ABC Flats stands in the dense Cilandak neighborhood of South Jakarta, Indonesia as a compact co-housing development by Isso Architects. Built on a 175 square-meter (1,884 square-foot) site, the three-story concrete structure encompasses a total area of 423 square meters and accommodates eleven ensuite rooms arranged across three distinct room types. A rooftop pantry and communal terrace extend the shared living concept upward, offering residents a modest yet inviting outdoor space.

images © Ernest Theofilus

isso architects’ stack of concrete cylinders

From the street, the Isso Architects-designed ABC Flats building distinguishes itself through an interplay of soft curves and heavy geometries. The design team uses cylindrical forms as repeating elements, creating a rhythm that softens the presence of raw concrete while lending a sense of movement to the facade. This subtle fluidity contrasts with the more conventional neighboring houses and establishes ABC Flats as both a visual landmark and a considered response to its tight urban plot.

Entry to the building unfolds across a wooden floor beneath a triple-height staircase. Above, a skylight introduces natural light that shifts throughout the day, casting patterns along the stairwell walls. A reflective pond at the base amplifies these effects, bringing air and water into dialogue and giving residents and visitors a tranquil moment within the dense surroundings.

ABC Flats brings co-housing to South Jakarta, Indonesia

inside the ABC flats

Inside, the layout follows three longitudinal bands — stairs, aisles, and rooms — arranged with clarity and efficiency. Mechanical and electrical systems are consolidated within a central shaft, simplifying maintenance and preserving a sense of openness. Curved interior walls and partially detached railing sections echo the fluid facade, allowing light and movement to animate the compact circulation spaces.

The interiors balance the texture of exposed concrete with clean lines, wood finishes, and a restrained color palette. These choices enhance a feeling of warmth and stability while encouraging residents to inhabit shared areas. The rooftop pantry and communal terrace continue this theme, offering a quiet gathering point above the lively streets of South Jakarta.

cylindrical elements give the facade a soft, rhythmic character

a communal kitchen pantry is designed to bring residents together

wood finishes and a neutral palette balance the raw concrete

eleven ensuite rooms are arranged across three distinct room types

compact spaces are animated by curved interior walls

a rooftop terrace creates a communal gathering space

project info:

name: ABC Flats

architect: Isso Architects | @issoarchitects

location: Indonesia

area: 423 square meters (4,550 square feet)
year: 2025

photography: © Ernest Theofilus | @ernesttheofilus

lead architects: Wibisono Soegih, Stephanie Tatimu
lead team: Arini Zairina Putri
design team: Rangga Cakra Birawa
general contractor: PT. HAGE Primadi Konstruksi
interior contractor: Silla Home

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Moguang Studio has completed a ‘floating’ concrete structure that anchors a new guesthouse complex in Longwanggou Village, Hubei Province, China. Serving as a multifunctional amenities building with café, dining, and gathering spaces, the suspended project inserts a striking horizontal volume into a terraced valley near the Danjiangkou Reservoir. Inspired by the accidental horizon created by a temporary blue construction fence on site, the architects translated this fleeting gesture into a permanent architectural intervention — one that stitches together the surrounding hills while redefining the relationship between landscape and built form.

the suspended structure | all images courtesy of Moguang Studio

a horizon reimagined by moguang studio

The design by Moguang Studio began with the terrain’s transformation into artificial terraces during preliminary site works, a move that altered the valley’s natural topography. When encountered by the architects, the bright construction barricade cutting across the slope suggested an accidental but powerful horizon. Rather than conceal this incision, the studio amplified it with a precise concrete volume that extends laterally across the site, echoing the fence’s graphic clarity while introducing a functional landscape corridor. The textured concrete, cast using standard decking boards, preserves the imprint of wood grain, softening the geometry with tactile detail.

the reflecting pool echoes the horizontal abstraction of the architecture

voids and light

Spatially, the building is organized around three light courts carved into the concrete mass. Openings and voids frame elements of the natural environment, resetting orientation as users move through the structure. At the core is a 7.5-meter cubic court that vertically links sky and ground while horizontally connecting dining, kitchen, and meeting areas. This interplay of solidity and void establishes a rhythmic, layered experience where interior and exterior blur.

