This facade, with its web-like organic lattice is the show stopper of this modern home in Boca del Rio, near the Port of Veracruz, Mexico. Yet behind the facade lies a cleverly designed, by Gerardo Ars Arquitectura, home of 220 sq.m., for a family of five. Continue reading →

One of Australasia’s largest container provider, Royal Wolf, has launched a new lifestyle product called Outdoor Room. It’s actually a traditional shipping container transformed into an extra living space, whether a home office or retreat, studio or guestroom.

It’s certainly not the first container conversion we’ve seen however it is the first initiative, at least that I know of, of a large container provider, and in my opinion this is great news. Hopefully this initiative will further promote this affordable and portable accommodation solution. Continue reading →

I look at many prefabricated tiny homes and these have taken top billing! PodHouses come delivered to you in your choice of three sizes, from just under seven to nearly twelve sq.m. Models include the Menhir, Cauma, and Plaun. Portal can be added to Cauma and Plaun for weather protection and a tiny terrace. What they have in common is a charming arched structure with highly insulated walls and roof. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood – larch outside and pine inside – pair with double glazed windows and doors. Iron beams support the floor and ease your on-site installation and future moving. Continue reading →

Driven by intense requirements of privacy and sea views in every room, AGi designed a modern holiday home to accommodate a family and their guests. In Kuwait and sited where the desert meets the water, the house’s 5,000 sq.m. size is revealed only through exploration of the interior and the grounds. Continue reading →

Any architect loves a challenging steeply sloped site. Shogo Aratani Architect & Associates used the dramatic drop of 11 meters from the top to the bottom to their clients’ advantage in Nishinomiya, Japan. Three volumes, totaling 140 sq.m., firmly step down the rocky slope on concrete foundations. Wrapped predominately in black painted horizontal wood siding, three rectilinear forms display the perfect amount of grace and solidity. Continue reading →

What a fascinating study in the power of the built form and our ability to adapt it to our immediate needs. The deceptively simple wooden box was designed and built by architect Hans Peter Wörndl for the regional festival in Mondsee, Austria, in 1993. With 48 sq.m. over two and one half levels the temporary, and now removed, home reveals its potential through highly anticipated exploration. Continue reading →

La Cabotte is the name given to small wine growers’ huts. It is also the spirit emanating from this multi-purpose structure on a vineyard in Bollène, France. The project required a wine tasting room, an office, and wash areas for the wine growers, totaling 58 sq.m. h2o Architectes gave each purpose a separate volume radiating from a shared entrance core. These individual branches take in varying views of the vineyards and mountains. Continue reading →

At the heart of this home is a swimming pool. And what radiates from that is a study in the manipulation of volumes through light and varying shades of transparency. Designed by Avignon-Clouete Architectes, the house in Nantes, France is an ambiguous white square on the exterior. The northern entrance facade is sheathed in wide, tall, rhythmic panels. Exposed black hinges are the only sign of what may be the entrance. Continue reading →

Here’s one typical city lot and a doubly surprising solution to the challenges of a dense neighborhood and lack of natural light. In Montreal, a lot spanning between two streets takes up back-to-back residences, designed by Blouin Tardif Architecture-Environnement. Split equally in half the lot hosts two nearly identical three-story brick street facades. The richly colored wooden entry and garage doors recess in to coves on opposite sides. Continue reading →

A soft and gradual connection to nature, was the goal of this renovation of a 1950s house in Auckland, New Zealand by Strachan Group Architects (SGA). The architects have maintained the typical-of-its-era low-pitched roof with exposed rafters whilst crafting a home both sensitive to it’s suburban context and past. Continue reading →