Hasta La Ideas

This guest house by Russian architect Peter Kostelov has a patchwork timber facade with perforated panels that look like paper doilies (+ slideshow).

The Deco Pattern House is located in the grounds of a house in Russia’s Konakovsky district and was influenced by the decorative style of early nineteenth-century Russian architecture.

“It’s reminiscent of old Soviet-time buildings when people had limited access to building materials, so as a result most private houses looked like patchwork blankets,” Peter Kostelov told Dezeen.

The timber facade is broken up into a series of squares and rectangles, differentiated with pine slats of different sizes, orientations and finishes. All joints are hidden behind overlapping planks of white-painted wood, fixed to one another with zinc screws.

Doors and windows are surrounded by the decorative plywood panels and trims, featuring laser-cut patterns that look like computer pixels.

“The ornament seems to consist of enlarged pixels, bringing the modern computer to the decor,” explained Kostelov. “Similar drawings used to be seen on ornaments embroiled on tissues and were copied and multiplied like patterns framing the edges of the shape,” he added.

The guest house encompasses two bedrooms, an office space, a shower and a toilet along with a small kitchen and dining area. The living room sits between the two bedrooms while a workshop area is isolated from the rest of the house.

This isn’t the first time Kostelov has created a house with a patchwork facade. He previously designed a riverside summerhouse clad with an assortment of wooden slats in Tverskaya, Russia. See more design by Peter Kostelov »

See more holiday homes on Dezeen »
See more architecture in Russia »

Photography is by Zinon Razutdinov.

Here’s some more from the architect:

Function

This house is the second after the bigger cottage on the same plot. It is the guests’ house. Apart from living room and a kitchen there are two bedrooms, toilet with shower, a workshop and storage. There is also a veranda and a garage for two cars. This house faces the bigger cottage. Its facade is richly decorated, which is sure to ennoble the plot and makes an attractive view if to look out of the bigger cottage. The house’s dimension is due to the size of the plot – 21 metres long and 6 metres wide – which is corresponding to the minimal size for two cars parking. Each of the two rather small bedrooms has kingsize beds, office zones and storage place for guests’ comfortable staying. Shower and toilet are next to the entrance. The living room is between two bedrooms. There are also a small kitchen, dining room and a divan area. Open air veranda with its small window for airing is under the housetop of the building. As for the workshop it is isolated so that the residents wouldn’t disturb the guests.

Decorations

The idea of the house decorations is recognisable for Russian style: a lot of decorative elements placed around windows and doors. Simple shapes and classical decorative elements should have created harmony. Walls are cut into segments and differ from each other in size of trimming wooden elements, colour and texture all of which create moving background. Above them decorative elements – trims and shutters are fixed. Joints of linings and threads are covered with crosswise planks fixed with visible zinc screws creating a bulge effect on simple shape of facade. Ornament of decorative elements is graphically processed. Oval elements are removed from it. The ornament seems to consist of enlarged pixels bringing modern computer origin of decor.  Similar drawings used to be seen on ornaments embroiled on tissues and were copied and multiplied like patterns framing the edges of the shape.

Technologies

Foundation is like a belt made of channel and is based on steel piles screwed evenly every 3 metres. Roof made from metal panels. Frame and panel technology is implemented in building of this house with timber 50 х 150 mm, insulation, hydro and wind proof pellicle and wooden trimming of both sides of walls. Decorative elements are made of waterproof plywood of 15 mm. thick.

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by Peter Kostelov appeared first on Dezeen.

News: London architect Zaha Hadid has unveiled plans for an 11-storey apartment block that will be constructed beside New York’s popular High Line park.

The residential building is to be built on West 28th Street and will provide approximately 37 apartments overlooking one of New York’s most visited tourist attractions. It will also be Zaha Hadid’s first project in the city.

Hadid’s proposal is for a glass and steel building that will integrate a chevron pattern in its facade. “Our design is an integration of volumes that flow into each other and, following a coherent formal language, create the sensibility of the building’s overall ensemble,” she said.

