House in Yagi containing an indoor courtyard by Suppose Design Office

An indoor courtyard with an earth floor and central tree is concealed behind the concrete walls of this bulky house in Hiroshima by Japanese studio Suppose Design Office (+ slideshow).

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

Located beside a canal, House in Yagi was designed by Suppose Design Office to deliberately look unfinished, so its concrete walls were left exposed both inside and outside.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

“Unlike other projects, the final stage of construction for this house was not aiming towards a finish stage, but to let the owner experience the sense of completion after living here,” said the architects.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

Living, dining and sleeping areas are all located in the uppermost section of the house, freeing up the ground floor to accommodate the double-height courtyard.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

Square windows of different sizes surround this space, but were left without glazing to allow wind and rain to enter the building.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

“All these elements are to enhance the experience of unlimited lifestyle that you may potentially have in this house, and minimise the boundary,” added the architects.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

A concrete staircase folds around one corner, leading up to top-floor living spaces that include a combined dining room and kitchen, a bedroom that can be screened behind a partition, a bathroom and a general storage closet.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

A narrow void in the floor plate creates a balcony looking down to the space below, but can be screened behind a folding glass door to prevent draughts.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

The house accommodates a growing family of four, so could be adapted in the future to add new rooms.

House in Yagi by Suppose Design office

Suppose Design Office is led by architect Makoto Tanijiri. Past projects by the firm include House in Minamimachi, a residence with offset floors, and House in Kamiosuga, which features walls that only reach halfway down from the ceiling.

Photography is by Toshiyuki Yano.

Here’s a project description from Suppose Design Office:


The House of Yagi

The House of Yagi is designed with the idea of an incomplete/complete form. Unlike other projects, the final stage of construction for this house was not aiming towards a finish stage, but to let the owner experience the sense of completion after living here.

Site plan and section of House in Yagi by Suppose Design office
Site plan and design concept – click for larger image

Interior space of the house is designed to maximise the interaction to its surrounding environment. Ground floor material remained the same as the original site, with a single tree standing in the centre to present a natural contrast with the surrounding area. Windows of the 1st storey are kept open without any window shield or glass and creates an interesting interaction with wind and rain.

Floor plan of House in Yagi by Suppose Design office
Floor plans – click for larger image

All these elements are to enhance the experience of unlimited lifestyle that you may potentially have in this house, and minimise the boundary. Through this different interpretation of connecting the exterior and interior space, new ways of living can be explored by the client.

Section of House in Yagi by Suppose Design office
Section – click for larger image

Location: Hiroshima city, Japan
Principal use: personal house
Site area: 155.60 sqm
Building area: 56.24 sqm
Total floor area: 112.48 sqm
(1F: 56.24 sqm 2F: 56.24 sqm)
Completion: June 2012
Design period: April 2011 – January 2011
Construction period: February 2011 – June 2012
Structure: RC structure
Client: a couple and children
Project architect: Makoto Tanijiri [Suppose Design Office] + Ohno Hirohumi [Ohno JAPAN] Lighting: Original
Products: dining table
Flooring: 1F – masa soil, 2F – elm flooring + WAX (mat)
Internal Wall: exposed concrete
Ceiling: exposed concrete
Construction: Shinkou Kensetsu

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Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a rocky outcrop

This boxy wooden house by Canadian studio MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects extends over the edge of a rocky outcrop on the Atlantic coastline of Nova Scotia (+ slideshow).

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

Only a small section of the house makes contact with the ground, as most of its body projects over the edge of the cliff towards the waterfront, supported underneath by a criss-crossing arrangement of steel I-beams.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects designed Cliff House as a weekend getaway. It is intended to “heighten the experience of dwelling in landscape” by introducing a feeling of vertigo to its residents.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

“On approaching the cabin from the land, one is presented with a calm wood box with its understated landscaping, firmly planted on the ground, in contrast with the subsequent dramatic interior experience of flying off cliff,” said the architects.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

Built to a tight budget, the building comprises a simple robust structure made up of steel trusses and timber portal frames, which are left exposed throughout the interior to avoid a buildup of condensation.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

The architects explained: “In Atlantic Canada we have a cool, labile climate, characterised by constant wet/dry, freeze/thaw cycles, resulting in a very high weathering rate for buildings. Over the centuries we have developed an elegant, economical light-weight wood building tradition in response to our challenging climate.”

