The Porto-based architecture studio Paulo Merlini Architects led by Paulo Merlini and André Santos Silva has recently completed Rio House, remodeling of an old farmhouse located in Gondomar, Portugal.
Gondomar is a municipality located in the east of Portugal’s Porto Metropolitan Area and 7 km from central Porto.
Studio Bracket Architects turn a 1949 International-style home into the perfect escape for a Malibu couple who collect pre-war American cars. Featuring water features, a flat roof, clean lines, broad overhangs, and plenty of glass elements, Sam and Emily Mann’s Malibu Crest house takes advantage of stunning views and its stunning natural environment.
Commanding panoramic views from an advantageous point on Mount Sutro, 150 Glenbrook Avenue holds the iconic and singular position of San Francisco’s highest residence above sea level.
Atop one of the city’s famed seven hills can be found an alchemy of site and design from the groundbreaking studio of John Maniscalco Architecture. A gently sloping, corner lot with panoramic views from the Salesforce Tower crowned skyline to the distant hills of the East Bay and Marin Headlands. Major visual landmarks include Alcatraz Island, Golden Gate Bridge, and San Francisco City Hall.
An interplay of hand selected materials and ever-changing natural light creates an enchanting series of visual moments throughout the day and into the evening twilight.
Signaling the work of a creative master and a confident step forward in the historic lineage of Bay Area modernist architects, 150 Glenbrook captures a moment in time of contemporary San Francisco architectural design. 150 Glenbrook presents a rare opportunity to join a select group of homeowners who, through their passion for design and craft, are creating a historic architectural moment to be valued for decades to come. visual focal point in the main living room. Each room is a wonderful discovery of its own and a singular experience of light, texture, and passion.
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed its design for the 2 Murray Road project for $3 billion Henderson Land, in the heart of Hong Kong’s central business district. Creating new civic plazas enveloped by nature, the urban oasis is located in proximity other iconic Hong Kong skyscrapers.
Replacing a multi-story car park, the development is connected to adjacent public gardens and parks, through an elevated base sheltering courtyards cultivated with trees and plants. These outdoor areas seamlessly flow into the communal spaces of the interior. Inspired by the structural forms and layering of a Bauhinia bud about to blossom, known as the Hong Kong orchid tree, the design generates a very wide span of naturally lit, column-free, Grade A office space with a 5-meter floor-to-floor height giving maximum flexibility.
The façade, designed to withstand summer typhoons, includes 4-ply of double-laminated, double-curved insulated glass units, in order to insulate effectively the building and reduce its cooling load as well as build resilience. Moreover, “hybrid ventilation is controlled by the building’s automated management system and enables all office levels to be naturally ventilated”. In fact, smart systems learn to accurately predict daily occupancy trends to optimize energy demand, ensuring increased efficiencies with lower energy consumption.
A Futuristic Smart Sustainable Mountain pod designed to utilize solar power using a petals mechanism that allows it to open up and close down to charge up the pod using photovoltaic cells mounted on the petals.
Inspired by a flower motion, the petals when open allows for a 360° view of the surrounding, the mechanism could also potentially allow the pod to collect rainwater to be self-sufficient and of the grid hide out.
The architectural office konstantinos stathopoulos KRAK. architects, participated in the 10th Biennale of Young Architects, with an impressive holiday home, named Casa Odyssia, located in the northeastern part of the island of Corfu, in a lush landscape, with intense relief and at an altitude of 250 meters, where the user as a modern Odysseus.
In search of Ithaca; the mythical Odysseus, washed naked on the island of Phaeacus, today’s Corfu. There, Nafsika, the king’s daughter, surrounded him and led him to her father’s palace, where he received the hospitality and supplies to return to Ithaca.
The house, like a seed in the ground, grows, finding space, among the other forces of the place, the trees, the rocks; in search of the best view, the sun, the good orientation.
The Fujian Hakka Earth Buildings are a design of building where people belonging to the same clan live together, with the added function of defense. Yongding County and Nanjing County in Fujian Province have the greatest concentration of Fujian Hakka Earth Buildings, which can also be seen in Pinghe, Zhangpu, Yunxiao, Hua’an, Zhao’an and other regions in the Minnan area (the southern part of Fujian province).
Fujian Tulou were built in the Song and Yuan Dynasties and have a history of more than 1,000 years. This style of building was in its heyday in the late Ming Dynasty, the early Qing Dynasty and the era of the Republic of China, and has been preserved until now. The buildings are over two-stories tall, consisting of thick walls constructed of rammed-earth between outer panels.
The main architecture materials were earth, wood, stones and bamboo. It was a mixture of clay and sandy soil in a specific proportion. In 1995, as the representative of China’s southern and northern circular architecture, architectural models of Fujian Hakka Earth Building and Temple of Heaven were displayed in the World Architecture Exhibition of America in Los Angeles. It caused a sensation and was honored as “the Oriental Pearl of Architecture”. In 2008, the Fujian Hakka Earth Building was officially added to the World Heritage List.
Neuschwanstein Castle is said to have inspired Walt Disney. This is the untold story of the Bavarian castle, which attracts 1.5 million visitors a year, and is also known as the ‘castle of the fairy tale king.’ Just over 150 years ago, in 1869, construction of Neuschwanstein Castle began in Bavaria, Germany.
This documentary gives a behind-the-scenes view of the famous building, which is said to have inspired the Disney castle. Neuschwanstein was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria, a man known also as the Swan King or the Fairy Tale King, but also as Mad King Ludwig. Ludwig II did not enjoy reigning. He dreamt of a life surrounded by nature, was an ardent fan of Wagner, and loved mythical imagery. Neuschwanstein Castle was his dream realized in stone. But it was also a withdrawal from his duties as head of state.
And the more Ludwig II hid away in his dream castle, the more he angered his ministers. They saw his artistic and architectural projects as overly extravagant. Eventually, this ‘overindulgence’ was used as grounds to declare him insane. He was interned in 1886. Just days later, he drowned in Lake Starnberg under mysterious circumstances, together with the psychiatrist who had certified him insane. Six weeks after the death of Ludwig II of Bavaria, the castle was opened to visitors.
The decision was also an effort to convince the public that the king had been ‘mad,’ and many came to see the castle. Then came the World Wars and Neuschwanstein was briefly forgotten by the public. During the Third Reich, Nazis misused it to store looted art. But the castle survived the wars unscathed. After the end of World War II, U.S. troops reached the castle. Before long, it had become a favorite among GIs stationed in Germany, and Neuschwanstein was once again a much-loved tourist attraction. Today, it’s a tourist phenomenon. This documentary offers a behind-the-scenes view of Neuschwanstein, a place that continues to cast its spell on those who visit, as the legend of King Ludwig II of Bavaria lives on.
This four-storey school was built in the Modscape factory in just 12 weeks before taking the drive up to North Sydney to be installed in just one weekend.
Comprised of 20 modules, the building includes 14 learning spaces, three COLAs, staff amenities, a lift and stairs. In collaboration with Team 2 Architects.
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