residences – DesignApplause

anne lacaton and jean-philippe vassal receive the 2021 pritzker architecture prize.

Mar 16, 2021

above/below > cap ferret house. photography: lacaton & vassal

in a timely nod to planet earth’s need to support life, french social housing architects, anne lacaton and jean-philippe vassal, founders of studio lacaton & vassal, have been named the 2021 winners of the pritzker architecture prizepritzker architecture prize.

their recognition marks the first time a french female architect has won the prize, with lacaton becoming the sixth woman to receive the award since it was established in 1979.

“good architecture is open—open to life, open to enhance the freedom of anyone, where anyone can do what they need to do,” says lacaton. “it should not be demonstrative or imposing, but it must be something familiar, useful and beautiful, with the ability to quietly support the life that will take place within it.”

“our work is about solving constraints and problems, and finding spaces that can create uses, emotions and feelings. at the end of this process and all of this effort, there must be lightness and simplicity, when all that has been before was so complex,” explains vassal.

above > anne lacaton and jean-philippe vassal. photography: laurent chalet

above / below > residential and office building, photo courtesy of philippe ruault

above > site for contemporary creation, phase 2, palais de tokyo, photo courtesy of philippe ruault

above >129 units, ourcq-juarès student and social housing. photography: philippe ruault

above > école nationale supérieure d’architecture de nantes

above > 53 units, low-rise apartments, social housing. photography: philippe ruault

above / below > latapie house. photography: philippe ruault

above / below > frac nord-pas de calais | image courtesy of philippe ruault

above > house in bordeaux. photography: philippe ruault

[ jury citation ]
“not only have they defined an architectural approach that renews the legacy of modernism, but they have also proposed an adjusted definition of the very profession of architecture. the modernist hopes and dreams to improve the lives of many are reinvigorated through their work that responds to the climatic and ecological emergencies of our time, as well as social urgencies, particularly in the realm of urban housing. they accomplish this through a powerful sense of space and materials that creates architecture as strong in its forms as in its convictions, as transparent in its aesthetic as in its ethics,” states the 2021 jury citation, in part.

[ 2021 jury ]
alejandro aravena, chair , barry bergdoll, deborah berke, stephen breyer , andré aranha corrêa do lago, kazuyo sejima, wang shu, benedetta tagliabue, martha thorne, executive director, manuela lucá-dazio, advisor

[ purpose ]
to honor a living architect or architects whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision, and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture. awarded each year, the international prize is often referred to as the profession’s highest honor.

child studio and plenaire create a virtual perfect holiday hideaway during covid-19.

May 5, 2020

for those who’s only option in a lockdown world is to close their eyes and find that happy place london design firm child studio and sustainable british skincare brand plenaire have created a lockdown project alternative: a virtual world imaginary hideaway casa plenaire.

meaning ‘in the open air’, plenaire puts an emphasis on emotional wellbeing and self-care. ‘casa plenaire is designed to evoke the memories of a perfect holiday’ – commented che huang and alexy kos, the founders of child studio. “we were interested to explore how architects and designers can collaborate with like-minded brands beyond the limits of the physical world. casa plenaire is an attempt to present our shared inspiration, values, and vision.”

the design brief — using 3D rendering software, the collage-like environment balances a sense of realism and playful illusion. the undulating architecture flows freely from indoor to outdoor, taking cues from the archetypal villas of balearic islands and santorini houses, as well as the experimental modernist architecture of eero saarinen. sculptural interiors follow the daily rituals of a ‘plenaire girl’, within the subtly defined zones of the lounge, terrace, bedroom and the sculptural circular pool.

the house is furnished with iconic mid-century pieces by pierre paulin, eero aarnio, and greta von nessen, complemented with a quirky mix of nostalgic memorabilia, such as pottery, exotic seashells, books, and flowers. the meditative atmosphere is reflected in the muted sandy palette, set against the dazzling blue sky.

studio child and plenaire were working on the brand’s forthcoming london showroom interiors before everything went into lockdown. as the real world began to shutdown they conceived a fanciful world which would be shared on instagram. brilliant and appreciative of a virtual recess.

black barn an off-grid residence by studio bark incorporates a range of environmental technologies.

