Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Yarra House, Melbourne - Leeton Pointon Architects

"A fluidity of surfaces is witnessed from within the Yarra House designed by Leeton Pointon architects and Susi Leeton architects. Floors become walls; walls become ceilings; and ceiling open up to sky. From approach, the entrance looks like a cave formed by rendered concrete walls. Only the slight and irregular black window frame insertions appear to allow light into the house. But once within, light falls through the double-story void from above in all directions. Light enters through openings in thick off-form concrete and cascades down oak and white plastered surfaces. It then washes over limestone and marble, illuminating art, furniture and every handcrafted and natural surface throughout the house.

The focal point and central pivot of the house is a sculptural circular stair. This transitional element divides the entire double-storey spaces as it stretches out under a steep exterior site.Curved surfaces play against rigid lines in a style that the architects describe as ‘archaic’ – an effortless blend of both the primitive and artistic. Materiality was the primary factor in the selection of timbers, stone and every other interior feature.

The house is sited south of the Yarra River in one of Melbourne’s many beautiful neighbourhoods. The team of architects won an Architecture Award for Interior Architecture at the 2009 Victorian Chapter Awards. - Andrew J Wiener"

Monday, October 5, 2009

CONVERSE SKIDGRIP HI (HUF X 1HUND(RED))

"Team HUF have joined the fight against AIDS in Africa by contributing to the Converse 1HUND(RED) artists project. Lending their creative talents to the Skidgrip hi, Keith Hufnagel and Hanni El Khatib have created a simple monochrome upper covered in an ‘H’ repeat pattern that references vintage skate graphics and type. “We wanted to reference the skate and surf vibe of the 1980s and the Skidgrip was a great, authentic foundation.” The shoe will be available from October 3rd, with a percentage of the net wholesale price going to AIDS relief in Africa."

source: www.sneakerfreaker.com

Enclosed Open House - Wallflower Architecture + Design

"The client’s desire for the home to have a perception of substantial private space has resulted in the development of a spatial program that internalizes spaces such as pools and gardens normally regarded as external to the envelope of the house. By zoning spaces such as the bedrooms and servants’ quarters on alternative levels, i.e. 2nd storey and basement levels, the ground plane is freed from walls that would have been required if public and private programs were interlaced on the same plane.

The site is approximately 25m wide by 48m deep, and because of the intermingling of internal gardens and column-free vistas, there is a continuous and unbroken visual depth of 40m that ties together the entrance foyer, swimming pool, formal living area, internal garden court and formal dining areas.

Environmentally, the contiguous and interconnected space encourage the slightest breezes, whether they are prevailing and therefore air-movement is horizontal, or convectionally circulated, which the courtyards help generate. For the owner, it is the experiential serenity that unencumbered space, a gentle breeze, dappled sunlight and the hush of water rippling on a pond that is priceless in our dense and busy urbanscape."

55 Blair Road - Ong & Ong

my new favourite house!

"This house produces a spatial experience that excites the senses by promoting light open plan living which is unusual to this type of terrace house. This residence brings a balance between nature and contemporary living in a renovation of an Art Deco style terrace."

source: www.dailyicon.net

Paraty House - Marcio Kogan

"Paraty House’s two reinforced concrete boxes, sit atop each other, connected on the mountainside of one of the islands of the colonial city of Paraty and Angra dos Reis (between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), like two modern prisms between the large colossal stones of the Brazilian coast. The building projects outward from the mountain, almost onto the beach, in an 8m cantilever. The house finds balance in the topography of the land, creating an extensive open doorway and living space in the practically untouched nature. Paraty House features a furniture collection showcasing 20th century design, including works by many well-known artists.

The residents arrive by boat. After stepping out onto the sand a metallic bridge positioned over a crystal-lined reflecting pool leads to a set of stairs connecting to the lower volume. This volume contains the living room, kitchen and service area. The continual internal area has a 27m span and huge glass windows to take advantage of the view of the sea."

via: Contemporist

Volume B Store - Marcio Kogan

"This project was developed for the Vitra furniture store located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The materials used in its most extreme condition, the concrete work is in plain sight and without consideration to the finish, and rebar is left exposed in the back of the volume.

Volume B Store, Sao Paulo, Brazil, by Marcio Kogan, for Vitra."

via: Plataforma Arquitectura