Big Dig House by Single Speed Design
Boston’s Big Dig, an ongoing traffic rerouting project through the heart of downtown, has produced all manner of discarded infrastructure since it’s commencement in 1991. Cambridge architecture firm Single Speed Design conceptualized and built this home that repurposes nearly 600,000 pounds of that material. Nearly all of the steel and concrete used in the structure of the 4,300 square foot Massachusetts home came from a dismantled portion of the I-93 highway. Using predetermined structural elements forced Single Speed Design to plan extensively, particularly when considering how to keep the home at a human scale. The massive steel structure and concrete piers are strong visual forces on the home’s exterior, but it manages to remain distinctly residential and inviting. The load bearing capacity of the home’s structure allowed the owners to implement extensive gardens on all of the flat roof surfaces. Most importantly, this project demonstrates how material salvaged from public works projects can be repurposed and given new life. Single Speed Design points out that these high-strength materials could easily be implemented in large-scale, public use buildings such as schools and libraries.
See more images of the Bid Dig House after the jump.
Chalkidos Street Residence by Armon Architects
Introversion was the driving force behind the striking design of the Chalkidos Street Residence. Designed by Armon Choros Architektonikis for a reticent art collector, the Cyprus residence utilizes an immense curved concrete wall to shield an interior courtyard and most of the home’s exterior windows. The wall is fenestrated by openings high along its west side which cast patterns of daylight into the exterior and interior spaces. A lap pool in the courtyard also pierces through the wall’s south side at the street level, allowing the public a brief glimpse into the home. The interior is composed of vertical planes, placed specifically to showcase the owner’s extensive art collection.
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Glass Roof House by Sambuichi Architects
The Base Valley House, designed by Japanese architect Hiroshi Sambuichi, was constructed with its natural context acting as a guiding principle. Sambuichi strives to extensively analyze the site of his projects, ensuring that they respond as sensitively as possible to their environment. Consequently, the Base Valley House is located primarily underground, where the existing mass of a hillside provides passive climate control. Augmenting the thermal qualities of the earth, a “wind street” is cut through the center of the hill to provide natural ventilation. The most visible portion of the house is its angular glass roof, which allows generous amounts of daylight into the interior and covers an outdoor deck, where the family that inhabits the home can enjoy views of the adjacent river and mountains.
See more of the Glass Roof House after the jump.
Alessi Barbicu
If you’re looking for an all-around grill for your summertime cookouts, the Alessi Barbicu is just that, condensed into a sleek Italian design. The portable grill can be set up in different layouts, which makes it versatile enough for barbecuing at the park, backyard or tailgate parties. The Barbicu also features useful tools like a trolley, cutting board and can be lit with either charcoal or gas. Other optional accessories include a windshield, griddle and carry case. Available now at Panik.
Dancing Living House by Junichi Sampei
Designing and building a new house on the urban outskirts of Tokyo is a daunting task, and the owners of the Dancing and Living House proposed an especially difficult project to Japanese architect Junichi Sampei. They requested that a full dance studio be incorporated into the design of their home. From the exterior, passing pedestrians are provided with little indication of the house’s interior content. An imposing white cube floats above a covered parking spot, with a lone window in the uppermost corner providing the only fenestration. Upon entering however, a unique juxtaposition is revealed. One level above the street, a single open room houses the kitchen, dining area, living area, and dance studio. Furniture is repositionable depending upon room usage, and the requisite floor to ceiling mirrors of the dance studio serve to visually enlarge the space. A level above the studio houses bedrooms, which incorporate large windows and skylights paired with glass floor panels to bring light down into the lower levels. A stark white color scheme also helps to keep the interior bright and open.
See more images of the Dancing Living House after the jump.
The Wolfback Ridge FlatPak House
Architect Charlie Lazor has been at the forefront of prefabricated architecture in recent years with his creation of the FlatPak system. Designs are based on eight foot wide, one story tall wall panels, and size and configuration are otherwise limited only by the imagination and budget of the client. Lazor also created a series of kitchen and bath components and storage solutions that integrate directly into the system. The Wolfback FlatPak house was recently completed in Sausalito, California. At 4200 square feet, it is a particularly large example of a FlatPak home, complete with five bedrooms and a view of the San Francisco Bay. Like most homes created with Lazor’s system, the Wolfback house is dictated by relative linearity. Exterior walls are mostly glass, with dark wood siding separating the first and second floor. Inside, spaces are expansive and undivided. The first floor employs a black, polished concrete floor to minimize the inevitable maintenance that comes with the large sliding glass doors that open the interior to the environment. Elsewhere, a material palette of wood and stone reflects the home’s natural surroundings.
See more images of the Wolfback Ridge FlatPak House after the jump.
Modern Mexican Homes by Dellekamp Arquitectos
Faced with a challenging hillside site and a budget of only $60,000, Dellekamp Arquitectos managed to design and build this striking modern home in Mexico City. The structure is composed of two rectangular volumes partially embedded into the hill. Three sides of the cubes are stucco walls, punctuated by only a few small windows. The fourth side, however, is composed entirely of glass. The home effectively has two opposite fascias, depending upon where it is being viewed from. The interior uses concrete floors throughout and rooftop terraces expand the living areas exponentially. The architects chose to emphasize the diagonal nature of the site with a unique paint scheme on the exterior. The square façades are divided into gray and white triangles, clearly reflecting the surrounding hillside.
Ikea 50-Year Exhibition
IKEA has opened a showcase of its designs in Stockholm, giving consumers a glimpse of the company’s past. Exhibits vary from the first flat-pack table of the 1950’s to the latest designs found in stores. Aside from showcasing products, the exhibit’s curator Steffan Bengtsson says that IKEA hopes to reveal “how we live our lives.” Much of the older furniture in the exhibit is being loaned to the museum by its current owners.
See more from the exhibition after the jump.
Four-to-One Table by Leon Fitzpatrick
The low slung Four-to-One table is a new product recently released by Leon Fitzpatrick. The dining table and matching chairs draw inspiration from both Asian design (its low seating position) and mid-century Scandinavian design (use of bent plywood). The table is easily disassembled and reassembled, making it an ideal candidate for transitional duty between interior and exterior spaces. A sense of intimacy is forged among the table’s patrons with a flush center insert that is softly lit.
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Cascade House by Paul Raff Studio
Located in Toronto’s Forest Hill, the Cascade House by Paul Raff Studio is a dramatic departure from the surrounding built environment. The home’s straight-edged façade, composed of black slate and glass, was designed to reflect the owners’ love of modern art and allow copious daylight to flood the interior. The 3500 square foot home is spread over three levels, the lowest of which is partially sunken into the earth. In addition to designing in accordance with the owners’ modern preferences, the architects also emphasized energy efficiency as a foremost issue. Consequently, several basic but effective design strategies are incorporated into the design. For instance, the slate that adorns the exterior is carried into the interior on both floors and a central “spine.” During Toronto’s cold winter months, sunlight enters through the large windows during the day and is absorbed by the slate, effectively warming the house through the night. During summer months, automated shades and passive ventilation keep the home naturally cool. Despite its aesthetic departure from tradition, the Cascade house employs environmentally conscious design principles that can be adapted to any home.
See more of the home after the jump.
