Zaha Hadid Architects has announced the Nest and Cascades, two developments planned for Kodra e Diellit in Tirana. Designed for local developer Agikons, the projects respond to growing demand for housing and hospitality spaces in one of the Albanian capital’s fastest-developing districts.

RESIDENTIAL

Kodra e Diellit occupies a hillside south of central Tirana and offers panoramic views across the city. Large villas and townhouses currently define the neighborhood, while pedestrian routes and courtyards connect homes with schools, kindergartens, health centers, sports facilities, shops, restaurants, and children’s clubs. Several bus routes link the district with the city center.

The Nest addresses demand from younger families, couples, professionals, and retirees seeking alternatives to large family houses. Four residential plots contain one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments arranged around a shared park planted with local Mediterranean species.

ZHA used detailed site analysis to map topography, solar exposure, temperature, humidity, rainfall, air quality, and prevailing winds. Digital models guided the placement and design of the buildings, supporting cross-ventilation through each apartment by capturing Tirana’s easterly winds. Recessed terraces and cantilevered balconies provide sheltered outdoor areas.

Deep facade reveals, overhanging balconies, and recessed openings reduce summer heat while allowing lower winter sunlight into the apartments. Natural light reaches 95.3 percent of occupied spaces. The project targets Gold certification under LEED v4.1 Residential BD+C for Multifamily Homes.

A Life Cycle Assessment places the Nest’s embodied carbon intensity at 471 kgCO₂e per square metre, below the regional average of 566 kgCO₂e. Modular construction, recycled aggregates, and terracotta cladding help reduce the project’s carbon impact.

Each building receives a distinct finish. Two use fawn tones, one uses terracotta, and another features deep red stucco informed by the iron-rich hillside. Green space occupies 55 percent of the site, exceeding LEED open-space requirements by 83.3 percent. Planted shade zones remain up to 16°C cooler than exposed hard surfaces. Rainwater collection, on-site greywater treatment, permeable paving, native planting, roof-mounted solar arrays, EV charging, and bicycle storage support the project’s environmental strategy.

The Cascades extends the existing Arka Art Hotel with a 120-room wing, a 60-metre extension of the swimming pool, and apartments placed above a podium embedded in the hillside.

Two planted courtyards organze the project’s public areas. The Poolside Courtyard expands the hotel terrace and restaurant veranda, while the Hillside Garden Courtyard creates a quieter terraced setting with city views. Cascading garden terraces follow the site’s contours and extend the guest rooms and apartments with sheltered outdoor space.

A podium made from locally quarried limestone supports the development. GRC facade panels reproduce the stone’s colors and textures. Workers will cast the panels on site in modular strips, reducing structural loads and transport distances. Their pale surface reflects solar radiation, while the thin construction cuts raw material use by up to 70 percent.

Lime-based stucco regulates interior humidity without synthetic paint. Bronze balustrades require no maintenance coatings, while sustainably harvested chestnut provides the flooring. Rainwater collection, greywater recycling, green roofs, external shading, hybrid natural ventilation, and waste heat recovery complete the Cascades’ environmental systems.

The Nest
Client: Agikons
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Director: Filippo Innocenti
ZHA Project Associate: Marco Guardincerri
ZHA Project Architects: Stefano Rocchetti, Ivo Ambrosi
ZHA Project Team: Mattia Badiani, Engsea Leang, Louai Jaber, Diego Ariza, Nivedita Ramachandran, India Baz
ZHA Environmental & Sustainability Team: Abhilash Menon, Aditya Ambare, Bahaa Alnassrallah, Jing Xu

The Cascades
Client: Agikons
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Director: Filippo Innocenti
ZHA Project Associate: Marco Guardincerri
ZHA Project Lead: Ivo Ambrosi
ZHA Project Team: Engsea Leang, Calin Negret, Diego Ariza, India Baz, Louai Jaber, Nivedita Ramachandran, Mattia Badiani, Stefano Rocchetti
ZHA Environmental & Sustainability Team: Abhilash Menon, Bahaa Alnassrallah, Aditya Ambare, Jing Xu
Local Architect: Agikons Studio

The post ZHA Plans Nest and Cascades Developments in Tirana appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

The Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen reopened on June 6, 2026, following a renovation by UNS. The Dutch architecture firm first designed the building in 1995 and completed it in 1998. Nearly three decades later, the studio returned to update the museum as a cultural destination and public meeting place while preserving the central ideas of its original design.

MUSEUMS

UNS focused on the building’s defining elements, including the sweeping central staircase, undulating ceiling, and network of 88 routes through the galleries. The renovation retained these features and clarified their role within the visitor experience. The team also created more space for temporary exhibitions, improved circulation and sightlines, upgraded the interior climate, and gave public facilities greater prominence.

The central staircase continues to organize the building. Colorful risers now give it a stronger visual presence, while color applied to the inside of the existing wooden balustrades connects the entire structure. The added contrast also improves visibility and supports safer movement. At the entrance, a revolving door replaces the former airlock, creating a larger and brighter arrival area.

The museum now places its permanent collection in the basement and temporary exhibitions on the upper floor. This arrangement creates a continuous route through the building. Views into the depot allow visitors to see another part of the museum’s work and extend the experience beyond the exhibition rooms.

UNS also reorganized the ground floor. The café moved from the rear to the front, where it faces the square and opens onto a new outdoor terrace. Educational rooms and a new auditorium occupy the back of the building. These spaces can open into one another, supporting shared programs and creating a clearer sequence from the café to the learning areas.

Two new openings improve orientation and visibility. One connects the ground floor with the basement and brings daylight into the lower level. The second sits between the restoration workshop and museum shop, allowing visitors to observe the study and restoration of artefacts. A fully glazed facade replaces the partly closed exterior, bringing more natural light inside and creating direct views between the square and the displays.

The project prioritized retention and selected upgrades. The team dismantled the 30-year-old facade, replaced its insulation with a higher-performing material, cleaned the original glass panels, and installed them again. PET felt lamellas replace the rippling suspended ceiling in the main public spaces, improving acoustics and simplifying maintenance. UNS removed suspended ceilings from the galleries, reducing material use and increasing the sense of space.

A shared framework connected the architecture, interiors, and graphic identity. UNS introduced a vivid color palette and circular forms. Ineke Hans used this vocabulary for the café and shop interiors, while Thonik drew from the facade and staircase when developing the museum’s new logo and visual system.

Queen Máxima formally opened the renovated museum on June 4. The reopened institution presents the permanent exhibition Mens op de grens, which traces stories from prehistory to the present through Nijmegen’s location on the former northern border of the Roman Empire. The opening program also includes Making a Museum, Museum in de klas, and Power of the People. Artist Fernando Sánchez Castillo, who created Power of the People, will contribute bespoke artworks to the redesigned Kelfkensbos public square.

The Valkhof Museum brings archaeology, cultural history, and contemporary art together, using connections across periods and cultures to link historical material with the present.

View Gallery 14 images

Client: The municipality of Nijmegen     
Location: Kelfkensbos 59, 6511 TB, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Building floor area: Gross: 7,637 m2 / Net: 7,179 m2
Building volume: 39,582 m3
Building site: 3,023 m2
Building Height: 10.5 m
Commercial Space: 380 m2
Status: Completed
UNS: Ben van Berkel with Tina Kortmann, Jaap Baselmans and Cristina Bolis, Kasia Ephraim, Hans Kooij, Machiel Wafelbakker, Shan Qi, Nawid Piracha, Juan Pablo Fuentes Rojas, Verena Lihl, Ka Shin Liu, Zhongming Fang and Tjaša Barič
Advisors
Structure, Fire safety and Acoustics: ABT
Programme Coordination: Atelier Alkema
Climate and Installation Advisor: Nelissen
Contractor Building Team: Berghege
Interior and Furniture Design: Ineke Hans
Exhibition Design: Opera
Branding and Graphic Design: Thonik
Wayfinding: Mijksenaar
Light Design: Studio Warmerdam
Photography: Ossip van Duivenbode

The post UNS Renovates the Valkhof Museum Nearly 30 Years Later appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

LOEWE has opened a new store at Oakridge in Vancouver, expanding its retail presence in Canada with an interior that reads as much as a design installation as a shopping environment.

