Hasta La Ideas

This north London house extension by Lipton Plant Architects features a walk-on glass roof that can be accessed by climbing through a window (+ slideshow).

Local studio Lipton Plant Architects added a two-storey extension to the rear of the Victorian townhouse, transforming the kitchen into an open-plan living space and adding a small office and utility room.

The architects used blue slate bricks to build the new structure, contrasting against the original brown brickwork of the existing house.

“The extension has provided a wonderfully modern addition to a beautiful Victorian property and through the dark brick and subtle refined detail, has helped maintain much of the original character of this historic Islington building,” said Lipton Plant Architects.

“We decided to present our client with the blue brick as it was an appropriate material to use in relation to the host building and provided a contrasting natural colour match to the weathered yellow stock,” they added.

The upper and lower levels are separated into two distinct halves by a band of horizontal brickwork, usually referred to as a soldier course.

A small glazed office is positioned above the utility room and can be accessed from the house’s main staircase.

The roof terrace sits above the living room and can be accessed via a window leading out from one of two existing living rooms.

“Providing an abundance of light, the glass roof creates the connection between the upper and ground floor formal living room, and then a less formal dining and lounge space below,” said the architects.

Other London house extensions we’ve featured include an addition to a Chelsea townhouse, a narrow studio with a sloping roof, and a space where a wall of books folds around a staircase.

See more residential extensions »
See more architecture and design in London »

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Alwyne Place, Islington

Alwyne Place lies within the Canonbury Conservation Area in the heart of Islington, London. The property is a large semi detached, locally listed Victorian villa. The house is of an impressive scale located on a quiet tree-lined street.

Our clients fell in love with the building’s proportions and location. The building did however require extensive modernisation including the addition of a full width lower ground and part width upper ground floor extension.
The brief was simple, to bring light into the building and restore some of its former historic elegance.

Sitting a little wider than the average similar-sized property in Islington provided the opportunity to introduce large format, thin framed sliding doors across part of the new rear extension elevation. Located above the doors is a large walk-on glass roof with access from the upper ground floor. Providing an abundance of light, the glass roof creates the connection between the upper ground floor formal living room and the less formal dining and lounge space below.

The rear extension works for a number of reasons, the most visually obvious being the choice of material, the Staffordshire Slate Blue Smooth brick. We looked at a number of choices including render, which all too often stains and marks and timber, which would require regular maintenance and is prone to fade with time.

We decided to present our client with the blue brick as it was an appropriate material to use in relation to the host building and providing a contrasting natural colour match to the weathered yellow stock. The slate blue brick was chosen for its colour, crisp straight edges and smooth elevation, creating a strikingly beautiful addition to the property.

The elevation has been broken into distinct halves, the lower and the upper ground separated by a deep soldier course band. The upper floor office comprises a wrap of frameless glass to the wall and roof flanked by two monolithic brick walls framing the view to the landscaped garden beyond.

To the side, overlooking the roof terrace, sits a long thin window providing natural ventilation to the office. The continuous soldier course above the doors is formed from brick slips fixed to a GRP board fixed back to the structural steel. The underside of the lintel has been clad in the same brick concealing the lintel and reinforcing the overall affect. The brickwork has been sealed with linseed oil to provide further protection and lustre.

The extension has provided a wonderfully modern addition to a beautiful Victorian property and through the dark brick and subtle refined detail has helped retain much of the original character of this historic Islington building.

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Lipton Plant Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

This seaside studio apartment in Barcelona by Spanish studio Colombo and Serboli Architecture has an all-white interior that includes a tiled kitchen and bathroom that can be hidden away (+ slideshow).

Colombo and Serboli Architecture designed the apartment for an art historian and curator who asked for a plain space where he could display his art, music and books.

“The client envisioned a peaceful, open and essential space, furnished with a few carefully selected objects,” said the studio. “In sum, [it is] a peaceful place for introspection, flooded with light.”

The space contains a combined living room and bedroom, with a small kitchenette and bathroom on one side that can be hidden away behind a sliding door and folding panel.

Lighting fixtures are tucked out of sight in the kitchen shelves and around the bathroom, while a light suspended above the window frame illuminates the outdoor space.

The tiled walls are set against dark grey grouting, while other details include white furniture and a resin floor.

A glazed wall comprising a door and several windows leads out onto a shaded outdoor terrace.

Other apartments we’ve featured include a Sao Paulo renovation with cupboards and drawers resembling slices of Swiss cheese, a Ukrainian apartment with a combined bookshelf and stairs and a Barcelona apartment converted from an old laundry space.

