Hasta La Ideas

Spanish firm GRAS arquitectos has extended a traditional detached house in Mallorca by adding a series of contrasting Corten steel boxes.

The existing white-painted building was left intact, with the extensions joined to external walls or added to gaps between the structures.

The steel volumes contain new facilities including an indoor pool, spa and game room, while a roof deck provides additional outdoor space with views of the nearby bay.

An elongated extension housing the game room and a new bedroom projects into the garden and the spa area is buried in the side of a hill.

The walls, ceiling and floors in the spa are covered with ipe wood (also known as Brazilian walnut) which adds warmth to the subterranean space, while south facing windows admit plentiful daylight.

The architects explain that the the Corten volumes “surround and embrace the old house, generating an innovative combination between the existing building and the new ‘boxes’ of steel.”

As well as creating an aesthetic contrast, Corten steel was chosen because it is “a ‘living’ material that changes over the years; acquiring the patina that [the] test of time provides to noble materials.”

We recently featured a landscape architecture project comprising several Corten steel structures scattered across a Spanish hillside.

See all of our stories about Corten steel and check out our Pinterest board dedicated to the material.

Photography is by José Hevia.

Here are some more details from the architects:

Kubik extension

Extreme contrast: extension of a single-family detached home in Mallorca.

The intervention in an existing building, and even more so with the ambition of this project, is always a delicate matter.

In this case the client wanted to add many programme requirements to the current house: an indoor pool, a game room and several rooms in addition to reorganizing the existing dwelling.

It was chosen, after much research, to extend the house through an exercise of Extreme Contrast.

The possibility of intervening in the façades of the existing house to adjust them to a more current aesthetic was cast aside; instead the contemporary language of the new volumes was emphasized to maximise contrast.

The result is a series of “boxes” that surround and embrace the old house, generating an innovative combination between the existing building and the new “boxes” of steel. This combination enhances both architectures: the framing of the new volumes highlights the old, of little value and the new stands out greatly in contrast to the former.

The materialisation of the project was in line with the concept; the original building was left in the same state, painted white, with sloping Arab tile roofs and wood carpentry, whilst the extension was done with Corten steel searching for rotundity of the elements.

Corten steel is a material that clearly contrasts with the already existing dwelling, as required by the concept. It is also a “living” material that changes over the years; acquiring the patina that test of time provides to noble materials.

The combination of both languages creates interesting situations and new programmes for the dwelling. The entrance sequence, which is essential in a house, is enhanced by architectural intervention: a new volume conceived as porch wraps-up arrivals; and the volume that houses the new bathroom of the main room projects over the garden creating a new porch which emphasises the exit to the garden, as well as it offers spectacular views over the bay of Palma. At the far ends of the house both the new bedroom as well as the game room project from the main volume stretching the house and spanning more garden and providing further views. Finally the indoor pool and spa are below ground level.

This unique space features a swimming pool, a small spa area and gym. A large window to the south maximizes the relationship with the surroundings and views, so that the SPA can become a semi-outdoor space. Aiming to provide this space with the maximum warmth, close attention has been paid to the materials in this area: the volume of concrete that forms the SPA is covered with IPE wood on both ground and ceiling, creating a continuous space that surrounds the pools, these in turn mollify in white marble to brighten the space. This way, users forget that they are in a buried space.

The result is a very cosy environment suitable for the purpose for which it is intended.

The house is situated on a plot within a pine forest, with a steep slope facing south and offers extensive views over the bay of Palma. By placing the semi-buried SPA volume in front of the house, advantage is taken of the SPA’s roof deck to extend the garden; thus the dwelling obtains a space it was lacking: a large landscaped horizontal surface.

KUBIK EXTENSION is a GRAS arquitectos project, Guillermo Reynes with Alvaro Perez

Architects: GRAS arquitectos, Guillermo Reynés con Álvaro Perez
Location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Area: 950 m2
Year: 2013
Photography:  José Hevia

The post KubiK extension by
GRAS arquitectos appeared first on Dezeen.

News: Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright has added his voice to calls for an overhaul of the UK architectural education system, accusing it of being out of date and sealed off from the realities of working in the industry.

