Salc House - Frederico Zanelato Architects

The landscape of a native reserve in the condominium guided the deployment and the openings of the residence located in Mogi das Cruzes near Sao Paulo.

The plot of 12x30m, in sharp ascent, is facing a thicket providing the occupation of social and intimate on a single floor at high level, where the view was privileged.

The service area and vehicles seized under the ground floor in the social block.
Living room and kitchen are designed in an integrated and a grand opening this volume frames the green landscape.
The bedrooms, playroom, office and bathrooms take the body back of the house forming a courtyard reserved for more family living activities.

The only flat roof covering the dorms creates another volumetry which also houses the water tank.
Glass panels bring transparency. Ceramic coating the floor of the social areas, and masonry walls to receive plaster lath.
Thus, discerning the possible landscapes, took advantage of the sloping ground for the most appropriate allocation of the program of the residence and, consequently, the conformation of pleasant living areas.

Architects: Frederico Zanelato | Architects
Location: Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Frederico Zanelato, Fernanda Kano and Regina Sesoko
Contributor: Regina Santos
Students: Guilherme Bravin and Nayara Mendes
Structure: Wagner Garcia de Oliveira
Land area: 360 sqm
Building area: 250 sqm
Project Year: 2008-2009
Photographs: Bebete Viégas

Stonehawke House - Base Architecture

Recently developed there are 29 lots in total, each benefitting from a sensitive approach to the surrounds. From natural overland flow and stormwater control to Flora and Fauna friendly fencing this enclave of lots invite the inhabitants in.

Of the 29 lots, 5 (including Lot 16), have many constraints and covenants attached aimed at protecting the micro climate of that particular site.

Lot 16 is wedged into the side of a hill and nestled into a large parcel of heavily wooded environmentally protected land. This charred box protrudes horizontally like fallen lumber. Solidly grounded into the site, the body of the house wraps itself around an ‘out of ground off form concrete pool’ that also reflects the charred timber in its internal finish.

Having such organic and raw materials in the natural surrounds of sandstone rockwork and various species of native tall trees it was important to reflect this in the form and materiality of the houses’ appearance. With this language the cladding and structure has been represented accordingly with rough sawn stained plywood, galvanised steel and combinations of horizontal and vertical sections mimicking the tree forms.

From this point it was critical to both soften and refine the palette to the interior detailing whilst being mindful of the importance of the cohesion and notion of interior to exterior. Once formally inside the occupants are transferred both visually and physically between this notion as the house opens up with counter balanced glazing systems and sliding external glass walls.

With an abundance of native timbers surrounding the house it was an easy decision to utilise this warmth internally in the form of Australian spotted gum. The timber was used for flooring, joinery and windows/doors.

As an occupant of the house a central entry off the car space leads to the first level entry point (where visitors would be greeted), and voided space that leads either off to the parents retreat or further ascending to the centre of the main body of the house. Although from the street it appears to be a 3 storey house, 90 percent of the program happens on the top level that also happens to be level with natural ground due to the slope of the site.

A minimal interruption into the natural lay of the land has created a secluded and protected flat grassed area for the sole purpose of kids play and exploration up the natural stone walls and into the intrigue of the bush setting to the rear.

Architects: Base Architecture / Shawn Godwin
Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Interior Designer: Base Architecture / Natalie Godwin
Project Area: 290 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Christopher Frederick Jones

Schierle House - Matthias Benz

Anyone who has visited a German city’s peripheral area knows what we mean when we refer to a “typical German home.” They are clear-colored houses, with pitched roofs and PVC windows, existing in all imaginable sizes and proportions. Together with a church and train station they form the “typical German peripheral town.”

It was in one of these town, located at the outskirts of Munich, that a family formed by a married couple and their daughter stated the objectives for their home; that is, to build and inhabit a house, that would sensibly respect tradition, but at the same time provide an individual and contemporary style.

Their home would have to replace the remains of a previous farm, on a 2000-sq.m.-site defined by a gentle hill slope and an excellent view over the town. The strict urban regulations allowing only pitched-roof buildings challenged the client’s desire for individuality. In addition, in order to avoid the rejection from the neighbors, it was important to abstain from anything that could alter the panoramic view over the valley they already enjoyed. The project was approached as an opportunity to re-interpret the traditional architectural language aiming at a goal that besides being innovative and functional would provide new building terms through recyclable materials and the use of contemporary energy solutions.

A simple geometry was adopted for the house, combining two solid volumes enabling not only to maintain but improve the neighboring homes view over the valley.

