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3030 House - construction begins
00/00/0000, 00:00 | LamiDesign Modern House Plan Blog
As we described it before, the 3030 House sits on a 30ft x 30ft plus porch footprint, just under 2000 sqft, 3 bedrooms, and a nice open plan living space. It includes a generous kitchen work space and upstairs a large master bathroom, and in the case of this first one a full basement as well. It will fit on narrow in-fill lots or in new compact communities, but its size also makes it a good candidate for a weekend home as well.
The foundation is already in and steel will being rising this week. Lets look at the plans, beneath the fold.
On the ground floor you enter very near to grade level. Here you have a short stair up to the ground floor, and the stair to the basement. To the side is a coat closet and a powder room. Up the short run of steps you land in the middle of the ground floor. To one side is the kitchen island, and the workspace which continues around the corner. To the other side is the dining area. The living room sits towards the front of the house. The open plan allows you to alter the proportion, or location of these rooms. For instance the dining area can be moved closer to the kitchen island and a second seating group added to the living area. If it was me, I'd get a Wilkhahn Confair table and move the dining area on a daily basis! A sheltered terrace is beyond with doors from both the dining side and the kitchen side. In the Maryland house since grade is sloping away this will have a set of steps to grade.
Up the stairs we come to a large landing. On this landing level is a small laundry area and the shared bathroom for bedrooms 2 & 3, At the top of the stairs there is a linen closet between the two bedrooms, and a wide set of doors to the master bedroom. The master has a walk-in closet and a large bathroom with shower and tub. Doors lead out to a balcony that extends the width of the house. Here is a section view where you can see the relationship of these landing levels.
The compact cubic proportion of the house is efficient with materials, and the floor plan is also efficient with space. The open plan makes it flexible, and gives the impression of being larger than its 1800 sqft would suggest. Into that space we have 3 bedrooms - enough for a family, but not too much to bite off for a first home. See the construction progress in the photo browser below. It starts with the demolition of the existing run-down house and shows excavation, and concrete work for the foundations and basement walls.
Technorati Tags: 6030 House, 6040 House, ecosteel, modern design, modern house, prefab house, 3030 House
Sage Modular House - 2 years in, revisiting a ground breaking house
00/00/0000, 00:00 | LamiDesign Modern House Plan Blog
A panoramic view of the Sage home interior.
Sara and David's big goal for this house was to bring it in for $100 a square foot, no small task in the expensive Los Angeles county construction market. But they had a plan, to do copious research on their own, to get the most value out of every consultant they used, and every vendor and contractor they engaged, they resolved to build the house modular, to source their modules from a market with much lower labor cost in Utah, and to complete a good deal of the work themselves as sweat equity. It was their dream to have a modern house and I must say they succeeded on every count. From finding the best materials and vendors, to researching planting material and submitting their own landscape plan for permitting, Sara and David did it all and tracked it in detail in their blog on LiveModern.com. It was a tremendous inspiration and people cheered for them every step of the way. Its hard to know how many other people they inspired to dig their heels in and pursue their own dream of a modern house.
When the work was done, well, almost done, and the smoke had cleared I believe Sara calculated that their cost worked out to about 114$/sqft. This was pretty remarkable at a time when there were literally dozens of prefab house start-ups trying to get traction. The lament was how everything was costing much more than expected, and much more than hoped. In that milieu of dashed hopes Sara and David fought and struggled to make their house happen at a cost that was a pipe dream for the rest of the market.
The house is a reasonable 1400 sqft, 3 bedrooms, with an open kitchen, living/dining, family room space, it really is a wonderful plan that lives much larger than it appears on paper. The modular units in different colors tell the prefab story. You should be able to orient yourself to the photos using the plan. The house site is unusual in that the back yard of the house is really at the side, so the front porch wraps around to the side, and that is the main back yard like space. The rear and other side have proximity to neighbors, more like a house typically has at the sides.
My favorite thing about the design is the three spaces you see in the photos - the kitchen, living/dining, and family room are each small square rooms that overlap at their corners, each space well defined, and very open to one another. It really walks the tightrope between open plan and discrete rooms. David and Sara brought a rough version of this floor plan to the table when they hired me, so they deserve the credit for its design, my role being more to refine, and adapt it to division into modules, and to resolve the plan into the 3d massing and window placement. It was truly a collaboration of the best kind. More photos in the browser below.
Technorati Tags: modern design, modern house, modular house, prefab house
Recycled Houses
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Green Home Building and Sustainable ArchitectureA big truck tractor was towing this entire 1200 square foot house balanced on two huge steel I-beams and a bunch of wheeled dollies. Progress was slow but steady as it inexorably moved toward its next incarnation. Just that morning it had departed its original home where it had been seasonal housing for migrant workers.
