More stories

  • in

    IM Pei retrospective shows “architecture and life to be inseparable”

    A retrospective of architect IM Pei at the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, aims to examine his architectural projects in social, cultural and political context.

    Named IM Pei: Life is Architecture, the exhibition, which according to the museum is the first full-scale retrospective of the Chinese American architect, documented Pei’s seven-decade long career.
    IM Pei: Life is Architecture is on show at M+ Museum in Hong KongCurated by M+ Museum design and architecture curator Shirley Surya and Nieuwe Instituut director Aric Chen,  the exhibition features more than 400 objects, including original drawings, models, photographs, films, and documentation that has never been exhibited before.
    The curators approached the exhibition through six chapters, summarising Pei’s life and work that “not only define his unique practice, but also place his architectural projects in dialogue with social, cultural, and biographical trajectories, showing architecture and life to be inseparable”.
    “Though one of the world’s most famous architects, IM Pei and his contributions are relatively little understood,” said co-curator Surya. “We hope this exhibition will further shed light on a figure who influenced countless individuals, cities, and, indeed, the world.”

    it features more than 400 objects, some of which have never been on display beforeThe exhibition begins with an introduction of Pei’s upbringing and architectural education, which laid the foundation of his future practice of confronting tradition and modernity across various cultures.
    It then follows with his lesser-known period of working for Webb & Knapp in New York, the largest real-estate development company during post-war America, where he contributed to the regeneration of US cities in the 1960s.
    A mockup of the Musée du Louvre pyramid occupies the centre of the exhibition. Photo by Wilson LamOne of them is Bedford-Stuyvesant Superblock in Brooklyn New York, one of the largest African-American communities in the country at the time, where Pei proposed integrating landscaped paths, parks, and playgrounds to the gridded streets for the local community to gather and social.
    “For Pei, the success of urban redevelopment was inseparable from broad programmatic thinking intended to alleviate social and economic ills,” said Surya.
    The curators believe Pei’s work should be studied moreAt the centre of the exhibition stands a mockup of Paris’s Musée du Louvre pyramid, perhaps Pei’s best-known project, on a  base displaying media coverage of the project from the time of its construction.
    According to Surya, Pei is understudied but often reported, which informed the curatorial direction of the exhibition.

    10 of IM Pei’s most significant buildings

    “It’s interesting to argue the value of architecture lies in theories or in production,” Surya told Dezeen. “Our angle here is it’s as a production.”
    “It’s no longer just about how you design it, but what it looks like, how it was conceived, how did it get manifested, what does it mean to the public, it’s not just about a formal analysis, is it this ‘-ism’ or that ‘-ism’, he doesn’t play that game, he just built,” she continued.
    The exhibition highlights Pei’s contribution to urban designThe exhibition concluded with a chapter called Reinterpreting History through Design, which aims to demonstrate how Pei’s made modern architecture relevant to different histories and traditions.
    This section included the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, where Pei aimed to create a form that can translate to a monumental scale for the large museum.
    Informed by Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, its formal, spatial, and material simplicity was appropriate for the context of Qatar, a young nation with no particular architectural tradition for a building of this scale.
    Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art aims to be both traditional and modern. Photo by Mohamed SomjiSome projects are repeatedly mentioned across various chapters, as intended by the curators to show consistency in Pei’s work.
    “We want people to see the process of each theme crosses geographies and periods, there’s a consistency – a commitment to city, to history and tradition and how you approach it, some projects recurs,” said Surya.
    “Pei drew from the regional while shaping the global. His work articulated artistic and cultural ideals while forging urban skylines—negotiated through dialogue and collaboration, and with results that innovated architectural forms and feats of engineering,” she added.
    The photography is by Dan Leung, courtesy of M+, unless stated otherwise.
    IM Pei: Life is Architecture is on display from 29 June 2024 to 5 January 2025 at the M+ Museum. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Benjamin Hale Architects extends light-starved Victorian home upwards and outwards

    Welsh practice Benjamin Hale Architects has added two modern extensions – one made from pale brick, the other from black zinc – to a Victorian-era home in south London.

