Italian architect Antonino Cardillo has coated the walls of this vaulted chamber music and event space in lumpy coral-pink, grey and green plasterwork. Read more
A former monastery in which this flat is located was built in 1719. In the middle of 20th century it was converted into an apartment house. The mail goal of the project was to convert this space with a lot of disrupting layers into a clean and functional dwelling for a young couple. We decided to uncover the beauties of old construction methods with a reasonable budget. After a short design process it was clear that the focus will be put into the main living hall. It is an open space with height of 3,6m, restored original trusses on the ceiling and a full height library. Part of the library is able to rotate and serves as a secret door to the bedroom suite behind, providing fluid connection of these two parts. Currently the apartment is inhabited by a childless couple, hence the open plan. In the future it could be converted into 3 bedroom apartment with just small interventions.
Casa ELE is a private home designed by Estudio PKa. Completed in 2014, it is located in La Costa Partido, Argentina. Photos by: Alejandro Peral
Designer and researcher Neri Oxman‘s Mediated Matter group at MIT Media Lab has designed an artificial apiary that creates a constant spring-like environment for bees. Read more
The design of the new motorway maintenance centre is strongly influenced by its direct access to the motorway. The centre is nestled into the sloping plain of the northwest quadrant. The entrance is located on the northwest side of the site and a flat ramp leads down to the existing underpass.
The individual buildings come together to form a clearly structured complex. Four buildings serving different functions are grouped around a spacious courtyard. The deliberate use of gaps opens up visual axes with the surrounding landscape and creates exciting spatial sequences. The enclosed courtyard makes it easy to keep track of things within the centre and protects the neighbouring residents from noise. The 25-metre tall salt silos stand like towers in the middle of the complex.
The appearance of the motorway maintenance centre is characterized by the interplay of concrete, glass and aluminium. The building is designed as a reinforced steel structure with a minimum of static elements. The flexibility of the basic structures provides a lot of possibilities for modifications and the office wing has been furnished with lightweight walls in the interior and concrete lamella with glass windows on the façades. Plus, the open design of the centre leaves plenty of room for future expansions within the complex. The noise barriers running along the southern and western boundaries of the site to the A1 Motorway and the Freilassing Dual Carriageway have been formally integrated into the overall design of the centre.
ASWA (Architectural Studio of Work – Aholic) designed the solid concrete studio + gallery situated in Bangkok, Thailand. The private studio and gallery of the Thai artist, who preferred privacy of his daily life from the neighborhood, has only single opening view from the street to communicate with its surrounding but has surprisingly interior space.
For the first glance, the solid concrete box welcomes guest by the high ceiling chamber with the skylight that allowed the natural light shine the sculptural floating staircase in the center. People can stand in the center of the court to notice the sun light gradually changed on the concrete central shaft wall as the main attraction to display itself as a living artwork due to the changing of daylight during the day.
On the second floor, the central light shaft wall has irregular position and size of square window frames to allow people to wonder as the living artwork by displaying the changing of daily light on the concrete canvas on each side of the shaft that also allow the light through to brighten up the inside space. Obviously, the imperfect concrete form-tile which created the unique characteristic of this private gallery along with the steel, wood and glass – the purity of material tend to remind people of craft-work.
Product Description. Exposed Concrete played as the main role for the principal material of the building by using as the living canvas.
Panels of cross-laminated pine form an angular staircase at the heart of this Amsterdam townhouse by MAATworks, which features a bright red facade. Read more
The building is positioned to create an immense enclosure of space between the building and encircling crescent of mountains across the valley.
The building is linear in form. It does not dominate the landscape, but tries to be a gentle noticeable part of it. This thin form does minimum damage to the vegetation, while allowing the sun and rain to fall on the ground. All this minimizes the damage to the ecology. By being on pillars it allows the breezes to cool the building. Timber grills used on either side of the upper level bedrooms provides ample natural ventilation. A thin metal roof with its long eaves, shades the building.
Salvaged materials are used for the building. These salvaged materials had been purchased prior to designing the building. Steel and timber grills were salvaged from a demolished factory.
The decks are out of salvaged railway sleepers. Rest of the timber was purchased from the locality. There are only two main masonry walls, except the peripheral walls of the toilets.
The building is approached via a long walkway by the side of an elongated wall. At the end of the long walkway begins a viewing deck which is perpendicular to it. This viewing deck is pierced through the building and is in the center of the vast space between the mountain range and the building enabling the user to fully experience it. This viewing deck is orientated towards a patch of paddy field, which is a significant feature of this landscape.
While the building tries to capture different views from the dinning room and the bed rooms, it is the extreme end of the significant deck that provides the dramatic experience of an encompassing space defined by the mountain range and the building.
From the architect. Living in the hustle and bustle of city, working hard day and night for life and career, when stop and look back, the blue sky, green grass, beautiful mountains and open fields of childhood still linger in people’s mind. So people are eager to get away from the multifarious city, and return back to the long-lost nature to freely breathe the fresh air. Mr. Zhang, the owner, grew up in the countryside thinks that both apartments and villas nowadays are too small in size. Story height of commercial housing is becoming lower and lower and makes people feel uncomfortable. The site of this project is very quiet, he loves this piece of land. Due to his longing for natural environment and original life, he has been wishing to own a paradise-like house in a valley far away from the city where he and his families could enjoy a quiet and leisurely life.
The site is located on a wild hillside surrounded by mountains and forests and facing the sea. Its geomorphic feature is unique and the surrounding environment is tranquil and peaceful. Built at the foot of the mountain and beside the forest, the hut hides in the valleys and retains and uses to the greatest degree the natural rocks and trees. This makes it blends well into the surrounding natural scenery. Though it is just inches away from the downtown, it brings people who live in it an experience of living secluded from the world, just as the verse puts: why I live far away from where others dwell? Because you hear no secular noise.
The design style of the interior space is simple, elegant and natural; it shows respect for nature and gives people a feeling of cutting off from the noisy city and returning back to real tranquility and peace. The plain wall is mainly made of natural materials such as bluestone, slate and solid wood etc. and without excess decoration. It reflects the essence of space and materials and presents a space where nature coexists with human. Through reasonable functional planning and use of simple lines and structures, and together with adopting simple and natural furniture as decoration in the space, a simple but cozy and warm living space is built.
Affected by factors such as construction conditions on the hillside, the special structures and construction period, etc., construction craft failed to reach the desired result and there are some flaws. Yet, on the whole, the completed hut reflects the life attitude pursued both by the owner and designer: return to nature, be humble, simple, unadorned and pure.
The essence of design is to weaken design, which means that the designer should forget about the design and even return to a state of void. When the formal language of design recedes, the inherent concern in humanity for life in the universe becomes apparent. Humans, as intelligent beings, observe what is beyond matters and directly tug at human hearts. This is a type of life which is simple, humble, natural, unadorned, and pure.
Thus, it’s important to preserve and apply natural mountains, rocks and trees to the largest extent possible, so that accidentalness and inevitability will merge into one. Eminent Monk Da De say: “Live in the mountain, and you will attain the Buddha Fruit. Live in the city, and the city will turn into a hell.” By attaching thoughts to mountains and rocks and forgetting all mundane things, all mortal beings can become Buddha.
Yves Behar has become the latest designer to open a co-working space, with a members-only facility in San Francisco. Read more
