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The Pure Geometry armchairs feature strong shapes, compact proportions and details with a striking visual impact

Anca Rotaru Design Studio‘s Pure Geometry collection consists of armchairs with a soft curve of the seat that designs the armrest and that accommodates a soft back cushion, highlighting the pure line of the armchair.

The design pieces feature a sophisticated aesthetic language that is expressed in strong shapes, compact proportions and details with a striking visual impact, like the metal base with the bright gold finish.

The sophisticated elegance and compact proportions allow them to thrive harmoniously in any setting – from home decor to hospitality.

Design, info and images © Anca Rotaru Design Studio

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A silent apartment intervention with a careful selection of timeless design pieces

Any kind of intervention in this space was not supposed to interfere with the existing. More than proposing, it was necessary to omit, more than designing, it was necessary to recover and integrate, more than composing, it was necessary to be simple and silent with rigour in response to new needs. This apartment in Lisbon, Portugal is integrated in a building originally designed as a Hotêl Particulier. The apartment occupies the 1st floor, originally the floor of the rooms – 11 rooms, one of them used as a bathroom. Being a social floor, almost all the walls and ceilings of these rooms were decorated with rich wall paintings.

When transformed into an individual fraction of housing, the apartment was occupied by Pedro Espirito Santo, known as the host of the best parties and dinners in Lisbon and the 11 rooms served this purpose perfectly.

In 2019, the apartment was acquired by a new owner, with a clear family structure. The intervention program in the space was based on the maintenance, conservation and restoration of all the architectural heritage of the property, but adapting it to family needs – from 1 bathroom, there are now 6 individual bathrooms.

All the work by ESQVTA was based on the premise that the interventions should be silent enough not to be noticed or to dispute the attention for the pre- existing.

If the recovery works were to be silent in the form and choice of materials, the interior design project chose a careful selection of timeless design pieces – thus, from the height of 18th century art, one could, in the same space, suddenly travel to what is best produced in 21st century design.

Design and info © ESQVTA

Images © Ricardo Oliveira Alves

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Dynamic geometric lines and contemporary design principles intertwine in Kratigos house

This house lies on a hill in Kratigos Mytilene, Greece with panoramic views of the Aegean Sea and the lush vegetation of the adjacent downhill slope. The design by b-group takes into consideration and uses to its advantage the orientation of the plot as well as the terrain formations, allowing the residence to open up fully towards the blue southeast view of the seafront and the green view of the slope while the introvert northwest elevation plays with the element of surprise and ensures the privacy of the residence. Dynamic geometric lines and contemporary design principles intertwine to deliver the end design for both the building and its landscape.

The clean form of the raw concrete volume is in a constant dialogue with the dynamic geometry and alternates with the large glass surfaces that disappear behind walls and equate the interior with the exterior while creating stunning frames of the view towards the sea and the lush vegetation of the landscape. The two main lines of the west and south boundaries intersect and define the triangular shape of the plan that opens up to the east view of the Aegean Sea. The extension of these two primary lines into the landscape defines the formation of the exterior space and its access while highlighting the dynamics of the design as well as those of the landscape.

The house unfolds on three floors, adapting to the sharp slope of the plot. The main entrance level of the open living room/kitchen opens up towards the view and the outdoor platform of the terrace, where the pool is the dominant element. The clean, concrete northwest wall extends to the boundary of the property, supporting the concrete pergola and protecting the terrace from the northwest winds.

In the interior of the house, a triangular atrium allows the natural light from the skylights to penetrate the lowest level of the house, where 4 master guest bedrooms share a central living room. Three of the guest rooms lie right below the swimming pool and open up completely towards the Aegean view. The interior staircase connecting all levels of the house unfolds freely like a ribbon into the atrium and against the rigid boundary of the northwest wall, which deconstructs gradually towards the upper levels and is eventually replaced by a huge glass opening.

Adjustable aluminum louvers allow the sunlight to penetrate at different angles while mirroring the colors of the landscape. On the highest level of the house, the master bedroom opens up towards the stunning views of the Aegean Sea and the lush vegetation of the opposite slope, creating a floating sensation while inside the room.

