Toronto-based architect Nova Tayona has completed a house near the beach in Nova Scotia, from which the ocean can be heard but not seen (+ slideshow). (more…)
Nova Tayona designs Canadian beach house hidden from the ocean
architecture
Huynh Residence / Norman D. Ward architect
© Charles Davis Smith
- Architects: Norman D. Ward architect
- Location: Cedar Hill, TX, USA
- Area: 2800.0 ft2
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Charles Davis Smith
- General Contractor: Studio Mud
© Charles Davis Smith
From the street the house appears to be three, single-story connected buildings that suggest a compound. The exterior surfaces of the units are different materials and colors accentuating the tripartite design. The main volume that faces the street and houses the public areas is clad in Leuders limestone, the others in stucco, one painted cream, the other left the natural gray with a sealer. The three units are staggered and offset by 10-feet, but are unified by a standing seam metal roof. A black cypress screen sets off the front door.
© Charles Davis Smith
The south-facing entry courtyard is enclosed on three sides with two stone veneer bedroom pavilions and an entry wall sheathed with a cypress rain screen.
Diagram
The interior is crafted to bring in light without sacrificing privacy. Two glass boxes flank the courtyard wall, act as “light containers” that diffuse light into the rooms rather than submit them to a direct blast of Texas sun. One box is placed to the northeast end of the entry hallway to capture morning light, the other to the southwest for the evening light.
© Charles Davis Smith
Plan
© Charles Davis Smith
A wall engages the glass volumes to create a visual buffer between the bedroom pavilions and living areas. Passage into the bedroom pavilions is through the glass boxes.
© Charles Davis Smith
The low windows in the master bedroom and bathroom allow light to wash over the floors and provide privacy without the need for window coverings. They also allow an expanse of unpunctuated wall.
© Charles Davis Smith
The home office is secluded while the reading alcove is elevated and projects from the house with three window walls. It is a serene spot for reading or contemplation. Steps lead up to the glass-enclosed space, which opens to the northern daylight. The reading alcove is elevated above the exterior ground plane offering protected views into the tree canopy.
© Charles Davis Smith
Studio MK27 creates giant shelving units in São Paulo penthouse
Floor-to-ceiling grids of wooden shelves cover double-height walls inside this luxurious apartment in São Paulo by local studio Studio MK27 (+ slideshow). (more…)
Experts Fear Massive Losses of Historic Italian Architecture Following Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake
After yesterday’s devastating magnitude 6.2 earthquake in central Italy, art historians fear that numerous historic Italian buildings and their contents may be permanently lost. The affected region is dotted with hilltowns containing beautiful churches, monuments and museums, many of which have been rendered completely unrecognizable.
4.3-magnitude aftershock hits Amatrice, Italy, causing additional damage after earthquake https://t.co/WHZtgHIRAN http://pic.twitter.com/RgvGwM7ml8
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 25, 2016
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The town of Amatrice, which was voted one of Italy’s most beautiful towns just last year, faced some of the worst destruction, including to many of its acclaimed “Cento Chiese,” 100 churches filled with sculptures, mosaics and frescos. Notable architectural elements ,such as the rose window of the 15th-century church of Sant’Agostino, have collapsed, while a remaining Renaissance palazzo has been covered as a temporary morgue.
Hauntingly, the clock face on the town’s 16th-century tower remains frozen at the exact time the earthquake hit: 3:36 a.m.
While saving lives and caring for the victims has been the government’s first priority since the disaster, the Italian Culture Ministry was expected to meet this afternoon to assess the extent of the damage.
Find out more about the extent of the damage here.
News via The Guardian.
