
January 14, 2025
Changing Architecture from the Ground Up

Architecture and interior design simply cannot maintain the status quo, knowing what we know today about the state of our ecosystems, the impacts of our material choices, and the rights of long-marginalized communities. The practices and research groups profiled in this issue are corralling the expertise and experience we need to keep evolving.

At universities around the United States, new knowledge and methods are being developed, whether that’s a robot saw to aid in wood-based construction or applications of AI to help sites in the Gulf of Mexico that are vulnerable to flooding. Meanwhile, five emerging practices (all shown below) in our “New Approaches” series navigate tight budgets, new materials, avant-garde processes, grassroots construction techniques, and existing building stock to make places and spaces like we’ve never seen before. And finally, we hear from three architectural firms that are negotiating new relationships between communities, planners, and architects.
Somewhere in these stories, we hope, is a seed of inspiration that can take root and transform your practice.
Read every story from our 2024 Fall Issue:
Earth Construction
Viewpoints
The Politics of Adobe Architecture
Recent scholarship on earth architecture in America highlights larger issues concerning power, extraction, and Indigenous resistance to the settler state and capitalism.
Projects
Meet the Designers Building With Earth
Three international architecture practices are responding to local climate conditions through rammed earth and compressed earth bricks
Products
7 Earth-Based Solutions for Building Closer to Nature
These solutions are either made entirely from recycled materials or are fully recyclable.
New Approaches
Profiles
How TAKK Is Rethinking the Template for Architecture
For Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño of Barcelona-based studio TAKK, every commission is a chance to question the norm.
Profiles
Abeer Seikaly Weaves Nomadic Architecture with New Technologies
Rooted in ancestral knowledge, work by the Jordanian-Palestinian architect and designer addresses present and future challenges.
Profiles
Equipo de Arquitectura Practices Material Sincerity
The Paraguay-based firm integrates material rigor and contextual design into its cultural and residential projects.
Profiles
Format Architecture Office Envisions an Expansive Design Process
Format Architecture Office (FAO) helps clients hone their vision with a focus on the driving forces behind each design decision.
Profiles
Breland–Harper Mines the Past to Design a Better Future
In less than a decade, Ireland-Harper, the Los Angeles–based studio has completed over 100 adaptive reuse projects.
More from the Fall Issue
Viewpoints
Three Firms Redefining Design Through Community-Led Processes
As part of their Alternative Practices project, Verda Alexander and Maya Bird-Murphy spotlight firms that are turning traditional Western design thinking on its head.
Viewpoints
These University Labs Expand the Agency for Future Architects
The following schools, labs, and incubators are contributing innovative solutions to make change both down the street and around the world.
Products
How AI Is Streamlining Schematic Design
Zenerate and Enscape are maximizing efficiencies, accessibility, and services in the early phases of design.
Products
Autodesk’s Forma Gets You Ahead of the Curve on Carbon
Autodesk Forma leverages machine learning for early-phase embodied carbon analysis.
Products
3 Landscape Products that are Lighter on the Land
Discover how these sustainable solutions enhance urban spaces and boost well-being.
Products
3 Products That Do Double Duty
These furnishings that seamlessly blur the line between indoors and outdoors highlight the captivating power of design’s dualities.
Products
Why Interface Wants to Phase Out Carbon Offsets
Interface is still intent on achieving carbon-negative status by 2040, but without purchasing any carbon offsets
Products
Studio Kër Looks at Design as Resistance
Former NFL star Michael Bennett’s format-defying furniture designs grapple with identity, history, and representation.
Products
5 Innovative Products to Dress Up the Ceiling
These decorative solutions for ceilings also solve real-world problems.
Profiles
Ifeoma Ebo Is on a Quest for Urban Healing
Through trauma-informed design processes, Ebo aims for community stewardship and empowerment.
Projects
McDonald’s Reimagines its Interiors through Radical Circular Design
A pilot program launching in McDonald’s France and Belgium aims to create sustainable interior renovations for the global fast-food brand
Projects
This Botanical Garden’s New Addition Is as Subtle as Light and Shadow
Whispers of texture and nature pull visitors through the Missouri Botanical Garden’s new visitor center and into the landscape beyond.
Projects
Monroe Street Abbey Is an Armature from the Past for the Future
Discover how Jones Studio transformed the ruins of a former Baptist church in Phoenix into a community-centered garden and event venue.
Viewpoints
3 Sustainability News Updates for Q3 2024
Policy initiatives are gathering momentum as the federal government and building sector organizations align their expertise under the umbrella of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Would you like to comment on this article? Send your thoughts to: [email protected]
Latest
Products
Why Interface Wants to Phase Out Carbon Offsets
Interface is still intent on achieving carbon-negative status by 2040, but without purchasing any carbon offsets
Viewpoints
Usability Assessment for Products and Materials
Developed during the METROPOLIS Circular Future Hackathon, this tool evaluates reuse and recycling potential, empowering sustainable decision-making in the specification process.