Mar 5, 2020

in the scheme of things one million off-grid residences will not affect climate change. but the concept does inspire. what about off-grid condos, off-grid towers, neighborhoods…

designed by studio bark, black barn is a new-build house ( 2019 ) residing in dallinghoo, suffolk. conceived as a floating sculptural form surrounded by wild meadow grass, the 3,500 square foott (322-square meter) residence incorporates a range of environmental technologies and was granted planning permission under paragraph 55 – now paragraph 79 = of the national planning policy framework (nppf).

the upper-ground floor is bright, dramatic, and expansive. the lower-ground floor plan embraces the outside landscape. the kitchen is located in the center of the plan. the children’s playroom is kept open to maximize views between the different spaces.

the lower-ground floor is partly embedded into the site and is designed to be simple, functional and calm. all the bedrooms and bathrooms are shaded from direct solar gain, remaining cool and comfortable in the summer. the lowering and recessing of the ground-floor gives the impression that the timber structure is floating above the grasses, while also reducing the building’s visible mass.

the modern house is a sensitive interpretation of the black agricultural barn – a typology that’s scattered throughout east anglia, and references the site’s historic context as a poultry farm.

externally, the lower level is faced in locally-sourced flint with a lime-based mortar. above, the living spaces are clad in shou sugi ban (charred western red cedar). the charring process preserves the timber naturally and non-toxically, enhancing its durability.

the project’s efficient energy use concept employs passive heating and ventilation, high levels of air-tightness and insulation. a solar array, bio-diesel generator with a heat recovery system, battery storage, borehole water source and packaged sewage system allow the house to function off-grid.

[ studio bark ] photos: lenny codd

nine yard studio creates a masterful minimal cabin concept.

Nov 25, 2019

a local architecture firm, nine yard studio serves up a modern cabin concept of three buildings: the main structure, a bunkhouse and wood store. as described by the architect:

the three cabins include a main residence, a half size bunk house for guests and a small shed for storage. the shed showcases an inset feature wall for wood storage that greets you as you approach the site. the main residence is only 600sqft and features a double height open concept living, dining, & kitchen and a loft master suite framed by a large human scale skylight looking out onto the water. this structure opens up entirely to the stunning water views while maintaining privacy to the neighbors with a solid back façade.

the main house interior is clad entirely in white washed spruce boards up to the asymmetrical roof peak giving it a soft and cozy feel. the minimal european wood stove warms up the main space and provides a focal point to the living zone. a black book case acts as a guardrail up the main stairs to the loft and pays homage both to the dark black kitchen and the moody exterior of the building.

at the end of a long rural dirt road in central prince edward island facing out towards the calm wheatley river sits the river cabins. the cabins take their inspiration from the groupings of traditional gable farm buildings typical of rural pei and exhibit a modern take on a classic lean-to shape so common to this landscape.

the steep slope of the asymmetrical roofs functionally provide space for loft sleeping zones and extend toward the sky with the black peaks blending into the landscape of the evergreen tree tops. the grouping of the cabins was dictated by the small site and angled property boundaries. this grouping provides varying angled views of open and solid facades and allows glimpses of framed landscape views out to the river. the cabins are clad in black standing seam metal siding and black stained vertical pine boards up the gable ends on each side elevation.

architect > nine yard studio
owners> silva stojak and neb kujundzic
builder> paynters construction
photographer: > dear addie photography

greenport home by turett collaborative becomes living model for passive house movement.

