Full description after the photos….

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The Hidden House by Standard

Originally commissioned to design a new home for a young family who had purchased the site, Standard found a way to maintain as much of the existing structure as possible, both minimizing code complications and the environmental footprint of the project. “Hidden House is the perfect example of how incorporating an existing structure can actually be the key to a successful new design,” explains Jeffrey Allsbrook, Standard Principal and Co-Founder.

Hidden House is located on a serene 7-acre site (in Glassell Park where the paved road ends at an old hand written sign marking the entrance to “Hidden Valley.”) The property, which can only be accessed via a half-mile unpaved road, offers expansive views of the city but seems a world away from Los Angeles at the same time. Anticipating city restrictions associated with building on a site far removed from the street, Standard opted to keep the structure of the existing two-bedroom house substantially intact. At the same time the architects designed an entirely new home around the original space.

Today, the original two-bedroom cottage is incorporated into the house as the living and dining room. Standard added a new kitchen, family room, office, garage, master bedroom suite and kids bedroom, essentially doubling the volume of the house from 1580 sf to 3500 sf. The new house is arranged around two main courtyards. The main living spaces open up onto the interior courtyard, while the exterior courtyard looks out over the city in the distance. The self-contained cubes are arranged around the original footprint in such a way that they make order of the disorder. At a later date, the family may add on additional bedrooms per their original plan.

Hidden House also features several sustainable materials and features, ranging from the redwood cladding, to reclaimed endgrain block wood, to the cork flooring in the office, and highly efficient appliances/equipment. The design allows for excellent cross ventilation and day lighting, reducing the need to run forced-air conditioning or heat or energy-consuming electrical lighting. The house is insulated with sustainable cotton and built to be solar-ready. The garden is planted with native landscape and vegetables.

“We’re thrilled with the way the house evolved,” adds Standard Principal and Co-Founder Silvia Kuhle. “Hidden House offers the ultimate country living experience in the middle of an urban environment.”

Visit the Standard Architecture/Design website – here.

Photos: ©Benny Chan/Fotoworks

Tom created the table because he and his girlfriend live in a small apartment (around 65m2), and he wanted a coffee table that could turn into a dining table when they had guests.

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Visit Tom Rossau’s website – here.

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Full description after the photos….

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House Quinta do Buraco III by Castanheira + Bastai Architects

The architect was allocated the third house in the Quinta do Buraco condominium, located in a plot of land that nobody wanted. The search for the right solution was both interesting and complex given the steeply sloping terrain, with an underground water-course and dense tree cover – where invasive species were crowding out the autochthonous species.The relationship with the client was excellent notwithstanding the constant refrain: There’s nothing worse than building your own home; it’s a sea of indecision, a world of doubts; everything becomes much easier when it’s for other people.

The volume containing the family’s communal areas lies perpendicular to the curves at that level, thus creating new landings and consolidating the existing landings. An office was placed over the garage area in order to make it possible to work at home on occasions and take advantage of this location.  The front room, located in the intersection between two bodies has a higher ceiling and establishes a connection between the private area and the communal area.

Due to the slope of the terrain, it was possible to create another ground floor room, for use by the family’s children and their friends.  In the site where a water-course was identified, there is now a three-quarter body. A bridge was also built, terminating in a terrace, thereby maintaining the original profile of the land and creating the possibility of encompassing the landscape below, both from the interior and the exterior. Next to the plot of land itself, the entire structure is made of concrete. From the concrete base upwards, all the pillars, beams, linings and door and window frames are made of wood, produced by excellent carpenters, who fortunately can still be found. Inside the building, the coverings are made of wood in the ceilings and door and window frames; glass; several painted, plastered areas and slate in all floor coverings.

The exterior covering is constituted by wonderful manufactured copper, glass and slate on the floor areas adjacent to the interior floors.  The colours are, and will remain, the natural colours of the respective materials. Work will now proceed in the exterior zone.

