A bookstore-hotel, a glass wave on an airport facade, a residential complex shaped like mountain peaks, a children’s construction playground in a museum, and an eclipse house: this edition of Projects of the Week presents an architectural masquerade where every striking image serves a practical purpose.
Eclipse House | Etea + Ghostframe | Mérida, Mexico
In northern Mérida, a house composed around circles, arches, and greenery has been built. The clients envisioned a sculptural, almost surreal space open to nature, so existing trees were preserved and integrated into the layout, highlighted by a monochrome white backdrop. The main axis aligns a large circular window with a second circular opening in the pool, echoing the geometry of an eclipse that gave the house its name.
Nieuw Bergen | MVRDV | Eindhoven, Netherlands
In the historic De Bergen district of Eindhoven, a residential complex has been completed that resembles a small urban mountain range — —we previously featured its renderings on the channel. The project includes five new buildings of varying heights and two preserved former police station structures; it offers 237 apartments, from social housing to penthouses. The jagged rooflines create a "mountain" silhouette, allowing dense development to fit into a low-rise neighborhood, with some roofs finished in green sloped surfaces.
Heart Fields | Wutopia Lab | Suzhou, China
In the village of Shanlin near Suzhou, three abandoned rural houses have been transformed into a bookstore with a café, library, and four guest rooms. The total area is 323 m². Staircases to the rooms are hidden behind bookshelves: by day, it functions as a public space for reading and gathering; by night, it becomes a hotel.
The Playground | Snarkitecture + Gluten | Washington D.C., USA
For the 250th anniversary of Independence, the National Building Museum presents The Playground—a summer installation that turns a construction site into a children’s play environment. It features a birch plywood hill with slides and tunnels, a maze, obstacle course, hammocks suspended on scaffolding, a surface made of recycled Nike sneakers, a climbing wall, and zones where children can play with safe tools. Covering about 1,300 m², the installation restores the joy of building, testing, and assembling.
Terminal One, San Diego International Airport | Studio James Carpenter + Gensler | San Diego, USA
The facade of the new San Diego airport terminal merges engineering and public art. Luminous Wave is a glass wall made of curved panels and metal, inspired by the Pacific Ocean. The wave is not merely decorative: stretching over 244 meters, it brings in daylight, reduces heat gain, and minimizes glare on navigation screens.
Laiva Plaza Hotel | RA! | San José del Cabo, Mexico
A boutique hotel in the historic center of San José del Cabo is integrated into the city’s pedestrian fabric. Visitors enter through a publicly accessible atrium; the ground level hosts commercial spaces, while the roof features a garden overlooking the center. The atrium functions as a light and ventilation well, and the facade translates Mexican papel picado (decorative paper banners) into architecture: rhythmic perforations and projections create a play of light and shadow that animates the street.
@gorkjournal · GORK
3D · Photo · Render · Ai
Eclipse House | Etea + Ghostframe | Mérida, Mexico
In northern Mérida, a house composed around circles, arches, and greenery has been built. The clients envisioned a sculptural, almost surreal space open to nature, so existing trees were preserved and integrated into the layout, highlighted by a monochrome white backdrop. The main axis aligns a large circular window with a second circular opening in the pool, echoing the geometry of an eclipse that gave the house its name.
Nieuw Bergen | MVRDV | Eindhoven, Netherlands
In the historic De Bergen district of Eindhoven, a residential complex has been completed that resembles a small urban mountain range — —we previously featured its renderings on the channel. The project includes five new buildings of varying heights and two preserved former police station structures; it offers 237 apartments, from social housing to penthouses. The jagged rooflines create a "mountain" silhouette, allowing dense development to fit into a low-rise neighborhood, with some roofs finished in green sloped surfaces.
Heart Fields | Wutopia Lab | Suzhou, China
In the village of Shanlin near Suzhou, three abandoned rural houses have been transformed into a bookstore with a café, library, and four guest rooms. The total area is 323 m². Staircases to the rooms are hidden behind bookshelves: by day, it functions as a public space for reading and gathering; by night, it becomes a hotel.
The Playground | Snarkitecture + Gluten | Washington D.C., USA
For the 250th anniversary of Independence, the National Building Museum presents The Playground—a summer installation that turns a construction site into a children’s play environment. It features a birch plywood hill with slides and tunnels, a maze, obstacle course, hammocks suspended on scaffolding, a surface made of recycled Nike sneakers, a climbing wall, and zones where children can play with safe tools. Covering about 1,300 m², the installation restores the joy of building, testing, and assembling.
Terminal One, San Diego International Airport | Studio James Carpenter + Gensler | San Diego, USA
The facade of the new San Diego airport terminal merges engineering and public art. Luminous Wave is a glass wall made of curved panels and metal, inspired by the Pacific Ocean. The wave is not merely decorative: stretching over 244 meters, it brings in daylight, reduces heat gain, and minimizes glare on navigation screens.
Laiva Plaza Hotel | RA! | San José del Cabo, Mexico
A boutique hotel in the historic center of San José del Cabo is integrated into the city’s pedestrian fabric. Visitors enter through a publicly accessible atrium; the ground level hosts commercial spaces, while the roof features a garden overlooking the center. The atrium functions as a light and ventilation well, and the facade translates Mexican papel picado (decorative paper banners) into architecture: rhythmic perforations and projections create a play of light and shadow that animates the street.
@gorkjournal · GORK
3D · Photo · Render · Ai