Architectural education “has been allowed to stagnate in the UK as a hermetic, inward-looking pursuit” based on a three-part system that stems from a 1958 RIBA Conference, he wrote in his Guardian column.

Criticising the impenetrable conceptualism and “fantasy realms” of many final year student projects, he suggested that the major university courses need to be “radically rethought”.

“It has never been more urgent to call out the emperor’s new clothes, to question those courses that are only there to further the theoretical position of their tutors,” he said.

Wainwright told Dezeen that architectural teaching in the UK is too focused on the degree show, “which itself is conceived as a salesroom to lure the following year’s students.”

He suggested that “more emphasis must be put on architecture as a spatial practice – rather than only an exercise in flashy graphics and dazzling model-making.”

Asked for examples of good practice, he pointed to schools that are “really engaging with the social, political and economic forces that shape the city – encouraging students to interrogate everything from new planning legislation to different models of development, and how they might intervene as architects.”

Wainwright’s criticisms echo the thoughts of Sam Jacob, who wrote in a recent opinion column for Dezeen that architectural education is the “accidental by-product of educational politics and economics, of demands of professional training and of murkily subjective disciplinary ideas,” adding that education should not be the preserve of students, but “something that is present throughout one’s career in architecture.”

Earlier this year an American university launched a programme to fast-track architectural students through the education system, while the UK government recently backed down on plans to remove design and technology from the school curriculum.

See more stories about design and architecture education »

Photograph of architectural equipment from Shutterstock.

The post Guardian architecture critic calls for overhaul
of “stagnant” UK education system appeared first on Dezeen.

Athens studio Tense Architecture Network has completed a concrete house that staggers down a hillside in rural Greece (+ slideshow).

Residence in Kallitechnoupolis is a three-storey building that begins near the top of the slope. As it descends, the building widens to create tiered balconies facing out across the landscape.

Tense Architecture Network describes the structure as a protective shell that shields the house from its neighbours and concentrates views in only one direction.

“The inclined prism of the shell follows the natural inclination and descends towards the ground via the intensely oblique cut of its eastern front,” says the studio.

The base of the building cantilevers outwards, making room for a swimming pool on the lowest level, plus an outdoor staircase climbs down one of the side walls to meet a terrace positioned halfway down.

The architects used concrete for the entire structure, adding a dark tint to the exterior walls so that they contrast with the pale grey interior surfaces.

“Earthly dark at the outside, lighter in the inside, its colouring is aiming at the maximum possible tension of the shell’s introvertedness,” say the architects.

Living and dining rooms can be found on the two upper floors, while bedrooms are located on the bottom floor around a series of curved partitions.

Tense Architecture Network have completed several residential projects recently, including an angular house with a partially submerged body and a house with a boxy concrete upper floor.

See more architecture by Tense Architecture Network »
See more architecture in Greece »

Photography is by Filippo Poli.

Here’s a project description from Tense Architecture Network:

Residence in Kallitechnoupolis

The residence’s view is a slope: a naked attic slope. The site is significantly inclined and is accessed only through its narrow upper side. The declivity of the site faces an equally slanted hill –the predominant point of visual reference. As the residence neighbours with two extrovert residences on both sides, it realises enclosure, concentration of the view and an introvert escalating development of its open spaces towards the east. The opposing landscape of the hill is perceived from a distance.

The inclined prism of the shell follows the natural inclination and descends towards the ground via the intensely oblique cut of its eastern front. The cut opens the residence to the opposed microcosmos: the air, the light, the barberries, the horizontal ridge, the long lonely railing of the opposite side. A swimming pool is comprised in the shell’s lowest point, partly in cantilever. At the level of the access an elongated excision of the prism allows for a walled yet unroofed outdoor space that eventually concludes to the open eastern front and the view.

The exterior cortex is constructed by exposed reinforced concrete: the shell is two-coloured. Earthly dark at the outside, lighter in the inside, its colouring is aiming at the maximum possible tension of the shell’s introvertness. The geometric austerity of the prism is violently ruptured in three areas: the shell is ultimately found broken, the rupture of its boundaries is performed from within, the remote nature is allowed in. Yet, only as Actio in Distans: only as view.

