The 1970s bungalow was extended to create extra space, with a large window and open decking designed to maximize views over paddocks and farmland to the west. To the east of the bungalow, large sliding doors and windows were introduced to connect and integrate the living areas with a large garden.
Plan
Inside, the functions were rearranged, and a more generous open plan environment created with double height ceilings. The timber used for the extension and decking was continued inside as wall panelling and cupboards – organising the internal functions.
The result is a re-imagined house that truly responds to its environment by maximizing the use of light, sun, and restful views.
Model
Product Description.The MODIWOOD sustainable wood facade cladding was also used as decking and soffit lining. The sustainable properties made it suitable as a long term cladding solution that provided the house with a warm an natural finish that reflected the surrounding landscape.
Today, Microsoft announced the latest in their Surface family of personal computers. Called the Surface Studio, the device is essentially a 28-inch touchscreen drawing board which the company is targeting specifically at creative professionals, potentially placing it at the top of many architects’ wish lists.
Central to the design of the all-in-one desktop device is the “zero-gravity” hinge, which allows users to adjust the screen orientation to any point between a desktop-like vertical configuration down to just 20 degrees off horizontal, where the desktop will act more like a drawing tablet. And the screen supported by this hinge is quite a feat of engineering in itself: the 13.5-million pixel display–that’s 192 pixels per inch–offers 63% higher resolution than a 4K television, according to the Verge, all within a 12.5-millimeter-thick frame that is being marketed by Microsoft as the “world’s thinnest LCD monitor ever built.”
Rounding out the 3-part design is the base, which contains all the internal workings of the PC. As a device aimed at the high end of the market, this also contains some impressive hardware: the top of the range model features Intel’s i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, a dedicated 4GB graphics card and 2TB of internal storage.
Alongside the main device, Microsoft has also unveiled a series of accessories designed to work specifically with the Surface Studio. The screen still works with the Surface Pen, which is included with the portable members of the Microsoft Surface family, but the most notable new addition for designers is the “Surface Dial,” a small cylinder which allows access to contextual menu options when placed on different parts of the screen.
The prices announced by Microsoft today range from $2999 for the entry-level 256GB, i7, 8GB RAM model, up to $4199 for a 1TB, i7, 16GB RAM model. However, the Microsoft website lists specification options both lower (eg the option for an i5 processor) and higher (such as that 2TB, 32GB RAM model), so it seems likely that a wider range of models could be released in the future.
White Arkitekter with developer Midroc has won a competition for a new residential development to be located in the Royal Seaport district of Stockholm, Sweden. Drawing from the industrial history of the site, the buildings feature concrete ramps and rustic wooden floor treatments, and have been clad with brick facades and masonry arches to frame the street level and establish an identity for the community.
Courtesy of White Arkitekter
“Our vision was that each building will lend character to its own street. At the same time, the buildings are connected conceptually and functionally, with common areas for services and social activities, for example. The colours give some cohesion to the different materials used and reference the industrial heritage of this area”, says Fredrik Fernek, Architect at White Arkitekter.
Courtesy of White Arkitekter
The project consists of three volumes containing a total of 90 apartments encircling an interior courtyard, and features an abundance of social spaces varying from public to semi-private. Along the front property line, one of the buildings has been set back to provide more room for social interaction at the street level, drawing visitors into the “atelier” style apartments and retail spaces, which feature high ceilings and large windows.
At the end of this facade, an opening between the buildings provides a controlled entrance into the landscaped courtyard, which will contain sandboxes, vegetation and seating areas for gathering and socializing. On top of the buildings, several shared roof terraces will provide common space that can be used for gardening, water collection and as a venue for gathering and small events.
Site Plan. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter
Facade Detail. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter
The project shows its commitment to sustainable practices through the addition of several bicycle storage rooms and a common bicycle workshop to allow neighbors to socialize while fixing and maintaining their bikes. Environmental strategies have also been implemented to optimize building efficiency.
“The project meets the highest environmental standards with extremely low energy consumption, its own solar cells and vegetation. The green roofs and patio minimise the effects of flooding and help pollination. They are also a central meeting place”, says Rickard Nygren, sustainability expert at White Arkitekter.
Elevation. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter
Section. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter
“We’ve designed small functional apartments which have access to patios, green roofs, cafés and other amenities. This helps to build a community rather than just housing”, says Fredrik Fernek.
