“The demolition of the original extension and its replacement, called for an intervention that can be a part of the original main building without replicating classical vocabulary or gesture. Our intent was to keep a sense of memory, while simultaneously allowing the new intervention to have its own identity.” “The original extension had no distinct historical or arch...
Designed by WHBC Architects, the grid-like concrete shell integrates interior spaces with lush greenery and flowering plants, allowing the resident family to enjoy the flora in the cool shade. The home’s perforated concrete envelope blocks the harsh tropical sun, while encouraging plants to grow over it. Interior climate control is an important factor when designing h...
The cliff-side house comprises a cluster of 10 cubes, each oriented towards a different view of Spain’s Costa Brava. The Sunflower House’s funky form isn’t just for looks—the geometric design is a creative solution to the site’s challenging conditions. When the clients purchased the seaside plot, they expected that their future house would be “fully exposed” to the im...
The detail-rich Cubo House has a signature "patchwork" look and unique elements made from the upcycled staircase and balustrades of the existing structure. The existing house was re-planned, introducing a new entry foyer, large staircase and environments bathed in natural light. A central multi-level void dominates the new house and provides natural ventilation. It ru...
Dubbed "Green House", the structure is topped with a roof made completely of automated aluminium sunscreens that allow natural light to reach the interior during daytime, while sheltering the interior spaces at night. Sean Godsell Architects renovated the existing building in an attempt to give the little cottage some pizzazz in a limited space. The interior of the ex...
Designed by James Russell Architect, the two-story family house is carefully oriented for protection against the harsh sun and storms in Clearfield, an inner north suburb of Brisbane. The energy-efficient home is powered by solar energy and constructed with locally sourced materials including clay and concrete. Backed up against a hillside, the long and rectangular Ch...
The simple prefabricated structures provide comfortable living quarters amid the trees, without disrupting the beauty of the landscape. Clad in timber, the guest houses feature floor-to-ceiling windows that mirror the forest around them. The newest addition to Relax Park Verholy, YOD Design Lab’s guest houses feature hotel-room sized accommodations, in the thick of th...
Wrapped in a bioclimatic envelope, the no-frills French family home was completed for the relatively affordable price of $114,674 (approximately US$128,000). To balance out the tight budget however, the architects created a bares-bone building that looks curiously unfinished from the outside. This no-frills approach begs the question of whether the design takes utilitari...
The stunning plot of land inspired Saunders, to the point where the project became rather a labor of love, since the architect waived fees in order to be able to design the 160-square-foot (15-square-meter) cabin within a reasonable budget. The minimalist space was designed with the constraints of the site in mind, and is built around three mature plum trees, which serve...
The challenge of revitalizing older spaces is invited as a way to embrace the future-oriented duty of ensuring the sustainability of our population. Many of Heimermann’s designs embody this duty with splashes of his own unique, artistic flair. Clay design is a much-utilized medium in Heimermann’s buildings, touted to be a forgotten sustainable material which can provi...
Shortlisted for the 2015 RIBA London Regional Awards for Architecture, the one-bedroom two-storey residence occupies a restrictive 3.6m x 11m end-of-terrace site, completing a row of Victorian terraces while asserting its modern character through a defining composition of shapes and materials. Picking up on key elements of the surrounding Victorian architecture and cre...
Its prime position, high up, at the very edge of the city's limits and with a dense forest starting behind it, is complemented by its timber architecture that creates a generous, warm, yet typically minimal Scandinavian interior. The site, privileged, as it may seem, didn't come without its challenges. While it sits firmly within the capital's suburban zone, a high-de...
'Invisibility', in this design, is achieved through two key approaches: On one hand, the scheme leaves a minimal footprint, due to its lightweight nature and ability to function as a mobile home (reducing planning restrictions). At the same time, mirrored cladding helps the structure seamlessly blend into the scenery. Build in standardised 14.5 x 3.5 x 3.1m prefabrica...
A short way inland, the verdant countryside sets the scene for this sprawling family residence by Australian practice B.E Architecture, in a design that encourages interaction between internal, external and 'interstitial' spaces, maximising the panoramic views and glorious Australian sunshine. The house perches on a hillcrest, maintaining a low profile, largely concea...
Appearing as a solid light grey box, with a number of uniformly sized openings providing the sole definition to its otherwise seamless elevations, the Villa Mörtnäs, by London-based firm fourfoursixsix (part of the 2011 Wallpaper* Architects Directory), is an exercise in purity and simplicity in design. Inside, the spatial arrangement follows a reverse hierarchy, with...
Luckily, Jo Jinman Architects designed Layered Terrace House with a built-in solution to this problem; it includes staggered levels, sheltering 17 different rooms and three external terraces and courtyards, slotting everything into a site of just 13 x 17m. Eight family members occupy this house, including grandparents, aunt and uncle, father, mother and two young chil...
Casa Meztitla sits at the foot of the sacred El Tepozteco Mountain, near the popular town of Tepoztlán in rural central Mexico. Designed as a couple's retreat for leisure and entertainment, the house blurs boundaries between indoors and outdoors, with wide rotating glass doors opening up to welcome the surrounding nature inside. EDAA head architect Luis Arturo Garcia ...
