Archi News

Zhu Pei is a Chinese architect born in 1962 in Beijing. He studied at Tsinghua University and UC Berkeley, and founded Studio Zhu Pei in 2005. The studio's experimental work and research focus on contemporary architecture, art, and cultural projects. With an artistic and exploratory approach, it investigates the relationship between the roots that anchor architecture in specific natural and cultural contexts and the innovation that drives architecture as a form of artistic revolution. In his interview with Louisiana Channel, Zhu Pei describes architecture as an artistic discipline that, like poetry, relies on openness, imagination, and the creation of new experiences. He argues that great architecture goes beyond functional problem-solving by generating a sense of wonder through its ability to "invent" and "create some new thing, new experience," positioning architectural practice as cultural and sensory exploration rather than purely technical production.

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Historic center renewal has become a recurring strategy in Central American cities seeking to reassert the symbolic, economic, and functional relevance of their traditional cores. These processes often combine physical rehabilitation, institutional investment, and stricter control over public space. San Salvador offers a recent and instructive case, which allows for understanding of how interventions in inherited civic spaces balance infrastructure improvement with heritage conservation and social regulation. It also enables the assessment of how these choices resonate within broader debates on urban transformation in the region.

The House of Knowledge is part of the 20 Bookhouses Initiative, envisioned to enrich community life across the rapidly growing metropolis of Xinyang, a city of 12 million in Henan Province, central China. Located in Yangshan Park, the project consists of two buildings: a community library with an exhibition hall and a tea house. Between them stretch three small lakes, embedded in a biodiverse landscape and surrounded by the urban fabric.

The conceptual form of the bungalow is one that was primarily generated by the unique site that was chosen. Located atop the highest point of a cinnamon estate that forms a 12-acre island among the otherwise flat paddy fields of the area. The 3600 views are equally exciting; therefore, needed significant consideration. Envisaged as a circular edge of a "forest clearing", the structure needed to merge with the dense plantation. The approach was to define the inner edge only and let the outer edge be randomly broken to organically amalgamate with the landscape.

By shifting rotation away from traditional hinges and distributing weight vertically, pivot doors were developed to address a specific architectural challenge: how to move large, heavy door panels with precision, durability, and minimal visual interference. These systems allow doors to grow significantly in scale, weight, and material ambition, often blurring the line between door, wall, and architectural surface. Over time, this technical innovation has expanded the role of doors in architecture, allowing them to operate not only as points of access, but also as spatial thresholds, compositional devices, and expressive elements within the building envelope.

The Guangzhou Xuelei Fragrance Museum takes scent—an invisible and intangible medium—as the starting point of its architectural concept. Challenging the visual dominance of conventional museum design, the project introduces smell, memory, and multisensory perception into spatial narration. Guided by principles of openness, collaboration, and sustainability, the museum is conceived not merely as an attractive cultural destination, but as a platform for public engagement with the history of perfumery, traditional craftsmanship, and contemporary technologies. It offers an ideal environment to experience the evolution of fragrance creation. Through architectural expression, the intangible nature of scent is transformed into a tangible, spatial encounter—establishing the museum as a vital venue for dialogue and exchange within global fragrance culture.

Zero-Concrete Architecture: A New Vernacular – Vernacular architecture existed long before concrete. Across regions and climates, it evolved through local materials, gravity, craft, and accumulated knowledge—without relying on reinforced concrete as a universal solution. This villa is built entirely without concrete. The project is conceived as a contemporary reinterpretation of vernacular architecture and as a continuation of a critical inquiry into modern, concrete-dependent construction culture.

When we first visited the site, what struck us the most was that after emerging from a narrow alley, an extraordinary view opened up toward one of the slopes of the Tepozteco mountain range. These rock formations are emblematic of the region, and the land ends precisely at the base of this dramatic topography. From the very beginning, one of our main concerns was to ensure that every room—whether for gathering or resting—could enjoy this privileged view.

Function as an insert, not a rebuild - The original envelope remains; a lightweight core delivers the restaurant programme. Conceived as an independent module built entirely in timber, it is not intended to be immediately reversible in situ, but is designed for future demounting without harm to the historic shell.

The OneTwoHouse (German: EinZweiHaus) is a residential building whose exterior form creates an optical illusion: Although it appears to be a semi-detached house, it is in fact a single-family home. The staggered volumes and symmetrical façade create the impression of two separate units that are, however, united under one roof.

