Architecture | Home Design Trends

Screen House by Randy Bens

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:06:00 +0000

Randy Bens architects recently finish a renovation project to add a new floor to an existing 1954 bungalow, which is situated in a post war suburban neighbourhood in the city of New Westminster, BC. The existing house was an L-shaped bungalow which was too small for clients. The new floor would be the domain of the parents, and the boys would acquire main floor bedrooms of a more suitable size. The addition would be composed of a studio, master suite, and a deck to take advantage of the view.

The main floor interior was left largely in tact and the simple palette of hardwood floors, wood trims, and off-white walls was continued throughout the new second floor and serves as a neutral backdrop for the client’s art collection. The result is a warm interior punctuated by colour, and an intense play of light generated by the screen.

A new steel stair unites the two floors, and the solid wood treads match the recycled fir flooring which is used throughout the second floor. New millwork is constructed from a mixture of Appleply and Plyboo bamboo plywood. The millwork in the ensuite has Paperstone (recycled paper) on the counter and tub tops, while the walls are clad in blue back-painted glass. A composite recycled tile is used on the floor and shower walls to complete the palette.

The overall massing was influenced by the desire to stack new program on existing walls and by the creation of a new exterior space on the second floor with access to views and sunlight. To counter the vertical nature of the resulting mass and shade the south facing living room, a horizontal screen was introduced which gives the composition a more restful and balanced appearance. To further reinforce the horizontality of the screen, a concrete planter wall was introduced at the ground plane. The vertical cedar siding, gently sloping roofs, exposed glulam beams and rafters are all present, but contemporary in their composition. Bright rolled zinc panels were placed above and besides existing window openings, and then aligned with new openings above. A simple through-wall flashing detail serves as a datum for window heads, mullions and sills, and is present on all facades. (Refference : www.architeria.com)

Architecture: Randy Bens

Photographs: Roger Brooks Photography

Sustainable Maintencillo House by Jonas Retamal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:33:00 +0000

Jonas Retamal Architect recently designed a sustainable house in the coast of Chile’s Valparaíso Region. This house created with wooden material with 2 space. Interior was designed with contemporary style, with warm and cozy ascend.

Monthey Kindergarden Building by Bonnard Woeffray Architectes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 02:52:00 +0000

In collaboration with Nuno Ferreira, Bonnard Woeffray Architectes have designed Monthey Kindergarden building in the town’s Cinquantoux Park and replaces the former villa that had become obsolete. Conceived as a large house for children, the venue assumes an almost organic shape that merges with the wooded park and offers a range of interior spaces. Following the same logic is its composition of volumes topped by a roof composed of gently slanting sections. The building can accommodate 180 or so children. It offers two floors arranged as six separate units.

"Each unit is divided into two spaces for activity and rest, with a washroom and toilets in between. Each unit has a distinct character reflecting its position in the building; all benefit from different views of the park, and are bathed in sunlight in the morning or afternoon depending on the orientation. The variety in the positions of the windows, all identical in size, contributes to a range of perceptions and facilitates visual contact for all ages. While the construction is traditional, the exterior cladding is inspired by the world of childhood. The facades consist of timber slats finished in an array of toy-like colours, including pink, orange, red and green. Creating contrasting ambiences that are both happy and playful, the interior is composed of a rhythmic succession of coloured floors and ceilings, with as many colours as there are units"

via Architeria

Stone Creek Camp in Montana by Andersson Wise Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 02:41:00 +0000

Sited along a sloping hill of Montana Camp, this "Stone Creek Camp" designed by Andersson Wise Architects. The buildings offer warm, almost cave-like spaces as well as expansive porches, open to the views and sunlight. Small windows and thick walls facing into the slope of the site are contrasted with entire walls that open up towards the lake. Inhabitants may choose to be outdoors while inside by sliding open walls or moving outside to spaces that are more civilized than the outlying wilderness. Similarly, with each bedroom’s separate screened-in space, it is always possible to sleep in nature and yet still be secure within the building. The materials and textures of these buildings connect them to the site. The effect is paradoxical: despite their size, the camp’s large structures seem to emerge from the rock, wood, and grasses that surround them. Like the lake, they feel as if they have been – and will be – here forever.

