Casa GS is a residential project designed by Gracia Studio in 2013. It is located in Tijuana, Baja California, México Photos courtesy of Gracia Studio
Villa Città Studi / Westway Architects
© Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
- Architects: Westway Architects
- Location: Milan, Italy
- Area: 168.0 m2
- Project Year: 2013
- Photographs: Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
- Collaboration: Stefano Pavia
- Architectural Design And Art Direction: Westway Architects, Rome – Milan
- Project Team: Luca Aureggi, Maurizio Condoluci, Stefano Pavia
- Outdoor Area: 60 m2
© Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
From the architect. From the outside, it looks like one of the typical housing blocks built for railway workers in Milan between 1920 and 1924. Inside, the building has undergone radical renovation which, in two years of construction, has transformed it from both a structural and distribution point of view. Only the building enclosure, with its relative openings, has been maintained, while everything else — foundations, roof, attics, internal insulation, systems, and internal distribution — has been created from scratch. The total volume has remained the same, while the floor area has been increased by 60 m2, thanks to the new placement of the floor slabs, staircases and reclamation of the attic.
© Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
From social housing to a city villa with private garden, in a 1920s village in the Città Studi district of Milan. From a large family residence to a bachelor pad, redesigned to meet his specific needs, using a sophisticated home automation system, and according to Class B CENED energy certification standards.
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“The vertical form of the dwelling gave us the chance to make one of our dreams as architects come true: one of the staircase systems of Escher’s impossible constructions. The client allowed himself to be captivated by this dream! We emptied the interior so that the space could be expanded horizontally and vertically and we created a structurally autonomous central core cut off from the existing historical context. This stretches over the five floors, each one served by two separate staircases positioned along the longitudinal load-bearing walls”, explains Luca Aureggi. The single-flight staircases are narrow (80 cm) and enable a connection from the cellar to the fourth floor (fitness area, dining and kitchen area, living room, bedroom, study) — not continuously, but alternately. It’s a zig-zag route involving the crossing of the individual floors, which are devoid of partitions (open space). “The home is designed as a vertical loft featuring a mandatory route, where getting lost and finding oneself becomes a game. The resulting sense of bewilderment magnifies the perception of the space”. L.A.
© Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
All the materials used contribute to creating a fluid space stretching all the way to the terrace and garden. The relationship with the outdoors is favoured by these green projections that contextualize the building within the convivial “rustic” reality surrounding it, which is very atypical for a big city. It’s like finding oneself inside a hortus conclusus with a vibe of Palermo — the owner’s hometown.
© Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
From the front door, one finds himself catapulted into the long perspective of the dining and kitchen area that overlooks the garden. This is the beginning of a vertical ascent via the various staircases squeezed between the longitudinal load-bearing walls and the central core structure. The small size of the flights is balanced by the width of the landing — a part of the floor one must pass through to access the subsequent flight of stairs. The ascent continues all the way to the study area created in what was formerly the attic. Nothing hinders an upwards run or descent towards the fitness area. The few pieces of mostly vintage furniture are limited in height and there are no doors or wardrobes. Floors and staircases form a single structural and material entity, all clad in the same wooden slats. It is, however, the many custom details, the choice of ad hoc materials and finishes, and the continuous quest to broaden the space in 3D that makes this 200-square-metre house great.
© Andrés Otero/LUZphoto
Atelier Lame Architecture Designs a Private Residence in Hauts-de-Seine, France
Maison Hauts-de-Seine is a private home located in Hauts-de-Seine, France. Completed in 2016, it was designed by Atelier Lame Architecture. Photos by: Lionel Macor
Norman D. Ward Architect Renovate a Home in Fort Worth, Texas
Casa di Vetro is a residential project completed by Norman D. Ward Architect in 2013. The 2,000-square-foot home is located in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Casa di Vetro by Norman D. Ward Architect: “An undeveloped sixty-foot wide parcel of land, extending three blocks is a result of two residential developments merging in the 1930’s. In time, houses were built on each end of the three blocks. Moretti’s house began with..