Visit the website of Castanheira + Bastai Architects – here.

Photography by: Fernando Guerra
FG + SG – Fotografia de Arquitectura
www.ultimasreportagens.com

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Born in the UK in 1984, Benjamin Hubert studied Industrial Design and Technology at Loughborough University and graduated in 2006. Following successful degree shows, Benjamin exhibited at New Designers 06 with ‘Puff Out Lights’ winning the Corus Material Award and receiving short listings in two further categories.

Benjamin Hubert Studio exhibited at 100% futures 2008, receiving ‘the most promising designer award’. In 2009, he launched ‘a year in the making’ winning best new product at 100% Design and Best British Design in the British Design Awards.

Benjamin Hubert Studio products are exhibited and retailed across the world and have received numerous industry awards. The studio employs a materials and process focused design approach and now works with a range of international manufacturers across furniture, lighting and product sectors. Working with companies such as Ercol, De Vorm, De La Espada, &Tradition, Decode, Authentics and Viaduct, Benjamin Hubert has created some amazing pieces from lighting made with cork to  beech coatstands.

Photography by Richard Boll

Ryan and Jason began working together designing this speculative/custom modern residence. Sean Meek, the owner of Logan’s Hammer: Building & Renovation, joined the team to construct the project, and helped turn an ambitious prospect into a reality.

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Site concept: This “Urban-infill” house is thoughtfully sited to the North portion of the lot in order to maximize the unobstructed views while creating a large, private yard to the South. The house takes advantage of the views and natural topography while creating easy access for both vehicles and pedestrians. It was important to create a foot-friendly access to the house, while maintaining ample off-street parking for both owners and visitors alike.

Design concept: This custom urban home works to bring a contemporary style of living together with hints of traditional Queen Anne aesthetics by incorporating a subtle blend of clean, modern lines with rich comfortable materials. The house is essentially two simple forms (a rectangle and a box) that are juxtaposed to take advantage of the dynamic views.

Visit the website of Ryan Rhodes Designs – here.

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The Informatieplein is shaped as the interior space of a monastery. It contains one large monastery bench, which comprises a multitude of functions upon closer inspection.

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The Informatieplein features an interior of solid and natural materials. This landscape consists of an integrated ensemble of tables, chairs, stools, lounges, information screens, presentation columns, bulletin boards, and folder displays. The prominent multifunctional piece of furniture contains a display, folders, pc’s, gaming, magazines, and reading areas, among others things, and is made of unprocessed oak, with a felt upholstery in warm colours.

Visit AEQUO’s website -here.

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Description from Nina Bruun:

Influenced by the coming season and of nature, this chair is inspired by a bird’s nest. My idea was to create a graphical chaos which still felt like a unified whole.

The chair’s supporting structure consists of a bottom, seat and four stabilizing legs. To create a “nest feeling” I played with birch strips in different thicknesses and hurled them around the supporting structure. In order not to divert attention from the nest of birch strips, I have chosen to make a very anonymous upholstered cushion in a dusty chocolate brown which plays beautifully with the pale birch. It was natural for me that the chair had a soft center to create references to the bird’s nest, that are typically lined with down, to form a confident frame for eggs and chicks. It was very difficult to get the nest “right” I had to do the chair over and over again before it was perfect.

Visit Nina Bruun’s website – here.

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Full description after the photos….

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The Banyan Treehouse by Rockefeller Partners Architects

Location: Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California
Completion Date: September 2009
Square Footage: 172 sf

Project Description
Located on a high eastern-facing ridge with views downtown Los Angeles in the distance, the Banyan Treehouse is a diminutive art studio and sanctuary.  Rockefeller Partners was originally commissioned by this client to design a house that was ultimately never realized.  Working together once again on this project, architect and client were able to revisit some of the design elements that they had originally explored in a different context, such as the striking butterfly roofline.