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

The main space of the house is a double-height living and dining room with windows on three sides and a wood-burning stove. A bathroom sits behind, with a mezzanine bedroom located above it.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

The entrance is at the end of the building, alongside a south-facing deck looking out over the cliff edge.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

Photography is by Greg Richardson.

Read on for a project description from MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple:


Cliff House

Landscape

This modest project is first in the series of projects to be built on a large (455 acre) property on Nova Scotia Atlantic Coast. It acts as a didactic instrument intended to heighten the experience of ‘dwelling’ in landscape. A pure, austere wood box is precariously perched off the bedrock cliff, ‘teaching’ about the nature of its landscape through creating a sense of vertigo while floating above the sea. This strategy features the building’s fifth elevation – its ‘belly’.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

On approaching the cabin from the land, one is presented with a calm wood box with its understated landscaping, firmly planted on the ground, in contrast with the subsequent dramatic interior experience of flying off cliff.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

Program

This efficient, 960 sq. ft. cabin functions as a rustic retreat. It is intended as an affordable, high amenity prototype-on-a-pedestal. Its main level contains a great room with a north cabinet wall and a compact service core behind. The open loft is a sleeping perch. A large, south-facing deck on the cliff edge allows the great room to flow outward. The cabin’s fenestration optimises passive solar gains and views, both out to sea and along the coastline.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

Building

The project’s rich spatial experience and dramatic landscape strategy is contrasted by its material frugality. This is a modest project with an extremely low budget. A galvanised superstructure anchors it to the cliff. A light steel endoskeleton forms the primary structure expressed on the interior. The envelope is a simple, conventional, taut-skinned platform framed box. The ‘outsulation’ strategy allows the conventional wood framing system to be expressed on the interior, avoiding the need for interior finishes, and the problems typically associated with condensation in insulated wall cavities. The cedar shiplap siding on a ventilated rain screen creates an abstract modern effect.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face

In Atlantic Canada we have a cool, labile climate, characterised by constant wet/dry, freeze/thaw cycles, resulting in a very high weathering rate for buildings. Over the centuries we have developed an elegant, economical light-weight wood building tradition in response to our challenging climate.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face
Ground floor plan

The light timber frame has also become the dominant domestic construction system in North America. Despite its widespread use, its inherent high level of environmental sustainability, its affordability, and its subtle refined aesthetic, architects have been reluctant to embrace it. The research of our practice, however, builds upon and extends this often understated, everyday language of construction, often through modest projects like Cliff House.

Cliff House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is perched over a sheer rock face
First floor plan

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Architects is perched over a rocky outcrop
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Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

Volcanic soil was mixed with cement to create the building blocks of this house in south-west Japan by Tokyo studio Aray Architecture (+ slideshow).

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

Located in Kagoshima Prefecture, the two-storey residence accommodates a family of six, who requested an energy-efficient home that incorporates natural systems of heating and cooling.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

Architect Asei Suzuki of Aray Architecture specified locally produced bricks for the walls of the house, which were made by combining volcanic ash soil with cement. These bricks were used for the both the inner and outer layers of the walls, and are left exposed throughout.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

“The spaces between bricks form an insulating layer to reduce the thermal load from the outside. It plays the role of an aerated zone to prevent condensation,” Suzuki told Dezeen.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

A skylight in the centre of the roof helps to draw air up through the building. “The form of the house promotes the airflow stack effect,” added Suzuki.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

The family dining room and kitchen are positioned in the middle of the house, while a double-height living room occupies a triangular space on one side and opens out to a decked terrace.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

A timber and steel staircase leads up to the first floor, which contains a children’s room and a study. There’s also a small enclosed terrace, which is fronted by perforated brickwork to allow views down to the street.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

Asei Suzuki founded Aray Architecture in 2009 and Shirasu house is the studio’s first completed residential project. Before that, the architect was design director for Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, whose projects include a house with a tree-filled courtyard behind its shimmering glass-brick facade and a cavernous art gallery.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

Photography is by Daici Ano.

