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What began as a small repair job turned into a complete architectural reinvention. Designed by boutique Northern California firm Medium Plenty, this three-story family home reflects a deep collaboration between the architects and a creative couple with two young kids. Originally initiated to address structural water damage, the project evolved into a fully custom rebuild with one goal: create a “forever home” that balances soulful materials, family life, and refined design.
In the green hills of Ibiúna, a quiet rural town about 90 minutes from São Paulo, architect Rodrigo Ohtake has built a family retreat unlike any other. Designed for weekends away with his wife Ana Carolina and their three children, the home is both a restful hideaway and a bold experiment in modular, eco-conscious design. The result? A prefabricated house that feels anything but prefabricated, joyful, fluid, and in sync with nature.
Blatto Boat is a newly constructed Floating On Water Residence (FOWR) located on the north end of Seattle’s Lake Union. Designed by Seattle studio GO'C, the houseboat is built within the exact footprint of an existing 12-by-40-foot vessel, making efficient use of every available inch.
Just off the coast of Seattle, a young family found their rhythm on Orcas Island, a lush, bluffside site in Deer Harbor where the forest meets the horizon. With the help of Syndicate Smith, a Washington-based architecture firm known for its sensitive, site-specific work, they built a grounded retreat that’s both elemental and modern. Designed to be built efficiently by the homeowner himself, a general contractor, this house reflects a deep connection to nature, family, and the quiet rituals of island life.
In Montreal’s lush Outremont district, a 1950s home by architects Morin & Cinq-Mars has undergone a transformative expansion. Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture led the renovation, preserving its Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired heritage while introducing Japanese and Scandinavian influences. The result is a warm, modern sanctuary on Mount Royal, where every detail connects to nature and calm.
More in architecture
For our latest "How To Get A Job At ____" feature, Archinect connected with New York City-based architecture firm DXA Studio. Founded in 2011 by Jordan Rogove and Wayne Norbeck, the practice has built an impressive portfolio of projects that merge cutting-edge modern design with the preservation of NYC's existing historic built environment. Our conversation with members of the DXA Studio leadership team delves into their hiring process, preferred skills they look for in interested candidates, and how applicants can increase their chances of getting hired.
The Manhattan Project, the US program to build an atomic bomb during WWII, is one of the most famous and widely known major government projects: a survey in 1999 ranked the dropping of the atomic bomb as the top news story of the 20th century. Virtually everyone knows that the project built the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And most of us probably know that the bomb was built by some of the world’s best physicists, working under Robert Oppenheimer at Los Alamos in New Mexico. But the Manhattan Project was far more than just a science project: building the bombs required an enormous industrial effort of unprecedented scale and complexity. Enormous factory complexes were built using hundreds of millions of dollars worth of never-before-constructed equipment. Scores of new machines, analytical techniques, and methods of working with completely novel substances had to be invented. Materials which had never been produced at all, or only produced in tiny amounts, suddenly had to be manufactured in vast quantities.
Communities of faith want their identity reflected in the places they gather.
As the academic year begins, architecture students are entering the next stage in their design education, be it starting a new undergraduate or postgraduate degree or beginning a new semester midway through their studies. If you are one of the many students embarking on this next chapter, we offer you not only our congratulations and best wishes but also a non-exhaustive collection of thoughts and advice to support your journey. Do you have advice for architecture students as the new school season begins, beyond those set out below? Let us know in the comments.
A conversation with architect, technologist, and Yale professor Phil Bernstein.
