© Will Austin Photography

As mountain guides, Scott Schell and Margaret Wheeler are used to the upper reaches of the Cascades. Their site in the foothills above Snoqualmie is not far from work. The 2,100 sqf house, designed by Johnston Architects and built by Tall Tree Construction, accommodates both professional and practical demands, but it also fulfills a deep desire to do what is right.

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Architects: Johnston Architects
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA
Partner in Charge: Ray Johnston
Project Architect: Sara Imhoff
Landscape Architect: Scott Schell
Structural Engineer: BTL Engineering
Contractor: Tall Tree Construction
Client: Schell & Wheeler
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Will Austin Photography

© Will Austin Photography

This house was built on site with many materials found, milled and crafted on the site. Blow-down trees from storms provided the logs that were milled into siding, fascias and trim. Large firs and cedars were felled, cured and processed to provide beams and some framing materials. A ground source heat pump supplemented by solar water preheating supplies energy to the house. To this, recycled materials, FSC certified materials, grey water recycling and other strategies are the basis of the soon to be achieved LEED Silver status of this house.

sections

The historic fabric of this complex lies in the history of use of the land and indoor/outdoor occupation of forested space. The mud room, nearby wood storage, use of varied floor materials to shake off the debris of the outside, simple roof forms are all part of this solution. Rather than dig the house into its hillside, we bridged across for an upper floor entry, minimizing grading and other disruption to the existing environment. Two thousand native plantings were made to restore the forest floor upon completion. Even on a grey and rainy day t
Cite:
Minner , Kelly . "North Bend House / Johnston Architects" 13 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 10 Oct 2012.

© Anthony Coleman

Architects: Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture
Location: London, UK
Project Team: Brian Vermeulen, Richard Cottrell, Simon Tucker, SangSoo Bae
Client: I-Foundation
Temple Design: ARP Associates
Planning Consultant: DP9
Photographs: Anthony Coleman

© Anthony Coleman

Krishna-Avanti Primary School is the first voluntary aided Hindu School in the UK. Cottrell and Vermeulen Architecture attended workshops with the school community to understand the religious and cultural ambitions that the community had for the school and to establish an appropriate architecture. Specific requirements came out of this process: a Hindu chapel built in traditional Vedic style as the focus of the school; a music and drama space; a spiritual japa garden; zones where pupils can be barefoot and environmentally friendly construction materials. The school architecture reflects the Hindu community, whilst being a state of the art educational environment and a sustainable building with an integrated engineering approach that provides a low impact, energy efficient solution. The school has one of the highest BREEAM scores for a school in the UK and is fully accessible and inclusive. It was completed in September 2009 for a budget of £7 Million.

The Hindu religion, teaching and the building’s architecture are integrated at the Krishna-Avanti School. At the centre of the school (in plan and symbolically) is a traditional temple and the school is aligned on the site in keeping with Vastu principles. Teaching spaces are arranged around a courtyard facing onto the temple. The whole school is seen as a learning environment, and it is intended that the environment and landscaped grounds becomes a curriculum resource.

© Anthony Coleman

The classrooms can be extended out in two directions; towards a spiritual courtyard garden and towards covered outdoor teaching areas and playgrounds and each contains a classroom shrine & quiet area, an area for ICT / whiteboard projection and an area for art & science experiments. Children wear indoor shoes throughout the school and all classrooms have a view of the temple. The classrooms are designed for maximum natural light and optimum thermal comfort using insulation, under-floor heating, acoustic linings and natural ventilation. CO2
The dining and music and drama rooms are an example of a cross-curricula approach. The spaces interconnect with the temple, the main hall, the kitchen and the school allotments. The deities installed in the temple watch over the pupils. Dance, music and Yoga are part of the curriculum – they are also an important part of Hindu worship, hence the connection to the temple. School dinner is a highlight of the school day. All of the (organic vegetarian) food is blessed by the deities and eating becomes an act of worship. Hand rinse and mouth rinse facilities are located in the dining area for hygiene as well as religious ritual. Children and staff sit together on the floor to eat and eating also becomes a lesson in social etiquette and respect. Some food is grown on site in the school’s allotments.

© Anthony Coleman

Krishna-Avanti School buildings are also integrated carefully with the school landscape. The landscape is conceived as a series of outdoor classrooms, educational gardens, play gardens with fruit trees and herbs, spiritual gardens, exercise gardens, ecology and wildlife habitat, recycling gardens, outdoor dining, and frameworks for future expansions. The landscape provides learning resources, fuel sources, building resources, food sources, & pollutant cleaning.
Habitats have been created to encourage diverse insect, animal and plant populations. Wildlife corridors have been created across the site to provide safe passage for animals and insects. Ecology is studied and science experiments can be set using the elements. A flood reservoir and a wildlife pond with dipping platform become an outdoor classroom.

The original landscape features were a resource to be used in a positive way. Earth from the building excavations was used to make acoustic bunds and children’s play mounds which also act as sound buffers to control noise transmission from the road traffic and from the playground to the surrounding housing.
A vegetable garden and orchard provide a teaching resource and healthy organic food to be used in the school kitchen. Rainwater collected from the sedum covered roofs is used to water the garden.

© Anthony Coleman

Interesting and cultural water features, natural environments and further aspects of Vastu which utilise natural resources encourage children to be sensitive towards all living beings, other religions, cultures and to the environment around them, whilst promoting good character and responsibility. Areas of Ayurvedic plants planted in the landscape teach Hindu symbolism and can be used for cooking and therapy.

The school was the recipient of the 2010 Harrow Architectural and Environmental Award run by the Harrow Heritage Trust and Harrow Council and was listed in the Daily Telegraph’s ‘Top

Kirshna-Avanti Primary School and Sustainability:
Hindus are taught to revere life and nature, considering both as sacred gifts from God. This scriptural tenet is an important principle for the School. Krishna-Avanti Primary School aims to produce socially aware citizens who adopt responsible lifestyles that help sustain our planet.
It is intended that the school be a beacon of sustainability, and waste reduction and recycling will be integrated into the curriculum. Composting bins are provided for all classrooms and the school will be provided with a textile bank as part of a Harrow Council initiative. The school’s vegetarian food policy also markedly reduces the amount of waste which cannot be composted. Some food for the school will be grown on site reducing the need for ingredients to be delivered to the school.

foor plan

A key driver for the client was to create a sustainable school environment. From the outset, the design team and client set up consultations and strategies to define the material palette, low/renewable energy technologies, community involvement, and future adaptability in order to ensure a sustainable and future proofed design (for example the foundations have been designed to allow the walls to be opened up if open-plan teaching is required in the future).
The environmental engineering systems for Krishna-Avanti Primary School have been conceived and designed to reduce energy consumption and minimise carbon production in a number of fully integrated ways:

Landscape Plan

Passive Technology: The starting point of the low energy consumption strategy has been to minimise active use of primary energy and harness natural resources where possible:
• Thermal mass has been included to act as a passive buffer to peaks of internal temperature
• Enhanced performance thermal insulation with low U values
• Rain water harvesting and re-use
• Green roofs for enhanced ecological benefit
• Integrated scope for future school expansion
• Natural ventilation with automatic controls
• Teaching spaces and halls optimised for natural daylighting
• External solar control louvres to limit solar gain and direct glare
• Sustainable urban drainage and on-site storm water detention pond

 

Section

Active Technology: Where active means have been necessary in order to service the school building, a range of integrated low energy and renewable technologies have been specified:
• Ground source heat pumps have been installed to provide up to 68% of the space heating demand of the school building
• Under floor heating works in concert with the ground source heat pumps
• Local thermostatic controls have been specified for control of maximum hot water temperature at taps
• Use of recycled water for garden irrigation
• Heat recovery ventilation systems for classroom sanitary accommodation
• Absence detection, low energy artificial lighting controls
• Daylight sensing and time-clock control of external lighting to minimise energy consumption and light pollution
• Metering of all primary energy use
• Fully automatic and self learning, BMS control system with graphical user interface to optimise control and operation of M & E systems
Energy efficient construction procedures: Contractors practiced reduced waste on site; co-ordinated deliveries; used recycling skips; water use on site was monitored; earth excavations were re-used; hoardings were recycled; recycled crushed concrete shingle and sand were used wherever possible.

Site Plan

Education Integration: The Building Management System is available to staff and pupils via a graphical front end and a visual display showing the operation of the heat pumps is located in the school entrance foyer. The internal environmental conditions in each of the classrooms, the ICT suite and the multi-purpose halls will be constantly monitored by the automatic building management system (BMS). Each classroom is provided with a visual indicator unit with simple traffic light signal lamps to show the teacher and children, the current carbon dioxide concentration within the space. This visual indication is intended to give the teacher an immediate and educational indication of deteriorating internal environmental conditions. The BMS acts on the CO2 sensing to instigate the timely opening of a window to increase fresh air and increase the rate of natural ventilation. The main plant room has a window installed adjacent to the front entrance of the school to allow children and public to view the renewable energy plant.

Cite:

King , Victoria . "The Krishna-Avanti Primary School / Cottrell & Vermeulen Architecture" 20 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 10 Oct 2012.

© Antarctica

Architects: Antarctica
Location: Flowerdale, Victoria, Australia
Project Team: Graham Crist (Project Director), Nicola Garrod (Project Architect)
Contractor: Kendall Constructions
Consultants: Keith Long and Associates
Project Area: 460sqm
Completed: September 2011
Photographs: Antarctica

© Antarctica

Flowerdale Community House is the new home for the enormous range of programs run by the residents of this small Victorian town. Located an hour north of Melbourne, the project is on the site of the community house and kindergarten that was destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009.

© Antarctica

For a building which hosts everything from belly dancing to psychological services, its flexible halls and consultation rooms are drawn together under one large roof. Located low on the site, this roof is the prominent image of the building, and bears (along with over 100 people in the town) the ‘tattoo’ of the Flowerdale logo. This logo was created after the bushfires and was designed to represent the regeneration of the town following this disaster. (Image01)

© Antarctica

The corrugated metal of the roof folds down over the façade like the many rural sheds located in the region.

© Antarctica

In further reference to the surrounding buildings, the printed roof mirrors the over-sized text on the roof of the Flowerdale Hotel. External cladding and materials continue the building envelope inside, expressing the separate rooms within the large interior, while the open structural space of the roof gives volume and connection to the flexible spaces below. Unpainted timber trusses, galvanised steel beams and recycled brickwork reinforce the rural quality within a building type that can often seem institutional. (Image09)

© Antarctica

Where the roof peels back, there are moments where interior elements such as the trusses and tiled amenities block are revealed, connecting external pockets of space to those of the interior. (Image08)

© Antarctica

The building uses technically simple environmental design features, such as natural ventilation, deep eaves, low-emissivity double-glazing, and an insulated slab, complimented by solar hot water and solar power systems. In addition, water for both fire fighting and general use is supplied by rainwater collection, and the septic system uses an organic process to produce water to irrigate the site.

Elevation 01

Importantly, the community clients saw this project as an opportunity to go beyond the simple replacement of facilities lost to the fires. It was their ambition that the Flowerdale Community house set a new benchmark, in design and environmental performance, for the public buildings of Flowerdale.

Elevation 02

 
Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "Flowerdale Community House / Antarctica" 15 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 15 Dec 2011.

© Nam Bui

Architects: MM++ Architects / MIMYA.co
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietmam
Project Architect: My An Pham Thi
Built Area: 255 sqm
Completion: 2012
Photographs: Nam Bui

© Nam Bui

"The house is built on a 8m wide and 22m deep plot in a residential district of Saigon. Designed for a couple and their 3 young kids, the house is organized in two parts :
A first block in the front with entrance, living area and kitchen, merged all together in one large open space, encouraging interaction between family’s members. After crossing a small interior garden with a large roof opening, a second block with the two kid’s bedrooms on the ground floor, parental suite and an additional bedroom on the first floor.
The challenge of this project was to build a contemporary house with a “high end feeling” in a very restrictive budget, for this reason architectural elements are really simple ( concrete structure, brickworks, ceramic tiles, corrugated iron roof layered with insulating material) while furniture and equipment are in a high quality finishing.
Natural ventilation (through top frame louvers on the facade, openings in the glass roof and back courtyard), indirect natural light and a large overhang roof on the front elevation to prevent direct sun light, make the house comfortable to live. The multiple “inside-outside” visual connections with the front courtyard planted, the interior garden with tropical plants and bamboo planted pots on the first floor create a relaxing and private environment in the middle of a high density neighborhood.

ground floor plan

This project intends to bring an alternative approach for the conception of middle range Vietnamese urban house, combining traditional construction principles, low cost material solutions and contemporary design."
"House in Go Vap / MM++ Architects" 05 Jun 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Jun 2012.

© Erik Hesmerg

Architects: Kwint Architects + Aat Vos [silo.shapes]
Location: Eelde, The Netherlands
Living Space: 320 sqm
Contractor: Buiteveld, Oosterwolde
Steel Construction: Graafstra, Oosterwolde
Interior: Linthorst, Lunteren
Landscape Architect: Eric van der Kooij
Photographers: Erik Hesmerg, Jan Bartelsman

© Erik Hesmerg

"The task of conceiving a private home in the countryside south of Eelde raises the question as to how far the existing typology is suitable, without resorting to historicising architecture. This local typology is strongly determined by the simple Drenthe barn: straightforward, at a right angle to the road axis, centred in the countryside, without a privacy layer, functional, a single construction layer with roof. Farms fitting this description have already existed for centuries.
Due to the departure of farmers from the countryside and the arrival of urban dwellers with a desire for space, many old farms are being used as and reconverted into residential farms, without altering this typology. However, at the moment that the need for replacement development arises for this new function, the question comes up whether or not a private home can be conceived within this traditional description by incorporating modern-day demands with comfort, privacy, and a subtle transition from exterior to interior.

© Erik Hesmerg

The design responds to this by, on the one hand, embracing the classical typology and, on the other hand, developing the new living demands. A layer of wooden blinds covers both interior and exterior spaces: A house is situated within a wooden barn. By creating covered exterior spaces at essential positions within this layer, a subtle transition from interior to exterior is created (ensuring privacy and comfort), without abandoning the prominent image of the Drenthe barn.

elevation 01

In this way, the new art of living is seamlessly incorporated into the classical countryside, and the visual character of the countryside remains intact. The wooden layer consists of large shutters or arched doors, which can be manipulated at will to regulate privacy and protection from the sun. In this way, a lively image is created, harkening back to the old farm dynamic: The farm’s appearance is still changing due to the effects of usage.
The plan also envelops a landscape design, which manifests and brings to life the transition from nature to culture. The barn house is placed on a large wooden platform on the border of the designed garden and the agricultural countryside, acting as a connecting element of the land’s old and new functions. By introducing this contrast, a new harmony is created, naturally anchoring the history of the countryside’s changing function at this location."


Cite:
King , Victoria . "Barn House Eelde / Kwint Architects" 06 Jun 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 Jun 2012.

Courtesy of IaN+

Architects: 2A+P/A, Gianfranco Bombaci, Matteo Costanzo; IaN+ – Carmelo Baglivo,
Luca Galofaro, Stefania Manna; Ma0 – Massimo Ciuffini, Ketty Di Tardo,
Alberto Iacovoni, Luca La Torre with Architect Mario Cutuli

Location: Kush Rod, Injil District, Herat, Afghanistan
Structures: Studio Croci Associati Ing. Federico Croci
Collaborators: 2A+P/A – Valeria Bartolacci, Antonino Crea, Domenica Fiorini,
Maxim Mangold, Valentina Morelli, Consuelo Nunez Ciuffa; IaN+: Juliette Dubroca,
Simone Lapenta; Ma0: Manfredi Mazziotta, Mario Cutuli, Marco Bordone

Completion: April 2011
Site Area: 2,000 sqm
School Area: 650 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of IaN+

Courtesy of IaN+

"Project Costs
Construction cost is about 150.000 €, including expenses for the realisation of the garden. Maria Grazia Cutuli Foundation has provided for all the funds. The Italian daily newspaper Il Corriere della Sera will donate fifty computers and the Provincial Administration of Catania is going to grant the realisation of the school playground. The colour fabric Colorificio San Marco from Venice, donated the whole amount of paintings.

Courtesy of IaN+

Assignment
In 2001 Maria Grazia Cutuli, a prominent Italian journalist correspondent for the Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera, was murdered by a group of gunmen who ambushed her convoy in Afghanistan.
After this tragic event, her family established the Maria Grazia Cutuli Foundation that aims to support programs on the fields of education and social promotion, for children and women, in those countries devastated by war or natural calamities, especially in Afghanistan. The beauty of the landscape, described in Maria Grazia’s articles, gave us initial suggestions for developing the concept.
The research for an innovative educational space as an alternative to those models related to the after-war reconstruction emergencies has been one of the key points of the project as well as the design of the outside space as a ‘green classroom’ and the attempt to use local technologies and construction materials mainly.

