Hasta La Ideas

Architect studio ADX made a feature of the soil excavated from the building site of this Minamisōma home, Soil House, created for a client who was displaced by the 2011 Japan earthquake.

The owner of Soil House in Fukushima Prefecture had to move to temporary housing and manage the separation of his family after the Tōhoku earthquake in East Japan, which uprooted more than 300,000 people.

The owner’s former home had been immersed in nature, and although he decided to move to a more dense residential area after the earthquake, he wanted architects ADX to evoke that same connection to the earth.

Initially, ADX addressed this by designing the landscape first and then situating the single-storey home within it.

The distinctive trapezoid walls of piled sand came about when the architects went to remove surplus soil from the site but discovered its removal cost was more than estimated.

It made them consider how the sand could be incorporated into the structure instead, in the spirit of further connecting the house with nature.

It also led them to recall the joy of playing with sand as children, which inspired the walls’ shape and placement.

To bond the soil and make it structurally sound the mounds have been sprayed with expanded polystyrene foam.

ADX believes the soil walls add to the home’s peaceful and energising elements.

“This house is designed with the concept of balancing ‘staticity’ and ‘dynamism’ — ‘staticity’ to reflect in silence and ‘dynamism’ to get down to work,” said the architects.

“We wish this house will inspire people to think about themselves, their family, the region and society in a comfortable and peaceful way,” they continued. “Moreover, we desire this house built with local material to remain in their hearts as a symbol of the region.”

The main structure of Soil House is made of wood and the floor area totals 137 square metres.

To further the connection with nature, the house has windows that fully open along one wall, allowing views of the soil from outside and the garden from inside. Glass partitions within the home also create sightlines to nature.

The house has two bedrooms, plus a third room that can be used as a guest bedroom. This room is in the Japanese washitsu style with tatami flooring and sliding screen doors.

Another Fukushima house that honours the earthquake is local architect Cohta Asano’s own home, which features nine intersecting volumes that form open interiors.

This year marks a decade since the earthquake, which also triggered a tsunami and nuclear disaster. The architects behind 16 relief shelters built in the aftermath recently shared their thoughts on the buildings’ legacy.

Photography is by Nao Takahashi.

Project credits:

Project manager: Kotaro Anzai
Engineer: Kenji Nawa
Construction: Tukuru

The post Mounds of surplus soil form walls in Japanese house by ADX appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: woven vinyl flooring manufacturer Bolon has launched a collection of made-to-measure rugs called Bolon R that is suitable for high-footfall, commercial interiors.

The rugs are available in durable materials from all of Bolon‘s original collections and the Bolon by You range, ensuring a variety of options “for any environment or project”.

Bolon’s aim for the collection is to offer more decorative flooring options for spaces where its wall-to-wall coverings are not suitable.

“We see big potential for our rugs, as we give the customers endless options to select just the right design, trimming and size for their specific project,” explained the brand’s head of product management Klara Persson.

The Bolon R rugs are available in sizes ranging from two by two metres to a maximum of four by eight metres. Sizes under and over this range are handled on request.

There are also eight options for edge trimmings. As with all Bolon flooring collections, the products are made using recycled materials.

Product: Bolon R rugs
Brand: Bolon
Contact: carmencita.lundsten@bolon.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

The post Bolon R made-to-measure rug collection by Bolon appeared first on Dezeen.

Quaint and cosy cabins nestled in idyllic spots are my idea of an ideal vacation! Destressing and relaxing in the midst of lush greenery, while leaving behind all your urban woes, just sounds so tempting! We’ve seen our fair share of conventional A-frame cabins. They never go out of style, and they’re always so comfortable and homely to stay in. As great as a quintessential A-frame cabin can be, we’ve gone a step further and curated a collection of unique and unconventional cabin designs that will have you drooling over them! These innovative cabin designs will surely make their way to your must-visit bucket list. It’s time to start planning your post-pandemic vacation!

Algorithms helped design the shape of this Japanese holiday retreat! Designed for idyllic Hokkaido in Japan, the YEZO is a retreat that uses its dramatic landscape and an experimental design approach to create a sanctuary in nature. The YEZO’s overall design is a fusion of both aesthetics and algorithms, optimized for fabrication from one single mold to minimize ecological impact and reduce manufacturing cost and delivery time. It features a unique curved roof that not only creates a spacious interior but even provides a channel for the central chimney while creating a small terrace/skylight in the process. The wooden roof shell structure, clad with regional black slate, consists of sustainable GluLam (glue-laminated) timber beams suspended from a central concrete chimney. “YEZO’s curved GluLam beams are carefully shaped to operate in pure tension throughout, resulting in weight and material reductions of 90% compared to straight beams”, say Kristof and Julien, the designers behind the award-winning retreat. The YEZO Retreat is a winner of the Golden Pin Design Award for the year 2020.