via housedesignidea

citizenM Glasgow Hotel by Concrete Architectural Associates

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:24:00 +0000

The concept of the citizenM Glasgow Hotel is to cut out all hidden costs and remove all unnecessary items, in order to provide its guests a luxury feel for a budget price. CitizenM wants to contribute also to it’s cultural environment. Two huge art works, printed on pvc mesh fabric are placed on the façade. In Glasgow, the artist Alex Dordoy expresses the open way of living of the mobile citizen in combination to the restless spirit of the city of Glasgow. citizenM wants to be a local rather then a stranger. The record grooves of ‘I belong to Glasgow’ now form the pattern of the huge steel gate on Hopestreet.

The ground floor houses commercial space with the entrance of the hotel on Renfrewstreet. Behind a red coloured glazed façade a double height space links the Street with the world of citizenM on the first floor. A huge red coloured helical stair and a sky of hanging lamps welcomes you. The public area of the first floor is divided in several living rooms. Our purpose is to create a home-environment, by designing working areas, dining areas and sitting areas in cooperation with Vitra. A red service-bar forms the heart of the canteen and is on one side surrounded by a 20-meters long bookcase.

This bookcase contains, besides racks with magazines, newspapers and merchandise, also refrigerated glass cases with drinks, sandwiches, salads, sushi, typical breakfast and other kind of snacks and meals as well as fresh bakery products. At night canteenM changes into a bar-area, parts of the bookcase are closed and different lighting scenes create an intimate atmosphere.

All the citizenM guestrooms are constructed of site. This means the outside measurements are restricted to enable the transport to the building-site. Within these measurements the guestroom will be continually evaluated and improved for every hotel. The bed stands in front of a floor to ceiling, wall to wall window and is super-king size. It’s white bed-linen and pillows offer a lounge area to watch TV on the flat LCD screen. The wet-room, which contains rain- and hand-shower and the toilet lights up in any colour you want and become a signature element in the room. An electronic mood pad with touch-screen allows visitors to control the entire room, setting the mood of the room to their choice.[Concrete Architectural Associates]

-via

Playhouse in Jakarta by Aboday Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:04:00 +0000

The Playhouse is the latest project by Aboday Architects, situated in Bumi Serpong Damai (BSB) Tangerang. The house is an amalgamation of an existing 120 type house with a new building in its adjacent 200 sqm empty plot. Restricted by its corner setback, the building occupies only 150 sqm of the total 320 sqm land. The look is straight forward, mimicking the sloping roof of neighboring house. The material is almost bare, with dominantly exposed concrete as its main pallete, punctuated by small glass incision and opening towards the main road.

Generally, it appears as an inward orientation building with plenty of vertical green walls providing a friendly gesture to otherwise staid looking house. The house will be mostly occupied by a multi generation family of 3. There is a sculptural slider of concrete, tuck in the corner between 2 main building massing. Except for the 3 enclosed bedrooms, the rest of the house is an open space dominated by white and grey palette of exposed concrete wall and ceiling. Some flaws during the concrete pouring on the wall and ceiling left trace of ‘elements’ that become a natural ornamentation in the house.

Concrete has been chosen as main building material, simply because of its dualism quality. By having an extremely high ceiling (10 meter in height), applying a special coating of heat resistant membrane on the external roof surface and leaving external wall occupied by plenty of cripple plants (which soon will grow to the roof); it helps to reduce internal heat accumulation significantly. Here, natural ventilation and lighting play an important aspect of the house. All open spaces have no air conditioning system, and dependent entirely on the opening and incision between walls, windows and roof for fresh air ventilation generated by a series of ceiling fan suspended beneath the concrete roof using a metal rod mechanism. [Photos by Happy Lim]