Concept
The school stands on a dry landscape characterized by the brown colour of the soil. Few constructions come out from this flat and dusty territory, as enclosed islands surrounded by border walls. To the north the skyline is defined by the dark Hindu Kush Mountains.
The first challenge has been the research of a layout able to match functional needs and evocative spaces. After several meetings supported by lots of sketches and study models, the workgroup chose an articulated layout: a series of linked boxes containing both the classrooms and the connection corridors. The only two-floors volume is the library that acts as a symbolic landmark for the village. The border walls, which were required for security reasons, define, together with the boxes, a complex sequence of voids and volumes. Both external and internal spaces contribute in the definition of the educational environment. Among the classrooms there are small and intimate outdoor spaces where kids can stay, play and relax under the shadow of about fifty trees. The main courtyard, embraced by the building represents the most relational space of the school. Inside the school area and protected by the walls, there are also different vegetable gardens as a natural extension of the classrooms.

site plan

Realization
After the first stone setting, the works started immediately and proceeded very quickly. Afghan workers carefully followed our drawings but using different construction processes from ours. We use to build the structural frame and afterwards the walls enveloping the spaces. While Afghani construct all the elements at once, foundation, pillars, walls and only at the end the concrete beams and roof. In a certain way their construction methods are similar to the ones used in Italy for the reconstruction after the Second World War. Every week we received from the work’s director, the engineer Taheri, reports, pictures and updates on the percentage of realised works. It was not so easy to control all details at such a distance and thus, at the end of November 2010, three members of the workgroup visited the site to define the last finishing.
Materials
The structure of the building is a reinforced concrete frame, closed by solid bricks. All the materials and the applied technologies have been defined according to the local uses. All the façades and the border walls will be painted using different tones of blue. This colour is usually used in Afghanistan and the aim of the project is to create a blue landmark visible from the surroundings. The orientation of the classrooms and the design of the façades have been thought to assure the right amount of daylight and natural ventilation. The windows have been designed as iron frames, painted in red to make contrast with the blue of the walls."
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Maria Grazia Cutuli Primary School / 2A+P/A + IaN+ + MaO" 04 Jun 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 Jun 2012.

© Andrés García Lachner

Architects: Juan Robles
Location: Península de Osa, Costa Rica
Project Team: Juan Robles, Emilio Quirós, Adriana Serrano, Andrea Solano, Isabel Bello, Marcelo Pontigo, Bernardo Sauter,Bernd Loh
Built Area: 420 sqm
Date: 2010
Photographs: Andrés García Lachner

© Andrés García Lachner

CONCEPT
Casa Mecano function as an organism composed by a structure, skin and a mechanism that adapts the its environment. The project maximize the use of passive design strategies through biocli matic architecture in sinergy with the integration of a Building Management System that operate the glazingvents in order to achieve the thermal comfort levels, adequate for the tropical environment.

© Andrés García Lachner

At the same time, the team designed a manual system that allows the client to change the in clination of a sail, with the goal of controlling the direct sunlight projected inside the house. The project maximize function in the smallests pace possible, reducing the footprint and allowing the minimum use of construction materials.
BASIS OF DESIGN:
1. SITE
a. It is located at the top of a hill, where the natural ventilation and theviews are taken into advantage
b. The total footprint is a 5.3% of the total plot allowing the habit atres toration and permeability
c. The natural to pography was previouslydeveloped, so the project team took advantage of the property characteristics to control thee rosionduring the construction process

© Andrés García Lachner

CLIMATE
a. Temperature: 26.8 degrees Celsius
b. Relative Humidity: 83.8%
c. Rain: 406 (mm Hg)
3. ENERGY
a. The design team assembled a basic layout to reduce the size of the project, and the amount of area that need silumination and construction materials
b. The project includes a gas system for kitchen, BBQ Dryer and a Solar Water Heater, install edon the roof in order to reduce the energy bill
c. Lighting design include a minimum amount of lighting fixtures and the use of energy efficient lighting. The BMS helps to control the amount of light in the different ambiences within the spaces

4. WATER
a. The amount of rain in theareais406 (mm Hg), this way the rain water is harvested in a 10m3 tank which is used for irrigation
b. Permeable surfaces in the project hard scape and natural landscape, help water absorption back in the soil
5. MATERIALS
a. The main project goal is to minimize the amount of construction materials needed
b. The steel structural system is modular, allowing the reduction of construction debris
c. The roof panels allow the reduction of roof supports as they have a great structural capacity
d. The materials chosen are low maintenance

© Andrés García Lachner

6. ENVIRONMENT
Goals:
a. Use of low emitting products
b. Thermal comfort acheived with the use of passive strategies
c. Natural ventilation
d. Natural ilumination
e. Interior / Exterior integration
f. Adequate internal accoustics

7. TECHNOLOGY
a. The project maximize the use of passive design strategies through bio climatic architecture in sinergy with the integration of a Building Management System that operate the glazingvents in order to achieve the thermal confort levels, adequate for the tropical environment. At the same time, the team designed a manual system that allows the client to change the inclination of a sail, with the goal of controlling the direct sunlight projected inside the house, achieving good sinergy between design and technology

diagram 01 et 02

8. INNOVATION
a. The use of low cost technology is inside the project requirements that is why mechanisms are specially designed and built, allowing the movement of sails to respond to the natural climate and adapt as a living organism

9. PROCESS
a. The design process represents the opportunity to evaluate, prevent and improve the concepts and strategies applied to the house design
b. The local communities are taken into consideration since the begining of the project in order to use the regional resources and reinforce their isolated economies.

Cite:
King , Victoria . "Mecano House / Juan Robles" 27 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.

© Steve Keating Photography

Architects: Balance Associates Architects
Location: Big Sky, Montana, USA
Design Team: Tom Lenchek AIA, Principal, Lauren Tindall Crocco AIA, Jeff Babienko, AIA
Project Year: 2009
Site Area: 7.3 Acres
House Area: 3,400 square feet
Photographs: Steve Keating Photography

   

© Steve Keating Photography

The River Bank House sits along the Gallatin River just outside Big Sky, Montana. The clients love to entertain, so the house was set up to create an open and casual atmosphere with a strong connection to the outdoors. The house is oriented toward the best view of the river while maintaining good solar orientation for taking advantage of solar heat gain in the winter and keeping out the hot summer sun. The large roof over the living room serves to shade large areas of glass in the summer, while geothermal heat pumps and high levels of insulation help keep it warm and energy efficient in the winter. In such an extreme climate the house was specifically designed to withstand both extremes of the temperature spectrum.

© Steve Keating Photography

The house is separated into the main living area and the guest wing. The guest area is designed so that it can be shut off from the rest of the house when unoccupied and set back to a lower temperature when not in use. Additionally, the two wings of the house bend in order to capture the best views of the river and create a protected entry courtyard.

Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "River Bank House / Balance Associates Architects" 28 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.

Courtesy of LÜPS

The proposal by LÜPS for the Energy Center, Woodchips Energy Plant at the the convent of arch abbey St. Ottilien aims to stand out from the existing, architecturally less appealing buildings. Above a massive concrete architrave block, a transparent facade arises, made from frame-less polycarbonate sheets, allowing a view onto the wooden branch-like structure inside the building. Lying in the north of the convent grounds, between agriculture and hen-houses, the energetic project finds its importance represented by the impression one gets of the newly constructed building. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Courtesy of LÜPS

Following the renewable Energy discussions, the convent of arch abbey St. Ottilien decided to convert their Energy gaining system, in order to heat the entire facilities (40 buildings), including the high-school, into a lasting, self-sufficient central biomass complex. The majority of the raw combustion materials are won from the convent-owned forests. Through he new machinery with a total power of 1.945 kWh, the carbon dioxide emissions will be decreased by 85 percent, in comparison to the previous heating through oil.
A vital element of the energy central is the burning flame of the fire. It becomes visible due to a light installation with dynamic in- and decreasing light impulses, which atmospherically express the functional objective of the building in the convent. Furthermore, it allows the building to be illuminated and distinguished also from far away at night.

Courtesy of LÜPS

The actual building construction was completed to a large extent by the monks themselves. An elongated roof, constructed of exposed concrete allows display boards to be viewed in any weather condition. These boards inform visitors about the individual energy system used in the convent and provides them with a view of the heating room. In addition, they offer information on renewable Energy resources for the future.

The neighboring warehouse stands in hierarchical contrast to the heating complex in both shape and volume. This is already emphasized through the choice of the outermost material. Up to 400 m³ of wood chips are stored behind the horizontal wooden bar structure. These are transported underground via a conveyor belt to the heating furnaces inside the other building. Large rolling gates allow the emptying of trucks directly into the warehouse.

Courtesy of LÜPS

Light Installation
The construction is not another anonymous industrial building, inconspicuous within the convent grounds, rather a both functional-energetic, architecturally and atmospherically pleasing corpus integrated within its surrounding. We want to make Energy visible. An understanding for this valuable resource is key to our concept. Modern combustion sites hide the central core of their purpose, the open fire, the flame itself. Our goal is to present this vitality of combustion to the viewer.

Therefore, we propose the installation of a dynamically changing light source, in form of a in- and decreasing vital light pulse, which enhances the architectural, atmospherical, and functional identity of the building at various points in time. On multiple intertwined, spherically organized constructions made of metal, energy efficient LEDs (1W) will be mounted as light point sources. Due to the different activation possibilities of the red-green-blue LEDs, the spherical form can be illuminated in different pulsating colors.

Courtesy of LÜPS

The specific shape of the construction can be described as a mathematical fractal, namely an L-system. L-systems are mathematical models, which graphically describe the growth of plants, such as the branching out of a tree. Out of the center ‘grows’ L-systems with 2 iterations. The logically constructed branching hierarchy is vital for the consequent electrification and branching out of the control devices. This also leads to a repetition of metal elements and angle measurements, which allow an easy and affordable production thereof. On purpose, the lights are kept visible and there is no attempt to hide the construction. Consequently, the light object clearly sits within the machinery and technical aspect of the building and becomes an important part of the whole.
Architects: LÜPS
Location: Arch abbey St. Ottilien, Germany
Light Design: Mauritz Lüps
Collaborators: Peter Megele
Construction Management: Günther Schmitt-Bosslet
Structure: IB Heinrich
Specific Planning: Wärmeversorgungstechnik; Ebert-Ingenieure GmbH & Co. KG
General Contractor: Imtech Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Energy Analysis: Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V.
Contractor: Ditsch Bau GmbH & Co. KG
Carpenter: Convent St.Ottilien
Locksmith: Convent St.Ottilien
Photo Credits: Thomas Huber, Hans Engels, Atelier Lüps
Materials: polycarbonate panels, rolling shutters, LED light, conveyor belt
Property Area: 5.275 m2
Usable Area: 670 m2
Begin of Planning: 08/2007
Completion: 09/2008
Awards: European Energy + Architecture Award 2011
Year: 2008
Cite:
Furuto , Alison . "Energy Center, Woodchips Energy Plant / LÜPS" 24 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.

© Young-chae Park

Architects: Hyunho Lee, James Wei Ke (CHIASMUS Partners Inc.)
Location: Gongsu-ri, Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea
Design Team : Chisong Lim, Seungmin You, Sunghun Kim, Erang Park
Interior design team : Chisong Lim, Erang Park
Artist : Jo Sang
Client: Woncheol Shin, Seungyong Hyun, Jungsu Han, Minsu Han, Changhyeon Cha
Site area : 660 sqm
Building area : about 140 sqm
Total floor area : about 150 sqm
Project year: 2008 – 2009
Photographs: Young-chae Park

© Young-chae Park

Forest’s quintet was conceived as a viable alternative to urban dwelling. Situated in the beautiful mountain range of Yanggu, it is a group of individual dwelling that collectively form an ideal retreat.
The relationship between each house on this 15 acre site reflect the relationship between its owners. They are either relatives and close friends; they have chose to build this dream together and retire together to this beautiful retreat. The architectural language and major material are very similar between each home. Yet, due to the special terrain each house sits on, and the differences in their living habits of each family, every house is unique.

sketch 02

Planning wise, the home are inspired by the idea of oriental pavilions. Oriental pavilions, especially those in Korean gardens, have a special way of orientating toward different views, while in close proximity to each. The difference in spatial and viewing focus allow them to be placed close together without being crowded.
The second inspiration from traditional oriental pavilions is the way they are always open to nature. In this way, these houses are not objects inserted in nature, but rather enclosure that allow nature to pass through. Most of the houses have views open to multiple orientations. And several of the homes have “gaps” that allow light, wind and view to literally pass through them.

© Young-chae Park

The material we chose was very humble and practical. Using a type of redwood that resist decay, the exterior of these homes will last for a long time to come, while turning silvery grey, due to the natural aging process of the wood. Interior are quite simple in material and color palette, yet indefinitely rich, due to the different spatial experience one can have in different parts of each home.

plan 02

During the design process, each family had many design inputs and endless conversations. These are their dream homes. We are so proud that at the end of the process, when they all moved in, rather than envying their neighbor’s home, each family stubbornly insisted on their own home being the best of the bunch.
In the end, there are no such thing as a “best” home, only the one that fits you the most.

Cite:
Rosenberg , Andrew . "Forest’s Quintet / Chiasmus Partners" 06 Feb 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 17 Mar 2012.

© Aaron Leitz

Architects: Scott Allen Architecture
Location: Issaquah, Washington, USA
Total Living Area: 4,589 s.f. = 426 sqm
Completion Date: October, 2011
General Contractor: Roberts Wygal, Kirkland, WA
Finish Carpentry: Cavanaugh Custom Homes, Snohomish, WA
Photographs: Aaron Leitz Photography

© Aaron Leitz

Located in Issaquah Highlands’ prestigious Harrison Street neighborhood, this two-level home features sophisticated design that naturally accommodates a casual Pacific Northwest lifestyle. The hillside setting offered the opportunity to place the main living spaces as well as the master suite on the upper level, which took full advantage of the site’s expansive views.

© Aaron Leitz

The covered entry, set well back from the street behind a garden and pond, creates a private, welcoming transition into the home. A large vaulted space, housing the living, dining and kitchen areas, forms the heart of this home. This space is warmed by the use of hardwood floors and naturally-finished wood beams, and is illuminated by natural light that flows through continuous clerestory windows along the north, west and south sides.

Several of the windows in this upper band of glass are equipped with motorized openers, which allows for natural cross-ventilation of the space during warm weather. A dramatic wood and steel open-tread staircase connects the upper and lower levels. The lower level features a multi-functional space that can be used for a wide variety of family activities and that opens to both a view-side deck and a south-facing sun terrace.

© Aaron Leitz

This entertainment area creates a natural place to gather with built-in seating, a fire pit and a waterfall fed from the pool above. The lower level also houses three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a bar and wine room. The garage is artfully hidden from view on the lower level. On both levels of the home the views and the connections to the outdoors are maximized, with the inside and outside spaces flowing freely from one to the other through the use of oversized windows and wall-to-wall bi-parting doors.

Extensive decks on both levels are built of hardwood decking and stainless steel railings for both aesthetic appeal and durability. Sustainable strategies for this home include natural cross-ventilation, a geothermally-sourced heating and cooling system, and double-thick panelized roof construction.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Harrison Street Residence / Scott Allen Architecture" 07 Mar 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 09 Mar 2012.

© Tomasz Zakrzewski

Architect: RS+ Robert Skitek
Location: Tychy, Poland
Project Team: Robert Skitek, Robert Wilczok, Barbara Kotas, Dawid Marszolik
Structure: PROBEX Marian Urbanik
Completion: 2011
Project area: 371 sqm
Model: Piotr Witański
Photographs: Tomasz Zakrzewski

© Tomasz Zakrzewski

The house is located in the district of detached houses, among the chaotic and varied building which is a typical for the majority of contemporary Polish suburbs.

© Tomasz Zakrzewski

The client’s request was a bungalow – the utility program has a living area a private night area and separated space which serves as a cabinet and a spare room. In the future it can be a room for senior.
The problem was connected with the neighborhood houses which have a look-in the site. The Investor has wanted to have a not introverted house with opening towards the garden.

© Tomasz Zakrzewski

The solution was to create the principal terrace which is lee from three sides. In this way it became an intimate space for spending free time with friends during warm months.
The house’s composition consist of the ground floor area and the two small sections which are situated above it. The pieces are covered by penthouse roofs which have opposite inclinations. In one of them there is a little loft and the another one is a top part of the living room.

© Tomasz Zakrzewski

Of the south-western site in the future there will be the shallow pond being complement of the terraces and pergolas composition.

Entering the building we occur in the center of the living area, between the living room and the kitchen (with view of the site’s entrance) and the dining room. All of the rooms are opened on the above-mentioned terrace. Behind the living room there is an inhabitant’s private area with bedrooms and bathrooms. Behind the kitchen there is an area for guests with a separated bathroom. A division of the space in this way gives an option for making a flat for old person with an individual enter. On the north side there is a garage for two cars and a technical rooms.

© Tomasz Zakrzewski

The solutions were good decision and the terrace truly became a real heart of the home, very often used by residents.

Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "M House / RS + Robert Skitek" 30 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 30 Dec 2011.

© Yohei Sasakura

hitects: TOFU architects
Location: Hikone, Shiga, Japan
Project Architect: Fumiya Ogawa+Tomonobu Higashino
Project Area: 178.76 sqm
Completion: 2011
Photographs: Yohei Sasakura

© Yohei Sasakura

This building which has grand stairs is composed of duplex house and a cafe. The site is facing the shopping street leading to the Hikone castle from Hikone station in Shiga.

© Yohei Sasakura

The owner wanted a cafe space on the first floor, so the approach was needed to the third floor.
Considering the daily uses, the grand stairs were surrounded gradually around the building.

© Yohei Sasakura

We adjusted the level of the grand stair to the existing level of the arcade. As a result, creating a facade that was incorporated arcade looks interesting.
The stairs are not only for vertical movement, it can be used as a continuous private outdoor space with different heights.
For example, it can be a children’s playground, garden, drying place and so on.
The owner manages a Chinese-style cafe on the first floor.

© Yohei Sasakura

We placed Toilets and Cooking space under the stairs,therefore seats area could place square and also tables can be laid efficiently.
The garden is located on the back of the store,so there could have a comfortable space through their eyes.
The interior uses the wood which has good affinity with a concrete, giving the impression of comfort.

© Yohei Sasakura

The second floor has the room of a parent households, and the third floor is the room of the child household.
The interior of the house has given the warmth of wood using a plywood OSB.
We used the polished OSB plywood,so the plywood became smooth and the wood became abstraction like using wood chips.
Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "H-House / TOFU architects" 30 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 30 Dec 2011.

© Ivan Nemec

Architects: Jan Stempel
Location: Popovicky, Czech Republic
Landscaping: Lucie Vogelova / Terra florida
Project area: 150 sqm + 149 sqm
Completion: 2010
Photographs: Ivan Nemec / CFA

© Ivan Nemec

New family houses for different private clients are situated in a small village close to Prague. This location is very popular with young families with children. The parents work in Prague, but live in the country in a family house with a garden. This strong trend in the Czech Republic represents mainly standardized houses from catalogues.

