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Nestled deep in the forests of Hangzhou, the Dongmingshan Senyu Hotel is a retreat defined not by grand gestures, but by its quiet respect for nature. Designed by GLA Architects, the 1,300? resort unfolds gently along a stream, surrounded by mature metasequoias and dense bamboo. Rather than reshaping the landscape, the design treats the forest as the lead character, inviting guests to enter a living, breathing ecosystem through subtle architecture.
When a pair of New York doctors moved to Coral Gables with their 5-year-old son, they wanted a fresh start, but without letting go of the sophistication they loved up north. The answer? A complete gut renovation of a lakefront home, transformed by boutique design studio Andreea Franca into a serene retreat that fuses coastal ease with timeless modern elegance.
Snow Peak Cafe, designed by KiKi ARCHi, is set inside a former red-brick warehouse in Suzhou, China. Once part of a cluster of industrial buildings from the 1950s, the structure has been reworked into a modern space for coffee, retail, and quiet conversation. Guided by Snow Peak’s “Embrace Your Nature” philosophy, the design keeps what’s essential, pares back what’s not, and lets the building’s character speak through thoughtful materials and a minimal layout.
Perched high on a rocky slope in Palm Beach, just 40 kilometers from Sydney, Australia, this modest home offers an antidote to over-designed living. Designed and built by CplusC Architects + Builders, this two-bedroom home isn’t about grandeur or excess, it’s about quiet immersion in the treetops. With a cargo net bay for lounging in the canopy and timber decks that dissolve the boundary between indoors and out, it’s a home that invites you to take a breath, slow down, and soak in the birdsong.
More in architecture
Nestled deep in the forests of Hangzhou, the Dongmingshan Senyu Hotel is a retreat defined not by grand gestures, but by its quiet respect for nature. Designed by GLA Architects, the 1,300? resort unfolds gently along a stream, surrounded by mature metasequoias and dense bamboo. Rather than reshaping the landscape, the design treats the forest as the lead character, inviting guests to enter a living, breathing ecosystem through subtle architecture.
To operate reliably, the US electrical grid needs to balance supply and demand: to make sure, at any given moment, that the amount of electricity demanded by homes, businesses, and factories is equal to the amount being supplied by nuclear reactors, gas turbines, and other types of power plants.
Traveling to Miami soon, but not sure what's really worth exploring? Today's Archinect City Guide is hosted by Germane Barnes, award-winning founder of research and design practice Studio Barnes. Besides receiving Harvard GSD's 2021 Wheelwright Prize, a 2021-22 Rome Prize, a 2022 USA Fellowship, the 2022 Miami Design District Annual Neighborhood Commission, and more recently, Exhibit Columbus' Miller Prize, he is a member of the Black Reconstruction Collective, as well as an Associate Professor and the Director of the Master of Architecture Graduate Program at the University of Miami School of Architecture. In this City Guide, Barnes reveals his favorite Miami spots for dining, relaxing, and discovering new design and architecture. Are you a Miami local with your own go-to spots? Or have a city you think we should cover next? Share your thoughts, suggestions, and favorite places in the comments.
Snow Peak Cafe, designed by KiKi ARCHi, is set inside a former red-brick warehouse in Suzhou, China. Once part of a cluster of industrial buildings from the 1950s, the structure has been reworked into a modern space for coffee, retail, and quiet conversation. Guided by Snow Peak’s “Embrace Your Nature” philosophy, the design keeps what’s essential, pares back what’s not, and lets the building’s character speak through thoughtful materials and a minimal layout.
