Beach House Expansion with Triangular Roofline

February 5, 2014, 11:45 pm

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A small 1980s beach house in South Durras, NSW, Australia and sitting on a 1085.3m2 site was expanded on by Fearns Studio to give the homeowners a contemporary reinterpretation of their original cottage that was now able to include a new studio and views to the bushland in the rear of the property. Incorporating a galvanized roofline to tie in with the original roof, Fearns Studio gave the new roof a new twist by using the peak of the pitch as a starting point of a steep decline and touching the ground near the back of the studio while slicing back upwards to the front of the home, creating a triangular half of a square in profile.

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Cool Oceanfront House with Beautiful Panoramic Views

February 6, 2014, 8:24 pm

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Located in the coastal village of Matanzas, Chile, and designed by Panorama Arquitectos, this 9x9m cliff top home overlooks panoramas of the isle, beach and forest that surround it. While parts of the square home are double volumed, an angled 45-degree slice creates a 2-storey section that includes the Master Bedroom and the Bathroom. With the home's bathroom and main bedroom upstairs, the lower volume consists of the living, dining and kitchen areas as well as a second sleeping zone. Also part of the main level is a void cut into the North facade, creating an intimate and sheltered outdoor terrace.

Minimalistic Concrete Alpine Cabin

February 6, 2014, 11:13 pm

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Located not far from the Swiss city of Chur, this getaway cabin rests firmly within Alpine mountain ranges. Designed by Georg Nikisch and Selina Walder, the compact residence is constructed almost entirely of concrete, but utilizes intelligent sculpting to create the illusion of wood from afar. Aside from this deception, the architecture of the house is fairly restrained and minimal, with traditional peaked-roof lines and two large windows and a skylight providing light. Inside, concrete sections make up almost every surface and decor piece, from the cottage's bathtub to its fireplace. Again, minimalism rules the day, resulting in a quiet, slick escape from the complexities of day-to-day working life. The cabin's design successfully transforms a fairly conventionally-shaped plan into a truly unique, slick vacation home for two.

Elevated House Built on Pillars

February 6, 2014, 11:17 pm

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Set inside a disused rock quarry just outside the Welsh capital city, this impressive home's architecture was formed by both artistic desires and practical necessity. Because of the uneven surfaces and compacted space at the bottom of the property, the house is raised a level above the ground, supported by deceptively thin pillars and by the rock face itself at key points. Its walls draw inspiration from local textures, while its windows are spaced and placed in a calculated manner for the photographer who owns the dwelling. Those windows take up a significant portion of the exterior surface, but intelligent panel designs are used on each side to obscure the view inward. The house also has a slew of built-in deck at corners and within, straddling the line between indoor and outdoor space. Each of these decks has a specific purpose, and each contributes in a unique way to the overall layout of this compelling design.

3-storey Modern House with Timeless Design

February 7, 2014, 4:45 pm

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This modern 3-storey house in Brighton East, Australia, makes the most out the very small plot it has at disposal. On their clients' brief, Finnis Architects designed a three-bedroom home that focuses on livability and entertainment. Although the site dimensions are small, they managed to create outdoors spaces, much appreciated by the owners, and to create a natural flow between inside and outside. The house has three floors, out of which one is excavated and the other two are above the ground. The underground floor has a garage and utility spaces, while the upper floors are dedicated to the day and night areas. The day area is strategically situated on the ground floor, so that it can blend in with the outdoors spaces situated at the same level. This smooth transition is possible thanks to the floor-to-ceiling glazed doors that slide open, thus removing all visual barriers between the indoors and the outdoors. The facades are treated differently based on the required level of privacy. The ground floor alternates concrete walls with glass transparencies, while the second floor is kept less transparent with opaque glass and wood and aluminum cladding.