The space is defined by a deliberate material tension: a green façade gives way to a saturated blue interior, establishing an immediate visual shift at the threshold. Handmade ceramic tiles in green, bright blue, white and silver line walls and podiums, while green marble surfaces and brass detailing carry the material conversation through the room. Bespoke wool rugs developed from original tapestries by British textile artist John Allen introduce graphic rhythm underfoot.

INSPIRING FASHION RETAIL DESIGN

The furniture selection brings together a considered range of 20th-century and contemporary design voices. George Nakashima chairs in American black walnut sit alongside an Axel Vervoordt table, a Steltman chair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, and Akari light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi. Spanish antique ceramic vessels, marble podiums, and a LOEWE leather Puffer bench complete the arrangement.

LOEWE was founded in Spain in 1846. Since 2025, the House has been under the creative direction of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, whose approach to materiality and craft aligns closely with the sensibility on display in Vancouver. The Oakridge store carries women’s ready-to-wear, bags, small leather goods, shoes, hats, belts and eyewear representing a true Loewe home in Vancouver.

The curation draws from the LOEWE art collection and includes works by Altoon Sultan (Two Arches, 2023), Hylton Nel (Cat Vase II, 2021), Ken Price (Easter Island Plate, 1977), and a 1982 ceramic work by John Ward. Walnut wall pieces by Julian Watts (2024) were commissioned specifically for the space, while a chromogenic print by Sarah Lucas (Got a Salmon On, 1997) brings a sharper conceptual register. Together, the selection reflects the House’s long-standing commitment to placing art, craft and architecture in direct dialogue. Art occupies a central position throughout Loewe Vancouver store.

Discover more of the Loewe Vancouver store in our gallery: 

View Gallery 8 images

The post LOEWE Vancouver Store Is a Study in Material Tension appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Villa Vicus by Sebastian Nagy Architects occupies a sloping plot below Zobor Hill in Nitra. The site sits at the end of a quiet street, with forest rising behind the property and open views extending south toward the city, Calvary Hill and Nitra Castle. The owners asked for a family house that would preserve these views from every living space while supporting the daily routines of the household.

HOUSING

The architects answered with a linear, single-story plan arranged along the southern facade. A continuous timber pergola runs across the length of the house and brings the composition together. The structure defines the terraces, provides sheltered outdoor areas and controls sunlight across the glazed elevation. It also extends the interior spaces visually toward the garden and the distant city views.

The house contains 158 square meters of usable floor area. Its program includes an elevated living room with an integrated kitchen and dining area, a main bedroom, two children’s rooms, two bathrooms and technical spaces. The plan places service functions along the northern edge, leaving the principal living areas open toward the south. This arrangement gives the main rooms direct access to daylight, the terrace and the wider view.

A summer kitchen occupies the northern side of the house and adds another setting for family activities. Long sightlines pass through the interior and connect opposite sides of the plan. These visual routes support a clear sense of continuity while maintaining a close relationship between the rooms and the surrounding terrain. The single-story layout keeps movement direct and allows the family spaces to remain closely connected throughout the day.

The design follows a passive climatic strategy based on the house’s orientation and the depth of the pergola. During winter, the southern glazing allows sunlight to enter the interior and contribute solar heat. During summer, the timber structure shades the glass and limits excessive heat. The same architectural element defines the exterior character of the house and responds to seasonal changes without relying on a separate decorative feature.

Material choices continue the project’s focus on continuity. Travertine flooring runs from the interior onto the terrace, reducing the visual separation between indoor and outdoor areas. Clay plaster gives the walls a soft, tactile surface, while exposed timber beams establish a visible structural rhythm overhead. The architects selected a limited group of natural materials for their durability and capacity to develop character over time.

The house uses precise planning and a measured scale to shape daily life. Its architecture avoids unnecessary gestures and relies on orientation, proportion and material consistency. The timber pergola acts as the central element, connecting the glazed facade, terraces and outdoor living areas. Inside, the arrangement of private rooms, shared spaces and service zones creates a clear structure for family use.

Villa Vicus responds directly to its hillside position through a plan that follows the southern view. Every principal living space participates in that relationship, while the pergola regulates light and defines the edge of the house. Sebastian Nagy Architects turns the owners’ request into a focused residential design where layout, climate and material work as one system.

View Gallery 18 images

Studio: Sebastian Nagy Architects
Author: Sebastian Nagy
Co-author: Martina Pulmanová
Project location: Nitra, Slovakia
Project year: 2015-2024
Completion year: 2024
Built-up area: 195 m²
Usable floor area: 158 m²
Plot size: 1050 m²
Photographer: Tomáš Manina
Collaborators and suppliers
Travertine flooring: EURO KAMEŇ
Timber roof structure: kontrakting

The post Sebastian Nagy Architects Places Villa Vicus Along the Slope appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Vasco Burnay Arquitectura designed Casa do Alpendre from an empty plot in Quinta da Coutada, in Vila Franca de Xira. The site sits in an area with varied architectural languages, where nearby buildings share no clear visual order. An industrial facility also marks the surroundings, with large roof structures and facades covered in different types of metal sheeting. The house responds to this context through a clear plan, controlled orientation, and a layout that protects daily life from the less domestic edges of the plot.

HOUSING

The L-shaped plan organizes the entire project. Along the street, the house creates a frontage that fits the urban logic of the subdivision while keeping the full scale of the volume from immediate view. The longer wing shields the interiors from northern exposure and turns the main shared areas toward the south. This move also allows the house to face away from the industrial complex at the rear of the block, creating a stronger sense of privacy within the plot.

The plan places the sleeping areas to the east and the living areas toward the south and west. This arrangement creates a protected outdoor area that works as the house’s private core. The exterior space receives sun, opens toward the living areas, and stays sheltered from the surrounding conditions. Casa do Alpendre uses this central outdoor area as a point of orientation, giving the house a clear relationship between interior rooms and open-air space.

A continuous south-facing porch runs along the longer wing. This porch functions as an extension of the house, offering a place for dwelling, circulation, and climatic protection. It gives the social areas an outdoor threshold and softens the passage between the interior and the garden. On the opposite side, a ramp follows the natural slope of the land and connects the different exterior levels.

The program separates social and private uses with precision. Vasco Burnay Arquitectura places the living room and kitchen inside the longer volume, creating a continuous shared space beneath the generous pitched roof void. The design removes visual barriers between these areas, giving the main volume a direct and open domestic character. The shorter volume holds four bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom, along with a walk-in closet shared by two of the rooms.

At the point where the two volumes meet, the plan gathers the circulation halls, pantry, guest bathroom, and the staircase to the attic of the main volume. Both pitched roofs create habitable attic spaces, adding use to the upper areas of the house. In the smaller volume, the bedroom at the end of the wing provides access to its attic. A bespoke timber staircase serves as both access and storage, functioning as a wardrobe and bookshelf within the room.

