Massachusetts bill would increase solar project net-metering cap from 10 to 25 kW

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On April 7, Massachusetts senators introduced an amended bill (SB 2819) that would help bring some of the state’s climate goals to bear. This legislation comes a year after the governor signed “An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy.” The industry applauded the solar-related items in the new “Act Driving Climate Policy…
https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/04/new-massachusetts-bill-net-metering-credits/
#markets, #seia, #news, #residential, #policy

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Ciguë uses steel foundations to elevate lightweight home in rural France

French studio Ciguë has elevated this timber-clad home in Saint Julien le Petit, France, above its rural site using slender, removable steel foundations.

Looking to contrast the area's traditional stone country homes, the Paris-based studio drew on the lightweight Case Study Houses built in California in the 1960s to create a simple structure that sits lightly in its surroundings.

The Wooden House is a residential project in rural France designed by Ciguë

"The Wooden House scrupulously chooses its land, its exposure, its height and its references to revisit the archetype of the country house," said the studio.

"[It is] a place in which you live carefree and unconfined, in direct contact with the landscape, surrounded by bare necessities," it continued.

The structure is clad in blackened timber

The almost-square central form of the home, clad in black timber planks, sits atop an area of raised wooden decking. The deck wraps the southern edge to create a variety of seating areas surrounded by a black timber balustrade.

A roof has a large overhang and is supported by thin steel supports. It shelters a south-facing section of full-height glazing, which provides the L-shaped living, dining and kitchen area with dramatic views across the landscape.

A covered terrace wraps around the structure

Two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study space create a more private L-shaped section of the home, which north and east with small windows framing views.

A stepped roof line creates higher ceilings at the front of the home, while the bedrooms at the rear are slightly more intimate-feeling spaces.

[

Read:

La Petite Maison is a tiny guesthouse in France made out of wood

](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/04/11/le-petit-maison-tiny-guesthouse-france-wood/)

In the study, a small mezzanine level sits atop a wooden frame accessed by a ladder, leading to an elevated space with a small window.

"Benefiting from large window openings, [the home] is flooded with light and lives to the rhythm of the seasons according to its bioclimatic principles," said the studio.

Large full-height windows frame views out to the landscape

Internally, the walls and ceilings have been given a crisp white finish. Simple furnishings, window frames and fittings were made using wood sourced from the local area.

Much of the framework and structure is left exposed, with a grid of black timber battens supporting corrugated plastic forming the roof. The junctions between the foundations and house are also left visible.

Ciguë applied a simplistic material palette througout the interior

"Floating lightly above its field, the house imprints its unique Neo-vernacular spirit on the landscape, having chosen wood from the surrounding forests that have gradually replaced the regions agricultural land," said the studio.

Previous projects by Ciguë include several retail interiors including a store in Nottingham for skincare brand Aesop organised around distillation apparatus and a store in Bangkok for fashion brand Isabel Marant with woven bamboo screens.

The photography is byMaris Mezulis.

The post Ciguë uses steel foundations to elevate lightweight home in rural France appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #residential #architecture #france #blackenedwood #houses #ciguë #frenchhouses #woodenarchitecture #timbercladding

Woods + Dangaran creates Desert Palisades house for rocky site in Palm Springs

Patinated brass panels and extra-clear glass form the facades of a weekend dwelling designed by Woods + Dangaran for a boulder-strewn site in southern California.

The Desert Palisades home – located in a gated community of the same name in Palm Springs – serves as a family weekend retreat for designer Brett Woods, who leads Woods + Dangaran with architect Joseph Dangaran. Their studio is based in Los Angeles.

A glazed corridor links the two parts of the Desert Palisades home

The dwelling sits on a rocky hillside offering views of the mountains and the city below.

The desert context and keeping the terrain intact were key considerations for the design team. Woods also wanted a house that departed from the mid-century modern style that is so ubiquitous in Palm Springs.

Interiors were crafted from a "muted palette"

"Our vision for the home was very much antithetical to the typical tropes of mid-century modernist style that so defines the iconic Palm Spring aesthetic, and this informed the development of the palette and materiality," the studio said.

L-shaped in plan, the single-storey home consists of two volumes that total 3,800 square feet (353 square metres).

Furnishings intend to tie the home to its natural surroundings

The main volume, which looks east toward the city, is a rectangular bar that holds the public zone and primary sleeping areas. It is gently lifted above the ground to preserve a pair of arroyos that run through the property.

"As the site begins to slope away to the east, the building delicately lifts off grade and spans the natural terrain and arroyos," the team said, noting that this kept draining channels in place.

A swimming pool was built into the terrace

Behind the main bar is a "west wing" containing a garage and guest house.

A glazed corridor links the two parts of the home, and bridges the arroyos and a cacti garden. Metal trellises extend outward from the glass enclosure, offering shade and producing an interesting play of light and shadow.

A rectangular volume includes sleeping areas

The home's facades are wrapped in patinated brass panels that will continue to weather over time. Flanking the ends of the main bar are piers made of concrete masonry units (CMUs), which help anchor the home to the site.

The exterior also features generous stretches of low-iron glass, known for its high transparency.

Woods + Dangaran perched the house on a boulder-strewn site

In the rear, 12-foot-deep (3.7-metre) overhangs help protect the building and also visually unify its different components. The backyard features a swimming pool and terrace.

Within the dwelling, one finds a straightforward layout. One side of the bar holds the sleeping areas, while the other contains an open-concept space for cooking, dining and lounging.

[

Read:

Anacapa Architecture overhauls Vista Residence to frame views of California landscape

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/03/27/anacapa-architecture-vista-residence-montecito-california/)

Similar to the exterior, the interior design takes cues from the desert landscape.

Sage green, dusty pinks and sandy browns form a "muted palette that seems to blend in with the terrain", the team said.

Mountainous surroundings are reflected in extra-clear glass windows

Finishes include travertine flooring and walls made of exposed CMU blocks. For the furnishings, the team used earthy materials such as walnut, teak, leather and stone to help tie the home to its natural setting.

Crisp views of the landscape are provided by the home's low-iron glass windows. Along the front of the house, rooms are lined with gauzy, floor-to-ceiling curtains that, in addition to offering privacy, add a soft touch to the interior.

"For the interiors, it was particularly important to cultivate a feeling of comfort and cosiness," the team said.

The home is clad in patinated brass panels that will weather over time

Other projects by Woods + Dangaran include the sensitive renovation of a mid-century residence in Los Angeles that was originally designed by Craig Ellwood.

The photography is byJoe Fletcher.

---

Project credits:

Architecture and interior design: Woods + Dangaran

Landscape architect: Chris Sosa

Renderings: Squared Design Lab

General contractor: HJH Construction

Lighting design: Woods + Dangaran

Soils engineer: Landmark Consultants

Structural engineer: Labib Funk + Associates

Civil engineer: Labib Funk + Associates

Fire sprinklers: AFP Systems

Plumbing engineer: California Energy Designs

Title 24: Solargy

The post Woods + Dangaran creates Desert Palisades house for rocky site in Palm Springs appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #residential #architecture #brass #glass #california #usa #houses #holidayhomes #californianhouses #palmsprings #woodsdangaran

Tung Jai Ork Baab stacks shipping containers to create holiday home in Thailand

A cluster of shipping containers sheltered by a steep metal roof defines a series of indoor and outdoor spaces at this home in Thailand, designed by architecture studio Tung Jai Ork Baab.

The Container Cabin is part of a wider project by the studio called OOST Campville, transforming a former paddy field on a floodplain in Nakhon Nayok into a place to "get away from city life" with rentable accommodation, orchards and playgrounds.

The Container Cabin features an oversized A-frame roof

With poor availability of both materials and construction workers in the area, the studio decided to re-use shipping containers to create prefabricated spaces that could then be brought onsite and assembled.

In order to mitigate flooding, a small reservoir was dug out to create a raised area for the Container Cabin, which overlooks this new area of water atop a long, thin concrete base, split into two around a central communal space.

It is located on a paddy field on a floodplain

"The key idea was to create an outdoor getaway destination, with a connection between the outdoor and indoor space used to create the spatial configuration of the house," explained the practice.

To the west, a stack of containers contains the living spaces and bedrooms of the home, while to the east a single container housing an additional bedroom overlooks a swimming pool surrounded by decking that overlooks the reservoir.

Both indoor and outdoor spaces define the holiday home

Due to high heat transfer through the containers' metal walls, the living spaces are sheltered by an oversized A-frame roof, which creates a series of "in-between" terraces and balconies around and atop the cabins.