Designed by Nestron,  Cube Two is a 263-square-foot home that is designed for the future and smart living. This modern compact home is a prefabricated structure that already comes fitted with the latest home appliances that can all be controlled by an AI assistant named Canny. The exterior has smooth curved corners that give it a friendly vibe and the interior offers enough space for a family of four to live comfortably with two bedrooms and an open living area. To make it feel roomier, there is a skylight that runs across the ceiling and floods the space with natural light, and also provides a wonderful frame of the night sky.

Constructed from concrete, glass, and metallic material, D-Pod is “based on the concept of lightness,” as Grafito Design Studio puts it, “where the separation of the ground is sought and lifted; its internal functional modules also use this concept of being ‘separated’ from the floor and ceiling.” In fact, D-Pod’s mono-volume nature makes it so that walls or dividers are unnecessary. Aiming to create an interior of spatial fluidity, the ‘rooms’ inside D-Pod flow into one another without the added impediment of walls or physical boundaries. With transparent, floor-to-ceiling walls enclosing the entirety of D-Pod, the dwelling’s interior expands the visual space, dissolving D-Pod’s only walls into the environment that surrounds it.

The Diamanten Cabin, which is positioned atop a cylindrical support pillar in Oppdal, Norway, was constructed within its mountainous, pre-existing framework. The architects with A38 Arkitekter centralized environmental harmony in designing their winter annex; adjacent log cabins punctuate corners of the valley where the diamond-shaped cabin perks. The final structure is visually enigmatic, but chameleon-like in its commitment to reinvigorating, yet respecting the community to which it belongs. Nestled nearby traditionally vibrant timber cabins, the Diamanten Cabin is unassuming in size, with a total of only a single, open room. However, The Diamanten’s artistry is found not in its size, but in the way it appeals to the landscape and vernacular structures that cradle it. The frame of the cabin is structured so that the roof cascades gracefully in the direction of the massive mountain that frames its larger community.

Imagine a cabin that envelops you in the landscape through its design – that is exactly the feeling Jorge Luis Veliz Quintana envisioned with his cabin design located on the edge of mountains in Cuba! It is an organic refuge for those who want to connect with nature and disconnect from the world. The cabin brings in panoramic views of the landscape while also visually blending in the natural setting with its carefully chosen CMF. The unique cocoon shape structures are perched on giant boulders and each cabin spans over an area of 150sqm. The curved wooden lattices sit on concrete platforms which match the grey tones of the cliff which makes it seem like the cabin is born out of the rocks itself and is levitating – I absolutely love it when designers pay attention to smaller details in their CMF which makes their concept truly one with the surroundings and it is visually soothing.

Designed to be a cozy private retreat that sits just a few feet away from your home, the Workstation Cabin gives you the advantage of a great working den that’s surrounded by nature. Its edgy, polygonal design looks great from both the inside as well as outside, as designers Hello Wood Studio (pioneers of the Hungarian cabin movement) constructed the 8-square-meter unique wooden house using wood panels and huge windows that let the natural light in. Made so that it can be the extra room your house needs (now that everyone’s stuck indoors), the Workstation Cabin is an insulated and soundproof room that can easily serve as a “workstation, a meeting room, a kids playroom, and a perfect hiding place if you are looking for a quiet space to read, relax and exercise”, according to the designers.

This cluster of prefab cabins is located in a Slovakian forest for Hotel Björnson but can also be stand-alone homes. The minimalist shelters have a Scandinavian aesthetic and give you an eco-friendly getaway with minimal environmental impact. Ark Shelter has also won a Cezaar award in the category Architectural Fenomena – a recognition for the most exceptional architectural achievements of the year. The modern retreat is made of 11 cabins and four wellness units that include saunas and relaxation rooms. The shelters are built in one piece, which gives the incredible mobility to reach your dream location. Every cabin rests on stilts to minimize site impact and has been carefully placed in between the trees to give you maximum privacy and maximum views!

This conceptual glamping pod is called Lara! The minimal circular cabin is a luxurious treat we deserve! One of Lara’s most exclusive features is a round patio complete with a jacuzzi and a lounging area. While the cabin is envisioned to be set amidst trees to provide privacy, the designer has added a handful of plants to brighten up the woody design of the patio. The white exterior contrasts elegantly with the lush natural location. The tiny cabin’s ground level hosts a sem-circular room with a modern fireplace – the ones where there is a slit in the stone for the flames! It also has a fully functioning bathroom, however, the provisions for a pantry or a small cooking space are missing for now.

