Culture

Solidarity with Ukraine and its architectural scene, switching on our Global Design Agenda’s Lighting Design Week and filming a transformative workplace in Germany.

Bernhard Dessecker discusses improving the quality of light, not the quantity: ‘Light is precious and is only needed when you want it. Otherwise, it’s pollution.’ Watch the video to learn more…

Design can improve quality of life for all. But when those with the biggest pencils are men, the needs of female users are often ignored. More independent female designers can rebalance the scales.

Carmelo Zappulla discusses the role of technology in designing with artificial light: ‘Technology is part of my research to find a solution to conceptual problems.’ Watch the video to learn more…

With the world turning its gaze towards the unfolding events in Ukraine, we take – in a gesture of solidarity – the opportunity to foreground once more some of the country’s talented architects and designers.

Wherever it is applied, thoughtfully implemented lighting design holds the power to dramatically enhance our experience of architectural spaces – not least in our selection of recent cultural venue projects.

Finding they need to educate and interact with their workforces on a larger scale, companies are looking to other areas for inspiration on pimping up their in-house presentation spaces.

Balconies provide residents with great views while literally and figuratively looking down on the neighbours, but they also offer numerous other advantages.

When bathed in constant light, Scandinavia is spoiled with beautiful scenery. When the sun goes away, however, attentions turn inside. Here’s how to recreate amazing Scandinavian home interiors.

As the online marketplace takes a stranglehold on bricks and mortar retail, these are the destination super retail structures tempting consumers back to market.

Edward van Vliet discusses how he creates unique hospitality experiences from the ground up, arguing that 'when you start with the floor in a certain pattern, then you have done half of your work.' Watch the video to learn more…

Say sayonara to smooth painted walls and farewell to flat wallpaper; these are the latest ways to create striking feature walls that literally impose themselves onto interior environments.

Diego Gronda of Studio Gronda discusses designing for the guest experience and sustainable, adaptable interiors: 'We cannot keep on demolishing structures.'

Jason Holley of Universal Design Studio discusses contrasting material palettes and commercial public space: 'Public spaces that are being created at the moment are private.' Watch the video to learn more…

After the temporary nature of the past year, 2022 will see long-term change take centre stage. From bold palettes and organic materials to functional environments, here’s what’s in store for the year ahead.

This eclectic list of Architonic's most-clicked new hotels, restaurants, bars, and public spaces of 2021 prove design-lovers interest in travel hasn't waned over the past year.

The great departed and the arrival of new voices. Welcome to 2022.

Modern innovations in kitchen appliances mean fans of the stark visuals of extreme minimalism can create the look, without giving up the stuff.

The majestic Alpine landscapes of Switzerland combine the traditional with the contemporary in these seven tourist-enticing interiors that focus on their exteriors.

Adaptive reuse is the sustainable face of architecture. This visionary process of architectural alchemy allows cities to thrive and remain relevant, without forgetting their past.

As part of Sky-Frame’s ‘My Point of View’ video series, architect and DH Liberty founder Dara Huang describes how her 2019 project, Villa Mosca Bianca, was inspired by and complemented its local habitat.

Under the title ‘Workspace in Progress‘, students of industrial design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna developed responses to the question of present and future forms of work – in close collaboration with Stefan Diez and Wagner

Warsaw Home & Contract is a welcome opportunity for architects and interior designers to re-establish business relationships, establish new ones and discover the latest ideas generated by Poland’s burgeoning design community.

Leuchtstoff equips parish church of St. Barbara (Ortrand) in Brandenburg with contemporary LED lighting

In Summer 2021, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra paid a visit to the VOLA factory in Horsens, Denmark, for a performance celebrating a shared commitment to craft and precision. Watch the video to see the team’s reaction.

Facades are the clothes buildings dress themselves up in. Physical declarations of prominence and boastful creativity. Here is an inspirational selection of architectural facades created by Architonic’s archive of manufacturers…

There’s no such thing as ‘can’t’ – with an attitude like this, it’s no surprise that luminaire manufacturer Mawa, known for its experimentation, is loved by creatives...

In the right hands, building-renewal projects help us tackle modern environmental issues while at the same time breathing new life into existing architectural spaces.

Italian manufacturer Foglie d'Oro brings high-quality, responsibly sourced materials and precision craftsmanship together with as much expertise as the elements in its high-end parquet floors.

