House T by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects
Posted in: Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects, Japanese houses, laddersThere are huge rectangular holes in the walls and floors of this Tokyo house by Japanese studio Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects.
Wooden ladders connect each of the four split-level storeys and a staircase with built-in storage leads up from the ground floor studio to the dining room and kitchen on the staggered floor above.
One ladder travels up from the dining room to the living room, which then steps down to the bedroom through the wide hole in the wall.
Another ladder connects the living room with the skeletal top level, where four holes in the floor give the room a cross-shaped layout.
A small study area is sunken into one of these holes and residents use the floor above it as a desk.
Lamps of different lengths also hang through the holes and a final ladder leads up to a terrace on the roof.
Similar Japanese houses we’ve featured include a split-level residence with a narrow lightwell and another house with holes in the walls.
See all our stories about Japanese houses »
Photography is by Hiroyasu Sakaguchi.
Here’s some information from the architects:
House T is a residence and atelier for a couple in the centre of Tokyo. Floors like bookshelves are placed at the different level in the shifted box.
Furniture is put on each floor to create living room, dining room, kitchen and bedroom.
The floors are only hooked by columns which are three-dimensionally intersected at the middle of the box.
This simple structure gives latitude for space composition.
In the massive volume of the box, each different activity of daily living takes place at each floor with open view.
Lighting hangs from top of the box to each floor to illuminate them like a floating stage.
Client: A couple
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Built area: 75.62 sq m (total)
Completion date: May 2012
Structure: Wood Flame, two-storey
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Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects appeared first on Dezeen.
Eden House by The Practice of Everyday Design
Posted in: Ontario, residential extensions, slideshows, The Practice of Everyday DesignA chunky bay window protrudes from this timber-clad addition to a house in Ontario by Canadian studio The Practice of Everyday Design (+ slideshow).
The studio collaborated with architect Melanie Moore to replace the building’s existing upper floor bedroom with another that provides more space.
The timber cladding and black window trim contrast with the dark brick and white frames of the original bungalow.
Above: photograph is by the architects
Accessed by a staircase hidden behind doors in the dining room, the annex is kept private and separate from the rest of the house.
Screens surround a dressing area on one side of the large bedroom, while the gabled rear wall is covered with shelving.
The bathroom is organised to create privacy, with a sink exposed to the bedroom, a bath that faces only the dressing area and a toilet that is completely concealed.
Above: photograph is by the architects
The low pitch of the roof increases head height in the space and blue handrails and taps add splashes of colour.
Above: photograph is by the architects
See all our stories about Canada »
Photography is by Chris Shepherd, apart from where otherwise stated.
Here is some more information from the architects:
When they first approached us, our clients had owned their house for 30 years. They were committed to their house, their neighbourhood and their lifestyle but also desperately needed more room and a better living space. They wanted to maintain the charming proportions of their bungalow rather than build a large addition like many of their neighbours had done.
The original second floor above the garage was 550 square feet, had a seven foot high flat ceiling and was divided into four tiny rooms. One of these rooms had the best view in the house, overlooking the backyard, but was being used as a storage closet.
We conceived the addition as a container for the start and end of the clients’ day. Rebuilding the entire second floor from scratch freed us from the constraints of the previous design and allowed us to make a strong distinction between the addition and the more traditional first floor.
Above: photograph is by the architects
The new stairs, hidden behind two small doors in the dining room, allow the clients to keep this refuge completely separate from other aspects of daily living.
First floor plan – click above for larger image
A large bay window with built in seating cantilevers over the garden, which the owners enjoy when they wake up in the morning or retire to their loft in the evening to relax. By arranging small windows at different heights across the front face of the addition, we created a series of portraits of their suburban neighborhood while maintaining a sense of privacy and intimacy.
Click above for larger image
The windows on either side of the bed are set to the clients’ head heights, while a window on the floor frames a portion of lawn that can be seen from the couch.
Click above for larger image
By opening up the room and maximizing the storage we created a clutter free and inviting living space. We pitched the roof from six feet at the front and back walls to ten feet in the middle of the room. This allowed us to assemble a variety of programs and moods into one space, making the room feel spacious and airy while maintaining a sense of intimacy where needed: in the bedroom, the reading nook and the bathroom.
