Architecture Archives - Page 3 of 13

White Pine, Swiss Mountain Style: Modern Cliffside Home with a View

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

pine cabin 1

White pine goes modern for a simple cliffside residence in the mountains of Weinfelden, Switzerland by the firm K_M_architektur. Situated on a sloped plot overlooking the town, with distant views of the Austrian Alps, the house consists of several stacked pine-clad boxes in an arrangement that almost seems to cascade down the hillside, creating a series of rooftop terraces. Facing south to open it to the stunning scenery, the home features lots of glass and indoor/outdoor space, with a private suite on the upper floor.

pine cabin 2 pine cabin 7 pine cabin 6

The architects chose white pine for its minimalist appeal, set off by black and white furniture and interior wall finishes. Not only is it used for the exterior cladding, it’s carried into the home as the primary floor and ceiling material. The strong horizontal lines of the beams carry through from the terraces to the enclosed common spaces, making them feel like one big space. Sliding glass doors enhance the effect.

pine cabin 3 pine cabin 5 pine cabin 9 pine cabin 4

Unusual for an alpine home, the stacked box design offsets each level to maximize space and take in as much sunlight as possible for natural heating. The white pine finish outside the house will be allowed to weather with time, fading to a silvery grey that mimics the shade of the mist-enshrouded mountain peaks.

Open House: Complex Structure Made of Nothing But Wood

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

timber house lausanne 1

Architecture students in Switzerland are getting a hands-on education not only in spatial possibilities when structures are freed from the limitations of conventionality, but also the use of wood as a primary building material. An international group of students at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) known as the ‘ALICE Laboratory’ has erected an architectural installation that’s basically a free-for-all in terms of its interior layouts, allowing participants’ imaginations to run wild. They call the result, House 1, “an unfolding evolution of a space that invokes questions, contains possibilities, and is open for interpretation, rather than a singular homogenous architecture.”

timber house lausanne 2

The aim was to create an open-air, pavilion-style structure containing a ‘genetic code’ for future developments, filled with examples of construction layouts and styles that can be repeated or expanded upon as needed. This modern interpretation of balloon-frame timber construction uses long vertical 2”x4”s for the exterior walls, with the long studs extending uninterrupted from the foundation to the roof, which is left unfinished in this case. Balloon framing was popular through the 20th century, until it was overtaken by platform-framing as the building method of choice. Assembling a balloon frame is described as being similar to weaving a basket, with pieces put up one at a time, but in an efficient sequence that reduces labor and equipment needs.

timber house lausanne 3 timber house lausanne 4

That sequence is what we see here, drawn out to almost cartoonish proportions, with one piece of wood after another added on in regular sequences that are broken up by fun and unexpected additions like a hole in the second floor filled with netting to create an oversized hammock, built-in shelves and framing for vertical gardens. The idea is that this sequence can be recreated quickly to create houses or simply temporary open-air pavilions for special events.

timber house lausanne 5 timber house lausanne 6

It’s cool to see modern architecture students doing innovative things not only with wood, but old-fashioned timber construction methods.

Weirdest Wooden Skyscraper? Design for London Features Numerical Facade

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

The wooden skyscraper trend is really taking off in 2016, with dozens of projects in various stages of planning, and many more concepts and proposals released by designers on a near-weekly basis. But none have been quite as creative and decorative as this one from Anders Berenson Architects, envisioned for Stockholm, Sweden. The Trätoppen Tower will be built almost entirely from cross-laminated timber (CLT) and features a numerical facade identifying each of its 40 stories in bold fashion for an effect that’s as ornate as any decorative screen.

Set to be the tallest building in the city center, the tower is named after the Swedish word for ‘treetop,’ and will perch atop an existing parking garage by architect Hans Asplund. Two levels of the extension will be open to the public as terraces, and the rest will serve as private residences. The seven-story car park will be renovated to contain shopping areas, restaurants and cafes.

While it’s beautiful, the wooden screen doesn’t just serve a decorative purpose. It’s designed to reduce solar gain, helping to keep the interior cool and comfortable.

