Green Screens: Tall House Filters Light with Planted Facades

Say you want some greenery, but also need to block light and noise and desire somewhat cleaner air than the clogged streets naturally provide. In certain climates, the answer to these various problems can be found in the form of living walls – but few as amazing as this one.

Saigon is a dense city packed with plant life wherever one can find space – rooftops, balconies, windows and courtyards can become overgrown in the leftover cracks in the urban fabric.

This kind of organization-of-chaos approach looks at once organic and highly planned – in fact, the varying depth of space between strips of planters on the front and rear facades are dictated by the height needs of the plants situated in each row. The net effect is quite lovely, even without the greenery.

Designed by Vietnamese firm Vo Trong Nghia (photos by Hiroyuki Oki), the building takes the cramped site (just 12 feet wide) and works with it, creating-but-filtering floor-to-ceiling openings at either end, then tucking lovely hardwood-floored, stoned-sided interiors in between.

100% Storage: Wooden Table Made Up of Secret Spaces

Every kind of conceivable opening is built into this multifaceted rectangular table that swings, slides, pivots and bends open on all sides.

Naoki Hirakoso put work, though, not only into the openings but in how they would look and work when closed – subtly abstract lines traced around the sides of this otherwise plain and linear box.

Simple light-colored, gloss-finished plywood contrasts with the dark recesses that emerge when the panels and drawers flip open, creating contrast without variations in color.

peter legge associates: connemara

'connemara' by peter legge associates, connemara, ireland
all images © sean breithaupt + yvette monahan photography
all images courtesy peter legge associates


dublin-based practice peter legge associates have completed 'connemara', a reconstruction of two degraded cottages in connemara,
ireland into a single family residence. positioned within the rural countryside, the vernacular structures are constructed with
stacked stone, similar to the low lying stone walls which run through the bucolic landscape of rolling hills. serving as the main entrance,
a void between the staggered footprints are linked with a transparent enclosure allowing views towards both the irish sea and the twelve pins,
the inland mountain range in the distance. mimicking the roof pitch of the original houses, the steel and glass framed enclosure
contains the vertical circulation, a stair formed with concrete treads which are secured within the adjacent exterior walls.

with views of the coast, the kitchen and dining area area bordered with glass bi-fold doors which may be opened to connect with
the outdoors. additional smaller windows within the thick stone walls allow daylight to enter the interior from the east and west
while the bedroom and bath of the upper level are illuminated with skylights oriented towards to ocean.



view of the irish sea



approach to residence



entry facade



staggered placement of two cottages is connected with a glass enclosure



dining area's glass doors closed



dining area's glass doors open



view towards the ocean from the kitchen



kitchen



void between the cottages becomes the central stair



portal to living area



fireplace



(left) upper level corridor between the cottages
(right) bedroom



bathroom



floor plan / level 0



floor plan / level 1



section



elevation

California Roll House: Sushi Wrap Meets Structural Ingenuity

Desert conditions often call for unconventional solutions – this concept home certainly ventures off the beaten (sand) path in its attempt  to resolve the beauty of cracked-earth California with its harsh climate.

Titled after a dish of seaweed-rolled fish, one can see the source of inspiration in the shape. The idea is to use this cocoon to control light and deflect heat, with selective perforations in an otherwise-solid skin.

The shape unfurls to create decks on both the first and second levels. Glazed ends east and west allow beginning- and end-of-day sunlight to shine through into bedroom and office spaces during off hours.

“To sustain its challenging structural stance, a carbon fibre truss frame underneath the exterior material holds the entire architecture [together]. Hydraulic … doors and security system [are] used for [the] main entrance door, which allows [for] less spaces [needed] to operate the door mechanism.” Design by Christopher Daniel of Violent Volumes.

Lone Turret Turned Lookout Tower for Underground Home

The best of both worlds in more ways than one, this castle-based house blends subterranean and loft living as well as modern and historic architecture.

Redesigned by De Matos Ryan (with photos by Edmund Sumner), it is somewhat amazing that the tower portion was left to weather, age and even burn for so long before someone adopted it as part of a new architectural project.

A main entry, master bedroom and bathroom were retrofitted into the old stone pillar portion, leading up to a rooftop deck with naturally 360-degree views-in-the-round. Below, additional living, dining and kitchen spaces lead out to a semi-sunken terrace and pool that provide horizontal contrast to the vertical tower – all illuminated via round skylights that echo said tower’s shape.

Elegant Efficiency: NYC Shoebox Studio Apartment Solution

Actually, the plan is not where this residence truly excels per se– it is the vertically-sliced sectionthat tells a story of creative space-saving strategies that make the most out of a typical two-window Manhattan shoe box.

Beyond the brilliant schematic by JPDA, the execution is exquisite-yet-simple – no cluttering decor, just a judicious use of white and wood to light up the winding spaces and add strategic warm surfaces and accents as needed.

Doorless transitions add to the sense of openness, while partition walls and well-placed storage create visual barriers between the kitchen and living room space (the latter of which morphs smoothly into an office area).

