Wooden boxes on wheels fold open to reveal beds inside this minimal apartment in Bolzano, Italy, by Harry Thaler Studio (+ slideshow).
Italian designer Harry Thaler designed the residence, named Atelierhouse, for contemporary art museum Museion as a temporary home for visiting artists and curators.
One box contains a single bed, which can be folded up against the wall to create more space.
A larger box contains a double bed that can be opened or closed for privacy if more than one person is staying in the studio apartment at a time.
Lights hang down inside it, so guests can close the hinged sections for reading, study or relaxation. There’s also a wardrobe installed at the rear.
Thaler said how he wanted to make the beds feel like “little houses in the actual house”. He explained: “”The facade of the studio house is made from very cold materials: aluminium and glass. The interior needed warmth.”
The rest of the furniture in the apartment is all made from MDF and includes armchairs, tables, benches and a study desk.
Most pieces have wheels, so the space can be rearranged if needed.
A pair of shelving units made from stacked boxes and a lamp with a slender stem complete the space.
The new Melbourne home of the Australian Institute of Architects is a 22-storey tower by architecture firm Lyons with a sculptural facade that breaks down into staircases and balconies (+ slideshow).
Named 41X, the tower sits at a crossroads between Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane. Its facade is covered with angular concrete fins, as a reference to the “chiselled masonry aesthetic” of Melbourne’s public buildings, but they appear to be cut away to make room for elevated public spaces highlighted with bright green accents.
“The design explores the idea of joining together a public and commercial building, by connecting the city street space with Institute occupied levels,” said Lyons director Adrian Stanic. “A major stair, visible from Flinders Lane, facilitates this and makes public engagement a focal point of the building.”
The AIA was the client for the project and occupies five floors of the building, leaving the rest of the floors free for up to 15 commercial tenants.
“This project enables owners or occupiers to create their own identity on whole floors within the building, creating a distinctively vertical business community on this city corner,” added Stanic.
Australian firm Hassell designed the interiors of the AIA’s five floors. These include a first-floor “design haven” containing an architecture and design bookshop named Architext, a cafe serving as a public meeting space and a seminar room.
A terrace is located on the roof, while bicycle storage and changing facilities are contained in the basement.
Here’s the full announcement from the Australian Institute of Architects:
New heights and a new home for architecture as Governor-General opens strata tower in Melbourne
Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce AC CVO, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, has officially opened Victoria’s new home of architecture at 41 Exhibition Street.
Developed by the Australian Institute of Architects, 41X is a 22-storey Five Star Green Star strata-titled commercial tower that accommodates the Institute’s Melbourne offices, including the Victorian Chapter, over five levels. 41X is the first strata commercial office building in Melbourne to target carbon neutrality over its 30 year operating lifespan – accounting for embodied energy, base building operational energy, transport and waste.
“41X successfully shows how private and not-for-profit organisations can have a positive impact on the development of our cities by creating world class, cutting-edge, environmentally responsible commercial buildings,” Her Excellency said.
‘This elegant addition to Melbourne’s CBD makes a bold statement about the value of design. With this building, the Institute is strongly reinforcing the value of architects and architecture to the sustainable growth of our community – tangibly fulfilling its mission of ‘making the world a better place through architecture’.”
Conceived as a hub for architecture, for Institute members and the public alike, 41X is the place for design enthusiasts to meet, with a design haven on level 1, complete with a comprehensive architecture and design bookshop (Architext) and a café run by Axil Coffee Roasters. In addition, the Institute is currently developing a program of public events focusing on architecture and design.
41X is situated on a small footprint block at the corner of Exhibition Street and Flinders Lane and is also home to 15 other purchasers and tenants keen to be part of this exemplar building.
The project’s inception dates back to 2006, when a detailed feasibility study for the site, encompassing a range of potential options for its future including renovation through to relocation, was commissioned.
After extensive consultation, the Institute’s National Council decided that the site would be redeveloped into a small office tower that would set new standards in quality Australian commercial architecture.
