We are an international practice that has worked in many countries and territories with a wide range of commissioners and in a variety of regulatory environments.
analysing the customer journey
Circulation in public buildings is a critical factor to consider in the design process. Flow becomes the emblem of the building’s concept and even shapes its form. In simplistic terms, it is how people move and interact with space.
old is new at Today Art Museum
On the occasion of the the 70th Anniversary of John Lennon’s Birth, Beijing-based Today art museum organized last October 16th an outdoor event including multimedia video projections, poetry readings, music performances and discussions under the name “old is new“.
Carola furniture series
On the last few months, we have been working on an exciting outdoor furniture project: the Carola Collection, a minimalist and simple furniture design inspired by the bright colours of the sunny Mediterranean regions.
arquia proxima 2012
Arquia/próxima is a cultural program sponsored by the Caja de Arquitectos foundation aiming to support Spanish Architects.
plug and play
Soria is a small city in north-central Spain. The city was founded in the 4th century BC in the banks of the Duero River. At that time the location along the watercourse was strategic for defence, however, now the valley is not a priority in the city’s development. Several historical buildings are located along the […]
unmade in China
While much attention – and some criticism – has been focused on major completed works in China, little is known of those projects that disappear, fizzle out, or sit abandoned.
30×1
This book contains a selection of 30 projects presented at the ideas competition ‘Youth Area at the Border’.
E9 forum in Santiago de Compostela
Lynn McMahon participated in the European Forum in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which discussed the findings of Europan 9. The prize-winning project ‘Interactive Flexibility’ was exhibited at the Forum. This proposal for the development of Slatina Square in Opatija, Croatia, was included in the ‘Public and Private Spaces’ discussion.
city visions
City Visions is an exhibition that collects one year of research, experiments and events organized in China and Europe by the Hutopolis research program. Soft and physical urban planning strategies, visions and ideas have been developed taking Beijing as a case study.
room #21
Room is a magazine focusing on innovation and contemporary creativity. The journal features the last trends in architecture, interior design, art, industrial design and visual communications, and it has become a remarkable platform for avant-garde designers and intellectually enthusiastic readers.
special mention for atienza hall
AQSO has been awarded an honorable mention for the restoration of Santa Maria de Atienza in Huete, Spain. A simply folded steel piece covers the remains of the church and creates a space from which to contemplate the landscape.
starchitecture and cityscape
The world’s increasing urban population signifies that the inhabitants’ penchant for rural areas has surpassed. The rural population started to decrease since the 1950s. Urban areas are now becoming dense and compacted in character as people from all walks of life move in. Mass migrations require a plethora of housing and economic opportunities for the […]
igloo #195
Igloo is a leading bimonthly Romanian magazine about architecture, urbanism, design and art.
Iberian architecture in Beijing
AQSO participated at LAMIPA, an audiovisual exhibition about Spanish and Portuguese architecture which opening took place in Beijing on September 25.
wavescape
The old ambition of producing a really moving architecture succeeds when it responds to the site and brief requirements. The proposal for the thematic pavilion of the 2012 Yeosu international exhibition has a focus for the people to experience and understand this liquid element through the specific place in which it is located: the ocean.
Lisbon Architecture Triennale
Next October AQSO will participate at the third edition of the 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennale presenting the documentary ‘3×3 projects in contexts’ at the ‘Expo 7×7 Iberian Architecture’.
aqso and cca awarded for Liuzhou museum
The proposal for the new Industrial museum in Liuzhou presented by CCA and AQSO has been awarded the 3rd prize in the restricted competition organised by the local government. The museum is intended to use a 62000 sqm old factory near the Liu river in the second largest city in the Guangxi province (China).
lecture at the Iterate workshop
Last February 7th AQSO participated in the ‘Iterate’ workshop in Beijing with a lecture about the changing conditions of the Chinese cities and the progress of the ongoing research program ‘Hutopolis’.
E9
This publication, edited by the European organisation of the contest, contains the 132 winners of the 9th Europan edition. The works are classified into four different groups: extensions in question, local mutations, opportunities for public space and networks on the move.
process
PROCESS strives to create a more valuable design methodology in the fields of architecture, interior, urban, landscape and installation.
