Like a Houdini stunt, these three hospitality venues—in addition to the others in this month's Building Type Study—are sensational exercises in escape. Yet, they are also firmly rooted in their varying contexts. These projects also document the range of ways we choose to spend our increasingly rare leisure time, whether sharing a meal in the breeze of the Pacific Ocean, enjoying a burger on a busy Shanghai street, or indulging in a cocktail on the Mediterranean coast—proof that good design is a journey in itself.

Read bite-size stories about these three projects:

  • Toro Gastrobar by  Studio Arthur Casas: This gut renovation of an existing Spanish Colonial–style structure in a resort town of Baja California reinterprets traditional forms and materials.