Braun

Exploring the latest trends in Nordic home design, making it an inspiring source anyone looking to embrace the Hygge lifestyle. The design culture of the Nordic countries is celebrated for its successful blend of minimalism, coziness, comfort, and beauty. Few places in the world approach housing with such intentionality, where architecture and interior design continually strive to balance tradition and innovation. Whether set in vibrant cities, idyllic countryside, or exposed to the forces of the sea, Scandinavian home design exemplifies how aesthetics and functionality can complement each other in unique ways. With inspiring examples, this volume provides insights into the living culture of a region globally recognized as a pioneer in sustainable and sophisticated design. The editor showcases carefully selected houses and apartments that reflect the timeless charm of Scandinavian style - a tribute to the art of creating aesthetically inspiring living spaces that accommodate a wide range of lifestyles.

Delving into the harmony of tradition and modernity in Japanese residential architecture to reimagine the art of home design. Life in Japan - and therefore also the culture of living - oscillates between two very contrasting poles: on the one hand, the tranquility of country life, surrounded by the sounds of nature, with tatami mats, sliding doors and engawa wooden verandas, and on the other, the frenetic dynamism of the metropolises and large cities with minimalist townhouses on narrow plots and sophisticated micro-apartments. It becomes exciting when these worlds of tradition and modernity meet and interact with each other in terms of design. This volume offers a multifaceted overview of contemporary Japanese residential architecture and introduces the art of creating spaces that combine functionality and spirituality. It offers unique insights into the principles that make them so special and shows how living spaces are not only designed but also experienced. The selected projects invite to understand and reinterpret the essence of Japanese living cultures.

Translating contemporary pedagogical concepts into compelling and very diverse architectural solutions The basic mission of schools is to prepare future generations for life. In addition, they also serve as a means of identification for their community, helping to shape its character and self-image. Increasingly, the institution has evolved from a learning space to a living space for children and adolescents, offering extensive social functions and extracurricular activities. This expansion of tasks had a significant impact on the form and design of school buildings and grounds. With a focus on functionality, sustainability and compelling esthetic concepts, this volume presents a variety of approaches that will shape the school landscape of tomorrow. From elementary schools to high schools, the book offers insights into innovative concepts that are transforming learning and teaching and shows how pedagogy can be implemented in architecture in a contemporary and qualitative way.

Vertical elegance: exploring the cutting-edge world of today's apartment building design, with unique spatial ideas, innovative room concepts for inspiring living spaces. Today, multi-family buildings have become symbols of modern living that redefine both social cohesion and urban space. Their high resident density, low resource and space requirements, as well as communally used areas make them also the most sustainable approach for new forms of residential spaces. With a variety of heights and façade designs, multi-storey buildings are shaping the appearance of cities and suburbs, turning them into veritable stages for these multifaceted architectural showpieces. This volume presents projects that combine innovation, esthetics, sustainability, and quality of life. Each selected building, from social housing to luxury serviced apartments, emphasizes flexibility and individuality, and tells its own story. They all present visions for a vibrant and sustainable urban future through the interplay of intelligent floor plans, well thought-out spatial concepts, and convincing design solutions.

An inspiring overview of contemporary homes set against the backdrop of high mountains, steep hillsides and picturesque valleys with a focus on architecture and interior design. From the majestic peaks of the Alps to the green slopes of Japan's Shikoku Range and the rugged heights of the Rocky Mountains: the selected residential buildings at such dizzying heights are a reminder that architecture not only creates spaces, but also shapes the relationship between human beings and their environment. They are creative showpieces that blend harmoniously and respectfully into the breathtaking nature of the mountain landscapes. Hillside locations present very special challenges and at the same time offer endless design possibilities. On the one hand, they open up spectacular views, while on the other they make innovative solutions for the room program possible. All the oases of modern living featured in this book demonstrate unique ways how esthetics, functionality, sustainability and adaptation to the topography can be felicitously combined.

This compendium presents an international showcase of contemporary landscape design between global trends, local traditions, climatic conditions, functional demands, new technologies, economic circumstances, and individual styles. Whether around, besides, on top of, or even in buildings, in populated areas or in the countryside, landscape architecture develops and designs outdoor spaces for humans as independent creations. It mediates between nature and architecture and connects the grown and the planned habitat, balancing function and aesthetics. Against the backdrop of climate change, the central task today is the conservation of natural resources and the creation of sustainable, high-quality green spaces. A reference work and source of inspiration, this compendium provides an overview of the entire spectrum of this discipline based on projects around the world. Their common denominator is the design of ecologically and socially intact living space. Almost exactly ten years after the publishing of the Atlas of World Landscape Architecture, this new publication takes stock of the developments of the last decade.

Exclusive living retreats set against the backdrop of majestic peaks, steep slopes and picturesque valleys The chalet is a building style that enjoys lasting popularity all over the world. Dating back to the herdsman’s hut in the Alpine region, it became a longed-for destination and the most preferred holiday domicile in the 19th century with the emerging fascination with the Alps. Today, architects and designers are primarily inspired by the constantly redefined interplay of sublime nature, traditional architecture, regional building typologies, individual design, and modern formal language that pushes them to reach magnificent creative peaks. The projects selected for this volume are diverse and remarkably multifaceted: From a traditional construction with a flat gable roof, wide roof overhang, and robust timber façade, to contemporary, thoroughly idiosyncratic interpretations with clear lines, creative choice of materials, and fine details. However, the artful staging of the imposing mountain world in the interior design plays a decisive role among all presented chalets.

