Architects: SPG Architects
Location: Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Project Team: Caroline N. Sidnam, Eric A. Gartner, Andres Cova, John Hudson
Renewable Energy Systems: Poderco S.A.
General Contractor: Sergio Camacho De Pass
Project Area: 18,000 sq ft
Project Year: 2005-2009
Photographs: Charles Lindsay

In 2005, SPG Architects was approached by our client to re-consider the incomplete structure that he had previously erected on a remote Costa Rican coastal hillside. The all-but-abandonedsteel framework and concrete slab construction was being reclaimed by the forest yet the prior investment in time, materials, and money was considerable. Although the structure was beautifully sited, it needed considerable re-thinking to become a viable and beautiful home. As architects we were convinced that salvaging the existing structure was not only feasible but also the right thing to do, for both the client and the environment. The dual concerns of accommodating the needs of the client and preserving the natural landscape shaped the design and construction process from that point forward.

With footings, frame, and slab already in place, the greatest impact on the rain-forested site, which overlooked the Pacific Ocean, had already taken place before SPG Architects’ work began. The existing geometry required minor reconfiguration of the perimeter to improve the massing and use of the house. Sheer walls, bracing, and enhanced connections were required to reinforce the frame for seismic activity. Neither of these activities further degraded the site.

Further impact on the site was reduced by the decision to make the house self-sufficient in terms of energy and water use. This both eliminated the considerable expense of running electrical lines 18 km from the nearest town and avoided the inevitable suburbanization of this sparsely populated coastal area that doing so would have risked. Upon completion, this house had the largest domestic solar array (18.4 kW) in Costa Rica, which provided enough energy for lighting, appliances, and miscellaneous equipment. In the future, this solar-derived power will also provide for the needs of a complete and state-of-the-art recording studio, for which space has been designated at the ground level.

The solar panels, both photovoltaic and hot water, sit on a reflective & insulating, chemically inert & microbial-free, ceramic-based roof coating that both minimizes solar heat-gain and provides a clean source of water for the house and the pool. Roof water collects in a 75,000-gallon cistern, precluding the need for well water and eliminating any impact on the water table. No air-conditioning is required since natural cross breezes are exploited to maximize comfort in each room. The house incorporates movable and adjustable louvered and screened panels in each living space and movable glass walls that allow the rooms to fully open so that indoors is completely merged with the outdoors.

Cabinetry was locally fabricated from trees originally harvested from the foundation area and all materials were locally sourced whenever possible. High-efficiency appliances, light fixtures, and plumbing fixtures all contribute to the environmentally responsible approach to co-existing with nature in this very 21st century home. Casa Torcida provides all the comforts that the client required, making it clear that a well-considered resource-responsible approach does not preclude a commodious design that is visually appealing and functionally uncompromised.

Architect: Byoungsoo Cho
Location: Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Project Team: Hongjoon Yang, Woohyun Kang, Taehyun Nam, Nicholas Locke, Yongjun Cho
Rammed Earth Consultant: Keunsik Shin
Geothermal: REHAU AG +Co.
Contractor: CPLUS International Co. Ltd.
Site area: 660.00 sqm
Gross floor area: 32.49 sqm
Total floor area: 32.49 sqm
Project Year: 2008-2009
Photographs: Wooseop Hwang, Yong Gwan Kim

Earth House is a house of the sky. It is a house built in honor of Yoon Dong-joo, a Korean poet, who wrote beautiful poems about the sky, the Earth, and the stars.

It is a house which focuses on the primal relationship between nature and humans. It is built with careful consideration of constructional efficiency and our somatic senses.

The 14m x 17m concrete box is buried in the ground and contains 6, 1-pyeong, rooms and two earth filled courtyards. The ‘small house’ is open to the courtyard which is open to the sky. The one pyeong rooms originated from the size of one kan (6×6 ja; 1 ja = approx. 30cm) which are just large enough for an adult to lie down straight. The house has a small kitchen, a study, two resting rooms, a bathroom with a wooden tub and toilet, and a wash room. The rooms are all adjacent to each other and open directly to the earth filled courtyard. Connecting rooms can be joined to create a bigger room. The house doors are small, entering the house requires making your body into a smaller shape.

The lateral pressure from the earth on four sides is resisted by thick concrete retaining wall and a flat roof and base plate. There is also a hidden steel column in the center wall that reinforced the structural plates. Rammed Earth walls provide all the interior spatial divisions and the walls facing both courtyards. The earth used for the walls is from the site excavation. Even though the viscosity of the existing earth was low, only minimal white cement and lime was used so the earth walls can return to the soil later. Four gutters are placed in the corners of the courtyard for drainage. The house uses a geothermal cooling system with a radiant floor heating system under the rammed clay and concrete floor. Off-peak electricity is used at night to heat the small gravel under the floor. A combination of passive cooling and geothermal tubes which are buried in the earth around the buildings keep the temperature cool in summer and warm in winter. A pine tree which was cut down from the site, was sliced into 80mm thick discs and was cast into the concrete walls of the courtyard so as it decays, it will host small plants and new life will arise with time. The wooden canopy protecting the entrance into the small house uses 39mm tensile wires. Recycled lumber was cut into 30mm x 50mm wide pieces and joined with flat steel bar, keeping the material to a minimum. All of the interior furniture and closets are also recycled wood from old Korean gates.

