Capital Hill Residence - Zaha Hadid Architects

This private villa is situated on the north-face hillside of Barvikha, a village west of Moscow. The stunning area is dotted with luxury dachas and covered by prosperous vegetation of pine and birch trees that typically grow up to 20m high.

The villa is built with pre-cast and in-situ cast concrete, steel and glass. It has a characteristic fluid design and is divided into two main components: the first one strategically merges with the sloped landscape and the second is a separate volume floating 22 meters above the ground to benefit from the dynamic views of the Barvikha forest over the trees.

The residence is divided into four levels. The lower level or basement is dedicated to leisure space and will include a living room, massage and fitness areas as well as sauna and hamman (Turkish) baths. The ground floor will host the living room, dining, kitchen, entertainment, indoor swimming room and parking spaces. The main entrance lobby, study/library, guest room and children’s room are distributed on the first floor while the master bedrooms and a lounge with exterior terrace occupy the upper level.

The two main components of the house are connected by three concrete columns that establish a strong dialogue between the two volumes and function as structural elements: within the interior space of the columns are the vertical shafts required to place all mechanical elements and services connecting to the upper level. Incorporated within the space between the columns is the vertical circulation of the house where a transparent glass elevator and staircase are situated, providing a direct connection between the lower and the upper levels.

On the first floor the main entrance holds three concrete columns which intersect the main roof. Skylights and a double-high space are created. The view from the living room, following the grand staircase located in the entrance lobby, is framed by two curved in-situ cast concrete structures. These concrete structures serve both a structural purpose and the function purpose creating of the divisions between main living room, dining room and indoor swimming pool.

The project, which is currently under construction, will be shown in the Russia Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale from 12 September - 23 November as part of a showcase of work by Russian and foreign architects working in Russia.
The project is expected to complete in 2010.

Leura House - James Stockwell

The geology and landscape of edges, cliffs, caves, and ponds of the Blue Mountains and the valley form inspired the design. The building is designed for passive solar performance. It unfolds is a last step in a series of landscape spaces from the valley to the verandah.
The owner and I shared an admiration for the early timber and corrugated iron buildings of the Blue Mountains and wanted to continue this Australian pallet with high passive solar performance and functional internal space.

The Leura house is sketched out in sedimentary compressed sandstone walls. It uses a Japanese method called 'discontinuous unity' brought to light in the 1940’s by Japanese architects Yoshizaka and Sakakura for the incomplete separation of spaces from one another. This ‘incompleteness’ of space, interior and exterior, permits the user to fill in the gaps with the act of dwelling and activity, a kind of liberation for the user by an un-prescribing, open-ended architecture. Physically it means no thresholds and doors are hidden and making open-ended rooms. Walls aren't wholly devoted to enclosing space but to create pauses in a larger journey.
The materials are limited in number and low embodied energy. The ‘rammed sandstone’ walls are crushed sandstone with 10% cement compacted into forms with chips of iron stone and quartz.

The house is designed for the owners, their children, grand children and friends. The loft is designed to sleep 12 grandchildren with boys and girls on separate sides.
The intention is to address warmth/cooling, ventilation and acoustics with simple passive methods backed up by sustainable [hydronic] heating/cooling. Aesthetic solutions like plywood ceiling strip panels work also for acoustic performance. The house produces its own power and water. 20 PV panels producing .5kw each/day in Leura are installed and a 100,000lt water tank is built under the bedroom wing.
The garden and landscape are most important so the journey along the edges of the building permit varying places to experience the mountain valley.

Amalia House - GRID Architects

Amalia -named after the grandmother of her owners -is a holiday cabin to host family members spread all over austria.

Located on top of a hill in Styria, overlooking the valley of Kirchbach Amalia offers space for up to six people, without having to spare any comfort.

Organised in 2 levels, one of them split, she lets the landscape float in and gives view to her surrounding from everywhere within.

To give tribute to the nature around her and maximize the interchange between inside and outside, the house is completely covered with artificial grass -with only the windows left out.

Amalia is the first artificial grass camouflage building in Austria.

 Architects: GRID Architekten GmbH Luxemburg-Wien - Gerhard Klocker, Ric Thill, Isabella Straus
Location: Styria, Austria
Function: Holiday Cabin
Construction year: May 2007 - August 2007
Site Area: 480 sqm
Constructed Area: 68.12 sqm
Construction: Prefabricated Wood / Artificial Grass
Photographs: Lukas Schaller

VIA: GRID Architects

CO2 Saver House - Peter Kuczia

Using untreated larch wood and black fibre cement panels to optimise solar energy gain, this lake house in Poland is a pretty good example of how to be sustainable and respectful with the environment.

This sustainable house - like a chameleon - blends with its surrounding area on Laka Lake in south of Poland. Colourful planks within the timber façade reflect the tones of the rural landscape. The window reveals with fibre cement cladding, frame images of the countryside.
Analogical to the most creatures, the building is outside symmetrical, although the internal zones are arranged asymmetrically according to function.

The built form is designed to optimise the absorbance of solar energy. Approximately 80% of the building envelope is facing south direction. The single storey living space on the ground floor is externally clad with untreated larch boarding. Solar energy is gained there by the set-in glazed patio. Solar collection panels are located on the roof and a photovoltaic system is planed for the future.

The dark facade of the “black box” - a three storey structure clad with charcoal coloured fibre cement panels - is warmed by the sun, reducing heat loss to the environment. The passive and active solar energy concepts and a high standard of thermal insulation are enhanced by a ventilation plant with thermal recovery system. The house consumes only about 1/10 of the average energy use of the existing single-family houses in Poland.

The design of the project was determinated by the twin goals of low lifecycle costs and a reduction in construction costs. All details are simple, but well thought out. The house did not cost more than a conventional one in Poland. Cost-savings were made by the application of traditional building techniques and the use of local materials and recycled building elements.

Architect: Peter Kuczia
Location: Lake Laka, Poland
Area: 175sqm
Construction year: 2007
Usage: Single family house
Materials: Wood, Fibre cement