When the skies turned deep red over much of the Northeast this past summer, heavy and dangerous with smoke from Canadian wildfires, many of us felt a deep appreciation for the thick walls and tempered glass of our homes. Architecture is reassuring in part because it doesn't change, generally. Yet in these times of accelerated environmental flux, change it must.
The tension between the need to build more homes and the existential threat of climate change means there is an increasing urgency to reduce the impact of building on the environment. The idea of simply stopping construction entirely - perhaps even just for a time is no longer a fringe conversation. It's central to an exciting new movement in architecture that is being called radical resilience.
Indeed, architects and clients alike are taking the whole process into their own hands and rethinking nearly every aspect of construction. They are questioning the life cycle of each material used to clad, cover, and build their designs, as well as the landscapes and biomes that surround them. Pritzker Prize-winning architects Lacaton & Vassal, for example, advocate for a "reuse first" approach, seeking out opportunities to repurpose and adapt existing buildings. Instead of tearing down dated or dilapidated high-rises, they first analyze which materials can be saved and then design from there. Their extraordinary work in transforming a series of social housing projects in Paris that were scheduled for demolition into livable, light-filled homes has inspired many architects to follow their lead.
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Elle Decor US.
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Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Elle Decor US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MORE, PLEASE
Eric Hughes joins forces with Standard Architecture to transform two neighboring homes into a sprawling family compound.
SIZED TO FIT
Designer Nannette Brown reimagines a new-build apartment with unexpected depth, character, and texture.
Play It Cool
In balmy Texas, Ashe Leandro brings urbane style and a chill vibe to a home in a historic district.
Mic Drop
For former talk radio star Tom Joyner, Studio Roda creates an oceanfront pleasure pad with out-of-sight views and disco-era glamour.
EYE IN THE SKY
How do you cozy up a Manhattan high-rise? Call designers Hendricks Churchill.
THE JOY OF KØKKEN
In Brooklyn, a writer transforms her kitchen into a space of warmth and connection, blending personal memories with Scandinavian design.
CURTAIN RAISER
ELLE DECOR partners with designers Christine and John Gachot to refresh an iconic lounge at a New York institution, the Metropolitan Opera House.
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.