pezo von ellrichshausen’s pink concrete LIMA house loops around a courtyard pool

lima house: A Horizontal dwelling in a Chilean Valley

Pezo von Ellrichshausen‘s newly built LIMA House stands in a rural valley of central Chile among an expanse of open farmland edged by vineyards and rocky hills. Its presence is defined by a single horizontal piece raised above the ground, a minimalist line set against a broad, rocky landscape.

The home‘s plan stretches across the site with measured restraint. At its center is a narrow courtyard aligned with sunrise and sunset. A long swimming pool occupies this void, drawing reflected light through the surrounding rooms and introducing a quiet shimmer that changes through the day.

images courtesy Pezo von Ellrichshausen

Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s courtyard home

Inside, Pezo von Ellrichshausen’s LIMA House unfolds through a steady progression of spaces that feel both pared back and subtly disorienting. The architects‘ symmetrical arrangement of entry rooms anchors the plan. Each corner holds a circular chamber, creating a sense of order that softens as the boundary between inside and outside becomes increasingly thin.

This transitional quality shapes the overall sequence. Thresholds appear unforced as movement flows toward the courtyard without explicit hierarchy, allowing the pool to register as the central element around which daily life turns.

the house forms a single horizontal volume raised lightly above the farmland

the intertwined floorplan of looping rooms

The house carries a strong horizontal extension, lifted slightly above the earth to form a continuous ring of rooms. Walking through them produces a looped circulation that reinforces the project’s deliberate simplicity. The architects have described the plan as an echo of intertwined alphabetical figures, an idea that surfaces quietly in the building’s geometry.

Though the form holds a clear discipline, the experience is gentle. Each room opens at chosen points to the surroundings, framing portions of vineyard slopes and distant stone outcrops without overwhelming the interior calm.

symmetry at the entry gives way to a softer transition between interior and exterior

a structure of curving concrete

Deep punch windows direct precise views outward. Their alignment allows light to enter by projection rather than diffusion, emphasizing the orientation of the structure. A curved concrete eave thickens this reading, deepening shadows and reinforcing the shifts between cardinal directions as one moves around the perimeter.

Material differences shape the house with equal clarity. Interior walls use painted wooden boards with a soft surface that tempers the courtyard’s brightness. Exterior walls are cast in place and tinted a faint pink, their surface marked only by the lines of the formwork. The contrast underscores the threshold between sheltered rooms and exposed landscape.

The residence will become a permanent home for a retired couple whose daily routine will revolve around the central void. In this sense, the LIMA House returns to an early typological interest within the work of Pezo von Ellrichshausen, and stands as an ordered perimeter with an open, resonant center.

a narrow courtyard with a long pool organizes the plan and guides daily movement

rooms form a continuous loop around the central courtyard

exterior concrete is tinted pale pink and marked by its formwork

project info:

name: LIMA House

architect: Pezo von Ellrichshausen | @pezovonellrichshausen

location: Chépica, Chile

lead architects: Mauricio Pezo, Sofia von Ellrichshausen

area: 300 square meters

completion: 2025

photography: © Pezo von Ellrichshausen

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besley & spresser transform asbestos into carbon-negative architectural materials

besley & spresser rethink Asbestos and the damage it left behind

At the Lisbon Triennale 2025, Besley & Spresser present a material provocation disguised as an architectural installation that begins with a disarming question from Peter Besley. ‘What if one of the building industry’s most hazardous materials could become one of its most promising?’ Together with co-founder Jessica Spresser, the studio reframes asbestos as a mineral whose future might diverge radically from its past. Their project, REDUX, built within the Palácio Sinel de Cordes, showcases carbon-negative materials derived from asbestos waste, developed with Rotterdam-based material scientists Asbeter and ceramicist Benedetta Pompilli.

The transformation is a working demonstration of a certified EU process that recrystallizes asbestos into stable silicates, safe, tactile, even visually compelling. ‘The goal is to replace the idea of asbestos as taboo with one of possibility and to see that even materials with deeply troubled histories can be remade into something constructive, safe, and unexpectedly beautiful.’ the architects tell designboom.

images by Rui Cardoso, unless stated otherwise

turning a toxic legacy into carbon-negative material

Asbestos is an ancient mineral, woven into the urban fabric through decades of industrial enthusiasm and catastrophic neglect. Though naturally occurring and not toxic in itself, its mining, processing, and installation embedded a lethal hazard into cities worldwide that continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people annually and leaves millions of tons of contaminated waste in landfills.