The orientation of the house, the vertical shading elements of the west elevation, the horizontal shading elements of the east elevation, and the ability to naturally cross ventilate all levels, give a bioclimatic character to the architectural design of the house. Elements of vernacular architecture, such as the load-bearing stone walls of the landscape and the local flora, which is fully restored, blend with the clean minimalistic lines of the house adding harmony and balance to the constant dialogue of the artificial with the natural, of the exterior with the interior, of the vernacular with the contemporary, a dialogue that defines the sustainable character of the architectural design.

Design and info © b-group

Images © Panagiotis Voumvakis

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#TOGETHER @ RDW 2021

The ninth edition of Romanian Design Week will take place between June 4-13, in Bucharest.

Under the theme #together, the festival will gather in its online and offline program organizations, designers, initiatives and events that offer a focus on the importance, success and contribution creative industries have in society, especially in a post-pandemic reality, when we are all looking for new ways to redraw everyday life are more concerned with the impact on the environment, the future we determine, collaboration and inclusion.

The central space of the festival will be Combinatul Fondului Plastic, an address that brings together an extremely valuable and effervescent artistic community (www.combinat.ro) and which will host some of the exhibitions from the #rdw2021 program.

A selection realised by the RDW creative board from the best design and architecture projects made in the last two years will be presented at the SENAT Gallery, in an exhibition designed by Attila Kim Architects.

Stradal (https://localdesigncircle.com/stradal-1), an exhibition dedicated to graphic design, which will focus on its importance in the public space, will be presented by Local Design Circle at UNA Galeria. The exhibition is a cultural project co-financed by Administraţia Fondului Cultural Naţional.

Rethinking Plastic will bring to the fore a collection of innovative and sustainable objects, developed and made of recycled plastic by designers and companies from around the world. A project of Searious Business, together with the Dutch Design Foundation and Yksi Expo, Rethinking Plastic is presented in the RDW 2021 program by ASAP at Phenomenon Gallery.

Zeppelin Design will propose a reinterpretation of the outdoor public space in a post-pandemic context, through a series of outdoor interventions.

For the second consecutive year, a series of international design exhibitions will be presented in the Design Flags program, to encourage dialogue between the Romanian and the international market, Romanian Design Week wanting to contribute to the development of local creative industries in a global context.

Romanian Design Week will celebrate creative communities and local hubs through the Design GO program, a format of the festival that proposes numerous satellite events and special design routes through Bucharest, but also in the Creative Quarter. An important pole in this program will be Muzeul Național de Artă a României, which will host an exhibition investigating the evolution of contemporary object design in Romania, a cultural project co-financed by Administraţia Fondului Cultural Naţional. This is the first exhibition approach developed by the Creative Quarter in partnership with Muzeul Național de Artă a României, one of the most important cultural anchors on its map.

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Ncaved House is a three-dimensional chessboard of solids and voids

NCaved House is located on a small secluded rocky cove on Serifos Island, Greece seemingly hovering just above sea level. The need to create a protected shelter, at a location of disarming view, but openly exposed to strong north winds, led MOLD Architects to the decision to drill the slope, instead of arranging a set of spaces in line at ground level.

They applied a rectangular grid to the slope to produce a three-dimensional chessboard of solids and voids that accommodate and, at the same time, isolate the residence quarters. This strict geometry is discontinued with the rotation of the last axis of the grid, which provides the living area with ampler view. Shifting the axis intensifies the sense of perspective significantly, and thus the imprint of the residence appears minimized at the conceptual end of the ascent.

Longitudinal walls of dry stone outline and protect the interior and exterior spaces. They consist the vertical borders, which lead the visitor’s gaze to the horizon line. In contrast to the sturdy stone walls, the transverse facades are light, made of glass and can open along their entire length. The front is fully open to the east view, while the rear windows frame indoor gardens, enhancing the air flow and letting light into the residence.

Lighting and ventilation with front and rear openings, stone, a planted flat roof, suitable insulation, as well as energy-efficient glass panels adds to NCaved’s excellent bioclimatic features. The residence is divided into three levels: bedrooms, living rooms, and a guest house. The first two communicate internally, while the guest house is independent. An in-caved staircase connects the three levels externally and leads to the main entrance, located at the living room loft.

