Twin Houses by Predock_Frane Architects

Predock_Frane Architects have designed two Twin Houses in Los Angeles, California.

Full description after the photos….

Twin Houses by Predock_Frane Architects

This project is located in the Palisades, a hilly region between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains, within an existing 1950′s housing development. The project consists of two twin houses sited adjacent to each other on a steep slope above a seasonal watershed. In this project we were interested in exploring the intersection of two classic California building typologies: the courtyard house and the hillside house. This intersection was then further complicated by the overlay of two unsynchronized jurisdictional height envelope parameters that very explicitly controlled the volumetric limits of the structures.

The building program was extensive relative to total city allowances, so we started by intersecting the two envelopes, and then pierced this volume with two courtyards, altering the hillside typology into a hillside/courtyard hybrid.

This typological hybrid “corrected” certain shortcomings in the hillside prototype. The central courtyard creates a large protected outdoor living space secluded from direct engagement with adjacent properties. The main courtyard and adjacent courtyard/recesses pierce the entire volume of the house creating light shafts to rooms typically “buried” in the hillside and further expanding direct access to grounded exterior spaces.

Materially the exteriors of the houses are clad in 12″ wide cedar plank. The exterior surfaces are rough cut, transitioning to smooth finishes on the interior surfaces. The windows and the interiors of the courtyards are smooth, white, light reflective surfaces to further transmit light deep into the house.

Villa BH by WHIM Architecture

WHIM Architecture have completed the Villa BH in Burgh-Haamstede, The Netherlands.

Full description after the photos….

Villa BH by WHIM Architecture

The villa is positioned on a rectangular plot of 35 x 50m, that is enclosed at 3 sides with similar plots and freestanding houses. On the back (North East) of the plot there’s an old embankment with several tall trees. From the living program; the kitchen, dining area and living are all orientated on this green scenery. Here the villa has a glass façade over 20 meters long.

Villa BH is inhabited by a couple 60+ of age. To optimize the accessibility of the house, all the program is situated on the ground floor around a patio. This enclosed outdoor space provides the owners the privacy they admired. As at the same time the patio makes the living area an enlightened space and gives it a façade to the South. The floor plan is very open and a concatenation of program. The specific form of the patio widens and narrows the interior space, making it a variety of areas. The façade of the patio is completely from glass panels, giving the villa great perspectives in its interior but also towards the context. From the main bedroom, that is opposite of the living, there is a layered see through towards the existing embankment with the several tall trees as a central focus point on the plot. The ceiling of the living area has an extra height in the shape of a sloped roof. The physical appearance of this area is very unique and highly qualitative. Lifting the roof in this area enlarges the perspectives, from all the different areas inside villa BH to the existing treetops, that give this plot it’s specific character.

The villa is designed as environmental friendly with extra insulated façades, roofs and floors. The roof is covered with sedum, that regulates the distribution of the rainwater gently. On the flat roof are 20 solar panels for electricity. A heat pump warms the floors in the winter and cools them in the summer with natural temperature differences retrieved deep in the ground. As an extra heating there are 2 fireplaces for wood, one in the living and one in the TV-room.

Villa BH is an environment friendly design that emphasizes the natural qualities of its context. The design is made over 2008-2009 by WHIM architecture. End of 2010 WHIM’s garden design will also be completely realized.

Villa Dali by 123DV Architecture

123DV Architecture have completed the Villa Dali near The Hague in The Netherlands.

Full description after the photos….

Villa Dali by 123DV Architecture

Capturing the character of Dali, Jugendstill forms, Spanish facades and nautical life in one villa.

The ‘Villa Dali’ clients asked for a very personal house which would reflect their passions. They are nautical minded and have a love of art, sculptures and especially the work of Salvador Dali. During the initial design discussions 123DV architecture were also showed pictures of ancient Spanish architecture. They were fascinated by the closed white stucco facades and metal fences in Jugendstill design. So the challenge was to combine in one villa the beautiful Jugendstill forms, the closed facades, the treasures of the diving world and the unique works of the artist Dali.

