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There was an old house and beyond it, the much older Fossil Ridge Park. Alive with lizards, deer, snakes, coyotes, birds, butterflies, bees, moths, dragonflies, and more. Don't forget the heritage trees. Oaks springing from ancient granite outcrops surrounding the site still retained a vestige of grandeur in their clusters.

Enfants Rouges area is the starting point and centerpiece of this Parisian apartment.

Displacement is usually understood through movement: the moment people are forced to move from one place to another. Yet from an architectural perspective, that movement is only the beginning of what comes next. A house may need to be rebuilt, an entire community relocated, or everyday life reestablished somewhere completely new. What is lost through displacement is not always something architecture can simply replace.

Located in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, the project occupies the terminus of a narrow dead-end alley, enclosed on three sides by neighboring residences and a school. With only a single point of access, the site is constrained by limited accessibility, daylight, and natural ventilation. In contrast, its adjacency to the school's sports field introduces an unexpected visual openness, providing a rare spatial relief within the dense urban fabric and becoming the project's primary environmental asset.

The White Bay Power Station precinct and Glebe Island, two key sites in one of the last major redevelopment sites on Sydney's inner harbour, are the focus of a new international design competition launched by the New South Wales Government. The open, two-stage Bays West International Design Competition seeks a design-led Urban Framework that will guide the transformation of the precinct into a new waterfront neighbourhood.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has inscribed Aalto Works, a collection of thirteen buildings and architectural ensembles across Finland designed by Aino Marsio-Aalto, Elissa Aalto, and Alvar Aalto, on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The designation recognizes the international significance of a body of work that helped redefine modern architecture through a human-centered approach, emphasizing the relationship between buildings, everyday life, nature, and social well-being. Spanning projects completed between the late 1920s and the 1980s, the series represents Finland's contribution to the Modern Movement while acknowledging the collaborative practice of the Aaltos and their studio.

Where the Haussmannian and Faubourg urban fabrics meet, the project at 206 Rue Lafayette transforms a diverse site comprising eight buildings arranged around a central courtyard.

The European Cultural Centre Italy has announced the finalists of the ECC Awards, presented as part of Personal Structures – Confluences, the eighth edition of its international contemporary exhibition, running in parallel with the Venice Art Biennale. Running in Venice from 9 May to 22 November 2026 across Palazzo Bembo, Palazzo Mora and the Marinaressa Gardens, the exhibition provides the backdrop for the awards, which celebrate artistic practices engaging with the show's theme, Confluences, through research, interdisciplinarity and dialogue with place. The winners will be announced on 22 November 2026, during the exhibition's closing event.

Central America's nations occupy a narrow land bridge between Mexico and Colombia, but they were not born as separate countries. They emerged from a single entity: the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. That federation collapsed, yet the ideal of a unified region never fully died. In 1951, the governments signed the Charter of San Salvador, creating ODECA, the Organization of Central American States. Four decades later, the 1991 Protocol of Tegucigalpa replaced it with SICA, the Central American Integration System, the framework guiding regional cooperation today. Within this integration process, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) was founded in 1960 by Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, establishing its headquarters in Tegucigalpa. On the surface, it is a conventional late-20th-century office complex, but look closer at its façade, and the building becomes an argument about identity. One written in pink quarry stone from the very hills that surround the Honduran capital.

Hyangrindongsan in Dongbaek-dong, Yongin, is an established residential enclave where detached houses are scattered along the edge of forested slopes. Positioned according to the natural topography, the houses, retaining walls, trees, and level changes overlap to create layered visual connections, guiding the eye from intimate gardens toward the distant landscape. Located midway up the hillside, the site naturally frames views of the surrounding village and woodland.

The Melody House, designed by Ar. Arpan Shah, is a residence designed for a Gujarati family whose lives are deeply intertwined with art and music. Located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, the house draws inspiration from the spatial richness of the city's traditional havelis while reinterpreting these principles through a contemporary architectural language.

Recorded live at Milan Design Week 2026 in partnership with INDX|GLOBAL, the tenth episode of the Room For Dreams podcast looks at how buildings outgrow their original blueprints. Architects Parvez Alam and Priyanka Arjun, alongside interior designer Aditi Sharma, discuss why the best architecture is never truly finished.

