Kengo Kuma & Associates wins a competition to design a new public library in Rzeszów, Poland, with a proposal titled The Spiral of Words, or Wir Słowa. The project is designed in collaboration with Polish studio Schick Architekti, Buro Happold and MASU Planning in a scheme that at once a building and a landscape to be explored by the public.

Set within a lush park, the timber structure takes the form of a rising spiral that organizes the entire program around a central, top-lit lobby. From the air, its faceted roof planes appear as a series of shifting terraces layered with vegetation and photovoltaic panels. At ground level, the volume sits low among trees for a humble presence while still drawing visitors inward through its sheltered public forecourt.

visualizations © KIN Creatives, © VIBSU via MASU Planning

kengo kuma arrives in Rzeszów, Poland

The jury describes Kengo Kuma & Associates’ proposal as attractive and formally innovative, highlighting its city-forming quality and the strength of its interiors. At its core lies a library space that coils upward around a luminous atrium to connect all floors through a continuous path. The architects design the spiraling promenade to operate as both circulation and spatial narrative. Readers are gradually guided upward through collections, study areas and gathering spaces.

Inside, timber surfaces define the atmosphere. Floors, ceilings and structural elements read as a cohesive material field, punctuated by perforated panels that temper acoustics and diffuse light. The atrium roof opens to the sky through a faceted skylight which casts a soft glow down into the lobby. Reading terraces step back from the perimeter glazing, creating places to sit along the edges while maintaining long views across the interior.

Kengo Kuma wins the competition to design a public library in Rzeszów, Poland

luminous timber interiors

The interior organization supports varied uses without fragmenting the whole. Children’s areas are integrated into the stepped landscape of shelves and seating, where low platforms double as informal stages and reading zones. Quiet study rooms sit behind fine mesh partitions, allowing visual continuity while providing enclosure. Event spaces, including a large hall finished in warm timber, are placed within the spiral so that public programs feel connected to the daily rhythms of the library.

In the performance space, suspended wooden elements form a dense ceiling grid that modulates sound and light. The geometry of the spiral is legible here as well, expressed through subtle shifts in wall planes and balcony edges. Throughout, the material palette remains restrained, allowing structure and daylight to shape the character of each room.

the building is organized as a rising spiral that connects all floors around a central atrium

Landscape as Extension of the Library

MASU Planning’s landscape strategy extends the building into its surroundings. At street level, a network of green islands frames the site, functioning as water retention areas and habitats while guiding pedestrians toward the entrances. Planting is designed to enhance biodiversity, introducing a layered ecology directly into the urban fabric of Rzeszów.

Rooftop gardens continue this approach upward. Each level offers an outdoor terrace that changes in character as visitors ascend, from sheltered reading gardens to open platforms with views across the city. Gauthier Durey, landscape architect and associate partner at MASU Planning, describes the landscape as an outdoor extension of the indoor facilities, offering space for play, culture, contemplation and relaxation in the open air. Together, the ground and roof landscapes form an inclusive public realm where nature and culture meet within a sequence of connected spaces.

a top-lit lobby brings daylight deep into the heart of the library

timber surfaces shape the interiors and create a warm, cohesive atmosphere

a large event hall features a suspended wooden ceiling grid for acoustic performance

stepped reading terraces guide visitors upward through collections and study spaces

ground level green islands support biodiversity and manage water retention

project info:

name: Wir Słowa

architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates | @kkaa_official

location: Rzeszów, Poland

local architect: Schick Architekti | @tkholding.pl

landscape architect: MASU Planning | @masuplanning

MEP, acoustic, facade: Buro Happold | @buro_happold

structure: Structured Environment, Häring Timber Technology AG

visualizations: © KIN Creatives | @_kincreatives_, © VIBSU | @vibsu_co

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New images document the Snøhetta–led Shanghai Grand Opera House as it approaches completion along the Huangpu River, with an opening anticipated in the second half of 2026. Following its winning proposal in the 2017 international competition, Snøhetta joined forces with East China Architectural Design & Research Institute, Theatre Projects, and Nagata Acoustics in 2019 to deliver the project as a consortium from concept through construction.