-via

William H. Hannon Library Building in Los Angeles by AECOM

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:36:00 +0000

Thhe William H. Hannon Library represents a new paradigm in the delivery of information services to 21st century students. The library capitalizes on the building’s prominent location and successfully fulfills the University’s goal as a functional gateway linking the academic and residential precincts, and identifiable campus landmark both from the inside and outside. The building is truly ‘of its place’ – an embodiment of a future-looking character that is respectful of the past. The architecture is formed around the geometries of a circle inscribed in a square. The square relates to existing academic buildings while the circle negotiates the geometries of the adjacent residential campus and maximize views of the bluff. - via

Tinbeerwah House in Australia by Bark Design

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:23:00 +0000

The Tinbeerwah situated in suburb of Noosa in Australia and created by Queensland based architects Bark Design. This house contains two main interconnected, steel framed volumes for living and sleeping, perched high on the site to take in broad views of the Pacific coastline with the forested hinterland in the foreground.

"The main spaces step down and run with the natural topography, connecting in section via the double height living and northern pool deck space, whilst a separate ‘silver shed’ art studio projects out across the fall of the slope, creating a south lit, plywood lined space for painting, high in the treesTaking some cues in architectural language from the architects’ own studio, the house explores ‘Case Study’ ideas of expressing a legibility of construction, with simple clean spaces contained by a series of steel portal frames and glazing, in contrast with economic modules of lightweight sheet and hardwood chamferboard cladding. The house explores lightness, filtering natural breezes, layers of transparency and integrating indoor / outdoor spaces within dynamic patterns of light and shadow" - via

Pompidou Center Building in Metz by Shigeru Ban

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:03:00 +0000

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is the first offshoot of a major French cultural institution – the Centre Pompidou in Paris – in collaboration with regional authorities. The Centre Pompidou-Metz is intended as a unique experience; a place for visitors to engage with artistic creation in all its forms. It is a living venue with events scheduled throughout the year. It is an exceptional place, thanks to the architectural design of Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines, and a generous place as the entire project revolves around its public. Lastly, it is a place of excellence, thanks to a multi-disciplinary programming of innovative, world-class temporary exhibitions.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz is a vast modular structure around a central spire rising 77m above ground, a nod to the Centre Pompidou which opened in 1977. The hexagonal roof structure, which echoes the floor-plan, covers a building with a total surface area of 10,700 sq m, including 5,000 sq m of gallery space. Other areas such as the Forum, the restaurant terrace and the garden provide further opportunities to exhibit works. The Centre Pompidou-Metz is surrounded by two gardens and a terrace. This gently sloping terrace provides a direct pedestrian link to the railway station. Partly landscaped, it has the same dimensions as the Piazza in front of the Centre Pompidou. The terrace was designed by Agence Nicolas Michelin Associés and Paso Doble, who also created the garden to the north of the Centre Pompidou-Metz. The five-acre garden is planted with flowering cherries, and its grassy folds enable rainwater to be collected from the roof and terrace. There are also numerous paths for visitors to make their way around and through the park.

Modern Russian House by Anatoly Kuzmin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:57:00 +0000

Anatoly Kuzmin collaborated with art-studio Kupryanovih created Modern Russian House with artistic exterior ceramic facade, features a lot of hand made ceramic.This house facade decoration has a complex painting and using crackle and crimp as a great techniques to obtain the artistic effect.

Modern Plus House by Mount Fuji Architects Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:04:00 +0000

The Plus House created by Masahiro and Mao Harada from Mount Fuji Architects Studio in hizuoka Prefecture on Japan’s main island of Honshu. Plus House shows off their talents at being bold but not grandiose, and at involving the surrounding nature in delicate detail but without giving up the individuality and presence of the building.The two storey modern house is made of simple two-level concrete structure, hosting private rooms and a bath on the lower level, and salon and kitchen on the upper. The water for the bedrooms and bath comes directly from a natural hot spring. The exterior is clad entirely in white water-polished marble. The interior is also covered in white marble that reflects the blue light from the south and green light from the west.