Besley & Spresser’s installation operates inside this uncomfortable legacy. The architects point to the paradox of industrial material culture: convenience versus damage. ‘Asbestos embodies the contradictions of a lot of industrial material culture: convenience vs damage. By transforming it, we’re trying to contribute to the rethinking of the material culture of city-making,’ Besley notes.

Besley & Spresser present a material provocation disguised as an architectural installation

from hazardous fibres to carbon-negative architecture

The scientific process that underpins REDUX is both uncompromising and surprisingly generative. ‘The renewal process involves heating asbestos waste to a high temperature in a controlled environment, causing it to lose its fibrous, hazardous form and recrystallize into stable silicate minerals. These end products can then be used as cement replacements or as mineral additives in other materials. The process also absorbs carbon dioxide, making it carbon-negative.’ the architects explain. Cement currently accounts for roughly 8% of global carbon emissions, and the renewed asbestos minerals can substitute up to a quarter of traditional cement content.

The architects were also struck by the aesthetic range of the transformed material, especially the ceramic glazes produced by Pompilli. ‘What surprised us most was the aesthetic quality of the outcomes, particularly the glazes produced from the renewed mineral. They create unpredictable, sometimes vivid colors that vary with the composition of the original asbestos,’ they tell us.

the studio reframes asbestos as a mineral whose future might diverge radically from its past

REDUX explores repair as a technical and poetic act

Built using these renewed materials, the installation at Sinel de Cordes is as much a spatial essay as it is a demonstration. It proposes that the city can heal itself by reworking its own debris and that innovation can emerge from the very substances that once caused harm. ‘Design has the capacity to turn legacies of harm into opportunities for repair. Landfills that cover asbestos on city fringes risk ongoing environmental contamination, while aging asbestos housing stock continues to pose health hazards globally. By transforming asbestos safely and at scale, we can recover vast tracts of urban land, reclaiming them as parklands, ecological corridors, or sites for sustainable housing,’ the architects share with us.

Walking through REDUX, visitors are invited to touch the newly formed materials, a radical gesture given the global stigma surrounding asbestos. ‘We hope visitors will approach the installation with curiosity. By allowing people to touch and closely observe the renewed material, the project invites a direct, physical understanding of transformation,’ Besley & Spresser explain. As they put it, ‘the goal is to replace the idea of asbestos as taboo with one of possibility.’

REDUX showcases carbon-negative materials derived from asbestos waste

origins of the project

The architects tell designboom that research began not in a lab but in a classroom. During a 2023 Master of Architecture studio at the University of Sydney, students investigated local asbestos dumping grounds. One team, Thomas Li, Kleopatra Ananda, and Jasmine Sharp, mapped the urban footprint of the material and eventually led the architects to Asbeter in the Netherlands. ‘This research led us to Asbeter in the Netherlands, pioneers in asbestos renewal, whose technology neutralizes asbestos fibers through a mineral recrystallization process. Their work revealed a global potential: turning a material long defined by fear and harm into a carbon-negative resource with architectural applications, from concrete and render to ceramic glaze,’ they reflect.

the architects point to the paradox of industrial material culture

asbestos is an ancient mineral, woven into the urban fabric | image courtesy of Besley & Spresser

recrystallizing asbestos into stable silicates | image courtesy of Besley & Spresser

the scientific process is uncompromising and surprisingly generative | image courtesy of Besley & Spresser

visitors are invited to touch the newly formed materials | image by Hugo David

the installation at Sinel de Cordes is as much a spatial essay as it is a demonstration | image by Hugo David

project info:

name: 09.ED.15 REDUX

architects:  Besley & Spresser | @besleyspresser

collaborators: Asbeter (Rotterdam); Benedetta Pompili Studio (Amsterdam)

location: Palácio Sinel de Cordes, Lisbon, Portugal

research collaborators: Thomas Li, Kleopatra Ananda, Jasmine Sharp

support: Brickworks, AC Minerals Group, European Union, Renewi, Just Transition Fund, Provincie Noorde-Brabant, Betonova

structural advice: SDA Structures

installer: Cria Design, Besley & Spresser

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A Deep Dive into the Strange and Touching Victorian-Era Mourning Traditions

One of the top comments on a new video from the Victoria and Albert Museum reads as follows: “I think it is time to have a renaissance of mourning. In this age of sanitized and hidden grief, it would be a welcomed relief for a more refined mourning experience.”

