Wednesday, August 24, 2011

rounded-loft-by-a1architects


Rounded Loft by A1Architects
A stainless steel net takes the place of a banister around the staircase and first floor corridor of this apartment in Prague.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
A1Architects converted the former attic of an apartment block into a two-storey residence with living rooms and bedrooms on the lower level and a guest suite on the upper floor.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Illuminated timber bookshelves are arranged like a wall of bricks behind a staircase that ascends from the living room, whilst two hollow bottom steps provide additional storage space.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Walls and ceilings in this room and elsewhere in the apartment have rounded edges.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
The apartment also contains a marble and granite kitchen, grey-plastered feature walls and exposed timber columns.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
A1Architects previously designed a larch-clad teahouse with a tall roof – see our earlier story here.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Photography is by David Maštálka of A1Architects.
Here are some more details from the architects:

Rounded Loft
Prague, Czech Republic
Lenka Křemenová & David Maštálka / A1Architects
At the beginning of the year 2010 we had started designing grand attic loft in Prague. It was a new challenge for us to deal with almost “boundless” space for living according to our previous experience focused mainly on small scale.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
The issue of “boundless” space became the main motif of our work. The private spaces such as bedrooms are of course separated, but the rest of common activities rooms are connected within one fluent space.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
It starts at the entrance hall with dressing wardrobes and slightly continues towards living space and kitchen with large dining table, the space is also opened to upper gallery which is meant for guests. To reach specific fluency of space we decided to round off some of the interior corners, which finally give the space its unique smooth character.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Due to these softened corners one moves and feel simply free and the boundaries of walls somehow disappears. Even the staircase with integrated fireplace and library climbs up in rounded corner. The railing is made out of thin stainless steel net, so it is safe but even smooth and transparent.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Next to the main continuous living space there are three bedrooms and one study room, and some storage spaces integrated mostly as built in furniture.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
The issue of materials was another important part of the project. Their main attributes are touchableness and pure naturalness. We chose carefully many of them together with clients at stone workshop and joinery. Most of wooden furniture were tailor made pieces.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Beige large format tiles are used on all attic floors to support the feeling of continuity. We exposed as much of the wooden bearing structure as we could.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
The kitchen counter is made out of black granite stone which is next to bright marble on the wall behind. There is used walnut wood for the dining table and ash veneer for the light above.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
The living space is connected with the kitchen by raw grey plaster.
Rounded Loft by A1Architects
Client: private person
Authors: A1Architects
MgA. Lenka Křemenová, MgA. David Maštálka
Project: A1Architects
Floor area: cca 220 m2
Realisation: 2011
Study: 2010

jaffa-flat-by-pitsou-kedem



Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Wall coverings have been peeled away to reveal a vaulted stone ceiling that’s several hundred years old inside this refurbished apartment in Tel Aviv.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Israeli architects Pitsou Kedem removed walls between the sandstone brick columns to create an open plan living and dining room surrounded by arches.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
An exterior wall was replaced by a thinly framed glass arch that now links the living room to a balcony overlooking the port of Old Jaffa.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The architects installed Corian shelving and surfaces to rooms, as well as a stainless steel kitchen.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
A transparent glass cylinder surrounds a shower in the bedroom.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Framed glass doors provide access from this bedroom to a second outdoor terrace.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Photography is by Amit Geron.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Here are some more details from Pitsou Kedem:

