Hasta La Ideas

Apartments appear to be stacked up like boxes at this concrete housing block in Paris by French studio RH+ Architecture (+ slideshow).

Named Plein Soleil, the building was designed by RH+ Architecture with a 36-metre-long south-facing facade that features dozens of sunny balconies with sliding glass screens.

These loggia spaces also have a second function; they create a thermal buffer that allows daylight to penetrate the apartments whilst providing an insulating boundary against cold outdoor temperatures.

“The depth of these loggias allows tables and chairs to enjoy the sun,” said the architects. “It is both a balcony and a winter garden.”

Located in the north of Paris, the seven-storey building contains a total of 28 apartments in its upper levels, as well as a crèche on the ground floor and a car park in the basement.

The volume of the structure is intentionally staggered to relate to the heights of surrounding buildings, as well as to allow sunlight to reach the crèche garden at the rear of the building.

A mixture of studio flats and apartments of one, three and four bedrooms are located over six storeys. Many come with double-height living rooms and some feature decked terraces rather than balconies.

Communal corridors have been positioned along the edges of the building so that they can benefit from natural light.

Other housing projects we’ve featured from France include a timber-clad retirement home with yellow-ochre details and a renovated 1960s tower block.

See more housing projects »
See more architecture in France »

Photography is by Luc Boegly.

Here’s a more detailed project description from the architects:

Plein Soleil

Location in the site

The situation of the plot at number 16 Rue Riquet is exceptional: largely visible from the corner of Avenue de Flandre, it is very close to the Bassin de la Villette and has a length of 36 metres of frontage facing south with a depth varying from 18 to 22 metres. The building at the corner of Avenue de Flandre constructed at right angles as well as the small buildings with adjoining ground floors gives to the western corner of the plot a very valuable “faubourg” touch.

On the other side of the same street, the large gable of number 14 allows the new building to be built upon. The whole of these characteristics bear a rich urban potential. Our project aims at making the most of it in the setting up and design of the new building.

1. The Program

The private owner has a vacant land of 700 square metres located rue Riquet in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, near le Bassin de la Villette and Avenue de Flandre. He has decided to build 28 free rental units with a crèche on the ground floor (run by the association “ABC childcare”).

Some options have come out as obvious:

» To develop an environmental approach in the first stage of the design, with the integration of engineering consultants specialised in “High Environmental Quality”, RFR Elements
» To make the most of the linear facade
» To gradually move west back from the neighbouring building and create views for the new building
» To create a garden at the bottom of the plot and a way to lead to the block of flats from the rear on the north side

The objectives of the operation

The owner together with his project delegate AURIS has set the following targets:

» To get a building project both robust and lasting with an architectural signature
» To optimise the building capacity in order to receive the bonus floor area ratio by getting the BBC Label with HQE certification

To create a building matching the values of project management particularly on the following aspects: aesthetics and urban integration, quality and sustainability.

To respect the following constraints:

» To create business premises on the ground floor to become later a crèche run by an association.
» To optimise the design of the building in order to reduce operating costs and thus the costs charged to tenants.
» To optimise maintenance costs.
» To reduce energy consumption.
» To offer a balanced distribution of typologies.

Envelope and environmental qualities

To secure a thermally efficient project, losses should be minimised. The thermal performance of the envelope has been obtained by the systematic elimination of thermal bridges.

That has been done by:

» The choice of insulation from the outside (material stands before the insulation slab nose).
» The use of thermal break on the south side to detach the thermal structure at the front of the inner facade (unheated part) from the inside of the flats.
» The choice of a console on the north side meant to carry for a limited period the floor of the corridors.

The south facade is organised on a principle of loggia. The thermal limit is located at the level of the 30% opaque and double-glazed very efficient inner facade. The exterior sliding window pane is a simple, slightly printed glazing for the bedrooms and transparent for the living-rooms. In winter and at the beginning/end of the mid-season that is to say during the heating period which usually runs from mid-October to mid-March, these loggias play the role of a buffer space whose function from a thermal point of view can be developed in three ways:

» function of protection of the inner glazing against the effects of the wind, which result in increased heat transfer and infiltration of cold air,
» function of heat buildup when the weather is sunny and the loggia exposed to direct sunlight, the temperature is then higher than the outside temperature,
» function of preheating the fresh air, the air intakes for mechanical ventilation being placed outside the rooms and lounges thus the loggia (appropriate as far as energy and thermal comfort are concerned).

