This is a call to all non-believers in minimal housing solutions… The D – Apartment in Osaka, Japan reveals how a tiny site can be occupied by a three-story building containing five apartments and even a small shop! Can you believe it? I´m talking about a construction area of 240 sq. m. magically converted into an exquisite floor design…

A rectangle with 2 x 16 meters is bended to fit in the 161 sq. m. area of the site. The volume folds around a narrow courtyard, while external staircases and balconies provide access to the several houses above. Continue reading →

Age is always a challenge in architecture… especially when projects have to connect old buildings with new ones! That’s what happens in Fanhdorf, Austria, where an old farmhouse (with more than 200 years) was carefully extended by a new addition: a small building featuring a kitchen and a living space. This new relation proves how meaningful and vital an intervention can be to resurrect sleeping pieces of architecture, bringing them back to the present time. Continue reading →

Imagine there’s a house in which technology and nature coexist with people to enable a 100% off-the-grid life. Now take a good look at Mirai Nihon – It’s real, it’s true and best of all, it’s universal!

After the massive tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan on March 11th, 2011, TBWA\HAKUHODO created the concept for this amazing self-sustainable house that has applications for a large variety of needs: victims of natural disasters or simply for housing in any part of the world! A fruitful collaboration with 20 companies provided the new technologies that make 100% off the grid life possible! Continue reading →

Sometimes architecture can assume a significant role in a natural environment, especially when it comes to achieving a quiet and discreet presence. The Germann House appears in a vast green valley like a big grey stone, similar to the several little ones that surround the nearby pond. Continue reading →

Flowers and humans sharing the same ceiling… Yet something is different in this small house in Kanagawa, Japan! Instead of a conventional house with a garden, here the garden became an inner part of the house composition. It’s truly astonishing! Nature becomes so much closer to architecture almost reaching our heart and soul. Continue reading →

This isn’t just another glasshouse…Looking at the Hudson River’s profound waters, through a reflective glass curtain transforms each moment of the day into pure magic!

The Olpanick Spanu House is located in New York and its concept relies on the combination of a hanging plan with a concrete platform. Maybe, a symbolic tribute to the Hudson River; the grey platform reminds the river’s rocks while the linear plan follows the river’s water line. Continue reading →

A concrete house that looks like a giant sunflower… the Solo House successfully shows how to turn sustainability into a major goal in architecture! In Cretas, Spain a 200 sq. m. summer house conquers all the attention: rising above the landscape, this “artificial sunflower” provides clear views over the surrounding forests…

Inhabitants access the house through a square concrete base containing two storage rooms, a spiral staircase to the first floor and the bottom of a pool (where two windows allow the passage of natural light, giving the sensation of walking around a giant aquarium!) Continue reading →

Do you love snow and eventually a little bit of ski? The following words will explain the previous question…In North Sweden three slanted timber houses can be easily confused with the conventional slopes of a ski resort. The site is located just outside Are centre, in a south-facing slope overlooking the river and the mountains. Continue reading →

Being an architect in Greece has its advantages. Remains of ancient buildings, romantically scattered here and there, over the marvelous Mediterranean landscapes, absolutely magnificent vegetation, its special spicy-sweet scents, curvy roads, and sun… No wonder that sometimes you’re lucky enough to come upon a task as romantic (at least to my Northern soul) as designing small cottages in an olive grove! Continue reading →

When I first stumbled upon this private home in Kvitfjell, Norway, I thought there was nothing too special about its form. But as I was scanning picture after picture I began to doubt my thoughts, and finally I completely changed my mind – The form is unique yet quite simple in the shape of a slightly twisted block. Continue reading →