatch, translating vernacular forms into a modular, climate-resilient space designed for communal use. The pavilion offers an open, flexible environment for workshops, gatherings, and training programs, supporting Lari’s mission to empower local residents, particularly women, through hands-on construction and craft skills.

Two interlocking vaults span widely without internal columns, creating a breathable interior that can be adapted or expanded as the village evolves. Built using a combination of digital precision and traditional techniques, the project demonstrates how low-carbon materials can achieve structural complexity and durability in extreme climates. Hand-made mud tiles line the floor, and a woven thatch roof of locally harvested grass provides protection from heat and monsoon rains. 

read more here 

RAD+AR BUILDS WOVEN-BAMBOO CHICKEN COOP IN JAKARTA 

images courtesy of RAD+ar

RAD+ar designs the Chicken Hero Pavilion in Urban Forest Jakarta, carving a low, hill-like form into the landscape to house an educational chicken coop disguised as part of the terrain. The pavilion merges ecological performance with community engagement, inviting visitors through a tunnel-like opening into a space that promotes backyard poultry farming as a sustainable household practice. Inside, reclaimed bamboo forms a ventilated, daylight-filled structure optimized for animal comfort and waste management.

The pavilion processes organic waste from nearby restaurants, turning leaves and food scraps into compost and closing the loop by distributing fresh eggs daily, a live demonstration of a micro circular economy. As a temporary installation, the project functions both as a prototype for low-impact chicken coops and as a public learning space. It addresses Indonesia’s significant food waste challenges while breaking stigmas around small-scale poultry keeping. Blending into the park’s topography, the Chicken Hero Pavilion shows how simple construction and local materials can support inclusive education, environmental stewardship, and community-led sustainability.

read more here 

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2024 — 2023 — 2022 — 2021 — 2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013

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Ground Studio de Arhitectură designs the new north-side departures extension at Avram Iancu International Airport in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The structure is set to accommodate increasing passenger volumes while redefining the architectural presence of the terminal. Conceived as both an infrastructural expansion and a design intervention, the project positions the terminal as a clearly legible component of the city’s evolving urban framework.

The primary extension is located on the northern side of the terminal, projecting approximately 18 meters toward the runway to provide additional passenger regrouping areas in response to the growing number of boarding gates. A secondary expansion on the eastern side extends roughly 17 meters and aligns with the northern addition. Together, these interventions establish a cohesive architectural composition that unifies the existing structure with the new volumes.

all images courtesy of Șumlea Marius

Ground Studio de Arhitectură’s design ensures Vertical Rhythm

The design strategy followed by Ground Studio de Arhitectură’s team emphasizes visual continuity across the terminal while introducing a distinct formal language for the extension. A series of semi-transparent metal arches defines the main facade, creating a repeated vertical rhythm that contrasts with the building’s elongated horizontal profile. This interplay between vertical and horizontal elements contributes to a balanced overall composition and reinforces the legibility of the extension within the airport complex.

The arched elements also mediate between interior and exterior spaces, framing views toward the surrounding landscape and allowing light to filter into the terminal. Their semi-transparent construction supports visual permeability while maintaining a consistent architectural identity when viewed from both near and distant perspectives.

the north-side departures extension is designed by Ground Studio de Arhitectură

the project combines infrastructural expansion with architectural design

natural light filters into the interior through the facade

vertical rhythms contrast with the terminal’s horizontal form

framed views connect the terminal to the surrounding landscape

semi-transparent metal arches articulate the main facade

the design maintains visual continuity across the terminal

the project is located at Avram Iancu International Airport in Cluj-Napoca

project info:

name: North-Side Departures Terminal Expansion at Avram Iancu International Airport
architect: Ground Studio de Arhitectură | @groundstudioarh

design team: Roxana Rotaru, Catinca Joița, Mihai Giurgiu, Adelina Andrei
location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania

photographer: Șumlea Marius | @sumleamarius

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Arquitectura-G completes Patio House, a single-story residence in Aiguablava, Spain, that distills domestic life into a continuous loop of light, air, and shadow. The architectural team uses the courtyard typology as a spatial tool to mediate between the natural terrain and the built form, creating a dwelling that feels enclosed and open at the same time.

A setback from the original plot boundary defines the geometry of the house, a move that preserves a ring of untouched terrain around the perimeter. Within this protected envelope, a roofed porch traces a perfect square, enclosing a 15 × 15 meter courtyard framed by a colonnade. At its center lies a shallow reflecting pool and three trees whose canopies filter sunlight across the paving, forming a living microclimate. A thin roof plane seems to hover lightly above the columns and perimeter wall, uniting all spaces under a single horizon.

all images by Maxime Delvaux, unless stated otherwise

continuous porch wraps around patio house

The Barcelona-based collective Arquitectura-G transforms the archetype of the Mediterranean patio house into a contemporary statement of restraint, material clarity, and environmental intelligence. Inside, life circulates through a continuous corridor that wraps the courtyard. Conceived as a variable-width porch, this transitional zone gradually shifts in character from a narrow passage to generous communal spaces like the living room and kitchen. Every room opens directly onto the courtyard through large glazed panels and adjustable louver screens, which regulate light and ventilation.