See more apartment interiors »
See more Spanish architecture and interiors »

Here’s a project description from the architects:

The White Retreat, Stiges, Spain

The renovation of this 36 square metre apartment came with a defined brief. The client, a French Art historian and curator, professor at the Sorbonne University, came to us with very clear ideas for his small property.

The apartment, located in the city centre of the coast town of Sitges (a few steps from the beach) is completely introverted, facing only an interior courtyard. The lack of views is compensated by silence and light.

The client envisioned a peaceful, open and essential space, furnished with a few carefully selected objects; contemporary artworks, some books, and his records. In sum, a peaceful place for introspection, flooded with light.

An extremely reduced budget asked for simple, inexpensive solutions. The space is conceived through three different blocks: the bathroom/kitchen block, the living/bedroom one and the third, external, the terrace. The last two are extremely permeable, only divided by a large window and a long, oversized louvers one on the bedroom side, both existing elements that were preserved.

The big opening connects a small terrace (11 square meters), unified with the interiors through the use of the continuous white resin flooring and a blank parasol that provides privacy while diffusing the daylight. Indoor and outdoor are therefore connected as a continuous living space.

The Quaderna table (Superstudio 1970), a piece our client desired to incorporate since the project started, inspired the tiles that clad bathroom/kitchen block. The white matte 3x3cm tiles reproduce the table’s grid and are the only texture allowed in the whole project. This block is connected with the living/bedroom area through an opening that reveals the tiles used inside the bathroom.

The same texture was also used inside the kitchen unit, creating a continuous spatial sequence through the consistency of texture, which appears once opened its horizontal book- door. The tiles also disguise the sliding door that leads to the toilet. All containers, such as in the kitchen unit and the closet in the bedroom area, are carefully hidden through the use of white doors.

We took our client’s desire of an all-white space quite literally, to the extreme of choosing this colour for the kitchen sink and all the streamlined taps of kitchen, wash hand basin and shower are matt white (Via Manzoni series by Gessi). All the lighting has been solved through the use of florescent tubes, hidden into the kitchen shelves or displayed like in the bathroom. A line of florescent light suspended on the window frame dividing living and terrace illuminates the indoor and the outdoor space, unifying them. On the outer face of the terrace balustrade, a bright, evergreen, large climber plant covers the wall, defining the threshold of the white space of the project.

The apartment is brought to life through the pieces the client chose. French artist Fabrice Hiber, of which our client is curator, is to perform a graphic piece on one of the walls of the living. A Daniel Riera photo is upon the bed head. Two prints by Cuban artist Félix González-Torres (with the writings “Somewhere Better Then This Place” e “Nowhere Better Then This Place”) are on the bathroom wall. A Hedi Slimane photo, sandwiched in plexiglass became the music table. Next to it, a Muji sofa, futon-like, rigorously white. A military camp table that collapse to form a briefcase and two interweaved raffia wooden chairs from the ’60 furnish the terrace.

The post The White Retreat by Colombo
and Serboli Architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

Here are some new renders of Beijing studio MAD‘s Harbin Cultural Centre, which is well under construction (+ slideshow).

MAD designed the undulating arts and culture venue for the city of Harbin, in China’s far north-east corner.

Situated on an island surrounded by wetlands of the Songhua River, the meandering site plan echoes the form of the river cutting through the land.

To disguise the centre in the often snowy landscape, the buildings will be predominantly clad in white aluminium and also use white stone and concrete.

The complex is split into two parts, separated by a man-made lake but connected by a long straight bridge.

On one side is the Harbin Grand Theatre, which will contain two different-sized theatres to host performances from large-scale operas to small independent shows.

A ribbon-like structure rises up from the ground to wrap around the back of both theatres, pinching in at the front of each.

This element will continue outward from the larger volume to create landscaping around a plaza.

Glass panels will form the roofs over the foyers, filling the gaps between the ribbon shape.

Inside, the larger theatre will be lined with wood panels to aid acoustics and add warmth to the otherwise white spaces.

The Harbin Labour Recreation Centre will sit on other side of the lake, containing facilities for conferences, cultural education and exhibitions, plus a hotel and catering space.

The project is due to complete next year, in time for Harbin’s summer concert in July.

MAD has also completed a wood sculpture museum shaped like an icicle in Harbin.

Last week the studio’s director Ma Yangsong revealed plans for a mixed-use complex in Beijing featuring skyscrapers, office blocks and public spaces modelled on mountains, hills and lakes.

See more projects by MAD »
See more architecture and design in China »

Read on for more information from MAD:

Harbin Cultural Island is located in the natural landscape of the riverside wetland north of Songhua River. The entire project covers an area of ​​1.8 square kilometres, with a construction area of ​​79,000 square meters. It is part of the development north of Sun Island, which is an important natural habitat in the north. In February 2010, MAD won the competition to design the cultural center on the island. The entire building is expected to be completed in 2014 when the Harbin July summer concert will be held.