“If we want to reduce the amount of cars in the city center of Stockholm and at the same time make space for more housing without building on green areas, then replacing car parks with housing, shops and restaurants feels obvious,” say the architects.

Eagle Pond House: A Modern Green Cabin Lined with Eastern White Pine

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

Two architectural designers have modernized the classic rural New Hampshire home, building their own residence from wood cut down on their own property and locally sourced Eastern White Pine. Working on a tight budget with sustainability and a chic industrial-rustic hybrid aesthetic as their goal, the couple built nearly everything from hand, including the kitchen cabinetry, and achieved Energy Star certification.

The interior of the home is lined with Eastern White Pine finished with Monocoat white oil, from the wide-open living room with its wood stove focal point to the spa-like bathroom with all of its built-in storage. They call the kitchen ceiling an experiment, but the way the slats screen the lighting creates an unusual effect that highlights the beauty of the wood, creating dynamic lines that stretch across the space.

Large sliding Eastern White Pine doors with hanging storage on their backs enclose lots of shelving in the master bedroom closet. Among the most visually interesting features is the slats that screen off the stairs in the living room, but don’t completely enclose them, helping the space feel larger and providing a place to hang a television.

Eco-friendly features include a rooftop solar array, heat recovery ventilation system and a heat-pump hot water system. The couple has documented the entire building process on their blog, and note that “Every new home should be seeking Energy Star Certification. As long as your not cutting corners, meeting the requirements is easy and the amount of documentation needed is minimal as compared to other certifications such as LEED. And compared to other certification programs, Energy Star pays you and not the other way around.”

Images via Eagle Pond House and Dwell.

World’s Tallest Wooden Building Set for Construction in Norway

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

Stretching a full 173 feet into the sky, a 14-story tower made primarily of wood is set to be built in Norway, making it the world’s tallest. With so many wooden superstructures on the docket, the title is constantly up for grabs, and this sustainable housing project in Bergen may not hold onto it for long. But it’s a testament to just how popular wooden towers are getting as governments around the world relax their building restrictions, paving the way for a whole new world of wooden architecture.

Ole Kleppe and Rune Abrahamsen didn’t intend to create the world’s tallest building when planning their cost-efficient, modular high-rise, which is primarily prefabricated. But after their project was approved, a competing bridge close by meant additional height was needed. Norway previously only allowed buildings nine stories tall, so the team had to simultaneously push for new laws and innovate a safe, strong structure.

It’s fitting that this kind of record-setting innovation using wood should occur in Norway, where wooden buildings up to 800 years old are still standing. The architects took their inspiration from Norwegian timber bridges, basically flipping the truss structure vertically.

“We have a lot of experience building large timber bridges in Norway,” says Pbrahamsen. “We were confident that with this tech we could build tall.”

The project, called Treet, is currently under construction. It could be surpassed before long as the University of British Columbia is planning an 18-story student housing project made of wood, scheduled to be completed in 2017. Read more about the tech and building processes involved at the Journal of Commerce.

Amazing Wood Creations: Japanese Chapel Lined with Hand-Carved Lattice Panels

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Jeff Easterling

Beautifully intricate hand-carved wood tends to be utilized sparingly, in details like fireplace surrounds, railings, room screens and other decorative touches, but when it takes the main stage, it really shines. One stunning example can be found at the Ana Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan by Nikken Space Design, a space integrating Japanese wedding traditions with an emphasis on nature.

The artists translated designs often seen on kimonos into a pattern for an arching lattice structure creating a canopy roof over the chapel, enhancing its feeling of sacredness and serenity. Measuring twenty feet high and 62 feet long, the interior ceiling is comprised of 100 large hand-carved wooden panels featuring true emotions.

The panels represent a single tree arching over the guests as they sit at the pews in the chapel, with roots running to meet the floor, trunks stretching up the sides and individual branches sprouting leaves and flowers overhead. The wood was left unpainted to celebrate its natural beauty.