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This Home Was Created To Wrap Around An Apple Tree
This place is stunning.Montreal-based studio ACDF Architecture created a low-slung contemporary home that was designed to wrap around an apple tree. Even cooler, residents of the house will get a glimpse of the tree from all rooms around the living space! It’s like a modern and stylish version of a fairy grove, where cool mystical beings gather. The home also has an all-black exterior, which is quite unique compared to other homes out on the market. Additionally, ACDF Architecture designed the home for its residents to experience and enhance a deeper connection with nature. The owner of the home, who commissioned the project, wanted the apple tree to be part of his home. “The owner embraced vivid childhood memories of growing up in an orchard environment. The apple tree was symbolic of his earliest encounters with nature as a child, and of the continuity of that connection years later while picking apples with his own children,” the company explained.Image credit: ACDF Architecture #homes #architecture #interiordesign #realestate
Ugly Architecture is in the Eye of the Beholder
(Image source: U-GO-GURL-)What makes a building ugly? It could be an unexpected clash of style or function, like the house shown above. You can almost imagine that someone dreamed all their lives of sleeping in a castle turret, or maybe an airport control tower, but didn't have enough money to build the rest of the castle, and that's just sad. And ugly.
A Truly Flexible House
Ross Russell's house in Suffolk is both sustainable and sustaining. And it changes with the weather, or the seasons, or just with your mood! The walls and roof slide back to reveal an all-glass structure, parts of which can be completely open-air. The bathroom is like that, so that you can bathe under the stars or the sun, or under a roof if you are so inclined. Russell collaborated with architect Alex de Rijke to design a house in which to live life just the way he wanted to, and succeeded in a spectacular manner. Read more about the flexible house at This Modern House. -via Nag on the Lake#architecture #house #slidinghouse #flexiblehouse
A Home Built for the View
This home in Oregon by Scott Edwards Architecture has many lovely features that are only possible on a huge private tract of land. You can't put a glass house in a neighborhood unless you want to be the view! It's very wide, but it doesn't require too much of a level surface because one end is cantilevered to, you guessed it, enhance the view. The back of the house appears more accessible, but still has plenty of mountain-viewing area.
Los Angeles, Home of the Dingbats
It's kind of weird when an ugly architectural style becomes iconic, but that's the story of dingbats, an apartment style that just screams Southern California. Thousands of them were built in Los Angeles in the 1950s in order to cram more living units into a lot and to accommodate a car for each one. When you hear their story and see so many with their original names and decorations, you start to see them as iconic, or maybe even charming. Even though the exact dingbat plan is illegal to build in the 21st century, the existing buildings were grandfathered in and won't be torn down for economic reasons. However, they might fall down if an earthquake shakes them just right. Is this a style that will one day be deemed historical? It's possible, but until then they are quite in demand as a living space. Yes, this video does explain where the name came from. -via Digg#architecture #LosAngeles #dingbat #apartment
The Ultimate Retro-Futuristic House is for Sale
George Jetson would feel right at home in this house for sale in Sarasota, Florida! You might feel as if you're in a movie set, or possibly in a time machine set to 1960. Look at those bright colors! Those round walls and counters! So many retro details! Yeah, it's both mid-century and modern.
Bygone Features Still Found in Older Homes
If there's something you don't understand in an old house, there's probably a good reason for it being there, even though it no longer applies.Many of these features were conveniences of their time that no one could imagine would become obsolete in the future, but it's a testament to the builders that the homes lasted into an another era. One feature that might be jarring to viewers is the phone jack. An awful lot of people still use land lines. He should have shown us the old four-prong phone jacks that preceded the connections shown. My previous house had these, and we had to get adapters to use a more modern landline phone. There were once so many delivery doors, for coal, ice, milk, etc. We don't get those kind of deliveries anymore, but a concealed cabinet at the front of the house would be a great way to hide your Amazon packages from porch pirates. I once had a bathroom remodeled, and the torn-up wall was full of razor blades. The contractor brought out a magnet pickup tool to collect them, which impressed me so much that I bought my own magnet. A laundry chute, dumbwaiter, or intercom was much more useful for houses that were three stories tall, especially if the laundry was done in the basement. Laundry chutes are illegal to install today in a lot of states because in the event of a fire, they act as a chimney, drawing the fire to upper floors. Probably not all that safe for children, either. The Pittsburgh Potty had a dual purpose. Not only was it (or more precisely, the sink and/or shower beside it) a place to clean up after work, the toilet in the basement was also an emergency valve. If there was a sewer backup, the basement toilet would overflow first, keeping the upstairs toilet backup-free. Commenters added some more old house features they'd seen, like a floor drain in a closet where the icebox was once kept, specifically for melting ice. Some houses have an ironing board that folds out from the wall. A couple of people mentioned homes that had a central vacuum system built into the walls. California coolers and larders were ventilated areas architecturally situated for food storage before refrigeration. And there were coffin doors that were only opened to transfer a coffin to the parlor for a wake. Summer kitchens, sleeping porches, draw fans, and lightning rods were mentioned, too. If you have any of these things in your home, you have a bit of history.#architecture #vintage #history
The Most Popular House Styles in America
American Home Shield took data from Zillow about sold homes and their prices to determine which architectural styles are currently the most valued in the United States. At the very top is the beach house, which seems like a loophole of some kind, because the term "beach house" is less of a style and more of a location. Take those houses and move them inland, and the reaction would be more "meh" than "million-dollar property." The chart above lists the twenty most valuable styles and the twenty least valuable styles, which makes us wonder if there were only forty styles considered, or if perhaps there are others that landed in the middle.