This smooth descent into the interior of the house slowly reveals the initially hidden spaces of the house, while framing a two sided view: a visual outlet to the sea during the descent, an outlet to the sky during the ascent. In-caved areas are negative spaces.

They result from severing and removing part of the rock. This rough feeling of a natural cavity was what the architects aimed to recreate with their choice of materials and color palette. Stone, exposed concrete, wood and metal are used with precision to create coarse inner shells.

Perforated filters on the facades and the floor produce shadow patterns. Paired with large reflective mirror surfaces, they make up an eerie atmosphere in the private areas of the residence. Finally, the pergolas seem to float detached from the surface, denoting the physical aspect of the residence, which integrates to the landscape, yet maintains a dynamic presence.

Design and info © MOLD Architects

Images © Yiorgis Yerolymbos and Panagiotis Voumvakis

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The Diamond House is designed as an extroverted residence with adaptable features

Sitting at the foot of the Hymettus mountain, the H77 House is a private four storey residential building in Voula, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece. Thanks to its strategic position towards the sea and upper lands, this 300 sq.m. house is designed as an extroverted residence with adaptable features. The design by 314 Architecture Studio is a result of strict plot specifications, as well as the studio’s admiration of the traditional Japanese origami craft. Hence, the folding surfaces and sharp edges of the final volume interact with the surrounding rocky terrain and natural vegetation.

Although contrasting at first sight, the diamond origami shape and the environment complement each other without overpowering one another. More specifically, while in some occasions the rocky terrain is flattened and used as a terrace, in others it effortlessly becomes part of the building as a structural feature. The roof is one of the most important elements of the composition. Its prismatic shape allows unconventional geometries to emerge in the interior. In addition, the symmetry creates the impression of a U-turn at the softer end, thus inviting the residents to walk around and explore it from different angles.

Program wise, the top floor located inside the prismatic roof contains the master suite, the middle levels include living rooms and the secondary bedrooms, and the lowest floor includes secondary use rooms and a private parking area. The entrance lies at the first floor. The landscape, as mentioned before, is preserved to a great degree, so that the indigenous to Hymettus limestone is visible. Stairs are placed around the house to make sure all areas and levels are accessible and connected. Also, an exterior triangle-shaped pool is placed at the back terrace for more privacy. Lastly, plants that can withstand the local climate are planted to reinforce the natural vegetation.

Due to the location, the studio had to make sure that when roaming around the house, the residents would always enjoy the view of the Saronic Gulf and the Hymettus mountain. For that reason, the folded surfaces are completed with wide glass panels all around the composition. However, to protect H­77 from sun exposure, these large windows are protected by an innovative system of movable aluminum curtains that enhance the bioclimatic quality of the house. These curtains are programmed through an electrical system to optimize natural lighting and ventilation during the day, depending on the hour and season.

Design and info © 314 Architecture Studio

Images © Panagiotis Voumvakis

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Nature is an integral part of Cork Oak House and a key element in the enhancement of interior spatiality

The objective of this project by Hugo Pereira Arquitetos was the construction of a single family house on a plot of extraordinary morphological characteristics in Celorico de Basto, Portugal, which remained almost intact and unchanged. The land, with approximately 12 thousand square meters, is located in an area of ​​natural protection due to the existence of several cork oak trees, where the implantation of the house allowed the maintenance of all the existing trees.

The development of this project took into account the strong relationship with nature, making it an integral part of the house and a key element in the enhancement of interior spatiality. The natural environment and the panorama that is enjoyed were the decisive elements for its construction.

The lightness of this construction is accentuated by the details and environments related to each other, and the mixture of green of the various trees and shrubs, a constant presence in any space of the house.

The choice of construction elements was defined taking into account the visual impression caused and the framing in the surroundings. The outside of the house is all built in concrete with the traditional process using pine wood boards and with the stereotomy designed according to the scale of the surfaces and the whole set. The slope on the façades suggests the continuity of the land, disguising the house in the ground and in nature also by choosing the color, whose tonality allows to highlight the green of the surroundings.

The concrete walls remain inside the house contrasting with the glass walls that allow abundant natural light, from east to west, and the nature that abounds on the outside, whether as large trees or shrubs that flavor the environment and attract magnificent species of insects.

