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Posts Tagged ‘Houses’

Living in a Bubble: 15 Privacy-Free Transparent Houses

08 Jul

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Glass Houses Main

Sometimes, beautiful views of your surroundings simply trump the need for privacy. Living in a bubble isn’t so bad when you’re in a remote location gazing at the sea or the forest, but some people take it one step further, living in almost entirely transparent spaces even in busy urban locations.

Cylindrical Glass House Containing a Tree

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If you’re living in a secluded forest, does it matter whether the walls of your home are entirely transparent? Perhaps you wouldn’t mind if you lived inside ‘Tree in the House,’ a four-story modern treehouse encapsulating a beautiful tree. A white spiral staircase winds around the tree, taking you from one room to the next.

Transparent Floating Vacation Home

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The term ‘floating house’ would typically indicate a house boat or other structure on the water, but in this case, it’s all about the visuals. Designed by Jarmund/Vigsnaes Arkitekter, this home features a gabled black upper floor on top of an entirely transparent lower floor so that from a distance, the home appears to be levitating.

Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe

Glass Houses Farnsworth 1 Glass Houses Farnsworth 2

The classic Farnsworth House is one of the most well-known works by architect Mies van der Rohe. Built for Dr. Edith Farnsworth between 1945 and 1951 in Plano, Illinois, the glass home is located on a secluded 10-acre site. The design seeks to unite the occupants with the natural world just outside, using the adjacent trees for shading and privacy.

Glass Cube House by Carlo Santambrogio

Glass House Santambrogio 1 Glass House Santambrogio 2

Glass House Santambrogio 3

These two entirely see-through houses redefine what it means to put your life on display. Italian architecture firm Santambrogio sought the clearest glass to maintain transparency even through a series of walls, built-in shelves and staircases. ‘Snow House,’ the three-story structure pictured, is one of a series of glass houses created by the firm, and this one has glass thick enough to withstand heavy loads of snow. Special glass panels instantly turn matte for privacy at the touch of a button. The single-story version, ‘Cliff House,’ uses thinner, lighter glass elements.

House NA by Sou Fujimoto Architects

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Rather than trying to cut individual inhabitants off from their neighbors, as is typical in densely populated settings, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto decided to create a home that would unite them. House NA has an almost entirely transparent street-front facade, and instead of enclosed rooms, the interior is filled with small platforms at various heights for free movement and clear lines of sight.

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Living In A Bubble 15 Privacy Free Transparent Houses

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Hover Houses: 12 Cliff-Clinging Homes with a View

23 Jun

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Hanging Houses Silvestre 1

Swim to the edge of an infinity pool that feels as if it’s going to pour right out into the sea, or stand on a glass-walled balcony hanging off a cantilevered volume, seeming to hover in mid-air. These dramatic cliffside houses are anchored to stone, but extend out over the landscape for incredible views.

Cliffside Home with Cantilevered Infinity Pool
Hanging Homes Cantilevered Infinity Pool 2

Hanging Homes Cantilevered Infinity Pool 1

Hanging Homes Cantilevered Infinity Pool 3jpg

A sparkling infinity pool juts out over the rocks in this incredible ultramodern Thailand home by Original Vision. Stacked volumes create outdoor spaces that are open to the air, while the entire ocean-facing facade is made up of glass walls, windows and doors to properly appreciate the view.

Light and Reflections in La Jolla, California
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Hanging Houses La Jolla 2

Hanging Houses La Jolla 1

Everything about this home in La Jolla forms an echo of the sky and sea, from the glittering glass and reflective pools to the all those curving lines. Architect Wallace Cunningham created organic forms in marble-like white polished concrete and built the house into the hillside so it would feel as if it were a part of the landscape.

X-Shaped Cliffside House
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Hanging Houses X 2

Nearly invisible from the street, this X-shaped residence by Cadaval & Solá Morales is tucked into the cliffside so that the roof is actually a driveway and terrace overlooking Barcelona. Residents descend into the two levels of living spaces below. The incisions at the top and bottom of the ‘X’ let in light while preserving privacy.

