McCloy + Muchemwa adds timber-framed "orangery" to renovated garage

Architecture studio McCloy + Muchemwa has renovated a dilapidated garage in Norwich, England, adding a greenhouse extension with a bright-orange framework wrapped in polycarbonate cladding.

The London-based studio McCloy + Muchemwa was tasked with transforming the dark, dusty and asbestos-riddled garage into a safe and attractive outbuilding in the clients' rear garden.

McCloy + Muchemwa has renovated an old garage in Norwich

As a consequence of spending more time at home during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the clients wanted to restore the existing outbuilding into a usable space for hobbies and DIY.

The self-build project's small budget informed an approach that focused on simple adaptations, upgrading the existing structure and reusing materials wherever possible.

The studio added a timber-framed "orangery" to one side

"The internal timber structure was largely sound, if a little haphazard, so to minimise the quantity of new materials added, a 'surgical' approach to refurbishment was chosen," explained McCloy + Muchemwa.

"Improvements to the building fabric promise to extend the working life of the structure and have been undertaken to minimise the waste taken off site."

The new structure has a bright orange frame

A priority of the renovation was the removal of the damaged roof, which contained asbestos. Sections of timber affected by rot were also replaced.

The original blockwork walls were retained and sealed with exterior-grade paint to improve their longevity.

The greenhouse is clad in polycarbonate

The converted garage, named The Orangery, now houses a storage area for large items such as bikes and lawnmowers, alongside a hobby zone with a workbench and further storage for power tools and gardening equipment.

Much of the furniture used inside is either upcycled or made from recycled building materials. Storage units are raised off the floor on wheels and can be reconfigured if required.

The garage now functions as a hobby zone and storage area. Photo is by McCloy + Muchemwa

An extension to the existing structure contains an "orangery", or greenhouse, which is used for growing food. This timber-framed addition is clad with polycarbonate panels that allow light to reach the planters, shelves and potting table inside.

The woodwork inside the greenhouse and garage is painted a vibrant shade of orange to evoke the aesthetic of the high-tech architecture movement and, in particular, the work of the late architect Richard Rogers.

[

Read:

Invisible Studio builds fibreglass prototyping workshop at its growing woodland campus

](https://www.dezeen.com/2017/03/31/ghost-barn-invisible-studio-prototype-architecture-workshop-bath-uk/)

Elements such as the angular shelf brackets, simple hairpin table legs and castors are finished in the same industrial orange hue.

The garage is illuminated naturally by daylight entering through a triangular opening on the gable end connected to the greenhouse and a new pyramid-shaped window on one side.

The orange structure continues inside the renovated garage

Corrugated black metal cladding applied to the building's walls and roof was chosen to emphasise the colours in the garden – an approach that the architects said "references classical still-life paintings".

The simple colour palette of orange and black creates consistency throughout the design, along with a recurring triangular motif.

A pyramid-shaped window has been added. Photo is by McCloy + Muchemwa

The same colour scheme and design language are applied to a pergola added to the rear wall of the clients' house.

This seven-metre-long structure provides a sheltered outdoor space and incorporates drainage for collecting rainwater used in the garden.

A matching pergola has been added to the clients' house

Elsewhere in England, architect Richard John Andrews also recently completed a multifunctional outbuilding for his garden in east London, and Invisible Studio created a translucent model-making shed for its self-built studio in Bath.

McCloy + Muchemwa was founded by Steve McCloy and Bongani Muchemwa in London in 2017. Its work ranges in scale from architecture to objects, such as the undulating yellow bench that it designed for the London Festival of Architecture in 2018.

The photography is bySimon Kennedy unless stated.

The post McCloy + Muchemwa adds timber-framed "orangery" to renovated garage appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #uk #england #garages #polycarbonate #sheds #renovations #greenhouses

Felipe Escudero arranges concrete house around central magnolia tree

Estudio Felipe Escudero has built an Ecuadorian house around a central courtyard, which features the firm's first furniture collection.

The 7,535 square feet (700 square metres) Magnolia House is located at the top of a mountain valley in the Los Arrayanas neighbourhood of Puembo, Ecuador.

The house is built around a central magnolia tree

The minimalist, one-storey dwelling is arranged around a central courtyard that frames a large magnolia tree placed within a plant-covered patio.

Architect Felipe Escudero constructed the house for his mother, whose childhood love of magnolia trees informed the project. "The entire house revolves around the tree," he told Dezeen.

It is located at the top of a mountain valley

Described by the studio as looking like "a spaceship that has just landed", the large home is topped by a flat concrete slab with large spans and overhangs.

"This allows a traditionally rigid and heavy material to look like it's floating in space," explained Escudero, who also noted that the overhangs provide natural cooling to the spaces below them.

Felipe Escudero was informed by his mother's affinity to magnolia trees

The concrete slab is interrupted only by the home's focal magnolia tree – the top of which can be seen protruding from the central, open-air courtyard.

