Simon Keane-Cowell Architecture

Issue 01 – Your new monthly round-up of the best brand stories. Insightful, inspiring and often entertaining. Very Architonic!

There was strength (and warmth) in numbers at this year’s Stockholm Design Week and Stockholm Furniture Fair.

With elegant, tailor-made bathroom products, Bette has helped Grüntuch Ernst Architekten transform one of the most unlikely places to find high-class hospitality – a former prison – into a luxury hotel.

The third edition of Switzerland's largest design event brought together emerging talent and established names for an investigation into circularity, place-making and contemporary design practice.

Leaves aren't the only things changing. October was packed with industry gatherings to discuss new ways to tackle our shared future – while we proudly launched our new DAAily insights tool, which will help fuel yours.

We're all in this together. Architonic's autumn kicks off with circularity and community.

Climate action and actioning innovation. An Architonic summer.

Check out our Architonic Live Talks – in-depth conversations with A&D heroes, filmed at the New York, Cologne and Copenhagen fairs – for a healthy dose of design inspiration and industry revelation.

Back from Milan with learned lessons, refreshed relationships and no lost luggage.

From a self-funding, architect-founded start-up in 2003 to DAAily platforms – the world’s biggest A&D community – we look at the mission, the milestones and the magic.

In the latest in our series of Architonic interviews with leading sustainability experts globally, we pose a focused set of no-nonsense questions to Marloes Fischer, founder and managing director of Swiss-based Circular Hub. The call goes out to

Metaversal musings, bright sparks and workplace affairs – that was 2022.

Carmelo Zappulla of External Reference brightens up Light + Building, explaining how light adds an emotional layer to environments: 'It animates a space.' Watch the video to learn more…

Andreas Schulz of Licht Kunst Licht highlights the use of both daylight and artificial light as resources, but also notes the difference: 'We love the change from day to night.' Watch the video here…

Axel Schmid's illuminating discussion at Light + Building defends our use of artificial light as a material: 'Light consumes energy, but you cannot live without it.' Watch the video for more…

Sascha Rullkötter of SOP discusses targeting timeless and flexible solutions over identifiable architecture: 'We are not the creator of big signatures.' Watch the video to hear more…

David Marquardt of MACH Architektur explains why flexibility is key for modern workspaces: 'You don't need big meeting rooms, sitting empty.' Watch the video to hear what else he has to say…

'Applying international and globally recognised certifications is not enough if there is no "self-certification",' argues the award-winning office's top team.

The energy crisis, energetic thinking on sustainability and the power of lighting design.

Dori Sadan of m-i-r-a explains his priority when designing a project's materiality: 'We address the bones of the space first, the surfaces.' Watch the video to hear more…

Swedish-Spanish design duo Space Popular, working at the interface between physical and virtual space, are anything but superficial. Get their thought-provoking insights here.

India Mahdavi explains the use of furniture beyond the functional: 'I use furniture architecturally as a main identifying element.' Watch the video to hear what else she has to say…

Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd of innovation-led studio Pearson Lloyd talk design circularity, the aesthetics of sustainability and why they hate the term 'form factor'.

Global Design Agenda's Sustainability Design Week speakers stress the need to design and build sustainable cities for survival.

Craig Robertson of AHMM explains the opposing factors of modern architecture: 'Different stakeholders have different ideas of what a good building is.' Watch the video to hear what else he has to say…

Martin Voelkle of BIG discusses sustainable architecture: ‘If it’s made from sustainable material, then you should be able to see it.’ Watch the video to hear more…

DAAily platforms launches in a super-hot Milan, while we cool down with the Global Design Agenda Bathroom Design Week

Marc Sadler discusses combining functional intelligence with emotional environments in bathrooms, 'Design is tech that you control and style.' Watch the video to learn more…

Matteo Thun discusses eliminating bathroom touch points: 'The future of the bathroom is touch-free. You need clean, big surfaces.' Watch the video to learn more…

Find out why the recently renovated Interni flagship store in Milan is symbolic of the Italian company's larger goal of offering full-service partnerships to designers and architects worldwide.

Against the backdrop of a potential global food crisis, our Kitchen Design Week speakers discuss the future of the kitchen, both functionally and culturally. And, in the near future, our DAAily bar in Milan opens its doors.