Mirage House Blends In With the Aegean Sea
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At just the right angle, this home nestled into the hills of Tinos Island in Greece’s Cyclades archipelago seems to disappear altogether, its rooftop infinity pool blending into the Aegean Sea. ‘Mirage House‘ by Kois Associated Architects was envisioned as an “invisible oasis” will all interior spaces tucked into the subterranean rock-sheltered portion of the home.

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Hover Houses 12 Cliff Clinging Homes With A View

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No Lot Too Challenging: 13 Ingenious Odd-Shaped Houses

22 Apr

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Odd Lots Main

The lot purchased by a homeowner might be seemingly impossible – clinging to a sheer cliff, squeezing into tight spaces, or consisting of an odd geometric shape – but by god, architects will find a solution. Whether by building up from a postage-stamp-sized property, zig-zagging a house between its neighbors or designing a home in the shape of a giant X, architecture firms have found ways to use seemingly undesirable spaces, leading to some very unusual and imaginative residences.

Twisting Zig-Zag House

Odd Lots Zig Zag House 1
Odd Lots Zig Zag House 2

To most people, it wouldn’t seem like there was actually room for a new house in this extremely narrow, oddly-shaped space between several other residences. But in Japan, every square inch counts. Alphaville architects came up with a novel approach: a zig-zagging house that might skim its neighbors by mere inches in some spots, but still manages to feel private inside thanks to very careful placement of windows and courtyards.

X-Shaped Cliffside House

Odd Lots X Shaped House 1
Odd Lots X Shaped House 2

How do you build a house on a sheer cliff that has views on every side, but still feels private, and is virtually invisible from the street? Cadaval & Solá-Morales architects created a two-story, X-shaped residence that clings to the cliff, with the roof functioning as a driveway and terrace. Each side of the home’s edge gets its own sweeping view of Barcelona without facing any of the neighbors. Incisions at the top and bottom of the ‘X’ let in light while maintaining that privacy.

Super-Skinny Cliff-Hugging House

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The slightest wedge of a lot on a rocky cliff gave way to this narrow, sloping house by Shuhei Endo. The triangular lot was confined by a Y-shaped intersection and several other residences, and gets as narrow as 5 feet at some points. Tucking the home beside the retaining wall anchors it, and a narrow space between the wall and the home provides a light-filled, private outdoor space with architectural interest.

Oceanfront Cabin on Stilts

Odd Lots Oceanfront Cabin Stilts

The strip of land this oceanfront cabin is built upon is hardly larger than a parking spot. But owner of that land wanted Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects to create a relaxing weekend getaway overlooking Sagami Bay, with views of Mount Fuji in the distance. The result is ‘Window House,’ a slim residence built on steel poles to protect it from storm surges and enable those stunning views. The interior features staggered lofts accessible by stairs and ladders.

Spite House Built on Pie-Shaped Lot

Odd Lots Seattle Spite House

The Seattle Spite House was built on a pie-shaped piece of land adjacent to a larger home, and gets so narrow at one end that it’s hard to open the oven door all the way. The story goes that it was built in 1925 out of spite because the tiny, odd-shaped lot was all that was given to a wife in a contentious divorce, and she was determined to make the most of it. The home sold for nearly $ 400K in 2013.

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No Lot Too Challenging 13 Ingenious Odd Shaped Houses

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Spite Houses: 12 Structures Built Just to Annoy People

31 Mar

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Spite Houses Main

These houses, apartment buildings and commercial structures weren’t built as they are because the owners really loved the view or particularly wanted a five-foot-wide house just inches from the neighboring building. They came into being out of pure spite, or gleeful revenge, or the desire to seriously annoy adjacent property owners and city planners. Here are 12 amazingly spiteful structures, starting with a very recent example that riled up members of a certain infamously hateful church.