The roof level includes a technical terrace that holds the equipment and infrastructure needed for the house. Outside, the continuation of the main pitched roof covers the laundry room and an additional bathroom. The swimming pool occupies an upper platform, while the lowest level near the street frontage forms a forecourt with parking for three vehicles.

View Gallery 25 images

Project name: Casa do Alpendre
Architecture Office: Vasco Burnay Arquitectura
Main Architect: Vasco Burnay
Location: Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal
Year of conclusion: 2024
Total area:  250 m²
Builder Ladislau Construções
Engineering: Urpendium Engenharia & Construção Lda
Landscape: Jardim Digital
Fluids Engineering : Urpendium Engenharia & Construção Lda
Thermal Engineering: Urpendium Engenharia & Construção Lda
Architectural photographer: Ivo Tavares Studio

The post Vasco Burnay Arquitectura Designs Pink Casa do Alpendre appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

AR Arquitectos approaches Gavión House as a contemporary residence built around movement, sequence, and material experience. The house does not rely on instant impact. It draws attention through a gradual progression of courtyards, voids, material changes, and transitional spaces. Each area opens slowly into the next, allowing the residents to experience the house through rhythm, pause, and filtered light.

HOUSING

The project follows an introspective logic. Instead of turning outward through spectacle, Gavión House looks inward and builds its character through spatial order. The design creates a controlled domestic experience where circulation matters as much as the rooms themselves. Movement through the house reveals concrete planes, gabion walls, perforated masonry screens, and courtyards in stages, giving each material and space a clear role in the larger composition.

AR Arquitectos draws from contemporary Latin American architecture, with particular reference to Paulo Mendes da Rocha. The project takes cues from Paulista Brutalism through its use of exposed structure, material honesty, and a direct relationship between weight and openness. Gavión House studies mass and void through a horizontal composition that stretches across a single level. Concrete gives the residence a strong architectural base, while gabion walls add texture, depth, and a natural roughness to the exterior language.

AR Arquitectos leaves concrete, stone, and masonry with their raw qualities visible, allowing the exterior to communicate through weight, texture, and construction. Perforated masonry screens filter views and light, creating moments of privacy while keeping the architecture connected to air and shadow. These elements give the residence a quiet intensity, with every surface contributing to the experience of moving through the home.

Inside, the project shifts toward a warmer domestic mood. Wood, light-toned textiles, and furniture with restrained proportions soften the heavier exterior materials. Simple lines guide the interiors, allowing texture and light to lead the experience. Natural light enters through controlled openings and passes across surfaces with a measured rhythm, changing the way rooms feel throughout the day.

The program covers approximately 405 m² on one level. AR Arquitectos organizes the residence with clarity, giving the users a functional plan that supports daily life while maintaining spatial continuity. The horizontal layout connects rooms to courtyards and outdoor areas, creating a constant relationship between interior space and the surrounding environment.

View Gallery 25 images

Project Name: Gavión House
Architecture Office: AR Arquitectos
Year: 2026
Built Area: 405 m²
Location: El Bosque Club de Campo, Córdoba, Argentina

The post AR Arquitectos Grounds Gavión House in Concrete and Stone appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

KCAP has started construction on Linck, a 198-home neighborhood in Oss designed around shared space, mixed housing, and public life. The project occupies a former surface car park between the city center and the Raadhuiskwartier cultural district, turning an underused site into a residential block with shops, cafés, co-working spaces, communal terraces, and a green courtyard. Construction will complete in 2028.

RESIDENTIAL

Linck places community at the center of its plan. Four buildings frame a public courtyard, creating a shared interior for residents and visitors. At ground level, the green space includes a children’s playground, seating under a pergola, and direct connections to surrounding streets. Commercial units across 950 square meters activate the pavement and the courtyard, giving the block a daily public rhythm beyond private residential use.

The fourth floor creates another social layer. Bridges connect all four buildings and give every resident access to shared rooftop amenities. The program includes a communal kitchen, a game room, fitness decks, rooftop terraces, and an urban greenhouse for growing food and gathering. KCAP uses these elevated connections to turn separate residential volumes into one connected neighborhood.

The housing mix addresses demand in a growing city. Linck includes 108 social housing units, 52 mid-range rental homes, 28 owner-occupied apartments, and 10 friends-units. The friends-units offer a shared-tenancy model, with private bedrooms and bathrooms supported by common spaces. This model responds to affordability pressure, limited urban space, and social isolation through a more collective way of living.

The design works with two distinct characters. Along Raadhuislaan, two street-edge buildings complete the urban block with light brick facades and loggias. A 48-meter tower gives the project a clear presence in the city center and responds to Oss’s plan for greater density. Inside the block, two courtyard buildings take a softer scale, with terraced forms, bamboo cladding, climbing plants, and balconies facing the shared green interior.

KCAP also gives Linck a strong environmental framework. The project achieves an MPG score of 0.57, below the Dutch legal maximum of 0.8, and reaches an embodied carbon figure of 341 kg CO₂-eq/m² GFA, below the Dutch Paris Proof threshold for residential construction. The two lower blocks use cross-laminated timber on their upper floors, storing carbon and reducing structural weight. Their lighter construction allows reduced foundations, cutting excavation and embodied carbon. The tower uses timber for pavilion extensions, and sand-lime stone replaces conventional concrete where possible.

Biobased insulation runs through the project, and bamboo cladding covers the garden-facing facades and top-up volumes. Ground-source heat pumps provide heating and cooling, photovoltaic panels generate electricity across all rooftops, and thermal storage balances demand during the day. Adjustable shading, careful window placement, and light-colored facades on sun-exposed elevations reduce summer cooling loads and support winter solar gain.

The courtyard manages climate through planting, water, and movement. Indigenous planting, facade climbers, nesting provisions, and green roofs support urban biodiversity and reduce heat stress. Rainwater from roofs and terraces flows into wadis across the courtyard, allowing stormwater to remain visible as part of the design. The car-free interior gives priority to pedestrians and cyclists, with shaded routes leading toward surrounding streets and the railway station.

Parking stays limited to 34 EV-ready underground spaces, supported by shared parking in a nearby mobility hub. Bicycle storage sits clearly at every entrance. Beyond the block, KCAP also designed the public route from the city center to the theatre district for the Municipality of Oss, turning a through-traffic road into a route for pedestrians and cyclists.

Location: Raadhuislaan-Noord, Oss, The Netherlands
Client: AM and BrabantWonen
Landscape Architecture Client: Municipality of Oss
KCAP: Urban design, architecture & landscape architecture
Collaborators:
Structural Engineer: Goudstikker de Vries
MEP: Huisman & van Muijen
Fire Safety/Energy and Climate: LBP Sight
Cost Calculation: VGG
Contractor: Berghege ​
Total Area: 22,565 m² (above ground), 1,425 m² underground parking
Landscape Area: 1,75 ha
Program: 198 residential units (108 social housing, 52 mid-range rental, 10 friends-units, 28 owner-occupied apartments), 950 m² commercial space, 2 collective spaces (95 m²), 34 underground parking spaces (all EV-ready), green courtyard and public spaces
Construction: March 2026 – 2028 (projected completion)
Image Credits: Renders by VIVID-VISION

The post KCAP Designs Linck as a Green Neighborhood for Shared Living appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

yh2 approaches Maison Aubé in Saint-Eustache as a careful act of recovery, expansion, and family continuity. The house dates back to 1811 and belongs to the Maison des Patriotes typology. It sits inside a large garden along the Rivière des Mille Îles, on land that once formed part of wider agricultural grounds. The same family has lived with the house for decades, and the site has grown into a multigenerational architectural story shaped by use, memory, and changing domestic needs.