© Ivan Nemec

Those two presented houses – designed as an archetypal form of a house in central Europe – stand out of this mass production. The reasonably used layouts are comfortable. The main living room is joined with the kitchen and the dining room. This gives an impression of a generous space.

© Ivan Nemec

The first house is made of concrete blocks with insulation and wooden cladding. The cable roof is covered with concrete black tiles. The house is opened to the southern garden. The garden was precisely designed and it is an inseparable part of the house. The owners started to be worried about their view because the neighbouring site was not built-up yet. They decided to recommend the architect and the site to their friends.

sections and plan 01

The second house is made of ceramic blocks with insulation and an added brick wall. The gable slate roof corresponds to the first house by the shape and colour. The focus of the design is a vista in the direction of the cross axis. This principle is inspired by passable barns. There are situated two tables in this axis. The first – internal one is placed in double story open space. The second table consists on the external embedded terrace. The living room is next to these spaces in an intimate part of the house.

sections and plan 02

The clients finally joined their gardens together. The houses appeal as a composition of two simple houses in a common large garden.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Family Houses in Popovicky / Jan Stempel" 28 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 Dec 2011.

© Angus Bremner & Paul Zanre

Architect: Oliver Chapman Architects
Location: Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland
Date of completion:  2010
Gross internal floor area (sqm): 14 no. units at 70 sqm
Total cost: £1,400,000.00
Structural engineers: David Narro Associates
Photographs: Angus Bremner, Paul Zanre

Detail

Working with the Scottish Borders Council, the NHS and Berwickshire Housing Association, OCA have designed 14 semi-detached houses and a shared services facility for people with disabilities at Duns. The houses are clustered around a new quiet street. The houses move away from traditional institutional models of care toward a more domestic model which allows the users to vary their degree of independence and support from the shared services of the facility.

Drawing

All the houses are set out around a ‘tartan grid’ which creates a varying relationship between houses and the road. Some houses are set back further from the road than the convention, whilst others are set close to the road edge. There is also a mixture of gables and eaves adjacent to the road which adds to the streetscape character. The commonly understood character of a home is created by designing duo pitched roof form with gables at either end.

Plan

OCA’s urban design framework for the surrounding area will ensure that the care facility will integrate into areas of future social and private housing.
 

Section

The contractors were JSL Swintons of Hawick and the care service providers are Community Integrated Care.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Care Housing / Oliver Chapman Architects" 27 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 09 Mar 2012.

© Paul Warchol

Architects: Leroy Street Studio
Location: Long Island, NY
Completion: 2007
Size: 7,400 sf House, 1,900 sf Wood Shop and Garage
Photographs: Paul Warchol

© Paul Warchol

To satisfy a client’s passion for barns, we sought to capture the qualities of traditional barn structures (generous spaces; repetitive timber frames), while developing a modern building responding to the demands both of a residential program, and a site’s dramatic views of the adjacent corn field and nearby moody Atlantic coast. The main home is accompanied by a woodshop with adjoining changing rooms for use of the lap pool that lies just beyond. The woodshop was a special request from the client, an avid woodworker with passionate requirements about the shop’s aesthetic and geographical relationship to the house. With such a strong affinity for a hobby exercised indoors, we exploited the impressive scope of the site and the accompanying nature by designing a compound of buildings that incorporate the emotion of the surrounding outdoors from within the buildings themselves.

© Paul Warchol

The entrance of the house is approached along a raised boardwalk. The entry sequence draws one through the building’s louvered skin into a two-story foyer overlooking a three story interior garden courtyard. The house’s public spaces are elevated to the second floor to capture the long views. The main space, an open living, dining and kitchen hall, opens to a billiard room below, and to a mezzanine and a ceiling-scape of delicate three-dimensional hybrid wood-and-steel timber frame members and slot skylight above. An immense stone fireplace divides this hall from the outdoor, screened porch beyond. The mezzanine opens outside to a rooftop garden connecting to a study tucked into the rafters.

© Paul Warchol

The foremost determining feature of the project’s architecture is its collaborative use of inside and outside spaces that come together to form a dualistic experience; succeeding in bringing the outside in. To unify the various internal and external spaces, we created a translucent wrapper for the building of louvers and rain screen siding. In all, five outdoor courts and garden spaces are unified under the single roof, giving the structure a double reading of complexity from up close, and simple monolithic harmony from afar. When lit at night, the main house’s light shines from within the spaces between the louvers, allowing a gauzy translucence rarely seen in solid, volumetric structures.

© Paul Warchol

The woodshop building also maintains the indoor-outdoor parti with a semi-covered rooftop patio alongside the upstairs woodshop entrance. Down below are the changing rooms, kitchen area and garage, with a breezeway dividing the indoor spaces on either side, paving the way to the pool straight ahead.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Louver House / LSS" 26 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 09 Mar 2012.

© zeroplus

Architect: zeroplus
Location: Puget Sound, Washington, USA
Project Team: Joshua Brevoort, Principal; Lisa chun, Principal; Casey Borgen, Intern
Fabricators: River Ranch LLC and Meadow Works
Manager: Bud Searle
Carpenters: Neil Harrington, Mark Schrader
Project Area: 1200 sqf
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: zeroplus

© zeroplus

Our practice explores how architecture can develop a symbiotic relationship with its surroundings. In this project, a cabin that is a retreat from the intense experiences of urban living, we found a number of ways to develop this ecological model. We started with a strict set of site rules that govern the design and construction process. The most important rule is that the previously undisturbed site full of mature Douglas fir and cedar trees, some up to three feet in diameter with a dense marine underbrush including salal bushes would be left as undisturbed as possible. Secondly we focused on structural and material systems that not only reinforced the primary idea about non-disturbance but also took its clues from the efficiency of natural systems, primarily driven by lightness. Lightness talks not only of efficiency and conservation but perhaps a more esoteric idea that lightness can be an elevation of spirit brought on by a rich connection to site. Finally to address our needs for thermal comfort in this temperate environment we split the uses into two distinct zones one exposed and one protected, providing a way to enjoy the sensory experience of the forest but to have a warm protected refuge from it as well.

© zeroplus

The site strategies included a foundation of minimally invasive concrete disks which raises the house up off the ground leaving the plants and wildlife to continue to grow. Collaborating with an arborist, we devised a system to allow not only the tree’s large tap roots to remain but also the very small capillary-like roots that trace through the top humus layer continued access to nutrients, water and sun. Another rule was the tight restriction of the area that was allowed to be disturbed during construction which was controlled by a fence that left only a very small working area surrounding the house. Though it made construction more difficult the final result was a building that nestles itself into the landscape. Finally from a planning perspective the driveway and parking which are located on a previously disturbed area that was separated from the house by a large portion of the site. A small path was created to connect the parking and the house, part of which was a ramp that bridges up to the house creating even more undisturbed area. The next rule was to connect the inside of the house with its surroundings creating an immersive experience. This is achieved not only through the generous use of glass but with light monitors built into the giant roof reaching up through the branches pulling in bright patches of the sun cutting through the tall trees. By conserving the existing characteristics of the site and connecting to the its richness, its complexity, beauty, and ever changing qualities can be observed and understood at all times.

© zeroplus

Our use of lightness can be understood in two ways the first was literally the weight of the materials and the second the more difficult to define quality of uplifting the spirit. In order to achieve lightness in material we first worked to create a light weight structural system that efficiently delivered stability to the overall building. This prefabricated steel system relies on tension for support which greatly reduces the weight of individual structural members. Finally the roof , an extremely light system of structurally insulated panels or SIP’s. SIPS were plant fabricated off site and quickly installed as a series of simple large panels. These panels are not only light but are made highly thermally efficient due to the nature of their construction two layers of oriented strand board glued to a dense internal layer of insulation that is acting both structurally and thermally. Lightness in spirit is concerned with a more difficult thing to describe. Other than to say it comes from an intuitive sensibility, a sensibility about the brilliance of the seemingly mundane daily conditions which all play a role that subtly defines that elusive quality, a quality that lightens the mind and hopefully contributes to a healthy and nurturing way of living.

elevation

Thinking about how the rooms are used and how that can effect the thermal demands of them brought us to dividing the project into two distinct thermal zones, a living zone which is glazed and turns outward toward its surroundings connecting directly with the out of doors, and a sleeping zone that is heavily insulated and turns inward and is dark and quiet. This allows for a separation of climates so to speak. It came from our experiences backpacking where you spend the day outside and then at night you tuck into a sleeping bag inside a tent we look at it as a way to balance the differences between being exposed to the out of doors all day long and wanting relief, warmth and security as you sleep. It also has the added bonus of reducing the heating demands during the night. It was also important to us to push the edges of thermal comfort so as to again connect us to the qualities of the continually changing environmental conditions found in nature.

north elevation

This approach that brings the building more closely aligned with the patterns cycles and systems of nature we feel has great potential for teaching and re-enlivening our connection to our environments and will ultimately lead to a more successful and sustainable way of living.
Text provided by zeroplus.

© zeroplus

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "Sneeoosh / zeroplus" 19 Sep 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 24 Jan 2012.

© Rupert Singleton

Architects: Juliana & Tristan
Location: Brookvale Park, Singapore
Project Area: 150 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Rupert Singleton, ImageGarden

© Rupert Singleton

Beginnings
Tucked away in a corner off the main road, surrounded by lush greenery, sits one of those increasingly rare and threatened species of our built environment, a private walk up apartment with space to breathe and quietude for the soul. Like others built in its era, Brookvale Park combine both a stroke of practicality in its economy of scale, whilst maintaining sensitivity to the spatial proportions and distances that is required for its inhabitants to live life without the intrusive pressures of urbanity.
Individual dwelling units enjoy that rare commodity of a generous span of balcony, whilst internally, a sense of play abounds as different horizontal planes separate the public domain from the private. Belie this apartment’s aging exterior lies a potential sophistication of spaces which we recognised in our search for a home some years back.

© Rupert Singleton

After viewing countless different yet similar cookie cutter apartment layouts, we instantly saw the possible beauty of this top storey corner apartment. The slanted roof, though covered by the false ceiling, and diffused sunlight through the side skylight gently illuminating the interior, sealed the deal and we set out to sculpt the apartment into our home.

Revealing the beauty
The entire original ceiling was removed and a series of solid timber rafters, concealed and darkened over the years, was revealed. These were sand down, restored, given its due recognition and fundamental objective to soar overhead and form the anchor of the apartment. Lush greenery, now framed by newly installed unadorned steel framed glass windows, provides the necessary cross ventilation that every tropical home should embrace.

© Rupert Singleton

Cool grey stones greet the visitor as one steps into the living room and a built in book case meets the eye. A long bench which functions as the main settee is integrated with a series of steps, serving to transit from the stone floor to the timber boards on the split upper level of the unit. The open kitchen now serves as the new back drop of the public domain.
The new Master suite takes over the entire rear portion, occupying what was once two guest bedrooms, a kitchen and a service bath. The collective space was given a complete overhaul, exposing the original roof rafters and creating an uninterrupted flow from the intimate bed space to the striking, opened bathroom.

© Rupert Singleton

The original Master bedroom now functions as a study. The wall separating the study and living room was removed as much as possible, allowing one to peer into either space through the voids of the book case.
The interplay of volumes within the apartment, brought about by the combination of the pitched roof, raised platforms and torn down walls reveal a strong yet flexible hierarchy of space that was intuitively understood and celebrated through the use of materials and careful detailing. The resultant space is one that has been crafted and honed to meet the refined sensibilities of modern life.

An endangered species
Unfortunately, with economics and “p.s.f“ (per square foot) figures rather than refinement of the living space being the driving force behind todays’ developments, one would be hard pressed to find an equivalent sophistication in the modern designs of today. Walk-up apartment blocks as old as Brookvale are an “endangered species” in our city-country of Singapore. Many are “en-bloc” (where owners of separate units band together to collectively sell their properties to a developer) and put up for tender for redevelopment, often replaced by typical floor plates which aim to pack as many units as possible into any given site. These alluring apartments are most often, torn down to give way to a bland permutation of soulless architectural condition and utilitarian living.

Brookvale is no exception
It is currently in the midst of a potential en-bloc tender and is in the mercy of prospective buyers versus the dwellers. The hope of publishing our apartment is to tell the story of such a charm that cannot be substituted with pristine new living quarters. Our wish is for like-minded individuals to cherish these living spaces and live in as they were meant to be.
 
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Brookvale Park / Tristan & Juliana" 23 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Jan 2012.

© Christian Richters

Architects: SeARCH
Location: Zutphen, The Netherlands
Project Team: Bjarne Mastenbroek, Ad Bogerman
Assistants: Elke Demyttenaere, Remco Wieringa w/ Nienke Bouwhuis, Gert Jan Machiels, Dagmar Niecke, Geert Vennix
Client: Anonymous
Contractor: BAM utiliteitsbouw, Arnhem
Interior Design: Kluster V.O.F., Purmerend, The Netherlands
Completion Date: July 2004
Project Area: 500 sqm
Photographs: Christian Richters

© Christian Richters

How can the historical and spatial qualities of an old farmyard, with all its various outbuildings, be retained when the new function is that of a family residence?

© Christian Richters

The livestock barn which formed the stem of the traditional T-form farmhouse is demolished and replaced by a new building. This new extension attaches itself precisely to the opening left by the removal of the original barn, thus retaining the T-form. The new volume is skewed in plan giving it a distorting ‘pulled and dragged’ perspective.

© Christian Richters

The existing farmhouse and outbuildings are divided programmatically from the new extension. Living accommodation is situated in the existing building with the adjoining part of the extension housing a large open kitchen space and the entrance, situated between the new and existing. The workroom, guest accommodation and garden store are all located in the remainder of the new volume separated from the living spaces by a large conservatory. The freestanding barn is retained with an option for a future swimming pool conversion.

The load bearing construction of the extension consists of a series of solid prefabricated wooden plates. They define the building’s internal finishes and influence the quality of the interior space. By cladding the roof and elevations with a continuous skin of horizontal timber laths, the façades simultaneously have the appearance of being open, semi-transparent and closed.

sketch

Cite:
King , Victoria . "Wolzak / SeARCH" 19 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 20 Jan 2012.

© Dianna Snape

Architects: JOH Architects
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Completion: 2009
Builder: David Tucker
Project Architect: Christian O’Halloran
Area: 355 sqm
Photographs: Dianna Snape

© Dianna Snape

The house is a family weekender located on approximately 100 acres in the granite belt roughly one hours drive north of Melbourne.
Our brief “in simple” is summarized in the points below:
1. A contemporary dwelling to comfortably house the entire family, but with the opportunity to “zone” when there are only two residing
2. Strong focus to all four elevations – not just a façade
3. Low maintenance natural materials
4. To capture the views in all directions
5. Extensive outdoor areas with shelter from both east or west
6. Respect for the local climate (extreme heat & cold)

© Dianna Snape

The obvious site for the house has panoramic views of the surrounding hills with the existing site access road approaching from the south. We created a circular driveway at the head of this road leading to covered car spaces, which radiate off the driveway, and provide sheltered access directly through the boots room or laundry on either side of the main entry door. The dwelling has three wings built around this central circular drive, bedroom / study wings along the east & west sides, with the main living, kitchen, dining and decks along the north. A gallery connects the three wings and main entry. The bedroom wings are mirrored geometric compressed cement sheet boxes with deep reveal windows providing shade and weather shelter.

© Dianna Snape

The main living, kitchen, dining and decks facing due north are under one long blade corrugated roof structure supported by high rustic timber trusses which are supported of a rammed earth blade wall. The rammed earth wall also separates these areas from the gallery walkway, which links all three wings and the building entries.

© Dianna Snape

Materials are: Natural timber cladding, decking, trusses and windows have been used along the northern wing with zincalume finish corrugated roofing. The blade rammed earth wall has the same natural finish both inside and outside the building.

© Dianna Snape

The only painted external surface is the compressed cement sheet cladding to the bedroom / study wings. The paint colour was selected to best match the distance eucalypt hillsides (earthy olive / brown), which blends with all the selected natural building materials as well as the surrounding landscape in both summer (dry barren brown) and winter (Lush green hillsides)

© Dianna Snape

Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "Glenhope House / JOH Architects" 02 Jan 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 02 Jan 2012.

© AATA Associate Architects

Architects: AATA Associate Architects
Location: Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile
Client: Cabañas Morerava
Construction: Alejandro Martinez Z.
Area: 77 sqm
Project Year: 2009-2010
Photographs: AATA

site plan - floor plan

We originally started with the idea of the Morerava Cabins when we saw an opportunity to create a tourist complex on Easter Island in 2009. Analysing the tourist market on the Island we quickly realized most sectors were well developed, spanning from luxury Hotels to private homes and camping, however one niche sector was not covered: family friendly cabins which meet certain quality standards.
When we started to design the cabins we realized a very bespoke design would be required in order to correspond to the unique and delicate context of the island. The construction process, material resourcing and daily usage of the cabins had to have minimal impact on the very fragile environment of Easter Island.

exploded axo

Taking everything into account we developed the idea of a prefabricated design. The entire prefabrication was finally executed on the continent and then shipped by boat. This ensured minimal local impact and avoided the use of any material from the island. The design of the module emerges from the optimization of common materials available on the market. For example, modulation between pillars is 120cm is half the length of a plate, resulting in less waste of material.

© AATA Associate Architects

Since the temperature on Easter Island is always close to the comfort zone (subtropical climate), it was not necessary to add thermal insulation, allowing what traditionally would leave the interior structure of the panels visible. This results in savings in material and workmanship and, as the timber structure is visible, creates an interesting design.