To achieve long spans with minimal supports, the roof and floor are constructed as ribbed concrete slabs forming a structural shell. Full-height windows reduce visual mass and maximize transparency, while cross-ventilation is enabled through operable openings. A thin reflecting pool atop the roof lightens the building’s presence, mirroring distant mountains and the reservoir. Cast in a single pour with subtle cambering to prevent cracking, the shell stands as a precise geometric insertion in the valley — both grounded in material tactility and floating in abstraction.

behind the main facade lies a spatial system of vertical light courts and orderly openings

sculpting structural tension through reflection and shadow

ground level shear walls are abstracted into geometric installations

main entrance

the view outside the meeting room

looking toward the light court from the dining area

the architecture anchored in the geohydrological system of Danjiangkou

the reflective roof water mirrors the rugged mountain texture and echoes the distant reservoir

project info:

name: Wudang Mountain Visitor Center
designer: Moguang Studio

location: Longwanggou Village, Hubei Province, China

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: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

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Twelve years after the boutique’s first transformation in Cancún, the Louis Vuitton store presents a new facade that elevates its identity through the expressive possibilities of precast concrete. The design by MATERIA + Gustavo Carmona reinterprets the brand’s iconic flower motif as a sculpted relief that shifts constantly with the play of light and shadow, turning the exterior into a dynamic, sensorial surface. At the heart of the design is a single modular unit, carefully conceived to act both as a structural element and as a vessel for light. When repeated across the facade, this module generates a continuous and vibrant skin that merges precision with rhythm.

all images by Jaime Navarro

Light and Shadow Animate Sculpted Facade of Louis Vuitton store

The composition for Louis Vuitton Cancún boutique by studio MATERIA + Gustavo Carmona creates a strong collective identity while transcending the individuality of each component. The facade recalls the memory of the earlier wooden intervention while advancing into a new material language. More than a storefront, it is an architectural experience that demonstrates how concrete can embody both emotion and detail. By engaging visitors through texture, depth, and atmosphere, the design establishes the facade not only as an element of branding but also as a living presence in the urban fabric of Cancún.

Louis Vuitton Cancún presents a new precast concrete facade

the design reinterprets the brand’s iconic flower motif

sculpted reliefs shift with light and shadow across the surface

a single modular unit forms the basis of the composition

repetition generates a continuous, rhythmic skin

dynamic textures animate the boutique throughout the day

depth and shadow transform the surface into a sensory experience

rhythm and variation emerge from repetition of the unit

the boutique’s identity is expressed through modular form

project info:

name: Louis Vuitton at La Isla
architect: MATERIA + Gustavo Carmona | @_materia

location: Cancún, Mexico

photographer: Jaime Navarro | @jaimenavarrophotography

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Casa Tao by HW Studio stands in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as an architecture shaped by the coastal sun and shade. Rather than chase a postcard view, the concrete house faces a tree-lined courtyard, drawing in breezes and scents while filtering the intense Pacific sunlight. Its quiet stance responds to the climate as much as to the personal histories of its owners.

‘The project began with the silent memory of those who inhabit it,‘ the architects explain. Gustavo, who grew up in Puerto Vallarta, hoped for a house that promised coolness and retreat, recalling the modest home of his childhood where shade was essential. His wife, Cynthia, shared a fascination with Japanese design after a trip with their daughters.

The clients told the design team: ‘We’d like to feel as if we were living inside a Japanese museum,’ describing a place where time slows and silence is tangible. These experiences shaped every decision, giving Casa Tao a language of restraint and depth.

image © Hugo Tirso Domínguez

casa tao: a composition of simple geometries

HW Studio organized the plan of its Casa Tao as a composition of stacked forms. Bedrooms, garage, and service areas create a grounded base, while a light, double-height volume floats above with the social spaces. By lifting the living areas, the architects surrounded them with air and treetop views, capturing the ocean breeze without exposing the interiors to direct sunlight.

‘We wanted the presence of the plaza to be sensed without being overwhelmed by heat,’ the architects note. Instead of large panes of glass, angled openings frame glimpses of trees and sky, allowing the house to observe the neighborhood at a measured diagonal.

Inside, the bedrooms gather around a secluded patio where a curved wall and a single tree create a soft threshold. This arrangement encourages movement that is slow and deliberate. ‘Shade here is an emotional condition,’ the team continues, ‘a promise of calm and silent protection.’ The house turns inward yet remains permeable as breezes carry the fragrance of the sea through subtle apertures, and shafts of daylight slip across the walls.

image © Hugo Tirso Domínguez

hw studio takes cues from japanese design logic

Concrete forms Casa Tao’s structural core, chosen by HW Studio for its durability and tactile depth. Exposed surfaces absorb the coastal sun with a muted glow, while white finishes heighten the gentle contrast between shadow and light.

