Imajineer Studio
Architecture
Notes on architecture, product development and brand work from the studio.
Embodied Carbon Comes Before Operational Carbon
A building emits much of its lifetime carbon before anyone moves in. Operational carbon can be improved for decades. Embodied carbon, the emissions locked into...
Roof Overhang Ratio: Designing for Sun and Rain in a Tropical Climate
architecture, tropical architecture, roof overhang, overhang ratio, solar shading, climate responsive design, passive cooling, roof design, facade design...
Adaptive Reuse in Phnom Penh: The Structure Math
A reinforced concrete frame holds most of a building's embodied carbon before any finish goes in, which means an existing structure is the most expensive part...
What Solar Can Really Do on a Tropical Rooftop
Phnom Penh gets a strong solar resource, so the sun is never the limit on a residential building. The roof is. One roof plate sits above dozens of stacked...
Gaudí First Principles Design and the Tropical Brief
Antoni Gaudí finished only 17 buildings, yet a century after his death he is the most recognized architect of his era. The reason is not decoration. It is a...
Window-to-Wall Ratio in Tropical Residential
A square meter of unshaded glass in Phnom Penh admits several times more heat than the wall it replaces. The window-to-wall ratio decides how much of that heat...
The Hours a Building Can Stand On Its Own
Most buildings carry about eight hours of diesel and a single day of water in reserve. That number, the hours a building can operate as a closed system, is the...
Cleanability Is Decided Before the First Tile Is Laid
Cleanability is usually treated as a housekeeping matter. It is a design decision, settled at the brief stage years before anyone picks up a cloth. Surface...
Balcony Depth and the Usable Outdoor Square Meter
A balcony advertised at six square meters can be a usable outdoor room or a decorative ledge, and the floor plan rarely tells you which. The dimension that...