"My goal was to carry on the client’s family legacy by creating a very special place that took inspiration from the landscape,” explains architect Tom Kundig.
Sited on a triangular plot, Barnhouse Werkhoven enjoys a small front yard with sun in the afternoon, and a rear garden looking out to the fields.
the project integrates the construction to its natural landscape.
A street view of the low-slung compound.
The great room is anchored by a 25-foot-high granite, wood-burning fireplace with a reclaimed timber mantle located beneath Alumicor skylights.
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Tehachapi Mountains, California
Dwell Magazine : November / December 2017
A former factory for Alexander Thomson & Sons Pattern Makers—a company that made wooden forms which were then cast in metal for propellers—this old building now has a new second floor and an excavated cellar, which has increased its floor space from 3,500 square feet to a whooping 8,500 square feet.
From its locally quarried stone foundation to its zinc-coated copper roof, the cottage was inspired by its surroundings. “We talked a lot with our client about what the materiality would be,” says architect Karen Stonely, who, citing the organic style of Bar Harbor architect Robert Patterson, designed the structure with wood rather than drywall.
The horizontal layout of the home allows for easy movement throughout the interior, while the line of the continuous roof seems to extend into the trees. Enlarging the opening of the home allowed for impressive views of the river and surrounding area.
Kranbuehl landscaped the previously forested backyard with a “grass terrace” and masonry walls, so that the exterior felt of a piece with the interiors. Trees and hedges still stand on the perimeter to create natural screening from the neighbors.
City Cabin | Olson Kundig
Massive volumes of dry stacked, locally supplied granite supports the roof.
Clustered around a sunny courtyard, Three Piece House’s three volumes—a main house, comprising two volumes (one for living and the other for sleeping) connected via a sun-soaked reading corridor, and a free-standing guest studio—are oriented for optimal passive solar conditions, including access to cooling ocean breezes. Recycled brick paving ties the volumes together. Located in the garden, the studio accommodates visiting friends, family, and guests.
Stoned by ElasticoSPA
Vo chose a simple material palette to highlight the green plants.
The street-to-street lot has upper and lower level parking for up to nine vehicles.
A dramatic cantilevered roof extends over the lower building volume, tying together the separate, yet connected, blocks of the home.
Now the welcoming Detective Building glows from within.
Nestled in Seattle's East Capitol Hill neighborhood, this modern residence "is an economical, efficient, low-maintenance, and modern version of a traditional Seattle house—one with primary living spaces on the main floor and three bedrooms above," state the architects.
This Toronto workspace designed by architect Anya Moryoussef features an 18-foot-long built-in floating desk with integrated storage.
The Suntrap House by Anderson Architecture
A modest, gabled 1965 hut on the outskirts of Guatemala City was transformed into an expansive 4,467-square-foot getaway. Blurring the indoors and out, architect Alejandro Paz adhered to the original architectural elements while adding modernized touches. The roof maintains the same angle as the original hut, but reversed, while new modules give the space a new identity. With floor-to-ceiling glazing, the home allows for the residents to take in the Guatemalan forest from all angles.
A peek into the master bath.
The idea for a new 1,722-square-foot house was born when the home's owner spoke to Ziyu Zhuang of RSAA: "Look at the tallest tree that survived in our village. It’s beautiful. It should be seen in this house after it's been rebuilt." And so the design of the home, named Tongling Recluse, evolved around preserving the tree and elements from the old ruins.
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