The owners of this seeming mirage had searched for just the right orphaned house to adopt as their own, lovingly place it on a new foundation, and refurbish it. Many houses would not be suitable for such a trip; generally only well-built wooden structures can withstand the stress of such a move. This house had all the qualities they were looking for: charm, integrity, and affordability. The entire cost of the house and having it moved was $10,000.
By the time they have it completely fixed up with new plumbing and electric service, an insulated stucco exterior, new energy-efficient windows, a metal roof, a completely rebuilt front porch, all of the interior walls resurfaced, and miscellaneous repairs, they estimate that the total cost of the project will be about $50,000, including the land. Not bad for what in most regards will be as good as new!
Of course new is not what they wanted; they bought this early twentieth century house (it's actual date of construction is unknown) precisely because of its special vintage quality. It reminds one of the owners of the house his grandmother lived in, with 9 foot ceilings, three smallish bedrooms, tongue and grooved fir flooring, cast-iron radiators, built-in cabinets, drawers and even ironing board, and the intangible quality of a by-gone era. They plan to retain the original floor plan intact, only altering a walk-in closet to become the mechanical room and turning a room off the kitchen into a dining space.
The house made the entire trip with just a few places where the plaster cracked in one corner, which is easily repaired. This is one very solidly-built house, made from the sort of fir that no longer can be bought. There was only one place under the kitchen sink that had suffered leak-induced rot over many years; everything else is as straight and true as any carpenter would want.
Another late twentieth century vintage home of about 800 square feet came from property leased from the Federal government and the house needed to be moved. With local help, the buyer of this little home added an additional room onto the original to comply with the homeowners' association square foot minimum. She has thoroughly enjoyed the process of remaking this simple cabin into her charming home, imbued with the wonderful quirky qualities that spring from her fanciful mind.
Once a house is moved it must comply with current plumbing and electrical codes, so these elements were completely redone. Most of the windows were replaced with second hand units that gave her just the views that she wanted. The exterior was resurfaced with rough-sawn lap siding and a new metal roof was installed. The original interior plastic paneling was replaced with sheetrock, and decorated with lots of natural wood trim. The whole feeling of the place is one of lovingly crafted touches wherever the eye lands. The new owner says, “I would much rather live in something recycled than buying something brand new which has no character. I let this house come together…it just evolved!”
Creating new life for old or abandoned houses has got be one of the most sustainable ways of making habitation. This is the ultimate form of recycling, where most of the basic components of a house are utilized intact instead of being tossed into a landfill or burned. There is a tremendous savings in the embodied energy of the house (in both materials and labor), so that all that needs to be done is to repair and polish the original dwelling to create a whole new life for it. Hoorah for these people who have the vision and willingness to take on these projects!
Modern Farmhouse
00/00/0000, 00:00 | FUTURE HOUSE NOW
And if you're in to modern farmhouses you'll also be pleased to know there's a great blog dedicated to the genre - the appropriately named Farmhouse Modern. It's definitely worth a look (I found it on the LiveModern Blog Directory, where Future House Now is also listed).
If you want to completely overdose on cool modern farmhouses, pick up the book Farm Houses: The New Style by Neill Heath. It features the houses I mentioned above, and many more, in 185 full color pages. Great book.
Image credits - Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels site, Amazon.com Listing
Nicholas Burns - Johanna Beach House
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Thinking Globally | Acting Locally - Nicholas Burns has taken this "green" addage and designed a modern residential retreat that: incorporates international ideas, templates low impact construction, has relatively minimal impact on the environment and embraces this spectacular plot.
The Johanna residence sits a few kilometres off the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia, up a bush track leading to a gravel turnaround. This porous parking area is the first step into Nicholas's realm of environmentally concious design, allowing the water to soak through in a semi un-constructed area, combats erosion far better than a concrete slab.
Constructed of rammed earth taken in part from the surrounding area the house self regulates in temperature for all but the coldest of days. A super insulated wood burning fire in the centre of the living area tops up on the few days that it is required, whilst for most of the year the 300mm walls and thick floor store daytime heat for night time release. Carefully judged overhangs and windows, shade the rooms from peak summer heat, and allow cooling air to pass.
Arriving at the house you play out a mini script that depicts the notion of a holiday home. A getaway, a release from the constrictive day-to-day life we lead in the city.
Leaving your car you head towards a strong rear wall. From this angle the house appears a small bank or cliff, solid and permanent, with stripes of layers in the rammed earth walls creating cliff like strata. Nearing the house, a courtyard leads you in to a "Burns" play on space and dimensions.