The concrete roof dips to form sloping walls that partially enclose the courtyard, which is accessed through glass doors in floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Bedrooms can be found on each side of the house

Visitors enter the house via a spacious foyer that faces the courtyard. To the left of the house is a children's bedroom and bathroom as well as the main bedroom, bathroom and walk-in wardrobe.

Beyond the central courtyard on the same side, is an indoor/outdoor living room that is split between inside and outside spaces partitioned by large sliding doors, which lead to a vast deck that overlooks a long swimming pool in the garden.

The home features furniture from the firm's first collection

On the right-hand side of the house, a guest bedroom and bathroom are located next to a smaller bathroom for visitors, while both a main and a secondary kitchen can also be found near the deck.

Flanked by the indoor living room and main kitchen on either side, an open-plan dining space features a marble-topped table and textured chairs from Near Life, the architecture studio's first and almost all-white furniture collection.

[

Read:

Casa Roca's curved concrete walls are designed to give an architectural "hug"

](https://www.dezeen.com/2018/06/03/casa-roca-estudio-felipe-escudero-efe-quito-ecuador-curved-board-marked-concrete-walls/)

Describing the collection, Escudero said, "it is inspired by nature in a similar way to how the house was inspired by magnolia trees. Each product is designed to feel animated as if it were given a soul".

This furniture includes two bulbous white pouffes that were placed on the deck where visitors can sit and overlook the pool, while other white seating resembling organic forms featurs in the living rooms.

The living room can be split between inside and outside through sliding doors

"Handcraft is paired with technology to mould materials in innovative ways to produce effects that change depending on the light and the user's point of view," continued Escudero.

"This results in objects that look like fossils from the future, expressing atemporal traits."

Lighting encased in a bubble-like, transparent tube is suspended above the dining table

Other highlights are a 3D-printed, glass fibre sculpture, as well as strip lighting encased in a bubble-like, transparent tube.

Reflecting on Magnolia House's atmosphere, Escudero said, "my mother has always had an interest in modern art, so the architecture, interiors and gardens in the home follow this art form."

"They combine hyper-functionalism with playful use of shapes, and magic, almost impossible use of materials."

Magnolia House features two kitchens

Felipe Escudero founded his eponymous firm in 2012 after working at other architecture offices including the British Heatherwick Studio and Beijing-based MAD.

Previous projects by Estudio Felipe Escudero include a cheese factory's warehouses and offices that feature a wave-like roof designed to echo the nearby Andes mountains and a Quito house he constructed for himself, which is equipped with space to make rap music.

The photography is courtesy of Estudio Felipe Escudero.

The post Felipe Escudero arranges concrete house around central magnolia tree appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #instagram #furniture #concrete #courtyards #ecuador #minimalistarchitecture #ecuadorianhouses #estudiofelipeescudero

Studiotwentysix adds plywood-lined loft extension to Edwardian family home

Architect Dan Gray has upgraded his own 19th-century house in Brighton, England, adding a loft extension lined with birch plywood that makes the most of the angular roof space.

Gray and his wife Isabella, who are co-owners of architecture and design office Studiotwentysix, decided to extend their three-bedroom Edwardian property when the Covid-19 pandemic prompted a reevaluation of the family's spatial requirements.

Studiotwentysix's co-founder added a plywood-lined extension to his Brighton home

"When we headed into lockdown we really needed to redefine how the house was being used by two parents working full time, with two kids who were only going to nursery part time," Gray told Dezeen.

"We needed spaces that could provide privacy for video conferencing, for concentration, and to rest," he added, "but also it was important to create warmth through the use of materials to ensure these spaces were beneficial from a mental health perspective."

Plywood lines the floor, walls and ceiling of the loft extension

Dan and Isabella recognised that the empty loft space offered an opportunity to extend upwards and create an additional 55 square metres of living spaces.

The uninsulated loft was previously only accessible using a hatch in the ceiling, so a new stair was added from the first-floor landing.

The extension comprises a study, bedroom and bathroom

Existing timber trusses were removed and replaced with a steel framework that rests on the outside walls. An additional beam supports the mid-span of the roof on the front elevation.

The exposed red-oxide steel structure allows the internal space to follow the roof's pitch, creating a generous ceiling height that enhances the bright and airy feel of the room.

"The existing house is relatively dark and enclosed because of the way buildings were planned back then," said Gray, "but as you emerge into the loft it has that treehouse effect of becoming very bright and open."

Angular windows punctuate the wood-lined walls

New Velux windows punched into the sloping roof provide views of the treetops on one side and towards the sea on the other. One of the windows extends almost to floor level so the couple's young daughters feel connected to the surrounding nature.

"We were absolutely determined that our two girls, who are both less than a metre tall, would be able to address the outside by being able to go right up to the window," Gray explained.

"Bringing the window almost to meet the floor means you also get that connection to the long views when you're sitting down."

[

Read:

Pink concrete covers "fun house" on English coast by RX Architects

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/16/seabreeze-holiday-home-rx-architects-pink/)

A triangular snug built into the eaves of the gable end adds a playful and cosy space for relaxing.

At the rear of the property, a new timber-framed dormer extension contains a second bathroom and a small study lined with windows that look south across the rooftops towards the sea.