Cristiano Pigazzini and Daniel Heckscher of Note Design Studio converse on future kitchen requirements: 'It is cheaper to get food than to prepare food.' Watch the video to hear more…

Dries Otten discusses keeping things simple in kitchen design: 'I always try to bring it down to the basic question, what do we really need?' Watch the video to hear what else he has to say…

The limits of the architect, the limits of furniture, and unlimited fun at our DAAily bar in Milan.

Monica Armani discusses the materiality of outdoor furniture: 'There are many secrets that everyone working in the outdoor market knows.' Watch the video to learn more…

Christina Seilern of Studio Seilern Architects discusses giving outdoor public spaces multiple characters: 'People will use it the way they want to.' Watch the video to learn more…

Luca Nichetto of Nichetto Studio discusses designing for outdoor as if it were indoor: 'You can take a sofa that is designed for outdoor and put it in your living room.' Watch the video to learn more…

Maison&Objet 2022 Designer of the Year Franklin Azzi on architectural surgery, the current state of French design and why new build could soon be a thing of the past.

MAKE's Katy Ghahremani discusses selecting furniture early in the design process: 'It's important to show clients the materiality of spaces in the context of the FF&E.' Watch the video to learn more…

Benedetta Tagliabue of EMBT discusses an architect's desire to design all parts of a project, including the furniture: 'Everything goes together and everything is a whole.' Watch the video to learn more…

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…

Daniel Monheim of Christ & Gantenbein discusses using daylight as an architectural tool: ‘Daylight defines if a ground-floor workspace is usable or not.’ Watch the video to learn more…

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…

Daan Roosegaarde of Studio Roosegaarde discusses connecting with our environment by removing design: ‘I realised we have this amazing light performance in the sky – the stars – but we don’t see them anymore.’ Watch the video to learn

Catalan creativity, the architectural El Clásico and Italian environmentalism.

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…

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

Thomas Spranger of Max Dudler discusses how a project’s architectural language is inspired by its environment: ‘From the very start, we think in terms of materials.’

Fermín Vázquez of b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos discusses how the availability of many new materials can cause great failure, ‘We haven't learned quick enough.’ Watch the video to hear more…

Antoine Chaaya of Renzo Piano Building Workshop discusses how a site’s soul can inspire its materials and the poetic voices in certain buildings, ‘when buildings start to sing, we are in architecture.’ Watch the video to hear more…

Mark Fenwick of Fenwick Iribarren discusses the legacy of the firm’s moveable Stadium 974 in Doha for the World Cup 2022, ‘It’s this idea to basically get rid of white elephants.’ Watch the video to learn more…

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

Get some bonus construction insights and tips from our design week experts – Stefan Behnisch from Behnisch Architekten, Jürgen Mayer H from J. Mayer H. and Nuno Fontarra from Mecanoo!

Nuno Fontarra from Mecanoo highlights that for some projects, the main focus is not the material, but the idea. Watch him explore this topic in the video below...

Jürgen Mayer H reflects on our emotional connectivity to buildings and spaces. Watch him address this concept and more in the video...

Stefan Behnisch from Behnisch Architekten talks construction, specification and how less really is more.

‘How can we create spaces according to elementary human needs?’ asks Martin Lesjak of Innocad. Watch him address this question and more in the video.

For CF Møller's Julian Weyer, 'the real point of an office these days is as a place of engagement'. Find out what else he has to say about the modern workspace in the video...

‘A contemporary workspace is not about designing a place. It's about translating the culture, the identity of a company,’ says Peter Ippolito of Ippolito Fleitz Group. Find out more in the video...

Despite new and ever-evolving working habits and rhythms, for Lauren Touhey-Otto of Berlin-based architecture office Kinzo, the office still has a central role to play in how we work...

Axel Schmid of Ingo Maurer discusses how new lighting technology is not only a benefit in itself, but also the source of new ideas, tools and possibilities. Watch to learn more...

Pierre Jorge Gonzalez of Gonzalez Haase AAS talks about the role of light in the office of the future. Find out more in the video.

The poetry and pragmatism of light with Guillermo López of New York-based architecture office MAIO.

‘Light is the essence of architecture,’ say Oliver and Tobias Link of Tobias Link Lighting Design. Watch the video for more insights...

In 2022, we will once again be bringing together a diverse range of expert voices from the world of architecture, design and planning to share their valuable industry insights.

Sustainability Design Week: The Dutch designer talks plastic, greenwashing and why he's never short of apples.

Sustainability Design Week: Andrea Rossi of Mario Cucinella Architects talks 3D-printed buildings and more.

