MAPA’s XAN House in Brazil combines raw concrete with slatted timber

An austere concrete wall screens the transparent lower floor of this house in southern Brazil, while the overhanging upper storey is masked behind a layer of timber slats (photos by Leonardo Finotti + slideshow).

XAN House by MAPA

Designed by MAPA, an architecture collective based in Brazil and Uruguay, XAN House is a summer residence located near the beach in Xangrilá, a small town south of Porto Alegre.

XAN House by MAPA

The ground floor is dedicated to the family’s communal activities while the upstairs level contains bedrooms, and the architects chose to highlight this difference through the use of different external materials.

XAN House by MAPA

A single-storey concrete wall stretches across the site, from the north-west to the south-east, screening the ground floor from the street. Behind it, the rest of the walls feature floor-to-ceiling glazing that allows residents to open their living spaces out to the landscape.

XAN House by MAPA

“A summer house is a space full of freedom, a place to enjoy an outdoor life,” said the architect. “This fact conditioned the way the project was faced.”

XAN House by MAPA

The positioning of furniture divides the space up into different zones for cooking, dining, reading and relaxing. The ceiling overhead is exposed concrete, while the floor is covered with tiles that continue outside the walls.

XAN House by MAPA

Upstairs, large balconies extend the length of the floor, creating overhangs that shelter both the front entrance and a rear patio. One balcony belongs to the master bedroom and en suite, while the other sits alongside two smaller bedrooms.

XAN House by MAPA

Both balconies and rooms are surrounded by the timber screen, but sections of it fold open to reveal windows.

XAN House by MAPA
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

“Visual filters in the expansion spaces next to bedrooms allow open-air experiences of another nature,” added the architect.

XAN House by MAPA
First floor plan – click for larger image

Photography is by Leonardo Finotti.

XAN House by MAPA
Section – click for larger image

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Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam’s Kraaiennest metro station

Laser-cut stainless steel creates an intricately patterned surface on the walls of this upgraded metro station in Amsterdam by architecture firm Maccreanor Lavington (+ slideshow).

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

Maccreanor Lavington‘s Rotterdam studio overhauled the 1970s Kraaiennest station in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of Amsterdam, increasing its capacity and modernising its facilities.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

The decorative steel screens surround the new ground-level entrance, allowing natural light to filter inside during the day. After dark, lights glowing from within transform the structure into a glowing beacon that makes it easy for locals to find.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

“At night time the design allows the station to be a lantern for the local neighbourhood,” said the architect in a statement.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

As well as the laser-cut panels surrounding the base of the station, the opaque upper walls are also made from stainless steel. The architect says this material will age well and need little maintenance.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

Unlike the old station, which only offered stairs, the new facility incorporates a series of escalators to transport passengers up to the platform. This will help it offer regular transport to around 100,000 local residents.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

The upgraded Kraaiennest station is the latest in a series of infrastructure improvements underway in the 1960s neighbourhood. It follows the 2008 completion of Grimshaw’s Bijlmer Station, which was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

Photography is Luuk Kramer.

Here’s a project description from Maccreanor Lavington:


New €14 million Metro Station completed in Amsterdam

London and Rotterdam based architecture firm, Maccreanor Lavington has completed a major new metro station in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

The new 550m² station and 1,880m² platform in the neighbourhood of Bijlmermeer started on site in 2010 and sits on the site of the original station, built in 1970.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station

The metro station features a ground level entrance with new escalators to take passengers up to the platforms, a major improvement for citizens as the old station only had stairs. The ground level entrance provides the main focal point of the station with an elegant stainless steel facade with a floral design. The laser cut design allows plenty of natural light to flow through the entrance, helping the passenger journey to seamlessly flow from the external surroundings into the station.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station
Site plan – click for larger image

At night time the design allows the station to be a lantern for the local neighbourhood, creating a sense of warmth on street level and creating an instantly recognisable feature for the station. The architects’ chose stainless steel for the external facade due to its durability and low maintenance enabling the station not to need constant upkeep.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station
Station plan – click for larger image

Since the beginning of the late 1990s the area has seen massive investment transforming it from its previous negative public opinion and now making it a thriving suburb of Amsterdam.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station
Sections – click for larger image

Now completed, the station will be in use by over 100,000 residents in Bijlmermeer, a vast increase on the number of users from when the station first opened and completes one of the biggest urban regeneration projects in Europe in recent history.