Jaffa Flat
The language of minimalism imbedded in a historic residence in Old Jaffa.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The 100 square meter residential home is located in Old Jaffa. Its location is unique in that it is set above the harbor, facing west with all of its openings facing the majestic splendor of the Mediterranean Sea.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Whilst it is difficult to determine the buildings exact age, it is clear that it is hundreds of years old.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Over the years, it has undergone many changes and had many additions made that have damaged the original quality of the building and its spaces.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The central idea was to restore the structure’s original, characteristics, the stone walls, the segmented ceilings and the arches including the exposure of the original materials (a combination of pottery and beach sand).
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The building has been cleaned of all of the extraneous elements, from newer wall coverings and has undergone a peeling process to expose its original state.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Surprisingly, modern, minimalistic construction styles remind us of and correspond with the ascetic style of the past, and this despite the vast time difference between them.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The central idea was to combine the old and the new whilst maintaining the qualities of each and to create new spaces that blend the styles together even intensify them because of the contrast and tension between the different periods.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The historical is expressed by preserving the textures and materials of the buildings outer shell and by respecting the building engineering accord.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The modern is expressed by the opening of spaces and by altering the internal flow to one more open and free and the creation of an urban loft environment along with the use of stainless steel, iron and Corian in the various partitions, in the openings and in the furniture.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
The project succeeds in both honoring and preserving the historical and almost romantic values of the structure whilst creating a contemporary project, modern and suited to its period.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Despite the time differences, the tensions and the dichotomy between the periods exist in a surprisingly balanced and harmonic space.
Jaffa Flat by Pitsou Kedem
Design team: Pitsou Kedem & Raz Melamed

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Experiencing The Past



If you're an adventurous traveler, the kind who seek the unexpected when abroad, this might be the kind of lodging you might want to experience. Yet another minimalist hotel in Italy, this one is quite different from the one featured in yesterday's post. Austrian architects feld72, took an abandoned house in Prata Sannita, north of Naples, Italy, and transformed it into The Million Donkey Hotel, resembling the town's original cave-like houses built into the the rocky hillside. The hotel is far from being a 5-star resort, but the experience of going back to Medieval times is priceless. Although the hotel doesn't offer many rooms, they're extremely unique, especially Il Letto Volante (The Flying Bed), a room with a rolling bed that gives you the option of sleeping indoors or under the stars — of course, given you don't suffer from acrophobia. 
Images © Hertha Hurnaus

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Roof Garden Apartment by Tonkin Liu (UK)



Roof Garden Apartment by Tonkin Liu; photo by Mike Tonkin
This airy rooftop apartment located in London’s sought-after area of Shoreditch has been realised by the British practice Tonkin Liu. Built atop an old brick warehouse, the two-storey family house boasts six bedrooms, a play area, a living room and a terrace enclosed with fragrant climbers while its fine-white-mesh and galvanised-steel façade ‘mirrors the changing colour of the sky and captures light and shadows.’
Roof Garden Apartment by Tonkin Liu; photo by Mike Tonkin
About the project:

‘On top of a warehouse in Shoreditch an empty roof overlooked the city. The brief was for a six-bedroom family house with outdoor spaces that maximised the potentials of the site. The owners wanted a place for the family to grow that would bring life and greenery to the Shoreditch cityscape. The existing brick warehouse structure was damaged and rebuilt after the war. The central columns were not adequate to take any additional loads. The load of the new building had to be delivered to the perimeter walls. From a ring beam at roof level the structure grows up to forms a transfer structure at high level from which the new building is hung. On the gable and party walls and within the floor slabs the frame is braced within the timber substructure. To the south and west a 7m tall loggia is formed by the external structure, framing the view of the city.  ’
Roof Garden Apartment by Tonkin Liu; photo by Mike Tonkin
‘The house is entered via a bridge that comes from a neighbouring building. The lower floor is divided into 5 bedrooms and a play area with a sunken conversation pit. All the rooms open out onto a terrace enclosed with planting. The main living space is a tall room on the upper level. In the centre of the space a tower, housing the polycarbonate bathroom, rises up through the structure to bring in light. Patterns of rain are projected onto the floor by lighting the skylight from the roof level. To the west the master bedroom can be closed off with a giant sliding door. A cantilevered balcony overlooks the city to the south. A spiral staircase leads up to the green roof, the solar collectors and a large roof deck surrounded by fragrant planting. ‘
Roof Garden Apartment by Tonkin Liu; photo by Tonkin Liu

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