London's "Invisible House" is Basically a Giant Mirror
Londoners and tourists have been fascinated with the house called "London's House" which is actually a giant mirror in sought-after Richmond.Due to its design and structure, the house looks like it is something that people might have seen, without really seeing it. A curious Reddit user posted about the house and asked if it is a residential or commercial place.To answer this question, MyLondon went to see the place. The family who owns the home confirmed that it is residential. The home was redesigned by architect and artist Alex Haw. Haw thought that the concept would make the house talk with its environment.Image credit: Google StreetView and MyLondon#London #House #Architecture #InvisibleHouse #GiantMirrorHouse
This Massive 4-Story Building Shaped Like a Pink Lollipop in China is a Kindergarten
With its unique lollipop-shaped design, the Lollipop Ideal Garden is a massive building easily seen in an aerial view of the Yunnan province in China. It is a bit large for a kindergarten building, occupying some 10,684 square meter (115,000 square feet).Inside the four-story building are neat rooms painted in white, black, and brown, where children can study and play indoor games. The exterior, meanwhile, is painted in a gradient of pink, and the outer area is filled with colorful playgrounds where children can run around.At the heart of the building is an open-air atrium, where natural light can shine through all floors. The atrium also serves as an extra playground for kids.While the building is made for kids, it attracts people of all ages for its beauty. It is indeed a wonderful place.(Images: Bowen Hou via Yatzer)#Architecture #Kindergarten #Beautiful #Kids #lollipop #playground #school #building
The Go-to Guy for Crazy California Architecture
You may not already know the term Programmatic Architecture, or its other names, Roadside Vernacular or Mimetic. But you know it when you see it. All over California, and other places to be sure, there have been buildings shaped like elephants, dogs, ice cream cones, body parts, or the big donut you see above. There can be no mistaking these buildings for the cube across the street. Such structures flourished during the 1920s and '30s in California, and since they are buildings, they lasted a long time, often becoming landmarks. Jim Heimann grew up near Los Angeles in the 1950s and was quite impressed with these buildings, although he didn't come across the term Programmatic Architecture until around the time he graduated from college. A magazine article revived his childhood interest, and he hasn't looked back.Over the next few years, Heimann began researching Programmatic Architecture in earnest. To that end, he became a regular at the Rose Bowl flea market and other local swap meets, an activity he pursued diligently over the next 50 years, only coming home empty-handed twice. At the Rose Bowl, Heimann occasionally found a snapshot of an example of Programmatic Architecture, but he found hundreds of match covers, postcards, menus, and other paper ephemera for places like the Brown Derby, Tam O’Shanter, Pig Stand, Toed Inn, Giant Orange, and Big Cone, which was a building in the shape of a giant ice cream cone turned upside down. The match covers, in particular, were instrumental in finding addresses and locations for various structures. The flea markets led to postcard shows and antiquarian book fairs, where additional material was collected. In this way, Heimann built one of most impressive private collections of photographs and ephemera in California, if not the world.Heimann became an expert in such buildings, and has written three books with titles containing the phrase "California Crazy." His research, his ephemera collection, and his general knowledge of those buildings are important as they continue to be demolished in favor of cubes that can be rented to any kind of business. Heimann tells us the short version of the history of Programmatic Architecture, or buildings that are shaped like things at Collectors Weekly. The article includes a short documentary onHeimann's work. #architecture #Programmaticarchitecture #buildingsshapedlikethings
Burkina Faso Architect Wins Pritzker Prize
The Pritzker Architecture Prize is the world's most prestigious award for architecture. Last week, for the first time ever, the annual prize was awarded to an architect from Africa, Diébédo Francis Kéré. Kéré was born in Burkina Faso and now lives in Germany. Kéré doesn't design artful homes for rich people, like so many other Pritzker winners. His projects are mostly in Africa, fulfilling the needs of various communities. He designs schools, clinics, hospitals, and government buildings, each taking its context and local conditions under consideration. His buildings incorporate locally-available building materials. They take advantage of the landscape for heating, cooling, and ventilation. The designs are not only interesting and artful in a simple way, they are designed to encourage interaction between people. They also allow for future expansion. In other words, the usefulness of a facility is paramount, but does not preclude beautiful design.
