FOUR EYES

HOUSE
page 120

WOOD STRUCTURE
INSIDE STONE WALLS

ULTRA MODERN
RESIDENCE FOR TWO
FOR BETTER
READING, TURN
YOUR DEVICE
HORIZONTALLY
and enjoy...
WOOD
STRUCTURE
INSIDE
STONE
WALLS
by Corpo Atelier

Wood Structure Inside Stone

Walls is a private residence
designed by Corpo Atelier.
Located in Sernancelhe,
Portugal, the home was
completed in 2014.
Four thick stone walls are
the remaining elements of an
ancient rural house. Like a box
open to the sky, these walls
enclose a volume that is no
longer divided in two levels,
but presents its real volumetric
potential.
A traditional pitched roof is
placed to cover the top of the
box. Inside, the wood structure
that supports it is expanded
vertically, trespassing the house
in all its dimension, both dividing
and hierarchizing the space.
The habitable areas then
occupy the interstices of this
clearly defined geometry
of wood pillars and beams.
Private spaces that require enclosure and intimacy such as
bedrooms and bathrooms take place in three independent
volumes embedded in the structure, hanging from the roof. The
social areas occur at the groundfloor, organized around the pillars,
emphasizing a sense of functional and visual continuity.
COLUNATA
HOUSE
by Mario Martins
Atelier

Portuguese studio Mario

Martins Atelier has designed
the Colunata House project.
Completed in 2011, this
coastal contemporary home
is located in Lagos, a town
along the Atlantic Ocean,
in the Barlavento region of
the Algarve, in southern
Portugal.
Designing a house in Luz-Lagos,
in the south of Portugal, in a truly
interesting location facing the sea,
was defined by a set of guidelines,
namely:
The creation of a contemporary
architectural element;
Respect for and connection with
the surrounding area, natural and
built upon;
The use of local materials and
building techniques;
Deciding the solar orientation and
having effective wind protection;
Making the most of the excellent
location and its panoramic views;
Creating a gentle interior/exterior
transition. So that the exterior is a
pleasant space for living and leisure.
These guidelines result in a
set of white volumes, free and
organically grouped, culminating
in a semi-circular opening,
which embraces the pool and
opens out to the privileged sea
view. This results in the central
terrace, the main space of the
house, where the privacy is
felt and where the horizon is
predominant.
It is around this terrace that the
functional organisation of the
house is structured, on one floor.
There are five bedrooms with
bathrooms and a large living
room which leads to the kitchen.
The garage, technical and
service areas ensure the smooth
running of the house. The house
is all in white. It is a southern
house, and as such the light
is intense. It is this light, with
its strong, distinct shadows,
that gives colour and meaning
to the white that covers the
building. The strong presence
of water and the landscaping
surrounding the area accentuate
the tranquility of the place.
ULTRA
MODERN
RESIDENCE
FOR TWO
in New Zealand

Patterson Associates sent us photos

of the amazing Mai Mai House
project.
Located in Auckland, New Zealand,
and completed in 2008, this lovely
two bedroom two bathroom
residence was designed for a couple.
The white street facade is
particularly impressive, with no
windows and no discernible doors.
This property was nominated as one
of the 16 best private homes built
between 2007-2008.
Mai Mai is a story of love.
This is a private house. It seeks to
create a union which reconciles
seemingly contrary identities,
personalities and problems. In this
house these two lovers the hunter
and the bird, as we have grown to call
them make sense of the elements
that define them as individuals, and
the chemistry that draws them
together as a couple.
A key to unlocking the Mai Mai is in
the word duality. The house uses
a duality of function and a duality
of meaning to reconcile paradoxical
ideas of concealment and display,
ambush and retreat, challenge and
reconciliation.
The name of the house has more than
one interpretation. For New Zealand
Maori, Mai can mean clothing, but
it can also signify the verb to bring
towards me. Mai Mai is the New
Zealand name for the makeshift
blinds in which duck hunters ambush
their prey.
Mai Mai the house offers a hide
too. The buildings faade is
a camouflage, a cipher which
tells the story of its occupants.
A Kahu Huruhuru the Maori
name for a traditional and
highly-prized feathered cloak
which was a signature of beauty
and rank(1) creates by day
a screen of privacy from the
world outside and by night a
screen on which images are
projected publicly. The facade
offers yet more secrets it
opens unexpectedly as entry
(1) Brian Brake (Reed 1994). Te Aho Tapu
to the living environment and
to reveal a two-level vertical
car stacker. Behind the facade
a concealed western courtyard
attracts the warmth of late
afternoon sun.
Inside, the Mai Mai is both nest
and hide. The living area forms a
snug raised above the main floor
level she calls this her perch,
while he calls it his vantage.
This lanai floats between the
city and a gallery: the hunter
and the bird are united in their
love of art.
SURROUNDED
HOUSE
by 2.8x arquitectos