The studio incorporated an exposed red-oxide steel structure

Skylights inserted into the highly insulated roof also allow daylight to illuminate this private work area. The dormer slots in below the main ridge height and is therefore entirely hidden from the front elevation.

All of the new spaces are lined with birch plywood to make them feel warm and inviting. The choice of material also references the challenges posed by climate change and serves as a reminder during conference calls that sustainable materials can be used in fun and creative ways.

Angular cutouts provide snug areas for the architect's children

"We wanted to deliver an architectural response that celebrated the warmth and sustainability benefits that birch ply as a material offers," Gray pointed out.

"The architecture creates a lens through which the clients' video engagements provide visual reminders of the need to create sustainable, adaptable spaces which minimise material use, promote health, wellbeing and connect us with our environment."

The dormer extension looks across Brighton and to the sea

Existing spaces within the house were also updated as part of the project. The family bathroom was reconfigured to incorporate a walk-in shower, and a new utility area was added below the loft which is more accessible from the bedrooms on the first floor.

A second phase of works will see a side extension added to the ground floor kitchen, and improvements made to an existing first-floor conservatory at the rear.

The studio also renovated the lower levels of the home

Elsewhere in the UK, RX Architects clad a house on the coast in pink concrete in reference to Mediterranean beach houses and Fletcher Crane Architects built a compact brick home in west London on the site of a former garage.

The photography is byJim Stephenson.

The post Studiotwentysix adds plywood-lined loft extension to Edwardian family home appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #plywood #uk #houses #residentialextensions #brighton #britishhouses #architectsanddesignershouses

Stella van Beers converts grain silo into micro home

Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Stella van Beers has created a watchtower-style house inside a grain silo.

In a project called Silo Living, Van Beers transformed the disused agricultural structure into a two-level living space, which she believes could function as a short-term home.

The project converts a seven-metre-high grain silo

While silos are not ideally proportioned for living, they offer some unique benefits. They can often be installed in rural locations without planning permission.

They are also readily available in the Netherlands as a country-wide reduction in livestock has resulted in lower demand for grain, leaving many of these structures redundant.

The designer had to add doors, windows and floors

Van Beers hopes to inspire new uses for these disused silos, which are otherwise costly to dispose of and impossible to recycle.

"You always see them in rural areas," she told Dezeen. "I always really wanted to go inside one, so thought it could be a nice place for a temporary stay."

Van Beers created two storeys inside the silo

To test her concept, the designer found a seven-metre-high silo for sale online. "I thought, if I want to do something with a silo then I have to just buy one and see what's possible," she said.

After explaining her plans to the owner, he let her take it away for free.

A spiral staircase and deck provides access

Originally there was no way for a person to enter the silo, so Van Beers started by changing that.

She installed a set of double doors, then added a spiral staircase and access deck.

[

Read:

Micro homes inside water pipes could take advantage of unused urban space

](https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/16/movie-james-law-cybertecture-opod-tube-housing-micro-homes-water-pipes-video/)

To make the most of the space inside, she installed two floors, connected by a mini staircase and ladder.

The lower level is a living space, with a ledge that functions as a space to eat or work.

A mini staircase and ladder connects the levels inside

The mezzanine above is a sleep space, so is entirely taken up by a mattress.

Both storeys now have projecting windows and there's also a skylight that functions as a lookout point.

Windows were added to both floors

"A cylindrical house is not something you see very often, so it was a bit of a challenge," said Van Beers.

Most of the adaptations use standard components, so could be easily replicated on a variety of silos. The designer hopes to inspire silo owners to get creative.

The windows project out, creating some additional space

"There are a lot of things I would change if I made another," she said, "but I'm really happy with this as a first prototype. A few people have slept in it already."

"If you have a bigger silo, you could use it as a living space for a longe amount of time," she suggested.

A porthole in the top creates a lookout point.

Van Beers created the project for her bachelors degree at Design Academy Eindhoven. She presented it at the graduation show, which took place during Dutch Design Week in October.

Other projects on show included glass blown inside bread and "trauma-healing" garments.

The post Stella van Beers converts grain silo into micro home appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #videos #netherlands #designacademyeindhoven #studentprojects #architecturevideos #microhomes #residentialconversions #graduates

Unknown Architects embeds home in sand dunes on Dutch island

Dutch studio Unknown Architects has completed a cabin-like holiday home in the Netherlands with panoramic windows for looking out at the surrounding landscape of dunes and hills.

Aptly named House in the Dunes, the home has a steeply pitched roof and simple cross-laminated timber (CLT) and steel structure informed by the surrounding buildings in Terschelling in the Wadden Islands.

House in the Dunes is a holiday home on Terschelling island

While from a distance the dwelling looks like a simple single-storey cabin, Amsterdam-based Unknown Architects sunk the concrete base of the building into the dunes, creating an additional floor and a sheltered terrace space.

"The house aims to be modest and expressive," said the studio. "By making use of the terrain of the dunes we could make a larger lower ground floor where two bedrooms, a bathroom, storage and technical space are situated," it continued.

