Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Tower House has Powerful Verticals, Horizontals & Views

Posted: 02 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Sometimes a design concept gets in the way of good design, but at other times, a generative idea can carry through to create a space both remarkable and livable – this structure represents the latter case.

What started out as a traditional idea of a horizontal home was given a twist, demanded by the beautiful site. The result was turned on its side and lifted up, creating a core series of levels and an expansive upper floor.

The building in question is a second home in Upstate New York by GluckPlus for one its own – Thomas Gluck – who wanted to take in the surrounding mountain views from something both contemporary, but, at the same time, matched to its setting. The home has a minimal ground footprint and reflective windows that blend the structure into the landscape.

From the architects: “This small vacation house is designed as a stairway to the treetops. Keeping the footprint to a minimum so as not to disturb the wooded site, each of the first three floors has only one small bedroom and bath, each a tiny private suite. The top floor, which contains the living spaces, spreads out from the tower like the surrounding forest canopy, providing views of the lake and mountains in the distance. An outdoor roof terrace deck above extends the living space above the treetops, offering a stunning lookout to the long view.”

    

The Nest: Modern, Low Cost Home with Mesh Facade

Posted: 02 Jun 2013 10:00 AM PDT

A mesh facade disguises a home built on a tight budget, providing open indoor/outdoor spaces and support for climbing plants and vines. A21studio Architects built the facade around this modest home in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam to add curb appeal, give it a ‘green’ appearance and help it blend in with its neighbors.

Various types of mesh, louvers and corrugated steel in a geometric arrangement give the facade visual interest, and as the plants grow, they create an illusion that the home is located within a forested area rather than an urban environment.  The use of lightweight steel for the shell of the home itself cut construction times as well as costs. Many of the materials used for the home were reclaimed or second-hand, saving more money.

Just beyond the facade, an outdoor living room provides access to the enclosed living space on the upper floors, and leads out to a private open-air garden. Colorful ceramic tiles cover the floor surfaces and the outdoor kitchen. The staircase leading to the two first-floor bedrooms is made from a single sheet of folded metal.

The garden is planted with full-sized trees that stretch up toward a mesh roof. The trees can be seen from any room in the house. “In the other words, the trees are used as the building’s walls, and the house would provide a variety of links between trees and people,” say the architects.

    

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