3×3 projects in contexts
Last October AQSO presented the short documentary ‘3×3 projects in contexts’ at the Lisbon Architecture Triennial. The event was complemented with a lecture where the latest works done at the office were presented.
glass magazine #11
Glass magazine aims to bring integrity and guardianship to creative culture, by providing access to the genuinely inspiring adventures in fashion, art, music and design that allow us to further imagine and create.
possible architecture
The project for a music centre in Soria has been selected for inclusion in the ‘Arquitecturas posibles’ exhibition organized by agoras.arq. The exhibition will be held in the MUVa Museum, Santa Cruz Palace, Valladolid, Spain, from October 3rd.
acoustical design in auditoriums
The high sonic quality of the classical amphitheatres provided the basic acoustic principles of contemporary auditoriums. As technology improves, certain acoustic design principles are augmented. For example, the geometry of the stepped stalls can now be retracted and lifted using air castor technology.
lecture at the Dashilan design hop
Giannantonio Bongiorno, curator of the exhibition ‘Next stop: Hutopolis‘, presented together with Luis Aguirre Manso the contents of the research that will start next fall about the Chinese urban conditions.
a map of hutopolis
A Map of Hutopolis contains the result of a research program about the urban development in China. The book envisions in a map solutions to the problems provoked by the radical development going on in the biggest country in Asia.
round table at 751
Cannon Design organized a roundtable at the 751 lecture hall coinciding with the exhibition ‘Unmade in China’ presented at the 2012 Beijing Design Week. The event featured projects developed by the architectural firms featured in the exhibition followed by a discussion about the particular characteristics of the design process in the Chinese market.
identities in comparison
What is the influence on urbanism when a planned economy shifts to a new model of development? How to promote an urban evolution based on soft elements? Can social interactions catalyse strategies of urban regeneration?
(un)made in China
The exhibition (un)made in China, organized by Cannon Design opened last Thursday at the ‘[email protected] gallery’ in Shanghai. The retrospective features a selection of twelve projects developed by international offices and aims to show not only the value of the architecture itself, moreover the process and the experience of these architects when facing the challenge […]
lecture at the Global Pioneer design forum
AQSO was invited to participate at the Global Pioneer Design forum organised by the Galaxy arts centre and 5cats editors in Shenzhen, China, last May 26.
AQSO launches urban research Hutopolis
“Hutopolis” is a research program that aims to investigate new boundaries for the urban development in China. The study intends to re-use and enhance the existing urban framework and networks as a key idea to generate a new evolution of the city. AQSO organises an exhibition curated by Giannantonio Bongiorno and Luis Aguirre, with the […]
self-fab house
This publication features a selection of experimental projects about self-fabrication, with articles written by Vicent Guallart, Lucas Capelli and Willy Müller among others.
mark magazine
This Duch magazine about architecture features on the first pages of the October edition the ‘wavescape’ project, a proposal for the thematic pavilion of the Yeosu Expo in Korea.
hors site #10
Hors Site is a magazine that brings together the world of manufacturing and building technology. The publication promotes a cultural and technical exchange to find sustainable and efficient construction methods.
architects at work
The second edition of the [email protected] festival, an event showcasing architecture and industry-related products with a special focus on innovation and education, took place in Beijing last December 5th and 6th. AQSO participated both at the ‘Spanish design in China’ seminar and the conference ‘Hutong to Hutopolis’.
W salon opening
The interior of a hair salon in Beijing designed by AQSO has been recently completed.
learning from Dashilar
Organized by ‘Beijing Design Week’, Dashila(b) and Capital M, the event included speakers such Kenya Hara, designer from Nippon Design Center and director of design for MUJI, Fang Zhenning, curator of the Chinese pavilion of the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale, Liang Jingyu, architect from Approach Architecture, Giannantonio Bongiorno, curator of Hutopolis and Luis Aguirre from […]
our analysis of the Chinese market for El País
El País correspondent in China has interviewed Luis Aguirre to learn more about the architecture market in China and the opportunities it offers to Spanish architects.
Harvest Home awarded by the IaaC
The self-sufficient house Harvest Home has been given an award in the ‘2nd Advanced Architecture Contest’, an international competition organized by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
from policies to design
Modern urbanism involves several disciplines beyond architecture and sociology. Often the rules guiding urban development are established taking into account economic and political factors. In a complex scenario where the future of urban areas is more difficult to predict, how policymakers can take into account public participation?