In addition to its range of high-quality terrazzo and floor surfaces, Pandomo also offers versatile solutions that enable interior architects and designers to create unified looks on walls and ceilings, too.

The exponential growth of LED and other technologies has made light even more biddable as an architectural element, as the latest crop of restaurants and museums demonstrate.

Inspired by traditional Japanese living concepts, the Time & Style ēdition collection by Italian manufacturer De Padova succeeds in bringing visual calm to rooms.

This year Fuorisalone.it offers a digital platform that combines product previews, round tables, virtual events and webinars that will take shape thanks to the support of their partners.

WANDER is the new magazine by Inkiostro Bianco: a shared journey through various steps, encounters and creative thoughts.

Since 2010, the enlightening Heinze ArchitekTOUR expo and networking event has become one of the key talking shops for the future of architecture. With a third virtual event from 19 April to 14 May 2021, watch the video to find out more.

Want your design recognised with a Focus Open award? The Design Center BW is looking for new products or products so new they've not yet been launched. Check it out!

With topics ranging from community building through cultural perception to architects as business developers, the Heinze ArchitekTOUR’s ‘Out of the Box’ series identifies new approaches and new role models for how we will live tomorrow.

To advance visionary concepts, the right people need to be in the room, so Heinze has invited emerging talents as well as established industry experts to join the ArchitekTOUR supporting programme.

From 19 April to 14 May, the industry will come together virtually for the Heinze ArchitekTOUR – a digital space for exploring ideas about how we will live and work in the future.

Originally created for the Bavarian National Museum by designer Bernhard Dessecker, Moooi is delighted to bring the all-seeing Iconic Eyes pendant to the luxurious end of the lighting market.

The recent global pandemic has accelerated the need for digital alternatives to previously analogue activities, and few have embraced this challenge like German bathroom-solutions and kitchen-fixtures brand Grohe – with GROHE X, its unique online

In order to meet the ambitious design goals and exacting standards of its prestige project in Dubai, architectural firm KPF turned to ORAMA MINIMAL FRAMES, with its extraordinary, innovative aluminium-frame solutions.

For close to 50 years now, BRUNNER KÜCHEN has stood for top quality, perfect functionality and impeccably stylish kitchen design.

Like what you see? Jan Parth, project architect responsible for delivering David Chipperfield Architects’ latest cultural project, talks about the soft power of hard facades.

Advances in software provide architects today with virtually unlimited possibilities for designing fantastical facades, but the deployment of simpler geometric forms can pack an equally powerful visual punch.

Watch now to find out how contemporary architecture and intelligent technologies are harmonising in Busch-Jaeger's new film series.

Don’t throw away, reuse: Thinking in cycles is becoming increasingly popular. The furniture industry also recognises this, as shown below by some promising concepts. (DE / FR only)

As two exhibitions on the theme of housing take us on a journey through the last 100 years of interior and living history, a look back opens up new perspectives to us. (DE / FR only)

Colourful, infinitely versatile, and easy to install, Procédés Chénel’s Drop Stripe ceiling system adds personality to any office or retail space. Watch the video to learn more.

Creative freedom and innovative ideas meet traditional design approaches. These do not have to be mutually exclusive, as a look at the young Swiss design scene shows – one which is committed to high-quality standards while at the same time living

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the ‘Wagner Design Lab’ – a floating pavilion set among the green surroundings of Langenneufnach, whose facade required the fabrication of the world’s largest glass panels.

New additions to Italian manufacturer Midj's cast of product characters – in the form of lighting and other accessories – are ready for any ensemble production. Expect drama and a lot of joy.

Award-winning architectural office HENN has translated contract-furniture specialist BRUNNER’s values into a tangible, physical form. Step inside its Innovation Factory.

Ulrike Brandi, founder of the eponymous lighting-design consultancy, discusses the relation between light and architecture – and where she sees it heading.

OASE create impressive productions out of water – everything from spectacular public shows to quiet, meditative spaces in private gardens.

With their 2020 Outdoor Collection, MINOTTI offers a strong argument against going back inside at all.

For the 2020 Collection, MINOTTI is bringing to the fore its fine eye for detail and unconventional manufacturing methods such as sewing techniques borrowed from the world of haute couture.

