Architecture and design news

TechnologyApr 21

Randomized trial finds Star Homes reduce childhood malaria by 44 percent

This is unusually strong evidence that architectural design itself can act as public-health infrastructure. The randomized trial connects passive cooling, insect screening, sanitation, smoke control, solar power and rainwater collection to measurable reductions in three major childhood diseases.

Location

55 villages in rural Mtwara Region, Tanzania

Organizations

Ifakara Health Institute — Research partner; University of Oxford — Research partner; Royal Danish Academy — Architecture and research partner; Ecohomes Company Limited — Prefabrication and construction contractor

Source

Nature Medicine

EventFeb 19

Hirosaki Castle keep begins return to its original stone base using traditional hikiya relocation

The live relocation of an intact historic keep is an exceptional preservation and construction story. It demonstrates how traditional building-moving knowledge, public participation and long-term masonry conservation can converge in a nationally important heritage project.

Location

Hirosaki Park and Hirosaki Castle, Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan

Organizations

City of Hirosaki — Project authority and event organizer; Hirosaki Park — Historic site and event venue

Source

City of Hirosaki