A space between ceiling panels and zinc cover thermally insulates the roof structure, allowing the natural air ventilation to remove any built-up heat.
In order to achieve minimal intervention with the natural terrain, all cabins hover over ground on single pillars. This preserves the natural water absorption of the earth and allows for natural air ventilation underneath the floor, eliminating any potential moisture problems. Additionally we managed to conserve local species of plants and shrubs making them an integral part of the overall design and ambience.

© AATA Associate Architects

We implemented continuous windows on either side of the huts in order to allow for sufficient interior luminance and cross ventilation avoiding the need of any mechanical systems. The location of all windows prevent visual connections from cabin to cabin allowing for the necessary privacy amongst all visitors.
All Cabins have a rainwater collection system, which stores and treats the water for the re-usage in the cabins. Water from the network is only used in case this supply runs out. This avoids the over consumption of a resource which is rare on the Island. Hot water comes from solar heating tanks to the solar panels located on each cottage’s roof, avoiding the use of gas or electricity (which in the island is generated from petrol).
Each cabin has 60 sqm plus 17 sqm on terraced decks and is equipped for up to 6 visitors.
 
Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Morerava Cabins / AATA Associate Architects" 24 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Feb 2012.

© Mike Sinclair

Located in Herington, Kansas the new office for Hodgdon Powder Company utilizes a Quonset hut system of construction that allows an extremely functional yet dynamic space for the company’s employees.  The design plays to the strengths of the pre-engineered system by focusing the major modifications to the end wall assemblies, allowing the dual-corrugated, structural panels to remain largely intact.
More photographs and drawings following the break.

Architects: el dorado inc
Location: Herington, Kansas, USA
Principal in Charge: Josh Shelton
Project Architect: Sean Slattery, AIA, LEED AP
Furniture Design and Fabrication: Brady Neely
Structural: Genesis Structures
Metal Building Engineering: Steelmaster USA
MEP: Lankford and Associates
Landscape: el dorado inc
Lighting: Derek Porter Studio
General contractor: Kelley Construction Company
Owner: Hodgdon Powder Company
Project Area: 8,500 sqf
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Mike Sinclair

© Mike Sinclair

This project illustrates el dorado‘s  belief that a dynamic workplace contributes positively to staff productivity and can assist with brand reinforcement. The design goal with the Hodgdon Powder facility was to prove this true even on a “bare bones” industrial project such as this.

The program, 8,500 sqf, called for a reception, meeting space, offices, dining, and locker rooms.  El dorado chose to separate the uses into three buildings orienting them around a garden of native plants and outdoor circulation.

floor plan

El dorado worked closely with Steelmaster USA to design a Quonset hut, examining the appropriate size and span, that could accomodate the needs of the Hodgdon Powder Company.
 
Cite:
Minner , Kelly . "An Office for Hodgdon Powder Company / el dorado" 25 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Feb 2012.

© Youngchea PARK

Architects: Hyungnam LIM, Eunjoo ROH, Studio GAON
Locations: Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 75.6 sqm
Photographs: Youngchea PARK

This house sits on a hill facing Jinaksan on the outskirts of South Korea’s Geumsan, Chungcheongnam-do. South of the project site stands houses on modest hills and to the north towers Jinaksan, which frames a lake in the distance. The wind escapes from the valley and blows across the land, passing through the hills.

© Youngchea PARK

From the semi-open space of 26 square meters in this simple house of 43 square meters, the mountains seem close enough to touch, and a simple path winds its way below as part of an unobstructed view of a majestic landscape. Clearing the land at the front of the house, we’ve formed a garden and created showers and a deck for outdoor entertainment. This house is designed for its owner, his books, his students, and his fellow teachers, and it is designed to simultaneously reflect Western wooden structure and embrace the space of Korean traditional architecture.

© Youngchea PARK

In the twenty-some years since we’ve worked for architecture, we have struggled to understand the essence of Korean architecture. The element of Korean architecture that distinguishes it from Japanese or Chinese architecture is, without a doubt, the fact that, in Korean architecture, space moves and flows; that is, a space in Korean architecture is not one frozen frame, but rather, different spaces that interact and change. The rooms of this house follow that flow with ease, and both light and wind leave traces of their presence.

The land on which this house now stands brought to mind a house called Do-San Seodang, which belonged to a philosopher of the 15th century by the name of Yi Hwang, and so we suggested a house of a style that reflected his to the clients. Although Do-San Seodang is small, simple, and linear, its design is conceptually rich. Yi Hwang embraced a theory called Gyung(敬), which called for humility in oneself and respect for others, as well as a simple, practical, and rational lifestyle. Do-San Seodang is Yi Hwang as the present, the books that formed and supported him as the past, and the students that carry on his teachings as the future. And it is beautiful.

© Youngchea PARK

A small and simple house that holds the universe… Just hearing these words makes my heart race. The house we dream of is not one that is large or grand enough to be seen from the moon; rather, it is one full of intent. Do-San Seodang is a creation that we as architects dream of and aspire to emulate.

Most of us obsess over owning a house, and we obsess over the size of that house. Modern-day houses have grown larger and larger, and their occupants, too, are accumulating more and more material wealth, reducing available space and forcing expansion. People typically are born into small bodies and return to an even smaller final resting place. Why, then, do we desire houses that are too big for us? Our possessions swell to an unnecessary magnitude, and in the end we are burdened by their weight. We are neither kings nor gods, nor are we aliens. Like clothing that does not fit, houses that do not fit their owners appear unnatural. Where do we draw the line between too small and too large? People believe that if their houses grow as their life progresses, they have achieved success. An extravagant house, however, does not guarantee happiness or satisfaction.

Plan

The client wanted a small and simple house in which he could spend his remaining years with his wife, and the arrangement of the bedroom and guest room, a minimal kitchen and bathroom, and the attic-turned-study in this house strongly resembles the layout of Do-San Seodang. Coincidentally, he parallels Yi Hwang not only in that he is a scholar, but also in that he is now the same age as the philosopher was when he began to build his Do-San Seodang. This house is the past and the present and the future, and it will become a space that exists in harmony with both nature and the client’s students.

Cite:
P , Amber . "House in Geumsan / Eunjoo ROH + Studio GAON" 04 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 06 Aug 2011.

© Will Brewster

Architect: Medicine Hat Inc.
Location: Ruby Springs, Montana, USA
Project Year: 2010
Interior: Shack Up Studio
Photographs: Will Brewster / Medicine Hat Inc.

The Ruby Springs PREFAB by Medicine Hat Inc. exhibits the best attributes of the modular prefab home. Set against the mountains and trees of the Montana landscape this residence connects to its surroundings both with materiality and porosity. The prefabricated nature of the structure has left its landscape and natural beauty untouched.

© Will Brewster

A careful consideration of existing conditions and views creates the optimal orientations and directionalities of the prefabricated modules and the scheme of screens.

© Medicine Hat Inc.

The humble abode is made up of five modular sections which were constructed 130 east in Gallatin Gateway. When transported the components were assembled and the new structure established within the day.

© Will Brewster

A system of operable hydraulic screens on the exterior of the building encloses outdoor patio and porch spaces. These screens act as filters for both light and view. Easily operable, these screens can be raised to allow for more porosity or kept in place for visual interest. When raised the screens act as a cantilevered canopy. As the light moves across the closed screens shadows slide across surfaces creating an ever changing façade.

© Will Brewster

A series of sliding “barn” doors also encloses parts of the interior. When raised the landscape becomes an extension of the living area. The material of the interior and exterior faces blend together and the natural browns of the surrounding mountains and hayfields become one with the structure.

Cite:
LeMaire , Greg . "Ruby Springs PREFAB / Medicine Hat Inc." 06 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 07 Aug 2011.

© Lucie Mlynarova

Architects: mimosa architekti
Location: Bohumilec, Czech Republic
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Lucie Mlynarova

 
Concept
The project is a single-family house for a family of four in the outskirts of the small village Bohumileč in the Pardubice region. The volume solution of the house was inspired by the design of the rustic house with a saddle roof. Volume and material simplicity join the house with its natural and urban framework. The building “seeks to be” an unobtrusive, yet an expressive “resident” of the place.

The south orientation of the building along with the east-west direction of the view into the countryside defines the axis, which the ground plan of the house is based on. The east–west axis divides the house into the southern living and northern service wing. The building is embodied into a “ micro-world” of the lot at the end of the village. The lot is surrounded with a barrier of full-grown trees.

© Lucie Mlynarova

Architectural Solution
The ground floor involves an integrated space of the interconnected living room and the dining room. The kitchen and the staff workrooms adjoin that space from the north. The service centre staircase and, the entrance area are located on the northern front facade of the house. The rooms with a southern orientation and the staircase hall with the carrel with the view of the countryside, are all situated in the first floor, with the bathroom and the lavatory in the northern section.

© Lucie Mlynarova

The wooden husk of the house hides the interior in white colors. Colorfulness of the house steps back the colorfulness of the surrounding green. The colors of the surroundings infiltrate the house and change it during the seasons.

First Floor Plan

Cite:
Jett , Megan . "House in Bohumilec / mimosa architekti" 21 Jul 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 21 Jul 2011.

© Roberto de Leon

The Mason Lane Farm Operations Facility is a new complex for farm equipment servicing, re-fueling & storage, as well as providing seasonal storage for grain & hay. The facility supports a 2,000-acre property utilized for agriculture, recreation, wildlife habitat and conservation purposes. The project has been submitted for LEED Gold Level certification and is notable as the first of its type for implementing LEED criteria to an agricultural project.  More photographs and drawings following the break.

Architects: De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop
Location: Goshen, Kentucky, USA
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Roberto de Leon
 

© Roberto de Leon

section (Barn A)

Rooted in the simplicity of regional farm structures and in concert with the client’s priorities for responsible stewardship of the land, the farm complex utilizes simple, passive sustainable approaches that are specifically based on an understanding of the regional climate and the nuances of the landscape. For reasons of both economy and ease of maintenance, sustainable building strategies are decidedly ‘low-tech’, favoring conventional construction methods & ordinary materials over specialized systems. In particular, the project implements strategies that take advantage of the cross-synergies between site & building design, focusing on a holistic approach where both components work as a single integrated system.

© Roberto de Leon

Consolidating the various programmatic elements into two large barn buildings and a grain silo (in order to minimize building footprints), the majority of the project site is allocated to the circulation & access requirements of large-scale farm equipment. Because facility water usage is minimal and site landscaping is limited to native & regionally-adapted plants that do not require irrigation, site-wide stormwater strategies focus on returning runoff to replenish local aquifers. Porous, drivable gravel surfaces are pitched to channel stormwater into two ‘rain gardens’ planted with native vegetation. Excess run-off is collected within these basins and allowed to percolate back into the groundwater table. In order to minimize maintenance, building roof gutters are eliminated and replaced with ‘site gutters’, a system of drivable, shallow concrete channel swales aligned below each roof eave, which direct stormwater to the collection basins.

Barn A

The two primary buildings (Barn ‘A’ and Barn ‘B’) are arranged to frame an outdoor work courtyard, allowing for the consolidation of outdoor lighting requirements to an internalized site zone and away from the farm complex property perimeter, preserving ‘dark sky’ conditions.
Barn ‘A’, with fully enclosed storage & work areas, utilizes a standard prefabricated wood truss frame clad with corrugated metal panels. Emphasizing the layering of construction, building elements that are typically hidden (such as wall substrates, fastening screws & alignment lines) are incorporated as design features and reinterpreted as ‘finish’ materials. Natural light, ventilation and views are provided to all interior spaces through full-height operable windows which working in concert with a whole-house fan to draw air through the building.

Barn B

Barn ‘B’, a large covered shed used to store both hay & equipment, is clad in a lattice grid of locally-harvested bamboo sourced only 35 miles from the project site. Considered a fast-growing invasive ‘weed’, the bamboo is a material nod to the square-bale hay that is stacked at each end of the barn, while also providing a breathable skin that allows the hay to dry through natural ventilation. Since Barn ‘B’ is an open-air structure vulnerable to wind-uplift forces, the concrete drainage channels below its roof eaves also function as a counterweight through an interlocking detail with the column concrete footings below grade.

© Roberto de Leon

Although the project is grounded primarily on passive heating & cooling strategies, several conventional mechanical approaches are used during extreme climate conditions like humid summer months. They include the following: In-slab hot-water coils heated with a wood-fired boiler (renewable energy source from onsite agriculture waste wood) with propane fuel back-up, whole-house ventilation fan, inverter-controlled ductless split system AC unit (a non-CFC-based refrigerant), florescent light fixtures on IR sensors & timers with manual override, low-flow toilet & low-volume water fixtures integrated to an adjacent septic field.

© Roberto de Leon

A particular focus on recycled and locally/regionally sourced materials informed the choice of construction systems and finishes. The primary building materials are comprised of the following:
Building Construction [Exterior Envelope]: Pre-fabricated wood trusses, pressure-treated wood framing, high fly-ash concrete slab on grade with insulation/drainage board containing 40% recycled content, concrete piers, prefinished corrugated metal panels (siding & roof) with 49% recycled content, locally harvested bamboo, galvanized wire ties, insulated glazing (fixed & operable windows), wire-glass.
Finish Materials [Interiors]: Pressure-treated 2x wood planks, phenol-formaldeyde (versus urea-based) OSB, low-formaldehyde emissions (non-urea based) MDF, Homasote (98% post-consumer waste paper-fiber panels; tackable & sound-absorbent), wood screws, linoleum tiles.
Landscaping: Zero-irrigation native and regionally-adapted plants, locally-sourced decomposed granite aggregate (gravel), local limestone (retaining walls), rain gardens (stormwater retention basins).

Cite:
Minner , Kelly . "Mason Lane Farm / De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop" 02 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 30 Aug 2011.

© Sean Guess

Court Houses are the result of Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction‘s desire to increase density within the urban core of Austin. Instead of building one single family residence on a city lot, Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction built two. The lot is on a corner, which provided separate points of access. The surrounding neighborhood context is a mixture of residential projects and city and private development infrastructure. This infrastructure, located across each street forming the corner, informed a courtyard design for the houses as a way to mitigate their presence and provide a private refuge. Formally each house is an L, opposing one another to create a perimeter boundary surrounding an internal courtyard.

Architect: Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction
Location: 802 Cardinal Lane Austin, Texas, USA
Project Architect: Sean Guess AIA
General Contractor: Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction
Project Area: 2001 sqf each unit
Project Year: 2011
Photography: Sean Guess
 

© Sean Guess

The courtyard is bisected by a mixed red handmade brick wall as it weaves through the property, providing both physical and visual separation between each house, as well as a contrast to the smooth steel troweled white stucco used to clad the houses. The first floors are separated, and these opposing separations provide passage into the courtyard and subsequent entry for each house. The second floors are joined above these exterior passages due to zoning restrictions, however distinct separation is achieved through framing and ceiling heights. The overall massing of the project was conceived as a stark white square box with the middle removed. From this box Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction began to carve into the mass and create overhangs and perpendicular walls into which they inserted most of the glazing. On the street side of the houses this both provides shade for the glazing and orients views up and down the streets, as opposed to across the street to the surrounding infrastructure. In the courtyard the overhangs provide covered exterior living and dining areas, and extensive glazing was used facing the courtyard to capture daylight, while careful placement maintains privacy between the houses. There was extensive bamboo on the property prior to construction.

Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction harvested all that was in the footprint of the project and created a series of privacy and shading screens with the bamboo. These provide a delicate contrast to the massive fields of stucco and provide dynamic shadows and shade.

© Sean Guess

© Sean Guess

© Sean Guess

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "Court Houses / Faye and Walker Architecture + Construction" 16 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 18 Aug 2011.

© Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

Architect: Robert M. Gurney, FAIA
Location: Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
Project Architect: Claire L. Andreas
Contractor:  Peterson and Collins Inc.
Interior Designer: Therese Baron Gurney, ASID
Landscape Architect: Lila Fendrick Landscape
Engineer: D. Anthony Beale LLC
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

 
Located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, this project involves a complete renovation and substantial addition to a familiar, simply massed brick “colonial”. The original, gable shaped volume fronting the street is minimally altered in an effort to retain the scale and massing of neighboring houses. Tall windows are incorporated into the existing façade. A copper clad, vaulted volume is integrated into the composition with a new front porch and wide stairs, invoking the nostalgic porches found throughout the neighborhood.

© Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

To reduce the massing as seen from the street, the majority of new space is added to the back of the house. Living spaces are relocated to the “garden” side of the property, away from the street.
A new terrace and rigorously designed landscape elements, including walkways, walls and plantings become an integral part of the design. A garden structure, constructed of dry-stacked stone, mahogany, steel and copper roofing anchors the composition and provides privacy from adjoining properties. The entirety of the lot is incorporated into the design of this project.

© Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

The light filled interiors are ordered and open, crisply detailed and minimal while retaining richness and warmth. Quarter-sawn white oak cabinetry and millwork, dark stained oak flooring, and mahogany screens are combined with travertine, black granite and limestone to comprise the majority of the material palette. Furnishings are selected to be harmonious with finishes and spatial composition.
Today, too many houses are immediately discarded and demolished in favor of inflated, poorly detailed, badly massed structures that overwhelm their sites. This project demonstrates an attempt to provide the spatial requirements desired for a current lifestyle in a manner that retains much of the existing building fabric and a significant amount of the site to incorporate landscape and garden.

Cite:
Gerrity , Kevin . "Peterson Residence / Robert Gurney Architect" 21 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 Aug 2011.

© Eric Roth Photography

Architect: ZeroEnergy Design
Location: Truro, Massachusetts
Consultants: Silvia & Silvia, Light Th!s, Venegas and Company, Eleven Interiors, Helmarck & Foglia
Project Area: 6,200 sqf
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Eric Roth Photography, ZeroEnergy Design

© Eric Roth Photography

This Cape Cad beach house was conceived as a residence that could serve as both a weekend getaway for the two clients or a vacation house for them and their extended families. ZeroEnergy Design was tasked with creating a scheme that could accomodate this range in occupancy while also being extremely energy efficient.