This commenter is responding to two V&A curators unboxing a collection of 19th-century objects common in Victorian mourning traditions. Through a variety of garments, ephemera, and photos, the pair showcases the elaborate rituals and rites people once used to honor the dead.

The video highlights a black, silk gown with tiny pleats, delicate lace, and sequins, along with jewelry made from semi-precious jet stones, and brooches containing human hair. The curators also present several printed artifacts, like mourning cards and portraits of the dying.

What becomes clear throughout the video is how much our contemporary culture of grief and loss has turned inward and is something managed privately rather than shared with a community. “Mourning objects can be personal, portable, ostentatious, sentimental, or even a little bit grizzly,” the curators add. “Is it too much? Or do you think we should mourn the passing of these poignant and fascinating trappings of grief?”

Find the unboxing on YouTube, along with several additional adventures in the museum’s collections.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article A Deep Dive into the Strange and Touching Victorian-Era Mourning Traditions appeared first on Colossal.

triangular wooden pavilion floats on reused plastic gallons along croatia’s coasts

Floating Pavilion Reconfigures Rijeka’s Waterfront Public Space

PlivaTri is a floating triangular pavilion installed off the coast of Rijeka, Croatia, as part of the MEDS Design Workshop 2025. Conceived as a public structure addressing the limited availability of comfortable beachfront space, the pavilion forms a geometric intervention within the Adriatic landscape. Its triangular plan incorporates an open central void and a perimeter walkway that supports activities such as swimming, resting, and small-scale gatherings. The pavilion’s form produces a defined relationship between water, city, and port, framing views and creating varied spatial conditions depending on movement, light, and tide.

Constructed from recycled gallons, reclaimed ropes, and other locally sourced materials, the project integrates sustainable material strategies with references to Rijeka’s maritime and industrial context. Designed with participatory principles, the pavilion incorporates input from workshop participants, allowing the structure to evolve through collaborative decision-making.

all images courtesy of Pegi Pika Lešnik

Collaborative Design Shapes PlivaTri Reconfigurable Pavilion

PlivaTri consists of three modular units, each built from five components: floating gallons, a base frame, columns, a ceiling structure, and a system of decorative ropes. The modules can be reconfigured into different arrangements, supporting adaptability for future use. A detailed cutsheet guided material allocation and ensured efficient use of the limited resources available during the workshop.

Two co-creation sessions were held to integrate participant contributions: one focused on redesigning the central section of the pavilion, and the other on developing the rope-based decorative element. Although the pavilion’s core structure was pre-designed by the tutors due to its technical demands, these sessions enabled collaborative refinement of key features.

To extend its life beyond the 15-day workshop, the design team partnered with the Rijeka-based NGO Urbani Separe, which works on community-led cultural and spatial initiatives. The structure is set to be used in a variety of public programs, either on land or afloat, extending its role as a flexible, publicly accessible installation within the city’s waterfront environment.

floating triangular pavilion anchored off the coast of Rijeka

reclaimed ropes reference Rijeka’s maritime context

locally sourced materials form the basis of the pavilion’s construction

decorative rope elements create a unifying visual layer

project info:

name: PlivaTri | @plivatri
designers and project tutors: Leda Demetriadou (CYP), Ahmad El Zu’bi (LBN), Stefanie Zins (ROU)

design team: Simona Lazić (SRB), Mila Čarapić (SRB), Gaja Bergant (SVN), Luka Mijajlović (SRB), Klaudiusz Szwajka (POL), Sude Vural (TUR), Mathew Gindy (EGY), Ahmed Bader (LBY), Sherry Gendy (EGY), Irene Favero (ITA), Pegi Pika Lešnik (SVN), Kagan Karabulut (TUR), Daria Ciesiolkiewicz (POL), Valeriia Stavitskaia (RUS), Sofia Burin Leonardos (BRA), Ema Marušič (SVN), Lara Wschiansky (CHE), Lynn El Onaissy (LBN), Joya Yazbeck (LBN)

location: Rijeka, Croatia

photographer: Pegi Pika Lešnik

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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interlinked peaks shape bistro’s rhythmic canopy echoing mountain ridge in vietnam

MA.DE BISTRO reInterprets Traditional Vietnamese Architecture

MA.DE Bistro is a contemporary complex by AN NAM Design and Build located within the pine forest of Mang Den in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The restaurant design incorporates regional cultural references, drawing from the traditional Rông house to establish its architectural identity. A roof composed of three interlinked peaks forms the primary visual element, creating a rhythmic profile that echoes the surrounding mountain landscape.

