Designing modern extensions and renovations is never easy. The architect must carefully straddle the knife edge between preservation and modernization, often a tricky magic act that requires discipline and creativity. Naturehumaine has done just that with the Residence McCulloch in Montreal, Canada, transforming an ancient brick manor into an exquisite modern mansion. Continue reading →

A steep gabled roof emerges from behind a snowy hill and blends in with the tightly clumped furry green pine trees surrounding it. The Villa Boreale is slowly revealed: a modern scandinavian-inspired cabin designed by Cargo Architecture for a young couple looking to nest in the frigid wilderness of Charlevoix, Quebec. Banks of snow nestle up to the foundation and engulf the place where structure starts and ground begins, marking the start of a wondrous piece of architecture that is perfectly crafted for the tiny plot of land it inhabits. Continue reading →

Modular design and construction is no longer the flavor of the month talked about quietly among a small group of enlightened architects and engineers. It is a legitimate and widely considered method of building construction and has emphatically restamped the previously negative and divisive industry term “the mobile home.”

The Brunswick West Residence by Modscape bluntly displays the quality of architecture possible when going modular. It is a fantastic suburban dream home filled with interconnected open space and a stunning exterior garden that lends disbelief to the notion the home was largely build in a factory. Continue reading →

As an ode – and perhaps out of respect – to Frank Lloyd Wright’s storied mid-century “prairie style” home – this modern renovation retains the character and formal expression of the existing house while performing on it the modern facelift it deserves. Architecture Open Form lead a team of designers keyed in on preservation and modernization, resulting in a stunning transformation of a historic 60 year old home. Continue reading →

Sometimes architecture takes on forms unearthed from the unexpected, venturing into uncharted territory to present something truly unique and special. The Southern Highlands House by Benn + Penna Architecture should be viewed first as one of these instances, and second as a carefully crafted architectural object that does almost everything right. Convention was dropped off at mile post one as the designers looked to the land, to the past, and to the future to come up with something extraordinary. Continue reading →

The KL house embodies a quintessential architectural dichotomy: design something bold and interesting without sacrificing formal and cultural tradition. The clients wanted a house that, put bluntly, looked like a house. Bourgeois / Lechasseur Architects succeeded in establishing a firm compliment of old forms and new ideas. It is a house with character, functional logic and a stern sense of place. It is a house that looks like a house, but also shows what’s possible when you teach an old dog new tricks. Continue reading →

The ski cabin is a well known and cherished architectural archetype. The steeply pitched roof. The high foundation. The dark wood and sweeping views and living room fireplace surrounded by natural stone stained with ash. The Laurentian Ski Chalet by Robitaille Curtis Architects is one of these cabins. It embraces the traditional design footing of the ski lodge while exploring formal and material ideas that result in shattering the mold we’ve all become so familiar with. Trust me, it’s a good thing. Continue reading →

The Riverview House by Studio Dwell jumps off the page – not because it does any one thing the best, but because the perfectly crafted sum of its parts results in a modern masterpiece that embraces its surroundings and defines what it means to live in comfort. The home sits neatly on a low ridge that overlooks a grassy slope down to the Fox River in Wayne, Illinois. Views and transparency are central to the design, but what happens within the walls is what sets this project apart from other contemporary homes. Continue reading →

The Seed of Time gives us a bizarre look at what happens when architecture meets science fiction. It’s an experiment in materiality, light, space and color and presents something utterly otherworldly and unconventionally exciting. Designer GG-loop went beyond tradition with this refurbishment project in Altamura, South of Italy. The exterior and interior tell two separate stories: the former about street presence and urban interaction, and the later about sensory inhibition and spatial perception. Continue reading →

As part of a massive urban revitalization undertaking in suburban Paris, Macro Lot A5 is the first of a handful of new structures to be built over the next decade. Macro Lot A5 is one of three sectors that occupy land formerly home to a Renault manufacturing factory, and are to be developed with housing, schools, and commercial structures. The multi-family complex, designed by Tetrarc, consists of four stark white apartment buildings with an obvious flair for the unconventional. Continue reading →