Sustainability Design Week: Discover what's really at stake for design innovator Yves Béhar of fuseproject.

Sustainability Design Week: Kim Nielsen explains how the research-led, Danish-founded practice has sustainability and circularity running through its veins.

What does sustainability mean and how can it be achieved? Four leading expert-thinkers and practitioners cut through the greenwashing.

The renowned German-American architect, known in particular for his high-rise and airport projects, is killed in a tragic accident in Chicago.

New for 2021! Architonic hosts the Global Design Agenda – the architects' programme of design weeks for planning insights, market trends and product launches.

Get some bonus technology insights from architect Carlo Ratti, Vanessa Quirk of Sidewalk Labs, and smart-home expert Andreas Dörflinger...

‘If it's not a smart home you're building these days, then it's already an old house,’ says German smart-home expert Andreas Dörflinger. Watch now for more insight and commentary!

‘I think inherent in the term "smart city" is a bit of a whiff of techno-solutionism,’ says Vanessa Quirk of Sidewalk Labs. Watch now for more insight and commentary!

'The Internet of Things civilisation has to find its architectural expression,’ says Carlo Ratti. Watch now for more insight and commentary!

Watch architect Carlo Ratti, Vanessa Quirk from Sidewalk Labs, and smart-home expert Andreas Dörflinger!

'I'm in favour of privatising public space,' says Patrik Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects. Watch now for more insight and commentary!

'People are the best insurance against anything bad you might associate with a public space,' explains Jason Long of OMA. Watch now for more insight and commentary!

'Public elements need to be incorporated into the concept and the budget from the start,' argues Gideon Maasland, director at MVRDV. Watch now for more insight and commentary!

Watch Grimshaw Architects, MVRDV, OMA and Zaha Hadid Architects!

‘Architecture without interiors is just a sculpture,’ says Diana Radomysler, director and interiors expert at Marcio Kogan-founded office Studio MK27. Watch now for more insights!

FURNITURE DESIGN WEEK: 'The home will continue to be a major hub in the post-pandemic future.' WGSN forecasting expert Lisa White sets her sights on 2030.

Watch Barber Osgerby, Studio MK27, Konstantin Grcic, Claesson Koivisto Rune and Adam Nathaniel Furman!

Architonic has acquired archdaily.com – the leading architecture platform globally – with an ambitious plan for growth, innovation and even better service.

100 years since the founding of the Bauhaus. 5 contemporary projects that channel its spirit.

If you want a stable career, become a dentist. People will always have teeth. And if you want a reliable flow of work as an architect, you could do worse than to design dental practices. Here's a short international survey of five rather toothy new

In this first installment of our new series featuring the work of renowned architectural photographer DEIDI VON SCHAEWEN, we take a look at a unique exhibition of Colombian architect and bamboo-master Simon Vélez's work, currently installed in the

There's a long tradition of architectural photography presenting viewers with depopulated spaces – interior and exterior landscapes, devoid of the very users for which they have been designed. Celebrated Dutch photographer IWAN BAAN's unparalleled

In spite of the rise of e-commerce, the physical point of sale is still with us. That said, the traditional store is having to up its game in terms of the experience and brand relevance it offers consumers – not only to compete with online shopping

We'd like to talk to you about a delicate matter. The toilet. The WC. The lavatory. However you choose to refer to it, we all require regular access to this most prosaic of environments. Which is why it's refreshing to see a number of recent public

Shuffling off this mortal coil is something we all, sadly, have to do. There's no opting out. But while mortality might be a great leveller, a number of architects have shown recently how designing environments that process death – be it in

Ireland is in a reflective mood these days. With the island nation on the edge of Europe facing up to the reality of a severely damaged economy and a decimated construction industry, nostalgia is doing what it's wont to do.

'Emerging', 'the ones to watch' and 'the stars of tomorrow' are just some of the labels that have been applied of late to young London-based architectural practice Carmody Groarke. Founded just four years ago, the studio has more than proved its

There's faded grandeur. And then there's Detroit. Once the fourth-largest city in the US, its spectacular economic and social decline is writ large in the disintegration of its architectural fabric. With its former manufacturing industries decimated

Architonic reviews '1:1 – Architects Build Small Spaces', the latest exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum

When photographer Greg Girard decided to visit the notorious, citadel-like 'Walled City' slum in Hong Kong's Kowloon, where the daily lives of 35,000 people played out, he was told he may not come back alive. Luckily for him, he did. And, luckily for