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This project is rooted in an entertaining exercise: clients ‘from the future’ seeking a multi-functional abode that can be configured to fit their needs. The quirkiness does not end with the design itself, though, as even if the finished-layout photographs feature curiously pixelated occupants.

Created by Dash Marshall, there are four core components to this futuristic “space age” project – first, some space-saving strategies: (1) replacing hallways with sliding walls to eliminate relatively-useless circulation areas, (2) a flexible living-plus-bedroom with a walk-in closet, all enabled by a thick pivoting wall, giving the feel of secret rooms.

Next, things get futuristic – (3) flush-fitting, easily-vanishing, built-in storage the recedes from view when not in use and (4) a reflective, glossy, and rounded interior to bounce light throughout and make the entire residence feel more open.

As engaging as the apartment is in and of itself, this entire sequence from concept to realization to representation also shows a level of consistency not always found in design work – every step reinforces and reflects the core ideas that went into the process and final product. The story is told in part by the choice to computer-blur people in the final pictures, and even to round the corners of the photographs themselves.

“This client came to us with an apartment in the Kips Bay complex designed by IM Pei in the 1960s. We responded by designing a space capsule temporarily docked here on earth.”

“They wanted a home to charge up between missions: a place where every boot and book, every single little thing could be hidden away. They wanted something that would make the most out of their 715 square feet.”

“We measured and labeled the total volume of possessions (569 cubic feet) so we would have the necessary data to design a place for each and every thing to be hidden away.”

“Central to our strategy is a rotating storage wall called the Transformer. By moving a series of translucent sliding panels the floor plan to be reconfigured easily for different levels of privacy.”

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Part of the inspiration for the peculiar shape was that “the dome is the geometry that involves the minimum surface of the material, as well as working very well structurally,” the architects explain.

The 11.5-foot rounded structure was constructed from horizontal and vertical ribs cut with CAD-CAM technologies. The exterior was then covered with strips of cream-colored upholstery foam for maximum heat capture. “The flexible condition of the material easily adapts to the igloo shape,” notes Muiño.

Strands of steel chains wrap the outside, securing the foam in place and giving the entire dwelling an air of security. The entryway is also draped with a curtain of the same chains, all remnants of previous design endeavors. “This solution made out of individual vertical elements allowed us to adapt to the arch-shaped entrance as a regular door wouldn’t be able to do,” the Barcelona-based architects said.

The inside of the igloo is a cozy winter wonderland. “The interior space has a floor at a height of 90 centimeters (three feet) where the mattress lies, all covered in a white furry carpet ready to be enjoyed barefoot,” Muiño adds. “Below this big bed, there is a space for storing, playing, or hiding.”

Everything inside sticks to the arctic theme. In addition to the polar bear-like material coating the walls, bed platform, and stairs, the arched beams are bound in more cream-colored foam, the bedding looks like swiss cheese, and the lighting gleams in ivory. There are also six globe lightbulbs placed strategically at the top of the dome, simultaneously providing the impression of gazing up to the stars at night and warming the otherwise-cold loft space.

While unconventional as a residence, living in a warehouse provides the couple the freedom and flexibility they desire for immersive designing. “The house-workshop is a 400-square-meter (4,305 square feet) space that can host the installations that we design and produce,” says Luzárraga. “At the same time, the space is being colonized by some domestic spaces that condition it for living. It’s continuously changing depending on the work that we are developing. Some of the pieces stay forever, and some of them are temporary.”

Luzárraga and Muiño founded Takk in 2008 after both earning architecture degrees in Spain. In their own words, their work focuses on “experimental and speculative practices in the intersection between nature and culture, with a particular emphasis on the overcoming of anthropocentrism.” In 2012, the team won the Konecta Foundation prize for social architecture with their “Suitcase House,” an accordion-folding emergency dwelling. In addition to their design work, which has been featured in the 13th Venice Biennale and the first Biennale d’Architecture d’Orléans, the couple currently teach at several universities and institutes around their country.