In the translation of three-dimensional reality onto a two-dimensional plane, axonometry stands as one of the graphic systems of representation that form the foundation of the language used by architecture and design professionals. Alongside plans, sections, and elevations, its exploded views often stand out for their ability to study the multiple layers that compose a project. Although axonometry is also employed in other disciplines such as engineering and urban planning, it consistently proves its capacity to function as more than a mere representational tool, strengthening the understanding not only of a project's construction processes, materials, and structural systems but also expanding the communication of the ideas and design processes that shape a project.

The project is a renovation project which located in Xianjing Village, Baita Town, Xianju County, Zhejiang Province. From the village, one can directly overlook the Fanzeng Peak in the southwest. Relying on the beautiful natural scenery of the Shenxianju mountains, the town government hopes to transform Xianjing Village into a sketching art village. They entrusted us to renovate the abandoned primary school, hoping to attract young art students and artists to come to the village, stay and do some sketching nearby. The Youth Artist's Dormitory is named as "Qingyi Lodge".The main building of the village primary school was originally a two-story brick-concrete structure constructed in the 1970s-1980s. We hope to retain the form of the old school, but bring new life to it.

From building codes to mobility restrictions and new diplomatic roles within city governments, climate policy is increasingly being shaped at the local level through a widening range of legislative and institutional tools. Cities as varied as Sydney, Boston, New York, Paris, Miami, and dozens across Latin America are adopting targeted strategies that reflect their distinct environmental pressures and governance structures. These initiatives range from all-electric and net-zero construction requirements, to traffic-control measures designed to curb the social costs of private vehicle use, to emerging forms of urban diplomacy that coordinate responses to rising temperatures and biodiversity loss. Together, these approaches illustrate how territorial management is evolving in response to the accelerating climate crisis, and how local governments are experimenting with regulation and collaboration to confront challenges that are at once global and deeply place-specific.

Residence AV is a courtyard house located in a dense residential neighborhood in Bruges, Belgium. Designed by YAMA architects, the project responds to a paradoxical brief: a strong desire for connection to the surrounding context combined with an equally strong need for privacy. The client, living alone, was attracted to the social presence and perceived safety of the neighborhood, yet sought a dwelling that could withdraw from direct views and support a more introspective way of living.

Serpentine has announced LANZA atelier as the designer of the Serpentine Pavilion 2026, marking the 25th edition of the annual commission. Founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, the Mexico City–based studio was selected to realise the Pavilion titled a serpentine, which will open to the public at Serpentine South on 6 June 2026. As part of the anniversary programme, Serpentine will collaborate with the Zaha Hadid Foundation, recognising Hadid's role as architect of the inaugural Pavilion in 2000 and reaffirming the Pavilion's legacy as a platform for architectural experimentation.

Located in a southern sloping Vancouver neighbourhood, the mid-century house is one of the few remaining bungalow-scaled homes in a part of the city where larger lots were desirable for the construction of larger houses in the 1980s and 90s. The 1 ½ story house, both designed in 1952 and renovated in 1982 by the Canadian Architect Ron Thom, sits beneath a mature canopy of cedars, maples, and dogwoods. The home's spaces are sheltered under staggered planes of 3x6 cedar roof decking, with the living space guarded from the street by a concrete brick hearth with clerestory and terrace glazing opening the house to the south.

Juna Restaurant sits on Jalan Arjuna, Ubud, on an elevated site. The plan follows the land's contours. Spaces are arranged to frame internal views and a west-facing outlook toward the river and rice fields, bringing the landscape into the dining area.

In a landscape where aspiration quietly waits, Granthalay emerges as a sanctuary for learning—gathering people, knowledge, and place into a shared civic moment. Granthalay is conceived as a civic institution that extends beyond the conventional idea of a library, responding to the acute lack of educational and community infrastructure in the district of Chhatarpur. Commissioned by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, the project aims to serve students, aspirants, senior citizens, and the larger local community, including users from surrounding towns and villages.

At once rational and poetic, the Syncube House was conceived as a spatial framework aligned with the rhythms of modern family life. Designed for a client already familiar with GeTs Architects' work, the brief called for a home that combines functionality, clarity, and comfort within a relatively compact space. The design responds with a clear organizational structure across four levels, accommodating a comprehensive program; five bedrooms, a service bedroom, two living rooms, a gym, two kitchens, and utility rooms.