© ZeroEnergy Design / Plans

The massing of the structure responds directly to both design constraints. The house is divided into two main volumes. The “living bar” includes the kitchen, living and dining areas and two bedrooms. When the client’s whole family inhabits the house for vacations or holidays, the “sleeping bar” containing more bedrooms and living areas is used. To conserve energy when not in use the sleeping bar can be decommissioned, effectively halving the size of the house and its total energy use.

© Eric Roth Photography

In addition to the smart massing that incorporates several passive design principles, the Truro Residence incorporates photovoltaic cells for energy production, and a geothermal heating and  cooling system be bring greater environmental efficiency to the structure.

© Eric Roth Photography

A clean interior accompanies the building’s smart shell. The materials within the space were selected both for their durability in the harsh ocean environment as well as their sustainable properties. Polished concrete, bluestone, and bamboo flooring are paired with cedar siding a zinc roof and ipe decking. The design of the Truro residence in response to specific client needs is a good example of sustainability meeting practicality.

Cite:
Ganes , Jesse . "Truro Residence / ZeroEnergy Design" 22 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Aug 2011.

© Aleš Jungmann

Architect: Vladimír Balda, Jiří Janďourek
Location: Prosec pod Jestedem, Czech Republic
General Contractor: Ing. Pavel Kuranda
MEP Engineer: Lucie Baldová, Martin Pelc
Structural Engineer: Vít Hušek, Ladislav Pohl
Project Area: 165 sqm
Project Year: 2006
Photographs: Aleš Jungmann, Lubomír Fuxa

 

© Aleš Jungmann

The land plot with new building of the family house is located on the southern sid of the Ještěd Ridge with a beautiful view of the landscape. The  form corresponds with terrain relief and the land orientation towards cardinal points. The grand plan of the wide open V form splits the house into two masses. The social part of the house is situated in the western wing witha saddle roof – the timber building. The rest of the building is made of concrete blocks and has a green roof linked to the terrain. There, the bedrooms are located; the garage with the utility room is on the northern side. The wooden part is covered with timber coating; the roof has –slate-grey plates; and the concrete block part is realized as gauged brickwork, uncoated.

© Aleš Jungmann

plan

plan

elevation

elevation

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "House on Jested Ridge / Vladimír Balda, Jiří Janďourek" 30 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 01 Sep 2011.

© Nacasa & Partners

Architects: AE5 partners / Hidenari Arai, Stefano Tozzi
Location: Kaga, Ishikawa, Japan
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 84.64 sqm
Photographs: Nacasa & Partners

 
Along a series of lushly green mountains, narrow rice field terraces are divided by a mountain stream. Surrounded by this complicated yet beautiful abundant nature, a settlement can be seen in Kashiwano-machi, a town in Kaga city, Ishikawa, Japan. The project site was established in an gap along by a national road running the edge of the city. How should the building be designed to fill the space in a town that was slowly built up over a long period of time by people and nature?

Site Plan

The foundational concept of the plan should proceed from the climate, the culture, and the historical context, while still expressing modernity. It was thought that this approach may be necessary and most natural for the residents and town people.

© Nacasa & Partners

A “Kura” (Japanese warehouse) is a feature of the typology of the town. It is a secondary house that can be seen anywhere, since every house in the town has a Kura. With small, aesthetic proportions, it fills the space and distance between houses and it helps block the prying eyes of neighbors.

© Nacasa & Partners

It can be said that the planning site complies with the traditional construction style of the town: a house like a Kura with a few open doors is built between a busy national road and the head house in which the client family lives. Additionally, the volume of a Kura suits the current “a house for a woman living alone” theme. While moving forward with the plan, the typological aspect of the Kura was used within the constraints of the building’s site and context to specialize the process.
 

Floor Plan

The process begin like this: a decision was made using a volume study that maintained the proportions of the dialogue between the building plan and the surrounding environment. Then, between the main house and the planned building, a chevron shaped courtyard was made way for, creating a complete assembly whose plan is known as Kunoji.

© Nacasa & Partners

Between the Kunoji and the main house the space became a welcoming courtyard and, at the same time, the north-western side of the Kunoji produced a small space that answered the client’s request of having a private garden. Via this process an architectural shape that acts as a part of the town was derived.

© Nacasa & Partners

 
Text provided by AE5 partners

Cite:
Jett , Megan . "House in Kaga / AE5 partners" 17 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 18 Oct 2011.

Courtesy of MOOV

The fundamental concern that guided the decision process from the start was how to produce a solution that is environmentally responsible, functional, cost effective and iconic. The circular shape of the building aims at giving a positive response to all of the above.The proposal by MOOV not only preserves the locations and offers living conditions to its dwellers, but also enhances the actual natural conditions, by regenerating the plot. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Courtesy of MOOV

The circular form recalls ideas that have always been associated with it such as continuity, regeneration, balance, and centrality. It evokes movement and, at the same time, summons the idea of place to meet, to gather. The radial disposition of individual spaces allows taking full advantage of the landscape in all 360 degrees, and the functional distribution of the program, set in array around an inner circular patio, where people can gather.
Under the single continuous gesture of the large roof surface are generated distinct spaces, from totally enclosed rooms, to fully open spaces, suiting each space to its function according to the program. The building is lifted from the ground, leaving the terrain topography untouched, reducing to almost none the need for excavation or land filling. The natural flow of rain water is also preserved. That also allows air to move under the construction, cooling it, and gives the building a more prominent presence, as a landscape reference.

plan 01

Environmental Regeneration
In addition to the already existing natural conditions this project intends to foster the creation of a sustainable landscape context inspired by natural systems where nothing goes to waste.

Introduction of a native vegetation palette that promotes habitat biodiversity enhances environmental quality and supports local wildlife [with the potential to attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects]. The importance of native vegetation to local fauna cannot be ignored. Using endemic species will offer the most resources to local fauna and serve as rewarding attractions. Birds and local wildlife are linked with autochthonous vegetation that provide daily food (in the form of seeds and fruit for instance); protection; nesting places and hosting sites as in the case of butterflies. A combination of natural resources that they need to survive and reproduce organic waste [raw material] is recycled as advanced biological compost and used as soil fertilizer in the forest nursery.

Passive Strategies
In order to reduce negative impact on the environment and provide comfortable living conditions, some strategies were adopted. Air flows under construction, keeping ground moisture away from structure, prolonging materials live span, and cooling the construction.

Under the building are planted autochthonous species adapted for low light environment. These plants prevent soil erosion in the hill sides and are a part in the equilibrium of the natural system. The building is exposure to hilltop wind, taking advantage of higher ground. Voids are open according to predominant winds. Those voids are used as living spaces that are protected from the sun and rain.
The inner and outer circular shapes increases the total surface of the façade. Some of the wall panels can be opened to increase cross ventilation from every direction in every room. Ventilation is combined with shading, and vegetations in the central yard increases cooling effect. Rain water is gathered for consumption and organic waste is recycled as advanced biological compost and used as fertilizer.

Cite:
Furuto , Alison . "FUNDECOR New Headquarters Proposal / MOOV" 12 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Feb 2012.

© Peter Fritz Photography

Architect: Christopher Simmonds Architect
Location: Muskoka Lakes, Ontario, Canada (approx. 170 km North of Toronto, Canada)
Project Type: Boathouse with seasonal residence – rural
Project Year: Fall 2007
Photographs: Peter Fritz Photography

© Peter Fritz Photography

This project for the renovation of an existing boathouse and new 600 sq.ft. second storey guest suite is located in the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario. Situated at the end of a narrow bay, the design of the new boathouse mediates between extended views out to the wide vista of the distant lake and the immediacy of the enclosed forested shoreline of the bay. The design provides a lens for these varied views as well as a sheltering foil to the open lake breezes and water traffic. The project called for the renovation of an existing two slip boathouse and the addition of a second storey guest suite and roof terrace.

© Peter Fritz Photography

A new exterior staircase positioned on the lower deck was introduced as a welcoming gesture in connecting the lower deck to the second level roof terrace. This large south-west facing terrace acts as a central outdoor gathering space and focal point for the property. The second storey is designed as a self sufficient sleeping cabin and is comprised of one bedroom, a three piece washroom, a kitchenette and connected living space.
The cabin combines rustic materials with minimalist detailing to create a sheltering yet contemporary character for the interior spaces. The cabin is constructed as a hybrid post and beam/wood stud frame structure with exposed Douglas Fir roof rafters and decking. Framed on three sides with wood studs and punched openings, the fourth side of the cabin opens up to the roof terrace with an exposed post and beam structure and extensive glazing. Douglas Fir plywood wall panels are used throughout and are contrasted in colour and finish by Ipe wood flooring and detailing both inside and out.

© Peter Fritz Photography

The exterior cladding of the main volume of the boathouse is clear stained western red cedar, used horizontally on the ground floor and vertically above to define the two programmatic uses for the building. Cement board panels and Douglas Fir screens provide the exterior terrace with privacy. Stair guards are steel framed with a wire mesh infill and add a further nautical level of detail to the overall effect of the design.

Cite:
King , Victoria . "Muskoka Boathouse / Christopher Simmonds Architect" 06 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Feb 2012.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

Architect: Tim Stewart Architects
Location: Peachester, Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Queensland, Australia
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Christopher Frederick Jones – Architectural Photographer

© Christopher Frederick Jones

The 18 hectare site has had a life that has ebbed and flowed with the life of the family who have owned it for almost 30 years. Developed from the ground up into a small orchard by a growing family the farm is now retreating back to its natural form as the owners also wind down in retirement.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

The original home was subdivided and sold many years ago whilst the family pursued a different chapter of their lives; the opportunity for a new home presented a chance to reflect the changing values and lifestyle of the client. With their field of reference reducing with age the home aims to reflect in miniature the site as a whole and its history. Located on the site of the original water tanks which supplied irrigation to the orchard and water to the first home the house is now the new epicentre of the property.

© Christopher Frederick Jones

On the site exists a large dam which was once the centre of entertainment for the children and the provider of water to the fruit trees the new home is entered across a large dam fed pond to the outdoor room which takes in the striking views which are a feature of the site. The rest of the house then wraps around a courtyard garden, the same interest that once led to the development of an orchard now tender a garden which whilst decorative can easily surprise with random appearances of tomatoes, herbs and other vegetables.

eastern elevation

All the elements of the home, living, working, workshop, relaxing engage with both the garden and the view. Slowly the elements of the original property are making their way closer to the house, with more and more food providing plants becoming an integral part of the garden, also reflecting the more self sufficient lifestyle of the client.

western elevation

The home itself is far more environmentally conscious than its predecessor, with low energy lighting predominant, solar water heating, over 60 000 litres of water storage, and built with timber taken from the site and from fire breaks cut through the bushland. The timber was milled and finished on site and makes up all of the exposed timber as well as the flooring and much of the sub structure. The house is a reflection in miniature of the workings, life, and history of the farm and the family that continue to take enjoy its offerings.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Storrs Road / Tim Stewart Architects" 03 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Feb 2012.

© Jeff Heatley

Architect: Stelle Architects
Location: Bridgehampton, NY, USA
Design Team: Frederick Stelle, Eleanor Donnelly, Greg Tietjen
Contractor: Ken Wright – Wright and Company Construction Inc.
Landscape Architects: Edwina von Gal, Edwina von Gal and Company
Interior Designer: Tom Flynn, Tom Flynn Inc.
Project Date: June 2008
Photographs: Jeff Heatley, Eric Piasecki

© Eric Piasecki

Architecture and nature have been fully integrated in this light-saturated, oceanfront compound that includes a guest house, a two car garage, a free-form chlorine free pool and a two story house clad in wood and cement panel rain screen with anodized aluminum windows.

© Eric Piasecki

Perched on top of an oceanfront dune, the original house had deteriorated over the years. The house was gutted, elevated and expanded as permitted by local codes. The original structure was reinforced with steel framing; the plans, elevations, systems, interior and exterior finishes are all new. The ‘new house’ floats elegantly above the dunes, maximizing ocean views.

© Eric Piasecki

Dark wood interiors and small windows were replaced with full height glass and light sea foam colored materials. Guest quarters at the entry level were designed to include ensuite bathrooms and direct access to a private oceanfront weatherproof deck nestled into the protection of the sand dunes. A sauna suite is accessible to guests and homeowners from the protection of the breezeway. A simple second floor plan allows the kitchen, living room and dining room to be used as one large space.

elevations 01

Operable doors on both sides maximize natural cross ventilation. The owner’s accommodations are on the upper level removed from guests. Both the remodeled house and guesthouse are equipped with geothermal heating and cooling and photovoltaic electric panels. The natural dunescape that wraps the house was restored with beach grass, bayberry and other native plants.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Surfside / Stelle Architects" 08 Feb 2012. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Feb 2012.

© Courtesy of EarthStudio

Architects: EarthStudio
Location: Three and Half Mile, Upper Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Design Architect: Gerald Pde
Site Supervision: Gerald Pde/ Atelier A+ Architects and Designers
Client: Habari Warjri
Project Area: 8,500 sq ft
Project Estimate: 20 Lakh Rupees ($45,000)
Project Year: 2007-2008
Photographs: Courtesy of EarthStudio

original house

Site Location-Nel Sedone is located in a locality of Upper Shillong which is about three kilometers from the center of Shillong’s business district. Upper Shillong which still maintains its original forest landscape as opposed to the rest of Shillong as most of the land belongs to the Forest Department of the Government of India. It is a unique intervention that floats above its more typical concrete and brick neighbors. The view from the site is of pine trees and a scenic panorama of Shillong town towards the east and the Umiam lake towards the north.
Space Layout-The original house was L-shaped and this plan was maintained to preserve the house’s original integrity. The entrance of the house is from the studio which leads into the open loft consisting of living, bar, dining and kitchen areas. These spaces are all arranged in one arm of the L-shape plan.

floor plan

A door from the living room leads on to the more private sections of the house which includes the master bedroom and bathroom, the guest bedroom and bathroom and the utility space. These private living areas are arranged in the other arm of the L-shape plan. Originally external verandahs which is a typical Assam-type typology, wraps the house an all sides. However in this renovation, the external verandah was broken up to accommodate the master bedroom, the bar and the maid’s room. The verandah has now been articulated to a kitchen verandah, and a verandah around the living and the bedroom areas.

© Courtesy of EarthStudio

The requirements for the project:

• One master bedroom with attached toilet
• One guest bedroom with common guest toilet
• One studio
• One Living, Kitchen and Dining
• One Maid’s room with External Toilet
• One Utility Room

© Courtesy of EarthStudio

Materials Used
The intent for this project was to use recycled and local materials as much as possible. Materials used for this project include a combination of wood, brick, stone, glass and metal. Recycled materials from the existing structure such as wood, stone and brick was utilized as much as possible to reduce the necessity of harvesting new materials.
Locally available wood such as English Pine, Poma, Tita-champa and Teak were used for various wooden applications in the project. A locally available Cherapunjee stone was used as interior and exterior stone cladding and also the project’s external boundary wall.
Concept-Environmental sustainability was an important facet of this project and efforts were made to apply environmental design principles conducive to the project. These concepts include:

environmental section

Rainwater Harvesting: Shillong receives a large amount of rainfall yearly however rainwater is not actively used in Shillong except for minimal washing. This project attempts to use rainwater actively by offsetting washing, cleaning and toilet flushing demands. Rainwater gutters line the roof channeling the rain water into an underground tank where it is pumped into a rainwater overhead tank for toilet flushing and irrigation.
Solar Hot Water: A solar hot water system made of flat-plate collectors is installed on the roof which preheats water before it is supplied to hot water geysers in the house. This offsets a significant amount of heating energy required for washing and bathing. Solar hot water is also used directly in the kitchen sink to supply warm water for washing.

© Courtesy of EarthStudio

Daylighting: One of the primary objectives of the house is to use daylight as much as possible for visual comfort and energy savings. The roof-form which on one hand sits on the existing structure was modified to allow daylight penetration over the perimeter verandahs into the interior spaces. The roof-form that then arrived was inherent to the design to allow for daylight given the restrictions on-site.
Natural Ventilation: Shillong’s climate is very conducive for natural ventilation which is used to achieve thermal comfort in a building. In this project, natural ventilation is driven by wind-pressure and by stack ventilation where warm air is exhausted from the higher clerestory windows. IN winter when the clearstory windows are shut, stratification of warm air due to solar and internal gains offset heat loss from the upper roof and window area keeping the space warm.

© Courtesy of EarthStudio

Envelope Performance: To minimize heat loss especially during the cold winter months, the entire roof of the house was insulated using fiber-wool insulation sandwiched between two layers of board. Corrugated sheets were then used as the rain layer over the insulation layers. Building insulation is not commonly used in Shillong and the intention of the project is to investigate the benefits of roof insulation. While interior temperature data is yet to be taken, the temperature conditions in the house are comfortable and additional heating is not required. In addition double paned glass also reduces heat loss through the external glazing due to the air space trapped between the two layers of glass.
Reuse/Recycling: An effort was made to reuse as much material from the old structure as was possible. Old wooden rafters were re-used to provide a backing for the new wooden floors. All reusable brick was utilized in walls or for soling. The entire steel structure of the house was preserved in the design. Originally the steel columns where hidden in concrete plaster and the project tried to expose the texture of the original steel as much as possible making it an architectural feature.

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Nel Sedone / EarthStudio" 05 Jun 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 07 Apr 2011.

© Toshiyuki Yano

Architects: Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates
Location: Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Site Area: 191.71 sqm
Built Area: 84.18 sqm
Total Floor Area: 101.94 sqm
Type of Construction: Wooden
Exterior Materials: Metal finish
Interior Materials: Paint finish
Design time：June2010 – February 2011
Completion: 2011
Structure company:  Masaki structural laboratory
Construction company:  Inoue construction Ltd
Photographer: Toshiyuki Yano

 

© Toshiyuki Yano

Prerequisite
The lot is located in a residential area and is surrounded by neighboring housings, with a mother’s house on its west. Requests for the house include: encourages the family to spend time together (rather than isolating anyone) / spatial / bright with plenty of natural light.

