The cover story
Brisbane, Australia · Bates SmartA sanctuary above the city.
A public park below. A Rooftop Club above. Explore Bates Smart’s Sanctuary Residences in South Brisbane, now under construction.
Explore the storyArchitecture. Places. Perspectives.
Architecture worth a closer look.
Remarkable buildings, thoughtful interiors and the people behind them.
Explore the journal
191 projects49 cities
Details, ideas & new perspectives
Look a little closer.
Materials in focus
The detail makes the difference.
Angles, light and shade. Discover the ceramic surface behind Wasl Tower’s changing appearance.
See the facadeDesign questions, real projects
Buildings, compared and explained
From the planted balcony to the neighbourhood plan: follow an idea across the spaces people use, with sources and questions for a closer look.
Jnzl’s Photos · Original photograph on Flickr · CC BY 2.0 · Proportionally resized where needed and converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
01Singapore · Public housing
SkyVille @ Dawson: a neighbourhood between the floors
Explore WOHA’s SkyVille @ Dawson in Singapore through shared terraces, open circulation and the relationship between a large development and smaller groups of homes.
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JakobHosp · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Proportionally resized where needed and converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
02Amsterdam · Mixed-use architecture
Valley, Amsterdam: where the city climbs into the building
Read MVRDV’s Valley in Amsterdam through mixed uses, landscape and the transitions between a city route and private residential terraces.
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Ema Peter · Courtesy Revery Architecture / v2com · Revery Architecture / v2com press kit · Editorial press-use terms · Proportionally resized where needed and converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
03Vancouver · Heritage and housing
The Butterfly, Vancouver: a new tower beside an old church
Explore Revery Architecture’s Butterfly development in Vancouver through its relationship with First Baptist Church, shared arrivals and different building programmes.
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Maíra Acayaba and Edu Castello · Courtesy Triptyque / v2com · Triptyque / v2com press kit · Editorial press-use terms · Proportionally resized where needed and converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
04São Paulo · Apartment edges
Onze 22, São Paulo: a balcony around the apartment
Explore Triptyque’s Onze 22 in São Paulo through its perimeter balconies, glazed rooms and relationship between independent towers and shared landscape.
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Jehieljwilliams · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Proportionally resized where needed and converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
05Cape Town · Proposed urban housing
The Madison, Cape Town: designing the edge of Bree Street
Read dhk’s proposed Madison development in Cape Town through its street-facing base, residential entrance and the need to distinguish a current design from an earlier scheme.
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CPH - 8 House — Creative1222 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized; cropped to fit the display.
06Copenhagen · Housing and movement
8 House, Copenhagen: a route through the residential block
Explore BIG’s 8 House in Copenhagen through its rising promenade, layered uses and the relationship between moving through a building and arriving home.
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Scott Burrows · Courtesy Koichi Takada Architects / v2com · Koichi Takada Architects / v2com press kit · Editorial press-use terms · Converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
07Brisbane · Design comparison
Brisbane apartment architecture: two ways to live outdoors
Compare 443 Queen Street and Upper House in Brisbane: planted arrivals, rooftop gardens, public edges and the everyday routes that connect apartments to outdoor space.
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Chris Olszewski (Kgbo) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Proportionally resized and converted to WebP; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
08Brisbane · Project story
443 Queen Street: a garden tower in Brisbane
Explore 443 Queen Street by WOHA and Architectus: planted arrivals, a porous riverside base and the spaces between a Brisbane apartment tower’s volumes.
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Mark Nilon · Courtesy Koichi Takada Architects / v2com · Koichi Takada Architects / v2com press kit · Editorial press-use terms · Converted to WebP without enlargement; cards may be cropped. No generative changes.
09Brisbane · Project story
Upper House: rooftop living in Brisbane
Inside the architectural idea of Upper House by Koichi Takada Architects: a timber rooftop pergola, sculpted balconies and art on South Brisbane’s street edge.
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Photography © Hufton+Crow
10Living with nature
Planted balconies: what EDEN and La Serre do differently
Compare EDEN in Singapore and La Serre near Paris: private balconies, shared gardens, privacy and the practical work behind planted apartment buildings.
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Ahmad Alnaji - SARAB · via v2com
11Facades & materials
How ceramic facade fins shade Wasl Tower
A closer look at Wasl Tower’s ceramic fins: orientation, facade depth, daylight and the difference between a shading strategy and measured energy performance.
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Anson Smart · via v2com
12Adaptive reuse & interiors
From industrial building to apartment: NoMad in Sydney
Explore NoMad by Alexander &CO, then use its spatial choices to examine daylight, privacy, layout and retained character in an industrial apartment conversion.
Read the guide13Neighbourhoods & housing
Riverlands or Kinlea? Two different plans for Milperra
Compare Riverlands and Kinlea by Mirvac in Milperra: site history, proposed homes, shared spaces, construction milestones and the questions still to ask.
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Abian Botanic Gardens, Brisbane April 2017, 3 — Chris Olszewski · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized; cropped to fit the display.
14Climate and comfort
Subtropical apartment design: shade, airflow and outdoor living
How to read a subtropical apartment in Brisbane: assess orientation, balcony shade, cross ventilation and the relationship between indoor and outdoor rooms.
Read the guideCPH - 8 House — Creative1222 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized; cropped to fit the display.
15Plans and everyday life
How to read an apartment floor plan
Read an apartment floor plan step by step: check scale, furniture, circulation, privacy, storage, daylight and the information a sales plan cannot show.
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The Interlace, Singapore — Mike Cartmell · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · Resized; cropped to fit the display.
16Shared space
Courtyard apartment buildings: private homes around shared space
Explore courtyard apartment design through The Interlace in Singapore and 8 House in Copenhagen: shared routes, daylight, privacy and the edge of the home.
Read the guideFollow your curiosity
Explore an idea.
Different projects. Shared questions.
Living with nature
Facades & materials
New ways of living
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