‘We wanted the material to settle light, not bounce it,’ HW Studio explains. Over time, the concrete will warm and soften to become a surface that records use and weather rather than resisting them. The combination of solid mass and delicate illumination gives the house a meditative stillness.

The architects hope to invited lingering throughout the home. Elevated patios become terraces for contemplation, where the scent of flowers mixes with the sound of leaves in the wind. Each space is an atmosphere for quiet observation. The team seeks to echo the reflections of 20th century Japanese author, Junichirō Tanizaki in his essay, In Praise of Shadows, where subtle light reveals depth and texture. HW Studio captures that spirit, allowing light and shade to guide the senses and slow the day. In this way, dwelling becomes a study in presence.

image © Hugo Tirso Domínguez

image © César Belio

image © César Belio

image © Gustavo Quiroz

image © Hugo Tirso Domínguez

image © César Belio

project info:

name: Casa Tao

architect: HW Studio | @hwstudioarq

location: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

completion: 2025

photography: © Gustavo Quiroz, © Hugo Tirso Domínguez, © César Belio
video: Mavix (Hugo Tirso Domínguez)

lead architect: Rogelio Vallejo Bores
architects: Oscar Didier Ascencio Castro, Nik Zaret Cervantes Ordaz
team: Juan Pablo Camacho Ayala
structural engineering: ARGA Constructora
construction: COMAQSO

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The project fernsehen establishes a dialogue between two landscapes with parallel histories of extraction and renewal: Mount Rokko in Japan and Berlin, Germany. Each site hosts an identical concrete structure, creating a paired installation that connects the two through live and recorded video transmission.

Mount Rokko was extensively quarried for granite during the Edo period, resulting in large-scale deforestation and environmental decline. During the Meiji era, deliberate reforestation efforts gradually restored the terrain. Today, the mountain carries the layered traces of both damage and recovery. Berlin, the artists’ base, reflects a similar cycle of destruction and regeneration through its urban history. fernsehen, conceived by Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo, situates itself within these contexts by installing twin cube-like sculptures in Rokko and Berlin. Each structure is punctuated by narrow tubular openings, recalling the form of telescopes. Within them, video devices project the view from the paired site: the Rokko installation displays Berlin’s urban activity, while the Berlin installation transmits images of Rokko’s natural environment.

all images courtesy of Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo

fernsehen operates as both a perceptual device and a monument

The recordings capture contrasting yet parallel realities. In Berlin, viewers see the passing of people, vehicles, and city rhythms. In Rokko, the images reveal vegetation, shifting weather, and animal movement. Together, these perspectives connect distant environments, framing the coexistence of natural and urban conditions.

The work by creatives Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo, highlights the act of ‘seeing far’ not only as a spatial connection but also as a reflection on shared futures shaped by climate change, urbanization, and environmental pressures. Through this mediated exchange, fernsehen positions itself as both an apparatus for extending perception and a monument questioning the role of vision in shaping responsibility and possibility. The title references the German word for television, fernsehen, literally ‘to see far.’ Its etymology underscores the duality of distance and mediation, framing the installation as an exploration of how perception, technology, and context influence the way landscapes are understood across time and place.

fernsehen links Mount Rokko in Japan with Berlin, Germany

twin concrete cubes form the paired installation

each site hosts an identical sculpture pierced with narrow openings

the structures recall telescopes aimed at distant views

video devices project live and recorded images from the paired site

the installation situates itself within the parallel narratives of Rokko and Berlin

contrasting perspectives reveal shared realities across distance

the work examines how vision bridges space and time

the project operates as both a perceptual device and a monument

‘seeing far’ becomes a reflection on collective futures

Berlin audiences observe Rokko’s shifting natural environment

Rokko viewers watch Berlin’s urban activity unfold in real time

the installation engages themes of climate and urban change

project info:

name: fernsehen
designers: Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo

materials: wood, plaster materials, brass pipes, video devices

dimensions: 2m (W) × 2m (D) × 2m (H)

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: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Until October 5th, 2025, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona becomes the stage for Lost Limits, an artistic intervention by artists Anne Glassner and Marit Wolters that brings together sculpture, performance, and architecture to question where private life ends and public presence begins.

