CubeMe » Interior

Chevron House, West London by Andy Martin Architects

Shan Tara — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:34:26 +0000

Chevron House, West London designed by Andy Martin Architects is inspired by the architecture of the existing elegantly proportioned spaces, the design sets out to exaggerate, by scaling the space by removing walls, and attaching new space to create a large Edwardian warehouse on each of the three levels. The ground floor, the public level is essentially one space which is divided only by the use of colour and material. On the second and third levels, the private floors, bedrooms merge into bathrooms and visa versa.

The rear of the property has new extensions off both the living and kitchen reaching into the garden to absorb the light from the south. The client’s brief to use colour extensively was applied in such that the walls and ceilings are left light in colour (off white) and that only elements or interventions (joinery etc) would be strongly coloured giving the house a lighter atmosphere with greater sense of perspective.

Dandelion Ceiling by Regine Ramseier

Shan Tara — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:55:05 +0000

Regine Ramseier, a German artist, had the great idea to created a ‘Dandelion Ceiling.’ 2000 dandelion flowers were treated and sprayed with a gentle adhesive to fix them. The dandelions were then transported by car to a little white room where they were hung.

‘”Apartment H,’ Constanta, Romania by Re-act Now Studio

Shan Tara — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:41:03 +0000

Apartment H designed by Re-act Now Studio is located within a block of apartments in Constanta on the Black Sea coast. Their first intention was to create an open space wwith a distinct beach-side feel.. The interior has a predominantly white glass partition that separates the living room , the bathroom and bedroom. Colored film has been stuck onto the glass to add a funky touch of coulour in the apartment.

Re-act Now Studio says;
Into a white space with floating objects all around, a spectral THING took place inside.
Reflections, transparencies, colors are changing continuously as far you are moving.
The THING is controlling everything around.
A twister of feelings and sensations is taking us apart.
Perhaps the THING is trying to communicate.
That is why we have to take care what we are saying…
Who knows perhaps IT is HUMAN after all!…
The apartment is located in a block of flats in Constanta, directly on the Romanian seacoast of the Black Sea.
It was the priming intention of having a beautiful open space with a continuous “sea coast feeling”.
The white color is almost everywhere.
A glass partition cut out the main sensation of “innocence” of the existing space, through its folding trace and through a special spectral film sticked directly on it.
The 3M Radiant Color Film product is usually supposed to be used on some small gadgets or promotional products. This 3M film gives through its optical properties a “real life” to the entire space.
A continuous change of colors and reflections is perceived by whoever is moving inside the apartment.
In the end having a “living” element is the main challenge on a white surrounding.

Brandbase Pallets by Most Architecture

Shan Tara — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:53:07 +0000

Dutch firm Most Architecture have created this temporary office from wooden pallets for an Amsterdam advertising company.

A temporary furnishment for the new office location combined with the explicit wish to furnish the space with an authentic, recycable material, gave creative director Marvin Pupping and MOST Architecture the idea to use Euro-pallets for this particular design. The pallet structure; an open, autonomous landscape that gradually changes its character, facilitates all parts of the office.

The pallet structure is designed in such a way that besides being merely a workplace, the entire element invites you to stand, sit or lay down on the pallets. This open office concept was created to suit the creative advertising agency, with an additional, informal atmosphere.

The existing building on the Brouwersgracht, downtown Amsterdam, is an archetypical Dutch canalhouse; a narrow, 27 meters deep space, with a back area that is divided by split level. Because of this, the concept for this dynamic company was organised along the longitudinal axis. And because of BrandBase’s specialty, it was mandatory to include new media. The design concept, an open autonomous landscape, consists of 3 layers. The first layer, the existing space was used as a starting position and painted completely white, to provide a homogeneous base for the pallet structure. The pallets itself create a structure that slowly changes its character accommodating all parts of the office. Finally, the third layer in the design contains additions to the pallet structure like light fixtures, staircase banisters and the furniture; which are all done in black. The structure is not dictating, rather facilitating.

The open character is enhanced by dispositioning the pallets both directions over a 20 cm grid. The pallet structure unites the whole space, covering the whole depth of the building in one single movement.

