Europaconcorsi - Projects — Top Favorites of the Week

Off Grid Home in Extremadura - ÁBATON Architects

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:26:19 +0200

Located in a privileged environment in the province of Cáceres, the goal was to transform an abandoned stable into a family home by completely renovating it in a way that would be consistent and respectful with the environment. At the end, the Studio decided that building from scratch was the best option as the stable was in a terrible shape.

High on a hill and far from city water or an electrical grid, a thorough investigation resulted in the addition of photovoltaic and hydro power (weighted toward solar in summer and hydro in winter) and worked to ensure the home wouldn’t use much energy. The building’s original orientation also helped as southern exposure allowed for the sun to be the main source of heat during the winter. A generous eave prevents much sun from entering the home during summer, thus keeping it cool. Large wooden shutters that slide closed like a second skin, cover the large windows at night to trap in most of the home’s daily solar heat gain.

As the building is located far from city water but perfectly located below two streams that flow year round the water is pure and can be used for drinking and bathing. The swimming pool acts as a holding tank for use in irrigation. In the interior nature has been incorporated almost to every room in the house: bathrooms with views of the interior patio and its stone water fountain, bedrooms with huge picture windows overlooking the countryside.

The position of the architecture is as it was originally and the material used are also the same though given the home’s crumbling state the façade was built with a mix of cement and local stone.In the interior, supporting walls were replaced by light metal pillars, the haylofts in the upper area were converted into bedrooms and the enormous central lounge serves different purposes. In short, a mix of modern cement and iron beams coexist with well-worn stone, weather-beaten wood and local stone.

Transformation of a barn with stables - Galletti & Matter

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:42:58 +0200

AT THE TIME OF PASTICHE
Transformation of a barn with stables Satarma Valais, 2010-2011
The general thinking is reflected in this embodiment is fundamental reflection. Why are things one way rather than another. Each item was submitted to this issue and the result is the answer. Underlying this question than the minimum required to fulfill conditions of use and comfort.

Here, we do not build on the copy of the past. It is possible to respect the heritage by making it evolve. The use of local materials is the guarantor of continuity. At the time of pastiche, the old false, false pretenses and false appearances, the renovation of this mayens takes the clear position to express the wood as a material to protect the new insulation standards imposed by the ” altitudes of the plain ”.

The old part in excellent condition, consisting of pieces of beautiful timbers 50 to 60 cm section is shown as such as testimony that it is possible to build solid wood without pretense. The new wood takes as reference dimensional height of the traditional plank barn, bottom section of the variation of which is done by asking, in staggered rows and alternating planks of solid wood 27 mm thick. As for the materialization of the roof stone, it is imposed by the Building Regulations. Attention was paid to the fineness of the eaves through cantilevered stone and paneling offset.

Inside all coatings are larch except the floor of the kitchen, bathroom and walls supporting the stairs are covered with small black slate standards. Only expresses a light installation in the expression of slightly offset joints. The slab between floors is laminated wood. No layer of sound insulation or screed or unnecessary layers of wear, even when a family lives two floors. This action pushes the building to its simplest expression, a roof over its inhabitants. The heating system consists of two soapstone with a traditional old and a new pellet.

Period: 2009 – 2011, 2 years
Costs: 606 ‘000 chf
Surfaces: larch wood

Centro Interpretação do Românico Paredes - spaceworkers®

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:28:12 +0200

Preserving the identity of the location and characteristics of the building concerned was for us the slogan for the intervention. The proposed space appears as a “house inside the house”. A “solid” volume landed within the existing space that reacts to the geometry of the shape.

In this amount is subtracted from the central area thus resulting in a kind of square separating the different functions of the space. On the one hand, a monolithic volume with a central door is “auditorium” on the other, a volume cut is receiving and store.

Besançon Art Center and Cité de la Musique - Kengo Kuma & Associates

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:26:59 +0200

Multidisciplinary cultural centre on the riverside of the Doubs to host an auditorium, a contemporary art museum (FRAC – Contemporary Art Regional Funds) and a Conservatoire.