Positioned on the convex bank of the river, the opera house occupies a prominent site within Shanghai’s emerging cultural masterplan. Its spiraling, climbable rooftop traces a continuous sweep around the perimeter, rising from the ground in a broad arc that draws visitors upward. The gesture echoes the movement of water along the Huangpu while establishing a civic presence visible from across the waterfront.

images © Tian Fangfang, Honne Dang

snøhetta’s contextual design motifs

The roof is conceived by the architects at Snøhetta as an accessible public landscape. A helical stair links plaza and skyline to guide visitors along a steady ascent toward elevated platforms overlooking the city and riverbanks. Open throughout the day and night across the year, the roof operates as an urban stage and gathering ground, and extends the institution’s reach beyond ticketed events.

Inside, the building pairs monumentality with motion. Glazed facades introduce daylight deep into the public halls, while sculptural volumes finished in deep red curve through the interior. These forms define circulation routes and shape the sequence of arrival, framing views between foyers, stairs, and auditoriums. The experience begins well before any performance, with the dynamic architecture setting the tempo.

the Shanghai Grand Opera House rises along the bank of the Huangpu River as construction nears completion

a translucent and white material palette

The program accommodates a wide spectrum of productions, from traditional opera and orchestral repertoire to contemporary and experimental work. Multiple auditoriums of varying scale allow the institution to address different audiences and formats, reinforcing its ambition as a cultural destination across genres.

Landscape design mirrors the building’s geometry. A radial layout radiates outward from the opera house, reinforcing visual continuity between structure and site. Planting and surface treatments align with broader ecological goals within the district, contributing to a low-carbon development strategy that supports Shanghai’s long-term urban ambitions.

a spiraling roofline sweeps around the site as a continuous public promenade above the waterfront

the helical stair connects plaza and skyline to guide visitors toward elevated river views

a radial landscape layout mirrors the building’s geometry and supports low carbon goals

deep, red sculptural volumes shape circulation routes through the interior

soaring glazed facades draw daylight deep into the public halls

multiple auditoriums accommodate opera, orchestral, and experimental performances

project info:

name: Shanghai Grand Opera Hall

architect: Snøhetta | @snohetta

location: Shanghai, China
collaborators: East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), Theatre Projects, Nagata Acoustics, schlaich bergermann partner, Meiss Architecture & Engineering Office
area: 146,786 square meters

previous coverage: April 2019, November 2023, July 2025

photography: © Tian Fangfang, © Honne Dang

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The Museum Oberamteistrasse by Wulf Architekten in Reutlingen brings a contemporary timber structure into dialogue with one of the German city’s oldest streets. The museum project restores a sequence of medieval houses and completes the corner with a new volume that traces the footprint of the former Stone House.

The surrounding fabric dates to the 12th and 13th centuries, and the surviving basements and timber frames carry more than seven centuries of construction history. The rehabilitation treats these buildings as both exhibition spaces and primary artifacts. Walls and beams are expressed and are shrouded in a dramatic facade and rooftop of translucent glass shingles.

images © Brigida González

wulf architekten’s shimmering facade of glass shingles

On the corner plot where the Stone House once stood, the team at Wulf Architekten introduces the Museum Oberamteistrasse intervention to reestablish the street edge without imitating the historic fabric. The volume follows the scale and roof geometry of its neighbors, while its surface announces a glowing, contemporary intervention. Cast glass shingles, shaped like traditional beaver-tail tiles, form a continuous skin across roof and facade.

The glass cladding shifts in tone with the light. In overcast conditions the envelope appears pale and matte, while interior illumination reveals the geometry of the timber structure behind it. This layered effect gives the project a changing presence within the tight grain of Reutlingen’s old town.

the contemporary Museum Oberamteistrasse occupies a medieval street in Reutlingen

the exposed timber truss system

The structural design by Str-ucture centers on an exposed timber truss system that defines the Museum Oberamteistrasse’s interior volume. Large triangular frames span the height of the building, bracing the envelope and supporting adjacent historic walls. Their rhythm is legible from both inside and outside, where the grid reads faintly through the glass shingles.

Within, the timber structure forms a spatial framework that guides circulation. A broad stair rises alongside the trusses, offering views across excavated stone foundations below. The preserved basement walls of the former Stone House remain in situ, their rough masonry contrasting with the precise joinery of the new wooden members above.

