* Residential Architecture: House at Punta Chilen by dRN Architects

Residential Architecture:  House at Punta Chilen by dRN Architects: “..A Corten steel roof folds over the upper storey and terrace of this house on the Chilean Island of Chiloé by dRN Architects..Wooden columns and glazed strips form the ground floor facade overlooking the water, with a more open structure enclosing the lounge and kitchen on the upper floor..”  Extensive glazing, natural light, sea and mountain views; interesting form, materiality, interior volumes; extraordinary site..

image: Felipe Camus of Chilean architecture database Barqo; article: Dezeen

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* Residential Architecture: Rio Bonito House by Carla Juacaba

Residential Architecture: Rio Bonito House by Carla Juacaba: “..carla juaçaba‘s design for a weekend home in mountainous eastern region of rio de janeiro, Brazil, uses the load bearing properties of meter-thick stone walls to suspend the roof and floor joists. four steel beams puncture walls so as to allow a sliver of glazing to wash the interior of the stone walls with diffused light. the visual weight of the rustic stone counters the lightness of the horizontal planes, creating an effect that mirrors the nearby river where diaphanous space confronts stalwart earth. the home explores the architectonics of encounter; water and fire, weight and lightness, archaic and industrial, and solid versus void.  the brazilian architect was awarded the 2013 ‘arcVision prize for women in architecture’ for her ‘pavilion humanidade 2012′. Extensive glazing, natural light; interesting fenestration and  juxtaposition of materiality and immateriality; numerous photos in original article..

image: © nelson kon; courtesy of carla juaçaba; article: Designboom

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* Residential Architecture: House of Joyce & Jeroen by Personal Architecture

Residential Architecture: House of Joyce & Jeroen by Personal Architecture: “..The dilapidated state has necessitated a thorough reinforcement of the foundation and load-bearing structure of the entire house, opening up extraordinary possibilities in an otherwise commonplace apartment renovation..The combination of ambitious design visions and a large measure of trust from the client have resulted in a rigorous and uncompromising redesign, in which voids and split levels accentuate the full height of Den Haag, The Netherlands, typical row houses..The potential of the brick structure, the details such as glass-in-lead frames, and the characteristic “en-suite” room divisions were the deciding factors in purchasing the house, according to the clients. The tension between antique features and modern techniques is very evident in the redesign plan. The classical street façade is restored to its former glory, from ground to third floor..Behind the doors of the “en-suite“ element, a complete change is taking place. The rear façade is removed and clad with glass to a full height of 11 meters. The floor levels are detached from the façade, creating a void that spans three levels and generating an optimal source of daylight..In the back of the house, the load-bearing wall between the corridor and the living room  is replaced with a steel construction. Four new floors with a net height of 2,4 meters protrude from this construction. These floors remain openly linked to the existing floor levels. The interplay of voids, the split-levels and the glass façade, all create a spectacular drama between interior and exterior on the one hand, and between the existing and new floors on the other..The intervention in the back of the house can be interpreted as a three-dimensional, L-shaped element of five storeys, accessed by a new steel spiral staircase. The staircase brings a new dynamic between the different parts of the house and makes a separation between owners and guests possible. Vertically, the L-shaped element ends in a roof-terrace with jacuzzi and outer kitchen that lies far above the balconies of the lower floors..This rigorous redesign project has reorganized the total accessible surface of the house towards an excess of floor space, generating more rooms and more daylight. To the owner, the residence promises an extraordinary living experience. To passers-by, it cannot be distinguished from any other house on the van Merlenstraat..”  Outstanding redesign and renovation; extensive glazing, natural light; indoor / outdoor and contextual sensibility; interesting interior volumes, interplay and details..

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image: © René de Wit; article: ”House of Joyce & Jeroen / Personal Architecture” 26 Mar 2013. ArchDaily

* Residential Architecture: Hawthbush Extension by Mole Architects

Residential Architecture:  Hawthbush Extension by Mole Architects: “..UK firm Mole Architects extended a protected farmhouse in south-east England by adding an extension with a barrel-vaulted roof that references local agricultural buildings..Located in the High Weald area of the Sussex Downs, the Hawthbush extension replaced several earlier additions constructed in the 1970s..The new structure was placed at an angle to the existing house and visually separated from it by a glass link to replicate the layout of traditional local farmsteads, according to recent research carried out using historical maps of the area..Associating the design with this research allowed them to gain planning permission where previous proposals had failed. This apparent separation also helps to reduce the scale of the additional volume, giving prominence to the original house..When briefing Mole Architects, one of their clients presented the designers with a pot instead of a room schedule, underlining their wish to gain “a beautifully finished object carefully made from ‘natural’ materials”..A coated steel roof arches over courses of bricks reclaimed from a nearby farmhouse, reinterpreting the barrelled structural language of local agricultural buildings..The concave ceiling that results from the unusually shaped roof is emphasised by internal horizontal cladding, directing attention towards a semi-circular window at the end of the master bedroom on the first floor..Whilst the bedroom’s picture window frames the sunrise, the kitchen on the ground floor benefits from the skewed angle of the extension, which orientates the kitchen on the ground floor towards the south so it’s flooded with sunlight during the day. The kitchen can be opened up to the garden with timber-framed glass doors that concertina out onto the patio..This ongoing project also includes spatial reorganisation of the interior of the old farmhouse as well as a sustainable development strategy that affects a broader collection of buildings in the farmyard..Hawthbush farmhouse extension was shortlisted for AJ Small Projects award 2013, which was won by Laura Dewe Mathews for her Gingerbread House. The Forest Pond House folly by TDO was also nominated for this award..Other projects by Mole Architects include a refurbishment of a 1960s bungalow in Cambridgeshire and a house set within the Suffolk dunes designed in collabouration with Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects..”

See our post on another home by Mole Architects: Residential Architecture: The Lanes by Mole Architects.

image: copyright David Butler; article: Dezeen

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