Hasta La Ideas

Plants are expected to grow up the sides of this treehouse-inspired house extension in Melbourne, by AM Architecture.

The two-storey South Yarra House extension creates a new master bedroom and living spaces for a heritage cottage close to the Yarra River.

Clad in copper, the top half of the structure is designed to look like a treehouse. Meanwhile the base, surrounded by a black lattice frame, is designed to become part of the garden.

As climbing plants continue to grow up the building’s sides, it will become more and more concealed in the greenery.

“The aim for South Yarra House is to create a place that is both wonderful to inhabit, and one that resonates with its unique context, reinforcing an already strong sense of place,” explained AM Architecture founder Andrew Mellios.

“The client brief was to take in the lofty views, regulate privacy on site, and above all create a tree house.”

The extension doubles the size of the original cottage. It creates a spacious new kitchen and dining room on the ground floor, freeing up space in the original property for a study.

Upstairs, the master en-suite becomes a third bedroom for the house. There is also a new family bathroom on this floor, as the original bathroom has become a laundry room.

AM Architecture chose copper for the exterior, to match the tones of the property’s historic brickwork. But over time, as it patinates, it will take on turquoise hues that match the colour of furniture inside the house.

The copper panels create vertical stripes across the facade. The surface integrates versatile window shades, which slide and concertina across a window that extends around the corner of the building.

Below the copper, the deep lattice framework sits in front of floor-to-ceiling glazing, which opens out to a patio deck.

“Contextually the copper roof forms a continuation in a series of terracotta roof forms that cascade down the escarpment and the grain of new windows in the copper, continue the irregular grain of openings on the existing building,” said Mellios.

“The space-frame is an abstract element, intended to break any relationship with the local heritage architecture, instead forming a relationship with the landscape, and appearing to rise up and erode the copper form above it,” he continued.

“It breaks down massing by creates a green backdrop, contributing positively to the lush, landscape context of the public walkway.”

Glazing creates a visual break between the old and new sections of the building. Inside, this change is announced by a step change between the living room and the kitchen beyond.

The exposed brick facade adds texture to the otherwise simply decorated kitchen, which features black cabinets and wooden flooring.

Mellios designed South Yarra House with a long-term plan in mind. He believes that the building will improve over time and become “an intrinsic part of the landscape and its picturesque built context.”

“Over 30 plus years the copper will patina and blend into the brick and mossy rooftops surrounding it,” he added. “The garden will fully develop to become an integral part of the architecture.”

Photography is by Dianna Snape.

Project credits:

Architecture: AM Architecture
Design team: Andrew Mellios, Emma Crea, Joanna Butler, Ryan Wilson
Interiors: AM Architecture
Builder: Habitat Construction and Development

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You’ve got a product that can measure your body temperature, a product that can measure your blood sugar, another one for your heart-rate, and one for the quality of your sleep. The KetoPlus adds to that list by giving you the power to see how your body responds to your dietary intake. Especially for people on low-carb diets, the KetoPlus tells you how your metabolism is responding to what you eat, and whether you’re in the ‘ketosis’ sweet spot that lets you stay lean and healthy by burning fats to produce energy.

Simply put, the KetoPlus analyses urine samples (much like a pregnancy test) to track your body’s glucose, pH, and ketone levels. It then breaks that data down into a graph that helps you understand how your body is responding to the food you eat. The graph helps you understand where your body stands on the GKI, or the Glucose Ketone Index, and tweak the food you eat to make sure it’s at the right spot between a value of 6 and 9.

The KetoPlus aims to form a part of your Ketogenic diet, helping you be more effective at it, rather than just winging it and hoping for results. Designed to measure your levels of ketosis (daily, for better accuracy), the tiny, waterproof device comes with a pretty easy-to-use interface and a replaceable pee-stick to help you be more informed going into your diet, so you can achieve those desirable results! It’s pretty simple to track your temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and overall health levels with regular household medical products. Now you can track your metabolic health too!

Designer: Harry Lee

Click Here to Buy Now: $108 $270 (60% off).

KetoPlus – Track Metabolic Health and Keto Diet

The KetoPlus is an essential tool for measuring your metabolism and finding your ketosis sweet spot when following a keto diet. It analyzes whether if you are in ketosis or not.

KetoPlus measures your body’s glucose, ketone and pH levels from your urine using a clean, safe and painless process. If you want to maintain your metabolic health using a keto diet, then you should test and measure your glucose, ketone, and pH values together.

