Architecture That Resonates, Summer 2025
Today, great architecture isn’t just about design, it’s about meaning.
The most successful projects are those that respond to their environment, tell a story, and integrate sustainability in a thoughtful and intelligent way.
High-end real estate now demands more than aesthetics. It calls for a deep connection with context — cultural, ecological, and emotional — and for close collaboration between designers, engineers, and visionaries from the very start.
After years of writing about architecture and innovation, and organizing international awards, one thing is clear: the future belongs to those who build not just for impact, but for relevance.
Because in the end, what truly sets a project apart is not how loudly it speaks — but how deeply it resonates.
Jacques ALLARD / ArchiWorld / Archi-News
Image: Smyril Line's new headquarters and ferry terminal in Tórshavn by Henning Larsen
MIPIM 2025, March 2025
An Unparalleled Networking Success for Archi-Europe and Archi-World
In an unprecedented international context, MIPIM 2025 brought together more than 20,000 participants from around the world — political representatives, business and institutional leaders, and opinion leaders — to address the major challenges of shaping tomorrow’s cities with three key priorities: breaking down silos between public authorities and private stakeholders, bridging industry sectors, and showcasing the most exemplary projects and solutions.
Once again this year, Archi-Europe and Archi-World were proud to participate in MIPIM, contributing to what was an unparalleled networking success. The event offered unique opportunities to connect with architects and developers from across the globe. On this occasion, a special edition of Archi-News magazine was distributed, sparking widespread interest and resulting in a remarkable number of new enthusiastic subscribers.
This year’s event promises unparalleled networking opportunities and inspiring keynote sessions by global thought leaders. Discover the latest trends in urban planning, architecture, and real estate in an iconic setting. Let MIPIM be your gateway to redefining the future of architecture.
Reflection on BAU2025, January 2025
Again, it was a pleasure attending this year’s BAU2025 in Munich, the premier building and architecture trade fair in the world. This event stands out as one of the most fascinating platforms for discovering innovative sustainable and smart building materials, as well as solutions for on-site energy production, management, and storage.
This year’s edition is particularly impressive, showcasing how the construction industry has made significant strides in providing the right solutions and inspiring architects and engineers alike. It's evident from the overwhelming attendance of architects, who are eager to experience these solutions firsthand and engage in direct conversations with industry experts.
While we live in an increasingly digital world, many architects we spoke to admitted that critical information and cutting-edge innovations often fail to reach them through online channels. Events like BAU2025 offer an invaluable opportunity to see, touch, and understand the latest advancements in person, bridging the gap between the virtual and physical realms.
This is not just about exploring new products; it’s about continuous learning. By engaging with experts and discovering the latest developments, architects and designers are better equipped to ensure that each new project surpasses the last.
BAU2025 offers a glimpse into the future of building, making it an unmissable event for anyone in the industry. For architects seeking inspiration and practical solutions, there’s no better place to be.
News archive ...
June 26, 2025    Snæfellsjökull National Park Visitor Center in Hellissandur
Read moreApril 29, 2025    Hengqin Culture & Art Complex: Architecture at the Crossroads of Nature and Urbanism
Read moreMarch 22, 2025    Confex, Koelnmesse, Cologne Trade Fair
Read moreFebruary 27, 2025    Nine X Nine, Sanjay Puri Architects
Read moreDecember 16, 2024    Novartis Pavillon Zero-Energy Media Façade
Read moreNovember 25, 2024    KCAP Win Competition to Design Two New 260m and 180m Skyscrapers, in Bratislava
Read moreNovember 22, 2024    Grand Hotel Straubinger, Bad Gastein, Austria
Read moreNovember 21, 2024    Revitalisation of the Philipp Soldan Forum in Frankenberg
Read moreOctober 20, 2024    Raw Luxury on Folegandros Island
Read moreJune 11, 2024    Hudson Valley Residence
Read moreHGX Design’s Illuminating Approach Harnesses Light to Define Boundaries
Hudson Valley Residence
HGX Design, a firm engaged in select projects of varying scale for commercial, hospitality, and residential clients, proudly introduces Hudson Valley Residence, a ground-up home built on a ridge overlooking the Catskill Mountains. The home was commissioned for a client with multiple residences who envisioned a retreat providing scenic views of the surrounding mountains, serenity, and a gathering place for family. The centerpiece of a 35-acre property, the elongated home runs from north to south on the highest point of the property, with views of the mountain range to the west.
Set among the rolling hills of primarily rural farmland, access to Hudson Valley Residence II winds its way up a hillside to a front entry court on top of a ridge. Expansive glass panelling immediately draws attention into the home, while simultaneously framing the mountainous horizon beyond. In contrast to the vertical ascent, and the massive verticality of the mountain range to the west, the home itself extends horizontally along the entirety of the ridge. Comprised of a series of utilitarian, simple form buildings with a repetitive vertical rhythm, the home’s elongated footprint is reminiscent of the long, low-lying characteristics of agricultural buildings that dot the surrounding regional landscape.
