Triptyque have revamped the street-facing facade of the RB12 office block in Rio de Janeiro with a green, bioclimatic facade. Innovative, folding glazing and slats function as brises-soleil

It’s a wrap. More projects that demonstrate how covering up is the new way to gain exposure. (text by Bettina Krause)

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The new Corten-steel box within which the old Saarhaus sits affords the building two additional storeys. Photo: sop architekten, krischerfotografie

Be it for functional, aesthetic or energy-saving reasons, architects internationally are getting superficial and wrapping up existing structures or reworking facades. (text by Bettina Krause)

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The facade elements of the Danial Apartment by TDC Office in a former recreational area in Tehran reflect the history of the site in a special way. The facade recalls the trees and plants that once grew here

The Western view of Iran has long been distorted. With the suspension of international sanctions, a spirit of optimism has taken hold of the country, including its architectural and design scene. In the first part of our new series ‘Architecture Iran’, we look at innovatively designed façades, whose dynamic compositions testify to a new self-confidence. (by Sophie Loschert)

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Gnome parking Garage by Mei architects and planners, photo: Jeroen Musch

The striking facade of the Kabouter Garage in Almere-Buiten, Netherlands consists of perforated panels with distinctive images including windmills, birdhouses and garden gnomes.

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The bio-façade concept was developed by three partners: SSC Strategic Science Consult of Germany (Bioreactor Technology), the international design consultant, Arup (Concept Design, Coordination and Engineering) and Colt International (Reactor Design).

SolarLeaf, the world’s first bioreactive façade presented at the BIQ House (designed by Splitterwerk Architects of Graz, Austria), has been shortlisted for the Zumtobel Group Award 2014 in the “Applied Innovations” category.

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Orange Cube by Jakob + Macfarlane; photo: Roland Halbe

Perforated walls, panels and screens have been used for centuries as a way to control the level of light entering a building or to offer privacy to the occupants. The functions of perforations have remained largely the same, but the materials and methods of manufacture have altered considerably. No longer cut or carved by hand, developments in computer-controlled technologies mean that detailed patterns can now be quickly and easily etched into various materials for interior or exterior use. Architonic looks at some recent projects demonstrating the contemporary effects that can be achieved using perforated materials. (by Alyn Griffiths)

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'cork house' by Arquitectos Anonimos / Atelier AA, photo by Ivo Canelas

This large single family home in Esposende in the the north of Portugal was realised by the Porto based Arquitectos Anonimos / Atelier AA. Its slightly industrial looking facade is characterised by massive cork bricks which are stoutly wrapped around the carcass and perforated metallic folding shutters.

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'V36K08/09 - urban DIVA' by pasel kuenzel architects, photo by Marcel van der Burg

Amidst one of the biggest urban developments of private-collective dwellings in the Netherlands, on a former industrial site close to the historical heart of the renowned Dutch university city of Leiden, the Rotterdam based pasel kuenzel architects realised this single family home.

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