In the centre of the main living area, the stacking of cabins creates a void below, where raised wooden decking has been used to create a shaded terrace signalled by a horizontal metal canopy protruding from the roof.

[

Read:

Twelve buildings that demonstrate the breadth of shipping-container architecture

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/12/03/shipping-container-architecture-buildings/)

"Part of the A-frame roof is the steel plate louvres, that can protect from rain and sunlight but still let the wind flow through the whole house," said the studio.

Inside, containers have been merged along both their short and long edges to create a varied of wider and longer spaces, with areas of their walls replaced by full-height windows and sliding doors.

Tung Jai Ork Baab painted the containers' insides white

Original container doors and some of the cut-away wall sections have been repurposed as shutters, providing further shading or privacy to the interiors.

The metal surface of the containers has been left uncovered, painted white internally and grey externally to match the A-frame roof structure.

The dwelling is part of a wider project by the studio called OOST Campville

Other homes created using shipping containers include a portable home in Poland by Wiercinski Studio, and a home on the outskirts of Stockholm created using eight stacked, elevated containers by Swedish architect Måns Tham.

The post Tung Jai Ork Baab stacks shipping containers to create holiday home in Thailand appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #metal #thailand #shippingcontainers #holidayhomes #prefabricatedbuildings

Davidson Prize longlist features 14 proposals for co-living

The longlist for the second annual Davidson Prize highlights 14 concepts for co-living and the challenges of single-person and single-parent households, loneliness and the housing shortage.

Included in this year's longlist in response to the theme of Co-Living – A New Future is a proposal for a shared housing model to re-invigorate rural communities, a multi-generational co-living development designed around the needs of children and a concept for refugee integration.

The Curious Minds Society is a proposal for multi-generational living by Child Graddon Lewis, Split, Eley Kishimoto and Hungry Sandwich

Those participating in this year's prize, including architecture studios Charles Holland Architects, Tonkin Liu and artist Verity-Jane Keefe, were asked to consider whether current the UK's models for homes and home living are representative of the 21st century.

Some of the challenges addressed in each of the proposals focus on the growing single-person and single-parent households, loneliness and issues of mental health, housing shortages and responses to refugee crises.

The Davidson Prize is a design idea and communications prize that was established by the Alan Davidson Foundation in 2021 in memory of the Scottish architectural visualiser Alan Davidson, who died from Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2018.

Co-Living in the Countryside by Charles Holland Architects with Quality of Life Foundation, Verity-Jane Keefe, Joseph Zeal-Henry explores re-invigorating rural communities through co-living

"The calibre of submissions for this year’s prize was really impressive and it was interesting to see how people’s approaches to co-living may have changed in the aftermath of the pandemic," said chair of The Davidson Prize jury, Paul Monaghan.

"Although there are similarities in many of the submissions, each of the 14 longlisted teams put forward an innovative solution to this year’s theme."

[

Read:

Davidson Prize winner HomeForest uses smart tech to recreate "forest bathing" in your home

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/06/16/davidson-prize-winner-homeforest-smart-tech-forest-bathing/)

"Each submission raised great discussions amongst the judges. I’m impressed with how the teams have expressed their ideas both with strong written statements and varied and interesting visuals," explained Alan Davidson Foundation director Marie Chamillard.

The second edition of the prize follows the success of the inaugural prize in 2021, which saw the app concept HomeForest by architects Haptic, creative studio Squint/Opera, sound designer Coda to Coda, bio-design specialist Yaoyao Meng and poet LionHeart selected as its winner.

The Workhome Project addresses cross-generational issues of loneliness in its entry

The judging panel for this second edition includes artist Yinka Ilori, Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson, educator and curator Manijeh Verghese, as well as architects Paul Monaghan, Mary Duggan and Agnieszka Glowacka.

The panel will shortlist three finalists who will receive £5,000 to develop and expand their design concepts and ultimately present a two-minute visual presentation to the jury.

Afterlife by NAME Architecture and airc.digital proposes reinhabiting commercial buildings by transforming them into residential hubs

Details about all 14 proposals can be found on the Davidson Prize website. See the longlist in full below:

› Azhar Architecture: Co-Living Retrofit

› Baillie Baillie Architects and Community Land Scotland: A Culture of Community

› Charles Holland Architects, Quality of Life Foundation, Verity-Jane Keefe and Joseph Zeal-Henry: Co-Living in The Countryside

› Child-Hood: It Takes A Village

› Child Graddon Lewis, Split, Eley Kishimoto & Hungry Sandwich: Curious Minds Society

› Heta Architects: Recipro-City

› Living Streets: Urban Network of Collective Care

› Moebius Studio: Communiversity

› NAME Architecture and airc.digital: Afterlife

› Team 5: Retrofitting Co-Living

› The Progressive Housing Design Group: A Model for Progressive ‘Family’ Housing

› Tonkin Liu: Care/Ring

› Will King and Hari Kumar: A Taste of Home

› Workhome Projects: Co-Living Works!

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#all #architecture #residential #news #uk #colivingandcohousing #davidsonprize

Måns Tham stacks shipping containers to create Swedish house

Swedish architect Måns Tham has created a house on the outskirts of Stockholm using eight standard shipping containers that are stacked and elevated on metal pillars.

The dwelling, appropriately named Container House, was designed by Tham for a couple who wanted to self-build a home from the containers that are typically used to transport goods around the world.

Måns Tham used shipping containers to create this house in Stockholm

The husband of the couple works for a demolition firm and is a keen mechanic interested in customised American cars. This informed an architectural approach focused on reuse and alteration, which enabled the project to be largely self-built.

As there was insufficient space on the steep lot to create a slab, the building is raised above the ground on steel pillars.

A total of eight containers have been used. Photo is by Thomas Jacobsson

The house comprises eight containers with a standard width of 2.4 metres. These units are stacked to create three levels of living spaces for the couple and their three children.

Walls between containers were carefully removed to maximise the living spaces while preserving the structural performance of the units.

It is elevated above ground on metal poles

"A shipping container is actually not a great starting point for a home because of its limited width," explained Tham.

"We had to put a lot of effort into deciding which walls to cut and which to save so that we could use the containers with as little additional structure as possible," the architect continued.

Large windows frame the surroundings

The containers are positioned in response to the site's topography, which enabled the upper storey to span a larger area and accommodate the main living spaces.

Rainwater pouring down the steeply sloping hillside passes underneath the building and the adjoining eight-metre steel-truss bridge to the adjacent pine forest.

A bridge connects the house to the adjacent forest

An entrance on the house's lower level leads into a space containing a den and guest bedroom. A laundry room and main bathroom at the rear of the building incorporate a large window that looks directly onto the rocky site.

Stairs ascend to the upper level that houses the main living area, alongside a terrace that is positioned to make the most of the evening sunlight. Bedrooms at the back of this floor look onto the forest.

A mezzanine lookout sits above the living space

A single container above the living space provides a mezzanine lookout where the children can find some privacy.

This container also functions as a lightwell, allowing daylight to reach the north-facing living room. A steel staircase with open treads and a balustrade made from netting help to maximise the amount of light that passes through.

[

Read:

Twelve buildings that demonstrate the breadth of shipping-container architecture

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/12/03/shipping-container-architecture-buildings/)

Many of the materials and fixtures used throughout the interiors were salvaged from demolition sites around Stockholm. Timber planks, metal panels, staircases and parts of discarded kitchens were incorporated after slight modifications.

Tham was required to develop inventive solutions for details such as the railings, chimneys and guttering in order to satisfy Sweden's strict building codes while retaining the house's cohesive aesthetic.

The main bathroom looks directly onto the rocky site

"There is a point where the stacked containers, with everything that is added and modified, cease to be containers and instead become an assembled building fixed in a landscape," the architect concluded.

"This point interested me and guided me through many design challenges with the house."

Repurposing shipping containers to create buildings is a popular trend in architecture. Elsewhere, Polish practice Wiercinski Studio recently converted two containers into a portable house, while Fenwick Iribarren Architects used them to create a demountable stadium in Qatar.

The photography is byStaffan Andersson unless stated.

