A Circular Concept shapes a gardened amphitheater

The design of Habitat 0 by RA Design Studio begins with a simple circle. Sited in India, among a neighborhood of vacation homes is organized radially around a central courtyard, the community hub draws energy from its continuous shape. Rather than imposing direction, the circle allows the space to unfold gradually, offering each dwelling generous access to the surrounding landscape. This orientation fosters a subtle rhythm, one that moves between privacy and exposure without interruption.

A central, terraced amphitheater moves between function and gesture. It is at once a gathering space and an architectural hinge for both passage and pause. The steps rise to meet a garden rooftop and double as seating, observation point, and informal meeting ground. The architecture engages gently with the land, inviting movement through shared space without requiring a prescribed use.

images © Vinay Panjwani

RA Design Studio’s Dual-Skin Envelope

The defining form of Habitat 0, conceived by the architects at RA Design Studio, emerges through its layered skin. An outer shell of arches shields the structure, carving shadows that animate the interiors throughout the day. These shadows sometimes echo natural forms, casting curves that appear momentary and alive. Inside, a transparent glass wall maintains openness, drawing light into the homes while sustaining a visual dialogue with the gardens beyond.

The community center carries a deliberate continuity between architecture and landscape. The route from exterior garden to inner courtyard and eventually to the roof garden reflects a sequence that never breaks from its natural surroundings. RA Design Studio reinforces this relationship through an alignment of pathways, views, and transitions that celebrate the landscape and feel inherently grounded in place.

A semi-sheltered pool anchors one side of the building. Designed as part of the building’s circular plan, the space slips partially into shade beneath the curving roof. Light enters through roof cutouts, animated by the movement of water. Sloped walls around the pool guide the eye and the body into this carved retreat, which remains both secluded and open to the sky.

RA Design Studio’s Habitat 0 is organized around a circular courtyard that connects each unit to nature

habitat 0 draws from its community

RA Design Studio curates the materiality of its Habitat 0 to demonstrate a commitment to its context. The architects sourced local materials and engaged nearby artisans to realize the project, noting that the construction process embeds the community in its environment both economically and culturally. The stone, concrete, and timber used in the project speak to their origin, anchoring the homes to the landscape with both familiarity and durability.

The smaller gestures throughout Habitat 0 amplify the whole. RA Design Studio treats each surface as an opportunity for interaction between shadow and light. Arches project patterns on walls and floors, while frameless glass panels dissolve the boundaries between inside and out. Openings above the amphitheater and pool draw in the sky. At night, lighting is restrained and intentional, giving weight to stillness and reflection.

the central amphitheater serves as both a gathering space and a circulation path

arched outer walls provide shade and texture while the inner glass skin allows transparency and light

paths through gardens, courtyards, and terraces maintain a fluid transition between indoors and outdoors

shadows from the arches and skylights animate the interiors and change throughout the day

project info:

name: Habitat 0 Community Hub

architect: RA Design Studio | @radesign_ahmedabad

location: India

lead architect: Radhika savani Dutt
landscape design: Arpit Dutt

area: 855 square meters
completion: 2024
photography: © Vinay Panjwani | @panjwani.vinay

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Season 3 of And Just Like That… has started airing on Max.

Let us know your thoughts as the season progresses in the comments below and vote in the poll.

NOTE: People will be posting their thoughts/reactions to the season as a whole, so there will be spoilers in the comments. We advise you not to read the comments until you have watched the latest available episode.

NOTE: You can change your vote as the season progresses.

After burning it all down in last week’s mic-drop moment, Deborah Vance finds herself in unfamiliar territory: stuck. The non-compete clause Bob Lipka so smugly threw in her face at the end of last week’s episode, is airtight. Every fancy lawyer in town agrees – and so do the shady ones, because Deb asked them all. There’s simply no loophole. She can’t perform, not for the next 18 months. Even if she were willing to pay the damages (which would be A LOT), no venue would want to be dragged into a legal battle with a media conglomerate.