Project Team: Tilemachos Andrianopoulos, Kostas Mavros, Nestoras Kanellos
Structural design: Athanasios Kontizas

The post Residence in Kallitechnoupolis
by Tense Architecture Network appeared first on Dezeen.

This house in western England by London studio Paul Archer Design features a mirrored facade that slides across to cover the windows (+ slideshow).

Surrounded by gardens, Green Orchard house is designed to camouflage with the landscape, so Paul Archer added huge panels of polished aluminium to the walls. “The outer reflective panels will pick up the colours of the landscape, the idea being to make the structure almost invisible,” he says.

The panels are well insulated and connected to a motorised system, so that the client – Paul Archer’s mother – can transform the building into a thermally sealed box with relative ease.

The house has two storeys, including one that is sunken into the inclining landscape. The living room, dining room and kitchen occupy an L-shaped space on the ground floor and lead out to terraces on both the south-west and north-east elevations, designed to catch the sun at different points of the day.

The master bedroom is also on this floor, while three extra sleeping rooms are located on the sunken lower level. Part of this floor emerges from the ground, allowing enough space for a few high-level windows.

A wood-burning stove is positioned at the centre of the plan and provides all of the house’s heating. A 93-metre well supplies fresh water, which can be heated via thermal solar panels on the roof.

“Whilst unashamedly contemporary in its design, Green Orchard is a sensitive response to its location, integrating appropriate materials and functional details to create an innovative and tangible solution to current environmental issues,” says Archer.

Several buildings with mirrored walls have cropped on Dezeen recently. Others include an Australian visitor centre for botanic gardens and a six-sided art museum in Ohio.

See more mirrored buildings »
See more houses in the UK »

Photograph is by Will Pryce, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s the full project statement from Paul Archer:

Green Orchard: A Zero Carbon House
Compton Greenfield, South Gloucestershire, UK

Green Orchard is a new 200 sq m carbon-neutral house designed by Paul Archer Design. Set within 2,675 sq m of landscaped gardens in the green belt of South Gloucestershire, the house benefits from spectacular views over the Severn Estuary.

Having earned a reputation for highly contemporary residential extensions and renovations predominantly in an urban setting, Green Orchard is the practice’s first new-build detached single-family dwelling commission. The project brief called for a Californian case study house with green credentials, which would permit seamless outdoor/indoor living whilst delivering a zero carbon agenda.

The house replaces a dilapidated single-storey dwelling with a contemporary low-rise four-bedroom home. Set within landscaped gardens without the constraints imposed upon typical urban projects, Green Orchard is designed in the round, with all four elevations taking advantage of views out and access to the garden. Maximising its rural setting, the house adopts the methodology of a passivhaus typology without the single orientation.

The main living spaces and master bedroom are located on the ground floor with direct access to the garden. An excavated sunken level creates a second floor for additional sleeping accommodation, ensuring a low-rise profile that embraces the natural topography of the site.

The house incorporates four bedrooms (two of which have en-suite facilities), a main bathroom, a workshop space, kitchen, dining and living area. All living spaces are open-plan with a wood burning stove at the heart of the plan and plant room located on the floor below, to give a greater sense of openness and maximise views and sunlight. Two external terraces connect to the garden and are orientated to catch the sun at different times of the day.

The outer skin of the building is made of bespoke hand-crafted full-height panels, which are electronically motorised to slide open fully. The panels are highly insulated and allow the occupants to control and vary the thermal performance of the house depending on the time of the day and year. The panels are constructed of locally sourced timber and clad with mirrored aluminium to reflect the landscape and camouflage the structure in its surroundings.

The house and landscape have been designed with specific intention to reduce the consumption and requirement for energy: a wood-burning Stuv stove is the only heat source; water is supplied by a 93 metre bore hole; thermal solar panels on the roof yield heating for 80% of the house’s water; and photovoltaics provide all electric use when taken over the yearly cycle. A green roof embeds the property into the landscape, filtering out pollutants from the surrounding air and acts as an effective active insulation. It keeps the building cool in summer and warm in winter, reducing the requirement for excessive energy production.

Set in gardens cultivated by the client, Green Orchard is screened from its neighbouring properties and road frontage. A sunken driveway and raised garden reduces the visual impact of the house and planting provides a tranquil setting from which to enjoy the countryside views.

