Snøhetta is an active partner within ZEB (The Research Center on Zero Emission Buildings). The ZEB Multi-Comfort House is a cooperation between Snøhetta, Scandinavia’s largest independent research body SINTEF, ZEB partner Brødrene Dahl, and Optimera. The volume of the house describes a single family house, however, the building is intended for use as a demonstration plat...
This summer house represents one of the multiple schemes possible to be built from the baseMIMA house with 36 sq.m. - and corresponding to the aggregation of 3,5 of these base units. MIMA is indeed a system that promotes the quick conception and production of beautiful houses, respecting a base 1,5 x 1,5 m metric for the space definition and using common prefab base c...
Costa Brava is different of other coasts because of the big forest slopes next to the sea. The challenge was to fit a big program in a volume with some formal contrast with the nature of the place. So we propose some cubes placed as if they were randomly thrown, like if they were fallen from the sky, but finally they really derive from the fan-shape of the plot. Those cu...
the project starts from the idea of defining (building) the external spaces (the voids) in order to use all the available space in the plot. The house and its ancillary structure are therefore positioned on the northern perimeter of the plot. this space will be used for welcoming visitors. the structure extends along the eastern perimeter and becomes a boundary wall...
A quiet reading area and a bedroom beneath the stars. All three requests has each been associated with a bay window and then superposed under a roof that turns into a terrace in front of the house. In total there are 8 rooms including two huts, three terraces, 8.5 meter ceiling on a total surface of about 85 sqm. The project is struggling with an almost contradictory...
Besides the addition of a complete floor and garage, the layout of the facade was carefully thought. To let in the maximum natural luminosity and the beautiful views on their spacious and wooded ground, the owners wished to open up their residence into the outside. The dining room opens on a terrace and big openings allow the appreciation of the landscape. The kitc...
I know that this remodel of an iconic mid-century home would be a wonderful renovation feature, because the design team so sensitively addressed the needs of the homeowners and expanded on the original intent of the home. Our client, Andrea Metkis, a cancer surgeon, is excited to talk about the project and would be happy to be interviewed and photographed in her home....
it was this concept that created the impetus for the design on a smaller scale- the structure is composed of crumbling concrete walls that encircle the site while layers of radically different floor plans, resembling voronoi diagrams, formulate the different living areas within. the ground level consists of shared public spaces where a central staircase can be accessed t...
a polygonal form that minimizes its physical impact with its surroundings, the cabin comfortably houses at least 2-3 people and serves as a place of refuge in what is envisioned as a cold and misty landscape. large glass panels allow the surrounding forest to become part of the interior design, contrasted by the plywood interior. the ground level contains a living space,...
the structure is a primarily reinforced concrete construction occupying a narrow footprint of 4.5m wide by x 18m long, perched upon a rather steep hill. parking at the street level is connected to the elevated home by an external stairway that makes space underneath for bicycle storage. a large open dining area greets visitors with views extending out in three directions...
the project’s ground floor is organized around the property’s L-shaped pool with large apertures blurring the boundary between internal and external space. the home’s primary living accommodation and guest facilities are found at the lower level, while the upper storey contains three further bedrooms that adjoin an elongated sunporch. timber flooring and white walls ar...
designed by local practice SALHAUS, the residences are unlike typical japanese apartments in that they are characterized by a profound sense of openness and transparency. Each unit has a private terrace enclosed by a mesh screen around its entrance, ensuring that the lives of each inhabitant are extended to external areas of the plan. in this way, the connection betwe...
Named ‘spiral window house’, the structure is positioned on a busy street surrounded by other residential dwellings. without compromising privacy, the client requested a living space which presented external views of the neighborhood – including the yodo river, which passes near the house. consequently, the scheme features large staggered openings that offer sweeping vi...
Use of in stitu concrete to achieve a harmonious and balanced composition both internally & externally. A limited palette of materials has been employed to heighten the spatial experience of the house and allow an uninhibited contemplation of the natural surroundings. This combined with natural light and ventilation provides the occupants with a house for relaxation when...
located in maebashi city in japan, the structure supports a distinctive butterfly roof which translates into the form of the interior ceiling. the dwelling resides in a neighborhood surrounded with greenery, open space and fresh air and the architecture takes advantage making a connection between the inside and the outside as much as possible. despite the contemporary ...
