At City Place in The Woodlands, Houston, James Tapscott introduces Arc ZERO: Eclipse and Arc ZERO: Nimbus as a combined installation for the first time. Commissioned by Weingarten Art Group, the project extends Tapscott’s ongoing exploration of light, water, and atmosphere, placing two distinct works within a shared landscape structured around water treatment and public use.

ART

The site plays an active role in the installation. Set across two bodies of water within the park, the works operate in relation to their surroundings rather than as isolated objects. City Place functions as a system where water moves, settles, and circulates, and this condition defines how both pieces are experienced. The installation reads as a response to these environmental processes, using them as material rather than backdrop.

Arc ZERO: Eclipse occupies a reflecting pond, where a semicircular structure completes itself through reflection. The full circle emerges only in the relationship between object and surface, creating a form that depends on alignment and position. High-pressure mist introduces instability, breaking the reflection and reforming it in response to wind and movement. The work remains in flux, shifting continuously without settling into a fixed image.

Positioned at a higher point within the park, Eclipse changes as visitors move through the site. Distance, elevation, and angle determine perception, with the complete form revealed only from specific viewpoints. The body becomes a measuring device, defining how the work is read in space.
Arc ZERO: Nimbus operates through direct interaction. Installed above the water along a boardwalk, the ring forms a passage that visitors physically enter. Mist surrounds the body, reducing visibility and altering spatial awareness. The work exists as an environment rather than an image, experienced through proximity and movement.

Light extends this condition. As mist catches illumination, it produces shifting halos and subtle variations in tone. Wind disperses and reforms the atmosphere, preventing the work from stabilizing. At night, internal lighting activates the structure, creating a consistent glow that interacts with the changing density of the mist.

The relationship between the two installations defines the project. Eclipse frames water as a surface, holding it in place and constructing an image through reflection. Nimbus releases it into the air, dispersing it into a field that surrounds the viewer. Together, they form a continuous reading of water across different states, still and moving, contained and dispersed.

Tapscott’s work avoids fixed interpretation. Instead, it establishes conditions that unfold through time, weather, and presence. At City Place, these conditions align with the site’s own systems, allowing the installation to operate as part of a broader landscape rather than as a separate intervention.
Arc ZERO: Duo remains on view through August 16, 2026, extending Tapscott’s practice into a new context while reinforcing his focus on perception, environment, and the shifting relationship between body and space.

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The Houses of Guadalajara: Ghosts of Modernity / Ghosts of the Past by Jesús Vassallo and Jorge Alberto Muñoz positions the domestic interior as a site of continuity and reinvention. Rather than presenting a linear history, the book constructs a dialogue between two architectural moments in Guadalajara, the 1920s and 30s, and the 1980s and 90s. Through this structure, it examines how ideas persist, shift, and return across generations.

BOOKS

The first focus centers on architects associated with the Escuela Tapatía, including an early phase of Luis Barragán’s work. In Guadalajara, Barragán developed an approach distinct from his later projects in Mexico City, engaging with vernacular forms through abstraction and stylization. The houses documented here reflect a deliberate balance between local references and emerging modernist principles, forming a language rooted in place rather than universal form.

The second generation revisits this framework decades later. Architects working in the 1980s and 90s return to the same regional vocabulary, yet their approach reflects a different context. Their work does not replicate earlier strategies. Instead, it reinterprets them, testing how inherited ideas can operate within new cultural and architectural conditions. This parallel reading forms the core of the book’s argument.

Visually, the volume maintains clarity and precision. With over one hundred color images and accompanying drawings, the houses are presented as spatial studies rather than isolated objects. The material allows readers to trace recurring elements, courtyards, walls, light, and color, across different periods, revealing how these components shift while maintaining continuity.

The book avoids framing modernity as a singular trajectory. Instead, it suggests that modern architecture in Guadalajara emerges through cycles of reinterpretation. The term “ghosts” in the title points to this presence of earlier ideas within later work, not as direct references, but as underlying structures that continue to shape design decisions.

Contributions by Claudia Velázquez Rueda and Isabela de Rentería expand this reading, situating the projects within broader cultural and historical contexts. Their texts reinforce the central premise, that architecture operates through memory as much as through innovation.

The Houses of Guadalajara offers a focused examination of domestic architecture as a carrier of architectural thought. It presents houses not simply as built forms, but as sites where ideas are tested, adapted, and redefined over time.

Available now through Birkhäuser in hardcover and e-book formats.

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A protected garden rarely becomes the starting point of an architectural project in Paris. At 19 ADN, it does. The site contains a Japanese garden listed under local planning regulations, setting strict limits while opening a precise direction for development. DTACC Architectes treat this constraint as a generator, allowing the project to grow from the ground rather than impose itself onto it.

COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE

The result takes shape as a vertical extension of the garden. Instead of isolating the landscape at ground level, the design carries its presence upward through the building. This approach establishes a continuous relationship between nature and structure, where movement through the project follows a shift from garden to architecture rather than a clear separation between the two.

On the street side, the building aligns with the discipline of Parisian urban fabric. A restrained limestone façade establishes continuity with neighboring Haussmannian sequences. Horizontal lines define the composition, while recessed openings introduce depth through shadow rather than ornament. The façade maintains control, avoiding unnecessary variation while responding carefully to its context.

This controlled expression continues through a subtle reworking of surface relief. Openings read as carved niches, creating a measured play of light across the elevation. The building avoids excess contrast, relying instead on proportion and alignment to maintain coherence with its surroundings. The effect remains quiet yet precise.

The courtyard façade shifts the architectural language. Here, the project adopts a lightweight wooden structure, drawing directly from Japanese construction principles. Post-and-beam elements define the extension, creating a more open and permeable relationship with the garden. This side of the building operates with greater flexibility, allowing terraces and planted elements to extend outward.

Material contrast reinforces this dual condition. Limestone anchors the street-facing volume, while timber introduces warmth and adaptability toward the interior. Metal elements and integrated planters further articulate the façade, allowing vegetation to become part of the architectural system rather than an applied feature. The palette remains limited, maintaining clarity across both elevations.

Internally, the project follows the same logic of continuity. Spaces respond to the exterior through controlled transparency, allowing views toward the garden and terraces. Circulation aligns with the vertical movement introduced by the initial concept, linking ground, intermediate levels, and rooftop into a single sequence.

The rooftop extends this idea further. Designed as an event space, it completes the upward trajectory of the garden, offering a final point of connection between built form and open environment. This vertical progression reframes how the site is experienced, turning a ground-level feature into a defining spatial structure.

The project also integrates environmental considerations within its framework. The building achieves a BREEAM Excellent target, supported by its material choices, façade performance, and incorporation of vegetation. These strategies remain embedded within the architecture rather than treated as separate systems.

19 ADN operates through restraint and precision. It builds from a protected condition, limits its gestures, and focuses on continuity between landscape and structure. The project does not attempt to dominate its context. It reorganizes it, allowing a small garden to define an entire building.

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The site carries a clear memory. A previous cabin once stood here, before fire reduced it to a stone plinth. Mimosa Architects approach the project by accepting that condition rather than replacing it. The remaining base becomes the starting point for the new structure, anchoring it physically above the river while setting a measured distance from the landscape. The cabin sits between two forces, water in front and rock behind, and the design holds that tension without trying to resolve it.

HOUSING

This position defines the experience from the outset. The river draws attention outward, with open views and constant movement, while the cliffs behind close the space and establish a sense of enclosure. The cabin does not attempt to compete with either condition. Instead, it frames both directions, allowing the occupant to shift focus between exposure and protection. The project works through this balance, offering a controlled retreat that remains closely tied to its surroundings.

The construction follows a clear material logic. A light timber structure rises from the retained stone plinth, combining a sense of weight and elevation. The base protects against flooding and stabilizes the building, while the wooden volume above introduces a more temporary, responsive layer. This contrast remains legible throughout the project, without unnecessary variation.

Externally, the cabin uses charred larch cladding, a decision that operates on several levels. The treatment increases durability and resistance, while visually connecting the new structure to the memory of fire that shaped the site. Toward the slope, sheet metal protects the building from water runoff, reinforcing the pragmatic approach to exposure and weather. The palette stays limited and direct, avoiding any decorative gestures.

Inside, spruce panels line the structure, establishing a consistent tone across walls and ceilings. Black metal elements, including the stove and staircase, extend the exterior language inward. The result reads as a single, continuous interior rather than a collection of separate components. The space holds a contained atmosphere, closer to a shelter than a conventional house.

The plan remains compact and deliberate. The main living area occupies the full height of the cabin, while sleeping spaces reduce to minimal attic volumes. This compression of private zones allows the central space to expand, supporting collective use rather than separation. The design prioritizes shared time, aligning with the cabin’s role as a place to withdraw from routine.

The connection to the river defines the main facade. Full-length glazing opens the interior toward the water, extending the living space outward onto a raised terrace. This elevation maintains a visual link while avoiding direct contact with the ground, reinforcing the sense of distance already established by the plinth.

A folding shutter introduces a second layer of control. When closed, it transforms the cabin into a compact, protected volume. When open, it removes any barrier between inside and outside. This simple mechanism allows the building to shift between exposure and withdrawal, depending on season and use.