“With an arrangement that reinvents the spatial experience, each residence will have its own distinctive identity, offering multiple perspectives and exciting views of the neighbourhood,” she added.

Commissioned by New York developer Related Companies, the building will feature a range of luxury features, including a grand double-height foyer, a large roof terrace and an indoor pool and spa. Apartments will feature 3.3 metre-high ceilings and most will have their own private entrance foyers.

The High Line has been a catalyst for development in New York since its first section opened in 2009. In a recent interview, designer Steven Burks told us: “For decades [the High Line] was an overgrown railroad track, left over from an era when elevated trains roared through Manhattan. Today it’s a multi-million dollar park that’s welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors a day.” See more stories about the High Line »

Zaha Hadid has already been in the news over the last week, as projects in Hong Kong and Azerbaijan near completion. See more architecture by Zaha Hadid »

Here’s a press release from Related Companies:

Related Companies commissions Zaha Hadid Architects to design boutique residential condominium on the High Line at 520 West 28th Street

Related Companies, New York’s premier residential developer, today announced that it has commissioned world renowned Zaha Hadid Architects to design a boutique condominium adjacent to the High Line at 520 West 28th Street in Chelsea just south of Hudson Yards. The 11-storey residential development will mark Hadid’s first commission in New York City, leaving an indelible mark on the High Line’s architecture map and continuing Related’s storied history of partnering with world-class architects and designers.

“We are proud to partner with Zaha Hadid Architects and to continue Related’s commitment to the very best in urban architecture,” said Jeff Blau, CEO of Related Companies. “This development will be truly unique within the city’s architectural offerings, and will pave the way for future architectural achievements on Manhattan’s west side.”

The development’s bold design captures the richness of the location’s vibrant and historic urban context, where a fascinating interplay between the city and the High Line has created a powerful urban dynamic among the elevated park and surrounding streetscape. The same interplay is seen within the building’s design; a chevron pattern enhances the sculpted exterior, at once separating and merging the two distinct zones. The innovative concept further develops this contextual relationship, giving each residence the highest degree of originality.

“Our design is an integration of volumes that flow into each other and, following a coherent formal language, create the sensibility of the building’s overall ensemble,” explained Zaha Hadid, founder of London-based Zaha Hadid Architects and the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. “With an arrangement that reinvents the spatial experience, each residence will have its own distinctive identity, offering multiple perspectives and exciting views of the neighbourhood.”

Zaha Hadid, founder of Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), is known internationally for her built, theoretical and academic work. Each of her projects builds on over thirty years of exploration and research in the interrelated fields of urbanism, architecture and design. ZHA’s interest lies in the interface between architecture and its context as the practice integrates natural topography and human-made systems, leading to experimentation with new technologies. Such a process often results in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

The firm’s previous work at The MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, Italy and the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games demonstrate ZHA’s exploration of fluid space. Previous seminal buildings such as the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati and the Guangzhou Opera House in China have also been hailed as architecture that transforms our ideas of the future with new spatial concepts and visionary forms.

The 11-storey development will feature approximately 37 residences of up to 5,500 square feet, focusing on expansive, gracious layouts with 11-foot ceilings, thoughtful technological integration and state-of-the-art finishes and features. Designed with multiple elevator cores, a majority of the residences will have a private vestibule and entrance that adds to the intimacy of the building.

Residents of 520 West 28th Street can enjoy the High Line while maintaining privacy and exclusivity. The double-height entrance lobby offers glimpses beyond to the residents’ communal spaces and an outdoor garden. The generous terraces and courtyard further enhance the residential experience and a substantial roof terrace, indoor pool and spa, entertainment space and playrooms give even greater opportunities to relax and entertain. These offerings will be part of a rich services and amenities program befitting the discerning luxury buyer to which the property will appeal.

In addition to the enchanting High Line park adjacent to the building, the property will benefit from exciting nearby additions, including Avenues: The World School, and numerous hot new restaurants. The site will also hold an important place within Related’s footprint in this valuable neighbourhood – the company is soon launching a new luxury rental property at 30th Street and 10th Avenue as well as the much anticipated Hudson Yards project. This dramatic 26-acre mixed-use development two blocks to the north will include residential, office, retail, parks, open space, culture and entertainment. The first tower, the South Tower, will open in 2015.