As if entering a cinema through the back corridor, the short courtyard, with its imposing 300mm thick rammed earth walls, contracts to a single passageway and heads to the front door.
The constricting nature of the entrance has you prepared to duck your head and don a helmet and caving lamp. Yet as you pass the front door and round the partitioning wall, you're released into a panorama of views out across Johanna beach and along the coastline. About ten minutes later, you'll realise you're in a wonderful open plan living / dining room.
Nicholas Burns has an affinity for the architecture of Tadao Ando, which he studied for years, admiring as I do, his self taught designs.
Hidden in full view throughout the design of this residence are homages to Ando. Tadao's designs, based of the Tatami mat, 900mm x 1800mm, are all divisible by this measure, leading to a hidden, calming simplicity. Nicholas's dimension is 600mm "so everything has an inherent logic in the space, making it unobtrusive.” Simply furnished, the house allows you to focus on it's surrounds.
Layout
A slight twist on a single plane design, the two bedroom wings are set back from the living area to allow 180 degree views. This also allows a raised courtyard to be placed behind the living area. A sheltered area from winds heading up hillside, it also provides an area for BBQs and outdoor dining.
All but one of the four bedrooms soak in the views and sunsets, the fourth, a more reserved room, is windowed to the rear and surrounding bush, an ideal room for private contemplation.
Plan
About Nicholas Burns
In the 1990s, Burns left his architecture studies in South Australia to pursue a self-education in philosophy and building crafts, a la Tadao Ando. In 2000, he moved to Singapore, where he is still based, travelling from there through Europe, India, China, South-East Asia and Japan. I think Nicholas's practice really focuses on balancing the three way split, design, clients desires and the environment in which the build sits.
As part of all initial concepts and drafts, Nicholas's practice now encourages all of their clients to offset the carbon footprint of the build with United Nations-Certified carbon credits.
The environment is a strong stakeholder. But as you can see, in no way at the expense of fantastic design.
via: Nicholas Burns
Related Articles: http://materialicio.us/2008/01/15/johana-beach-house-nicholas-burns/
http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums//showthread.php?t=5990
Shubin + Donaldson Architects - Santa Barbara Riviera Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential DesignSanta Barbara Riviera Residence
Sun Filled in the Hills - Shubin + Donaldson Architects have created an ideal place to soak up sun and views in the Santa Barbara hills.
Client
Owners Geoffrey Moore and Genie Gable searched more than a year to find a site that met their exacting and almost-contradictory requirements.
- Moore (international businessman and writer who, when not travelling, splits his work time between a home office in Santa Barbara and a corporate office 85 miles south in Santa Monica) wanted a shaded, quiet office space filled with cutting-edge technology for global communication where he could write without distraction.
- Genie, his wife (principal of Genie Gable Interior Design, and a graduate of the Professional Design Program at UCLA, studied in the masters classes of Rose Tarlow) sought sun-filled spaces with unimpeded views of the nearby Pacific Ocean and, at night, the city lights of Santa Barbara.
The public rooms reflect her specialisation of modern design in modern homes.
Although by Santa Barbara standards the home is relatively compact (Moore and Gable are empty-nesters) no space is wasted. "We use every room every day," she says, "and never tire of the constantly changing light from the ocean to the south, the canyon to the east and the mountains to the north."
Program
This relatively small house (when compared to its neighbours) has all of the elements of a 5,000- or 6,000-square-foot house in a tidy, 3,200-square-foot package. The three-level home and two-car garage include open living/dining area, kitchen, master bedroom and bath, guest bedroom and bath, home gym, powder room, two home offices with office bath, outdoor dining area, outdoor lounge areas, lap pool, and 1,400 square feet of lower-level storage.
Design
Hidden environmentally sustainable design - Though not immediately obvious, this house embraces several green design characteristics.
- The house layout is based on solar orientation, resulting in passive solar gains throughout the year.
- Photovoltaic power generates household electricity through a 2.8kw system (when power is not needed, it feeds back into the grid).
- A passive roof-top solar heating system provides for domestic hot water and a passive solar ground-level hot-water system is used to heat the pool.
- The natural flow of hot and cool air is fortified by the use of radiant hot-water floor heating and separate central air conditioning in the ceilings. - Although these systems are in place, they are rarely used because of the solar orientation of the home and the natural ventilation.
- The architects re-used the existing foundation and caissons. During construction, the existing house was taken apart piece-by-piece, with all usable elements donated to Habitat for Humanity.
- Other energy-saving systems include double-pane windows, UV-resistant glass, ample insulation, and energy-efficient appliances.
- Deep exterior overhangs are designed to provide shade in the summer, and let in sun during the winter.
