Walstrom House Jonh Lautner

John Lautner was a California based architect that built very inspiring public buildings and private residences. The Walstrom house was constructed in 1969 into the side of a hill in the Santa Monica mountains just outside of Los Angeles. My main interest in this home is of course the use of wood, but also the asymmetrical structure. via wanken

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Palmyra house/ Studio Mumbai

Located outside of Mumbai on the Arabian Sea, Palmyra House was built as a refuge from the bustle of the busy city. The 3000 sq ft. house consists of two wooden louvered structures set inside of a functioning coconut plantation. Anchored to stone platforms, the structures overlook a network of wells and aqueducts that weave the site into an inhabitable whole. Living room, study and master bedroom are contained in the north volume, while the south volume contains the kitchen, dining, and guest bedrooms. Set in the plaza between the buildings, the pool provides a channel for swimming, with expansive views of the sea to the west and views into a dense foliage of palms to the east.

Structural framing for the house was built of ain wood, a local hardwood, and was constructed using traditional interlocking joinery. The extensive louvres were handcrafted from the outer part of the palmyra trunk (a local palm species). Exteriors are detailed with hand-worked copper flashing and standing seam aluminum roofs; interior surfaces are finished with teakwood and India Patent Stone, a refined pigmented plaster. Locally quarried black basalt was used to construct the stone plinths, aqueduct walls and pool plaza. via archdaily

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TANGER / Salva Lopez for Monocle

via salvalopez

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Clock Tower Penthouse

The jaw-dropping 6,813 square feet penthouse offers you a 360 degrees view of the city, overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan. Its signature feature, however, are the four massive clocks, installed in 14-foot-high round windows on each wall. The three-story apartment, with the ceiling going from 16 to 50 feet in height, also has a glass elevator running up its center. via  expensive-homes

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Apartment in Barcelona

The Spanish firm Arquitectes was involved in the renovation project of an apartment in the Ensanche district of Barcelona. With attention to small details, the architects have made ​​a sort of puzzle of prestigious and original features, satisfying new housing needs.

The house, dating from 1910, had never undergone any substantial changes. However, the state of the apartment was awful, except for the beautiful floors and ceilings, kept in a proper manner. Wanting to exalt these historical elements, the architects conducted a meticulous work of mending from room to room, in an effort to implement the new program without changing the pre-existence.

The woodwork has been so preserved in its original location or moved, always respecting the original position of the floors and openings facing the patio.

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Elk Rock Residence

ROBERT HARVEY OSHATZ 
Elk Rock Residence - 1989
Elk Rock Rd, Lake Oswego, Oregon

When Oshatz bought the property upon which he would build his home and studio, the site was considered to be unbuildable. It is located on a slope that drops into the Willamette River and is far too steep for conventional building techniques. From high on the site, a commanding view over the city of Portland is dominated by snow capped Mt Hood. 

To make the most of the view of Mt Hood, Oshatz orientated the building to face directly toward it, and developed a hierarchy of spaces. The main living spaces are held high in the air to take advantage of the views, the children’s bedrooms, where the view was less of a priority, are located below, and the studio and children’s playroom, where the view is unimportant, are located at the bottom of the house. The size of the floor plan required to accommodate the functions of the floors diminishes as you descend from the main living level, giving the building its conical shape. 

The master bedroom is raised a meter and a half above the lounge room to allow a view from the bed over the living room, and out to the mountain beyond. The kitchen occupies a spot at the top of the stucco cone shape and is clad in a copper tube-like form, which is punctured to allow for windows to stretch along the back of a built in seat. The main living space extends out into the canopy of the surrounding Douglas Fir trees, and is an ideal perch from which to watch Canadian geese, red-tailed hawks and bald eagles as the glide by. 

The Elk Rock Residence uses a stucco finish, white sheetrock, and a Douglas Fir tongue and groove ceiling as its primary material palette. These materials are carried through the glazing to dissolve the barriers between inside and out. The roofs have an almost canopy feel to them and are separated from other elements by glass. This gives the impression of being in a space that is defined by its elements and not by its surfaces, and allows the external space to flow through the building. A thick plush carpet is laid over a concrete slab, which is heated using a geothermal heat pump. The radiant floor heating is designed to keep the feet warm and the head cool to create a comfortable environment for the occupants. The slate tiles that are used in the car port are carried through, uninterrupted to the inside. 

One of the most striking elements of the Elk Rock Residence is the large triangular fins that project out from the main living level. These fins were implemented as sound dampeners to shield from the noise of the road to the rear of the house. They ensure a peaceful experience when sitting on the cantilevered deck without obstructing the view. via andrewtboyne

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Boris Radczun apartment

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