Architecture

Tucked away in a valley on the west coast of Sweden is Hus-1, a tiny home that resembles a giant log. The eco-lodge is a free-standing structure that was designed and built by Scandinavian architect and carpenter, Torsten Ottesjö. The original concept was to create a structure that would reflect its landscape without attracting too much attention. “I wanted to try to build a house which was seen as beautiful in the same complex way as nature,” states Ottesjö. The result is an energy-efficient small home that was cheap to build and has minimal impact on its surrounding environment.  Read More

Chinese construction company Broad Group has announced ambitious plans to construct the world's tallest skyscraper in an implausibly swift 90 days. If the target is met, the 838-meter (2,750-ft) "Sky City One" will take only a twentieth of the time that the Burj Khalifa, the world's current tallest building, took to build, and standing 10 meters (33 feet) taller upon completion. The secret to the rapid construction is prefabrication. Around 95 percent of the building will have been put together in modular form before work commences on site.  Read More

Each year, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a non-profit group based at the Illinois Institute of Technology, selects structures from around the world which represent a blend of sustainability, technical innovation and appealing design. This year's winners, each impressive in its own right, hail from Australia, Canada, Italy and Qatar along with one from Abu Dhabi that took the organization's first-ever Innovation Award. An international panel of jurors made the picks which will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony in Chicago this October.  Read More

Switzerland's Peter Kunz Architektur is responsible for the creation of this modern day “Batcave” located in Herdern, Switzerland. The private garage studio has been constructed into the hillside and features five giant concrete cubes that jut out of the surrounding, apparently untouched, landscape. The concrete cubes are furnished with a single glass panel, creating a dramatic outlook onto the adjacent valley.  Read More

At Gizmag we have covered a range of modular housing prefabs, from the living-in-nature LEAP house, to the modern Loftcube and even the futuristic tree-hotel concept ... but it isn’t often that we come across a design that doesn’t leave you yearning for more space, an extra living zone or outdoor flexibility. However, Slovenian architectural studio Coodo may have come up with a solution that not only suits a variety of purposes but can house the entire family.  Read More

Thanks to their size, strength and ease of transport, shipping containers have been embraced by architects who have turned them into everything from restaurants and off-grid homes, to school classrooms and modular, portable hotels. The “Eco-Pak” home doesn’t just renovate the inside of a shipping container, but uses a shipping container as an integral part of a larger building, with all the structural components contained within it so it can be delivered just about anywhere in one convenient package.  Read More

Architecture has the power to completely change its surroundings, creating a focal point which influences an area much larger than that which it inhabits. This means that when it comes to rebuilding a locale from the ground up, a bold new approach is needed, one which looks to the future while tapping into the past. Bulgarian firm Sonik Module believes it has accomplished this tricky balancing act with Sity, a conceptual design envisioned as the centerpiece for the redevelopment of an area along the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai.  Read More

Leaf House is the creation of small home enthusiast Laird Herbert from Whitehorse, Canada, who was inspired by the idea of building his own home. After testing out several prototypes, Herbert has finally finished work on what he calls Version.2 ... and the result is a tiny portable home design that takes up a small amount of space, is big enough to live in comfortably, and reportedly accommodates a family of four.  Read More

Similar to the G-POD and House Arc, the Habitable Polyhedron is a prefabricated outdoor space that transforms a patch of garden into a study, lounge or quiet retreat. The small garden module is the creation of Colombian architectural studio, Manuel Villa and features a surprisingly large interior space.  Read More