Gay Pride Flag Spite House Across from the Westboro Baptist Church

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Spite House Gay Pride Westboro 2

A house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church compound is now one big gay pride flag thanks to a man whose nonprofit group Planting Peace purchased the home and painted it in rainbow colors. That’s probably not exactly a welcome sight for members of the church, who are known for their virulently anti-gay views and for picketing military funerals. Five local Kansas City painters declined to participate in the job after learning what Jackson had in mind, but ‘Equality House‘ was finally completed and unveiled in March 2013. The house got lots of attention for the right reasons, but of course, the church had a typical response to it: “We thank God for Sodomite Rainbow House!” they said in an email to TIME, claiming it helps bring attention to their message.

Pie-Shaped Montlake Spite House, Seattle

Spite Houe Montlake Seattle

Measuring just 55 inches across its narrowest point, this wacky pie-shaped house was reputedly built to cut off a larger home from the street. According to local legend, a neighbor approached the owner of the land to purchase the plot in 1925, but at an insultingly low price, spurring the owner to build the ‘Montlake Spite House‘ in retaliation. Another story claims that the house was built when the wife of the owner was given the tiny, awkardly-shaped lot in the divorce settlement, while her ex got the rest of the property. The most recent homeowner has said that for the most part, the narrow profile of the house wasn’t a problem, except when she was cooking: she had to stand to one side to open the oven door to avoid pinning herself to the wall. The house recently sold for almost $ 400K.

Hollensbury Spite House, Alexandria, Virginia

Spite House Hollensbury

John Hollensbury, the owner of the white and red houses pictured, was sick of loiterers hanging out in the alley. So he built the Hollensbury Spite House, a 7-foot-wide, 25-foot-deep dwelling in the Old Town district in Alexandria, Virginia. The house’s two main walls are the brick walls of the adjacent structures, making it more of an enclosed alleyway than an actual house, but it has been used as a residence ever since.

The Skinny House of Boston, Massachusetts

Spite House Skinny Boston

Boston’s narrowest house measures just 10.5 feet across at its widest point, with the smaller portions about 6.5 feet wide, and can only be entered through a small alley. The four-level house was built shortly after the Civil War when two brothers inherited land from their deceased father. The legend claims that while one brother went away to serve in the war, the other built a large home, leaving the soldier little more than an alleyway. So when he returned, the soldier built the narrow house to ruin his brother’s view and cut off air and sunlight to the larger home.

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Spite Houses 12 Structures Built Just To Annoy People

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Modern Tree Houses: 14 Awesome Arboreal Dwelling Designs

18 Feb

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Modern Tree Houses Main

Some tree houses are crafted in organic shapes and materials to blend into their environments or designed as veritable castles in the sky, but these 14 are as modern as arboreal dwellings get. Ranging from a tree hotel in Sweden with a variety of eye-popping options to a simple freestanding backyard structure you can build yourself, these contemporary tree houses might get you daydreaming about your own private tree retreat.

Treehouse Conference Center

Modern Treehouses Conference Center

Your brainpower might just be multiplied if you attended a work conference in a treehouse like this one. The stimulating environment of a Belgian forest provides the setting for an elevated structure consisting of two large wooden cabins connected by a walkway, with a ramp leading to the grass below. Built by German architectural studio Baumraum, which is responsible for many other gorgeous modern tree houses, this complex is set on 19 stilts.

Beach Rock Treehouse in Japan

Modern Treehouses Beach Rock

Japanese builder Kobayashi Takashi created this domed ‘Beach Rock Treehouse‘ for the sole purpose of communicating with outer space. Seriously. It’s featured in the book ‘New Treehouses of the World,’ in which the author writes “A sparkling beacon among treetops, it is easy to imagine the dome succeeding at its mission to make contact with alien life.”

Tree Snake Houses

Modern Treehouses Snake

Inspired by serpents, these twin treehouses in Pedras Salgadas Park, Portugal take advantage of a sloping hillside. The structures extend out from ground level to hover within the woods, requiring no stairs or ladders to feel as if you’ve ascended into the treetops. Each unit is equipped with a mater bedroom studio space with a small kitchen and wash area.