Perched atop steel pylons that abstractly emulate natural branches, the project is not literally a tree house but rather a modern interpretation of one.  The design pays the ultimate respect to the pre-existing tree, literally shaping itself around the contours of the trunk.   Inside, a single glass cut out in the floor reconnects the tree house inhabitant to the tree itself, a respectful and subtle nod to Mother Nature.

Every surface of the tree house is appointed with wood, creating an unparalleled level of warmth.  The exterior is clad with high-grade cedar while the underside of the eaves and the structure itself are clad with rich palope.  Inside, the walnut floors are complemented by walnut paneled walls.

Serving both as a studio and as guest accommodation, the tree house is completely self-sufficient with a water closet, fireplace, refrigerator, daybed, and television.  Outside, a quick walk down the stairs leads to a protected and private outdoor shower.

Architect: Rockefeller Partners Architects
Rocky Rockefeller, AIA, Christopher Kempel, AIA, and Brian Pera

Interior Design: Alana Homesley Interior Design

Landscape Architect: Pamela Burton & Company

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There were five of these restrooms completed last year, and another seven will be finished
by the end of March, 2010.

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Photography by Toshiyuki Yano

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The new Hillel House is one of a group of cultural houses, the building is located on the edge of the campus adjacent to an urban residential neighborhood. Activities include social gatherings, educational seminars, religious services and regular Sabbath dinners, allowing students to celebrate their particular cultural identity within the larger campus experience. The front of the house facing the campus is more open and public, while the rear of the house facing the neighborhood is more enclosed and private. With its dynamic roofline and inviting main spaces, the house welcomes Jewish students and the Trinity community, and creates a positive and energetic presence in the surrounding neighborhood.

Photography by Peter Aaron/Esto and Anton Grassl

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From the designers:

A series of stools made of metal tube-knots and wooden sticks. The metal fittings add colorful stripes to the sticks as a recollection of our childhood’s croquet.

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Visit the WIS Design website – here.

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Full description after the photos….

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Altis Belém Hotel by RISCO Architects

The Bom Sucesso Hotel is situated in Belém, on the waterfront to the east of the Bom Sucesso Dock and opposite the Belém Cultural Centre. It is a 5-star hotel with 50 rooms and a number of facilities intended to support water sports.
The main structure, which has two floors, lies perpendicular to the Tagus in such a way as to make best use of the views across the city and the estuary. It is also designed not to constitute a visual obstacle along the axis between the Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries. The hotel is also composed of a rectangular platform, which incorporates the restaurant and creates a “pocket” designed to increase guest privacy. There is an open green space above the platform. A very narrow structure, which sits between the hotel and the restaurant and connects them, possesses a strong identity of its own that is related to the look of the nearby Museum of Popular Art.

ARCHITECTS: Risco (Manuel Salgado, Joao Almeida eTomás Salgado) www.risco.org
ARCHITECTURE TEAM: João Almeida (site architect), Cristina Picoto, Catarina Pires e GianLuca Bono.
INTERIOR DESIGN: FSSMGN (Fernando Sanchez Salvador e Margarida Grácio Nunes) www.fssmgn.com
INTERIOR TEAM: Ana Tsukagoshi, Claire Campens, Eliana Candeias Alves, Miguel Ribeiro Carvalho, Nelson Magro, Sofia Torres Pereira
PHOTOS: FG + SG – Fotografia de Arquitectura ( www.ultimasreportagens.com )

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John says:

The main carcass and legs of the sideboard are crafted using American black walnut whilst the doors are formed using a mixture of  walnut, oak, ash, poplar and sapele solid wood lamination’s.

In today’s throwaway society it has never been more important to reuse and recycle materials. My “Neapolitan” range of furniture does exactly this. By utilising what most furniture manufacturers would consider of no use, I have managed to create a variety of products that reuse off cuts and produce long lasting pieces of function art.