    The end-of-terrace house is located in Dulwich and previously featured a dim and dated interior.
    The ground floor extension accommodates a new kitchenWorking alongside local interior designer Hamish Vincent, Benjamin Hale Architects set out to bring natural light back into the plan and “engender a sense of calm and domesticity” throughout.
    The practice started by adding a pale, clay-brick volume to the rear of the property, incorporating a neglected alley that sat to the side of the plot.
    Skylights and Crittall doors help brighten up the room”An underused side return or side alley is a traditional feature of many traditional Victorian terrace homes,” the practice’s eponymous founder told Dezeen. “However, being on an edge plot offered a considerable advantage in this instance.”

    Inside, the extension contains a modern kitchen complete with oak cabinetry, pale terrazzo flooring and a central counter with a built-in cooker, where inhabitants can prepare meals.
    Fluted tiles decorate the breakfast nookA breakfast nook was set up towards the back of the room, its cushioned seating bench set against a fluted tile wall.
    Sunlight streams into the room from a skylight created in the room’s upper corner and the Crittall doors that open onto the garden.
    Eye-catching furniture pieces appear throughout the formal dining areaA new doorway links the extension to the formal dining room, where Vincent introduced a bold medley of furnishings. This includes a stripy timber table and a chandelier composed of a cluster of spherical bulbs.
    As many of the home’s original period features had been removed over time, Benjamin Hale Architects reinstated a grand marble fireplace in the room.

    Will Gamble Architects modernises London Victorian house with “soft minimalism” interiors

    Ornate coving was also fitted around the ceiling of the adjacent sitting area, which hosts a sofa and sculptural armchairs upholstered in creamy boucle.
    An oak staircase with a slatted balustrade leads up to a zinc-clad dormer roof extension, added at the request of the owners who wanted the home to have extra sleeping quarters.
    The space – which now serves as the primary bedroom – has wooden panels running around its perimeter and a large picture window that offers far-reaching views over the streets of Dulwich.
    Wooden panels envelop the principal bedroomEnsuite facilities were integrated into the room alongside a freestanding bath, snugly positioned beneath the roof’s eaves and illuminated by a small skylight.
    The project also saw Vincent infuse the property’s existing bedrooms with warmth and tactility, adding weathered stone pots, lantern-style lights, tobacco-hued surfaces and more.
    The room also has its own standalone bathThis isn’t the only Dulwich residence to recently undergo a revamp; a few months ago architecture studio Proctor & Shaw built a concrete extension for a terrace home in the affluent neighbourhood, better connecting it to its 57-metre-long back garden.
    The photography is by Pierce Scourfield.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Dezeen Debate features “an elegant melange and a triumph of design sensitivity”

    The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a refurbished apartment in Milan by design studio David/Nicolas with interior details by architect Gio Ponti. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

    David/Nicolas has redesigned the interiors of a 1920s Milan apartment, originally designed by architect Mario Borgato and refurbished by Ponti, blending contemporary details with original features.
    Readers praised the apartment, calling it “an elegant melange and a triumph of design sensitivity” and adding “I love that wood panelling with artistic detail.”
    Skyscraper by Pei Architects follows “Toronto’s rich tradition of concrete”Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section included a skyscraper in Toronto, Canada, by Pei Architects, recently unveiled Saudi Arabian stadiums that are set to host the 2034 football World Cup and US start-up Friend’s plans to launch an AI-powered necklace wearable that aims to fight loneliness.
    Dezeen Debate

    Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.
    You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Hallmarks of British pubs and French brasseries meet in Henri restaurant interior

    French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has converted the restaurant of London’s Henrietta Hotel into an homage to Parisian bistros for chef Jackson Boxer.

    Set on the ground floor of the hotel’s 19th-century townhouse in Covent Garden, Henri serves classic French dishes with a British twist – and British produce – from grilled snails on skewers to a raclette burger au poivre.
    Henri is the restaurant of London boutique hotel HenriettaThe mishmash of influences in Boxer’s cooking is also reflected in Meilichzon’s interiors, where art nouveau details rub shoulders with the oakwood panelling and leather upholstery found in London’s public houses.
    “We have designed an interior that mixes the relaxed style of a traditional British pub with the elegance of a typical French brasserie,” the designer told Dezeen.
    The interior merges typical features of pubs and brasseriesGuests enter the restaurant via an informal bar area, where snacks and aperitifs are served on red Coralito marble counters.

