I’m having one of those “I wish I was a Spainish architect” moments again. The current cause of envy is Bach arquitectes, a Barcelona based studio who were handed this original 1910′s apartment and asked to convert it into a current day, family home. With so many winning features lacing the original bones of the apartment, the trickiest part was adapting the space to their client’s needs whilst preserving the beauty of the original structure. The architects likened the process to solving a “jigsaw puzzle.” They altered floor levels and recessed joinery below cornice level in order to keep skirtings, cornices and flooring intact. If you trace your eyes along the cornices, you can spot where walls have been lost…

Rozzi’s Italian Canteen reflects the heart and soul of Italian style food, showcased in a friendly, home-style kitchen environment. The brief called for an interior that reflected the menu and the modern authentic product used throughout. Mim Design achieved a clean, fresh and contemporary approach to Nonna’s traditional kitchen. Below is a little Q&A with the designers…

Located in Palma de Mallorca on Balearic Islands, Patrón Lunares is a new take of a traditional canteen. Previously known as Montepio del Arrabal, the canteen represents a significant place in the memory of the fishermen’s neighbourhood of Santa Catalina. There are eight large portraits that dominate the new interior, representing the important bond between the past and the present. They symbolise the persistence of old values, the commitment to a particular view of the world, and a way of understanding life…

To Switzerland, today, to look at a wonderful (enormous) house on the northern shores of Lake Zürich by Gus Wüstemann Architects. The building comprises two houses – one of concrete, one of wood – at opposite ends of a large suburban plot. The design intent was to occupy the entire site and draw people through the garden by giving them a destination. I like this very much. The garden becomes somewhere to be, rather than something to look at. The residence (concrete) is up high. The pool house (timber) sits below. The former is a sort of glamorous bunker one can live in. The latter an airy rectilinear folly for outdoor braais on those long summer evenings of the northern hemisphere…

It’s not often I allow a “press release” do all the talking, but when the architects’ words are this good, you just have to go with it. Although, one would expect the project description provided by the (st)architects like Herzog & de Meuron to be shit hot. After all, they can afford to engage only the top-notchest of people (unlike yours truly, as you can see from exhibit A). Alas, enough of playing silly buggers. Let’s delve into the words of Herzog & de Meuron’s excellent copywriters…