© Bartłomiej Bieliński 

• Architects: Anna Thurow
• Location: Gmina Kobylanka, Poland
• Architect In Charge: Anna Paszkowska-Thurow, Krzysztof Paszkowski-Thurow
• Area: 240.0 m2
• Project Year: 2012
• Photographs: Bartłomiej Bieliński 

• Collaborators: urbicon sp. z o.o.

© Bartłomiej Bieliński 

In close vincinity of Szczecin, in Kobylanka there is one house, differing from the “typical” suburban cityscape. Designed by architect’s couple Anna and Krzysztof Paszkowski-Thurow resembles immediately a picture of modern barn. Compact and energy-saving house is exploring archetype of typical polish countryside architecutre yet Anna and Krzysztof have merged it with innovation by using modern material and colour settings like dark-grey fibre cement slates as facade and roof cladding. On the contrary gable walls were plastered in white. Southern wall has a dynamic cut-out which forms roofed sundeck. Bold silhouette of the building makes a strong statement: there is a border between contemporary and “typical” architecture. 

© Bartłomiej Bieliński 

This house was a comission from a young couple and although it may not seem obvious, this is a family friendly “barn”. To proove that, there is a clear distiction between day, working and resting zones both for parents and yougsters. There is also a double height living room interconnected with common space on the 1st floor, allowing for good communication among the house.

Ground Floor

First Floor

When designing interiors of this house, Anna has referred to the character of the owners, their job as landscape developers and their numerous travels. Therefore all surfaces in the house might be characterised as rough and natural. Floor is paved with open-pore travertine and white-oiled oak planks. Kitchen is open integrated with the dining room. Spine of the building is created by centrally located staircase housing also storage area underneath, finished with white-oiled oak. Modern bathroom was designed in black emperador marble inspired by turkish-bath look, resembling distant eastern voyages of owners. 

© Bartłomiej Bieliński 

Anna and Krzysztof are architects, graduated from Szczecin’s Technical University and Copenhagen School of Design and Technology. Their style is underpinned by a subtle play of clean lines and natural materials as well as love for nordic internal warmth and order. They are often referring to Oskar Hansen’s saying: “We’re treating architecture as a backgroung exposing life’s processes, not like a majority of architects, understanding it (architecture) as a thing itself – composed and described” 

© Bartłomiej Bieliński 

Product Description. Creaton STRUKTONIT fibre cement slates enables homogenous covering for modern buildings. Due to its positive environmental characteristics it can achieve an A+ rating in the BRE Green Guide* providing extra credits under BREEAM Schemes. It is not only the environmental benefits that make Creaton STRUKTONIT fibre cement slates an attractive option for those specifying slate or cladding. This product was developed with the architect in mind and offer the opportunity to produce innovative and imaginative designs either as vertical cladding or slate roof pitches as low as 15°. Unlike other materials, fibre cement slates do not require wet-cutting due to the composition and workability of the material. 

© Bartłomiej Bieliński 

http://ift.tt/2gqwLTL

© BaO Architects

• Architects: BaO Architects
• Location: Baitasi, Beijing, China
• Architect In Charge: Benjamin Beller
• Photographs: BaO Architects

• Sponsors And Partners: China’s French Embassy, Artistic cooperation service of Beijing’s French Institute, Beijing Huarong Jinying Investment & Development Co. Ltd., Beijing Design Week, JML, ENTRE, CPYA, GEJIANZHU

© BaO Architects

The BAITAcinema is an ephemeral activation of a small courtyard located in the historical Baitasi district in Beijing. Realized for the Beijing Design Week 2016, the project is in fact the first step in a longer-term strategy that BaO architects is undertaking with the French Embassy in China to transform this courtyard into a permanent cultural space for collective and shared actions. 

Floor Plan

The core gesture of the project was the construction of a wooden amphitheater within the existing layout of the house. Invading both outdoor and indoor spaces and entirely transforming the visitor’s experience of the place, the installation purposely provokes its vernacular host and creates accidental encounters or spatial events between the new and the old. It opens up a new range of usages, postures and potentials in a space that was considered a straightforward traditional residential space. 

© BaO Architects

BaO’s architectural intervention focused on the desire and the possibility to create a spatial event that would enable a socio-political one. In essence, the amphitheater proposed to create a space that is traditionally associated with public life, community space, and civic gathering, within a setting that epitomizes domesticity and the intimacy of the Chinese family life. This cadavre exquis approach was a conscious architectural tactic to trigger an optimistic and progressive outlook on the opportunities of Beijing’s Hutongs’ renewal. It is uninhibited in its design, celebrates the possibilities of smallness, and is bold in its attitude toward its historical setting. It tries to break away from conventional and somewhat too polite approaches to historical district regeneration that is unfortunately too often associated with cultural pride and nostalgia. 

© BaO Architects

The project and its associated “open-door policy” created a ambiguity between private public space that was intended as a way to signal the coming creation of a public-oriented program in the heart of the neighborhood. It was designed as an open cultural platform, a flexible artifact, an infrastructure that enables gatherings and celebrates collective actions. The ambition of the pop-up BAITAcinema was to create moments of encounter and shared pleasure where the hutongs community and the design week visitors alike can relax, watch a movie together, attend and participate in a variety of discussion on the city, assist to performances and artistic happenings, and participate in creative workshops. 

© BaO Architects

The BAITAcinema program ran successfully for 2 consecutive weeks with a screening program intermingling old Chinese movies, documentaries, silent movies, children cinema, lectures, talks, workshops, and a special Sino-French Environment Month documentaries selection. BaO architects, alongside the French Embassy, local authorities, and the local community, will work on the formulation of the long-term project for the courtyard during this winter with the intention to start construction in the spring 2017.  

© BaO Architects

Render

© BaO Architects

http://ift.tt/2fiv9iU

© ZENG Zhe

• Architects: IAPA Design Consultants
• Location: Beijing, China
• Architects In Charge: Paul Bo Peng, Yen Hu, Stoney Yu, ZENG Zhe
• Area: 125.0 m2
• Project Year: 2016
• Photographs: ZENG Zhe

• Client: The Mother Earth Happiness Group

© ZENG Zhe

From the architect. Courtyard houses are a famous type of historic residence mostly found in Beijing. Courtyards used to be essential living spaces for Beijing locals. ”A house, a courtyard, a story” is the design theme used throughout the project. This theme inspired the project design and through the design process, traditional Chinese architecture was reinterpreted. The design aims to attach a different feeling to each courthouse through manipulating space, layout and building materials. Each courtyard house evokes a different emotion, ranging from calmness and tranquility to vitality and energy. The designs will inspire and uplift the guests, bringing them closer to nature. At the Courtyard House you can let your imagination run wild and find what you truly wish for in life.

3D Model

Product Description. The modularity of the Composite panel allowed for fast and flexible construction. The Composite panel also has good thermal properties. The panels incorporated with stone texture paint created an aged look which blends in harmoniously with the natural landscape. 

© ZENG Zhe

http://ift.tt/2gpMYsp