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on New York’s High Line appeared first on Dezeen.

Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem has renovated a 1950s house in Tel Aviv with a roughly hewn sandstone mosaic wall inside it (+ slideshow).

An Urban Villa was designed by Dov Karmi, one of Israel’s most celebrated modern architects, and Pitsou Kedem was asked to restructure the two-storey interior.

“The main idea was to preserve the spirit of the original design whilst implementing a contemporary, independent interpretation of the existing structure and its adaptation to contemporary technologies, materials and knowledge,” said Kedem.

Walls were whitened both inside and outside the house, while black-painted wood was used to construct the new staircase and louvred balustrade.

“These monochromatic hues provide the background for the original materials that we decided to preserve,” explained Kedem, referring to the limestone floor and sandstone wall left intact.

The architect selected furniture to complement the design, including an Eames chair, a marble kitchen counter and a vivid red sofa.

Other residential projects by Pitsou Kedem include a renovated apartment with a vaulted stone ceiling and a boxy white house. See more architecture by Pitsou Kedem »

Here’s more text from the architect:

An Urban Villa

In the 1950s what was known as the “International Style” was highly developed in Tel Aviv. It developed thanks to architects who studied at the Bauhaus Institute in Germany and who then returned to Israel to continue their work. One of the architects who led the “International Style” was Dov Carmi. He designed many, usually large, projects. One of his more restrained projects was an urban villa in the centre of Tel Aviv which he designed in 1951.

In his design, Carmi expressed his local interpretation of “Free Design” in which there is a continuous series of spaces created by light and shadow, view and movement without creating one large, single and open space.

My office executed a massive reconstruction of the structure which included the changing of the exterior facade and the division of the interior. The main idea was to preserve the spirit of the original design whilst implementing a contemporary, independent interpretation of the existing structure and its adaptation to contemporary technologies, materials and knowledge.

During the project, we took great care to create an experience of defined, intimate and continuous spaces in a relatively restricted area; and this without detracting from the overall understanding of the entire structure.

The house is simple and minimalistic with the light and the materials creating drama and vitality. The unique range of materials was preserved throughout the project.

The building’s external facades were painted white and the profiles chosen are decks painted black, similar to the Bauhaus style. The floor is of off-white concrete. These monochromatic hues provide the background for the original materials that we decided to preserve.

The central wall that divides the entry space was preserved in its original form, built from hewed, course sandstone constructed in a unique composition. The floor of the living room is wild, natural limestone of earth hues and changing sections. The wall and the floor symbolise the building in its original state. Around them is modern, minimalistic architecture which emphasis the space and the light. The project’s furniture was carefully chosen to complete the overall experience of a living urban villa that conducts a dialogue between two worlds and two separate eras.

Plot: 370 sqm
House: 300 sqm
Original structure’s architect: Dov Carmi, 1951
Renovation architect: Pitsou Kedem Architects 2010 – 2012
Design team: Pitsou Kedem, Noa Groman

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by Pitsou Kedem appeared first on Dezeen.

A facade designed to look like a picture frame outlines a courtyard garden at this house in Hiroshima by Japanese studio UID Architects.

Named Frame, the two-storey house was designed by UID Architects with a two-layer facade, comprising a black outer skin with a clean white wall behind. The courtyard garden is slotted in between and forms the house’s entrance.

The pebbled floor of the courtyard continues into the house, wrapping around a wooden staircase that runs along behind the windows.

Bedroom and bathroom areas sit on the ground floor, while the first floor opens out into a spacious living and dining room with a study on one side.

Light penetrates the house through a long narrow skylight that spans the roof, as well as through large openings in the facade.

“In this house you’re able to live feeling the gentle breeze and daily sunlight as much as possible,” say the architects.

We’ve featured five residences designed by UID Architects, including a house where circular hollows create sunken rooms and a timber home constructed at the foot of a mountain.

See more houses by UID Architects »
See more Japanese houses »

Photography is by Hiroshi Ueda.