Located at the southern portion of Värtahamnen, The block will be centrally located within the Stockholm Royal Seaport in an area currently undergoing a brownfield redevelopment until 2025. A part of the long-term Clinton Climate Initiative for the district, the project will fit into a larger masterplan for the area that is anticipated to generate more than 12,000 new homes and 35,000 jobs in the next two decades, as well as create a new cultural area for the city.
Ground Floor Unit. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter
Material Palette. Image Courtesy of White Arkitekter
Construction of the residential project is scheduled to begin in 2018, with a completion date set for 2020.
Design Team: Fredrik Fernek, Anna Öhlin, Ásdís Andersdóttir, Rickard Nygren, Hana Kassar, Maria Oprea, Erik Kiltorp, Lisa Rönnolds, Katharina Björlin Wiklund
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From the architect. In a cluttered environment we propose a refuge, a wood in small forest cabin, a palisade that filters views but at the same time makes it very open, very permeable to the nearby environment and especially to the square and the adjacent green area a haven.
The interior volume is modeled generating small courtyards, transitional spaces where shown the interior wood skin that only comes out in the big hole that crosses the fence to look out over the square giving continuity to the large multipurpose space, allowing incorporate outer space for outdoor activities.
One of the courtyards, become larger and more permeable, and it serves like a space for access to the building “patín” mode of traditional houses in the area.
The simplicity of volume, color and texture must be enough to convert the center into a small local and an urban reference, giving a friendly and easily recognizable image.
The winners of the 2016 LEAF Awards have been announced. Founded in 2001, the awards ceremony honors innovative architecture projects in 13 different categories dedicated to various aspects of building, including best façade design and engineering, best future building, and public building of the year. The winning projects are recognized as “setting the benchmark for the best in the industry.”
From the architect. Forest Mews is a redevelopment of an urban brownfield site with a small sustainable community of 3 live/work houses arranged around a multi-functional shared outdoor courtyard. The buildings create a balance between natural light and thermal performance by using triple glazing as well as high performance insulation to walls, floors and roof.
Land-locked on all sides, the architects had the challenge of providing light to each room, without compromising privacy and outlook; in a scheme conversant with its patchwork context, constructed with the sensitivity which accompanies 32 Party Wall Awards, and delivered on an ambitious budget.
Ground Floor Plan
The communal courtyard is landscaped with a geometric mix of resin-bound gravel and planting beds, connecting back to brick piers. The beds provide footholds from which climbing plants grow, supported on a treillage mesh, which branches across the face of the buildings, tracing out the motif of the elevations and providing privacy and shade to occupants. The geometric pattern features in project graphics, textile-prints and also in the clients’ wedding rings.
Central to each of the open plan ground floors is a semi-private outdoor room / courtyard. This loggia space is multifunctional, serving as a grand entrance porch, an external terrace, an extension to the living space and as an atrium to the surrounding rooms. The flying brick beams of houses, define the boundary of the private and communal space, creating a clear gateway without barriers.
Diagram
Each house is tailored to its position on the site, fashioned from the same building fabric, and gathered together using a common design thread. Atypical to a traditional mews, the designs are light and airy, with a high proportion of glazing to solid. The pale ‘stock’ bricks and glazing reflect light into the communal courtyard even during winter months.
The large two-storey triple-glazed window openings are framed by slender brick piers, which are braced by the construction of the first floor. The steel structure and bespoke masonry supports over the curved roof were designed in 3D to accurately unite the crafted brickwork geometry of the inclined beams. Lifted in two corners to bring light into the living space, this roof is finished internally with a softly reflective, biscuit-jointed ‘armadillo’ ceiling.
A sustainable drainage system (SuDS) incorporates a combination of green roofs, green walls, planted filtration strips, a rainwater-harvesting tank, a 17,000 litre attenuation tank and 2 ‘drinking policeman’ – which the architects invented – to slow the flow of water, as well as slowing traffic. A mix of sedum and native wild flowers were used to increase biodiversity and improve the appearance.
Diagram
Features of each house:
A private courtyard at the centre of the open plan ground floor living and studio
Vertical gardens and green roofs
Full height triple glazed windows
Stone carpet (gravel bound into resin) and smooth resin floors and stairs
Bespoke kitchens with solid-surface worktops
Sky lit bathrooms with floor to ceiling glass paneling (instead of tiles) and built in cupboards
Super high performance insulation for low energy bills and provision for solar panels to be installed
Underfloor heating throughout
Rainwater recycling and stormwater attenuation
Additional features in some of the houses include double height space, walk on glass floor, built in cupboards, en-suite wet room, sliding folding doors and a bright red solid-surface bath.
Sig Nordal 