These 7 Libraries Look Straight Out of a Fairytale
Libraries are among the best possible public investments. They promote knowledge, education, culture, and community engagement, while also serving as democratic spaces that empower individuals, foster learning, and contribute to the overall well-being of communities. In Haruki Murakami’s surrealist masterpiece novel Kafka on the Shore, this is how the 15-year-old protagonist who lives in a library describes the experience of opening […]
Bamboo Boom: 5 Brilliant Architecture Projects Made of Bamboo
There’s only one material in the world that can be used in cooking, making musical instruments, cosmetic products or textiles, and making wind turbines: Bamboo. It’s described by the iconic Japanese architect Kengo Kuma as “the material of the future”. Bamboo is booming as a construction material, and for a good reason: By far the fastest-growing plant in […]
Urban Rewilding: How These 5 Cities Brought Nature Back to the City
Due to the skyrocketing urbanization, industrialization, and population growth globally, our planet is losing its biodiversity at an alarming rate, faster than at any time in human history. Since the beginning of the 20th century, as the cities kept booming, the average population of indigenous species in the majority of significant ecosystems has declined by […]
Know Your Architecture: Islamic Architecture and 5 Finest Examples
From the plains of Central Asia to the hills of Southern Spain, Islamic architecture made a mark on particularly the so-called ‘old world’. It significantly impacted the development of architectural styles worldwide, and its influence can be seen in various structures across different cultures and time periods. Islamic architecture exhibits regional variations based on local […]
Ecofeminism in Architecture: How Green Buildings Can Facilitate Gender Equality
While climate change is a colossal threat to all humanity, women suffer from its consequences most disproportionately and dramatically — and many of these consequences interact with our built environments in some way. According to the United Nations, women make up approximately 80 percent of the people who are displaced from their homes by climate […]
Trailblazing Women Architects: Gae Aulenti
“The conscious principle in [design] has been to achieve forms that could create experiences, and that could at the same time welcome everyone’s experiences with the serenity of an effortless development,” said Gae Aulenti, summarizing her philosophy and approach to architecture and design. Nicknamed the “Grand Dame of Italian architecture”, Aulenti was born in 1927, in Palazzolo […]