I was inspired to use a variety of solid wood lamination’s from my childhood memory of eating my way through bowls  of Neapolitan ice cream! I merged this past image with my love of Bridget Riley painting’s to create a visual landscape that I hope is inviting to the eye. Encourages you to follow the meandering lines of the wood and pause for a moment on the smooth sculpted ovals.  My furniture has a function to play, a practical purpose to fulfill  but I want my pieces to be more than just that. My aim is to encompass contemporary bespoke design with quality craftsmanship to give my clients a piece of functional art.

Visit John Galvin’s webiste – here.

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Description from the designer:

Focusing on “urban renewal” each piece gives new life to urban and suburban trees that have been previously removed and are destined to become waste or firewood. Naturally every log has a different shape, texture, and story adding uniqueness and a history to each piece. This natural individuality is contrasted by the simple, yet industrial elements of safety orange tube, orange upholstery and smoky copper tinted mirrors.

Inspiration for the concept came from continuously seeing beautiful pieces of unused logs lying around the neighborhoods surrounding the studio here in Venice, CA. The first run of furniture used redwood for the tables and chairs, and White Oak for the lights, however, there is such a variety of species available around the Los Angeles area that future generations will constantly be changing species.

Photography by Peter Turba

Visit the website of Ilan Dei Studio – here.

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Antonieta D’Introno is an interior designer located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; through a series of questions we asked her, she gives us some insight into the day-to-day realities of what it’s like to be an interior designer.

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Antonieta D’Introno was born in Caracas, Venezuelan to an American artist and Italian professor. She grew up surrounded by art, architecture, history and culture, traveling across Europe and North America as a child with her family. Educated in Italy and America, she has lived in Italy, Spain, the United States and has now made her home in British Columbia, Canada.

Contemporist: How do you describe your style?
Antonieta: Pretty contemporary. I also define contemporary and modern differently. I love modern but I think that modern really describes a certain time…contemporary is what’s new and fresh. I like clean, fresh, uncluttered functional spaces. I want design to be accessable and affordable. You can make fantastic things if you’re creative, open-minded and patient.

Contemporist: What is the typical day in the life of an interior designer such as yourself?
Antonieta: Coffee is essential! Then I’m out the door and on my feet most of the day. I do most of the sketching and drafting. I source products, tiles, odd materials, lighting, decor. No one ever tells you in the beginning how strong you have to be to be a designer, carrying tile boards and moving furniture and reaching to measure spaces.. it’s a workout!

I have an intimate relationship with my cell phone! I try and work as closely with my clients and trades as possible so I make sure I can be contacted at any time. It is more important to me that a job be done well than allowing any guessing to come into the process.

I’m a busy bee during the day but I will put everything down for a good coffee and a good chat with my mom, we talk on the phone every day. And I like to wrap up my day with a long walk. Sometimes the best work happens outside the office when your mind is open,clear and creative.

Contemporist: What is the best thing about being an interior designer?
Antonieta: You just get to be creative…have fun…constantly playing. Being a designer is a bit like being an educator, helping people realise their dreams.

Contemporist: What is the worst thing about being an interior designer?
Antonieta: You have to be extremely diplomatic. It’s not that it’s the worst thing. Sometimes it is a bit of a guessing game, sometimes the clients test you.

Contemporist: Who or what are your major influences?
Antonieta: Family is my main influence I really like mid-century design and designers, especially architects from California. I love Californian modern, it is changing all the time but still timeless.

Contemporist: What are some projects that you want to do but haven’t had the chance?
Antonieta: Everything…I would love to be involved in designing a boutique hotel. I am doing a lot of residential but would like to collaborate with an architect to bring interior design and architecture together, to make them as one. I would also really love to work on designing sustainable prefab housing for the Canadian market, specifically British Columbia.

Contemporist: What is the hardest thing about working for yourself?
Antonieta: The inner arguements with myself. My own insecurities, I’m a perfectionist and sometimes I don’t have time to make it perfect. Anyone who says they don’t have insecurities is lying.