Communicative living on a single level thanks to a wide variety of layouts, ingenious spatial solutions by playing with building structures, and the symbiosis of architecture and environment: The bungalow is the epitome of a self-determined life - and inspires builders and architects alike. The one or one-and-a-half-story type of detached single-family house today is resplendent with elegant monopitch roofs, flat-roof variants in the Bauhaus style, or classic gable-roof models. The contemporary projects presented show the entire range of functional and design possibilities. Each one is unique and has been individually developed according to its location and the wishes of the residents. What all the bungalows presented have in common is their architectural quality and their high quality of living.

The desire for beautiful gardens is as strong as ever. An own garden as a private oasis of well-being, but also as a place of prestige can be much more than lawn and flowerbed, path, and hedge. The projects by professional landscape and garden architects presented in this volume show which elements, components and structures, composed and conceived with care and sophistication, constitute stylish and convincing garden design. The interaction with the surroundings, usually the house that belongs to the particular garden, always plays an important role. This can be sometimes strictly geometrical in a near-natural environment, unpretentious in front of a luxury villa, or freely moving, loosening up minimalist architecture. The size of the presented gardens from very different climatic zones ranges from a green backyard of less than 20 square feet to park-like grounds of over 2,000.

The building culture of China is currently one of the most innovative and most adventurous in the world because of the bold ways architects approach materials and genres as well as forms and functions. At the same time, it offers the opportunity to implement the most daring designs in the shortest possible time, as both the expertise and the necessary manpower are available. While technology and tradition play an important role, so do sustainability and ecological concepts aiming at achieving a harmonious interplay between the respective building and its surroundings. This volume features a wide range of typologies, styles, and locations that have one thing in common - their architects come from China and make the world stop and take notice of their work. The author presents the most important and interesting contemporary offices and designers and their most significant projects at home and abroad.

In contrast to a decade ago, when ecological architecture was considered a luxury, it has now become essentially impossible to build without considering sustainability issues. Aspects of ecological balance have become an important part in the planning and construction process. In recent years, a canon of standard methods and possibilities has emerged to achieve this goal of environmentally friendly architecture. However, there are architects whose ideas and techniques for sustainable buildings go beyond the standards that have now been established such as the LEED rating system and are sometimes also mandatory. This publication discusses such new and innovative solutions for ecological construction. The author presents projects from all over the world that stand out from the standard measures and concepts and point the way to the future.

Wood has undergone quite an image change - as future and trend researcher Matthias Horx puts in a nutshell: "Wood is Style". It has come out of the corner of the traditional and rustic and moved to the top of high-tech building materials. In addition to the well-known ecological and building biology aspects, innovative timber construction technology allows a great deal of design freedom, is extremely precise, and at the same time manages to enrich even very daring architecture with the factors of warmth and coziness. Using wood in combination with or in contrast to other materials such as metal, glass, bricks or exposed concrete is an option that architects and designers are increasingly choosing for their designs. The planners' willingness to experiment is now also evident in the color scheme of wooden houses and interiors. This publication offers a unique overview of its use for residential buildings from all over the world, including the United States and Canada and introduces architects, interior designers, and builders to the diversity of contemporary timber architecture.

The purpose and primary function of wayfinding and signage design is to provide spatial orientation as quickly and clearly as possible. Respective concepts and systems can be designed for individual buildings, for example coporate headquarters, museums or hospitals, for areas such as a university campus or distinct municipal district, or for entire systems like a city's public transport. In addition to communicating direction, the interplay of typography, pictograms, materials, colors and shapes in these systems also delineates a particular identity of the location. On the basis of international realizations this title shows the range of different approaches and implementation possibilities of environmental graphics. No matter what kind of spatial context, the focus is always on visual communication that is understandable for every user. This volume is an indispensable reference work for anyone invloved in communications, as well as for architects, interior designers, graphic designers, and indeed creatives minds of any sectors.

This title is dedicated to a common and very frequent construction task in Switzerland and Austria: the detached house. Current design trends and new interpretations of alpine building cultures, different life forms and realities, changed demands and needs can be discovered in what architects and designers have created in recent years. A particularly exciting phenomenon in this context is the creative handling of room arrangements and the spatial partitioning, for which very different solutions are found. For this volume, the author has selected outstanding contemporary concepts and designs that deserve to be noticed and appreciated much more. Between prefabricated houses on the one hand and fancy villas on the other, all presented homes are within a middle-class budget. Floor plans and elevations, key figures on square feet, facts on ecological aspects, materials used and, last but not least, the respective designers offer the potential builder an extremely practical benefit.

Surrounded by a magical flair, villas have been the gleaming diamond of residential design since ancient times, characterized by generosity, representation and individuality.This classic form of habitation is a synonym for architectural distinctiveness with the nimbus of a refined way of living and sophisticated building culture - regardless of the style. For architects and interior designers, both the new construction and the conversion of a villa offer the exciting challenge of reinterpreting this building task with individual concepts. This volume presents the work of renowned architects as well as designs by young and up-and-coming design studios. Innovative thinking and creative refinement are required to realize the wishes and dreams of the client. Minimalist or opulent, traditional or extravagant, each villa offers a different design solution.

Bricks are the only non-natural building material that can look back at several thousand years of history. And as Mies van der Rhohe stated: "Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins". Buildings made of this fabric from very different epochs and cultures all over the world are always astonishing, and the world's best architects have explored the qualities of brickwork. A key characteristic for its success since time immemorial has always been easy planning through the standardization of production and the resulting harmonized construction process. Amazing constructive qualities, inexpensive and at the same time environmentally friendly production as well as the longevity are among the qualities that are particularly valued today. In this volume, historical and contemporary brick edifices are featured showing the wide range of possible applications and design possibilities.