Here’s some more information from ARAY Architecture:


Shirasu

The resident did not rely on energy in South Kyushu of high temperature and humidity, and hoped for ecology life with the environment.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

The wind of land is felt, rain water is saved, and it enjoys gardening. It is native life. The site is a residential quarter that extends on a Shirasu plateau near from the Kagoshima City downtown. I then thought native house (eco-house) with the soil (Shirasu) as the material that formed this plateau native by the made Shirasu block.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

Shirasu has a lot of characteristics in other geological features like fireproof, adiabaticity, the humidity conditioning, thermal storage, and lightness, etc. without. Pressurising and construction it the technology of a monotonous block in Shirasu for the pavement that had begun to spread in the city was made the best use of, and production with the block for the construction of Shirasu was tried for the first time.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

To secure material strength, the outside wall block changed mixing Cirrus. It inlaid with the raw ore of Cirrus to improve the adsorption and desorption of moisture to the inner wall block. At the same time, the character of this Shirasu appears as an expression of the memory accumulating to the block. The house where in all outer had been piled up on an inside and outside midair layer double wall became a space wrapped in the soil like the cave in Cirrus.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

This inside and outside midair layer double wall has reduced the thermal loading to the inside. In addition, the inner wall block surrounds like finish in any room of the house, and adjusts the indoor humidity. Therefore, the inside is chilly cool, and warm summer in winter.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture

It is a steady throughout the year thermal environment. It proposed the energy performance of underground resources accumulated in the Shirasu plateau and it proposed the space with a new environmental circulation type to the Shirasu block by reproducing.

Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture
Floor plans – click for larger image
Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture
Cross section – click for larger image
Shirasu house with volcanic soil brickwork by Aray Architecture
Elevations – click for larger image

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Keperra House built around a sheltered deck by A-CH

A sheltered deck separates the bedroom from the living spaces of this tiny home in a suburb of Brisbane (+ slideshow).

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

The building was designed by Australian studio A-CH as a dwelling for a single occupant at the end of the garden of an existing property.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

A void at the centre of the building frames views of a mature Jacaranda tree and the main house beyond, and acts as the entrance to the two separate indoor spaces.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

“The semi-outdoor deck is the main breakout space which the occupant is forced to circulate across on a daily basis, heightening one’s awareness of the changing environmental conditions,” said the architects.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

On one side of the deck is a compact living and kitchen area, while the bedroom and a bathroom are located on the other side. Sliding doors can be opened to connect the inside spaces with the decking.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

The building is constructed from robust materials including cast concrete and galvanised cladding, which is also used to create oversized guttering that helps to shade the interior from the sun.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

Plywood panels used throughout the interior provide a sense of natural warmth and conceal amenities, and storage behind folding doors.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

Windows are carefully positioned to retain privacy where it is required, while making the most of views of the garden and neighbouring parkland.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

“The project seeks to experiment with the daily pleasures of compact dwelling and to celebrate the spirit of the place where it belongs,” the architects summarised.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

Photography is by Alicia Taylor.

Here’s a project description from A-CH:


Keperra House

Keperra is a post-war suburb North West of Brisbane CBD, once occupied by the military camps in the 1940’s and later with the development of Housing Commission in the 1950’s. The brief to add a detached sole occupant flat on an existing property presents an opportunity to rethink the typology of the secondary dwelling, commonly dubbed as the ‘granny flat’.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

The new dwelling is positioned along the rear boundary like a garden wall, with a defensive Southern facade as backdrop of a mature Jacaranda tree. The central covered deck space establishes ground connections with the newly defined garden while serving as an arrival court. This punctured void in the massing sets up a framed view of the landscape for the garden and the existing house.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

The dwelling is deliberately made to open up the Northern facade on to the natural settings of Kedron Brook creek reserve. With the footprint kept at a minimium of 45m2, the small spaces amplify the sense of dwelling in nature. This rare edge condition between site, suburb and parkland has the potential to offer connections for the occupant with the daily activities of the parkland life.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung

The elongated plan paired with generous openings extends the interior to the landscape beyond, while screening devices allow control of privacy from the occasional parkland strollers. A string of three connecting rooms essentially makes up the plan: living, semi-outdoor and sleeping. Each designated with an individual framing of expansive, intermediate and protected views respectively in response to the undulating landscape.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung
Site plan- click for larger image

These composed and at times oblique apertures enhance one’s sense of openness, immediacy and intimacy. The semi-outdoor deck is the main breakout space which the occupant is forced to circulate across on a daily basis, heightening one’s awareness of the changing environmental conditions.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung
Plan- click for larger image

Robust construction detailing are utilised throughout the project, and resilient materials are used primarily in their raw state to deliver a low maintenance dwelling within a constrained budget.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung
Cross section- click for larger image

The chiseled, board marked in-situ concrete has a rock like quality, emerging to form anchorage to the sloping land. Capped atop by the sharp edged galvanised cladding, with its subtly reflective surface captures the seasonal colour transitions of the surrounding foliage. The oversized folded zincalume gutter also doubles as a sunshade device over large Northern openings.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung
Long section- click for larger image

Internal spaces on the contrary display a sense of warmth and softness, with the use of materials such as locally sourced Cypress Pine and Hoop Pine plywood panels throughout. Material palettes have been kept simple to achieve a restrained and functional space, where storage units and amenities integrate within a concealed joinery wall. The project seeks to experiment with the daily pleasures of compact dwelling and to celebrate the spirit of the place where it belongs.

