Cool Design News

Cool Design News featuring great design, architecture, fashion, graphics and innovation from across the globe.

 
Echoes Shinmachi Mixed Use Building

Hyunsoon Park Mixed Use Building Architecture Wednesday, 29 July 2026

Echoes Shinmachi

Echoes Shinmachi is a mixed-use building in Kumamoto that reinterprets tradition through contemporary innovation. The design combines reinforced concrete for durability with timber for lightness, establishing a balance of strength and refinement. Locally fired brickwork, laid by skilled craftsmen, reflects cultural heritage while ensuring resilience. Each floor incorporates riverside terraces that encourage seasonal engagement and community life. Through its hybrid structure, material contrasts, and integration of sustainable practice, the project stands as a modern landmark bridging history.

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Double Barn House

Katarzyna Starzyk House Architecture Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Double Barn

Double Barn is a contemporary house located in the suburbs of Warsaw, designed for a family of four. The challenge was to create a modern, yet timeless house design, referring to the traditional architecture of Mazovia and adapting to the context of nature. In order not to overwhelm the surrounding single-family housing with its size, the house was divided into two interconnected blocks. From the inside of the house, mainly bright elements of HPL boards are visible, which makes it feel cozy. At the same time, the dark façades made of graphite tiles blend the house into the surroundings.

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Residencial Monte Lussari Residential Complex

Torres Arquitetos Residential Complex Architecture Monday, 27 July 2026

Residencial Monte Lussari

The project is conceived as a contemporary residential complex set on a corner site within a wooded mountain landscape. Two elegant volumes with pitched roofs reinterpret alpine architecture through clean lines, refined proportions, and a restrained material palette. A central garden with curved paths connects the buildings and shared spaces, strengthening the relationship between architecture and nature. The facades combine mineral surfaces, large glazed openings, and wood accents, creating a balance of solidity, warmth, and sophistication while enhancing light, privacy, and views.

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Concert Hall in Warsaw Music School

Tomasz Konior Music School Architecture Sunday, 26 July 2026

Concert Hall in Warsaw

Concert Hall in Warsaw is a music school built around a round concert hall. The project adapts decaying existing buildings and extends them, giving the complex a new function and greater usability. The concert hall has a circular plan of 24 metres in diameter and holds 70 musicians and 300 listeners. The last row is only 8 metres from the stage, which keeps the space intimate. Ash wood sails and a milled wooden ceiling shape the sound. Concrete, steel and wood are the main materials. A new public square in front of the school connects the site with the city.

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The Shard Sales Office

Qun Wen Sales Office Architecture Saturday, 25 July 2026

The Shard

Shard is a sales office in Chongqing, China, created through the renovation of an existing building. Deconstruction techniques were used to break the traditional enclosed layout and to form a flowing open space. The shapes of the design are inspired by natural mountains and rocks. The facade is composed of aluminum units shaped like paper cranes, which give the building the character of an artwork within the city. The building area is 3000 square meters. The aim is to support interaction between people, art and space.

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SZHK Science and Technology Project High Rise Office

Aedas High Rise Office Architecture Friday, 24 July 2026

SZHK Science and Technology Project

Szhk Science and Technology Project is a high-rise office development in Shenzhen, China. The 250 metre main building recalls the extending form of the Chinese parasol tree, while the retail podium is shaped like trees and its facade echoes parasol leaves. The design forms a 24-hour circle of living, leisure and working spaces, with a community health centre, a treehouse bookshop, a game centre and an art centre. Natural ventilation, perforated aluminium facade panels, a green podium roof and rooftop solar water heating reduce energy use.

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