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RS+ Robert Skitek Design a House in Krostoszowice, Poland to Fit Into the Surrounding Topography
By Jessica • May 27, 2020
House in Krostoszowice is a residential project completed by RS+ Robert Skitek.
The home is located in Krostoszowice, Poland.
House in Krostoszowice by RS+ Robert Skitek:
“The surrounding landscape interested us more than unexciting development context. Hilly area and forest in the background has become a main point of reference. The building fits to existing topography, coincides with the landscape. House is open towards the most interesting views and separate from the nearest buildings. From the street we can see single-storey building with garage and glass foyer between. This characteristic body of the buildings have a required by the local law sloping roofs, they are covered totally with slate. Concrete fence wall marks platform with building, entrance area, driveway and wooden terrace suspended over the ground. Bedrooms are located downstairs. This part of the building is partially covered by ground and invisible from the street. Under the upper terrace, at the ground level is second, fully covered terrace. Exterior cantilevered stairs link both terraces. In interiors, white surfaces of walls and slanted ceiling are complemented by glass, polished concrete and natural wood floors, wooden stairs and dark accessories. On the top level there is open living room. Pantry, study room, toilet and kitchen were hidden in white cuboid. Above cuboid there is mezzanine with bookcase. Wooden stairs are a conspicuous part of the living room. When we go downstairs we can walk out directly to lower terrace. On this floor there are 2 rooms for children, main bedroom with dressing room, toilet, technical rooms with laundry room and climbing gym. In addition, a storage accessible from the outside is located on the lower floor.”
Photos by: Tomasz Zakrzewski
SCDA Architects Designs Soori Bali, a Resort Residence in Tabanan Regency, Bali
By Magaly • May 26, 2020
Soori Bali is a project designed by SCDA Architects in 2010.
It is located in Bali, Indonesia.
Soori Bali by SCDA Architects:
“Soori Bali lies within the Tabanan Regency, one of Bali’s most fertile and picturesque regions. Here, the landscape ranges from volcanic mountains and verdant rice terraces to beautiful black-sand beaches overlooking the Indian Ocean. The location provides for a complete hideaway and offers numerous quality views of the surrounding beach, ocean, mountains and rice fields.
Soori Bali was designed with the overt principle of green sustainable initiatives in mind. The project is conceived to be both climatically and socially reactive to its locale. The design responds to the notions of climate and place, and endeavors to engage the local landscape and community. The design of the resort was approached with a sensitivity to the nuances of the site setting, and thus executed with the strategy of minimal environmental impact, minimal built footprint and with local cultural practices (religious and ceremonial processions) taken into consideration.
With an understanding that the beach is an important socio-economical aspect of the site, deliberate efforts were taken to consult and incorporate the customs and contributions of the local community within the conceptual design process. The construction methods adopted also creates training and jobs for the neighbouring villages. About 50% of the workers currently on site are recruited from the surrounding community.
The resort reflects on its privileged location by adopting the predominant use of locally sourced materials, together with a careful integration of indigenous motifs, forms and elements. The result, a harmonious balance between the clean, contemporary lines of the architecture and the soothing tones and textures of the internal and external finishes and finishing.
The design of the restaurant terrace and spa facilities incorporates terracotta screens; adapted and stylized from traditional Balinese motifs. These screens generate a marked visual contrast when combined with the dark terrazzo floors and feature walls clad in dark grey volcanic lava stones, such as Batu Candi and Batu Karangasem.
The villas are characterized by the interplay of materials which flow from the interior to exterior spaces. Smooth terrazzo walls and floors are combined with hand brushed natural timber screens, soft silk upholstery and custom designed dark stained timber furniture to form a serene internal space. The use of timber flows into the external spaces, where timber screens wrap a private bale overlooking a private plunge pool lined with Sukabumi stone. Paras Kelating, a light grey volcanic stone is applied to feature walls along the pool edge which combine with soft hues of beige and warm grey textured paint to complete the palette.
A mixture of Villa types were sensitively designed to respond to the local climatic conditions whilst maximizing views out to the surrounding beach, sea and paddy fields. Careful consideration is given to each villa plan and its built form and details to create a comfortable, energy efficient resort style living.
PASSIVE DESIGN ELEMENT
The climatic parameters particular to site, sun movement and prevailing wind direction, were established to assist in the formulation of the orientation of villas and common areas, and their planning concept.
The major building orientation is toward the North-South direction. Some are tilted a few degrees to the East to incorporate the morning sun. Openings were maximized on North-South face to encourage filtered natural light into the building whilst minimizing large openings on west side to reduce heat gain during daytime. Provision of overhanging roof eaves, roof screen systems and deep ledges were employed to reduce heat from direct sunlight.