For the design of the house 123DV architecture made use of the Paranoiac-critical method by Salvador Dali (creating optical illusions). The result is a cylindrical white stucco main building with a nautilus spiral structure inside; representing the world of diving. The closed facade facing the street represents the so called Spanish architecture with a blown up ‘Jugendstil’ pattern in the six meter wooden panel as the entrance. In the centre of the house there is a double story cylindrical space. The furniture has also been custom designed. Traces of Dali’s fluid watch art can be found in their design.

Villa in the Woods by Zecc Architects

Zecc Architects have completed a villa in the woods of Soest, The Netherlands.

Full description after the photos….

Villa in the Woods by Zecc Architects
constructing period 2007-2009

On a wide constructing site in the woods of Soest (The Netherlands) a new villa has been built. An important theme while designing the house is the spatial connection between the three floors. From basement to the second floor a void has been planned. Standing at the front entrance a view over the void, directly into the garden, is provided. Functions as the toilet, wardrobe and closets are connected to this void. The parapet around the void continues smoothly into these functional spaces and make sure a sculptural link between the three floors is created.

Villa M2 by Jonas Lindvall A&D

Jonas Lindvall A&D have designed the Villa M2 in southern Sweden.

From the designers:

Villa M2 is situated in a village south of Malmö next to a disused lime quarry that has now become a lake. The part of the building facing the lake incorporates generous windows and minimally defined space to encourage the integration of the house’s interior with its stunning natural surroundings.

The north and entrance side to the Villa faces a road with some light traffic hence the design’s rather closed volume. Most of the interior furniture and fittings are specially designed for the house by Jonas Lindvall A&D.

Villa O in Cap Ferrat

Villa O is a contemporary rental home located in Cap Ferrat in southeastern France.

Full description after the photos….

Villa O in Cap Ferrat:

Palms and pines line the winding route down into St Jean. Pass the pretty bars and restaurants, the beret clad artists, Jean Cocteau street sculpture, the port filled with sleek yachts and families on the sandy beach. The chauffeur turns up the private road to Villa O. And there it is – tiers of terraces, shields of glass, a tricolor of white walls, cobalt sky and pine green trees.

The light and space are overwhelming. A champagne cork pops and canapés are served on the vast semi circular balcony. Below, a whirl of activity sees your cases brought inside to be carefully unpacked. The villa is beautifully set up to make you feel totally relaxed and totally at home.

There are over 4,500 square meters of gardens. Lavender lined pathways provide panoramic views over the peninsula. A cornucopia of flowers bursts through rockery walls. Olive, Cyprus and eucalyptus trees give shape and shade; jasmine, rosemary and jacaranda perfume the entire estate. Soft, manicured lawns undulate to an aquamarine pool. A wooden footbridge leads to our two bedroom, magic garden, Tent house Suite.

A Balinese style pool house provides shade in which to read, dine or snooze away a hot summer afternoon. Step into the infinity pool that curves around the garden. Cocktail in hand, gaze out over the bay filled with yachts. Breakfast, lunch and dinner can be served in your suite, on the terrace, in the dining room, on the lawn or by the pool (either pool of course). Dinner at 8 or a midnight feast with lanterns. Attention to detail is phenomenal because that’s how we like it.

Villa Saitan by EASTERN Design Office

EASTERN Design Office designed the Villa Saitan apartment building in Kyoto, Japan.

Full description after the photos….

Villa Saitan by EASTERN Design Office

The site is in Nishioji-hachijo, Kyoto. From the main street we enter into a covert place along an alley of 4 meters in width. This construction is a collective housing consisting of 11 units.

The impersonality of segmental housing complex is completely concealed in this architecture. Instead it is built to be seen as one big house.

The architecture is covered with a wall in which holes are cut. The shape of the holes resembles a trunk, leaves, a root and bulbs. It also can be seen as clouds floating over the trees. Concrete shape which is based on nature turns into a hollow cave, light, and sunbeams filtered through trees.

