Windows, skylights and lightwells are all excellent ways of bringing natural light into a space, but each solution has limitations. For the House in Tousuien, located in Hiroshima, Japan, Suppose Design Office found a different solution: translucence. Since the house was on a long and narrow plot in a densely populated area, the architects knew that natural light was go...
That being said, good things clearly happen when you bring nature inside. The House in Moriyama by Suppose Design Offices incorporates verdant plantlife into the living space, delightfully bridging the gap between interior and exterior. To further enhance the topsy turvy world created by the designers, interior objects, such as paintings and art, are also featured in the...
When designing the House in Kashiwa, the architects at Japanese firm Yamazaki Kentaro Design Workshop created a home as an empty canvas. Rather than strictly define each space, they chose to create flexible rooms that could be easily modified in parallel with changes in the family. Four two-storey boxes provide define the space and encompass an atrium that is complete...
An easy argument can be made for the need of architecture to be in harmony with its surroundings, but it’s not easy to create a structure that blends in while standing out. The intimate connection between interior and exterior was the point of inspiration for the House in Hanekita by the Japanese architecture firm Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates. Arguably, the house is al...
Mankind has always been obsessed with its future, trying to figure out what the coming days will bring. Hence all the sci-fi movies and books, but not only: art, design and of course architecture have always tried to look further and be one step ahead of everyone else. And they sometimes succeed! German architects Kinckh Architekten did so with House F. Indeed, House ...
House and Studio YC is located in a village outside of Barcelona. Spanish architecture firm RTA-Office created one structure with five varied volumes that radiate from the center. Within each volume is an isolated function: bedrooms, living room, kitchen, office, entryway. The main entrance is located at basement level and leads to the entryway via a stark white staircas...
Recipient of a National Commendation for Sustainable Architecture from the AIA Awards earlier this month, (-) Glass House is an eco-friendly revisitation of the 1949 Philip Johnson Glass House – without the glass. Adapting the structure to a tropical climate and adding a generous dose of eco-friendly elements (the house functions as a Carbon Neutral structure), Australia...
Los Angeles and its surroundings have always been the avant-garde of modern architecture in the US. Whether it is downtown with the 1927 Ace Hotel, or in Hollywood with the 1962 Garcia Residence, these architectural landmarks have grown old and need maintenance. And renovation can be tricky on a private building that has become part of the city’s legacy. The main task of...
Fujigaoka M is the renovation of an apartment for a married couple in Fujigaoka, Japan. In order to preserve light and airflow throughout the relatively open 64-square-meter floorplan, Tokyo-based architecture firm Sinato designed a multipurpose wooden structure to divide the space. Referred to as the “inner terrace”, the wooden structure envelopes the central load-be...
It has been clear for a while now that cabins are no longer the gloomy man-caves in which you’d expect to have minimum comfort. So you wouldn’t be surprised by the level of comfort the Fuentealba House by Francis Pfenniger offers. Facing the Castro canal in Chile, the cabin is located in a magical place, surrounded by trees. It has been built as a family home, for chi...
Forget about Jack Kerouac and his vision of Big Sur. The Fall House by Fougeron Architecture is nothing but a small piece of heaven. The 3-bedroom house is firmly anchored on the beautiful coast and gently follows its natural curve, hence offering a breathtaking view on the ocean. But again, a house needs a little more than massive windows to enjoy the great view. The...
London-based architect David Kohn has completed the extension of the Sanderson House in the London borough of Islington. Named after its occupants, Sanderson House is the home of British shoe designer Rupert Sanderson, his wife and their three children. The project transforms what was historically the home’s scullery into a modern kitchen, dining and reading space. Th...
Florida has a rich architectural history, and Miami-based Brillhart Architecture decided to draw upon the best of Florida’s architecture for the 1500-square-footBrillhart House in downtown Miami. Seeking to break from the local trend of concrete-only construction, the architects explored the principles of Tropical Modernism and glass pavilion typology before settling ...
Developed by the philanthropic foundation Realdania, Brick House revisits traditional building techniques to create a long-lasting house with a low CO2 footprint. Located in Nyborg, Denmark, Brick House’s main objective is to provide a home that is maintenance free for 50 years with a life span of at least 150 years. Due to the proven durability of traditional brick home...
A war bunker might not be the first place that pops to mind when you think of going on holiday, but the Belgian studio B-ILD‘s renovation of a bunker in the Netherlands might change your mind. Or not. We have to admit that we find the concept of being underground in a very small space rather anxiety inducing, but the historical and unique experience might be worth some i...
We love a good narrative, and the Tinderbox House is just brimming with narrative potential. The loft is the virtual unfolding of inspiration in a 19th century warehouse in Melbourne, Australia. Taking the basic elements of an eighteenth century fire starting kit, the architects at Australian firm Breathe developed the loft’s aesthetic around flint, char cloth and a s...
If you’re not currently on holiday, you’re probably wishing that you were on holiday, particularly when confronted with the stunning view from The Silver House. Belgian architect Olivier Dwek designed this divine home on the Greek island of Zante. Perched above the endless blue of the Ionian Sea, the starkly white home carefully frames the neighboring island of Cephaloni...
In Italy, everyone knows the biggest challenge is to preserve the incredible architectural patrimony. With that in mind, we might think modern architecture has no place in a country that desperately tries to save the past. That would be poorly understanding Italians. Italian architecture firm Building proves that combining the preservation concerns while exploring modern...