The 1,000-sqm site is bordered on three sides by forest, influencing the project’s spatial arrangement and environmental response. Instead of replicating vernacular structures, the design adapts their principles. The roof acts as a unifying canopy, while the internal walls remain independent from it, creating intentional gaps that allow daylight and ventilation to enter the interior. Functional areas are distributed beneath this large spanning structure, maintaining cohesion through consistent material and spatial transitions. The main circulation route passes through an open-air circular courtyard, establishing a threshold before leading into interior spaces that gradually step down toward the forest. These subtle level changes guide movement and frame controlled views, producing alternating zones of openness and enclosure.

all images by Trieu Chien

AN NAM employs Local Materials and Construction Traditions

Material choices reference the site and local construction traditions. Masonry walls finished in a deep red plaster recall the basalt-rich soil of the region. Concrete ceilings retain the texture of pinewood formwork used during construction. Flooring materials vary according to program: terracotta tiles define the central hall, terrazzo marks transitional paths, and irregular natural stone is applied in secondary areas. Each surface contributes to a layered sensory environment. The roof structure consists of a primary steel frame lined with timber on the underside for visual warmth. Externally, lightweight bitumen shingles in neutral tones provide durability suited to the highland climate. Steel elements were prefabricated off-site and assembled on location to ensure accuracy and streamline the building process.

For MA.DE Bistro, Studio AN NAM Design and Build employs spatial configuration, construction techniques, and a defined material palette to create an environment that reflects local cultural characteristics while responding to the surrounding landscape.

three peaked roofs form MA.DE Bistro’s defining architectural profile

a circular open-air courtyard forms the project’s main entry threshold

alternating zones of openness and enclosure shape movement through the interior

forest edges on three sides guide the project’s spatial layout

a steel frame supports the roof and provides structural clarity

neutral-toned bitumen shingles on the exterior roof respond to the regional climate

the design references the traditional Rông house through form and proportion

the complex sits within the pine forest of Mang Den in Vietnam’s Central Highlands

project info:

name: MA.DE Bistro
architect: AN NAM Design and Build | @annam.designandbuild

location: Mang Đen, Kon Tum, Vietnam

lead architects: AN NAM Architect, Vo Quang

design team: Phan Thanh Nam, Tran Dinh Hung, Le Hong Phong, Nguyen Quang Hau

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frank gehry dies at 96

legendary architect FRANK GEHRY passeD AWAY AT 96

Frank Gehry died on Friday, December 5th at his home in Santa Monica, California, at 96 years old. One of the most legendary architects of his generation, his sculptural buildings transformed skylines and reshaped the public’s imagination about what architecture could be. His chief of staff, Meaghan Lloyd, confirmed that the cause was a brief respiratory illness.

Frank Gehry at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, 2010 | image © designboom

A Global Architectural Force

Frank Gehry was best known for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which opened in 1997 and quickly became one of the most celebrated buildings of its era. Clad in rippling titanium panels and composed of sweeping, curvilinear forms, the museum drew worldwide attention and helped catalyze the economic and cultural revitalization of the former industrial city. Its impact was so significant that the ‘Bilbao effect’ entered the global architectural lexicon, describing how a single landmark building could shift a city’s fortunes.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilabao, Spain, 1997 | image © Hans-Jürgen Weinhardt

Born on February 28th, 1929, in Toronto, Gehry moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California and later attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design before establishing his own practice in 1962. His early work in Southern California, marked by unconventional materials and an experimental approach to form,  laid the foundation for a career defined by restless innovation.

Gehry Residence, Santa Monica, USA, 1978 | image © Flickr

Over the following decades, Gehry produced a series of major cultural works that solidified his reputation as one of the most influential architects of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. These include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. His practice was among the first to embrace advanced digital modeling tools, which enabled increasingly complex geometries and influenced architectural production worldwide.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA, 2003 | image © Tim Cheung

Gehry received numerous accolades, including the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1989, the Royal Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2000, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. He continued to work actively into his nineties, contributing designs for cultural institutions, academic buildings, and urban master plans.