In 2008, the Institute held a two-stage design competition. The commission was awarded to Lyons Architects with a concept that explored ideas about the hybrid public/commercial building, the engagement of the Institute with the public and targeting a carbon-neutral outcome.
In 2012, following a rigorous selection process, Hassell was selected as architect for the fit-out of the five Institute-occupied levels.
Paul Berkemeier, National President of the Institute said “We are immensely proud of our new Melbourne home. It is an exemplary, small footprint, commercial building that shows how good design, sustainability and the work of architects can deliver outstanding results.”
A metal-clad roof designed to reference local barns follows the stepped profile of this house in the American state of Arkansas by deMx architecture (+ slideshow).
Round Mountain House was designed by local office deMx architecture for a plot near the crown of a hill in the Ozark Mountains region of Arkansas, where it overlooks the surrounding rural landscape.
“Referencing local precedents, the Round Mountain House combines modernist ideals with vernacular strategies and a linear plan to integrate seamlessly into the Ozark landscape,” said the architects.
The galvanised steel roof structure wraps around the rear facade and rises over a second storey section at one end, before dropping back down to ground with two supporting columns.
Concrete foundation walls support a steel framework which is covered with structural insulated panels that form the walls and ceilings.
The property is separated into two sections, with the main part housing the living area, guest bedrooms, garage, and an outdoor breezeway.
The breezeway area comprises a sheltered outdoor space containing furniture for casual dining and a fireplace.
Bedrooms, bathrooms, closets and laundry rooms are contained in an adjoining structure tacked onto the rear of the house.
The roof structure rises at the western end of the building to accommodate the guest loft and creates a sheltered space below, which is occupied by a large balcony.
The overhanging loft space limits the amount of harsh western sunlight that enters the main living areas, which feature low windows on the north and high windows on the eastern walls.
Exposed I-beams in the living space are echoed by cantilevered joists, from which mosaic pendants above the kitchen island and a chandelier over the dining table are suspended.
Referencing local precedents, the Round Mountain House combines modernist ideals with vernacular strategies and a linear plan to integrate seamlessly into the Ozark landscape.
The form of the house is treated as two pieces. The “main frame” consists of primarily public spaces: the carport, outdoor breezeway, the guest loft, and main living area; the “lean-to” or “saddle bag” contains primarily private spaces: the bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and laundry.
The main frame is constructed of a steel frame on concrete foundation walls. To create the finished form, energy-efficient SIPS (Structurally Insulated Panel System) wrap around the steel frame and roof of both the main frame and the lean-to. In addition to the SIPS, the house uses other active and passive sustainable technologies. The main spaces contain low windows on the north and high windows on the east. These operable windows allow for passive cooling through cross ventilation.
The second floor loft space creates a covered balcony on the main floor. The balcony is located on the west side of the house and its overhang shelters the living space windows from the harsh western light.
Sports brand Adidas has created the world’s first football boot to have an upper knitted entirely from yarn (+ slideshow).
Adidas‘ limited-edition Samba Primeknit boot is said to offer the same levels of strength and stability as conventional boots, while using fewer materials and weighing less.
Using yarn means that the shoe doesn’t produce any waste material, making the Primeknit the company’s most sustainable football boot according to a press statement.
Football boots are traditionally made by stitching and laminating pieces together. However in this case, a single piece of yarn is knitted and attached to the sole of the shoe. By using just one textile layer, the upper material is reduced to a minimum – meaning the boot weighs just 165 grams.
“By producing the world’s first knitted football boot we have provided a brand new solution to the search for higher levels of comfort and flexibility,” said Markus Baumann, senior vice-president for global football at Adidas.
Developed over the course of two years, each piece of yarn is coated in a water-resistant polymer to ensure the boot doesn’t become waterlogged when wet.
Designers also created specific zones on the fabric to increase flexibility or stability depending on which part of the boot the yarn is located.
Although the technology has already been used in Adidas’ range of running shoes, plus Nike’s Flyknit footwear launched two years ago, the increased demands on the upper that playing football brings meant that further development of the material was required before it could be used for the sport.
