Optimizing Privacy and Contact with Nature

CASA GARCIAS BY WARM ARCHITECTS
Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Optimizing Privacy and Contact with Nature

Optimizing privacy and contact with nature is a central theme of the majority of current residential projects. A direct reaction to growing population and limited space, we are frequently seeking a haven of our own. The Casa Garcias by Warm Architects is one such project.

Located in Cancún, Mexico, the house is bordered on two sides by residential lots, one side by the road and on the remaining side by public green space. In creating a courtyard on the garden-facing side, the architects better integrated the house with the adjacent nature. The principle living areas were then oriented around the interior courtyard to optimize the views and privacy.

Concrete dominates the structure of the project in its various forms. From external stucco to polished concrete, varied shades and styles of the material were used throughout. Different tones were achieved by mixing regional additives. Even the stairs are made from concrete and seem suspended in space.

Since the clients had no children, the house was designed to be open and visually accessible. Double height atriums and mezzanines create interior views that keep the space bright and airy. Overall, the combination of materials, low density walls and the design strategy ensured an affordable house for the clients.

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A Modern Reinterpretation of a Traditional Portuguese Architecture

CASA NO PRÍNCIPE REAL BY CAMARIM ARQUITECTOS
Lisbon, Portugal

A Modern Reinterpretation of a Traditional Portuguese Architecture

Limited space is a ubiquitous challenge in urban settings. On the bright side, cramped conditions often lead to unexpected ingenuity. For the Casa no Príncipe Real in Lisbon, Portuguese architecture firm Camarim Arquitectos turned a tiny plot of only 41 square meters into a roomy, five-storey, single family home.

That architects circumvented the spatial confinements by assigning each floor a separate function and organizing the different spaces around a vertical atrium. Thanks to the openness of the atrium, natural light fills the space and air circulates easily, turning the atrium into a thermal chimney that encourages passive cooling in the warmer months. Angular stairways cut through the atrium and provide a continuous path from bottom to top.

The exterior of the home reinterprets the celebrated azulejo. A melange of flat tiles, bas-relief tiles and a perforated steel screen on the top floor recall the traditional blue ceramic decorations that define Lisbon.

The home is the first of its kind in Lisbon to made with a light steel construction system (LSF). The system was chosen for its superior thermal and acoustic properties and its adaptability to the small construction space.

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A Modern Extension with a Modular Courtyard

A Modern Extension with a Modular Courtyard
by CHRISTOPHER MEGOWAN DESIGN,
Melbourne, Australia

Located in Melbourne, Australia, the Convertible Courtyards House was conceived to perfectly adapt to the area’s notoriously changeable weather. The house is part of a series of heritage protected cottages, rife with unrealized potential that Christopher Megowan Design was tasked with unveiling. The project saw the addition of a kitchen, living area, dining area, bathroom, master bedroom and more.

To ensure that the newly added living space received enough natural light, the architects also created a central courtyard between the modern extension and the original structure. This central courtyard has a retractable roof that entirely covers the space and allows for the regulation of sun and rain, providing a protected connection to the exterior.

To further blur the boundaries, large double doors were placed on either side of the living room. To complete the perfect picture, the house has a whole host of eco-friendly amenities, including solar panels, sustainable and locally sourced timber and intelligent rainwater collection.

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