Light filters through the glass tiles and washes the interior with a soft glow. The timber takes on a warm tone against the diffuse exterior brightness, and the triangular geometry casts a shifting pattern across floors and walls.

translucent cast glass shingles form a continuous roof and facade surface

restored houses from the 12th and 13th centuries are both exhibition space and artifact

preserved stone foundations remain visible beneath the new construction

the structural design by Str-ucture supports historic walls and frames circulation

cast glass shingles are shaped like traditional beaver-tail tiles

old and new construction techniques are presented as legible architectural layers

project info:

name: Museum Oberamteistrasse

architect: Wulf Architekten | @wulfarchitekten

location: Reutlingen, Germany

structure: Str-ucture | @str.ucture.gmbh

photography: © Brigida González | @brigidagonzalezwork

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BOS Arquitectes completes a 745-square-meter nursery school in Muro, Mallorca, between the town’s edge and open agricultural fields. Set on elevated ground, the building overlooks familiar landmarks, which include the Marés stone windmill, the football field stands, and the skyline punctuated by the Church of Sant Joan Baptista and the Convent of Santa Anna. The single-story structure settles into the landscape through a sequence of low-rise vaults that trace a continuous, undulating roofline along the horizon.

Visible from multiple vantage points, the ceramic-tiled roof becomes the defining gesture of the project. Finished in a restrained yellow-ochre glaze, it resonates with the local chromatic palette of sand-colored marés stone and clay roof tiles, allowing the building to register as present but not dominant.

all images by Del Río Bani

Compact plan organizes classrooms

The Palma-based team at BOS Arquitectes conceives the project through a passive design strategy. The nursery organizes its compact volume to reduce energy demand while structuring the daily life of children aged 0 to 3. The access facade defines a small public square, mediating between the school and the town. On the opposite sides, the building encloses south-facing classroom patios, a shared patio to the east, and a service strip along the northern edge.

At its center, a courtyard allows cross ventilation and daylight deep into the plan while remaining fully visible from the interior spaces to facilitate supervision. This open-air void becomes not only a climatic device but also a place where outdoor space is integrated into the daily routine. Solar control is addressed through classroom porches and planted areas within the courtyard. Cross ventilation operates both in plan and section, with large openings on the south facades and smaller, higher apertures to the north, reinforcing airflow across the building.

BOS Arquitectes completes a 745-square-meter nursery school in Muro, Mallorca

Ceramic roof and timber beams shape the project

The construction of the building is organized into six seven-meter-wide bays, defined by curved laminated timber beams that generate the vaulted profile. The repetition of these concave forms evokes a primal sense of shelter while resolving the slope of the roof in structural terms. The ceramic covering articulates the path of rainwater, transforming drainage into an architectural narrative. As the facades guide light inward, the roof guides water outward, integrating environmental performance into form.

Internally, the spatial configuration produces a sheltered, warm atmosphere. The building is arranged in three longitudinal strips around a continuous circulation loop that wraps the courtyard. This clarity of organization supports both orientation and daily rhythms.

Exposed structures, textures, and natural finishes avoid superfluous layers, turning the building itself into a didactic tool. Concrete slabs, stone walls, and brick masonry concentrate thermal mass where the building meets the ground, while the roof, more exposed to solar radiation, is conceived as a lightweight, ventilated system with low thermal inertia. Its light-colored ceramic tiles reduce solar absorption during summer months.

Low-impact, locally sourced materials and efficient construction systems reduce the environmental footprint of the building across its life cycle. Active systems complement the passive strategies, supporting performance without becoming visually dominant.

the building overlooks familiar landmarks

the single-story structure settles into the landscape

the ceramic-tiled roof becomes the defining gesture of the project

a sequence of low-rise vaults that trace a continuous, undulating roofline

the access facade defines a small public square

BOS Arquitectes conceives the project through a passive design strategy

resonating with the local chromatic palette of sand-colored marés stone and clay roof tiles 

the building registers as present but not dominant

a place where outdoor space is integrated into the daily routine

solar control is addressed through classroom porches and planted areas within the courtyard

the spatial configuration produces a sheltered, warm atmosphere

the building is arranged in three longitudinal strips around a continuous circulation loop

locally sourced materials reduce the environmental footprint of the building across its life cycle

project info:

name: Muro Nursery School for Children Aged 0 to 3

architects: BOS Arquitectes SLP | @bosarquitectes

lead architects: Miquel Barceló Ordinas and Margalida Seguí Tugores

location: C/Maria i Josep S/N, 07440 Muro, Mallorca, Spain

built area: 745 square meters

technical architect: Antoni Arqué Garrofé

engineer: Javier Vela Rodríguez

client: Ajuntament de Muro

main contractor: Obras y Promociones Comas SA

structure: Ejestru SL

roof construction: Madergia SL

photographer: Del Río Bani | @delriobani

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Peter Pichler Architecture has proposed a Museum Depot in Bolzano, Italy, a complex designed to house, conserve, and share South Tyrol’s cultural collections within a single, carefully planned campus.