What is a Keto Diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low-carb diets. The goal of keto diets is to get your body into a state of ketosis — the metabolic process that burns stored fat for energy instead of glucose (sugar). To reach ketosis, and maintain it, you should usually monitor and track your body’s ketone levels.

However, only ketone is not enough to monitor ketosis

– Having high ketones does not necessarily mean you are in Ketosis
– Even ketosis status, you do not lose weight
– Despite reducing carbohydrate intake, sometimes it is difficult to reach ketosis

Existing Keto Meters are Not Effective for Measuring Your Metabolic State

There is another critical piece of the weight loss puzzle that is often overlooked and goes unmeasured when practicing a keto diet — metabolism. Most keto meters on the market today provide you with only half of the data you need to truly understand your metabolic state and why your current diet is or isn’t working for you.

On top of that, you’ll have to go through painful finger pricks, blow into devices that give you inaccurate measurements, and manually track your progress.

KetoPlus Helps Maintain Metabolism, Easily Obtains a GK Index Unlike Blood Meters

The KetoPlus is a keto meter that measures and tracks your body’s glucose, ketone, and pH levels, and calculates your body’s Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) to give you a full understanding of your body’s metabolic state.

After analyzing compounds in your urine using patent-pending image processing technology, the LCD touch screen on the KetoPlus provides you with clear readouts of your measurements so you can understand how your diet is affecting your metabolism.

After a quick trip to the bathroom in the morning or before bedtime, you’ll have all the information you need to quickly assess your current metabolic health.

You’ll have up to 365-days of historical data to reference as well. Now you’ll know why you’re not achieving your optimal health and weight loss goals.

KetoPlus is For

Weight Loss – Use KetoPlus to understand how your body is responding to your diet so you can make adjustments to achieve your weight loss goals.
Maintaining Ketosis Flow –  Use it to verify that you’re doing the right things and find your ketosis sweet spot.
KetoPlus – Monitor your metabolic health with accurate GKI and pH levels.
Tracking Progress – Track 365-days of data to gain insights into your health and body.
Calculated Decisions – Make decisions about your health and wellness using real data calculated from quantitative results instead of looking at colored strips of paper.

Benefits

Knowing GK Index. The Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) is the ratio between glucose and ketones, and it’s a simple yet excellent way to measure the effectiveness of nutritional ketosis on your metabolic health.

You can use GKI as a tool to identify where you need to make adjustments to your diet, exercise routine, and lifestyle choices to achieve your weight loss goals and optimize your health.

The KetoPlus measures your GKI during every test and stores your GKI so you can track your progress over time. This way you’ll have a better understanding of what’s working for you and your body.

Knowing pH values. Your body’s pH levels can affect your metabolism.

Low pH levels could cause you to lose your ketosis flow and miss your weight loss goals.

The KetoPlus is the only keto meter that can accurately measure your body’s pH levels and your current metabolic state.

If you want to maintain your ketosis flow and achieve your weight loss goals, measure your pH levels with the KetoPlus and then adjust your diet to be more alkaline to get a boost in your pH levels.

How to Use the KetoPlus

KetoPlus Data

Testing Results

The KetoPlus provides measurements for GLUCOSE, pH, and KETONES.

Each component is measured on a scale from 0 – 5 and given a different color so it’s easy to identify the indicated level for a component. The higher the indicated level, the more concentration of that component in your body.

The KetoPlus also automatically calculates your GKI so you can quickly determine which level of ketosis your body is in.

Historical Data

There are 3-key areas on the historical graph: GKI, pH, and Date.

A point is plotted along the date axis to indicate your GKI and pH level for a given day. A line is then drawn between each point to show the daily progression of your GKI and pH levels.

Click Here to Buy Now: $108 $270 (60% off).

Design practice A/L Studio has built a wooden volume to house the kitchen and bedroom inside this  historic civic building in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The renovation is the latest update to the property called Ward House, which was built in 1886 as a meeting hall and was used for several different civic uses, such as a polling place and school. It was turned into a home in the 1980s.

A/L Studio designed the home for Lindy McDonough and Conor MacKean, who wanted to have plenty of space for guests, and their dog Tux. “The design responds to the new clients’ love to entertain and cook for guests and family,” studio founder Anastasia Laurenzi explained.

