Category Archives: Homes

Top Prefab Housing: “Le Petit Maison” By French Firm 2m26 – “Wood Design Fit To The Landscape”

Le Petit Maison by 2m26 Architects Interior April 2020From reception pavilion to proper house, 2m26’s houses are unique pieces. They are produced made to measure, on demand. They absolutely fit to the landscape. The houses are made of pine planks, rough cuted. The structure is protected with linseed oil to resist to weather conditions and walnut stain can be added to obtain a dark color.

The Small House by 2m26 Architects April 2020The building process / prefab gives the opportunity to prepare all the pieces at the Atelier. Moreover, it reduces on site time of construction, damages on plants and minimizes noise pollution. On site construction can be scheduled from a week to a month.

Techniques used are mostly cutting, drilling, screwing, so that the assembly work can be done together with the customer, reducing costs for him.

About 2m26: Born in 2015, 2m26 summarizes ten years of researches and experiments about inhabiting.

Proceeding between design and architecture, 2m26 offers tools for living / handmade, thrifty and luxury / unique pieces designed and produced on demand / raw materials, natural processings and mastered development / simple, handsome and functional.

The crew :
mélanie heresbach / artist / architect.
sébastien renauld / artist / architect.

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Design: Inside The New York Home Of Legendary Architect I.M. Pei (Video)

When Ieoh Ming Pei, one of the most lauded architects of the past 50 years, was first asked to renovate The Louvre in Paris, his reaction was unequivocal: ‘You cannot touch the Louvre, it’s sacrilege.’

His solution was both revolutionary and simple — he built a glass pyramid in the centre of the forecourt that concealed a subterranean entrance way. Scorned at the time as a modernist intrusion on the 16th- and 17th-century building, the Pyramid is today celebrated as a statement of bold, high-tech futurism, and indicative of an architect who made his reputation by creating buildings at the intersection of art, history and culture.

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The Art Of Home Design: “Stairway House” In Japan – “Fusion Of Household And Environs” (Nendo, 2020)

Stairway House - Nendo Japan 2020…a stairway and greenery gently connected the upper and lower floors along a diagonal line, creating a space where all three generations could take comfort in each other’s subtle presence. Not only does the stairway connect the interior to the yard, or bond one household to another, this structure aims to expand further out to join the environs and the city —connecting the road that extends southward on the ground level, and out into skylight through the toplight.

Stairway House - Nendo Japan 2020A two-family home in a quiet residential area of Tokyo. With other houses and apartment buildings pressing around the site, the architectural volume was pushed to the north to take in daylight, ventilation, and greenery of the yard into the living environment by a large glass front southern façade. The layout plan made it possible to preserve the existing persimmon tree beloved by the previous generations. Considering the potential difficulties of going up and down the stairs, the rooms for the older couple were arranged on the 1st floor. The eight cats living with the older couple roam in and outdoors more freely, and encourages the mother to enjoy her hobby of gardening more freely. The younger couple and their child reside on the 2nd and 3rd floors. To avoid the two households being completely separated at the top and bottom, a “stairway-like” structure was designed in the south yard, continuing upward into the building and penetrating the 1st through 3rd floors. Enclosed inside the “stairway” are functional elements, such as bathrooms and a staircase for actual use, with the upper part taking on the look of a semi-outdoor greenhouse with abundant greenery as well as a sun-soaked perch for the cats to enjoy climbing.

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Travel & Architecture: Inside An Exotic Home In Tangier, Morocco (AD)

From an Architectural Digest online article (March 14, 2020):

Tangier Home Interior - Architectural Digest“Tangier is the crossroads of so many civilizations,” says AD100 talent Frank de Biasi of the evocative Moroccan port city that he and his partner, the multifaceted designer Gene Meyer, have made their home. “There’s a central energy here,” he explains, “where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, where Europe meets Africa. It’s a psychic point like no other place.”

Many of the traditional houses here, however, have a claustrophobic lack of light, so when the couple found a ruinous place on a little open square, with exposures on three sides, they knew they could make it their own. Their renovation ultimately took four years as they rebuilt paper-thin walls, replaced a life-threateningly vertiginous staircase with one inspired by the Old Fort Bay clubhouse in the Bahamas, and installed a light-well based on one de Biasi had seen in India and such mod cons as under-floor heating.