Set against the vineyards and steep slopes that ring the valley, the museum building is shaped by a broad, low silhouette that sits close to the terrain, with a raised grassy rooftop and generous glazing that present a calm civic face to the street. From a distance, the structure reads as an agricultural form translated into public architecture, its geometry familiar within the alpine landscape while clearly contemporary in its execution.

visualizations © Peter Pichler Architecture

a museum depot for diverse artworks and artifacts

The new museum depot by Peter Pichler Architecture brings together functions that had been dispersed across the region into one space. Archaeological finds, artworks from provincial museums, photographic and film archives, along with pieces from the Unterberger and Eccel Kreuzer collections and Museion, are gathered under one roof, allowing over one million objects to be conserved with consistent standards and easier public access.

The team led by Peter Pichler organizes the program around relationships between people and collections rather than treating storage as a series of isolated rooms. Offices, laboratories, workshops, storage areas, and galleries connect through direct routes that support daily research and handling. Circulation paths intersect in shared spaces, encouraging exchange between curators, conservators, and visitors.

Peter Pichler Architecture proposes a new museum depot to centralize South Tyrol’s cultural collections

sunlit workspaces above subterranean exhibition zones 

Above grade, workspaces cluster around a central courtyard that draws daylight deep into Peter Pichler’s Museum Depot. The courtyard offers a patch of green at the center of the building, giving staff a place to step outside between tasks while maintaining a visual connection with the interior. Sunlight filters through timber soffits and glazed walls, producing a steady, even illumination across desks and benches.

Collection storage and exhibition zones sit below ground, where the earth provides thermal stability. This placement supports steady temperature and humidity levels that are essential for long term preservation. The decision also reduces the apparent scale of the complex when viewed from the surrounding fields, and allows the building to humbly settle into the site.

a transparent foyer welcomes visitors with generous glazing and views toward the mountains

the green roofscape

The roof forms a continuous green surface that extends the landscape across the top of the building. Planted areas soften the outline and manage rainwater while improving insulation. From nearby paths and upper streets, the depot appears as a cultivated ground plane that gently lifts to shelter the spaces beneath.

Access occurs from the plaza and street through a transparent foyer. Glass panels rise to the underside of the pitched roof, framing views of the mountains beyond and bringing daylight into the heart of the museum. Visitors and staff also enter through underground parking, connecting directly to the lower levels without interrupting the public forecourt.

a central courtyard illuminates workspaces and offers staff direct access to green outdoor space

luminous interiors frame views across bolzano

Inside the main hall, a sculptural spiral stair links the underground exhibition rooms with the ground and first floors. Its curved form guides movement in a slow, continuous motion, offering glimpses of storage and display areas along the way. The stair becomes a reference point that helps visitors orient themselves within the layered section of the building.

Material choices lean toward timber, glass, and mineral finishes that age with use. The palette supports a working atmosphere suited to conservation while maintaining the openness needed for a public institution project. 

a sculptural spiral stair connects the exhibition levels

exhibition areas are placed underground where stable temperatures protect sensitive artifacts

project info:

name: Museum Depot

architect: Peter Pichler Architecture | @peterpichler_architecture

location: Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy

design team: Peter Pichler, Daniele Colombati, Niklas Knap, Simona Alù, Cem Ozbasaran, Filippo Ogliani, Nathalia Rotelli, Rama Masri, Maria Pacchi, Alexander Kellner, Aidin Shamsalghoraei

status: in progress

visualizations: © Peter Pichler Architecture

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In a private estate in central Ukraine, Under the Reed Roof Guesthouses by YOD Group rework the image of the Ukrainian hata-mazanka through a restrained yet radical architectural move. The 50-square-meter guesthouses replace the opaque whitewashed walls of the archetype with full-height glazing, amplifying the thatched roof into a dominant, sculptural presence. 

Traditional Ukrainian rural houses evolved through necessity and care, with thick plastered walls, periodic maintenance, and thatched roofs that required regular renewal. YOD Group distills this logic into a single architectural gesture. The oversized reed roof becomes both shelter and symbol, its exaggerated scale forming a silhouette that reads somewhere between a tall ceremonial hat and a mushroom rising from the landscape. ‘Our philosophy of terroir design goes beyond working with local materials or familiar forms – it is about uncovering the essence of a place and decoding its cultural meanings,’ explains Volodymyr Nepiyvoda of YOD Group. Rather than presenting the mazanka as an image to be preserved, Under the Reed Roof treats it as a system of care, renewal, and an intimate relationship with climate and land.

all images by Mykhailo Lukashuk

Transparency as a contemporary translation

Where the historical mazanka pursued light through whiteness and order, the guesthouses pursue it through transparency. Fully glazed facades make the roof appear to hover above the terrain, particularly during daylight hours. The Kyiv-based team at YOD Group reframes the traditional house as a porous structure that remains in constant dialogue with its surroundings.