“Primeknit is a technology that is right at the heart of Adidas innovation and we’re excited about introducing this development into football,” Baumann continued.
The colour – a mix of blue, orange, pink and lime green – is a reflection of the colour schemes currently used in Adidas’ Samba range, released ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup taking place in Brazil this summer.
The boot will be available from 17 March, with only 150 pairs due to go on sale.
This collapsible table by Berlin-based designer Jakob Timpe is made from nine pieces of wood that simply slot together with no screws, glue or tools (+ slideshow).
Frustrated by having to handle a large drawing table every time the designer moved, Timpe created an easy-to-assemble trestle-style frame that can be taken apart in seconds and flat-packed for easy storage.
The underframe of the STAND table consists of four horizontal bars that pierce right through slots in the tops of the four legs. The structure is jammed together when pressure is applied by the weight of a tabletop.
“The appearance can be determined by sliding the legs along the frame,” said the designer. “The table permits the legs to protrude from under the top or to disappear beneath it.”
The basic STAND comes without a surface, but the designer has produced a white table top made of particle board and coated with melamin resin available.
The kit weighs just 7.5 kilograms and can support a table top between 170 by 80 centimetres and 240 by 100 centimetres.
To transport the pieces, the STAND comes with a sewn cotton case inspired by brush bags used for the storage of art supplies.
“It works as a wooden dining table, as constructional working table or as a conference table which can be set up and taken down in seconds,” explained Timpe.
The trestle is made in Berlin from solid ash sourced from local forests. Each piece has not been surface treated to emphasise the natural variation in grain and colour in the wood.
“Over time, the wood will take on a natural patina,” said Timpe. However, there is also a white stain finish option available.
The table is available through the young Berlin-based design brand vondingen.
Brazilian architect Paulo Kobylka has designed sofas with cantilevered cushions that look like long concrete slabs stacked on top of one another (+ slideshow).
Paulo Kobylka created two sofa, PK1 and PK2, which have offset cushions and bases respectively that slot together to form an L-shaped design.
Both designs are upholstered in grey canvas and are separated it into three main sections: a horizontal base and seat, plus a low vertical back.
The two sofas are arranged so the cushion of the PK2 model fits over the corner of the PK1 so they form a continuous seat.
“The two parts can be used together when jointed at their ends, coming up with an L-shaped single unit,” Kobylka explained. “The sofas received a grey canvas finishing that refers to structural parts of exposed concrete of buildings.”
PK1 sofa
“The mismatches between the pieces generate small spaces to house furnishings,” he added.
PK2 sofa
The sofa cushions are rigid enough to support a person’s weight when they sit on the overhanging sections.
Photography is by Renan Klippel.
Here’s a short description from Paulo Kobylka:
PK1 and PK2 sofa
The PK1 and PK2 sofas were designed by Brazilian architect Paulo Kobylka.
The inspiration comes from structural elements in concrete, found in architecture of buildings. The sofas are designed with simple lines, purely structural: the structure is exactly what shapes it.
Diagram showing the two sofas fitted together
As well as a suspended slab of a building, the PK1 sofa has part of its seat cantilevered. The sofas are basically assembled by three main volumes: base, seat and back. The “mismatches” between the pieces generate small spaces to house furnishings.
The two parts can be used together when jointed at their ends, coming up with an “L” shaped single unit. The sofas received a grey canvas finishing that refers to structural parts of exposed concrete of buildings.
This railway service facility in Zurich by local architects EM2N features a three-dimensional patterned facade made from zigzagging cement modules (+ slideshow).
EM2N was asked by Swiss national rail company SBB to develop its 13,000-square-metre maintenance facility, which is designed to accommodate trains of up to 400 metres in length so they can be cleaned and serviced without being uncoupled.
Located at a yard visible to passengers arriving into Zurich’s central station, the building is intended to offer an engaging visual presence whilst responding to strict functional requirements.
“The brief was very technical and our job was to lend a face to the big shapeless monster of a huge technical facility landed in the middle of a central European city,” the architects told Dezeen.