His legacy continues on through the buildings that express his unique vision and in the generations of architects he inspired.

8 Spruce Street, New York, USA, 2011 | image © Brett Wharton

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erdegard arkitekter carves ‘mountain chamber’ threshold to rock cavern in sweden

‘mountain chamber’ carves into a swedish cave

The Mountain Chamber by Erdegard Arkitekter rises at the threshold of an existing rock cavern in Sweden, introducing a precisely engineered volume at the edge of raw geological mass. The project serves as a transitional structure that guides visitors from open terrain into a sheltered interior carved by time and shaped again through architecture.

The entrance building appears as a compact, sculptural form that aligns itself with the natural direction of the bedrock. Its position frames the descent, preparing visitors for a shift in temperature, acoustics, and scale as they move toward the chamber below.

images © Erdegard Arkitekter

contemporary cladding for shifting texture

The Mountain Chamber’s facade by Erdegard Arkitekter is composed of custom-designed metal cassettes, or tiles, fabricated with millimeter accuracy through digital production and careful finishing on site. Each cassette receives a hydro-dip treatment in a 37-degree water bath, where a patterned film settles on the surface to create a subtle shimmer that changes in daylight.

Seen up close, the cladding carries a sense of age despite its contemporary fabrication. The shifting texture feels like a fragment lifted from an earlier era, lending the Mountain Chamber an ambiguous presence between intervention and discovery.

the entrance building guides visitors from open terrain into the Mountain Chamber

Erdegard Arkitekter’s Spatial Atmosphere

Inside the Mountain Chamber, visitors encounter Erdegard Arkitekter’s material palette of raw, tactile concrete. The space is cast in environmentally friendly mixes and formed with varied timber and pigment choices, yielding gentle changes in tone across the interior surfaces. The material grounds the experience, echoing the grain of the surrounding stone while asserting its own quiet precision.

A curved staircase drops from the entrance level, calibrated through built-in lighting that grazes its underside and guides the descent. Light sweeps across the concrete with a controlled gradient, giving each step an even sense of direction.

a curved staircase is shaped by built-in lighting that directs the descent

Mechanical systems, electrical routes, and heating elements are gathered underfoot to preserve the clarity of the room. Along the rock wall, a narrow service channel carries additional infrastructure while allowing the natural surface to remain largely visible. The effect strengthens the dialogue between constructed and geological layers.

At the threshold to the chamber, a slightly opaque glass door introduces a new level of sensory expectation. Only faint contours emerge through the surface, and a blue-purple glow disperses across the concrete floor, hinting at the volume beyond.

technical systems are gathered under the floor to keep the rock wall exposed

The cavern, once held at a steady eight degrees year-round, has become a controlled environment with a flexible future. The Mountain Chamber stands within it as a self-contained architectural element, an object placed rather than inserted, steady in its form yet open in its purpose.

Erdegard Arkitekter describes the project as guided by the character of the site, following the grain of the rock to structure movement and define spatial boundaries. The result is a room shaped through restraint and attention, waiting for a future tenant to determine its next phase.

visitors encounter raw concrete cast with varied formwork and pigments

custom metal cassettes by Erdegard Arkitekter shimmer through a hydro-dip treatment

the facade carries a textured surface that shifts with daylight

an opaque glass door introduces a blue and purple glow from the chamber

project info:

name: The Mountain Chamber
architect: Erdegard Arkitekter

location: Gothenburg, Sweden

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RCR arquitectes’ house rises like a blooming structure of ribbed petals in the dubai desert

RCR sculpts a dubai residence as a topographic network

RCR Arquitectes shapes Alwah House, a 900-square-meter dwelling, as a cluster of curved, shaded volumes partially embedded into the desert on the outskirts of Dubai. The home turns to the natural logics of a flower and an oasis as its two main references. The architects carve a hollow in the sand to retain water and vegetation, creating a microclimate where light, wind, shade, and filtered views guide the spatial experience. From above, the house reads as a family of ribbed shells rising softly among palm groves, while inside, it becomes an exploration of non-orthogonal verticality and unexpected relationships.

