
4 Global Firms Reinvent Outdoor Space
From Prague to St. Louis, firms are inventing and repurposing outdoor space with newfound creativity.
Wutopia Lab
Golden Barnyard, Cockaigne of Everyman, Shanghai
On a working rice and rapeseed farm, a 2-acre expanse once used for food processing has been converted into a place for outside movie screenings and similar activities, named after the land of plenty from medieval lore, complete with rolling piles of “grain” in porous yellow concrete.
Hosper
VisKringloop, Wieringermeer, Netherlands
A collaboration between the landscape architecture firm, artist Pé Okx, and ecologist Cor ten Haaf, visitors can climb a painted-steel staircase for a birds-eye view of this earthwork, its ripplelike forms symbolizing the life cycle of the fish that live within and part of a 40-acre site devoted to improving their migration between fresh and salt water.
KOGAA
Air Square, Prague
A partnership with hot-air balloon maker Kubícˇek Visionair yielded prefabricated, recyclable partitions of inflatable FR-coated polyester that, when supported by a base of CNC-cut plywood planks, can be arranged into a 20-foot-high, interlocking circle for a partially shaded and protected plug-in park or performance locale.
Kiku Obata & Company
Spring Church, St. Louis
Courtesy of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, the limestone shell of a 19th-century Gothic revival–style church ravaged by fire has been fortified and revitalized into a combination open-air house of worship/public art space, which recently featured Jordan Weber’s installation All Our Liberations, its three tiers painted with words by local poet Cheeraz Gormon.
read more
DesignWire
A Tiny Concrete Structure by Bobby Niven Offers Writer Residencies in Scotland
Bobby Niven creates an installation on the grounds of Scotland’s Arbroath Abbey that doubles as a writing residency.
Projects
Wutopia Lab Breathes New Life into a 1970s Watertower on the Chinese island of Chongming
Wutopia Lab creates the Memorial of Everyman in a former water tower to honor the site’s history.
Projects
KOGAA Crowns Coffee Hub GROUNDS with a Halo of Plants
GROUNDS, a coffee shop with a natural aesthetic, becomes a local hub for a creative community in an industrial neighborhood in Prague.
recent stories
Projects
OOIIO Arquitectura Transforms a Haberdashery into a Chic Loft
A haberdashery invites sophistication—and a touch of whimsy. That sentiment is perfectly reflected in a vibrant Madrid loft, which was once such a space.
Projects
Art and Nature Take Center Stage in This Aspen Residence
For a spectacular mountainside residence in Aspen, Colorado, CCY Architects creates a stunning space where the great outdoors meet great art.
Projects
SheltonMindel Designs a Miami Home Fit for Beach Days
This Miami apartment by SheltonMindel embraces the surf and sky with a shimmering palette, a focus on light, and architectural furnishings.