The Late Night Show was Deborah’s dream. She never imagined she’d walk away from it. So, for once, she didn’t obsess over the fine print like she usually would. And now, this is the consequence: she’s being silenced, both legally and creatively. It’s brutal. And it’s heartbreaking.

Ava, of course, tries to help – despite being completely out of her depth. She feels guilty, knowing Deborah only lost the show because she refused to fire her. But not once does Deborah blame her. She never even hints at regret. She hates that she can’t perform, but not that she stood up to Lipka.

Ava encourages her to keep working on new material in the meantime. After all, “it’s only 18 months.”

“That’s a long time for me,” Deborah says. And it is. Losing a year and a half of stage time is no small thing, especially when you’re in your seventies and burning with energy and ideas.

“If I’m not on that stage, I have nothing,” she admits, before telling Ava she’s heading back to Vegas. Alone. She needs space.

She spends time with her grandson which is undeniably adorable to watch, but it’s not exactly fulfilling. Not for her, and not for us. She visits Marcus, hoping to revive Deborah Vance Industries, but even that’s out of reach. “I can’t perform. I don’t even own my own name,” she says, and the weight of that line lands like a punch.

Slowly, Deborah starts to unravel. She sleeps late. Watches hours of mindless TV. Josefina checks in just to make sure she’s still breathing. And the clearest sign that Deborah Vance has hit rock bottom: she steps outside wearing SWEATPANTS. In public!

At a shop, she spots a glittery hat that says “DIVA,” but walks out with one that simply reads “GIRL.” That’s what she is now: just a woman, unnamed. Not the icon. Not the legend.

Then Marty calls. I wasn’t exactly thrilled – it’s Marty after all – but he genuinely seems worried. He invites her to his hotel in Hawaii, sensing that she needs a break from herself, from everything. He reminds her of some of the good times they once had, and for a brief moment, we see it: there used to be real affection there. I’ll admit, I was worried he’d take advantage of her vulnerability, try to start something up again. But to his credit, he didn’t. And for a split second, that almost made him likable.

After thinking it over, Deborah decides to take Marty up on his offer and head to Hawaii. Naturally, Ava comes along. And while I fully support them vacationing together, I have to admit that I was a little confused. Just a few scenes ago, Deborah was moping around Vegas, seemingly with zero contact with Ava. Now suddenly, they’re jetting off together like it’s the most natural thing in the world? It feels like we missed a scene … or three.

“Heaven” – HACKS. Pictured: Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, Photo: Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved

They board the flight to Hawaii… only to wake up in Singapore. Deborah changed their destination mid-flight while Ava was knocked out on Xanax.

Turns out this trip isn’t a vacation at all. It’s a loophole. Deborah has found a casino in Singapore that will let her perform. The audience is mostly tourists, and a translator will relay her jokes in real time, essentially performing her material for her. That’s the workaround. Technically, Deborah isn’t “performing” under the terms of her contract. It’s ridiculous but also genius. 

Ava thinks it’s insane. But Deborah doesn’t care. She is on stage again, and that’s all that matters. She kills. Sort of. She’s mainly doing her old material and she’s drinking way too much. But she has an audience which makes her happy … or at least happy enough.

Over time, Deborah’s standards start slipping. She stops working on new material, stops trying. She leans into leisure … playing bingo, singing karaoke, making friends. And for like half a second, it’s sweet to see her let loose a little. But it’s not who she is.

They’ve been in Singapore for months now, spending all their time together. The lines between friendship and something more are blurring again. Deborah calls Ava “honey.” Ava calls her “babe.” They have their rhythm, but something is clearly off.

Eventually, Ava breaks. She tells Deborah she’s not happy, and she’s pretty sure Deborah isn’t either. “It’s beautiful here but it’s not real life,” she says. They are living in a bubble. They should go back home.