Technical systems follow the same restrained logic. The cabin operates largely as a self-sufficient unit, with water sourced from an on-site well and wastewater managed within the plinth. Heating relies on a wood stove supported by electric systems. The approach avoids unnecessary complexity while supporting year-round use.

Between the rock and the river, the project maintains clarity. It builds from what remained, limits its means, and focuses on how space is used rather than how it appears. The result feels precise and grounded, shaped as much by absence and memory as by construction.

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Dubai’s skyline continues to expand, yet few projects attempt to recalibrate how a high-rise operates within climate, infrastructure, and daily life. Wasl Tower, designed by UNStudio in collaboration with Werner Sobek, positions itself within that conversation. Completed in 2025, the 302-metre structure sits along Sheikh Zayed Road, directly engaging the density and speed of its surroundings while proposing a more responsive architectural model.

TOWERS

The project does not rely on height alone to define its presence. Instead, it focuses on performance, material logic, and programmatic layering. The tower brings together hospitality, residential, office, and public functions within a single vertical system, forming what reads as a compact urban environment rather than a singular object. Its proximity to major infrastructure and pedestrian routes informs the design from the outset, shaping how the building connects rather than how it isolates itself.

At the center of the project stands its ceramic facade, one of the tallest of its kind globally. Thousands of terracotta fins wrap the tower, creating a continuous outer layer that responds directly to solar exposure and wind conditions. This system reduces heat gain while allowing daylight to penetrate the interior, balancing environmental performance with spatial quality. The facade operates as a passive filter, minimizing reliance on mechanical cooling systems in a region where such demands remain high.

The design introduces a controlled variation in form. Through a subtle twisting motion, the tower adjusts its orientation across different elevations, reducing direct solar impact while offering changing views across the city. This movement, described as a contrapposto strategy, allows the building to engage multiple directions at once, avoiding a fixed frontal identity. The result is a structure that shifts visually depending on its position within the skyline, reinforcing its role as an active urban element.

Internally, Wasl Tower operates through a layered vertical organization. The program includes the Mandarin Oriental Downtown hotel, residential units, offices, and a series of shared amenities distributed across different levels. Rather than isolating these functions, the design integrates them through a network of circulation routes and semi-public spaces. Elevated areas for dining, wellness, and social interaction extend the experience beyond ground level, encouraging movement throughout the building.

The circulation system plays a critical role in maintaining clarity within this complexity. Multiple lift cores separate flows between residents, hotel guests, office users, and service operations, ensuring efficiency while preserving privacy. Express lifts connect key nodes such as the ground lobby, wellness areas, and upper-level amenities, creating a clear vertical sequence. This approach supports the building’s ambition to function as a cohesive environment rather than a stack of independent programs.

Sustainability strategies extend beyond the facade. Solar thermal panels, reflective glazing, and daylight-responsive lighting systems reduce energy consumption, while district cooling and integrated heat pumps further limit environmental impact. Material selection follows the same logic, with regionally sourced granite, recycled acoustic panels, and low-emission finishes contributing to overall performance. Structural efficiency also plays a role, with post-tensioned slabs and hybrid systems reducing concrete use without compromising stability.

The project also addresses ground-level interaction, an area often overlooked in high-rise development. Wasl Tower connects two distinct urban zones, linking the commercial density around Burj Khalifa with the more pedestrian-oriented City Walk. Semi-public areas, restaurants, and event spaces remain accessible beyond the building’s core users, allowing the tower to participate in the city’s daily rhythm.

Within the hospitality component, the Mandarin Oriental Downtown introduces a vertical interpretation of hotel design. Public areas, wellness facilities, and private rooms distribute across multiple levels, creating a sequence of experiences rather than a single concentrated zone. The lobby, positioned high above ground, reframes arrival as a spatial transition, while upper-level venues extend the building’s engagement with the city skyline.

Wasl Tower does not attempt to redefine the skyscraper through form alone. Its contribution lies in how it integrates material performance, environmental strategy, and programmatic diversity into a single system. In a city defined by rapid construction and visual competition, the project introduces a more measured approach, where innovation operates through detail, coordination, and long-term adaptability.

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Kettal presents Grosso, a sofa designed by Patricia Urquiola, defined through a sculptural approach to seating. The piece operates as both object and environment, shaping comfort through a form that responds to the body. Urquiola directs the design through controlled curves and structured softness.

FURNITURE

The surface carries a patchwork construction formed through stitched segments that create a continuous visual rhythm. Each seam contributes to the composition, establishing movement across the sofa without disrupting its cohesion. The structure encourages use through its tactile quality, drawing attention to the relationship between material and form. The result holds a sense of fluidity grounded in technical execution.

