Category Archives: Architecture

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Urban Architecture Tour: ‘Upper House’ In Brisbane

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The Local Project (October 11, 2024): Addressing the issue of connection deficit in vertical living, Upper House fosters a sense of community among residents. Crafted by Koichi Takada Architects on behalf of developer Aria, the ultimate penthouse and spacious apartment building proposes a new, healthier way of inhabiting a city. Set in South Brisbane, known widely as a social and cultural hub, Upper House sits close to art galleries, theatres, bars and cafes.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Ultimate Penthouse 01:22 – Including the Surrounding Culture 02:07 – The Facade Inspiration 02:48 – The Calm Interiors and Layout 03:59 – A Neutral Material Palette 04:35 – The World Class Design 05:37 – A Walkthrough of the Wellness Retreat 06:17 – Creating a Connective Space

The project takes cues from the suburb, inviting people to come together: while the building offers 1000 square metres of communal amenities, it also embodies a work of art and features the ultimate penthouse. Michael Hurley, development director at Aria, describes the design as “a series of dancing balconies” with timber ribbon running up the facade and a triple-height timber rooftop.

“[The design] just screamed out and said ‘world-class, never-been-done-before’. It was curvy, it was organic, it was unique, and it was Aria” he says. At the base of Upper House, a large podium displays work by Indigenous artist Judy Watson. The piece recognises the Turrbal people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which the project is built. Beyond the podium, the facade is inspired by Moreton Bay fig trees – what can be viewed as ribbons are timber ‘roots’ framing the main structure and the ultimate penthouse. Curling around the edges of the roof, the bold details form a pergola and shading device that protect the open wellness retreat.

#Penthouse #HouseTour #Wellness

Architecture, Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Design: Inside An NYC Townhouse Made Of Shipping Containers

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Architectural Digest (September 24, 2024): “We just respond creatively to what humanity pushes aside.” Today AD is in Brooklyn, New York to tour a townhouse comprising 18 shipping containers.

Designers Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano, founders of LOT-EK, have been using shipping containers in their work for 30 years, becoming pioneers in sustainable architecture.

Comprised of 18 containers from a yard in New Jersey, this townhouse exemplifies how humble materials can be turned into something extraordinary and pave the way for a more sustainable future.

Architecture, Buildings, Education, Tours, Videos

History & Design: Central Park In New York City

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Architectural Digest (September 19, 2024) – Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects joins AD in New York as he returns to Central Park to explore the thousands of years of history found there.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Columbus Circle 01:55 Glen Span Arch 03:44 Cleopatra’s Needle 05:45 The Blockhouse 06:41 The Arsenal 08:23 McGown’s Pass 10:40 Strangers’ Gate

Although Central Park itself would not have existed 200 years ago, you can track the use of the land back 13,000 years. From ancient Native American trails to billion-year-old rocks, take an in-depth look at the thousands of years of history housed inside this iconic park.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Design: ‘Federal House’ Tour, Eastern Australia

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The Local Project (July 26, 2024): This home’s design facilitates a rare co-habitation with the forested landscape and represents a balance of modern architecture and the purity of nature. From a distance, Edition Office’s Federal House appears like a shadow nestled into the folding hills of the hinterland, a sharp contrast to the vibrant surrounds.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Home 00:58 – The Initial Brief 02:11 – A Walkthrough of the Home 03:07 – Shaping Light Through Design 03:30 – The Warm Material Palette 04:01 – A Holistic Experience 04:57 – Thankful Moments

Upon approach, the textures of the exterior convey a distinct dialogue with nature. This home’s design acts to deepen relationships between people and the natural setting and intimately shows the inner machinations of the environment. The brief outlined a home that would act as a sanctuary and elemental respite from the clients’ high-pressure careers. The occupants of Federal House enjoy a relationship with the hillside, forest and grassland at the site’s rear as well as panoramic views over the forested horizon from the heavily inset living-zoned platform and sheltered pool.

A reverberation of settler colonial homesteads of the past, this home’s design inverts the front verandah typology, looking inward to orbit an internal courtyard and present a tightly controlled outer envelope. Federal House’s interior spaces act as an elevated stage, a refuge from which to observe the passing of time through the shifting weather and seasons of the Northern Rivers hinterland. The covered outdoor spaces welcome in the landscape, where modestly scaled living spaces and bedrooms lie.

Architecture, Buildings, Education, Tours, Videos

Architecture: A Tour Of College Campus Styles

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Architectural Digest (August 9, 2024) – Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects returns to AD, this time breaking down four of the most common styles of college campus. Universities have been around for almost a thousand years and in that time have seen their designs evolve through the generations.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro
01:29 Colonial
04:51 Collegiate Gothic
08:10 Modernism
11:49 Brutalism

From the collegiate gothic halls of Yale to modern and brutalist buildings later added to the campuses of Harvard and UPenn, Wyetzner takes an in depth look at some of the most famous styles of college architecture to look out for this semester.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Architecture: ‘Stokes 14’ In Surry Hills, Australia

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The Local Project (July 26, 2024): When designing an architects own home above their own workplace, Smart Design Studio thought of the industrial qualities of the surrounding precinct and how they could bring them into the design of the home of William Smart.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Own Home 01:05 – The Original 1950s Warehouse 01:54 – Creating Tranquility Through Shapes and Materials 02:49 – A Walkthrough of the Home 04:42 – Proud Moments

One particular element to the interior design and architecture of an architects own home are the four vaults that feature heavily throughout. Fascinated with how he could light the vaults in different ways, Smart looked into how they would allow light play to reveal the material texture and quality of the home. Originally attracted to the 1950s warehouse because of its endearing built form, the architect saw past its deteriorated exterior and knew that it could become more.