Operable windows are provided on at least two sides of each room plan, and on each end of the villa to encourage effective cross ventilation and to bring in natural air to the interior spaces. Cross ventilation to all room interiors would provide natural cooling and sufficient fresh air intake in room to minimize CO2 level, thus reducing the reliance on Air Conditioning Systems.
In addition to the siting aspect and layout design of the villas, several design elements and materials were intentionally selected to control the buildings on a micro-climate level.
Provision of a 2nd layer of timer trellis on villa roof would minimize direct heat absorption to the roof itself; the actual roof incorporates additional insulation to further reduce heat gain internally. Material finishes are using “cool colors” in both the paint and stone selections to minimize the absorption of thermal energy, local materials selected naturally respond to the local climate, for e.g. Paras Kelating, Paras Kerobokan, Batu Chandi & Batu Kali for Feature Walls throughout the resort. Location of planters and position of low shrubs and taller trees would be placed to maximize wind flow through villa and common spaces, thus avoiding creation of wind barriers.
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
The exterior hardscape and softscape designs are intended to create a seamless transition between the interior and exterior spaces, with the specific goal in preserving the natural topography. Built elements are planned to sit ‘lightly’ on the land. The selection of trees responds to both the local climate and the resort planning with tree types playing a key role in the creation of ‘shaded spaces’, private pavilions and communal areas.
Due to the relatively severe coastal conditions which exist during certain periods of the year, the landscape design also incorporates a variety of indigenous local plants and coastal ‘hardy’ species, for e.g. Ipomoea Pes-caprae, Scaevola Taccada, Cocos Nucifera & Cerbera Odollam. This selection identifies and responds to the need for less long term maintenance and reduced water requirements for irrigation.”
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- Floor plans
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- Floor plan
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- Floor plan
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- Floor plan
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- Section
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- Site plan
Photos by: Mario Wibowo
The architectural firm Rob Paulus Architects renovated this construction in 2012 for a doctor. Its size is of 4500 ft2, and is located in Tucson, Arizona, USA. This renovation opens up the house to encompass the lush desert landscape while improving the interior of the property. The new shapes are crisp and clean to contrast with the rounded exterior of the existing building.
Using a reductive approach in the interior, the walls are disassembled to provide better function, circulation, and views. Outside, an existing trellis porch transforms into an outdoor living room and a kitchen with a new elevated canopy.
A palette of colors and natural material dominates the new scheme with an emphasis on fir wood that was influenced by the client’s desire to create spaces inspired by nature. This warm wood is used in all interior cabinets, but it also appears on the outside as the bottom part of the roof plane that hangs over the area of the outdoor room. The existing closed house is transformed to interact with the exterior while creating a relaxing interior space in a decidedly modern transformation.
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- Terrace with arid vegetation
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- Outdoor furniture
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- Large decorated terrace
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- Pool area
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- Living area in leather furniture
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- Large kitchen-dining area
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- Modern kitchen in wood
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- TV room
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- Modern sink area
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- Pool area at night hours
Modern Apartment with a Marked Industrial Style Designed for a Young Businessman
By Magaly • Nov 8, 2018
This fabulous and modern apartment located in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, has been designed by the architects Ivan Yunakov, Olga Korniienko, Natali Raga, and Yaroslav Katrich, all working for the firm 33bY Architecture. The client was a young entrepreneur, and the home has a distinct industrial style.
It has an area of 97 square meters and was carried out in 2018. In the interior, a palette of dark colors and a variety of materials were used, with different structures. Among those materials were brick, natural African black stone, onyx, leather, copper, and wood. Upon entering the apartment, the first thing we notice is the wall made of black stone on one side, and the black surface with golden decoration elements on the other side. The living room is combined with a kitchen, a dining room, and a work space.
The space was separated by using glass partitions, looking to align the boundaries between the facilities, but at the same time to achieve open and floating spaces. The glass structure is made by using the “smart glass” system technology; it can be converted to matt to achieve greater privacy within the room.
The panel that was used to balance the dark tones is white onyx with backlighting framed by copper edges. It works at night and creates a cozy atmosphere, and is the focal point of our interior, seen from all the main facilities of the apartment.