Quoting 'simplicity as the greater sophistication', Maria Díaz of Spanish firm MDBA Architects, together with Guallart Architects, designed this three-bedroom holiday home using the house's traditional environment as a starting point, but highlighting its modern character through an exposed steel structure. With stunning views out over the fields and distant hillsides...
Daunting as this might seem, there are also strong advantages there. 'Coach House always wags its tail when the family's back home', he says. The Coach House in South London is a contemporary family residence, replacing an existing Victorian Manor outhouse. The architects were keen to recreate and reference features of the site's original agricultural heritage whilst ...
Say the architects, “The primary goal is to create a shared living space in which all utilitarian functions are shared but which still allows each person to have privacy. The architectural concept consists in removing the floor currently separating the two levels to create a wide-open space in which two large boxes appear to float in mid-air.” “These suspended boxes, ...
The context-driven design - led by the firm's directors, Eduardo Cadaval and Clara Solà-Morales - is positioned near Port de la Selva in Girona, Spain, and responds to the benefits and challenges of its exposed cliff top location. Cubic boxes protrude from each floor in a multifaceted composition, which opens up to seize as much sunshine as possible, framing magnificent ...
That was before the launch of House for Essex, the new project by playful architecture practice FAT and Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry for holiday home rental company Living Architecture. Clad in colourful relief tiles - produced by Shaws of Darwen, cast from originals created by Perry - and featuring three spires and a chequered chimney on its glistening golden ro...
The description from Beyond Homes This home is a new take on the urban infill- it incorporates design inspiration from around the world with a focus on natural/reclaimed components, in a style and energy that resonates with the spirit of Calgary. The two semi-detached units provide 2800 square feet of living space, differentiated through the use of contrasting dark and...
The architect’s description Edge House is an attempt at designing a contemporary urban house in a mountain environment, where the local law requires traditional form. The house owes its narration to a local anomaly – a slope plot with a view on the mountains surrounding Krakow is knifed through by an 8-meter lime rock.The rock edge divides the plot into two levels, t...
Description from the designers: When we were approached by our clients to gut renovate and add to a 110 year old, 15′ wide row house, our goal was to create a home that could adapt to change over time. The building is designed to oscillate easily between a two-family and one-family configuration, giving the owners the ability to gradually grow into and out of the house...
The architect’s description Deep in the heart of Kensington Market, this laneway house is distinguished by its monochromatic, robust form, and a sculptural interior awash with light. Designed with its neighbourhood in mind and tracing the footprint of the existing building, this archetypal house is sited on an unconventional “L” lot, tucked away from the street, and sh...
Some prismatic volumes come out from the four stone sidewalls, thus enclosing the space and differentiating each room. The area between the rooms is covered by a timber roof acting as a hall and a connector. “The opening sequence of the gaps of the house reflects the hierarchical order of the outdoor areas.” Ramón Esteve. The aim of the proposal is the creation of diffe...
The architect’s description The property once was a part of a northern situated villa. A pavilion which belongs to the historic ensemble is part of the wall, which encloses property at three sides. The 4-storey single family house is reached via a forecourt and a ramp. The main entrance on the northern side and a second entrance via the carport lead to the entrance are...
The architect’s description America has many spectacular sites but this property is unique among them. The site is located at an elevation of 9,200 feet and had already been excavated for a discontinued residential project. Our normal preoccupation with not impacting the landscape reverted here to rehabilitating and reforesting the uprooted site. This was not a situati...
The architect’s description This house on the south coast of New South Wales was designed as one of a pair of modern beach houses occupying a greenfield site overlooking beautiful Gerringong beach. The site is part of a new land release on the edge of a sleepy coastal town. From its elevated position, the house enjoys 270 degree views of the ocean, adjacent headland an...
The architect’s description This ocean front residence captures the sense of indoor-outdoor living by introducing large cantilevered decks and roof decks. Designed for an active family who loves to cook and entertain, the ability to do so on each level is a driving element. As a measure to preserve the integrity of the dune, the house is pulled back from it to create t...
Pivot Studio’s description The project is for a secondary dwelling which will be used as an art studio and home office. The project is characterized by its high level external aesthetic detailing. A black glazed brick is chosen as the base building material with a blonde timber wall paneling system used as a secondary decorative cladding. The timber paneling is both d...
The architect’s description The Holleb Residence is a home for a family of four in the Ocean Park neighborhood of Santa Monica. Its main organizing feature is a sculptural stair and second floor “cut-out” terrace that splits the house into front and back zones. On the ground floor, the structure’s main entry separates the garage and guest room from the kitchen, dining,...
Description from Prototype Design Lab The Bella Vita Villa celebrates its natural, oceanfront site. The villa explores lightness, filtering natural breezes, layers of transparency and integrating indoor / outdoor spaces within dynamic patterns of light and shadow, providing a simple frame within which a contemporary sustainable lifestyle can unfold. The beachfront faca...
The architect’s description This project consists of a single-story addition and renovation to an existing mid-century ranch house in Menlo Park, California. Conceived for a retired couple, the open and accessible design integrates the living space with the rear garden to create a well-lit domestic extension. Comprised of two floating volumes, the addition formally des...
The architect’s description PROGRAM: Minimalist modern home with outdoor room, art display walls, recording studio and home theatre utilizing green building technologies. DESIGN INTENT:Clients are a Culver City art gallery owner and a musician with two young boys.From the street the house is a series of overlapping rectangular volumes each with different materials and ...
