Tag Archives: Tours

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: Brighton House In Melbourne, Australia

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The Local Project (February 24, 2023) – Located in the Victorian seaside suburb of Brighton, Brighton House is a sophisticated family home that maximises living space and the surrounding gardens. Responding to the clients’ briefs, Hecker Guthrie has imbued a sophisticated family home with hints of the clients’ tastes and world travels.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Sophisticated Family Home 00:35 – The Brief 01:02 – The Process and the result 01:19 – Split Between Heritage and Modern 01:36 – Appealing Aspects of the Home 02:04 – A Walkthrough of the Contemporary Part of the Home 02:24 – A Southern Italian Aesthetic 02:50 – Framing Nature Through Windows 03:30 – An Insight into The Staircase 04:29 – Proud Moments 05:00 – Evoking Joy

Melding the modern and historical together, the architects have divided Brighton House into two zones, keeping the heritage form at the front and the contemporary extension to the rear. From the front of the sophisticated family home, the interior design adds a layer of charm and character. The structure has been renovated with care so that the original elements shine alongside the contemporary additions. In the modern section, light and space is introduced through large windows and doors to the gardens.

Yet through its unique implementation, the natural light does not overpower the extensions but instead works with each design element. Drawing from the clients’ travels for inspiration, Brighton Residence is crafted from rustic materiality, limestone and timber joinery. In addition to wanting an extension of space, the clients also desired a level of connection to nature and the sky. Each window within the home provides glimpses of nature or skies above, connecting the owners to the outside no matter the weather.

Built in between the old home and new extensions, an American Oak staircase by S&A Stairs takes advantage of the double height void and shines through the home like a form of art. With its smooth curves, the staircase complements the soft and sophisticated interior design choices made by Hecker Guthrie and turns an otherwise forgotten part of the home into one of its most memorable moments. As a sophisticated family home, Brighton Residence is a home that offers its owners a space to find reprieve while being surrounded by all that they love.

Tourism, Tours, Travel, Videos

Travel Guides: The Best Places To Visit In Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, island country lying in the Indian Ocean and separated from peninsular India by the Palk Strait. It is located between latitudes 5°55′ and 9°51′ N and longitudes 79°41′ and 81°53′ E and has a maximum length of 268 miles (432 km) and a maximum width of 139 miles (224 km).

Sri Lanka

Proximity to the Indian subcontinent has facilitated close cultural interaction between Sri Lanka and India from ancient times. At a crossroads of maritime routes traversing the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has also been exposed to cultural influences from other Asian civilizations. Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane. Arabs referred to it as Serendib. Later European mapmakers called it Ceylon, a name still used occasionally for trade purposes. It officially became Sri Lanka in 1972.

The distinctive civilization of Sri Lanka, with roots that can be traced back to the 6th century BCE, is characterized by two factors: the preservation of Theravada Buddhism (the orthodox school of Buddhism having its literary traditions in the Pali language) and the development over two millennia of a sophisticated system of irrigation in the drier parts of the country. This civilization was further enriched by the influences of Hinduism and Islam.

Filmed and Edited by: Misk Travel Guide

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Tours: Hermon House In Hawthorn, Australia

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Located in Hawthorn, Victoria, Hermon is a fun and playful house set on a tree-lined street dotted with Edwardian and Federation homes. Stitching together the project’s Edwardian structure and contemporary changes, WOWOWA has introduced unique materials, a vibrant colour palette and elements to install vivacity into the family home.

00:00 – Introduction to the Playful House 00:23 – The Location 00:38 – Key Ambitions 01:01 – A Love for Renovations 01:22 – A Walkthrough of the House 01:50 – The Fun and Dreamy Kitchen 02:28 – Embracing Age 02:50 – The Materials and Colour Palette 03:28 – Laminex Pairings 04:15 – Focusing on the Little Moments and the Big 04:34 – Fresh and Nostalgic

With a love for rejuvenation, WOWOWA has continued the residence’s charming heritage by using the original stone, bricks and gradient of the roof tiles for inspiration in the transformation of the fun and playful house. Beginning the house tour from the front gate, guests walk up a soft pebble walkway before entering into a traditional foyer with tall ornate walls and a spacious hallway. After passing through the threshold of the fun and playful house, WOWOWA’s contemporary renovations are revealed in the kitchen – the heart of the home.