Inside the house, there are big and bright spaces, the kitchen opens into the dining and living room. On the perpendicular are the three suites and on the upper floor a wide and panoramic space. The floor is covered in black tiles, continuing the external patios, both on the roof and on the ground floor. The dark tint of the pavement contrasts with the wood of two key elements: the flowing, suspended furniture that runs through the kitchen, dining room and living room and whose asymmetry is similar to the house and the furniture in the corridor, also suspending, that starts a tone end and “tearing” the door to the master suite.

The existing pieces of furniture and the decorative elements were carefully chosen and framed in the architecture of the house.

The access to the house is by a Portuguese granite road that goes around the cork oak trees and ends into the asymmetrical flap of a great volumetry that gives grandellinence to the entrance of the house. The lighting was strategically placed in a less aggressive and artificial way.

The narrow pool, with salt and crystalline water, is a space of excellence for contemplating nature with the birds chirping as background noise.

C

Design and info © Hugo Pereira Arquitetos

Images © Ivo Tavares Studio

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Lap Pool House emerges from the natural landscape as a man-made cave

This house in Tinos, Greece, inspired by the cavities and ledges of the rocks, emerges from the natural landscape as a man-made cave, re-creating spatial points of exposure and introversion. The entrance is found in the back of the building, through an earth crack, while different cuts in the roof allow light and air to enter the building. The water in the pool contrasts with the rocky texture of the bare concrete as a translation of the interactions between natural elements.

A single slab of concrete, planted so it appears as an extension of the landscape, covers the three building volumes in the Lap Pool House by Aristides Dallas Architects and shapes the individual architectural qualities of open and closed space in the residence. The two volumes that project from the slab perpendicular to each other make up the private spaces, a bedroom and a guest house. In the same volume there is a protected semi-outdoor space that frames the view while offering shelter, at the request of the owner.

The roof that is blending with the ground in one side, becomes a big cantilever in the other side, setting its appearance as a greatly innovative structural element. That way, in the middle space under the slab, the common areas are formed. Perfectly connected with the interior of the house this concrete cantilever provides with an extended semi-outdoor living space, which might be the most appealing spot during the summer period. The tense of the building is underlined by the linear volume of the pool that comes out of the slope and leads the perspective to the horizon. 

The used color palette emerges from the color of the rocks while the materiality and textures of the bare concrete enhance the blending of the building with the sight. Therefore, the scope of the project is to achieve a camouflage in the landscape while maintaining a dynamic presence itself. Embracing this idea of merging with the landforms around it, the building urges the habitant to live with absolute connection with the scenery of Tinos and with nature altogether.

Design and info © Aristides Dallas Architects

Images © Panagiotis Voumvakis

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Comporta 10 House subtly combines and embeds the region’s architectural heritage in its contemporary approach

The Comporta 10 residence is located in the Portuguese traditional village of Comporta. Surrounded by a pine forest, the building is placed on a mild sloping plot that favours sun exposure and the relationship with the landscape to the south.

The one-story house by Fragmentos is the result of a sum of volumes. The final mass has different angles of orientation, leaving semi-open and outdoor passages between them. The architectural form has also references from the traditional Comporta style, making all pieces of the region’s architectural heritage subtly combined and embedded in this contemporary approach.

The programs can be broadly divided into two parts. The left core consists of the common areas. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are continuous, and the feeling of being outside is enhanced by large structural spans and sliding glass doors. Five bedrooms with their bathrooms can be found on the right core and are defined by the creation of voids and yards, for each separate private space.

In the exterior, with a strong sense of place in mind, the natural landscape and the white-sand dunes become the central features.

Design and info © Fragmentos

Images © Francisco Nogueira

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A seemingly hermetic outside typology with a surprisingly porous interior

In its suburban context in Tegna, Switzerland, this house appears as an extraneous object of a scale difficult to gauge and of an intriguing character. Standing at the end of a cul-de-sac between detached houses and vineyards, the pitched volume in concrete by DF_DC rises devoid of any symbol of domesticity, carved by the cut of the garage and a folded roof, reading as a monumental, introverted form. A mineral garden path leads into a door, mimetised within the concrete frontage.

