March 6, 2013
Project: Garden in Comporta
Architect: Topiaris Arquitectura Paisagista
Location: Herdade da Comporta, Portugal
We don’t showcase as much landscape architecture as we’d like: The modification of landscape is often more subtle than the rigidity of inhabitable buildings, but no less important to how people use, perceive, and encounter space. Take the Garden in Comporta, in southern Portugal. This project returns a disturbed construction site to an idyllic paradise, using native plants to re-seed the landscape at large. A seriers of orthogonal pathways traverse the yard, providing access to visitors while protecting the delicate, sandy soils. A shimmering aqua pool acts as a hinge, with paths spiraling outwards.
Read more about this project in the Architizer database!
Photos: João Morgado Fotografia de Arquitectura
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March 6, 2013
Voting for the A+ Public Choice Winners is finishing strong! Today we’re bringing Architecture + Sustainability to the forefront. It’s no secret that the unprecedented growth of urban environments has come at the expense of the environment—and we architects, planners, and urban designers are largely responsible. While rapid urbanization is the root cause for many of the world’s dire environmental problems, it’s also the sector most affected by design that addresses environmentally damaging practices with innovative, environment-friendly solutions. From off-the-grid houses to transit-oriented development, the following projects show how truly great design can address global problems with local, sustainable remedies. Click through to see them all!
Like what you see? Make sure to vote for your favorite project over at the A+ Public Voting site!
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February 5, 2013
Project: K-abeilles Hotel for Bees
Architect: AtelierD
Location: Muttersholtz, France
This incredible multi-use pavilion provides shelter from the summer sun to visitors — and to wild bees. Often overlooked because of the fanfare surrounding their domesticated cousins, wild bees are integral to pollination worldwide. The pavilion presents two facades composed of hexagonal panels, each fit with a volume of different burrowing materials preferred by solitary native bees from densely packed tree branches to hollow bricks. The interior of the pavilion accommodates human occupation, complete with benches and storage cubbies built from the same hexagonal logic as the insect compartments outside.
Read more about this project in the Architizer database!
Photos: Stéphane Spach Photographe
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