ODE residential building by HVDN/Studioninedots; photo by Peter Cuypers

Two Dutch architectural practices HVDN and Studioninedots have recently completed this vast, waterfront mixed-use development located between Amsterdam’s old town and the Central Station. Encompassing 28 luxurious apartments as well as number of commercial spaces such restaurants and a department store, HVDN/Studioninedots’ building is part of a 200,000-square-feet master plan for the Oosterdokseiland area which ‘consists of high density buildings interwoven with narrow passageways that link enclosed open spaces.’ (more…)

Milanofiori Residential Complex by OBR Open Building Research; photo courtesy of OBR

Translucent sheets of glass reflect the sky above this residential complex, which, together with adjoining commercial premises such as offices, hotels, restaurants and cinemas, forms a multifunctional development Milanofiori realised by a Genova-based practice Open Building Research (OBR). Comprising 107, park-overlooking apartments, the 2010-completed complex ‘seeks the symbiosis between architecture and landscape, so that the synthesis of artificial and natural elements could define the quality of living and the sense of belonging by the inhabitants.’ (more…)

The River - Jõekaare Residential Tower; photo © Lukas Schaller

An Austrian architectural practice Atelier Thomas Pucher has completed first our of nine buildings from the Jõekaare Residential District project which, when completed in 2014, will include a total of nine buildings with 440 apartments intended for some 1000 inhabitants. Located near the Estonian Emajõgi river, the multi-storey building has been designed to offer it’s residents unobstructed views of a natural reserve situated on the opposite bank of the river. (more…)

'Neubau Lehmhaus Rauch' in Schlins, Austria, designed by Boltshauser Architekten; photo Beat Bühler

Zurich-based Boltshauser Architekten’s ‘Neubau Lehmhaus Rauch’, located in Schlins, Austria, marries an emphatically modern formal language with a building material that isn’t usually associated with contemporary architecture – clay. ‘As opposed to more organic, archaic clay architecture, the morphology of the building aims towards a certain clarity and sharp-edgedness,’ explains the Swiss practice.

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