Plot
The family space is arranged at the center of the site. The private space is arranged at the edge of the site , and they connect gradually by the one volume. Distance among rooms and curved spaces provide adequate privacy. Each rooms are indistinctly connected to each other via central space.

© Toshiyuki Yano

Indistinct
That indistinct connection is the key concept of this house, expressing the spatial relationship (not on/off relationship) among the rooms. Like a photo out of focus.

Diagram

Invisible one room
You can grasp the space visually if the entire space is visible. You can let your consciousness develop the space if not all is visible. Like walking in a path, not sure of what is ahead.

Plan

Ambiguously
Spaces divided by straight lines relate to rationally. Spaces connected with curving lines relate to ambiguously. Like a drop of milk in coffee.

Section and Elevation

Connection
What interests us is how rooms connect to each other, more than how a room is made. What interests us is the “air” that curves, crosses, and diffracts. Like a cloud, constantly moving without having definite shape.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Oshikamo / Katsutoshi Sasaki + Associates" 16 Nov 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 16 Nov 2011.

Architect: Bates Masi Architects
Location: Amagansett, NY, USA
Client: Private
Structural Engineer: Steven L. Maresca
Contractor: Sanders Construction
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Christopher Wesnofske

At the first meeting, the clients introduced both their growing family and growing art collection. They were particularly excited about a new artist, Vik Muniz, whose works based on photographs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis provided a delightful discovery upon closer inspection: paintings of the iconic images rendered in peanut butter and jelly. This moment of discovery and playful deception became the design concept of the house.

Approaching the house by the winding driveway, the gabled form, massive chimney, and shingled siding are all reminiscent of traditional houses on eastern Long Island. Looking closely, the shingles are, in fact, a woven screen of oak surveyors stakes, similar to those that dotted the steeply wooded lot when the clients first saw it. Similarly, the massive chimney that anchors the house to the site isn’t solid at all, but is actually made of thin concrete panels.

Entering the house, with a view of the pool and gardens beyond, the wall enclosing the stair looks like translucent stone. One has to look very carefully to see that it is a double paned glass wall filled with small seashells, a reference to the nearby beaches. The double-height living/dining room is a compatible scale and space for the large works of art and family gatherings. The fireplace surround reflects fragmented images of the art and surrounding landscape while its crystalline appearance defies its humble origins: polished stainless steel military dog tags.

Expectations were also subverted in the structural system of the house to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency. Behind the stake siding and interior gypsum board are walls comprised of precast concrete panels typically used in foundation construction. These durable and low maintenance panels are double insulated for efficiency and are a perfect scale for hanging large art. By staggering the walls slightly, tall, narrow windows admit indirect light and allow glimpses of the landscape.
By subverting expectations, this house encourages multiple readings that change, depending on time and perception. It turns this house into something more: an exploration of perception.
 
Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Qual Hill / Bates Masi Architects" 29 Sep 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 04 Apr 2011.

© Fran Parente

Architects: Firte, Gimenes & Marcondes Ferraz (FGMF)
Location: Itaim Bibi, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Photographs: Fran Parente

© Fran Parente

JAL Real State – Office Building was conceived from some simple premises: Getting away from the traditional sealed and conditioned office, not facing the street excessively, structuring the different areas informally and functionally, and focusing on the customer service in a single place, preferentially near the entrance.

© Fran Parente

Based on those premises, a small building was designed, made of a simple structure of in loco reinforced concrete, once cost was an important factor. The “C” format in the design allows that every space faces a small internal courtyard, where meetings on a pleasant day can occur, or even just a chill out spot for the users in an open area. The fact that the environments face this internal patio allows each user to see themselves through the glassy surfaces nearly all the time, a very interesting result for being a familiar and informal company.

© Fran Parente

The link between the front and back rooms, on the ground floor, occurs through a mixed space of movement and workspace, with two-story ceiling, in which a large bookshelf organizes all the documents and files from the office. At the same place, on the first floor, a narrow metallic footbridge connects the spaces, and the users passing by observe the bookshelf, the internal courtyard and the workspace below. The two-story ceiling also makes ventilation easier all around the office space.

First Floor Plan

The side seals for the geminated neighbors are in masonry, whereas practically all the rest of the seal is made of aluminum casement. Most of these casements can be opened, allowing a gap which will form a variable rhythm for the environment as per the outside temperature.

Ground Floor Plan

The project is simple and clear: once the visitors enter the spaces, they can visualize the organization and understand almost every space, even if they were separated by the central garden. Lighting and ventilation are generous despite being easily controlled, resulting in a simple, practical and appropriate workspace for a small company.
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Real State Office Building / FGMF" 11 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Dec 2011.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

Architect: Neil Dusheiko Architects
Location: Walthamstow, London, England
Project Year: 2010
Contractor: RK Construction
Engineer: Momentum
Photography: Neil Dusheiko Architects

 

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The project began one afternoon while the architect Neil Dusheiko was sitting with the client on their existing terrace discussing ideas about how to create more space for the family in the tiny terrace house. It was thought it would be interesting if the existing central staircase in the double fronted house, somehow continued up and over into the garden from the mid landing, and so the idea of extending the house came about. The clients wanted a house built entirely out of timber.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The concept was to create a series of different volumes to accommodate the various functions in an informal stack of boxes placed next to each other like packing creates. The extension exists as three timber containers sitting next to and on top of one another with a singular nature borne out of using one material. The differentiation of materials allows it to be read as a separate volume rather than mimic the brick character of the existing building. The new timber staircase forms a link with the existing house and connects to the mid landing, where the existing staircase continues down towards the front door.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The west façade sits in its sub-urban context, visible to the street and announces its presence with a rhythm of vertical cladding, which in turn reflects the neighbourhoods use of closed board fencing and timber sheds. The north façade, facing the garden, has an asymmetrical geometry, with its two planes cranked to catch the evening sun and to hold the space in the garden. A rhythm of projecting fins reveals a subtle layering of the façade, which comes to life as the sun projects shadows across the façade.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The material used for the floor was birch plywood and the structure is oak framed, clad in Siberian larch. The larch was is from sustainable sources and supplied by Vastern Timber. The larch was mounted onto battens fixed to Panelvent sheathing boards, which have a high racking strength but also allow for a water vapour open construction. Panelvent itself is made from wood chips and forest thinings, utilising a unique Masonite defibration system to combine low formaldehyde emissions in use and low embodied energy in manufacture.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The oak timber frame is made up of lattice structures which were so beautiful that during the build it was tempting to leave parts of the frame exposed on the inside of the extension. However, we decided to stay true to the concept of a wrapped timber box. The folding sliding doors and windows where constructed out of oak and are top hung. The doors are easy to open and fold away entirely to allow the garden to become part of the living space.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The floor was constructed out of a hard wearing birch plywood which was sealed with an acrylic coating which is both easy to clean and protects the surface from any moisture ingress. Existing openings inside the structure are framed in MDF, painted white to blend in with existing brickwork, also painted white, to reflect as much light as possible into the interior. A low step made of thermowood decking links the house to the garden and provides a low bench for seating. A new staircase constructed from birch plywood connects to the mid landing of the existing staircase, giving the up and over feel, which provided the original inspiration for the extension.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

Timber Product Used:
Structure: Oak framing for walls and roof
Floor: Birch plywood with acrylic sealant
Staircase: Birch plywood painted
Decking: Thermowood decking
Timber Cladding: Untreated Siberian larch mounted on double battens on panelvent boards

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

Extension for a turn of the century family home in Walthamstow. The playful design creates a much needed flexible living space and extra bedroom for the young family. The shape of the extension is designed to track the sun and create a positive space in the garden. The new structure is framed in oak and clad in Siberian Larch. The differentiation of materials allows it to be read as a separate volume rather than mimic the brick character of the existing building.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

The design plays on the juxtaposition of natural light effects and artificial lighting. Through shadows cast on the facade by the timber fins a subtle layering is revealed. As time passes the facade is animated by the changing condition of light and shadow. The cranked geometry allows for maximum sun penetration and the shapes the garden space. The vertical fins are contrasted by a linear walkway serving as a bench connecting the house to the garden.

© Neil Dusheiko Architects

Cite:
Lopez , Oscar . "Timber Fin House / Neil Dusheiko Architects" 13 Nov 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 16 Nov 2011.

© Prentiss Architects

This project is located on a steep rocky waterfront parcel on the west shore of San Juan Island in Washington. An existing house was already on the accessible location; the only remaining spot for the Studio was on a rocky shelf above and behind the residence.
More on the Weaving Studio after the break.

Architect: Prentiss Architects
Location: San Juan Island, Washington, USA
Project Team: Geoff Prentiss, Kozo Nozawa
Structural Engineer: Perbix Bykonen
Builder: Lowe Construction
Project Size: 1,250 sqf
Completed: 2010
Photographs: Jay Goodrich and Prentiss Architects

© Prentiss Architects

The client, a professional weaver, and her husband are preparing to move to San Juan Island once the husband retires. Their request was for studio space in which she could have all her weaving tools in one facility: her looms, her dying facilities, the sewing and assembly area and an office. She would use this space for her craft but also to hold weaving guild meetings and display her work.

section

In addition to the programmatic requirements of the studio they wanted to have an overflow bedroom for guests.

© Prentiss Architects

The solution is a generous main studio space flowing with natural light that provides ample display space while maintaining incremental views of the sound. Off of this space the auxiliary spaces have been defined by the folding back of the exterior shell: to one end a bath and office, to the other a “wet room”. The wet room could be closed off and opened to the exterior in order to allow fumes from dying and drying to not permeate the rest of the studio.

axon

Two additional spaces, the sewing room and a guest bedroom appear as an extrusion of the main studio space set into the hill at the back of the studio. A series of sliding panels intended as display panels for weaving projects hide or reveal access to the back rooms and storage cabinets.

© Prentiss Architects

© Prentiss Architects

© Prentiss Architects

© Prentiss Architects

© Jay Goodrich

© Jay Goodrich

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "Weaving Studio / Prentiss Architects" 11 Mar 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 11 Mar 2011.

© Fernando Gomulya (Tectography)

Architect: Wahana Cipta Selaras (Rudy Kelana & Matheus S.)
Location: Alam Sutera, Serpong, Tanggerang, Indonesia
Principal: Rudy Kelana
Project Architect: Matheus R.
Client: Biyan Prayudi
Structure Consultant: Ricky Theo
Main Contractor: Neria Oendang
Interior: Ivon Xue
Lighting: David Liming
Project Area: 524 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Fernando Gomulya (Tectography)
 

© Fernando Gomulya (Tectography)

Situated in a well developed residential complex, this site has a good environment, especially with an overgrown tree on its parameter as a green belt and a relatively “quite” neighborhood. With this in mind the concept for this house was developed. The site was relatively small, yet its must accommodate many needs of the owner which is usual in the urban house. So a single mass building was chosen. A touch of modern tropical design with the urban concept was used as a reference for further development. The building mass with a roof has a nearly 45-degree angle combined with a wooden box as a modern element protruding from main mass, the bridge and the use of wood and exposed reddish brick wall of the building asserted the atmosphere of tropical modern.

elevation

Rather than a large opening to expose the landscape which used in the modern house concept, the west facade use many small and tall opening which make a bricks colonnade to reduces afternoon directs sunlight and heat. With this we still maintain continuity feeling between inner and outer space , and with using the same exposed brick and local “andesit” stone material in the exterior as well interior.

elevation

The main interior was built as an open concept, with dining, living, pantry and even the kitchen was only separated with a small partition, and see through cabinets and glass partitions. And with a mezzanine floor that creates a more casual space for dining that differs from the living area. With the stairs exposed wooden material as the “couch” to emphasize the continuity from living and study area at the mezzanine.  The orientation is directed to the outer space and the small patio inside the house that functions as a source of lighting and air circulation.

© Fernando Gomulya (Tectography)

The landscape was designed as integral part with of the main house, specially on the west side, that have a reflecting pool placed along the west facade, with a long concrete textured beam portal which have water curtains that resemble rain. When its on it acts as a buffer between road and the private space. The wooden deck on the other end of reflecting pool there is an intimate space created by colonnade bricks, concrete portal and wooden bridge at front that use as master bedroom balcony. The existing trees blend well with the new landscape and the building which enrich the house as a whole.
Text provided by Wahana Cipta Selaras.

© Fernando Gomulya (Tectography)

© Fernando Gomulya (Tectography)

section

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "Biyan-Alam Sutra / Wahana Cipta Selaras" 23 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Oct 2011.

© Hiroshi Tanigawa

Architects: Mizuishi Architects Atelier
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Structural Engineer: Kentaro Nagasaka
Lighting Designer: Tatsuoki Nakajima
Contractor: Hirano-kensetu
Project Year: 2011
Project Area: 55.24 sqm
Photographs: Hiroshi Tanigawa

 
This is a very small house built on the triangle site where the river and the road were crossed and made to the acute angle. For the dead-end road, it became a plan in various regulations for obtaining special permission.

© Hiroshi Tanigawa

Floor Plan

Residents are husband and wife and a little girl. Although it was a novel site of a limited area, since a river was faced through a bank and a promenade, I would like to design various relations with the river. The building is the form that cut an acute angle part on a triangle plan derived from the site. Furthermore, it got the maximum volume of hip roof of three planes in restriction of setback-line.

© Hiroshi Tanigawa

Although the level0 floor was a private space,it limits for dividing with the curtain of a race in the door, stairs, storage, etc. except for a bathroom. It enabled it to feel a spread. The level+1 floor is devided into small areas by structural narrow walls,being connected with one by the ridgeline of a roof. So there are different open feelings and the relations with the river each.

© Hiroshi Tanigawa

That is
1. dining & kitchen / The west side space up the stairs is the largest planarly, and has high ceiling with a feeling of rise towards the roof top.
2. living / The central space is low ceilinged,and has full-opening windows on both sides as a balcony and the bay window that spreads outward with a feeling of floating
3. spare room / The east side space in the deepest is a form which is narrowed down to the direction of flow of the river,and is a space watching the light to insert earlier of the abyss..
4. loft / The space with two skylights is a space looking down at the river and looking up at the sky.
The limited volume snuggles up to the river, and I think that I was able to design various space that can live while looking for a favorite place to stay.

© Hiroshi Tanigawa

Text provided by Mizuishi Architects Atelier

Cite:
Jett , Megan . "House in Horinouchi / Mizuishi Architects Atelier" 24 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 24 Oct 2011.

© Courtesy of WA Design Inc

Architect: WA Design Inc
Location: Tahoe Donner, California, USA
Project Team: David Stark Wilson, Chris Parlette, Torin Etter, Ben Howell, Eoi Takagi
Landscape: WA design
Engineer: Kenneth Hughes
Civil Engineer: Tim Ferrell
Mechanical Engineer: Monterey Mechanical
Contractor Team: Turner Construction; Al Turner, Chaz Kruck, Ian Waight, Mark Hollerbach
Interior Furnishings: Client, WA design (custom pieces)
Project Area: 4,960 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of WA Design Inc

© Courtesy of WA Design Inc

The Tahoe Ridge house is located on one of the last large parcels in the Tahoe area. Eight acres of land with dense stands of white and red fir slope upward to the rocky granite ridge crest that forms a backstop to this exceptional site. This was the second home we had designed for the clients, the first being the Strathmoor House, also in this book. The usual period of getting acquainted was already in place for the Tahoe Ridge House. Our design aesthetics and goals were aligned at the onset to conceive of a contemporary building uniquely rooted in the Tahoe area and the spectacular site.

© Courtesy of WA Design Inc

Vernacular mining and stamp mill buildings in the Tahoe area inspired the design of this home. Long before Tahoe was a ski resort, it was a gold rush destination. Tall stamp mills were used to pulverize hard rock into fine silt from which the gold could be removed. All movement of material within the mill was achieved by gravity hence the structures are characteristically elongated vertically.

© Courtesy of WA Design Inc

Significant mountain vistas quickly became a key design consideration. Views of the mountains of Nevada to the north, to Tinker’s knob and the Sierra Crest to the south, needed to be revealed. These criteria resulted in a floor plan that sprawls along two orthogonal axes and ascends vertically to the north to the study and master bedroom. The experience of flow along the axes is enhanced by a clear rhythm of 10” x 10” recycled Douglas fir structural posts that tie in with the roof framing above.

© Courtesy of WA Design Inc

A mix of Western Red Cedar and Galvalume metal siding applied as a tight skin pay further homage to the old mining buildings. On the interior of the home, large recycled timbers and heavy metal bracketing extend the industrial aesthetic and resist the substantial snow loads of winter. Large Sierra White granite blocks are carved and hewn to form the fireplace hearths. The building throughout is clearly rooted in and derived from its mountainous site. A large male black bear has lived in the boulders above the house for many years and remains undaunted by recent construction, occasionally strolling unhurriedly down the new entry drive.
Text provided by WA Design Inc.

© Courtesy of WA Design Inc


© Courtesy of WA Design Inc

Cite:

Henry , Christopher . "Tahoe Ridge House / WA Design Inc" 25 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Oct 2011.

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Architect: Spillman Farmer Architects
Location: Lake Winola, Pennsylvania, USA
Photographs: Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

With the living spaces located directly above the sleeping spaces, this residence transcends the conventional planning and construction of the traditional cottage architecture that exists in the region. As one approaches the site, the initial image is that of restrained elegance. The presence of shimmering metal roofs becomes analogous to that of the lake while subtly-carved façade provides a glimpse through the house to the lake beyond. Once adjacent to the building, the layering becomes evident. The roof appears to hover, while the masonry volumes become an organizing element with sufficient size, closure, and regularity to serve as a figure that can embrace the other layers being organized within. The flanking reinforced masonry walls provide sufficient structure and enclosure which enable the main living area to be free of interior walls. The absence of these walls offers uninterrupted views to the lake from every room. The natural progression of the building with its respect to its topography is rhythmic.