Grosso adapts to different modes of use through its flexible structure. The form allows subtle rotation, enabling shifts in posture without requiring major repositioning. This capacity supports a range of interactions, from extended reclining to more upright seating. The sofa responds through small adjustments, aligning its shape with the user’s movement.

The design references the scale of a large pouf, offering seating for up to three people within a continuous volume. Beneath the surface, a system of foams with varying densities defines the internal structure. These layers guide the way the sofa reacts under pressure, allowing it to deform in response to weight while returning to its original shape.

Grosso extends beyond a fixed configuration, allowing different spatial uses within the same structure. It functions as a daybed during extended periods of rest, while also supporting more contained positions suited to focused moments. The form can also operate within a modular arrangement, where multiple units align through controlled placement.

Grosso positions itself between furniture and object, where comfort and form operate within the same framework. The design develops through precision applied to soft materials, resulting in a piece that balances structure with responsiveness.

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The Veil introduces a large residential program into the forested coastline of Dhërmi, where development has remained limited due to steep terrain and dense vegetation. Bofill Taller de Arquitectura approaches the site with a distributed strategy that avoids concentration. Instead of consolidating volume, the project disperses 366 apartments and 77 villas across two plots, organizing them into sixteen typologies that align with the natural contours.

This approach defines the project’s spatial structure. Buildings sit on platforms that respond to the slope, reducing the need for excavation and allowing the ground to remain largely intact. The architecture does not attempt to flatten or reshape the site. It adapts to it, producing a fragmented composition that maintains continuity with the landscape. The idea of a “veil” emerges through this distribution, where built form appears lightly placed across the terrain.

Circulation reinforces this reading. A network of paths and stairs constructed from locally sourced stone connects the development. These routes step with the land, establishing a clear movement system without introducing large infrastructural elements. The material palette draws from the immediate environment, with four tones selected through direct sampling. This decision anchors the project visually, allowing circulation to integrate with the terrain rather than stand apart from it.

The relationship with vegetation remains central. Existing trees guide the placement of buildings, while other plant life remains largely untouched. This produces a layered spatial condition where architecture and landscape operate simultaneously. Residential units rise within the forest, positioned to capture views of the Adriatic while maintaining permeability at ground level. Openings, terraces, and pools extend outward, ensuring that interior spaces remain connected to the surrounding environment.

Facade treatment supports this integration. Concrete and glazed ceramic tiles define the exterior surfaces, introducing controlled variations in light reflection. The buildings shift in appearance throughout the day, responding to changing conditions rather than presenting a fixed image. This strategy reduces visual contrast and allows the development to recede within its context.

A central communal structure organizes shared functions, including social and recreational spaces. Its courtyard introduces a curved geometry that contrasts with the orthogonal layout of the residential volumes. The form adjusts around a group of existing trees, placing them at the center of the space. This moment clarifies the project’s priorities, where the landscape dictates the configuration of architecture.

Led by Pablo Bofill with design principals Hernán Cortés and Alborz Mohammadi, the project maintains a consistent framework across its scale. Landscape design by Vivian Rotie and technical development by Bàrbara Gimeno support a coordinated approach where each element aligns with site conditions. The involvement of an extensive team reflects the complexity of the development, yet the outcome remains controlled.

The Veil operates through calibration rather than assertion. It introduces density into a sensitive environment while attempting to maintain the structure of the forest. Its effectiveness depends on execution, where the balance between built form and landscape must remain precise. The project sets a clear direction, relying on distribution, material alignment, and measured intervention to define its architectural position.

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Zaha Hadid Architects continues its collaboration with Neutra through the Erosion Collection, presented during Salone del Mobile 2026. The project builds on a clear premise established in earlier iterations, where geological processes informed both form and structure. The latest presentation does not shift direction. It sharpens and extends the same line of inquiry, moving from a focus on mass and carving toward a broader material and spatial exploration.

FURNITURE

The initial pieces, the MINERA Table and BRANCH Console, set a defined language in 2024 through carved Carrara marble. Their forms referenced erosion not as decoration, but as a process embedded in the making of the objects. Surfaces appeared shaped by time, with edges and volumes suggesting gradual transformation. That logic remains central in the 2026 presentation, yet the collection now moves beyond stone as its sole medium.

New additions introduce a wider material range. The STRATA Bench and DELTA Coffee Table continue the investigation of marble, maintaining the sense of weight and permanence established earlier. Alongside them, the AER Low Chair, LEDGE Low Table, VEIL Carpet, and DRIFT Tableware expand the collection’s vocabulary. Carbon fibre, leather, and textiles enter the series, shifting attention from density toward flexibility and surface interaction. This transition changes how the pieces operate in space. Instead of relying solely on mass, the collection begins to engage with layering, tension, and lightness.