EM2N chose to focus most of the project’s resources and design detailing on the building’s more exposed southern facade, creating a textural pattern by using a system of modular elements made from fibre cement.
“We approached the job basically as a cladding issue,” the architects explained. “Our cladding responds to the incredible size of the facility by operating with huge elements that add up to create even bigger forms which correspond to the size of the entire building.”
At the base of the building, the curvature and cantilever of the modules is limited to maintain a route for fire engines.
From a height of four metres above the ground the bulging surfaces become more pronounced, increasing the effect of the pillowed pattern.
Enormous doors at either end of the facility are framed by the concrete structure, with the undulating edges of the facade exposed as if the building has been sliced through to reveal its section.
Inside the service hall, the architects job was limited by the client’s detailed specification which determined the dimensions, layout and materials required to meet practical requirements including safety regulations, access and other logistical issues.
Extension of the Railway Service Facility Zürich-Herdern, Switzerland
The new maintenance facility being built at Zurich-Herdern will allow SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) to handle future trains of up to 400 metres in length with ease. SBB will be able to clean and repair entire intercity train compositions without disassembling them, since the entire train can enter the facility.
Through its central position next to the rapidly developing new neighbourhood of Zurich-West and by virtue of its sheer size, the new building acquires great urbanistic significance. It shapes the edge of the city towards the great emptiness of the railway tracks and greets visitors entering the city by train, signalling that they have arrived close to the city centre.
At the start of the competition many design decisions had already been taken by SBB or were predefined by the site next to an existing service facility and its limitations: Size, placement on the site, the functional layout, structural grid and so on were all given. The competition task was to find an economically feasible and at the same time architecturally satisfying solution to a huge technical infrastructure landed in the middle of a city. The competition team was headed by engineers, and the architect’s job was limited to “giving the monster a face”, i.e. to come up with a facade that would be more than just a technical cladding.
We decided to concentrate on the southern façade and concentrate design effort and money there. The repetitiveness of the inner structure led us to work with modular elements. Due to the sheer size of the building and the danger of it looking like a featureless stretched box, we arrived at the idea of a three dimensional modulation of the façade. The curvature of the fibre cement elements frees the endless façade from its flat monotony and renders a play of light and shadow.
The modulation extends across several elements to form a pattern that fits the enormous size of the building. The curvature and cantilever of the rounded elements is limited at ground level due to restrictions given by the fire truck lane. At 4 m above ground, both curvature and cantilever increases to produce an increased three dimensional cushion effect.
Both ends of the service hall with their huge entrance doors are treated as cuts, where the spatial façade is cut flat. The less northern façade is clad with regular undulating fibre concrete cladding elements.
Huge sliding doors at the front and rear of this weekend house in rural Hiroshima allow residents to open out their timber-lined living spaces to the scenic mountain landscape (+ slideshow).
Designed by Japanese studios DYGSA and Koura Architects, Hinanai Village House was constructed from wood and positioned at the peak of its hilly site to take advantage of the panoramic scenery.
A concrete driveway leads up to the house from the adjacent road, arriving at an door within a timber panel. Not only does the door hinge open to create a simple entrance, but the entire panel slides across to reveal that the concrete surface extends right through the building.
“When you open the front door you get the feeling as if the inside space is the continuation of the outside one, and that makes it possible to bring the outdoor activities inside,” explained DYGSA principal Dominik Yoshiya Setoguchi.
The single-storey house has a square-shaped plan and is separated into two sections by a split level. The concrete floor runs along one side to create an entrance lobby and a living room, while a wooden platform creates a step up for kitchen and dining areas.
Floor-to-ceiling windows along the rear elevation open all of these spaces out to the landscape. “The glass doors’ frame acts as a picture frame with the natural landscape in it,” added the architect.
A partition wall runs diagonally through the building, screening bedroom and bathroom spaces along one wall, but also helping to widen views through the rear windows.
Views of the countryside can also be enjoyed from the bath, which has been placed in a corner room with two glass walls.
Timber walls and ceilings are left exposed throughout the interior, while the four outer walls are each treated different differently, displaying a mixture of black, white and exposed timber surfaces.