The architect built the house for a lover of art and her family, and the structure is truly a living gallery with open spaces and large walls – perfect for highlighting artistic masterpieces. An extroverted design, the house flows from interior to exterior with large windows and modular elements, such as a removable floor-to-ceiling glazing that turns a covered terrace i...
No frills, no fluff, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter’s V-Lodge is a minimal, all-year cabin in the mountains of Norway. The cabin was specifically built to adapt to the topography of the site with simple V shape. The central volume runs perpendicular to the slope and contains the principal living space. A second volume, gently slanted downward, houses the sleeping space. As...
Modern and traditional come together perfectly in this renovation by Dutch firm Global Architects. Located on the top floor of an early 20th century mansion, the apartment was inherently open, spacious and light. The architects wanted to bring it up to date without comprising the existing attributes of the space. To do so, they integrated minimalist storage spaces alo...
Living in an old historical building in San Francisco, California, doesn’t go without a few sacrifices. This loft is located in the old Oriental Warehouse, immediately giving the building a certain cachet as well as a great location downtown. But if renovating an old storehouse adds some romanticism to a utilitarian structure, it also comes with drawbacks. Obviously, you...
Atelier Moderno’s 2014 project Le 205 is located in the Mile-Ex district of Montreal, Canada. Standing rather unnoticed among its neighbors, this former 1950’s workshop houses the likes of a designer, his two sons and their terrier. Beyond the recomposed façade lies a minimalist interior, which includes a wide corridor extending north and south, a party wall of exposed m...
Singapore-based Park + Associates does fantastic things with contrast. Just take a peek at Mimosa Road, a residence located in the northern part of Singapore. By using highly contrasted wood, stone and glass, the architects created impressive volume in the four-bedroom house. They also created a strong link between the interior and exterior of the structure with expansiv...
Making new out of old has become the great trend in modern architecture. And with the constant reminder that our natural resources are scarce and limited, the concept of renovation has taken on a whole new meaning, as demonstrated by this loft in Bratislava designed by Slovakian architects gutgut. You can forget about fancy interior design and think more about going back...
Melbourne-based architecture firm Make Architecture has renovated Local House, a private family home in the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda. When approaching the renovation, the architects first examined how a family lives and endeavored to create connections both internally and externally. “Spaces are playful; conceived more like a favorite local café than a private house...
Architect Steven Harris refurbished Adam Gordon’s Jane Street townhouse in 2007, turning it into a clean, open home. The project found itself smack-dab in the middle of New York Magazine’s real estate section. Harris not only added a fifth floor on the roof but covered the rear wall in glass layers. The large glass walls, individual to each floor, allow a view of the wal...
Lately, it seems traditional Mediterranean architecture is getting a bit of a face lift. We have said several times: making new from old is becoming more than a simple trend. The JA House by Filipe Pina and Maria Ines Costa is just more proof of that. The Portuguese home mixes rural and urban lifestyles so efficiently that it almost makes starting from scratch seem point...
The box structure on top acts as a passive solar eave cutting out summer sun, while letting winter sun flood in. A white roof is used throughout to increase solar reflectance, sustainably reducing heat gain within the house. Windows are double glazed and LowE coated. Low VOC plywood and locally sourced spotted gum line the internal walls of the building. Even the synthe...
Currently under construction in Itauna, Brazil, the Gres House project by Luciano Kruk helps us refocus on a major existential debate in architecture: is a building supposed to adapt to its surrounding environment or adapt the environment to its convenience? Well, even if growing environmental concerns have made the answer more and more obvious, only a few houses have da...
It’s official. We’re packing our bags and moving to South America. Longhi Architects has us convinced. Their Casa Para Siempre in the La Molina district of Lima, Peru, is just plain cool. Built for a young family already occupying the lot, the architects constructed a “forever house” – a genuine structure in which the family members could spend their entire lives. The ho...
In the Osice House Interior, the firm has confected a rectangular dining table composed of dense wood beams floats right out of the kitchen island; its long, clean lines draw in the eye and satisfy our ravenous appetite for well-executed minimalism. The project’s crowning jewel (as pictured in the gallery below)? A crescent shaped Foscarini Jamaica light that gently hove...
Almost by definition, urban areas have limited space and a surplus of citizens. One common solution is the high-rise apartment building that permits an excellent ratio of space to density. Build up, not out, right? However, high-density apartments can detract from privacy and individual quality of life, so Caramel Architekten have proposed a different solution in Vienna,...
Located in a residential neighborhood in Sapporo, Japan, Case is a minimal, single-family home by Japanese architecture firm Jun Igarashi Architects. In order to take full advantage of the small 50-square-meter building space, the architects built up, integrating wooden lofts that add 30 meters of extra floor space while keeping the residence open and bright. Curved sta...
Casa MR by Luciano Kruk Arquitectos is a 2014 project located in Costa Esmeralda, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 150-square-meter house, which lies against a backdrop of rugged dunes typical of the Buenos Aires coastline, is a weekend house that the architect was commissioned to design on a limited budget and with the qualities of the location in mind. The 20 meter wide...
Thankfully, many contemporary architects are finding very clever ways to limit our far-reaching imprint without failing to integrate nature into their buildings. Such is the case of the Corallo House by PAZ Arquitectura. The architects built a home in a forest, and rather than completely flattening the site, they actually went about preserving trees and building around t...
