* Residential Architecture: Stone House by Vo Trong Nghia Architects

Residential Architecture: Stone House by Vo Trong Nghia Architects: “..This torus-shaped stone house is located in a quiet residential quarter beside the way to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi, Vietnam. A rising green roof and walls composed of subdued color stones in dark blue create a landscape, which stands out in the new residential area..The rooms surround the oval courtyard, making a colony-like relationship with each other. Circulating flow runs around the courtyard and continues to the green roof, connecting all places in the house. This courtyard and green roof compose a sequential garden, which creates a rich relationship between inside and outside of the house. Residents discover the changes of the seasons and realize their wealthy life with the nature, thanks to this sequential garden..To create a wall with smooth curvature, cubic stones with 10cm thickness are carefully stacked. Consequently, the wall performs the play of light and shadow. Massive and meticulous texture of the wall generates a cave-like space, which recalls the image of a primitive house..”  Interesting form, details, interior volumes and materiality..

See our posts on three other projects by Vo Trong Nghia Architects:

• Residential Architecture: Gia Lai House by Vo Trong Nghia Architects
• Architecture: wNw Bar by Vo Trong Nghia
• Residential Architecture: Stacking Green by Vo Trong Nghia

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image: © Hiroyuki Oki; article: “Stone House / Vo Trong Nghia Architects” 04 Dec 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/301751&gt;

* Residential Architecture: Planter House by no.555

Residential Architecture: Planter House by no.555: “..The project NDA (PLANTER) is located on top of a steep slope in “Yamate Bluff”, Yokohama, Japan. This area offers panoramic views over the city and the Mount Fuji. In the vicinity there is a small but beautiful park that has many preserved houses and is popular among tourists..Since I believe that building design should respect and challenge the potential of an area and the direct environment, the NDA project is deeply connected to the “Yamate Bluff Load” characteristics..The “Yamate Bluff Load” is an area featuring many retaining walls. The texture and the facades’ overall appearance is inspired by this particularity..Reducing the standard size of the concrete panels affected the amount of mortar joints, thus creating a somehow more busy pattern. Another intention was to accentuate the “handmade feel” with a rich variety of concrete hues and a random layout of the concrete panels..Several plywood colors were used for the molds in order to “transfer” the diversity of the hues onto the concrete panels. This technique could be considered as a natural counterpart of the application of lye..In addition the project’s goal was to combine the conflicting client’s requests : offering large openings to enjoy the magnificent views, while having some privacy from neighbours. The building is a wrapped cube where the only necessary voids are cut off to allow light and air to flow inside.A sense of openness is given thanks to the big outdoor terraces. The building itself is almost like a planter. . .  The layout of the openings follows a vertical and horizontal imaginary grid. The cutouts of the facade welcome “plants gardens” on each floor..Time alters things, seasons weather stones. Architecture is a part of that natural process. Nevertheless I am convinced that architecture can survive for a long time and co-exist with the surrounding environment..”  Ample glazing, natural light, views; interesting facade treatment; multiple terraces..

See our posts on two other homes by no.555:

• Residential Architecture: House Wrapping Three Voids by no.555
• Residential Architecture: KKC by no.555

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image: Courtesy of no.555; article: “Planter House / no.555” 28 Nov 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/298770&gt;

* Residential Architecture: Sky Catcher House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto

Residential Architecture: Sky Catcher House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto: “..the ‘sky catcher house’ by japanese architect kazuhiko kishimoto of acca is immersed within atsugi, a typical residential suburb in the kanagawa prefecture of japan. encompassed by a collection of one and two storey structures, the dwelling’s square footprint and simple windowless elevations conceal any hint of the interior arrangement from onlookers. upon passing through the lattice door at the main entry, inhabitants are welcomed with an open courtyard bordered by living spaces enclosed with floor-to-ceiling glass windows..the wooden planks which wrapped the exterior facade are continued on the ground plane. trees emerge from the floor through circular voids to mark a path as well as create a garden setting..the placement of rooms aims to achieve a long and linear circulation around the court. the bedrooms and living rooms are adjacent to the veranda and are only accessible from the outdoors. traditionally, outdoor corridors are essential to maintain a connection with all four seasons, offering dwellers a pleasant change from the static internal environment. staying true to the name of the home, the height of the roof is kept to a minimum to maximize views to the sky from the interior..”  Extensive glazing, abundant light, privacy; interior courtyard; deck; vertical wood cladding..

See our posts on another home by Kazuhiko Kishimoto: Residential Architecture: Wind-dyed House by acaa and Residential Architecture: Wind-dyed House by Kazuhiko Kishimoto.

image: image © hiroshi ueda; article: Designboom

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* Residential Architecture: Machi-House by UID Architects

Residential Architecture: Machi-House by UID Architects: “..This is a reconstruction of a house in the centre of the city. The site has 5 meters for lateral directions, and 18 meters for longitudinal one. This is a north‐south site formed like machiya..The family is consisted of two children and their parents. The feature of this site is surrounded by buildings on east and west side, and faced on the south road; there is a 30 meters high car park building. Those shut out the sunlight..Since the site has many conditions, we thought that it would be comfortable space that we can feel basic elements such as sunlight and wind, and that we succeed to a form which nagaya have had..As regards to the plan, we put every rooms along with the inner garden that contains the element coathouse has.Thanks to the shape of the section like, every room that run from north to south can get homogeneous sunlight and wind.The element of the exterior of a building from inner garden make a room give space like exterior, and depth, so we can feel a vague condition..The house takes in building-wind possibly from first floor, and go by through the inner garden.Which the leaves are trembling in the breeze, visualize wind,sound and sunlight.That helps making a space as if we were in the forest despite in the city. Thanks to the hanging wall run from west to east and ceiling height, every rooms are connected as one room providing each territory, and frame construction, the house take in many elements of exterior from free section. As we renewed the garden of nagaya that built before,as we make people be aware of the sense of scale that nagaya has .We thought that will be only point that can connect past to present..”  Extensive glazing, light-wells, skylights; interior garden; interesting interior volumes and fenestration despite a rather difficult architect’s description..

See our posts on two other homes by UID Architects:

• Residential Architecture: Pit House by UID Architects
• Residential Architecture: Nest House by UID Architects

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image: © Hiroshi Ueda; article: Cifuentes , Fabian . “Machi-House / UID Architects” 29 Oct 2012. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/285165&gt;