German architecture firm GRAFT have completed work on a timber hotel and spa hidden in the woodland of Nohfelden, northern Germany. Designed as a product of the surrounding topography, the 12,860sq m (138,400sq ft) Hotel Bostalsee rests above a pair of green hills, overlooking Lake Bostalsee. Guests arrive through oak woodland, with the water hidden from view. The lobby is situated in the natural gap between the hills and reveals

The creation of vibrant and meaningful public spaces will be the focus of the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara have revealed. Meeting the press last week in the Italian city, the duo announced that the 16th International Architecture Exhibition is to be themed ‘Freespace’ and will “celebrate architecture’s proven and enduring contribution to humanity.” Explaining the concept, they said in a statement: “We’re interested in

Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, co-founders of Irish studio Grafton Architects, have been appointed as curators of the 16th Venice International Architecture Exhibition in 2018. The duo – who have just claimed the inaugural RIBA International Prize for the UTEC University campus in Lima, Peru – will expand on the social themes explored by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena at the 2016 Biennale, focusing on how architecture can be used as