The Einhuhn Hühnerstall Golden Ei chicken coop accommodates up to six chickens, presenting a compact, architecturally defined structure rather than a conventional coop. Its form is minimal and geometric, with golden-toned surfaces that interact subtly with the surrounding landscape. The piece by Einhuhn Design incorporates a double facade to provide rear ventilation and diffuse natural light, while circumferential ventilation slats ensure consistent airflow without drafts, supporting a healthy indoor environment for the animals.

all images courtesy of Einhuhn Design

Golden Ei redefines the chicken coop as a design object

Studio Einhuhn Design, led by Jan Kaupa, integrates practical considerations into the design: smooth surfaces facilitate cleaning, and the overall layout organizes daily tasks efficiently. The gold chicken coop’s structure elevates a functional agricultural building into a garden-scale architectural object, merging utility and visual clarity in a cohesive form.

a compact structure with a clear architectural form

minimal and geometric design defines the coop’s shape

the Golden Ei coop houses up to six chickens

golden-toned surfaces interact with the surrounding landscape

layout organizes daily tasks efficiently

smooth surfaces simplify cleaning and maintenance

the piece elevates a chicken coop into a design-focused structure

a garden-scale architectural object for poultry

double facade provides rear ventilation for healthy airflow

exterior form complements natural surroundings

the gold chicken coop integrates utility and visual coherence

project info:

name: Einhuhn Hühnerstall Golden Ei
designer: Einhuhn Design – Jan Kaupa | @einhuhn.design

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

The post reflective gold facade wraps minimal geometric chicken coop for six fowls appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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

The post TOP 10 pavilions of 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

In the Urban Forest Jakarta, RAD+ar’s Chicken Hero Pavilion humbly blends into its landscape. The sustainable intervention resembles just another hill in the park. A cavernous opening in the terrain becomes a tunnel that leads into the enclosed Chickencoop, a space that offers free, inclusive education and entertainment. Overall, the project is a self-initiated approach to inspire independent backyard poultry farming in Indonesia.

Combining ecological functionality with community engagement, the pavilion addresses critical issues such as food waste reduction, environmental impact, and public education, while showcasing a prototype for upcycled, eco-friendly chicken coop designs. Inside, the architects have ensured cross-ventilation and integrated indirect daylight. Reclaimed bamboo serves as the main horizontal-diagonal green roof structure, optimized for space efficiency. This ensures that the coops meet the needs of the flocks while effectively managing waste and preserving green areas, such as rainwater catchment surfaces, all while maintaining a stable and comfortable thermal environment for the chickens.

all images courtesy of RAD+ar

the pavilion inspires backyard poultry farming in indonesia

This initiative aims to reduce household and community food waste, addressing Indonesia’s significant challenge as the runner-up in global food loss and waste, with an estimated 1.6 million tonnes, or approximately 300 kilograms per person annually. Both the environmental and technical achievements of the Chicken Hero Pavilion are underscored by the fact that this temporary structure demonstrates a straightforward circular economy and sustainability within Urban Forest Jakarta.

During its four weeks of display, the pavilion actively served as a food waste processor for six on-site restaurants. The team at RAD+ar used all dried leaves and organic tree waste as bedding for chickens, which also helped to reduce humidity. The composted food waste and dried leaves were then transformed into garden and commercial compost, which was harvested every three days. Approximately 40 eggs were distributed back daily to the restaurants and served as a live harvesting souvenir for visitors.

RAD+ar completes Chicken Hero Pavilion

shaping reciprocity between visitors and chickens

The Indonesian practice notes that the pavilion showcases a simple construction technique that complements nature while creating inclusive spatial quality for the public. The reciprocity between visitors and chickens is a central design element that shapes the project’s discourse, helping to break the stigma surrounding backyard poultry. This aims to inspire visitors to become real agents of change in sustainability in their own household, neighborhood, and community.

