Articles by Hana Abdel

Passive House Forest Retreat proves that environmental performance and refined design ambition are not only compatible, they are mutually elevating.

The Newhouse Replacement Building (Newhouse) redefines the intersection of history and progress on Washington State’s historic Capitol Campus, creating a civic workplace where past meets present, state meets citizenry, and place meets policy. Designed by The Miller Hull Partnership as part of the Legislative Campus Modernization (LCM) initiative, the new structure honors the campus’s architectural legacy and historic significance while integrating contemporary sustainability, ecological stewardship, and functional efficiency to serve the state for generations.

Limberlost Place, on Toronto’s waterfront, is perhaps the world’s first public tall timber building—a technical landmark that also elevates the art of architecture. Designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects in joint venture with Acton Ostry Architects, the project was selected via an international competition hosted by George Brown College for a building that would achieve the highest global standards for design, technology, and sustainability. George Brown set out to demonstrate its leadership in sustainability and climate-consciousness with a state-of-the-art building that would serve as a living laboratory for students and a showpiece for Canada’s tall timber construction industry.

Set on a narrow strip of land between a lakeshore and an access road, the HarPie residence is shaped by its immediate context. The project takes advantage of the site’s natural slope to establish a clear hierarchy between openness and privacy, orienting the living spaces toward the water while shielding them from the road. This careful positioning creates a calm and intimate environment, where the landscape becomes both a backdrop and an active component of daily life.

With its large gallery overlooking the river and its majestic metal roof, Le Grand Bercail evokes a sense of timelessness. A contemporary Quebec house, it is as comforting as it is astonishing. Built to benefit from the sun’s energy in winter and increase views in all seasons, it uses its large roof overhangs to reduce overheating during summer heatwaves. The gentle layout among the trees and the palette inspired by boreal tones make it seem as if it has always existed.

Real House frames the boldness and subtleties of the Sonoran Desert, translating these qualities into spaces that a young family of five can call home. A driving part of the design process was site selection with the clients. Their ambition was to find a foothills parcel with panoramic views, however, as this kind of property was unavailable, we instead transformed the opposite of their preconceptions into an opportunity. Situated on an introverted parcel along a quiet arroyo — with seemingly no views — downslope from a busy road and surrounded by neighbors, the design is transformative. The home reveals a dramatic sightline down the arroyo, while surprisingly capturing the opposing panoramic range of the Santa Catalina mountains.

Falling Leaves House occupies a ten-acre hillside in West Austin, where the design interprets the curved motion of oak leaves as a series of sculpted pavilion roofs. Three glass pavilions step down the limestone bluff, positioned to frame the surrounding forest, creek, and wildlife corridor. A carved cut in the slope forms the building pad and exposes the natural stone, echoing the grottos found along the creek below.

Situated on the southern shore of Lake Memphremagog, in the region of Potton, this residence engages with a landscape of striking geographical and atmospheric intensity. The site, defined by a steep incline descending toward a narrow strip of shoreline, is frequently cast in the shadow of the surrounding mountains, generating an ambiance at once archaic and contemplative. The architectural project emerges as a response to this dramatic setting — an attempt to co-inhabit the terrain with discretion and reverence.

Lantern House sits quietly among the oaks of Austin’s Bouldin Creek; a study in light, material, and restraint. The design transforms a densely wooded urban lot into a private sanctuary, where filtered daylight and layered transparency define the rhythm of daily life.