Style
A dramatic glass canopy ceremoniously marks the entrance to the home, bisecting the ground-to-roof planes of glass that form sidelights and clerestories. Throughout the house, walls intersect with glass in a play of solidity and transparency. There is a certain efficiency of design in the layout, yet it provides all of the amenities so that the house looks and feels like a five-star private residential club. By taking up minimal space (what's absolutely necessary and no more) the house also takes up minimal resources.
A monumental feeling is emphasised by designing the house to constantly open up to the outdoors. A neutral colour scheme complements the colours of nature that comprise the predominant palette. An infinity pool just outside the living room leads the eye to the ocean and the Channel Islands beyond. Four separate terraces surround the house, continuing the indoor/outdoor feeling and accessibility.
Each room affords great vistas as well as stunning natural light throughout the day. Large windows create frames for nature. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves complement the mahogany living room wall that houses an entertainment centre. Set into the wall, and surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass, it acts as an extension of the outdoors. Doorways in general (even in the limestone-clad bathrooms) are taller than usual and lead the eye upward to be rewarded by either natural light or a beautiful vista. Dark walnut floors and softly minimalist furniture are sophisticated and inviting. Bedrooms and master bath look out to the ocean. The kitchen faces the hillside, emphasising how the house maintains a connection with nature.
Plans
Firm: Shubin + Donaldson Architects is a high-design architecture firm that specialises in developing livable environments. Headed by partners Russell Shubin, AIA, and Robin Donaldson, AIA, the firm tailors its projects (custom residential, office buildings and interiors, retail, hospitality, planning, and multi-family housing) with a refined sensitivity toward the land and context.
Architect: Shubin + Donaldson Architects - Robin Donaldson, AIA, Principal and Russell Shubin, AIA, Principal
Project Team: Nils Hammerbeck, Daniel Webber, Kelly Kish, Allison White, Josh Blumer, Alan McLeod, and David Van Hoy
Interiors: Genie Gable Interior Design
Contractor: Quillin Construction
Landscape: Lane Goodkind
Photos: Ciro Coelho
Article & Imagery: Courtesy - Taylor & Company (many thanks)
via: Taylor & Company
Frederico Zanelato - Casa Martins Siquiera
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
A True Weekend Retreat - Ferederico Zanelato's own house no doubt paved the way for the design of this marvellous family home near São Paulo. Maximising the slope of the plot, this house spreads living over three levels in three distinct zones.
Overview
The embracing the views of the Serra do Japi was the "be all" and "end all" of this build.
Frederico wanted a house that stimulates discussion, where spaces are integrated and connected to each other, as well as the surrounding plot. Conveniently the plot is well orientated to minimise the suns impact on the residence, and thus the requirements of air conditioning. Frederico's skills at minimising materials and specifying kept this build in economical proportions as well. Total construction cost $510US/m².
Lot
Located in a condominium between Jundiaí and Itupeva, 60km from São Paulo, 1000m², with a mild slope and a fantastic views of the Serra do Japi.
The client
A happy young couple with two children, a child and an adolescent and many friends. They wanted a home for the weekends, a place for unforgettable moments, for parties, to receive guests, relax and create. As an advertising director and businesswoman, respectively, the husband and wife team are usually based in São Paulo, and required a "retreat" from the hustle and bustle.
Following the topography of land and its geographical position, the house was designed in three blocks; intimate, social, and service, linked by an elongated circulation area of three distinct levels.
A single open plan wing for the living room, dining and kitchen is connected by a hallway to the rear block of two levels.
To the left of the hallway: two storeys and 4 bedrooms. To the right: the services/utility area and above, private office.
Access to the home is through a wooded avenue. The façade clearly indicates two blocks separated by a large panel of wood, the main door, which when opened, mimics the tree lined avenue. Up lighting is used to create sensations and justify the texture of materials in the entrance way.
Just inside the entrance are doors leading to two of the four bedrooms and stairs to the second level. Both levels overlooking the central courtyard or "birds square" as the owners refer to it. Wooden shutters afford shade and further privacy to these rooms, breaking the white façade nicely and distinguishing the two areas.
This courtyard receives morning sun and cross ventilation through strategic openings, making it a year round pleasant breakfast spot.
Passing the courtyard on your left as you head away from the entrance, you arrive at the social wing. Pleasantly shaded, overlooking the pool, a leisure area and further behind, views to the Sierra Japi.
Here, kitchen, dining and living room intertwine. It’s position between the "birds square" and the swimming pool area is strategic, for coexistence and as a buffer between the two zones: repose and action. The "birds square" works as a further filter between the social and private wings and creates an open intimate space.