Liyanage’s Cliff Cabin, as he calls it, suspends from the side of a mountain, hovering in midair. In his 3D conceptualization, Liyanage visualizes Cliff Cabin locked in place above four support beams that are bored into the cliffside to create a secure enough foundation for Cliff Cabin to rest atop. In addition to its bottom support, four high-tensile cables are attached to the cabin’s roof and balance the cabin by drawing it back away from the cliff’s edge, evenly distributing the weight of the cabin. Globular spheres lock the cables in place and add an elegant and tidy touch to the cabin as a whole. Cliff Cabin takes on a primarily triangular shape, with right triangle glass facades sharpening the cabin’s sides and protruding out to their center of convergence.

Nestled within the mountainous terrain of Stowe, Vermont, a town known for its ski slopes and trails, is the Vermont Cabin. Built by Olson Kundig, the Vermont Cabin is a compact little home for a family that has owned property in this snowy region for generations. Occupying a humble space of 750-square-foot, Kundig designed the Vermont Cabin, keeping in mind that “The client brief called for a small, straightforward family cabin in the tradition of the Vermont cabins they grew up with.” Surrounded by white pines and maples, the intimate home has been divided into three levels. The lowest level is settled comfortably within the site, and contains a garage that also doubles up as a fun game room! A single bedroom and a powder room are also included in this level. The middle story consists of the main entry, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom.

Working from home has turned us all into desk connoisseurs if you will. We have a newfound appreciation for furniture design and this all-black wooden piece is the one we’ve been swooning over. The Ark desk was designed for a client who wanted to increase the functionalities of his traditional table/desk – a need we have all realized during this pandemic. Ark is minimal in its design yet maximizes its surface area.

The interesting thing about Ark’s design is that it can switch identities between the writing desk and the dressing table. The mirror is an optional feature for the desk, you can move its position based on what you are using it for. One of its sides is a downwards flanging cabinet included to increase storage. It provides a space for keeping cosmetics during dressing, books, or work-related files which ensures that the desktop space is clutter-free. The cabinet also keeps the items stored hidden from the front view which makes the overall visual of Ark a very clean and pleasing one!

Ark interprets the beautiful combination of function and form with a simple and neat modern shape. The all-black aesthetic is evergreen and works for all kinds of interior spaces. We love a good wood design!

Designer: Pengcheng Wang

Design studio Forest and Whale has created Reuse, a container for takeaways made from packaging that can be eaten or composted once the food is finished.

The Singapore-based studio, founded by Gustavo Maggio and Wendy Chua, created the vessel in an attempt to help cut down on the usage of single-use plastic.

The studio’s Reuse container is made from wheat husks.

“The wheat husk is ground into smaller pellets and then, with the addition of a small amount of natural binder and water, pressed within two metal moulds at high temperature,” Maggio told Dezeen.

“This gives shape to the final container, which is then ready to use.”

The resulting container can be used to hold any food but is most suitable for salad, as it can’t withstand moisture for too long.

“It can hold a salad with dressing for a couple of hours, but it will slowly start softening and losing rigidity,” Maggio said. “The ideal use is for takeaways, where you eat within two to three hours.”

The Reuse container is meant to be used only once and can be eaten after it’s been emptied, though Maggio says it’s not the tastiest.

“The closest reference I can think of in terms of taste is bran sticks, but it is not particularly tasty to be honest,” he said.

The bowl was designed with four small precut lines that enable the user to tear off pieces of the container to use as a tool to eat with.

“The design of this salad bowl came from observing and analysing eating rituals and trying to find the ideal use for this material,” Maggio said.

“In many cultures, salads are accompanied by a slice of bread or breadstick that acts as a tool to help eating and also gives a contrasting texture to the salad ingredient.”

If the user doesn’t choose to eat the container, it can be placed in a regular composting bin where it will decompose in about 30 days.

The lid for the container is made from polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a bacteria-based composite with properties similar to plastic.

This is not edible, but it can also be composted in regular compost bins, where it will decompose in less than six weeks. It will fully biodegrade in nature and if it were to go into the ocean, it would decompose within three months without leaving microplastic behind, the studio said.

Forest and Whale is currently prototyping the Reuse container and hopes to bring it to the market this year.

Images courtesy of Forest and Whale.

The post Forest and Whale designs edible Reuse food containers made from wheat husks appeared first on Dezeen.