Open Building
Architectural approaches to flexible, adaptable buildings that respond to changing needs and community participation.
Overseas Oasis: Amsterdam Gables Gathered Around a Glass-Roofed Commons for International Students
A community center in Amsterdam that rings one sunlit atrium with gabled volumes, then opens its facade so newcomers can walk straight in.
The Layercake: An Amsterdam Building Stacked From the Habits of Plantage and Oost
A raised volume frees the ground for an urban cave, then stacks gallery, lecture hall, workspace and a green roof facing a canal and a windmill.
Paraa Raises a Perforated Brick Platform for Shared Community Life on an Open Ground in Dhaka's Korail Settlement
A 332 m² brick lattice building at Ershad Maidan, shaped through more than 60 workshops, turns an open ground in Korail, Dhaka, into a shared stage.
Living in the Cocoon: Four Planted Domes Where Hanging Bowls Turn Strangers Into Neighbours
Perforated white shells, suspended seating pods and a shared table underground make a dwelling idea that is really about being together.
The Hands of Faith: A Boarding School That Opens Two Wings Around Children Who Grew Up Working
Two concrete wings, a sheltered courtyard and a ladder of terraces chart a gradual route back into community for children who grew up on the streets.
Office Canopy of Architecture Retrofits a Tiled Shaoxing Block into an Open-Source Community Commune
In Shangyu's old city centre, a 4,416 m² renovation stacks a library, canteen, shops and kiosks into one porous public building.
ODA Raises a 155-Metre Tower from the Courtyard of Rotterdam's Historic Post Office
In central Rotterdam, ODA's POST tower rebuilds a 1920s post office's arches as a porous, balconied frame climbing 155 metres above a national monument.
See Architects Wraps a Stepped Seoul Commercial Block in Deep Concrete Fins Facing an Elementary School
Across from an elementary school near Seoul's Samseong Station, a 950 m² commercial block uses deep fins and stepped terraces to filter view and noise.
Set Architects Cuts Two Openings into a Roman Apartment and Lets Reflective Furniture Do the Rest
In Rome's Nomentano district, an early 20th-century apartment becomes one adaptable plan of steel, lacquer and oak, divided by folding panels.
Nildo José Arquitetos Builds a Book-Lined Barn for Memory and Conversation at CASACOR São Paulo 2026
A 213 m² CASACOR São Paulo house in Parque da Água Branca, where a double-height library, brick floors and family heirlooms replace the television.
Martínez Arquitectura, MEC Arquitectura and Fiallo Atelier Raise a Bogotá School over a Public Ground Linking Two Parks
In Bogotá's Kennedy district, a long brick school opens its ground floor to the neighborhood and climbs toward the eastern hills in terraced stairs.
Atelier 56S Wraps a Brick Cultural Center Around a Courtyard Facing the Church in Val d'Oust
In Val d'Oust, Brittany, a 575 m² brick and timber pavilion gathers a media library, performance hall and village life around a sheltered courtyard.
Estudio NU Opens a Brick-Vaulted Buenos Aires PH onto a White Courtyard Stair and Rooftop Terrace
In Coghlan, Buenos Aires, an 80 m² PH renovation exposes its brick vaults, whitens what is new, and lets a courtyard stair carry daily life to the roof.
Golchin Studio Wraps a Multi-Generational Esfahan House Around Brick Courtyards and Open-Air Stairs
In Esfahan's dense Dowlatabad neighborhood, a 268 m² brick house turns inward, trading street exposure for courtyards, glass block and filtered light.
En Obra Arquitectos Turns Its Back on Pinamar's Streets to Open a Concrete Pavilion to the Pines
In coastal Pinamar, Alamos House pairs a stone and timber street front with a board-formed concrete pavilion that dissolves into pine forest and pool.
Atelier Orzan Folds the Doorways of a Le Havre Enfilade into Built-In Furniture
In Le Havre's Costière district, a 55 m² ground-floor flat keeps its brick vaults while olive panels and okoumé joinery redraw every threshold.
OMA Stacks Four Interlocking Gridded Volumes on a Former Amsterdam Prison Site to Build The Martin
In Amsterdam's Bajes Kwartier, The Martin cascades four interlocking volumes behind an aluminum grid, wrapping every apartment in open balconies.
BILBAO | LOPEZ Lifts a Board-Formed Concrete Box over a Brick Wall and a Glazed Ground Floor in City Bell
In City Bell, Argentina, a 290 m² corner-lot house turns a guarded brick face to the street and opens a glass ground floor to its pool and old trees.
Studio Officina82 Freezes a Sliding Alpine Hay-Barn Roof into a 12 m² Treehouse Cabin in Piedmont
In Alpisella, a shingle-clad guest cabin rises on four timber posts among oaks, recasting the barchi hay barn as a room for sleeping in the canopy.
