studioexpansions

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dacha! by Peter Kostelov

This dacha was designed by Peter Kostelov for a television show. In the show the client and architect meet only once. Then the architect goes on to design the project and build it for the end of the program. (Or that's how I understood it.) Before reading further on this project, see if you can determine the desires/requests of the client.

By the way, a dacha is a Russian summer house. It is usually in a rural setting away from the city. People use them on the weekends and for longer stays. To learn more about them read this National Geographic article: "Russian Summer"

CASA DJ
(i)da Arquitectos

Another house from Portugal. Look at this one for the incorporation of courtyard rooms into the floor plan, the use of outdoor space below grade, and sectional organization.

more images also here at Dezeen

SUBTRACTION

No too long ago we discussed the possibility of subtractive space strategies for some of your projects. Here is a post from Patrick Weber at The Bartlett about subtractive spaces "walls as rooms" in the castles in Britain, Scotland, and Ireland - the same spaces that were of interest to Louis Kahn. Check it out!

STORIES OF HOUSES

I found this great (somewhat older) blog that documented "stories of houses."

In their words:

"STORIES OF HOUSES feature examples of dwellings from which we can all learn - both the clients during their contemplation about building a house, and the architects to understand and evaluate the life of the clients... This series of articles tries to give answers to questions concerning intimacies and origins of important international houses. They try to fill the gap left by so many History of Architecture books which, when neglecting these extreme personal sources, forget the multidisciplinary character of architecture. The houses analysed have been selected for their good architecture and for having been designed by a famous architect. But more than that, there is also an indispensable ingredient of having clients tell a passionate story that generates the project. Stories of Houses include information about the clients, their requests and needs, without which one cannot begin to understand the final result."

Here are the houses they write stories about:

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Zumthor's gaps

We spoke a bit about two Peter Zumthor buildings in one of the pin up sessions on Friday. We were talking about the details of thresholds as both symbolic and experiential. Here are the two buildings:

Protective Housing for archeological ruins, Chur, Switzerland, 1985
and
St. Benedict Chapel, Sumvitg, Switzerland, 1985

KYOTO HOUSE by Alphaville

Townhouse in Kyoto
By: Alphaville

This new townhouse sits in a row of adjoined houses in Kyoto. The simple use of two primary interior materials divides the house into conatiner and contained.

more after the jump...

houses by William O'Brien, Jr.

Check out the sensitive work on houses by William O'Brien, Jr.