Magnificent Naturally-Cooled Residence

Terry & Terry Architecture
San Francisco Bay, USA

Terry & Terry Architecture rebuilt an existing home damaged in a 1991 Oakland fire as a beautiful residence offering staggering views of San Francisco Bay. The architects designed Skyline House for a young family who wanted an open-plan home with ample ventilation to provide natural cooling.

The house sits on a property dominated by large redwood trees, which inspired the use of timber cladding and other natural materials. The designers started off by working with the existing floor plan. They transformed the kitchen area to open out and lead to the front yard garden with an outdoor dining area.

The home is situated to take advantage of the bay breezes and the interior roofline flows to both convey the breezes through the home and to recreate the appearance of undulating fog.

A wooden tube-like envelope hugs the open common space and visually connects the garden to the front viewing deck at the rear. This form takes advantage of the winds to facilitate natural ventilation, with the main living space acting as a connection between two contrasting outdoor spaces.

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Mediterranean Beach House with Stainless Windows

By BLANKPAGE Architects, Aamchit, Lebanon

Conceived as a layering of decks, the beach house seeks to maximize its relationship with the sea through a visual and compositional celebration of horizontality in general and the mediterranean horizon in particular.

The slabs are held by a minimal steel structure made of equally sized square columns on a regular module, as well as a discreet glass enclosure with and wooden louvers in varying horizontal and vertical rhythms allowing for a relative level of privacy and shade.

Given the inclined nature of the site, the house is approached by car on the street level just below the upper deck. At the external landing entrance, the circulation interconnects the three levels of the house. The upper platform contains the master bedroom that opens up on an elongated lap pool and expansive sun deck.

The middle platform houses two bedrooms and a family living. Finally, the lower deck serves as a reception area that extends outdoors towards the sea through an infinity pool as well as a staircase to the shore.

In addition to the inner circulation core, a smooth promenade formed by a system of external ramps and staircases connects the platforms, linking the various levels of the rocky landscape that stretches between the street all the way to the sea.

The rhythms of the steel structure, wooden decking and louver systems create a multiplicity of overlapping patterns of shadows that vary in direction and length all through that vary in direction and length all through the day rendering the simple structure at once complex and alive.

At the particular moment of the sunset, the house, oriented almost due west at the elevation that faces the sea, acts as photographic diaphragm that invites the rays of the setting sun into the depths of the house, dashing the prototypical spaces in a horizontal glow of deep red.

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Natural Material, Large Windows, Wood

Open Tropical Home
HYLA Architects, Singapore

Located in the Greenbank Park neighborhood of the small city-state of Singapore, this tropical home is a truly serene space that celebrates its natural surroundings along with stunning design.

The house was concepted and built by the team at HYLA Architects. It is marked by a number of unique elements, particularly the central courtyard and the use of beautiful, natural materials particularly wood paneling and slats throughout the house.

One of the most notable features in this modern home is the interior courtyard.  It’s two story height allows it to be enjoyed from almost any space in the home. The architect points out that in addition to the natural light infusion, it “acts as a buffer against noise from a major road a distance away.” Of course, it is also just plainly beautiful with its frangipani tree and small pond.

In any tropical environs it can be a challenge to create a space that allows for plenty of airflow, celebrating the natural surroundings while still maintaining a comfortable temperature for inhabitants.  To address this, in addition to the open central courtyard, there is plenty of open air space in the home, including an outdoor bath.

Large windows slide open and the living room opens out onto a covered veranda.

On the second level, bedrooms, a private screening area, and even a home office maintain the clean lines and simple designs of the rest of the home. The space is gorgeous as well as restful, the perfect tropical retreat.

 Natural material, large windows, wood: www.mestreraposa.com

Minimal Impact on the Surrounding Environment

Casa Itzimná in Mexico
Reyes Ríos + Larraín Arquitectos, Mexico


Located on the mexican peninsula of yucatan, this single storey structure uses a hybrid construction system to ensure a lightweight dwelling that has a minimal impact on the surrounding environment.

Casa Itzimná, designed by local practice reyes ríos + larraín arquitectos, combines the use of steel elements with cellular concrete, ensuring the creation of a sustainable and hospitable abode.

The home’s layout is articulated around an elongated kitchen-diner flanked with floor-to-ceiling glazing. A sheltered external terrace surrounds the property’s primary living accommodation, culminating in a sheltered patio, which encourages communal outdoor living.

An additional area of the home acts as a service area, while a garage provides enough space for three parked vehicles.

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Sustainability Requires Long Term Vision

VILLA 4.0
Dick Van Gameren Architecten, Hilversum, Netherlands

Sustainability requires long term vision, not short term solutions, a concept mastered by Dick Van Gameren Architecten.

Their 4.0 House completely reinvents an existing residence while reusing as many components of the original structure as possible.

By rethinking the space and improving building performance, the house works with its surroundings, not against them.

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Vibrant, Modern and Highly Functional

Casa Mirante by FGMF Architects, São Paulo, Brazil

Hidden within a condominium complex in Aldeia da Serra, close to São Paulo, Casa Mirante is designed for a young couple with small children.

On approaching the property from the exterior, the house appears discreet and understated at first glance, but immediately on entrance, Mirante’s bright and spacious interior unfolds. Greatly inspired by South American modernism, the architects opted to utilise a patinated steel for the majority of the home’s structure, supporting it with the strategic placement of concrete slabs and stainless steel framed glass.

The Mirante’s interior program was devised in two parts. First was the ground floor and the home’s entry point, and a slightly higher level which houses the property’s kitchen, laundry area, bathroom, living rooms, pool area and its accompanying balcony. The second section is subterranean, inserted into the sloping landscape of the site and containing a home theatre, wine cellar, guest room and an office accompanied by a balcony.

After entering the main living space via one of the home’s many runways, the large lounge greets guests. A series of small walkways connect the rest of the property and out onto the stunning infinity pool and balcony, which offers far-reaching vistas over the neighbouring lake and the surrounding picturesque landscape.

FGMF focused on implementing sustainable solutions throughout their design. Irrigation systems collect rainwater for reuse within the surrounding garden, the roof’s solar heating panels provide the home with energy and steel was chosen for the outlying structure, due to its low environmental impact.

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More Light and Better Views

A Mountain Chalet in the French Alps
by Chevallier Architectes, France

Chamonix-based practice Chevallier Architectes has completed the renovation and extension of a self-built mountain guide’s house in the French Alps.

After the residence was acquired by new owners, the dwelling was required to provide its occupants with more light and better views. Surrounded by natural rock faces, "Chalet Solelyâ" appears as a fortress, nestled into the rugged terrain.

The site’s new addition is an open-plan living room consistent with the scale of the entire building. The space, a volume made of glass and polished black aluminum, deliberately contrasts with the original timber construction. This visual juxtaposition is continued programmatically, with the existing structure housing private spaces and bedrooms, and the new wing containing communal areas designed for socializing.

From an environmental perspective, significant work went into optimizing the use of solar energy. South facing façades oriented towards the sun have been opened up, while the building has no north-facing openings. The existing structure was insulated and renovated with high-performance solutions. The project is is the first home in the region with a green roof deck.

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