Interior Design Ideas Small Space Gray: February 2009

Emerging from behind its high boundary wall, the distorted roof form ofVader House interrupts the symmetrical roof line typical of Fitzroy, andbreathes new life into this Victorian Terrace.

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The extension is a framed steel skeleton which envelopes the unusuallyhigh masonry boundary wall built prior to height restrictions, reclaiming itinto the interior. The roof then responds to site setbacks which result in adistorted and subverted answer to regulations. This produces high foldedinternal planes, allowing double height ceilings, a mezzanine level and spaciousinterior.

The Eastern and Western facades of the extensions are encased in ashield of louvres. These peel back to reveal a folded internal environmentof soft colours framed by exposed steel beams. Playfully splashes of deepred enliven the interior which is occasionally punctured by windows allowinga cinematic light to dance over the internal workings of the VaderHouse.

The refined material and colorful palette of the extension, wrapped in aheavy roof form distinguishes itself from the dark masonry clad terracefrom which it emerges.

These two opposing forms are united by a transparent glass corridor alongthe Northern boundary wall, framing an outdoor courtyard.

Strategic planning located the courtyard at the heart of the site, allowingboth the terrace and extension to have direct contact with this outsidespace. It creates a central demilitarized zone that allows activities from thesurrounding living spaces to spill into. This courtyard ensures that the entiretyof the site is utilised.

Definition between these internal and external environments is barely distinguishable.Transparent bifold doors allow for constant physical and visualinteraction, between these environs.The extensions is at once inside and out.

The courtyard’s location also provides abundant natural light and ventilationinto both the terrace and extension, importantly decreasing reliance onmechanical heating and cooling systems.

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

The extension is created out of components that appear to have fallen atthe eastern end of the site in a tetris like manner. Unexpectedly a randomtetris piece has lodged itself deep within the walls of the original building.This floating block provides the master bedroom with a en-suite reflectingits downstairs companion, fusing the terrace to the extension and giving aglimpse of what one will experience as they move through the site.

The anatomy of Vader House also extends far below the site. The timberdeck in the courtyard doubles as a retractable deck, when pulled aside revealsa hidden spa, right at the very heart of Vader.Similarly the timber floor boards in the extension form a trapdoor that whenopened exposes a cellar, extending far beneath Vader. When these doorsare opened, they alter the nature of their spaces significantly, providing theextension with a dynamic and chameleon - like interior.

The lack of formal zoning of the extension reflects a desire to make thisspace a versatile, and thus economical solution, where multiple programsare able to symbiotically co-exist. This flexible design, accompanied by itscarefully composed material and colour palette, results in an extension thatwill adapt to function, clients desire and most importantly the demands oftime.

This project is located on a site, with an area of around 1000m2, in Lugar das Carvalhinhas - Alvite, Cerva Parish, Ribeira da Pena Commune, Vila Real District.

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The project consists of a holiday home with three bedrooms, a social bathroom, a living room, a dinning room, a small kitchen with a support washbasin, pantry, and even a small outdoor swimming pool.

The terrain is sharply inclined and has a particular configuration: it is very long and narrow. However, the fact that it faces south allows it to receive optimal solar exposure and to enjoy a particular natural view. The living area does not exceed 180m2.

For reasons of functionality and integration, it was opted to organize the main entrance based on the street where car transit was possible. This road leads to the northern higher part of the lot. Nevertheless, it is possible to access the house from a more rustic footpath from the south. Its fragmentation, necessary due to the steep topography, transforms the whole into a composition of small linked and interconnected volumes, creating an unevenness that allows for a more secure and rational use of the lot.

In this way the house’s various functions are clarified with each elevation corresponding to a single compartment. The roof functions simultaneously as pavement support for the gardens: similar to the traditional threshing floors and patios in the northern regions of the country with hilly terrain.

With a linear position at the center of the lot, an attempt was made to preserve all the pre-existing trees, as they maintain a strong presence in the area, as well as to preserve continuity with the immediate surroundings and to ensure its original characteristics. The form resulting from a rigorous, modular geometric abstraction establishes the necessary rotation of certain modules to adapt to the natural morphology of the terrain, respecting the distance from neighboring regulation walls, thus appearing to move naturally and with absolute freedom.

The terrain’s instability together with modest economic resources gave rise to a house with triple function: the home itself and its interior space; the organization of outdoor leveled patios corresponding to the roofs of various levels which permit the outdoor use of the garden; and finally, the creation of a pedestrian link between the paths of the upper and lower levels that border this lot. In this way the house itself is a path. Its form organizes a fundamental outdoor route. The exterior stairs that create a link between the patios mirror the interior stairs that have the same function of linking the designed compartments that are also developed through levels. In this way, the exterior stairs correspond to the interior ceilings.

Although this project presents an extreme unit in its language, from the four quadrants, its image varies completely. It expresses its entire volumetry to the southeast, and in a different way to the northeast. It is radically contextualized in the northwest and southwest quadrants. It is neither horizontal nor vertical architecture. Its location on the lot results in a slanting architecture.
The necessity of partially burying the house comes from lack of economic means, and in this way creates positive thermal behavior and security. The outdoor patios solidly adapt, establishing a direct link to the garden, and the house is naturally unified with the terrain. The choice of exposed concrete creates an idea like that of massive stones appearing naturally on the site. In this way, expressiveness is extracted from a continuous structure of reinforced concrete, the most efficient on the lot with these characteristics, and once again making optimum use of the modest economic resources available.

Paving stones of reinforced concrete will also be constructed, creating an air space between these and the lot, which is fundamental for guaranteeing decent waterproofing and improved thermal behavior in the terrain with such an elevated water table. The reinforced concrete walls will contain an exterior finishing with special formwork, its stereotomy having been designed. PVC canvases will waterproof foundations, walls, and roofs.
The roofing will be covered with thermal insulation and prefabricated, anti-slip tiles. Some patios will be filled with humus for a grass plane. The few non-resistant walls will be built in cement blocks filled with sand. These will be plastered, coated and painted white in the interiors.The interior floors, doors, and baseboards are in wood, except in the water areas. The exterior doors and windows are in metal, which are double-pained for improved thermal and acoustic insulation.