In Chicharo, Portugal, an 80’s warehouse was the starting point for a new approach to a conventional domestic brief. The concept was quite simple: designing an independent box volume that will rest over the existing structure. With a gentle ramp leading to the front door, carefully positioned between a pine and a centennial olive tree, the new house enjoys an elevated vantage point with great views from every room. Continue reading →

House in Vila Boim, a weekend home in Alentejo, Portugal, turns traditional values into innovative architectonic solutions. Local materials and traditional techniques, such as white stucco walls and ceramic tile roofing, were used as the main source to obtain the perfect blend between architecture and nature. At first glimpse, this contemporary home seems to deceive us for its integrity and similarity with the surrounding architecture. A second look proves otherwise… Continue reading →

What was once a tiny 16sqm chalet of a family of farmers has been totally renovated. Located in Orsieres, Switzerland and developed by Savio Fabrizzi, this small traditional alpine house has been transformed into a contemporary holiday home in the Swiss alps. Continue reading →

A small concrete weekend home close to the sea in La Pedrera, Uruguay. Interesting… This compact single story house of 96sqm rests quietly beneath a dense eucalyptus forest. The distribution of the program follows a simple scheme: an exterior deck area precedes the entrance to a small interior space which consists of two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living-dining room. Simple. Continue reading →

As an Eco-friendly architecture buff I was glad to hear about a new kind of prefab called Mesocore Homes. It’s actually an interesting hybrid combo consisting of a shipping container and prefabricated components. This unique house ships as a 20′ container, but once placed at the final building site it expands to a 1000 sq ft green sustainable home with off the grid capabilities. Continue reading →

Would you believe me if I told you this was once a dull brick house? A pragmatic solution was needed to transform the old brick house into something brilliant that is linked to its rural environment. Joho Architecture was the team behind Namhae House Renovation in South Korea – and what an amazing renovation it turned out to be! Continue reading →

Picture yourself living inside a series of 7 square-shaped houses – all arranged in a circle! How peculiar… In Tokushima, Japan an unconventional project by Container Design translates this unpredictable spatial circumstance. A total area of 725sqm is disposed under a radial alignment of different pitched volumes, each one adjoined to its neighbor at the corner. It’s like having your own personal neighborhood as a private home. Continue reading →

How can a house be built in three different cities? That’s the magic of prefab architecture. House of 33 years in Nara, Japan is a small home of 104sqm composed by a steel-framed structure that conceals three separate sections. The entire house works as a prototype for a vast range of prefabricated materials like steel, timber, concrete, corrugated plastic and glass panels. Each part of this two-story building was simultaneously built in three cities: the roof shell was developed in Nara, rooms were built in Aomori using local timber while a section of the first floor was conceived in Sendai. Continue reading →

Sometimes a simple extension can resurrect an obscure apartment building like in Le Noirmont, Switzerland. To gain extra space for the existing complex of apartments, a new external staircase was developed. A limited budget lead to the final solution: a lightweight structure composed by standard steel elements assumes the skeleton of this new addition. Continue reading →

Located on a sloping site in Chamoson, Switzerland, an 1814 old stone house has been totally renovated with a delicate touch of contemporary design. Roduit House by Savio Fabrizzi incarnates the daring challenge of resurrecting old structures into new and fresh architectonic statements. Thick stonewalls express the traditional techniques of local construction, provided by the same rock that defines the surrounding landscape. The original form of the ancient three-story house was left untouched – only the damaged wooden planks that previously wrap the attic were replaced by a new material: exposed concrete. Continue reading →