The Oak Pass House by Walker Workshop breathes new life into site-responsive architecture. It combines contemporary design sensibilities with an innate sense of place, resulting in a unique hillside home that embraces its surroundings while offering a few new and interesting things itself. As an architectural object it’s stunning. As a home on a distant plot of land surrounded by over 130 Coast Live Oak Trees, it is something incredibly special. Continue reading →

15 miles north of the Mexican border in Arizona rests the Casa Caldera, a quaint and serene marvel in residential modernism that doesn’t rest on the ground so much as it disappears into it. Tucson based architecture firm DUST have painted a nostalgic desert masterpiece that carefully measures materiality versus ecology, protection versus exposure, man-made versus natural. It carries with it an intimate relationship with the land it occupies, and is a contemporary case study of how good residential architecture can be. Continue reading →

Steeped in the ancient history seeping from the traditional building it inhabits, and the piping hot tea it distributes, the Tea House in the Hutong district in Beijing is something truly special. It was constructed within an old building destined for demolition, but saved in order to give locals and distant visitors alike a place to gather, marvel, and relax with an authentically prepared cup of Chinese tea. The Tea House was designed by Arch Studio, and embodies the rich culture that surrounds while presenting new and interesting interior design. Continue reading →

Don’t Move, Improve! Is a design award given out in London for the most innovative, responsible, and well-conceived additions and remodels within the greater metropolitan area of Britain’s most design-forward city. The Molyneux Street residence by Patrick Lewis Architects has been featured on this year’s shortlist, and it’s easy to see why. The addition does little to mask the historic brick facade of the existing grade II listed home in Westminster, but at the same time introduces sweeping changes to the interior that peek through at the rear yard in a cohesive and cheeky bit of design ingenuity. Continue reading →

The Warren Cottage is one of few remodels or additions to be included on the shortlist of London’s design award, Don’t Move, Improve! The award is given to high architecture achievements in projects that preserve an existing condition while adding contemporary materiality and spatial awareness. McGarry Moon architects hit it out of the park with the Warren Cottage, a design achievement that never shies away from doing something different, while remaining inherently familiar. Continue reading →

Mimicking the look of a two-story container home, this modern duplex would be a cool enough bit of architecture in its own right. But throw in a detached office/studio space build from an actual self-contained shipping container and things really get awesome. Continue reading →

The Mask House concept presents a gloomy, ominous yet inviting facade perfect for a hazy overcast sky and a few misty pockets of fog. Designed by WOJR Architects, this project is defined by its rigid geometric expressions and soft, surprisingly light interiors that provide a bizarre yet appropriate formal juxtaposition. The home is set perfectly within its serene landscape, and even takes design cues from the surrounding marshy forest. Continue reading →

After decades occupying a quaint plot of land in Le Plateau Mont-Royal, the Saint-Andre Residence was due for a much-needed face lift. Naturehumaine Architects took on the task, promising to give the home a contemporary extension without sacrificing the historic nature of the street-facing facade. The result is a simple, bright, and complimentary overhaul that remembers the past as it catapults into the future. Continue reading →

Luxury apartments rarely enjoy such a playful sense of place. Just BE is an incubation project by Arqmov Workshop, situated in the Colonia Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City – and area well known for its social identity and thriving nightlife. The designers incorporated these cultural undertones with a contemporary structure that isn’t afraid to also embrace a more traditional Mexican vernacular. Continue reading →

The Garden Void House isn’t your typical suburban mini-mansion. Toronto based firm Alva Roy Architects saw to that when they designed a contemporary two story marvel in architectural composition and interior organization. Named for a vertically punched void containing a thriving garden, this house isn’t short on “wow” moments. From the second it’s visually demanding front facade grips your eye, it’s a lesson in how to do residential architecture right. Continue reading →