Deborah refuses. She’s fine. She’s busy playing bingo and making friends. Ava pushes back, she’s worried. Deborah’s not acting like herself, and she’s drinking way too much. Woa, Ava when did you become the grown-up?

Deborah gets defensive, the only way she knows how to deal with Ava’s honesty and concern is to snap back. Vulnerability isn’t exactly her strong suit, especially when she feels exposed. So instead of engaging, she deflects. She throws it back at Ava, knowing exactly where to hit. “Why are you even still here?” she asks. Then she lands the real blow: “You are 29 years old and I’m your only friend. Isn’t that weird?”

And just like that, they’re fighting again. Ava promises she’ll catch the first flight back home in the morning. For a moment, it feels like we’re heading straight for yet another season-ending breakup. And I’ll admit, I was already annoyed at the idea of watching the same conflict play out yet again, just on a different continent. But thankfully, Hacks had one last twist up its sleeve.

When Ava wakes up the next morning, she has around 100 missed calls from Jimmy. Why? Because TMZ is reporting that Deborah is dead. Ava panics – and so do I.

She sprints through the hotel, banging on Deborah’s door. No answer. More knocking. Still nothing. She is terrified.

Then Deborah finally opens the door. She is hungover but very much alive.

She explains that most news outlets keep prewritten obituaries on file, just in case, and occasionally, one slips through and gets published by mistake. That might be what happened here.

Together, they read the article. According to TMZ, Deborah died in quiet disgrace, having retreated to Singapore after “killing” the late-night format. Deborah is furious. This is NOT how her story ends.

And just like that, the fire is back! There’s no way this is the legacy she leaves behind!
She starts packing right away. She’s going home. 

And she is not going quietly, she is going to kick some ass!

“Heaven” – HACKS. Pictured: Jean Smart as Deborah Vance. Photo: Jake Giles Netter/Max ©2025 HBO Max, Inc. All Rights Reserved

It’s a strangely poetic full circle. Deborah had to lose everything – not just the show, but her sense of identity – to remember what she’s really made of.

But one thing keeps nagging at me: where is Deborah’s audience? She used to be the number one Late Night host in the country. She publicly exposed the network. She took a stand, spoke her truth, and walked away at the height of her success. So where’s the outrage over her being trapped by that airtight contract? Where are the viewers? The applause? The cultural ripple effect? 

And while I’m relieved the season didn’t end with yet another betrayal (Thank god! We’ve been down that road too many times) I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the finale overall. The Singapore arc felt a little far-fetched, a little dreamlike. But maybe that was the point. Deborah did escape into another world. She needed distance. She needed to forget reality for a while. Now, she’s ready to return.

And when Deborah Vance decides to come home, you better believe she’s coming for everything.

What did you think of the finale? Did Deborah’s fake death give you a heart attack too? Drop your thoughts in the comments – and rejoice: Hacks is officially coming back for Season 5!

Season 6 of The Handmaid’s Tale has started airing on Hulu.

Let us know your thoughts as the season progresses in the comments below and vote in the poll.

NOTE: People will be posting their thoughts/reactions to the season as a whole, so there will be spoilers in the comments. We advise you not to read the comments until you have watched the latest available episode.

NOTE: You can change your vote as the season progresses.

Season 1 of Sherlock & Daugher has started airing on The CW.

Let us know your thoughts as the season progresses in the comments below and vote in the poll.

NOTE: People will be posting their thoughts/reactions to the season as a whole, so there will be spoilers in the comments. We advise you not to read the comments until you have watched the latest available episode.

NOTE: You can change your vote as the season progresses.

Season 3 of Alert: Missing Persons Unit has started airing on FOX.

Let us know your thoughts as the season progresses in the comments below and vote in the poll.

NOTE: People will be posting their thoughts/reactions to the season as a whole, so there will be spoilers in the comments. We advise you not to read the comments until you have watched the latest available episode.