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- Elegant entrance in black and gold
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- Spacious and modern lounge
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- Elegant lounge area
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- Modern furniture in leather
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- Stone wall
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- kitchen area
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- Modern kitchen with bronze details
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- Details
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- Sober dining room
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- Modern room with brick wall
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- Room connected with modern bathroom
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- Modern and elegant bathroom
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- Modern and elegant bathroom
Project Based on Optimizing the Reuse of Small Sites in London
By Magaly • Nov 7, 2018
With the aim of optimizing the reuse of small plots, part of a new policy of the mayor of London, the architectural firm FORMstudio set to work on this new project, located in London Borough of Southwark, United Kingdom. The 240 square meter area is part of this new plan that encourages municipalities to proactively support new, well-designed homes in small plots through planning in order to significantly increase the way small challenging plots can meet the needs of housing in London. Benbow Yard is a perfect response to this policy.
The houses with patio, in the London district of Southwark are located in a closed and irregular plot, previously occupied by a metal factory. The challenging site had narrow access, perspectives and problems with daylight, and these limitations have directly determined the shape and the fenestration of the pair of new single-family, two-story and three-bedroom homes.
The ground floors are lined with a contemporary pale brick with vaulted floors with zinc coating for retaining walls: materials that refer to the industrial heritage of the site but that are articulated with a refined level of detail to create a sense of quality.
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- Small terrace with stone wall
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- Terrace connected to the interior
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- Modern lounge area
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- Living room with stone wall
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- Living room-kitchen in modern style
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- Modern minimalist kitchen
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- Modern dining room in wood
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- Stairs in wood
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- Room full of natural light
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- Modern bathroom
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- Exterior night view
A Remodeling that Manages to Fuse the Interior with the Exterior
By Magaly • Nov 5, 2018
This modern residence of open spaces and full of natural light was re-designed by the architecture firm David Coleman Architecture in 2015 in the city of Seattle, United States. It has an area of 6058 ft2, and we can see the result of the attempts to merge both the interior and the exterior. The original house, designed in 1956 by a prominent Seattle architect, is located in the private enclave of Broadmoor. It was conceived as a serpentine structure of a single floor.
The objective of the firm was to clarify the layout; add where necessary to improve habitability, merge the interior and exterior space where possible, and improve the general ambience. To achieve this, a series of initiatives were launched that had the effect of better defining the access to the house, the movement through the house, and the relationship between the interior and exterior space. This resulted in a transformation of the whole, raising the overall quality of the building and the landscape, allowing the promise of the original structures and the site to be fully realized.
The plan preserves the openness that one expects in a modern home, but it also contains an appearance of intimacy that is not expected in such a large and open building. This is achieved through the insertion of subtle but effective architectural devices, all lending a more human and accessible scale.
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- View of the external terraces
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- Main entrance
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- Spacious interior full of light
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- Modern kitchen area
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- Modern kitchen in wood
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- Large living room
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- Internal corridors connect the areas
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- Wooden internal stairs
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- Room with glass walls
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- Large bathroom in wood
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- Large bathroom
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- Nocturnal view
When Cooking is an Art that We Enjoy
By Magaly • Oct 31, 2018
Cooking is definitely an art and this space has been designed for those who revel in the pleasure of cooking. The space looks to bring to life the concept of a free kitchen that brings together lovers of good food, becoming the throne of a large, versatile, and functional space with an air of lightness. The one in charge of this project, carried out recently, has been W4 Arquitetura Criativa under the direction of its professionals Camila Pigatto, Fernanda Sá, and Laura Tavares.
It has an area of 35 square meters and is located in Três Figueiras, Porto Alegre, Brazil. As a sustainable solution, the iron mesh of rods in the wall serves as a custom mural in the space and is reused from the construction phase, avoiding its elimination and the waste of material. The wall with vertical garden is made with recycled cloth bags.
Another element considered sustainable is the presence of an orchard that serves as raw material for the preparation of the chef’s dishes in the workshop space, using organic spices from direct sowing.
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- Kitchen area with space for relaxation
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- Small corner of rest
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- Large kitchen area
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- Kitchen table with accessories
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- Recycled wall grille
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- Recycled wall grille
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- Vertical garden area
This Detached Villa has the City of Beirut at its Feet
By Magaly • Oct 30, 2018
Located in the village of Baaddat in Mount Lebanon, twenty miles above Beirut, this detached villa has excellent views over the mountainous landscape. It has an area of 562 square meters and was designed in 2016 by the architectural firm Joe Serrins Studio, under the guidance of its architects Joe Serrins and Jared Brownell. The property is covered with pine nut trees that cling to the rocky slope that falls twenty meters on a 45 degree slope. The architecture allows us to cross the steep slope and put us in contact with the landscape.
The program is organized by floors: the lowest level is the garage, and level two includes a media room and three bedrooms. The third level is the living room that has high ceilings and the largest of the four terraces. The fourth level contains the master suite and a private terrace with a pool hidden against the hillside. The building is mostly made of concrete, typical of structures of this size in the region.
