The result is a home with four gabled boxes connected by glass hallways. The two double-story bookend boxes are the private living spaces for each client and the two center boxes house the shared common spaces with one box for the kitchen and dining area and the other for the shared living room.
For many years, a married couple and a friend shared a summer cottage rental on Shelter Island. When they each began the process of looking for property to build a new, year-round vacation home, they decided to maintain the house-sharing relationship in order to maximize resources. A key part of the project brief was the desire to reference the vernacular farm and cottage architecture prevalent on the east end of Long Island.
Another component was the need to support separate living spaces for two families with a shared kitchen and common living area, but maintain a floorpan that could support a single-family scenario if they ever decided to sell the property. Each client also wanted a second-floor master bedroom to maximize views onto the bay behind the house; in each master bedroom, there was the desire to position the bed under the ridge looking out the gable end onto the water. To round out the floor plan, we added extra bedrooms and bathrooms for guests, and a private living room and covered porch for each family.
Comprised of 21 units of OPod Tube Houses, stack on 2 levels, the project is deployed on an unused urban plot in To Kwa Wan District of Hong Kong. Being a modular and flexible architecture, OPod Housing No.1 is able to be set up in less than 3 months, providing accommodation to 20 sets of residents with shared common kitchen and a co-living courtyard.
…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.
A 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.
LED 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.
Ground Floor Bed and King Loft – Sleep four comfortably with the Orchid’s private king bed loft and sofa bed.
Full Size Tile Shower – Spacious, chic, and comfortable. The floating mirrors with LED valance lighting give extra dimension to this modern bathroom.
The Tall Timber Building residence has become a landmark and, during construction, became Sweden’s tallest solid wooden building in the new district of Kajstaden at Lake Mälaren in Västerås. All parts of the building consist of cross-laminated wood, which includes the walls, joists and balconies as well as the lift and stairwell shafts.
Boomers Daily 