Starting with the question of how to effectively decentralize sustainability across the nation without becoming overly reliant on sustainable architecture in a developing country, the Chicken Hero Pavilion emerges as a provocative prototype for both government bodies and developers. ‘It aims to achieve the Utopian goal of decentralizing sustainability and promoting a micro circular economy within neighborhood communities. This approach aligns with the current trend of ‘Glocalization’ (globalization + localization) in the sprawling archipelagos of Indonesia,’ reflects RAD+ar.

disguised as just another hill in the park in the Urban Forest Jakarta

a cavernous opening in the terrain becomes a tunnel that leads into the enclosed Chickencoop

a self-initiated approach to inspire independent backyard poultry farming in Indonesia

during its four weeks of display, the pavilion served as a food waste processor for on-site restaurants

RAD+ar used all dried leaves and organic tree waste as bedding for chickens, which also helped to reduce humidity

reclaimed bamboo serves as the main horizontal-diagonal green roof structure

approximately 40 eggs were distributed back daily to the restaurants and served as a live harvesting souvenir

project info:

name: Chicken Hero Pavilion
architect: RAD+AR

location: Jakarta, Indonesia

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: ravail khan | designboom

The post woven bamboo encloses urban chicken coop pavilion in jakarta park by RAD+ar appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Receiving an iF DESIGN AWARD is a testament to a design’s excellence in innovation, functionality, and aesthetic impact. Bould Design’s 2024 accolade for their smart chicken coop reflects the studio’s deep commitment to these principles. designboom visited Bould Design’s workspace in San Mateo, California, to explore their dedication to simplicity, quality, and character—core tenets that drive every project at the studio. During our conversation, Fred Bould, Principal Partner and Design Director, shared that the iF DESIGN AWARD win goes beyond the prize itself, serving as a validation of the studio’s mission and commitment to their clients’ success.

‘COOP’s win of an iF DESIGN AWARD was deeply gratifying. It was a joyful project from start to finish, thanks to our fantastic client, AJ Forsythe, and the incredible collaboration within our studio. Many people here had a hand in shaping and influencing the design, so receiving recognition for it felt like a great reward for the entire team’s effort and passion,’ begins Fred Bould, Principal Partner and Design Director of Bould Design, in designboom’s studio visit interview series celebrating iF DESIGN AWARD 2024 winners. 

Apply for the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 by November 6th, 2024 – here.

designboom visited Bould Design’s workspace in San Mateo, California, as part of a studio visit series with iF DESIGN AWARD 2024 winners | images © designboom

DIVING INTO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE BOULD DESIGN TEAM

Fred explains that Bould Design’s success stems from a clear and disciplined design philosophy, centered on four guiding principles: function, simplicity, quality, and character. Every project of the industrial design studio begins by identifying the core function of a product, followed by simplifying the design to ensure ease of use. This approach, honed through years of collaboration with industry leaders, results in products that are practical, user-friendly, and of the highest quality. The final layer is character, which ensures that each product resonates with both users and manufacturers, reflecting the values of everyone involved.

‘We start with function because, ultimately, if a product doesn’t work well, nothing else matters. We spend a fair amount of time figuring out what is its core function: How does it work really well? What are the nuances? What are the things that are going to make users go “Oh My Gosh, whoever did this, they get me”. From there, we focus on simplicity—boiling the design down to its essence so that people understand and adopt the product. This understanding leads to wider adoption, which supports our clients’ success. Next is quality, ensuring that the product looks and feels great from day one and for years later. We’ve learned a lot about quality by working with companies like Nest, Hunter Douglas, and Roku. Lastly, character is crucial. The product should reflect the values of the user, the company making it, and us as designers,’ he adds.

Bould Design’s philosophy is centered on four guiding principles: function, simplicity, quality, and character

These values are evident in the iF DESIGN AWARD-winning COOP. The project brought a sense of joy and creativity to the Bould Design team. From the moment they were approached to design the project, they embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. With its gabled roof and smart features, COOP offers a modern approach to backyard farming. The studio  worked closely with COOP’s founders to create a product that balances the needs of both chickens and their owners, while also integrating elements of sustainability and convenience. Their ability to rethink a traditional product while making it smart and effective, demonstrates the innovative thinking that defines Bould Design’s approach to industrial design.

