Torquay is a township in Victoria, Australia – as it is famous for its surf beaches, it becomes quite clear that we are talking about one of the most perfect spots in the world to have a beach house… Torquay House reflects this outstanding environment for both surf and beach lovers. Continue reading →

House W answers a very challenging issue: the creation of a weekend home on a site stuck between a driveway and a cliff where a small beach can be found below. Also windy coastal towns like Huentelauqueen, Chile present a serious challenge to those who are looking to live near the sea…The solution to this one was based on a pragmatic concept: the patio-house typology. Continue reading →

Pyramids have been built by several civilizations across the world. For thousands of years, the biggest structures on the planet were pyramids…In Saijo, Japan a new pyramid was born to shelter a Japanese family on a very modest scale. Continue reading →

A contemporary house standing right next to a medieval market square…What a great challenge for an architect, don’t you agree? In Metzingen, Germany there’s a really good example of how to respond wisely and peacefully to such a challenge – Haus e17. A three-story building with a total floor area of 200sqm was conceived as a reinterpretation of traditional houses with a pitched roof. In fact, this special detail was required by the town hall authorities in order to assure that new architecture can stay tuned with the old historical buildings. However, Haus e17 answers the needs of 21th century living. Continue reading →

One might say that in architecture the site makes the project… House in Aroeira in Portugal testifies to this idea where a hexagonal-shaped site surrounded by pine trees has determined the volume of a one-story building with 300sqm of constructed area. This summer house covers up the maximum possible area, repeating the peculiar shape of the site. The program is arranged around a green courtyard, articulating each interior room as an extension of this central space. Continue reading →

In Tokyo, Japan a tiny house works as an efficient space for living… Against all odds, Coupled House demonstrates how to contradict a dense urban context, avoiding the consequent sense of claustrophobia. Continue reading →

How can a house be simultaneously big and small? The perfect example of such challenging task is hanging on a hillside of Los Angeles. It’s called Big & Small House because of a simple guideline: what’s apparently missing in square meters is provided by volume. A two-story building with a total floor area of 111sqm presents a clear effort to maximize space while occupying a site around half the size of its neighbors. Continue reading →

A fingerprint – in its conventional sense – is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In fact, fingerprints are traces of an impression from a certain element over another. Casa MP in Sesma, Spain demonstrates how in architecture a single material can leave a strong fingerprint on the entire surface of a building. Continue reading →

A house extension gives shelter to trees that felled in order to allow its construction – Is there something more inspirational and poetic than this? In Kagawa, Japan a two-story extension occupies the garden of a 35-year-old family house, serving as a home for the owner’s daughter. The two trees were positioned in the only available spot for the new construction, which lead to an unusual yet brilliant solution: the trees were dried up to become a living part of the interior of the house extension. That’s why the name of the building is so enigmatic: Garden Tree House. Continue reading →

In Gijon, Spain there´s a special building that conceals a balanced relation between architecture, program and topography. Single Family House and Atelier is a two-story residence with a total floor area of 395sqm. Its exceptional design is based on the conceptual approach adopted to answer a handful of distinct factors: the need to merge in a single building a house and an atelier. Continue reading →