The dwelling is embedded into the sand dunes

The resulting building is a stack of three distinct levels – a concrete base, a central form of CLT and steel surrounded by panoramic wood-framed windows, and a steep, asymmetric pitched roof clad with Accoya wood planks.

These materials were chosen for ease of construction and the way that they will age and weather over time, meaning the window frames and roof planks will blend into the landscape as they slowly turn grey.

It is surrounded by panoramic windows

"The majority of the house is prefabricated to reduce construction time on site and limit the impact on the surrounding area," explained the studio.

"The elements of the pigmented concrete base have been cast in the factory, while the ground floor and roof construction are built out of CLT, making this the first CLT construction in Terschelling," it continued.

[

Read:

Beach house by Marc Koehler Architects is half submerged into a grassy dune

](https://www.dezeen.com/2015/04/29/beach-cabin-marc-koehler-architects-half-submerged-grassy-dune-terschelling-island-netherlands/)

In House in the Dunes' plywood-lined living space, the high-pitched skylit ceiling and 360-degree views create the feeling of being in the landscape. A built-in bench sits beneath the windows wraps around the interior and doubles as storage.

A central wooden block demarcates the kitchen and bathrooms and separates them from the living area, while also creating a mezzanine level directly beneath the roof's skylight.

Its interiors are lined with plywood

House in the Dunes' large overhanging roof and demountable wooden shutters help to prevent overheating, aided by ventilation grills integrated into the timber window frames.

Below, the bedrooms, bathroom and entrance hall have been finished in white with smaller square windows framing views out onto the dunes.

Timber-framed windows capture views out onto the dunes

Unknown Architects was founded in 2012 by Daan Vulkers and Keimpke Zigterman. Previous projects by the studio include the renovation of an apartment block in Amsterdam, where red-painted steel columns have been used to open up a series of previously compact living spaces.

Another home that is embedded into the sand dunes of Terschelling is a beach cabin by Amsterdam-based studio Marc Koehler Architects, which has a crystalline form clad in a combination of glass and red cedar.

The photography is byMWA Hart Nibbrig.

---

Project credits:

Architect: Unknown Architects **

Contractor:** Bouwbedrijf Kolthof **

Engineer:** H4D **

Climate consultant:** Adviesbureau VanderWeele **

Cost consultant:** Ingenieursbureau Multical **

**

The post Unknown Architects embeds home in sand dunes on Dutch island appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #netherlands #holidayhomes #unknownarchitects

Imbue Design completes glass-and-steel home in Utah desert landscape

Salt Lake City architecture studio Imbue Design has built a house outside Zion National Park in Utah with sweeping views of one of the USA's most renowned landscapes.

The Watchman Cabin was completed collaboratively with a nature-loving client who was "captivated" by the area's natural surroundings after visiting. Located in Springdale, the site is near the entrance to the Zion National Park, which is famed for its dramatic rock formations and rugged scenery.

Imbue Design built the house outside Zion National Park

"All around the Watchman Cabin's site rise massive stone megaliths that are the handiwork of water and wind and 150 million years of deposition," explained Imbue Design.

"The client requested that Imbue empathetically design a retreat that would harmonise with its unique environment, capture the essence of the place, and resonate with his deliberate nature," the studio added.

The cabin sits against the Utah landscape

The home is sited at the foot of a hill and divided into three volumes that encompass 1,900 square feet (177 square metres).

These include a garage, a main residence, and a standalone guesthouse with its own kitchen and a small living room.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing faces the dramatic views

Each room is connected by covered, but unenclosed walkways.

"All three are threaded together by a CMU [concrete masonry unit – also known as breezeblocks] retaining wall and organised about a central connecting courtyard for gathering," said Imbue Design.

Weathering steel wraps around openings

Within the shared terrace that separates the main residence from the guesthouse, the architects included amenities such as an outdoor fireplace and a soaking tub.

"Where the retaining wall is the cabin's spine, the courtyard is the project’s heart," said Imbue Design.

[

Read:

Daab Design clads French cabin with scorched pine wood

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/02/pine-nut-cabane-daab-design-cabin-france/)

Inside, the facades facing Zion's rock formations are glazed from floor to ceiling, offering expansive views of the landscape, while more private areas were clad in weathering steel.

This earthy tone, as well as the masonry's reddish shade, were inspired by the colour of the soil in the area.

Interior spaces offer views of the landscape

"The weathered steel skin provides privacy and protection from the harsh desert climate, while glass volumes in public spaces act as eyes taking in every magnificent vista," said the architects.

The interiors were completed in a restrained, grey palette that is contrasted by the underside of the overhanging roof, which was finished in wood and visible throughout the home.

The cabins give their nature-loving owner immediate access to the landscape

Utah is famed for its remote, dramatic landscapes and desert climate.

Other properties in the Western US state include a home by Klima Architecture in the mountains and a low-slung gabled retreat by Studio Upwall Architects.

The photography is byMiranda Kimberlin.