(un)made in China exhibition in Shanghai
The Xubeihong foundation project proposed by AQSO has been selected for the exhibition ‘(un)made in China, architecture undone in the P.R.C’. The retrospective aims to celebrate the best missing Chinese projects from the last decade.
design magazine #5
Portuguese publication about architecture and design.
open arte-fact exhibited in Beirut
The proposal for the house of arts, a large cultural building to be built in Lebanon, will be exhibited along with the rest of participants of the international competition between 23 March & 14 April 2009 at the Forum de Beyrouth.
social club completed in Tabuyo
The works for the interior design of this social club in Tabuyo have been recently completed. Characterized by simple materials and indirect lighting, this project comprises a multipurpose room, a dining room, storage, and toilets.
REmodelling
This monographic publication focuses on remodeling, renovation, restoration and recycling. It contains a selection of 84 international projects with more than 1800 images, articles and interviews.
‘ramp up the mun’ shortlisted for e10
AQSO’s proposal for the Boilerhouse studios in Dublin, an urban regeneration project including cultural and residential spaces in Ballymun, has been shortlisted for the 10th edition of Europan.
the people’s urbanism
Last Saturday 22th took place in Hong Kong the presentation and discussion entitled ‘The People´s Urbanism’, an event organized by AP+E about bottom up approaches part of the last edition of the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture (UABB).
a map of hutopolis
AQSO is pleased to announce the publication of the book ‘A Map of Hutopolis‘, a monograph comprising the projects developed during the Hutopolis research program and a series of articles written by researchers and professors on the topic of Chinese urbanisation.
singular concepts
Singular Concepts contains a collection of the most significant projects classified by typologies. The book focuses on the conceptual ideas of each proposal and the creative process behind the final result.
transformations
Transformations, a dialogue about the evolving city is the title of a documentary recently presented by AQSO at the 2013 Beijing Design Week. The movie is conceived as the conclusive chapter of the Hutopolis reseach program launched in 2011 for studying the urban changes on Chinese cities.
China’s construction: designing the future
China’s construction industry has been a driving force in the nation’s economy since the early 80s. The country is experiencing an unprecedented exodus of population from rural areas to cities. The urban population has increased half a billion since 1980 and 300 million people are expected to live in cities by 2030. Shanghai and Beijing […]
striking ship-like hotel proposed as new Shoreditch landmark
A new mixed-use building, which includes a hotel, cinema and retail space, could become the latest eye-catching landmark in London’s most creative neighbourhood.
prefabricated construction in Anguix
The construction works for this multifunctional building designed by AQSO have recently started with the assemblage of modular concrete elements to be part of the structure and façade.
urbanization process in China
It is not easy to see the sky in Beijing. Sometimes because of the storms, sometimes because of the fog and most of the times because of the tangible pollution surrounding the city the atmosphere becomes a ghostly mass in which the buildings are merely glimpsed. At night the stars cannot be seen, only flashing […]
hutopolis restrospective
Beijing Design Week is scheduled to be an annual event composed of several sections: a design forum, design exhibitions, workshops, a guest city program, design hops and an annual design award. ‘Next stop: Hutopolis’ is a retrospective on the urban condition of Beijing and specifically its Hutongs.
architecture without context
Contextualism in architecture refers to the visual relationship of a building about its surroundings. Architecture is the single unit interwoven into an urban fabric. Added collectively, these interconnected units engage a dialogue concerning the culture, time and history of a place. Contextualism creates an environment where memories of a place are collected together.
tierra de cultivo in Gorizia
The proposal for a strategic masterplan in Gorizia presented by AQSO and G. Damiani under the title ‘S.A.R.A, una tierra de cultivo’ will be exhibited along with the rest of participants of the international contest ‘spazio giovani alla frontiera’ (Youth Space at the border) in the event entitled ‘30×1, Trenta progetti per una mostra‘.
reinterpreting the traditional courtyard house
The idea of creating an inner space open to the sky blends a haven of nature and architecture. We understand the need to immerse deeply in a natural environment while being protected at your shelter and in fact, we have rediscovered the beauty and functionality of this typology in numerous projects.