Keperra House by Atelier Chen Hung
Elevation- click for larger image

Practice Name: A–CH (Atelier Chen Hung)
Project Team: Melody Chen, James Hung, Renee Popovic
Physical Model: Yohei Omura
Structural Engineer: Northrop Consulting Engineers

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MO House in the woods by FRPO

The rooms of this wooden house in a forest near Madrid by local architects FRPO branch off in different directions to slot into gaps between the trees (+ slideshow).

MO House in the woods by FRPO

FRPO was asked to design a family home that was sensitive to its natural environs and chose to distribute the rooms across the site in a series of interconnected boxes.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

“The powerful presence of the trees and the wish to have a house integrated in the woods led to a disaggregated solution,” said the architects.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

Several possibilities for the position of the various boxes were explored before the architects settled on the most suitable solution.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

The boxes nestle beneath the branches of the trees, which also occupy spaces between the numerous angled external walls.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

The building is constructed from cross-laminated wood panels that remove the need for destructive foundations and provide excellent thermal insulation.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

FRPO explained that the choice of wood allowed them to create a structure that is “insulating, continuous, lightweight, precise and extremely thin,” and described it as “wood in the woods.”

MO House in the woods by FRPO

The wooden theme continues inside the building, where painted timber panelling covers the walls, and a table with a thick wooden top occupies the dining room.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

From an entrance at the centre of the plan, corridors branch off towards the master bedroom and two rooms for the family’s children at one end of the house, and a kitchen, dining area and living room at the other end.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

A single taller box contains a study space that is accessed by a spiralling staircase.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

Photography is by FRPO, Miguel de Guzmán.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

Here are some more details from the architects:


MO House by FRPO

Systematic freedom

In 2010 we received a commission to design a single-family house in a forest in the outskirts of Madrid. Although the programmatic requirements were conventional, the site would demand a complex geometry. The powerful presence of the trees and the wish to have a house integrated in the woods led to a disaggregated solution. The program was transferred in a very direct and natural way to a number of simple rectangular pieces. The different topological relations between the pieces determined a series of useful solutions, 24 in the end. The optimal version was selected and the plan of the MO House was this way defined.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

The MO House project belongs to a family of projects developed in the office beginning in 2005. These projects explore the possibilities of generating architectural complexity out of the combination of simple elements. Throughout this process of projects, conditioned by a large number of specifications settled by the clients, we have been forced to systematize every design decision in order to simplify the process to its full capacity. The results produce a nice surprise: the combination of a number of extremely simple spaces offer an extremely rich spatial experience. We have found a powerful tool to work with. We can use this system in very different situations. Some very simple basic rules and a series of pieces with adequate proportions will result in an endless range of solutions.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

Wood in the woods

The final arrangement of the MO House plan opened two technical issues that put the solution into question: the high variety of angles in the joints between pieces and a penalized shape factor that would result in a negative impact on the energetic performance of the house (an elevated façade-volume ratio). In addition to that, another key issue aroused: proximity of trees required a little aggressive foundation system.

MO House in the woods by FRPO

The technical solution adopted in a first approach – steel skeleton with concrete slabs – did not seem viable. We needed a lighter system that could be assembled in a more accurate way. It had to be simple – like the plan – and thermally favourable. On a visit to his studio, a friend showed us a cross-laminated wood panel by KLH. The product met all the requirements: a solid structural material with high insulating performance and CNC manufactured at their Austrian factory. The house would be solid wood. Wood in the woods. 72 mm thick walls. Slabs from 95 to 182 mm.

Site plan of MO House in the woods by FRPO
Site plan – click for larger image

The total weight of the structure would not reach one third of a conventional system. The foundations could therefore be made of galvanized steel micropiles only 2 meters long. The panels would be manufactured by numerical control cutting, ensuring accuracy at all angles. The structure would be insulating, continuous, lightweight, precise and extremely thin. The floor of the house could be a direct transposition of the work scheme. The installation process would be fast and accurate.