This expansion does not dilute the concept. It reframes it. Erosion, as interpreted by ZHA, becomes less about subtraction from a solid block and more about the continuous transformation of materials over time. The AER Low Chair, for example, introduces curvature and structural precision through carbon fibre, where form reads as tension rather than weight. The VEIL Carpet translates the same logic into a horizontal plane, using textile to suggest gradual shifts in surface and depth.

Across the collection, the relationship between object and environment becomes more fluid. The pieces resist classification as strictly furniture or sculpture. They operate between both, with scale and proportion allowing them to define space while remaining functional. The STRATA Bench extends horizontally with a presence that anchors a room, while the DELTA Coffee Table introduces a more dispersed geometry, opening space around it rather than occupying it fully.

The project team at Zaha Hadid Architects, led by Michele Pasca di Magliano alongside Sebastian Andia, Clemens Lindner, Martina Rosati, Yutong Xia, and Stefano Paiocchi, maintains a consistent design approach across all pieces. Each object follows a controlled process where geometry, material behavior, and fabrication techniques align. The result avoids excess. Every curve and surface appears resolved through a clear internal logic tied to the initial concept.

The presentation at Salone extends across both Fiera Milano Rho and Palazzo Visconti, placing the collection in different spatial contexts. This dual setting reinforces the adaptability of the pieces. In both environments, the work maintains its focus on form and material, without relying on scenography to define its impact.

Erosion Collection 2026 presents a controlled evolution. ZHA does not introduce new ideas for the sake of expansion. The studio refines an existing concept and extends it across materials and scales. The result is a coherent body of work where each addition strengthens the central premise, maintaining a clear relationship between process, form, and function.

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HW Studio’s Kehai House in Morelia approaches architecture through reduction, restraint, and a precise reading of space as experience. The project begins with a clear conceptual anchor drawn from Kakuzō Okakura’s writing on the void, where absence carries presence and meaning. That idea does not remain theoretical. It drives every spatial decision, turning the house into a built argument about how emptiness can structure daily life.

HOUSING

The exterior reads as a closed volume, almost indifferent to its surroundings. It sits in the city as a quiet object, without gestures that attempt to communicate with the street. This restraint feels deliberate. The house withholds rather than invites, establishing a boundary that only reveals its logic once crossed. Inside, the contrast becomes clear. The central stone garden holds the entire composition together, not as decoration, but as a spatial organizer. It defines circulation, proportions, and sightlines.

HW Studio uses this internal void to reorder expectations of domestic space. Instead of corridors or conventional transitions, movement happens around the garden. The absence of a covered connection between key areas introduces exposure as part of everyday routine. Moving between the living room and dining space requires a direct encounter with weather. Rain interrupts comfort. Waiting becomes part of inhabitation. This decision pushes the house away from convenience and toward awareness, where architecture no longer isolates but reconnects the occupant with external conditions.

Material choices reinforce that position. The use of shōji screens as primary filters for light avoids transparency in favor of diffusion. Light enters slowly, softened into gradients that shift across the day. The effect changes the perception of time within the house. Interiors feel suspended, less tied to external rhythms. The near absence of glass strengthens this inward focus. Openings are limited and intentional, framing only selected elements such as a mountain, a pine, or the central tree. The house edits the outside world, turning each view into a controlled moment rather than a continuous panorama.

Spatial organization follows the same discipline. The kitchen and dining area occupy a double-height volume, where vertical space supports both function and atmosphere. The presence of a fire and a system to manage smoke suggests a return to more basic forms of living, anticipating scenarios where infrastructure may fail. This introduces a subtle layer of pragmatism within the conceptual framework. The living room, in contrast, operates as a place of stillness. Stones placed within the interior echo the central garden, extending its presence across the house.

The bedroom sits above, reduced to essentials. A single circular opening frames the foliage of the tree below. This gesture condenses the project’s entire logic into one moment. The window does not expand outward. It focuses inward, reinforcing the house’s central relationship with its void. The result feels controlled yet intimate, where each element serves a clear role within the larger system.

Budget constraints shape the project in a direct way. With limited resources, decisions prioritize necessity over excess. This results in a stripped-down program with no redundant spaces. Circulation remains efficient, and structural choices respond closely to site conditions. The descending entrance, aligned with stable ground, reduces construction complexity while introducing a symbolic shift. Entry becomes a physical act of lowering oneself, which aligns with the project’s broader emphasis on humility and awareness.

Kehai House operates within a specific cultural framework influenced by Japanese spatial thinking, yet it avoids imitation. Instead, it translates those ideas into a contemporary residential context in Mexico. The project does not rely on visual references or stylistic cues. It focuses on atmosphere, proportion, and experience. This approach allows the house to remain grounded in its location while engaging with a broader architectural discourse.

