Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza uses softly glowing lighting behind its perforated metal facade to enhance the futuristic look of its endlessly curving walls; photo Virgile Simon Bertrand

That most intangible, yet fundamental, of architectural elements – light – takes centre-stage across a number of recent beacon projects internationally. (by Lachlan Anderson-Frank)

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Eijiro Kosugi + Aya Utsumi model at the ARCHI DEPOT TOKYO Exhibition at the Triennale di Milano

The architectonic models of 41 Japanese designers are on display at ARCHI DEPOT TOKYO, an exhibition at the Triennale di Milano from July 10 to 19, 2015.

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MAPFRE Complex by TSM Asociados, photo: Gonzalo Cáceres

TSM Asociados’ MAPFRE Complex in Lima, Peru, for Spanish transnational insurance company Mapfre, is composed of a two story commercial office and medical center, a chapel, a six storey columbarium building, a wake area and two basements.

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‘House Halffloors’ by Sousa e Lopes

A compact, energy efficient house in the beach resort of Espinho, Portugal, built on an 80 square meter infill lot, has 277 “useful” square meters inside thanks to half-floors. ‘House Halffloors’ has three bedrooms, a dining room, living room, office, three exterior areas (including a rooftop swimming pool) and a two car garage with car lift.

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‘Stephan Maria Lang. Architecture – A Journey to the Soul’ (2012) from Hirmer Publishers

Thanks to our friends at Hirmer Publishers, we’re giving away three copies of the extremely covetable ‘Stephan Maria Lang. Architecture – A Journey to the Soul’. This richly illustrated book is an impressive introduction to the work of architect Stephan Maria Lang. The volume presents six selected projects which Lang has built between 2004 and 2011. Lang’s work is, among others, inspired by Japanese thought and the Californian modernism. The quality of his state-of-the-art houses lies in the surprising views, the play of light and shadow, and in the integration of landscape, garden, and interior into a gesamtkunstwerk.

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Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles, California, 1996-2002 by Rafael Moneo, photo: Aurofotoz, courtesy Fundación Barrié

The Fundación Barrié in A Coruña, Spain will be presenting ‘RAFAEL MONEO Theory through Practice’, the first comprehensive retrospective of the work of architect Rafael Moneo on October 24, 2013.

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‘MVRDV Buildings’ (2013) from nai010 publishers

Thanks to our friends at nai010 publishers, we’re giving away three copies of the extremely covetable ‘MVRDV Buildings’ (2013), the first monograph on the legendary Rotterdam architectural office’s realised projects.

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The ARC – River Culture Multimedia Theater Pavilion by Asymptote Architecture

The architecture of Asymptote’s River Culture Pavilion (ARC) in Daegu, South Korea is a powerful formal statement that combines nature, technology and space. The bold curved form of the ARC, perched on a peninsula that juts into a river surrounded by an awe inspiring natural environment, makes the building a strong focal point set against this panoramic landscape.

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