This project centers on an innovative interplay between two contrasting materials: felt and metal. Connected by custom triangular fasteners, these disparate materials are integrated and recontextualized. This juxtaposition softens the cold, austere quality of metal while unleashing the sculptural, three-dimensional potential of felt. By introducing felt as a modular element within the spatial narrative, the design transcends conventional material boundaries, achieving a balanced, symbiotic relationship.

In the rapidly densifying landscape of Toronto, where a growing array of boisterous architectural statement pieces compete for attention, a new home designed by interior designer Gillian Gillies stands as a welcome reprieve. Sustainability, so often associated with clinical engineering, soaring towers, expansive campuses, and stark, performance-driven aesthetics, is here reimagined as a “warm embrace.” Located in the upmarket “urban village” neighborhood of Leaside, the Net Zero Ready Home project proves that advanced environmental stewardship and joyful, idiosyncratic interiors can coexist.

Photography by Doublespace Photography

The project is the result of a tight collaboration between Gillian Gillies (the designer’s eponymous practice), Dewson Architects, and builders Cliff & Evans. While the technical foundation is rooted in passive house principles—featuring meticulously tested air and moisture control layers to ensure a consistent year-round temperature—the sensory quality of the home is defined by texture, color, and family connection. “Comfort was paramount,” Gillies says, “and that meant a home that was properly constructed as well as [comfortable furniture].”

Photography by Doublespace Photography

Gillies, originally from Edinburgh, brings a sensibility rooted in the permanence of neoclassical and Georgian architecture, translated here through a palette of natural materials including white oak, walnut, and wool. Each room is tailored to its intended function, while bold floral wallcoverings and textured tile add personality. Rather than the sterile “newness” typical of contemporary high-performance homes, the interiors embrace deliberate juxtaposition.

Photography by Doublespace Photography

“We don’t perfectly match textiles,” Gillies explains. “Instead, we like a little bit of tension, a little bit of a mismatch that makes the home feel more settled.”

This philosophy is most evident in the communal spaces, where the design explicitly fosters human interaction. A double-sided sofa in the living room invites simultaneous yet distinct modes of engagement. A floating box window seat in the foyer provides a quiet nook for reflection. The color story—a grounding base of greens and blues punctuated by vibrant flashes of yellow and red—mirrors the family’s love of travel and the natural world.

Photography by Doublespace Photography

Throughout the four-story structure, strategically placed architectural and decorative lighting shapes the mood. A Lutron HomeWorks system seamlessly transitions the atmosphere from energetic to intimate. Sculptural pendants from Montreal-based boutique producers Lambert & Fils and Gabriel Scott add a layer of contemporary craft. Vintage Brazilian furniture and Oaxacan woven baskets reinforce the space’s warm, tactile quality.

Photography by Doublespace Photography

Ultimately, this Toronto home stands as a testament to the idea that thoughtful architecture can improve everyday life. By prioritizing the wellbeing of both the planet and a specific family, Gillies created a structure that does more than just store carbon; it’s a space that holds life in all its complexity.

“We create homes to be lived in and not simply looked at,” she says. In striking this careful balance, the designer has created a home that will undoubtedly last through the generations.

Photography by Doublespace Photography

Casa Sabina transforms a family home into a residential complex that preserves the memory of an existing house while adapting it to new ways of living.

Retail stores often take a more-is-more approach, filling their spaces with an overwhelming array of goods, so when one has just the right combination of products and aesthetic appeal, it can give the retailer an edge. That’s what MUJI in Cambridge, Massachusetts, banked on.

In North America, the Japanese company is evolving from a purveyor of stationery into a full lifestyle retailer. For its new location in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, Mapos Architects, in collaboration with ACTWO Architects, was tasked with renovating the Design Research building in Harvard Square—in just 10 weeks.

Photography by Gunnar Glueck, Flaunt Boston.

When the Design Research building opened in 1969, it served as a showcase for architect Ben Thompson’s shop, which included European and Scandinavian housewares. For the MUJI revamp, the architects took a deliberately light-touch approach, revealing rather than replacing the building’s defining architectural elements.

“We uncovered the existing textures to leverage what was already there and bring back the original beauty of the space,” says Colin Brice, co-founder and partner at Mapos Architects.

Photography by Gunnar Glueck, Flaunt Boston.

With a lightness not typical of the period, the structure boasts a balance of concrete and glass curtain walls, forming a jewel-box-like setting that feels surprisingly contemporary and welcoming.