Green Orchard is the second house the practice has designed for the same client, practice director Paul Archer’s mother and her husband. The plan allows for easy navigation and access to all areas whilst generous room sizes and a flowing internal layout ensures that manoeuvrability is unhindered, an essential consideration when designing for a client in their later years.

An innovative house has been achieved on a modest budget by designing the entire house to accommodate modular off-the-shelf interior units. The client has taken a hands-on approach to deliver high quality finishes by contributing their own expertise, from the design and planting of the garden to the carpentry of the exterior sliding panels and manufacture of the interior glass balustrades.

Whilst unashamedly contemporary in its design, harnessing the latest in green technology, Green Orchard is a sensitive response to its location, integrating appropriate materials and functional details to create an innovative and tangible solution to current environmental issues, presenting a way forward in designing for a sustainable future.

The post Green Orchard by
Paul Archer Design appeared first on Dezeen.

Climbing plants and vines shoot up over a gridded facade of metal beams and panels at this house in Binh Duong Province by Vietnamese architects a21studio (+ slideshow).

Constructed on a limited budget, the house was designed to both “look green” and fit in with its neighbours. The architects at a21studio used steel beams to construct a basic framework, then clad the exterior with lightweight mesh and corrugated panels, and encouraged plants to grow up around it.

A see-through outer facade functions as a boundary fence. Beyond it, the house has no walls on the front or rear of its ground floor, revealing a simple living room and kitchen with a small garden beyond.

Colourful ceramic tiles cover every inch of the floor and also extend out beyond the shelter of the roof. A kitchen counter runs longways through the room and more tiles clad its sides and surfaces.

A staircase leading up to the two first-floor bedrooms is made from a single sheet of folded metal and uses reinforcing rods as a banister.

To furnish the house, the architects used reclaimed items that include a set of wooden chairs.

“By making the most of abandoned items and using spaces cleverly, people can easily have a comfortable house that is fulfilled by nature and flexible for future needs,” say the architects.

Other low-cost homes constructed in Vietnam include a system of modular houses made from bamboo. See more architecture in Vietnam.

Photography is by Hiroyuki Oki.

Here’s a project description from a21studio:

The Nest

The house is designed for a middle-aged newsman who has been working in years for Vietnam architectural magazines. The site is located at the outskirt of a new city in being urbanism with a variety of housing architecture styles in its surrounding. Therefore, both the architect and client came up with the idea that the new house should be looked green, but not compromise to its comfortable and specially should not much differentiated to next-door neighbours.

Within his constraint budget, a light structure as steel and metal sheets is applied instead of bricks and concrete as usual. Moreover, unused furniture, abandoned but still in good condition, is considered as an appropriate solution for most parts of the house which not only reduces construction cost but also gives the house a distinctive look, the beauty or serenity of old items that comes with age.

Without any doubt, using steel structure not only makes the foundation lighter, but also helps shorten the construction period than normal, and saving cost as well. The house-frame is made by 90×90 steel columns and 30×30 steel beams connecting to metal sheets, then covered or filled in between by plants, so from a distance look, the house is like a green box. Among these “cool-metal” bars, the nature is defined itself.

Typically, the house is structured into two vertical parts; two private bedrooms on the upper floor, while kitchen and living room on the ground floor and opened to nature without any door or window. This makes the bounder between inside and outside becomes blurry. Besides, by diminishing living space to just sufficiently fitted and leaves the rest intended uncontrolled, the architect attempts to convey the sense that the natural environment outside is larger and closer, as at any views from the house, the trees can be observed with its full beauty. In the other words, the trees are used as the building’s walls, and the house would provide a variety of links between trees and people.

Finally, the idea of the house, above the organisation of spaces and flexibility uses of structure, is about a general housing concept for low cost construction, which has been attracted the attention in Vietnam society. By making the most of abandoned items and using enough spaces for living cleverly, people can easily have a comfortable house fulfilled by nature and flexible for any future needs with a limited fund.

Client: Tho
Location: Thuận An city, Bình Dương province, Vietnam
Project area: 100 sqm
Building area: 40 sqm
Materials: Steel bar, metal sheets
Completed: 2013

The post The Nest by
a21studio appeared first on Dezeen.