The exterior is covered with a coarse gray stone interrupted by a volume of white plaster and several folding glass planes with operable doors. The landscape terraces and property debris walls are made with a local rock with a rough face.
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- View of the villa on the top
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- Villa surrounded by tall trees
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- Details of the exterior of the villa
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- Views of the town over the city
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- Pool area
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- Details of the interior
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- Salon in cream and black tones
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- Dining room with views
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- Wooden stairs
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- Room with terrace
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- Double room
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- Bathroom connected to the outside
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- Night view of the exterior
A Remodeling Creates a New Modern and Functional Space
By Magaly • Oct 16, 2018
This remodeling of an old floor of 807 ft2, located in Gràcia, Barcelona, was carried out by the architect Raúl Sanchez and his team of professionals Pau Just and Cayetano de la Torre. The previous state of the apartment belonged to a way of life incompatible with the requirements of the new owner. Therefore, the new proposal starts from the total demolition of the pre-existing situation, maintaining only the structural system (for technical and economic reasons, structural interventions were ruled out).
The space is intended to flow freely inside, to maximize the feeling of space and abolish the boundaries between the rooms: for example, both the bedroom and the guest bathroom are closed with large, large pivoting doors, from floor to ceiling, without perimeter frames. This means that partitions are not only interrupted when they reach the gaps in the doors.
The bathroom is completely black, a mixture of ceramic, granite, microcemento and black varnish, and with taps, sinks and other accessories, all in black. On the other hand, the guest bathroom has the opposite treatment: here the granite, the microcement and the varnish are all white, although the sink and faucets are kept in black. The sliding and rotating iron and glass doors draw figures that blur the axes, but also mark areas of privacy and more visible areas.
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- Private lounge area
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- Living room in modern style
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- Modern kitchen in black
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- Kitchen in black with marble top
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- Room area with sliding door
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- Room decorated in white
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- Modern and sober bathroom in black
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- Sober bathroom in black
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- Bathroom
Urban Residence with Wonderful Views
By Magaly • Oct 12, 2018
This small urban residence is located in Seattle, United States and is a clear example of what is possible to achieve by looking at these forgotten landscapes as new opportunities.
The architectural firm The Miller Hull Partnership understood it this way and took advantage of the space and its landscape converting this space of 800 ft2 (20 feet wide by 40 feet long) into what it is today.
This unique space provides the opportunity to re-imagine how people can reconnect with water in areas where the scale of ubiquitous industrial structures tends to break that relationship. With similar industrial warehouses lined up on many urban water fronts, there is the possibility of reconnecting people with navigable waterways, even in industrialized environments.
Located at the top of a warehouse larger than a football field, the unit is near the edge of the building to supervise the marina and the waterway below, while enjoying panoramic views of the Olympic Range.
Carried out in 2008 one of its main attractions remains its views.
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- Terrace with views
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- Terrace with wooden floors
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- Living room with wonderful views
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- Living room with libraries
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- Passage area
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- Room with terrace
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- Wood kitchen
Remodeling a construction that dates back to 1911
By Magaly • Oct 10, 2018
This modest house was built in 1911 with blocks of stones resulting from the excavation of the ground for the railway. It was originally thought to be inhabited by the workers of the construction of the railway in the town of Montreux, Switzerland.
In 2014, this 260 square meter project was remodeled by the firm Ralph Germann architectes. The space, located on a sloping slope, offers a breathtaking view of the Alps, Lake Geneva and the Riviera.
The renovation of the building by the architect Ralph Germann shows visible signs of the transformation in the exterior facades. Completely empty, the building maintained its original design, the central staircase with its walnut and wrought iron fence. This construction that originally housed three apartments was opened to unite all the floors of the house, now concentrated into a single home.
To strengthen the link between the levels, the architect came up with a creative solution. The load-bearing walls on the staircase were opened to insert open concrete elements, built at the site from molds. Responding to the demands of thermal and acoustic insulation, the creation of these concrete openings proved to be a very effective solution. Heat, light, and sound pass through, allowing family members to communicate from one floor to another. In addition, these cavities also serve as storage spaces.
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- Side view of the construction
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- Entrance with glass and wood door
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- Small lounge area in neutral colors
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- Living room sharing spaces
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- Relaxation area
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- Kitchen in concrete
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- Kitchen with access to the terrace
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- Dining room in wood
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- Single room
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- Bathroom area
Imposing Retirement Retreat in the Mountains of the Western Cape, Overberg, in South Africa.