“It’s really an exceptional example of Brutalist architecture and how open it can be,” explains Caleb Mulvena, co-founder of Mapos Architects and partner in charge of the project. “The entire storefront opens to the community, and customers can start shopping from the street as they look in.”

Photography by Gunnar Glueck, Flaunt Boston.

Enhancements begin at the entry, where brick flooring retains its patina, complemented by upgraded lighting and ceilings. Concrete columns, concrete masonry walls, and floating staircases were exposed to add character to the interior. White and gray tones are paired with accents of green and MUJI’s signature red. Accent walls made of locally sourced heart pine introduce warmth and align with the brand’s commitment to sustainable reuse.

Photography by Gunnar Glueck, Flaunt Boston.

Set across four levels, the 12,000-square-foot store encourages easy movement through an expansive, emporium-like layout. In the top-floor café, shoppers will find a robot barista, introducing a hospitality-inspired experience that reflects MUJI’s growing emphasis on stores as destinations rather than simply places to shop.

“It was really about leaning into the space as we found it,” Mulvena adds. “By keeping our touch light, we were able to celebrate these features.”

It is this simplicity, rather than ostentation, that makes the greatest impact. As the first step in MUJI’s broader North American evolution, the Cambridge location demonstrates how thoughtful restoration can reinforce a brand’s identity.

Photography by Gunnar Glueck, Flaunt Boston.

MUJI Harvard Square is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays) at 48 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The project is located on an agricultural plot defined by the Muda Detailed Plan, in the Rural Intervention Zone – South, in the municipality of Grândola, Portugal. The land area is generous, with approximately 5 hectares, allowing for a 500m2 building away from the access road and other neighbors. The new building was placed in the central area near the western building boundary, in an area where there was a small clearing and on the border between pine vegetation and a small watercourse with other species such as deciduous trees.

Chai keeps its own time. Milk climbs to a boil while tea and spices steep loose in the pot, and the strength shows itself in color, deepening shade by shade until the foam begins to rise. The traditional method of making chai demands attention; it’s a process that has changed very little over time. Dostea, a compact countertop chai maker, was designed to preserve that ritual while bringing the process down to the push of a button.

Photography courtesy of Analogy Design

In 2021, the UK startup behind Dostea engaged Analogy Design, an industrial design studio in India whose portfolio spans housewares and consumer electronics. Together, they took the beverage appliance from concept to product readiness. What Analogy set out to protect was the character of the drink itself while creating an appliance that people would want to leave on the counter, rather than hide away.

“Our goal wasn’t to simplify the ritual but to preserve what people love about it while making it more intuitive for modern kitchens,” says Divya Rao, co-founder of Analogy.

The Analogy Design team built the first prototype. Photography courtesy of Analogy Design.

While coffee has inspired generations of dedicated equipment—from espresso machines to pour-over systems—chai has largely remained a stovetop ritual involving multiple utensils, constant attention, and personal technique. Analogy worked without a template, arriving at a restrained form that combines warm color, material, and finish choices with detailing that references both Indian craft traditions and contemporary European minimalism. Its minimal controls reflect the familiarity of a drink made every day.

“We wanted the product to feel rooted in the warmth and familiarity of chai while introducing a clean, contemporary aesthetic,” Rao adds.

Working on a cardboard prototype of Dostea. Photography courtesy of Analogy Design.

Inside, the mechanism was engineered alongside the shell, its part count pared down to fit the small footprint. The harder work was upstream of the hardware. “One of the biggest challenges was ensuring users could still customize their tea, whether that’s the strength, milk ratio, or brewing style, without losing the convenience of one-touch operation,” Rao explains. The machine preserves that flexibility, letting each household keep its own version of the cup.

Analogy led the project from industrial design through product development and manufacturing planning, shaping not only how Dostea works but how it fits into contemporary kitchens.

Photography courtesy of Analogy Design

To learn more about the project and its launch timeline, visit Analogy Design or follow the studio on Instagram.

The style is characterized by eclectic, bolt and vibrant designs, and an explicit need to imbue a more sophisticated identity to those who wish to distinguish themselves by transcending fashion boundaries.

In a mid-20th-century building in Higienópolis, Lucas Jimeno Dualde transforms a 280-square-meter apartment into something akin to a domestic temple. Its frugal architecture eliminates visual and material noise to focus attention on the experience of the body, light, color, and objects. The building does not claim a place in the modernist pantheon. It is simply a good residential building with a generous floor plan, like so many that shaped Higienópolis between the 1940s and 1960s.