MATHI (ABITARE A -0,45) - MARC

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:31:13 +0200

Il cliente decide di lasciare il bell’appartamento nel centro di Torino per trasferire la sua famiglia al villaggio di origine, recuperando un grande rustico, poco più di un tetto diroccato, adiacente alla piccola casa ristrutturata con la moglie subito dopo il matrimonio. È un sogno coltivato da tempo, per il quale è disposto, non lo nasconde, a investire gran parte delle sue risorse. Dopo ricerche fra vari studi chiede a MARC il progetto di una casa speciale, irrazionale, per tutta la vita. MARC decide di accettare questa responsabilità con lo stesso candore e la stessa passione mostrati da lui. I desideri e le aspirazioni della famiglia vengono affrontati direttamente, senza tentare di razionalizzarli in un disegno unitario: l’apertura verso l’esterno, l’autonomia energetica, la piccola piscina per nuotare controcorrente, il rispetto verso la casetta dell’infanzia, da collegare senza modificarla. Un micro mondo dagli elementi iniziali ben definiti, ma sviluppati in continuazione anche nel corso del (non breve) cantiere, eterogenei, ma neutralizzati dalla stesura uniforme e indifferente di una tinta RAL 7032. Anche il ritrovato legame alla terra di origine è affrontato letteralmente: uno scavo di modesta profondità attraversa la casa da un lato all’altro e ne definisce il rapporto con il suolo, provocando un’immediata relazione visuale e funzionale fra l’interno e il paesaggio. Questa impronta gialla ribassata permette, senza modificare la sagoma dell’edificio, di alloggiare un piano in più, oltre alla massa d’acqua della piscina, sospesa al primo piano per una migliore insolazione. A cantiere ancora in corso, i clienti decidono di estendere ad altri edifici limitrofi la stessa logica additiva dell’abitazione. Decidono di ristrutturare anche i vicini studi professionali, collegandoli alla casa attraverso un vecchio fabbricato in mattoni. Un anno dopo acquistano l’edificio di fronte con l’intenzione di realizzarvi un piccolo bed & breakfast, anch’esso collegato alla casa senza soluzione di continuità. Inizia a profilarsi un piccolo villaggio nel villaggio. Continua.

@beppe giardino. Published on May 13, 2013.

HOUSE House - Andrew Maynard Architects

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:01:20 +0200

@AndrewMaynard

These neighbouring terrace homes are owned by two generations of one family. Both houses were in need of repair and update. HOUSE House is a single building that extends both homes. They are separate homes within one architecture. The new structure runs north/south while the original houses run east/west. The fence between each terrace slides away to create one large backyard.

Australia has the largest houses in the world. Melbourne is flat, with very low density. There are few topographical constraints to force homes to have a small footprint. This is unfortunate as many of the best homes around the world are modest in size and maximise what precious outdoor space there is. In Australia we go wide and low. We pancake our homes. We eat up our outdoor space. Often people move to the suburbs under the false logic that they will have an abundance of open space and room for kids to play; however the enormous size of houses now makes this a convenient myth rather than a true outcome. This results in car dependence and children’s isolation from a rich and diverse urban community (as kids don’t tend to drive that much).

With HOUSE House we deliberately went vertical. We stacked spaces 3 levels high. We maximised the backyard on a small site. In cities like Tokyo, London, Amsterdam and many more, living vertically is a way of life that generates unique housing while also making the most of a densely packed urban condition. It creates a vibrant way of life that sprawl and car dependence could never achieve. But what if we introduce a footprint restriction beyond what is required? What if we build a tall thin structure that maximises the modest backyard? We produce spaces that, though familiar in many parts of the world, are unfamiliar in Australia; tall, cavernous spaces with light cascading from above. Each space different in personality and function so that the modest home can adapt to the various complex moods of its occupants.

Andrew Maynard Architects generally attempt to avoid crashing new structures into old. With HOUSE House we deliberately created two separate forms. We respect the twin Victorian terraces. We repair and restore them. We do not extrude or copy the original as this only ends in an odd tumor. The new structure is built across the rear of the terraces. A clear gap remains between the two. Weather is kept out of this cavernous space by glass infills. This is where you rise and spin up the spiral stair, interacting with both the aged brick of the terrace and the cedar of the new. We’ve avoided using new synthetic, shiny or plastic materials. The materials have had a past life. The new form is clad entirely in cedar. Raw steel plate and detailing describes the openings between structures and the threshold between old and new. Dark plywood paneling rises through the light-filled void between the structures. We strategically use mirror on the cabinetry in the dining area to make the space feel large while giving the illusion that light is coming from both sides and that we are surrounded by garden.

