Sometimes just adding light breathes new life in to a 100+ years old building. Designed by Tecto Arhitectura, this newly renovated family home’s classic features are highlighted by the enlarged windows and sky lights. Though always occupied throughout its life, the building suffered from a structure’s greatest enemy, water. A new highly insulated roof and modern high performing windows keep out the weather and city noise. Of course, all the while they’re protecting the layers of personality inside for the current and most fortunate occupants and generations to come. Continue reading →

Restoring an ancient Italian home must be high on every architect’s list. Massimo Galleoti has transferred his good fortune and his design to the owners of this home in Treviso, Italy. All signs of the building’s neglect are gone and a modern home resides within the ancient walls. Continue reading →

At last, photovoltaic (PV) panels are available in colors other than deep blue and black. PV panels collect solar energy and turn it in to electrical power. Deep blue and black absorb the most sun light and make the panels more effective and efficient. However, these color limitations, along with other challenges such as high cost, have mostly relegated them to discreet locations, typically roof tops. Continue reading →

In an inner city suburb of Montreal that’s rich with historic homes, a new home blends remarkably well. Neo-gothic and arts and crafts style neighbors use ornate asymmetry as their defining elements. The modern house, designed by Affleck de la Riva architects, is like their spirited young offspring. Continue reading →

Outside Vienna is a home that utilizes the challenges of the site and lofty energy goals to create dynamic responsive architecture. Juri Troy Architects designed the house as part of Velux’s Pan European model home 2020 project. Six different homes are being built using varying methods of sustainable design and living. Continue reading →

What artist wouldn’t want to create in this amazing studio? Designed by Christian Tonko, the hillside workshop is industrial in form and material. It’s very reminiscent of an artist’s urban loft in a former factory. The resident artist paints and sculpts here, sketching and painting small watercolors on the upper section and sculpting and painting larger pieces on the lower level. Continue reading →

With a splendid blend of mass and voids, Smerin Architects maximized urban living in a new five-story London home. Nestled within traditional period houses, this is clearly contemporary in style. It gives a nod to history in scale and the brick facade. Yet it moves forward without superfluous detail. Continue reading →

A new housing development two hours outside of Mexico City purely benefits from the richness of the past and the luxuries of the present. In a historic and protected area of Valle de Bravo, nine townhouses provide a calming respite from the hectic nature of the bustling capital city. Hierve-Diseneria designed the complex with a deft hand that implements the spatial and material restrictions of the site with great finesse. Continue reading →

A contemporary home plays nicely with its 1950s neighbors in Montreal. Architect Jean Verville designed a 320 sq.m. family house that rests like a sculpture on a manicured lawn. Entirely sheathed in horizontal white wood, its bold geometry is quietly artistic. Continue reading →

Staggering two simple rectangular forms creates a surprising dynamic. In the M House, architect Marcel Luchian embellished pure forms with light and shadow by cleverly offsetting the top level from the ground floor volume. Both floors are built from solid sturdy concrete panels and enlightened by large glass expanses. Continue reading →