Attractive Ala Moana House - Great Barrier Reef Residence by Omiros One Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Sited on Hamilton Islands in the heart of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Australian Architecture practice Omiros One created elegant residence with 5 bedroom. This house have spectacular view of Pacific Ocean. This house called Ala Moana house, described as “ocean pathways”, combines a relaxed tropical resort ambience with luxury, sophistication, privacy and tranquility. Once inside, the architecture becomes a series of frames for the view, working hand in hand with the surrounds to enhance the experience. The internal reflective pool rolls through the site to the open view at front, fusing with the sky and appearing to spill into the ocean beyond. The inside becomes the outside and the swimming pool becomes the focal point of the living space.

Orange Memorial Park Building by Marcy Wong & Donn Logan Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Marcy Wong & Donn Logan Architects have completed the simple 6,400-square-foot Orange Memorial Park Recreation Building in San Fransisco. The building design is an airy, light-filled multi-purpose room for cultural, recreational, celebratory, and educational activities. The visual transparency of the glazed facade on three sides connects the inner space with surrounding patios, merging indoor and outdoor activities. The designers wanted the environmental features of the project to lend strong architectural expression to the building. Most important in this regard are the siting of the project with regard to solar orientation, the deep overhangs and sunshades, and the abundant sun-protected fenestration that provided natural day-lighting and views. As a result of the building’s siting, architectural design, lighting design and mechanical engineering, this project’s energy performance is 15.2% better than what is mandated by California’s stringent energy efficiency code standard. This qualified the city as the owner to receive a monthly incentive of thousands of dollars from PG & E.

Green Law School in Michigan US by SHW Group

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:54:00 +0000

The green building project encompasses the renovation of an existing 68,000 sq ft corporate training facility as well as the construction of a new 68,000 sq ft addition. Major components include complete wireless Internet access, two computer labs, a fully functional courtroom, a new law library, a full-service bookstore with internet cafe, and multiple large classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art, high-definition videoconferencing and high-quality, digital-sound recording systems, enabling students to download recorded class podcasts for later study.
[ Architects : SHW Group ]

Modern Moebius House by Tony Owen Partners

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:53:00 +0000

Situated in Sydney, Australia and faces onto views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Tony Owen Architects have designed modern family house - Moebius House. The house explores a more environmentally sensitive form of design called ‘micro design’. Micro design utilises parametric modelling software which can respond to very small changes to design input criteria. The unique form is a response to the requirements to maintain view and solar corridors.

The moebius house has a fluidity of space which is a direct result of having a strong relationship with the surrounding landscape. Due to the complex geometry of this house and the need for such fine tolerances, we had to evolve a completely new system of fabrication and assembly for this house which more closely resembled that of a car.

Minimalist Japanese Wrap House by Future Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:38:00 +0000

The Wrap house created by Hiroshima based architecture studio Future Studio. This house can identified with a its characteristic shape ts second floor features cool terrace “wrapped” by several walls. Besides that the house has very contemporary and architeria with elements of minimalism that are quite common for Japanese houses. The color theme of the exterior is purely black and white while inside are some other light and natural tones besides them. There aren’t many furniture but a lot of hidden storage which doesn’t spoil the minimalism of the interior.

Spain Summer House by Dom Arquitectura

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:37:00 +0000

Located in Menorca Spain, Dom Arquitectura was designed awesome summer house in 443 m2 area. This house inspire by the typical Menorca “tanca”, stone walls divisions of the realm. The plot is organized from a space frame, fully passable, based on a trace orthogonal, combining floors, platforms, water, trees, plants, tanca, pergolas, walls and the house itself. By combining these elements we are encountering this approach in which each piece is delimited and acquires its own identity and use within a harmonious whole.

Forest Bluff House by Bruns Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:28:00 +0000

The building’s envelope is composed of super insulated polyurethane SIP wall and roof panels and high performing low-e coated argon filled glazing. The 1,490 sf of finished main level is heated with a hydronic radiant heat system that uses the mass of the lower level slab to maintain a comfortable environment. The heat stored in the slab naturally radiates up through slots, directing warm air past the main level glazing and is returned through the open stair, completing the convection cycle. Outside air is filtered through a heat recovery ventilator, bringing fresh air into the home without sacrificing thermal performance.