Instead of presenting a singular facade, Alwah House is formed by a system of patios, passages, and enclosed chambers that fold around an internal oasis. The topography is gently manipulated to cradle the volumes, tempering heat and anchoring the architecture to the ground.

images courtesy of RCR Arquitectes

Alwah House holds water, shade, and life

A recessed garden centers RCR Arquitectes’ design and acts as a life-sustaining void. Vegetation grows around a reflective water surface, while the surrounding structures open selectively toward it with slanted apertures. The Spanish architects describe this central gesture as a melting pot where life comes into being, a controlled pocket of humidity and greenery that counters the arid surroundings. The resulting micro-oasis creates shade networks and softening temperatures around the living spaces.

Externally, the ribbed shells emerge from the sand like petals. Their alignment produces a series of shaded interstitial routes that behave almost like canyons, leading occupants from the harsh outer landscape into cooler, sheltered interiors. As the volumes overlap, light slips in through calibrated seams, casting thin, blade-like shadows onto the curved surfaces.

Alwah House is a cluster of ribbed, curved shells

Interiors shaped through non-orthogonal verticality

Inside, the house unfolds as a sequence of arched, leaning, and intersecting planes. RCR describes this interior world as ‘an exploration of non-orthogonal verticality with unexpected relationships.’ Arcs generate layered voids, angled sightlines, and moments where the geometry feels geological. Tall, tapering curves create pockets of compression and release, while long clerestory strips bring in reflected daylight that grazes the surfaces.

Rooms open diagonally, revealing fragments of the oasis or deeper pockets of interior space. Patios punctuate the plan, pulling air and light downward while producing outdoor rooms protected from direct sun. Pathways bend around these voids, sometimes narrowing into tight passages, other times expanding into courtyards and living halls. These shifts create a rhythm of refuge and exposure that echoes traditional desert architecture, albeit through a contemporary formal language.

embedded in Dubai’s desert terrain

the curved rooflines rise subtly above the terrain

ribbed exterior shells cast shifting shadows throughout the day

filtered daylight washes the interior

non-orthogonal walls bend toward slender, slanted openings

arched interior volumes intersect to create shifting heights

framing low views toward the surrounding landscape

low-set windows establish a horizontal relationship between the living space and the garden

the main living space unfolds under a continuous curved ceiling

illuminated by grazing reflected light

maintaining privacy and thermal comfort

project info:

name: Alwah House

architects: RCR Arquitectes | @rcrarquitectes

location: Al Khawaneej First, Dubai, UAE

lead architects: Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem, Ramón Vilalta

client: Hashim Al Ghurair

team (planning stage): B. Fernández, C. Franco, I. García, R. Fuentes, J.L. Villar, R. Martínez (RCR)

team (executive stage): B. Fernández, I. García, C. Franco (RCR) / Exedra: A. Arraut, A. Buendía, A. Santesmasses, A. Lincoln

visualization: S. Ramm, I. García, J. Roldán, L. Rossi, J.L. Villar (RCR)

models: B. Fernández, I. García, R. Martínez (RCR)

architectural consultant: Dubai Consultants

structure: Blázquez-Guanter Arquitectes

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reflective steel interiors and open facade bring lisbon’s street activity into pizza restaurant

XXXI.studio Develops an Adaptable Interior for Lupita restaurant

Architectural practice XXXI.studio introduces Lupita’s latest Lisbon location, a pizza restaurant situated in Alvalade, Portugal. The new location introduces an architectural approach centered on production, visibility, and operational clarity. The project expands on the brand’s earlier Cais do Sodré space by positioning pizza-making as the primary spatial and visual driver. The restaurant’s fully open facade exposes the interior directly to the street, treating the preparation process as a continuous, public-facing activity.

XXXI.studio’s strategy prioritizes preservation and adaptability. Existing features are maintained whenever possible, and when absent, new interventions are introduced to simulate the presence of prior layers. This approach supports long-term ecological goals by allowing the space to accommodate future tenants without major structural changes; identity is instead defined through movable elements and equipment.

all images by Francisco Nogueira

Workflow-Driven Interior Shapes Lupita’s Open Production Space

The design brief centered on accommodating high-volume production. The acquisition of an adjacent unit allowed for the creation of a dedicated pre-production and storage facility, enabling the main space to serve exclusively as a customer-oriented environment. Inside, the layout is intentionally minimal. Stainless steel counters organize the workflow, defining the circulation and production sequence. Seating is limited, with stainless steel tables and stools positioned along the exterior edge to maintain a direct visual and spatial connection between staff and visitors.