HOUSING

The garden already carried several layers before the latest intervention. Artist Geneviève Jost built her residence nearby, later known as The First House. Her eldest daughter then took over the ancestral home, while the family continued to adapt the property over time. Previous additions answered practical needs, yet they left the original structure without a clear architectural direction. The owners eventually chose to restore the house to its initial form while increasing its capacity as a shared family home.

yh2 began with the exterior. The team removed an earlier addition attached to the original volume in order to recover the house’s pure form. New doors and windows use double glazing and multiple panes to echo the original openings. The architects also removed skylights and restored the cedar shingle roof.

Inside, the project places the original structure in direct view. Exposed timber frames define the rooms, with damaged portions repaired and new junctions clearly expressed where needed. Restored stone walls reveal the material character of the period. A fireplace takes its place inside the new double-height living area, giving the kitchen, dining room, and living room a shared center. Behind the kitchen, a discreet staircase leads to a multifunctional upper level with offices, a library, and a playroom.

The connection between the ancestral house and the new extension takes the form of a glazed passage. From outside, reflections of trees and the surrounding garden soften its presence. Inside, the passage creates a quiet transition between two distinct atmospheres

The contemporary extension sits among mature trees and follows the logic of the site. Its volume expands and contracts to protect the existing vegetation, giving each room a specific relationship with the garden. yh2 uses ebony-stained cedar, black-stained wooden windows, and a river-pebble roof to place the extension within its natural setting. Inside, the material continuity creates a quiet atmosphere, while windows frame views of the ancestral house, the water, and the trees.

The extension also responds to the exposed timber of the original house. Its ceiling uses visible joists and black-stained wooden planks, creating a measured rhythm through the interior. A central corridor follows the slope of the land through ramps, leading to bedrooms, a bathroom, an office, a gym, and finally the master bedroom. This final room sits slightly apart from the ancestral house, giving it privacy while opening it toward the garden.

View Gallery 20 images

Project Name: Maison Aubé
Location: Saint-Eustache, QC, Canada
Completion date: 2025
Area: 3 860 pi.ca.
Architect: yh2
Design team: Marie-Claude Hamelin, Loukas Yiacouvakis, Karl Choquette, Lisa Busmey
Contractor: SMS Turcot construction
Landscape architect: Libre cour + LN Paysage
Engineer: Génie X 
Photographer: Maxime Brouillet

The post Studio yh2 Restores and Extends the Historic Maison Aubé appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Wahana Architects presents El House in Jakarta. The project responds to a clear domestic brief: create a home that welcomes extended family, close friends, and professional colleagues with comfort, openness, and spatial clarity. The architects approached the house as a setting for shared time, designing rooms that support daily living as well as gatherings across different scales.

HOUSING

The plan centers on a large living and dining area, which acts as the social core of the home. Wahana Architects gives this central space an open configuration, allowing the residents to host intimate dinners, larger family moments, and professional gatherings within one flexible setting. A professional-grade kitchen supports this program and extends the home’s focus on hospitality.

The architects build the project through a clear system of layers. El House divides into two main volumes, separated by a slender transitional zone. This elongated space takes the form of a linear reflective pond, giving the house a quiet pause between programs. The pond creates a sensory link with the natural surroundings and introduces water as a defining spatial element. Its placement shapes movement through the residence and gives the separation between volumes a calm, deliberate character.

Solid masses, transitional zones, water, and surface treatments work together to define how residents and guests move through the house. The project avoids an enclosed reading of domestic space and instead creates a sequence of connected areas that encourage gathering, reflection, and movement.

The right wing introduces one of the project’s strongest exterior gestures. Wahana Architects wraps this volume in a brown-toned secondary skin, which acts as a protective layer and gives the facade a distinct identity. The envelope adds texture and depth while controlling the relationship between the interior and exterior. Its color and surface quality bring warmth to the composition, while its role as a screen gives the house a stronger sense of enclosure.

The secondary skin also supports the project’s layered spatial language. It stands alongside the reflective pond, the solid building volumes, and the transitional voids as part of the same architectural system. The facade treatment gives the right wing a specific presence without separating it from the overall composition.

El House defines contemporary domestic life through gathering and clarity. The residence gives equal importance to family, friends, and professional guests, creating a home that can shift between private living and larger social use. Its central living and dining area supports that flexibility, while the kitchen, pond, and layered volumes extend the sense of hospitality throughout the plan.

View Gallery 25 images

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Site area: 730 m²
Built Area: 1,158 m²
Principal Architect: Rudy Kelana
Design Team: Ruth Connie Rajagukguk, Gloria Gracia
Contractor: HansLala Contractor
Photography: Mario Wibowo

The post Wahana Architects Designs El House Around Gatherings appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Clementine House by Architéka and Lucie Němcová transforms Pension Clementine, a riverside guesthouse in Český Krumlov, into a place of rest with a quiet, inward focus. Set on the banks of the Vltava River, the project keeps the calm of the site as its main spatial quality. The renovation preserves authentic parts of the former late 18th-century farm building, including exposed beams and stone walls.

HOSPITALITY

The building now works as a retreat where each apartment maintains a direct connection with its surroundings. Views open toward the river and across the terraces of the newly arranged garden, which includes a swimming pool.

Investor Anna Gášpárová wanted to create a place in Český Krumlov where she would enjoy spending time herself. She imagined an interior with quality, intimacy, and art. After she and her husband acquired the guesthouse in 2019, she invited architects Lucie Němcová and Tereza Komárková to lead the full renovation.

The project brings historical fragments and new interventions into a clear spatial order. The architects created a restrained foundation for future artworks and for daily life inside the house. Their additions use simple forms and generous execution, giving the rooms a clean base without removing the character of the original structure.

The first floor contains two spacious apartments overlooking the river and garden. Bespoke large-format sliding panels allow the layouts to change, while original paintings by Patrik Hábl turn the dividers into major artistic elements. From the shared hall, a sculptural staircase leads to the attic, where three more rooms occupy the upper level. These rooms open into the roof structure, while wall reproductions echo motifs from Hábl’s paintings. The ground floor remains reserved for the investor’s private residence.

Natural stone, wood surfaces, and hand-applied cement finishes create a grounded palette. Custom joinery and metalwork add precision, while loose furniture combines restored antiques with pieces by Czech and Slovak designers and local manufacturers.

One of the main architectural changes involved the circulation. The team replaced the original external staircase with an internal connection, allowing movement through the house to feel more natural. A dark blue steel staircase now winds from the ground floor to the attic, linking the levels into one continuous sequence.

The renovation keeps the weight and character of the stone house while giving it a more open structure. Bathrooms receive the same level of care as the main living spaces. In several rooms, bathtubs extend directly into the bedroom areas, turning bathing into a private ritual and strengthening the intimate atmosphere of the apartments.