Floor plan of MO House in the woods by FRPO
Floor plan – click for larger image

The nature of the project remained intact and its technical requirements had led us to the discovery of a new field of project possibilities.

Diagram key of MO House in the woods by FRPO
Rooms key – click for larger image

Location: Madrid, Spain
Program: housing
Project start: 2010
Project completion: 2012
Surface: 295 m2
Architecture: FRPO Rodriguez & Oriol ARCHITECTURE LANDSCAPE, Pablo Oriol, Fernando Rodríguez.
Collaborators: Pastora Cotero, Inés Olavarrieta, Cornelius Schmitz, Cristina Escuder
Contractor: Alter Materia, Grupo Singular
Consultants: KLH, Alter Materia, Miguel Nevado

Section of MO House in the woods by FRPO
Section – click for larger image

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House in Tsurumaki with a hexagonal living room by Case-Real

This house in Tokyo by Japanese studio Case-Real is rectangular at the front and hexagonal at the back (+ slideshow).

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Japanese architect Koichi Futatsumata of Case-Real designed the two-storey House in Tsurumaki for a north-facing site in Setagaya, but was asked by the clients to create a south-facing living room.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

To accommodate this, he added a hexagonal plan to the rear of the house. This created space for additional windows, which are set at 30-degree angles rather than facing directly towards neighbouring houses.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

“This shape resulted in a plan where sunlight continuously shines into the living room from dawn till dusk,” said the design team.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

The living room is located on the upper floor, with a guest bedroom positioned underneath. A wooden staircase runs along the edge of the two rooms, following the outline of the hexagon.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

“The existence of this hexagonal structure works as a strong element to categorise the function, structure and design of the entire house,” added the designers.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

A six-sided ceiling angles up into a central point and is framed by wooden beams that have been painted grey-blue.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

This colour recurs throughout the house, from walls and doors to kitchen cabinets, staircase treads and balustrades. It is also used for the exterior walls and roof.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Bedrooms for the parents and children are situated on separate storeys at the front of the house. The kitchen can be found on the first floor and features a ladder leading to a small mezzanine loft.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Photography is by Takumi Ota.

Here’s a project description from Case-Real:


House in Tsurumaki (Tokyo, Japan, 2013)

A detached house standing in the high density residential area in Tokyo.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

The site for this project was one of the five subdivided areas with the north side facing the street, and the other three sides neighbouring the other houses. Within these difficult circumstances the client wished for a living room on the south side full of sun light.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

The core of this residential housing is the hexagon volume on the southern side of the site. This shape resulted in a plan where sunlight continuously shines into the living room from dawn till dusk.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Creating a minimum parking space needed for a compact car and by sliding the volume of the structure to the north as far as possible, we were able to keep a planting ground and to efficiently let light into the room.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

For the plan of each floor and its traffic lines, the roof and the beam which can be seen at the ceiling of the 2nd floor, the existence of this hexagonal structure works as a strong element to categorise the function, structure and design of the entire house.

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Design: Koichi Futatusmata, Yasushi Arikawa (CASE-REAL)
Structural Engineer: Hirofumi Ohno (Ohno Japan)
Design Cooperation, Construction: Yoshida building firm
Lighting Plan: Tatsuki Nakamura (BRANCH lighting design)Location: Tokyo, Japan

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Type of Project: Newly build
Use: Residence
Period: Jun 2012 – Jun 2013

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real

Structure: Wood frame
Scale: 2 storey
Building area: 61.2 sqm
Site area: 123 sqm

House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real
Site plan – click for larger image
House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real
Floor plans – click for larger image and key
House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real
Front and rear elevations – click for larger image
House in Tsurumaki by Case-Real
Side elevation – click for larger image

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Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

News: a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1939 but never built has been realised 74 years later at the campus of Florida Southern College.

Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

The single-storey structure was one of around 60 houses drawn up by the late American architect as part of his series of “Usonian homes” – a kind of family residence that is free from ornamentation, intended to represent a national style whilst remaining affordable for the average family.

Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

The house has now been constructed on the campus of Florida Southern College, which itself was masterplanned by Frank Lloyd Wright and currently boasts the world’s largest single-site collection of his completed buildings. Wright originally designed 18 buildings for the college but only 12 were constructed during his lifetime, making the Usonian house number 13.

Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

Instead of being used as a residence, the building forms part of the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center – a gallery and visitor centre presenting both permanent and temporary exhibitions of Wright’s life and work.

Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

“It is a singular privilege to be stewards of this paramount piece of American architectural heritage,” said college president Anne Kerr. “Frank Lloyd Wright is not only a part of Florida Southern’s history, but also a part of America’s great history, and the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center is a wonderful tribute to his legacy on our campus and his impact around the world.”

Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

Around 2000 concrete blocks were used to build the walls of the house and had to be hand-made by craftsmen. Roof canopies and window frames are constructed from timber, plus around 6000 coloured glass blocks function as stained glass windows.

Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright house realised 74 years after it was designed

The house also features reproduction furniture that was designed by Wright specifically for use in his Usonian homes.

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74 years after it was designed
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House No.7 cottage and extensions on the Isle of Tiree by Denizen Works

London studio Denizen Works has overhauled a cottage in Scotland‘s Outer Hebrides by rebuilding the original structure and adding two extensions modelled on agricultural sheds (+ slideshow).

House No.7 by Denizen Works

Architect Murray Kerr of Denizen Works completed this project for his parents, who had bought an ageing house on the Isle of Tiree and planned to renovate it and live there for five months of the year.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

After discovering the original structure was beyond repair, the architect had to instead rebuild it before adding two new wings that are designed to reference the local agricultural vernacular.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

“The concept was to create a traditional cottage with agricultural sheds around it, as if the building had grown organically over time,” Kerr told Dezeen.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

The stone cottage now functions as a guest house, with bedrooms on both floors and a generous living room.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

Behind it, a bunker-like structure is used as the main house. The exterior of this building is made from galvanised steel and corrugated fibre cement, and it has a curved roof profile.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

The upper level houses a large timber-lined kitchen and dining room, while stairs lead down to an en suite bedroom that is slightly sunken into the ground.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

“The idea was to create a robust outside, contrasting with the light and airy space inside,” said Kerr.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

The base of the structure is created from the same stone as the cottage walls, helping to tie the two structures together. “After rebuilding the old house, we had some stones left over, so we reused them elsewhere,” added the architect.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

A third wing was also added and serves as a utility area. It contains a laundry area, a wet room where residents can clean sand off their shoes and a studio that children can use for painting.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

Photography is by David Barbour.

Here’s a project description from Denizen Works:


House No.7, Heanish, Isle of Tiree, Scotland

Introduction

We were commissioned in October 2010 to produce a design for a new house on the site of a ruined, B-listed black-house on the Isle of Tiree on the west coast of Scotland. We developed a concept that comprises two houses, a Living-house and a Guesthouse, linked by a Utility wing. Together the elements combine to create a bold insertion into the landscape while reflecting the character and heritage of the island.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

In keeping with the philosophy of Denizen Works, the language of the house was driven by an examination of the local vernacular, materials and building forms with the architecture of the Living-house and Utility taking their lead from the local agricultural buildings combining soft roof forms, chimneys and corrugated cladding.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

Setting off the utilitarian accommodation is the Guesthouse with its deep-set stone walls, black and white palette and black tarred roof resulting in a building that is tied to the landscape and unmistakably of Tiree.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

The Site

Tiree is the western most of the Inner Hebrides, accessible from the mainland via ferry services from Oban or by air from Glasgow airport and enjoys more hours of sunlight than any other location in the British Isles. At around 7.8 ha and with a population of around 750, the island is highly fertile providing fantastic grazing land for livestock due to the mineral rich ‘machair’ that covers the land mass.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

Located on the southern coast of the island, House No.7 is accessed by a grass track and enjoys fantastic views of Duin bay to the south and a typical Tiree landward aspect of lightly undulating machair and traditional housing settlements.

House No.7 by Denizen Works

Like most places on Tiree, the siting of the house is very exposed, with no natural land mass or vegetation to provide shelter from the wind. The design challenge, given the exposure to the elements, was to create a design that maximises shelter from the wind giving places of shelter on all sides, while allowing sunlight to penetrate and warm the house inside and out while utilising the breeze to aid natural ventilation.

Site plan of House No.7 by Denizen Works
Site plan

Architecture

The Living-house, containing living/kitchen/dining spaces with master bedroom below, functions as the social heart of the new home. The living space is a half level up from the entrance with the master bedroom sunk into the landscape with views to the sheltered garden. Access to the garden, created by the removal of the sand blow build up around the existing cottage, and the beach is from the southern end of the space.