As winning project of the call for low consumption building projects (BBC) from ADEME 2010, and having obtained the certification Cerqual H & E profil A, we have offered a philosophy of clean environmental approach. The project is part of a plot of high quality characterised by a significant linear facing south. Before the sketch work was carried out, the design team has focused on environmental issues so in our answer the issue is intimately linked to the architectural offer and rooted in fundamental elements of the quality of life.

Spatial organisation and environmental qualities

As far as the ground plan and spatial organisation are concerned, the qualities of the project are obvious: all flats are through and the bathrooms get daylight. What’s more, each flat opens widely on to the south side to capture the most of the sun.

The inner environmental qualities of our project consist in:

» A supply of free sun on the southern facade
» Possibility of a through ventilation in summer, appropriate to refresh the flats at night and thus lob the peaks of heat
» These qualities have a large impact on comfort but also on energy consumption: less heating needed in winter and in summer, no discomfort which would likely lead to the use of side air conditioners, disastrous in terms of energy and environment

We should also mention as highly appropriate from an environmental point of view the fact that the parts in common are mostly on the outside of the buildings: this will reduce heating consumption, artificial lighting and thus the costs.

2. The Building’s Setting in Terms of Sunshine

Making the most of the south facade can be achieved through the design of a thermal facade together with private outdoor spaces that increase the comfort and quality of the flats.

A thermal southern facade: the concept of loggia favours both summer and winter comfort. The loggia is a buffer zone consisting in two sliding glass walls that can open and close according to the variations of temperature.

This concept provides several functions:

» A function of protection: heat losses are reduced.
» A supply of free heating by the sun: that heat is absorbed by the floor and the walls and released at night.
» Given the 1.700 hours of sunshine per year, this supply is particularly significant in terms of energy savings.
» The function of preheating fresh air, provided by controlled mechanical ventilation.

Provide comfort of use

This “thick” facade consisting in loggias running outside along the living rooms and the bedrooms provide a nice patio area. The depth of these loggias allows tables and chairs to enjoy the sun. As extensions of the living rooms some of the loggias have clear glass bays on two levels. This extra space can be opened or closed depending on the sunlight. It is both a balcony and a winter garden. As extensions of the bedrooms loggias have clear glass bays in the foreground and screened glass bays over the street. This treatment filters views and sunshine for more privacy.

3. Integrating the Project in the Context

West terraces – neighbouring buildings at number 18 rue Riquet have an identity of their own: they form a complex with a very “faubourg” touch in the type and height of the buildings and the imbrication of the plots.

It appeared to us that in many ways there was a strong connection between the project and this complex:

» There must be respect in the way the buildings are linked, the project must not crush the existing buildings nor pour too much shade on them
» The project must offer flats widely opened on the outside with views to the west (good position, facing multiple directions).
» Sunlight should reach the garden at the bottom of the plot.

For all these reasons we opted for gradually decreasing terraces on its western side. The terraces would run from west to east but also from south to north which allows light to reach the bottom of the plot. The choice of terraces and vegetal roofs make it even more pleasant for future residents and the neighbourhood.

Compliance with the local urbanism plan

Consistent with Parisian architecture and in accordance with the Local Urbanism Plan, the project suggests marking a base to ground floor by the building of a glass facade running all the imposed 3.20 metres of height. The two last levels stand back in conformity with the templates, so that the attic stands out. The yard created at the north east corner of the plot as an extension of the existing adjoining courtyards is there to create crossing flats.

4. Create Outdoor Space to Benefit Everybody

The project offers several types of outdoor spaces: A large courtyard with a real garden for the crèche on the ground floor. Keeping in mind the fact that the flat is located in a plant growing area, the two of them form a large open space of pleasant proportions: 150 square metres.

This creates a vegetal strip of land which can be enjoyed not only from the ground floor but also from the corridors of distribution and the west terraces. These buildings have an open outlook and leave perspectives free. And finally this garden is a valuable space for the buildings close to the imbricate plots.

A court in angle

As an extension of an already existing adjoining yard, a yard in the corner allows the creation of crossing flats and on a city scale to keep open spaces designed to let the housing block breathe.

Common terrace on the top floor

On the last floor, the roof terrace of the studio R 5 is a common terrace, sheltered from the street and multi-orientated.

Private outdoor spaces

Each flat except for the studios overlooking the courtyard owns a private outdoor loggia. The western corner flats even have a terrace facing southwest.

5. To Create All-Through Flats with Multiple Views

The very thin (8 metres inside the flats) building allows the creation of all-through and bright buildings on the following lay-out:

» Halls, kitchens and bathrooms facing north.
» Living- rooms and bedrooms with loggias facing south.

