From the architect. Scenery as an Integral Part of Everyday Life
A better understanding of our clients’ tastes enables us to more clearly envision what they need within their homes. In this particular case, the client, who yearned to live in a home with an expansive park view, contacted us during the pre-sale stage of an apartment in a new building to be constructed in the city of Pingtung and requested assistance for the design of their home. Mr. and Mrs. Hsu are very fond of the classic style, while their children prefer simple yet stylish decor. We endeavored to find middle ground by taking into account the different needs of each individual so as to formulate an all-encompassing design. This was how we proceeded: we started by identifying the apartment’s strength, which is the beautiful park scenery just outside the window, and we considered how the Hsu family would enjoy it from all angles of their home. At the same time we attempted to fulfill everybody’s needs in terms of their preferences for style.
Even though the “classic style” is typically associated with the complex and resplendent, we selected the spectacular view outside the window as our point of departure and gradually veered toward the decision to leave the entire interior space “blank.” That is to say, we proposed to create an environment of serenity and comfort by employing pure white as the primary backdrop. To elegantly exhibit aspects of classical design, we utilized symbolic elements and simplified the complex lines by interpreting classical beauty with a modern approach. We chose white as the background color of the living room wall, to which we added European-style cornices. The original black window frames were replaced by round, arched windows in order to soften the space and to form a visual reference. We strategically arranged the placement of the dining table, lamps, sofas, all the way to the window seat, in a way so that they form a visual continuity extending toward the scenery outside the window.
In the original layout of the apartment, the kitchen faced south; we altered the floor plan by creating an open space combining the kitchen with the living room. We additionally installed a kitchen island to facilitate the preparation of cooking ingredients. In consideration of Mrs. Hsu’s baking interests, we also designed a simple yet spacious cabinet, which not only provides ample storage but moreover adds a touch of elegance to the overall environment. With respect to the north side of the apartment facing the window, we designed a personal space for Mr. Hsu that accommodates his reading needs and his habits of watching TV and listening to music. We defined the space of the “study” using a heavyweight armchair and designed a stainless steel TV wall which automatically rotates 360°and a side section that provides storage for headphones, magazines and other beloved objects. Thanks to the chair with a foot bath we purposefully installed, Mr. Hsu will be able to fulfill his dreams of enjoying the scenery inside of the small adjacent balcony without suffering from the winter cold.
The common family space, which begins with the pleasant external scenery, is designed so that each individual may focus on their preferred pastimes yet at the same time interact and communicate with each other within an open space. Their bedrooms in turn serve as private enclosures each designed in their favorite styles. The master bedroom is a continuation of the white tonal backgrounds of the living room. The wooded floor however is tinted several shades darker to give warmth to the room. On the back wall of the bed and on the ceiling, we designed symbolic natural “leaf vein” patterns to resonate with the greenery outside the window and to mitigate the weight and presence of the low beams. For the bathroom, we decided on a combination of white stones and tiles with detailed embellishments such as lighting and metal trimming to accomplish an eclectic mix of casual and classical. As for the two secondary bedrooms, we proceeded according to the children’s unique personalities, which is why each door seems to lead into a distinctively furnished boutique hotel room. The boy’s room, furnished with leather and metal ornaments, manifests the staunch, virile and resolute character of a young man who is still somewhat introverted. The girl’s room on the other hand emits an ambiance of casual coziness with its cement textured backdrop and matching designer furniture. All of this ultimately culminates in a home in which each individual is able to locate their preferred space and place for comfort and contemplation.
Perfect place for winter wonderlands ! ❄📸: @coraliedpn !
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#canada #explorecanada #quebec #québec #qc #explorequebec #quebecoriginal #nature #landscape #beautiful #wanderlust #adventure #destination #winter #snow #cold #winterscene #winterwonderland #stdonat #visualsoflife #viewsaddict #stateofshots #canadiandestinations (at Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm)
Perfect place for winter wonderlands ! ❄📸: @coraliedpn thanks !
Share your best pics with us, use #travelcanada or tag @travelcanada_ !
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#canada #explorecanada #quebec #québec #qc #explorequebec #snow #winter #white #winterscene #winterwonderland #stdonat #quebecoriginal #stdonatdemontcalm #wanderlust #adventure #landscape #destination #nature #beautiful #canadiandestinations #viewsaddict #visualoflife #stateofshots #instagood #instadaily #photography #photographer #hike #hiking (at Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm)
From the architect. Oak Grove is a development driven venture. Between a detailed client brief laden with ideas about visual style, and the site located in an eclectic Australian suburban context, the architecture negotiates a meaningful contemporary response within highly saturated physical and conceptual parameters.
For cost efficiency the project involves two identical rectangular houses placed at ninety degrees to one another creating a garden setting that brings the feeling of the large street trees into the site. Each house has the same folded front façade derived from the site’s slightly angular orientation to north, with different alternate facets protruding, openable, glazed or solid, giving all habitable spaces flexible cross ventilation, north orientation and connection to outside. With each façade designed to be suitable at two different orientations, the resulting appearance from the street is a series of differently folded shifting patchwork elevations rather than two identical buildings alongside one another.
The project procures a sense of value through the expression of inexpensive materials according to their attributes and the amplification of the detail and craftsmanship inherent in the use of these materials which are usually ignored or concealed. Both inside and out, the entirely timber framed structure is also exposed in places, enrichening the multilayered architectural textures, rhythms and scales of the buildings. These patchwork assemblages are accordingly integral to the building fabric, with interior compositions tailored to the immediate purpose of the interfaces to each space.
Almost all surfaces of the project are coloured white. This combines them with a sense of unity in themselves and identity in an overwhelming context of different influences, while the sensitive consideration of the transparency, gloss levels and weathering of coatings, accentuates the subtly rich façade composition, heightens the perception of the careful detailing and enables a delightful engagement with the filtering light and shadows of the trees.
With the uncertainty of how a development project will be occupied, this scheme is an environmentally sensitive, flexible and tactile background for living that unashamedly but humbly fits in with and shares the aspirations of its client and context.
Product Description. A major principle of the project is the expression of everyday construction methods in a manner that exposes and expresses the inherent craftsmanship within them that is usually concealed or ignored. Two different variations of ”Shadowclad” exterior plywood cladding are used in combination with different arrangements and rhythms of battening that are actually an amplification of the use of straight forward coverstraps at joints. This exposes the normally ignored craftsmanship of standard timber panel construction methods to give an impression of customised detail and quality. Integrated within the same overall patchwork facade appearance, exterior plywood is designed into sliding and shifting insulated panels that form the flexible, folded sections of the custom designed façade system.
The natural wool light fittings are hand crocheted by my mother. In a project that is coloured almost entirely white, these soft, natural fittings filter light and are tactile objects in themselves. They continue the white colour of the project and contribute to the multilayered variances in rhythm, texture and material that is achieved through the patchwork surfaces of the building.
SANAA’s Zollverein School of Management and Design in Essen, Germany, is a perfect 35 meter-cube. The building’s dominant presence, which is particularly striking amid its suburban context, extends to the interior spaces. The architects felt “that exceptional ceiling heights were appropriate for the educational spaces, particularly for the studio level that occupies an entire slab of the structure.” Indeed, this production floor is “an unusually lofty and fully flexible space,” enclosed only by the external structural walls. Photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu has visited the building, which was completed in 2010, to capture a fresh view on this seminal project.
New York City – New York – USA (by Eneas De Troya)