Prefab Eco Perch

Modern Treehouses Eco Perch

Set it on the ground or put it in the trees – ‘Eco Perch’ by Blue Forest is adaptable to virtually any environment you’d like to place it in. The prefab luxury tree house unit is made of natural materials and can be installed within 5 days, taking up just 6 by 8 meters. The living area, kitchen and bedroom inside can accommodate up to four people.

Modern Treehouse for Kids

Modern Treehouses Kids Nashville

Those of us who were lucky enough to have a treehouse as kids often happily made do with little more than a rickety plywood platform and ladder treads nailed into the bark. How fun would it have been to call a two-story treehouse like this one your very own? This freestanding treehouse was built around a pine in the owner’s Nashville backyard.

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Modern Tree Houses 14 Awesome Arboreal Dwellings

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Rural Urbanism: Forest Community of One-Pole Tree Houses

06 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

treehouse model

Pristine nature versus urban development seem ever at war, but this designer proposes a low-impact, small-footprint approach for cross-kingdom co-habitation between people and trees.

treehouse community rendering example

treehouse forest close up

Konrad Wójcik of Aalborg, Denmark has modeled his design on the shape and functions of trees, envisioning a forest where these living modules are found interspersed within existing organic ecosystems rather than displacing them.

treehouse impact study diagram

treehouse elevation plan inspiration

treehouses situated in forest

tree house presentation

He notes that “for most of the animals, trees are the best natural shelters against predators, moisture and weather. Coincidence? We must remember that in nature nothing is accidental. Everything has a reason and a purpose. It all balance out.”

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Niki Feijen’s haunting images of abandoned houses

26 Oct

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Dutch photographer and urban exploration specialist Niki Feijen goes behind “do not enter” signs on dilapidated houses to document furniture, clothes, and other ornaments left behind by their former owners. His eerie HDR images reveal remnants of life in rooms across western Europe that are now left to decay. Frozen in time, it’s hard not to imagine the people that once occupied the spaces. See gallery

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Religious Conversions: 15 Houses of Worship Turned Secular

09 Sep

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Converted Churches Secular Main

Transforming these fifteen churches, monasteries and synagogues into homes, libraries and nightclubs hasn’t put a damper on their sense of reverence and grandeur. Former houses of worship all over the world retain all of their awe-inspiring original architectural elements like vaulted ceilings, arches, altars and stained glass windows while adjusting to needs that are more mundane.

13th Century Church to Modern Library, Maastricht, Holland

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Converted Church Library 2

A thirteenth-century Dominican church in Maastricht, Holland has been transformed into Selexyz Dominicanen, a massive bookstore. The 1,200-square-meter church will all of its elegant arches and vaults has been filled with a modern three-story volume containing row after row of books, to take advantage of the full height of the structure.

St. Jakobus Church to Home by Zecc Architects, The Netherlands

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A modest, narrow chapel in The Netherlands that had fallen into disuse is now a private home. Like many other churches in the area, St. Jakobus was no longer needed for its intended purpose, so it was used as an antique store and even a meeting place for small concerts over the years. Then Zecc Architects came in, removed part of the mezzanine floor, painted nearly every surface stark white and inserted modular volume that provides enclosed rooms and a loft without compromising the grand feel of the space.

Gothic Monastery to Hotel, Maastricht, Holland

Converted Church Hotel

Travelers can take a different sort of comfort in a 15th century monastery in Maastricht than that for which it was originally built. The Crutched Friars is now the 60-room Kruisheren Hotel. The monastery houses the guest rooms, while the Gothic church contains the reception area, conference rooms, a library, a boutique and a coffee bar.

Ordinary Church Concealing Modern Home, Sydney, Australia

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What appears to be an ordinary church in Sydney, Australia is actually a modern home. You wouldn’t guess from the outside that just within those walls is a light-filled living space with an indoor swimming pool, glazed walls and a marble commercial kitchen.