KuantoKusta Headquarters / A2OFFICE
© AL.MA Fotografia
- Architects: A2OFFICE
- Location: 4465 Leça do Balio, Portugal
- Authors: Alberto Dias Ribeiro
- Area: 300.0 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: AL.MA Fotografia , Cortesia de A2OFFICE
- Collaborators: Alexandra Marques, Patrícia Valentim
© AL.MA Fotografia
KuantoKusta wanted to install their headquarters in an old industrial warehouse that, although degraded, had very interesting conditions: high ceilings and natural light at both ends of the warehouse. However we observed a problem: the company needs pointed to an area about twice the existing one. The solution passed through the creation of a second high floor, taking advantage of the free interior volume.
© AL.MA Fotografia
Section
The new floor is independent of the surrounding structure: the floor rests on pillars organized according to a rigid mesh that organizes the different spaces on the ground floor. It was used a metal structure for allowing speedier performance lighter structural elements.
© AL.MA Fotografia
It was intended to translate this autonomy between the old and the new by applying the white color in the existing walls and ceilings and the gray color in the new elements, within an environment that was intended to keep with unapologetically industrial, sometimes even rude, as in the case of brick masonry wall that was only painted.
© AL.MA Fotografia
Diagram
Even the new elements were designed as independent pieces, like as if they were containers, predicting a possibility of mutability of space in the future, where the permanent elements will be only the skeletal structure.
© AL.MA Fotografia
© AL.MA Fotografia
The program was distributed by two floors focusing on the top floor all the technical and operational team of the company in a large open space, which benefits from natural light coming from the ceiling. In the background, a glass box located the direction and business rooms and both have a translucent roof so they can also receive natural light from the ceiling during the day. On the ground floor, in addition to public access areas, such as the lobby and meeting room, it was located a locker area next to a door that makes screen for the living space of the company’s employees. There is located a recreational area with billiards and game console, sanitary facilities, a kitchen space and an eating area.
© AL.MA Fotografia
JOOOS Fitting Room / X+Living
© Shao Feng
- Architects: X+Living
- Location: Hangzhou, China
- Design Director: Li Xiang
- Design Team: Liu Huan, Ren Li-Jiao, Jia Yuan-Yuan
- Area: 1850.0 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Shao Feng
© Shao Feng
From the architect. JOOOS Fitting Room integrates the Top 100 fashion brands in the sales list of Tmall, and selects 4 most representative collections through buyers: Mori Girl Collection, Celebrity Collection, OL Collection and Fashionable Girl Collection. The store hopes to make up the sense of emptiness of fitting brought by modern online shopping.
© Shao Feng
Clothes, as the unique fruit of human’s labor, it is not only the representation and product of material civilization, but also has profound meaning in spiritual culture. The evolution history of clothes, in some sense, is also an emotionalized development history of human culture. From the date clothes occurred, people have already integrated their life custom, aesthetic taste, color preference, cultural attitudes and religion believes into it, and the spirit connotation of clothes culture is thus built.
© Shao Feng
Human society had undergone a period of ignorance during which they were naturally raised, using animal skins and cotton and linen to wrap their bodies. And then it developed into the unprecedented prosperous hand knitting industry era, afterwards, the modern, fast paced civilization era and finally the future world which places more emphasis on individual charm. We hope every customer who enters into these spaces would “get something”, or even get involved into it. The designer extracted an inspiration element form the changes of times to create clothes shopping experiences which fascinate all girls.
© Shao Feng
Hangzhou JOOOS Fitting Room is located at the door of the ground floor of the Commercial Street Phase II on Xingguang Avenue. An eye-catching screen is placed at the main entrance, every customer could make interaction s with it through internet. This is the most distinctive feature of JOOOS Fitting Room- building offline fitting experience in the internet age through ubiquitous screens.