The idea of windows like sunbeams filtered through trees has developed with the following methods: lined up balconies of average collective housing are completely hidden here, there is no balcony for each room, the ceiling height of one room is raised, dwelling units are elevated one meter from the ground, floor level of entrance and apartments is different, center of the wall surface is curved, the center of the façade of the architecture is sculptured, a curved winding slit is made on the curved wall surface, the shape of the holes matches with the winding slit, the result is one shape of a plant growing roots undulating from it.

Since curved holes are made on a carved wall surface, it is physically inevitable that the section of holes is also twisted. This distortion resembles the shape of plants and the organic and free style of nature.

The entrance to the house is from the root carved into the center of the front wall. An inner pathway peculiar to Kyoto can be found there. An inner pathway is a narrow corridor which runs from street to street and from lot to lot.

In this project the inner path is connected to the garden of the town house of the client. He manages this collective housing by himself. It is his daily routine to do sweeping, arranging flowers at the entrance, and watering the path. Thus he enjoys his post-retirement years.

This land was once the site of NIshihachijo-palace, which was the residence of a hero of the Japanese classical tragedy, “Tale of Heike.” It was a stage of rise and fall of a clan in the 12th century. Such an old and sad memory is cherished and still told among the people of this neighborhood.

The collective housing that is built on such a historical place should not be seen as an average apartment house. Such notion occurred to us, which might have led us to the idea of an “immortal tree.” We, therefore, designed a building which does not take vaguely a shape of a tree, but rather an intense and massive form with a tint of movement. The lot size is 16m×19m. This architecture gives an answer how to build a low collective housing in a quiet but dense place.

What does the name Saitan mean?
Tan is the color of the shrine gates, vermilion. It is also the color of pale red granite stone. Vermilion will not be weathered. It is said that vermillion is a sacred color and it used to be applied on serving dishes and bow and arrow to make them holy ones. Sai means variety of beautiful colors that make something more attractive.

Villa Vriezenveen by Zecc Architects

Zecc Architects designed this house in Vriezenveen, The Netherlands.

This remarkable residential property is a prime example of how the Dutch landscape is being transformed. Historic farmhouses are making way for new, artificial ones or abstract dwellings. The land itself is increasingly being used for recreational purposes rather than for agriculture. Where, in the past, houses were screened from their surroundings, a good view is now regarded as an attractive feature of any house.

The dark silhouettes of the historic farmhouses provided the most important source of inspiration for the statuesque house in Vriezenveen. The linear layout of the plots also influenced the design of the house. As in the big farmhouses of old, family life centres on the dining table in the large living room/kitchen.

The open landscape either side of an ancient country lane between Vriezenveen and Almelo forms the backdrop to this house. Like the historic farmhouses along Weitemansweg, the house has a linear layout. The contours of the sections, which are linked one behind the other, come together to form a unified, statuesque whole. The house is lengthened by the formation of the upper floor in two separate elements that are offset towards the front and rear ends. This produces a silhouette of apparently separate sections that stands out in the surrounding area. In addition, this formation leads to the creation of the requested covered terrace at the rear and a carport at the front.

This house follows the linear structure of the landscape. The black zinc of the outer walls is applied in long, horizontal strips with folded seams. Due to the sheen and somewhat uneven finish of the material, the house reacts in a subtle way to the colours of the Dutch sky. Thanks to the dark, subdued colour, the house blends in with the landscape more than the big farmhouses with their orange roofs.

The rooms of the house, with their large windows, are oriented towards the surrounding area. Each room has a strong focus on one of the points of the compass. Only the kitchen has a multiple orientation and functions as the central hub of the house. All the rooms are accessible from this central space, some of them via open staircases. The main load bearing structure consists of three steel portals supporting two laminated beams, each 1 metre high and 27 metres long! In combination with walls of a wooden skeleton structure, this allowed overhangs in multiple directions to be created.