Hasta La Ideas

This winery by Melbourne studio Folk Architects is embedded into the side of a hill in Australia‘s Yarra Valley winemaking region (+ slideshow).

Folk Architects was approached by owners of a family-run winery to design a new wine-making facility on the site of their existing “cellar door building”, where customers are invited to sample wines.

One half of the building nestles into the hillside, but it is fronted on two sides by concrete walls that protrude like blades from the sloping landscape.

Part of the northern facade is clad in polycarbonate that allows daylight to filter in during the day, but also becomes translucent when illuminated at night.

The ground floor contains a large winemaking space with storage tanks and fermenting facilities, as well as a cool room and a barrel storage area.

Upstairs, an office, meeting room and tasting space open out to a grass roof terrace that meets the hillside.

This roof is also used to collect rainwater. Each year around 500,000 litres of water will be recycled and filtered for use in wine production.

“The landscaped green roof over the subterranean barrel store provides both a raised terrace with views to the surrounding landscape as well as thermal insulation for the stored wine below, reducing the requirement for the mechanical cooling,” added the architects.

Medhurst Winery was shortlisted at the recent 2013 World Architecture Festival in Singapore, in the production energy and recycling category. The overall winner was an art gallery in New Zealand with a wooden entrance canopy.

Other wineries we’ve featured include a restaurant, guest house an wine showroom inspired by the sprawling Portuguese landscape, a winery featuring towering walls of Corten steel and another featuring huge terracotta vaults concealed beneath its vineyard.

See more wineries »
See more Australian architecture and design »

Photography is by Peter Bennetts.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

Medhurst Winery, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia

Medhurst Winery is the first completed project by Folk Architects, a small practice from Melbourne.

The brief was to create a new 250-tonne winemaking facility to complement its existing cellar door. The winery produces a number of varieties and its objective is to produce premium, quality estate-grown wines using small-batch winemaking techniques.

The building is embedded into a north facing slope, and defined by a series of horizontal elements that follow the contours of the site.

Nestled quietly into the existing hill to reduce its visual impact on the landscape, the building accentuates its natural setting by framing views to the surrounding Warramate forest.

The programmatic requirements, orientation, and restrained materials palette were thoroughly evaluated and considered in order to reduce the buildings energy use, ongoing maintenance and provide a sustainable outcome.

The landscaped green roof over the subterranean barrel store provides both a raised terrace with views to the surrounding landscape as well as thermal insulation for the stored wine below, reducing the requirement for the mechanical cooling.

Similarly, the heat reflective, polycarbonate cladding to the northern facade of the wine-making area replaces artificial lighting with filtered natural sunlight.

At night the wall becomes translucent, exposing the profile of the winemaking equipment within. The winery roof captures approximately 500,000 litres of water annually that is harvested and filtered for use in wine production.

The new winery sits adjacent to an existing cellar door, and is very much intended to enable public engagement with the wine making process. A meandering path leads patrons from wine tasting, through a series of landscaped spaces, to views of the production area and vines beyond.

The post Medhurst Winery
by Folk Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

This house in Hyogo, Japan, by local architect Shogo Aratani is made up of overlapping concrete slabs that accommodate an interior of staggered floors and ramped corridors (+ slideshow).

The three-storey house is located at the junction of two roads, one inclining gently upwards and another sloping down, and Shogo Aratani wanted to use these existing levels to generate the floors inside the building.

“We thought that a new development of another level was pointless,” he said. “It was more natural to follow the context.”

The architect designed a split-level floorplate that corresponds with the highest and lowest parts of the road, then incorporated a mediating floor between that matches the level of a neighbouring plot.

“The activities brought out from the characteristics of this site constitute this building, rather than the building determining people’s movements,” added Aratani.

A network of staircases and slopes connects the three ground-floor levels, and also lead up to a pair of bedrooms on the first floor.

Angular concrete forms emphasise the non-linear arrangement, creating sliced window openings through both the walls and rooftops.

Other concrete houses we’ve featured from Japan include one designed for a resident in a wheelchair and one designed to be deliberately alien to its neighbours.

See more Japanese houses »
See more concrete architecture and design »

Photography is by Shigeo Ogawa.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

House in Hyogo

The site is located on a corner lot of a fancy residential area on a hill, and faces toward sloped roads on the west and north sides. This residential area was developed about a half century ago. As time has passed, small-scale developments have been undertaken due to dividing and uniting lots.