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After seven years of experimenting with over 100 different chemicals, researchers discovered that adding a high concentration of barium sulfate – a UV-reflecting substance already widely used in things like cosmetics and x-rays – was effective in pushing away almost all the sun’s rays, including the ultraviolet wavelengths that typically cause surfaces to warm up.

“It’s very counterintuitive for a surface in direct sunlight to be cooler than the temperature your local weather station reports for that area, but we’ve shown this to be possible,” says Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering and a co-author of the team’s article in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces journal.

By brushing their ultra-reflective white paint onto the roof of one of the campus buildings in West Lafayette, Indiana, outdoor surfaces were kept eight degrees cooler than their surroundings in direct midday sunlight. At night, the roof was a whopping 19 degrees cooler than the neighboring ambient temperatures.

“Our paint only absorbs 1.9 percent of the sunlight, whereas commercial paint absorbs 10 to 20 percent of sunlight,” Ruan explains, adding that “commercial white paints are cooler than the other, darker-colored paints, but they are still warmer than the ambient or surrounding temperature.”

“Our paint can lose heat by its own emission – it emits heat to deep space. With such little absorption from the sun, our paint loses more heat than it absorbs. This is really exciting for us. Under the sun, it cools below the ambient temperature, and that’s hard to achieve.”

When put under infrared light, a photo of the paint on a brick wall reveals the temperature to be much lower than both the paper it’s on and the wall behind it.

By expelling infrared heat away from its surfaces, the new ultra-white paint can provide the equivalent of 113 watts per square meter of cooling power. That means a 1,000 square-foot roof covered in the stuff would have about 10 kilowatts of cooling power, making it more powerful than most residential central air conditioners.

Not only does the paint’s power reduce the need for inside air control, but it also solves the “urban heat island” problems often created by those units.

“Air conditioners can cool your house, but they move the heat from inside the house to outside – the heat is still in the city, it’s still on the Earth, in our air,” Ruan says. “So even if you don’t care about the power bills you pay, it’s going to warm up the Earth anyway. Our paint doesn’t use any power but, more importantly, it sends the heat to space. The heat doesn’t stay on the Earth, so that really helps the Earth to cool down and can stop the warming trend.”

“We’re not moving heat from the surface to the atmosphere,” adds Xiangyu Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who worked on this project as a Ph.D. student in the Perdue lab. “We’re just dumping it all out into the universe, which is an infinite heat sink.”

With the help of statistical models, the team estimated that hot cities like Phoenix and Reno could use as much as 70-percent less air conditioning if all buildings were painted in the new white tint, which would mean a huge reduction in greenhouse gases. And if somehow they could cover roughly one percent of the Earth’s surface in the reflective hue, it would be enough to stop the current global warming shift altogether.

The research team remains hopeful that the paint will cost no more than traditional formulas and is working to get it commercially available to the public soon.

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In a traditional cathedral, the altar where the Eucharist is performed is situated at the very top of the cross layout or apse, with a pulpit, lectern, and raised seating separating the congregation from the rituals. With this new layout, the church seeks to engage worshippers by allowing them to encompass the altar, instead of simply observing the “holy act” from afar.

“We invite people into the apse, surrounding the altar, forming a community,” says lead designer Robert Gutowski. “It is also similar to the liturgy of early times, when Paleochristians simply surrounded a table in their own home — what is known as Domus Ecclesiae.”

“The church clearly defines its purpose: while the Creator and the almighty God are at the center of traditional liturgy, modern liturgical efforts have shifted emphasis to the re-creator God, the image of a perpetually redeeming Christ,” he adds.

The architecture of the edifice is all symbolic of that updated religious perspective. The oval shape of the building and courtyard represent “perpetuity,” incorporating both the eternal nature of divinity and the constant need for fellowship with Christ and his followers. However, the two ellipses fashioned by the church and connected courtyard are set on different axes. This ties in a traditional compositional detail found in most Catholic churches, in that the nave — the area where the congregation sits — is typically slightly offset from the apse.