View Gallery 33 images

Studio: Architéka, Lucie Němcová
Author: Tereza Komárková (Architéka), Lucie Němcová
Design team: Tereza Černá (collaboration), Stanislav Heidler, Blanka Heidlerová (project documentation)
Project location: Po Vodě 106, Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
Project year: 2020-2022
Completion year: 2026
Built-up area: 140 m²
Gross floor area: 490 m²
Usable floor area: 320 m²
Plot size: 655 m²
Cost: 1M €
Client: Anna Gášpárová, Gergely Gášpár
Photographer: Václav Novák
Collaborators and suppliers
Original artistic wall paintings: Patrik Hábl
Wayfinding: Brandmark.
Sticker graphics, wallpapers (implementatio): FUGU
General contractor: Vidox
Atypical steel staircase: Petr Hampl
Cement plasters: BOCA
Wooden floors & tiles: Havwoods
Custom furniture: HOMER Concept & Interiors
Stone slabs: Adriatik Stone
Locksmith elements: Bers Metal
Atypical concrete slabs for bathtubs: ŠVEC Beton
Lighting supplier: LightWorks
Decorative chandeliers: Studio IHOR
Furniture supplier: Momenti, Alax, Bonami
Restoration of antique furniture: Tereza Korbelová (sto•re)

The post Clementine House Turns a Riverside Guesthouse Into a Retreat appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Anna and Sergii Baierzdorf, co-founders of Furn Object, introduce Portals Collection through a simple but charged idea: the need for a place, object, or moment that lets the mind step away from the weight of everyday reality. The collection turns metal and art glass into forms that suggest entry points, pauses, and private shifts in perception. Across the pieces, contrast becomes central: density and softness, surface and depth, function and atmosphere. Light and reflective material create objects that feel grounded in the interior while opening toward something more private and slightly unreal.

INTERVIEWS

Across The Island Table, The Gate Mirror, and The Glimpse Floor Lamp, Furn Object explores how furniture can carry emotional charge while remaining part of daily life. Metal appears softened, opened, or interrupted, while glass brings moments of light, reflection, and visual depth into each form. In this interview for ARCHISCENE Magazine, Anna and Sergii Baierzdorf discuss the thinking behind Portals, their approach to existential design, the transformation of metal and glass, and the way a single object can alter the mood of a room.

Portals Collection begins with the idea of “materialized escapism.” What exactly are you hoping people escape from through these portals, and what do you want them to return to?

Each person has their own thoughts and challenges they sometimes want to step away from. This doesn’t necessarily require physically escaping in real life. Sometimes, we simply need to return for a moment to the safe space that exists within our consciousness. 

I can give a personal example: my home in Ukraine has been under occupation for more than nine years, and I often return there in my dreams before coming back to reality. 

It’s precisely this contrast, this transition between worlds, that we aimed to express in our collection. The main goal of Portals is to allow a person to experience this state not only mentally, but also through real physical sensations while interacting with our objects.

For us, design is not cold calculation, but the recording of a moment.

You describe your work as “existential design,” yet Portals is about exhaling, recharging, and stepping outside reality for a moment. How do you turn heavy questions into metal, glass, shape, and light that evoke lightness and joy?

We don’t have a precise formula. It’s a purely intuitive, internal process. 

We observe the world around us. Objectively, it is harsh, full of challenges and difficult moments. And we work with equally uncompromising materials. 

But through all of this, we also see how beautiful reality can be. Our design is a projection of that perspective. 

We take this heaviness and rigidity and use them to show that even within them, you can still find lightness, the ability to exhale, and the capacity to see beauty.

In this collection, metal seems to melt, split, and lose its harshness. What drew you to this transformation, and how do you persuade such a stubborn material to look so vulnerable?

Metal is one of our primary materials, and we work with it constantly. But we’re not interested in using it in the same way every time, so for each new piece we try to reinvent the material anew. 

In the Portals Collection, we wanted to show how light can completely transform the nature of things. 

To make stubborn metal appear vulnerable, we combined concept with craft. We developed a special finishing technique that visually and tactilely emphasizes the softness of the material. And when the right light falls on such a prepared surface, what is hard and rigid stops appearing that way. 

We don’t fight the metal, we simply prepare it so that light can dissolve its hardness.

The art glass inserts feel like openings inside the objects. What role does glass play for you here?

We have long wanted to integrate glass into our metal objects. We are deeply drawn to how these materials contrast with and simultaneously complement each other. 

Glass has a fascinating paradox: visually it is extremely light and airy, yet in practice it requires tremendous effort and uncompromising craftsmanship. This duality perfectly aligns with our concept. 

In the finished objects, metal holds the structure together, as it’s material, grounded, and heavy. Glass plays the role of a delicate substance through which it becomes possible to “break through” into another state. 

It’s like dreams: fluid and alive with pulsating energy. It functions as a window that disrupts the solid wall of reality and gives a person the opportunity to look beyond it.

We use contrasting materials to make them vulnerable and alive, and it’s this interplay that creates a true emotional connection.

The Island Table is described as the energy center of the space. How did you approach designing an object that feels functional, sculptural, and almost symbolic at the same time?

We didn’t want to create just a functional surface on supports. The sculptural quality of the table lies in its posture. For example, the legs are turned outward, giving it a distinct character. 

The table feels as if it expands from the center, flowing out from a single source and cascading downward. It doesn’t stand like an ordinary piece of furniture, but rather like a living being or a monument that gently transitions from one space into another. 

The Portals Collection is fundamentally about movement in different forms, and here the table literally “flows” and expands. This fluid form makes it a visual anchor in the space while fully preserving its functionality.

The Gate Mirror seems to question what a mirror can do beyond reflection. What kind of encounter did you want to create between the object and the person standing before it?

We wanted to move away from the idea of a mirror as a simple flat interior object. The Gate Mirror is a physical embodiment of a gateway. 

Its secret lies in the form: the frame has a specific inward curve, resembling a funnel. This creates a visual effect of being drawn inward. 

When placed in a space, the mirror pulls attention toward itself and effectively gathers the surrounding environment around it. 

We wanted the viewer not just to see their reflection, but to feel depth. The mirror visually “invites” you to step forward, thanks to a powerful architectural gesture that completely transforms the perception of a familiar object.

The Glimpse Floor Lamp captures a frozen moment of rupture, appearing more like a fragment caught in space. What kind of atmosphere did you want its fleeting light to create?

We called it Glimpse because it captures a moment of rupture through which energy breaks through. A glimpse is usually understood as something fleeting and elusive. But we believe light has immense power: once it appears in a space, it never truly disappears. We may think it has faded or gone, but it remains forever, transforming the environment. 

With this floor lamp, we wanted to create an intimate, mysterious corner where time briefly stands still. This object is a reminder that even the smallest glimpse of light and joy in our harsh world leaves a lasting trace.

Furn Object encourages people to seek what feels truly theirs. How do you create collectible pieces that feel personal, emotional, and connected to everyday life?

The secret is that we are not trying to appeal to everyone. We simply create what we see and feel ourselves, as if we were literally extracting objects from our inner world and bringing them into reality. 

These objects are direct projections of our instincts and our understanding of beauty. We use contrasting materials to make them vulnerable and alive, and it’s this interplay that creates a true emotional connection. 

Furn Object pieces are not just functional design objects, they are independent characters.

A single object can unify a space, fragment it, or disappear entirely.

How much power do you think one object can have over the mood of a room?

The impact is enormous. A single object can unify a space, fragment it, or disappear entirely. 

Every object has its own “gravity.” When you place a strong character piece in a room, it becomes a point of convergence. It draws attention and sets the rhythm of the entire interior. Our objects, these “characters,” are created precisely to function as such anchors of meaning. They carry enough internal strength to organize the space around them and define its atmosphere.

As designers and co-founders, how do your shared instincts shape Furn Object, and where do you see this language of nature, freedom, and emotional design going next?

We consciously do not build rigid conceptual plans. Our main instinct as co-founders is the ability to sensitively feel reality in the present moment. 

For us, design is not cold calculation, but the recording of a moment. If something appears in our inner world, it means it needs to be materialized. 

We did not plan the Portals collection. It emerged naturally as a continuation of our lives, shortly after the birth of our daughter. In a way, she is what brought these “portals” into being. 

We don’t know where our language will evolve next or what will come tomorrow, we’re not trying to predict the future. We simply continue observing life and see what it brings us.