Just like the other sites, due to an arbitrary assumption of the developer, this site also has a recently built high wall on the west side, as if rejecting an approach to the site. However, construction of an in-ground garage may have been assumed, and there is level land and a slope to connect the 3m height difference on the southwest side. There is also a slope from the road on the north side, and the flat ground is about 1m high. The flat ground was probably set based on the neighbouring lot.

Therefore, this lot has 3 levels due to the relationship between the roads on the west and north sides, and the neighbouring lot. We thought that a new development of another level was pointless. No matter what the situation was, the context of this location included the current situation and it was more natural to follow the context. Three floor levels, adjusted to each height, were individually made. By connecting these, the entire space was constituted.

Based on the required volume, the three areas were partly layered and connected with stairs and slopes from the entrance to the roof. Volume studies were conducted in order to create a form to materialise such activities. The activities brought out from the characteristics of this site constitute this building, rather than the building determining people’s movements. As a result, the building was constituted with three crisscrossed monolithic forms, as if they were responding to the road on the west side that slopes up from south to north.

The west-side volume in the lowest part of the site has an entrance and a guestroom, and the southeast volume in the highest part has private spaces such as a bedroom. The third volume connects them and also has a garage that is accessible from the north side, and a living space that is the centre of living.

Location: Hyogo, Japan
Date of Completion: July, 2013
Principal Use: House
Structure: Reinforced Concrete
Site Area: 359.64m2
Building Area: 166.23m2
Total Floor Area: 202.80m2 (47.61m2/BF, 119.33m2/1F, 35.86m2/2F)
Structural Engineer: S3 Associates Inc.
Construction: Atelier Eight Co., Ltd.

Exterior Finish: Exposed Concrete / Repellents
Floor: Medium Density Fiberboard t6 / Oil Paint
Wall: Plasterboard t12.5 / Emulsion Paint
Ceiling: Wooden Fibre Cement Board t15 / Heat Insulation t50

The post House in Hyogo by Shogo Aratani
Architect & Associates appeared first on Dezeen.

Building-shaped cut-outs cast the shadow of a city onto a wall in this Copenhagen installation by Polish designer Izabela Boloz (+ slideshow + movie).

Shadow City by Izabela Boloz features 52 silhouettes in the shape of buildings, ships, boats, birds and fish. Each graphic is fitted to a transparent plastic sheet and positioned horizontally over a walkway at the edge of Sortedams Sø lake in Copenhagen’s central Østerbro district.

The shadows fall across a 100-metre-long green-painted wall below and slowly change throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.

“Shadow City comes alive with the rising sun as the shadows travel across the wall,” said Boloz. “A playful image of a city appears, inspired by the history of Copenhagen, and changes as it slowly moves across the wall with the changing position of the sun.”

The whole project can be viewed by standing on a nearby pedestrian bridge.

“The installation introduces an element of surprise and intrigue, inviting the passers-by to observe the changing details in our surroundings,” Boloz explained. “As inhabitants of Copenhagen pass over the pedestrian bridge on their way to school, work or play, they will see the image of the city slowly travel across the wall, changing with every hour and every season.”

Shadow City will be on display until the autumn of 2014.

Other installations we’ve featured recently include an Escher-style installation outside the Tate Modern in London and bent bamboo walkways and seating by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

See more installations »
See more design and architecture from Copenhagen »

Photographs are courtesy of Izabela Boloz.

Here’s a project description from the designer:

Shadow City

Sunlight and shadows are the materials in a public space installation Shadow City by Izabela Boloz in the picturesque district of Østerbro in Copenhagen.

With a series of 52 graphics that cast their shadows onto a 100 metre wall on the lake, Shadow City comes alive with the rising sun as the shadows travel across the wall. A playful image of a city appears, inspired by the history of Copenhagen, and changes as it slowly moves across the wall with the changing position of the sun.

Shadow City reveals the artist’s fascination with the passing of time. The installation introduces an element of surprise and intrigue, inviting the passers-by to observe the changing details in our surrounding.

As inhabitants of Copenhagen pass over the pedestrian bridge on their way to school, work or play, they will see the image of the city slowly travel across the wall, changing with every hour and every season.

Shadow City has been created in collaboration with Metro Copenhagen within a program to introduce art in public spaces in Copenhagen. The installation will be on view from the summer of 2013 until the autumn of 2014.

The post Shadow City by
Izabela Boloz appeared first on Dezeen.

A hotel shaped like a giant horseshoe by Ma Yansong of Beijing studio MAD is set to open later this year on the edge of a lake in Huzhou, China.

The Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort was designed by MAD as a pair of curvaceous towers that connect on the upper levels to create an arched profile. Located on the edge of Taihu Lake, the building’s iconic shape is reflected in the still waters.