The full-height opening on the street front reinforces the studio’s principle of maximizing openness. By removing conventional signage and dissolving the boundary between interior and exterior, the space stands out among its commercial neighbors and presents the culinary process as the central element of the experience. The result, developed by XXXI.studio, functions as a case study in how architectural decisions can support intensive operations while shaping a clear and transparent brand identity.

Lupita’s new Alvalade location designed by XXXI.studio

the restaurant’s architecture centers on production and visibility

a fully open facade connects the interior directly to the street

exterior tables and stools maintain interaction between staff and visitors

movable elements define the restaurant’s identity within the space

the main interior space is reserved for customer-facing activity

the interior layout highlights operational clarity and efficiency

minimal seating emphasizes the production-focused layout

project info:

name: Lupita, Alvalade
architect: XXXI.studio | @x.x.x.i_studio

design team: Carlos Aragão, Teresa Cayatte, Manuel Amigo

constuction team: Hugo Maia, Teresa Cayatte, Elena Rossi, Rafaela Marques
location: Lisbon, Portugal

area: 72 sqm

photographer: Francisco Nogueira | @francisconogueira

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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link-arc shapes shunde museum as stack of rotating tubes to frame wetland views

modern design by link-arc rises within china’s yunlu wetland

Beside a natural habitat for thousands of herons, Shunde Yunlu Wetland Museum by Link-Arc rises within the dense vegetation of a wetland park in China.

The museum sits just beyond a line of sequoia trees, set back from nearby paths and waterways to maintain a quiet edge within the park. A central water channel divides the site, and the surrounding trees create both enclosure and filtered views. Fitting the building within this context, Link-Arc orients each level toward openings in the canopy and toward the heron nesting areas across the water.

Within this protected landscape, the structure brings together a bird-watching tower and a wetland education center. Tall vegetation and reflective water surfaces form a layered background that absorbs the stepped concrete volumes which allow the museum to settle into the park’s natural density.

images © Tian Fangfang

a stack of tubes to frame unique views

The Shunde Yunlu Wetland Museum is composed of four vertically-stacked concrete ‘tubes,’ each of which is rotated by the team at Link-Arc to align with a different level of the forest. Lower floors face root and trunk level, while the upper floors frame the crowns and treetops. These precise rotations gives the massing a sense of movement as each volume shifts to frame a specific view.

Each tube functions as a box structure, with sidewalls, roofs, and floors working together to support the cantilevered sections. This structural clarity gives the museum a stable presence above the wetland edge, where water comes close to the base of the building.

the museum sits within the Sequoia edge of the wetland park in Shunde

terraced rooftop lotus ponds

Cast-in-place concrete shaped by Link-Arc with pine formwork gives the Shunde Museum’s exterior a fine, wood-derived grain. The texture softens the building’s profile and ties it visually to the vertical lines of the surrounding trees. The concrete’s pale surface reflects shifting daylight, allowing the museum to sit quietly within the changing tones of the forest.

A lotus pond on the roof introduces another layer of water into the composition. This surface blends with the wetland below, easing the building’s vertical impact when seen from nearby paths or across the pond. The gesture aligns with Link-Arc’s broader approach to shaping a museum that remains sensitive to the habits of the birds nearby.

each level is rotated by Link-Arc to frame a distinct layer of the forest

complex, angled interiors

Inside, a tall triangular atrium connects all four levels. Sunlight filters through high skylights and passes through deep concrete beams, entering the interior as a soft, even glow. This quality of light supports the neutral finishes and reinforces the sense of calm throughout the circulation spaces.

Stairs and landings trace the perimeter of the atrium, offering layered views across multiple floors. From the mid-levels, three distinct framed openings are visible at once, each directing attention to a different part of the forest canopy. Along the glazed edges, the interior hovers slightly above the water, creating a continuous visual link to the surroundings.

Paths around the museum weave through dense plantings and tall tree clusters, reinforcing the sense of immersion within the wetland. Portions of the building lift above the ground plane to allow water to pass beneath, while cantilevered volumes frame moments of reflection.

the concrete tubes create vantage points for observing herons

pine-textured formwork gives the exterior a soft grain

large windows keep the interior closely tied to the wetland edge

project info:

name: Shunde Yunlu Wetland Museum

architect: Studio Link-Arc | @studiolinkarc

location: Shunde, China

photography: © Tian Fangfang | @tianfangfang2019

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