Maccreanor Lavington overhauls Amsterdam's Kraaiennest metro station
Section and elevation combined – click for larger image

Architects: Maccreanor Lavington Architects
Contractor: Strukton Bouw
Client: Dienst infrastructuur Verkeer Vervoer, GVB, Stadsdeel Zuidoost
Interiors: Maccreanor Lavington
Structural engineer: Ingenieursbureau Amsterdam
M&E engineer: Arcadis
Lighting Consultant: Sjoerd van Beers, Beersnielsen

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Kraaiennest metro station
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Guardian of the Amazon

The Rainforest Guardian Skyscraper rises above the canopy line to keep protective watch of the Amazon. The designs consists of a water tower, forest fire station, weather station, and scientific research lab. The lotus-shaped tower effectively captures rainwater to prevent fires, provide water to its inhabitants as well as irrigate the land in the dry season.

The lotus-shaped water tower is capable of capturing rainwater directly. The collected water is filtered and store in spare reservoirs. Using capillarity combined with active energy, the aerial roots with a distinct sponge-structure can absorb and store the excess water without disturbing the Amazon’s ecosystem. In the case of fire, firefighters fly to the scene and extinguish the fire with the collected water. In addition, the Guardian Skyscraper provides special scientific research laboratories for scientists to monitor the climate change and the ecosystem stability. The laborites also act as exhibition spaces for tourists to create environmental awareness.

Designers: Jie Huang, Jin Wei, Qiaowan Tang, Yiwei Yu, Zhe Hao


Yanko Design
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Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

Bold orange windows punctuate the wooden facades of this angular apartment block that French studio Vous Êtes Ici Architectes has slotted between the existing buildings of a south Paris neighbourhood (+ movie).

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

The six-storey building was designed by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes to provide 11 social housing units beside a school in the 5th Arrondissement of the French capital, on a site previously occupied by a low-rise warehouse.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

Rather than building across the entire site, the architects developed an irregularly shaped block that follows the rhythms of the surrounding architecture and frames a pair of gardens at the north and south-east edges.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

These gardens also line up with the main road and pedestrian pathway that frame two edges of the site, helping to the reduce the visual impact of the structure.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

“The building is set back from the street, allowing the sunlight to reach the school courtyard set across the street,” explained studio founders Alexandre Becker, Paul Pflughaupt and Julien Paulré. “This setup allows respiration and gives space back to the pedestrian passage.”

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

While some of the building’s walls are clad with timber planks, others are covered with pre-weathered zinc. At ground level, there are also walls of dark brickwork, which demarcate entrances.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

Windows with orange frames add colour to the elevations. This feature is echoed in the building’s stairwells and corridors, where walls, floors and railings are uniformly painted in the same hue.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

No more than three apartments are located on each floor and the angular shapes of the building give each home a non-standard shape.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

“The created volumes allow different typologies for the apartments as well as creating views for all,” said the architects.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

South-facing loggias allow apartments to benefit from sunlight during the peak of the day.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

Graphic logos adorn doors to direct residents to bicycle storage and bin stores, while a grassy terrace is located on the roof.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

Photography is by 11H45.

Here’s a project description from the architects:


Logements Sociaux Paris 75005

Located in the Mouffetard area, Latin Quarter of Paris, our project aims to de-densify the heart of the city block in which it is located.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

The building is set back from the street allowing the sunlight to reach the school courtyard set across the street. This setup allows respiration and gives space back to the pedestrian passage. The roof line is continuous and guaranties the continuity of the facades over the street. The set up on the plot is effective, the street is no longer only functional it has become sumptuous.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

The construction is a unique volume that has been hollowed out. The recesses generate a course. They punctuate and follow our movements. The created volumes allow different typologies for the apartments as well as creating views for all. The project is more an architectural device than a sculpture.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

The primary concrete structure supports wooden based facades. The envelope is of pre-aged zinc and wooden openwork cladding. The hall, stairs and landings are set up in a unique volume that has no partitions; the different levels are visually linked. Perambulation is naturally illuminated in the common spaces. Apartments have from two to three orientations. Hollow construction elements were refused. The apartments are luxurious.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

A compact building, a well-insulated wooden structure, solar panels, double glazing windows, a planted roof terrace and loggias with a southern exposure allow us to respect the requirements of Paris’s Climate Plan and to reduce the ecological impact of the building. It is architecture of an efficient nature.