---

Project credits:

Chief architect: Måns Tham

Collaborators: Julia Moore, Erik Lundquist

Structural engineer: Egil Bartos, Ramboll

The post Måns Tham stacks shipping containers to create Swedish house appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #instagram #houses #sweden #shippingcontainers #swedishhouses

Loader Monteith adds modern courtyard extension to 19th-century Scottish villa

Scottish architecture studio Loader Monteith has added a courtyard extension to a Victorian merchant's house near Glasgow, Scotland, which complements the existing building's materiality and enhances its connection with the garden.

Named the Maker's House, the home was overhauled by local studio Loader Monteith for an architect and ceramicist who wanted living spaces and a pottery studio that look onto the garden.

Loader Monteith has added a single-storey extension to a Victorian villa

The 19th-century dwelling, which is located in the Lenzie Conservation Area, had previously been subdivided into two apartments. The project focused on unifying the existing spaces and introducing a modern extension that contrasts harmoniously with the stone villa.

Its owners also wanted to adapt the existing building to suit their lifestyles both now and in the future, when their needs are likely to change as they grow older.

Its pitched roof and materials are designed to complement the existing house

Particular emphasis was placed on creating a floorplan that can be subdivided again if required, with the ground floor functioning as an independent residence.

"Those in architecture usually relish the opportunity to design their own homes," said studio director Matt Loader, "so we were thrilled and flattered to be selected by our clients, who are both trained architects, to work on their home outside Glasgow."

"They worked closely with us to create a home that suits their lifestyle perfectly," Loader added.

A living area has sliding glass doors that lead outside

The single-storey extension sits alongside the existing house and contains a living area lined with sliding glass doors that open onto the garden.

Its form and material palette were chosen to complement the old house. A pitched roof references the form of the existing building while the cast stone cladding matches its original stone walls.

"We carefully matched the concrete tones and roof form to reflect the building's original structure, adding a roof light to animate the living space below and allow a glimpse at the canopy of greenery above," said the studio.

A skylight above the living area allows light to filter through

The extension also contains a pottery studio and a garage, with a secluded courtyard at its centre. Surfaces lining this minimal outdoor space are clad with vertical blackened-timber boards.

The kitchen and living area in the new wing looks out towards the garden on one side and the courtyard on the other. Its open interior is flooded with natural light from the rectangular skylight at the peak of the sloping roof.

[

Read:

Loader Monteith extends a remote stone cottage in the Scottish Highlands

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/30/loader-monteith-extends-a-remote-stone-cottage-in-the-scottish-highlands/)

In the original building, a study and sitting room are positioned at the front of the house, while a bedroom, two bathrooms and a utility area are located to the rear.

A dining room at the centre of the plan forms a bridge between the old and new parts of the house. Three further bedrooms and two bathrooms are situated on the first floor, with an attic bedroom on the top storey.

A wooden staircase has been introduced in the existing building

The architects took great care to retain many of the original Victorian features in the existing parts of the building, including the parquet flooring, ornate cornices and a fireplace surround.

More modern materials and finishes are used in the extension, including polished concrete floors, smoked-oak joinery and muted blue panelling that creates a focal point in the living space.

The original building contains a study and sitting room

A wooden staircase was engineered to connect the different levels within the older part of the house. New bathrooms feature suspended cast-stone sinks and patterned tiling, along with copper fixtures that contribute to the refined, contemporary feel of these renovated spaces.

Loader Monteith was founded by Loader with Iain Monteith in Glasgow in 2016. The studio works across the United Kingdom on conservation, residential and commercial projects.

It was longlisted at Dezeen Awards 2021 for its restoration of Peter Wormesley's modernist High Sunderland house and it recently extended a remote Scottish cottage by adding a pair of timber-clad volumes.

The photography is byDapple Photography.

---

Project credits:

Lead architect: Loader Monteith **

Structural engineer:** Design Engineering Workshop **

Contractor:** Ian Gilmour, FC Fabrications **

Building control:** East Dunbartonshire Council

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#all #architecture #residential #extensions #scotland #glasgow #residentialextensions #scottishhouses #loadermonteitharchitects

Studio Okami Architecten exposes brutalist skeleton of Antwerp apartment

Belgian studio Studio Okami Architecten has renovated a duplex apartment in the brutalist Riverside Tower in Antwerp, allowing its original concrete structure to take centre stage.

The project was led by and designed for Bram Van Cauter, founding partner of Studio Okami Architecten, who lives there with his partner, art collector Doris Vanistendael.

Studio Okami Architecten has renovated a duplex apartment in Antwerp

Riverside Tower is a 20-storey apartment building positioned in the bend of the river Scheldt, completed by architects Leon Stynen & Paul De Meyer in the 1970s.

The 230-square-metre apartment is on the thirteenth and fourteenth floors of the building, three storeys above the Studio Okami Architecten office. The couple also owns a duplex in the same building, which contains a guest suite and Vanistendael's art gallery named Soon.

The apartment is located in the brutalist Riverside Tower

Studio Okami Architecten's first step of the renovation was to tear down the walls of the apartment and strip away all the surface coverings.

While revealing the concrete structure of the apartment, this transformed its layout from a five-bedroom dwelling to a lofty open-plan space with a single bedroom.

All of its concrete surfaces were exposed

"With the Riverside Tower being a brutalist building, it seemed logical to strip the apartment to the bare concrete, showing the space in its most honest and raw form," Van Cauter told Dezeen.

"Removing the walls allows for unobstructed views over the city," the architect added. "Being childfree, an open-plan space was a logical choice."

A sculptural kitchen island was added. Photo is by Matthijs van der Burgt

A few brick walls in the dwelling were retained but covered with cement mixed with small stones, creating a finish that matches the original concrete structure.

To counterbalance the rough concrete surfaces, a peach-hued resin floor has been added alongside plants and artworks hung from existing holes in the concrete.

A pastel blue staircase links the two floors of the duplex

"The aim was to balance out the rough concrete by adding colourful elements to the space," Van Cauter explained. "The artworks, furniture and plants all combine to create a homey atmosphere."

Double-height pivoting windows also brighten the space by providing natural light and views out over the river and a neighbouring forest.

Pops of colour contrast with the concrete

On the lower floor of the apartment is an open-plan kitchen and dining area. Above it is the living room, bedroom and home office.

The apartment's upper level, which is intended to feel more secluded than the floor below, is arranged around a technical block containing the bathroom, storage and utility facilities.

The upper level contains more private spaces

"The duplex setup creates a special division between the downstairs entertainment area and the more private upstairs functions like a home office, living and bedroom," Van Cauter explained.

Linking the two levels is a pastel blue spiral staircase, chosen to stand out against the concrete. It was welded and painted in place due to the limited size of the tower's circulation areas.

[

Read:

Studio Goss exposes concrete shell of converted Melbourne apartment

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/23/roseneath-street-apartment-studio-goss/)

The pastel colour palette continues in the bathroom, which is lined with smooth peach pink surfaces.

These surfaces ensure the bathroom is watertight, but they also create a sharp contrast with the rough concrete beams overhead.

Rietveld Crate Chairs are among the furnishings

Studio Okami Architecten chose a mixture of contemporary vintage furnishings to complete the apartment. Among the classic furniture are the patchwork De Sede DS88 sofa and Rietveld Crate Chairs, while contemporary pieces include a Long Table by Muller Van Severen and a red Bold chair by Big-Game.

There are also a series of bespoke elements, including the kitchen island, designed by Studio Okami Architecten to resemble "a sculpture in the room when out of use". This is teamed with cabinetry that references the work of American artist Donald Judd.

A pastel pink bathroom features upstairs

Other apartment renovations featured on Dezeen that are located in brutalist buildings include a New York residence by General Assembly in a 1970s tower block and a flat at the Barbican estate in London that Takero Shimazaki Architects infused with Japanese details.

Alongside the Riverside Tower apartment renovation, Studio Okami Architecten also recently completed a brick and concrete home that is embedded into a sloping hillside in Belgium.

The photography is byOlmo Peeters unless stated.

The post Studio Okami Architecten exposes brutalist skeleton of Antwerp apartment appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #interiors #residential #apartments #concrete #belgium #antwerp #renovations #brutalism #studiookamiarchitecten

Dezeen Debate newsletter features London's best home renovations

The latest edition of Dezeen Debate features the 15 home shortlisted for the 2022 edition of Don't Move, Improve!

A converted artist's studio and a pastel-hued extension with Romanesque arches are among the projects vying to be named London's best home renovation in this year's Don't Move, Improve! competition.

Organised by New London Architecture (NLA), the contest celebrates the "most innovative home improvement projects" in the capital.

Commenters are impressed. One said, "Great works. I am inspired".