Employing a colour story of reds, browns and terracotta to reference the surrounding landscape, the kitchen is full of moments of inspiration and reflection. Throughout the space, the architects have also installed wide windows and doors that reveal the vibrant and colourful gardens. Working with Laminex for the kitchen’s interior design, WOWOWA has used the bayleaf colour to partner with the warm hues throughout the home. Also implemented in the main bedroom, the bayleaf adds a cohesiveness to the interior design and brings the vibrancy of outside into the more intimate spaces.

With four bedrooms located upstairs, including a main bedroom with walk-in robe and ensuite, two children’s rooms and a guest room, the interior design throughout results in a fun and playful house for the owners. By embracing the traditional circles, geometry and patterns of Hermon, WOWOWA have used materials such as terrazzo, finger tiles, terracotta, steel and timber to add a contemporary twist. Furthermore, the modern elements reference the original stained-glass windows of the façade. Considering the Edwardian exterior architecture, WOWOWA have softened the harder architectural structure by adding planter boxes and new lush gardens around the house. With a focus on aligning the larger gestures with the smaller ones,

WOWOWA have made sure to inject the same amount of attention into each material choice and design element of the fun and playful house. Adding joyfulness and nostalgia to Hermon, WOWOWA have created a home that gives the owners opportunity to create new stories.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Travel, Videos

New Zealand Home Tours: Pouaka Waikura – Modern Farmhouse Architecture

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The Local Project (February 3, 2023) – One of New Zealand’s best kept secrets, this modern farmhouse sits on a mountainous landscape surrounded by lakes and rivers, allowing the owners to insert themselves into the countryside.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Modern Farm House 00:36 – A Mountain Location 01:04 – An All Seasons Site 01:32 – The Layout of the Pavilions 01:58 – The Integration of Farm and Terrace 02:32 – A Unique Brief 03:07 – Designed for Multiple Styles of Occupation 03:47 – The Materials 04:43 – Balancing the Materials 05:13 – Combining Old and New 06:23 – The House from a Distance 06:47 – Getting Better with Age

Following the Australian and New Zealand idea of farmhouse layouts, Patterson Associates has designed Pouaka Waikura as a set of pavilions that faces the Shotover River. Built as small and simple pavilions, the house tour of the modern farmhouse begins from the stone driveway that leads up to the mechanical shed and into the porte cochère. Beyond this are the two main pavilions, the guest house and main house, which have been separated by a wide outdoor space that allows the owners to entertain and connect with the surrounds.

Employing natural materials for the modern farmhouse, Patterson Associates has used Corten steel panels on the exterior, which are left to rust naturally, while waxed black steel, naturally oiled timber and in situ concrete are used on the inside. The materials come together naturally with minimalist detailing. Moreover, the blending of the materials immerses the home into the site with colours of rust, browns, golds and greys, all while the in situ concrete anchors the home into the land.

Patterson Associates uses materials that will patina over time and offer a sense of growth and permanency. Further allowing the owners to connect with their surroundings, the modern farmhouse opens up through bi-folding doors and adds flexible living spaces throughout. Aside from architecture, Patterson Associates contributed interior design, and seamlessly blended personal items from the clients’ existing cottage home with newer colourful and eclectic pieces. In the kitchen the use of waxed black steel panels references the exterior Corten panelling, while Belgium bluestone is used for the benchtops and wall splashbacks, which reference the fingerprinting and natural patina of the black steel.

Additionally, the dark tones frame the large awning windows and offer a view straight down to Shotover River and invite a wealth of light inside the home. The architects have designed Pouaka Waikura with lighting design that helps to open the home up and allow for a greater appreciation of the southern alps and winding rivers. Furthermore, embracing indoor-outdoor living also ensures that the owners can feel a deeper connection to their settings from either inside the modern farmhouse, or by the courtyard and fire space that sits between the pavilions. Encompassing everything that its owners need and more, New Zealand’s best kept secret is a modern farmhouse that uses materials, colours, objects and landscape that will only get better as the years pass by.

