Summer retreat

MINIMOD proposes an innovative, intelligent and sustainable alternative of dwelling. Starting from a minimal module, MINIMOD invests in customization, design and sustainability. The production is carried out in a prefabricated manner and enjoys the steel frame system technology, which lets the client adapt the space to his needs, choosing among different finishes, as well as automation options. Depending on the composition of the modules, MINIMOD can vary the uses ranging from a compact refuge for weekends, a small showroom for events, up to hotels and inns, combining a larger number of modules. The modules are 100% prefabricated and elevated to a determined place by truck or disassembled into smaller pieces and taken to the ground for f... More

Located in a neighborhood bordering Washington, DC, this suburban site has the advantage of being located adjacent to woodlands. A contemporary house surrounded by mature trees and manicured gardens anchors the site. A new swimming pool, stone walls, and terraces located behind the existing house organize the rear yard and establishes a dialogue between the existing house and a new pavilion. New paths, trees and structured plantings reinforce the geometry. The new pavilion, intended for year round use, is strategically located to provide a threshold between the structured landscape and adjacent woodland. A low-pitched, terne coated stainless steel roof floats above a dry-stacked slate wall and mahogany volume. Five steel-framed gl... More

Locals call the granite and shale cliff overlooking Montana’s Flathead Lake “TheMatterhorn”. It is a place to observe the natural world: the lake, the surroundingponderosa pine forest, and especially the eagles and ospreys that nest nearby.Together, the water, cliff, and trees form a classic picture of the expansive AmericanWest, and it is clear why Montana is still known as North America’s great destination. Within this context, the cabin’s diaphanous volume is set on six steel piers that aredelicately anchored to concrete blocks set into the slope. Screened walls enclose aliving area, which has an open floor plan and wood slat floors that extend outside.Amenities are sparse but not neglected: a small kitchen, bathroom, and shower allow... More

This house is nestled in the dense bushland of Bowen Mountain, an elevated rural region adjoining the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales with views back to Sydney. The topography and natural spring water veins allow dense vegetation to flourish, with limited area on which to build. The overall design was a direct response to the immediate topography, climatic forces and environmental patterns present. A significant masonry retaining wall was located along the slope, forming a defining terrace edge – and providing opportunities of prospect and views toward the City. The geometry of the existing timber slab hut was then used to form the basis of the setout grid for the new works. This established depth was extended... More

Focusing on sculptural cliffs and friendly hillside woods, Hideg-ház is an unusual object in the landscape of the outskirts of Kőszeg, a charming historical town in Hungary. The site had been used as a quarry a few cenutries ago so the exposed rock face was one of the strongest elements of the environment. In order to get enough direct sunlight all-year-long and to stay close to the sculptural cliffs, the building had been placed about 10 meters above the road that runs along the bottom of the valley. "An abstract footprint of a family's lifestyle – perhaps these are the best words to describe the floor plan" architect Attila Béres says. The wooden cabin is floating a few steps above the natural terrain. The two parts are tie... More

The starting point for this project was to provide a direct relationship with the dramatic archipelago landscape, and to create a simple platform which would offer several diverse readings of the relationship between space and nature. The archipelago house was conceived as a light-weight construction in wood and glass. Located in Stockholm’s outer archipelago, this summer house was built within the specific conditions prevailing on the island. Without any car-connections, all materials had to be brought by boat from the mainland. Wood was chosen throughout the design in order to provide simplicity of construction and to minimize difficulties with heavy transportation. The horizontal character of the black-stained exterior relates to t... More

Along the South coast of Victoria near Inverloch, the geography turns away from the prevailing wind. The house forms a protected garden from which peripheral vision of the sea and sky is permitted by tapered facades. The owners request : ‘Full outlook to and shelter from the coastal vistas in all directions and to be part of the landscape. An unobtrusive unembellished “best practice” home of how to blend in and live together with a magnificent natural environment.’ The design looks at the core idea of shelter in an exposed environment, and that shelter may contain all the necessary activities of domestic life in an uncompromised way but that the activities are enhanced by participating in the whole and each yields to the other t... More