The cozy, semi-enclosed loft bedroom is a best-of-both-worlds solution, providing a sense of privacy and intimacy while leaving open light access via a pop-up skylight slit as well as open views to the street-facing windows on the level below.

No storage opportunity is left untapped, with overhead compartments occupying extra over-door space along the entry hall while cabinets and closets are slotted into other partitions, letting no wall go to waste while allowing even the bathroom to feel large and open.

Sophisticated Paris Home Boasts Suspended Rooftop Garden

At first glance, this Paris home may look almost like the bones of a future home…one that is well on its way to being completed but still missing some essential elements. The home, designed by French architects Djuric Tardio, is in fact complete and hiding some rather surprising secrets.

The pitched roof is not exactly a roof; rather, it is a pergola perched above a roof terrace. Its wooden supports will be used to grow a fruit and vegetable garden on and above the large terrace.

A decked dining area adorns the ground level entryway and a small balcony juts out from the second floor. The rustic appearance of the home is enhanced by its materials: it is composed entirely of Finnish larch.

Winter days are warmed by a comfortable fireplace just inside the entrance, while summer days are brightened by mobile kitchen furniture that can be wheeled outdoors for taking meals in the warm weather.

The interior of the home features sliding walls that move according to where they are needed – or away from where they are not.

Although the ground here is unstable and the land prone to flooding, this lovely home is placed on a plinth to raise it up slightly and keep it out of the way of floods.

On the move... Form Follows Performance...: Cool Cubism: Offbeat House Made of Stacked Glass B...

On the move... Form Follows Performance...: Cool Cubism: Offbeat House Made of Stacked Glass B...: Our concept of a conventional family home no doubt involves solid walls, static levels and a rigid sense of order. But this Tokyo home calls...

Cool Cubism: Offbeat House Made of Stacked Glass Boxes

Our concept of a conventional family home no doubt involves solid walls, static levels and a rigid sense of order. But this Tokyo home calls all of that into question with a radically different idea of a single-family dwelling.

Rather than resembling one large box with interior segmenting walls, the House NA from Sou Fujimoto architects is composed of glass boxes stacked at varying elevations.

On a tiny building lot in a crowded residential area of Tokyo, the architects were able to create a home with enough space for a busy family and even their car.

Inside, the platform of each level is connected by a series of stairs and small ladders. Using the unique staggered configuration, the architects were able to make the most of a small building site.

Each elevation, each platform, is dedicated to a different function. Work space, relaxing space, eating space, storage space – aside from a lack of places to hide embarrassing messes, the House NA functions much like a conventional house.

The lack of interior and exterior walls gives the home an almost dreamlike quality, removing those physical and visual barriers that break up the landscape of a city.

For those concerned with privacy: yes, there are interior curtains to provide some measure of temporary privacy. But imagine how breathtaking it would be to leave them open and drink in every spectacular sunrise through the glass exterior.

Surgical Intervention Modernizes Space in Abandoned Barn

Picturesque and idyllic in an organically aged way, there was little about this lot’s aesthetics that Architecture Abaton (images by Bethlehem Imaz) wished to change.

On the outside, every attempt was made to preserve the character of this quaint old structure – additions like wood-and-steel doors look intentionally rusticated to match the aged stone walls, while a pool out front appears likewise timeless.

On the inside, simplicity itself: wide-open spaces, but done in stark white to make it fit for dwelling. Concrete comes into play but only as needed, and primarily in inward-facing exterior spaces like the courtyard.

Around the property, retaining walls made of local stone are clearly new on close inspection, but again reinforce the original elements as well.

Bathroom Waterfall Wall Sinks Show Off Daily Use & Flow

Glacial white lets the swooping shape speak in the absence of color – no need to capture liquid in a basin or pierce this vessel, it simply sends water down to a floor drain and accents its path along the way.

This design from Eumar was inspired by Swedish waterfalls and intentionally eschew standards of conventional plumbing like exposed pipes or additive handles.

Why such a sculptural approach? Aside from adding interest to an ordinary bathroom, it also accentuates water usage, encouraging people to (hopefully) use less.

Next Stop: Marvelous Modern Subway-Inspired Bathrooms

The industrial aesthetics of subway stations have inspired all types of home interiors, but nowhere is the look of a subway station more at home than in the bathroom.

The colorful tiles, the rounded lines, the sleek, glossy, easy-to-clean surfaces – these all provided inspiration for Villeroy & Boch‘s Subway 2.0 bathroom furniture collection.

A bathroom renewed with the clean, uncomplicated subway look tends to display the best qualities of traditional and modern design, making it an accessible style choice for nearly any home.

The Subway 2.0 bathroom furniture from Villeroy & Boch is stunning, but perhaps out of the price range of most regular people. Luckily, it can be easily recreated with some imagination. These pictures of the range can serve as inspiration for anyone hoping to implement the lovely, modern look at home.

Wooden, enamel and ceramic pieces are all equally at home in a subway-type bathroom. Finding simple, modern designs of this type is easy when combing through second-hand stores and construction salvage shops. When finding them in bright colors isn’t possible, a coat of paint and some new hardware may be all that is needed to achieve the gorgeous, effortless subway theme.