Nov 2, 2019

architect wayne turett, after experiencing the benefits of living in the stunning all-electric passive house his firm designed for a year, the architect is well-versed to passionately express just how well energy-efficient technologies can work.

recognized as one of the ‘best paths to net zero,” passive house (or passive haus) refers to a set of standards for energy efficiency that certifies a building’s ability to maintain comfortable temperatures year-round, requiring minimal energy (and expenditure) for heating or air-conditioning. a typical passive house thus consumes about 90 percent less heating energy than existing buildings and 75 percent less energy than average new construction.

the highly-efficient dream home, which fuses a modern aesthetic with a barn exterior, was a three-year labor of love from conception to completion; a mission to live true to his design ethos and commitment to the environment.

he explains, “greenport is more than just an oasis for my family, it is a living model for clients and meant to inspire others, that despite costing a little more to build, the results of living in passive house will more than pay for itself in energy savings and helping the environment. additionally, the air quality inside is a very high standard of luxury.”

with sustainable, lower energy requirements, the passive house approach makes possible the construction of net-zero energy buildings that rely little or not at all on fossil energy sources.

as turett explains, there were three key elements he had to consider when conceiving of his passive house: the envelope, which had to be completely sealed down to only six air changes per hour at 60 pascals of pressure; the insulation outside and inside the air barrier to ensure a much higher r value than code requires; and southern orientation plus added elements, such as roof overhangs, that protect the house from receiving too much sunlight in the summer.

while to the casual observer turett’s humble abode doesn’t look different from any other well-designed contemporary house on the north fork of long island; the difference is in the way it is built and performs. a recent home energy rating system (hers) analysis of the 2,400+ square foot greenport house confirms an estimated annual heating and cooling costs of just over $1,700 a year – an annual savings of $3,645 over the hers reference home numbers.

the entire design of this two-story home was thoughtfully created to not only be energy-efficient, but to make the most of interior and exterior spaces. the main living spaces—the combined kitchen, dining, living rooms and porch—were intentionally located upstairs to soak up water views, while cathedral ceilings in the great room contribute to an open and airy feeling reminiscent of a more modern and urban loft-like experience. downstairs, an outdoor shower helps smooth the transition from the sandy shore to the three-bedroom, two bath space on the ground floor.

[ vitals ]
living area is 2,400+ square feet
heating and cooling costs is just over $1,700 a year – a 900 square foot nyc apartment costs about $1,400 just to cool and use lights.
a motorized dampered exhaust duct in the kitchen
triple-glazed tilt and turn windows
energy-recovery-ventilation (erv) – brings in outside air to bed/living rooms and exhausts stale air from bathrooms/ kitchen
exterior is ship-lapped grey cedar and cement panels
the roof is aluminum standing seam

[ the turett collaborative ]
is a multidisciplinary architecture and interior design practice founded in 1991 by architect wayne turett. ttc’s work includes architectural design, interiors, graphics, industrial products, and furniture design and encompasses dozens of notable commercial, residential, retail, and restaurant projects. this frame of work spans from original construction to renovation and additions, to interior modernizations of historic properties.

[ international passive house association ]

chicago architecture center presents ninth annual open house chicago.

Oct 17, 2019

the chicago architecture center‘s ninth annual open house chicago is a free public festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to an astonishing 350 venues including soaring skyscrapers, repurposed mansions, opulent theaters, exclusive private clubs, private offices and breathtaking sacred spaces all weekend long. here are a few suggestions…

[ park no. 571 boathouse ] photo below courtesy of studio gang architects
the weather this weekend is perfect to tour a boathouse on the chicago river! one of two boathouses on the chicago river designed by studio gang, the eleanor boathouse at park 571 completed in 2016, creates a crucial access point along the river’s edge. the structure’s shape draws inspiration from rowers’ rhythmic movements.

as the city works to transform the long-polluted and neglected river into its next recreational frontier, the boathouse invites communities on the south side and throughout the city to share in the river’s continued ecological and infrastructural revitalization. 2754 south eleanor street, bridgeport.

[ mccormick place west building rooftop farm ] photo below by garrett karp
the weather this weekend is perfect to tour a rooftop on the lakefront! the largest mccormick place west building spans 20,000 sq ft above chicago. the building, designed by tvsdesign in 2007, was originally intended to have a green roof for environmental purposes. however in 2013, the chicago botanic garden stepped in with the windy city harvest program to transform it into a massive vegetable patch. more than 8,000 pounds of produce are now grown each year for savor…chicago, the food service provider for the convention centre below. the open house chicago tour is focused on biodiversity and growing practices. 2301 south indiana avenue, gate 41, se corner of cermak & indiana.