‘COOP was such a fun project for us. When we were  first approached to design it, we couldn’t stop smiling. It’s not every day that you get asked to design a chicken coop! After exploring various form factors, we settled on the iconic gabled roof design,’ explains Fred. ‘This motif worked well because it’s a familiar architectural style across the U.S., which made people feel comfortable. It also worked functionally—providing natural spots for the chicken’s door, windows for sunlight (crucial for their daily rhythms), and other design elements like the egg box. It just felt right.’

the iF DESIGN AWARD-winning COOP reimagined a traditional product with smart and functional innovations

From concept to completion, the design process was filled with exploration, allowing the team to create a product that stands out in both function and aesthetics. One of the most exciting aspects of the project was designing the compostable litter tray, which turned a mundane task into something more engaging. This sense of creativity and playfulness helped bring unique features to COOP, elevating it beyond traditional designs.

‘One of the standout features I really love is the compostable litter tray. Let’s face it—no one likes dealing with bird poop. But with this design, you can fold the tray over on itself, contain the mess, and easily dispose of it in the compost. It turns an unpleasant task into something manageable. Plus, chicken poop is great for compost, so it turns a yucky chore into something useful,’ furthers the Design Director.

exploration in the design process enables standard features to be analyzed and improved, as seen in the compostable litter tray in COOP

‘THE RECOGNITION FROM IF DESIGN CAN BE A POWERFUL BOOST’

According to the studio, participating in the iF DESIGN AWARD has proven to be an invaluable experience. The organization’s support and thoughtful approach throughout the process have been pivotal in highlighting their innovative work. For Bould Design, the iF DESIGN AWARD not only provided prestigious recognition but also reinforced their commitment to exceptional design, offering a significant boost to their visibility and credibility within the industry. The process challenged them to reflect on their choices and solidified their reputation as leaders in industrial design. COOP stood out amidst fierce competition, winning not only for its diverse features but also for embodying the studio’s design principles. 

‘I would highly encourage design firms to enter the iF DESIGN AWARD. The organization is top-notch, and they provide excellent support throughout the process. Lisa Gralnek, the U.S. Managing Director, does an outstanding job of ensuring designers feel connected and supported. It’s a rewarding experience, and the recognition can be a powerful boost for your studio. I believe that entering design awards like this pushes you to grow as a designer. It makes you step back and critically evaluate your work, which is always a valuable exercise,’ ’ concludes Bould Design’s Principal Partner and Design Director.

Apply for the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 by November 6th, 2024 – here.

Bould Design’s sense of creativity, playfulness, and prototyping helped bring unique features to COOP

quick prototyping enables the team to model and test ideas efficiently

modeling allows the designers to simplify products to ensure ease of use

every project of the design studio aims to hone in on the core function of a product, hence the importance in modeling

the COOP brought a sense of joy and creativity to the team at Bould Design

Fred, Bould, Principal Partner and Design Director of Bould Design, talked to designboom as part of a studio visit interview series to celebrate iF DESIGN AWARD 2024 winners

the excellence of Bould Design’s COOP won an iF DESIGN AWARD 2024

Since its founding over 70 years ago, iF Design has been renowned for celebrating the highest levels of excellence and impact in design. This year,  design boom and iF Design are honoring winners of the iF DESIGN AWARD 2024, by visiting some award-winning studios in the United States. In these visits, we learn about the creative philosophy of each practice, their designs, and the benefits of entering the prestigious design competition.

iF Design opened its first North American office in New York City last year, with a focus on bringing more American designers into the organization’s global community. Register by November 4th  to showcase your best creative projects in the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025.

Interested to learn more? The iF DESIGN AWARD is now open for 2025 entries, encouraging designers and studios worldwide to showcase their best creative visions and executions.

project info:

 name: COOP

design/manufacturing: Bould Design | @bould_design

partner/client: Coop | @thesmartcoop
design team: Fred Bould, Jamie Perin, Sam Lavoie, Anson Cheung, Damian Hernandez

award: iF Design Award 2024 | @ifdesign
design category: Garden

date of launch: 2023

The post iF DESIGN AWARD 2024 winner series: Bould Design studio visit and interview appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