NOTE: You can change your vote as the season progresses.

Season 4 of The Cleaning Lady has started airing on FOX.

Let us know your thoughts as the season progresses in the comments below and vote in the poll.

NOTE: People will be posting their thoughts/reactions to the season as a whole, so there will be spoilers in the comments. We advise you not to read the comments until you have watched the latest available episode.

NOTE: You can change your vote as the season progresses.

wHY’s redesign for the metropolitan museum of art

After four years behind closed doors, the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at New York‘s Metropolitan Museum of Art is set to reopen to the public. The redesign, led by Kulapat Yantrasast and his team at WHY Architecture, takes a subtle approach. There’s no dramatic reveal. Instead, the space feels more open, more navigable, and more attuned to the objects it holds.

The museum will celebrate the wing’s opening with a day-long, public festival on Saturday, May 31st, 2025. The space now houses The Met’s collections of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Ancient Americas in distinct galleries, each given room to unfold on its own terms. These collections have long shared a roof, but the new design avoids blending them together. The separation isn’t sharp, though. There’s a sense of proximity that encourages visitors to notice both difference and resonance.

At a preview of the new wing on May 28th, architect Kulapat Yantrasast says: ‘I’m grateful for the artists and artisans who opened my eyes and allowed me to have this deep love and empathy in me.’ The architect was tapped to lead the redesign at the end of 2018, nearly fifty years after the 1969 founding of the curatorial department which it houses.

Arts of Africa, Gallery 341, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. photo by Bridgit Beyer | all images © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

redefined galleries for the rockefeller wing

Rather than mimicking or recreating the architecture of the regions represented, the new wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gestures toward certain materials or structural rhythms. Each gallery of the museum‘s Michael C. Rockefeller wing has its own atmosphere. The result is more interpretive than literal, allowing the objects to stay at the center of attention.

Although getting lost in a museum is part of the experience, the previous layout could feel disjointed. With WHY Architecture’s redesign, the flow is clearer. The architects create longer sight-lines, smoother transitions between spaces, and a less fragmented experience overall. The layout nudges visitors gently from one area to the next without forcing a particular path.

Filtered daylight now enters the galleries through a newly installed glass wall along the south facade. It’s a careful move. The light is controlled to protect sensitive works, especially ancient textiles, but its presence softens the space. Central Park becomes a quiet, scenic backdrop rather than a distraction.

Arts of Oceania, Gallery 350, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. photo by Bridgit Beyer

the met to throw a public reopening party

To mark the reopening, the museum will host a daylong celebration on Saturday, May 31st. It begins with a ribbon-cutting in the morning and continues through the afternoon with live performances, workshops, artist talks, and food across the museum and its plaza. The grand opening is an open invitation for New Yorkers and visitors to explore.

The festival includes demonstrations from contemporary artists whose work speaks to the collections on view. Mosaic artist Manny Vega will lead a workshop on the plaza. Meanwhile, artists Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez and Teokotā’i Paitai will demonstrate weaving techniques from Peru and Oceania, inviting participation rather than performance. These moments bring a sense of continuity between past and present.

Later in the day, architect Kulapat Yantrasast will join Met Director Max Hollein for a public conversation about the redesign. The duo will exchange ideas on how architecture can shape, and sometimes reshape, the way we engage with cultural history in a museum setting.

Arts of the Ancient Americas, Gallery 360, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. photo by Bridgit Beyer

Arts of the Ancient Americas, Gallery 363, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. photo by Bridgit Beyer

Mexica sculptures in Gallery 360, Arts of the Ancient Americas, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. photo by Bridgit Beyer

Bamana Jo sculptures in Gallery 341, Arts of Africa, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. photo by Bridgit Beyer

project info:

name: Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

architect: WHY Architecture | @why_site

location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art | @metmuseum

reopening: May 31st, 2025

photography: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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a sculptural new presence in seoul

The Photography Seoul Museum of Art introduces a new cultural presence to Dobong-gu, a district of northeastern Seoul that, is gradually seeing the introduction of contemporary landmarks — just next door is the newly completed Robot and AI Museum by Turkish studio Melike Altinisik Architects (MAA).