The key to making a modest-sized home flourish is to provide a number of spaces with various personalities. The active family/living spaces don’t need to be large, yet they must have loose boundaries. The original front sitting room is retained. After this the living spaces can open from the dining room to the rear fence. The side fences can both be opened to let outdoor activity spill beyond the living area. The kitchen bench continues through the rear glass wall. The inbuilt barbecue sits on the end of the bench. The levels above the living areas provide quiet contemplative spaces. Each space is connected with both the rear yard and the internal lightwell.

Like all of our buildings sustainability is not the narrative, it is a core responsibility in the same way that lighting and plumbing are. All new windows are double glazed. Glass roofs can be thermally challenging therefore we have used high performance glass with automated louvres over so that sunlight stops before it hits the glass, not after. There’s no green house effect here. The owners can adjust the louvres at anytime between full sunlight and complete block out. Louvres to the south of the lightwell are automated to allow the space to quickly vent should heat build up. High performance insulation has been used in the new walls and roof. The existing terrace roofs have also had an insulation upgrade. Solar panels cover the roof.

On the cedar boundary wall we’ve painted a graphic. Melbourne has some of the best street artists in the world and thankfully they donate their work to the city within its numerous laneways. Though street art is welcome throughout Melbourne tagging is also prevalent and it tends to be more destructive. Tagging is to be expected on almost any exposed wall. Most tagging is drawn with black spray paint. To combat this we introduced a black graphic to the facade that either makes the tag invisible or alternatively can be quickly painted over to discourage additional tagging. Will this tactic work or will it simply offer a greater incentive? We don’t know? Most importantly we engage with tagging, one of the ubiquitous parts of the city, rather than fortifying ourselves from it. The graphic used is the child-like image of a suburban home. Here we see the overlap of two distinct approaches to the single family house; the stereotypical home overlaid on the import. If you look closely elsewhere in the house you will find numerous “Easter Eggs” following the same theme.

Vader House - Andrew Maynard Architects

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:42:10 +0200

*@AndrewMaynard

Emerging from behind its high boundary wall, the distorted roof form of Vader House interrupts the symmetrical roof line typical of Fitzroy, and breathes new life into this Victorian Terrace. The extension is a framed steel skeleton which envelopes the unusually high masonry boundary wall built prior to height restrictions, reclaiming it into the interior. The roof then responds to site setbacks which result in a distorted and subverted answer to regulations. This produces high folded internal planes, allowing double height ceilings, a mezzanine level and spacious interior.

The Eastern and Western facades of the extensions are encased in a shield of louvres. These peel back to reveal a folded internal environment of soft colours framed by exposed steel beams. Playfully splashes of deep red enliven the interior which is occasionally punctured by windows allowing a cinematic light to dance over the internal workings of the Vader House. The refined material and colorful palette of the extension, wrapped in a heavy roof form distinguishes itself from the dark masonry clad terrace from which it emerges. These two opposing forms are united by a transparent glass corridor along the Northern boundary wall, framing an outdoor courtyard.

Strategic planning located the courtyard at the heart of the site, allowing both the terrace and extension to have direct contact with this outside space. It creates a central demilitarized zone that allows activities from the surrounding living spaces to spill into. This courtyard ensures that the entirety of the site is utilised. Definition between these internal and external environments is barely distinguishable. Transparent bifold doors allow for constant physical and visual interaction, between these environs. The extensions is at once inside and out. The courtyard’s location also provides abundant natural light and ventilation into both the terrace and extension, importantly decreasing reliance on mechanical heating and cooling systems.

The open and seemingly simple nature of Vader House later reveals itself to be one of complexity and ambiguity. Many elements of the design prove to serve multiple functions. The bold stair case becomes part of the kitchen joinery, the louvres act as light control as much as privacy screening, and the boundary external wall doubles as the internal kitchen wall.