    Bulbous brass lights and table lamps with scalloped shades informed by plum blossoms provide points of brightness in the dimly lit interior, chosen as a tribute to Covent Garden’s former life as a fruit and vegetable market.
    Meilichzon created custom seating banquettes for the restaurantForest-green paint adds to the cosy pub atmosphere, together with the dark timber wainscoting and the bar with its leather-upholstered stools.
    The entrance also introduces Belle Epoque details such as spherical lights and gridded mirrored panels to create a sense of continuity with the main dining room.

    Dorothée Meilichzon nods to Alice in Wonderland for Cotswolds hotel interior

    “We have used some art nouveau elements typical in a brasserie: the detail on the arms of the banquettes, frosted glass globes, Thonet chairs and bespoke organic suspensions,” Meilichzon said.
    Despite the restaurant’s small footprint, Meilichzon managed to squeeze in several banquettes with decoratively curved backrests and hidden cutlery storage, designed bespoke for the interior.
    The benches are finished in velvet and leatherNear the entrance, there are smaller booths upholstered in duck-egg blue leather and velvet, with a lacquered frame in a darker midnight hue.
    But as the space widens towards the open kitchen at the back, the palette becomes warmer and cosier with terracotta wall tiles and larger banquettes for sharing, finished in rust-coloured velvet with glossy red arms and backrests.
    The restaurant’s existing ceiling murals were retainedAccompanied by classic bentwood bistro chairs from Thonet, Henri’s marble-topped tables with their dramatic skirts were also custom-made for the restaurant.
    Ornamentation is provided by an eclectic mix of artworks and photographs, framed alongside several mirrors and blackboards listing the daily specials.
    Meilichzon also created custom marble-topped tables for the restaurantMeilichzon also retained the restaurant’s existing floral ceiling murals, hand-painted on-site by French artists, that provide a counterweight to the rigid grid of the honeycomb parquet flooring.
    Henri is the latest in a long line of collaborations between Meilichzon and the Experimental Group, a French hospitality group for which she has also designed hotels in Venice, Ibiza, Biarritz and the Cotswolds.
    The photography is by WeTheFoodSnobs.

    Read more: More

  • in

    RMGB decorates Versailles townhouse with custom and vintage furniture

    Interior design studio RMGB has redesigned a 19th-century townhouse opposite the Chateau de Versailles, using marble and steel to modernise it while “preserving French heritage”.

    The home’s new owner recently sold his apartment in Paris to move back into the townhouse, which had been his childhood home, and asked for a careful renovation to take the interior back to its original state.
    RMGB restored the home’s damaged parquet flooring and mouldings before adding bespoke and vintage furniture.
    The townhouse’s original mouldings were repairedDue to its location near the Chateau de Versailles, designers Baptiste Rischmann and Guillaume Gibert had to consider each change carefully.
    “The most difficult part of the project was complying with all the requests made by the Architecte des Bâtiments de France, given that the house is opposite the Château de Versailles,” the studio told Dezeen.

    “They were very demanding about the aesthetic of the project. We had to stay within a certain logic of preserving French heritage.”
    RMBG also renovated the parquet floors in the houseRischmann and Gibert aimed for the redesign to respect the home’s original layout while giving it a more modern feel.
    “The house hadn’t been remodelled for several decades,” the designers said. “We all had to rethink and modernize the whole while preserving a trace of history.”
    “Our initial idea was to preserve the original volumes and infuse them with a new aesthetic and tell a new story, a new life for our customers.”
    The kitchen features a marble island and a custom-made steel cupboardThe designers created custom furniture for some of the rooms in the 230-square-metre house. In the kitchen, they added a large stainless-steel cupboard with retractable doors.
    Nearby, a large Calacatta Viola marble kitchen island hides the hob and oven, adding a monolithic yet decorative touch.