Click above for larger image
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Size: 550 Square Feet
Type: Addition
Design Team: Antoine Morris, David Long, and Melanie Morris
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The Practice of Everyday Design appeared first on Dezeen.
Laverstoke Mill by Thomas Heatherwick for Bombay Sapphire
Posted in: Dezeen Wire, Distilleries, public and leisureDezeen Wire: Thomas Heatherwick has designed a distillery and visitor centre for gin brand Bombay Sapphire at an abandoned mill in Hampshire, England.
Construction has already begun on the renovation, which includes the addition of two curved greenhouses for growing the ten botanical herbs and spices that Bombay Sapphire use to flavour their spirits. Named Laverstoke Mill, the centre is due to open in autumn 2013.
Thomas Heatherwick has been in the news a lot this week, after his Olympic cauldron was unveiled at the opening ceremony of the games. See all our stories about the designer »
Here’s some information from Bombay Sapphire:
Bombay Sapphire Gin Unveils Plans for “Home of Imagination” in Hampshire, UK
Visionary designer Thomas Heatherwick to restore historic site into distillery and visitor center for iconic gin brand
Bombay Sapphire® gin, the world’s number one premium gin by value1, unveils plans for its distillery in Laverstoke Mill, Hampshire. The project is a multi-million pound restoration of the historic buildings which housed one of England’s most significant bank note paper making facilities. The design imagined for the site is headed by acclaimed London designer Thomas Heatherwick and his team at Heatherwick Studio. The site will be completely renovated from a derelict mill into a state of the art premium gin distillery and visitor centre encompassing the highest standards in design, functionality and sustainability.
The distillery will be built on a two hectare brown-field site, near the grounds of Laverstoke Park, just 60 miles from London. For 200 years, the site produced high quality paper for the bank notes of India and the British Empire. The site is steeped in natural beauty, astride the crystal clear River Test – and historically associated with producing the finest quality product through the care and skill of those who owned it and worked there. The newly renovated site will be the first opportunity the public has to discover the home of this iconic spirits brand.
The ambition for the project restores the buildings and grounds and its heritage while introducing a new structure that will complement the existing buildings as a showcase of the brand’s intrinsic quality that reflects the aspirations of the Bombay Sapphire brand. The highlight of the complex build is the glass house for Bombay Sapphire gin’s 10 botanicals. As a major feature of Laverstoke Mill, the glass house is a symbol of the brand’s careful, skillful and imaginative approach to gin making.
Heatherwick comments on the design: “As the particular flavours of Bombay Sapphire gin are derived from ten botanicals, the centrepiece of the site is a glass house, within which visitors will experience the specific horticultural specimens infused in the spirit. The glass house, influenced by Britain’s rich heritage of glass house structures, will be two separate structures providing both a humid environment for spices that originate from the tropics, as well as a dry temperate zone for Mediterranean plants. We are thrilled to have the chance to take this historic site, and turn it from its current derelict state into a new industrial facility with national significance.”
The 10 year relationship between the brand and Thomas Heatherwick started when he was crowned the inaugural winner of the Bombay Sapphire Prize – an international award for excellence and innovation in glass. Alongside high profile designers he joined the Bombay Sapphire Foundation, which encourages and rewards the very best in contemporary design and glass design in particular. In 2010, he was approached by the Bombay Sapphire team to design the brand home in Laverstoke.
Bombay Sapphire Global Category Director John Burke adds: “It’s a very exciting time for the Bombay Sapphire team, especially now that we’re seeing our plan for Laverstoke Mill come into fruition. With tradition, quality and craftsmanship at the heart of the site’s heritage, we can finally look forward to opening our doors to consumers worldwide and share with them the care, skill and imagination that is infused in the spirit we produce. Bombay Sapphire gin has experienced great success and growth over the last 10 years and with the opening of the brand’s home and consumer experience, we are very optimistic for next decade.”
In February 2012, planning permission to restore Laverstoke was granted and the build process is now underway and managed by Meller Ltd, with a goal the distillery will open its doors in autumn 2013.
Meller Managing Director, Graham Cartledge adds: “Meller is proud to be leading the development of Laverstoke Mill into a world class production facility and unique visitors centre. Our expert team looks forward to delivering this exceptional project in a way that fulfills Bombay Sapphire’s brand aspirations and also the technical requirements of restoring a site with such heritage, environmental consideration and unique design.”
