* Residential Architecture: Kirchplatz Office & Residence by Oppenheim and Huesler Architekten

Residential Architecture: Kirchplatz Office & Residence by Oppenheim and Huesler Architekten: “..Florida-based firm Oppenheim Architecture + Design and Swiss studio Huesler Architekten have created offices for themselves in an eighteenth century building in northern Switzerland and constructed a new house in the garden behind..Located just outside Basel in Muttenz, the renovated building provides Oppenheim with a European studio and also contains a meeting room for the use of the local community..New windows bring extra daylight into the white-washed offices on the upper storeys, which connect to the ground floor with a metal-framed spiral staircase..The new timber-clad house is screened behind the existing building and has two storeys above ground as well as one below..One side of the house is recessed at the back, creating a terrace that is framed by exposed structural columns..Living rooms occupy the ground floor, while bedrooms are located on the floors above and below..”  Extensive glazing and interesting fenestration, natural light; multiple terraces, interesting materiality and interior volumes, wood detailing; weathered wood cladding..(16-image interior and exterior slideshow)..

image: Børje Müller; article: Dezeen

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* Residential Architecture: Garay Residence by Swatt – Miers Architects

Residential Architecture: Garay Residence by Swatt – Miers Architects: “..Swatt | Miers Architects designed a remodel and extension for this house in Tiburon, California..The owners had lived in Tiburon, California for many years, dreaming of one day transforming their low, one story home into a setting befitting their spectacular site perched above San Francisco Bay. Their dreams began to be realized in 2005 with the design of a 2000 square foot addition, coupled with a complete renovation of the existing 3,200 square foot house..The site is a half-acre south-facing hillside parcel, with unobstructed views of San Francisco Bay to the south, east and west. Responding to the physical conditions of the site, the new house is almost entirely opaque on the north side where a new entrance motor court is defined by a rhythm of five ‘free-standing’ stone-clad walls. Slivers of glass separate the stone panels, creating a strong rhythm while giving little hint of the extraordinary spaces and views on the other side..The progression of space begins with a low, compressed entry, leading to a circulation spine. Bathed in light from clerestory windows and skylights, the spine overlooks a new living, dining and kitchen ‘pavilion’, and new south-facing terraces, with world-class views of San Francisco Bay beyond. Frameless glazing, pocketing glass doors, and dramatic cantilevered roof extentions seamlessly connect interior space to exterior space, blurring the boundary between the two..”  Lovely site and views, expansive glazing, abundant natural light; indoor / outdoor sensibility..

image: Russell Abraham; article: Contemporist

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* Residential Architecture: Residence O by Andrea Tognon

Residential Architecture: Residence O by Andrea Tognon: “..Italian studio Andrea Tognon have refurbished a building with an L-shaped floor plan in Teolo, Italy, by adding the missing corner..The new extension of the two-storey building incorporates a glazed section spanning from the ground to the roof..Called Residence O, the project also involved replacing the existing overhanging roof with one that sits flush with the edges of exterior walls and a complete redesign of the interior..”  Significant glazing, natural light; lightwells; interesting materiality: stone, concrete, glass, wood; solar energy..

image + article: Dezeen

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* Architecture: Auditorium in the Church of Saint Francis’ Convent by David Closes

Architecture: Auditorium in the Church of Saint Francis’ Convent by David Closes: “..Jagged glazed stairwells climb the stone walls of this eighteenth century church in Catalonia that architect David Closes has converted into an auditorium..The church is all that remains of a Franciscan convent that spent over 150 years in ruin in the town of Santpedor..The external staircases wind up from the entrance through the walls of the building, overlooking the auditorium in the former nave..Two mezzanine floors are located in the wings of the church and will later become a historical archive..”  Sharp contemporary additions to an 18th century former convent; steel, glass, stone, concrete..

image: Jordi Surroca; article: Dezeen

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