Architect Ma Yansong says the form was inspired by the traditional bridges depicted in old Chinese paintings.

“Throughout China’s history, people have always pursued a harmonious relationship with nature and this has become a major part of Chinese culture and tradition,” he said. “Huzhou itself is a place famous for traditional ink paintings and splendid water views, and the arch bridge is one of the key elements of traditional architecture.”

He added: “By incorporating this iconic ring-shape, my goal was to design a contemporary resort that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding environment while evoking the beautiful arch bridge over Taihu Lake.”

The 27-storey building contains a total of 282 guest rooms, but also encompasses 39 villas with access to hot springs. Additional facilities are contained within separate buildings and offer a variety of restaurants, a ballroom, conference suites and a wedding centre.

Although some rooms are already available, the building will officially open in December.

Other projects completed by MAD in the last year include an icicle-shaped museum for wooden sculptures in northeast China and a pair of curvaceous twisted skyscrapers in Canada.

See more architecture by MAD »
See more hotels »
See more architecture in China »

The post Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort
by MAD appeared first on Dezeen.

A cluster of five gabled cabins make up this summer retreat in northern Denmark by architects Powerhouse Company (+ movie).

Powerhouse Company designed the holiday home for a family in northern Sjælland as a twist on the traditional Danish summer house, with five interconnected cabins arranged in a five-fingered plan.

“This solution faithfully reflects the rather different desires of the family members,” said the architects. “One wanted a picturesque, cosy and archetypal summer house, while another wanted a spacious and contemporary feeling.”

Externally clad with blackened timber boards, the cabins overlap one another to create a central living area that opens out to a series of wooden outdoor decks.

“Summerhouses are traditionally family spaces but when children grow older they need more independence from their parents, hence the ‘village of cabins’ organisation, with radiating individual spaces that are united in the centre,” the architects added.

The living room, kitchen and dining area occupy three of the cabins, while one contains a master bedroom and another houses two smaller bedrooms.

White walls and timber flooring feature throughout the house and angled skylights bring extra daylight into each cabin.

Other projects by Powerhouse Company include a house in the woods with overhanging floor plates, a proposal for a dance and music centre in The Hague and a spiral-shaped house extension.

See more projects from Powerhouse Company »
See more holiday homes »
See more Danish architecture and design »

Photography is by Åke E. Son Lindman.

Here’s some information from the architects:

Village House

Powerhouse Company was asked to design a weekend house for a young family in northern Sjælland, Denmark. Village House is an exploration on the possibilities of the Summer cabin, the traditional Danish vacation home. While keeping the cabin’s footprint small, spatial as well as sustainable, there is a wide range of spatial possibilities, by using a five-fingered floor plan.

The house is a cluster of five wings, like miniature cabins. These fan out like a hand spreading five fingers over the site, generating a variety of views, light effects and outdoor areas. This variation means the house provides an enjoyable environment all year round and at all times of day. For example, a large window above the living room allows sunlight to bathe the dining table at around midday. Summerhouses are traditionally family spaces, but when children grow older they need more independence from their parents. Hence the ‘village of cabins’ organisation, with radiating individual spaces that are united in the centre.

Each member of the family effectively has the option of privacy when they need it. Meanwhile a star-shaped central space, uniting the living room and kitchen, forms the shared area which nevertheless offers pockets of seclusion to spend time alone while still in the family circle. This solution faithfully reflects the rather different desires of the family members. One wanted a picturesque, cosy and archetypal summerhouse, while another wanted a spacious and contemporary feeling. Both desires are united in the design.

In basing Village House on the classic Danish summerhouse, while adding modern ideas of space, Powerhouse Company has created a contemporary harmony. The elementary wooden structure has a pitched roof, and it is black, the most discreet colour in nature, like the dark shadows in the surrounding woods. Inside, the uniform white surface maximises the northern light. The rustic but modern solution is low maintenance, which is more important for a holiday home than offering lots of space. From an architectural point of view, its close relationship to the context is especially significant in a holiday home. The house contrasts with the routine home of the clients, and provides the basis for a separate lifestyle. Isn’t that what we are looking for when we go on holiday?

Location: Sjælland, Denmark
Partner in charge: Charles Bessard
Project leader: Lotte Adolph Bessard
Team: Charles Bessard, Lotte Adolph Bessard, Ted Schauman, Kristina Tegner, Peter Nilsso
Structural engineering: Ove Heede Consult ApS
Energy consultancy: Ellehauge & Kildemoses

The post Village House by
Powerhouse Company appeared first on Dezeen.