Lifestyle Lore

Urban Planning

4 articles

Editorial illustration for Inside the Machiya: How Japan's Merchant Townhouses Turned Narrow Plots Into Working Homes
Travel & Place

Inside the Machiya: How Japan's Merchant Townhouses Turned Narrow Plots Into Working Homes

Machiya are traditional Japanese urban townhouses ingeniously designed to serve as both shops and homes on narrow plots. The article explores their unique architectural features, historical evolution, and modern preservation efforts.

Chloe Dubois·October 18, 2026
The Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona at twilight, with its newly completed tallest tower illuminated, set against a dramatic sky, hinting at the city's life below.
Artisans & Craft

Sagrada Familia Faces Future Challenges Beyond 2026 Completion

While Pope Leo XIV prepares to inaugurate the Sagrada Família's newly completed 172.

Ikaika Kalua·June 10, 2026
Snøhetta's new Dumbo headquarters, a converted industrial factory, featuring a modern open-plan design with natural light and exposed architectural elements.
Hearth & Home

Snøhetta to Open Dumbo Factory HQ in 2026

In Dumbo, the global design firm Snøhetta is set to open its New York headquarters in 2026 inside a converted old cardboard production facility, marking a new chapter for industrial adaptive reuse.

Ikaika Kalua·June 6, 2026
Modern data center campus in Arizona featuring a Corten steel facade, designed as a civic contribution and integrated into the desert landscape.
Artisans & Craft

Gensler Corten Data Centre Embraces Civic Contribution

Gensler has unveiled plans for its Thistle Data Center Campus in Arizona, featuring a weathering steel facade designed to be a 'meaningful civic contribution' rather than a typical industrial eyesore,

Ikaika Kalua·May 21, 2026