Wolters’ concrete sculptures are cast using water drawn from the Pavilion’s pond, and, installed within the same pool, they mirror the surrounding travertine surfaces. Their placement within this setting highlights how materiality transforms when situated in a space tied to modern architecture’s ideals of precision, purity, and timelessness.

images by Anna Mas, unless stated otherwise

Anne Glassner and Marit Wolters perform everyday gestures

Austrian visual artist and performer Anne Glassner’s performance unfolds in parallel. On September 18th, 2025, she and German sculptor Marit Wolters wear camouflage clothing that blends them into the Pavilion’s geometry while enacting everyday gestures, like sitting, drinking, eating, lying down, and looking. These mundane acts, displaced from their domestic sphere into a public architectural icon, make the familiar become estranged. Visitors participate as well, with their movements interrupting or redirecting the performers.

The artists propose that architecture is a stage for lived experience and suggest that limits between inside and outside, object and subject, and visible and hidden are flexible rather than fixed.

Lost Limits also extends Glassner and Wolters’ ongoing collaboration, which began with interventions at Czechia’s Villa Tugendhat in 2021 and 2022, another of Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich’s seminal works. 

the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona becomes the stage for Lost Limits | image by Christian Prinz

an artistic intervention by Anne Glassner and Marit Wolters

bringing together sculpture, performance, and architecture

mirroring the surrounding travertine surfaces | image by Christian Prinz

Wolters’ concrete sculptures are cast using water drawn from the Pavilion’s pond

a space tied to modern architecture’s ideals of precision, purity, and timelessness

the artists propose that architecture is a stage for lived experience

limits between inside and outside, object and subject, and visible and hidden are flexible rather than fixed

floating flora surrounds the sculptures

Lost Limits extends Glassner and Wolters’ ongoing collaboration

the installation runs until October 5th, 2025

exploring where private life ends and public presence begins

this collaboration started in Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat

Anne Glassner and Marit Wolters  interacting with the sculptural installation | image by Christian Prinz

project info:

name: Lost Limits

artists: Anne Glassner | @anneglassner, Marit Wolters | @marit_wolters

location: Fundació Mies van der Rohe | @fundaciomies, Barcelona, Spain

dates: September 18th – October 5th, 2025

photographers: Anna Mas, Christian Prinz

partners: Phileas – The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art | @phileas.art, Bildrecht, Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport, Austrian Cultural Forum in Madrid, Hangar – Centre for Artistic Production and Research 

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A new library for Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology (SMVIT) in Bangalore, India has completed with architecture by locally-based Cadence Architects. With its monumental presence and exposed concrete structure atop an array of pilotis, the building establishes a strong landmark at the heart of the engineering university’s masterplan. The SMVIT Library is sited along a main road between the hostel buildings and academic blocks, and will soon overlook a central plaza which is soon to be completed, creating a natural gathering point for faculty and students.

images © Atik Bheda

a gathering hub for smvit

Cadence Architects shapes the library to encourage interaction across the SMVIT campus. The building does not read as a solitary monument but as an active connector. Its floorplan invites movement throughout and around the structure which, as the architects note, supports the university’s call for a democratic, inclusive hub.

The heavy concrete volume is elevated over the ground plane atop a series of columns, its footprint planned as a careful response to the site’s mature trees, weaving the building into its natural setting. Broad pedestrian paths pass through and along the structure, enhancing its role as both a destination and a thoroughfare within the campus.

the heavy concrete volume is elevated over the ground plane atop a series of columns

cadence architects’ sectional complexity

Concrete gives Cadence Architects’ SMVIT Library a sense of permanence and strength, while the building’s porosity and layered volumes maintain a welcoming atmosphere. The design team balances solidity with openness, ensuring the library feels at once grounded and responsive to sunlight and breezes.