“There are many ways to form relationships with nature, including by juxtaposing or by blending in,” says Hal Goldstein, AIA, Founder and Creative Director of HGX. “After exploring multiple design possibilities, we decided to embrace this project as a sort of typology of its own, without any preconceptions of what that typology must look like.”
A seamless blend of earth and sky
Custom-stained external cedar siding, a classic and durable material, provides an inspirational nod to the character of the home’s agricultural neighbors. The siding harmoniously blends with 13-foot glass panels that provide the home with breathtaking transparency, and the materials interact with the sun to capture the colors of the surrounding earth and sky.
“The house meets the sky in a very minimal way, while remaining lightly seated on the ground,” notes Goldstein. “It’s a predictable system that flows like a piece of music, with subtle tone-on-tone interactions with the elements that bring the colors and material palette to life throughout the day.”
Devoid of any roof overhang, the cedar siding, the glass panels, and their interactions with the elements collectively ensure minimal separation between the interior and exterior, and contribute greatly to the ambiance of the residence. On hot, sunny days, natural light filters through the expansive windows to interact with the silvery wash of the interior’s custom-stained walnut flooring, infusing cooler accents of blue into the interior. At night, or when the weather outside is cooler, warmer tones emerge from the color and material palette.
Through its floor-to-ceiling windows, and an elongated skylight, the home is laid out to capture morning sunlight from the east, and the setting sun to the west, helping define distinct spaces within a wide-open floorplan.
“Daylight casts shadows throughout the home, creating natural separations and boundaries that provide a sense of privacy in the smartly designed spaces,” explains Goldstein. “Privacy is created by distance, and every step of that distance presents a unique moment, whether it be a view, a piece of art, or a ray of light projecting onto a wall.”
Transparent boundaries
The intimacy of the home’s smartly laid out spaces defy the traditional expectations of an open plan, with 11.5-foot ceilings throughout. Each space is just one-room deep, or approximately 28 feet wide, injecting a uniform purity into the totality of the volumes. Separations are defined by sunlight during the day, and artificial light at night, and the free-flowing spaces benefit from airflow from east to west, as well as north to south. There are no barriers to the visual or physical flow of the home, and a series of internal textures, including brickwork and exposed ceiling beams, further soak up the elements to introduce their unique interactive qualities.
Bookended by a master suite at one end of the home, and a series of three guest accommodations at the other, the interior includes a dining room, a kitchen, and a living room in the central portion, as well as a basement with a gym and media room, and a garage. Weaving through the central living spaces, select works of art from the client’s private collection are strategically positioned to provide surprises at every turn.
Distinctions of light
In the evening, the home’s external façade blends into its surrounding environment, while the interior comes to life like a carefully curated gallery. A warm glow emanates from pools of light within the larger volumes, creating focal points that extend beyond the spaces they occupy to greet visitors arriving from the external entry court.
Artificial lighting is kept to a minimum, with recessed lighting focusing on the art, walls, and centers of activity within the house. Between the living spaces, lighting levels drop off, further contributing to perceptions of separation between a series of intimately lit spaces. A few decorative fixtures are also strategically placed to provide added focus and intimacy to the spaces they illuminate.
“The land, the views, and the architecture combine in ways that contribute to a very spiritual place,” concludes Hal Goldstein. “The overall flow is truly musical, like individual notes of a musical composition, which was the goal of our work from the beginning.”
Project Info
Project Name: Hudson Valley Residence
Location: Germantown, New York, United States
Design/Architecture Firm: HGXDESIGN
Typology: Private Residential
Project Start (month/year): Jan 2018
Project Completed (month/year): Jan 2022
Total area: 7,300 sq. ft. (5,200 upper floor + 2,100 lower level)
Photographer credits: Scott Frances with aerial shots by Peter Aaron
Team & Collaborators
Managing Partner(s): Hal Goldstein
Creative Director: Hal Goldstein
Lead Designers/Architects: Hal Goldstein/Stefan Kusurelis
Contractors: CofH Builders Inc.
Constructors: Pete Mostaccio
Engineers: DiSalvo Erickson (Structural Engineers), Crawford Associates (Civil Engineers)
Landscape architects: Wagner Hodgson
Lighting consultant: Claude R. Engle Lighting Consultant
Mechanical: Crawford Associates
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning: Crawford Associates
About HGX Design
Founded in 2020 by Hal Goldstein, HGX Design is a New York City-based creative studio grounded in the fundamentals of architecture and design. Intuitive enough to improvise, the studio adapts those principles and practices to each of its projects, whether urban and rural, for corporate, commercial, and residential clients.
With more than 30 years of experience designing and managing a wide range of projects, Hal Goldstein’s professional background in architecture, structural engineering, construction management, and interior design forms the basis of HGX’s collaborative approach. With offices in New York City and Bridgehampton, HGX Design’s mission is focused on creating spaces that inspire human connection and fulfillment.