Memory as a Building Material For architects, the most elusive material is memory. Stone, brick, timber these can be cut, stacked, or poured. But memory the resonance of history, ritual, and collective identity cannot simply be specified in a bill of quantities. And yet, when a city erases its memory, it erases itself. In a …
For centuries, architecture has been the negotiation between hand and mind. The mason’s chisel, the carpenter’s saw, the weaver’s loom these were tools that not only shaped materials but also shaped culture. Craft gave architecture its intimacy, its ability to resonate with place and people. Yet the 21st century introduces new tools: algorithms, robotic arms, …
Architecture is often described as the art of building. Yet beneath its structural, aesthetic, and functional layers lies a deeper dimension: psychology. Spaces do not merely shelter; they affect how people think, feel, and behave. From the calming hush of a cathedral nave to the stress-inducing glare of an overlit office, architecture subtly scripts human …
For decades, “green building” has conjured images of vertical gardens, solar panels, and rating systems adorned with stars or plaques. While these gestures once symbolized progress, the climate crisis has outpaced them. The question for architects is no longer how to make buildings “less bad,” but how to make them actively good. Enter net-zero and …
Modern architecture is often celebrated through its iconic forms, technological innovations, or symbolic gestures. Yet some of the most impactful climate strategies are not flashy or photogenic; they work quietly, almost invisibly. They are the “unsung heroes” of climate resilience cool roofs, responsive facades, shading devices, courtyards, and passive ventilation systems. For an architect, these …
Architecture has long carried the burden of permanence. From temples that have stood for centuries to colonial bungalows still dotting Indian cities, buildings were historically imagined as static, monumental, and immovable. Yet in a world shaped by rapid urbanization, shifting demographics, climate uncertainty, and evolving technology, permanence can be a liability. The new architectural challenge …
In contemporary architecture, the word luxury is often associated with imported stone, glass facades, and the kind of material catalogues that travel farther than most of their occupants. Yet increasingly, architects are reinterpreting luxury not as something shipped across oceans, but as something grown, quarried, or crafted within a few hundred kilometers of the site. …
CopenHill: When Architecture Climbs Above Function In the harbor district of Copenhagen stands a building that simultaneously burns trash and breaks expectations. Officially known as Amager Bakke (but far better known as CopenHill), this waste-to-energy plant slash urban recreation center is one of the most radical and imaginative pieces of architecture of the 21st century. …
CapitaSpring: Vertical Urbanism, Redefined Rising 280 meters into the dense skyline of Singapore’s central business district, CapitaSpring is not merely a building it is an ecosystem in the sky. Designed by the collaborative genius of BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati, this mixed-use skyscraper marks a radical departure from traditional tower design, offering a new paradigm …
As architects, we’re conditioned almost indoctrinated to think in terms of the vision. The one grand concept that ties everything together. The narrative arc of a project. The design that will end up on magazine covers, talked about in conferences, and whispered about in design critiques. We toil over form, fuss over materials, and argue …
