Every week, we highlight the FRAME Awards submissions that have received the most attention from our readers and jury. Below are the five most-viewed projects between 12 and 19 April.

Cover and above: Courtesy of Daipu Architects

Streaming Light Exhibition Hall  

Daipu Architects

As participants in the Guanzhong Mangba Art Festival in in Xi’an, China, Daipu Architects were tasked with transforming the north side of a courtyard into an exhibition space (Cultural Space, Material, Light). The original structure remains intact and is reinforced with a triangular steel truss. A circular passage constructed of perforated stainless-steel mesh transports visitors from the courtyard into the exhibition space. 'There’s a rustic, honest and unpretentious quality to the environment that reinforces its educational intent,’ says Donald Strum, president at Michael Graves Design. ‘Material contrasts – such as the perforated metal mesh – feel deliberate and cohesive.’

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Photo: Angela Hau

Greenpoint Townhouse

Lea Architecture

Lea Architecture renovated a three-storey residence in Greenpoint –  a Brooklyn neighbourhood – which saw improvements to its energy efficiency, wayfinding and overall user experience (House). Greenpoint Townhouse’s floor plan was modified to create an open layout, and an intentionally minimalistic aesthetic was implemented throughout. ‘A series of handsome domestic spaces interconnected by a bold and beautifully crafted staircase,’ says Kaan Alpagut, design manager, workplace experience at The Lego Group. ‘The balance between the light surfaces and textiles versus the warm timbers and tiles is very pleasing to the eye – conversion done really well.’

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Photo: Renaat Nijs

Roca House 

Creneau International

Formerly a clubhouse from the 1970s, Roca House has been transformed by Creneau International into a multi-use hospitality space that draws on domestic design cues (Restaurant). Located near Ibiza’s Roca Llisa community and golf course, the restaurant, pool and cultural space combines an eclectic aesthetic with vernacular, natural materials like terracotta, stone and wood. The project’s ‘domestic sensibility’ seemed dissonant with its ‘intended scope’, according to Strum.

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Photo: Tyson Chan 

Photo: Tyson Chan

Vivacious of Minimalist

Deco Farmer Studio

Deco Farmer Studio updated the 1980s-era apartment in Hong Kong to overcome spatial constraints like low ceilings and a segmented floor plan (Small Apartment). Vivacious of a Minimalist incorporates three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom into its 52-sq-m footprint. In addition to the overhaul of the floor plan, material-driven interventions such as silver wallpaper on the ceiling and white micro-cement walls, which also improve light circulation, improve the home’s wayfinding by separating the public and private living spaces.

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Photo: Yoshiro Masuda 

House in Yokosuka

Reiichi Ikeda Design

Designed as a weekend home along the coast south of Yokosuka City in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, House in Yokosuka is an extension of its surroundings (House). A gentle colour palette – along with materials like granite, which mimics the nearby sandy beaches – reflects the home’s surroundings, anchoring it in its locality. ‘The selection of colours and materials is consistent and appeals to the five senses,’ says Yuko Tsukumo, general manager at Nikken Sekkei. ‘It seems to fit this local atmosphere well, and the sense of aesthetics is unified down to the furniture and art.’

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