Inside, the layout is organized around a central concrete core that contains the bathroom. This fixed mass anchors the space, while the bedroom and living area unfold on either side. A minimalist fireplace sits in the living room, quietly referencing the Ukrainian stove without nostalgia. The absence of a television reinforces the project’s intention to slow perception. Attention is redirected toward the fire, the landscape, and the shifting light filtered through glass.

Under the Reed Roof Guesthouses by YOD Group rework the image of the Ukrainian hata-mazanka

Living with the landscape Under the Reed Roof

The sensory experience extends to the floor, where a continuous stone-carpet surface runs both inside and outside. The material choice minimizes thresholds and encourages barefoot movement, reinforcing the sense of immersion in nature. When openness needs to be moderated, dense yet visually light curtains can be drawn via an automated control panel beside the bed, allowing occupants to fine-tune privacy without breaking the calm atmosphere.

The interiors follow a language of eco-minimalism, featuring natural tones, textured surfaces, and carefully selected objects by Ukrainian brands. The underside of the roof dome is clad in wooden tiles, referencing traditional wooden shingles historically used across Ukrainian architecture. Rising to ten meters at its apex, the dome introduces verticality into the compact footprint. Heating, cooling, and ventilation are fully integrated, with linear slots and concealed exhausts maintaining uninterrupted wall surfaces and visual clarity.

the architects replace the opaque whitewashed walls of the archetype with full-height glazing

amplifying the thatched roof into a dominant, sculptural presence

the oversized reed roof becomes both shelter and symbol

a silhouette that reads somewhere between a tall ceremonial hat and a mushroom rising from the landscape

where the historical mazanka pursued light through whiteness, the guesthouses pursue it through transparency

fully glazed facades make the roof appear to hover above the terrain

YOD Group reframes the traditional house as a porous structure

the layout is organized around a central concrete core that contains the bathroom

a minimalist fireplace sits in the living room

the absence of a television reinforces the project’s intention to slow perception

the underside of the roof dome is clad in wooden tiles

Under the Reed Roof treats the mazanka as a system of values

in constant dialogue with its surroundings

project info:

name: Under the Reed Roof Guesthouses

architect: YOD Group | @yod.group

location: Ukraine

area: 50 square meters

team: Volodymyr Nepyivoda, Dmytro Bonesco, Natalia Tymochesko, Yana Rogozhinska

furniture: Noom | @noomhome

photographer: Mykhailo Lukashuk | @misha_lukashuk

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Floating above the ground of Dapo Pond wetland in Taitung, Taiwan, the Tie-Ma Cycling Station reimagines the infrastructure of rest. Designed by Studio APL and Lin Ko-Fang Architects, the public ‘lotus garden’ creates a sanctuary for cyclists traversing the region’s East Rift Valley. Stones discovered during foundation excavation were transformed into breathable gabions walls and steel shaped into organic canopies. The project dissolves the boundary between bicycle station and the wetland ecosystem. Currently in its first completed phase, this resilient landscape architecture acts not as a barrier, but as a porous interface connecting the local community with the rhythms of the water.

In Taiwan, the bicycle is affectionately known as the ‘Tie-Ma’ – a term that imbues the machine with a spirited, organic quality. The Cycling Station by draws inspiration from a local cultural metaphor. Situated beside the pond’s primary outlet channel and framed by expansive rice fields, the site occupies an environmentally sensitive position. Rather than treating architecture as an isolated object, the project proposes an ecological settlement, where buildings extend from and adapt to the surrounding landscape. The architecture does not dominate the landscape; instead, it crouches low like an animal resting in the forest, its dark columns echoing the trunks of the surrounding trees.

aerial view of the tie-ma cycling station integrated into the landscape | all images by Yuchen Chao Photography

Studio APL and Lin Ko-Fang Architects mimic natural structures

The structure is sheltered by a cluster of arched, metal canopies that mimic the hydrophobic curvature of leaves. These roofs not only provide generous shade for cyclists to rest and repair their gear but also channel rainwater into a collection system, reinforcing the site’s hydrological resilience. The gaps between the ‘leaves’ allow sunlight to dappled through, creating a shifting play of light and shadow that mimics the forest canopy. 