On the occasion of Italian contemporary art fair Artissima, Pisa-based brand OFF Giannoni & Santoni debuts a series of unique chicken coops envisioned as essential household items, akin to fridges or dishwashers. Conceived by Italian art duo Vedovamazzei and crafted in collaboration with the world’s most ‘philosophical’ egg producer, Paolo Parisi, the project, named New Egg, showcases 20 individually handcrafted coops. Ranging from a vibrant, multi-colored coop tailored for a ‘yuppie’ hen to a glistening structure for ‘the hen that laid the golden eggs,’ each coop communicates its unique message through bold aesthetics and a generous dose of humor.

all images courtesy of OFF Giannoni & Santoni 

Vedovamazzei designs coops for hens with bold personalities

OFF Giannoni & Santoni (find more here) introduces the 20 coops, each as an unrepeatable piece of art. Designed by Vedovamazzei (find more here), these creations not only mimic modern appliances but also advocate for the presence of a hen coop in every home, whether on a terrace or in a backyard, for fresh eggs daily. In response to widespread intensive farming, OFF Giannoni & Santoni aims to provide hens with an ideal living environment akin to a luxury villa. They emphasize the importance of security for hens, hence the closable design, mirroring our own need for protection at night. ‘You can decide whether to walk among the hens or choose to observe them from the outside, but is important to do it with respect and without disturbing them. And don’t ask yourself what they are because it can’t be said whether they are hen coops becoming pieces of art or pieces of art becoming hen coops. It’s like asking: which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ the Italian brand shares.

Tailored for chickens with specific characters or backgrounds, each coop embodies the personality of its inhabitant. Whether it’s the economist hen, the bigot hen, the anarchist hen, the infamous hen, the whataboutism hen, or even the Aristotelian hen, every design reflects subtle references through its materiality, color palette, and inscriptions. ‘The hallmark of our chicken coops is the same as Vedovamazzei’s: irony. But it’s a cultured, sophisticated irony, not just for the sake of it (sometimes, even melancholic),’ the team at OFF Giannoni & Santoni explains. 

the vibrant coop for the yuppie hen

the yuppie hen coop opened up

the shiny coop for ‘the hen that laid the golden eggs’

the aforementioned golden eggs

the coop for the anarchist hen

the coop for stella and simeone, the chicken reincarnations of the Vedovamazzei duo

the coop for the infamous hen

thee inscription on the coop for the infamous hen

the coop for the whataboutism hen

the whataboutism hen

the coop for the reale hen

the coop for the conservative hen

the coop for the aristotelian hen

the coop for the subversive hen

the subversive hen

all the chicken coop designs

project info: 

name: New Egg
artist: Vedovamazzei | @vedovamazzei_iconic_works
brand: OFF Giannoni & Santoni | @giannonisantoni
in collaboration with: Paolo Parisi

The post quirky chicken coops by italian artists could be your new household essential appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

In Miaoli County, Taiwan, Studio Whispace + Architects has transformed Nanheps Elementary School through Project Ohm Ω. Drawing from Louis Kahn’s philosophy on intertwinining teaching and nature, the project envisions a shared space beneath a protective canopy of trees, where teachers, students, and even chickens coexist amid a gently curving white metal fence.

Shaped like the Greek letter ohm (Ω), this space forms a concave enclosure beneath the rain tree, connecting the natural landscape, a food garden, and a composting area. The design divides the plan into distinct zones — chicken coop, compost teaching, and herb cultivation areas — inviting students to closely observe the chickens and engage with them using elements such as name cards, egg racks, and feeding stations.

compost bin design integrated with the landscape | all images courtesy of Studio Whispace + Architects

a chicken coop, compost teaching zone, & herb cultivation area

The experimental institution adopts a four-season curriculum plan that integrates food and agricultural education, and provides a more diverse learning experience by housing retired laying hens. Originally tucked away in a within a makeshift enclosure, surrounded by abandoned concrete structures and disposed compost piles, the chicken coop lacked visual openness, hindering student interaction. Whispace + Architects addressed this challenge by relocating the chicken coop to the heart of an open area, encircled by a metal fence.