The post Furn Object on Turning Escapism Into the Portals Collection appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Studio InTo completes Sanshan Laichi Xialang Valley Retreat in Xialang Village, Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China, at the foot of Mount Luofu and southeast of Fayun Temple. Surrounded by bamboo groves, streams, and gently changing terrain, the guesthouse responds to the humid, rainy climate of the Lingnan mountain region through a spatial system built around courtyards, semi-outdoor passages, natural ventilation, and layered views. The project covers 3,900 square meters, with architecture, interior, landscape, and FF&E design led by Studio InTo.

HOTELS

The site carries a quiet literary reference through Su Dongpo, who wrote during his exile in Huizhou about the simple pleasure of cooling one’s feet by a stream on the summer solstice. Studio InTo uses this atmosphere as a point of departure, placing the building to one side of the site and allowing the retreat to settle into the existing landscape. The design avoids an isolated resort language, instead creating a sequence of spaces where mountains, water, vegetation, light, and shadow enter daily life gradually.

The building volumes enclose a central courtyard from three sides, while an opening between the two taller masses extends the courtyard toward the southwest and frames Mount Luofu. The volumes never fully close in on themselves. Semi-outdoor spaces, corridors, and transitional interfaces connect them, creating gaps that support circulation, pause, daylight, ventilation, and framed views. These openings allow the project to work almost like a garden, where scenery changes as the visitor moves through the building.

The entrance sequence reinforces this slower rhythm. Set away from the main road, the approach leads visitors through a bamboo path before reaching a triangular entrance pavilion. From there, the foyer sits at the junction of two raised volumes and marks the endpoint of the triangular inner courtyard. The space then unfolds through three courtyards, each visually connected through the foyer and surrounding corridors. This structure gives the retreat a calm sense of movement, with interior and exterior areas constantly shifting into one another.

Studio InTo draws from Lingnan architectural traditions through open, permeable spatial forms suited to heat and rain. The semi-outdoor ground level connects the different functional areas around the courtyard, while pitched roofs echo the distant mountain profile and answer the local climate. These roofs also give the building a clear architectural character, tying the separate volumes together without making the composition feel rigid.

Materials play a central role in grounding the project. Rubble stone walls extend from the exterior into the interior, creating a continuous material base across different spatial layers. Their rough texture catches changing light throughout the day, while perforated brick walls facing the inner courtyard provide shade, ventilation, and visual permeability. These brick surfaces filter strong sunlight and create mottled patterns in the semi-outdoor areas outside the guest rooms.

The public interiors continue the same restrained language. Oriented toward bamboo groves and streams, the shared spaces use framing and borrowed views to draw the landscape inward. Stone walls, solid wood elements, and furniture with a natural character create a grounded atmosphere without separating the interior from its surroundings. Interfaces opening toward the river further soften the building’s physical boundary, allowing the guesthouse to stay closely connected to water, vegetation, and mountain air.

The guest accommodation divides into six suites and twenty-one standard rooms. The suites sit deep within the ground floor, away from the road and close to the riverbank, creating a quieter and more private experience. Standard rooms occupy the second and third floors, opening toward the mountains and river. A wide-bay, shallow-depth layout allows each room to receive wider views and even natural light, while ceilings beneath the pitched roofs follow the roofline and guide light softly into the interior.

Inside the rooms, Studio InTo uses warm-toned textured paint, dark solid wood furniture, warm white stone, and semi-transparent ramie partitions. These materials create privacy while allowing light, silhouettes, and partial views to pass through. Some rooms introduce skylights, giving daylight a vertical presence and allowing light and shadow to change over time. The design makes even modest spatial dimensions feel connected to the passing hours and the surrounding terrain.

Sanshan Laichi Xialang Valley Retreat succeeds through balance. Studio InTo uses low-tech, locally grounded construction methods to respond to climate, site, and program, bringing together stone, brick, reclaimed elm wood, slate roof tiles, textured coatings, and metal roof panels within a coherent architectural language. The project frames retreat as an everyday relationship between architecture and environment, where courtyards, corridors, air, water, bamboo, and mountain views form one continuous spatial experience.

View Gallery 26 images

The post Studio InTo Designs Mountain Guesthouse in Xialang Valley appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

WJ Studio approaches Lakeside Villa in Shanghai as both a private residence and an art exhibition hall. Completed in June 2025, the 550-square-meter project reflects the client’s long relationship with collecting, while shifting the idea of a gallery into a domestic setting. The house does more than store artworks. It gives them a spatial rhythm, placing them within rooms shaped by light, movement, family life, and daily rituals.

HOUSING

The project begins with the threshold. Instead of closing the residence off from its lakeside setting, WJ Studio lowers the boundary walls and allows the surrounding greenery to enter the experience of the house. This decision creates a softer arrival, where architecture opens itself to the site before the interior begins. A glass curtain wall defines the first art space, turning it into a transparent private gallery. The restrained composition gives the owner’s collection room to breathe, while the foyer extends along this area and connects the gallery with the front hall.

From this first sequence, the house offers two paths. One leads through the gallery, where art shapes the act of arrival. The other moves toward the warmer rhythm of home. WJ Studio uses this duality throughout the project, balancing the discipline of exhibition space with the comfort of private life. The result feels controlled without becoming cold, precise without losing the human scale of a residence built around family, memory, and personal taste.

Deeper inside the house, the spatial language shifts from viewing to inhabiting. The original sunken footprint becomes a recessed lounge, framed by a tiered skylight above. This area creates a sense of enclosure within the open plan, while views align with the courtyard at eye level. The occupant no longer observes nature from a distance. The room places the body inside a layered relationship between architecture, garden, and light.

Structure plays a major role in this interior experience. WJ Studio keeps the steel columns at the four corners of the living room visible, turning them into sculptural elements. Teak veneer and copper inlays give the columns a refined presence, while copper-toned skylight details above extend the same material register through the space. The project treats structure as part of the interior language, giving the living room order, height, and a quiet vertical rhythm.

Circulation across the ground floor feels open and continuous. Traditional door frames almost disappear, while dry-hung wall systems and raw timber beams define the rooms through volume. The living room, dining area, sunroom, and outdoor courtyard unfold in layers, each space independent yet connected through sightlines and movement. WJ Studio uses these transitions to support a calm domestic pace, where rooms shift through proportion and material instead of hard separation.

Light becomes one of the project’s most important materials. In the study, a specially engineered skylight filters daylight through grilles and structural elements, softening its presence before it reaches the walls. As the day progresses, light patterns move across the room and give time a visible form. The effect connects the study to the quiet atmosphere of a museum, while keeping it grounded in the lived reality of a home.

The staircase leading to the lower level introduces another carefully shaped moment. WJ Studio uses frosted glass for the first flight, allowing daylight to reach deeper into the subterranean floor. The second flight expands into a seating area, creating space for children’s hobbies, family film nights, and informal gathering. At the turn of the stairs, another art niche appears, giving the circulation route a curatorial role within the house.

View Gallery 45 images

The post WJ Studio Designs a Shanghai Home as a Private Gallery appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Casa Plan de Barrancas by PPAA examines how an urban house can loosen its boundaries and enter a closer relationship with landscape. Located in western Mexico City, the 477.16-square-meter residence develops from a clear idea: domestic space can connect to vegetation, light, and open air while maintaining the structure and privacy required for daily life. The project avoids treating the house as an isolated object. Instead, it positions architecture as part of a larger field shaped by the city, the garden, and the voids between them.