A key ecological strategy by the architects was the strict adherence to a ‘zero-waste’ earthwork policy. Stones excavated during the foundation digging were washed and sorted to fill the gabion walls of the wash stations. These masonry elements provide a heavy, tactile counterpoint to the lightweight steel roof. The use of stainless steel mirrors on the partition walls further dematerializes the structure, reflecting the surrounding greenery and making the building disappear into its context.

the floating lotus leaf shape is transformed into architectural volume and spatial configuration

tie-ma cycling station presents as integrated landscape system

Developed in two phases, phase one, completed in July 2024, introduced the reception hall as the primary gateway to the site. Phase two, currently under construction, expands the project with a bicycle pavilion, a multifunctional exhibition and refreshment center, and accessible waterfront spaces. Together, the two phases form a cohesive public landscape along the water.

Rather than a single-purpose facility, the Tie-Ma Cycling Station is conceived as an integrated landscape system. Through carbon-reducing materials, resilient design, and ecological coexistence strategies, the plan transforms bicycle stations into waterfront public spaces that can be used daily, used for learning, and embraced by nature, providing sustainable public spaces for the Chishang Township.

the low pavilion nestles among the existing trees

the metal roof is designed with lotus leaf imagery

the roof not only provides generous shade but also channels rainwater into a collection system

the arched roof softens the building’s boundaries

dark-colored columns echo the surrounding tree trunks

the building uses readily available materials like pebbles, concrete, and stainless steel

tie-ma cycling station is conceived as an integrated landscape system

the washing area in the reception hall is enclosed by a shaded activity area

stones excavated from the project make up masonry walls for the washing area and door handles

an outdoor washing area greets visitors

simulations present the concept of an ecological community for the future park

project info:

name: Tie-Ma Cycling Station at Dapo Pond
architects: Studio APL | @studio_apl and Lin Ko-fang Architects | @kflin
location: Chishang Township, Taitung County, Taiwan

photography: Yuchen Chao Photography

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: claire brodka | designboom

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The Land’s Sake Farmstand by Payette is a net-zero pavilion built with a hybrid timber system for year-round use set on a 40-acre non-profit community farm in Weston, Massachusetts. Passive strategies work alongside efficient mechanical systems, allowing the structure to shift between open-air market and enclosed, conditioned space. Overhead, a solar roof quietly powers daily operations, while sliding panels modulate light, air, and weather to support farming, learning, and gathering. The project works in concert to utilize a wide range of sustainable principles and practices, including shading and building orientation, timber construction, a high-performance building enclosure, ventilation and heat-recovery systems, and photovoltaics. To reduce energy, the Farmstand is designed to work with the natural environment and climate. South and east-facing windows allow for passive solar heating in winter due to low sun angles, while the deep overhangs block the hot summer sun from warming the space. Operable skylights and sliding doors are aided by destratification fans to naturally ventilate the Farmstand, reducing the need for air conditioning and allowing the Farmstand to be open to the Farm. 

south and east-facing windows allow for passive solar heating in winter | all images Warren Jagger

the land’s sake farmstand minimizes energy consumption

Plants and trees naturally store carbon as part of photosynthesis, turning carbon dioxide into oxygen, making wood a carbon-positive material. The Farmstand is a hybrid traditional timber frame that is clad in cross-laminated timber (CLT). The timber frame utilizes mortise and tenon joints held together with wood pegs. The 4” cross-laminated timber skin forms the exterior enclosure and lateral bracing. Wood-fiber insulation made from waste wood pulp and rough-sawn wood cladding results in a carbon-positive all-wood building envelope. While air tightness prevents heat loss, the architects also made sure to provide ample fresh air for healthy building maintenance. A dedicated energy recovery ventilator (ERV) exhausts air from the bathrooms and provides fresh filtered outdoor air to the space. The exhaust air passes through a heat exchanger that pulls the heat to the incoming air, recovering up to 75% of the energy that would typically be exhausted from the building.