Basement plan of House No.7 by Denizen Works
Basement plan – click for larger image

The Guesthouse is constructed in the stone from the original cottage containing two guest bedrooms, a bathroom and a quiet snug/entertaining room with an open link to the main hall in the utility.

Ground floor plan of House No.7 by Denizen Works
Ground floor plan – click for larger image

The Utility is the functional heart of the building containing laundry facilities along with a wet room in which to clean off the sand from the beach or fish scales from the sea and a studio/lego room for painting and play. This third element, with the feel of a covered outdoor space, seamlessly links the other elements of the house allowing family and guests to interact as they choose.

First floor plan of House No.7 by Denizen Works
First floor plan – click for larger image

The interior of the house offers a counterpoint to the robust architecture of the exterior, filled with natural light; the finishes are intentionally robust with inspiration for the palette taken from local Tiree architecture. Heating is provided through an air-source heat pump.

Long section of House No.7 by Denizen Works
Long section – click for larger image
Cross section of House No.7 by Denizen Works
Cross section – click for larger image

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on the Isle of Tiree by Denizen Works
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Mullet House by March Studio

A twisted angular roof oversails this extension to a suburban house in Melbourne by Australian architects March Studio (+ slideshow).

Mullet House by March Studio

March Studio, which is best known for designing a series of stores for Aesop, was tasked with renovating an existing bungalow in Kensington and adding an extension that doubles the size of the interior.

Mullet House by March Studio

For the existing house, the architects retained the Edwardian facade but re-planned the interior to accommodate only bedrooms and bathrooms.

Mullet House by March Studio

The new two-storey structure extends from the rear of the house. The architects excavated part of the ground, allowing them to create a concrete basement and parking area with a timber-clad ground-floor level above.

Mullet House by March Studio

“The new extension is not meant to be sympathetic to an older style but rather has been shaped by the clients’ brief, solar access and one of Melbourne’s best views back onto the city,” said the architects.

Mullet House by March Studio

The angular black-zinc roof extends over a large living and dining room, and is angled up at two corners to allow light to filter in through clerestory windows.

Mullet House by March Studio

“This simple twisting operation grabs light and views,” said the architects. “The action and drama of the twist is expressed and amplified on the ceiling below by a series of hand-plugged timber battens.”

Mullet House by March Studio

The concrete structure on the level below contains a children’s playroom with circular glass skylights overhead, as well as a wine cellar, a laundry room and a bathroom.

Mullet House by March Studio

A car can be parked beneath the projecting upper level, while a terrace and garden are positioned just beyond.

Mullet House by March Studio

The building is named Mullet House, as a reference to the hairstyle that different at the back than at the front. According to the architects, a passerby has described the house as “formal up front with the party out the back”.

Mullet House by March Studio

Here’s some text from the architects:


Mullet House

Situated in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Kensington, ‘The Mullet’ performs contorted gymnastics in order to facilitate an ambitious brief on a small, yet opportunistic site.

Mullet House by March Studio

The clients, Scott Smith and Phoebe Moore, wanted to commission not only a new and comfortable home, but also sought a challenging design. Running a family business in construction, Scott and Phoebe’s own home would become an opportunity for them to showcase their own capabilities.

Mullet House by March Studio

A Heritage overlay shaped the design for the front of the dwelling, requiring that the cottage facade and first few rooms flanking Hardiman Street be retained and renovated, (red roof and all). This is where the formality is, the face to the heritage land of Eastwood Street blends seamlessly with its cottage neighbours. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms are resolved into the pre-determined Edwardian shell, freeing up the new extension for the living areas.

Mullet House by March Studio

The fun begins to emerge when rounding Hardiman Street. ‘I don’t like it’ – says one of the locals half way through construction. ‘It’s not in keeping with the area…’ The new extension is not meant to be sympathetic to an older style but rather been shaped by the clients’ brief, solar access and one of Melbourne’s best views back onto the city.

Mullet House by March Studio

The balancing act that the local resident detested emerged when the brief called for off-street parking. The house would straddle the parking area, and even with the grade of Hardiman Street to advantage, excavation was unavoidable. Since a digger would be coming to site anyway, the opportunity to dig a little deeper and sink a large concrete box (along with the children in it) was far too good to refuse.

Mullet House by March Studio

Buried within the concrete box is the rumpus room, wine cellar, laundry, and an additional bathroom. The box is capped with a concrete lid and garnished with strategically placed, trafficable glass skylights. The monolithic form anchors the new building into the side of the hill and is finished internally by the rough reality of building – and being – underground.