HOUSING

The plan organizes the residence through a clear division between public and private areas. This distinction gives the house an efficient internal order, while allowing the experience of the spaces to unfold gradually. Openness defines the social areas, privacy shapes the upper levels, and landscape acts as a constant reference throughout the project. PPAA uses this organization to create a measured transition from shared life to retreat, giving the house a spatial rhythm shaped by exposure, enclosure, and view.

The ground floor carries the social life of the house. PPAA conceived this level as an open and permeable plane, directly connected to the rear garden. The living areas open fully toward the vegetation, allowing interior spaces to extend visually and physically outward. This gesture gives the ground floor a strong sense of continuity, where the garden becomes part of the domestic experience. The relationship between interior and exterior does not rely on decoration or spectacle. It comes through proportion, openness, material decisions, and the careful placement of built form against the landscape.

Material choices strengthen this reading. In the public areas, natural plaster walls establish a quiet surface language, while bush-hammered marble flooring extends outdoors and links the interior with the garden. The material continuity gives the ground floor a unified character, allowing the transition between house and exterior to feel direct and controlled. In the private areas, wooden floors introduce a warmer register, marking a shift in atmosphere as the house moves toward more intimate spaces. PPAA uses material changes to clarify the hierarchy of the project without disrupting its overall coherence.

Casa Plan de Barrancas also integrates a broad sustainability strategy. The house can operate independently from the electrical grid through solar panels, while electric systems support water heating and cooking. This approach significantly reduces the use of fossil fuels and gives the residence a more self-sufficient energy model. The strategy fits the architectural concept of the house, where connection to the environment extends beyond views and gardens into the systems that support daily life.

The project gains its strength from the way it treats architecture, landscape, and empty space as connected parts of the same idea. Casa Plan de Barrancas proposes a form of urban living that opens itself to vegetation while maintaining control, privacy, and structure. PPAA creates a residence that responds to its setting through spatial clarity, material restraint, and environmental awareness. The result is a house shaped by Mexico City, yet oriented toward a calmer domestic relationship with nature.

View Gallery 35 images

The post PPAA Shapes Casa Plan de Barrancas Through Landscape and Void appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.

Mati Sipiora and Ola Jakuć discuss Summer on Mars with ARCHISCENE Magazine, an exhibition presented during Milan Design Week 2026 as part of Alcova. Conceived as an alternative reality suspended between the real and the imagined, the project draws from retrofuturistic visions of Mars, modernist optimism, and post-anthropocentric thinking. Through lighting objects, sculptural structures, furniture, scent, crushed brick flooring, and atmospheric interventions, the exhibition builds an environment where domestic forms enter a speculative Martian setting.

INTERVIEWS

The project brings together two distinct design practices through contrast, with Sipiora’s structural precision placed in dialogue with Jakuć’s organic and intuitive approach to light, material, and perception. Mati Sipiora presents the new Lovecraft chaise longue and Zeppelin chair, alongside earlier works such as the Poodle armchair, Pluto table, and Cosmic stool. Ola Jakuć contributes pieces including Planet of Dew, Planet of Mist, Eternal Orchard, Water Discovery, and Superorganism. In this interview, Sipiora and Jakuć discuss inner summer, displaced reality, material experimentation, sensory space, and how objects can shift meaning when placed inside an unfamiliar world.

The idea of an “inner summer” runs through the exhibition as an emotional anchor. What informed the decision to place that sense of warmth within a setting usually depicted as cold?

O: We wanted to play with imagination, but also with contradictions – to juxtapose them and treat them almost like a game. We speak about summer, but it’s summer on Mars. Is it even warm there? The whole exhibition began with a series of “what if?” questions. What if our understanding of warmth, comfort, or nature could exist in completely different conditions? For example, sunsets on Mars appear blue rather than red. For us, this was a beautiful starting point for questioning our structured habits and familiar perceptions. There was also a more emotional layer to it. Summer usually makes us feel better – we have more energy because there is more light. Since light is such an important material in my practice, I wanted to recreate this feeling of warmth through light itself. But we are still on Mars, so perhaps it is not warmth in the way we are used to experiencing it on Earth. It is produced through different means, with a slightly unfamiliar emotional temperature. From there, I began working with motifs that I associate with summer – orchards, mist, dew, water, insects – and transforming them into something more cosmic, more Martian.

M: I think Ola described it beautifully through the idea of contradiction. For me, the “inner summer” was more about an emotional state than actual temperature. Even in cold or unfamiliar environments, we still search for warmth, intimacy, and connection. Setting the exhibition on Mars allowed us to detach summer from its usual meaning and treat it more like a memory or a feeling that we carry within ourselves. In that sense, the contrast between coldness and warmth became a way of speaking about human perception and emotional adaptation.

Even in cold or unfamiliar environments, we still search for warmth, intimacy, and connection.

The project is described as a displacement of reality rather than an escape. How did this approach shape the way visitors experienced the objects?

O: It can be understood on multiple levels. First of all, reality itself is something we experience through our senses, and perception is always shaped by them. With SUMMER ON MARS, we wanted the space, objects, scent, sound, and lighting to work together as one coherent environment – a physical translation of the vision we had been discussing for months. At the same time, we were also questioning what “reality” meant in this particular context. The exhibition was presented during Milan Design Week at Alcova, so despite its speculative and abstract point of departure, it still remained grounded in the language of contemporary design. The objects were functional, tangible, and connected to everyday use. So rather than creating an escape from reality, we were interested in slightly shifting it – creating a situation where familiar functions and recognizable forms existed within a different emotional and perceptual framework.

M: For us, it was important to place everyday objects – balancing between design and art – within an environment that felt completely unfamiliar. We wanted the entire space to evoke the atmosphere of Mars through every detail: light, materials, sound, and spatial composition. At the same time, the objects themselves were meant to naturally belong to this imagined reality. We liked the idea that they could exist both in a domestic context and within a speculative Martian landscape, almost blurring the line between the familiar and the unknown. Especially for the exhibition, I designed the Lovecraft chaise lounge – an organic form that looked almost as if it was walking across the surface of the red planet. For me, it was also a playful experiment with form and convention. It is technically a piece of furniture, but at the same time it feels slightly alive, as if it wanted to escape or came from another dimension. That duality reflects our approach to design quite well.

Your styles are very different, one structural and precise, the other organic and intuitive. Is there a specific point where your two worlds meet, or did they remain in constant contrast?

O: I think the contrast between our works is probably the first thing people notice, but at the same time I also see many similarities in the way we approach making. The most obvious common point is metal as a material, but beyond that, we both allow the material itself to guide us. Our objects come from personal fascinations that are then translated into form through a very intuitive process. In a way, I think the objects also reflect our personalities quite strongly – they reveal different sensitivities, temperaments, and ways of experiencing the world. I also find our backgrounds interesting in relation to this collaboration. We come from opposite ends of Poland and, for some time, studied at the same university. Maybe that was one of the first moments our worlds crossed – perhaps unconsciously, somewhere in the corridor – even though we actually met relatively recently. What feels important to me is that, despite developing our practices separately, we arrived at a very similar understanding of authorship and making. That is what allows us to collaborate through dialogue and contrast while still preserving the individuality of each practice.

M: I think the contrast is actually the part I enjoy most about our collaboration, and it gave me a satisfaction while creating this exhibition. Our works are completely different, yet they still communicate with one another. What connects us is metal, but even there we work with opposite materials and approaches. Ola works with aluminium, a softer, more malleable material that can be cast into very organic forms. My practice is based more around stainless steel, which I weld, cut, and shape in a much more precise, almost surgical or futuristic way. I find this tension between the two approaches very inspiring. One feels fluid and intuitive, the other more structural and controlled, but together they created a dialogue that became an important part of the exhibition itself.