The extension is created out of components that appear to have fallen at the eastern end of the site in a tetris like manner. Unexpectedly a random tetris piece has lodged itself deep within the walls of the original building. This floating block provides the master bedroom with a en-suite reflecting its downstairs companion, fusing the terrace to the extension and giving a glimpse of what one will experience as they move through the site. The anatomy of Vader House also extends far below the site. The timber deck in the courtyard doubles as a retractable deck, when pulled aside reveals a hidden spa, right at the very heart of Vader. Similarly the timber floor boards in the extension form a trapdoor that when opened exposes a cellar, extending far beneath Vader. When these doors are opened, they alter the nature of their spaces significantly, providing the extension with a dynamic and chameleon – like interior.

Date of construction completed: December 2008
Cost at completion of construction: $600,000
Gross Floor Area: 155m2
Cost per square metre: $3,870

House in Quinta do Lago - Jean Pierre Porcher, Margarida Oliveira, Albino Freitas, TOPOS Atelier de Arquitectura

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:27 +0200

This project is a vacation home in Quinta do Lago overlooking the lake, the golf and the sea. A white parallelepiped, consisting of a cropped wall of painted concrete that guides the access to the house, frames the liquid horizons views and materializes the whole implantation area authorized by the housing development regulation. Inside the walled perimeter, as if indifferent to stay inside or outside, all the spatial organization is made up of physical and visual continuity, striving to create an ambiguity in perception and definition of the house’s closed boundaries. The image of the whitewashed houses in Algarve, the white surfaces of concrete or marble, value throughout the day the play of light and shadows. On hot days, when the sun exaggerates, the living room opens automatically to its full height to absorb the coolness of the water garden and merge with the pool area. The latter, in turn, can be privatized with a large outdoor curtain.

Juan Rodríguez ©. Published on May 20, 2013.

Ilma Grove house - Andrew Maynard Architects

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:01:45 +0200

The Ilma Grove house is Andrew Maynard Architect’s greenest house (so far). Its planning and orientation is based solidly around passive solar efficiency. All roof captured rain water is har- vested. It has solar panels, high performance insulation, recycled materials, LowE coated double glazing, low VOC materials and, most importantly, it is small.

Ilma Grove house is an extension to a heritage home in Northcote, Victoria. The extension pro- vides a lot more than just additional space to the current home for 3, it provides the environment for a sustainable lifestyle. From the beginning of the design process, the idea of a sustainable home was part of the brief. The client wanted a place which could be practical and could help their family reduce their ecological footprint. Brick lean-tos at the rear of the original house were demolished limiting the adaptation of old part of the house & containing it within the hipped roof. This allowed the extension to sit next to the original structure rather than invading the rear of the existing building, avoiding extra costs in demolition and reducing construction waste. Adhering to the principal of “small is green” (less waste, less electricity consumption, less materials, less cost) the result is a functional open plan, where maximizing passive solar gain becomes indispensable. A master bedroom has been in- cluded on the first floor with a roof terrace above that overlooks the city to the south and the Dandenong ranges to the east.

Andrew Maynard Architects took advantage of the north facing backyard, and developed an ex- ploration of mass where segments were carved out in order to maximize sun penetration. This generated a geometrical structure where the internal flesh of the box is revealed with rich timber surfaces, contrasting the raw recycled brickwork.

The interaction between levels and the idea of blurring lines between new and old, inside and out, introduced the idea of integrating the backyard into the interior of the house, carving the gar- den inside, which currently is being used to grow tomatoes.

The internal flooring is locally sourced bluestone with the intention that using locally produced materials shortens transport distances, thus reducing CO2. The dark, dense nature of bluestone acts as a thermal mass soaking up the low winter sun & passively heating the house. In summer the high sun does not come into contact with the bluestone allowing the floor to act as a cooling mass in the hotter months. LowE coated double glazed throughout the house ensures that heat is retained in winter and reduces the penetration of heat in summer. These design features com- pletely remove the need for air-conditioning and drastically reduce the necessity of heating throughout the colder months.

