This is not the typical suburban home in my neighborhood, though I wish it was. A modern factory built house, also known as prefab, of just over 2200 sq.ft. sits unpretentiously in a grassy woodland niche. Resolution: 4 Architecture has over 30 of these prefabricated homes under their belt and their portfolio shows the unique potential that lies in this method of home designing and building. Continue reading →

I’m a big fan of living lightly on our stunning planet and love my modern comforts as well. In Light House, by Camera Buildings, your home can be comfy in its tiny foot print. At an overall size of under 100 sq.ft., this small home is 8’-4” x 12’-0”. It’s built for you in a factory in British Columbia so on-site building headaches do not exist, except for the foundation that you’ll need. Continue reading →

If you’ve been dreaming of a tiny space created just for you that you can use for virtually any purpose your heart desires, this stylish prefab studio by Camera Buildings is for you. With a standard footprint of 12’-8” by 8’-5” for a total area of less than 10 sq.m., it often requires no building permit. The standard studio interior ceiling height is 6’-8” so that delivery to your house is easy as well. Continue reading →

In the gently rolling hills of Blue Mound, Wisconsin, this home is an extrusion of the topography on which it lies. Two opposing folded plates stretch out from the hillsides creating an elegant form in tune with its host surroundings. The lower plate appears to have been literally lifted from the surrounding meadow with its green roof. Steel covers the upper roof plane which dramatically extends beyond the home’s walls to provide protection for a terrace and shading for the house’s interior. Continue reading →

I firmly believe that the best designs are born from challenges, as limitations offer incredible opportunities for genius. In this study and dining room conservatory addition, Barnaby Gunning Architects devised a stunning and modern addition to a registered home in London. The neighboring house built a two story addition that left this home with an overwhelming blank brick wall. The solution was to cover the brick wall with a small first floor study and a garden level conservatory to be used as a dining room. Continue reading →

In the bustling urban setting of Melbourne, Australia, Make Architecture has created a private family oasis with the creation of this two level studio. Originally intended to provide space for the owners’ teenage sons, the flexible space could easily become a private office or a suite for mom. Continue reading →

Lying among farmed fields in Faro, Sweden, this classic gable shape cloaked in larch pretends to be a barn. Its massive sliding wooden doors and rolling shutters are part of the charade. But step inside and you’ll see a home with modern comforts and the lofty advantages of an old barn. Continue reading →

Picture yourself hiking through the forest of Kirishima-Yaku National Park, on the southern coast of Japan’s Yakushima Island. This subtropical island boasts mountains 2000 meters in height, ancient cedars, and its own unique sub-species of monkeys and deer. As a respite for hikers, the accomplished Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, has designed a small cabin framed in timber with a steeply sloped corrugated metal roof to shed the abundant rain that is received here. You’ll be surprised to find this retreat along your trek, but even more surprised to learn what comprises the walls. Continue reading →

I must warn you that you will feel a strong desire to own one of these cribs. And there’s a model for every one to be used just as you wish. The Crib is an environmentally responsible, prefab kit building of 250 square feet. It’s shaped like a traditional farm building used to store corn, a corn crib. The similarities end there. This Crib built on the grounds of Strathmore, a performance venue in Bethesda, Maryland, is used as an art studio, a gallery, and a lab. Continue reading →

The addition and transformation of this house in a dense neighborhood in Japan is genius! Architects Mizuki Imamura and Isao Shinohara created a bright spacious home through masterful manipulation of light and volume. Their 72 sq. m. home is closely surrounded by other houses and the lot on the back side will soon be occupied with a new building. Space and light are at a premium here. Continue reading →