HW Studio presents a clear position through this project. The house resists spectacle and rejects excess. It concentrates on how space can shape behavior, perception, and routine. Every decision supports that intention, from the central void to the absence of protective transitions. The result is a controlled environment that demands attention from its occupants. It asks for participation, patience, and awareness, turning daily life into a continuous interaction with space.

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Studio Clara Crous Arquitectura presents La Fusteria, a project that transforms a former carpentry workshop into a contemporary residence. Located in a small village in Alt Empordà, the building retains key elements of its original structure while adapting to new uses. The intervention follows a clear direction: preserve the existing framework, improve comfort, and adjust the layout to support domestic life.

RESIDENTIAL

The ground floor defines the spatial character of the house through two Catalan vaults that remain intact. These vaulted structures hold the memory of the workshop that occupied the space for decades and guide the overall organization of the project. Rather than altering these elements, the design positions them as the central feature around which the new program develops.

The owners, who have long lived in the village, acquired the property to accommodate visiting family members, especially during the winter months. The house also operates as a vacation rental, introducing a dual function that informs the design strategy. The project addresses these needs through careful spatial planning and attention to comfort, ensuring that the house supports both short stays and extended visits.

The project concentrates daytime living on the ground floor, where the kitchen now sits next to the main living area. This arrangement creates an open environment that engages directly with the vaults, allowing daily activities to unfold within this architectural frame. The upper floors shift toward private use, housing bedrooms and quieter areas that separate rest from shared spaces.

The intervention improves functionality and environmental performance through updated installations and exterior joinery. These changes support thermal comfort and strengthen the relationship between interior and exterior spaces. The front courtyard regains its role as a transitional zone, mediating between the street and the interior while extending the living space outward. Custom-designed railings integrate safety within the overall architectural language.

The project removes added finishes to reveal the original structure beneath. Walls return to lime mortars and plasters, allowing the masonry to breathe while introducing texture and light across surfaces. The restoration of handmade toba floors and artisanal tiles strengthens the connection to traditional building methods.

La Fusteria presents a careful approach to adapting existing architecture. The project extends the life of the building through measured changes that respect its origins while supporting contemporary living.

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Studio: Clara Crous Arquitectura
Author: Clara Crous Fort
Design team: Jordi Collell Puig, Amanda Soler Vela
Location: Vilamacolum, Spain
Project year: 2023-2025
Completion year: 2025
Gross floor area: 232 m²
Usable floor area: 184 m²
Plot size: 116 m²
Client: Ca-liu
Photographer: Montse Capdevila
Collaborators and suppliers
Contractor: Manolo Martínez
Carpentry: Deco Fusta Pey
Metalwork: Moragas Salvans
Kitchen design and installation: 7VETES
Microcement: Ingremic

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B&B Italia returns to Salone del Mobile 2026 after twenty-five years, presenting a new direction shaped through products, collaborations, and collection developments. The brand introduces work by Ronan Bouroullec and Jasper Morrison, alongside contributions from Antonio Citterio, Vincent Van Duysen, and Michael Anastassiades. The presentation also includes the reissue of Richard Sapper’s Nena armchair and a limited edition of Luigi Caccia Dominioni’s Catilina chairs.

MILAN DESIGN WEEK

The stand, designed by Formafantasma, shifts away from conventional exhibition formats and treats space as a constructed system. The project begins with a direct premise: to place each design at the center of attention. The layout avoids decorative elements and removes visual cues that would situate the objects within a predefined narrative.

The structure suggests a domestic atmosphere through proportion and material. A coffered ceiling introduces a filtered light that spreads evenly across the space, producing a calm and controlled environment. Marble partitions define the layout and establish a clear rhythm, guiding movement while maintaining continuity between areas. The use of wood, marble, and coconut fibre carpets supports this structure, creating a tactile setting that remains restrained in its execution.

Within this environment, the products stand as individual projects rather than components of a larger scene. The stand operates as a quiet architectural frame that supports observation without directing it. Each object holds its position within the system, allowing attention to shift from one piece to another without interruption.

Alongside the Salone presentation, B&B Italia marks its sixtieth anniversary with Before & Beyond, a publication produced by Nova Express. Commissioned by Piero Gandini, CEO of B&B Italia and Executive Chairman of Flos B&B Italia Group, the magazine examines the company’s communication over time. Curated by Gianluigi Ricuperati and Maurizio Cilli, the project explores how visual language, editorial work, and design developed together across decades.