“We cannot name one single church that sits on the same axis, because pretty much all of the historical churches in Europe have this tiny ‘mistake,’ which actually became a symbol of the broken body of Christ,” explains Gutowski. The inside of the new house of worship also applies this “broken body” symbolism by making every alcove asymmetrical, and by angling the reinforced concrete ceiling at unconventional slants.

The altar is made of one single wedge of dark green onyx stone, creating a striking contrast to the white walls and Carrara marble of the altar platform. The two steps of the platform are rounded, too, adding to the altar’s feeling of approachability. The modest wooden pews constitute a semi-circle around this space while a rectangular skylight brings in natural light from above. On top of that, the altar and alcoves are illuminated by spotlights for added emphasis.

The Saint Pope John Paul II Church also includes several rooms adjoining the liturgical hall. These include the priest’s living quarters, an educational room, a communal room, a guest room, an office, a service room, and bell tower access.

The Gutowski architecture firm won the bid for the Paty project in a 2004 design contest. The structure was completed and consecrated in April 2019. According to its website, the company focuses on “complex and significant cultural buildings, high performance sustainability, and community renewal projects.” It has produced over 50 projects in its 16-year history, including a gymnasium and concert hall in Pannonhalma, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Korda Pilgrim House in Mariazell, Austria.

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New bookcases are almost always built with straight sides and simple shelves for a reason beyond simplicity of construction. Like standard shelving, these fit neatly into rectilinear interior spaces — but on the inside, they are shaped to surprise.

From design studio Munkii comes a fun spin on vintage bookcases that maintains a clean-line modern sensibility on the outside, yet conveys a different message entirely thanks to its cut-out facade.

Munkii describes their design as “flamboyantly baroque” as it clearly draws on ornate custom-cut curves of classic wood-worked dressers and cases. The velvety red-brown interior is also a reference to this materiality, while the white frame serves as a blank canvas backdrop for the core decor.

Right angles make it easy to put this piece in a corner or against a wall – functional for small and contemporary rooms – while also making a bold design statement. Why can’t you have both?

It might be tempting to classify this kind of vintage-style revivalism as ‘postmodern’ but … somehow the results seem to be classier (though kitsch may be in the eye of the beholder.

If you are looking for simple white shelves to blend into the background, this may not be for you … if you want an ornately-curved centerpiece that stands out, however, Vintage provides an alternative to purely abstract modern art furniture.

“Munkii is a modern furniture studio co-founded in 2006 with designer Jaren Goh at the helm of our creative team. It gives us the opportunity to inject our own flavor and perspective in the contemporary living space. Our design summarizes the brand and we are fanatical in creating furniture pieces that refuse to be ignored and crave your attention yet agreeing with basic human impressions and expectations. They are great additions that flaunt both beauty and individuality. Designs that are just keen to rouse your space.”

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Sometimes the most impressive designs are almost accidental, evolving as if they’re living organisms.

There are some amazing bookcases out there in the world, but forget all of the ones you’ve seen for just a moment. Instead, consider the beauty of bookshelves populated with your favorite volumes … there is a case to be made, if you will, for simply letting these stand on their own and evolve visually as you fill them up.

(Above, Left to Right & Top to Bottom: John Barman, Eric Staudenmaier, Bill Kingston & Lili Abir Regen).

Design to Inspire recently gathered a series of photographs depicting relatively conventional (mostly built-in) bookcase designs of ordinary houses that, individually, might not look all that impressive … but taken together they are a bit like touring a library built over centuries in different styles. Here are some of the best pictures from the bunch, organized by style, material, tone and color.

(ILs and Jan Baldwin)

Classic Dark: These images could have been shot almost anytime in the past century (save for a few more recent pieces of furniture). Building floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall bookcases is not new… arguably, it was even more common before the advent of the internet. Do you find these ones cozy or overwhelming?

(M2 Interior Design and Simon Watson)

Modern Bright: There is nothing quite so successful but simple for adding color to a bland white interior as a well-placed, large-scale bookcase – the books do your work for you (especially if you do not trust your taste in modern wall art). Plus, there’s a never-ending supply of things to look at.