By Magaly • Oct 8, 2018
This fantastic residence, which was completed in 2017 by the professionals Philip Olmesdahl, Tamaryn Fourie, and James Minchener, is located in the region of the Western Cape, Overberg, in South Africa.
This property, covering a large area of 1610 square meters (423 square meters), has incredible views over the Bot River Lagoon and the Overberg mountains.
The continuous flow from the interior to the external space is reflected in the presence of fynbos (vegetation typical of the area) that fill the edges of the construction, allowing the surrounding nature into the home.
The architectural design, created by SAOTA (its interior was done by ARRCC), of this holiday home perfectly combines various materials that allow it to face the different natural agents of the region: sunlight, salt, rain and, in particular, strong winds. A pleasant side effect is the views residents and visitors alike are able to enjoy from the home’s perch.
The owners’ vision for this retirement home for their children is in a “C” shaped layout to help maximize the panorama, the views, and create a large sheltered yard.
Through the use of rich materials and a tame color palette, the decoration is integrated perfectly, optimizing the sense of space.
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- View of the construction on the top of the mountain
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- Terrace with wonderful views over the Bot River Lagoon
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- Living room with a modern and simple style
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- Informal lounge-dining room
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- Modern dining room in wood
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- Modern and elegant kitchen area
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- Modern and elegant kitchen area
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- Stairs with glass handles
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- Spacious room with terrace
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- Bathroom with views
A Holiday Home Full of History
By Magaly • Oct 8, 2018
This house, located on the top of a mountain in Marušići, Croatia, is a holiday home designed by the firm Studio Ante Murales d.o.o. in 2016. The architects Ante Nikša Bilić, Sunčica Mastelić Ivić and Hrvojka Kalogjera were responsible for carrying out this project, which covers an area of 270 square meters.
The conditions of the microclimate and the view from the site determined the design of the building. But the same applies to the materiality and tactile properties of the house. The cubes are made of concrete and are related to the rocks of the Biokovo mountain range due to their color.
The traditional construction of small rural houses in this area involves the construction of the whole building with a single material. As such, this home was mainly made of stone, and the roof was made of stone slabs. This practice resulted in beautiful functional units of spaces that were either open or covered by vines and tiles.
And as the people in charge of this project say: “To direct a space to live in, the space must be filled with us. I wanted to protect myself from the sun, to protect myself from the wind, the rain and the cold. I wanted all the windows and openings to be full of the sea.” Their wishes are now a reality.
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- View of the extensive covered terrace
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- View of the terrace from inside
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- Terrace with pool
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- TV room with concrete walls
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- Comfortable living-dining space
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- Living room and kitchen sharing space
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- Living room connected to the terrace
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- Ledge full of color
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- Concrete and wood stairs
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- Room with terrace
Just one hour from the center of Lima, Peru in the area of Chaclacayo, this home of 528 square meters is used to get away from the chaotic city. A perfect place to embrace peace and tranquility, surrounded by family. It was designed by the architecture firm SOMA Lima under the direction of the architects Daniela Chong, Daniella Suazo, and Andrea Silva in 2017.
The architectural program of the house includes living room, dining room, four bedrooms, kitchen, living room, service area, and a separate volume of bungalows that house four guest bedrooms.
The main house has an integrated and oversized living and dining room, since this is the main social space and where the whole family gathers. With a double height ceiling, this space expands both vertically and horizontally, and integrates the interior with the exterior, creating a covered terrace surrounded by green.
The intimate area of the bedrooms opens onto another garden to the west of the house to maintain privacy, while the other social spaces, such as the kitchen and living room, are visually integrated with the rest of the house.
When entering, the main house located towards the bottom of the land is framed by a large garden, with the hills and blue sky in the background.
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- View of the large terrace
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- Terrace with brick wall
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- Dining area connected to the terrace
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- Exterior view with red brick walls
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- Living room with brown leather sofa
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- Room with brick wall
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- Bathroom in white and gray
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- Night view of the lounge
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- Night view of the exterior
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- Night view of the pool area
House with Wonderful Views of the Desert
By Magaly • Oct 3, 2018
The Ghost Wash House, as this private property is called, was designed by Architecture – Infrastructure – Research, Inc., which is an architecture and urban design firm focused on applying advanced research methods and sustainable practices into designs that cover the needs and wishes of each client, and which was founded by Darren Petrucci in 2001. The home is located along the lower hillside of the north side of Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, a small, affluent town in Maricopa County, Arizona, in the United States. It was completed in 2017 and covers a total ground area of 8,500 square feet.
The site is flanked by two desert washes that move water from the top of the mountain into the valley below. A third topographic condition — a “Ghost Wash” — runs through the center of the site, giving the property its name, and is framed by brick bars.
