It seems like just yesterday, the idea of “prefabrication” (or “prefab”) was having its day in the sun as the next big concept to revolutionize architecture and design. MoMA parked a few prefabricated houses out in its courtyard, SHoP revealed its cluster of prefabricated towers for Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards, and even taller buildings made of prefabricated parts were being conceived in — you guessed it — China. More recently, prefab has taken a back seat to more novel concepts (need we mention 3D printing again?), but its diminished presence on the Internet does not necessarily signal its demise. In fact, in the design-crazed Netherlands, the prefabricated home is making news again: A line of flatpack kit houses were recently made available in the Dutch town of Nijmegen with a price tag as small as $150,000 and an assembly time as short as six to eight weeks. More after the break.

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Today marks the grand re-opening of the famed Rijks Museum after a transformative 10-year restoration project. Spanish architects Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz, of the firm Cruz y Ortiz, have labored intensively to rethink the 19th-century museum for a 21st-century audience. The collaboration between the designers and the curatorial staff has left only a single painting, Rembrandt’s masterpiece ”The Night Watch,” in its former place, while every other piece in the collection has been re-deployed in 80 galleries that interpret the Dutch love affair with high art.

Bringing the historic Rijksmuseum into the new millenium was a challenge, as the architects had to contend with the existing building, designed in an exuberant blend of Gothic and Renaissance ornament by Pierre Cuypers in 1876. The historic icon was fully restored with the expertise of Dutch architect Van Hoogevest, while Cruz y Ortiz focused on transforming the former interior courtyard into a spectacular glass atrium.

Click through for images of the restored museum and some of its choice treasures!

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This project won the 2013 Architizer A+ Jury Award in the museum category. See the full list of winners here.

In the past decade, big-name architects have used the façades of museums to leave their mark, creating over-the-top designs that attract scores of toursits and tons of buzz. Which is why Mecanoo Architecten‘s design for the Kaap Skil Maritime and Beachcombers Museum is such a breath of fresh air. Rather than disrupting the urban fabric, Mecanoo’s building sits comfortably with its surroundings, evoking a distinctly Dutch vibe. Read more!

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Project: V House, Alkmaar

Architect: BaksvanWengerden Architecten

Location: Alkmaar, Netherlands

Because of local regulations regarding building heights, roof shape, and coloring, BaksvanWengerden Architecten had to carefully craft the design of this single-family house in the small town of Alkmaar. Using the archetypal gable to crown the roof, this simple home evokes the vernacular architecture of the region. Simultaneously, the dark anthracite ceramic tile-clad façade gives a distinctly modern edge feeling. Old and new come together to create a home that feels at once humble and settled and progressive and innovative.

Read more about this project in the Architizer database.

Photos: Yvonne Brandwijk

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Project: Fletcher Hotel

Architect: Benthem Crouwel

Location: Amsterdam

Towering 60 meters above Amsterdam, this distinctive cylindrical hotel is a new landmark for the city. With a compact floor plan just 24 meters wide, the limited space is used efficiently as possible by circling the 120 rooms around the central staircase and elevators. The transparent glass façade sports a circular pattern and is outfitted with bright blue lights that illuminate the hotel at night, making it a welcomed addition to the Amsterdam “skyline.” Read more about this project in the Architizer database.

Photos courtesy of Benthem Crouwel

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Adaptive reuse is a buzz term of sorts that combines big topics like “urbanism,” “sustainability,” and “program” to both good (the High Line) and bad effect. We’re unsure where this prison-turned-hotel in the Netherlands lies on that plane, but we’re guessing it’s closer to the “bad” end of things. After closing its doors in 2007, the Het Arresthius (literally “the Judgement House”) prison in Roermond was purchased by the Dutch hotel group Van der Valk and converted into the Het Arresthuis Hotel. Dating back to 1862, the prison was most recently used as an emergency facility for “bolletjesbajes,” or in plain English, drug-smuggling body stuffers—cozy! Click through for more!

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Today’s A+ finalist spotlight includes museums, theaters, and cultural centers around the world. And trust us, these buildings are as beautiful and rich as the art that they hold. Click through to see them all!

Spot a favorite? Make sure to vote for it over at the A+ Public Voting site!

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Project:  House Van Leeuwen

Architect:  JagerJanssen Architecten BNA

Location:  Meppel, Netherlands

JagerJanssen designed the  House Van Leeuwen for a Dutch family living in an area dominated by traditional residential architecture. To tie the thoroughly contemporary design with the surroundings, the architects clad the house with distressed-surface brick, referencing the area’s extensive use of masonry. The faceted form of the structure introduces visual interest and character, in the same fashion as the gable-roofs of the neighboring houses. The back yard is delineated by vine-covered fencing, forming a screened garden “room” at the rear of the residence.

Read more about this project in the Architizer database!

Images courtesy Ossip van Duivenbode

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Phil the Groundhog at the Garden Shed; All Photoshop work: Peter Levins

The frost of winter is on the thaw, and spring will come early this year! At least, that’s our take on the results from this year’s Groundhog Day. No, the furry little prognosticator—that would be Phil—will not see his shadow this coming Saturday (Feb. 2), and that’s that.

So what better way to welcome the new season than with the best of “spring architecture”? It’s something we just made up, but by which we mean houses that photograph real well in the springtime, when flowers are coming into bloom, the sky is blue, and the sun hasn’t reached its greatest intensity yet. We’ve gone ahead and added Phil in there just to be festive, so see if you can spot him in the following 10 projects. Click through for the slideshow.

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Photo:  Masao Nishikawa

The world runs on coffee. Even if you—oh, strange one—aren’t a coffee drinker, you cannot escape coffee culture. And a big part of that culture is, of course, the café. Historically, the coffeehouse has functioned as a social fulcrum of urban life, a congregation space where artistic and intellectual ideas were fostered and developed. It was also an intimate, informal place where friends could gather and talk about the 19th-century equivalent of Girls.

We’re glad to say that the café is alive and well. Despite the flashy distractions of the contemporary city, people still spend time in coffeehouses—a lot of time actually. The last few years has seen a surge of creative café design that reflects this fact, with architects both obscure and famous brandishing their talents to elevate your coffee experience. These projects are each different in their own way, but they all push the limits of what a café can be. Click through for the slideshow.

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