The publication draws from archival material and new commissions, presenting a narrative that moves through different phases of the company’s history. It includes a photographic portfolio by Gigi Cifali, shot at the Novedrate headquarters designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, as well as images from a recent campaign curated by Carina Frey and Stefanie Barth and photographed by Camille Vivier. Interviews with key figures provide further context, outlining the evolution of both product design and communication.

The research extends into a physical exhibition on Via Durini, curated by Ricuperati and designed by Formafantasma. The installation translates the magazine’s content into a spatial format, where archival material and visual references occupy a three-dimensional structure. The exhibition follows a vertical arrangement that reflects the editorial concept, presenting the material as a sequence.

Before & Beyond presents a view of B&B Italia that moves across different periods without relying on a single narrative. It connects projects, campaigns, and experiments through a continuous process of development. From early advertising work to recent campaigns, the material traces how the company has shaped its identity through both design and communication.

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NM3 presents CASA NM3 during Salone del Mobile 2026, within the Fuorisalone program, at its space on Via Carlo Farini 93 in Milan. The installation runs from April 20 to April 26, the project introduces a domestic setting organized through a sequence of four rooms defined by a system of movable partitions.

MILAN DESIGN WEEK

The spatial concept draws from the historic Velvet and Silk Café installation by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich, where textiles replaced fixed walls to define areas. CASA NM3 adopts this principle through partitions that suggest structure without permanence. The layout remains flexible while maintaining a clear sense of order. Rooms connect through this system, allowing the space to shift without losing coherence.

Within this setting, NM3 places its furnishings as integral elements of the environment. The objects function as both form and utility, designed to exist within daily routines. Each piece maintains a presence that can either stand out or recede, depending on its use and placement. The installation frames furniture as part of a living system, where objects support everyday activity without dominating the space.

The project also introduces an updated version of NM3’s storage systems, NM25 and NM26. These designs now operate as fully developed systems, incorporating doors and drawers for the first time. The update expands their function and allows for a higher level of customization. Around these systems, NM3 presents additional elements including kitchens and desks, extending the same structural logic across a wider range of uses.

Three partners contribute to the installation by presenting objects sourced from their own homes. These pieces add a personal dimension to the project, placing individual references witin the structured environment. On the floor, rugs by cc-tapis define each room and support the layout.

CASA NM3 positions furniture as an underlying framework for daily life. The installation focuses on essential objects that support routine through their presence and function. The environment operates as a system where each element contributes to a larger structure, shaping how space is used and experienced.

NM3, based in Milan, works across interiors, products, and custom furniture. Founded by Delfino Sisto Legnani, Nicolò Ornaghi, and Francesco Zorzi, the studio develops projects through a method focused on form and use. Production relies on stainless steel and raw materials shaped through laser cutting, bending, and dry assembly, with visible marks retained. The studio prioritizes durability, recyclable materials, and a reduced production process.

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PERLA, a residential project by STIPFOLD, sits on a hillside in Marbella and approaches architecture through the idea of motion held in suspension. The client acquired a project already under submission, which restricted formal changes and limited structural intervention. Within these conditions, STIPFOLD directed the work toward a conceptual transformation.

RESIDENTIAL

The exterior defines this approach through a single gesture. The building takes the form of a breaking wave paused at its peak, rendered in fiber concrete. The material allows the surface to carry a sense of softness despite its solidity, creating a tension between weight and flow. From below, the structure reads as a suspended ripple, a volume that appears detached from the ground while remaining anchored to it. Natural stone forms the base, connecting the building to the terrain and stabilizing its presence. The white finish maintains a light visual character, aligning the structure with its coastal setting.

This composition relies on controlled contrast between form and material. The curved surface introduces movement, while the stone base establishes a fixed point. The building holds these elements in balance, allowing the overall structure to read as both grounded and fluid. The gesture remains singular and continuous, avoiding fragmentation and maintaining focus on the primary form.

Inside, the project develops the same language through surface and line. Beige fiber concrete walls carry parametric patterns that follow a flowing geometry, extending the movement established on the exterior. These lines guide the eye through the space, creating a sense of continuity that links each room. The palette remains restrained, limited to white, sand, and pale wood, which supports a quiet visual environment.

The custom kitchen island follows the same curved logic as the walls, while ceiling lines extend the geometry across the interior. These decisions create a continuous sequence rather than isolated rooms, where transitions occur through shifts in light and surface.

PERLA reflects STIPFOLD’s broader direction as a studio working across different contexts. The project introduces its sculptural minimal approach within a Mediterranean setting, adapting its language without altering its core principles.

Function remains direct and resolved, supporting daily use without distraction. At the same time, the form carries a distinct presence that engages perception through movement held in place. The project builds its identity through a precise relationship between surface, structure, and light.