---

Project credits:

**

**Contractor: Fahrenkamp

Engineer: Epic Engineering

Geotech: AGEC

The post Imbue Design completes glass-and-steel home in Utah desert landscape appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #usa #glass #deserts #weatheringsteel #houses #utah #americanhouses #cabins

Discover Battery unveils lithium ferro-phosphate battery for off-grid solar, tiny homes

---

At Intersolar North America in California, Canada-based Discover Battery has launched the Helios energy storage system, an LFP battery designed to operate in remote conditions.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2022/01/18/discover-battery-unveils-lithium-ferro-phosphate-battery-for-off-grid-solar-tiny-homes/
#technology, #pv, #storage, #residential, #energy, #r&d, #distributed

---

Atelier Data converts Portuguese mill into bright white holiday home

White forms with geometric cut-outs have been inserted into the walls of a former granary mill to create this coastal holiday home in Portugal's Algarve region, designed by architecture studio Atelier Data.

Named Casa Cabrita Moleiro, the home occupies the former site of the Cabrita Mill. Once operated by the owner's grandfather, the mill had since fallen into disuse during the region's transformation into a popular holiday destination.

Casa Cabrita Moleiro is a holiday home in Portugal that was designed by Atelier Data

Instead of replacing the existing buildings, Lisbon-based Atelier Data integrated the walls into the new five-bedroom holiday home, creating a cluster of forms alongside an old windmill.

Both the shell of the old structures and the newly-built forms are unified by an external finish of bright white render, giving them a "contemporary, minimal rural character" which was informed by the region's vernacular architecture.

The home occupies a former granary mill

"Driven by the desire to repurpose the existing structures, [we] integrated them into the new design, creating a series of interior and exterior spaces that celebrate the surrounding landscape while providing a series of private areas," said the studio.

"The design has been inspired by the local vernacular," it continued. "'Açoteia Algarvia', a flat rooftop feature for observing the sea and drying produce in the sun, has been reinterpreted and introduced on the new structures."

[

Read:

RCR Arquitectes uses red concrete to build Palmares Clubhouse in the Algarve

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/04/09/rcr-arquitectes-palmares-clubhouse-algarve/)

The home's living spaces occupy two main volumes, separated by a central pebble courtyard that is surrounded by windowless white walls.

To the east, an open plan living, kitchen and dining block opens onto a pool and terrace through sliding glass doors, forming the "core social area of the house".

"[The patio] acts as a 'home divider', enabling it to act as a five-bedroom holiday house or a two-bedroom one with a separate three-bedroom annex," said the studio.

Living spaces occupy two white-painted volumes

A taller volume containing two bedrooms abuts the living room at a slight angle, with a strip of windows looking out towards the sea and a rooftop terrace with a jacuzzi.

To the west, a taller block extends out of the existing walls of the former miller's house, containing an additional three en-suite bedrooms, which open onto covered terraces with geometric cut-outs.

"A series of geometric volumes and carved-out voids provide private patios to the bedrooms, while windows, balconies and terraces strategically frame views to the surrounding arid landscape and the Atlantic Ocean," explained the studio.

A walled pebble courtyard at the centre of the home divides living areas

The minimal exterior finishes continue to the interiors, which feature polished concrete walls and in-situ cast concrete ceilings that have been painted white.

The Algarve is a popular location for many retreats and resorts. Other recently completed schemes in the region include a red concrete clubhouse by RCR Architectes, and an off-grid retreat by Álvaro Siza.

Photography is by Richard John Seymour.

The post Atelier Data converts Portuguese mill into bright white holiday home appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #portugal #holidayhomes #portuguesehouses #atelierdata

The Whale apartment in Paris riffs on art deco design

Mirror, brass and simple geometries feature inside this Parisian apartment by local architect Clément Lesnoff-Rocard, which offers an understated take on art deco.

The 65-square-metre flat, nicknamed The Whale, is tucked away in the basement of a residential building in the city's 16th arrondissement.

The Whale apartment is located in the basement of an art deco building in Paris

According to Lesnoff-Rocard, the apartment had undergone a renovation in recent years, leaving it with "perfectly tasteless" interiors that were a pastiche of the building's original art deco style.

Most of the rooms also seemed dark and cramped, the architect explained, with unsightly plasterboard used to conceal the home's technical systems.

Knocking through a false ceiling revealed the apartment's concrete framework

Given carte blanche by the client, Lesnoff-Rocard completely stripped back the apartment by rendering a majority of its surfaces white and tearing down its false ceiling, revealing a network of unexpectedly chunky concrete beams.

"The disproportion between the enormous size of these structural elements and the smallness of this apartment sent the space to a much larger dimension," he explained.

"It's like we were hidden inside a much larger, surreal animal."

This contrast in scale is what ultimately gave the project its name, The Whale.

Marble, mirror and brass are used across the apartment's standout features

Lesnoff-Rocard used brass, mirrors, coloured marble and geometric shapes to subtly incorporate the building's art deco beginnings into the interior.

"My first intuition was obviously to work from the DNA of art deco, not by literally copying it like the previous renovation had done but by questioning it in today's context," he explained.