Travel, Videos, Views

Cinematic Travel: A Road Trip Through Malaysia

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Curves Magazin – A roadtrip through northern and southern Malaysia starting in Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. The city is located in west-central Peninsular (West) Malaysia, midway along the west coast tin and rubber belt and about 25 miles (40 km) east of its ocean port, Port Kelang, on the Strait of Malacca. It is the country’s largest urban area and its cultural, commercial, and transportation centre. In 1972 Kuala Lumpur was designated a municipality, and in 1974 this entity and adjacent portions of surrounding Selangor state became a federal territory.

Kuala Lumpur lies in hilly country astride the confluence of the Kelang and Gombak rivers; its name in Malay means “muddy estuary.” Malaysia’s Main Range rises nearby to the north, east, and southeast. The climate is equatorial, with high temperatures and humidity that vary little throughout the year. The area receives about 95 inches (2,400 mm) of rain annually; June and July are the driest months. Area federal territory, 94 square miles (243 square km). Pop. (2009 est.) city, 1,493,000; (2020) federal territory, 1,982,112.

Tourism, Tours, Travel, Videos, Views

Indonesia Village Views: Tour of Penglipuran, Bali

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DW Travel – A life in harmony with God and nature: What for many is an esoteric ideal is the daily reality in the Indonesian village of Penglipuran – and with godliness comes cleanliness! The village’s inhabitants, some 1,000 people, abide by an ancient philosophy and its traditions: They protect the surrounding rainforest, cars are not allowed in the village, and littering is also forbidden. Over the past years, sustainable tourism has grown in Penglipuran, strengthening the local economy.

Artificial Intelligence, Museums, Science, Technology, Tours, Videos

Science & Technology: A Tour Of New ‘MIT Museum’

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PBS NewsHour – Artificial intelligence, robotics and gene sequencing are the stuff of headlines, science fiction and sometimes even our worst fears. It’s all on view at the new MIT Museum. A place where the latest scientific advancements fill galleries, but only really work with your input. Special correspondent Jared Bowen of GBH Boston looks at this artistic frontier for our arts and culture series, “CANVAS.”

From AI in the home to robots in the workplace, the presence of AI all around us compels us to question its potential and recognize the risks. What has become clear is that the more we advance AI technology and consider machine ability versus human ability, the more we need to mind the gap.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Tours: Waiheke House In Auckland, New Zealand

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The Local Project – Through natural material selections, Cheshire Architects has unveiled Waiheke House, a home that embraces its surrounds to become the best modern house in the world. Operating under the rule that grandeur does not need to be shown through scale but rather quality, Waiheke House is a place of respite for its owners with only one and a half bedrooms and a focus on entertaining areas.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Best Modern House in the World 00:45 – An Island Location 01:05 – The Aspect of the House 01:35 – Tasked with Entertaining 02:01 – The House Plan and its Materials 03:39 – Hidden Openings and Passages 04:22 – Bathing Rituals 05:27 – The Goal Behind the Home 05:43 – Creating a Centred Feeling 06:09 – Becoming One with the Environment 06:33 – A Vessel for Experience 06:53 – A Home Made with Real Materials 07:20 – A Love for the Layered Experience

While the views of Waiheke House are only part of what establishes it as the best modern house in the world, it is how the structure inserts itself into the landscape that is awe-inspiring. Focused on evoking the numerous meanings of ‘shelter,’ Waiheke House acts as a platform that can open or close for the watching of the weather as it changes. Comprised of two pavilions, which are slightly offset from one another,

Cheshire Architects have separated the living spaces to designate a place of reprieve and a place to entertain. The larger of the two pavilions, known as the seaward pavilion, is framed by landscaping. Shaped by the stone wall that curves around and holds the home, the idea of anchoring the seaward pavilion is seen through the home’s distinct architectural theme. To make the best modern house in the world feel warm and comfortable, the use of stone, wood and brass help the house insert itself into the surrounding nature. Created for entertaining, the seaward pavilion is intentionally designed to be small, with only a kitchen, large dining section and lounge.

