This residential addition is named for the way in which it is revealed from the shadows of the existing structure. With regards to materiality, form, and functional space, the design accomplishes just that. The team at MRTN Architects were tasked with retaining the character and charm of an old Victorian, which before undergoing this contemporary renovation was considered for a quick trip to the landfill. But, the designers and clients thought better, deciding rather to celebrate the beauty of the existing home, and adding a sensible bit of space that acts to pay homage to the history of the site. Continue reading →

The Up-Cycle House follows a very simple, but strict ethos of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ resulting in a closed-loop reinvention of an existing small family home that is architecturally beautiful and environmentally responsible. Where the home did need fixing, architect Alexander Symes did so emphatically, but with recycled materials that adhered to the zero-waste nature of the project, always being sure to enhance the natural aesthetic of things that already exist as they don in the environment. Continue reading →

Stuck firmly within the urban fabric of bustling Montreal is this contemporary work from Architecture Microclimat. It challenges the traditional residential street front that is mostly comprised of gabled roofs, cracking lap siding and once tidy picket fences. There’s nothing conventional about the 1st Avenue Residence, as it’s monolithic geometric facades and deep set insertions are poised to reinvent the cityscape and infuse modern inspiration into the directly surrounding areas. Continue reading →

Parts of Norway are among the most remote, naturally stunning locations on the planet. The Infinity House by Vladimir Konovalov Architecture takes full advantage of one such place, planting an isolated modern cabin in a place most humans wouldn’t have the fortitude to dare reach. The house is unique not only it where it exists, but in how it is expressed from a material, spatial, and architectural standpoint. Continue reading →

The Quiet House by ARTELANO is all about context. It’s stark white stucco siding is set plainly against the rustic French countryside in which it resides – choosing to be an undefined architectural object within a historic setting that is as stunning as it is unusual. It is mostly introverted, only peaking out around the corner to appreciate the view, and creates a staggering sense of isolation that allows visitors to view its interior beauty in a self-contained vacuum. This removal of context is what makes entering and leaving this small home such an abrupt and disorienting experience. Continue reading →

The WikkelHouse manages to look at structure, design, and architecture from an unworldly angle, using methods and materials that fly in the face of what we know about how to build of a house. Designed by the good people at Fiction Factory, the prefabricated WikkelHouse is built almost entirely from corrugated cardboard, and offers an approach to sustainability that makes even the most eco-friendly of structures look like a coal factory. Continue reading →

With real estate prices on the rise in most major metropolitan areas around the world, developers, architects, and designers are teaming up to think up new and interesting ways to promote increased density. The Double Duplex by Batay-Csorba Architects is one such project, investigating a more appropriate allocation of valuable land and making an emphatic architectural statement in the process. Continue reading →

Set against a frosty backdrop in the rural hills of southern Germany is the E20 House, a soft and serene getaway that expresses the cold, harsh, yet alarmingly comfortable setting with which it resides. Designed by Steimle Architekten, the home is composed primarily of a board formed concrete shell that facets and wraps its way around a geometrically impure footprint. It exemplifies everything it means to be cozy by protecting the interiors from the elements without removing the sense of being inherently connected to place. Continue reading →

It’s always a bit of a mixed back when designers dedicate a considerable portion of the design concept to a single material. However, the Zinc House by Ande Bunbury Architects avoids many of the pitfalls associated with a mono-material approach by offering unique formal expressions and an underlying program that makes it all work in concert. Yes, zinc is the main event, but there is plenty of other architecture happening here to make up for the lack of material diversity. Indeed, the Zinc House is much more than its name might indicate. Continue reading →

Maynard Architects has made it their mission to reinvent the suburban landscape with architecture that matters not only in form and aesthetic, but in sophisticated understanding of place. This multi-generational home is an example of how to enhance a traditionally boring streetscape by poking fun at the rather thoughtless approach most take towards mass produced residential architecture. It has character, flair, and an unfettered desire to be like nothing you’ve ever seen. All this theater is wrapped around a beautiful house that simply makes sense in the ways that really matter: form and function. Continue reading →