© Shao Feng
Get through the large arch in the main entrance and you will be in Mori Girl Area. Milky white textured walls and white floor create a clean and white space. Bamboo poles are set up and hemp rope is used to connect them, clothes racks are thus formed. The mirror is hidden in the facade of angle formed by two bamboo poles. The space is bright and concise, primitive and simple materials are used to echo with the temperament of this type of clothes in this space.
© Shao Feng
Celebrity Collection Area – many delicate golden cages are designed, clothes racks are placed at both inside and outside of the cage. Seen from a distance, they are like princess bubble skirts being well protected. The waving arc platform adds fun to the space and makes it lively and lovely. The fitting room is hidden skillfully inside the “bubble skirt” of curved mirror surface. Meanwhile, each fitting room area provides make-up area, rest area and selfie area, waiting for the visit of every princess.
© Shao Feng
© Shao Feng
OL Collection Area- dark grey floor, concrete art paint walls and frame track light make the whole space concise and reserved. Adding of fireplace and wood veneer has softened the texture of the space. While being decorative molding and multifunctional clothes hanger at the same time, every clothes rack is a perfect combination of form and function.
© Shao Feng
© Shao Feng
Fashionable Girl Collection Area – contrast of large blocks of colors. Colorful shelves are formed by folded iron bars. In this space that emphasizes individuality, folding angles before and after the rack are used to divide it into a structure which could hang clothes on both sides. And the weaving of colors and fold lines is used to build a colorful space with strong characteristics to echo with personalities of the clothes in this space.
© Shao Feng
© Shao Feng
The designer integrates the social and cultural connotation of the four types of women’s brand clothing. The dressing philosophy of women’s clothing is interpreted through using different techniques in designing the four spaces, and, a new shopping experience is created through multiple possibilities of display.
House K / YDS Architects
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
- Architects: YDS Architects
- Location: Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
- Architect In Charge: Mana Muraki
- Lead Architects: Yoshitaka Uchino
- Area: 160.64 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
- Engineer: Tadasu Abe/ Myu structural Engineer
- Contractor: Kazuya Matsumoto, Masamichi Miyazaki, Hiroshi Miyazaki/Iwanaga-gumi Co.,Ltd.
- Site Area: 213.62 m2
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
House K is located in the town surrounded by mountains. The image is shining white box in which one will live feeling the transition of light and shadow while letting go of their mind.
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
I intended to design interior spaces where one feel natures such as light,wind, and rain. Mixing inner spaces with outer spaces, the spaces respond to the city. Inserting the outer terrace into the white box to bring nature to the inner spaces, light and wind from the terrace go through spaces via T-shaped void. Top light and light from the terrace reflected by the walls pour into the inner spaces. These lights would express transitional beauty.
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
Perspective
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
Putting the terrace between rooms for children and corridors, these spaces have migratory. Corridors around the terrace are like ‘Engawa’, semi-outdoor spaces which are typical Japanese spaces. The terrace extended towards mountains around the site will be a delightful space. In the living room spatially sandwiched between the terrace and the garden, providing the view of trees and the sky feeling various light.
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
Axonometric
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
The thin white plate floating besides the white box is my image. To make this image come true, the column of the roof are a pair of thin steel poles. One will see ‘one’s own sky’ through the slit of the white volume from the terrace, the living room in the 1st floor, rooms for children. House K adds a new scene on the existing city. The distinctive form consists of white volume, floating white plate, and framed sky provides tranquil spatial qualities for the landscape.
Floor Plan 02
House K is designed to reveal a sequence of spaces combining expansiveness and symbiosis. Nature and the architecture stimulating with each other, spaces expand to infinity.
