BIG designs "Habitat 2.0" for Toronto
Bjarke Ingels' firm has unveiled designs for a major residential development in downtown Toronto, reminiscent of the experimental housing complex built by Moshe Safdie in the 1960s (+ slideshow). More
![Habitat 2.0 by BIG in Toronto]()
![NYPD 40th precinct by BIG]()
BIG reveals design of police station planned for the Bronx
Bjarke Ingels' firm has unveiled its design for a police station in New York that will consist of intersecting blocks clad in concrete, metal and glass. More
![La Gota Cultural Center Tobacco Museum by Losada Garcia Architects]()
Stacked blocks form Spanish tobacco and art museum by Losada García Arquitectos
Tobacco-making equipment and artwork sit side-by-side within the tile-screened volumes of this museum in Spain's Cáceres region, which was designed by local studio Losada García Arquitectos (+ slideshow). More
![The Interlace by Ole Scheeren]()
Ole Scheeren's "vertical village" named World Building of the Year 2015
World Architecture Festival 2015: Ole Scheeren has won World Building of the Year 2015 for The Interlace, a series of apartment blocks stacked diagonally across one another to frame terraces and gardens. More
![House in Toyonaka by Tato Architects]()
Tato Architects' House in Toyonaka is divided into offset horizontal volumes
This house in Osaka by Japanese studio Tato Architects features walls that step back and forth, worktops that merge with staircases, and windows that wrap around entire rooms (+ slideshow). More
![Dominion Office Building, Moscow by Zaha Hadid]()
Zaha Hadid completes Moscow office block with jutting floors and monochromatic atrium
Zaha Hadid has created a seven-storey office block in Moscow for the city's growing IT and creative sectors, with off-set floor plates and a dramatic black-and-white atrium (+ slideshow). More
![Vancouver Museum of Art by Herzog & de Meuron]()
Herzog & de Meuron designs art museum made of stacked wooden boxes in Vancouver
The Vancouver Art Gallery has unveiled a conceptual design for its new building by Herzog & de Meuron, featuring a series of stacked volumes clad in wood (+ slideshow). More
![Reforma 2394 by Aflo Arquitectos Mexico]()
Glass and concrete boxes separate spaces in Mexico City housing
Glass boxes frame a tennis court, gym and pool set into the basement of this Mexico apartment building, which is formed from a series of stacked concrete blocks that cascade down a hill towards a wooded glen (+ slideshow). More
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MVRDV used pixellated forms to make DNB Bank "human and approachable" says Winy Maas
Winy Maas of MVRDV explains how his design for a "big building composed of mini units" created a headquarters for Norway's DNB Bank interspersed with indoor and outdoor meeting places, in the penultimate movie from our exclusive series (+ movie). More
![Wohnhaus Y1 by Werner Sobek Group]()
Werner Sobek's Y1 House comprises two stacked blocks on top of a former sand mine
This house in France's Massif Central region features a lower storey inserted into a disused sand mine and a glazed upper storey offering views of the surrounding volcanic landscape (photos by Zooey Braun + slideshow). More
![Lianjiang Butterfly Bay by Next Architects]()
NEXT Architects uses terracotta and granite for housing complex on China's Min River
NEXT Architects chose both ribbed terracotta and smooth granite to clad the buildings of this housing development in China, which are stacked to maximise views over a nearby river and mountains (+ slideshow). More
![Nestle Waters Beirut Headquarters by Bernard Mallat architects]()
Nestlé Waters' Beirut office is top heavy to allow space for trucks to pass by
The top two floors of this office for Nestlé Waters in Beirut projects out by 15 metres to create a clear route below for trucks to access the warehouse next door (+ slideshow). More
![Abrantes Municipal Market by ARX Portugal]()
ARX Portugal completes whitewashed concrete market that connects streets above and below
Spiralling staircases connect stalls on different levels inside this concrete market building as well as creating a route between two districts in the Portuguese town of Abrantes (+ slideshow). More
![Buro Vancouver skyscraper by Ole Scheeren]()
Ole Scheeren's Vancouver skyscraper will offer a "new typology for vertical living"
Architect Ole Scheeren has unveiled his first solo project outside of Asia – a Vancouver skyscraper that will feature a series of offset apartments protruding from the facade in a cluster of irregularly stacked glass boxes (+ slideshow). More
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BIG unveils replacement for Foster's Two World Trade Center design
BIG has unveiled designs for Two World Trade Center, confirming that the skyscraper's original architect, Foster + Partners, has been ousted (+ slideshow). More
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Höweler + Yoon's Bridge House accommodates three generations of a family
The trio of stacked blocks that make up this Virginia residence by Höweler + Yoon Architecture are arranged in a bridge-like formation, providing three generations of a family with separate living spaces (+ slideshow). More
![Stacked and Crossed Views by A+ Samuel Delmas Architectes]()
Parisian nursery by Samuel Delmas consists of a pile of irregularly stacked boxes
This Paris nursery by French architect Samuel Delmas looks like a pile of stacked boxes, featuring a facade of aluminium louvres and colourful enamelled glass (+ slideshow). More
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New Pinterest board: irregularly stacked boxes
Architects are increasingly taking regular volumes and stacking them askew to create striking new forms. Well-known examples include SANAA's New Museum in New York, which resembles a pile of wedding presents, and OMA's De Rotterdam, which looks like an arrangement of upended shoe boxes. We've collected together the best examples of this trend from the pages of Dezeen and pinned them to a new Pinterest board.
![The Bridge House by Christian von During]()
Christian von Düring completes a house designed to function like a bridge
Tasked with designing a house that doesn't take over its whole site, Swiss architect Christian von Düring created a timber-clad upper storey that straddles two smaller ground-level structures (+ slideshow). More
![Complex M by Kouichi Kimura]()
Live-work block in Japan by Kouichi Kimura features a steel-plated facade
Japanese architect Kouichi Kimura chose grey steel sheets for the exterior of this office and apartment building in Shiga, giving it an armoured appearance (+ slideshow). More
