20 Structure Suggestions from 2021

We are starting to say goodbye to the year and after a review of all the contents developed, we find ourselves with a wide range of architectural advice that involves both interior and exterior spaces. Addressing issues from the domestic sphere to more technical and decisive questions, these are intended to serve as a guide and/or suggestions, rescuing those necessary considerations to take into account when planning our spaces, regardless of the use or the future they contemplate. 

We then invite you all to take a look at the architecture advice that has been published on ArchDaily this year. Accompanied by examples, ideas, suggestions and even materiality on some occasions, it has sought to answer those questions that often involve our daily lives with the aim to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and to achieve wellbeing/comfort in interior and exterior spaces.

How to Renovate Interior Spaces on a Budget

“Perhaps one of the most common phrases you’ll hear when talking about interior renovations is “whatever you initially planned on spending, double it, and double the time with it”. Renovations, regardless of their scale, can be very time consuming and costly, especially when unexpected changes pop up last minute. However, we are often met with situations where the interior layout is no longer efficient or we feel that the interior design is a little outdated and its time for a change.”

How to Take Advantage of High Ceilings in Renovations

“The height of the ceiling of a space heavily influences our perception of it. Generally, local building codes regulate the minimum dimensions for ceiling height, which are calculated to ensure adequate quality of life in the environment. But the exact height of the ceilings is often defined by the dimensions of other materials that make up the building, the height of the constitutive slabs, or even by rounding the dimensions of the stair steps. It is common, with the densification of cities aimed at increasing profitability, for entrepreneurs to design with minimum ceiling heights in houses and offices, reducing construction costs. On the other hand, in older structures, more generous ceilings can be observed, which generally enable a greater degree of design freedom. But how can architects make the most of these spaces?”

How to Ensure Comfort and Well-Being in Small Spaces?

“While some aspects of comfort and well-being in an indoor environment are related to external factors, such as natural lighting and ventilation, others are directly associated with the interior layout and the sensations created by architecture in the people living in that space.”

How to Optimize Small Spaces: 9 Folding and Sliding Beds

“As the number of smaller and more compact apartments grows, architects and interior designers are challenged to create multifunctional solutions and systems capable of optimizing spaces, in a way that every inch seems to make a difference. As a result, it is increasingly common for professionals to focus on designing creative furniture solutions that allow the space to transform completely in a few seconds.”

Architecturally Integrated Bunk Beds: Material and Design Tips

“It is a common misconception that bunk beds – which are sleeping spaces elevated above floor-level – are used exclusively for the bedrooms of children and teens. While bunk beds are a great solution for younger kids and older kids alike, the practical aspect of bunk beds which gives ample sleeping space while saving on floor space, makes them great for a variety of purposes and applications. With a rise in density and the majority of people living in large urban centers making use of increasingly smaller living spaces, there has come a push towards modularity in interior architecture. For this reason, bunk beds and lofted sleeping areas have become a great solution to maximize square footage.”

How to Take Advantage of the Space Under The Bed

“Over the last few years, we have explored different ways of taking advantage of small spaces in residential architecture. From efficient furniture to kitchens with transformable systems to adapting essential household appliances, architects have begun looking for effective ways of optimizing scarce floor space or making spaces more flexible in multifunctional and mixed-use typologies.”

How to Hang Hammocks in Apartments?

“Hammocks are an undeniable passion and an iconic design element in Brazil and are key pieces of furniture in many Brazilian homes. In small houses or apartments, however, hammocks can often be difficult to place in the room. This article shows examples of how to include hammocks in architectural projects and ideas to inspire you to hang one in your apartment.”

Tips for Organizing the Laundry Area: How to Optimize Your Daily Life

“Previously we have published an article about how laundry rooms, or utility rooms, are an unnecessary luxury in a modern home. However, this space is undeniably an important part of Brazilian homes and is used not only for washing and drying clothes but also for storing cleaning products and other items. Since these spaces are usually quite small, it is not always easy to keep them organized to ensure maximum functionality. So, here are some tips for those who want to optimize this environment for a better routine in everyday life.”

How to Design a Hidden Kitchen

“While the kitchen is a ubiquitous part of almost every home—and, in many cases, is considered symbolic of domestic living entirely—it can also take up precious space, produce visual clutter, and detract from the minimalist aesthetic of an otherwise sleek, modern home. For some homeowners, the solution is simply to keep the kitchen clean and organized at all times. But for some innovative contemporary architects and their clients, the solution is to design a compact, concealable kitchen that can quickly and easily be shuttered out of view. Below, we discuss several examples of hidden kitchens, as well as some common techniques and strategies of designing them.”