White is the companion for the peace of the sleeping and resting areas. The volume containing the spaces to be shared by the family was characterized through slate-stone facades and roof. Working with Rathscheck Schiefer, a special emphasis was placed on developing the capabilities to build with slate stone, stressing the solution of corner details. Through the integration of the pitched roof required by city planning regulations plus the vertical shifting needed to adapt to the hillside, a volume evoking a modern monolith, covered by an ancient over 400-million-year material, whose silky glitter attains the perfect environmental integration, was obtained.

The use of recyclable materials and inclusion of energy saving concepts are fully integrated to this work. A wood structure with flax insulation, cellulose, and wood-fiber board was the option selected to obtain a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.14W/m²K as average value for all the facades. A heating pump with five 35-meter-depth geothermal probes benefits from the earth-generated/stored heat for heating purposes. The great windows placed at the south façade allow the maximum use of natural light, while the 4-meter-hight obtained through vertical shifting to adapt to ground displacement takes advantage of the currents ascending the slope to ventilate interiors in summer.

The total energy consumption of this home is 65% under the values permitted by German Energy Norms (ENEV). This achievement allowed the house to be included into a “sustainable architecture” tour organized by Bavaria’s Chamber of Architecture on 2009. To round off the ecological concept used, a second phase will be approached adding photovoltaic panels and rain water collectors.

Architect: Matthias Benz architecture & design
Location: Gerzen (Niederbayern), Germany
Site Surface: 2076 sqm
Built-up Surface: 304 sqm
Start time: 2006
Finish time: 2008
Interiors: Josef Eibl GmbH
Photographs: Thomas Benz; Rathschek Schiefer

JD House - BAK Architects

The 20m x 30m plot of land in the coastal Mar Azul forest in Buenos Aires, Argentina is the site for BAK Architects‘ JD House, a residence designed in concrete, wood and glass and blended into the topography and vegetation on the site. The preliminary specifications for the house required two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large, flexible social area, integrated into the kitchen, that could accommodate different activities for the guests that are expected to visit. The client also specified that generous outdoor expansions were available on the site.

The land on which the house is situated follows a gentle slope that provided a welcome challenge for the design of the house. In relationship to the street level, the house sits very high above the ground in order to adjust to the level changes on the site. This provides a a heightened condition of privacy, as passersby are less able to see into the house from the street, and a vantage point from which the inhabitants can view out onto the landscape over neighboring houses.

The house was conceived as two pure prisms, located in a clearing among trees of various heights, as intersecting perpendicular forms that joined at half levels. The slope was once again used to the advantage of the proposal to hide parts of the program, thereby reducing the presence of the building on the site. The form that developed from the conjoining of the volumes resulted in programs that were substantially independent from one another, but united through large openings in the social gathering spaces as well as through outdoor terraces and wooden decks that extended the living space out into the forest.

The house is accessed along the longest side through a deck that is raised above the natural terrain. By stepping the deck into complete volume of the house and creating a corner as the entrance, BAK Architects simulated an interior condition in the exterior of the residence, where already the material and spatial organization is felt. The height difference perceived in the entry intentionally signify the different uses of the spaces caused by the intersections of the prisms.

The architects play with the volumes, alternating between high and low ceilings and depressed floors to provide a dynamic space of a variety of functions. The level of transparency through the house is equally as important as the opacity of the gray concrete walls. The views through the house direct its users’ eyes onto the landscape beyond the house, whereas the concrete walls direct light and provide organized views within the house. While the house is visually open, the architects took great care to create private areas, such as bedrooms and bathrooms, that are nestled and buried under the general “ground level” of the house. The architects were careful to leave as many salvageable trees on the site as possible allowing them to pierce through several of the outdoor decks that are an extension of the house.

The three basic materials of the house are exposed concrete, glass and wood, as well as the natural decorative elements of the surrounding forest. H21 concrete was used with the addition of a plasticizer to the mix with little amounts of water used to harden, resulting in a very compact material that does not require sealing. The few hollow brick interior walls are finished in smoothing cement. The heating system, since there is no natural gas in the area, was resolved with a system that combines salamander, bottled gas stoves and electric heaters.

Architects: BAK Architects(María Victoria Besonías, Luciano Kruk)
Location: Mar Azul, Villa Gesell party, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Land area: 600 m2
Floor area: 149 m2
Year built: 2009
Photos: Gustavo Sosa Pinilla