Influenced by both Chinese and Russian culture, Harbin is reputed as the music capital of the north. Different from other theatre buildings that are normally located in the urban centre, Harbin Grand Theatre will not act as an isolated landmark for the city, but the natural continuation of the human spirit. Apart from regional protection and utilisation of the wetland ecosystem, Harbin Theatre, Harbin Labour Recreation Centre, Harbin Great Square and the Wetland Park together compose the Harbin Cultural Island, to join culture, art and nature in an integrated environment.

Surrounded by rivers, the Cultural Island embraces the wide riverbank as its background appearing as a glacier stretching and connecting to each other into a cohesive whole. The main entrance mimics a jade belt bridge spanning the wetlands and connecting the city and the cultural centre together. The movement of the terrain strategically directs the flow of people from different directions to the entrance of Harbin Theatre and Harbin Labor Recreation Centre.

The external ramp of the Grand Theatre, resembling a mountain path formed by gusting winds, guides people from the interior to the exterior. Walking along the landscape passage, visitors are able to appreciate the surrounding cultural and natural landscape. Atop the highest point of these buildings, visitors are able to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding scenery as if they are on top of a mountain.

The grand theatre takes the natural beauty of the north as its premise. In an attempt to reduce such a large volume, the architectural form is a continuation of the natural environment as it becomes part of the landscape. The entire building acts as an undulating snow covered mountain, following a natural rhythm.

The cladding of the building is custom-made pure white aluminium. White stone and concrete are also used as part of the wall, introducing a pure feeling as ice and snow. The skylight above of the auditorium utilises natural daylight. During the day, the need for interior lighting can be completely satisfied with energy-saving and special lighting effects. The Grand Theatre is made up of two different sized theatres. The larger theatre can accommodate up to 1,600 guests and it is formed with lower level stalls and a two-floor gallery. The interior space uses a large amount of wood to provide the best possible acoustical effects for the Performance Hall of the Grand Theatre. Also, the wood and the white wall form a balanced contrast between warm and cold colours, resembling the unique warm atmosphere of mountain huts.

The stage design for the theatre is not only suitable for western opera and modern drama performances, but also meets the requirement of traditional Chinese theatre plays. The acoustics and lighting design provide a high level of performance for the various venues in the theatre. Covered by curved acrylic lamps, the second floor VIP lounge appears as a glowing clear crystal floating in the theatre. The standardised stage is equipped with a versatile orchestral pit, designed to meet large-scale performances of Opera, Ballet and other various needs.

The 400 seat small theatre that connects with the larger theatre serves as the venue for small drama performances, chamber music, and operas. The design of the backstage curtain allows the stage to expand like a wide screen with natural landscape in the background integrating the indoor and outdoor view. The outdoor water section can also be used as an outdoor auditorium, therefore when the curtain opens, it becomes a panoramic arena with unobstructed views. This ingenious design creates a great space and a delicate dramatic effect for the Grand Theatre to adapt to the innovation and changes of the modern theatre art.

The art centre demonstrates the rich scale of the city, the nature and the people. It encourages the publicity and mass participation of Harbin’s art and culture activities. People can get a different sensory experience from different distances. The huge man-made lake between the Grand Theatre and the Culture and Art Centre contrasts the building with a long landscape bridge wedged in-between to form a Buddhist concept of “Void”.

Along the landscape bridge, visitors can reach the Labour Recreation Centre west of the Great Square. With a construction area of 41,000 square meters, this building is a comprehensive building complementing the Grand Theatre. Its functions include staff training, conferences, cultural education, exhibitions, hotel and catering space. These facilities will provide a diversified space for visitors, spectators and the staff. The boundary of the Cultural Centre interconnects with the river bank and wetland, blurring the boundaries of the natural and the artificial. Open spaces like ramps, bridges, sky terrace and squares bridge the distance between man and nature.

From the design’s initial startup in 2010 to August 2013, the overall structure of the Cultural Centre was completed and the entire project began to take shape. In the coming year, the building façade, the interior design and landscape design will be finished. This new cultural island in Harbin is emerging to facilitate the blend of humanity, art and nature in the north and it will become the centre of this city’s spirit.

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by MAD appeared first on Dezeen.

This small house in rural Japan by Tokyo firm Case Design Studio is lifted off the ground on a single central pillar (+ slideshow).

Case Design Studio designed the single-storey home for a couple and located it on a sloping site in Yamanashi Prefecture, close to Mount Fuji.