Women make up just one in five top positions at biggest architecture firms despite "huge jump"

Other stories in this week's newsletter include research conducted by Dezeen to mark International Women's Day, a story about a vulva-shaped spaceship concept, and BIG's design for its first building in the metaverse.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing highlights from Dezeen. [_Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate](https://newsletter.dezeen.com/t/r-4078E56A7D2BDCC82540EF23F30FEDED) _.

You can alsosubscribe to Dezeen Agenda, which is sent every Tuesday and contains a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, as well as [_Dezeen Daily](https://www.dezeen.com/dezeendaily/) _, our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen.

The post Dezeen Debate newsletter features London's best home renovations appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #london #residential #extensions #renovations #dezeendebate #londonhouses #londonhouseextensions #dontmoveimprove

A+I and Unionworks raise Bridge House to protect sensitive Hamptons environment

New York studios A+I and Unionworks have completed a house near Long Island's Sagaponack Pond with two volumes connected by an enclosed bridge, allowing the site's native shrubbery to grow beneath.

Bridge House is the first ground-up residential project by A+I, or Architecture+Information, which typically works on office interiors.

The studio collaborated with Unionworks on the expansive private home, located near the Hamptons town of Bridgehampton and totals 12,000 square feet (111 square metres)

A+I and Unionworks designed Bridge House in Long Island

Responding to the property's fragile ecosystem, the architects decided to partially raise the house to safeguard against flooding and minimise the impact on the land.

"Because the lowest of the three volumes is elevated 12 feet (3.7 metres) above the ground plain, evoking a bridge, the home seems to float above a bio-swale with native grasses, shrubs and wildflowers created by LaGuardia Design," said the team.

The "bridge" connects two grounded volumes

"This strategic landscaping allows water during major storms and coastal flooding to pass underneath the structure without harm," they added

Each end of the "bridge" is supported by a grounded volume that contains part of the home's communal areas. The two ground structures are parallel, intersected by the bridge, bringing the total of connected volumes to three.

The volumes have plentiful terraces

These buildings were constructed with slender grey bricks and clad in vertical wooden siding, a choice that the architects describe as "a significant departure from the typical Hamptons shingle style".

"[The property] needed to be unlike any other Hamptons home," said the architects.

Exposed brick and light wood was placed throughout the interior

On the ground floor, the exterior finishes alternate between the exposed grey bricks and floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open, extending the living space into the home's multiple terraces.

"Dark-stained, quarter-sawn wood wraps the facade, lending dimension and character," said the architects.

[

Read:

Caserío Azkarraga is a restaurant and residence wrapped in blackened timber

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/08/11/caserio-azkarraga-restaurant-residence-blackened-timber-spain/)

The bridge extends over the grounded volumes and becomes the top floor, cantilevering where it meets the grounded volume on the north side.

Stained wooden planks also clad its elevations and underside, which shelters a walkway between the two ends of the building.

The bridge contains five bedrooms

The home's interior palette includes accents like bronze kitchen cabinets, which are intended to develop a patina over time.

White oak-paneled walls offers plenty of storage space, and a dramatic, suspended staircase creates a screening effect with the spacing of its slender metal supports.

The bridge serves as the top floor

The bridge structure contains five bedrooms, including the primary suite at one end, which opens out to a rooftop terrace. Downstairs, there are four additional bedrooms in one of the wings.

The Hamptons has long served as an escape from New York City, and this stretch of Long Island's southern shore is home to many impressive properties. Others to recently complete include Worrell Yeung's renovation of a 1970s house designed by Charles Gwathmey and a stone-clad residence with a pyramidal roof by Neil Logan.

The photography is byMagda Biernat.

The post A+I and Unionworks raise Bridge House to protect sensitive Hamptons environment appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #usa #blackenedwood #houses #blackhouses #americanhouses #thehamptons #newyorkhouses #ai #longisland #newyork

Wooden terrace acts as "additional room" for Polish house by UGO

A blank exterior clad in corrugated metal conceals a large terrace at this holiday home, which architecture studio UGO has created close to a lake in Wielkopolska, Poland.

The summer residence, called Terrace With a House by the Lake, was designed by Poznań studio UGO to create the feeling of being immersed in nature while having a minimal impact on its rural site.

UGO has created a Polish holiday home with a blank exterior

With an exterior informed by nearby agricultural structures, the U-shaped building encloses a 120-metre-long wooden terrace that UGO designed as an "additional room" for the home.

"The huge terrace is a place for living, resting and eating for the inhabitants of the house," explained the studio.

Corrugated metal lines parts of the exterior

"Its slightly raised platform was intended to allow the household members to commune with nature, without interfering with it," UGO continued.

"The result was not so much a house with a terrace, but a terrace with a house."

The blank exterior conceals a large terrace

Sliding doors create a seamless connection between the terrace and a central living, dining and kitchen area, which looks out in the direction of the lake through double-height glazing.

At either side of this living space are two wings containing the bedrooms. These have their own private connections to the terrace, with seating areas sheltered from the central space by deep cut-outs.

The terrace acts as additional living space for the home

Above the bedrooms are mezzanine areas, providing further sleeping spaces that open onto a roof terrace.

"The side wings additionally protect against the wind and provide full privacy for vacationing residents," said the studio.

[

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Mountain house in Poland has glazed cut between gables

](https://www.dezeen.com/2020/01/27/house-mountains-kropka-studio-poland-architecture/)

The corrugated metal of the exterior is contrasted by Siberian larch panelling in areas where guests have the "most frequent contact", such as the entrance areas and around the courtyard.

Inside, the furniture and materials have been chosen to reflect the colours and textures of the landscape outside, with minimal finishes that retain focus on the home's large windows.

It is lined with Siberian larch

Oversized metal gutters line the edges of the house, with protruding brackets that direct rainwater to irrigate the surrounding plants.

Protruding from the roof is a distinctive cone-shaped chimney that provides ventilation for a fireplace in the living room, as well as ducting for a heat pump.

Large windows frame outward views

Alongside the path leading into the main home is an additional smaller building, providing storage space for two cars and a motorboat.

Other Polish houses featured on Dezeen include a lakeside cottage by HOLA Design that incorporates large windows to frame outward views and a gabled house by Kropka Studio that references local agricultural buildings.

_The photography is byAlex Shoots Buildings. _

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#all #architecture #residential #poland #terraces #houses #corrugatedmetal #holidayhomes #polishhouses

Ten buildings that showcase the beauty of London's council housing

Jack Young's book The Council House aims to capture the beauty of London's council estates, which he photographed to "look like they could be perched on an Italian hillside". He chooses 10 favourites for Dezeen.

The Council House collects 68 of London's "most innovative and iconic" council homes, including recognisable examples such as Ernö Goldfinger's Trellick Tower as well as lesser-known buildings such as Spedan Close.

The buildings were lensed by photographer Young in the past three years, just over a century after the 1919 Addison Act was passed to provide subsidised housing construction in the UK.

Depictions of council homes "can create negative stereotypes"

Young, who works as a digital product designer and lives on the Lettsom Estate in Camberwell, hopes the book will change some of the perceptions people have about these often unappreciated buildings.

"They are so often depicted in black and white photography which highlights its often brutal forms, or on a dark wet night as the gritty backdrop to a television drama," Young told Dezeen.

[

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Peter Barber Architects' "intelligent, dynamic and original" McGrath Road named UK's best affordable housing scheme

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/10/20/peter-barber-social-housing-estate-neave-brown-award-housing/)

"Those depictions start to drive a narrative and can create negative stereotypes," he added.

"I was determined to catch these buildings in their best light, to really capture their beauty, and to do so I limited my photographic expeditions to when the sun was shining and the birds were singing – it is remarkable how many of the estates look like they could be perched on an Italian hillside."

Revival could restore "rightful pride" in council housing

Although his intention was to draw attention to the beauty of council houses, Young says that many are sadly neglected, which has made them less attractive.

"While the book aims to capture these buildings at their best, the sad reality is that far too many of London’s estates have slipped into disrepair after years of neglect," he said.

However, the book's introduction — A Brief History of Council Housing by John Grindrod – offers hope that council housing might once again be appreciated thanks to new designs by architects including Peter Barber, Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley.

"Hopefully, in time, we can begin to restore some of the rightful pride that was once felt towards council housing," Young concluded.