Contemporist: Is it difficult to get clients to be more adventurous with the designs?
Antonieta: I find many of my clients are very savvy and they do their research. So when we consider doing something new or different we take the time to look into all the pros and cons. It can be difficult to get a client to try new things but it is an exciting challenge I enjoy.

Contemporist: After consulting with a client, what is the process that you go through to bring the idea to a reality?
Antonieta: I gather as much information as possible for the client. Drawings, renderings, colors, materials and inspirations are all elements that help the client visualize what they want with what I see in my head. Getting the idea across successfully is a huge deal. Next, finding the trades to complete the job is just as, if not the most important part! Your design is only as good as the trades you use. There is a lot of research and time that can go into selecting all kinds of elements, ranging from the windows in a house to the door knobs to the trim details to the extra shelves in the kitchen pantry that a client has always dreamed of having. I work closely with a client to ensure their dreams can be achieved, within their budget and time-line.

Contemporist: What is the most frequent part of a home that people want designed?
Antonieta: Kitchens and bathrooms are the best places to start when remodeling or renovating and that’s where we usually start. There are so many different things you can do when designing a new bathroom or kitchen so it makes for a fun creative selection with the client.

Contemporist: In the photos (see above), there are some concrete fireplaces that are obviously the work of a designer. Is it difficult to convince clients to do custom work that results in more of an impressive interior?
Antonieta: When I work with a client and we are working on a larger scale project where we can have impressive areas, there is no convincing needed. When you have a feature fireplace or accent wall, it’s clear that particular item or area needs the extra punch. Custom work always completes an interior, it gives the space a unique and tailored feel.

Contemporist: How do you promote your work and get clients?
Antonieta: It’s not always easy to promote yourself or be on top of your marketing campaign, but being involved in the community and meeting people is the best way to find new clients. I think it’s important to look at all different kinds of advertising and avenues.

Contemporist: Any advice for young designers out there?
Antonieta: Patience! If you are good at what you do, enthusiastic and motivated good things will come to you. And never let someone tell you you can’t do something because with a little effort and compromise you can achieve anything you set your heart on!

Visit the website of D’Introno Interior Design – here.

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Full description after the photos….

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The Cedar Park House by Peter Cohan

The Cedar Park responds directly to the predicament posed by the site – that its most desirable location is also its most fragile.  It takes advantage of the prospect afforded by a steep site, while at the same time strengthening the fragile slope, collecting the water that threatens to de-stabilize it and minimizing the energy required to do so.  The building is formed by the interaction of site-cast concrete walls and water-collecting roofs.  At the same time the transparency of the house creates a seamless spatial experience, connecting inside and out.

SITE-CAST WALLS

Two concrete walls mark the site and define its major exterior and interior spaces. The first follows the long northern boundary, cupping at the end to form an outdoor hearth.  The second parallels the first, until it bends in the middle and angles to the southeast.  Together they form a Y that opens to the east. The walls become a datum against which the slope of the site is measured, growing to eleven feet tall at the entry portal.

WATER-COLLECTING ROOFS

The steep slope is subject to erosion and landslides, particularly when it becomes saturated with water.  For this reason all of the water from the roofs is collected and conveyed uphill to the street.  Two distinct roof shapes reflect different strategies for collecting the water.  The western roof conveys rainwater far enough up site to allow it to drain naturally to the street.  The eastern roof takes the form of an inverted gable that collects the water and deposits it into three above ground cisterns.  The cisterns store water for flushing toilets, doing laundry and watering the gardens.

TRANSPARENCY

The solidity of the exterior stands in sharp contrast to the openness of the interior.  The chevron-shaped living space is open to the terrace and lawn.  The 7 1/2-foot wide doors to the terrace can be slid in either direction.  The two arms of the house form the edges of a lawn that extends from the living room to the edge of the bluff overlooking Lake Washington.

Visit the Peter Cohan Architect website – here.