The design can loosely be divided into four zones:
The entrance area, the staircase area, the split level area and the studio area, in the back of the ground floor.
Entrance area: coming in, the pallet structure welcomes its visitors with open arms, created by two rows of desks, providing a total of eight working units on two different levels. Visitors walk onto the pallet structure like a catwalk, surrounded by BrandBase employees.
Staircase area: the working units in the entrance area make way for a staircase that is divided in two part; the formal part with its steps and banisters and a more informal part, where stacked pallets provide for a place to hang-out.

Split level area: reaching the upper floor, the staircase transforms into the management premises, with a combined presentation- and meeting room. Here, the four desks are designed more independently. Subsequently the pallet structure, separated by a transparant wall with translucent doors, develops into the presentation room with its seating element that accommodates guests during presentations. In front of this, a huge movable boardroom table, made of pallets.

Most Architecture

Penthouse in Berlin by LecaroliMited Architects

Shan Tara — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:29:34 +0000

Lecarolimited was commissioned to remodel the penthouse of a German apartment building, spread over two floors. The mirrors of different shapes and sizes create geometric patterns across the partitioning walls of the penthouse apartment, surrounding the kitchen, fireplace and seating areas.

We projected into the design both a tradition of Loos-ian sensuality, as well as Mirror’s history of associations with myth and magic; a notion of the unnatural or sinful, where mirror feeds identities, and represents likenesses with an ever-so-slightly distorted truth. Meanwhile, both the material and the spatial application facilitate the dynamic and whimsical aspect over a German city roof-scape.

We constructed the new interior surface as discrete objects on site. Constructed by our carpenter as wooden substrate, they are finished for the ‘mirror-belt’ using a custom painted bespoke glass. The unique character of this material ultimately defrayed the intensity of a standard mirror, each piece arriving in small and nonuniform panels.

Photography is by Gerrit Engel.

Kitchen With Folding Facade by dmvA Architecten

Ian — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:30:30 +0000

The challenge dmvA Architecten was to turn the kitchen in an existing art nouveau extension of a 19th-century townhouse into a multi purpose family space that can be transformed easily into a film-screening or a meeting room.

The panels simply close to hide the kitchen , making functional way for a truly multi functional area. The worktop cantilevers out from the rear wall and hovers like a magic tick ready to be used as a work surface, dining table or desk.

Office 04 by I29 Interior Architects

Shan Tara — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:36:30 +0000

i29 interior architects designed their new offices for about 80 people. With Tribal DDB their main objective was to create an environment where creative interaction is supported, and to achieve as much workplaces as possible in a new structure with flexible desks and a large open space. All of this while maintaining a work environment that stimulates long office hours and concentrated work. As Tribal DDB is part of an international network a clear identity was required, which also fits the parent company DDB. The design had to reflect an identity that is friendly and playful but also professional and serious. The contradictions within these questions, asked for choices that allow great flexibility in the design.

Situated in a building where some structural parts could not be changed it was a challenge to integrate these elements in the design and become an addition to the whole. i29 searched for solutions to various problems which could be addressed by one grand gesture. At first a material which could be an alternative to the ceiling system, but also to cover and integrate structural parts like a big round staircase. Besides that, acoustics became a very important item, as the open spaces for stimulating creative interaction and optimal usage of space was required.

This led us to the use of fabrics. It is playful, and can make a powerful image on a conceptual level, it is perfect for absorbing sound and therefore it creates privacy in an open space. And we could use it to cover scars of demolition in an effective way. There is probably no other material which can be used on floors, ceiling, walls and to create pieces of furniture and lampshades then felt.

It’s also durable, acoustic, fireproof and environment friendly. Which doesn’t mean it was easy to make all of these items in one material!
i29 always looks for choices that answer to multiple questions at the same time. They tell a conceptual story about the company, the space and the users of the space. They deal with specific practical and functional issues and they have to have some autonomous quality as well. These ‘levels’ are intertwined; one leads you to the other. If you see how smart it serves it purpose practically it leads you to the company. If you see the powerful image that is non-depended, it leads you to the functionality, and round it goes.

We believe that simplicity builds character. Compare it to a human being; strong individuals always have one or few characteristics that stand out. We all know how hard it is to stay focused on the one thing that is most important to you. The same way it is with a design. The result of being very selective is that you have to push the one choice to the limit. It also provides a field of tension, and gives energy in a space without falling into chaos. But more importantly it leaves you with a charismatic environment.