While the Farmstand is designed to use as little energy as possible, it still takes energy to run the LED lights, kitchen, heat pumps, and most importantly the large walk-in coolers for storing vegetables. A large 36kW south-facing solar array feeds energy directly to the building and will supply the grid with excess energy. The tightly sealed envelope with a thick layer of continuous insulation is critical to minimize the amount of energy required for heating and cooling. Paired with high-efficiency triple-glazed windows and minimized thermal breaks, this passive house level envelope minimizes heat loss. These design moves not only minimize the building’s impact on the environment, but they also minimize operational costs, ensuring Land’s Sake’s future as a sustainable farm.

cross-laminated timber makes up the majority of the farmstand’s hybrid frame

payette capped the building with a large solar array and an ever-changing roof line that embraces the structure below

historic homes and agrarian structures make up the surrounding landscape

materials consist of a timber structure, galvalume roofing, stainless steel gutters, and stainless steel door hardware

locally sourced timber and handcrafted details permeate the entire structure

payette served as the architectural metals fabricator

blackened steel light shrouds conceal fixtures and wash the timber frame

sliding glass panels transform into an open-air structure during the warmer months

a system of translucent sliding polycarbonate panels delivers natural light in work areas

cross-laminated timber skin forms the exterior enclosure and lateral bracing

the project works in concert to utilize a wide range of sustainable principles and practices

project info:

name: The Farmstand

architects: PAYETTE | @payettepeople

location: Weston, Massachusetts
photographer: Warren Jagger

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: claire brodka | designboom

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The LuxeRivers café sits at the intersection of mountainous terrain, waterfront edges, and elevated urban infrastructure in Chongqing, China. The project by Wide Horizon + Epiphany Architects inserts a small, carefully calibrated building into a highly charged urban landscape shaped by the constant interplay of mountains and water. The building responds to these conditions by mediating between urban systems, natural geography, and everyday public life through a light and restrained spatial intervention. LuxeRivers café takes shape through two folded triangular roof planes. Set at an angle of approximately thirty degrees, the roofs face one another while remaining formally independent, creating a clear and concise silhouette. On the park-facing side, the roof slopes down toward the ground, adopting a low, inward posture that echoes the scale and direction of the surrounding metasequoia trees. On the lakeside, the roof opens outward toward the birdwatching tower and river, engaging a broader and more expansive landscape view including a water curtain integrated into the southern facade.

an aerial shot shows the main entrance and its relationship to the architectural composition | all images by Arch-Exist

Wide Horizon + Epiphany Architects showcase folded roof planes

Between the two roof planes, a semi-outdoor transitional space emerges, functioning as a threshold between interior and exterior while offering multiple possibilities for sitting, pausing, and viewing the surroundings. Through the most fundamental geometric operations, Wide Horizon + Epiphany Architects generates layered and dynamic spatial relationships. The interior continues its lightweight architectural logic. By organizing the enclosure through perimeter walls, the architects minimize the presence of interior columns, allowing the space to remain continuous and visually uncluttered. A combination of glass and solid walls provides the necessary enclosure while softening the boundary between inside and outside.

The surrounding landscape within the LuxeRivers mixed-use development permeates the interior naturally, enabling light and views to flow freely and establishing a direct connection between everyday activities and the natural environment. The interior is organized into two primary zones. Along the road-facing side is the reception and service counter, arranged parallel to the street. On the riverside, the seating area runs parallel to the water, accommodating a variety of seating configurations. These two zones are connected by a central glazed corridor that links them while maintaining a subtle spatial separation. From this corridor, access is provided to outdoor spaces formed between the two building volumes, allowing interior and exterior spaces to extend seamlessly into one another.

a glass corridor connects different spaces, maintaining visual continuity with the exterior environment

water curtain design responds to surrounding river context

Through the building’s volumetric response to its surroundings, a rich spatial sequence emerges naturally. Material choices further reinforce the project’s restrained and lightweight expression. The structure is composed of steel, with a standing-seam aluminum-magnesium-manganese roof system and an ultra-clear glass curtain wall enclosure. The interior floor is finished in white terrazzo, while walls are clad in vertical white panels. The ceiling is treated with silver aluminum panels that echo the geometry of the folded roof, extending its structural tension into the interior. A water curtain integrated into the southern facade provides passive cooling when in operation and introduces a dynamic surface layer across the glass, allowing the space to shift between transparency and translucency.

