© Lance Gerber

• Architects: o2 Architecture
• Location: Palm Springs, CA, United States
• Architect In Charge: Lance O’Donnell, AIA
• Area: 2818.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Lance Gerber

• Project Manager: Jeff Bicknell, o2 Architecture
• General Contractor: D.W. Johnston Construction, INC.
• Structural Engineer: JN Structural Engineering
• Interior Design: Daniel Torres Design and Studio-Fichandler

© Lance Gerber

From the architect. Located in Palm Springs, Ca, this home seeks to integrate the existing landscape and dramatic mountain scenery with indoor/outdoor living. The existing 1950’s home was tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac and demanded privacy. The mechanical systems were starting to fail and the finished grade at pool and deck were above the home’s finished floor, rendering the home at risk for potential flooding that could occur under heavy rain. Replacing the unserviceable home became more logical than trying to rehabilitate it. Focus then shifted to working around the existing landscape which included a koi pond that was maintained and fenced off during the construction process. Regrettably, a mature Italian Stone Pine tree had to be cut down as its roots were invasive and too close to the new foundation location; it has graciously been repurposed as table bases used throughout the site (observe main table in Lanai and small tables at pavilion).

© Lance Gerber

Upon passing the split-face, concrete block feature wall and entering the home, a forthright composition of clean and durable materials is revealed as a backdrop to the client’s highly refined tactile finishes. Clerestory windows were used throughout the main living area to capture mountain views, while maintaining the desired privacy from the street. Passive design strategies are apparent in the space with generous south-facing glazing, operable windows throughout that allow for cross ventilation, and deep overhangs providing abundant shade during summer months while allowing desired warmth into the home during cooler winter months.

© Lance Gerber

Site Plan

© Lance Gerber

The client requested a great room program, but with a visual separation from the kitchen. The challenge to integrate an enclosed working kitchen within the large open space, was achieved by a lower ceiling volume wrapping the kitchen and separating it from the dining room while keeping it open to the abundant backyard views. In targeting to have a seamless indoor/outdoor living experience, spaces often revolved around outdoor spaces as is the case with the great room, office, and master bedroom hinging off of the lanai. Keeping true to the site topography, the master bedroom takes advantage of existing site conditions by sitting 18 inches higher than lower finished floor. The master bedroom is accessed through the office “bridge”.

© Lance Gerber

A palette of authentic and durable materials give the home a robustness contrasted by graceful finishes. The preserved landscape provided the finished design with an immediate mature feel not often experienced in a newly constructed home.

© Lance Gerber

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Looking for a challenging new diversion that will keep your architectural mind humming? A new puzzle game from developers Dusty Road, Empty, may just fit the bill.

The object of the game is simple: to remove all the furniture from a series of brightly colored rooms. To do this, players must rotate the room in 3 dimensions, matching objects of the same color together. The game requires spatial reasoning and planning – remove the objects in the wrong order, and there may be no possible path to removing them all.

via Empty

The game is currently available for download from the developer website for Android, Windows, MacOS and Linux at a pay-what-you-want price.

Check it out for yourself, here.

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© Michel Denancé

• Architects: MGAU
• Location: Clichy, France
• Design Team: Michel Guthmann, Stéphanie Appert, Olivier Barthe, Mauro Palamini, Samuel Reist, Oona Savransky, Nicolas Zaegel
• Area: 3400.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Michel Denancé , Takuji Shimmura

• Architects Team: Mauro Palamini, Samuel Reist, Oona Savransky, Nicolas Zaegel
• Engineers: Bureau d’Etudes MIZRAHI
• Constructor: Fayolle
• Client: SEMERCLI for Clichy Habitat

© Michel Denancé

From the architect. The city of Clichy la Garenne has committed to an ambitious urban reconstruction project that highlights an exceptional location at the entrance to the city, south of the town. The construction of 47 homes by SEMERCLI falls within this context. The real challenge was to introduce new buildings made of contemporary architecture, more dense. The new building must thus preserve the unique spirit of these neighborhoods, linked to the history of the “faubourgs”. The final goal was to create a ten-story building which had the least possible impact at street level. This apparent contradiction was, for us, the basis of the project: a building in two pieces including a lower  piece, which becomes part of  the continuity of the street, and a second  piece of the building, which is separated and rises up in height, slightly set back.

Diagram

The lower part of the building belongs to the universe of the street, the continuities, and the pedestrians. There is a relationship between it and the existing buildings. The taller building rises and distinguishes itself from the traditional framework of the city. This way of rising into the sky multiplies the façades with views, and preserves the vision of the open sky as much as possible for the pedestrians and inhabitants on the south side of the street. Some apartments are located in two small wings built around the backyard. 