7 Modernist Homes Fit for a Movie Villain
The house above, named the Chemospere, resembled nothing as much as a UFO. In 1960, aerospace engineer Leonard Malin inherited land on a steep hillside that would be hard to build on. He enlisted architect John Lautner, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright, to build the home. It was later the scene of a real murder, and in 1984 was the setting of Brian De Palma's movie Body Double. The Chemosphere is only one of a list of seven glorious modernist houses that were so striking that they made it into the movies. Five of the homes were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or architects who trained under him. Another is the Hollyhock House, built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1922.
Here's How You Do an Underground House
There are quite a few advantages to living in an underground home. Your house blends into its natural surroundings and no one can tell how large it is by looking at it. It stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer, using natural insulation to keep utility bills down. And exterior maintenance is a snap. But what about the drawbacks? The first one that comes to mind is the problem is getting a decent amount of sunlight. But modern architects have ways of letting the sun shine in. The home you see above is called NCaved, designed by Mold Architects. The multi-level home is set into a gently sloping hillside on a Greek island, with terraces facing the sea on several levels that bring in the sun. It's one of ten underground or partially underground homes designed for modern living that you can see in a roundup at Dezeen. -via Nag on the Lake#architecture #underground
The Himmel Trial House is All About the View
The architectural firm Bauen built the Himmel Trial House for a very specific place- a large swath of the Paraguayan rain forest. It's a good thing there are no neighbors close by, because this house is made of steel beams and glass, so it offers minimal privacy and it's not much to look at, either. But this is a case of function over form, built for the people inside to enjoy the beautiful view of the hills and native vegetation.
Collegiate Gothic: The Architectural Trend that Makes Colleges Look Older Than They Are
Why do some American colleges look like they came out of the Middle Ages? The oldest American university is Harvard, established in 1636, which was technically during the Renaissance, but the buildings the school built or bought were sturdy yet functional examples of American architecture of their time. A couple of hundred years later, as colleges proliferated in the US, universities deliberately built to make themselves seem older and more established. The styles reached even further back, to the Middle Ages.
How the Craftsman Bungalow Took Over America
You certainly recognize the basic shape of this house. It's a bungalow, a word that isn't used all that much, because Americans just see it as a "house."Before the 20th century, you didn't see that many one to one-and-a-half story homes with an encompassing sloped roof and a simple front porch. But once the century began, bungalows were everywhere, and you could even order a kit from Sears to build your own.
450 Years of American House Styles
Do you know the difference between a Cape Cod, a Queen Anne, and a ranch house? Could you tell a Georgian colonial house from a Federalist design? They are all examples of American architecture, which was a thing long before the United States was a country. Take a look at all these styles.
The House of Ides Concept
This beautiful structure called House of Ides is a concept designed by Turkey's Slika Studios. While it has not yet been built, they appear to have a location in mind. It is described as "neither on land nor on the water," but it is on both as you can see. The house foundation is to be embedded deep into the cliff for stability. It will be powered by a combination of renewable energy from solar, hydro, and geothermal sources. The lower level is a pool built above the water. In the images provided, you see the water level varies from a couple feet below the pool to just at pool level. Homecrux has more details.While the design is visually pleasing, we have questions. Do the inner rooms provide any privacy or sunlight? What kind of sewer service will this home have? Where do you put the TV antenna? Is there any way to access the house besides boat? We see that there is a small port to dock in, but assuming this is a very expensive home, we would guess that they will need space for a bigger boat. Or more than one boat. Or service boats. After all, you wouldn't expect the pool boy to just swim out there, now, would you?#architecture #concepthouse #SlikaStudios
Hungarian Architecture: The Kádár Cube House
János Kádár was the leader of Communist Hungary between 1956 and 1988. He also lent his name to the square houses that were built all over the country during his tenure. The Kádár cube was touted as a more modern and efficient design than existing homes, and would fill the needs of Hungarians' changing lifestyles during the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. The reality was that they were cheaply built and not at all efficient. Their distinctive style became closely associated with Communist rule. After the fall of Communism, homeowners who could afford to built homes in other styles. To them, Kádár cubes brought up bad memories.