CSF House / Felipe Hess
© Fran Parente
- Architects: Felipe Hess
- Location: São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
- Design Team: Lucas Miilher, Isabela Rosengarten, Natalie Calderini
- Area: 800.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Fran Parente , Danilo Zamboni
- Construction: Lacaz Broggin
- Landscape: Ricardo Vianna
- Perspective Drawing: Danilo Zamboni
© Fran Parente
From the architect. Originally designed by modernist architect Zenon Lotufo in the late 1940s, this house passed through a total renovation and expansion to host the new family and become up to date with contemporary way of living. Initially a ground house with ‘butterfly’ shaped roof, the construction received a new upper volume, a little outbuilding and the use of the frontal part has been completely redesigned.
© Fran Parente
The project aims to elevate the original elements, such as the bicolor wooden floor, the windows ‘iron grades, the pantographic door and the external finishing that have been completely recovered and restructured, in order to valorize the original architecture. The plan was object of great adaptations, with the construction of new bathrooms, new divisions and sectorization and the creation of a new staircase, which leads to the new upper floor, holding the study and the home cinema. Following the organic shapes of some elements of the original design, such as the marquise and the water tank, the new upper volume, delicately lies on the main volume, in complete harmony with the rest of the construction.
© Fran Parente
Plan 1
© Fran Parente
The marquise, initially the garage, grew and gained a new purpose. It is the new main entrance, besides hosting the barbecue, the external dining and living with the fireplace, entirely integrated to the garden and to the indoor living room.
© Fran Parente
© Fran Parente
New skylights join the existing ones, emphasizing the use of natural light, together with the opening on the roof close to the barbecue, illuminating a small garden.
© Fran Parente
A new garage, on the front side of the lot, hides behind a new hollow bricks wall, reminding of the modernist architecture, creating an organic background to the garden, alongside with the upper volume and the marquise´s curves.
© Fran Parente
A little outbuilding in the backyard, literally embracing the guava three. The brick wall reminds the original disposition of the bricks on the lateral sides of the house. This disposition is used in the external new wall too.
© Fran Parente
World’s tallest and longest glass bridge opens in China
UK government renews support for Garden Bridge but reduces offer by £6 million
The UK government has pledged its continuous support for the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Garden Bridge, but has reduced its financial guarantee from £15 million to £9 million. (more…)
This Artist Draws Iconic Works of Architecture Using an Etch A Sketch
via Intrepid Travel
Anyone who has ever picked up an Etch A Sketch knows just how difficult and time consuming it can be to draw even the simplest of shapes. But for some fanatics, the challenge is simply a part of the fun. Artist Jane Labowitch, known also as “Princess Etch A Sketch,” is one of those people. Since first picking up an Etch A Sketch at the age of 4, she has been fascinated with the red drawing toy, developing her skills to recreate notable works of art, architecture and pop culture.
Check out her drawings of some of architecture’s most iconic works after the break.
Spending up to 20 hours on the most complicated pieces, Labowitch creates her drawings on Etch A Sketches of various sizes. A recent trip to India saw her expand her artistry into a unique form of travel journalism.
Taj Mahal (With Flowers)
via Intrepid Travel
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Red Fort
via Intrepid Travel
via Intrepid Travel
Humayun’s Tomb
via Intrepid Travel
via Intrepid Travel
Ceiling Detail from Amer Palace Hall of Mirrors
via Intrepid Travel
via Intrepid Travel
Tuk Tuk (A covered motorized bike)
via Intrepid Travel
via Intrepid Travel
Other pieces include the ornate St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Chicago Skyline:
St. Basil’s Cathedral
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Chicago Skyline
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A Sunday on La Grande Jette / Seurat
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Winged Victory
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Check out more of Labowitch’s work at her website, here.
H/T Insider, Intrepid Travel.
Dezeen Mail issue 320 features this week’s best stories and discussions
A fashion campaign featuring flashing models, 12 of the best Minimalist packaging designs and Tadao Ando’s sprawling desert ranch for Tom Ford (pictured) feature in this week’s issue of Dezeen Mail.
Read Dezeen Mail issue 320 | Subscribe to Dezeen Mail