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Gradationally carved and more delicate, the structure anchors itself differently as the grade falls towards the lake. The heavy masonry walls affix themselves into the earth while the lighter wood-framed, cement panel and glass envelope appears to hover above grade. The roof form, which consists of two opposing sheds, visually floats above the primary living space giving the impression of outdoor pavilions from the lake.

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

The choice to use certain materials in this home is driven by aesthetic, functional requirements and largely reflects ties to regional traditions. Our curiosity with materials of modest means is explored in this house. By using ordinary materials we gain the greatest possibility of achieving a renewed reality within the material condition of a building. The concrete masonry unit – nothing can be more elemental, humbler in substance, modest in manufacture and simpler in shape and texture. The concrete block can be married to other material whether natural or man made; wood, metal, glass, cementitious panels. Through rigorous and precise application of these complimentary materials, the status of the concrete block, which is so simple and so ordinary, can be elevated. The materials used are commonplace however, the care of their methods of assembly and absolute passion for scrupulous detailing are not.
Text provided by Spillman Farmer Architects.

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Courtesy of Joseph N. Biondo

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "Lake House / Joseph N. Biondo" 24 Sep 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Oct 2011.

© Derek Skalko

Architect: 1 Friday Design Collaborative
Location: Aspen, Colorado, United States
Project Year: 2009
Project Area: 1100 sqf
Photographs: Derek Skalko

© Derek Skalko

The Work N Park Cube is a small project by 1 Friday Design Collaborative. The space is programmed with an office and garage in just over 1000 square feet. 1 Friday worked with city regulations and a limited budget to create a ‘cube’ of both efficient and enjoyable space for the clients.

© Derek Skalko

The Work N Park Cube is located in Aspen, Colorado and built for a shared condominium unit. The new building is tailor made by 1 Friday to address every zoning regulation and square footage allowance that came up through the design of the added space. A small budget was also taken into consideration in devising a way to successfully combine the parking and office programs.

Plans

The two story building separates the programs by level. The ground floor holds two parking bays, while the second floor is the office. Stairs climb up the exterior back façade where one enters the interior from the second level. The office is a clean simple space with a bathroom, kitchen and storage along the western wall and an exterior deck along the eastern wall.

© Derek Skalko

The style of the building responds to its minimal square footage and programmatic desires with a simple modern design. 1 Friday began designing with a cube that was adjusted to fit the needs of the clients and the rules of the city. The resulting form has the upper level slightly offset from the lower level, with large windows puncturing the office space and two entrances to the parking bays on the lower level’s front façade.

© Derek Skalko

The multipurpose space adds another style to the neighborhood where 1 Friday says building styles range from 1880’s mining cottages to 1960s chalet structures. Their Work N Park Cube is a successful addition to the area, and a usable space for the clients to enjoy daily.

Cite:

Balters , Sofia . "Work-N-Park Cube / 1 Friday Design Collaborative" 24 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 Oct 2011.

House at Dusk © Visiondivision

Check out Visiondivision’s latest work – a  residential extension to an old Swedish house. Expanding upon the clients’ taste in the traditional Swedish houses with mullion windows, or ‘spröjs’ in Swedish, the team set out to exploit the building component by introducing  ”a huge mullion window as its main feature.” The mullion window becomes the focal point of the house as it covers the front facade and opens toward the garden that slopes toward the nearby lake.
More images and more about the residence after the break.

Mullion Inside © Visiondivision

Typical of Visiondivision’s strategies, the mullion design becomes an aesthetic expression as well an a functioning entity.   For instance, the firm extruded the mullion inward to become different types of shelves.  ”The shelves where then designed for different functions for a relaxed and life cherishing atmosphere; a work space, a space to hangout and enjoy a coffee or breakfast, and a lot of storage places for books, DVDs and such,” explained the team.

Coffee Room © Visiondivision

The landscape helps divide the house into different levels with the upper level becoming more leisure oriented with a master bedroom and a coffee/breakfast shelf in the mullion.   On the thin middle level, the house holds a wardrobe that can be reached from the upper and lower level and a fire place with storage for timber in the mullion.  The lower level is more work related with a room for clothing care and a small home office in the mullion.

House Section © Visiondivision

The house is connected to the chief house via a glass corridor with a small stair that leads up to the main buildings dining room. The glass corridor also serves as the entrance to the two outdoor areas; one toward the lake for the sunrise and one toward the back of the building for Swedish midsummer sunset.

Architects: Visiondivision

Partners in Charge: Anders Berensson & Ulf Mejergren
Client: Private
Contractor: JW Byggteknik
Location: Edsbro, Sweden
Project area: 30 sq. m
Project year 2009-2011Photographs: Clive Jenkins
 
Visiondivision was commissioned to design an extension to an old house on the Swedish countryside. The house should include a master bedroom, a room for clothing care, a work space and a space for coffee and breakfast.
The clients told us that they like typical old Swedish red houses with mullion windows (spröjs in Swedish) but where ok to build a house without mullions since they knew that modern architects don’t like that type of houses. But an ok house for the client is simply not good enough for visiondivision so we started to design a house with a huge mullion window as its main feature.
 
The mullion window covers the front facade of the house facing the garden that slopes towards the nearby lake.
Since the mullion covers the best views from the house we started to add some extra functions to it by extruding the mullion towards the inside making different types of shelves.
The shelves where then designed for different functions for a relaxed and life cherishing atmosphere; a work space, a space to hangout and enjoy a coffee or breakfast, and a lot of storage places for books, DVDs and such.
In the original sketch a bathtub and a fireplace where also part of the mullion window but had to be relocated according to the client’s wish.
Due to the landscape the house is divided into three levels. One upper level that is more leisure oriented with a master bedroom and a coffee/breakfast shelf in the mullion. Then follows a thin middle level that has a battery of functions, including a wardrobe that can be reached from the upper and lower level and a fire place with storage for timber in the mullion, and finally a lower level that is more work related with a room for clothing care and a small home office in the mullion.
The house is connected to the chief house via a glass corridor with a small stair that leads up to the main buildings dining room. Since the new house is heated with floor heating we designed the railing with the floor heating going through them for a comfortable welcoming to the new house. The glass corridor also serves as the entrance to the two outdoor areas; one towards the lake for the sunrise and one towards the back of the building for Swedish midsummer sunset.
Architects: Visiondivision
Partners in Charge: Anders Berensson & Ulf Mejergren
Client: Private
Contractor: JW Byggteknik
Location: Edsbro, Sweden
Project area: 30 sq. m
Project year 2009-2011
Photographs: Clive Jenkins
 
Cite:
Cilento , Karen . "Spröjs House / Visiondivision" 29 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Oct 2011.

© Kelly Bellis

Architects: Norelius Studio
Location: Corea, Maine, USA
Structural Engineer: Albert Putnam, PE
Lighting Designer: Peter Knuppel Lighting Design
Builder: Kenneth Thibault
Project Year: 2010
Project Area: 130 sqm
Photographs: Kelly Bellis

 
Context was one of the most influential generators for this project: a down-east Maine village, complete with vibrant, scrappy and true-to-itself working harbor. While many new houses here are built on large parcels of pristine isolated land, these clients had made the more sustainable commitment to build on an empty lot in the village.

© Kelly Bellis

Floor Plan

The diagram of the house takes advantage of solar gain and views—fortuitously aligned—in each of the major spaces. Since the goal was to keep the house a concise 1400 square feet, the plan became long and thin: literally the dimensions of a mobile home. This allowed private suites at each end of the house, and an open living/dining/cooking space in the center. It is in this center space that blank, well-insulated north-facing walls give way to windows on both sides, creating a virtual pavilion at the core.

© Kelly Bellis

The house was lifted up to enhance the views to the harbor, to hover above a handsome granite outcropping close to the street, and to integrate with a previously installed septic system on the rear of the site.

© Kelly Bellis

Fairly standard construction techniques were employed to take advantage of the strengths of a local builder. A nearby commercial aluminum dock manufacturer fabricated the “folly” deck and frames for rolling vertical sunshades and fixed horizontal sunshades.

© Kelly Bellis

Valuing space and light over expensive finishes and fittings, a remarkably low cost-per-square foot was achieved. The result is a new addition to the village-scape, balancing a tension between familiar and provocative.

© Kelly Bellis

Text provided by Norelius Studio

Cite:
Jett , Megan . "Corea Harbor House / Norelius Studio" 20 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 Oct 2011.

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© Ulrich Kehrer

Architects: [tp3] architekten
Location: Altschwendt, Austria
Contractor: Kaplbau GmbH, Humer GmbH
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Ulrich Kehrer
 

 
Two families who are friends joined together and bought a large plot of land, with the idea of sharing and coordinating the building and planning work. The project was all the more fascinating to us, as house-building is such a personal and individual task. Both families agreed to coordinate the planning so a single unit would be evident despite the existence of two separate family houses, including the possibility of a shared garden over the centre boundary.
 

Floor Plans

A single-story bungalow which incorporates the garages of both sections merges both building sections together like a strap, clasping the two plots. The two-story detached house breaks away from this strap towards the garden and therefore forms a conclusion to this building configuration. Both of the building sections are positioned such that the individual outdoor areas allocated to each of the families eventually form a protected interior courtyard. In terms of its external characteristics, the single-story building with its two garages appears as a monolithic, white building.

Section

© Ulrich Kehrer

The two-story house with its dark façade cladding is fascinatingly mediating between the two buildings, thereby allowing the individuality of the individual sections to become evident. Both houses are configured as low energy homes, with deep drilling and controlled living room ventilation. The bungalow in its massive construction and white plaster façade, the two-story building in timber frame construction and dark grey façade cladding.
 
 

© Ulrich Kehrer

Text provided by [tp3] architekten
 
 

Cite:
Jett , Megan . "House MHG / [tp3] architekten" 21 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 Oct 2011.

© Lars Frazer Photography

Named for the business owners, Icenhauer’s is located in the up and coming Rainey Street bar district of Austin. The site originally contained a house built in 1893, of which the front two rooms complete with original wood interior siding were saved and restored as a part of this new cocktail lounge.
More on Icenhauer’s, including pictures and drawings, after the break.

Architect: Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Location: 83 Rainey St Austin, TX, USA
Project Team: Michael Hsu, Maija Kreishman, Allison Burke
General Contractor: Franklin-Alan
Landscape Design: Jackie Hadler Design
Project Area: 2,775 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Lars Frazer Photography

© Lars Frazer Photography

The existing house was maintained and modernized with ebony stained cedar siding, stone masonry and renovated lap siding. The interior exhibits varying colors of wood combined restored wood thresholds, stone and glass to create intimate seating areas filled with colorful upholstered furniture.

plan

The front and back yards are anchored by covered porches and surrounded by warmly lit native landscaping and casual seating.

© Lars Frazer Photography

© Lars Frazer Photography

Cite:Henry , Christopher . "Icenhauer’s / Michael Hsu Office of Architecture" 12 Mar 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 14 Mar 2011.

© Miran Kambič

Architects: Bevk Perović arhitekti
Location: Bohinj, Slovenia
Project Team: Matija Bevk, Vasa J. Perović, Ana Čeligoj
Project Year: 2006-2008
Photographs: Miran Kambič
 

© Miran Kambič

House R is a weekend house, located in the idyllic Alpine area near the picturesque Bohinj lake.
It stands in the protected conservation area, on the spot where an old house used to be, and – due to regulations-it strictly follows the contours of the preceding structure.
This area around lake Bohinj is full of holiday homes dating back to the seventies, mostly designed as literal ‘copies’ of typical Slovenian Alpine architecture – steep pitched roofs and dark wooden cladding.

site plan

The only difference between these and traditional houses of the area is that they stay unihabited for most of the year, waiting for their owners’ temporary occupation.
Therefore the project tries to deal with this notion of temporary occupancy by merging the tradional model of the house with that of a ‘container’ – the new alpine wooden house looks, when unoccupied, like a large wooden box – a hay storage or a barn, devoid of windows and doors. Its elevation comprises of series of larch-wood panels, all done in pre-patinated silver gray stain that slide to ‘reveal’ the house as it becomes occupied on weekends or during holiday season.

ground floor plan

first floor plan

All windows and doors (including entrance), as well as the large open terrace on the ground floor, get ‘hidden’ or ‘revealed’ within the structure of the house, giving it lease of life or making it ‘mute’ as the use requires. At first sight a ‘prototypical’ house-shape gets animated, making the structure simultaneously traditional and contemporary.
The construction of the house is in concrete which is then clad in the homogenous vertical-slatted wooden facade consisting out of large size fixed and sliding panels that cover all openings.

© Miran Kambič

© Miran Kambič

The larch wood of the façade is pre-patinated (weathered) in silver gray stain, giving it an appearance of ‘standing there forever’, while the windows retain the natural warm colour of larchwood, serving as ‘frames’ for the landscape when looking out from the house.
Under the slatted wooden ‘coating’ is a contemporary, ascetic interior with open-plan living / dining room area opening towards surrounding landscape via a large covered terrace in hand-polished terazzo.
The steep stairs, leading to the cellar area with utility space and sauna, and to the first ¸¸floor attic containing bedrooms, traverse and separate living from dining area on the ground floor.

© Miran Kambič

The windows in the bedroom areas, with their seemingly random placing are in fact ‘frames’, capturing different views – therefore the inhabitants can see their garden or the access path to the house, as well as the sky, directly from their beds.
The house communicates with the surrounding nature in many, not immediately visible ways – it also, due to its temporary use as weekend retreat, has the ability to be completely closed-off from it when needed.
In such a way, it succesfully merges the ideas of traditional buildings of the area with contemporary needs and habits.
Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "House R / Bevk Perović arhitekti" 06 Oct 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 14 Oct 2011.

© Sadao Hotta

Architect: mihadesign
Location: Sinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Project Area: Site Area:84.75 sqm, Building Area: 50.66 m2, Floor Area Ratio: 88.39 m2
Structure Engineer: ejiri structure design office
Project Year: 2011
Photographer: Sadao Hotta

 

© Sadao Hotta

This house is for a couple and a girl and located at Shinjuku, in Tokyo. The site is a long and thin rectangle shape of 4.5m width and 18m depth from south to north. By the three bearing wall, the long and thin volume of two layers is divided into four in the direction of the short. The bearing walls have some holes which residents, light and wind pass through. In order to take in the sunlight as much as possible, the roof has zigzag form and has top light which delivers the light and wind to the ground floor. Each spaces are lined up from the entrance in an order of the level of privacy: Public spaces such as living and dining and kitchen comes first, and then more private spaces such as restroom and bathrooms will appear deep in the house.

© Sadao Hotta

You can go to the first floor by going up the stairs at the living room, going through the hole of the wall, and watching the dining room underneath. When you go back to the south via the corridor with closet and study space, you will arrive at the girl’s space. When you go to the north, you will be at bedroom. The design of the relationship between well and floor, wall and ceiling, and the shape of open ceiling space and windows had been adjusted so that people will feel inclined to go and see beyond the walls of this deep house.
Text provided by mihadesign.

section

© Sadao Hotta



© Sadao Hotta

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "Gate / mihadesign" 14 Oct 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 15 Oct 2011.

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© David Grandorge

Architect: Manalo & White
Location: Cley Next The Sea, Norfolk, UK
Project Architect: Brian Greathead
Project Team: Brian Greathead, Stephen Beasley, Ashley Seaborne, Paola Marra
Contractor: Green Building Solutions
Structural Engineer: Adam Power Associates
Project Year: 2008-2009
Construction year: 2009
Text: David Grandorge
Photographs: David Grandorge

Cley Next The Sea is a small village on the north Norfolk coast. A group of houses faces the hostile North Sea, separated from it by a salt marsh. The condition of this settlement is fragile. Though sea defences have been intermittently upgraded, rising sea levels threaten its existence in the medium term.
Barry Till (a former head of Morley College) bought a house here in the 1950s as a holiday home and retreat. The house was formerly two cottages with a shared chimney stack that had been knocked into one. It is now owned by Till’s four children, one of whom, Jeremy, is dean of the school of architecture at the University of Westminster and a well-known architect, writer and thinker. Jeremy Till, along with his siblings and parents, commissioned Manalo & White Architects to undertake its refurbishment.

© David Grandorge

The original brief was direct: there would be little ‘architecture’ in it. Roof timbers plagued by rot were to be replaced; a continuous layer of insulation would be applied to the whole envelope; the ground floor was to be made as resistant and adaptive to the effects of flooding as could be; and the energy use of services would be minimised. Construction should be cheap, and prioritise the use of salvaged materials where possible.
Also importantly, a thesis was developed for the re-organisation of the spaces of the building and its material expression. The resulting composition is analogously a boat on a rock. A new highly-insulated timber roof, wall and floor structure sits on a new brick wall that is built inside the existing thick flint walls. A robust tanking membrane and layer of insulation separates the brick from the flint, though they are tied together with straps. The brick walls in the centre that enclose a bathroom are partitions only, allowing for modification if necessary in the building’s future life.

© David Grandorge

Till did not want to see the architect’s hand when he saw the space; the detail of the building should be relaxed, even casual. This is evident on entering the large hallway, which the clients think of as a ‘sorting space’. Leading off it are a bathroom, a cupboard, a stair and two bedrooms. The walls, of an inexpensive but textured brick, have been carefully laid with a flush lime mortar.
This language of brickwork is extended to a plinth made for the beds and the interior of the bathroom. Here, tiles whose adhesion would be compromised by flood water are replaced by glazed bricks, sourced cheaply as leftovers from another construction site. This material choice is pragmatic but also gives a vital character to this space, augmented by a shaft of light that drops into the open shower from a narrow but highly reflective light tube.
The bedrooms relate to the sea and the garden. The stark, exposed quality of their walls is relieved by curtains, fabrics and the inhabitants’ clothes that hang openly on pegs and hangers. This motif acknowledges the temporariness of occupation and is a rejection of the hotel-like quality of closets for something closer to the attitude of a Shaker house.