Peruvian architectural
firm 2.8x arquitectos has
designed the Surrounded
House.
Built in 2013, this 4,413
square foot, contemporary
home is located in Lima, Peru.
The design intends to offer
both spaciousness and
connection to external
environment while
simultaneously providing
ultimate privacy.
The roof top terrace and pool
are not to be missed.
Located In the city of Lima in a
residential neighborhood, with
regular pieces of land of 500 square
meters each, with constructions
that follow basic parameters and
occupy most part of the land. The
Surrounded House emerges after
a series of requirements from the
client and a space experimentation
from 2.8x arquitectos.

The perception of spaciousness,

brightness, transparency and space
possession were some of the issues
suggested by the client. A house
that would function on its own,
where the social area would have
certain independence from the
private area.
The feeling that your piece of
land duplicates its size taking
advantage of its position on a
corner. If we add the architects
intention of generating flexible
spaces and using the landscape
as part of the design, the
result is visible. They created a
360- degree interior landscape
starting at the first level of the
social area (living room, dining
room and study) and used in
their favor the existent exterior
landscape, composed by hills
and green areas, starting at the
second level of the social volume
(terrace). The architects decided
to use the roof (fifth faade),
which is commonly set aside in
Lima, to build a pool and create
a BBQ area.
This way, the project is
born with two different and
separated volumes joined by
a bridge which at the same
time generates a ceiling for
a connecting space. The
first volume is transparent,
surrounded by a garden and
a water mirror that goes over
almost the whole length of the land.
On the other hand, the second volume
of two floors is much more hermetic.
It has the employees area on the first
level and the private area on the second.
This second volume has an L shape
to protect the transparent volume
from the sun, to eliminate non desired
visuals from other neighboring buildings
and to strengthen the project corner
relationship.
The proposal considered For that reason, the architects
generating a good relationship decided to move back the project
between the building and the and leave a free corner that gives
neighborhood. more power to the entrance.
In the same way, they decided to wall, as a floating wall, so the
prolong the water mirror up to pedestrians can have contact with
the street and raise the perimeter the water.
SEAVIEW
HOUSE
by Parsonson Architects

This contemporary residence

looks out over Wellington Harbor
in Wellington, New Zealand.
It is a spacious 2012 project by
Parsonson Architects that was
built to satisfy a large family
spanning multiple age groups.
The property is located in Wellington,
New Zealand. It sits just below the
road facing east, looking over the
botanical gardens out to Wellington
Harbour.
A neighbouring house sits much
higher to the north with another
lower to the south. The site loses sun
directly to the north, but receives
both generous morning and afternoon
sun and being set down from the road
the prevailing northwesterly winds
blow over the top. The house is laid
out around 2 main outside areas, east
and west.
The owners have a large family,
with both older and younger
children. The house is arranged to
accommodate these different age
groups with bedrooms on different
levels and a variety of living spaces
in the middle with walls to house art
and a swimming pool for the keen
swimmers in the family.
Two main formal gestures define recede into the backdrop of
the house. Simple corrugated greenery. In contrast to this,
iron roofs wrap and frame the and housing the garage and
house, which help create a bedrooms, a more organic
relationship with the houses wooden clad element runs
of the area. The green colour between the corrugated iron
of these also helps the house roofs.
This element is influenced by the
landscape and as it glides through
the house it creates a darkness
and woodiness that is intended to
replace some of that lost by the
removed vegetation.
Sections of it have been folded
or cut to house the lighting for
the main downstairs living areas.
Downstairs there is a pool and
simple bedrooms for extended
family.
BALLARD
APERTURE
HOUSE
by First Lamp
Architecture