Despite its modest scale, LuxeRivers café seeks to achieve a broader architectural resonance. It functions both as a complementary node within the public life of Luyue Jiangcheng and as a quiet response to Chongqing’s distinctive mountain-and-water urban context. Through a light yet precise architectural language, the building establishes both contrast and dialogue with the surrounding rugged terrain and infrastructural systems, offering a place where people can pause and experience the relationship between the city and nature in everyday life.

the interplay between openings and solid walls defines the architectural rhythm and spatial enclosure

the coffee-making area is designed as a functional and transparent workspace

the café roof extends to shelter an outdoor seating area, offering shade while framing views of the river

the outdoor space is shaped by the architecture, creating a fluid transition between built form and nature

the indoor relaxation area offers a calm and immersive atmosphere

a water curtain is integrated into the southern facade, adding both climatic function and visual identity

the water curtain provides passive cooling when in operation and introduces a dynamic surface layer across the glass

the café sits between the city, a surrounding mega-structure, and the natural river landscape

an evening aerial view captures the entire site as architecture, landscape, and light merge together

project info:

name: LuxeRivers Café
architects: Wide Horizon + Epiphany Architects

location: Chongqing, China

photography: Arch-Exist | @archexist

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: claire brodka | designboom

The post folded triangular roof planes shape luxerivers café along china’s yangtze river appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Perched on a secluded mountainside in Bahía Ballena, Costa Rica, Ojo de Nila is a private residence by Studio Saxe, led by Benjamin Saxe, that explores what it means to live fully outdoors in a tropical climate. Designed for a Swiss couple seeking a deeper relationship with their surroundings, the 300-square-meter home opens toward the Pacific Ocean, relying on natural ventilation. 

The most defining element of Ojo de Nila is its organic roofscape. Moving in soft waves, the roof echoes the surrounding topography while providing shade and directing airflow through the house. Its sinuous profile replaces a conventional pitched form with a continuous gesture that unifies the different living areas beneath it. Constructed from welded metal structures and finished with brown shingles, the roof reads as an extension of the landscape.

all images by Alvaro Fonseca – Depth Lens

Living without boundaries between inside and outside

Set within the biodiverse landscape of Costa Rica’s Osa region, the home responds directly to its site. The architects at Studio Saxe follow the natural contours of the land through a repetitive structural module that allows the building to hover above the terrain. This elevated stance preserves existing water flows and vegetation while positioning the living spaces among the treetops, where ocean breezes and shifting daylight define everyday life.

All primary spaces open toward the Pacific, with windows and doors removed on the ocean-facing side. This openness allows the house to remain naturally cooled by sea breezes during the day and mountain air at night. Daily routines unfold in close contact with the environment, as shifting light, wind, and sound become part of the spatial experience rather than conditions to be excluded.

the undulating roofscape weaves through the forest canopy

Ojo de Nila adapts to its environment to reduce energy use

Sustainability at Ojo de Nila is driven by bioclimatic design. Cross-ventilation, shading, and elevation work together to maintain thermal comfort without mechanical cooling. The use of teak and other durable materials supports longevity in the coastal climate, while the lightweight construction minimizes impact on the sensitive ecosystem below.

The clients describe their home as the result of a long search for an architecture aligned with their values. Their experience of Costa Rica led them to seek a house that could remain open year-round, be cooled naturally, and be shaped by organic forms. As they note, daily rituals such as making coffee while watching the sea or waking to the forest canopy have become integral to the architecture itself, confirming the ambition of the project to merge living space with environment.

Extending toward the horizon, the pool becomes an anchor for the project. Seen from above, the circular reflection formed by water and sky resembles an eye, a gesture that inspired the name Ojo de Nila. This symbolic moment reinforces the idea of the house as an observer of its surroundings, open and attentive to the rhythms of the landscape.

the wavy roof geometry wraps around a central courtyard and pool

the shingled roof flows in soft curves

Ojo de Nila sits lightly on the hillside

layered roof planes create moments of enclosure and openness

curved roof edges frame views of the landscape

an open walkway follows the arc of the building

the pool extends toward the horizon

dining areas remain fully open to the landscape

expansive openings frame the ocean and forest

elevated among dense vegetation

the roofline curves around open-air living spaces

at dusk, the undulating roof reads as a continuous surface floating above the forest canopy

project info:

name: Ojo de Nila

architect: Studio Saxe | @studiosaxe

location: Osa, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

area: 300 square meters

design director: Benjamin Saxe

interior & color design: Atelier Sandra Richard

builder: New Age Construction

structural engineer: Robin Alpízar Leiva

electromechanical engineer: Dynamo

photographer: Alvaro Fonseca – Depth Lens | @depth.lens

video: production Alvaro Fonseca – Depth Lens | film/edit Hansel Alfaro, HANZFARO | music by Andres Soto Marin

The post wavy roofscape crowns open-air residence by studio saxe along costa rica’s pacific coast appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.