© David Grandorge

The soffit throughout the ground floor is defined by exposed, oversized timber joists running from front to back and fixed to doubled-up joists coupled with steel that span between the brick walls. The meeting of the joists with the brickwork required a timber wall plate. The awkward junction that results from this deliberately matter-of-fact construction is concealed by a galvanised box section carrying services. It acts as both conduit and cornice. The lighting elements are articulated in a standard aluminium channel that is threaded through the joists and serves to further articulate the ceiling.
The tight stair at the centre of the house leads up to the homelier upper floor through a structure that could only be called a hut. This figurative element has an open roof that, allows light from above to illuminate both the stairwell and the larger space it feeds into. Separating the dining and kitchen and living spaces, it is constructed from reclaimed floorboards and contains a toilet and cupboards. The upper floor can be separated from the space below with a sliding door and hatch. When moved these reveal a perfectly ordered broom cupboard.

© David Grandorge

The walls of the living spaces are articulated in cheap spruce plywood that travels the length of the upper storey, fire-treated and finished with a white translucent water-based varnish. The battens that conceal the joints between boards are a cheap solution that allows for movement but also gives a sense of measure and grain to this long space. The end walls and reveals to the large existing dormer windows are constructed from Fermacell board on studwork and finished in a warm clay paint.
Brian Greathead, principal of Manalo & White, was taught by Jeremy Till at the Bartlett in the mid-1990s. This patronage of a former student displays a sense of generosity and has led to a client/architect relationship characterised by collaboration and improvisation. This has been reinforced by the thoughtfulness and skill of the builder, Mike Walker, who made a significant contribution to the project’s detail.

© David Grandorge

The result might be described as ‘bucolic brutalism’ – architecture that is both robust and pleasurable. The language of austerity is employed humanely and delivered with wit and the scheme is a model of architectural and environmental adaptation to the severity of the natural forces that this site – indeed all global coastlines – might face in the future.
 
Cite:Saieh , Nico . "Seabank Cottage / Manalo & White" 05 Jul 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 17 Mar 2011.

© Derek Skalko

Colorado based 1 Friday Design Collaborative designed Loom, an artist’s studio for clients in Aspen. Loom is a particularly small space in which the architects were able to combine the historic aesthetic of the neighborhood with modern environmental considerations and inspired interiors.
Architect: 1 Friday Design Collaborative
Location: Aspen, Colorado, United States
Project Year: September 2011
Photographs: Derek Skalko

© Derek Skalko

1 Friday Design Collaborative completed Loom in September of 2011. The 500 square foot artist’s studio began with a number of studies by the architects who settled on a building that takes into account its context as well as environmental considerations inspired by LEED guidelines.

Elevations

Loom’s neighborhood is filled with historic Victorian houses in a traditional color palette. 1 Friday Design Collaborative both exaggerated and simplified aspects of the neighborhood’s Victorian aesthetic for the studio’s form and color choices. The resulting light pink, two-story gabled structure resides in a back yard among a population of evergreen trees, and takes advantage of high performance materials and solar orientation in its design and construction.

© Derek Skalko

The interiors of Loom articulate 1 Friday Design Collaborative’s inspiration for the studio project’s name. In the lofted second floor space the architects designed a railing and wall inspired by a traditional weaving loom. Repetitive white wooden boards were positioned veritcally along the lower part of the sloping interior of the gabled roof. Their thickness and separation add a layer of interest to the small studio through clean visuals and strong shadows created by light coming through a window on the front facade. Flush horizontal white wooden boards of a similar thickness finish the wall upwards, and the rest of the interior is also white, with a large bookshelf on the ground floor.


Cite:
Balters , Sofia . "Loom / 1 Friday Design Collaborative" 14 Nov 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 16 Nov 2011.

For three weeks in October 2009, 20 teams of college and university students will compete in the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.  The competition provides the teams with an opportunity to “design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.”  Organized in three stages, (building, moving to the solar village in the National Mall in Washington D.C., and the actual competition) the Solar Decathlon aims to raise awareness among the general public about renewable energy and energy efficiency, help solar energy technologies enter the marketplace faster, foster collaboration among students from different academic disciplines, and educate the student participants.  “The Solar Decathlon brings attention to one of the biggest challenges we face-an ever-increasing need for energy. As an internationally recognized event, it offers powerful solutions-using energy more efficiently and using energy from renewable sources.”
Santa Clara University, known for their excellence in engineering/business got the third place at the 2007 competition, and for this year’s competition they teamed with CCA, dedicated to architecture, art and design, to create a 100 student team to participate in the Solar Decathlon.  The team is the only undergraduate-led team participating in the competition (most are filled with Ph. D programs), combing “youth and process, [they] set the standard in green living”.  The young team of future architects, engineers, construction managers, graphic designers and interior designers have created a proposal, entitled Refract House, that is dedicated to promoting the idea of “Living Light: harnessing sunlight to power our energy needs, lightening our carbon footprint upon the earth, and enlightening today’s consumers and the next generation of concerned, responsible citizens about the possibilities of sustainable living.”  “We want the project to have a lasting impact as both a case study for green design and as an exhibit of technology. We already know it’s going to have an impact on all of us,” explained Allison Kopf, an SCU Engineering Physics student.
More about the winning Refract House after the break.

The Refract House, an 800 square foot zero energy home, breaks from “the classic hyper-efficient box shape” to prove that zero energy can occur with bold aesthetics. ”We propose a new precedent for energy efficient homes that prioritizes visual, spatial and functional connection with the surrounding environment.  The bent form of the structure mimics the path of the sun of the sun from dawn to dusk.  This speaks to the name Refract House, because we change the way light is used,” explained the team.

The team stressed their cutting edge solar thermal and photovoltaic system.   The solar thermal array is comprised of plate type collectors that reduce heat loss.  “By combining cutting edge technology in the home with our most abundant resource-the sun-we can start using our natural resources more intelligently, and we can show others how it is done,” explained Tim Sennott, an SCU Mechanical Engineering student.

The lighting of the home maximizes the admittance of high quality sunlight “to create a stronger spatial connection to outdoors.”   An outdoor courtyard compliments the Californian ecosystem and climate, in addition to providing a smaller garden with edible plants.  The home also features a grey-water treatment system, bamboo joists, and a storage pool, plus a monitor that displays energy and water consumption levels inside the home.  All systems and sustainable design features were created by the students.

Never mind their finishing place, we are impressed with the dedication and determination of this young team. We look forward to seeing all the winning proposals in the National Mall in a few months and will keep you updated on this great competition.

More info at: SCU + CCA Solar Decathlon
Competition: U.S. Dept. of Energy Solar Decathlon
Competition Team: Santa Clara University and California College of the Arts
Date of Solar Decathlon Competition: October 9-18, 2009
Place: National Mall in Washington, DC
Size: 800 sq.ft. One-Bedroom Home
Cite:
Cilento , Karen . "Refract House, Solar Decathlon / Team California, SCU + CCA" 09 Jul 2009. ArchDaily. Accessed 17 Nov 2011.

© Bill Ellzey

Architect: David Jay Weiner, Architect, P.C.
Location: Crestone, CO, USA
Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates, P.C.
Contractor: Keith Teahen Construction
Photographer: Bill Ellzey

© Bill Ellzey

This project is a response to a client’s desire to build a small retreat in the high dessert of the San Luis Valley (elevation +8,500 ft.) with stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The area is known for its serenity and environmental uniqueness. The house is designed to not only respond to that environment but also to take advantage of the unique spirituality of the site.

© Bill Ellzey

The house is conceived as a single volumetric enclosure that wraps and folds around itself to form and define three major interior spaces and tie the house to the landscape. The primary interior space is used for living, dining and cooking. The two other spaces flanking the primary space serve as master bedroom suite and a traditional tatami mat meditation space adjacent to an outdoor room that is used as a Zen meditation rock garden. Large areas of glass are used to capture the views, allow for passive solar orientation and blur the distinction between inside and outside. The house is designed to be relatively inexpensive both in construction and maintenance. As the property is remote and off-the-grid system and, having more than 300 sun days per year, the 1,600 sq. ft. house is powered with a solar energy photovoltaic system. The seven-acre site has been left undisturbed to the fullest extent possible.

© Bill Ellzey

Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "Zen Garden House / David Jay Weiner" 16 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 23 Dec 2011.

© Tanja Milbourne

Architects: BiLD architecture
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Project Director: Ben Milbourne
Project team: Haslet Grounds, Alison Stout, Edmund Carter, John Doyle
Completion: 2011
Photographs: Tanja Milbourne

© Tanja Milbourne

The first in a series of studies into the adaptation of vernacular Australian suburban typologies, ‘Blurred House’ is a major renovation and extension to an original 1930’s Californian bungalow in Melbourne’s inner-north. Reacting to the established convention of residential extension which prescribes a jarring juxtaposition of existing ‘old’ and introduced ‘new’ architectural elements; the ‘Blurred House’ offers an alternative proposition; that of a blurring between ‘old’ and ‘new’ to produce a hybrid. Gradually transitioning from the vernacular to the contemporary, the division of architectural elements are deliberately ambiguous, producing a unique formal and visual language.

© Tanja Milbourne

Viewed from the street, the house appears largely unchanged, with a small clerestory window the only hint of reconfiguration. Both internally and externally; moving through the house, new materials, spatial characters and formal language is progressively introduced. By the time of arrival in the back yard, the house has evolved into a different building; no longer recognizable from its original starting point; an architectural ‘rabbit in a hat’.

© Tanja Milbourne

Reflecting the formal strategy of transition, rooms at the front of the property are left largely unadulterated, remaining more enclosed. On the other hand, living spaces to the rear are progressively more open and interconnected embracing the garden and pool areas. These varied spaces respond to different ‘modes’ of living, with different volumetric, acoustic, and light qualities. Whilst these spaces are linked to a greater or lesser degree, they are not ‘open plan’ in a conventional sense, rather configured in a more nuanced distribution of distinct spaces and functions.

© Tanja Milbourne

A hybrid of both old and new, oscillating between the past and present, the Blurred House sits comfortably in the street scape as something familiar yet alien. Distinct from both the area’s new housing and the original suburban fabric the ‘Blurred House’ is neither little red riding hood or the big bad wolf, somewhere in between.

Diagram

Cite:
Ross , Kritiana . "Blurred House / BiLD architecture" 19 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 19 Dec 2011.

© Sharrin Rees

 
Architects: Smart Design Studio
Location: Sydney, Australia
Project Team: William Smart, Anita Panov, Laura Morton
Consultants: Brian Wood, John Tourle, Brenon Liston
Project Area: 267 sqm
Photographs: Sharrin Rees

 
Cite:
King , Victoria . "Smart Design Studio Offices / Smart Design Studio" 13 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 13 Dec 2011.

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Corsico Images

Architect: Ailtireacht
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Project Archiect: Andrew Brady
Building Contractor: CRC Developments
Structural Engineer: Casey O Rourke Associates (CORA)
Project Area: 140 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Corsico Images

© Corsico Images
Client Brief:
The brief was to simply refurbish and recondition an existing house and associated flat roofed gallery kitchen to reach contemporary living standards.
The house is a typical single breasted mid-twentieth century terraced house with an existing gallery kitchen return.

© Corsico Images
The client is a retired teacher with a keen interest in gardening. The house immediate context is of poor quality ad-hoc additions to the original terrace.
The house previously suffered from a visual as well as a physical lack of connection to the garden, with an unsympathetic adjoining extension negatively impacting on an otherwise good orientation.

© Corsico Images
Concept/ Solution:
To the existing return, is added a simple wrap of terracotta shingles and external insulation. This new sheath projects 2.5m beyond the footprint of the original return, enclosing a small 4sq. m garden room and bench, it’s roof is canted to catch the direct clerestory southern light above the adjoining extension, bathing the previously dark return in attenuated sunlight.

© Corsico Images
A flush glass window at the lower worktop level, forms a new space extending from party wall to party wall, beyond the glass enclosure, comprising the gallery and the inner court.
The concealed kitchen, faced in oak, continues into the garden room to form the bench and privacy screen to the adjoining property.

© Corsico Images
The garden room is then conceived as end of the line, a space for one and maybe a familiar visitor, a space with a view of, rather than a route to, the garden, a veritable cul-de-sac, enclosing a moment in the day, from which to view the garden, enjoy a cup of coffee or just watch the birds.

Axon
A new canopy over the existing side passage encloses the dining area in a transition space between the interior and exterior, which along with a new staircase from the main floor creates a dialogue between the lower ground floor garden and the piano nobile, so often ignored in the conversion of this type of dwelling

Plan
Method of Construction:
Ground bearing concrete slab. Engineered timber I joist construction throughout. Stick built timber frame with Warmcell insulation to walls. Zinc and Iroko ventilated rainscreen cladding with ventilated zinc covered roof.

Cite:
King , Victoria . "Celtic Park / Ailtireacht" 02 Dec 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 02 Dec 2011.

© First Light house

The New Zealand team from Victoria University of Wellington is the first-ever finalist from the Southern Hemisphere in the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The team is led by students from Victoria’s School of Architecture and is made up of students from a range of disciplines across the university. New Zealand is the first country in the world to see the light each day, this gave the house its name— First Light.
 
The Meridian First Light house was inspired by the traditional Kiwi bach – a New Zealand holiday home. The design reflects the relaxed New Zealand lifestyle where socializing and a connection with the outdoors are central to living. The heart of the design is the glazed central section which functions as a bridge between the natural environment and the indoors.Decking runs around the house and also right through the centre, allowing occupants to effectively live outside during summer and bringing a sense of the outdoors inside during the colder months. A triple glazed skylight and large bi-fold doors illuminate the central section of the house.

© First Light house

The bach influence also informed how space was used – the house has been designed to create multi-functional rooms while keeping practical concerns, such as storage, in mind. The layout provides functional, flexible social spaces, which can be transformed to suit the owner.

© First Light house

The materials used in the house were chosen to lend strength, quality and integrity to the structure and the aesthetics of the house. A combination of timbers have been used including recycled New Zealand native Rimu along the interior rear wall and sustainably sourced Pinus radiata for the substantial decking. LVL and plywood were used for the walls and floors due to their stability and resistance to becoming deformed while Glulam beams and posts were used to support the canopy.

© First Light house

The exterior cladding and timber canopy are made from Western Red Cedar which is naturally durable, light weight and stable in a variety of climates. The canopy is a key feature of the design, sitting above the water proof layer it gives the house style and aesthetic interest and is also functional. The canopy provides independent support for the 6 kW solar array consisting of 28 polycrystalline photovoltaic panels and 40 evacuated tube solar collectors. Essentially creating a second roof means the Butynol membrane roof below remains uncompromised by the supports for the PV panels. In the warmer seasons when the sun is high the canopy also provides shade to the large windows below.

© First Light house

The house’s insulation material makes the most of an abundant renewable New Zealand resource. The entire house is insulated by a minimum of 240mm of recycled sheep’s wool insulation. This gives the house an R-value of 6 – almost three times greater than the New Zealand building code requires. The Meridian First Light house has been designed to use less than one third of the energy of a typical New Zealand home. Design principles to minimize energy use have been incorporated into the design to allow for minimal reliance on mechanical heating and cooling, which results in a reduced need for energy overall.

© First Light house

The 50mm concrete slab flooring acts as a mass to stabilize the internal temperature, while large triple glazed windows face South in the Northern hemisphere and North in NZ. Coming from the other side of the world meant the house needed to be designed with transport and quick assembly in mind. The Meridian First Light house was prefabricated and is made up of six independent modules that can be quickly assembled using a crane. This level of prefabrication allowed the team to fit out the modules with finishes, fixtures, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical equipment which makes for a simple and fast connection onsite.

© First Light house

The Victoria University team has constructed their house and assembled it on the waterfront in Wellington as a practice run to the competition later this year. They have had a tremendous response from the New Zealand public and are looking forward to seeing the other entries in Washington.
To learn more about the team and the Meridian First Light house:
http://firstlighthouse.ac.nz/
To follow on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/FirstLightNZ
 

Cite:
Henry , Christopher . "The Meridian First Light House, Solar Decathlon / Team Victoria University of Wellington" 27 May 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 17 Nov 2011.

© Filip Šlapal

Architects: studio pha
Location: Všeradice, Czech Republic
Authors: Marek Deyl, Jan Šesták, Petra Kratochvílová
Investor: Kratochvil
Contractor: Soe Real, s.r.o
Project area: 209 sqm
Project year: 2011
Photographs: Filip Šlapal
 

© Filip Šlapal

The plot of land is marked by its sharp southwards slope and its limited access with complicated bends, which also place a limit on the building’s height level. On the land are several notable mature trees.
The house is inspired by the proportions of traditional vernacular rural building without inhabited attic spaces, i.e. without a need to insert windows into the roof surface. The living area is above the bedroom section, using the interior space of the entire attic, designed without any ribbands, only with the aid of steel beams. Likewise, the slope is used for dividing the house into two parts: a firm stone plinth underlying the lighter wooden section with a peaked roof at a pitch of 45°. Both sections are shifted against each other – also following the slope of the ground.

plan 01

The house is placed on a lengthwise axis, running parallel with the contour lines, also to ensure that the complicated access from the main road did not require extensive landscaping modifications.
The wooden section is covered with vertical-positioned ceder boards. The sharply peaked roof is covered in copper sheeting. The windows are entirely framed in wood, with ceder surrounds.

© Filip Šlapal

Solid exterior surfaces are of solid wood, smooth or sanded concrete, and freely set stone flagging with wide gaps.
The semi-cellar area containing rooms is formed partially by the supporting reinforced-concrete wall and part by masonry. From the exterior, the walls are clad with coarse-cut slate.

Cite:
Rosenberg , Andrew . "Family House in Všeradice / studio pha" 28 May 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 29 May 2011.