The chicken coop prioritizes hen comfort and ease of student maintenance while the compost area features four compartments for various composting stages, complete with observation holes for student monitoring. The herb cultivation area focuses on edible herbs like rosemary and sage, enhancing the sensory experience for food and agricultural education. In alignment with the school’s year-round curriculum, the architectural team designed sunshade and rainproof activity canopies to shield the chicken coop from excessive sunlight exposure. These double as spaces for evening activities, illuminated by locally sourced indirect lighting to minimize ecological disruption.

the concave space in the shape of an ‘Ω’ naturally encourages students to gather and observe nature

Additionally, the enclosure itself serves as an interactive interface, incorporating feeding and watering areas, chicken name tag displays, and egg rack interactions — transforming it into an educational tool for ecological learning rather than a mere barrier. The renovation has also prompted a notable shift in student behavior; students now demonstrate a newfound willingness to engage with the chickens, making it easier to care for the coop.

a landscaped garden combined with herbaceous plants, opening up students’ sensory experiences

landscape seating combined with a drinking area for students’ convenience in observing

wall openings allow chickens to move through

an environmentally friendly chicken coop space

wall openings allow chickens to move through freely

a well-ventilated environment

automatic chicken feeder

five sizes of egg racks used for measuring the size of eggs students collect

the chicken jumping platform also serves as a teaching-use surface

the teaching space transforms into an ecological playground

project info:

name: Project Ohm Ω
architecture: Studio Whispace + Architects

location: Miaoli County, Taiwan

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: ravail khan | designboom

The post curved white fence encloses chicken coop and herb zone in school in taiwan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Amid the mountainous landscape of Kyoto City, 2m26 has perched a small chicken coop that reinterprets traditional Japanese shrine architecture. Titled Niwatorigoya, the zero-impact project construction project makes use of local natural materials including cedar bark, stone, and cypress, assembled together using traditional Japanese joinery techniques to create a shelter that protects free range chickens from predators during the night, while paying homage to the Ise shrine.

In a modern-day reinterpretation of this historic structural typology, the wooden coop is supported by 12 round pillars supporting a cypress framework with sliding wooden walls, and a cozy internal space where beams offer perches for the chickens to comfortably roost and rest.

all images by Yuki Okada

2m26 shapes the zero-impact structure with local wood

The architects at 2m26 have topped Niwatorigoya with a sloping cedar bark roof recalling those of old folk Japanese houses. Typically harvested by hand during summer months when cedars are full of sap, the barks are maintained flat and left to dry for several months before being utilized for roofing or as a wall covering material. Along the facade, wooden panels enclose all four sides of the coop and can slide open to allow the farmers easy access to collect the fresh eggs. Inside, a small staircase made of a single piece of wood leads chickens to their designated living space.

The space has been conceived as a low impact structure, sitting on a bed of stones using locally sourced wood. The design concept follows the traditional Japanese concept of creating flexible structures where certain elements of the building can be altered without having to tear down the entire structure to rebuild. As such, Niwatorigoya can easily be disassembled and returned to the soil once there is no more need for the structure, without leaving any impact on its natural environment.

Niwatorigoya sits amid the mountainous landscape of Kyoto City

2m26 sits the zero-impact structure on a bed of stones

a sloping roof recalling those of old folk Japanese houses

a staircase carved from a single piece of wood leads chickens to their space

local cedar bark and cypress shape the chicken coop

2m26 reinterprets Japanese shrine architecture to create a shelter for chickens

project info:

name: Niwatorigoya
architecture: 2m26
lead architects: Mélanie Heresbach, Sébastien Renauld

location: Keihoku, Kyoto, Japan

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: ravail khan | designboom

The post japanese shrine architecture informs 2m26’s zero-impact chicken coop in japan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Designed for the backyard farmer, Austin-based start-up COOP and Bould Design present a modern twist on raising chickens. Merging form and function in an archetypal house form, the Coop sits at an intersection between architectural statement and practical functionality that seeks to satisfy the needs and sensibilities of even the most discerning hens.

