A couple with two young children wish to transform a duplex located in Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie into their principal family residence. The project consists in reorganizing the original portion of the house and enlarging it with an extension in the yard while preserving the façade on the street as required by the city bylaws. Suspended above the dining room, a grey angular volume sheltering the master bedroom cantilevers out over the garden terrace. For more intimacy, a pair of steel blades unfolds in front of two large panes of glass over the garden façade filtering the views from the neighbours and modulating the natural light coming into the living spaces. Wishing to create an effect of depth on the garden façade, two tones of colours are used; one gray tone for the suspended volume covered in fibrocement boards and an other in copper for the windows, steel blades and the patio door in the recessed portion of the back wall. An angular frame like structure connects both immediate neighbours as a result of their differences in the protrusions of their constructions. Within the house, a staircase positioned directly under a generous skylight becomes the focal element of the house. Three entities compose this staircase; the first steps cladded in white marble, a wooden landing cladded in Russian plywood that continues through the family room to become a working surface and finally the circular stair painted white with perforated steel guards and steps in white birch. Integrated elements such as concealed doors and furniture combine to tones of whites; greys and blacks contribute in creating a warm and minimalist atmosphere throughout every room in the house.
De la Roche Residence, Montreal, Canada, by NatureHumaine
Photography by Adrien Williams
This project is intended for a single-storey apartment in the new building. In the construction planning, the builder had limited most of the interior pattern, making it impossible to change too much. For this, we set a goal. We hoped to grant this common project a subject, to show the unique lifestyle of the client. Early in this project, we worked on the interior colour configuration, and hoped to figure out a colour scheme to coordinate the things of everyday use, such as the sofa, dining set, and some daily necessities. Later, we sorted out two main colour systems: grey and white. We used a hierarchy of grey in different textures and shades to harmonize the space, and used white to highlight the greys. Clean lines are another emphasis of this design, used to direct the vision. Regarding the configuration of the public space, we opened up one of the bedrooms for reserved use as a greenhouse. We also extended the flooring materials and used glass doors with clean lines to blur the boundaries, making the public space more open and more flexible. In the island area, we matched up different flooring materials. The flooring with bright materials formed a contrast with the rustic cement flooring. The combination of different materials made it possible to separate the spaces, but with an open vision. The island cabinet was made of stainless steel, another display of grey. The two woodgrain cement walls on the sides made the island cabinet a stable space.
Chiang House, Hsinchu City, Taiwan, by 2books Space Design
The life and work of Ettore Sottsass is more relevant than ever, with exhibitions around the world and renewed collector interest in the Memphis movement. Now available in a new format, this book, packed with beautiful images taken from the extensive Sottsass archives and including drawings and sketches from the designer’s countless sketchbooks, explores his entire career from the 1940s to the 2000s, covering everything from his architectural projects and product design to his jewellery, sculpture, and graphics.
Ettore Sottsass (New Edition), by Philippe Thomé, Published by Phaidon, Format: Hardback, Size: 320 x 230 mm (12 3/8 x 9 in), Pages: 492 pp, ISBN: 9780714875200
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Dry Creek Residence, by John Maniscalco Architecture
The guard house was originally conceptualized as a gateway to this long awaited residential development, located on the elevated hillside overlooking Palm Springs. Upon initial visits to this captivating site, and witnessing the expansive views and natural setting, It was evident that this building should reflect the caliber of the homes intended to be built here, while complimenting the raw and rugged terrain. The materials chosen were selected for their durability, timelessness, and their compliment to the desert environment. The aesthetic was designed to reflect both the nature and thrusting of the hillside slope.
The Desert Palisades Guardhouse, Coachella Valley, California, by Studio AR+D Architects
The JZL House is located in a residential area of Leblon neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro. The program is distributed in three floors: basement, ground and upper floors, which house service, social and intimate sectors, respectively. The upper deck is protected by vertical self-supporting cast glass louvers, which – together with the hanging gardens and windows – act as filters for the light and ensure privacy to the intimate sector. The modulation of the collective bedroom and playroom allows for their future subdivision, which will enable each one of the three children to have his own room. This volume is structured by two cores on the ground floor that house the kitchen on one side, and office, cellar and toilet on the other. The living and dining rooms can be fully integrated with the outside deck. The intention was to create a large space where the boundaries between interior and exterior were diluted. The house is dislocated off the site’s back boundary in order to create a natural lighting shaft that reaches all floors.
JZL House, Brazil, by Bernardes Arquitetura