    Monolithic green marble forms “majestic wall” in Milan apartment

    “The idea was to integrate colors and materials in small touches, such as the pinkish-orange of the sofa or the blue shade of the rug,” the studio said.
    “The materials play the same role for us, from the shine of the parquet and its deep hue to the brutality of the kitchen marble. Our aim is always to create balance by contrasting materials.”
    The studio chose vintage armchairs for the living roomIn the living room, Rischmann and Gibert added a ceiling light by designer Nacho Carbonell, a Lek sofa designed by Christophe Delcourt and a pair of 6911 vintage armchairs by furniture designer Horst Bruning.
    RMBG chose the furniture for the house based on how the different pieces would work together in terms of both shape and colour.
    “We tried to achieve the most harmonious, fair ensemble possible,” the studio said. “At no point did we want to overdo the aesthetics, which meant we had to work more surgically.”
    Sculptural furniture adds character to the bedroom”While the pinkish orange of the sofa adds a touch of acidity, the dark blue of the rug brings a little more classicism to the space,” the duo added.
    “The white, taut lines of the dining table temper the more extreme materiality of the kitchen island. Each piece of furniture designed or selected for the project was subjected to a rigorous selection process.”
    Black marble decorates the bathroomIn the bedroom, the studio added a sculptural bed inspired by the work of French designer Jean Royère. The bathroom, like the kitchen, features striking stonework, with a bathtub and basin in Grigio Carnico marble.
    “The basins and the bathtub in the parental bathroom in Grigio Carnico marble, for which we revised the design of the classic basins, giving them a more contemporary look with cleaner lines,” Rischmann and Gibert said.
    Other interiors with striking marble designs include a Milan apartment with a “majestic wall” and an all-marble extension to a Victorian house.
    The photography is by Matthieu Salvaing.

    Read more: More

  • in

    Eight wooden kitchens that make the most of the material

    Swirly cabinets and oak-lined ceilings feature in our latest lookbook, which collects eight residential kitchens from around the world where wood takes centre stage.

    Strong, versatile and often sustainable, timber is a favourite material among architects and designers.
    From an east London dwelling that is almost entirely underground to a rural Tasmanian farmhouse, here are eight homes united by their wooden kitchens.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring converted barns, eclectic hotels and micro interiors.
    Photo by Fionn McCannChurchtown, Ireland, by Scullion Architects

    Churchtown is a curved glass extension to a family home in Dublin, designed by Scullion Architects as a family-focussed space.
    The studio was informed by 1930s modernism when creating the kitchen, which is characterised by stained oak-panelled cabinetry.
    Find out more about Churchtown ›
    Photo by Max Hart NibbrigBolívar House, Spain, by Juan Gurrea Rumeu
    Architect Gurrea Rumeu designed this home for himself and his wife in Barcelona.
    Swirly dark wood was used to create tall kitchen cabinets, while concrete walls and floors add an industrial touch to the interior.
    Find out more about Bolívar House ›
    Photo courtesy of James ShawLondon house, UK, by James Shaw
    Known for making extruded recycled plastic furniture, designer Shaw applied his off-beat creative approach to his own London home which he designed with architect Nicholas Ashby to be almost entirely underground.
    Shaw created kitchen cabinets out of veneered MDF, which he paired with worktops formed from pale blue HIMACS and stainless steel.
    Find out more about this London house ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenFjord Boat House, Denmark, by Norm Architects
    Fjord Boat House is a lakeside holiday home that sits near the border of Denmark and Germany.
    Danish studio Norm Architects chose a warm interior palette for the dwelling, including a kitchen defined by oak cabinets and ceilings and handmade ceramic brick flooring.
    Find out more about Fjord Boat House ›
    Photo by Dianna SnapeCoopworth, Tasmania, by FMD Architects
    FMD Architects designed a farmhouse in rural Tasmania with a plywood-lined kitchen and living spaces separated by a statement wood-burning stove.
    Located on Bruny Island, Coopworth features corrugated metal cladding that references vernacular agricultural buildings.
    Find out more about Coopworth ›
    Photo by Daniëlle SiobhánZwaag house, the Netherlands, by DAB Studio
    Two types of timber were used to clad the floors, walls, ceiling and cabinets of this kitchen at a family home in Zwaag, the Netherlands.
    DAB Studio renovated the floors and ceiling with hand-scraped oak, while Afromosia wood – a tropical hardwood native to west Africa – was applied to the cabinets and walls.
    Find out more about this Zwaag house ›
    Photo by Andrew PogueHood Cliff Retreat, USA, by Wittman Estes
    Architecture studio Wittman Estes sought to immerse Hood Cliff Retreat “in the stillness of the forest” on its wooded site in Washington State.
    White oak floors and pine plywood ceilings feature in the neutral-hued kitchen, designed with floor-to-ceiling glazing that reveals the surrounding trees.
    Find out more about Hood Cliff Retreat ›
    Photo by Mark Durling PhotographyMalibu Surf Shack, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
    Interior designer Kelly Wearstler transformed a 1950s beachfront cottage in Malibu, California, into a bohemian retreat for herself and her family.
    Chunky wooden cabinets and drawers characterise the kitchen, created in the designer’s distinctive eclectic style.
    Find out more about Malibu Surf Shack ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring converted barns, eclectic hotels and micro interiors. 