Once inside, through a threshold containing the gym and garage, the arrangement of space underneath the pitched roofs is finally revealed: an L-shaped space with the lounge, kitchen, and dining areas completely open to a garden to the south and west. From these spaces, the two legs —and thus, the true form of the volume— becomes evident. At both ends, where the height drops at its lowest, an open passage connects the garden to the street and an adjacent field, before the volume concludes on two external rooms. What appears to be a very hermetic typology from the street, proves to be surprisingly porous to its interior. 

An elliptical staircase at the junction of the two legs leads onto the first floor, where the apex is high enough to accommodate the bedrooms and a study. With no openings on the external walls, the bedrooms get their daylight and ventilation by glazed folds to the zinc roof and guiding the views out into the deep mountainous landscape, partially avoiding the immediate, suburban scene.

Design and info © DF_DC

Images © Simone Bossi

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Stepped levels and angular windows define Quarter Glass House in London

A series of stepped levels and angular windows designed by Proctor & Shaw open the ground floor of an Edwardian terrace house onto a quiet leafy garden in South West London. The clients charged Proctor & Shaw with the task of connecting the ground floor to the 1.2m dropped rear garden, challenging the architects’ to bring as much light and height into the new extension as possible.

An existing leaky PVC conservatory was demolished to make way for a series of new interior levels. Proctor & Shaw lowered the ground floor significantly and designed a sequence of stepped plateaus expanding the height, light and volume of the space. The gentle sloping steps allow the clients to make a gradual, controlled descent into the garden through distinct yet connected kitchen, dining, and outdoor terrace zones.

The two neighbouring extensions presented a challenge, requiring Proctor & Shaw to think laterally about maintaining the residents’ privacy and access to light while still fulfilling the brief to create a light and bright home. The architects designed a wrap-around L-shaped extension with angular glazing, allowing the requirements of the site to naturally dictate the form of the building.

The resulting apex form includes four distinct quarter glass windows of various sizes. Just as cars have quarter glass windows custom designed to the body of the vehicle, Proctor & Shaw have configured glazing to best fit and service the new family space.

The largest window, resting above the sliding doors to the garden offers a clerestory opening to draw light into the extension. A second quarter glass frames a cosy window seat protruding into and overlooking the garden, while a third trapezoidal frameless window offers a view onto a newly created courtyard at the heart of the home. This space acts both as a lightwell and small service yard, connecting to a new utility space (doubling as a guest WC) that allows noisy appliances, clothes drying racks and other clutter to be tucked away out of the new family kitchen dining space. The fourth quarter glass is a large triangular roof oculus, set in deeply framed down stand beams that control views to the neighbouring property.

In keeping with the brief, the interiors of the extension are textural and warm in muted copper and duck egg tones. The ceilings’ structural soffit of Douglas Fir is offset by large format light grey floor tiles that continue out to the patio, blurring the lines between inside and out. At eye level, a seamless pale pink microcement acts as a wall finish and backsplash, accompanied by Douglas Fir floating timber shelves that line the length of the kitchen.

Ikea kitchen cabinetry was customised with light duck egg doors and drawers, allowing the clients extra breathing room to focus their finances on particular materials, including the custom copper-topped birch ply kitchen island at the centre of the room. Copper finishes are echoed in the sink, tap and utensil hanging rails, balanced by a grey powder-coated aluminium framed dining table, custom designed by Proctor & Shaw.

Design and info © Proctor & Shaw

Images © Ståle Eriksen

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A house in Indonesia that prioritises space requirements, healthy air circulation and natural lighting

Starting from a housing complex located in North Bekasi, Indonesia, a four member family wanted a designed house that is unique and different from the neighbourhood house template. The new construction by Atelier Bertiga, which stands on an area of 130 m2, is designed with a new concept that prioritises space requirements, healthy air circulation, natural lighting, and has a catchy expression yet warm impression that can be seen from the main façade. Taking advantage of the site area, the building mass is divided into two zones.

The first mass is placed on the west side of the land to cover the sun’s heat from the west, and the second mass is placed on the south east. This zone distinction aims to separate the service and garden from the main function on the west so it can maximise land use. With this configuration, the main mass in the west can receive more natural light from the east and south. Skylights are also used to allow natural light from the roof, but not excessive because it is only for the staircase area (which is located) in the west (zone). Besides, the arrangement of solid/void brick material as a second skin is also applied throughout house facades to reduce the heat entering from the east during the day.