[

Read:

The Island is a nature-inspired Paris home designed around a courtyard garden

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/02/08/the-island-clement-lesnoff-rocard-paris-home/)

The doors that lead through to the sleeping quarters are clad in mirrored panels while storage cabinets are crafted from reflective brass and one of the structural columns has been replaced with a block of pale blue marble.

In the living room, spherical pendant lights with half white, half black shades have been suspended from wires strung across the ceiling.

The kitchen can be found behind gridded partitions

Behind graphic gridded partitions lies the kitchen, where the same blue marble has been used to create a breakfast island.

A number of features in the apartment also nod back to the project's name. Among them is a circular shuttered window connecting two of the rooms, which can be opened and closed to "blink" like a huge whale's eye.

A shuttered circular opening is meant to resemble a whale's eye

Clément Lesnoff-Rocard established his eponymous studio in 2015.

Other projects by the architect include The Island, a double-height home in the Parisian neighbourhood of La Défense that is arranged around a central courtyard.

_The photography is bySimone Bossi. _

The post The Whale apartment in Paris riffs on art deco design appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #interiors #apartments #france #paris #parisapartments #artdeco #clémentlesnoffrocard

U.S. residential solar trends, 2021

---

In 2021, residential solar reached several milestones and extreme weather raised customer interest in home energy storage systems.
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/12/14/u-s-residential-solar-trends-2021/
#back, #pv, #looking, #covid-19, #renewable, #energy, #residential, #growth, #solar

---

Strand Design creates Lake Placid A-Frame in northern Wisconsin

American firm Strand Design has created a pointy cabin wrapped in metal and wood that is intended to blend with its forested, lakefront site in Wisconsin.

The project, called Lake Placid A-Frame, is owned by a couple from Minneapolis who love outdoor activities and wanted a year-round retreat.

The distinctive cabin sits on a wooded shoreline along Lake Placid in Hayward, Wisconsin. The owners have friends with properties in the area.

Strand Design has completed an A-framed cabin in New York

The goal for the architects – Minneapolis-based Strand Design – was to create a modest-sized cabin that embraces the natural landscape.

"The footprint of the cabin was sited specifically to a lower elevation on the rolling property in order to minimise its visual impact and to feel more fully integrated with the surrounding woods," the architects said.

The team conceived a 2,075-square-foot (193-square-metre) dwelling composed of an A-shaped volume with boxes protruding from its sides. The property also has a separate building that houses a garage and workshop.

The A-shaped cabin is wrapped in wood and metal

"Classic meets modern in this refreshing take on the vernacular Northwoods A-frame cabin," the team said.

Framed with glue-laminated timber, the home is clad in a mix of materials.

The studio wanted the cabin to blend into its lakeside surroundings

For the long sides of the A, the team used standing-seam bonderised steel in a light grey tone. Other walls are wrapped in corrugated steel panels and wooden lap siding, both coloured black.

The front door is set within an alcove covered in warm-toned timber.

An open-plan kitchen and dining area is located on the ground floor

"Utilising a variety of steel panels, darkened clapboard and hints of bright natural cedar, this cabin blends seamlessly into its forested lakefront surroundings," the architects said.

Inside, the home feels both airy and cosy.

[

Read:

Single-room cabin by JacobsChang is set among trees in upstate New York

](https://www.dezeen.com/2017/07/08/cabin-jacobschang-treehouse-upstate-new-york-architecture-residential-woodland-usa/)

In the A-framed portion, the ground floor encompasses an open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room, along with a mudroom and mechanical space. The kitchen extends into a small box that protrudes beyond the triangular volume.

A Douglas fir staircase leads to a loft, where a bedroom and powder room are located.

Other materials inside include polished concrete

In an adjoining box at ground level, the team placed another bedroom, a large closet and a bathroom. Up above is a rooftop terrace.

Interior finishes include yellow pine and polished concrete. In the kitchen, cabinets are made with beech and topped with granite. Much of the home's wooden decor was made by the client, who has a passion for woodworking.

Exposed beams were left visible and span the full height of the A-shaped building.

Warm-toned timber is used throughout the interior

Large windows and glazed doors enable the occupants to take in the ever-changing scenery. Outside, a pathway leads down to a fire pit and metal dock, where the owners can set off in their canoe.

Other A-framed buildings in North America include a 1960s dwelling in New Jersey that was converted into a cosy rentable cabin by designers Chad and Courtney Ludeman and a Quebec cottage by Jean Verville that has an all-black exterior and light-toned interior.

The photography is byChad Holder Photography.