[ unity temple ] photo below tom rossiter
unity temple, the work of master architect frank lloyd wright first major public building commission and considered to be one of the most important and influential buildings of the 20th century, underwent an extensive $25m restoration and renovation beginning in 2015. the temple re-opened in summer 2017. in summer 2019, unity temple was named a unesco world heritage site, one of eight major works by wright given this honoured distinction. 875 lake street, oak park.

[ stony island arts bank ] photo below steve hall
the stony island arts bank is a hybrid gallery, media archive, library and community center – and a home for rebuild foundation’s archives and collections. designed by william gibbons uffendell and built in 1923, the bank at 68th and stony island was once a vibrant community savings and loan. by the eighties, it had closed and the building remained vacant and deteriorating for decades. reopened in october 2015, the radically-restored building renovated by chicago social practice installation artist, theaster gates, serves as a space for neighborhood residents to preserve, access, reimagine and share their heritage – and a destination for artists, scholars, curators, and collectors to research and engage with south side history. 6760 south stony island avenue, south shore. enter via north door from garden

[ 150 north riverside ] photo below courtesy goettsch partners
audaciously cantilevered out over a new stretch of riverwalk, 150 north riverside commands attention as few recent buildings have. the glassy office tower’s 54 floors, carefully engineered to stand tall above busy rail lines, look down all three branches of the chicago river. the soaring lobby, whose enormous glass wall transparently connects indoors and out, is defined by 150 media stream, a one-of-a-kind achievement in art, architecture and technology. the piece’s 89 led blades, stretching 150 feet long and rising 22 feet high, display ever-changing collaborative artworks developed by local and international established and emerging artists, arts educators, and students.

why doesn’t this building topple over ? the building’s small lot plus the wish for 1.2 million square feet of office space gave the skyscraper an aspect ratio — the building’s height relative to the width of its core — is a breathtaking 20-1. if you ask does the building sway? the answer is you bet!

but not as much as it should because the engineers inserted two enclosed concrete vaults near the building’s top. the water in the vaults, which are called “tuned liquid dampers,” is not for swimming. when the wind pushes the high-rise one way, the water sloshes the other way, damping wind-induced sway.

architects/engineers: goettsch partners, and their structural engineers, seattle-based magnusson klemencic associates, 2017.

[ chicago architecture center ] photo below james steinkamp, courtesy cac
located in the 111 east wacker building, designed by the office of mies van der rohe, 1970. adrian smith + gordon gill architecture designed the new and current space in 2018. the chicago architecture center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring people to discover why design matters. the cac’s new home is a great place for locals and tourists alike to learn about chicago architecture and the pivotal role chicago has played in shaping architecture around the globe. exhibits include an expanded and immersive chicago city model experience, the building tall exhibit featuring large-scale models of notable skyscrapers, and more. 111 east wacker drive.

[ stay in the know ]
follow the chicago architecture center on facebook, instagram and twitter and use #ohc2019 to share photos of your ohc 2019 weekend. subscribe to ohc e-news for the latest announcements and important updates. #ohc2019

cac members receive priority access to ohc sites and special members-only sites. join today for an enhanced ohc experience and great year-round cac benefits.

geometry of light farnsworth house revamped for the chicago architecture biennial 2019.

Sep 1, 2019

above > farnsworth house / courtesy of © chris bellezza

farnsworth house, the national trust for historic preservation, and mas context presents geometry of light, an art intervention by luftwerk in collaboration with iker gil.

geometry of light is a three-night light and sound art installation in the iconic farnsworth house, designed by mies van der rohe and lilly reich, and on the surrounding land, in plano, illinois. completed in 1951 and opened to the public in 2004,

the art installation will coincide with the third edition of the chicago architecture biennial. both vip and general entry tickets are already available for purchase. geometry of light will run each evening from 7 pm until 10 pm. presented in concert with a sound-piece developed in direct response to the site by oriol tarragó, this intervention will reveal underlying geometries that relate the house to its river floodplain site, topography, and natural landscape.