Anglican Church to Spirito Martini Bar, Brussels, Belgium

Converted CHurch Spirito Martini Bar

The Spirito-Martini is a luxurious hotspot in Brussels with three bars, five different lounges and a private room, all set within a former Anglican church. All of the major architectural elements of the church have been retained, including extravagant chandeliers. The designers outfitted the club in Victorian-style furniture, damask and dark wood.

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Private Playgrounds: 13 Amazingly Fun Houses

29 Apr

[ By Steph in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

Private Playgrounds Fun Houses Main

If you had your own pirate ship fort, multi-story slide, climbing wall or indoor skate park, would you ever want to leave your house? Some homeowners have turned their residences into private playgrounds and theme parks, incorporating fun elements to liven up home life for kids and adults alike.

Home Library with a Wooden Slide

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Private Playgrounds Library Slide 1

Bookshelves and a slide are built into a set of stairs in the Panorama House by architect Moon Hoon from South Korea, encouraging kids to spend a lot more time in this fun little space. And as if those three functions weren’t enough, the steps also offer a stadium-style home theater seating area. Says Hoon, “The multi-use stair and slide space brings much active energy to the house, not only children, but also grown ups love the slide staircase. An action filled playful house for all ages.”

Indoor Skate Park House

Private Playgrounds Skate Villa

An abandoned hunting lodge in the woods of Salzburg, Austria was remodeled into a skater’s dream, filled with ramps and curving surfaces to make it an indoor skate park and residence in one. Designed by professional skateboarder Philipp Schuster, Skate Villa retains its lodge character with antlers, rifles and rustic furniture.

Colorful Home with Spiral Stairs, Slides and Trap Doors

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Private Playgrounds Three Story Slide 3
Trap doors, slides, bridges and bright three-story spiral staircases make this ‘magical oasis’ by AB Rogers and DA Studio much more enjoyable for kids and adults alike than an average home. Not only does the house feature secret doors that can be thrown open to slide down to the next floor, it has a special oversized sofa designed specifically for jumping and bouncing.

Pirate-Themed Playground with Treehouse and Slides

Private Playgrounds Pirate Ship

Private Playgrounds Pirate Ship 2

Private Playgrounds Pirate Ship 3

A floating pirate ship bedroom with a rope bridge, offering a magical place to sleep, is just the beginning in this fun-centric house by Kuhl Design. A hidden slide spirals three stories down to a basement with a climbing wall and video golf room.

Tokyo Three-Story Slide and Ball Pit

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Private Playgrounds Tokyo Slide 2

Would you rather take the slide, or the stairs? This Tokyo house by Japanese studio Level Architects lets you choose at each of the three floors. Stairs wrap around one side and the slide wraps around another. Another fun feature is a small light-filled ball pit.

Amazing Indoor/Outdoor Home Climbing Wall

Private Playgrounds Tokyo Climbing Wall 1

Private Playgrounds Tokyo Climbing Wall 2

Tired of taking the stairs? Climb from one floor to the next instead. The 3-Way House in Tokyo by Naf Architect & Design incorporates a modern climbing wall as a main visual component, placed in a glassed interior courtyard that can be seen from various rooms in the house.

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Treehouse Taster: 3 Wildly Different Types of Tree Houses

22 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

tree houses

Regular readers will know that this site love tree houses of all types, but in researching articles a few have slipped through the cracks, their stories and histories unknown, yet the images of them are too amazing to go un-shown.

tree house steampunk style

organic huge tree house

These more mysterious examples come from a combination of Pinterest and Repinly, and range from pragmatic well-constructed residences to wild and overgrown structures that seem to have grown alongside the trees they surround, with a few derelict and deserted ones somewhere in between. Above are two examples that seem organically evolved, pieced together around the growth of their trees.

tree house real frame

Of the sturdily-constructed sort, this one looks like a regular small family home simply lodged in the branches of a big deciduous monster and bolstered by basic framing.

tree house multi story

tree house of fairy tales

Finally, the tree homes of fairy tales – these two magical examples show that plans are one thing, but fantasy is another – sometimes the tree is just a foil for boisterous expressions of amazing and spontaneous architecture.

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