---

Project credits:

Architect: Strand Design

Design team: David McKay, David Strand

The post Strand Design creates Lake Placid A-Frame in northern Wisconsin appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #usa #blackenedwood #woodenarchitecture #cabins #newyorkhouses #newyork

Sunrise brief: Building solar to last saves billions

---

Also on the rise: Community solar donated to low-income families, Maine ski area hosts community solar, UL fire safety certification means microgrid platform can be offered to utilities, SolarAPP+ pilots energy storage and building-integrated PV permitting
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2021/12/08/sunrise-brief-building-solar-to-last-saves-billions/
#energy, #markets, #policy, #pv, #storage, #residential, #utility, #installations

---

Germany deployed 4.42 GW of PV in first ten months of 2021

---

The country’s cumulative installed solar PV capacity has now reached 56.9 GW.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/11/30/germany-deployed-4-42-gw-of-pv-in-first-ten-months-of-2021/
#markets, #industrial, #commercial, #residential, #pv, #policy

---

New German government coalition wants to deploy another 143.5 GW of solar this decade

---

The new plan would require the deployment of around 15 GW of new PV capacity each year to 2030. The agreement also includes the gradual phasing out of all coal power plants by the end of the decade.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/11/25/new-german-government-coalition-wants-to-deploy-another-143-5-gw-of-solar-this-decade/
#industrial, #pv, #policy, #markets, #residential, #commercial

---

Restoring the Family Ties Broken by Residential School

https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/08/25/Restoring-Family-Ties-Broken-Residential-School/

… the destruction of Indigenous people’s knowledge of their own family relations didn’t start with the residential school system. Family relationships were emphasized in Oral Tradition at the beginning of every potlatch, an important ceremony for many B.C. First Nations. Potlatches were banned by the Canadian government between 1885 and 1951 as part of a colonial effort to destroy Indigenous culture.

#life #family #relations #residential #schooling #residential-school #residentialschool #potlatch #separation #assimilation #Indigenous #culture #thetyee

Bunch Design adds colourful granny flat to a home in Los Angeles

American practice Bunch Design has completed a colourful granny flat modelled on an oversized suit at the back of a home in Los Angeles, with sliding doors that enable it to become a single open space.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), commonly known as "granny flats", were enabled by a 2016 change in state law to tackle California's housing shortage, and the local studio wanted to challenge the expectation of these buildings as something deferential to a main house.

The SMS ADU was built behind a house in LA

The 72-square-metre building, which has been shortlisted in the small interior category of Dezeen Awards 2021, was designed to create a bright and breezy alternative to the client's dark and compartmentalised existing home.

The concept by Bunch Design drew on an unusual reference: the huge, oversized suit worn by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne in the 1984 movie Stop Making Sense. This lends the project its name of SMS ADU or Stop Making Sense Accessory Dwelling Unit.

Bunch Design added sliding doors to separate areas inside the dwelling

For the structure, the wide shoulder pads of Byrne's suit that caused it to hang from his body become a series of oversized triangular rafters from which the rest of the home "hangs". These features are emphasised by clerestory windows that angle outwards like broad shoulders.

"Byrne comically and awkwardly creates an inflated body mass around his skinny body," said the studio.

"We did not want the walls to limit the house or feel like tight clothes around a body. Instead, we wanted to create a sense of lift and expansion, like loose and comfortable clothes, dissolving barriers between indoor/indoor and indoor/outdoor."

The building has triangular rafters

The home is split into four roughly equal sections: a double bedroom; a kitchen and bathroom; an entrance hall; and a study. Each is separated by blue doors that slide along the triangular wooden rafters.

Coloured areas such as blue and red walls in the bedroom, green kitchen cabinets, pale blue bathroom tiles and a peach-coloured wall in the study demarcate each of these spaces.

[

Read:

SO-IL designs prefabricated backyard home for Los Angeles

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/03/18/so-il-pebble-house-adu-los-angeles/)

"The simple colour selection adds an almost toy-like, colour-coded space which keeps the house from feeling too singular," the studio explained.

The angled clerestory windows beneath the roof, as well as voids in the centre of the triangular frame that are glazed at either end, bring large amounts of light into the home

Pale blue tiles cover the bathroom walls and floor

"Standard clerestory windows were installed at an angle to break the common notion of 'wall meets ceiling', with unexpected reflections of the landscape and trees on the tilted glass," the studio explained.

This bright and dynamic interior is contrasted by a simple pale exterior clad in wooden planks, with yellow window frames alluding to the colourful spaces inside.

Colourful spaces define the ADU

In 2019, the Los Angeles Design Festival highlighted a range of architect-designed granny flats, including a previous ADU by Bunch Design built for the studio's founders, Bo and Hisako, in LA's Highland Park neighbourhood.

The post Bunch Design adds colourful granny flat to a home in Los Angeles appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #interiors #instagram #usa #losangeles #california #houses #californianhouses #colour #accessorydwellingunits

Turkey deployed 992 MW of solar in first ten months of 2021

---

The country's cumulative capacity reached 7.6 GW at the end of October.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/11/10/turkey-deployed-992-mw-of-solar-in-first-ten-months-of-2021/
#scale, #markets, #industrial, #residential, #pv, #commercial, #utility

---

Tiny home village by Lehrer Architects provides temporary shelter for LA's homeless

Local studio Lehrer Architects has built a community of brightly coloured tiny houses on a narrow strip in Los Angeles for the city's homeless residents.