Bathrooms Accessible to the Elderly: What Appliances and Materials to Include

“Well-designed environments are critical for reducing the risk of accidents and response time in the event of a fall. For architects, the work of designing safe cities and homes is essential, especially when looking at demographic trends around the world. Carrying out this architectural work, through a good project and correct product specification, is above all a gesture of affection and concern for our families and fellow elderly citizens. It is then essential to ask ourselves these questions: For whom? What needs do they have? From there, we can start to think about how we can improve their quality of life.”

Walk-in Showers Without Doors or Curtains: Design Tips and Examples

“Because it doesn’t include a bathtub, or require doors, screens, or curtains, the walk-in shower often makes bathrooms appear larger, cleaner, and more minimalist.”

How to Hide TV Wires?

“We are about to start living in a completely wireless world, but in the meantime, many people are looking for alternatives to hide wires creating a more organized and clean space. Therefore, we have provided some tips for those who want to disguise TV cables and cords from other devices to make the environment more comfortable.”

How Far Should Your Sofa Be From The TV?

“There are a series of multiple factors to take into account when deciding where to place a TV, including —but not limited to— the dimensions of both the furniture and the TV, image resolution, height, design, and so on. In this article, we share some recommendations to achieve the comfort and well-being of the users avoiding possible problems of visual fatigue or unfortunate body postures.”

How to Determine How Many LED Lumens You’ll Need To Properly Light Your Space

“What is enough light? The question is difficult enough but when faced with having to calculate how much LED lighting you need to create a well-lit space, it can become a bit more complicated.”

How to Improve the Acoustics of a Room

“If you live in an apartment, you may unintentionally know the details of your neighbor’s life by overhearing conversations through your shared walls. Or you keep awake when the dog that lives in the apartment above decides to take a walk in the middle of the night. If so, you may live in an apartment with inadequate sound insulation in its walls and/or slabs. As cities grow increasingly dense and builders seek to increase their profit margins, it is not uncommon for acoustic comfort to be overlooked in many architectural projects. When the resulting noise is excessive or unwanted, it impacts the human body, the mind, and daily activities. While not all spaces need to seal all types of sound, creating spaces with an adequate degree of soundproofing improves the quality of life of all users.”

How to Design the Perfect Acoustic Enclosure: Comfort in Flooring, Ceilings, and Walls

“As our cities densify and building types become more and more mixed-use, we tend to spend a lot of time in noisy environments. When we think about acoustic comfort, we rarely think of places like restaurants, venues, and big offices; places with a lot of people, machinery, and background noise. The quality of sound can entirely change the experience of people in an interior space, and improving the space’s acoustic quality relies on treating all surfaces, from walls to ceilings, and flooring. In this article, we will present a variety of solutions for ceilings, flooring, and walls, their different combinations, and a simple guide of how to apply them correctly in public spaces without compromising the aesthetic of the interior.”

Functionality and Aesthetics: Examples of Ceiling Systems in Architectural Projects

“The ceiling is an important element in architecture and interior design, combining functionality with aesthetics through different materials that add layers of texture and color, providing quality and comfort in interior spaces as well as a protective surface for other building systems.”

How to Design Smart Homes? 8 Tips for Incorporating Domotics Into Architecture

“Home automation has long been associated with high costs, a burdening assembly time, and a cumbersome process that impelled us to discard the idea of automating projects. However, these days are long gone.”

White Atmospheres: How to Create Calm Spaces with Fabric Partitions

“In the heyday of high modernism, architects such as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe extolled the aesthetic value of whiteness, which they viewed as connoting purity and simplicity. Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, for example, paired the stripped-down whiteness of its structural skeleton with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, using the enveloping natural light to further elevate the already heavenly aspirations of the space. Today, some contemporary architects and designers have evolved the sublime aesthetics of white high modern architecture by using translucent fabric partitions, complementing the purity of the white walls with the fabrics’ ethereal play of light and shadow. Below, we discuss different design strategies for working with white fabrics in this way, and include two examples of projects that have used translucent fabrics in soothing but innovative ways.”

Tips on Choosing the Right Colour for Your Swimming Pool

“It could be said that one of the main aspects to take into account when designing a swimming pool is the choice of colour for the coating. The light, the shadows, the depth, the environment and the elements that surround it are variables that directly affect the final tonality of the water. The effects of artificial and/or natural lighting also determine the final aesthetic, because if it’s located outdoors, reflecting the sky, it will create a different effect than if it’s located indoors, where the ceiling would influence its colour.”