The Coop brings comfort and convenience to both owners and chickens alike. From assembly to use and maintenance — including feeding, watering, waste removal, and ventilation — each element has been designed and integrated for ease and simplicity. For further protection, an additional optional enclosed run can be extended to protect the chickens from threat of predators.

the optional enclosed run protects the chickens from predators | all images courtesy of Bould Design

bould design makes raising chickens more fun & engaging

Start-up COOP has worked closely with studio Bould Design to bring coops to backyards everywhere in a way makes raising chickens easy and engaging. Easily cleanable and assembleable, and efficient to function, the Coop was be assembled without special tools or skills in under thirty minutes using just a screwdriver.

Further, the product is integrated with technology such as an IoT camera which allows users to check on their chickens from either their living room or from across the continent. A remote control front door can also be set for scheduled operation, while fresh eggs can be easily collected via the hatch with minimal disruption to the occupants. For cleaning, the Coop can simply be cleaned by swapping in a new compostable litter tray to add in more litter.

the front door, eggbox, and feeders are rendered in a vivid coral, contrasting the charcoal facades

Leveraging a familiar modern house archetype, the Coop offers a fresh simplicity that blurs the line between architecture and product, and with a design that is both fun and sophisticated at the same time. Its gray scalloped roof and sidewalls bring in a subtle reference to the ubiquitous corrugated steel shed as well as structure to the rotationally molded components. The front door, eggbox, and feeders are rendered in a lively coral color delivering a vivid contrast against the charcoal front and back facades.

the roosting boxes give chickens security and privacy while making egg collection convenient and easy

the Coop is a modern twist on raising chickens in your backyard

project info:

name: Coop
designer: Bould Design, llc

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: ravail khan | designboom

The post COOP makes backyard farming and raising chickens easier and more stylish appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

all images © sergio lópez

‘we thought of conceiving this coop in a way that could relate to collective housing projects,’ explains kengo kuma and associates. ‘while the sheltered space within this pavilion would be used for the general activities of the coop; the structure itself, built-up by interlocking wooden boards together, would create individual cells within for each of its inhabitants for their resting. in addition, the permeable nature of this interlocking system makes this become a well aired and shaded house.’

the interlocking system of 30 millimeter boards creates a latticed structure that is capable of supporting itself. the architects explain that to support the horizontal loads, they tried to avoid using structural bracing by inserting rigid elements within each of the cells. ‘these rigid elements would locally limit the deformation of the lattice and therefore provide the overall bracing of the structure — it’s a pixelated kind of bracing,’ says the design team.

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project info:

name: casa wabi coop
design: kengo kuma and associates
location: casa wabi, oaxaca, mexico
size: 155 sqm / 1,668 sqf
photography: sergio lópez

The post kengo kuma’s chicken coop for casa wabi is an interlocking system of charred wooden boards appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

solar-powered door opens in the morning

the benefit is that the chicken can access different areas of a space, which stops them from overgrazing any one particular section of your garden. when a plot of land has been harvested the coop is moved there and leftover scraps become food for the hens while they fertilise the land and prepare it for a new planting season.

aluminium cladding reflects away heat

a solar sensor automatically triggers the door at first light and closes again after sunset while a solar panel keeps the batteries charged for the motor requiring minimum maintenance. a portable fence accompanies the coop, keeping hens in and predators out while the two large ‘wings’ open up to give the birds extra shade during the day and ventilate the coop. clad in aluminum to reflect away the heat it’s light enough to be pushed by hand while a hitch allows for it to also be towed by a tractor.

easily towed by tractor

designers on holiday started as a passion project for designers tom gottelier and bobby petersen in 2014 as an excuse to bring together creatives from different practices that they admired. it offers participants a hub for experimental, modern and sustainable design. in 2017, the project started including private commissions giving birth to doh studio, which was formed as a platform to showcase the philosophies developed during the camp.

nest boxes and perches make up the inside

‘all of our work is driven by a desire to push the expectations of what sustainable design can be, whether consultancy and creative direction or the design and build of a 360 farm experience,’ the studio explains. ‘working closely with our clients through every step of the process to produce a more meaningful and conscious end result that everyone involved can be proud off.’

lightweight allows it to be moved by hand

‘wings’ provide shade and allows the coop to be well ventilated

can easily be moved to new pastures daily

project info

company: designers on holiday
project: chicken caravan

The post a solar-powered chicken caravan by doh studio is a ‘coop on wheels’ appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.