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris

Developer: ELOGIE
Architects: Vous Êtes Ici Architectes (A. Becker, J. Paulré, P. Pflughaupt)
General contractor: Fayolle & Fils
Technical engineering: FACEA
Economist: BMA
Environment engineering: ICADE

Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris
Site plan – click for larger image
Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris
Floor plan – click for larger image
Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris
Section – click for larger image
Social housing by Vous Êtes Ici Architectes slots between buildings in Paris
North elevation – click for larger image

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VILLA IN MONTENEGRO

This project is developed by our studio for the private customer.

Like a fish tank filter for humans…

With all that surface area, it makes perfect sense that our skyscrapers should be doing double duty! A response to environmental pollution in urban areas, the Hyper Filter Skyscraper  was designed to inhale carbon dioxide and other harmful gases in cities and exhale concentrated oxygen. The skin of the project is made out of long pipe filters that catch particles and store them for disposal or reuse later. 

Designer: Umarov Alexey


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(Like a fish tank filter for humans… was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Spaceworkers’ 07CBE House features cantilevered and transparent storeys

The glass-walled living areas of this house in Paredes, Portugal, are sandwiched between a top floor wrapped in opaque panels and a basement clad in rugged shale tiles (+ slideshow).

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

Named 07CBE House, the building was designed by local architecture studio Spaceworkers to create a home for a young family, with communal living spaces separated from the bedrooms and service areas.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

The architects based their response on the design of traditional barns that feature a monolithic base for threshing – the process of beating grain to separate it from the chaff. This informed a series of pillars supporting a roof that appears to hover above the landscape.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

“In the region, most vernacular buildings that punctuate the landscape are barns supporting agricultural activities, which normally rise from the floor using a pillar structure to create a sense of lack of gravity,” architect Henrique Marques told Dezeen.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

“It was this tripartition of a monolithic base, an empty space that turns out to be functional, and a constructed element that stands out in the landscape giving a sense of protection and at the same time structural weakness that fascinated us,” Marques added.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

The monolithic structure at the base of the house contains functional facilities including a garage, laundry, storage room and a swimming pool.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

This level is predominantly clad in black shale tiles with a raw texture that enhances the rugged and utilitarian aesthetic.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

The tiles contrast with the warm ipe wood used to clad the decking, walls and ceiling around the pool, which creates a welcoming space intended as an extension of the interior.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

Above the stone-clad base, glass walls reinforce the reference to the open threshing floors of local barns and allow for views into and out of the home’s main family rooms.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

“The public floor of the house is exposed to the outside through the huge glass windows which, besides ventilation and light input, allow us to explore the ideas of lightness and structural weakness that we sought,” Marques added.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

A living and dining area on this floor is separated from the kitchen by a wall of the ipe wood, which is also used for a section of the north facade to create a contrast between its seemingly natural fragility and the solid mass of the storey above it.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

The top floor houses the main private spaces behind an opaque facade punctuated by a series of terraces that allow light to reach the interior.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

A pronounced cantilever enhances the impression that the solid volume is floating weightlessly above the ground and reaches outwards to make the most of views from the terraces around its edges.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

Insulating composite panels were used to clad the upper storey, creating a seamless surface in the space between the structural concrete beams.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

A fireplace contained in a faceted wall creates a focal point between the living area and dining room. Vinyl flooring has been used throughout the interior, while the walls are clad in plasterboard that has been painted white.

07CBE house by Spaceworkers

Photography is by Fernando Guerra.

The architects sent us the following details:


07CBE house

The idea of a vernacular architecture (forgotten) and how it seeks to form a clear speech between the landscape and programmatic needs is something that we always admire.

Ground floor plan of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

A very successful example of this discourse, are the structures to support agriculture (normally function barns/granary), which in a more or less random would punctuate the countryside, as blocks of ephemeral appearance that levitated on the ground.

First floor plan of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
First floor plan – click for larger image

It is precisely this idea of “gravitational lightness” that fascinates us and which is based the concept of this project.

Second floor plan of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
Second floor plan – click for larger image

Generally, the proposal make reference to the tripartite elements vernacular, the Base, with a static image of monoblock and megalithic, which contain the functions of a nonpublic space, the open area, where are all the public spaces of the house, and that explores the visual and physical relationship with the outside, and finally the Block “gravity” where private spaces are located.