Read on for Young's selection of iconic London council homes:

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Trellick Tower, by Ernö Goldfinger, built 1968-72

"Trellick Tower is the poster boy of postwar council housing in London. Its instantly recognisable silhouette transcends niche architectural obscurity, becoming a brutal landmark that has truly infiltrated the mainstream.

"Inside the iconic walls, however, is a secret world belonging exclusively to its residents. Dramatic bush-hammered concrete makes way for colourful rejoice, as the stained-glass mosaic bathes the tower’s foyer in euphoric light as if entering a concrete cathedral."

---

Holmefield House, by Julian Keable & Partners, built 1966-67

"My intention with the book was always to champion lesser-known estates and pieces of architecture, as well as some of the more iconic buildings, somewhere like Trellick Tower – the shadow of which Holmefield House sits beneath.

"With its shimmering tiles, mock-classical pillars and porthole windows, the block comes across as a bit wacky and unusual, which I love and think is reminiscent of a lot of the post-war council buildings, where creativity seemed to be at an all-time high.

"The photo was a total act of luck, as while I was taking out my camera I heard the rumble of the Volkswagen's engine coming around the corner. With no time to set up a tripod or to worry about composition, it was just point-and-shoot. The blues matched up perfectly and I knew this shot would be a standout image for me in the final book."

---

Bevin Court, by Skinner, Bailey and Lubetkin, built 1951-54

"Architect Berthold Lubetkin believed that 'a staircase is a dance' and at this Grade II-listed block he put on a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Reaching from the ground to the sixth floor, the freestanding staircase offers uninterrupted views from the bottom to the top of the building, resulting in an exceptional feeling of light and space.

"Recently restored to its original lipstick red, the underbelly of the staircase creates a geometric kaleidoscope as you look up in inevitable awe from the lobby – which also includes an original mural by Lubetkins collaborator, Peter Yates."

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Brunswick Centre, by Patrick Hodgkinson, built 1967-72

"The Brunswick Centre is an example of restoration and regeneration done right, the results of which breathed life and light back into a modernist icon. By the end of the 20th century, the Centre was severely run-down; the unpainted concrete facade (a cost-cutting measure) had deteriorated, the plaza had been neglected and the flats were prone to leaks.

"It wasn’t until its Grade ll-listing in 2000 that architects Levitt Bernstein were able to turn the Centre into the holistic community that it was originally intended to be. Completed in 2006, the practice worked with original architect Patrick Hodgkinson to see the centre painted the cream colour that was always intended, and the upgraded shopping street with enlarged units saw retailers stream back in."

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Golden Lane Estate, by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, built 1953-62

"The estate that we all have to thank for creating the famous Chamberlin, Powell and Bon architecture firm – responsible for some of the country's most celebrated post-war architecture, which includes next-doors concrete utopia, the Barbican. As with many schemes at the time, the contract was decided by competition, to which the three architects made a pact to form a partnership should one of them win – that architect would be Geoffry Powell.

"Chamberlain, Powell and Bon were as interested in the spaces between the building as they were in the buildings themselves during the planning of Golden Lane. Communal gardens can be found peppered throughout, the views from which, if you catch them just right, often result in a heart-soaring vista of coloured blocks, four or five at a time.

"The most impressive garden, however, is that on top of Great Arthur House, which although very rarely open, even to residents, boasts unrivalled views of the city."

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Spedan Close, by Gordon Benson and Alan Forsyth, Camden Architects' Department, built 1974-78

"Formerly known as Branch Hill Estate, Spedan Close is a slice of Mediterranean charm sandwiched between quintessentially English greenery. Nestled inside the densely treelined Hampstead woods, the estate transports you to a secret world that feels a million miles from the stereotypical grey and gritty council estate too often portrayed in the media.

"Terracotta brick pathways dissect the whitewashed homes, which exemplify the Camden Style pioneered by borough architect Sydney Cook."

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Sivill House, by Skinner, Bailey and Lubetkin, built 1964-66

"The graphical nature of Lubetkin's work speaks to my background as a graphic designer – his outstanding use of colour and flair for geometric finishes marked his facade design out from virtually all of his contemporaries.

"Sivill House's hypnotically repetitive motif of geometric 'C' shapes was inspired (depending on who you ask) by either patterned carpets or the paintings of Chinese dragons that hung from the walls of Lubetkin's studio."

---

Lillington Gardens, by Darbourne and Darke, built 1964-72

"This green oasis of an estate was one of the first low-rise, high-density public housing schemes to be built in London after the second world war. As well as winning awards for its landscaping, architects Darbourne and Darke have been widely praised for their sensitivity to the Grade l-listed Church of St James the Less, which the estate was built around.

"With complimenting brick-work and balanced proportions you could be forgiven at a glance for overlooking the 105 years between the two.

"Although the red bricks blend into one, and this is by no means a coincidence, Darbourne offered a refreshingly pragmatic case for the choice of brick over increasingly popular concrete: 'With brick, you can get the mortar over the face and the joint out of place, but even done poorly it is just about acceptable. That is not the case with concrete'."

---

Brunel Estate, by City of Westminster Department of Architecture and Planning under F G West, built 1970-74

"Designed in conjunction with one of the most prominent landscape architects of the time, Michael Brown, Brunel Estate is a masterclass in balancing heavy architecture with quiet moments of urban rest bite. Quiet, until you reach the site of the estate's iconic, monumental slide – which is a local hotspot for both residents and neighbouring children alike.

"Cascading down a particularly craggy brick face, the slide is now one of the country’s only Grade ll-listed pieces of play equipment, practically unaltered except for the addition of some all-too-sensible metal barriers."

---

World's End Estate, by Eric Lyons and Jim Cadbury-Brown, built 1969-77

"The World’s End Estate is one of a few that occupies a mind-bogglingly desirable piece of real estate, slap bang on the bank of the River Thames – another, featured in the book, is Falcon Point, located just outside Tate Modern.

"Here, seven towers of between 18 and 21 storeys define the estate's topography – the residents of which get to enjoy some of the most wonderful views of the river as it snakes its way towards the city.

"It is refreshing to imagine a time when a location like this wasn’t reserved for luxury apartments sold at an eye-watering price, but rather for the ordinary Londoner, the likes of which make our city the greatest cultural melting pot in the world."

The Council House by Jack Young is published byHoxton Mini Press.

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#all #architecture #residential #london #photography #books #uk #housing #roundups

RED Arquitectos builds Casa Numa from coconut-palm wood

Mexican studio RED Arquitectos has created a screen-wrapped house made almost entirely out of wood from coconut palm trees, which was designed to blend into its surroundings on a small island off the Yucatán Peninsula.

Located on Holbox Island in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Casa Numa is a 160-square-metre home that the client will use as a summer house and vacation rental.

The structure is notable for being entirely made from coconut-palm wood – a material that despite being naturally abundant in the area is rarely used for housing, RED Arquitectos founder Susana López González told Dezeen.

Casa Numa is built from coconut-palm wood, a locally abundant material. Photo is by Jag Studio

"In Quintana Roo and [nearby state] Tabasco, there is an abundance of coconut palms," López González said. "Some are thrown away by hurricanes and also because they have a short natural life, getting old quickly."

She said the wood was not available industrially and could only be sourced through the artisans who use it in their practice, despite Mexico being one of the world's top coconut palm tree-growing nations.

"In the southeast of Mexico, traditional housing was based on coconut palm," she said. "Unfortunately it was lost, causing the lack of awareness of this integral construction system."

A screen made of vertical wood slats provides privacy and helps to minimise light pollution at night. Photo is by Jag Studio

With Casa Numa, López González aimed to use the coconut-palm wood to create a "visually striking" sculptural object that would be integrated into the island through its materiality.

The two-storey house is wrapped with a lattice-like wall of vertical timber slats, which allows partial glimpses into the house during the day and creates a lantern-like play of light at night.

While coconut-palm timber from the mainland forms the structure and walls, a harder wood, from the island's zapote trees, features in the house's pilings and stairs.

The coconut-palm wood is supplemented by local zapote for elements such as the stairs

Inside, there is a dining room, bathroom, master bedroom, terrace and pool on the first level, and a further two bedrooms, a bathroom, and terrace on the top floor. They are joined by an exterior staircase.

The interior is finished using chukum, an ancient Mayan stucco technique created with the bark of the native chukum tree, as well as white sand aggregate from the site.

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The use of these materials and the avoidance of paint and ceramics helped to reduce the building's carbon footprint.

Casa Numa also has a biological sewage treatment system and was designed to avoid excess light pollution.

