#11 Apple Campus 2 - Simon Ott

I am a believer in the that during the course of the last 2-3 thousand years humankind has explored the vast majority of building possibilities and designs and that we now know instinctively what feels good to live in on the whole.  A bulk of the "new and innovative" designs are more about ego and hubris than creating structures that people really want to live and work in.  That being said, I am always fascinated to see what people come up with for new buildings.  I guess that's what makes architecture interesting. 

I have to admit to being intrigued by the new Apple headquarters being built in Cupertino, CA.  At a revised estimated completion cost of nearly $5 Billion it had better be something special.  But I like the potential the design promises and how new technologies can work in harmony with nature in a sustainable manner.  I will keep an eye out for news of the project as it progresses. 

(5) Project Earthship - Trevor Morse

Project Earthship started in the early 2000s as a way to construct and learn how to build a self-efficient and sustainable home for the average citizen. Once The Market crashed in 2008 the demand for a home that was not only self-efficient but independent from the economy went sky high high thus giving the opportunity to start building Earthship homes in New Mexico on a two-acre plot of land where building codes were removed. The home itself is built from sustainable materials such as used soda cans and wine bottles giving the home a starting point with a negative carbon footprint. The rest of the home is designed to generate its own electricity, waste retention and even food.

(4) Audi + Housing - Trevor Morse

During the Summer of 2014, Audi commissioned the design of a sustainable home using their 2014 Audi TT model as inspiration. The designer, Konstantin Grcic took the automotive inspiration one step further by using the tailgate of the vehicle in the home design. while adding wood and steel platforms to complete the structure. Inside furniture is built directly into the home, maximizing space. The design project was commissioned by Audi to help connect the gap between automotive and housing.

(3) Casa Batilló - Trevor Morse

Built in 1906, Casa Batillo, remains as the most success finished work by the great Antoni Gaudi. The outer facade has a very distinct look, designed with plastared limestone with the roof using colored tiles and ceramics. The color and shape of the roof gives the structure its nickname, "The Dragon House," due to its iconic waves that are similar to a dragon sitting on the top. The design work from Gaudi carries into int interior with iconic color and shape of the rooms.

12 - Australian Bungalow with a Modern Addition - Hillary Kidd

  

    Looking at the traditional Victorian facade of Kylie Brammy and George Kyprianou’s home, you would never imagine it hid such a modern derrière. Brammy and Kyprianou bought the North Adelaide house in 1999 because they loved its charm and location on the city edge. They hardly touched the front of the house which consisted of sandstone and brick with galvanized iron ornamentation. Less desirable was its tiny kitchen, dark living spaces, and badly positioned restroom, just three feet from the dining table.

    

    

  The couple engaged with both an architect (Troppo Architects) and an interior designer to collaborate on a renovation and two-story extension, they managed to open up the interior and transform the back of the house into an airy and light-filled retreat. The shape of the roof eave on the back of the house is designed to allow winter sun into the house while cutting out the hot summer sun.

11 - Sharifi-ha House - Hillary Kidd

 The Sharifi-ha House is located in Tehran, Iran and was designed by Nextoffice - Alireza Taghaboni. This is a very unique home, which is why I chose to blog about it. It has a feature that very few buildings have been able to accomplish, which is moving volumes.

     Like many other urban plots in Tehran the land for this project had a very narrow façade compared to its depth. The architect’s expertise in transforming a two-dimensional façade to a three-dimensional one was very essential. Here, the openness /closure of the building’s volume is a reference to traditional Iranian houses, which would dynamically serve as seasonal modes of habitation by offering both a winter living room and a summer living room to their residents.

   The project consisted of four major parts; the fixed volume of the structure, the void, and the fixed volume and the mobile volume, correspondingly. When the turning boxes are closed, the building captures sunlight throughout the space of the central void.

     Due to the various configurations the turning boxes may take, the loading calculation has been estimated based on the largest possible loading value applied to the system. Additionally, controlling the probable vibrations to prevent structural deformation in the turning boxes was taken into account during the design of the house.

(12) Baronda House by Jared Zettl

The Boronda house was built in 1968 by Gunn Dyring Architecture and Urban Design Co. This house was built using local natural tree trunks and is environmentally friendly due to the fact that there are no public utilities at the location. The majority of the house is made of wood but the fire place which can be seen above is made from brick. I think this house is amazing, due to the age, materials used, and lack of utilities.

(11) Kettle Hole House by Jared Zettl

This house is located in New York designed by Murdock Young Architect. The composition is typical of contemporary houses, being concrete, wood, metal, and glass. The arrangement of these materials of the house and with the surrounding landscape, help to make it exist in a complementary relationship.  

(10) Spanish Colonial Castle House by Jared Zettl

This 7780 sq.ft. house was built in 1926 and is located above Lake Hollywood. Along with great views it also has gardens, courtyards, patios, verandas. Residents of this house can have the feel of any outdoor space. The house could use some modern amenities to make it more sustainable. For example, solar panels, storm water retention system, grey water system, wind turbine, thermal system, could all or some could be used for increased sustainability.  

(9) Fincube by Jared Zettl

This unusual structure is designed by Studio Aisslinger of Germany and was built in Italy. The Fincube was built with sustainability in mind as well as diversity. The photovoltaic cells provide enough energy to power the house independently and it is transportable. It was built with local larch as its supporting structure and the interior is an integration of larch and stone-pine. There is 47 sqm of living space, which makes it the size of a small apartment.

(8) Mountain Research by Jared Zettl

This residence was designed by Architect Shin Ohori and his firm General Design Co. This house is made from local pine with the intent that it would one day decompose with little to no environmental effect. The two yellow things are permanent tents, giving this house a comfortable, outdoor feel.

(7) Maxim Garden House by Jared Zettl

This house was built in Singapore by Formwerkz Architects. The environmentally friendly structure is very appealing with the terraces attached to the facade. The design correlates with natural elements to give the resident a feel of being part of nature. The plants shade the house while also providing a thermal barrier, which allows the house to be efficient while adding visual aesthetics and clean air.

(6) Mona Vale Headland Coastal House by Jared Zettl

This coastal house is located in Australia and was built by Choi Ropiha Fighera Architects. It was built as a sustainable house with amenities that one would expect to see. The first is a north facing skylight that allows light to enter into the house heating up the thermal structure in the winter. Next that can be seen are the photovoltaic solar panels to make this house more energy efficient. Lastly, the house has a rainwater storage system combined with grey water recycling in efforts in reduce water waste. The water is used for toilets, gardens, and even heated flooring. Sustainable housing is an efficient and environmentally friendly solution to conventional housing, unfortunately the construction cost is a little more, which diverts people away.

(5) Chilmark Guest House by Jared Zettl

The nature of this house is quite appealing, being placed in rural Massachusetts, this house incorporates nature in the indoor and outdoor living spaces. This house was built by Charles Rose Architects and the composition that they decided to use for the exterior is from concrete, stone, copper, cedar, and fir. The interior space is linked by an open room that connects the kitchen, living room, and dining room that are well complimented by the use of teak, mahogany, and cork material palette.

 

(4) The Solar FabLab by Jared Zettl

I find the innovative style and resourcefulness of this house very impressive.  The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia have designed this house, named the Solar FabLab. This house was created from a distributed intelligence, which lead to the nature of the design. The Solar FabLab house is designed to be an energy system that consist of geometric complexities to maximize solar tracking.The roof is concave and covered with solar panels, while the rest of the majority of the house is made from laser-cut plywood. The rounded shape maximizes interior volume while minimizing exterior surface area, also the house sits on three legs providing an outside comfort area located underneath.