For a few years now, premium Italian manufacturer MINOTTI has been working with some of the world's best designers, combining cultural diversity with their own design DNA. A fruitful strategy, as the 2020 Collection proves.

Nix, Capdell’s award-winning chair designed by Patrick Norguet, is a complex and contemporary combination of solid wood and curved plywood, whose architectural lines provide not only comfort, but aesthetic pleasure, too.

Landscape artists ENEA have been celebrating the beauty of nature for over 25 years, bringing their holistic approach to bear on green spaces not only in their native Switzerland, but all around the world.

Thanks to GROHE's technologically advanced contactless faucets, no one need worry about getting their hands dirty while washing them.

Can we live without culture? Or is it simply a nice-to-have? The recent lockdown and its attendant closing of venues has demonstrated how critical it is to who we are as a society. And the extent to which architecture mediates it.

Theatre design asks architects to consider a number of questions, one of the most important of which is the relationship between performer and audience. Here, we raise the curtain on five new projects that provide some cogent answers.

Public spaces have always played a central role in human life. They provide the setting for public expression in all its forms – from civic celebrations to street protests – and how they are designed usually speaks to the type of regime they

In creating the dome of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ museum in Los Angeles, aesthetic and structural considerations were of paramount importance. For the designers, the choice was clear: SAFLEX® STRUCTURAL

Challenging times call for a different perspective. PEDRALI delivers new ideas via new collaborations with Sebastian Herkner and Robin Rizzini.

Modular and programmatic to their core, workplace-product innovators System 180 have launched a new, super-agile way to support collaborative working.

URBAN RIGGER®'s floating residential buildings were designed in cooperation with the Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to alleviate the housing shortage in the city and provide accommodation for over 70 students.

For their transformation of an old watermill into a contemporary home, architectural firm McLaren.Excell utilised kitchen and bathroom fittings from iconic Danish manufacturer VOLA. Watch now!

Project lead Yuki Ikeguchi from Kengo Kuma & Associates discusses the go-to Japanese architectural office’s new place-making Odunpazari Modern Museum in Turkey.

Museum architecture was built for showing off. Spectacular projects that exhibit themselves as much as the objects they house.

Recent concert hall projects are hitting all the right notes with a mix of intriguing forms and multi-functions that make room to enjoy more than just the music.

Pavilion projects are like catnip for architects. These often impermanent structures provide the ideal testing ground for new concepts, forms and material expression.

From wire to weathering steel, unorthodox materials lend these churches inspiration, at least when it comes to volume and form.

In the age of the ubiquitous multiplex, a raft of recent cinema projects have chosen to write their own architectural script, eschewing the mainstream in favour of indie creativity.

The former Commonwealth Institute building in London's Kensington, replete with iconic copper roof, becomes home to the latest incarnation of the Design Museum.

A raft of new, landmark museum projects internationally put themselves on show as much as the exhibits they house.

Live performance in the age of digital reproduction is far from dead, as a string of new commanding concert halls and music venues from around the world prove. Encore!

(German only) Kunst im architektonischen Kontext war noch nie so facettenreich wie heute. Sie vermag die Identität eines Ortes zu stärken oder gar zu verändern und zum bewussteren Umgang mit dem öffentlichen Raum beizutragen. Das nimmt Architonic

If music be the food of love, then where better to dine out than a world-class concert hall or opera house? Here, Architonic examines a number of recently completed architectural projects that perform as hard as the artists who take to their stages.

A retrospective of the work of industrial-design master Kenneth Grange at London's Design Museum celebrates the prolific designer's contribution to shaping British material culture, while encouraging us to think about the purpose and responsibilities

A series of new architecture commissions and exhibitions suggests that museums might no longer be in the business of pageantry. In this third, and final, part of a series examining the notion of the post-spectacle museum, Architonic meets Michael

A series of new architecture commissions and exhibitions suggests that museums are no longer in the business of pageantry. In this second part of a series examining post-spectacle museums, architect Brad Cloepfil talks about the phenomenon of

A series of new architecture commissions and exhibitions suggests that museums might no longer be in the business of pageantry. In this first part of a short series examining post-spectacle museums, Museum of Modern Art contemporary architecture

The completion of Ron Arad's small-scale masterpiece that is Israel's new Design Museum Holon signals a kind of design coming-of-age for the country. With its current design scene set to grow even further, Architonic talks to a number of established