All flats are at least all-through flats. Those located on the western side face south-west and north. There is a flat on the ground floor with a 35 square metre terrace facing west. Except for the two rooms overlooking the courtyard, they all have private outdoor space. The ceilings are 2.50 metre high and on the west side living rooms have partial double heights(+ 1 metre). Typologies follow that pattern: seven studios, eight one-bedroom flats, five three-room flats, eight four-room flats.

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RH+ Architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

This concrete-clad house in northern Portugal by Arquitectos Matos comprises an L-shaped block that folds around a courtyard (+ slideshow).

Portuguese studio Arquitectos Matos designed the single-storey home, named Casa de Mosteiro, for a family living just outside the town of Santa Maria da Feira.

The dark concrete exterior contrasts with the house’s bright interior, which features white walls alongside wooden floors and fittings.

Two adjoining blocks give the house its L-shaped plan. The first contains the dining room, living area and kitchen, while the second accommodates three bedrooms, a bathroom and a study.

Floor-to-ceiling doors slide back to open various rooms out to a wooden deck, which folds around the grassy courtyard and features a small swimming pool.

“The interior spaces are directly associated with the patio,” said the architects. “[It] unifies the different areas of the house and intensifies the daily experiences of the family.”

A flat concrete roof overhangs this side of the building and creates a sheltered patio and garage in one corner.

One wall is tiled with bright-green glazed ceramics, salvaged from the house that formerly occupied the site and belonged to the owner’s parents. The architects refer to it as a “memory wall”.

Other Portuguese residences we’ve featured include a house with a large vertical lightwell, a weekend retreat renovated from a cluster of farm buildings and a house that follows the incline of a hill.

See more houses in Portugal »
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Photography is by João Morgado.

Here’s some information from the architects:

Casa de Mosteiro 

The site is located on the outskirts of Santa Maria da Feira, surrounded by a diffuse and changing landscape.

The concept of the project comes from the combined interpretation of the functional program of a single-family house with the specific premises of the clients, as from the study of the characteristics of the lot and its surroundings and morphological conditions.

The house is organised in a single floor around a central courtyard, facing South and West, protected from the street on the North side. Shaped as an “L”, it is divided in two parts – a longitudinal volume organised the service areas and the leisure zone, while the bedrooms are located in the shorter volume, transversal to the lot.

An additional volume, a storage room placed in the limit of the terrain, accurately defines the central courtyard.

Access to the house is made from the east side, by a ramp that serves as a transition between the level of the street and the main and service entrances.

At the intersection of the two volumes of the L, a void announces the main entrance, that inward, through its transparency, reveals the central courtyard and leads to the different areas of the house.

The interior spaces are directly associated to the patio, though protected by the porch, that externally unifies the different areas of the house as intensifies the daily experiences of the family.

The living room is an ample space, where the dining and living areas are commonly organised, spatially extending to the outdoor through natural light.

The volume, simple and compact, is coated by an opaque ventilated façade made of prefabricated black textured concrete panels on its public surfaces, whilst its interior walls, facing the private patio, are fully open through their transparency.

The background scenery of the courtyard and garden is framed by the “memory wall”, built out of stones from the demolition of pre-existence.

Designation: Casa de Mosteiro
Location: Santa Maria de Feira, Portugal
Project: 2008-2009
Construction: 2010-2012
Client: Private
Architecture: Arquitectos Matos (Ricardo Matos, Nuno Matos)
Co-author: Luís Loureido
Architecture collaboration: Huge Gomes

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by Arquitectos Matos appeared first on Dezeen.

The sprawling topography of the Portuguese landscape provided the shape of this restaurant, guest house and wine showroom by architecture studio Carvalho Araújo (+ slideshow).

Sited just outside the town of Passos do Silgueiros, the building was designed by Carvalho Araújo for Portuguese wine brand Quinta de Lemos as a place where critics and customers can sample and critique different vintages.

Glass walls angle back and forth to give the concrete building its winding plan, which nestles closely to the rugged forms of the rocky hillside.

“The building’s drawing is developed starting from the topography, based in contour lines,” said the architects. “It defines an extensive course that represents the dimension of the territory on which it is placed”.

Visitors arrive at the building after traversing a winding pathway down from the road. Upon entering, they can either head into a large dining room, or make their way to one of three guest bedrooms.

The wine showroom is positioned just beyond, past a private indoor swimming pool that offers far-stretching views across the vineyards and hills.