Arquitectura-G completes Patio House in Aiguablava, Spain

a continuous loop of light, air, and shadow

the architects use the courtyard typology as a spatial tool

a dwelling that feels enclosed and open at the same time

a setback from the original plot boundary defines the geometry of the house

a move that preserves a ring of untouched terrain around the perimeter

life circulates through a continuous corridor that wraps the courtyard

a roofed porch traces a perfect square

enclosing a 15 × 15 meter courtyard framed by a colonnade

a thin roof plane seems to hover lightly above the columns

uniting all spaces under a single horizon

every room opens directly onto the courtyard

large glazed panels and adjustable louver screens regulate light and ventilation

project info:

name: Patio House

architect: Arquitectura-G | @arquitecturag

location: Aiguablava (Girona), Spain

lead architects: Jonathan Arnabat, Jordi Ayala-Bril, Aitor Fuentes, Igor Urdampilleta

project team: Diogo Porto, Siddartha Rodrigo, Jesús Jiménez

structure engineer: Ofici:Arquitectura

MEP engineer: TDI Enginyers

surveyor: Xavier de Bolòs

photographer: Maxime Delvaux | @maxdelv

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Stocker Lee Architetti completes the MANMADE flagship store for Wooyoungmi in Seoul’s Itaewon district. The 970-square-meter building occupies a compact, curved plot along a slightly inclined road, a condition that becomes the primary design driver of the project. The architects allow the perimeter of the site to define the volume, resulting in an architecture that bends, adjusts, and aligns itself with the movement of the street.

The geometry of the building follows the curvature of the road and sets the tone for the project. The architecture does not compete with its surroundings or the garments it houses but instead constructs a measured spatial framework that supports both.

Exposed concrete, cast using OSB formwork and finished with a mineral glaze, carries visible traces of its making, allowing texture and patina to develop over time. The surface recalls the logic of fabric, with a woven appearance subtly echoing the sartorial world of Wooyoungmi. Glass blocks define the facade, filtering daylight into the interior during the day and transforming the building into a softly glowing volume after dusk. 

all images by Simone Bossi

Stocker Lee Architetti designs a mezzanine-based spatial sequence

The Swiss architects organize the program through a sequence of mezzanine levels connected by a central vertical core that functions as the project’s structural and spatial backbone. Moving through the store becomes a continuous journey, with changing ceiling heights and proportions introducing variation across the exhibition spaces. This sectional strategy allows each area to develop its own character while remaining part of a cohesive whole.

Concrete, glass, steel, stone, and wood form the material palette of the MANMADE flagship store, selected by Stocker Lee Architetti for their structural and functional qualities rather than decorative effect. Their sobriety establishes a neutral yet tactile environment in which the clothing assumes visual priority. The MANMADE flagship store operates as an urban interior that translates site constraints, material logic, and spatial continuity into an understated but highly controlled architectural experience.

Stocker Lee Architetti completes the MANMADE flagship store for Wooyoungmi in Seoul

the 970-square-meter building occupies a compact, curved plot

the architects allow the perimeter of the parcel to define the volume

an architecture that bends, adjusts, and aligns itself with the movement of the street

the geometry of the building follows the curvature of the road and sets the tone for the project

glass blocks define the facade

the glass blocks filter daylight into the interior during the day

transforming the building into a softly glowing volume after dusk

exposed concrete carries visible traces of its making

the surfaces recall the logic of fabric

concrete is cast using OSB formwork and finished with a mineral glaze

the Swiss architects organize the program through a sequence of mezzanine levels

moving through the store becomes a continuous journey

project info:

name: MANMADE flagship

architect: Stocker Lee Architetti | @stockerleearchitetti

client: Wooyoungmi | @wooyoungmi

location: Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea

site area: 490 square meters

gross floor area: 970 square meters

volume: 5,600 cubic meters

photographer: Simone Bossi | @simonebossiphotographer 

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The proposed Elche Congress Centre ‘Espardenyer’ by Luca Poian Forms and Frade Arquitectos is planned for a site between the Spanish city’s historic Vila and the contemporary district of Altabix. Conceived as a civic building with an urban role, the project occupies a transitional edge and treats it as a place of connection rather than separation, giving built form to a shared public space.

From its site, the building addresses Elche’s layered context through scale and orientation. A compact mass rises from a solid base, calibrated to the Mediterranean light and heat. With its facade of woven textiles, the volume engages the surrounding streets through porosity at ground level to lend shaded places for gathering. It reads as part of the city’s fabric rather than an isolated object.

visualizations © Playtime

the facade of woven esparto grass

A defining feature of Espardenyer proposal by Luca Poian Forms and Frade Arquitectos is its vegetal veil made from esparto, a material long associated with local craft and domestic construction. Woven elements filter sunlight and air, creating a moderated exterior envelope that responds to climate while offering a tactile presence. This layer operates as both environmental device and cultural reference, translating familiar techniques into a contemporary architectural language.

Inside, circulation is organized with legibility and ease. Public areas progress naturally toward the central performance halls, which form the core of the Congress Centre. These interior spaces emphasize acoustic performance and spatial focus, while secondary programs support conferences, exhibitions, and informal use. The architecture supports varied scales of occupation without theatrical excess.

Luca Poian Forms and Frade Arquitectos propose Espardenyer as a congress center for Elche, Spain

community space by Luca Poian Forms and Frade Arquitectos

At street level, Espardenyer extends civic space into the building footprint. Paved areas transition into shaded zones that invite pause and encounter, forming an urban agora that belongs as much to passersby as to visitors attending events. Thresholds between exterior and interior are deliberately softened to encourage permeability and everyday use.

Environmental strategies are embedded in the design approach. Passive measures work alongside renewable energy systems and geothermal technologies to support comfort in Elche’s warm climate. Local materials reduce transport impact while reinforcing a sense of place. 

a woven esparto veil filters sunlight and recalls local craft traditions

interior circulation guides visitors intuitively toward central performance halls

ground level spaces extend public space into shaded urban gathering areas

acoustic halls form the functional heart of the Congress Centre

environmental strategies rely on passive design and renewable systems

project info:

name: Espardenyer

architecture: Luca Poian Forms | @lucapoianforms, Frade Arquitectos | @fradearquitectos

location: Elche, Spain

engineer: PROINTEC
visualizations: © Playtime | @playtime.barcelona

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