Architect: Krawitz Architecture
Type: residential – single family residence
Location: Bessancourt, France
Year:2009

Read the rest of this entry »

Architects: Olgga Architects
Location: Nantes, France
Client: Le Lieu Unique
Consultants: Home Bois Distribution
Project Area: 22 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Fabienne Delafraye & Olgga Architects

The flake house, a nomadic, road-gauged dwelling, has been conceived to clad the places wherever it lands, as to transpose theses in an unusual vision. A poetical shelter, a “folie”,that merges low-tech and hi-tech. The interior finish is smooth and stripped down as to contrast with the traditional look of the external log cladding.

Created in 2006 for the competition “Petites machines à habiter” held by the CAUE 72, OLGGA’ proposal for this nomadic wooden shelter is based on the concept of the «folie», where the wooden structure is broken in two halves establishing a radical spatial boundary while materializing an unexpected entry sequence. Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: Bates Masi Architects
Location: East Hampton, NY, USA
Client: Private
Structural Engineer: Steven L. Maresca
Contractor: Paul Cassidy
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Christopher Wesnofske

Thirty-five years after the firm originally designed this vacation residence, its new owners sought to rejuvenate the house while preserving its spaces, seasoned tones, and texture. Clad inside and out almost entirely in twelve-inch wide cypress boards, the original house exuded a straightforward simplicity the owners wished to maintain. By constraining the palette of materials and reusing salvaged parts of the existing house, the line between new and old becomes nearly imperceptible, limited only to minimal inflections in finish. Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: Pieta-Linda Auttila
Location: Valkosaari island in Southern Harbour of Helsinki, Finland
Building owner: UPM Kymmene
Construction: 30 to 40 m² / 150 m³
Structure: Wood
Coating: Native woods, Glass
Concept and Communication: Trust Creative Society
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: UPM

WISA Wooden Design Hotel is an architectural gem of wood situated in the maritime heart of Helsinki, capital of Finland. Around it lie the city and 200 years of architectural history. The work was designed by interior architect Pieta-Linda Auttila. She hopes to spark interest in wood and highlight its role in building and interior design. Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: ODOS Architects
Project Type: Restoration and extension, residential.
Location: Ballymahon, Ireland

The Dublin based practice of ODOS architects takes a humanistic approach to their work by prioritizing the users functional needs, and their relationship to nature. This private residence features a refurbishment and extension of the existing farmhouse and stable complex in Ballymahon, Co.Longford. The 450 sqm. addition emphasizes elongated rooms with plenty of opportunities to view and connect with the surrounding exterior. Rich, warm wood clads the exterior facade as a high contrast to the surrounding buildings; this makes the home addition a place of interest as you approach the entry.Traditional Portland Cement was replaced with environmentally friendly Eco-CEM and the house boasts a renewable energy source in it’s high-efficiency wood pellet boiler which supplies the underfloor heating.- ODOS Architects Read the rest of this entry »

Architect: Fearon Hay Architects
Location: Great Barrier Island, New Zealand
Constructed Area: 250 sqm
Project Year: 2007-2008
Photographs: Patrick Reynolds

Located on the Eastern coastline of the Huaraki Gulfs, Great Barrier Island the ‘Great Barrier House’ is a relaxed holiday destination that references traditional notions of bach occupation. Drawing inspiration from the idea of two sheds linked by stretched tarpaulin, the house consists of two habitable areas joined by an expansive floating pavilion. Wide expanses of sliding glass doors & adjustable blinds allow the pavilion to respond to different environmental conditions while providing the location for eating dining & relaxing within the natural surrounds of the property. Read the rest of this entry »

Architects: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects
Location: Mazama, Washington, USA
Lead Architect: Tom Kundig, FAIA
Date of Completion: 2008
Size: 440 sf/per hut (200 sf interior space, 240 sf exterior deck)
Photographs: Chad Kirkpatrick & /Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects

Responding to the owner’s need for space to house visiting friends and family, the Rolling Huts are several steps above camping, while remaining low-tech and low-impact in their design. The huts sit lightly on the site, a flood plain meadow in an alpine river valley. The owner purchased the site, formerly a RV campground, with the aim of allowing the landscape return to its natural state. The wheels lift the structures above the meadow, providing an unobstructed view into nature and the prospect of the surrounding mountains. Read the rest of this entry »

Architects: Briere, Gilbert + Associes
Location: Boucherville, Québec, Canada
Project Architect: Martin Briere
Existing Area: 1,700 sqm
Extension Area: 1,470 sqm
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Christian Perreault

The Montarville – Boucher la Bruère Public Library is located in the downtown core of Boucherville, a town of 40,000 situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence River just east of the Island of Montreal. Built more than 25 years ago, the municipal library needs to expand and reconfigure its existing facilities so that it can better pursue its mission and provide services in accordance with new and emerging social, cultural and technological trends. Read the rest of this entry »

Location: La Calera,  ( Bogotá ) – Colombia.
Architect: Daniel Bonilla
Design Team: Daniel Bonilla, Akira Kita, Ana Lucia Cano
Photos: Alberto Fonseca or Natalia Borda.

The chapel in la Calera has a basic geometry that tries to alter the territory as little as possible. It uses the natural features of the environment, the wind and the light, to create an essential harmony. The chapel is designed to open to the outside to allow worshipers to gather in mass, this architectural design appeases both small private groups and large public functions, in a country full of contrasts, making this transformation a symbolic within itself. Read the rest of this entry »

Architects: Chenchow Little
Location: Sydney, Australia
Project Team: Tony Chenchow, Stephanie Little, Janice Chenchow, Angela Rowson, Jenni Dang
Structural Engineer: Ruggero Benvenuti – Benvenuti S.C Pty Ltd
Builder: Tecorp Constructions Pty Ltd
Project Area: 280 sqm
Project Year: 2006-2008
Photographs: John Gollings

The Freshwater House developed the idea of the operable façade to mediate between the requirements for privacy and shading on a relatively public site adjacent to the beach. The resulting building is made up of three distinct parts; a podium base, a garden/ living space, and a bedroom volume clad with operable screens; each designed with unique spatial and material qualities. Read the rest of this entry »