    Read more: More

  • in

    Orange floors create “golden afterglow” in Aranya fashion store by Say Architects

    Chinese studio Say Architects has designed a concept store for fashion brand Nice Rice in the seaside resort of Aranya, featuring bright-orange tiles and furniture intended to evoke the colour of a sunset.

    Having previously designed stores for Nice Rice in Shenzhen, Chengdu and Shanghai, Say Architects conceived the interior as a response to the store’s setting near the port city of Qinhuangdao, also known as the Aranya Gold Coast.
    Say Architects has designed a concept store for Nice Rice in Aranya”Due to the individuality of the site and the splendid geolocation, we hope to bring the orange sea of Aranya inside and build a gold coast that never ends by using light as expression, creating undulating volumes, intertwining lights and shadows,” the architects said.
    The 290-square-metre store is arranged over three floors, with retail spaces on the lower two storeys and a roof terrace accessible from the top floor.
    Glossy orange tiles reflect light onto white walls, creating a “golden afterglow” effectThe building’s minimalist facade features an illuminated sign with the company’s logotype over the entrance and a horizontal window above.

    A glazed entrance provides a view into the store, where bright orange surfaces create a vibrant contrast with the shop’s monochrome exterior.
    The glossy orange tiles reflect light onto the white walls, creating an effect that the architects describe as a “golden afterglow”.
    A leather bench provides a minimalist seating area on the first floorInside, a full-height void connects the shop’s three floors, with a vaulted ceiling directing light from a window on the top floor down to the levels below.
    Say Architects designed each floor with a symmetrical layout that enhances the calm and serene atmosphere within the store.
    Clothes rails in the Nice Rice store are designed to resemble breaking wavesOn the ground floor, a pair of freestanding units are used for serving customers, while changing rooms are positioned on either side of a second entrance to the rear of the space.
    Clothes rails on both sides of the room are designed to resemble breaking waves, curving outwards from the wall to create space for hanging clothes underneath.

    Tile mural fronts Cult Gaia Miami boutique by Sugarhouse

    On the first floor, a geometric leather bench provides a seating area, while a simple display podium is located close to the transparent balustrade overlooking the triple-height void.
    Throughout the store, windows of varying sizes create a play of light and shadow on the internal surfaces that changes throughout the day.
    A full-height void connects the three floorsStaircases on both sides of the building ascend to a roof terrace that is floored with the same tiles used inside the store.
    A sheltered area with matching orange benches allows this space to be used in all weather.
    The building’s staircases lead to an outdoor roof terraceSay Architects is based in Hangzhou and is led by architects Yan Zhang and Jianan Shan.
    The studio works across architecture, interior and landscape design, with previous projects including an accessories store formed almost entirely of translucent resin and a grooming salon for pets featuring a sunken cafe and a paddling pool.
    The terrace is finished in the same tiles as the interiorAranya is built on the site of a failed real estate development and aims to provide a haven for overworked young urbanites seeking a coastal escape.
    The exclusive gated community contains several architecture projects that have helped elevate its profile including an art centre designed by Neri&Hu, a monolithic concrete concert hall and a chapel raised above the beach on stilts.
    The photography is by Wen Studio.

    Read more: More

  • in

    CO Adaptive overhauls Queens home to meet Passive House standards

    Brooklyn studio CO Adaptive has retrofitted a terraced house in Queens, New York to meet Passive House energy efficiency standards.