This is a house in Hiroshima, Japan. The house is ideally suited for the client’s family of four – parents and two kids – with the purpose of spending weekends in the natural environment. It is situated on the top of a hill with the spectacular view over the surrounding area.
The one-storey house is in the shape of a square with sides that are 9.5m long. It stands on the front edge of the lot of about 2000 square metres, so the facade of the house shuts out the sight of the garden from the side of the road.
The main partition wall meets the ends at angles 80 and 100 degrees, which widens the view from the inside into the outside and raises awareness about the natural surroundings.
The path made of concrete and leading to the front wooden sliding door stretches to the inside space and reaches the glass sliding doors on the opposite side of the house. So when you open the front door, you get the feeling as if the inside space is the continuation of the outside one, and that makes it possible to bring the outdoor activities inside.
The line of the inside concrete path focuses on the old red pine tree in the garden. Thus, the glass doors’ frame acts as a picture frame with the natural landscape in it. Moreover, on opening the inside sliding doors separating the wooden floor space and the concrete floor space, you get one spacious room.
In this way the ordinary and extraordinary activities blend in one splendid hybrid space.
Location: Hiroshima, Japan Principal use: house Structure: wood Number of storeys: 1 above ground Site area: 2001.45 sqm Building area: 91.30 sqm Total floor area: 91.30 sqm Collaboration: Koura Architects Contractor: Fuji Construction
Danish designer Simon Legald has created a set of stacking melamine trays with softly rounded edges for design brand Normann Copenhagen (+ slideshow).
Simon Legald designed the Nabo Trays in small, medium and large variations, with raised edges and handles on each end.
“Nabo” is the Danish word for neighbour, and Legald designed the set around this idea.
“It’s a bit like neighbours in a residential neighbourhood where the houses have the same basic shape, but windows, doors, gardens and décor are different,” Legald explained, referring to how the trays fit together.
“I thought it was interesting how you could vary the few elements of an archetypal tray to retain similarity while the expression changes,” he added.
The largest tray is long and flat with low edges, and features openings at one end to allow liquids to run off if necessary.
The medium tray is smaller and deeper with more storage space, while the smallest tray is deeper still and designed to hold larger items like glasses and bowls.
The matte-finish trays come in three colour sets: dusty green, rich red and classic grey.
Here’s some information from the designer:
Normann Copenhagen presents the Nabo Trays
The Danish designer Simon Legald has created a series of trays with a softly rounded silhouette and subtle details for Normann Copenhagen. Their design is clean and minimalistic with a friendly and naive expression. Nabo comes as a set of three trays of different sizes and colours.
The carefully considered details give each Nabo Tray an individual character, and the variations among them make the series both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. The large tray has openings at one end, letting the water run off easily when you rinse it. The medium tray is ideal for storing oils and spices, for example, while the high edges of the smallest make it an ideal serving tray for glasses and bottles.
Simon Legald says: “I got the idea for Nabo one day when I was sitting down, drawing different shapes. I like the fusion of round and square, and so I began to think about what type of product that form would be suitable for. This led me quickly to the idea of a tray. I thought it was interesting how you could vary the few elements of an archetypal tray to retain similarity while the expression changes – a bit like neighbours in a residential neighbourhood where the houses have the same basic shape, but windows, doors, gardens and décor are different.”
Nabo is made in melamine and available in three different colour combinations – a dusty green, a rich red and classic grey version. The trays are dishwasher-safe, making them practical for everyday use.
Colours: Grey, Red & Green Material: Melamine Dimensions: H: 6,8 cm x L: 43,4 cm x 23,4 cm
The lower storey of this house in Ontario by Toronto studio Williamson Chong Architects is wrapped by a concrete wall that burrows into a hillside, while the upper floor is an overhanging box clad with red-stained timber (+ slideshow).
Named House in Frogs Hollow, the residence is located on a 40-hectare rural estate on the edge of Georgian Bay, and was designed by Williamson Chong Architects for a pair of avid cyclists.