See-though Glass Box House has Best Views of the Forest

February 7, 2014, 6:57 pm

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Though this is not exactly a residential design, it's a great example of how a beautiful forest home can be constructed, to be in harmony with nature and to get the most of the forest views. Located in a pine tree forest in Ottignies, Belgium, this project is dedicated to people with low physical mobility. Belgian firm Artau Architecture conceived this place as a glass box that gets completely lost among the tall trees that it mirrors in its windows. Accessible by a long and winding wooden bridge, the pavilion sits on stilts, half a meter above the ground. This way there is a minimum impact to the site, and the building integrates into nature rather than dominate it. The shape of the house is a rectangular box, with all the vertical sides in glass on a metallic frame. The two extremities of the box are open, creating symmetrical covered terraces. Inside the space is open, favoring the easy circulation of people in wheelchairs. Nature can be contemplated through the big glazed wall from every point of the house. The very tall pine trees actually give a very good idea of the scale between man and nature, where nature is great and overwhelming and man is little and less significant. Inside the glass box there are smaller boxes in red plywood, enclosing the toilets and the educators' offices.

Alfresco Home with Rustic Wood Interiors

February 8, 2014, 8:45 pm

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This alfresco California house by Minarc makes the most of its surroundings with an indoor / outdoor design and the extensive use of natural wood, strengthening its connection to the land. Glass walls slide open to transform interiors into outdoor living rooms that are fresh, bright and airy. The kitchen and dining areas overlooks the deck; living rooms enjoy floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glass; the master bedroom offers a walk-out to the pool. In fact, the house was designed such that every interior space enjoys outdoor entertaining areas, making the most of this stunning scenery and heavenly climate. But there's another, deeper connection to nature - this eco house design was made to also maximize natural light, solar power, and natural crosswinds for ventilation. Here's the tour.

Floating Cabin With Integrated Boathouse

February 8, 2014, 9:13 pm

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Designed by Toronto-based Altius Architecture, this upstate New York residence is meant as a tranquil getaway for its owners. Complete with a two-stall boathouse, built-in Kayak racks, and other storage for water sports equipment, the house is built fully around the concept of lake living, and is actually a floating dwelling itself. The indoor living space of the cabin is minimal due to local restrictions that would classify it as a full home should more floorspace be added, but docks and deck in and around the building provide plenty of recreational space. The shape of the abode is based vaguely on traditional northeastern cues, but is updated with geometric features and a bold black color scheme with unpainted wood inserts. Inside, its rooms are uncluttered and minimal, yet warm and inviting for the homeowners. As an isolated vacation home, this floating lake house is hard to beat.

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Small Vacation Home Wraps Around Large Private Courtyard

February 9, 2014, 9:59 pm

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Bourne Blue Architecture designed Seal Rocks House to expose all of its rooms to an inner courtyard for a private indoor/outdoor lifestyle. Located in Seal Rocks, Australia, the vacation home is all about the outdoor experience so the home itself is only 129sqm and contains a bathroom, a large shower and an indoor social zone consisting of kitchen, dining and living. Then there is the large and spacious courtyard complete with hammocks and day beds. Seal Rocks House is one of a village of vacation homes that are mainly aged fishing shacks. The original shacks are slowly being replaced with new homes as ownership changes but Bourne Blue Architecture chose to design Seal Rocks House in a style that was respectful to the original holiday houses while at the same time creating a place that could be used as rental income when the homeowners where not using it.

Low Energy House With Rooftop Lawn

February 9, 2014, 11:19 pm

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Overlooking the seaside in a coastal community in Bulgaria, this intelligently-designed home takes advantage of the sun not only from day to day, but from season to season. With large banks of glass and a shape which captures sunlight differently as the year progresses, the design Ignatov Architects effectively heats, cools, and lights the interior in a passive fashion. Built from locally-sourced materials including artistically-placed stones and long wood panels, the house actually sits mostly below street level, with a small entryway on top. The roof of the building is not wasted, however, and is planted with a full yard, making the house nearly invisible from above. Additionally, a large wooden deck on the lowest floor has space for entertaining and a long pool. The residence leaves a minimal impact on the environment while taking maximum advantage of the views and sunlight of the coast.