‘Nakahouse’ House by XTEN Architecture

Shan Tara — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:21:23 +0000

This construction is impressive in its simplicity, its proportions and its exposure in relation to the surrounding landscape. Nakahouse is an abstract remodel of a 1960′s hillside home located high in the Hollywood Hills, just below the Hollywood sign.The interior was entirely reconfigured by XTEN Architecture, terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows connect with the panoramic view from the steep hillside location.

The exterior walls are smooth black plaster, designed to render the building as a singular sculptural object set within the lush natural setting. A series of abstract indoor-outdoor spaces with framed views to nature are rendered in white surfaces of various materials and finishes; lacquered cabinetry, matte white quartz, epoxy resin floors and decks.

Photographs by Steve King

Tex-Tonic House I by Paul McAneary Architects Ltd

Ian — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:37:09 +0000

Tex-Tonic House 1 is a penthouse recently completed by Paul McAneary Architects Ltd in Victoria, London, UK .The clients brief in this invited competition was to design two apartments on the top floor of the existing Cental London post office and Phillips de Pury art action house in Victoria, London.

The client expressed a wish for large volume ‘loft’ spaces and his desire for a contemporary design and functionality. Paul McAneary Architects’ response won the competition with a proposal for expressed natural tectonics through numerous new details, and even developing a new material type – of cast timber bronze.

Concept Design
Since, the two apartments are built on top of the existing Cental London post office, the postal delivery system has been the inspirational source of the concept design. Paul McAneary Architects responded to the brief by expressing and magnifying the ‘post box component-concept-element’ into large boxes of natural materials accommodating for the private program. We placed three bedroom boxes within the large double height loft space, to provide rooms for sleeping accommodation: additional to the master bedroom and two further bedrooms, they accommodate for the master bedroom walk- in wardrobe, en-suite bathroom and a shared bathroom.

In line with a more contemporary domesticity, the private program area is relatively modest in size. The client expressed the desire to have a large versatile living space perfect for relaxation and parties, as a result the living area is spacious and serves multipurpose events.

The overall architectural language is modest and dramatic at the same time: mixed timber tectonics have been applied with an emphasis on their texture and intrinsic beauty. The amount of ‘vertical natural light’ flooding through the large skylights, walk on glass and the horizontal curtain walling maximise the exquisite effect of the natural grain and pattern of the timber ceiling, oak beams and floor as well as the bronze ‘timber texture’.

‘Panteón Nube’ in Murcia, Spain by Studio Clavel Arquitectos

Shan Tara — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 09:30:04 +0000

The Panteón Nube located in Murcia, Spain and built by studio Clavel Arquitectos is a modern tomb, which features an asymmetrical design and ambient and an ambient light provided by the onyx stone. The tomb’s entrance can only be opened by turning its four doors in a certain way.

Clavel Arquitectos say:
‘In this project we worked with two images.The first one was the medieval unfoldable boards, which used to work as removable façades or altarpieces, and now get remade in the zigzag façade. Death inspires human beings with something between mystery and fear. To die means a transition between this world and others that nobody knows. The tomb is where this transition takes place. In this project we worked with two images.

The first one was the medieval unfoldable boards, which used to work as removable façades or altarpieces, and now get remade in the zigzag façade. Death inspires human beings with something between mystery and fear. To die means a transition between this world and others that nobody knows. The tomb is where this transition takes place. In this project we worked with two images.

The first one was the medieval unfoldable boards, which used to work as removable façades or altarpieces, and now get remade in the zigzag façade. Death inspires human beings with something between mystery and fear. To die means a transition between this world and others that nobody knows. The tomb is where this transition takes place.’

STUDIO CLAVEL ARQUITECTOS

Rock it Suda, Six Houses by Hoon Moon

Shan Tara — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:10:10 +0000

Breaking the boundaries of simple architecture, Hoon Moon, Korean architect gave birth to Rock It Suda, a guesthouse with six bedrooms, each characterized by a specific theme: From Barbie to Ferrari, from Spain to the caves to finish with traditional Korean style. The six different ways to capture the landscape inspired Moon, who decided to give birth to the Same Spatial Concentration of Expansion and Compression reasoning on issues completely dissociated from the context such as Spain, Barbie, Stealth, Ferrari, Caves and Traditional Korean Style.