The outdoor rooms, or BBQ area, is located in the largest free area of the plot. It too is open to those views that inspired the choice of the land: the Serra do Japi.
Half way to the second level bedrooms, the circulation area opens to a roof deck over the living area. Used as a mini-golf course, the deck is also the only access to the owners workshop and hidden office, which is above the service wing.
The choice of materials was defined according to the function of each area obeying the basic rules of environmental comfort and wishes of this family.
The Result
A house zoned into three distinct areas, each buffered from the other by the outdoors that allows for private retreat or very social entertaining.
Plans
Architect: Frederico Zanelato
Co-authors: Marcelo Miua and Fernanda Kano
Student: Regina Sesoko
Structures: Vagner Garcia de Oliveira
Photos: Bebete Viégas
Completed: 2007
Costs: $510 US/m²
Information courtesy of: Frederico Zanelato
Drew Mandel Design - 83A Marlborough Ave
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Infill house on a 13ft wide plot, becomes feature residence of the street - Drew Mandel has used every inch of this brownfield (ex 1 car garage & garden) site to create his ideal residence. Influences of Frank Lloyd Wright and Rudolph Schindler eminent in the residence's façade lead to elegant use of wood detailing for the interior.
Overview
Drew, an up and coming Canadian architect snapped up an “interesting” plot, that his colleague at MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, David Miller had on offer. Setting out to create his debut "big time" design, Drew won a number of awards in Toronto and Canada. The house is an impressive example of modern infill, coming in at a modest $182 per ft2.
The Lot
Miller and his architect wife, Amy Falkner, had obtained a minor variance allowing them to build to the very edges of the property line without the usual margin of grass or ground cover. (It's only because the houses on each side are set back from the lot line that there is any space at all between the Mandel-Cooper house and its neighbours.) To support development, the municipality had allowed a substantial increase in the floor space, from 908 to more than 1,280 square feet above ground.
Their relatives labelled the plot a bowling lane, Mandel and his wife like to think of it as a lane each.
Design
Focusing on commercial design at work, Drew’s evening efforts on his own house pulled from his designs of multiplexes, community centres, libraries and banks. The main Achilles heel of the plot, the extended walls down either side of the property, led Drew to (as he sometimes reflects) to overcompensate with house glass panels at either end and a large light well at the centre of the build. I disagree; the house is fantastically bright and airy.
Breaking the house away from other designs out there and I believe linking it to his favoured FLW and Rudolf, is the use of patchwork glass rather than a large expanse of industrial like uniform façade. A cute modernist take on the Juliet balcony protrudes from the master bedroom, breaking the rear wall further and allows great views down to the meticulously landscaped garden, that complements the house so well. Adding to the functionality of the glass façade, a large central panel pivots to allow bigger pieces of furniture to be hoisted in.
Bringing in that industrial design know-how resolved the issue of construction methods too. Such a narrow tall design refused traditional frame design used in residential projects, meaning an industrial to balloon framing technique was adopted. Steel supports for the entire 38-foot length of the walls were put up first, and then the floors were locked in afterwards.
Further industrial features of the house include the two ramps from the entrance of the house to the living room and from the master bedroom to the second bedroom, a comfortable alternative to stairs.
Layout
From the semi-subterranean guest room at the front of the house you head south up the ramp to the living room, then north up five stairs to the dining room-kitchen floor, then south again up the house's only full flight of stairs to the master bedroom and bathroom. Finally, completing the layout you head north, up the second ramp to the second bedroom.
The Result
Drew and Denise have blown their relatives away. Despite the restricting plot they've created a house that through it's high ceilings, skylights and maximum glazing at both ends is a bright, spacious and airy home.
Plans
Architect/Designer: Drew Mandel Design
Client: Denise Cooper & Drew Mandel
Completed: 2007
Structural: Blackwell Engineering Ltd. (David Bowick)
Builder: T. Fijalkowski & Associates
Site Plan Approval: David Miller & Amy Falkner
Lot:13' x 115' or 1560 ft2
Costs: $182 per ft2
Information courtesy of: Drew Mandel Design
Bernardes + Jacobsen - CF Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Steeling the show - Blessed with a great plot and open brief, a lightweight, transparent, horizontal building, was what the architects Thiago Bernardes and Paulo Jacobsen designed.
Overview & Plot
Located on a plot in the picturesque condominium Portogalo in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Paulo Jacobsen and Thiago Bernardes wanted to accommodate a large family retreat taking full advantage of the plot and its location. The challenge was how to minimise the buildings impact from roadside - difficult with such a large house.
Departing from traditional Brazilian wood or brick structures the house employs steel to span the vast openings that connect all rooms to the views below.