Designed in collaboration by Austrian firm Jadric Architektur and Korean studio 1990uao Architects, the newly completed museum spans six levels — four above ground, two below — totaling 7,048 square meters. With its broad concrete surfaces and filtered light, the building feels anchored in its setting while gesturing toward the evolving identity of Korean photography.

Its architectural frame balances introspection with openness. The architects have treated the museum like a vessel for light, emphasizing clean circulation, restrained materiality, and soft transitions between levels. Interior zones are punctuated by voids that offer moments of pause and reorientation. Light wells and controlled apertures shift with the time of day, shaping the atmosphere in which visitors encounter the museum’s growing collection. See designboom’s previous coverage here!

images by Yoon Joonhwan, courtesy PhotoSeMA. © PhotoSeMA

two inaugural exhibitions

The Photography Seoul Museum of Art by Jadric Architektur and 1990uao Architects opens as Korea’s first public institution dedicated solely to the photographic medium. Operated as a branch of the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), the project expands SeMA’s cultural reach while setting out a distinct curatorial mission. The inaugural exhibitions — The Radiance: Beginnings of Korean Art Photography and Storage Story — mark the museum’s public debut, both as an architecture and as an archive.

In The Radiance: Beginnings of Korean Art Photography, the museum presents seminal works by Jung Haechang, Lim Suk Je, Lee Hyungrok, Cho Hyundu, and Park Youngsook. The exhibition draws from a collection that now includes over 20,000 works and archival materials dating from the 1920s to 1990s. These early pieces are installed with a sense of spatial reverence, highlighting the relationship between image and context while allowing room for the visitor’s own interpretation of the medium’s historical shifts.

In contrast, Storage Story engages the new museum as both subject and site. The six artists featured — Dongsin Seo, Won Seoung Won, Jihyun Jung, Joo Yongseong, Melmel Chung, and Oh Jooyoung — use photography to reflect on the institution’s formation. Their works explore the idea of a museum as a living organism: one shaped by systems of classification, memory, and projection. The interplay between art and architecture in this context becomes particularly resonant, with each piece responding directly to the building’s spatial language.

the Photography Seoul Museum of Art brings a cultural landmark to Dobong-gu, Seoul

architecture shaped by light and lens

The Photography Seoul Museum of Art is designed with close attention to the conditions that shape photographic experience. Galleries are proportioned to accommodate shifting media, from silver gelatin prints to video-based installations, while archival spaces are hidden yet essential. This provided the infrastructure for long-term research and preservation. The result is an architecture that feels both deliberate and flexible, suited to the museum’s dual identity as a site of display and a working archive.

The project sets an ambitious institutional vision. Beyond its exhibitions, the museum is positioned to encourage dialogue between artists, curators, and researchers. Programming includes regular talks, workshops, and events extending through the summer season, reinforcing its role as a dynamic cultural anchor for the region. Through sustained engagement with the medium’s history and future, the museum hopes to widen the public’s understanding of photographic art.

While deeply grounded in the context of Korean photography, the museum’s aspirations are outward-looking. As General Director Choi Eunju notes, the project complements SeMA’s other satellite institutions and aims to position Seoul as a critical node in Asia’s contemporary photography scene.