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for Bombay Sapphire appeared first on Dezeen.
Casa Prè de Sura by Casati
Posted in: Casati, slideshowsThis gabled house in Italy by Austrian architects Casati has stripy wooden walls on the outside and bumpy limestone walls on the inside (+ slideshow).
Boxy windows project from the facade and frame views towards the castello di San Martino; a small castle on a nearby hillside.
A window in the master bedroom wraps over onto the roof, while others meet the floor so that small children can see out.
The limestone aggregate walls surround rooms and hallways on each of the three floors, absorbing moisture from the air that can cool the house during warmer months.
Casa Prè de Sura was first completed back in 2010.
Other Italian houses we’ve featured include one with stone walls and one with honeycomb-patterned floors.
Photography is by Gustav Willeit.
Here’s some text in Italian from Casati:
Casa Prè de Sura a San Martino in Badia
A prima vista tutti quei riquadri sulla facciata possono sembrare un vezzo, un particolare ad effetto che vuole a stupire. Disposti ad altezze differenti, sembrano rispondere solo ad un fattore estetico. Ma non è così. Basta entrare e sedersi sul divano per capire che non è un caso se si ha una perfetta vista del castello di San Martino in Badia.
“Noi li chiamiamo quadri perché sono ottimizzati per la vista dall’interno”, spiega il proprietario di questa casa a San Martino in Badia, in provincia di Bolzano, costruita nel 2010 su progetto di Andreas Moling(studio Casati).
Nella stessa logica rientrano le due finestre larghe solo 25 cm e allineate al pavimento.
Si trovano in soggiorno e nella camera da letto principale e sono dedicate ai più piccoli.
Perché anche i bambini, specialmente nella fase in cui vanno a gattoni, possano godere dello spettacolo.
Sempre in camera, alzando lo sguardo, colpisce un altro dettaglio. L’apertura situata in prossimità del letto segue la forma del tetto: così stando sdraiati si può amirare il cielo stellato. Negli angoli della casa poi le finestre diventano vivibili, pensate come cubi con vetrate nei quali ci si può sedere o sdraiare.
Costruita in legno su fondamenta di cemento, l’abitazione ha una certificazione “CasaClima” del tipo B. La sostenibilità è quindi uno dei fattori determinanti del progetto.
Tra gli accorgimenti che sono stati adottati, oltre alla considerazione del movimento del sole e all’uso di materiali naturali come il terrastone per i muri interni e il frassino cotto a vapore per le facciate esterne, colpisce la scelta di creare al centro dell’abitazione un muro fatto di strati di argilla battuta che divide i locali.
Pensato come una sorta di “polmone” interno, funziona come un regolatore naturale dell’umidità: è in grado infatti di assorbirla in periodi di esubero (ad esempio quando si fa la doccia) e di rilasciarla quando l’aria è troppo secca.
Basement floor plan. Click above for larger image.
Ground floor plan. Click above for larger image.
First floor plan. Click above for larger image.
Long section – click above for larger image
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by Casati appeared first on Dezeen.
Casa en la Ladera de un Castillo by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos
Posted in: Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, slideshows, spanish housesThis bright white wedge-shaped house by Spanish studio Fran Silvestre Arquitectos thrusts out from the rock face behind it in the valley town of Ayora, near Valencia (+ slideshow).
The angled roof mirrors the slope of the surrounding ground, creating triangular elevations on the sides of the three-storey building.
Large panels slide across windows on the front and side of the house to maintain privacy for bedrooms on the middle floor.
The top floor is twice the size of the floors below and contains a third bedroom, as well as a living room that opens out onto a secluded courtyard.
See more Spanish houses on Dezeen »
Photography is by Fernando Alda and Juan Rodríguez.
Here’s some text from the architects:
House on Mountainside Overlooked by Castle
Ayora, Valencia
The building is located in a landscape of unique beauty, the result of a natural and evident growth.
The mountain, topped by a castle, is covered by a blanket housing through a system of aggregation by simple juxtaposition of pieces generated fragmented target tissue that adapts to the topography.
