Hasta La Ideas

The facade of this single family house near Basel by Swiss architects andOFFICE steps back to frame a wooden terrace.

The two-storey LandyM house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, with lightwells illuminating a further two bedrooms in the basement.

The house features a roof garden and glazed windows from floor to ceiling on two sides of the ground floor.

More stories about houses on Dezeen »
More projects in Switzerland on Dezeen »

The following information is from the architects:

Completion of LandyM – Single family home near Basel, Switzerland

The building made of solid wood construction combines compact, efficiently organised serving uses with a spatious and open living area.

A strong integration of the terraces generates an amply spatial feeling: a wooden deck partly enclosed by wall and ceiling enlarges the living zone into the garden while the facade loop, a horizontal extension of the greige-colored plaster surfaces, surrounds it in order to connect it with the interior and to link it with the roof garden.

The upper floor is super flexible with minimised supporting structures, 2 bathrooms and up to 4 bedrooms which can be arranged individually.

The high quality cladding consists of renewable resources and guarantees a low demand of thermal heat served by a wood stove with vision panel.

LandyM – maximising the felt living area

Main concept of the cost effective single family home consists of an innovative spatial organisation, interesting and sophisticated outside areas and high flexibilty during lifecycle to enable the inhabitants open future plans.

The building combines compact, efficiently organised serving area with a spatious and open living area. Soft zoning instead of sharp space borders maximise the felt living area as well as a strong integration of the terraces: a wooden deck partly enclosed by wall and ceiling enlarges the living zone on two whole building sides into the garden.

It generates an open morning terrace faced to Southeast while the main terrace towards Southwest is covered by the cantilevering upper floor.

The facade loop, a horizontal extension of the greige-colored plaster surfaces made of gravel, surrounds the terraces in order to connect it with the interior and to link it to the roof garden with its fantastic view towards Black Forrest and Vogese.

The 1st floors flexible plan enables the inhabitants open future plans. Up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms can be arranged individually and guarantee by minimised supporting structures a suitable configuration for every section of life. The fully insulated basement serves two additional bedrooms with comfortable lightwells.

The sustainable organisation corresponds with construction and services. The high quality cladding is built in solid wood construction and excellent wood fibre insulation and therefore consists of renewable resources. The combination with triple glazed windows in wood-aluminium construction leads to a low demand of thermal heat. An excellent interior climate is generate by the airtight but permeable wall construction that enables an easy interior completion with services on the clients own account.

Thermal energy is mainly served by a wood stove with vision panel and storage unit. It is the traditional family centre in the living zone. Heat-recovery ventilation, solar collector and usage of rain water complete the simple and ecological aware concept.

Simplicity is continued in terms of surfaces: Supporting elements are used as visible interior surfaces: The groundfloor is covered with waxed floor screed, prefabricated stairways in concrete contrast to uncovered wooden walls with a simple industrial finishing. Significant oak boards and furnitures as well as slick white plastered walls generate an exciting interplay of traditional and innovative materials.

Click above for larger image

Outside the greige-colored plaster facade corresponds with bronze anodised aluminium and pregreyed irregular boards of  larch wood. It coveres terrace floors and adjoined facades and creates a haptic and visual experience of outside living.

Click above for larger image

Credits

Architecture:
andOFFICE architecure and more
Dipl. Ing. Architekt Thorsten Blatter
Gaußstr. 39, D-70193 Stuttgart, Germany

Click above for larger image

Copyrights: andOFFICE Thorsten Blatter

location: near Basel, Switzerland
completion: März march 2011
plot: 651 m2
living area: 199 m2
addtitional area: 34 m2
living area: 56 m2
felt living area:106 m2
felt area = living area x andOFFICE
construction: solid wood construction
insulation: wood fibre insulation 26 cm

See also:

.