[ tickets ]
friday, 11 october 2019 (vip)
7:00 pm | $75 | virtue cider, hors d’oeuvres, & shuttle service to/from aurora metra station included in ticket price. event also features a conversation between zoë ryan, john h. bryan chair and curator of architecture and design at the art institute of chicago, artists petra bachmaier and sean gallero, and architect iker gil.
saturday, 12 october 2019
7:00 pm | $35 | shuttle service to/from aurora metra station available for additional fee
sunday, 13 october 2019
7:00 pm | $35 | shuttle service to/from aurora metra station available for additional fee

the farnsworth house was the weekend home of chicago research physician dr. edith farnsworth. this outdoor intervention will uncover the forgotten history of the site and remnants of earlier landscape by revealing the underlying geometries that relate the world-renowned house to its river floodplain, site topography, and key trees that no longer exist.

geometry of light premiered this past february at the german pavilion in barcelona designed by mies van der rohe and lilly reich. the installation was presented as part of the fundació mies van der rohe’s ongoing program of artistic interventions also corresponding with the llum bcn festival and the santa eulàlia festival.

geometry of light is part of the year of german-american friendship 2018|19 initiated by the german federal foreign office, the goethe-institut, and is supported by the federation of german industries (bdi). this project is generously supported by the graham foundation for advanced studies in the fine arts and bosch power tools – north america. additional support provided by chuck thurow, virtue cider, and many individual donors.

above > farnsworth house / courtesy of luftwerk © nick ulivieri

above/below > the farnsworth house / photography by kate joyce, mel and phil theobald, tom rossiter courtesy of luftwerk

developer demolishes neutra home ordered if you tear it down you must build a replica.

Dec 18, 2018

the question before you once again is whether a person can demolish existing housing stock with impunity and then be rewarded. if you tear it down you must build a replica.

preservationists and city planning commissions alike looking for precedent about illegal demolition of landmarked architecture were given a plum in 2018: if you tear it down you must build a replica as well as include a cautionary tale for others via a plaque detailing the building’s history.

the largent house, a 1,300-square-foot house designed in 1935, was one of only five buildings designed by richard neutra in san francisco. a two-story, whitewashed-concrete-block and redwood-timber building let in natural light and included a greenhouse-like glass atrium to enclose an indoor pool. it was his first project in the city.

a landmarked home bought in october 2017, for $1.7 million by ross johnston in san francisco’s twin peaks neighborhood was leveled within months. a year later the city planning commission’s unprecedented vote to order a replica was unanimous.

johnston had received permission to remodel, but applied for a demolition permit two months after the residence was razed. he cited a fire in 1968 and remodels throughout the 1980s and ’90s had removed the home’s architectural significance. he later said the demo was an accident while johnston was on vacation.

city planning commissioner dennis richards said the home had undergone several modifications over the years, enough to make it ineligible for the most stringent landmark protections.

a little controversy has starting to surface. while replicas are controversial among architectural historians, the decision was applauded by historic preservationists.

in a statement read at the commission meeting, sf heritage executive director michael buhler said that approving the proposed project would have “sent a strong message that existing planning and building laws can be ignored and there will be no repercussions.”

“the question before you once again is whether a person can demolish existing housing stock with impunity and then be rewarded,” said buhler.

architect and architecture historian jonathan pearlman called the decision a “petty and political move that serves no purpose.” pearlman, a friend of the neutra family, said that the modernist architect with a cult-like following would have been “appalled” by the commission’s insistence that the house be recreated.

“his approach to design was extremely client-focused, producing his unique and masterful homes that reflect both his own vision married to the direct needs and desires of his client and to the natural environment of the site,” said pearlman. “to rebuild this house, designed specifically for the largents over 80 years ago, to represent a current political issue hardly seems like something neutra would endorse.”

instead, pearlman said the property owner should have been hit with a substantial fine, which would then be put into a historic preservation fund, similar to the punishment the city settled on in the 2004 expansion of the westfield san francisco centre mall. in that case the developer was fined $2.5 million after razing a 65-foot facade that was supposed to be preserved.