    The 1,152-square-foot (107-square-metre) brick townhouse was originally built in 1945 and has undergone a considered “deconstruction” process during its recent renovation.
    Throughout the home, CO Adaptive removed perimeter flooring to install a membrane, then replaced it with reclaimed boards at an angleRather than throwing out the contents of the existing structure, all of the removed materials were separated by type and sent to new homes.
    The renovation work revolved around the goal of the unit becoming a Passive House – or Passivhaus – a certification that recognises outstanding energy efficiency in buildings.
    The kitchen was fully replaced using maple-faced plywood for millworkThis is the first project undertaken by CO Adaptive Architecture’s construction management arm, CO Adaptive Building.

    “We believe building to Passive House standards is the future of ensuring resilience for our cities, particularly in the restoration and upgrade of the older building stock,” said CO Adaptive co-principal Ruth Mandl.
    “We want to work on simplifying and scaling this endeavor; ideally ensuring that we can bring the cost down on Passive House for our clients, and make it a solution that is more affordable and available.”
    Counters and backsplash are made from blue porcelain with coloured specklesChanges to the layout of the compact two-storey, three-bedroom home were kept to a minimum since the room program was already efficient.
    The perimeter of the existing wood floors and subfloors was removed, enabling the team to install an airtight membrane that seals the wood joists – which were in good condition – to prevent heat loss.
    Bright blue was chosen for new window and door framesWhere the flooring was removed, reclaimed red oak planks that matched the originals were laid at an angle to highlight the minor intervention.
    Larger windows were added to bring more light into the dining room, which overlooks a new rear deck.
    Upstairs, features include a built-in ladder that provides roof access via a skylightThe home was refitted to be fully electrified, powered by a solar canopy from Brooklyn Solarworks on the roof, and is now net positive, according to the studio.
    “The solar array provides more than enough energy to cover the significantly reduced heating and cooling loads of the building, in addition to heating water, cooking with an induction stovetop and charging an electric vehicle,” said CO Adaptive.
    Through-wall AC units were replaced with an energy-recovery ventilator systemAny holes in the exterior previously used for through-wall air conditioning units are now occupied by an energy recovery ventilator system, which helps to control the interior humidity.
    All changes to the facade are denoted by a checkerboard brick infill pattern, similar to the approach taken inside.
    Black-and-white details, such as the bathroom tiles and fixtures enliven the minimal interiorsSouth-facing openings are shaded by Hella operable Venetian blinds, coloured bright blue to match the new window frames.
    Natural materials were prioritised inside, such as a lime and sand-based plaster layer that allows the masonry walls to breathe.

    CO Adaptive Architecture converts Gowanus foundry into flexible theatre spaces

    The kitchen millwork is maple-faced plywood, while the countertops and the backsplash are blue porcelain with coloured speckles.
    The red kitchen floor is made of solidified linseed oil, pine resin and sawdust, which forms a natural linoleum that’s soft underfoot.
    On the south-facing front of the house, openings are shaded by Hella operable Venetian blindsOther details include a ladder built into the wall on the upper-floor landing that provides access to the roof via a skylight.
    “This project prioritises careful deconstruction rather than demolition, to ensure that whatever is removed is either reused or sorted for down or up cycling,” said CO Adaptive co-principal Bobby Johnston.
    A solar array added to the roof provides more energy than the house needs to runAmong the firm’s previous renovations is an industrial building in Gowanus converted into bright and spacious theatre rehearsal spaces, which was shortlisted in the rebirth project category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
    Passivhaus is a popular standard for achieving energy efficiency in residential and other buildings, with other recent examples to have achieved this certification including a stucco-clad, cube-shaped holiday home in Mexico, and a house in the UK with an undulating green roof and timber cladding.
    The photography is by Naho Kubota.
    Project credits:
    Architect: CO Adaptive ArchitectureConstruction management: CO Adaptive BuildingMEPS engineers: ABS EngineeringStructural engineers: ADoF Structural EngineersConstruction manager: CO Adaptive BuildingSolar panel installation: Brooklyn SolarWorksKitchen millwork: ArmadaWood flooring, stair and other millwork: Trilox

    Read more: More