Casa Fez - Portugal

We have all seen more than enough of the stacked-boxes genre of architecture. Boring, cold, uninviting, uninhabitable and so last decade.

Yet, once in a while, a set of images crosses our desks of a project that could potentially fall into the has-been category but doesn’t, and instead makes us look again and ponder the beauty of great architecture.

This is the case with Casa Fez, a new house in Porto, Portugal, designed by architect Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira. The architect calls it “the work of my life” as it is a residence he created for himself. “This project and everything behind it was a huge challenge,” he told TCH. “I needed a lot of willpower and courage -- even more than when I decided to become an architect. I try sew up objectives, interests and goals. I followed an ideal and I finally achieved my dream.”

From some angles, we see glimpses of Tomorrowland, but we are willing to overlook that because from so many other viewpoints, the statuesque poise of the structure and the stark clarity of lines brings back memories of Alvar Aalto. One can almost imagine this house in the birch forests of Finland.

With this residence, Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira aimed to “achieve a new kind of romanticism” and he continued this artistic thought throughout.

The architect started planning his dream house in 2004 and the construction was finally finished earlier this year. He did absolutely everything himself – not just planning, coordinating and supervising the construction but also creating the interiors and the tiniest of details, including the doors and doorknobs, hand rails, furnishings, lighting, furniture and even some paintings. Mixed with the new pieces are historical and timeless pieces inherited from the family and perfect for this environment.

Architect Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira, who was born in 1962 in Porto, graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Escola do Porto in 1994. He has an impressive pedigree that includes touches of Finland, which perhaps explains the Aalto-like feel of this house.

He is the son of one of the best-known Portuguese architects, Álvaro Siza Vieira, winner of the 1992 Pritzker Prize and the 1988 Alvar Aalto Medal, among many other accolades.

Father and son collaborated in the creation of their competition entry for the Museum of Contemporary Art, KIASMA, in Helsinki in 1992 (won by American architect Steven Holl.)

The son Álvaro Leite Siza Vieira is best known for his Casa Tolo in northern Portugal, a residence that cascades down a steep hill like a clunky staircase fit for a giant.

For this latest residence, his own dream-come-true, he has conjured up a tranquil sense of sculptural beauty.

The white structure, sitting on a non-descript site, draws you inside where magnificent, bold ceiling details assist in creating a sense of wonder and interest.

Natural light, wooden floors, unadorned windows all add up to a simplicity that resembles a gallery, museum or concert hall.Casa Fez does not pretend to be a cozy home, but is instead a statement residence that fits the owner’s’ lifestyle – and is perfect for him. - Tuija Seipell. Photos © Fernando Guerra

http://www.thecoolhunter.net

Fiat Lux by Label Architecture

Brussels studio Label Architecture have transformed the interior of a family house in Brussels, Belgium, by covering some walls in rough, black-stained oriented strand board and painting others white.

Called Fiat Lux, the project involved replacing the existing staircase with a white metal one.

Mirrors and circular apertures in the walls allow glimpses into other areas of the home.

Photographs are by Bepictures.

The following information is from Label architecture:

---

It consists in the transformation of a 270 m² family house. A punctual intervention, centred on the heart of a traditional house in Brussels, gave to this dwelling an outstanding character.

Transparency, reflections and connections between the different levels determine the daily routine of the large family living in. From the first floor, the stairwell was entirely emptied on the three higher-ups levels.

A staircase in openworked metal links together the two first floors. At each level, glazed windows were handled with care, on all the height of the dividing wall, bringing a real physical feeling, not so far from vertigo.

Some of them are pierced by little round openings, allowing inhabitant to communicate from a level to another one.

Behind the windowpanes, the platforms, transitions spaces, were covered by OSB stain in black, creating a mirror effect to those who look at them from the opposite openings.

In front of this openings, mirrors were installed on the blind attached wall. The family benefits the unexpected connections of this surprising arrangement, worthy of Lewis Caroll

loft-access-by-tamir-addadi-architecture

London studio Tamir Addadi Architecture have inserted a tiny staircase to access a tiny loft in a London house.

The painted steel staircase has been slotted into a 140 cm x 90 cm space on the landing.