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Project Team: Beka Pkhakadze, George Bendelava, Nini Komurjishvili, Luka Chiteishvili, Nikusha Kharabadze
Location: Marbella, Spain
Type: Residential House
Area: 400 m²
Year: 2025
Status: Design Development

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BOSS and Ligne Roset introduce a new iteration of the Togo, marking a rare rework of one of the most recognizable seating designs in contemporary interiors. The collaboration presents the BOSS x LIGNE ROSET Tailored Togo fireside chair and footstool, developed through a shared focus on material precision and structural clarity, where fashion language moves directly into furniture design.

FURNITURE

Originally designed in 1973 by Michel Ducaroy, the Togo established a new approach to seating through its 100 percent foam construction and absence of a rigid frame. Its low profile and folded form challenged conventional upholstery, introducing a softer, more adaptive structure that continues to define the piece decades later. This new edition maintains that core construction while introducing a distinct material composition that shifts how the object reads within a space.

For the first time, the Togo incorporates a dual-material approach, combining structured leather with a softer textile seating surface. Contrast stitching references tailoring techniques associated with BOSS, translating garment construction into upholstery detail. The result sharpens the visual language of the chair without altering its underlying form, allowing the piece to sit between furniture and garment logic.

Production remains tied to the same specialized process that defines the original Togo. A limited group of upholsterers continues to execute the manual pleating that forms its characteristic folds, ensuring that each piece retains slight variation despite its consistency as a design object. This balance between repetition and individuality remains central to the Togo’s identity, and the collaboration preserves that condition while adjusting surface and finish.

The project extends beyond the chair itself through a set of accompanying accessories that reinforce its material direction. Cushions and throws echo the same dual-tone structure, while selected items from the BOSS Spring Summer 2026 collection reference similar combinations of textile and leather. This alignment situates the furniture within a broader lifestyle framework, where clothing and interiors share a common language.

The BOSS | LIGNE ROSET Togo will be presented in Paris at the Palais de Tokyo through a scenographic installation that frames the piece within a controlled architectural setting. A second presentation follows during 5VIE Design Week in Milan, where the installation at Cesare Correnti 14 invites visitors to engage directly with the seating, emphasizing use alongside visual presence. Both presentations position the project within key moments of the international design calendar.

The limited-edition series launches in April 2026 and will be available through selected Ligne Roset locations, with additional visibility across BOSS stores in Paris and Milan.

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Doe Bay Retreat sits on a narrow rocky knoll above the coastline of Orcas Island, positioned within a dense grove of old-growth trees. Heliotrope Architects shapes the project with a clear focus on restraint, cost awareness, and spatial clarity. Designed for a retired couple, the house works as a part-time residence that requires minimal upkeep while maintaining a strong connection to its surroundings.

RESIDENTIAL

The structure adopts a direct gabled form built with prefabricated trusses. This decision establishes both an economic framework and a spatial one. The interior gains height and volume without introducing complexity, and the exterior maintains a familiar outline that sits comfortably within the wooded site. At 1,450 square feet, the house remains compact, yet it avoids compression through proportion and sectional height.

The architects split the gable into two volumes, aligning each toward distant views to the north and south. This move organizes the building around a central entry, where the two forms meet. The geometry of the site supports this arrangement, allowing the creation of a controlled arrival sequence. A linear storage structure screens vehicles and separates them from the living areas, while a small courtyard and turning area establish a measured transition from access road to interior space.

Inside, the plan follows a straightforward division. Public functions occupy the southern portion of the house, where living, dining, and kitchen spaces open directly onto a cantilevered deck. The deck extends into the tree canopy and frames views toward the water, creating a continuous relationship between interior and landscape. Private spaces sit to the north, including the primary suite, which connects directly to the rocky ground and the quieter edge of the site.

Material decisions remain controlled and deliberate. A limited palette of black, white, and weathered wood defines both the exterior and interior. This approach reduces visual noise and allows the owners’ art collection to define the atmosphere of the rooms. The architecture recedes, creating a setting that supports rather than competes with the objects placed within it.

Light plays a central role in shaping the interior. Full-height glazing at the gable ends draws in long views and increases the sense of depth within the compact footprint. Along the east and west elevations, a sequence of double-hung windows introduces a steady rhythm that breaks the linearity of the plan and carries daylight into the center of the house. These openings also reinforce the relationship between the building and the surrounding forest, keeping the landscape present at all times.

Despite its modest size, the house achieves a sense of expansion through height, light, and carefully framed views. Every decision supports a clear objective: to create a calm, efficient retreat that aligns with the routines of its owners. Doe Bay Retreat presents a precise response to site, budget, and program, showing how a restrained architectural approach can produce a focused and lasting result.

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