Charrat Transformation by clavienrossier	Parish House by Frei + Saarinen Architects	House by Marchal + Fürstenberger Architects

On a recent trip to Montreal, we discovered the beautiful Bota Bota spa docked on the St. Lawrence River and designed by Sid Lee Architects. Built on a repurposed 1950’s ferry, the spa draws on the traditional Scandinavian water circuit of hot saunas and cold pools to invigorate and heal the body. The five-floor structure has 360-degree views of Montreal’s Old Port waterfront promenade allowing “passengers” to enjoy stunning city views from any of the hundreds of prefabricated portholes while embarking on a journey of massage therapy, body treatments, facials or the sauna circuit. Geothermal energy is employed to heat and power the interiors of the space and a team of engineers considered the many challenges associated with building a massive structure on a boat: load-bearing walls that are both light and flexible, anchoring stability and capacity for this floating world. The spa opened in the dead of the frigid Quebec winter so now is the perfect time to take a stay-cation on this river showboat.

Body treatment “cabins”

View from the upperdeck pool

View from inside the sauna

(more…)

This holiday home in Kanagawa, Japan, by Japanese studios Nakae Architects and Ohno Japan comprises two separate blocks fanning outwards towards Tokyo Bay.

Named Minami-Hayama duo, the two buildings are composed of thirteen vertical walls spreading over the triangular site with glass infills between them.

Internally the floors are arranged around split levels connected by spiral staircases.

Located on a steep hill, the upper floors have views towards Mount Fuji.

Photography is by Hiroyasu Sakaguchi.

More Japanese houses on Dezeen »

The following information is from the architects:

Minami-Hayama duo

Walking up the steep slope that branches off from the seaside highway, you experience a spectacular sequence of surrounding scenery. The landscape has intricate layers of hills and valleys, with trees and houses scattered along the undulating surfaces. And as you go up, a stunning panorama of the Bay of Sagami gradually unfolds in front of you, with a fine view of Mt. Fuji and the Izu Peninsula in distance.

We designed a weekend house, which consists of two separate blocks, located near the top of the landscape. The site is an uneven fan-shaped land situated between two roads at the Y-shaped intersection. The site had to be divided in two for each blocks. The divided sites varied in size, shape and orientation, but our intention was to provide the same volumes, equal living condition, and the best views for the both of them.

The two blocks both consist of thirteen 10-meter-high walls with various widths. Each walls stand separately, and glass is inserted in between. Walls are set irregularly, so you will experience a dramatic sequence of different framings of the surrounding view as you move among them. The second floor, which is divided by stairs in the middle, has split-levels, so you can enjoy views at different eye levels.

As you move along this ever-changing scenery framed by irregular walls, you begin to feel that the walls themselves become parts of the surrounding view. Our intention is to bring the spectacle of the surrounding scenery into the space. The walls open to the sea and the mountains, and are closed against the adjacent block and the neighbor. However our intention was to in create a dramatic and intricate space, which is not just about “open and close” relationship.

In this project big challenge was to design two separate blocks in a rather small fan-shaped site divided in two sections. However by boldly opening up the space towards the surrounding scenery, you feel as if Mt. Fuji has become a part of your site. We successfully created a dramatic openness that one cannot experience in everyday life in the city.

Location: Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Principal use: 2 weekend houses
Architects: Yuji Nakae / Nakae Architects, Hirofumi Ohno / Ohno Japan

Site Area: A-98.88m2, B-107.29m2
Building Area: A-49.15m2, B-49.77m2
Total Floor Area: A-101.18m2, B-101.67m2
Structure: Reinforced Concrete, 3 stories

See also:

.

