Designed by RVAD Studio, the design of Tagh Behesht in the city of Mashhad, Iran, began with an investigation into the architectural history of bazaars in the Western Asia country. The unbreakable bond between the city bazaars and the foundations of the economy has led to these Greater Middle-Eastern markets taking on an important and consistent role in people’s daily lives.

XAPO (pronounced ‘sapo’) provides online banking services for cryptocurrencies. The company’s Director, Wences Casares, commissioned Lagranja to create its flagship headquarters; the first physical HQ for XAPO, and the first transformation of a historical building for Lagranja..

It’s been more than 18 months since the majority of office workers have been in the office full time. While it’s too soon to say exactly what lasting impact the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have had on the UK’s office culture, it’s clear to see that for the time being at least there is likely to be a significant shift towards a more flexible, less regimented approach to workplace-based work, with staff splitting time between home and the office, which has led to a boom in refurbishments as landlords refresh their facilities.

One of the most fascinating challenges of our time is transforming our cities into people-oriented, climate-resilient places that are as carbon-neutral as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing our cities to address the question of how they need to change to become more crisis-proof, sustainable and simultaneously more pleasant places to live in.

Ben Hancock, Managing Director at Oscar Acoustics, explains the benefits of effective acoustics on office occupants, and how workplace interiors can be designed with sound in mind to improve health and productivity.