This brick arrangement is also equipped with a louver glass (jalousie window) behind it to circulate natural air into the house. By using the chimney effect, the incoming natural airflow is forwarded through the void in the middle, then hot air will exit through the wall gap in the roof to maintain the room temperature into cooler state. The existence of a high void in the middle of the house is not only used for airing and lighting but can be a vertical addition of space-related to future needs.

An example is a presence of a mezzanine in the master bedroom which functions as a work area. The triple tone concept is also applied to this house by using natural colors, like dark gray, terracotta, and white. Dark gray color dominates the main façade of the building on the second floor not only defining a straight masculine look, but also can minimize dust for maintenance purposes, considering that the house site is located near an industrial area. The dark gray color is also combined with a series of solid/void bricks starting from the south to the north then ending with an arch to soften the appearance of the pointed main façade.

The brighter and contrasting terracotta color is placed on the first floor, while still using the arrangement of solid/void bricks so that they have the same language. Meanwhile, white color is applied more thoroughly into the interior to present a bright and natural impression that reflects the family. The placement of the core spaces such as the family room, dining room, and kitchen are placed on a line on the first floor to facilitate activities that are related to one another. Also, these three rooms are deliberately exposed to a garden shaded by lee kwan yeu vines to show the connection between the outside and the warm interior.

Design and info © Atelier Bertiga

Images © Ernest Theofilus

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A family house that reflects the morphology of the terrain through a half-embedded atrium and a levelled garden

The investors bought a relatively small sloping lot in Podluží, Czech Republic with a view of the Palava hills. The assignment for SENAA architekti was quite simple: A family house if you are able to fit anything on this lot.

The house is part of a newly-built street on the edge of a small Moravian village. The new development doesn’t take into account the traditional row design of local villages. Houses here are not attached, without any unifying feature; they mutually don’t respect roof ridge or roof pitch. The challenge was to design contemporary living in a village neighbourhood consisting primarily of catalogue houses.

The architecture design reflects the morphology of the terrain. A half-embedded atrium allows comfortable exiting from the ground floor and attic to the garden. The overall solution maximizes the potential of the lot for a house and garden and its connectivity. The garden is a thoughtful extension of inner space – with its own living space, outdoor kitchen/dining room. Unifying the interior and exterior units provides comfortable living with sufficient technical and storage space.

The overall composition of the house is symmetrical. The main house entrance is centrally located. From a vestibule one enter a spacious hall. The dignity of the space is amplified with a view of the inner atrium.

There is a private section of the house on the ground floor – children/guest room facing the street, a bedroom exiting to atrium and other parts – bathroom, changing room, sauna, mechanical room. The central feature of the house is a sculptural staircase leading from the hall to the upper living space.

The upper floor presents a space opened to the ridge of the roof. The boxed space integrates an office room, library, toilet, pantry and a fireplace. It also outlines the living room, dining room and kitchen. There is a direct exit from the dining room and living room to the terrace and garden. 

The house is complemented with a garden house designed as a wooden pavilion with an outdoor kitchen and storage room for garden equipment. The basement contains a wine cellar. The garden, due to its size, becomes an extension of the inner space. The small garden maximizes available space. It includes a swimming pool with shower, relaxation area, herbal flower beds, and compost, etc. 

The house is built from bricks, without a basement; the construction is based on concrete strips. Weight bearing walls are sealed with ceramic blocks 500 mm thick. The ceilings are made from a monolithic reinforced concrete. The roof is a combined system of wooden rafters placed between binders made of steel frames. The upper roof is made of folded metal sheet. The flat roof is designed with an extensive green area. The house is plastered; the ground floor is toned to dark gray with a coarse structure and distinctive texture. The upper floor is lighter-colored natural plaster. A carport, workshop room and garden house are made from wooden frames. Filling is made from wooden boards and slats; part of the roof is made from glass for illumination. The windows leading to the garden are shaded with external textile screens and sunshades.

Design and info © SENAA architekti

Images © alex shoots buildings

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A' Design Award & Competition - Last Call for Entries 2021

The registration deadline forA’ Design Award & Competition 2018-2019 is quickly approaching, there are only 2 weeks left to nominate your design here. The deadline is February 28 and the results will be announced to the public on April 15. Inspirationist will be posting a number of selected winners and results right after the announcements.

