April 2021 Issue | Architectural Record

In our annual Record Houses issue, Architectural Record spotlights six impressive residences in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and the U.S. Learn more about 2021 Pritzker Prize winners Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, see a landscape project on the coast of Corsica, France, and take a look at a new university plaza by Junya Ishigami. Read the continuing education story to learn how architects use urban agriculture to combat climate change, and take an online quiz to earn one AIA learning unit. And don’t miss this month’s featured cladding and surfaces products!

Check back throughout the month for additional content!

Sunqiao Urban Agricultural District’s civic plaza.

Continuing Education: Urban Agriculture

Katharine Logan

April 1, 2021

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Architects and landscape architects are helping create new growing strategies to combat climate change, protect fragile ecosystems, and feed burgeoning populations.

Record Houses 2021

April 1, 2021

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The 2021 edition of Record Houses features six impressive residences, each of which respond to diverse contexts and reframe the typology’s otherwise conventional notions.

Casa en El Torón by IUA Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos

Oaxaca, Mexico

Clifford A. Pearson

April 1, 2021

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Architect Ignacio Urquiza responds to a rugged site in Oaxaca by designing a residence as three open pavilions.

Oregon Coast Beach House by Cutler Anderson Architects

Bandon, Oregon

Randy Gragg

April 1, 2021

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On a blustery Oregon beachfront, architect James Cutler creates a dwelling that offers both a sheltered courtyard and dramatic views.

Casa A4 by Barclay & Crousse

Lima, Peru

Josephine Minutillo

April 1, 2021

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Barclay & Crousse juxtaposes plein air living spaces with cell-like sleeping quarters in Peru.

Bay Window Tower House by Takaaki Fuji + Yuko Fuji Architecture

Tokyo

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

April 1, 2021

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Partners in design and life, Takaaki and Yuko Fuji tailor their own home for living on a tight Tokyo site. Read the article and watch a video tour.

Awana Beach House by Herbst Architects

Great Barrier, New Zealand

John Walsh

April 1, 2021

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On Great Barrier Island, Herbst Architects reimagines the classic New Zealand beach shack with movable layers that can be deployed to let in the breeze or protect against harsh weather.

Stony Hill House by Bates + Masi Architects

Amangansett, New York

Suzanne Stephens

April 1, 2021

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Bates Masi + Architects’ Long Island house astutely combines the modern and the traditional, incorporating unexpected materials, from weathering steel to terra-cotta to thatch.

April 2021 Editor's Letter: Looking for a Place Called Home

Decent shelter is essential to human life and for our health and humanity.

Cathleen McGuigan

April 6, 2021

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Once again this year, we bring you Record Houses, a half dozen innovative responses to the idea of home, scattered around the world.

The Plaza at Kanagawa Institute of Technology by Junya Ishigami + Associates

Kanagawa, Japan

Naomi Pollock, FAIA

April 9, 2021

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In Kanagawa, Japan, Junya Ishigami creates an abstract space open to the wind, rain, and sky. Watch a video tour of the Plaza.

Aldilonda Walkway by Dietmar Feichtinger Architects

Kara Mavros

April 7, 2021

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Dietmar Feichtinger embeds a serpentine walkway along the rocky shoreline in Corsica.

The Pritzker Prize Honors French Architects Lacaton & Vassal

Laura Raskin

March 16, 2021

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The pair are lauded for their "radical delicacy," and balancing a respectful and straightforward approach to the people who inhabit their spaces and the built environment.

Frick Madison Brings a New Look to the Breuer

Laura Raskin

March 4, 2021

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Selldorf Architects and the curatorial team created a series of temporary galleries for the Frick’s collection of European art, reframing its stories in the process.

ICC Makes Controversial Change

Joann Gonchar, FAIA

March 18, 2021

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The International Code Council votes to reduce the say of state and city officials in code development.

The Legacy of Racism in the Making of Cities and Communities

Alicia Olushola Ajayi

March 18, 2021

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Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness, at MoMA, interrogates the past while imagining a liberated future.

Los Angeles Unveils ADU Prototype Designs

Sarah Amelar

March 5, 2021

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The city releases a catalog of inventive, pre-approved designs.

Review of 'My House Is Better Than Your House'

By Nader Tehrani

Stella Betts

April 7, 2021

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Architects Nader Tehrani and Preston Scott Cohen debate the design of the house at a disciplinary level.

Review of 'Shared Structures, Private Spaces: Housing in Mexico'

By Fernanda Canales

Florian Idenburg

April 8, 2021

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Mexico City–based architect Fernanda Canales chronicles an extensive collection of housing projects across the country.

Snapshot: McNeal 020 by Atelier David Telerman

McNeal, Arizona

Ilana Herzig

April 9, 2021

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A subterranean pavilion in the Arizona desert invites visitors to take a moment of contemplation.

New Surfaces for Spring 2021

Sheila Kim

April 9, 2021

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From rigid palm panels to terrazzo-like quartz, these new materials mix performance and style.

New Cladding Products for Spring 2021

Sheila Kim

April 10, 2021

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These facade systems aim to address both aesthetic and thermal needs.

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU; 1 IDCEC CEU/HSW

We will discuss commercial washroom and bathroom design, including disability accommodation; bather/use privacy; mold, mildew, and hygiene; and more.

Credits: 1 AIA LU/HSW; 1 AIBD P-CE; 0.1 ICC CEU; 0.1 IACET CEU

We will discuss the benefits of solar air heating metal wall panels and how they can contribute to a more energy efficient building, while also reducing operational carbon emissions.