“the 2019 version of a significantly remodeled house, originally designed by one of the greatest 20th century architects, is certainly not a way to address this problem,” he said.

“it’s a replica of history that tells history,” richards said of the largent house to come. “it will preserve his legacy.”

the decision was heralded by neutra’s 92-year-old son and former partner, architect dion neutra, who said that he would love to see the house rebuilt according to the original plans and operated as a publicly accessible cultural center.

“i wish we had a planning commission here in l.a. that had the guts to do what the planning commission in san francisco did,” he said. “i take my hat off to them.”

[ neutra org ] [ washington post ] [ san francisco chronicle ]

lochside house riba 2018 house of the year. haysom ward miller architects

Nov 29, 2018

haysom ward miller architects // riba

[ architect’s brief ] the very energy-efficient structure uses highly-insulated SIP panels, prefabricated to minimize transport an materials. the cladding is scottish larch, charred by the contractor using a variation of the traditional japanese shou sugi ban technique to achieve a naturally varied rich color and improved durability. the house will be completely off-grid, with its own water supply, sewage treatment, and electrical system, all designed to minimize energy use.

the modular form of the house, made up of three simple, pitched-roofed volumes, reduces the apparent scale and height of the roofs and allows sections to be isolated and left unheated when not required. the scale of thew individual sections relates to that of small buildings and shelters that have stood on the peninsula in the past, the ruins of which still remain. the design does not try to copy the style of existing buildings in the area but its straightforward use of local stone and timber and simple forms are common with the traditional craft houses and agricultural buildings in the highlands

the intention is that the development should have minimal impact upon the natural flora and fauna and will instead leave it as undisturbed as possible. rather than surrounding the house with conventional domestic garden planting, the natural materials of the house sit in the natural landscape and, as the ground level falls away to the southeast, terminate with a deck or jetty above the unspoiled surrounding site. new planting will use native species chosen only to reestablish those that have been suppressed by invasive rhododendron or grazing, and to introduce a little more ecological diversity. as the process of clearing rhododendron continues, it is believed that other species should be able to reclaim much of the site with only minimal help – small scots pine seedings are already established and need only protection from grazing. the existing birch, alder, and larch will be augmented, with more planting of native heathers and juniper to add to the diversity of the lower story. yellow flag iris will be introduced to the existing boggy area to the east of the house. the flat ‘green’ roof connecting the pitched volumes will be planted with some of the same mix of sedums, sea pink, and other species found on the rocks nearby.

the scale and siting of the buildings, tucked into a natural fold in the land and designed around the existing established trees, has been carefully considered so that the building feels an integrated part of its surroundings from the outset – a modest and sustainable home that makes the most of, and has minimal impact upon, its very special location.

photography courtesy of richard fraser

also on the shortlist for the award were >
> pheasants by sarah griffiths + amin taha
> red house by 31/44 architects
> coastal house by 6a architects
> old shed new house by tonkin liu
> vex by chance de silva & scanner
> the makers house by liddicoat & goldhill

massimo & lella vignelli’s nyc apartment 6e up for sale.

Jan 29, 2018

above > the 19½-foot-tall living room, with a wood-burning fireplace and a towering leaded glass window, served as massimo’s home office.

massimo would say he needed a clean uncluttered desk and office before he could start thinking about a project.

there were already too many visuals in his mind’s eye and the uncluttered home space mirrors that aesthetic. both were designers and lella was an architect. they designed most of their home furnishings.

[ misc ]

> 130 east 67 street was designed by charles a. platt in the italian renaissance style in 1907, and converted to a cooperative in 1959. it is a highly sought after, full service, white-glove cooperative building located in the heart of the upper east side.

> 6e was bought in 1978 for $250,000 / listed at $6.5M usd

> details of their home are captured beautifully in the documentary design is one: the vignelli’s

> listed at sotheby’s / photos courtesy of sotheby’s