In the middle of the wild landscape of Licancheu, Chile there’s a surprising inhabitable cube specially designed for pure delight and amusement. Guest House is a two-story building with an astonishingly tiny floor area of 26sqm. The reason for its existence stands undoubtedly in the project name: a small cabin for visitors. Continue reading →

Imagine a house capable of being erected in any part of the world. Home Box is the answer for such an incredible task. To turn it even more perfect, this tiny building can also serve as temporary housing or even hotel programs. What’s the secret behind the apparent universality of Home Box? A simple key element: by respecting the internationally standardized freight container, this small building can be transported around the world and assembled with standard lifting and transport systems for containers. Continue reading →

Structural solutions always play a decisive role when it comes to defining a space in architecture. Both aesthetic and functional values of any kind of building are deeply connected to such a challenging task…In Chiba, Japan House H proves how powerful a structural design can be when presenting an enigmatic character: Y-shaped wooden columns sustain rooms and lofts at diverse levels in a two-story volume with 64sqm of built area. The internal atmosphere of this tiny family house irradiates an unlimited sense of serenity provided by the relation established between structure, program and inhabitants. Continue reading →

A discrete silhouette placed on an infinite rural horizon… That’s House on Limekiln Line. The special ingredient for this artificial chameleon relies on its dialogue with the local culture and landscape, engaging a rich relation with the larger ecological and environmental processes of the enormous agricultural landscape in which the house sits. Continue reading →

When architecture follows nature’s example in a successful way the outcome is always surprisingly efficient and discrete. A perfect example of such delicate operation stands erected in Matsumoto, Japan. It’s called MYZ Nest and the name clearly reveals what kind of Nature’s source is behind this small, unique project. A mysterious bright building contrast with the green rice fields that surround it: a single plan conceals the whole domestic program distributed in a total floor area of 97sqm. In order to take advantage from the natural topography, the house is partially sunken into the ground with excavated soil built up around one facade for a better insulation, similar to a rabbit’s warren. Continue reading →

An enigmatic architecture is always full of mystery and complexity… In this particular case, nothing is what is seems: a composition of three volumes – similar to the traditional pitched roof house – rests above a single inhabitable platform, giving body to a house for a family with two children. Continue reading →

The following project deserves a brief introduction, merely because its conceptual design is quite similar to solving a puzzle. A puzzle tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution.

In Tokyo, Japan there are several urban restrictions that can put to the test both client and architect capacities: high land prices and laws that regulate construction on small sites. Ogikubo House is a three-story building, with a small floor area of 117sqm, that responds to such a daring challenge in the most enigmatic way. Continue reading →

Sometimes architects are inspired by genetics and biological mechanisms when it comes to creating buildings as livable organisms. House y2 follows a curious concept: a twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be identical or fraternal. Let’s explore this magnificent metaphor behind a singular house located in Linz, Austria. Continue reading →

This amazing structure looks more like a imaginary sculpture, than a building. It’s situated in Newfoundland’ Shoal Bay, serving as one of the six artist studios designed for the Fogo Island Arts Corporation. The 50 sq. meter, twisted body of this tower is undoubtedly the most outstanding landmark of the region, as its silhouette beautifully dominates over the landscape, attracting attention to this art object. Continue reading →

The forms of Villa 3S have delighted me at once by the unity and scale of its design concept. The outer structure of this 1560 sq. ft. single family house in Graz, Austria is treated as a solid envelope, incorporating roof and walls. Located on a slope in an ideal open green meadow surrounded by woods, the house perfectly fits the environment, supplementing it and not dominating over it. Continue reading →