The svelte steel corner pillars provide minimal interruption to the open plan dining and living area of the ground floor. In summertime (almost constant in Angra dos Reis) the glass panels dividing this area up slide away to provide an enormous expanse of shade.
Half way up the façade, and providing elevated viewing to the bedrooms are two outdoor balconies of Peroba wood, these break up the stark white of the lower level and the surrounding steel structure. The wood is also used throughout the second level interior, and as a lining the the vast roof span.
Continuing to the roof level, tropical storms and heavy rain, common in the early part of the year in Rio de Janeiro are caught by large glass overhangs, which still let light through to the bedrooms. The glass also blurs the connection between the roof’s reflecting pool, paved with green ceramic tiles, imitating the colour of the inlet and sea beyond. The same applies to the pool on the terrace, which seems to fall into the sea. This camouflage, and the fact that the house is set into the hillside at the rear, reduces its size, as to the thin steel structures, elongating its horizontal structure. It’s only from below, backstroking in the pool that the house’s true size is revealed.
Layout
With the entire ground floor dedicated to the pool, dining and entertaining, the upper level provides the entrance and 4 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. Originally two giant bedrooms, the sets of two our housed either side of the atrium over the pool. As you enter the residence through its large dark wood doors, the bedrooms act as blinkers, focusing the view out to the water beyond.
A small seating area between allows you to contemplate, and perhaps acts as a formal arrival area. From here, “grand” staircases head both inside (left) to the living room, and outside (right) to the pool area (Bernardes + Jacobsen are renowned for impressive staircases).
The Result
Now complete in a 4 bedroom layout, this family retreat seems to have all one needs for a relaxing weekend. The thin steel structure and stretched horizontal roofline give it the appearance of a lightweight marque or stretched canvas roof. A seaside camp that mirrors the water beyond. Yet, from within, there is no doubt that this house is: permanent; modern and luxurious; and will provide a great weekend spot for years to come.
Plans
Architect/Designer:
Bernardes + Jacobsen
Client: Carlos Firme
Construction: February, 2001 – December, 2003
Materials: Steel structure, stone, wood, glass and Ceramic tiles
Built area: 1024m2
Plot: 2000m2
Information courtesy of: Bernardes + Jacobsen
Bernardes + Jacobsen - Vila Nova Da Conceiçao Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential DesignVila Nova Da Conceiçao Residence
Smoke and Mirrors - once past the solid industrial façade of this residence, light, shade and reflections open up this hemmed in residence by Thiago Bernardes and Paulo Jacobsen.
Architect/Designer: Bernardes + Jacobsen Information courtesy of: Bernardes + Jacobsen
Overview & Plot
In dealing with a narrow conical plot near Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, stretching the layout and smart use of structural steel, has rewarded Thiago Bernardes and Paul Jacobsen.
The sloped plot, required them to play with the layout of the house, spreading out and reordering the location of the office, five bedrooms with en suites, and the gym into a plot of just 760m2.
At the narrow entrance end of the plot sit the service area, laundry and garage, just below ground level. Half a level above street height and just a little further down the plot are the entrance, kitchen and dining room. From here, an impressive atrium carries you either: down a long set of short depth stairs the living room, home theatre and gym; or upstairs to the five bedrooms. This atrium is an amazing planted area with bamboo and foliage abound. Through glass openings above; it appears light and airy, despite being in the centre of the narrow plot.
Key to the project is this area of vertical circulation. It is composed of a set of stairs and bridge, illuminated by openings above, which give the residence spatiality that is unusual. Through this atrium, emphasis was also placed on the secondary entrance, access between the house and garage, used every day, but often ignored in design. 
Layout
On the ground floor, at the widest area of the plot, the living rooms all open out to the pool and BBQ area receiving light through sliding doors that rise the height of their extended stud.
Above, the bedrooms are one and a half storeys off the ground. The extra high stud, affording them light and views above the surrounding residences.
The Result
The project also takes full advantage of the external area at the bottom of the plot.
This is done through: high studs; open plan; minimal interference in the indoor outdoor flow; and where support was needed the upper levels, svelte steel poles were used, and even then, polished to a mirror, to minimise their impact.
The garden is then in effect doubled through the use of a reflective sheathing on the rear party wall (intriguing, as we often see this in narrow restaurants to double the depth of perception). 
Plans
Completed: December 2005.
Materials: Steel structure, stone, wood, glass and Ceramic tiles
Built area: 900m2
OJMR Architects | Fritz Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
L Shaped Simplicity - Wrapped around a cooling pool with ample shade and expansive living areas, this Jay M. Reynolds residence in Palm Springs, combines two simple volumes to create a modernistic whole.