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International Design: “Sustainable Home” (484 SF) By Brazilian Firm Gustavo-Penna Architects (2019)

Gustavo and Penna Architecture Brazil“Our SUSTAINABLE HOME is made of matter and spirit. The raw material, the unused by-products of the mining activity, is the main component: from it we take advantage of its qualities and properties. Finding an ecologically suitable use for this waste determines the unique character of the housing unit. In its spirit, the housing unit intends, in addition to its technical function, to be a home, a place for each person to feel valued, welcomed in their dreams, hopes and desire to live together. Each house, even in its simplicity, must be able to create a sense of pride and self-esteem ”, adds Gustavo Penna.

The pilot project is part of the environmental education equipment of the Gerdau Germinar Program, which presents the public with new concepts of sustainability applied to mining activities and the concept of circular economy in housing – one of Gerdau’s social investment territories.

Gustavo and Penna Architecture Interior Brazil

The Mining Engineering Department of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in partnership with Gerdau has developed a solution for the production of blocks, drainage floors and mortar with iron ore tailings, a solution that can transform mining waste management in the future.

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Top New Tiny Homes: New Frontier’s “Orchid” – “LED Light, Full Bath Luxury”

“The Solar-Powered Orchid Tiny House Has a Gorgeous, Light-Filled Interior”

“Dwell Magazine”

  • New Frontiers Tiny Homes - The Orchid KitchenLED Valance Lighting – The Orchid has received global praise for its dimmable, independently switched lighting. Skylights, clerestory windows and large glass front wall give this home a lovely aesthetic day or night.

  • New Frontiers Tiny Homes - The Orchid Ground Floor BedGround Floor Bed and King Loft – Sleep four comfortably with the Orchid’s private king bed loft and sofa bed.

  • New Frontiers Tiny Homes - The Orchid Full Size BathroomFull Size Tile Shower – Spacious, chic, and comfortable. The floating mirrors with LED valance lighting give extra dimension to this modern bathroom.

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Top Urban Architecture: Ancerl Studio In Toronto – Two Homes “Appear” As One On A Very Tight Lot

From a Dezeen.com online article (March 28, 2020):

Ancerl Studio Toronto Sorauren 116 - 118 Interior“The detached homes have been conceptualised to visually appear as one single volume defined by its traditional triangular architecture,” said the studio. “Only from up close will the observer notice a crisp breakpoint between the properties.”

Canadian firm Ancerl Studio has designed a pair of houses in Toronto to make them look like a single building.

Both properties include three bedrooms. In Sorauren 116, the master suite occupies the entire top floor of the house. A balcony opens from the bedroom towards the backyard, and the bathroom is separated from the bedroom by a spacious walk-through closet.

The two houses are located on very tight lots on Sorauren Street in the city’s Parkdale neighbourhood, as is typical in Toronto’s residential neighbourhoods.

Ancerl Studio Website

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Future Of Housing: “What Is An ADU – Accessory Dwelling Unit?” (Video)

 

Granny Flats, Secondary Units, ADUs. In this video we go over what is an ADU, and also what is not an ADU in the state of California. We get a lot of terms thrown at us for the backyard housing market nowadays, but what is an Accessory Dwelling Unit really?

Unique Tiny Homes: “Amp House” In Fayetteville, Arkansas (AD Video)

Today we visit Fayetteville, Arkansas to tour a tiny house capable of booming sound. When Asha Mevlana isn’t on tour with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, she hosts neighborhood concerts from her compact custom home. Situated between her living quarters and the trailer devoted to her instruments, Asha’s porch has enough room for performers to fill the street with music, courtesy of the built-in, wall-sized outdoor amplifier. The innovations don’t end there, though, as living in a tiny house presents plenty of design challenges to overcome. Watch and learn about the ins and outs of this peculiar property on today’s episode of Unique Spaces.

Top New Home Designs: “Laurel Hills Residence” By Assembledge+ Architects

Composed of three pavilions connected by a series of glass hallways, the single-story residence seeks to create a residential oasis in the heart of Los Angeles.

Laurel Hills Residence Assembledge+ ArchitectsThe Western Red Cedar lined guest house/garage pavilion establishes a datum line that carves and connects the two larger volumes of the living and sleeping pavilions, comprised of oversized charcoal-colored board, batten extira and cement board siding. A deep overhang mitigates solar heat gain and shields from the sun exposure.

A walkway of concrete pavers, lined by wild grasses leads to the front door, passing a tranquil courtyard with olive trees. The entry to the house is located within a glass hallway connecting the living pavilion to the west and the sleeping pavilion to the east, establishing a sense of intimate scale before engaging with the other parts of the house.

Assembledge+ Architects logo

The fluidity between the kitchen, breakfast room and family room, designed for uninterrupted entertainment, creates a harmony of transparency and lightness.

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