The interior is finished using chukum and soil aggregate from the site

Casa Numa took six months to build, inside and out, which RED Arquitectos estimates is less than half the time for a house of the same size made with a traditional construction system.

To be readied for construction, the coconut-palm wood was treated with a water-based acrylic sealant to prevent dehydration, and will need to be retreated at minimum every six months. The treatment is also a fire retardant.

RED Arquitectos expects Casa Numa to have a lifespan of 60 to 80 years and to leave a minimal carbon footprint.

There is no paint used in the environmentally-minded house

López González said she hoped that Casa Numa would provide a template for future building on Holbox Island, which has a delicate mangrove ecosystem that has been damaged by commercial construction.

"Casa Numa seeks to be an example that with common palm it is possible to generate architecture, employment and the use of a raw material that is available to everyone," she said.

"We hope that this construction system could be used in the region for the construction of comfortable, decent, environmentally friendly and low-cost housing."

The house was intended to be a sculptural object that integrates with its locality

López González founded RED Arquitectos in 2010, and has a masters in Sustainable Design and Development for the City from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

Another recent project from the studio was Casa Calafia, a grand holiday home with arched doorways and windows on the Baja peninsula.

The photography is by Miguel Calanchini unless otherwise stated.

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#all #architecture #residential #mexico #mexicanhouses #woodenarchitecture #redarquitectos

Macdonald Wright Architects creates low-energy home in London as "scalable prototype"

London studio Macdonald Wright Architects has created the low-energy and heavily insulated Library House on an infill plot in Hackney.

Designed as a rental property for studio founder James Macdonald Wright, the two-storey home was built on a four-metre-wide plot, which was previously used as a junkyard, adjacent to the listed Clapton Library.

Macdonald Wright Architects has created a house on an infill plot in Hackney

The aim of the project was to demonstrate how an affordable, low-energy house could be created using simple yet robust materials.

Macdonald Wright Architects wanted to use the opportunity to study the energy performance of the home, which has the same footprint as "the average UK dwelling", to inform its future projects.

The dwelling is heavily insulated and low energy

Working with certified Passivhaus designer Conker Conservation, the studio created Library House to meet the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) standard.

The standard focuses on using simple techniques and technologies to reduce the operational carbon dioxide emissions of a building by 70 per cent when compared to the average UK structure of the same size and typology.

The material palette was chosen to be simple yet robust

"We selected the AECB route over Passivhaus because it offered a more practical and affordable route to achieving excellent performance," the studio's founder told Dezeen.

"The AECB Building Standard is aimed at those wishing to create high-performance buildings using widely available technology," Macdonald Wright explained.

Douglas fir and spruce detailing features throughout

This standard was met by creating a heavily insulated external envelope for the dwelling, teamed with a Passivhaus-rated front door and triple glazed windows and roof lights.

To retain heat, the house also makes use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). It achieves an airtightness of 1.3 ACH@50Pa, which is significantly less than UK building regulations that require airtightness of 10 ACH@50Pa or less. This refers to the number of air changes per hour at a pressure difference of 50 pascals.

All the windows are triple glazed

The dwelling is complete with an electric boiler for top-up heating and a photovoltaic array, from which surplus electricity is supplied to the national grid.

Since completion, the house has been occupied by private tenants. However, the electricity bill has been monitored and paid for by Macdonald Wright Architects.

The studio has calculated that the "operational energy for heating the house is a tenth of the requirement of a new build house under current building standards".

Blue Lias stone is used as flooring

Visually, the Library House is designed to mirror the proportions, styles and details of the neighbouring red brick library and a row of white cottages.

Lime-pointed white brickwork is teamed with a russet-hued Corten steel panel outside, which incorporates the front door and perforated solar shading for the first floor.

The russet-hued front door is Passivhaus-rated

Materials used throughout Library House were selected to minimise the need for maintenance and reduce the embodied-carbon footprint of the dwelling.

This includes the use of Porotherm clay block party walls and timber structure, along with internal finishes such as Blue Lias stone flooring sourced and sustainably sourced douglas fir and spruce detailing.

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Internally, walls are predominantly finished in a parge coat, trowelled over the Porotherm clay blockwork for a textured finish that also contributes to the home's high airtightness.

Macdonald Wright Architects hopes that the Library House will become a "scalable prototype" and inform its future projects at various scales.

Porotherm clay blocks are used on party walls

"Each project we complete informs the next," Macdonald Wright explained. "The use of Porotherm block and Larsen Truss has helped us develop techniques of external envelope construction we are now developing in larger scale designs."

"By focusing on the build quality, airtightness and thermal performance of the external envelope construction we can reduce the overall cost of building to higher levels of sustainability," he continued.

Corten steel functions as solar shading

Another recently completed low-energy house on Dezeen is the Devon Passivhaus, which McLean Quinlan nestled into a sloped walled garden of an old English country house.

The building's envelope performs to the highly energy-efficient Passivhaus standard, achieved using substantial amounts of insulation and triple glazing throughout.

Rooflights feature throughout the house

Macdonald Wright founded his eponymous studio in east London in 2005. Another notable project by the studio is the Caring Wood country house in Kent, which won the 2017 RIBA House of the Year.

Designed in collaboration with architect Niall Maxwell, the dwelling is topped with chimney-like roofs and provides a residence for three generations of the same family.

The photography is byHeiko Prigge.

---

Project credits:

Architect: Macdonald Wright Architects

Structural engineer: Osbourne Edwards

Sustainability consultant: Conker Conservation

Quantity surveyor: GQS Services.

Contractor: Daneco Build

Groundworks: Hauge Construction

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#all #architecture #residential #london #houses #lowenergydesign #londonhouses #sustainablearchitecture

TYPE combines elemental materials in Herne Hill House extension

Raw concrete, burnt clay and natural wood come together in this extension to an end-of-terrace house in south London, designed by architecture studio TYPE.

Called Herne Hill House, the project involved replacing a poorly built conservatory with a robust 45-square-metre extension, giving the three-storey house a more substantial kitchen and dining room.

The design combines quarry tiles, exposed concrete, natural wood and lime plaster

TYPE's design centres around simple, quality materials that can be left exposed, so they don't need external finishes.

Details include an exposed concrete structure, lime plaster walls, a floor of quarry tiles and furniture elements made from ash and Douglas fir.

The Herne Hill House scheme extends a Victorian terrace

The owners – a family with young children – chose to work with TYPE after seeing photos of a project where the studio had taken a similar approach. Their aim was to create a space with natural warmth and durability.

"Using natural materials such as timber brings a warmth and lightness to the space, something which the clients had particularly liked in our previous work," said Ogi Ristic, one of the studio's four directors.

"The material palette gives the project a soft and subtle earthy tone that feels warm and inviting," he told Dezeen.

Bench seating is built into the Douglas fir facade

Combing a rear and side extension, the structure was treated as a series of layered components, which gives a natural hierarchy to the way that materials join one another.

The first layer is the concrete frame supporting the existing structure, which is celebrated through the addition of a cylindrical column – the only curved element in the room.

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The second layer is the ash-lined box that forms the walls of the extension, creating a clear contrast between the new and old parts of the Victorian building.

The third layer is a three-dimensional facade built from Douglas fir, featuring a large picture window with built-in bench seats on either side, both inside and out.

Douglas fir joists sit underneath a long skylight

Herne Hill House's new layout naturally divides the space into different zones.

A kitchen and breakfast bar made from ash wood occupies the side extension, lit from above by a large skylight. Douglas fir joists slot in underneath the glass, offering a sense of depth.

The kitchen units and breakfast bar are crafted from ash

The space of the original kitchen becomes a dining area, while the picture window creates a natural lounge space. The bench seat is upholstered, and an adjoining bookshelf integrates a fold-out seat that can be used by the family's children.

The circulation of the space is also improved thanks to a new internal doorway connecting the kitchen with the living rooms at the front of the house, and a large pivoting door that leads out to the garden.

A pivoting door provides access to the garden

"The original kitchen was poorly laid out, which meant there was a disconnect with the dining room, living area and garden," said Ristic.

"The biggest priority was to reestablish these connections through a few simple moves."

A concrete column is the only curved element in the space

East London-based TYPE is led by Ristic along with partners Sam Nelson, Tom Powell and Matt Cooper.

The studio primarily works on residential renovations, conversions and extensions, with past projects including Redhill Barn, a conversion of a ruined 200-year-old stone shed in Devon.