Beautiful House with Courtyard Swimming Pool

February 10, 2014, 10:54 pm

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Architectural firm A-D Lab designed the 6997sqft Andrew Road house - built on a sloping landscape - as a place of refuge for the homeowner and his parents. Located in the Caldecott region of central Singapore, where the land undulates with street levels one floor higher then the homes, Andrew House has taken advantage of this "sunken" scheme by not only presenting the first floor plan, one level down, but also the private courtyard and its pool. Creating the home with two 3-storey sections at either end and topping the social zone with a green roof, the home appears more moderate in size to the surrounding neighbourhood.

Artist Studio overlooks Guest Cabin with Rooftop Garden

February 11, 2014, 12:35 am

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Feldman Architecture received a brief from their client's in Mill Valley California, USA, to build two new structures within their property, one for an artists studio and one for a cabin that would do double duty as a yoga space and guest accommodations. The location of the new structures would be on a slope with the studio overlooking the guest cabin and for this reason, the client's and architects opted to create a rooftop garden on the lower building, using it to feature a vista of low lying shrubs viewable from the studio above. Only the chimney stack gives it away.

Seaside Villa with Rooftop Gardens

February 11, 2014, 11:30 am

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Nested on a clifftop on the Central Chilean coastline, this seaside villa organically integrates itself in the topology of the site. Architect Raimundo Anguita designed an amazing structure that offers panoramic views from every corner and level, giving the house a contemplative dimension. On the outside, the structure blends in with the site. The undulating concrete roof seems part of the waves of the ocean, light but sturdy, ready to face the harsh winds that blow in this region. Concrete and rock look very much alike, thus camouflaging even more the house in the geology of the cliff. There is a vertical alternation between tall concrete pillars and glass surfaces that allow to see through the house down to the ocean. The house is on two levels. The bottom level bites into the cliff, and its flat roof covered with vegetation looks like a natural terrace of the slope.The top level slightly sticks its head out, but is smoothly absorbed by the landscape thanks to its transparency and its organic shape. As a consequence, the interiors are tall and airy, with dramatic infinity perspectives.

Energy Optimized House with Roof Terrace, Louver Windows, Exterior Window Shutters and Elevator

February 11, 2014, 12:43 pm

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Located in Karlsruhe, Germany, this modern 4-storey house is built on a historic site and is surrounded by traditional architecture houses. The only witnesses of the old site are the perimeter walls that enclose the property on three sides and the small pavilion by the entrance wall. Christ.Christ associated architects placed the house at the back of the plot, reachable via a forecourt. A part of the cube that forms the house has been cut out, leaving a hallow that serves as carport. There are two entrances into the house, both situated on the first floor, which is at ground level. One of the entrances is a traditional one, reachable from the carport via a short flight on stairs. The other one is on the side of the house, via a concrete ramp, and leads to the elevator. Out of the four levels, three are above the ground and one is semi-excavated. This lowest level houses an indoors pool and the technical rooms. The ground level is the main living space, while the top two floors serve for the children's and the parents' night areas.

House with Vertical Garden Facade

February 11, 2014, 10:51 pm

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When Robert Maschke Architects Inc. designed this green, grassy garden house here in Bay Village, Ohio, not only were they were inspired by the surroundings, but they actually created a natural house design that became part of them. The Brahler Residence takes shape as an artful slope house plan, situated on this sweet site that rolls down to a brook running through the center of the property. The clearing is surrounded by thick forest that provides privacy from the street and a lovely, lush backdrop for the leafy home. The clients wished for a new design that still respected the original rustic house style, and the architects delivered. Here's how they did it.