Edge by Apollo Architects ＆ Associates	N House by TOFU	House by FORM/ Kouichi Kimura Architects

Back in the summer of 2009, legendary architect Charles Gwathmey seemed to pass away in perhaps the best way possible (well, in so far as dying can go). You’ll recall that he passed less than a year after christening his addition to Yale‘s Art and Architecture building, wherein he was given the chance to build upon the work of a legend before him, Paul Rudolph. In the two years since his death, and after his archives were sent to Yale, the question has been what might happen to his longstanding firm, the aptly named Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, given that it was co-founded with partner Robert Siegel. Now there’s an answer by way of adding another name to that title. The NY Times reports that high-profile architect in his own right, Gene Kaufman, has taken over a majority stake in the firm and it’s soon set to be renamed Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman & Associates. As of this writing, neither of the firms‘ websites have reflected the change yet, and according to the report, it appears things might stay that way, with the two staying relatively independent from one another, other than Kaufman now leading the charge on both fronts. Here’s a bit:

Mr. Kaufman’s own firm will retain its name, Gene Kaufman Architect (GKA). In addition to serving as the principal of the new Gwathmey Siegel, Mr. Kaufman will serve as the chief executive of both firms. Mr. Siegel will continue in a leadership role at the firm. “We wanted to increase the body of new work,” Mr. Siegel said. “Our design expertise combined with his development expertise will make projects more likely to happen economically but also be much more exciting from an architectural point of view.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This Barcelona school by architects Arqtel Barcelona has an exposed concrete structure with painted vertical bands of citrus colours.

Containing both a preschool and primary school, the Les Cabanyes school is arranged along an axis that extends from north to south.

Classrooms face enclosed courtyards, containing playgrounds and outdoor learning areas.

More education buildings on Dezeen »

Photography is by Eugeni Pons.

The following information is from Arqtel Barcelona:

Les Cabanyes Preschool and Primary School, Barcelona

A project is defined by the people who will use it and by how it is situated on the site. When it comes to children, it is important to take special care to address all of their needs by providing warm, pleasant and comfortable surroundings. This project prioritizes attention to detail and is designed within a clear and simple functional framework.

The building’s location reflects a particular understanding of an urban fragment and its unique qualities. The building’s arrangement on the site takes advantage of its specific characteristics. This building generates a dialogue with its surroundings not only through its spatial composition and architectural tectonics but also through its volumetric orientation. As a result, the building optimizes functional program at the same time as it focuses on aspects of light, orientation and the quality of the spaces generated. Retaining a telluric presence, the building brings a sense of order to the site and acts as a landmark among surrounding buildings and fields. Its presence as a building volume makes legible a reading of the building through its organization. Its north-south longitudinal axis opens up in a circulation pattern resembling a comb, alternating playfully between filled and empty spaces that characterize the whole.

The north-south axis, which connects the entire building, opens up to an outdoor, public sphere of access. From here, circulation flows into the preschool and primary school areas are separated, avoiding undue disruption as the children walk to their classrooms. This linear axis, a two-story high space, is marked as intensely as the secondary interior courtyards that organize and link spaces and their associated cross axes, varying according to different programmatic needs. These secondary courtyards function as a preschool playground, the primary school playground, the sports field, and a garden area or courtyards for basking in natural light and relaxing. To react to these varying functions, the façade reflects stratified layers of the building volume.

The building’s orthogonality allows for construction elements that are linear and of limited depths. This purposefully minimizes the extension of building elements into the courtyards to maximize exterior space. This also minimizes the area of the site occupied by building. The entire area is meant to be used with equal intensity; this strategy dictates the location of different programmatic pieces within the building. This same linking mechanism sponsors rhythm from the repetition of the pieces; it unifies them by serving as a datum for the interior spaces.

The northernmost linear piece of the school houses the spaces for the youngest children, with classrooms open to the south. These spaces serve as a refuge from which the children can observe the real world and happenings outside through a transparent and ever-changing wall. At the same time, they are warmed by the heat and light of the sun while they play.

In a similar spatial organization, the central longitudinal volumes are linked by the layout of the classroom spaces that face north to prevent overexposure to the sun. The opening of the corridors to the secondary courtyards allows these circulatory spaces to act as warm and welcoming environments.

