* Residential Architecture: Santpoort Rail House by Zecc Architects

Residential Architecture: Santpoort Rail House by Zecc Architects: “..Zecc Architects have designed the remodel and expansion of a historic railway cottage in Santpoort-Noord, The Netherlands..”  Impressive renovation and extension to an existing home; extensive glass, abundant natural light; materials sensibility: wood, brick, Corten Steel; exposed timber beams and rafters; stylish interior decoration..

image: Cornbread Works; article: Contemporist

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* Residential Architecture: Hoxton House by David Mikhail Architects

Residential Architecture: Hoxton House by David Mikhail Architects: “..David Mikhail Architects won the New London Architecture‘s Don’t Move, Improve! competition with this project extending a London terraced house by just one metre..Called Hoxton House, the project involved reconfiguring the interior and connecting it to the small courtyard garden through the addition of a glazed facade with timber frame..Part of the living room floor was removed at the rear of the house to create a double-height kitchen and dining area in the basement..”  Abundant glazing, natural light; minimal extension and renovation with maximal impact..

image + article: Dezeen

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* Residential Architecture: Scale House by Johnston Marklee & Associates

Residential Architecture: Scale House by Johnston Marklee & Associates: “..2-4-6-8 HOUSE: HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The modestly scaled 2-4-6-8 House characterizes the type of early commissions that launched a generation of Los Angeles architects. With four incrementally scaled windows from which the structure acquired its name, 2-4-6-8 confronts architectural issues prevalent in the 1970s and 80s, from typology and materiality to kit-of-parts building methods and the use of solar power..MASSING: INSIDE OUT: The massing concept of the Scale House originated from a Morphosis drawing that multiplied 2-4-6-8 as identical quadruplets. Repeating and transforming the original volume of 2-4-6-8, a ‘condensed mass’ for the master bedroom mirrors the Morphosis pavilion across ‘excavated void’ of the courtyard. The original element and these two serialized variations are anchored to a rectangular base that contains the main living areas and joins the new and existing structures. By redistributing the outdoor spaces typically devoted to driveways, front and side yards to the internal courtyard, the overall design turns the typical single-family house inside out..COLOR: BRIGHT PINK, TURQUOISE, AND YELLOW-ORANGE: The platonic geometry and primary colors of 2-4-6-8 are further transformed and spatialized in the new design. Private rooms in bright pink, turquoise, and yellow-orange are conceived as shaped volumes – serial deviations from the red, blue, and yellow of the studio windows. The white walls of the main living spaces reflect these vibrant colors. The exterior contrasts this vivid palette with the most neutral color available – that of the photographic grey card – to simultaneously contrast and amplify the interior volumes. While light and color dynamically animate the shaped private spaces, shared living spaces are continuous and transparent to the exterior.. PLANNING AND APERTURES: OUTSIDE IN: 2′x2′, 4′x4′, 6′x6′, and 8′x8′ apertures in the new house, sized to match those of 2-4-6-8, contrast the inward orientation and compositional stability of the existing structure. Shifted to the volume edges to accommodate circulation and services, these openings reinforce the outward orientation and rotational quality of the new intervention. Within, centralized space is replaced by poché niches at the periphery. A wall of sliding glass doors renders the shared living space continuous with the glass box of the interior courtyard, and the glazed lower-level street façade visually links both spaces with the pedestrian street beyond. Taken together, the courtyard and apertures comprise an ideal passive cooling configuration: the courtyard draws fresh air into the base of the house, while the upper windows, puncturing each face of the new volume, expel warm air and promote cross ventilation. Radiant floors provide efficient winter heating.. CONTEXT: WALK-STREET BUNGALOWS: Situated on a pedestrian street with vehicular access limited to the rear alley, the design responds to the evolving nature of the Venice walk-streets. With land values in the area far exceeding the value of the original structures, many of these turn-of-the-century bungalows are nearing the end of their life spans. The Scale House offers a unique, well-scaled alternative appropriate to the neighborhood and the climate..”  Interesting renovation and extensions to an existing home; interesting form, exterior colour accents and eye-popping interior colour scheme..

See our post on another home by Johnston Marklee & Associates: Residential Architecture: View House by Johnston MarkLee & Diego Arraigada Arquitecto.

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image: Eric Staudenmaier; article: Saieh , Nico . “Sale house / Johnston Marklee & Associates” 12 Nov 2008. ArchDaily. <http://www.archdaily.com/8503&gt;

* Residential Architecture: Castlecrag Residence by CplusC Architectural Workshop

Residential Architecture: Castlecrag Residence by CplusC Architectural Workshop: “..Australian studio CplusC Architectural Workshop has extended a house in a Sydney, Australia, suburb so that it looks like a doll’s house with the back wall taken off..A new black-stained timber canopy creates a roof and side walls around rooms and terraces on the ground and first floor, while glass walls slide open to connect the living room and kitchen to the garden..The discarded timber beams of the house’s original roof have been reused to construct the new family dining table, which overlooks an outdoor swimming pool..Reclaimed brick walls are exposed in the kitchen, where a cluster of pendant lights are suspended over a central breakfast counter..Bedrooms occupy the first floor and are shaded by the overhanging roof..”  Interesting interior volumes, materiality and details; extensive glazing, natural light; indoor / outdoor sensibility..

image: Murray Fredericks; article: Dezeen

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