The choice of materials was a vital step in order to create a sustainable structure. It was decided to re-use/re-assemble the existing bricks from the demolished areas of the old part of the house to form the new addition; blurring the line between what is new and what is old. Using recycled materials is a sustainable choice, however there is still a carbon debt accrued by the transport and reworking of materials. The Ilma Grove house avoids this by reusing the bricks of the demol- ished lean-to on site; what was demolished has been rebuilt in a new configuration. This not only avoids waste, landfill and transportation of materials, furthermore it ties the material language of the new structure back into the original house. Face brick masonry is also a durable and a low maintenance material which can potentially be recycled again. Reinforcing the thermal performance of the recycled brick is high performance insulation that has been installed throughout the home.

After lengthy discussions about the brief the client made a conscious choice not to have an en- suite upstairs. This helped to reduce the size of the addition while also reducing the embodied energy that comes with doubling up on functions and equipment within the home. Solar panels have been added to make the house coal independent. Ample solar energy is har- vested in winter, while a surplus of energy is fed back into the power grid in summer.

The temptation on a large block is to make a large home. This has been resisted. Maximizing the outdoor space and connecting with it so that it has become a natural extension of the living space was the key. A small house is a sustainable house.

And like our Tattoo House we decided to graffiti/tattoo/stencil our new creation before anyone else got a chance.

home 09 - i29 | Interior architects

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:20:29 +0200

Close to Bloemendaal, on the edge of the Kennemer dunes, the site of Villa Bloemendaal is situated. A sustainable home that follows a minimalistic design and shows respect for man and nature alike, in a unique residential area where the existing flora and fauna are given full rein.

i29 interior architects worked on the interior of a villa which was designed by Paul de Ruiter archi- tects. A minimal approach to the materialisation and detailing of the building is a core value of both the interior and exterior design. The large expanses of glass and the patio result in maximum day- lighting and give the inhabitants the feeling that the villa and the surrounding landscape are one.

In order to bring nature inside even more, all of the interior functions in the house are made from natural materials. i29 interior architects created large surfaces of wood through the whole house to connect the different areas. Cabinets, wardrobes, walls, sliding doors, beds and even a fire place have been made in one and the same material. Pine wood panels ~~normally a basic material~~ has been used as a high end finishing with fine details.

floor area: 489 m2
cabinet maker: Kastwerk
materials: pine wood panelling, steel, concrete floor, glass walls, linoleum, painted wood

Proyecto Roble - Équipe voor architectuur en urbanisme

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:27:16 +0200

“Proyecto Roble” by young office Équipe is a grass roots project, a building embedded in the local context in the rural south of the Netherlands. The client, owner of landscaping firm Van Helvoirt Groenprojecten, had a vision for his headquarters to be a flagship model of sustainability. This was to be a key project where sustainable innovations replace money-issues as the bottom line.

The building is a custom designed environment with no standard details. The project was undertaken as a research into the potentials for creating a positive workplace. Key themes were broken down into components and expressed in the design. “Feel Good!” was the catchphrase coined that encompassed the different themes as renewable energy, passive climate control, abundance of natural light and the relationship to the external landscape, which was to be a showpiece of healing environment garden.

Sustainability was thus been payed attention to in all stages and all scales. From a period of studying what ‘sustainability’ actually means to making sure everyone on the building site understands and embraces these principals. A.o. a new way of tendering was used, called the Building-team Plus and a new formula was invented to document decisions on materiality and techniques.

The new extension immediately catches the passing motorist’s eye, a sleek red form in the agrarian landscape, replete with a fully integrated photo-voltaic-panel roof and a green roof. The green roof transcends its cosmetic role, and is a testing ground for emerging water filtration technology. In the beginning of the 20th century Tilburg was re-known for its textile industry, collecting the workers pee in pitchers for using it as a bleach. Now this project goes back to this tradition inventing worlds first sloped constructed wetlands. Urine is separated from the black water using it a as a nutrition ingredient for making fertiliser in the clients landscaping activities. Further the grey water runs through the grass roof leaving it as clean water that can be used in the building again. This is only one of the multiple innovations in this project that has been designed to the smallest detail: from building to garden, from the bicycle shed to the bespoke interior and signposting.

The building consists of two parts, connected by the clay stove. Heated with prune wasted from the greenery’s own business, this element brings together the office-employees and the outdoor workers. Thus connecting the new extension to the traditions of the family business. Besides the pleasant indoor atmosphere the clay stove also brings technical advantages. The air heating pump could have less capacity and in addition the heater is used as a hot water boiler.