Photography by Lara Swimmer

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Description by Studio Nicoletti:

This auditorium – one of the largest in the world – was awarded to Studio Nicoletti as the result of an International restricted competition. Founded in the heart of the steppes only four years after the Independence of the Country, Astana is now a decade old new capital of Kazakhstan. Astana’s central nucleus occupies a rectangular area whose organizational axis is based upon a system of three piazzas. In the largest of these, dominated by the Presidential Palace, the State Auditorium faces the Senate House. The vastness of the location conjures up an impression of the immensity of the territory. Flying over the arid vastness of the steppes, we felt that what is really missing were flowers. We decided to build the “Flower of the Steppe”. Amidst this monumental void, the structures of the Auditorium rise like the petals of a flower animated through music. They create an envelope which encloses an internal piazza housing shops, balconies, restaurants, exhibition halls, two cinemas and the 3500 seats Auditorium entirely clad in wood inside and outside. Its shape is similar to a “Dombra” the typical Kazak instrument. Such internal multi-levelled piazza integrates with Astana’s system of public squares, while providing a space protected from the harsh local climate: a temperature range from -40 to +40 and salty winds.

Visit the Studio Nicoletti website – here.

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Photography by Adolf Bereuter

Visit the website of DI Bernardo Bader – here.

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From the designer:

More books are printed every year, read and discarded. Even though many are taken to charity shops, they mostly go unsold and the charities have to pay for the books to be sent to landfill. For example 10,000 books a week from one charity will go to waste. There is currently no infrastructure set up to recycle the paper from books because the paper is low grade and the glue on the spine must be removed. These wasted books are used to create a beautiful chandelier. Every page is folded in half, producing a circular arrangement which hangs around a ceiling light.

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Visit the Lula Dot website – here.

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Full description after the photos….

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Hat Island Residence by Bjarko | Serra Architects

This vacation retreat, located on an extraordinary beachfront setting, was designed as two separate buildings—one for living and eating, and the other for sleeping. The separate bedroom wing provides extra privacy, so late-night entertaining does not disturb sleeping children or weary parents, as the case may be. Extensive water views, generous decks, and the sheltering orientation of the two buildings contribute to a fluid relationship between living areas and the surrounding seascape.

Located at the northwest corner of Hat Island in Puget Sound near Washington’s San Juan Islands, the home is on a narrow waterfront site situated in a relatively dense beach front development of single family homes.  Except for the adjacent development to the north and south, the area is in a pristine marine environment where the experience of the water and wildlife is essential to being there.

The homeowners’ desire was to have a modern vacation house that maximizes the unique beach site and provides a comfortable central gathering space to experience the waterfront and accommodate passive activities.  The property and house are co-owned by 2 families, so the design had to provide sufficient space for large groups sharing the facilities.

Struck by the beauty of the setting, architect Chris Serra decided to create a design that captured the pristine nature of the site while minimizing the experience of the adjacent development.   The primary challenge became how to balance this idea with the reality of constructing a home for 2 families containing 5 bedrooms on a compact site.  The design scheme was conceived as 2 buildings, each serving the functions they enclose while creating a specific experience on the site. When approaching by land, the 2 buildings form an entry court that frames a view of the water through the house. The 2 story portion of the house contains sleeping areas and is oriented along the north property line to provide a buffer from a neighboring development. The semi- transparent 1 story pavilion contains the living spaces and hugs the beach front with an unassuming presence. Sliding window-walls minimize the barrier between interior and exterior spaces. Decks surrounding the house allow for easy movement throughout the site. Extensive water views, generous decks and the sheltering orientation of the 2 buildings contribute to a fluid relationship between living areas and the surrounding seascape.

Selecting materials and detailing for the shell of the building based on durability also had primary importance given the exposed nature of the site. The materials include Western Red Cedar channel siding over a rainscreen system, Cembonit cement panels over a rainscreen system, Tigerwood decking, galvanized railings, standing seam metal roofing.

Visit the Bjarko | Serra Architects website – here.

Photography by Ben Benschneider

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