Name of Project: Fritz Residence, Palm Desert, California Information courtesy of: OJMR Architects and Taylor & Company (many thanks)
Site
The house is located on a flat, irregularly shaped lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. The neighbourhood contains a variety of styles and references to the preferred typical suburban desert subdivision architecture.
Program
Mew single-family residence including kitchen, dining area, living room, office, three bedrooms, and two-and-one-half bathrooms.
Design
The house is designed for a retired couple with the need for guest bedroom suites and a large communal space for the living, dining, and kitchen areas.
To achieve a feeling of "simplicity" within conventional means, it was decided that planning and construction must be straight-forward and the character of the house reflect a strategy of enclosure and openness focused towards the main outdoor space. Two simple volumes are connected together to define a corner with one wing containing the guest bedrooms, and the other containing the master suite. The two wings are connected at the main living, dining, and kitchen space.
Hallways are located along the east and south sides of the two wings and help to define the laterally spaced rooms, which can be closed off from the circulation zone with large sliding walls. The rooms all access the outdoor pool/courtyard space from large sliding glass walls.
Plans
Architect: The Office of J.M. Reynolds Architects, Los Angeles
Jay M. Reynolds, AIA, principal
Built area: 2,600 square-feet
Completed: 2003
Budget: US$650,000
Materials: Exposed concrete block walls, natural stone veneer walls, plaster over wood framing, concrete floors, walnut cabinetry, Gascogne Blue limestone floors in bathrooms, translucent glass panels, Montauk Black marble counters in kitchen, Venetino White marble countertops in bathroom and on kitchen island.
Photos: Ciro Coelho
Steven Holl | Planar House
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Desert Tilt Up Wonder - This Steven Holl designed residence in Paradise Valley, AZ, USA, uses raw Concrete and Corten Steel to create a great prefabricated home and art gallery for it's owner.
Overview
Designed to house a contemporary art collection, internally, the house sets out to be a blank canvas, not to distract from the works held within. The street façade blends into the desert greys, with the ageing steel fitting in perfectly.
Flourishes on the exterior are limited to the courtyard from where a ramp leads to a rooftop sculpture garden - a place of silence and reflection.
The rear, with overhands for shading, is the largest expanse of light giving glass. These sliding openings taking in views to the nearby Camelback Mountain.
Layout
The house is broken up into three functional areas. The garage and master bedroom, together with the library form the quiet zone at front of the house. To the rear are the dining and kitchen areas, located to soak up the views down to the mountain. A contemplative study joins these rooms at the rear, cool in summer no doubt as the doors to both the pool behind and rear yard would form a breeze-way of cooled air.
Between the two spaces lies the gallery and living area, a perfect space for the owner to enjoy the collection.
Similar natural cooling techniques are employed inside, with the overhead light shafts linking to cooling pools on the floor below, a technique which combined with minimal unshaded glass, would keep air con bills to a minimum.
Images
Plans
Google Location Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Arizona
Status completed 2005
Client Withheld
Architect: Steven Holl
Project Architect Martin Cox (Tim Bade - Schematic Design)
Floor Area 3320 sf
Project Team Robert Edmonds, Annette Goderbauer, Hideki Hirahara, Clark Manning
General Contractor(s) The Construction Zone
Structural Engineer(s) Rudow & Berry
Mechanical Engineer(s) Roy Otterbein
Civil Engineer(s) Fleet Fisher
Electrical Engineer(s) Associated Engineering
Landscape Architect(s) Steve Martino & Associates
Photos Bill Timmerman
via:Steven Holl
David Hertz - Studio EA | McKinley Residence
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Green Alchemist's Residential Compound - The McKinley Residence is David Hertz's live in laboratory for modern - environmentally friendly - residential design. Converting common elements into green design, it's feature packed. The house is a true testament to David's commitment to the cause and to top it off forms a homely modern residence, showcasing practical design elements, fine tailored for a young family.
Aimed at "spreading the word", the Studio of Environmental Architecture is David Hertz's latest venture, leading the way in Eco friendly design and sharing what he's learnt both through his residential work and his own house. Many thanks to the team at Studio EA for the details on this house.
Overview
Designed as a new house when Venice was till a rough neighbourhood the house presents a relatively strong/protective façade at street level and uses enclosed balconies to extend the upper levels and take full advantage of sea breezes.
The house consisted of two pavilions connected by a bridge, and was already cutting edge (environmentally) through its use of Syndecrete®, which contains about 41% percent recycled content and is twice as light, with twice the compressive strength, of normal concrete. Syndecrete® is David's own development and one of many featured in the residence.