Framed by glass on three sides, doors butterfly open so that the living areas can connect seamlessly with the lawn. Conceptually thought of as a canopy atop a mouth of a cave, Cheshire Architects has formed the best modern house in the world to navigate a spatial dialect that speaks to both broad ocean views and small, contained spaces. Throughout the house tour, it is evident that the selected surfaces and materials are chosen to act as a vessel for experience – an idea that Cheshire Architects hopes will still be embodied in 100 years as the home ages in place.

Seen in the stacked stone of the wall to the layered floor, Cheshire Architects avoids using crisp whites or laminates and instead imbues the home with richness from natural materials. Throughout the second pavilion, the adaption of narrower halls, lower ceilings and darker tones have been employed to create a dynamic internal contrast. Intended as a retreat for the owners, Waiheke House is a place to align and connect with the natural surroundings. By focusing on simple, high-quality design choices over scale, Cheshire Architects has created the best modern house in the world so that it may amplify what already exists.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Home Tours: ‘House At Otago Bay’ In Tasmania

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The Local Project (December 27, 2022) – Taking a house tour inside a home made entirely from local and sustainable building materials, Topology Studio offers a rare insight into how a structure becomes one with its surrounds.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Sustainable Home 00:30 – The Architect and The Home Owner 01:00 – The Location 01:19 – A Walkthrough of the Sustainable Home 01:40 – Expanding Spaces Through Shapes 02:27 – A Seamless Connection of Inside and Outside 02:47 – A Home that Sits Quietly and Calmly 03:00 – Using Local Manufacturers 03:21 – Maximising the Benefits of the Natural Elements 04:01 – An Entirely Electric Home 04:13 – Climate Change Impacts and Planning for the Future 04:48 – Minimising Footprints

Sitting atop the land, House at Otago Bay looks out toward the bay and as far as Mount Wellington – offering the owners a home that is flush with the landscape. Modest upon arrival, House at Otago Bay is positioned at the end of the drive with its back towards neighbours and its front facing the opposite bush reserve.

Made of locally sourced bricks, bushfire-resistant timber and glass, the home’s design showcases a passion for building sustainably for the present and future. Entering the home at the main living level, Topology Studio has designed the space to open and focus on unrivalled views of the bay. Though sitting on a narrow site, the insertion of unique architectural and design choices inside a home, such as the continuous curved ceiling, help the home to branch outwards and avoid being marginalised by frames. Stairs that sit off to the side lead down to the lower ground floor, in which a bedroom and ensuite have been partially set into the foundation of the home, offering a distinctive view out across the grass and towards the water’s edge.

With a seamless connection that isn’t often seen inside a home, the external façade blurs the lines between inside and out and adds a layer of connection to the surrounding environment. Sitting quietly and calmly upon the land, the architects have chosen to use tones that reference the rocks, water and greenery of the landscape. Using locally sourced and produced materials inside and out took away the need to import from overseas, avoiding unnecessarily increasing the home’s carbon footprint during construction.

After specifying the Tasmanian brick, Topology Studio positioned the building to maximise sunlight during winter and shield the inside during the summer, while also taking advantage of the expansive views. To cater to the changing temperature inside a home, the masonry and concrete floor provide a high level of thermal mass through the seasons and take away the need for external heating technology.

House at Otago Bay is supplied electricity by the solar panels on the boat house – taking away any need for gas and minimising running costs and impact on the environment. Though inside a home can be thought of as sustainable, Topology Studio has taken the extra step to respect the environment by providing robust materials across both outside and inside – proving that homes can provide longevity for its owners in sustainable and eco-friendly ways

Tours, Travel, Videos, Views, Wilderness

Alaska Tours: Wrangell – St. Elias National Park

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Sitting on the edge of Alaska, an 8-hour drive from Anchorage, are the 13.2 million acres that make up Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The park contains an active volcano, nine of the 16 highest peaks in America and countless glaciers, as well as the last community inside a national park. Jeff Glor reports.

Wrangell-St. Elias is a vast national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined! Within this wild landscape, people continue to live off the land as they have done for centuries. This rugged, beautiful land is filled with opportunities for adventure.