Let us dive into the history of architecture and seek inspiration in somewhat older architectural layers. I invite you for a short journey to the glorious times of the American Modernism, namely the Mid-Century Modernism.

You can find many grand design examples and famous names that represent this style. In an earlier article I wrote here about John Lautner and his beautiful Sheats Goldstein Residence. This time our Architectural Classics Column is dedicated to A. Quincy Jones and the Crestwood Hills Project. Continue reading →

This modern triangle structure with its striped roof is a coffee house in Niihama, Japan. Being relatively small (at least it looks very well-knit), this building is able to host up to 80 people.

Basically, the structure is shaped out of a one-pitch-roof surface, which lifts up directly from the paving level. Amazing, how smartly did the architects utilized this primary shape and put all the necessary rooms into it, so that it became not only functional but also exciting and stylish. Continue reading →

A south-American breeze of wisdom and elegance, Casa Larrain kind of reminds me the early years of primary school, when children used to draw a simple roof and wall to represent a house – So simple and yet so powerful… Placed near the Pacific Ocean in Bahia Azul, Chile, there’s a summer house that confronts all the usual solutions of shape, program and construction! Continue reading →

I always look at architecture as an artificial extension of the human body… Houses are built to shelter, to protect… So, as a physical and concrete body for life, aging become an inevitable process in architecture.

Copper has the noble capacity of aging in a seductive and tender away. Ecker Abu Zahra Honighaus in Luftenberg, Austria, fully reflects this creative choice! The house is located in a large plot of green land, a parallelepiped volume clad in copper and glass. The window openings are deliberately positioned and designed, almost revealing a cut style very similar to Tim Berton’s Edward Scissorhands! 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 →

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 →

You have a house, a garden facing North, and 2.5 kids whose one and only vital desire seems to be playing outdoors? This next project in Melbourne, Australia, could give you an exciting idea of how to improve your living conditions, literally turning your plot’s North-South orientation upside down. Continue reading →

I have a question: Can a roof be extraordinary? The answer is YES, according to the wonderful Norwegian architects Jarmund /Vigsnaes – just look at this amazing holiday home in Thorpeness, England, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me. Continue reading →