Mullet House by March Studio

The concrete lid of the concrete box is not only the ceiling for below, but also the floor in both the kitchen and exterior deck. The pivot around which the other spaces are spun, the kitchen serves all parts of the house, while the dining and living areas are tucked up above the garage and closer to the night sky of Melbourne’s city lights. Timber battens clad the extension, wrapping the three spaces together and providing a linear base for the last hovering piece.

Mullet House by March Studio

Soaring above the living spaces is the black zinc roof. On the northern edge the roof is pulled up to increase natural light to the northwest corner, and pushed down to the neighbouring building on Hardiman Street on the northeast, so as not to overshadow it. On the south side, the operation is reversed, and the southwest corner is lifted to create a framed view of the city. This simple twisting operation grabs light and views from two corners and anchors the remaining two with rain heads falling to collection tanks. The action and drama of the twist is expressed and amplified on the ceiling below by a series of hand-plugged timber battens.

Basement plan of Mullet House by March Studio
Basement plan – click for larger image
Ground floor plan of Mullet House by March Studio
Ground floor plan – click for larger image
Section of Mullet House by March Studio
Cross section – click for larger image
Section of Mullet House by March Studio
Long section one – click for larger image
Elevation of Mullet House by March Studio
Long section two – click for larger image
Elevation of Mullet House by March Studio
Street elevation – click for larger image

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La Sentinelle house in Quebec by naturehumaine

This house in Quebec by Canadian studio naturehumaine has a gently sloping roof that follows the descent of the surrounding landscape (+ slideshow).

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

The two-storey family home was designed by naturehumaine for a site on the edge of Lac de la Cabane, a lake near the mountain village of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

Named La Sentinelle, or the Sentinel, the house is described by the architects as “a bird sitting at the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake”, as a reference to the L-shape made by the angular metal roof.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

One side of the house comprises a single storey and is orientated east-to-west at the highest point of the site, while a two-storey wing runs north-to-south and is positioned on a plateau slightly further down the slope.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

“The site has a plateau at the level of the road and then drops into a steep hill that leads down to the lake,” architect David Dworkind told Dezeen. “Budgetary constraints made the structural costs encompassed in building a house cantilevering off the hill impossible, so the positioning of the house was limited to the plateau.”

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

Wooden panels clad the exterior walls and are painted grey to match the galvanised metal roof.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

A timber staircase with a geometric steel balustrade leads into the upper level of the house, passing through a hall towards the kitchen, dining room and living area, as well as the master bedroom.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

This floor opens out to a large wooden deck, but also features a sheltered outdoor space that the architects refer to as the “three-seasons room”.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

“It’s an outdoor room that is closed off with insect screens,” Dworkind explained. “It can be used in spring, summer and fall but wouldn’t be used in the winter as it is uninsulated and too cold. You get the benefits of being outdoors but without the bugs.”

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

The lower level of the house was designed as a children’s zone, containing three bedrooms and a games room. A ladder in the games room leads to a small nook in the roof, offering an extra space for the children to play in.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

Photography is by Adrien Williams.

Here’s a project description from the architects:


La Sentinelle

After selling their previous country house because of the lack of natural light, a couple and their three kids decided to buy an empty lot and build a custom home to better suit their needs.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

They found a parcel of land with southern exposure at vast views of the lake ‘Lac-de-la-Cabane’.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

The constraints of the site led to an L shaped footprint where an east-west oriented rectangular block was placed at the top of the topography, and a north-south oriented block was slid underneath.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

The upper block contains the living spaces and master bedroom, and the lower block, also known as the ‘kids zone’, contains the three children’s bedrooms and a games room.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

A folded roof rises from the lower block covering the upper block and extending towards the cliffs edge as if it were about to take off, reminiscent of the wings of a bird.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

We see the house as a bird sitting at the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake, which is where its nickname ‘The Sentinel’ comes from.

La Sentinelle by naturehumaine

Type: Single family home
Intervention: New construction
Location: Lac de la Cabane, Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard
Completion Date: 2013

Site plan of La Sentinelle by naturehumaine
Site plan – click for larger image
Lower ground floor plan of La Sentinelle by naturehumaine
Lower floor plan – click for larger image
Upper ground floor plan of La Sentinelle by naturehumaine
Upper floor plan – click for larger image
Long section of La Sentinelle by naturehumaine
Long section – click for larger image

The post La Sentinelle house in Quebec
by naturehumaine
appeared first on Dezeen.