Inside, sectional shifts create a mix of intimate reading alcoves and generous communal zones. The interplay of volumes supports focused study as well as collaboration, further embodying the architecture’s flexible and democratic spirit.

locally-based firm Cadence Architects designed the building as a gathering hub

interior spaces range from quiet reading nooks to open communal zones

the design encourages interaction and collaboration across disciplines

linear overhead lighting fixtures lend an exaggerated forced perspective

sunlight filtered through mature trees casts patterned shadows across the interiors

the SMVIT Library stands at the center of the engineering school’s campus

project info:

name: SMVIT Library

architect: Cadence Architects | @cadence_architects

location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

client: Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology

design team: Narendra Pirgal, Vikram Rajashekar, Smaran Mallesh, Anshul Deshmukh, Aishani Nath, Shilpa Ananth

completion: March 2025

photography: © Atik Bheda | @atikbheda

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Cossement Cardoso wins second prize in the international competition for the new Architecture and Design Museum along Helsinki’s historic South Harbour. JKMM Architects designed the winning proposal among 624 entries (find designboom’s previous coverage here), including Luca Poian Forms’ Väkkärä concept. Cossement Cardoso’s design emerges as a dialogue between nature, history, and urban transformation. Set within a layered context shaped by centuries of maritime and urban activity, the building both respects and reinterprets its surroundings.

Drawing inspiration from the Finnish landscape and architectural heritage, from birch forests to crystalline ice formations, the museum blends organic forms with geometric precision, creating softly curved facades that invite exploration from all angles. Evolving from an initial solid concrete mass into a translucent fortress of textured glass, the project balances protection and openness. The glass facades filter light while preserving a sense of security, transforming the museum into a cultural beacon at the threshold between land and sea. The undulating roof, reminiscent of billowing sails, resonates with Helsinki’s skyline, offering a subtle but distinctive landmark that bridges the city’s past and future.

all visuals by Imagens do Bernardo

Textured Glass and Curved Roof Define Helsinki Museum

The materiality of the building, chosen by the architectural team at Cossement Cardoso, reflects an experimental and sustainable approach. Recycled glass is heated and poured into wooden molds, where the interaction of molten glass and charred timber creates unique textured panels. This process embeds traces of the landscape and craft into the façade, while the repurposed timber enhances the interior’s warmth and tactile quality. The calibrated variation between textured and smooth glass provides visual permeability where needed, balancing enclosure and openness throughout the building.

Ultimately, the project is a holistic response to context, culture, and craft. It merges architecture and design, material experimentation, and sustainability, offering a contemporary interpretation of Finnish heritage. The result is a building that is at once protective and inviting, sculptural yet permeable, rooted in memory while embracing light, transparency, and the ever-changing relationship between land, sea, and city.

the project responds to Helsinki’s layered history and maritime context

organic forms merge with geometric precision in the museum’s design

an undulating roof recalls the movement of billowing sails

softly curved facades invite exploration from every angle

repurposed timber enriches the museum’s warm interiors

smooth and textured glass alternate to control transparency

sustainable processes underpin the design’s material choices

the architecture reflects Finnish landscapes and traditions

a sculptural yet permeable landmark anchors Helsinki’s South Harbour

the building evolves from solid concrete to a translucent glass fortress

models | image by Cossement Cardoso

conceptual model | image by Cossement Cardoso

casted epoxy model | image by Cossement Cardoso

project info:

name: Museum of Architecture and Design | @admuseo

architects: Cossement Cardoso | @cossement_cardoso

location: South Harbour, Helsinki, Finland

visuals: Imagens do Bernardo | @imagens_do_bernardo

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On the Carnot-Ravinelle Campus in Nancy, France, Agence Vulcano-Gibello completes the building housing the Faculty of Law, a structure that reshapes circulation and gives the university a renewed presence within the city. A limestone concrete-clad gallery anchors the project, replacing an old demolished building and now connecting the surrounding academic blocks while opening the complex toward a revitalized courtyard garden.

The southern facade of the gallery is defined by a Burgundy limestone claustra, a perforated stone lattice that tempers heat gain while creating patterns of light and shadow. This screen, supported by a single central column, shelters entrances and service areas while echoing the tones and textures of neighboring facades. To the north, the gallery is more transparent, with broad openings that draw in diffused daylight. Finished in lime plaster, the north elevation mirrors the surrounding courtyard buildings, creating a continuity of materiality that emphasizes the rigor of the composition against the softness of the landscaped garden.

all images by Charly Broyez

Agence Vulcano-Gibello prioritizes environmental solutions

The University Palace, inaugurated in 1862, once brought together the faculties of Arts, Sciences, Law, and Medicine in a single institution. The intervention by the French team at Agence Vulcano-Gibello is inserted between late 19th- and early 20th-century structures and a contemporary building by Christian François and Patricia Henrion, forming an L-shaped plan that accommodates academic hubs such as CEU, IPAG, IRT, and the College of Law, Economics, and Management.