Trained Lemon Trees at the Casa Angelina Hotel on the Amalfi Coast Create an Inspiring Outdoor Look
Photographs of dream vacation destinations are wonderful for inspiring one's life back home. Images of elegant patio of the Casa Angelina Hotel on the Amalfi Coast is no exception. This stunning property showcases more than just a beautiful location. The deck area highlights how the right incorporation of natural elements can create a stunning impact in a small space. This Casa Angelina patio area uses a very simple color pallet of white, yellow, green, and natural wood. The white deck chairs and simple natural wood tables effortlessly blend into the space. The slatted decking is practical and simple. The stars of the show, however, are the gorgeous and healthy trained lemon trees. The lemon trees at the Casa Angelina are tied to a structure to encourage their branches to grow outwards. The effect is to create a living patio cover that provides shade and a magical place to pass the time. Training trees and vines into the shape of a shade structure is a wonderful and simple way to add impact and drama to any space. Lemons may not be a viable option for every climate, but a similar look can be achieved with other types of trees and vines. The biggest cost of this type of landscape is really the investment in time. #amalficoast #lemontrees #landscape #patio #architecture #italy #hotels
When Two Plants Become One: Creating Garden Architectural Pieces With Natural Elements
Adding archways to spaces is an elegant way to define an opening. They draw a person in, but do so in a way that does not feel confining. Their curved structure can, therefore, instantly elevate an ordinary space into an extraordinary one.Famed designer Richard Shapiro is known for his interior and exterior work. Here, in his own garden, he demonstrates how adding unexpected archways can magnify the beauty of an outdoor space. He has simply trained two elegant shrubs into a sort of topiary archway. Visually the two plants now appear as one. The result is the creation of living architectural piece. The sizeable opening between the glittering green leaves of this archway gives the illusion of a magical doorway. Though there are no true solid walls, the area beyond feels secluded and private. One feels drawn to the fantasy that just beyond is a separate wondrous space. #exteriordesign #garden #topiary #archway #architecture #naturalelements #yard #landscape
Kengo Kuma Drapes Gaudí’s Casa Batlló with 164,000 Meter of Kriskadecor Aluminum Chain Curtains
Famed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma made Antoni Gaudí’s iconic Casa Batlló in Barcelona even more lustrous by draping it in chains ...lots of chains, as in 164,000 meters worth of Kriskadecor’s aluminum chain.Kuma added the aluminum chain like curtains on the foyer, staircase and coal cellars of the Casa Batlló, with the upper floors having lighter shades and the lowest levels having darker colors to mimic the gradient in the building’s courtyard.All that metal would probably make a lot of clanking noise when they bump into each other, so special acoustic panels were placed on the ceiling of Casa Batlló to keep the noise level down.“We have imagined this space dressed in aluminum link curtains, which with their meticulous materiality catch the light, as if they were fishing nets, and show it to us in all its forms: brightness, silhouettes, shadows… this way, by omitting the use of any other materials, and erasing the presence of this blind box and its staircase using these chains, we are able to speak of light and light only” Kuma said.Images: Jordi Anguera (@jordianguera_photo)#CasaBatllo #AntoniGaudi #aluminum #architecture #installationart #KengoKuma #chain #aluminumchain #curtain
This House Gives You A Feeling Of Space Exploration
For most of us, getting aboard a spaceship and exploring space itself is an impossible dream. But boat architect Kurt Hughes manages to give us the next best thing--ahouse that’s designed to look just like NASA’s Apollo Lunar Module spacecraft. This 3,000-pound lunar lander was placed by the banks of the Columbia river where residents can enjoy the sight of wide open “space”. Unlike the actual thing that’s probably cramped inside, this house has an area of 250 square feet so there’s no need to worry about moving around. It has two floors and an open floor set-up. Entering the lander, we find ourselves on the upper floor where we can find everything expected of a home--living room, kitchen, bathroom, you name it. Then there’s a staircase that descends to the bedroom. When we feel like imagining ourselves in outer space, all we need to do is take a peek at the skylight ceiling at night.It’s definitely not the full space experience. But living in this lander home, we get to feel the thrill of space exploration without actually leaving the planet. Images: Kurt Hughes - via Yanko Design#spaceship #spaceshuttle #NASA #lunarmodule #lunarlander #architecture
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