The hotel is located on the outskirts of Jeongseon in South Korea, on the banks of a river and has magnificent views over the mountains surrounding it.

Rock It Suda
Hoon Moon

Mountain Dwelling by Bjarke Ingels Group

Hans — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:54:32 +0000

The surprisingly complex ‘The Mountain’, 33 000m2, is green in the first degree. The apartments are from 80m2 up to 150m2, each has a garden and terrace. The Danish architect Bjarke Ingels has used the volume occupied by the parking lot to elevate the apartments. The program, however, is 2/3 parking and 1/3 living.

The Mountain Dwellings are the 2nd generation of the VM Houses – same client, same size and same street. What if the parking area became the base upon which to place terraced housing – like a concrete hillside covered by a thin layer of housing, cascading from the 11th floor to the street edge? Rather than doing two separate buildings next to each other – a parking and a housing block – we decided to merge the two functions into a symbiotic relationship.

The parking area needs to be connected to the street, and the homes require sunlight, fresh air and views, thus all apartments have roof gardens facing the sun, amazing views and parking on the 10th floor. The Mountain Dwellings appear as a suburban neighborhood of garden homes flowing over a 10-storey building – suburban living with urban density.

The roof gardens consist of a terrace and a garden with plants changing character according to the changing seasons. The building has a huge watering system which maintains the roof gardens. The only thing that separates the apartment and the garden is a glass façade with sliding doors to provide light and fresh air.

The residents of the 80 apartments will be the first in Orestaden to have the possibility of parking directly outside their homes. The gigantic parking area contains 480 parking spots and a sloping elevator that moves along the mountain’s inner walls. In some places the ceiling height is up to 16 meters which gives the impression of a cathedral-like space.

The north and west facades are covered by perforated aluminum plates, which let in air and light to the parking area. The holes in the facade form a huge reproduction of Mount Everest. At day the holes in the aluminum plates will appear black on the bright aluminum, and the gigantic picture will resemble that of a rough rasterized photo. At night time the facade will be lit from the inside and appear as a photo negative in different colors as each floor in the parking area has different colors.

The Mountain Dwellings is located in Orestad city and offer the best of two worlds: closeness to the hectic city life in the centre of Copenhagen, and the tranquility characteristic of suburban life.

Residencia PS in São Paulo, Brazil by Bernardes+Jacobsen

Shan Tara — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:26:29 +0000

Residencia PS, the last work of the greatest Brazilian architects Bernardes+Jacobsen is based in the outskirts of São Paulo. The project was born of the necessity of the client to adapt the house to a family.Having lived in a apartment, the family felt the necessity of an suitable space more to the growth of the children, to the work, to the social life and its friends.

Taking care of this, the architects have tried tried to generate ample spaces surroundings of which the house develops. An example of this is the atmospheres of the room: with 4.3 meters height, 16 meters length bays and slabs cantilevering approximately 2.5 meters.The use of split levels contributed to a successful design which offered to the block of the bedrooms a singular view of the city.

The metallic structure was conceived on the form of metallic trellises hidden in the walls of the bedrooms.
It is worth to emphasize the advantage of the lateral retirements like attached gardens to the circulations, providing natural light for the rest of the house.
The wooden muxarabis allows natural light and ventilation at the same time in which they preserve the privacy of the inhabitants.
The beams of the superior pavement of the back facade also stand out, which have extended wings to receive great sliding wooden panels.

Home 06 in Amsterdam by i29

Shan Tara — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:17:32 +0000

i29 have completed a new project in Amsterdam, featuring one interior wall covered in plants. Called Home 06, the single-storey residence was designed for a Japanese client.
This residence at the Singel, Amsterdam (NL) exists from one open space where several functions have been put into freestanding objects. The kitchen and wardrobe are placed near the entrance and combined into one single volume. The bath- and bedroom is hided into a volume which is placed at back of the house. From the open living area you look alongside the volume towards the vertical garden and the entrance stairs to the roof terrace.

The panorama on the overgrown plantwall and the contrast with the minimalistic white bed/bathroom provides an intense experience. Integration of nature is an important aspect of traditional culture in Japan, the homeland of the client.