Third floor plan of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
Third floor plan – click for larger image

Project: private building
Size: 800m2
Address: Paredes
Client: Private
Author: spaceworkers®
Principal architects: Henrique Marques, Rui Dinis
Architects: Rui Rodrigues, Sérgio Rocha, Daniel Neto, Vasco Giesta José Carlos
Finance director: Carla Duarte – cfo
Engineer: aspp ENGENHEIROS, Lda

Section one of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
Section one – click for larger image
Section two of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
Section two – click for larger image
Section three of 07CBE house by Spaceworkers
Section three – click for larger image

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Schneider+Schumacher’s church based on motorway signage looks like Batman

A motorway sign symbol of a church was translated directly into the structure of this roadside chapel on the outskirts of Wilnsdorf, Germany, by Frankfurt architects Schneider+Schumacher (+ slideshow).

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photograph by Helen Schiffer

The design for Siegerland Motorway Church was Schneider+Schumacher‘s winning entry to a competition seeking proposals for a chapel to be built on a site overlooking a busy motorway and surrounded by a hotel, petrol station and fast-food restaurant.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

The building’s form draws on the visual language of its environs – particularly the standard icon used to depict a church on Germany’s road signs.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

This stylised image is visible on two facades on either side of a square nave, which transitions into a long sloping walkway leading to the entrance.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

“Whether approached from afar from the Dortmund direction, or from the motorway service area, the church represents a built version of the motorway church signage,” explained architect Michael Schumacher. “Even though its exterior form is abstract, it still signals in an immediate and direct way, ‘I am a church!'”

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

In a video describing the design process, Schumacher claims the abstract form also suggests other shapes, such as the folded paper of Japanese origami or the pointed ears worn by comic-book character Batman.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

The timber structure of the outer walls was assembled from elements produced off site and incorporates laminated timber sections providing extra strength to the roof and towers.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photography by Helen Schiffer

Following assembly, the whole of the church and the entrance passage were sprayed with a white polyurethane damp-proofing material that unifies the faceted surfaces.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photograph by Helen Schiffer

Windows on one side of the pointed spire-like towers draw natural light into a nave that features an organic cave-like structure, contrasting with the building’s geometric outer shell.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photograph by Helen Schiffer

“The interior was meant to come as a surprise, contrary to the expectations raised by the exterior,” said Schumacher. “The exterior is abstract; the interior is warm, friendly, magical and sacred, transporting you to a different world.”

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photograph by Helen Schiffer

A structure made from 66 wooden ribs, developed using parametric computer modelling software, opens up from the entrance to create a high-vaulted dome above the altar.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photograph by Helen Schiffer

The individual parts required to build the framework were optimally positioned on sheets of chipboard to minimise waste during the cutting process.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

The wooden shapes slot together to create a rigid and self-supporting structure, which conceals the sacristy and storage spaces in gaps around its curved edges.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

Oriented strand board – a type of engineered chipboard – was used for interior furnishings including simple boxy stools, a lectern and a candle stand.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman

Daylight from the windows is focused on the altar, podium and cross, which are painted white to give them an ethereal appearance.

Church by Schneider+Schumacher based on motorway signage looks like Batman
Photograph by Helen Schiffer

Artificial lighting is hidden behind the latticed wooden structure and is designed to illuminate the space in the same way as the natural light that filters through the structure.

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on motorway signage looks like Batman
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Tree House in Texas

Coup de coeur pour cette maison en bois réalisée par l’équipe de Miró Rivera Architects. Cette résidence privée située à Austin, au Texas a été réalisée à l’aide de matériaux locaux et naturels contrastés par des lignes épurées en verre permettant à la lumière d’accéder à l’intérieur de la maison.

Tree House by Miro Rivera Architects 2
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Tree House by Miro Rivera Architects 1

Hazukashi House Architecture

Cette maison à Kyoto, au Japon a été conçue par le bureau de conception Alts. En raison de sa faible largeur, la maison apparaît disproportionnée en hauteur. Les architectes ont donc choisi de mettre l’accent sur cette caractéristique en créant des portes et ouvertures à bout pointu.

Hazukashi House 2
Hazukashi House 3
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Hazukashi House 1