As typical with most warehouses, the front brick facade hid an office space and mezzanine that overlooked the warehouse. After demolishing the front half of the building, Smart Design Studio created a new structure that was seven metres wide for the whole 34-metre length of the building. This new structure was then designed to hold the reception, staff bathrooms, offices, meeting rooms, a boardroom and, importantly, the residence above. Moving the house tour of an architects own home upstairs, the interior design reveals a tranquil and quiet reprieve from the office below. The residence above allows its owners to come inside and feel disconnected from the city and working offices below.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Los Angeles Design: Tour Of A ‘Modern Bungalow’

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The Local Project (April 30, 2024): For an architects own home, Mark Motonaga, homeowner and creative director at RIOS pulled together a range of design elements that makes his home feel safe yet joyous. Located in Los Angeles, Modern Bungalow was once an original single-family residence.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Own Home 00:41 – The Original Vision 01:35 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:22 – Designing Your Own Home 03:32 – Ideating the Backyard Landscape 04:12 – Proud Aspects

From the start of the project, the architect envisioned a modern home that could fit the scale of the original structure while reimagining what a bungalow could be. By creating a jungle-like refuge in the back of the house, RIOS has established a juxtaposition to living in a city.

To do this, the architect reversed the typical bungalow layout by putting the public spaces at the rear of the house and the private spaces to the front. Moreover, featured in the backyard is a pool, which is different to the traditional backyard pools often designed in the city.

Built to feel like people were swimming in a pond, it is complemented with a jungle-inspired garden that grows right up to the edge. At the beginning of the house tour, two large grey doors open up to a side courtyard referred to as the home’s foyer.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Design: ‘Border Street’ Tour, Byron Bay, Australia

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The Local Project (April 26, 2024): Nestled on the beach in one of Australia’s most serene coastal enclaves, Border Street is an expensive home and eloquent response to the pristine Byron Bay environment where it resides. Artfully conceived by Workroom, the residence shuts out the rest of the world in its contemplation of place, form and materials.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to Byron Bay’s Most Expensive Home 01:00 – A Unique Location 01:35 – A Walkthrough of the Home 02:23 – Framing the Surrounding Landscape 03:01 – The Opportunities and Constraints of the Site 04:16 – The Material Palette 05:22 – Workroom’s Design Approach

“I like the sense of calm that you feel when you walk into the house; it’s not busy, it’s not loud, it’s not contrived either – it’s very relaxed,” says John Bornas, architect and creative director at Workroom. Perched on a dune hugging a rainforest that falls straight onto Belongil Beach in Byron Bay, the expensive home taps into Byron Bay’s breezy state of slumber without neglecting a sense of refinement. From the street, the house is concealed by a series of screens. “The idea was to try and create a sense of wonder; you don’t really know what’s going on behind that screen,” notes John.

Walking through the front gate, there is a substantial walk to the front door, allowing one to really experience the landscape the home is set in, rather than “just simply walking through a front door,” says John. One then enters the main living and dining areas, which are bounded by the pavilions that open up to the dune and the rainforest. As with many expensive homes, designing it was not without challenges.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Tour: Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture In Phoenix

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Architectural Digest (April 24, 2024) – Today, AD travels to Phoenix, Arizona, to tour the David and Gladys Wright house—the home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright for his son.

When your father is America’s most celebrated architect, the greatest gift he could give you is a house, and this unique home uses many of the same ideas Lloyd Wright incorporated in the design of the Guggenheim Museum. The spiral structures, often symbolizing the infinite or longevity, are poetic, as David and his wife Gladys lived to be over 100 years old in this house.

After many years of neglect and threats of demolition, father-and-daughter duo Bing and Amanda Hu bought the house and have since been on a mission to restore it to its former glory, keeping its legacy alive.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Design: Brahminy House Tour, Byron Bay, Australia

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The Local Project (April 23, 2024): Deeply connected to place, Brahminy House by Harley Graham Architects is located in Wategos Beach, Byron Bay, Australia. Tucked back into the land, the beachside house creates a feeling of connectedness to its surrounds while also offering the owners a home filled with tranquility.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Waterfront House 01:05 – Designing with Intention 01:21 – A Walkthrough of the House 02:53 – Framing the Landscape 03:21 – A Robust and Sturdy Material Palette 04:30 – Proud Moments

Looking at the external form, the architect thought of creating a house as a sculpture within the landscape and wanted to be sure that every curve, material and element was intentional. Following the house tour, a casual entry is revealed. Placed under a concrete form with plants cascading out of it, the entry also holds an outdoor shower made from local basalt stone. Used for washing the surfboard or oneself after a swim, the casual entrance sets the tone for the home’s laid-back character. As the house tour continues up the Italian terracotta tiled stairs and through to the side entry and pool, the beach house reveals its sculptural forms, curves and charm.

Additionally, due to being built into the hill and jungle, the beach house is complemented by greenery that cascades over the shapes of the exterior architecture. Once inside, the communal spaces such as the kitchen, living and dining areas encourage the owners to pursue a deeper connection not just to the landscape but to each other. For open-plan spaces, Harley Graham Architects tries to differentiate the areas by introducing varying floor or roof heights. As such, Brahminy House’s living area has been given a pop-up ceiling that infuses a different atmosphere to the other areas.