An upholstered window seat lines the picture window

The studio aims to reorganise homes when possible, as Ristic advises that extensions aren't always the answer – often homes can be improved by simply improving what is there already.

"Many homes may be sufficiently large but are inefficiently laid out, making it appear that extending is the only way forward," he said.

"Our approach is always to see how far we can reorganise the home so it works better, and we can build less. This allows more to be invested in retrofitting the existing building with additional insulation, upgraded glazing and heating systems."

Photography is byLorenzo Zandri.

---

Project credits:

Architect: TYPE

Project architect: Ogi Ristic

Contractor: MONO Urban Space Solutions

Structural engineer: Blue Engineering

Joinery: DJG Furniture

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#all #architecture #residential #london #uk #england #residentialextensions #londonhouseextensions

Toronto beach house by Odami resolves "contradictory" context between waterfront and city

Canadian studio Odami has completed the interiors of a split-level home in Toronto, using light tones that nod to the nearby beaches of Lake Ontario.

The Beaches House was completed for a client living near the city's waterfront, which is lined with long stretches of sandy beaches.

Odami's design for the interiors drew inspiration from typical beach homes, while also offering a contemporary living environment in Canada's largest city.

The Beaches House takes cues from typical beach homes

"Toronto's Beaches neighbourhood presents a peculiar condition within the city," said the studio, led by Aránzazu González Bernardo and Michael Norman Fohring.

"To experience the area is to seamlessly transition between a natural and calm landscape, and an urban and lively atmosphere," they added.

The split-level home is located in Toronto

Odami's interior palette features typical beach-inspired finishes, such as textured wall panels of varying widths, sand-hued countertops, and plenty of tropical plants throughout the home.

Throughout the living space, light wooden floors and creamy tones offer a tranquil environment.

A skylight illuminates the steel-and-wood staircase

"Responsible for the interior design, our goal was to create a home which would reflect this contradictory context: a house which would belong as much to the city as it would to a beach far removed from it," Odami explained.

At the centre of the house, a skylight illuminates the steel-and-wood staircase, helping to brighten the interiors and draw visitors upstairs as they move through the home.

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"The central staircase, which winds its way up through the split levels of the house, was detailed with thin steel pickets and floating treads, continuing the rhythmic language of the paneling," said the designers.

This calmer palette contrasts some darker materials that were used in circulation spaces, such as a grey stone in the entrance hallway, and a bathroom where the walls and floors are lined with a dark terrazzo.

Odami added dark terrazzo elements to the bathroom

"In the bedrooms and bathrooms of the last floor, the sequence comes to rest, as light, repetitive elements give way to moments of stillness, calm, and dense materiality," the studio explained.

Odami was founded in 2017 in Toronto. Other projects from the Canadian studio include a collection of wooden furniture that was crafted from the same dying tree, and a restaurant where the walls are lined with roughly troweled plaster.

The darker tones contrast with the home's lighter elements

Also in Toronto, the Winter Stations design competition recently unveiled the pavilions for its 2022 edition.

The photography is byDoublespace Photography.

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#all #interiors #residential #houses #canada #toronto #canadianhouses #odami

Ten well-organised bedrooms with clever storage solutions

For our latest lookbook, we have rounded up 10 bedrooms from the Dezeen archive that make use of smart storage solutions, including custom-made headboards and floor-to-ceiling wall units.

From basement one-bedroom apartments that use bookshelves as room partitions, to a plywood insertion in a children's bedroom that combines work, play and sleep, these interiors all feature clever storage.

Small cupboards inserted into headboards, below stairs and even within bed frames are also used to provide discreet additions to traditional storage units.

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing interiors by Ukranian designers, coastal hotel interiors and self-designed homes by architects and designers.

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Photo is by Yiannis Hadjiaslanis and Point Supreme

Athens apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme

Greek architecture firm Point Supreme transformed a basement storage space in a suburban neighbourhood in Athens into a one-bedroom home.

The 56-square-metre sunken space only receives light from above on one side. In order to make the space to feel as bright and big as possible, Point Supreme used curtains, sliding doors and open shelving units as wall partitions.

The studio also added smart shelving below the ceiling of the bedroom, making full use of the height of the room.

Find out more about Athens apartment ›

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Photo is by French+Tye

Two and a Half Storey House, UK, by Bradley Van Der Straeten

Bradley Van Der Straecten Architects added a half-storey extension to this home in London's Stoke Newington.

The studio lined the interior of the extension in plywood and incorporated built-in wardrobes, bookshelves and a platform bed frame to maximise the space in this children's bedroom.

Find out more about Two and a Half Storey House ›

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Photo is by Draper White

Gammel Dam, US, by CCY Architects

This holiday home in Colorado by CCY Architects features floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the hilly terrain.

The interiors are lined in pale wood and include clever storage solutions throughout. Wooden cupboards were built into the bed frames to maximise the use of the space, while keeping the minimalist feel of the interior.

Find out more about Gammel Dam ›

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Photo is by Rafael Soldi

Whidbey Dogtrot, US, by SHED

Named after its location on Whidbey Island, which is just north of Seattle, this single-storey home was designed by American firm SHED for a couple that is soon to retire.

In the bedroom, a large reading nook, fitted with rows of shelving, opens to the sleeping area and offers views across the serene landscape. Fixtures and architectural elements were painted black and provide a striking contrast against the white walls.

Find out more about Whidbey Dogtrot ›

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Photo is by Ståle Eriksen.

London apartment, UK, by Jonathan Tuckey Design

Architecture studio Jonathan Tuckey Design overhauled this Marylebone apartment in London, adding pastel storage walls that curve and dip between each room.

Instead of standard shelving, the studio opted to use built-in furniture throughout the space in the form of MDF storage walls.

The primary bedroom was divided in two by storage walls to house a walk-in closet and sleeping area, which is now accessed through a pistachio-hued arch.

Find out more about London apartment ›

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Photo is by Michael Sinclair

A Room for Two, UK, by Studio Ben Allen

Studio Ben Allen built a wooden structure inside a London flat to create a shared bedroom for two children.

The structure, which was constructed using pale birch plywood, features arched openings, steps fitted with shelving beneath, a fold-down desk and a desk-cum-platform.

The plywood insertion provides the children with a place for sleep, work and play, without compromising on tidy storage.

Find out more about A Room for Two ›

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Photo is by Shannon McGrath

Central Park Road Residence, Australia, by Studio Four

Australian practice Studio Four used dark surfaces and large storage volumes throughout this Melbourne family home.

In the primary bedroom, a full-height storage unit doubles as a headboard and includes a horizontal opening that serves as a shelf for a single row of books.

The dark-painted volume, which was placed in the centre of the room, conceals a walk-in wardrobe as well as an ensuite bathroom.

Find out more about Central Park Road Residence ›

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Smolenka Apartment, Russia, by Peter Kostelov

Russian architect Peter Kostelov renovated this apartment in Moscow, adding a raised living room in a wooden capsule as well as built-in furniture units.

The bedroom was finished in oak and divided into sections that have smooth, rounded passages between the ceiling, floor and walls forming shelves, closets and a bed. A television was neatly tucked into the wall unit opposite the bed.

Find out more about Smolenka Apartment ›

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Photo is by Lisbeth Grosmann

Flinders Lane Apartment, Australia, by Clare Cousins

Clare Cousins Architects inserted a timber box and mezzanine platform into this one-bedroom apartment in Melbourne to create three additional sleeping areas.

The 75-square-metre flat includes a hoop-pine plywood volume that houses two small bedrooms – each the length of a bed.

Inside the volume, recesses in the walls form shallow shelves for small items, while hooks are spread across the panels for hanging clothes and personal items.

Find out more about Flinders Lane Apartment ›

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Photo is by João Morgado.

Musico Iturbi, Spain, by Roberto Di Donato

London-practice Robert Di Donato used a large pair of wooden storage units in this Valencian apartment to complement the aged and weathered interiors.

One wooden unit divides the bedroom from the main living area and extends to the full height of the space. It features sliding doors that can be closed to provide the sleeping area with complete privacy.

Find out more about Musico Iturbi ›

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen's image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasingmodernist living rooms, interiors by Ukranian designers and homes designed by architects and designers.

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Swedish forest retreat by Norm Architects is "designed for a simple life"

Norm Architects has converted a traditional timber cabin, hidden away amongst pine trees in a forest in Sweden, into a pared-back holiday home for families.