Caverhill Residence in Los Angeles by SPF Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:25:00 +0000

This concrete residence located in Los Angeles CA , designed by SPF Architect. The main entrance is on the second of three levels, where the living room flows openly into the kitchen and dining area. These communal spaces and the bedrooms on the upper level are punctuated on each end by over 1,000 square feet of generous covered terraces and balconies. Each cove is protected from the sun and wind but still open to views.

Natural House by Tyler Engle Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:00:00 +0000

This house built With a tight lot and an even tighter budget by Tyler Engle Architects. this house was built as a system of modules set on trestles, hovering above the hillside. In order to meet their meager budget demands, the architects adopted their own interpretation of the traditional Japanese architecture Tatami mat module. The house features a 12-by-16-ft. grid system and 4-by-8-ft. sheets of plywood which, while not exactly “high-end,” create a comfortable and perfectly presentable living space on the cheap. The natural look of the wood exterior continues indoors, where minimalism and naturalism are a key theme with organic materials like wood and stone dominating.

Elegant Green House Design in Coastal Canyon Costa Rica

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:03:00 +0000

This awesome house situated in crest of a coastal canyon with fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by Costa Rican Jungle, this house serves you real paradise of Costa Rica view. Set in 4,000 sq ft of indoor living areas and 2,000 sq ft of outdoor areas, this house consists of five bedrooms, 4, 5 bathroom, two guest bedrooms and a caretaker’s quarters. The kitchen features chef-quality stainless steel appliances, large prep island, hood, bar and wine cooler. An amazing dining room with eight seats overlooking to the Pacific Ocean surely would make your diner more delightful. A large swimming pool is located in the outdoor space with a set of elegant outdoor furniture creates charming atmosphere to this house. (Refference : www.architeria.com)

Modern Cube Sky Cottage by Archimania

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:17:00 +0000

The Sky Cottageis decidedly modern as it responds to both the neighborhood and its primary asset, an unobstructed view of the Mississippi River. The design is composed of two components; a white-brick cube, which aligns itself with the established streetscape of rowhouses; and an elevated box, which resists this grid. By progressing into the home’s upper levels, one realizes the reason for the box’s unusual orientation — a focused and remarkable view of the river.

- via

School Extension in Toledo by GRG Arquitectos

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Spain based architecture firm GRG Arquitectos has recently completed the refurbishment of an existing teacher’s housing building into a classroom with the addition of new adjoining buildings.The additions include a dining room and kitchen. The front facade of the building utilises a large white wall spotted with small windows to provide privacy to the school’s dining room from the street while allowing an adequately-lit environment.Throughout the project the use of colour is employed in an attempt to differentiate between both new and existing spaces.The architects decided on using white to depict the new additions of the building while choosing gray to represent the existing buildings which once occupied the site.

Art Campus Building by Pott Architects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:43:00 +0000

The Art Campus located in Berlin Germany, transform from an old warehouse into a new centre for Contemporary Art, by Berlin and London based Pott Architects. The nested and spanned façade is made of a translucent membrane and part of an entire conversion of an old warehouse into a new centre for Contemporary Art.

Here is what the architects explain:

“The opening of the New Central Berlin Station ´Hauptbahnhof´ in 2006 brought the vacant stretch of land to the north of the Spree curve into the focus of public interest. The area – which covers the surface area of 40 football pitches and is twice as large as the Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz and Daimler City – will in time be developed into an urban accommodation complex, complete with an art campus, Marina, flats, offices and restaurants.

Japanese Art Apartment Interior Design in Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:57:00 +0000

This small interior apartment inspired by traditional Japanese art 'Origami'. Crated in just 49 sqm area, this design maximize the separation wall from the entrance to the apartment. The apartment already had a shell of simple concrete walls when the designer create the wall. Although all benefits could be seen just from the inside of the apartment. It adds feeling of movement and hidden spaces because of its diagonal form. Designer choose the fresh and clean of white color to get more ascend of more larger and bigger.