It is now a compound made up of four discrete two-story buildings linked by three enclosed bridges that all face onto the courtyard.
Style "Balinese Modern"
Working it through
There was only one snag in the whole process. David is staunchly in favour of green design, the mere fact of adding that much space nagged at him. "There's no getting around the fact," he says, "that on a purely ecological level, 4,400 square feet is a lot of house by most of the world's standards."
His solution was to make the house the greenest house of its size he'd ever seen. Hertz used this house as a case study for green building techniques. An array of 20 solar collector panels on the roof help generate about 70 percent of the home’s electricity needs, and other sections of the roof are given over to flat-plate collectors that provide hot water to the water heater, which then sends it into a radiant heating system in the concrete floors.
I've no beef with the results, David's family expanded and so has his residence, the house is all used and as much as we battle with the urges, who wouldn't want their own compound like this. David's innovative materials and willingness to push for a more environmentally sound house is exemplary.
The materials used were chosen carefully to support environmental sustainability and the design intent. Recycled and FSC certified sustainable woods such as Ipe, Mahogany, and Fir, are used throughout the house to complement the Syndecrete®.
The Syndecrete® acts inside the house as a kind of “solar sink” for passive solar energy transfer, storing up the sun’s warmth during the day, and thus keeping it from overheating the interior, and then slowly releasing that heat during the night. Syndecrete® flooring was chosen for several reasons; it eliminates mold and dust caused by carpet, requires less maintenance, and is more environmentally sensitive than carpet, wood, or other floor finishes.
In order to maintain excellent indoor air quality, David used zero VOC paint, and eliminated a forced air system and carpeted floors, and with them mould and dust.
Another bonus of these materials is the resultant durability and functionality of the house. Its for living in. Rather than begin a minimalist box (don't get me wrong they have their place) the house portrays both David's design innovations, but also the family's efforts, endeavours, favourite drawings, posters, toys, etc. And it's a tough house.
You can see here one of my favourite shots showing the utilitarian nature of the house, and how its designed for a family.
Yup, David's hosing it down, an ability that's now on the list for my house. You can also see that playful design feature to let the kids feel its their house too, a pint size door for them.
Green Credentials
Hopefully in the images, you'll spot some of these fantastic features.
- Passive Ventilation – eliminating the need for a forced air system the shaded front living area naturally ducts cool air up thought the house and stairwell, then out the temperature sensitive skylights.
- Solar Energy – an array of 20 solar panels on the roof supply around 70% of the home's energy needs
- Photovoltaic Panels and Flat Plate Collectors – providing hot water to the water heater and subsequently the radiant heating system in the concrete floors. David says to heat the place, with these panels installed takes about as much energy as a 60w light bulb, all taken from his solar array.
- Vacuum tubing on the roof, which uses a parabolic collector to focus the sun’s rays, provides additional hot water
- Recycled FSC certified sustainable woods such as Ipe, Mahogany and Fir
- That Syndecrete®, a light-weight concrete that uses 41% recycled content - it also holds various pigments and textures to form furniture throughout the house, like the kitchen bench, table and bathroom sinks.
- Zero VOC paints
- High performance heat-mirror glazing
- The pool system uses an ionization and silver filter, eliminating the need for chlorine
Layout
I've wanted to write about David's work for some time now as his preferred layout for houses draws from tropical bungalows and linked pavilions.
Phase-1
You'll note that he has separated the functional areas of the original house at the bottom, both vertically and horizontally into 4 boxes. The living and dining come entertaining areas at the front are split from the garage at the rear to form an external lounge/fire pit, one that tops my list for "ideal after work summer beer spot".
Above, the bedrooms retreats, with the master bedroom above the lounge, and the children's bedrooms, back away over the garage.
Second only to the fire pit, is the outdoor sleeping area off the master bedroom. In summer time, the enclosed balcony becomes a comfy, cool sleeping area.
Phase-2
This renders the children's original bedrooms as guest areas that convert into a large rumpus room for rainy days. To accommodate the three children as they grow older, David's given them more space (between them and their wing of the house) and space for their guests. They have a bedroom and studio area in the upstairs of the new wing, and mum and dad gain an open plan kitchen/dining area with a wall that opens up completely to the pool and inner courtyard formed between the two wings.
Results
This building is a successful study in architecture that is both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible, whilst functioning as a pair of Levi 501s, hard wearing, sexy and a design classic.
Images
Slideshow
Plans
via: Many thanks to Christina at Studio EA
Shubin + Donaldson Architects - Urban Spa
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Modern Residential Design
Urban Spa - Shubin + Donaldson Architects have remodelled this house to soak up its Malibu shore front locati