The Copenhagen-based studio took a "back-to-basics" approach when it came to remodelling the two-floor building, which is positioned on top of a ridge.

Norm Architects has converted a traditional cabin into a minimalist holiday home

"Creating homes is often an exercise in restraint," explained Norm Architects co-founder Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.

"And while the creation of a simple, authentic and welcoming space might seem effortless and natural once completed, the journey to simplicity and the exercise of finding essence is often rather complex and not an easy task."

The ground floor houses an open-plan living and dining area

On the home's ground floor, a cosy sitting room is dressed with a couple of plump greige sofas and a sheepskin-covered lounge chair, created by the practice in collaboration with Danish furniture brand Menu.

One corner of the room is occupied by a wood burner in the same off-white colour as the walls, which were coated in dolomite plaster.

Oakwood was used to craft the flooring and cabinetry

On the other side of the ground floor lies a dining area, anchored by a large timber table. Just behind is the kitchen, housing a series of handleless low-lying cupboards crafted from oakwood.

Oak was also used to form the flooring and all of the doors throughout the cabin, which were designed by Norm Architects to act more like slender cabinet fronts so they don't take up too much space.

The doors are finished with circular brass knobs and extend all the way up to the ceiling, in a bid to make the rooms appear loftier.

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Norm Architects conceives Xiamen's Basao tea parlour as an oasis of calm

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A number of new windows were inserted into the cabin's facade to allow more natural light into the interiors and reveal views of the towering pine trees outdoors.

Distributed across the rest of the holiday cabin are enough bedrooms and wash facilities to accommodate two families, as well as a small sauna.

Slim oak doors lead through to the bedrooms

For larger groups, the project also saw Norm Architects build a new self-contained annexe that can house a third family.

Here, a raised daybed-cum-window seat was set up directly next to a vast wall of glazing, providing occupants with a place to recline and take in the scenery.

"Designed for a simple life during both summer and winter months, the cabin is rustic yet refined, only equipped with the necessities when opting for a slow living," the studio said.

A large window with an integrated daybed provides views of the forest

Sweden's lush natural landscape makes it a popular location for holiday homes.

Dezeen has previously featured a number of other cabins in the country including Sommarhus T by Johan Sundberg, which takes cues from traditional Japanese architecture, and a seaside villa by Studio Holmber with serene plywood-lined living spaces.

The photography is by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects.

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Mesh canopy shades California desert retreat by Kovac Design Studio

Guest suites cluster around an expansive living area at this California mansion, which Kovac Design Studio designed to emulate a boutique hotel.

The Madison Desert Club residence is named after the exclusive golf club where the 9,220-square-foot (856-square-metre) home is located in La Quinta, California, near Palm Springs.

Kovac Design Studio built the project on a golf course

"Inspired by the concept of a boutique hotel, the project sought to take maximum advantage of the dramatic desert views and, through its interior design, pay homage to the Golden Hollywood era of nearby Palm Springs," said Kovac Design Studio, an architecture firm based in Los Angeles.

The home's boxy massing is arranged around a central, double-height volume that contains the kitchen, dining area, and plenty of lounge space.

The Madison Desert Club is designed to resemble a boutique hotel

Overlooking the living room is a mezzanine and catwalk that can be used as a DJ platform, according to the architects.

The entrance to the home brings visitors past a reflecting pool, under a mesh-like canopy that shades the front door. "Upon arrival, one circles into the motor court and is greeted by a still dark water element that seems to rise from the ground, water shimmering down its sides," said the architects.

Light fills the home through large openings

This canopy spans the entire home, shading areas between the main central volume and five additional wings scattered around it.

"The overhang, ideal for providing shade on hot desert days, connects the main living space to six surrounding casitas, ideal for guests, and casts a pattern of delicate shadows that changes with the day’s spectrum of light," said Kovac Design Studio.

A glass wall with motorised panels looks onto the golf course

At the back of the large entertaining area, a glass wall with motorised panels can slide open, revealing vistas of the surrounding golf course and mountains beyond.

Of the five ancillary volumes, four contain guest suites – two with a single bedroom, and another two with a pair of rooms each – while the fifth is used as the home's garage.

[

Read:

Anonimous and JAHS repurpose historic Querétaro villa as a boutique hotel

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/27/ta-hotel-de-diseno-historic-villa-queretaro-mexico-anonimous-jahs/)

Kovac Design Studio included plenty of amenities in the guest rooms. Each has its own ensuite bathroom, private terrace and fire pit, and other features that enable those staying to be self-sufficient.

"Each [suite] also includes its own bath with indoor/outdoor shower, mini-fridge, and bar so guests can enjoy a drink without going to the main house whenever a private escape is wanted," said the architects.

The interiors feature rough plaster walls and concrete floors

The guest blocks are connected to each other and to the main home via open-air corridors, which provides plenty of opportunities for informal seating areas throughout the residence.

The home's interiors have a refined palette of wooden ceilings, rough plaster walls, and polished concrete floors.

The entrance to the home brings visitors past a reflecting pool

Other amenities made available to the residents include a bunkroom that can accommodate several children, as well as a home spa and gym with its own courtyard – all in the basement.

Other homes built in and around the Coachella Valley, where Palm Springs is located, include a minimalist residence surrounded by boulders and pine trees by Aidlin Darling Design, and a partially prefabricated home by Turkel Design that is meant to match the area's prevailing mid-century-modern aesthetic.

The photography is byRoger Davies.

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Project credits:

Lighting designer: Lux Populi

General contractor: RJC

Stylist: Anita Sarsidi

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Marià Castelló and José Antonio Molina design concrete house with glazed corridor overlooking the sea

Two concrete volumes linked by a glazed corridor form this family home that Spanish architects Marià Castelló and José Antonio Molina have embedded in a rocky site overlooking the sea in Costa Brava.

Located in the small Spanish town of Port de la Selva, the dwelling is designed to form a part of its steep, sloping site that leads down to the seafront and is characterised by outcrops of dark volcanic rock.

Marià Castelló and José Antonio Molina have embedded a house on a rocky site in Costa Brava

Looking to strike a balance between openness and privacy, Castelló and Molina combined a lower level dug into the site with projecting volumes that look out towards the sea.

This layout also helps to minimise the visual impact of the dwelling and creates a series of patios with varying light conditions.

The concrete dwelling looks out over the sea

"While on the lower level, almost at street level, more intimate relationships with the outside are established through patios, on the upper level the two volumes open frontally to the landscape and the sea horizon," explained Castelló and Molina.

"This combination of strategies – embedding in the ground and volumetric division – makes it possible to reduce the apparent volume of the intervention and improve its integration into the landscape."

It comprises two volumes linked by a glazed corridor

On the ground floor, a large main bedroom sits alongside a bathroom and living space that open onto private patios framed by steep areas of rock.

Above, the house's eastern volume contains the children's bedrooms and a small swimming pool, while the western volume has a kitchen and dining space next to an additional sleeping area.

A small swimming pool features on the upper level

Between the two volumes is a glazed corridor with views out to sea on one side and a small courtyard sheltered by the slope of the site on the other.

"The glass nexus, which connects the two bodies and contains the vertical communication, generates an exterior space sheltered from the wind but visually permeable towards the sea," said the architects.

[

Read:

Marià Castelló creates geometric three-volume home on Formentera

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/04/30/es-pou-maria-castello-formentera/)

The concrete finish of the exterior was chosen to reflect the nature of the site, with gravel from the excavated rock used to finish the building's roof.

Internally, the white walls of the rooms are warmed by oak detailing and custom-made wooden furniture.

The interiors are lined with white walls and wooden detailing

"To compensate for the intrinsic qualities of concrete, oak wood has been chosen to materialise the exterior carpentry, some cladding and custom-made furniture, providing the whole with warmth and harmony," the architects continued.

There is an open plan kitchen and dining room

Both Castelló and Molina are directors of their own practices, named Marià Castletto Architecture and José Antonio Molina Saiz respectively.

Other projects by Marià Castelló Architecture featured on Dezeen include a geometric home on Formentera composed of three white volumes and an Ibizan retreat linked by glass corridors, open patios and a pool.

The photography is byCastelló.

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Project credits:

Construction managers: José Antonio Molina, Lorena Ruzafa, Marià Castelló **

Building engineer:** Joan Noguer **

Structure engineer:** Think Enginyeria **

Facilities engineer:** QS Enginyeria i Associats **

Design team:** Lorena Ruzafa and Marga Ferrer **

Builder:** Construccions Pòrfit

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