The tall, angled ceilings of the historic structure allows plenty of natural light into the main space, which is filled with several furniture pieces and design objects from the Rhode Island creative community.

An open-plan living and dining room takes up most of the ground floor, while the kitchen is further back, in the centre of the space. It is contained within a newly built volume made of light-hued wood and open to the entertaining space.

“The new intervention is a consideration of rooms nested within each other, on their own, leaving the existing structure to be from its own time,” said Laurenzi.

Above it, a lofted sleeping space overlooks the living and dining room, with enough room for a built-in bookcase and an armchair.

McDonough is a co-founder of Lotuff leather, and is also active within the Rhode Island design scene.

Laurenzi, who is based in the nearby city of Providence, chose pieces created by Rhode Island designers or graduates of the Rhode Island Design School to furnish the home.

They include a dining table made by O&G Studio and a rug by Jungil Hong and Andrew Mau.

“There is a strong community of artists, designers, builders, musicians, farmers, chefs, herbalists, mixologists, performers, writers in Providence,” said Laurenzi.

“Many of the artwork, furniture, textiles, lighting and objects were made by local artists/designers/makers in Rhode Island or associated through RISD,” she added.

A corridor leads along one side of the house to the back suite, which contains the master bedroom. It offers a bit more privacy than the lofted space, and has its own ensuite, which was finished using found tiles.

Other homes in Rhode Island include a home covered in charred timber by Bernheimer Architecture and a tiny cabin that serves as a retreat and studio for an artist in Providence.

Photography is by Angel Tucker Photography.

Project credits:

Principal designer and project manager: Anastasia Laurenzi, A/L Studio
Contractor: Oblique Studio
Structural engineer: Structures Workshop
All drawings by Anastasia Laurenzi.

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From ’90s R&B influences to a distinctly Motown sound, several new songs that debuted this week

Shura feat. Ivy Sole: Elevator Girl

Shura (aka Alexandra Lilah Denton) has teamed up with Ivy Sole for “Elevator Girl,” a breezy tune based on a date Denton once went on. It’s “about the elation of a first date—the fact that it can make you feel kind of high without drugs,” she says. Through breathy vocals, a groovy bass line and Ivy Sole’s effortless verse, the song is dappled with ’90s R&B influences and sweetly conveys that giddy feeling brought on by a crush.

Låpsley: Speaking of the End

From her album Through Water, Låpsley (aka Holly Lapsley Fletcher) has released the serene “Speaking of the End.” At first featuring only a piano and Fletcher’s silken vocals, background singers join in after two minutes, creating a delicate ballad. The accompanying video (directed by Steph Wilson) complements the song with its tranquil, slow-motion underwater scene.

Japan, Man: Cautious

Offbeat and endearing, 15-year-old Beirut-based artist Japan, Man’s newest single, “Cautious,” bears all of the traits of the bedroom-pop genre, but employs lyrical patterns with gravity. “‘Cautious’ is a song about desperately wanting people to understand the struggles one might experience within themselves. It’s a call for emotional intelligence in our counterparts and patience when it comes to getting into any sort of relationship with another,” the artist (aka Leaticia Acra) says in a statement. The track will appear on an EP scheduled for release in May.

The Avalanches feat. Rivers Cuomo + Pink Siifu: Running Red Lights

Dedicated to David Berman, “Running Red Lights” by The Avalanches features vocals by Rivers Cuomo and rapper Pink Siifu, who delicately recites Berman’s lyrics from the Purple Mountains song “Darkness and Cold.” The upbeat track glitters amidst moments of melancholy and poignancy. The Avalanches’ Ben Chater says the song reflects “the way life is so beautiful and overwhelming and heartbreaking all at the same time.” Directed by Greg Brunkalla, the gorgeous video stars Erik Cavanaugh dancing down the street at night. Considering 16 years passed between The Avalanches 2000 debut Since I Left You and their second album Wildflower, the fact that the Australian band is poised to release their third album this year is an unexpected delight.

The Radio Dept: You Fear The Wrong Thing Baby

Lund, Sweden’s The Radio Dept. follows up this year’s previous single, “The Absence of Birds,” with another shimmering dream-pop wonder, “You Fear The Wrong Thing Baby.” In a release, the band explains that the lyrics honor youth as a progressive force. The hazy sound, however, carries a heartbeat beneath layers of harmonious synth and guitar work.