Seattle-based architectural
firm First Lamp Architecture
has created the Ballard
Aperture House.
Completed in 2013, this
contemporary house in
Seattle, Washington, USA,
consists of two separate
homes which were designed
using principles of optics
in order to create pleasant
urban living environments.
Modern urban homes are a
push against the increasing
complexity of urban life. We
depend on our homes to balance
our life against the outside
world. When we arrive home,
we need a filter a place that
welcomes us while holding at
bay the chaos of the world
behind us. From inside, our view
becomes sharpened because
we have respite from the
magnitude of its influence.
In every respect, these
two homes embody the
contemporary spirit of shelter.
Space efficiency and material science have propelled our quest
for a lighter footprint, and every detail has been crafted for the
sole purpose of perfectly serving those inside. Available for sale in
early 2013, we are thrilled to announce the commencement of the
Ballard Aperture Townhomes.
RETREAT IN
THE SOUTH-
INDIAN
COUNTRYSIDE
by Mancini

This contemporary
compound, consisting of
three houses, is located in
South India.
It was designed by Mancini
in collaboration with Govinda
Luke Bowley in 2009.
A 4000sqm compound has
been turned into an interior
world consisting of 3 houses,
pool with pavilion, small forest,
rock tropical and suspended
gardens, sunken garden around
a deep well, outdoor bathrooms,
savanna and water-tank all of
it assembled to provide views
on the nearby holy mountain
and yet creating privacy in its
different indoor and outdoor
spaces.
Sloping roof-gardens provide
natural connectivity from the
living quarters on the first floors
down to the common spaces on
the ground-floor and the visitor
discovers a new space or a new
vista around every corner.
The buildings draw on traditional construction technique
combined with large Roof-overhangs and high thermal mass thus
ensuring cool interiors in the very hot climate of the south Indian
countryside.
All architectural and interior elements are custom designed and
manufactured by local craftsmen whereas the infrastructural
elements rely on technology to ensure environmental
sustainability.
VILLA
KISHTI
by Frank Alfred Hamilton
and Cecconi Simone Inc.

Frank Alfred Hamilton and

Cecconi Simone Inc. came
together to create the Villa Kishti,
a private retreat in Anguilla,
British West Indies.
Its interior is brimming with
sophistication, from the elegant
neutral palette to the materials
and patterns chosen to add
character.
Villa Kishti is a meditative, Balinese-
inspired private retreat in Anguilla,
British West Indies. The residence
challenges traditional notions of
shelter and nature as separate
domains, with interior and exterior
blurred in a seamless interplay of
interior design, architecture and
landscape design.

Villa Kishtis tripartite design is

composed of a central hub, master
suite and three self-contained villas,
arranged in fan-like plan. The central
hub contains the principal gathering
spaces of the residence the living-
dining area and kitchen which flow
into each other in a unified palette
of natural materials, tones and
textures. Spaces are uncluttered and
carefully calibrated to enhance site
lines. The living-dining area is detailed
with custom furnishings and edited
accessories while the kitchen is fitted
with custom millwork and integrated
Corian counters and backsplash.
The master suite, accessed
internally from the living-dining
area, contains a sleep area,
lounge with outdoor terrace and
ensuite with indoor and outdoor
showers. The suite is appointed
with custom millwork, custom
furnishings and subtle Balinese
accents.
Across the central hub from the
master suite, each of the three
self-contained villas encompasses
a lounge area with outdoor deck,
kitchenette, powder room and
master bedroom with ensuite.
Custom furnishings, custom
millwork, finishes and accessories
harmonize with the subdued,
contemporary, Balinese-influenced
expression of the rest of the
residence.
DROVA VILLA
by Carlson & Co