A winding pathway leads from the road towards an elevated entrance, which comprises an external staircase that ascends to a balcony.

The house centres around a double-height dining room, which is lit from above by a series of clerestory windows.

Other rooms are arranged around the outside of the dining room and include a bedroom, kitchen, bathrooms and a traditional Japanese room filled with tatami mats.

According to the studio, the rooms were designed to lead into one another in a “migratory flow pattern”, meaning there are “no dead ends”.

The Japanese room is raised on a wooden platform and features a large window, offering a view out towards the trees.

Flooring elsewhere is concrete and features under-floor heating.

Interior walls are painted white, contrasting with the dark timber that lines the inside of the dining room.

Other Japanese houses completed recently include one with cantilevered storey, one shaped like a fairytale tower and one with angular cutaways. See more houses in Japan »

Location: Yamanashi Prefecture, Minamitsuru Narusawa village
Character: Fuji
Primary use: Housing (residence)
Residents: Couple

Land size: 395 sqm
Construction area: 75 sqm
Total floor area: 67 sqm (20T)
First floor scale: ground

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Case Design Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

A car service pavilion with a canopy shaped like a giant Pringle potato crisp has been completed in northern Germany by GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architeken (+ slideshow).

Berlin-based GRAFT Gesellschaft collaborated with WES & Partner Landschaftsarchitekten to design the structure for Autostadt, a visitor attraction at the Volkswagen factory in the city of Wolfsburg.

The structure is part of a 15,000-square-metre driving space allowing guests to test features in new cars including driver assistance systems, automatic parking, traffic sign recognition and automatic distance control for safer driving in traffic.

Anchored to the adjacent service centre and a small hill opposite by just two points, the suspended roof forms a shelter for cars to drive through and park, protecting them from sunlight and rain.

Built from a foundation of reinforced concrete, the roof features a double-curved frame of welded steel plates and a frame of steel wire ropes that criss-cross underneath.

The steel cords are integral to the structure, keeping the curved frame in shape and supporting the translucent exterior membrane.

“The space had to be protected from rain and direct sunlight, while allowing enough daylight to avoid the usage of energetically expensive and unnecessary artificial light,” they said.

In the adjacent service pavilion, customers can ask questions about the cars, purchase accessories and find out about other visitor attractions at the site, which include a pavilion with a curled-over steel roof showcasing cars from Porsche and a permanent sustainability exhibition by J Mayer H.

Other Pringle-shaped designs we’ve featured include the 2012 Olympic Velodrome and a glimmering structure covered with reflective pixels and brass pieces at this year’s Clerkenwell Design Week.

See more transport stories »

See more German architecture and design »

Photographs are by Tobias Hein.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Autostadt Roof and Service Pavilion, Wolfgang, Germany

Driver assistance systems, including automatic parking, traffic sign recognition and automatic distance control, are becoming more common in today’s cars. The new ‘Ausfahrt’ at the Autostadt in Wolfsburg offers guests an opportunity to try out these technical systems in models manufactured by Volkswagen. This helps to ensure safer driving in road traffic. Covering 15,000 square meters, the new driving attraction was built in ten months’ time and opened in August 2013.

GRAFT was commissioned to create a quiet area where the buyer of a new car could get familiar with all the functions in an almost private atmosphere. The space had to be protected from rain and direct sunlight, while allowing enough daylight to avoid the usage of energetically expensive and unnecessary artificial light.

GRAFT developed the idea of a horizontal leaf that protects the landscape underneath with its organic form. “WES-Landschaftsarchitektur” planned the landscape surrounding the roof. In the architectural application of this image, it was necessary to produce the greatest possible lightness: A special static principle allows for the unique roof structure to be anchored in just two points.

It lays in the landscape and defines a clear and protected room. The planning of the structural framework was done by “Schlaich Bergmann und Partner”. The orientation of the roof represents a welcoming gesture through its curvature. The elegant amorphous geometry of the roof structure forms an evident bridge between top and bottom, between sky and landscape.
The associated service pavilion fulfills various functions: the customer can ask questions about his new car, purchase accessories or get information about Autostadt attractions and activities. As the roof follows the concept of a leaf, the pavilion is integrated into the architectural landscape and not designed as a separate building. Basic forms of the roof can be found in the interior architecture.

Client: Autostadt Wolfsburg
Architect: Graft Gesellschaft von Architekten
Planning of the structural framework: Schlaich Bergermann und Partner
Landscape Architect: WES – Landschaftsarchitektur
Contractor Roof Structure: Eiffel Deutschland Stahltechnologie with Taiyo Europe

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GRAFT Gesellschaft von Architekten appeared first on Dezeen.