Rather than positioning the house at a vantage point atop a hill, the architects chose a site at the base of the slope, allowing them to submerge part of the ground floor into the landscape of clay earth, grasses and hawthorns.
This places the building within a network of pathways and bike trails, some of which were created by the clients, but also including routes used by native horses, or those taken by local residents on snowmobiles.
“The house is not the final destination, but a stopping place within [the clients’] network of activity,” said the architects.
One long concrete wall carves out a space for the house’s ground floor, lining the edge of an L-shaped plan that wraps and protects a terrace on the eastern side of the building.
Wooden shiplap boards are arranged vertically across the walls of the boxy upper floor and have been stained with a linseed oil-based pigment to give them a dark red tone.
“Designed as an undulating rhythm of varying widths, thin boards are CNC milled to a shallow depth while wider boards are milled with deep striations, casting long shadows that track the sun as it moves around the house,” explained the architects.
Inside the house, a staircase is screened behind an undulating timber wall, leading up from a family living room and kitchen to three bedrooms on the top floor. The living room is also located upstairs and features three glazed walls.
During the cold winter months the house is warmed throughout by underfloor heating and makes the most of solar gain with a series of large south-facing windows. A passive ventilation system helps to keep the house cool in summer without the need for air conditioning.
Photography is by Bob Gundu.
Here’s some information from Williamson Chong Architects:
House in Frogs Hollow
The House in Frogs Hollow, a 2000sf country retreat, is located on a long slope of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Georgian Bay. The property is a collection of eroded clay hills and protected watershed zones blanketed with a dense field of hawthorn and native grasses. It is not picturesque, but tough and impenetrable.
The clients, who gather at the property throughout the year, are avid cyclists who spent months on the 100 acre property prior to construction cutting in discreet mountain biking trails and learning the paths of the horses and snowmobiles as they emerge from the community over the seasons. Because of their connection to the landscape, a primary site strategy was to resist the inclination to build on top of the hills where one could survey the property in its entirety and instead carve out a building area at the base of the hillside. The house is not the final destination, but a stopping place within their network of activity.
Carved into the landscape, the muscular tectonic of the long concrete wall figuratively clears the site for building while bridging the natural and tempered environments. The concrete has a toughness that mirrors the landscape, providing protection from the prevailing winter winds. During the summer months the wall provides patio shade, creating pools of cooler air that are passively drawn through the house.
Entry is at the west end of the concrete wall and into a service bar containing the stair, kitchen, office, bike workshop, storage room, and mechanical room. This functional zone serves as a backdrop to the glassed in living area that opens on three sides to an extended view of the rolling landscape.
The second level hovers above the concrete wall and living space. It contains the bedrooms, bathrooms, and family room in a tight wrapper of customised shiplap siding. Designed as an undulating rhythm of varying widths, thin boards are CNC milled to a shallow depth while wider boards are milled with deep striations, casting long shadows that track the sun as it moves around the house. The siding is stained with a linseed oil based iron oxide pigment that requires reapplication only once every 15 years.
The first and second floors are connected by a figured stair enclosure. This digitally fabricated element is designed to filter light from the clerestory volume above. At the ground floor it carves into the area below its upper run to gather more space at the entry and allow for a seating area.
The house’s connection to the land is reinforced not only in its architectural form, but also in its environmental footprint. The house is heated with radiant floor loops that supplement the passive winter heat gain from south-facing windows. In addition, there is no mechanical cooling. Instead, the stair tower and operable windows facilitate passive ventilation that draws cool air through the house from shaded exterior areas. Natural materials and pigments were used throughout and a small square footage was maintained to further reduce construction costs and keep future energy consumption to a minimum.
Total Floor Area: 2000 sqft Design Team: Betsy Williamson, Partner Shane Williamson, Partner Donald Chong, Partner Kelly Doran, Maya Przybylski Structural Engineering: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Ltd. Construction Management: Wilson Project Management Inc. Millwork: Speke Klein Inc. Siding Fabrication: Tomek Bartczak, Gavin Berman, Peter Odegaard, Taryn Sheppard, Byron White Stair Fabrication: Byron White, Jeff Powers
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