Vladislav Platonov,
principal of Moscow-based
architectural studio Carlson
& Co has completed the
Drova Villa project in 2010.
This cottage is located
in Snegeri housing
development nearby
Moscow.
The composition of the
residence was designed
entirely according to the
site landscape.
The house is inserted into the
existing hill with its numerous
terraces and it seems it has
scattered down the hilly territory
into separate, but similar pieces.
This impression is intense due to
the uncommon design of the roof:
traditional gable roof is torn into
a few segments, pulled apart
all over the stretched residential
volume.
To enter the building into the
landscape maximally, the
architects made not only lawn
on the accessible roof area, but
planted bushes and trees there.
Our building is a The landscape, plants Architectural image of
collection of different dictated their terms the building consists
pictures, each is cut and due individual of combination of
out fitting the spot it landscape features natural wood and light
occupies. Besides, we there appeared a new stone. In particular,
save all the trees on item its basement is
site, the building was - says the author of gathered of porous
inserted among them. the project. foam concrete,
notably the architects did not use
stucco or finish it, but decorated
with carvings or turned to the
rocky surface. Special treatment
protects surface from moisture,
but leaks air, and the building walls
so effectively breathe, that it
did not require an air-conditioning
system.
As the main material for the
bearing skeleton of the building
they chose extra strong LVL pine
timber, and heat-treated pine
panels were used for finishing.
Interestingly, all the wooden parts
were covered with oil without
the UV filter thereby color of the
wood is constantly changing. For
example, on the sunny side it
has almost lost its color and is no
different from the foam blocks.
The project authors expected it
a building, which basement is
overgrowing with the moss and
walls are fading will gradually
merge with the surrounding
landscape.
Such building does not need
upkeeping painting or renewal,
said Vladislav Platonov. I call this
technique denim architecture.
Like old jeans look more
interesting, so a living, fading
house has its bright individuality
and becomes an integral part of
the landscape.
FOUR EYES
HOUSE
by Edward Ogosta
Architecture

Ed Ogosta, principal of
california-based studio
Edward Ogosta Architecture
has sent us renderings of the
Four Eyes House project.
This contemporary 3,800
square foot weekend retreat
is being built in the desert of
the Coachella Valley, a large
valley landform in Southern
California, USA.
A weekend desert residence
for a family and their dog, the
Four Eyes House is an exercise
in site-specific experiential
programming. Rather than
planning the house according to
a domestic functional program,
the building was designed
foremost as an instrument
for intensifying a number of
onsite phenomenal events.Four
sleeping towers are oriented
towards four spatiotemporal
viewing experiences: morning
sunrise to the east, mountain
range to the south, evening city
lights to the west, and nighttime
stars overhead. Each tower
contains a compact top-floor
bedroom, sized only for the bed,
and each with a unique aperture and offer a more permeable
directed towards the view. These relationship to the landscape.
bedrooms are equally-sized and
unassigned, such that the familys
The sensations of sleeping and
sleeping locations can be rotatedwaking are thus inflected by
based on each individuals desired
the buildings foregrounding of
viewing experience. Vertical intensified onsite experiential
circulation within the towers events. By sleeping in a room
is similarly particularized (e.g.elevated off the ground and open
ladders, spiral stair, switchbackto the stars, one might inhabit
stair, or shallow-riser stair). a deep pocket of silence for a
few moments, and perhaps even
Ground-floor common spaces form perceive the movement of the
a loose connective field between Earth, as it slowly rotates beneath
the discrete tower volumes, the stars.
CASEY KEY
GUEST HOUSE
by TOTeMS
Architecture

Saratosa-based TOTeMS
Architecture has designed
Casey Key Guest House, an
amazing contemporary guest
residence.
Located on a barrier island
in Florida, the house is
set within a mature oak
hammock along Sarasota
Bay.
The guest residence, located
on a barrier island, is set within
a mature oak hammock along
Sarasota Bay. The wooden
structure was inspired by two
elements. First, the Owners one
sentence program which read,
respect the land, and the rest
will follow. Secondly, the live
oak trees which were shaped by
the coastal winds from the west,
influenced the structural form of
the guest house.
The Owner requested a house
in the trees. A small program,
including one bedroom, bath,
living area with kitchenette, and
a loft, is organized to provide
privacy between a neighboring
property to the north, while
offering broad views of the oak
hammock, and Intercoastal
Waterway. Glulam beams were
selected for their ability to
enfold the structure around
the space. The laminated pine
beams, which curve over the
entire space, blur the distinction
between wall and roof. The
result is an open structure to
the east and west, yet solid and
private to the north.
The ground floor includes a
small storage room for kayaks,
and a covered Ipe deck. The loft
interior, defined primarily by
the curved beams, alludes to the
aquatic bay environment, and
wooden boat hull construction.
Ship lap cypress siding is used
to clad the exterior walls and
interior curved wall.
The guest house is located in
a highly regulated FEMA flood
zone requiring elevated floor
levels. To preserve the health
of the oak hammock, the house
is supported on a specialized
steel piling foundation system
designed to avoid root
disturbance and minimize sub
grade impacts to the oaks. As
a result, all existing trees were
preserved.
The design is intended to evoke
an organic architecture that is
influenced by, and reflective of
its site.
NEXT ISSUE
MAY 28, 2015