Winning an A’ Design Award bestows many benefits and privileges to the awarded participants: the award winners’ kit includes the award trophy, the annual yearbook, printed certificate in metal frame, award winners manual, free gala-night invitation for two people to the award ceremony, free participation and space allocation in the winners’ exhibition, guaranteed publication through IDNN and DXGN Networks to 100+ magazines, publicity and visibility through DesignMedia communications and many other benefits.

A’ Design Award and Competitions are organised and awarded annually in a wide range of categories. They are organised into several subcategories, such as: industrial design, furniture, packaging, lightning, architectural design, interior design, graphic design, photography and photo manipulation, movie and animation, fashion, food and culinary design. Further design award categories are available here.

Entries will be judged by an international jury panel of scholars, professionals and media members and  A’ Design Award & Competitionfollows a peer-review process with anonymous voting and evaluation of entries.

Check out below our selection from the latest Street Furniture Design Category winners for your inspiration:

1×1 Urban Furniture System by Mykolas Seckus and Antonio Gandolfo

Fluid Cube and Snake Smart Furniture by Hello Wood

Lumino Single Street Bench by Vasil Velchev

Radial Litter Bin by Jaroslaw Markowicz

RovLocker Smart Parcel Locker by Togrul Tagizade, Akin Kose and Anil Ercan

Sandane Ping Pong Table by Torgeir Stige

Smart Cleaner Outdoor Disinfectant Dispenser by Jaroslaw Markowicz

Wonderland Landscape Installation by Sammy Liu – Golden Eagle

Nominate your design today, here!

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New Post has been published on http://inspirationist.net/with-a-simple-naturalistic-design-peliva-suites-offers-a-high-quality-place-to-escape-and-relax/

With a simple naturalistic design, Peliva Suites offers a high quality place to escape and relax

Built in a privileged location in the southern part of Pelion, Greece close to an old olive grove with an unparalleled view of the Pagasitic Gulf, Peliva Suites offers a high quality place to escape, relax and stay. The simple naturalistic design by G2lab with emphasis on the natural scenery, the rawness, the real but at the same time familiar, timeless and hospitable where nature is in the spotlight, all create an atmosphere to make the guest surrender to the warm harmony of an authentic experience.

Making the most of the physical relief, both buildings open to the unique view. Following the external staircase at the back entrance, the visitor gets the feeling of  sinking between two walls made of the basic materials, stone and concrete, and then is suddenly led to the level with the olive grove and the breathtaking view all around. This central spot between the two buildings serves as a functional and aesthetic link switching from private to public but still keeping the visitor’s eyes fixed on the deep blue and nature’s dominance.

The mark of nature penetrates the construction where the use of natural materials is apparent almost everywhere. The stone walls, built with the same stones from the soil, the pergolas, the visible timber of chestnut and rattan, the reed ceilings and the weaving ropes, the plants, the olive, the element of water, all create a unique atmosphere with the nature’s colours and scents blending in a modern  aura of tranquillity and relaxation. Although the three suites are designed and constructed with similar materials, each offers the visitor a unique sense by maintaining their own distinctive identity.

Natural surfaces, smooth lines and earthy tones are the basic designing ingredients. The unique aesthetics is apparent with the use of wood, stone, cement and rattan which radiate a sense of coziness. The handmade decorations, the picture frames that are relevant to each room’s name and the special emphasis on detail, create a warm, bohemian chic atmosphere of wellness, comfort and deep relaxation. There is a constant switch in the spots of interest in the surrounding area which were purposely designed in such a way to make the most of the breathtaking view from every single corner.

Big, spacious terraces, private sitting areas with hydromassage, big outdoor dining and barbecue areas for relaxation, pool view, all perfectly integrated with nature, invite the visitor to discover and experience this harmony in high quality accommodation. The special paths in the nature, the switch between the private and the public, always with a sea view either protected from the sun or open to the natural light, let the visitor gaze at the big blue and create a scenery of comfort, isolation and relaxation. Undoubtedly, a truly fulfilling experience which combines modern luxury and real escape.