The view on the green wall holds a promise in itself which will be redeemed once you enter the bed/bathroom.

Kizuki + Lim, Beauty Salon by Teruhiro Yanagihara

Hans — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:30:42 +0000

Kizuki + Lim, beauty Salon designed by Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara is located within a hotel in central Singapore. Designed for Japanese hair-dressing chain LIM (Less Is More), the interior space is divided up into three different zones – reception, cutting and shampooing areas – by the faceted structure.

The very contemporary setting, merged into the large history-charged space, reflects the spirit of the young Japanese stylists, who came to the tropically hot Singapore with their “cool” styles and ideas. A “glacier-like” structure dominates the space and separates it into reception, cutting and sham¬pooing area. In the cutting area, large pivoting wings with mirrors fold out of the wall. When they are closed, they recess into the wall, and the room becomes a spacious location for events and concerts. The timbered reception “hut” includes a small gallery space that works as a platform for local artist.

Leaf House in Brazil by Mareines + Patalano Arquitetura

Shan Tara — Mon, 30 May 2011 08:11:03 +0000

This project was inspired by Brazil’s Indian architecture, perfectely suited for the hot and humid climate where it stands, Rio de Janeiro .The roof acts as a big leaf that protects from the hot sun all the enclosed spaces of the house, such as the verandas and the in-between open spaces. These last two types of space are the main social areas, the essence of the design. They allow trade winds from the sea to pass trough the building, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling.

The very generous heights of these spaces, which varies from 3 to 9 meters, allow the SE trade winds from the sea to pass perfectly longitudinally trough the building, providing natural ventilation and and passive cooling both to the enclosed and open spaces. We see it as low-tech eco efficiency, where it has the greatest impact, the concept of the architectural design.

Our practice, lukcily in agreement whit our client, understand the idea of a tropical beach house as a mean to enhance the interaction between man and nature, trying whenever possible not to separete them completely. There are no corridors and inside and outsed are almost fused. Many sliding doors, most glazed, open up the enclosed spaces and let the sea breeze in.

The landscape is everywhere on the ground floor, and the curvy swimming pool snakes into the house. When it passes below the formal dining room, it turns into a pond with aquatic plants and fishes, reaching the rear “veranda”. This veranda is a resting space with five Brazil’s indians’ style hammocks. We call this space “Brazilian lounge”. The roof structure is made of laminated reforestation wood (eucaliptus), capable of crossing big spans (20 meters is the biggest here) with delicacy and warm aesthetics.

The roof is covered in small reforestation wood tiles (pinus taeda), that easily adapt to the complexes surfaces of it. It also collects rain water via the central steel column to be reused in gardening and flushing toilets. All surfaces finishes, except for glass and pre-oxidized copper are natural: Grey tiles of stone from the site, bamboo meshes, local wood from re management forests, earthy flooring and wood reused from old electricity posts.

he use of all these natural materials, the transparency of the glass, the neutrality of the oxidized copper relating to the prevailing green of the designed and natural landscape along with the organic composition of the house and rich diversity of textures and rhythms created a very desirable reality: The sensation of belonging to the site, in harmony with the exuberant Brazilian nature.

Mareines + Patalano Arquitetura

House in Paço de Arcos, Portugal by Jorge Mealha Architect

Shan Tara — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:19:23 +0000

Jorge Mealha Arquitecto have completed a house facing the sea, located in Paço de Arcos, suburb of Lisbon. The house features clusters of rectangular volumes and courtyards. A set of restrictive regulations, defined in the city council urbanistic project, from distances to borders, access and total amount of construction area and volume were also a condition to be addressed and surpassed. The metal screening/shading devices, create large smooth textured surfaces on the facade of the house emphasizing forms and controlling the relationships between indoor and outdoor or between external and internal spaces.

Jorge Mealha Architect
Photographs by Jorge Mealha

1978 Airstream Renovated by Hofmann Architecture

Shan Tara — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:33:47 +0000

Matthew Hofmann, founder of Hofmann Architecture, put his skills to work in remodeling a 1978 25-foot Airstream. The 158 sq. ft. trailer is now his office/home, and a great way to enjoy the outdoors. Green thinking heavily influenced this project. The trailer is now a beautiful home sporting bamboo, aluminum and recycled glass tiles.