Here’s a project description from UID Architects:

Frame

The house aims the space such as one integral room which is 7m×7m+X. There are bedroom and guest room, washroom and bathroom in the ground floor, also LDK and study room on second floor because of referencing around site environment surrounded 3 ways. Basically the house is designed like one integral room which is 7m×7m while considering to make each space as small as possible.

In addition to that, the yard space set to road which connect to outside as extension of interior wall. Therefore we can feel the extra space more than physical extent space.

Furthermore by setting this wall, it can connect to outside of area smoothly as ensure the privacy. On the second floor, it could be possible to get lighting inside without affection by around site environment from the top light which exists north to south. Regarding yard, we can feel south side lightning from LDK to study room integrally by setting yard on north to south. And also it could be comfortable study room owing to constant sunlight of north direction by locating study room to north side. In this house it’s able to live as feeling gentle breeze and daily under the natural sunlight as much as possible in interior room.

Architects: UID architects – Keisuke Maeda
Consultants: Konishi Structural Engineers, Toshiya Ogino Environment Design Office
General contractor: Hotta Construction Co.Ltd.

Structural system: wood structure
Used materials: wooden flooring (flooring), spandrel (wall), plaster board (ceiling)

Location: Hiroshima-City, Hiroshima, Japan
Site area: 132.23 sqm
Built area: 57.85 sqm
Total floor area: 111.43 sqm
Date of completion: January, 2012

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UID Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Dutch architect Bastiaan Jongerius was commissioned by six families to design this group of houses around a communal courtyard in Amsterdam (+ slideshow).

The buildings were constructed on a plot of land in the city’s Jordaan district, which the city council had simply handed over due to contaminated soil and a number of buildings yet to be demolished.

Bastiaan Jongerius Architecten decided to retain and renovate two buildings on Elandsstraat to the north, creating a four-storey townhouse and a pair of maisonettes behind the rough brick and blue stone facades.

The architects then constructed a row of three new three-storey houses facing south onto Lijnbaansstraat, each with earth-coloured brick walls and wooden fenestration details.

A narrow alleyway leads from Elandsstraat into the L-shaped courtyard at the centre of the site, which is shared by all six residences.

Five homes have french windows that open out to wooden patio decks around the edge of the courtyard, while wooden balconies overlook it from both sides.

Interiors feature exposed concrete ceilings, white-painted timber walls and wooden staircases.

Another Dutch housing development completed earlier this year featured two rows of brick houses sandwiched between a pair of canals in the town of Den Helder. See more houses in the Netherlands »

Photography is by Milad Pallesh.

Here’s some text from Bastiaan Jongerius Architecten:

Six courtyard houses in Amsterdam

In 2004, three couples with children who were looking for suitable housing in the city centre decided to join forces in order to commission their own construction project. They set their sights on a plot of land between Elandsstraat and Lijnbaansstraat.

In order to avoid open tendering, the city council sold the plot complete with contaminated soil and buildings that had yet to be demolished. There was space for six housing units, enabling a further three families to join the project, and the six households then formed a ‘collective private commissioning body’.

The land was divided into six condominium units, each of which also included a one sixth portion of the communal garden courtyard. The design process was an intensive trajectory of endless discussions, structuring responsibilities and monitoring costs.

Architect and resident Bastiaan Jongerius designed a plan in which the edges of the plot are built on, giving rise to a central private courtyard.

Two buildings on Elandsstraat have been carefully incorporated in the existing facade frontage. The dwelling at number 133 is characterised by an abundant use of glass and wood, while the adjacent building, which houses an upstairs and a ground-floor dwelling (numbers 135 and 137), has a bluestone facade.

Behind the door, above which are the names of all the children who live in the complex, is an alleyway that leads to the garden courtyard.

Three pavilion-like dwellings, which are accessed via wooden steps, are situated here. The front doors and facade gardens of these dwellings are on Lijnbaansstraat.

The housing scheme has injected new life into this narrow cul-de-sac.

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Bastiaan Jongerius Architecten appeared first on Dezeen.