The Husqvarna Panthera Leo Concept Lawn Mower
The Husqvarna Panthera Leo is a conceptual lawn mower developed with the eco-conscious home owner in mind. In an effort to reduce the pollution associated with maintaining a lush green lawn, this mower is powered only by electric motors and is constructed from recycled materials. With a claimed two hours of riding time per charge, most home owners should be able to cut an entire lawn. If not, the mower charges overnight using a standard outlet. The boundaries of lawn mower technology are further pushed with sensors that tell the operator whether a hill is too steep or if an obstacle is approaching. While likely redundant, these features merely supplement the impressive ecological accolades of the Husqvarna Panthera Leo.
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Oceanside Luxury Brisbane Home
In Brisbane, Australia, this home sits oceanside on the popular Redcliffe Peninsula. The elaborate 4 level house was designed with the ocean views in mind and from several rooms, thanks to broad expanses of glass and balconies, the views create the illusion of floating directly upon the sea. In addition to the use of glass, the home utilizes a central void that visually connects all four levels, allowing additional daylight and creating visual continuity for occupants. The white stucco exterior and white interior walls are balanced by copious use of natural materials, including slate accent walls and a minimal open wood staircase that occupies the void. An intimate patio occupies the small space separating the home from the ocean, and incorporates glass barriers and a pool to further connect house and sea.
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Hind House by John Pardey Architects
On the banks of the River London, John Pardey Architects designed and built the Hind House, which responds dramatically to its context. Erected upon a plot of land prone to frequent flooding, the home stands upon coated steel columns, safely hovering above the river when it exceeds its banks. The juxtaposition of a home surrounded on all sides by water is surreal, but tranquil. There are no nearby neighbors and a stairway from the elevated living areas disappears into the river at its base. The home itself is composed of three primary rectilinear volumes. Clad in zinc and cedar siding, they cantilever over the river from a central core, supported by exposed I-beams. Interior spaces take full advantage of the unique site with floor to ceiling windows. The cedar exterior siding is continued inside on floors, walls, and ceilings. Accessibility issues aside, the Hind House is a dramatic demonstration of contextually appropriate architecture, and it allows its occupants to live in an area previously deemed uninhabitable.
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Renovated Church Home in Kyloe, Northumberland
A nondescript exterior and a yard dominated by headstones give no indication of the residential nature of this historic church in Kyloe, Northumberland. A couple decided to purchase and readapt the structure, investing nearly three times the purchase price into renovations over the course of several years. The exterior remains mostly untouched, save for skylights running the length of the roof. Inside, the owners took a similar approach. Restoration is more prevalent than renovation, with original stained glass windows throughout, and repurposed church fixtures abounding. Much of the original seating in the church was refinished and placed throughout the home, and unused wood and building materials were fashioned into a dramatic staircase leading from the main living space to an upper level library. The choice to live in a church is an unorthodox one, but this home’s owners managed to salvage a structure that might have otherwise been doomed to deterioration.
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The Camouflage House by Johnsen Schmaling Architects
The Camouflage House sits atop a bluff overlooking a lake in Green Lake, Wisconsin. The house’s name is derived from its inherent ability to blend into the surrounding landscape. Johnsen Schmaling Architects had exactly that in mind when they designed the home. Its low profile and dark vertical structural members are combined with unfinished cedar panels and bright veneer panels to mimic the natural palette of the surrounding forest. The result is a home that, especially during the fall months, appears to be a naturally occurring part of the environment. The house expands to two levels at the rear, with expansive glazing and a terrace to take advantage of the lake views. Inside, the material and color selections continue, along with the juxtaposition of vertical and horizontal elements.
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Concrete Modern Home by AFGH
Rising dramatically from a hillside in Switzerland, this monolithic concrete home was designed by the German firm of Andreas Fuhrimann and Gabrielle Hächler. The home serves as the vacation residence of an art gallery owner, and its austere concrete construction creates a gallery-like atmosphere in the home’s interior. The use of concrete transitions seamlessly from exterior to interior, where floors, ceilings, and walls are all formed by the material. Niches, benches, and shelving were incorporated into the concrete formwork to create integrated custom elements. In keeping with the gallery theme, furnishings are sparse and sculptural. The interior also features unfinished plywood accents to offset the use of concrete. The overall form is a slightly skewed cube, with interior volumes extruded from the façade. The architects chose concrete as a modern interpretation of the traditional architectural vernacular surrounding the home, which consists primarily of historic stone homes. Fuhrimann and Hächler tout their design as a modern reflection of the past.
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Apartment Interior by h20 Architects
Modular storage system that also serves to delineate rooms. This home of a Parisian advertising executive was formerly a cramped, dark apartment divided into six rooms. Now, thanks to the efforts of h20 Architects, his home is a bright, vivacious space with cleverly integrated storage throughout. Storage was a primary concern for the client, who needed to house and display his extensive comic and book collection. The architects seized the opportunity and used shelving and alcoves as a method of room delineation, which creates an open, reconfigurable plan. The system designed by h20 also incorporates media storage and a built in office area. Ebony stained floors and clean white walls are complemented by vivid accent colors lining the shelves and on kitchen and workspace surfaces.
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Lot 23 House by Juan Esteban Correa
A Colombian couple living abroad (in Spain) for many years decided to come back to the country to have a place to spend weekend and holidays with the family, a long established tradition among Colombians. Architect Juan Esteban Correa was responsible in helping them find the right place for their holiday house on a well inhabited and secure site with specific natural conditions like warm weather, nice views, not flat, among other. It was his mission to design a house for them and the kids with a modern, contemporary look that could remind them of their life in Europe and that could preserve that actual look. Defined by stylish intersections, pure volumes with character and a stunning scenery, the house’s exterior got beautiful wooden accents and a pool with a deck to enjoy the dry warm weather.
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Luxury Beach House in Brazil by Bernardes Jacobsen
The Guaruja House, designed by Brazilian architect Bernardes Jacobsen, is a vacation home perched high upon a hillside along the coast of Sao Paulo. The front elevation suggests a modest dwelling, but the view from the rear tells otherwise. The home is built upon a platform that hovers above the hillside, supported on pillars. Two levels of living space, defined by glass facades look out upon the sea, and the entire rear wall slides open to create a single indoor/outdoor space. A sprawling wooden deck affords generous lounging areas and is supplemented by a pool along its border, mimicking the ocean in the distance. Locally sourced wood adorns most of the horizontal surfaces in the home, including the floors, ceilings, and underside of the roof. The Guaruja house also uses local species of trees in both the interior and exterior, paired with rough hewn stone walls to further eliminate the distinction between the home and its natural environment.
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LoftCube
The LoftCube is a simple prefabricated structure that proposes the reclamation of rooftop space in space-starved metropolitan areas. Assembled offsite and delivered by crane, the LoftCube is a refreshingly simple proposal. Inspired by traditional Japanese architecture, it is a compact but comprehensive package that strives to remain as open as possible, using translucent sliding panels in lieu of standard walls. Windows on all sides of the structure mean that occupants will inevitably enjoy the prime views that the highest level of a building affords.
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