Located in Valle de Guadalupe «Mexico’s Wine Country», Baja California,Endémico Resguardo Silvestre is a set of twenty independent rooms of twenty square meters each, operated by Grupo Habita, a Design Hotels member; established within a surface of 99 hectares, part of the Encuentro Guadalupe development, which includes a winery as well as a residential area. One of the principal premises was not to interfere directly the land, as part of the philosophy of the project is to respect nature in every possible way. The availability of steel by our client leads to the design of the clean structure with this material, which elevates the skeleton of the room, to avoid contact with the soil. The employment of corten steel to cover it, which over... More

The project Summer House in Southern Burgenland (Austria) describes a sharp-edged cubature which fits into its surroundings through its simplicity and homogeneous appearance. Martin Weiß In being used as a summer house, and by virtue of the installation of a wine cellar with production surfaces at a later date, the building’s design is oriented by the cubature of the Kellerstöckel(wine house) typical of the Southern Burgenland region. Martin Weiß   The cellar contains rooms for wine storage and production; the aboveground rooms are for residential use. The cellar has been executed in a ferroconcrete massive construction. The ground floor and first floor were constructed as a pure wood construction. H... More

The house has a duality of character and experience defined by context. On approach its angular and severe form is a toughened abstract container, bracing itself against the robust Tasmanian landscape and weather. On passing through the “hollowed out” portals the warm and sheltering underbelly is exposed and acts as a protective envelope. These areas of inbetween, outside but surrounded by the building’s form are a result of a considered approach to outdoor living within typical Tasmanian weather condition, ie “4 seasons in one day”. They allow one to sit in the sunshine but avoid the cold winter wind, or alternatively sit outdoors but avoid the harsh high UV summer sun. The spaces shift from fully enclosed to semi enclosed, with roof and w... More

The city of Holmestrand is divided by a characteristic 120m vertical cliff, separating urban functions at the lower sea side from the housing estate on the upper level. Holmestrand is under constant transformation being a part of suburban Oslo and important for commuting and regional business. The Norwegian State Railways are currently building new tracks to the city with a new elevator shaft between upper and lower levels, thereby improving the connection further. The single family house is situated on the edge of this prominent cliff edge overlooking Holmestrand and the fjords. The site has a spectacular 180 degree view towards the sea to the east and an open cultural landscape to the west. The challenge in sites like this is usually... More

Collaboration with Paul Rolfe Architects. Cloudy Bay Shack establishes the connection between the image on the wine label and the direct experience of the vineyard. We shaped the building to gain vistas along the vineyards to the Richmond Ranges, whose silhouette adorns each bottle. An entry sequence has been established to deliberately dramatise the ‘Cloudy Bay’ view. On arrival, visitors face two weathered steel walls, resembling someone holding their arms out to welcome an old friend. When the door is opened, a warm timber interior is revealed and the view is obscured by a series of concertina timber panels. As guests enter, the view is revealed by degrees until they walk down three steps to the entertaining level where the full vi... More

Background 7 km past the historic village of St Albans, the winding MacDonald River makes its way leisurely towards the Hawkesbury. The properties in the area have a long history, with many inhabitants directly descended from first settlers. Despite the area’s proximity to Sydney, the site remains reasonably remote, access being limited to a vehicle punt at Wiseman’s Ferry, and unsealed roads from the village of St Albans. On one of our early site visits, we chanced upon piles of old bridge timbers which had been removed from the old St Alban’s Bridge. They were an impressive find - 14in square sections of red ironbark up to 6.0m long, weighing almost 1 tonne each. After spending the best part of a day trying to retrieve 2 pieces, we pl... More

LINDALE BACH is a continuation of an exploration into a model of building that is dedicated to a specific function that of summer holidays at the beach. Our primary concerns in the design of this building have been: • To create an environment that facilitates and enhances the experience of living outdoors. • To challenge convenience as the driving force behind decisions, concentrating rather on the rituals associated with space. • To establish a range of spatial, light and textural experiences. • To be responsive to the small scale of the existing built environment. The functions of the house that require complete weather enclosure are broken into 3 individual masses in order to articulate the building in a scale of forms appr... More