The longitudinal piece is designed as an element of closure and transition. In other words, the gymnasium and multipurpose room at the southern-most end serves as a terminus to the north-south grain but also acts as an independent element, accessible with or without engagement from the rest of the building.

The stratification of the facades realizes an intention to create a modern and dynamic presence. The result reflects a kind of animated architectural and material character with exposed concrete walls on the facades of the longitudinal axes. While the facades give shape to the secondary courtyards, they also provide a counterpoint to the materiality of the aforementioned facades. Here, the facades are painted in lively colours, evoking a sense of warmth and joy. They alternate with the transparent sections which are resolved very differently in relation to the interior spaces.

The building section is characterized by its adaptation to the topography and orientation allowing different spaces to receive abundant natural light. When this light is combined with the colours of the corridors and the classrooms, it creates a play of light and shadow within warm and pleasant spaces.

Concerns about the environment and sustainable development have become increasingly important for construction methodologies at large. In accordance with the triple dimension of sustainability – environmental, social and economic – the building is inspired by and adheres to these criteria of environmental excellence. The school is presented as an example of sustainable architecture from its conception and design, ranging from passive climate control systems to the construction. To satisfy the building’s energy demands, it utilizes renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic or solar panels.

With the intention of employing innovative thinking in construction methods, prefabricated systems have been used for the structure, facade and partitions. These systems have enabled the architect to reduce construction time considerably, provide construction elements of outstanding quality, reduce noise and dust emissions and lower the time and waste generated by the construction process itself.

To ensure significant energy savings, both in terms of heating as well as electricity consumption, we have used double walls with thermal inertia complemented by exterior doors and windows with thermal breaks. Other energy-saving tools include the placement of mechanisms to control the interior solar light level, water-saving mechanisms and presence detectors in the rest rooms and changing rooms to control the use of artificial light.

The prefabricated structure is based on the Deltamix system, composed of reinforced concrete pillars sized for one or several floors, pre-stressed hollow-core slabs and DELTABEAM concrete-steel beams. These beams feature a metallic core, which creates a concrete-steel beam when joined to the hollow-core slabs. This beam is highly resistant to flexion, torsion and shear stress and also has excellent fire-resistant properties.

One of the notable advantages of this system is the total absence of suspended beams below the frame of the hollow-core slabs, allowing for thin flat slabs with bases of minimum thickness. Other advantages offered by this system include the reduction in overall construction time and the ability to capture light up to 12 meters with large open spaces. Additionally, the system offers fire resistance up to 180 minutes, elimination of the need for bracing, better acoustic insulation and minimization of the period of environmental impact. It increases the building’s durability with the use of better materials and high-quality products as well as making waterproofing easier. The system also optimizes the building’s life cycle, facilitates the making of spaces of diverse sizes and makes the assembly process safer. Efforts to partition spaces and construct holes for electrical systems as well as other installations are minimized and slabs are reduced to its optimal thickness.

The facades are made of 15 cm or 20 cm-thick prefabricated exposed concrete panels that are painted in one of six different colors or left with an exposed concrete finish. The prefabricated panels are reinforced with an interior double drywall sheet that is 13 mm thick. The 46 mm frame with insulation and the air chamber allows for adequate thermal and acoustic insulation.

The anchoring systems of the upper and lower parts of the panels are exceptional. On the upper portion, anchoring is embedded into the slab when the wall runs parallel to the hollow-core slabs. When the wall is oriented perpendicular to the slabs, the vertical panels use embedded “L” profiles at the top to fasten the beams or the slabs. The bottoms feature U-shaped buttresses so that the base of the facade can be connected to the pavement. This Catalonian school marries playful space with efficient and sustainable construction with charming results.

Client: Catalunya Department of Education

See also:

.

Kindergarten Kekec by Arhitektura Jure Kotnik	Kindergarten Terenten by Feld72	Het 4e Gymnasium by HVDN Architecten