Hasta La Ideas

check out this cool print by Jon Contino on society 6

This extension to a north London home comprises three shed-like blocks clad in unfinished larch.

British architect Neil Dusheiko designed the single-storey structure for clients who wanted to add an extra living room and bedroom onto the rear of their house.

Oak-framed doors fold away from the rear timber wall to open both rooms out to the garden beyond.

A new staircase connects the landing of the house’s existing stairs to the garden, also creating a shortened route from the extra bedroom to the upstairs bathroom.

Narrow recesses in the ceiling around the stairs house fluorescent tube lights.

Some other memorable London extensions we’ve featured include one with a flower-covered roof and another that is half timber, half frameless glass.

Photography is by Daryl Dusheiko.

Here’s a description of the project from Dusheiko:

Timber Fin House, Walthamstow

The project began one afternoon while sitting with the client on their existing terrace discussing ideas about how to create more space for the family in the tiny terrace house. We thought it would be interesting if the existing central staircase in the double fronted house, somehow continued up and over into the garden from the mid landing, and so the idea of extending the house came about.

The clients wanted a house built entirely out of timber. The concept was to create a series of different volumes to accommodate the various functions in an informal stack of boxes placed next to each other like packing creates. The extension exists as three timber containers sitting next to and on top of one another with a singular nature borne out of using one material.

The west façade sits in its sub-urban context, visible to the street and announces its presence with a rhythm of vertical cladding, which in turn reflects the neighbourhoods use of closed board fencing and timber sheds.

The north façade, facing the garden, has an asymmetrical geometry, with its two planes cranked to catch the evening sun and to hold the space in the garden. A rhythm of projecting fins reveals a subtle layering of the façade, which comes to life as the sun projects shadows across the façade.

The material used for the floor was birch plywood and the structure is oak framed, clad in Siberian larch. The larch was is from sustainable sources and supplied by Vastern Timber.

The larch was mounted onto battens fixed to Panelvent sheathing boards, which have a high racking strength but also allow for a water vapour open construction. Panelvent itself is made from wood chips and forest thinings, utilising a unique Masonite defibration system to combine low formaldehyde emissions in use and low embodied energy in manufacture.

The oak timber frame is made up of lattice structures which were so beautiful that during the build it was tempting to leave parts of the frame exposed on the inside of the extension. However, we decided to stay true to the concept of a wrapped timber box.

The folding sliding doors and windows where constructed out of oak and are top hung. The doors are easy to open and fold away entirely to allow the garden to become part of the living space.

The floor was constructed out of a hard wearing birch plywood which was sealed with an acrylic coating which is both easy to clean and protects the surface from any moisture ingress.

Existing openings inside the structure are framed in MDF, painted white to blend in with existing brickwork, also painted white, to reflect as much light as possible into the interior. A low step made of thermowood decking links the house to the garden and provides a low bench for seating.

A new staircase constructed from birch plywood connects to the mid landing of the existing staircase, giving the up and over feel, which provided the original inspiration for the extension.

Products used:
Structure: oak framing for walls and roof
Floor: birch plywood with acrylic sealant
Staircase: birch plywood painted
Decking: Thermowood decking
Timber cladding: untreated Siberian larch mounted on double battens on panelvent boards

Handmade Portraits: The Sword Maker from Etsy on Vimeo.

This take-away packaging by Casey Ng combines a paper bag top with a rigid carton for the base.  

A perforated tear-off strip indicates where the parcel should be ripped open and shared.

Casey Ng designed the packaging for fish and chips served up in New Zealand, and the inside is printed with newspaper-style graphics about local scenery.

See more stories about packaging on Dezeen here.

Here are some more details from the designer:

Project: Food Culture (Packaging)

New Zealand has attracted more and more people from around the world, either for a short visit or to live. New Zealand is renowned not only for its beautiful landscapes and its sandy beaches but also for the out door lifestyle. In this project, I wanted to design a product that best captured those New Zealand assets to the international market.

Fish and Chips have been part of New Zealand culture for many years and is known as a dish icon of the nation. Whatever the origin, New Zealanders chomp their way through about seven million servings of chips a week, or about 120,000 tonnes a year. Fish and chips shops are established on every street and have become part of the New Zealand lifestyle.

My study project Boxbag, is to explore and introduce the tradition of Fish and Chips and inform the consumers the best of New Zealand. The tradition of this dish lies in the process of unraveling the newspaper packaging into a open dish to share between friends and family and eating in an outdoor location.

As traditional as fish and chips, the food presentation hasn’t really changed much over time. Traditionally, the Fish and Chips packaging is a two-step wrapping process of plain white newsprint and then newspaper. The packaging is cheap, easy to be wrapped and unwrapped, with minimal preparation but provides sufficient insulation and soak up the excess grease. The BoxBag is a combination design between a paper bag and a carton incorporating all of the traditional fish and chips packaging factors and evolving for the modern day consumer. The process of this design uses one sheet of plain newsprint to wrap the Fish and Chips and is then placed into this BoxBag, providing insulation and freshness. The packaging is purposely designed taller than a typical paper bag, encouraging the consumer to rip the bag open. Once the packaging is ripped, it will reveal the custom designed newspaper on the inside. Each article on the newspaper introduces the best of New Zealand landscapes, providing anecdote and information to the consumer whilst eating.

The BoxBag is also designed with consumers who like eating on the go in mind. The tab located at the back, linking to a decorative perforation, circulates around the BoxBag. This aesthetic and functional perforated line allows the consumer to rip around the whole packaging and turning it into an open carton. This method not only provides convenience to the consumer but also encourages the ripping tradition of Fish and Chips.

The form uses a combination of two materials of paper and cardboard not only to provide an interesting contrast between materials but provides better insulation and support for these dual consuming purposes. The packaging is flat packed prior to being used, minimizing space for the restaurant, and a generic size design allowing restaurants to fold multiple times, up to the size necessary to seal the amount of food within the packaging.

Moreover, the packaging is made to be disposed easily, like the traditional packaging of Fish and Chips. So once the consumer has finished with the Fish and Chips, the consumer can simply dispose the BoxBag. Not only does fish and chips provide a Kiwi experience to the tourist industry, now it will also tell a story about Aotearoa.

I’m totally awed by the design of the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion observation platform (and would hate to be the contractor tasked with building this thing). The 90-square-meter structure was designed by Oslo-based landscape, interior and architectural design firm Snohetta, which also has a branch in NYC.

The Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion is located at Hjerkinn on the outskirts of Dovrefjell National Park, overlooking the Snøhetta mountain massif. The 90m2 building is open to the public and serves as an observation pavilion for the Wild Reindeer Foundation educational programmes. A 1,5km nature path brings visitors to this spectacular site, 1200 meters above sea level….

…The building design is based on a rigid outer shell and an organic inner core. The south facing exterior wall and the interior create a protected and warm gathering place, while still preserving the visitor’s view of the spectacular panorama

Considerable emphasis is put on the quality and durability of the materials to withstand the harsh climate. The rectangular frame is made in raw steel resembling the iron found in the local bedrock. The simple form and use of natural materials reference local building traditions. However, advanced technologies have been utilized both in the design and the fabrication process. Using digital 3D-models to drive the milling machines, Norwegian shipbuilders in Hardangerfjord created the organic shape from 10 inch square pine timber beams. The wood was then assembled in a traditional way using only wood pegs as fasteners. The exterior wall has been treated with pine tar while the interior wood has been oiled. The pavilion is a robust yet nuanced building that gives visitors an opportunity to reflect and contemplate this vast and rich landscape.

via arch daily

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