Design and info © G2lab

Images © Dimitris Spyrou

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New Post has been published on Inspirationist

New Post has been published on http://inspirationist.net/a-residence-that-folds-into-the-contours-of-a-hillside-through-its-undulating-wood-and-steel-structure/

A residence that folds into the contours of a hillside through its undulating wood and steel structure

Fold House is a residential property in Southern Ontario that folds into the contours of a hillside through its undulating wood and steel structure. The two-story residence by Partisans is concealed through the land’s topography with the pool pavilion nestled into the lower part of the hill and features an eighty foot long by ten foot tall sliding glass facade that provides sweeping views from a burrowed vantage point.

The undulating structure disguises the ninety-foot steel structural beam that creates a cantilevered canopy making the front of the pavilion appear as though it is floating. The facade and interiors deploy compression-bent wood, an artisanal fabrication technique typically used on furniture and musical instruments, and rarely deployed at this scale.

The roof has a significant wave-like curvature that is visually striking from the exterior of the building as well as from the inside of the pool room opens space to cradle the cascading external steel staircase and creates a sculptural slope in the white oak ceiling of the pool room. To minimize environmental impact and follow the Niagara Escarpment’s regulations, a 3D scan was performed to finetune the structure’s positioning. The green roof blurs the distinction between landscape.

In order to maximize sunlight in all seasons and reduce solar gain in the summer, the windows are structured in a checkerboard pattern along the guest houses and the pool room features south-facing glazed sliding doors with deep overhang.

Design, info and images © Partisans

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New Post has been published on Inspirationist

New Post has been published on http://inspirationist.net/ardmore-house-emphasizes-communal-areas-interconnectivity-and-flexible-live-work-spaces/

Ardmore House emphasizes communal areas, interconnectivity and flexible live-work spaces

For this house bordering an alleyway on a traditional Chicago lot, Kwong Von Glinow flips the traditional residential section, arraying bedrooms on the first floor and living spaces on the second. This approach supports contemporary ways of living, emphasizing communal areas, interconnectivity, and flexible live-work spaces that receive ample natural light and engage the surrounding urban context.

A curved double-height atrium runs lengthwise from front to back doors, creating an interior courtyard that vertically connects the common areas on the first and second floors. Defined by a large picture window and a curving wall, the courtyard offers an informal multi-purpose area where residents can relax and their children can play.

The design of the home balances privacy and openness on the urban site. Off the courtyard’s curving inner wall lie, all of the home’s bedrooms pushed away from the alleyway towards the neighboring lot. The two bedrooms nearer the front of the house have windows that look toward the neighbor’s Chicago brick wall, providing privacy from the view of the street and neighbors. The primary bedroom suite is located at the back of the home, overlooking a private garden.

A stair tucked behind the courtyard’s curving wall leads to the second floor. The open plan is organized around four trusses that support the house’s Chicago balloon frame. These trusses distinguish five areas set around the curve of the balustrade: the kitchen, the island, the dining room, the powder room, and the living room. Throughout, a restrained colors and materials palette—white walls and white oak wood floors, trusses, and furnishing—draws attention to the qualities of the spaces themselves. All of the shared and public spaces on the second floor are oriented towards a ribbon window that spans the length of the interior courtyard. The 56-foot-long window floods the home with natural light and opens panoramic views that capture the fullness of the surrounding neighborhood: century-old trees, the back balconies and fire-escapes of neighboring buildings, and street lamps with their meandering cabling.

The exterior of the home engages the neighborhood’s traditional vernacular style while reflecting the organization of the interior spaces. The design shifts the facade hierarchy from the street to the alleyway, the most urban of the contexts. The street-facing facade has a row of half-height ribbon windows along the second floor and a single door on the first level, maintaining privacy for the front bedroom. On the alleyway side, floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor and a large picture window facing out to the alleyway from the interior courtyard open the interiors to the urban surroundings. 

The exterior materials approach emphasizes the sectional flip and lends visual rhythm to the monolithic building. The house sits atop a concrete base with a dual-color Accoya wood rain screen system. The bottom half of the first level is clad in grey wood, while black wood lines the top half of the first level and all of the second.

Design and info © Kwong Von Glinow

Images © James Florio Photography