© Michel Denancé

The organization of the volumes allows the quantitative specifications to be met and permits not to sacrify what we consider to be essential to the interior quality of an apartment, that is: apartments have different orientations, kitchens benefit from direct natural light, and living areas are maximized and functional.

© Takuji Shimmura

The site creates an interlacing of gardens, patios and passages on the ground floor. This organization anticipates the richness of volumes found in the building. The hallway is generous and bright: stretching between the street and the interior garden like the storage area for strollers, spacious and functional.

© Takuji Shimmura

Floor Plan

© Michel Denancé

The façades are insulated on the exterior, and are treated either with lime plaster or a metal cladding. The windows and joinery are in aluminum, with an anodized finishing. The color of the plaster is in keeping with the colors of the existing buildings on the street.  The cladding is very light, in order to reflect the sunlight and brighten the center of the block. The volumes are simple in order to develop a certain constructive and technical rationality. The openings are very wide in order to maximize the penetration of natural light and highlight the visual exchange with the exterior.

© Takuji Shimmura

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North Perspective. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

Arkitema Architects has unveiled their winning proposal for a new visitors center at Mols Bjerge National Park in Denmark. To be located adjacent to the historic Kalø Castle Ruins, the design draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, taking the form of a softly sloping hill.

West Perspective. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

“We did not design a building in the usual sense. We designed an integrated part of the landscape,” said Poul Schülein, partner at Arkitema Architects. “We have mirrored the hilly surroundings and we are thrilled to continue working with this exciting project.”

Interior Perspective. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

The new center has been designed to accommodate the approximately 150,000 tourists that visit the Kalø Castle Ruins each year in a welcoming structure constructed of wood and brick that integrates into the National Park scenery. Within the hill-shaped form, two levels will provide an exhibition area, a gathering space for tourists, families and class trips, and a restaurant offering panoramic views of the Kalø Castle Ruins.

North Elevation. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

East Elevation. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

The two levels will be connected by a large, accessible staircase that will serve as an additional meeting point. The stair will continue out of the building to provide outdoor seating options.

Interior Perspective. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

The new building will be located just 500 meters from another Arkitema project, the House of Hunting, and represents the second recent visitor’s center commission for the firm, following being awarded the design of the Hammershus Visitors Center in 2013.

Section. Image Courtesy of Arkitema Architects

The building is expected to open to the public in 2019.

News via Arkitema Architects.

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© Gloria Medina

• Architects: FGO/Arquitectura
• Location: Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
• Architects In Charge: Luis Fernando Garcia, D.I Andrea Marín
• Area: 500.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: Gloria Medina

© Gloria Medina

Located in the Golf Club La Ceiba in the Yucatan peninsula. The project is erected within a lot with abundant vegetation, which is why the architecture was adapted to the terrain; most of the trees were respected and were relocated to provide shadow to open spaces. As well vegetation was taken advantage to generate cool breezes that allow a natural way to ventilate each space.

© Gloria Medina

The project is developed starting from the needs of an adult couple, which is why it is only one level, with access and amenities appropriate for every need along with easy access and circulation between all areas. The project is divided into three stages (garage, service area and residential area), all of which are connected by a network of ramps and steps through gardens and moving walls.

Floor Plan

With views to the outside from any part of the house, each space is given its own identity, with unique perspectives and without being exposed to the street or the golf course. This gives the residents total privacy, utilizing moving walls and a landscape design inspired by the regional forest.

© Gloria Medina

The project is developed with three longitudinal axises as starting points, by hiding the windows within walls a more open floor plan is generated, unifying the Living Room/Dining Room/Terrace/Kitchen.

© Gloria Medina

Such axises communicate with the living quarters, located to one side of the pool, passing through the fourth area, guest quarters/Den, serving as a transition, by utilizing the paths in the landscape design into the private living quarters, all of which have views of a private garden, functioning as a meditation space.

© Gloria Medina

With a low maintenance selection of materials and vegetation palette (concrete, steel and wood), clean and inviting spaces are created. Hand in hand with the landscape design, a state of tranquility and peace is created in the spaces, for the greater welfare of the users.

© Gloria Medina

Playing with simple geometry, completely open to the exterior, the natural environment is incorporated into each space by means of translucent elements, which are capable of providing ample and natural light to the spaces, inviting us once again to coexist with nature.

© Gloria Medina

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