Kengo Kuma refers to the classic brewing process of a century-old Japanese soy sauce maker for a surprising shop in an urban mall.

Many San Francisco startups inhabit industrial warehouse spaces: the lofty, open structures readily adapt to become modern workshops for artisanal software development.

“In Rio, the landscape comes to you,” Brazilian architect Arthur Casas says about his commission to renovate a penthouse apartment in Rio de Janeiro's Urca neighborhood. Casas, who has an office in São Paulo, plus one in New York City, had quite a landscape to work with.

It can be done: a wheelchair-friendly environment that in no way resembles the typical one.