A pair of long staircases tucked behind the building lead up onto the roof, which is covered with paving slabs and functions as a large viewing platform.

“The building is drawn by the land,” added the architects. “Its openings and orientation respect the main points of view over the vineyard, control of natural light and the discretion that is intended.”

Portuguese studio Carvalho Araújo also recently converted an old military police headquarters into an art and culture centre in Braga.

We also recently published a guest house at the Cloudy Bay winery in New Zealand and have previously featured an Italian winery with huge terracotta vaults and an asterisk-shaped restaurant and winery in China.

See more wineries on Dezeen »
See more architecture in Portugal »

Photography is by Hugo Carvalho Araújo.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

De Lemos

Answering the request for the conception and design for a gourmet restaurant, we developed the project with the idea of a guest house, private equipment as complement of the first. The group intends to relate to the wine production, and to frame this investment in a global brand strategy, instead of an isolated act in the territory.

The guest house doesn’t have a formal reception; the services create an intimate atmosphere, family like and exclusive. The bedroom is not just the private domain; it includes other spaces of social character, which makes this equipment different from the usual offer of temporary lodging. The bedroom is really a small house.

The association established with the wine production justifies the restaurant. It includes spaces for wine proofs, and a reserved area to discussion, analysis and wine critic, suggesting a flexible drawing for the space in all these uses.

The building’s drawing is developed starting from the topography, based in contour lines, as a reference to the platforms and the distant association that unites them in time, characteristic of wine’s production especially in the Douro and Dão region.

It defines an extensive course that represents the dimension of the territory on which is placed and is built in a level quota, being the direct result of the topography.

The building is drawn by the land, and its openings, orientations and internal definition of the program respect the main points of view over the vineyard, control of natural light and the discretion that is intended for the group, in spite of its apparent dimension.

The attractive point where the building is located creates a tension between the existent building and the new construction, being constituted as two poles, forcing the accomplishment of a course to relate them. The implantation of the new construction is just the continuity of that course; a drawing in the landscape, a built course leaning towards the beauty of the linear rhythm of the vineyards.

Architecture: Carvalho Araújo, Arquitectura e Design
Team: José Manuel Carvalho Araújo, Joel Moniz, Sandra Ferreira, Emanuel de Sousa, Ana Vilar, André Santos, Liliana Costa, Nuno Vieira, Pedro Mendes, Carlos Santos, José João Santos, Leandro Silva

Client: Celso de Lemos Esteves
Date: 2007 – 2012
Location: Passos do Silgueiros, 3500-541, Viseu, Portugal

Landscape: JBJC – João Bicho e Joana Carneiro, Arquitectura Paisagista, Lda Arquitectura de
Interior Architecture: Nini Andrade Silva
Engineering, management and supervision: Eng.o Carlos Pires
Contractor: Eduardo Oliveira Irmãos, Lda

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Carvalho Araújo appeared first on Dezeen.

Perforated yellow cupboards and drawers resemble slices of Swiss cheese inside this apartment in São Paulo by Brazilian architects Zoom Urbanismo (+ slideshow).

Zoom Urbanismo renovated the flat for a young couple, moving partitions to create an open-plan kitchen, living room and dining area with an original parquet floor and an exposed brick wall.

“The big windows, high ceiling and the good quality of the wooden floor showed that the apartment had potential,” said the architects, “but the closed spaces, divided by the walls, had poor lighting and ventilation, and deteriorated wall coverings.”

Bright yellow cupboards unite the various spaces and are dotted with holes that mimic star constellations. These holes can also be used as handles.

Thick concrete pillars frame the walls and high ceilings in the dining area and are lined with bookshelves on one side.

Sliding glass doors lead out from the living room to a terrace with a view over the city.

A corridor leads back towards two bedrooms, bathrooms, and a laundry room. These spaces also include perforated cupboards, but feature wooden and white-painted surfaces rather than yellow.

Other apartments we’ve featured include one in the Ukraine with a combined bookshelf and staircase, a 1950s inspired flat in Tel Aviv and a renovated residence in the Prenzlauerberg district of Berlin.

See more apartments »
See more architecture and design in Brazil »

Photography is by Maíra Acayaba.

Here’s a description from the architects:

Apartment Apinagés 

In the neighbourhood of Perdizes, in São Paulo, a young couple (an executive and a graphic designer) purchased the top apartment in a four-storey charming and old building.