The self-supporting stairway is separated from the walls by a narrow gap while a free-standing steel pole serves as a handrail.

See more staircases in our Dezeen archive.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

---

Tamir Addadi Architecture

Loft access, London
Completed 2010

The client asked us to replace the ladder to the loft with permanent stairs in order to improve the connection of the loft to the rest of the house, as he decided to start using it as a study. The main challenge was to design a staircase for the narrow space of 140 cm x 90 cm.

We found it important to come up with a design solution that would help integrate the two differently designed floors – the wood-clad loft with its clean modern lines, and the carpeted Victorian lower floor with its engraved banisters – without disturbing each of their distinctive characters.

We aimed to achieve this by designing three minimal and separate elements that function together as a staircase but remain abstract in shape, and can be seen almost as pieces of furniture that have been placed in the space – rather then a fixed feature of either the lower or upper floor.

One result of widening the opening to the loft was an increase in the amount of natural light coming in from the loft’s skylight into the originally quite dark landing of the lower floor.

The narrowness of the stairs and the fact that they are slightly removed from the wall contribute to this effect, as they let some light in all around them.

Improving the flow of light was also another way of strengthening the connection between the floors and making it more inviting to use the staircase and climb up into the loft.

Materials: 6mm welded and painted steel sheet, 50mm painted steel post, 20mm toughened glass.

la-candida-by-adamo-faiden

Argentinian architects Adamo-Faiden have completed a club house in the middle of a lake near Buenos Aires.

Containing a gym, spa and bar, the pill-shaped structure is connected to the shore by a semi-circular walkway.

The mosaic-clad club house serves a gated community called La Cándida, where the architects have already built a community centre. See our previous story.

Photographs are by Cristobal Palma.

See all our stories on Adamo-Faiden »

Here’s some more information from the architects:

---

La Cándida is a gated community built at the border of a route that links Buenos Aires to the seaside resorts of the Atlantic coast.

The property is axially aligned with an artificial lake, a semicircular portion of land at its extreme west became the area of intervention.

Confronting these conditions the project proposes two simultaneous actions: the augmentation of the lake and the construction of a pavilion isolated in its interior.

The two actions intend to invert the inertia of each element in order to become fused with the emergence of an experience specific to this new scenery.

Alongside the programs that configure the building – gym, bar and spa – the club house has an integrating vocation that aspires to dissolve the limits of its prints, inviting each individual to increase their relationships where it seems impossible to do so.

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Distance of Fog by StudioGreenBlue

Japanese architects StudioGreenBlue have completed a house in Kōnosu City, Saitama Prefecuture, Japan, with an interior featuring white perforated screens throughout the space.

Called Distance of Fog, the project incorporates metal screens to provide sense of privacy within the open-plan space.

Th perforated partitions each have a different pattern and have been arranged to overlap each other.

This overlapping creates a constantly changing pattern depending on the angle of the viewer and provides a distorted view of whatever is behind the screen.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

---

This house is called “Distance of Fog” and it is situated in the suburbs of Tokyo.

The project site is located on a cul de sac with seven other single family homes.

Cul de sac’s in Japan often are used as a common space for the families that live on them, and they are often used as children’s playgrounds or places of gathering.

But unfortunately, most suburban Japanese homes tend to be disconnected to the street.

This subdivision is certainly no exception.

The client requested an “expanse of space” and an “open floorplan” which suited their lifestyle.

Therefore, we decided to design a house with a bright presence.

We also wanted to extend the brightness into the rooms and naturally illuminate the common spaces within the home.

Privacy became the biggest challenge when deciding to open the home up to the street.

It became apparent that the proximity of the home to the road presented a challenge of separation between spaces.

So we decided to create a sense of distance with the concept of looking through fog.

This concept breaks up the visual range, without creating a solid barrier.

Using the concept of filtering an image, we adjusted the level of visual information penetrating through multiple layers, creating an effect similar to looking though fog.

First, we moved the house to the back of the lot and maximized the front yard.

Then we adjusted the level of visual information as it relates to the finish floor level, placement of walls, and also reflections on mirrors and glass.

Furthermore, we separated the private room by using perforated metal screens, each one of a unique pattern, and they were arranged to very specific locations.