The Whitsett West Tiny Home Village occupies an oddly shaped stretch of land in North Hollywood, measuring a quarter of a mile long and only 20 feet (six metres) wide in places.

The Whitsett West Tiny Home Village occupies an oddly shaped site beside LA's 170 freeway

The community includes 150 beds in 77 units, as well as hygiene trailers, storage, offices and communal spaces.

Necessary infrastructure like electricity, storm drains, sewers, water, ADA accessibility and drainage are also integrated.

The village has 77 units that can house up to 150 residents

This is the fourth collaboration of this nature in seven months between Lehrer Architects and the City of Los Angeles, resulting in the creation of transitional housing on disused urban lots, including the Alexandra Park village.

"After completing three successful Tiny Home Villages, each in a very different urban setting, working on this site felt particularly satisfying," said Lehrer Architects partner Nerin Kadribegovic.

"The oddity of its shape, and location forced us to use every tool in our design palette to make this forgotten piece of land bring dignity and joy to its future residents."

The site has communal areas for eating and socialising

The lockable micro homes, which sleep one or two people, are manufactured by Pallet Shelter and delivered to the site flat and unassembled.

The eight-by-eight-foot (2.4-by-2.4-metre) structures come in white, but have been decorated by Lehrer Architects in bright hues to create a more desirable place to live.

They are arranged in rows facing communal outdoor spaces that are also colourfully patterned in blue, green and yellow.

"A profound joy of these projects is the necessity for – and intensity of – their visual presence," said Lehrer Architects founder Michael B Lehrer. "Every tool in our visual palette was employed starting with perspective, procession, and colour."

Bright colours were chosen to create a more desirable place to live

An eight-foot sound barrier blocks noise from the adjacent freeway and offers residents privacy.

Like the studio's previous tiny home villages, Whitsett West is intended as temporary accommodation for LA's unhoused population, which is estimated to number over 40,000 people.

The village also incorporates hygiene trailers, storage, offices and other necessary infrastructure

The city has built eight of these villages so far over the past year, and currently has plans to construct eight more on dilapidated or leftover pieces of land.

Other projects created to rehouse those experiencing homelessness in LA include an apartment complex built from shipping containers and a bright white housing development.

The post Tiny home village by Lehrer Architects provides temporary shelter for LA's homeless appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #usa #losangeles #california #housing #microhomes #homelesshousing #homelessness #lehrerarchitects

Germany has installed 4 GW of PV so far this year

---

In June alone, new PV additions totaled 406 MW. Feed-in tariffs were reduced by another 1.4%.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/11/01/germany-has-installed-4-gw-of-pv-so-far-this-year/
#industrial, #pv, #commercial, #utility, #residential, #scale, #markets

---

BIG and ICON to create world's "largest neighbourhood" of 3D-printed homes

Construction companies ICON and Lennar are collaborating with architecture studio BIG to create a neighbourhood of 100 3D-printed houses in Austin, Texas.

Scheduled to break ground in 2022, the scheme will be the world's largest community of 3D-printed homes when it completes, according to Texan firm ICON.

The neighbourhood will include 100 3D-printed homes

Co-designed with Danish architecture studio BIG, the commuinty is set to be built on an unconfirmed site in the city. More details of the houses' floor plans and design will be announced next year.

Each home will be printed using ICON's Vulcan construction system, which uses controlled robotic machines to create layers of Lavacrete – a propriety Portland Cement-based mix made by the company.

A rendering of construction work at a location in Austin

"ICON's 3D printing technology produces resilient, energy-efficient homes faster than conventional construction methods with less waste and more design freedom," said ICON.

"Designed and engineered from the ground up for volume 3D-printing of homes with precision and speed, ICON's Vulcan construction system can deliver homes and structures up to 3,000 square feet," it continued.

[

Read:

Seven 3D-printed houses that have been built around the world

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/05/14/seven-3d-printed-houses-around-world/)

According to the firm, the neighbourhood of houses will be built to the International Building Code (IBC) structural code standard.

ICON also said that it expects its Vulcan-printed homes to last "as long or longer" than those built with concrete masonry units (CMUs).

The houses will be printed using Vulcan technology

Homebuilding company Lennar will fit each neutrally-coloured house with gabled roofs that will feature photovoltaic panels.

"Our design approach modernises the aesthetic of the suburban home, while the 3D-printing technology texturises and provides distinctive touchpoints for each space," added ICON.

"The freedom of form facilitated by this building technology – including the sinuous curves of the walls – combines with traditional construction materials to create homes that are both aesthetically and physically unique."

The neighbourhood of 3D-printed homes will follow four recently completed houses in East Austin, Texas that were also constructed using Vulcan technology called the East 17th Street Residences.

Other 3D-printed housing projects around the world include an Italian dome-shaped, low-carbon house prototype made from clay and the Netherland's first lived-in 3D-printed home that resembles a grey boulder.

The renderings are courtesy of ICON.

The post BIG and ICON to create world's "largest neighbourhood" of 3D-printed homes appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #big #usa #3dprinting #texas #austin #americanhouses #3dprintedhouses #icon