Duffy: Something Beautiful

With a distinctly Motown sound, Duffy’s new “Something Beautiful” (her first release since the 2010 album, Endlessly) premiered on BBC Radio 2 after the Welsh singer sent it to DJ Jo Whiley, saying, “It’s just something for you to play people on radio during these troubling times, if you like the song of course. If it lifts spirits.” The pared back tune is carried by Duffy’s soulful vocals, altogether creating an enchanting and stirring listening experience.

Perfume Genius: On the Floor

Poised to release Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas) has released the upbeat, funk- and disco-inflected “On The Floor.” While diverging in style from the record’s previous release “Describe” (which leans toward alt-country/indie), it’s just as infectious as listeners have come to expect from the artist. In the self-directed video, Hadreas dances in the dirt (with movement direction from co-performer Tate Justas) to the song, as the lyrics describe the overwhelming energy of a crush. “I wanted to show that maddening, solitary part of desire,” Hadreas says. “But keep the core which is a real warmth and belief that you have something crucial to share with each other.”

Vundabar: Out Of It

“Out Of It,” from Boston-based indie band Vundabar’s newest album, Either Light, feels like a daydream. It begins slowly, but the song progressively transforms into a danceable tune highlighted by its joyous outro. The Holler Film music video suits the band’s altogether quirky tone, with frontman Brandon Hagen and drummer Drew McDonald appearing in odd locales—performing the tune on a boat, out of a car’s window, on jagged rocks, and beyond. A limited edition clear vinyl pressing of the album is available for purchase now.

Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel.

Architecture firm Walters & Cohen uses weathered steel and concrete for King’s International College in Canterbury, Kent, to reference the site’s industrial heritage.

The new college building for King’s School provides teaching areas and accommodation for students aged 11-16 who are entering the English school system from abroad.

While the school’s main campus occupies the Canterbury Cathedral precinct, the new college occupies an ex-industrial site at the edge of the city centre.

It’s the focus of a wider masterplan drawn up for the school by Walters & Cohen in 2016.

King’s International College’s robust concrete base and orange steel cladding of the college were designed to echo an adjacent 19th century malt house building.

Nicholas Hare Architects recently converted this structure into a theatre.

“It was crucial that the new building complemented the site’s industrial heritage as well as the existing buildings surrounding it,” Walters & Cohen.

“This was achieved with a striking mix of weathered steel, concrete and glass.”

King’s International College faces out onto a newly created civic square.

A run of tall, thin windows in its concrete base forms a colonnade-style facade.

A large opening in this concrete facade leads into the college, the square plan of which is organised around a central private courtyard.

This courtyard is wrapped by a glazed, cloister-like corridor that provides circulation around the school.

It doubles as a bright, communal meeting space, with semi-private areas that can be isolated using sliding doors.

“As an international college, communal spaces where students can meet and interact with their fellow students are very important, which is why we designed the building to wrap around a central courtyard space,” said Walters & Cohen founder Cindy Walters.

“Many of the students gather here as a meeting place, and use it for open-air presentations, plays and recitals. It is a joy to see.”

Around this courtyard, teaching spaces and offices occupy the ground floor.

The two storeys above house 34 en-suite bedrooms providing boarding for 80 students as well as staff accommodation.

At first floor level, an internal balcony overlooks the courtyard below.

Bedrooms either look inwards or out to the site’s surroundings, which feature several landscaped garden areas.

“The landscape complements and connects the many elements of the site; a civic square shared with the Malthouse is an important focal point of the campus,” said the practice.

Contrasting the more industrial exterior, the interiors have been finished with a crisp combination of wooden floors and white walls.

Glass partitions allow the classrooms to see through the corridor and out into the courtyard.

The area masterplan also includes a new sports court and changing facilities located to the north of the college, to be used by both the local community and students.

Walters & Cohen Architects has previously worked with the King’s School to complete an accommodation block in the precinct of Canterbury Cathedral clad with rusty red tiles.

Photography is by Dennis Gilbert/VIEW.

Project credits:

Architect: Walters & Cohen
Client: The King’s School, Canterbury
Structure: Price & Myers
Building services: Skelly & Couch
Landscape: Bradley-Hole Schoenaich
Quantity surveyor: Fanshawe
Planning consultant: Hobbs Parker
Project manager: Fanshawe
Contractor: R Durtnell & Sons

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