White aluminum rises out of gently swaying dune grasses. a winding path meanders patiently through the greenery to each entrance of the two coastal lodgings, uniformly called ‘residence blanco’ by Belgian multidisciplinary firm BURO II & ARCHI+I. each home consists of two living floors, a functional attic floor, and a substructure garage. a uniform design was adopted for...
dictated by the movement and views from walking around the environment, the form of the structure and the internal arrangement has been derived from this experience. the minimalistic and geometric nature of the timber-cladded exterior offers a multiplicity of sights from intimate and submerged views of the sand dunes to out and over the sea. using innovative ecological m...
completed by german design office baumraum, the scheme seeks to add to the city’s collection of small alternative constructions, while preserving the existing tree population of the 650 square meter site. located southwest of berlin’s city center, the district of zehlendorf is characterized by bourgeois residential buildings with larger properties with gardens bordering ...
a structural dialog has been created between the fabric of the previous structure and this new addition with its own identity. during construction, as the remnants of the old building were slowly peeled back and taken away, interesting elements were uncovered from the original fabric, the history has inherently been exposed and translated to the new addition. from the ba...
the unusual form of the building consists of a lower rectangular ground floor and a pentagonal-shaped volume sitting above. unique in shape but straightforward in materials, the house responds in a subtly distinct manner to its neighboring houses, with similar display of grey tones and a concrete, timber and metal material palette. interior wise, it is simply furnished, ...
french firm chevellier architectes has converted the previous run-down, wooden shed, into a luxury private residence where the challenges were to maximize and develop spaces within the volume that could not be altered due to planning restrictions. the building embodies the client’s vision of mountainous architecture in the future, this is illustrated in the high-qualit...
The ‘ritz’ apartment is a quiet place built for sensory and intellectual stimulation as well as a relaxing refuge. the project brief gave COORDINATION-berlin almost free reign over design. the setting was to be used purely for leisure, intended for weekends or short stays by the owners. any practical limitations associated with residential projects were able to be most...
Externally, the timber cladded residence is comprised of several rectangular volumes which supports distinctive, sloping roof canopies. the central focus of the house is the open-plan, double-height space containing a kitchen, dining and a mezzanine level with a master bedroom. simultaneously, a platform level serves as a simple reading space which sits above the living...
designed by studio puisto and bas van bolderen architectuur, the scheme took only one and a half years to complete – from the beginning of the design process until its finalization. instead of replicating the form of the fallen structure, the client aspired for a contemporary home with internal programs organized in a linear sequence. this layout then evolved in order...
‘perfil house’ by the architects at atelier ryo abe is located in the Meguro district in Tokyo. the unusual structure sits on a corner of a residential road where the neighboring buildings are all architecturally different. discovering that within each compact home lies visual facets they all share in common; the plants they grow, the pilotis driveways to the truss and w...
the last of a three-part division, the tiny allotment–and accompanying strict japanese setback regulations–was too much trouble for prospective builders, and was instead used an an impromptu parking lot for many years. however, the homeowners’ saw the potential of the site–located directly opposite a lush, green public park. H.ARCHITECTS’ subsequent design caters dir...
These 27 Townhouses, developed by Adobe Modern Lifestyle Developers and designed by DIMIT Architects, occupy a brownfield site east of downtown Cleveland, close to Case Western Reserve University. Cement board and wood laminate exteriors give the development a modern prominence from the adjacent train tracks. DIMIT Architects answered some questions about their design fo...
The architect answered some questions about the historic house and its new components. Please provide an overview of the project. This project is intended to embrace a small, historical house, to restore it and allow it to contribute to the fabric of historical Lewes for many years to come. The project also attempts to provide generously proportioned, modern, light f...
An important design is the Clure Project in Duluth, four dark boxes that are at odds with the styles of surrounding buildings yet fit in gracefully through their scale, outdoor spaces, and orientation to the sun and nearby lake. Right next to that project is the recently completed Hall House, which takes many of the same ideas and applies them to building atop a 19th-cen...
The influence of the latter and the broader "tyranny of consumerism" can be found in the "fresh voice and perspective" of Anne Fougeron and her firm in San Francisco. Their Flip House reconfigures a townhouse in their home city to reconnect it to its urban and natural context. The architect answered some questions about the recently completed project. What were the ci...
The harsh and sometimes dramatic effects of Mother Nature were the inspiration for kpb architects' Turnagain Beach House. Specifically it was the hypothetical scattering of elements from the very-real 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake. The architects supplied us with the following text and images. Located on the landslide area left by the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake, we a...
Sanders Pace Architecture designed a house within the latter for a young couple's first home.Architect Brandon Pace answered a few questions about the house just completed this fall. What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project? A young couple approached us in late 2011 asking if we would help evaluate the feasibility of building their fir...
What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project? The client is actually a contractor we've hired a number of times, for example on a remodeling project in Missoula. He had hired us to remodel his house, so later he came to us to design him a summer cabin – more accurately it's a year-round cabin but not his primary residence. Rather than a pro...
What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project? Brunsfield opened offices in Minneapolis to expand their brand to the United States. It just happened that the developer that would head up this project was a former architect whom I worked with in a previous firm. When we reconnected and realized his goals for the project we realized they aligned...
We asked the architect, who is principal at Masumi Yanase Architect Office, to tell us about the project. What was most important for you during the design process? The primitive structure consisting essentially of a roof and floor, and the deep eaves on the hipped roof provide protection from the natural environment, as well as moderating the sunlight and reflectin...
One area that is used to the scarcity of water is the American Southwest, particularly Arizona. With such little rainfall and a straining on other sources of fresh water, architects and clients need to design accordingly. DUST's mountain retreat outside Tucson can harvest 30,000 gallons of rainwater, filtering "our most precious resource available for all household uses....