© Hiroshi Fujimoto/Studio Fuji
Product Description. To realize white shining box, we aim to create a white flat exterior walls.To make these walls come true,we selected moen siding and jolipatt. These are one of the most flat and beautiful materials in Japan. In the interior spaces,our intention is white and wooden spaces where one will feel warm atmosphere. Thus,the finishes of the kitchen,bookshelves,floorings are made of natural oak.We chose natural solid oak flooring manufactured by Woodone co.,ltd.
Near My [B] / Le Sixieme
© Kim Jaeyoon
- Architects: Le Sixieme
- Location: Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Designer: Koo Manjae
- Design Team: Kim Sungook, , Park Kibem, Shin Dongwook, Kim Jaedeok
- Area: 682.59 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Kim Jaeyoon
© Kim Jaeyoon
© Kim Jaeyoon
The space of ‘near my [B]’ placed in the center of Wuirye new town that changes every day with our passion for making a city easily and the aspiration for a better residential space began from a creative idea of the client.
© Kim Jaeyoon
It is intended to provide a small vitality for the whole city by furnishing the public-interest space called ‘cultural space’ beyond the constructor’s goal of parcel-out and lease.
© Kim Jaeyoon
Model
It is largely divided into 3 parts. The space having the complex entry route connects the right café, educational space, left space of flower shop, living shop, book café in the most open manner by interpenetrating the link space of ‘White Arch Volume’ in order to make the linear organic moving line.
© Kim Jaeyoon
The language of the material and shape used for the inside was planned most simply and was designed to be faithful to the role called culture space through the delicately designed details and lighting.
© Kim Jaeyoon
Elevation
© Kim Jaeyoon
‘Book shelf’ placed in the middle of space plays a fundamental role uniting small volumes in the space and made it possible to recognize the character of space easily.
© Kim Jaeyoon
Elevation
© Kim Jaeyoon
It was intended to provide experiences of enjoying the landscape and daily life happening in the space from multilateral points of view by providing the ‘sitting method’ of various ways with the ‘small nature’ arranged in places.
© Kim Jaeyoon
Elm House / Elm
© Julian Parkinson
- Architects: Elm
- Location: Halifax Regional Municipality, NS, Canada
- Architects In Charge: Peter Braithwaite, Devin Harper
- Area: 2400.0 ft2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Julian Parkinson
© Julian Parkinson
From the architect. The aim of this project was to redesign and reconstruct the envelope of a dated home in Halifax’s West End. Over the decades this residence was the subject of a number of poorly executed renovations and as a result our team aimed to strip the layers of vinyl and wood cladding back to the original shiplap sheathing and rebuild the exterior of the home with the intention of creating a project that was sustainable in both design and construction practices. Using only the highest quality products, the envelope of this house was rebuilt with wood as the number one material choice. The main house volume was clad in Maibec’s Rabbited Bevel siding with the EM Plus installation system and the front and rear accent volumes were clad in locally sourced rough sawn Hemlock. The final result is a strikingly contemporary residence with a sustainable material palette that will certainly stand the test of time.
© Julian Parkinson
Axonometric
© Julian Parkinson
Product Description. – VaproShield- Reveal Shield IT Integrated Tape – A UV stable, black mechanically attached, water resistive vapor permeable air barrier membrane with integrated tape. This product enabled us to achieve the open joint cladding with1x2 rough sawn hemlock on the front and rear volumes of this project.
© Julian Parkinson
Comic Break: “Gift Shopping”
© Architexts
One of the true tragedies of the architecture profession is that it instills in you expensive taste, but doesn’t give you the salary to acquire all those fine goods. The holiday season is the peak of this conundrum – how do you find the perfect gift for someone that lives up to your own lofty standards when buying a plane ticket home to see your family is already putting you in the red? One thing architects always seem to manage, however, is justifying that a cool new gadget or designed object isn’t just something we want, but something we need.
Looks like Santa’s gonna have to do double duty for the rest of the family this year. That’s alright, as the prime developer of the North Pole, he’s probably got some extra cash to throw around.
Sig Nordal 