(Coburn Architecture,?Hus & Hem & Landstr?m Arkitekter)

Natural Wood: where white serves as blank and wood grain established mid-tones and visual orientation, books can add another finer-grained dimension to an otherwise cheap and elemental design like the ones shelved on these basic wooden built-ins. (Thomas Mayer and Jordi Canosa)

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Sick of losing your spot when you stop reading halfway through an article? Hate to leave magazines simply strewn about the coffee table? This two-in-one storage solution is a minimalist solution for saving the page and stacking your light reading material.

The angled roof provides a way to make the page without bending or creasing the magazine, while also making it the most accessible of the bunch (sitting on top) for when you want to pick back up where you left off.

The interior area works as a way to keep magazines roughly straight, while still allowing you to grab out another from the pile out either the front or the back. For a single sheet of wrapped metal painted in a solid modern color (black, red or white), this little design idea from Rudolph Schelling Webermann, aka DING3000, goes a long way.

“Everything under one roof.‎ Lifestyle for the readers.‎ Practical and ornamental.‎ MAGAZIN is a timeless and beautiful magazine stand in shape of a house.‎ When disturbed while reading, just lay the open magazine on the roof of the house, and you can easily pick it up again to carry on reading, without losing the page.‎ Meanwhile your other favorite magazines can be stored under the roof.‎  Color: white, black, red, pastel turquoise, squirrel grey or beige red. Material: Steel sheet powder coated.”

“Our multiple design awards and bestselling products tell its own tale: We have the ability to develop exciting concepts and turn them into market-ready products. How do we do it? By making special to our specialization! We specialize in making unique and distinct products. With a mix of methods and *magic we work in a variety of industries by seeking the unexplored and defining new products or entire product categories. In the unknown our design approach has the most value: It creates special user-experiences and iconic products with relevance for brands and people. “

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An Ideal Union

The CEF chose MAD for their highly touted project based on their reputation for creating highly imaginative, award-winning designs that pushed the limits of possibility. MAD’s impressive portfolio overflows with remarkable projects, reflecting visions for the future in both building technology and unique forms. Some of MAD’s most famous undulating creations include an orb-like apartment block in Paris, a George Lucas-founded museum that resembles a spaceship, and an opera house in northeast China that evokes the feeling of being on the deck of a massive interstellar vessel.

Choosing the Perfect Site

After meeting with MAD, CEF’s 74 members decided to build their conference center on the rocky terrain of the Yabuli Mountains in Northeastern China — the snow-covered region where they’ve been hosting their annual meetings for years. It was also agreed that the project’s design would reflect the dramatic natural landscape surrounding the site, and that the structure itself would be situated along the axis of a mountain.

Conference Center Specs

In addition to a library, standard studios, and conference rooms of all sizes, the 174,354-square-foot, four-story Yabuli Conference Center will boast an impressive 1,000-seat auditorium, along with a more intimate 350-seat venue. The sleek exterior rises only 79 feet, creating an exotic oyster image against the majestic mountaintops: softly rounded, snow-white, and dramatically unobtrusive.
A huge skylight beams down on the central entrance hall, which itself separates assorted conference rooms. The skylight symbolizes the brilliant minds that share bright stimulating ideas during lectures and conferences. Guests can enter the conference center at either the ground level or the first floor, both of which blend the insightful interior design with the stark beauty of the surrounding snow-kissed mountains.

Unique specially crafted windows have been strategically placed on all floors so visitors can gaze out on endless panoramic views of the contiguous natural vistas around them.
The interior architecture of the Yabuli Conference Center rivals the exterior façade in terms of both imagination and creativity. The walls are symmetrically sculpted and effortlessly follow the flowing lines of the building’s exterior. The soft shades of ivory that dominate the interior create a calm, tranquil ambiance, while the winding, transparent white stairways inspire clear thinking. Rich brown accents perfectly frame these boundless shades of pale.

A spokesperson for MAD recently boasted: “While humble in its presence, it does not lose the dynamic atmosphere of northern China – integrated with the sky, the ground, the snow, the forest, and the mountains.”

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