#climate-responsive-design

#climate-responsive-design

Heritage is usually catalogued by what can be drawn, not by what changed temperature. In heat, buildings are learned first through skin, only later through sight. Generations learn, through their bodies, what works. Shade reduces glare and radiant heat. Air movement shifts perception by several degrees. Thick walls slow temperature swings.

Century Square has always occupied a strategic position in Shanghai's urban sequence, acting as a hinge between major civic and waterfront destinations. Historically characterized by night lights, shows, and commercial presentations, the site demanded a redesign that could maintain its performative identity while broadening its social and environmental role. The proposal by the team at EMBT retains the capacity of the square for spectacle but shifts its emphasis toward flexibility and daily use.

In line with the objectives of the German "Building Type E" initiative, which has already received broad political and professional support, the Climate Pavilion can be seen as an applied architectural experiment.

The proposed Elche Congress Centre 'Espardenyer' by Luca Poian Forms and Frade Arquitectos is planned for a site between the Spanish city's historic Vila and the contemporary district of Altabix. Conceived as a civic building with an urban role, the project occupies a transitional edge and treats it as a place of connection rather than separation, giving built form to a shared public space.

Located in the northern districts of Marseille, , Les Fabriques is a complex by Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés designed as a compact, climate-responsive structure built from solid . Positioned on a constrained plot within the Littorale urban development zone, the project integrates a nursery school and an elementary school, each with dedicated reception areas, circulation routes, and naturally lit and ventilated classrooms.

The independent Master Jury of the 16th Award Cycle (2023-2025) of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture has announced seven winners, selected following on-site reviews of projects shortlisted earlier in June. Collectively, the awarded works demonstrate architecture's potential to act as a catalyst for pluralism, community resilience, social transformation, cultural dialogue, and climate-responsive design. Two projects from Iran, and one each from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Pakistan, and Palestine, will share a prize of $1 million, among the most significant awards in the field of architecture.

Patio houses embody one of the most enduring architectural typologies, encapsulating the duality of openness and seclusion while nurturing a profound connection with nature. While the term is also used in contemporary American real estate to describe low-maintenance, single-story dwellings on small lots, its classic architectural meaning refers to an introverted design organized around a private, central courtyard. It is this traditional form, the subject of this article, that traces its origins back thousands of years.

Golden Avenue, designed by J.AR OFFICE, has opened as a new hospitality destination for the heart of Brisbane's CBD neighborhood. The multi-level restaurant and bar precinct is conceived as a lush courtyard for the city, combining architecture, interiors, and landscape to create an urban sanctuary within a dense commercial district. The project is operated by the hospitality group Anyday, which calls for the venue to introduces a spatial typology that emphasizes openness, greenery, and climate-responsive design rather than enclosed dining environments typical of the CBD.