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Contemporary Renovation and Additon to 60's Bungalow

February 12, 2014, 12:59 am

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This project, completed by Christ.Christ Associated Architects in Germany, is a great example of the way we must build today,because of the lack of available lands. This bungalow style house was originally built in the 60's, and the new owners wanted to adapt it to their needs in terms of space and lifestyle. Thanks to the flat roof, the architects were able to add height to the existing building. In order to respect the initial architecture and also to create various outdoors sports, the addition took the shape of three separate boxed connected among them by an translucent glass corridor. The building became thus a 3-storey one, with the main living floor situated in the middle. At every level of the house we find courtyards, terraces or patios, that could be created thanks to the flatness of the roofs. The main entrance is at the middle level, where the space was bared of all partitions in order to create a big open plan living space. Except of living room, dining room and kitchen, this floor also leaves room for the two children bedrooms and their shared bathroom. The lowest floor contains a bedroom and bathroom and an independent apartment. The top floor boxes have each a specific function: one is the master bedroom with ensuite bathrooms, another one is a home office and the third one serves as walk-in closet and extra room.

Energy Efficient Grasshopper Shaped House

February 12, 2014, 4:15 am

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This unusually shaped house is meant to become one with nature, both from a shape and function point of view. Designed by Russian architect AN RO, this 3-storey building takes the organic shape of an insect, more specifically that of a grasshopper. The building is made of various layers which seem to hold together thanks to the side wooden articulated arms that mimic the legs of a grasshopper. The first level is a concrete box, which constitutes the foundation of the house. On top of this box there is a wooden slab that cantilevers on all sides of the box, and that meets the slope creating a bridge for the main entrance. Another box is placed on this slab, this time made in wood and glass. This box is the living area of the house, with kitchen, dining and living spaces. The box doesn't occupy the whole surface of the wooden base slab, creating terraces at the front and at the back, and passages of the two lateral sides which makes circulation possible all around the box. The same scenario is repeated on the second floor, with a cantilevering wooden slab and a wood and glass box. This second box serves as the night side of the house, where we find bedrooms and bathrooms. Though the size of the boxes is identical, that of the wooden base is smaller, as it has to make room for the sloping roof.

Contemporary Reinterpretation of a Classic Barn in Holland

February 12, 2014, 6:42 pm

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Aat Vos received a brief from their clients to rebuild one of the first barn houses ever built in The Netherlands into a contemporary house that reflected both the history of the site and the comforts of modern day life. Located in Donderen, the Netherlands, the barn was a simple building made with inexpensive local materials, it was spacious and positioned in a beautiful lush setting of pastures and trees. In coming up with a reinterpretation of this historic barn, Aat Vos took an "outside the barn" approach to the design by interpreting the existing silhouette as a contemporary geometric form. They expanded on the shape idea with additional elements such as a cube formation for a covered outdoor lounge and a rectangle for the pool. Softening up the hard lines of the geometry and tying it into the landscape are the lush lavenders spilling out onto the pool deck.

Minimalist Home with Unique Interpretation of Gabled Roof

February 12, 2014, 7:12 pm

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Located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Denmark, MLPR Architects designed the Villa Bie to conform to planning authority guidelines in the area requiring homes to be no more then 1-1/2 levels and present a profile that included a gabled roof. MLPR's client's did not want a traditional gable and hoped the architects could come up with a unique interpretation that would satisfy their more minimalist design aesthetic. MLPR's unique approach to the traditional Danish gable is fresh and exciting - and very dramatic.

Pre-fabricated House with Painted OSB Panels

February 12, 2014, 8:13 pm

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Located in Rechy Valais, Switzerland and designed by Archi7, the inner core of the home is clad in OSB panels as an economical material that acts both as structural cross bracing and as the finishing material. The OSB panels create an industrial surround that is further enhanced by the concrete flooring - which also serves the double duty of retaining heat from the fireplace and slowly releasing it after the fire has gone out. While the palette of the concrete and OSB is neutral and pale, the architects have used bold swaths of color blocking to bring a youthful energy and vibrancy into the otherwise industrial volumes.