The big windows, the high ceiling and the good quality of the wooden floor (all common in old constructions) showed that the apartment had potential, but the closed spaces, divided by the walls, had poor lighting and ventilation and deteriorated wall coverings.

The internal distribution of the apartment was reorganised in order to optimise and integrate the spaces. The social area became wide and articulated with the kitchen and the back balcony, which also contains the laundry.

A big shelf/cabinet/stand, with a dynamic set of full and empty spaces, links the living room with the kitchen.

The shelves and cabinets have different heights, so that many objects could be stored and shown. The cabinet doors have small holes that, combined, form the geometry of constellations. The holes are also handles for the cabinets.

Location: Brazil, Sao Paulo
Status: constructed
Started: February 2012
Finished: June 2012
Area: 109,00 sqm
Architects: Guilherme Ortenblad, Samira Rodrigues, Augusto Aneas, Fernão Morato (authors), Fabiano Reis, Kathleen Chiang and Lígia Lupo.

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by Zoom Urbanismo appeared first on Dezeen.

A combined bookshelf and staircase creates a small library with interchangeable shelving at this apartment in the Ukraine by architect Alex Bykov (+ slideshow).

Architect Alex Bykov renovated the Kiev apartment’s interior around the owner’s request for a library, raising it on a small podium in one corner of the living room to maximise storage space.

The apartment only has two doors separating rooms, as each space flows into the next in a looping arrangement.

“The concept of movement appears through the spatial design areas such as the bedroom, the lounge, the library and the bathroom surrounding the kitchen – the historical symbol of the family’s heart,” said architect Alex Bykov.

“You can move from one room to another in an interrupted circle, since the spaces flow smoothly into each other,” he added.

Bykov shifted the doorways back to their original positions, after discovering they had been previously blocked, and retained the existing brickwork.

The exposed pastel-coloured bricks line the interior walls, and are joined by decorative lamps by fellow Ukrainian designers Anna Poppvych and Vasyliy Butenko and low-hung ceiling lamps by Artemide.

Polished timber floorboards are laid throughout the flat, while new partitions and the library are built from chunky chipboard panels. All the furniture is designed and built by the architect.

A skylight is positioned above the bathroom and is screened by wooden louvres that filter light into the room.

We’ve featured a few apartments on Dezeen recently with combined bookshelves and staircases. Others include an old laundry space in Barcelona, a loft conversion in north London and a house with a wooden slide slotted into a staircase and bookshelf in South Korea.

See more combined bookshelves and staircases »
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Here’s a description from the architect:

Usually they say that the successful interior is a beneficial combination of environmentally friendly contemporary decorative materials, design furniture, sanitary equipment and home appliances. Nevertheless, the interior of an apartment located in the heart of Kiev’s historical district has a much more valuable treasure – an idea.

A young creative couple had been looking for an architect, when their designer friend recommended them Alex Bykov. The couple was preparing for a wedding and decided to spend their honeymoon in the renewed apartment.

After a fruitful discussion of suggestions and proposals the concept of “constant motion” was born. Furthermore the concept became the main vector of planning design and stylistic solutions of the interior.

The concept of movement appears through spacial design areas such as the bedroom, the lounge, the library and the bathroom surrounding the kitchen, the historical symbol of the “family’s heart”. So you can move from one room to another in an uninterrupted circle, since the spaces flow smoothly into each other.

The windows face to the south-east side ,which is why the living room and the bedroom are filled with an early morning’s golden shine. The interior has a cosy warm colouring due to the pastel brick walls, the natural texture of wood and soft furniture.

During the process of dismantling it was discovered that the doorways had previously been blocked . Alex decided to shift the doorways by using the original bricks with an authentic early 20th century mark. The brick was bought from junkmen and carefully laid into the living room wall.

The built-in library – a primary wish of the couple, was designed to house the family library. The library has a podium, which was designed to provide more space for storage. It was decided to make two types of shelves for the library; thus this flexible solution gives an opportunity to change the geometric pattern of shelves in the future.

Alex also designed all the furniture and prepared individual work drawings. The woodwork was made from low cost materials. Artificial lighting is dim, warm and comfortable.

Decorative lamps are by Ukrainian designers Anna Popovych and Vasyliy Butenko; the ceiling lamps, which were presented to the newly-weds by close friends as a wedding gift, are by ‘Artemide’.

Bespoke wrought-iron products also immediately grab attention: the legs for the coffee and dining tables, a mirror in the bedroom, a sleeve for the kitchen hood and a window.

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by Alex Bykov appeared first on Dezeen.