The north part of the building consists of offices. The linearity of the building is emphasised by the interior elements, that are placed on the coloured pathways. By using red linoleum on different areas of the floor and furniture the interior keeps a coherency to the exterior looks of the building. The southern part of the building is a oversized foyer that connects all spaces. This multipurpose lobby, used for bigger and smaller, organised and spontaneous meetings, provides a green and transparent link to the outdoor world. The play of lines has been made expressive by folded raw aluminium lighting trays that float the length of the building.

The facades are made of open detailed, wooden slats painted red with water based ‘nature paint’ thus creating different transparencies between inside and outside. The structure of prefabricated cross laminated timber elements is left unfinished, the imperfections of the timber adding to the natural serenity of the interior. The timber imbues the internal spaces with a positive connection to nature, something which contributes to the landscaping firms green image. All interior elements, apart from second-hand chairs and desk LED lamps, were custom designed. They are specifically designed in consultation with the personnel.

Chairs and table carriages are second hand, like all kinds of smaller parts in the interior design: the door handle of the employees entrance (a re-used banister), the magazine stand (heating pipe) and the fruit boxes in the sample cabinet. Also in the furniture low environmental impact products were used. Special research was done to investigate what material could be best used in what elements and how should these materials be connected. Just like for the exterior the ‘decision document’ was used to explore the considerations in the building team plus and to be able to document conclusions.

This proved to be a very useful tool that helps making choices that exceed standards or norms. During the whole process norms were never leading anyhow. Choosing consciously prevailed following scores. (Nevertheless all calculated scores are excellent) F.e. were passive house theories and Dutch energy performance norms may lead to small windows in the north facade, this building has high windows from floor to ceiling that provide the employees with a view to the landscape and lots of northern light.

ESTIA - sa.und.sa, Salvatore Carbone, sara omassi

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:50:46 +0200

UPDATE Senerchia | workshop di autocostruzione 3 > 10 maggio 2013. Fra i ruderi di Senerchia è stato realizzato un incubatore di energia rigeneratrice che si alimenta “dal basso” di vitalità e di esperienza, di saggezza e voglia di conoscenza; un luogo per il confronto, il dialogo e l’incontro: Estia, la stanza del focolare. Si è voluto dare un rinnovato senso al “fare architettura” con lo scopo di sviluppare e veicolare coesione sociale. L’inizio della costruzione di un nuovo tessuto laddove il vecchio è stato smembrato dal terremoto ravviva il mito dell’abitare, ossia dello stare insieme in un luogo riconosciuto. Il nuovo spazio poggia sui resti esistenziali del rudere lasciato dal terremoto non per commemorare, né tantomeno per celebrare l’avvento del disastro; è piuttosto il manifesto dell’accettazione orgogliosa di ciò che è stato perduto e dell’entusiasmo con cui è accolto ciò che il domani prospetta. Gli sfrangiamenti del rudere instaurano con la nuova costruzione un ordine naturale in cui la fragilità degli uomini e la loro straordinaria capacità di rigenerarsi incarnano l’impegno etico e morale dell’esistenza comunitaria. Un’architettura in grado di trasformare la violenza così come la violenza è stata in grado di trasformare ciò che esisteva: una piattaforma che accoglie stratif icazioni e modificazioni e che non ha bisogno di affermarsi attraverso il mito rassicurante della stabilità, ma che rintraccia nella propria transitorietà il senso del reale.

Ehpad Morangis - VOUS ETES ICI Architectes

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:58:21 +0200

How could we build a socially orientated retirement home and never neglect comfort and sensorial fulfillment?

A retirement home for all
Based on an off-plan concept led by AXENTIA as a social contractor and IMMODIEZE as a private developer, the Morangis Retirement Home was constructed with financial support from the Conseil Général de l’Essone, Regional support as well as the Regional Health Agency and the town of Morangis. The operator and tenant of the new building is an Autonomous Public Establishment that offers stay’s as low as 60€ per day. This low and democratic offer was attained without sacrificing the quality of service or the finish of the construction.