* Residential Architecture: Holzkristal House by Hurst Song Architekten

Residential Architecture: Holzkristal House by Hurst Song Architekten: “..This holiday home by Swiss architects Hurst Song Architekten is partly embedded in the steep slopes of the Swiss Alps..Located in Lumbrein in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, the house is vertically clad in black-stained timber..The roof is made from copper and will eventually discolour to blend in with the dark timber..The gabled roof has been positioned perpendicular to the hill, as is customary for local buildings..A concrete frame has been inserted around the entrance at the lower corner of the house..The underground parking area also provides a separate internal entrance to the house..The interiors make use of concrete and spruce, with darker materials on the lower levels and lighter materials throughout the upper floors..The kitchen and living room have spruce walls and concrete floors, and are divided by a central concrete wall..The bedrooms are finished in spruce and some have beds that fold out from the walls..The project was commended in the Architectural Review House Awards 2012 prize this year..”

See our posts on some of the AR House 2012 Prize homes: Residential Architecture: House For All Seasons by John Lin; Residential Architecture: Inside Out by Takeshi Hosaka Architects; Residential Architecture: Whangapoua by Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects.

image + article: Dezeen

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* Residential Architecture: Private House by Gramazio & Kohler

Residential Architecture: Private House by Gramazio & Kohler: “..This dwelling, which reinterprets the typology of the surrounding gable-roof houses, gains its marked design by adapting form to context parametrically..The stipulations of two geometric operations were used to determine the groundplan shape of the house. One condition was to keep the neighbouring house’s view of the lake free; the other was to permit access and parking behind the house. Like a tent, an overhanging pitched roof covers the high rooms in the upper storey. The window strip, which runs along the edge of the roof, emphasises the horizontal structure. 315 vertical wooden slats, affixed to the surface of the wall, completely envelope the facades. By milling the edges, the cross sections of the slats were modulated in correspondence with the window strip so that requirements of sight and sun protection were fulfilled, and various, flowing levels of transparency could be set..”  Extensive glazing, interesting form, interior volumes and fenestration; vertical wood screen..

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image: © Roman Keller; article: ”Private House / Gramazio & Kohler” 12 Aug 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/260663&gt;