Visible from the main entrance, the garden of the project transforms a former rear access into a welcoming arrival space. Designed with minimal maintenance in mind, the planting absorbs rainwater and generates a cooler microclimate in summer, counterbalancing the mineral presence of the campus architecture. This green core reinforces the architects’ strategy of prioritizing simple and reliable environmental solutions, with the high-performance building envelope ensuring thermal comfort and the refurbished existing structures achieving improved energy efficiency.

Inside, a central double staircase with broad landings organizes movement vertically. The detailing, solid wood furniture, ample natural light, and clearly defined circulation support academic work and informal gathering. The intervention strengthens the university’s sense of identity by harmonizing with its historic neighbors while introducing a contemporary vocabulary, making the Faculty of Law both more cohesive and more welcoming.

a structure that reshapes circulation and gives the university a renewed presence within the city

a limestone concrete-clad gallery anchors the project

the intervention connects the surrounding academic blocks

creating patterns of light and shadow

the southern facade of the gallery is defined by a Burgundy limestone claustra

broad openings draw in diffused sunlight

supporting academic work and informal gathering

strengthening the university’s sense of identity

the refurbished existing structures achieve improved energy efficiency

solid wood furniture completes the interior

making the Faculty of Law both more cohesive and more welcoming

project info:

name: Faculty of law in Nancy
architect: Agence Vulcano-Gibello | @vulcanogibello_architectes
location: Nancy, France

photographer: Charly Broyez | @charly.broyez

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: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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Our Forest by CTAA ARCHITECT / LAB explores how a single expansive roof can unify diverse spatial functions. The building in Taiwan employs exposed concrete load-bearing walls combined with cypress CLT (cross-laminated timber) roof panels. A large curved roof, rotated 45 degrees, interacts with the orthogonal interior layout to generate varied double-pitched roof forms. This creates dynamic visual effects, with shifting patterns of light and shadow across the spaces.

The design introduces new material applications and construction techniques using both CLT and GLT (glued laminated timber). These methods allow for extended cantilevers and greater roof curvature, producing a roof that spans 16 meters by 18 meters. The approach redefines conventional timber construction, combining architectural expression with structural performance. To address site conditions, the single-story volume is kept slightly lower than surrounding houses, but the roof is raised to 5.8 meters. Different roof heights and layered eaves add vertical depth, ensuring the structure maintains presence without appearing diminished. Exposing the wooden framework further emphasizes the scale and craftsmanship of the roof.

all images courtesy of CTAA ARCHITECT / LAB

diverse spaces are formed beneath a hyperbolic timber roof 

The hyperbolic GLT roof is constructed from 396 individual timber pieces, each with a unique curvature, and connected by over 3,000 steel joints. Supported by 46 CLT pitched roof segments measuring 2 by 3 meters, the structure achieves a balance between linear and planar elements. The bowl-shaped canopy rests on the perimeter roof edges without additional columns, creating multiple shaded zones and framing distinctive spatial experiences beneath.

The design team at CTAA ARCHITECT / LAB conceived the structure as an interconnected environment, in which the expansive roof links the building’s different areas into a cohesive whole. Its scale and geometry establish a sense of continuity, while its materiality and construction techniques demonstrate the potential of contemporary timber architecture.

Our Forest by CTAA ARCHITECT / LAB explores the unifying potential of a single expansive roof

the building combines exposed concrete walls with cypress CLT roof panels

a curved roof, rotated 45 degrees, intersects with the orthogonal plan to create varied roof forms

layered eaves and varied roof heights add vertical depth and presence

the exposed timber framework highlights structural scale and craftsmanship

the hyperbolic GLT roof consists of 396 uniquely curved timber pieces

the design balances linear and planar elements within a unified geometry

multiple shaded spaces are formed beneath the expansive roof

distinct spatial experiences emerge from the intersections of roof and plan

the roof links all areas of the building into a cohesive whole

scale and geometry establish continuity across the project

shifting patterns of light and shadow animate the interiors beneath the roof

plan

project info:

name: Our Forest

architects: CTAA ARCHITECT / LAB
lead architect: Cha Shao Yu

location: Taiwan 

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