Jadric Architektur and 1990uao Architects design a light-filled museum for photography

the museum’s interiors are shaped by natural light and spatial stillness

installation views, Storage Story, Photography Seoul Museum of Art, May 29th — October 12th, 2025. photos by Image Zoom, courtesy SeMA

installation views, Storage Story, Photography Seoul Museum of Art, May 29th — October 12th, 2025. photos by Image Zoom, courtesy SeMA

project info:

name: Photography Seoul Museum of Art

architect: Jadric Architektur ZT GmbH (@jadricarchitektur), 1990uao Architects (@1990uao.kr)

location: Seoul, South Korea

client: Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) | @seoulmuseumofart

lead architects: Mladen Jadric, Yoon Geun Ju

team: Jakob Mayer, Federica Rizzo, Nikolaus Punzengruber, Dennis Przybilka, Max Krankl

photography: © Yoon Joonhwan | @yoon_joonhwan

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two geometries in conversation

Foxhole, a residence designed by Amsterdam-based Studio Vincent Architecture occupies a threshold condition. Set on the border of Abcoude, in the newly developed De Winkelbuurt neighborhood, the residence takes a step back from the street, introducing itself through a courtyard framed by two abstract forms. One holds the living quarters, the other a pared-down entrance volume, sealed to the road. The spatial pause between them serves as a kind of exhale, filtering the shift from public street to private garden. At dusk, light from the western horizon reaches deep inside.

The home takes shape through a pairing of asymmetrical geometries. The main house sits low and long behind a canal, while its companion structure hugs the edge of the road with a solid face. Together, they define a protected zone that simultaneously welcomes and withdraws. Along the facade, tall pivoting doors can be thrown open, turning the boundary into a passage. Despite the density of the surrounding development, the home finds its own rhythm through this interplay of mass and movement.

images © Jeremy Piret

inside the foxhole residence

Studio Vincent Architecture’s Foxhole residence unfolds internally with a kind of spatial looseness. On the ground floor, a central cabinet wall does the work of traditional partitions, carving out living areas while maintaining a clear visual connection between them. This organizing core brings attention to the kitchen, which appears immediately upon entry. Around it, the open-plan living and dining rooms slide out toward the garden, their generous glass openings responding directly to the house’s stepped siting.

The architects approach the upper floor with a sensitivity to human proportions. Custom built-in storage is wrapped in the same finishes as the walls, dissolving the boundaries between surface and structure. Rooflines slant inward, yet the space opens up rather than compresses. The abstraction of the pitched ceiling gathers daylight and holds it, softening the edges of the compact rooms while drawing attention to the physical presence of the materials.

the house sits between two abstract volumes that create a private courtyard away from the street

studio vincent architecture’s design strategies

Studio Vincent Architecture shapes its Foxhole residence with energy consciousness at its core. The structure is wrapped in thick layers of thermal insulation, serviced by a heat pump, and ventilated through heat recovery systems that preserve warmth without sacrificing fresh air. Its roof is embedded with twenty-six solar panels, flush with the surface, quietly generating more electricity than the house consumes. These decisions are carefully coordinated with the architecture’s orientation, which offers controlled exposures and framed views.

Foxhole adapts to its context with a split personality. Facing the neighborhood, it echoes the familiar silhouette of a pitched roof, anchoring itself among traditional houses. Along the side that meets open land, the roofline folds and cuts, releasing a more experimental outline. The asymmetry allows the building to engage different worlds at once — residential order on one side, open expanse on the other — without flattening into a single gesture.

The home’s floor plan informs its relationship with the land. The pentagonal footprint is not an arbitrary move, but a means to balance light, view, and privacy within a tight parcel. It responds to the canal, the street, and the sun with equal weight. The geometry shelters, but it also opens, making the house feel embedded rather than imposed.

large pivoting doors allow the closed entrance building to open onto the garden

a central cabinet on the ground floor replaces interior walls to create fluid, connected spaces

the upper floor uses built-in furniture and aligned finishes to create a unified flow

rooflines and material heights are scaled to the human body for spatial comfort

project info:

name: Foxhole

architecture: Studio Vincent Architecture | @studiovincentarchitecture

location: Abcoude, The Netherlands

structural engineer: De Ingenieursgroep
contractor: Bouwbedrijf Bon

completion: 2024

photography: © Jeremy Piret | @jeremypiret

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