The project proposes to integrate into the environment, respecting their strategies of adaptation to the environment and materials away from the mimesis that would lead to misleading historicism, and showing the time constructively to meet the requirements of the “new people.”
In this way the house is conceived as a piece placed on the ground, joining in the gap.
A piece built on the same white lime, the same primacy of the massif on the opening, which takes the edge of the site to have their holes and integrated into the fragmentation of the environment.
The indoor space is divided by the void that is the core of communication cut parallel disposition of the mountain without touching it.
On the ground floor are the garage and cellar, on a volume it has two floors with four rooms.
Two of them, the rooms at the intermediate level are open to the private street, the other two on the upper level overlook above the houses opposite, the Valley of Ayora.
One of them, the study is opened in turn to the central double height, incorporating it into their space.
Across the gap, and on the mountain, are the areas facing the garden day illuminated by light reflected on the south slope of the castle oxidized.
Architecture: Fran Silvestre Arquitectos
Project Architect: Fran Silvestre, Maria José Sáez
Project Team: Fran Silvestre – Project Architect
María José Sáez – Project Architect
Ángel Ruíz – Architect collaborator
Building Engineer: Pedro Vicente López
Interior Design: ALFARO HOFMANN
Contractor: Cooperativa Montemayor
Location: Ayora. Valencia
Site Area: 477,06 m2
Built Area: 230,00 m2
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by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos appeared first on Dezeen.
Memento by Wesley Meuris
Posted in: architectures, slideshows, Wesley MeurisNarrow slits provide entrances to this circular pavilion by Belgian artist Wesley Meuris outside the Flemish town of Borgloon.
Called Memento, the white structure has a smooth exterior and a tiled interior.
The square tiles are in relief, creating different textures and shadows as the sun moves across the sky.
The two slender gaps cast sundial-like shadows around the circle and allow the evening sun to stream in.
Situated on a slope, the pavilion looks out over the central graveyard in the medieval town of Borgloon.
The project is one in a series of permanent structures for public spaces in the Haspengouw region, instigated by the Z33 gallery. Other completed projects include a doughnut-shaped pavilion and a see-through church.
Photography is by Kristof Vrancken.
Here’s some more information from Z33:
Memento is a sculpture at the Central Burial of Borgloon. The artwork of Wesley Meuris is an anchor point in the sloping landscape and invites visitors to step in.
The architectural structure of the work provides a special experience of looking and dwelling. The steel built space can be interpreted in many ways by the visitor and challenges the imagination.
Whoever is in the room experiences the intimacy. This reflects the memory of its surroundings.
Initiated by De Nieuwe Opdrachtgevers.
Official opening: May 4th, 2012
On display: permanent from May 5th, 2012
Location: Central Burial of Borgloon, Lambertusstraat, Borgloon
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Wesley Meuris appeared first on Dezeen.
“The market cannot solve the housing crisis” – Justin McGuirk
Posted in: Dezeen Wire, Do not show on the Homepage
Dezeen Wire: in an article for Domus magazine, design critic Justin McGuirk examines the social and physical decline of London’s social housing, discussing the part played by luxury real-estate developers and how architects have been held accountable.
Council housing blocks in Hackney, Newham, and Southwark are cited as examples, as McGuirk calls for the British government to accept responsibility for the city’s housing crisis and to work with architects to protect residents from the ruthlessness of the property market.
See also: our interview with McGuirk on the future of design criticism.
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– Justin McGuirk appeared first on Dezeen.
Pierres Vives by Zaha Hadid
Posted in: public and leisure, slideshowsZaha Hadid has completed a streamlined concrete and glass building for three government departments in Montpellier, France (+ slideshow).
The Pierres Vives Building will accommodate the multimedia library, public archive and sports department of the Herault regional government and is due to be inaugurated on 13 September.
A recessed section of green-tinted glass runs along the length of the facade, where a first-floor foyer connects the library and offices with shared facilities that include meeting rooms, an auditorium and an exhibition space.
These shared facilities are contained inside a curved concrete block, which bursts through the glazing to shelter the main entrance on the ground floor below.
Zaha Hadid has also been in the news recently over claims she was to blame for tickets sold at the Olympic Aquatics Centre for seats with restricted views.