The Lovecraft chaise longue by Mati Sipiora is inspired by cosmic horror. How was an object meant for relaxation designed to also feel unfamiliar?

The Lovecraft chaise longue came from my fascination with the stories of H.P. Lovecraft and the atmosphere of cosmic horror. There was also a sense of humor behind it, this idea that on Mars, even objects designed for rest might look as if they want to escape from us. I wanted the piece to feel slightly inaccessible, almost like an alien organism or a futuristic algae form. You can still recognize soft surfaces and shapes that invite the body to sit or recline, but at the same time there is something unfamiliar and unsettling about it. That contrast was intentional. I was interested in creating a kind of grotesque tension between comfort and discomfort, familiarity and otherness.

With the Zeppelin chair, the idea of levitation comes into focus. How was a heavy, sculptural object shaped to feel as if it transcends gravity?

The Zeppelin chair was inspired by airships and by humanity’s fascination with flight and the dream of levitation. From the beginning, I wanted the object to feel light and elegant despite being made from metal. A very important detail for me was the leather cushion placed on the backrest, which subtly references the form of an airship and becomes the visual focal point of the chair. I spent a long time searching for the right proportions and the right balance between leather and metal so the whole piece would feel soft, inviting, and almost floating. I was also very interested in the construction itself, especially the intersecting double legs made from paired steel rods that cross each other in a logical and structural way. It became a kind of formal experiment for me.

Setting the exhibition on Mars allowed us to detach summer from its usual meaning and treat it more like a memory or a feeling that we carry within ourselves.

Earlier works such as the Poodle armchair appeared alongside new premieres. Did they take on a different meaning once placed within this Martian context?

The Poodle armchair is a very important piece within my practice and also a very personal project for me, so it felt natural to include it within the Martian environment of the exhibition. I think it fits this futuristic narrative very well because, in a way, the object already looks like a visitor from another planet. Its construction resembles polished capsules or metallic forms from another dimension, so placing it within the Mars setting gave it an entirely new layer of meaning. What interests me about the Poodle chair is that it constantly changes depending on the context in which it is shown. I believe this project will continue to evolve through future exhibitions because it is very difficult to place within one specific style or design movement. It goes slightly against expectations, and because of that it can exist equally well in domestic interiors, gallery spaces, or even within an imagined Martian landscape.

Across Ola Jakuć’s work, light operates as a central element. When did light begin to function as a material rather than a condition?

O: It was a long process. If I had to place small flags along that journey, one of the first important moments was during my Erasmus exchange at Hochschule Hannover, where I studied Design and Media. I enrolled in a light design course, and as part of it we visited the Light Art Museum in Unna. I remember feeling a very immediate spark there – a sense that this was something I wanted to pursue further. Later, my fascination with electronic music became equally important. I dreamed about connecting these two worlds somehow. My first attempts at working with design through multiple senses started during my studies at Design Academy Eindhoven. Afterwards, I designed lighting objects for a club in Amsterdam, and later, thanks to friends from Berlin, I began creating light scenographies for a niche electronic music festival. That was probably the moment when I truly understood how strongly light can shape spatial experience and influence the way people emotionally perceive a space. At the same time, because of my background in art and design, I have never thought about light purely in technical terms. For me, it is primarily about atmosphere, form, perception, and the relationship between light and material. Now these experiences naturally flow back into my design practice – although honestly, at this point all these worlds have become intertwined, and ideas move freely between them.

Eternal Orchard introduces a biodegradable material developed in collaboration with scientists. How did that collaboration shape the final object?

O: Working with researchers from other disciplines is something I deeply value. I see design itself as a field that naturally connects different kinds of knowledge – technical, artistic, scientific, and social. Because of that, seeking experiences outside of the field has always felt very natural to me. For Eternal Orchard, I collaborated with a team from Białystok University of Technology – Aneta Sienkiewicz and Małgorzata Kowczyk-Sadowy – who developed a fully biodegradable hardened biomaterial made from blackcurrant.

The collaboration directly shaped the final object because the material itself determined many of my decisions. The moment I received the samples, I became fascinated by the way they interacted with light. Without illumination the material appears almost black, but once light passes through it, deep red tones begin to emerge and its entire character changes. That transformation became the central element of the piece. I placed light behind the material and designed the object around this gradual shift of color and perception. In a way, the work became a dialogue between organic matter, technology, and sensory experience. The aluminum cast details at the top and bottom function almost like a final seal – emphasizing my ongoing interest in the relationship between natural and industrial processes.

The exhibition became a space onto which visitors projected their own experiences, sensitivities, and associations.

Throughout the exhibition, the objects read in relation to one another as part of a shared system. Were they conceived this way from the beginning, or did that connection develop over time?

O: The way the objects eventually entered into dialogue with one another was actually unexpected for us as well. From the very beginning, we gave each other a great deal of independence and did not interfere in one another’s individual processes, even though we were creating the exhibition together. We had several conversations early on to establish a shared framework for the collaboration, but afterwards each of us developed our own path independently. We only saw the entire exhibition together about a month before presenting it at Alcova, and we were genuinely surprised by how many relationships emerged between the works – especially through color, atmosphere, and material presence. It almost felt as if every decision had been made collectively from the start. I think this kind of trust and understanding happened naturally at a certain point, and if we had tried to plan everything from the very beginning, it probably would not have worked in the same way. We started with a shared intuition and simply followed it.

M: The starting point for us was actually the contrast between our works. We knew from the beginning that we create very different kinds of objects, and that the collision of these two worlds could produce something interesting. Of course, we both had a general vision of what we wanted to show and what kind of atmosphere we wanted to build, but a lot of the process remained very intuitive. We worked quite independently and trusted that the pieces would somehow find their place together.

Between the red ground, the bespoke scent, and the lighting, the space took on a physical presence. How did you want people to feel while moving through it?

O: It is difficult to impose a specific emotion on people, and honestly, we never approached the exhibition that way. We were more interested in what we wanted to communicate rather than dictating how someone should feel. What we hoped for was a shift in perspective – a temporary shift away from everyday reality. We wanted to create an imagined context in which our objects could exist, almost as an invitation to meet somewhere else, on another planet. Maybe our reality on Earth is not always ideal, so we felt like there is something meaningful in imagining another beginning somewhere else. That idea was experienced physically as well. Instead of a hard floor, visitors suddenly felt soft brick dust beneath their feet, almost like sand. The atmosphere was intensified by the scent created by Mateusz Wójcik. How this affected perception probably depended entirely on personal experience, and the feedback was very diverse because of that. Some people said the floor reminded them of a tennis court – which very quickly revealed that they played tennis themselves. Others focused more on the soundscape, while people who immediately asked about materials and production techniques often turned out to be designers. I think that was the most interesting part – the exhibition became a space onto which visitors projected their own experiences, sensitivities, and associations.

M: It was very important for us to create a complete, immersive experience, so that when someone entered the space, they immediately felt transported somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere different from a typical exhibition environment. We wanted to introduce an element of surprise and slight uncertainty. Many visitors were unsure whether they were even allowed to step onto the Martian ground, and people became very curious about how the space was constructed and what the materials actually were. In that sense, the exhibition naturally generated questions and encouraged exploration. The scent also played a very important role because it instantly changed the atmosphere of the room and made the environment feel more emotional and physical. This kind of total sensory experience was one of the key ideas behind the exhibition.

View Gallery 5 images

The post Summer on Mars: Mati Sipiora and Ola Jakuć on a Martian Interior appeared first on Archiscene - Your Daily Architecture & Design Update.