See all our stories about Zaha Hadid »
Photography is by Hélène Binet.
Here’s some more information from Zaha Hadid Architects:
The Pierres Vives building of the department de l’Herault is characterised by the unification of three institutions – the archive, the library and the sports department – within a single envelope. These various parts of this “cite administrative” combine into a strong figure visible far into the landscape. As one moves closer, the division into three parts becomes apparent. The building has been developed on the basis of a rigorous pursuit of functional and economic logic. However, the resultant figure is reminiscent of a large tree- trunk, laid horizontal. The archive is located at the solid base of the trunk, followed by the slightly more porous library with the sports department and its well-lit offices on top where the trunk bifurcates and becomes much lighter. The branches projecting off the main trunk are articulating the points of access and the entrances into the various institutions. On the western side all the public entrances are located, with the main entrance under an enormous cantilevering canopy; while on the eastern side all the service entrances, i.e. staff entrances and loading bays are located. In this way the tree-trunk analogy is exploited to organise and articulate the complexity of the overall “cite administrative”.
Spatial Organisation
The main vehicular access road- both for public visitors as well as for staff and service vehicles, is coming off Rue Marius Petipa, and provides access to either side of the building. The public access leads to the generous visitor car park right in front of the main entrance lobby. The service access is stretched along the opposite side.
This longitudinal division of serviced and servicing spaces is maintained within the ground floor along the full length of the building. The front side contains all the public functions of each institution, linked by a linear lobby and an exhibition space in the centre. Above this connective ground level the three institutions remain strictly separated. Each has its own set of cores for internal vertical circulation. The lay-outs of each part follow their specific functional logic.
Upon arrival at the main entrance, one is directed from the lobby either to the educational spaces of the archives on ground level; or via lifts and escalators to the main public artery on level 1. This artery is articulated all along the facades as a recessed glass strip and here reading rooms of both archives and library are immediately accessible. Central in this artery and therefore located at the heart of the building, are the main public facilities shared between the three institutions: auditorium and meeting rooms. These shared public functions also form the central volume that projects out from the trunk, providing a grand cantilevering canopy for arriving visitors.
Project: Pierres Vives
Location: Montpellier, France
Date: 2002 / 2012
Client: Departement de l’Herault
Size: 35,000 m2
Architectural Design: Zaha Hadid
Project Architect: Stephane Hof
Local Architect:
Design Phase: Blue Tango
Execution Phase: Chabanne et Partenaires
Structure: Ove Arup & Partners
Services: Ove Arup & Partners (Concept Design) & GEC Ingenierie
Acoustics: Rouch Acoustique Nicolas Albaric
Cost: Gec LR, Ivica Knezovic
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by Zaha Hadid appeared first on Dezeen.
High concept meets low materials in BoomBox
Posted in: Uncategorized
No, it’s not an unseen CG image from Inception, though it’s certainly cool enough to be. These are pictures of BoomBox, an installation made entirely out of cardboard boxes by French architect, Stephane Malka. Created for the 2011 EME3 International Architecture Festival in Barcelona, Boombox somehow escaped everyone’s notice, including ours, until now. We think that’s a real shame because it’s rare to see such an immersive, experiential installation made from such simple materials. By simply projecting various lighting configurations onto a wall of cardboard boxes, Malka completely transforms an everyday object into a powerful environment.
The concept for BoomBox stems from Malka’s belief in democratizing architecture. He calls it his “eulogy to cardboard, a cheap material symbolizing nomadism [in] contrast to stone, a noble material representing longevity in all its static weight. Although separate entities, there is nevertheless an exchange between two bodies, a cultural and social fusion between the academic and contemporary, at the crossroads between a work of art and a work of architecture.”
Movie: Canada Water Library by CZWG
Posted in: CZWG, perforated metal, perforated metal facades, public and leisureMovie: architect Piers Gough of CZWG and structural engineer Hanif Kara explain their design for Canada Water Library, a bronzed, hexagonal building on a constrained site in south London, in this movie by filmmakers Living Projects.
Read more about the building in our earlier story, and see more stories about CZWG here.
Living Project also produced a film about the Maggie’s Centre for cancer care that the architects completed last year. Watch the movie here.
See all our stories about libraries »
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by CZWG appeared first on Dezeen.