As Yoon’s poetry expresses hope for the future from times of great peril, which he tried to achieve through self-restraint and self-reflection, our hope is that this Earth House would be a house where we can reflect on ‘ourselves’ while living in the present era.

Description from Alterstudio:

Extraordinary views in the heart of the city and a small buildable footprint limited by restrictive easements prompted a thin, three-story home with the main living spaces and master suite on the top floor – essentially a one-bedroom loft with 270° views.  A 16’ ipe screen envelopes the body of the house, and rests delicately atop a base of long courses of black Leuders limestone.  The visitor enters through a pivoting glass door, where the natural stone gives way to its dressed counterpart, and is immediately greeted by a stair of massive ebonized oak treads floating above twin steel channels, and hanging in a three-story vertical space.  Beyond, an etched glass wall captures the projected shadows of a stand of giant bamboo, and a band of clear glass directs one’s gaze out to a private garden.

Punctuating the ipe facade are two steel box windows, their mirror-like reflection or deep shadow are posed against the filigree of the screen.  In the evening this screen transforms into a lantern revealing a collection of spaces behind.  The screen also holds the possibility of transforming the building when two 10’ sections dramatically unfold and reveal the formal dining room.

Upstairs, efforts are made to embrace the expansive view with an unmitigated ceiling plane that provides a surface for reflected light, while the screen’s 18” extension above the floor level gently corrals the visitor.  Adjacent power lines to the west are eschewed, although a constellation of portholes arrayed across this wall embrace the dramatic western light and enliven the facade from the high street beyond. Here, an open plan is accentuated by laminated low-e corner glazing, twin Akari lanterns and sliding panels.  Exquisitely matched Lacewood veneer cabinetry and a marble bathing area punctuate the ensemble and add a sense of finesse and delicacy throughout.

Visit the Alterstudio website – here.

Photography by Paul Finkel, Piston Design: Jonathan H. Jackson

Kuokkala Church, Jyväskylä

Design : Lassila Hirvilammi Arkkitehdit

Anssi Lassila, Teemu Hirvilammi ja Jani Jansson

proposal was a simple, sculptural form within which all of the church’s different functions could be contained. The design is “of our time”, yet permeated with nods to and re-interpretations of church-building tradition.

The church’s functions are located across three storeys, with the church offices opening directly onto the market square. On the main floor, the church hall and parish meeting hall can be combined to create a shared space onto which the floor’s children’s and youth facilities also adjoin. A gallery houses the organ and cantors’ office.

The church design is based on the winning entry of a 2006 invitational architectural competition.

Jyväskylän seurakunnassa herännyt ajatus siitä, että rakennus ilmentäisi toimintoa ja liittyisi osaksi kirkkorakentamisen jatkumoa oli kilpailuohjelamaan muotoiltu toiveeksi saada ”kirkon näköinen kirkko”. Ehdotuksemme ”KIDE” perustu kompaktiin veistokselliseen rakennukseen, jossa kaikki halutut toiminnon ovat yhden tunnistettava hahmon sisällä. Rakennuksen ulkohahmo on aikamme arkkitehtuuria, mutta siinä on nähtävissä historiallisia viittauksia suodatettuna ja tulkittuina. Ulko- ja sisäarkkitehtuurin vuoropuhelussa on kontrastilla voimakas rooli, joka on viritetty soimaan harkituilla materiaalivalinnoilla.

Kokonaisuutta täydentävät puiset ja kupariverhoillut yksityiskohdat sisääntuloalueilla, luoden ympärilleen lämpöä ja mittakaavaa. Ulkopinnat, portaat sekä sisääntuloalueen muurit on toteutettu suomalaisesta graniitista. Kellotorni yhdessä muurien kanssa viitoittaa tien kohti pääsisäänkäyntiä.

Kirkon päämateriaali on tarkoin valikoitu keskisuomalainen kuusi, säteittäissahattuna, joka on kevyesti vaalennettu vahaamalla. Kuusi kulkee läpi koko rakennuksen kantavista rakenteista, alakattoista aina kiintokalusteisiin asti. Kirkkosalin kalusteet on suunniteltu osaksi kokonaisuutta puuseppä Kari Virtasen avustamana ja niiden materiaalina on eurooppalainen saarni. Alttarin kalusteet on tehty metsälehmuksesta josta perinteisesti on veistetty kansanrakentajienpuukirkkojen madonnat.

Kuokkala Church Finalnd – Building Information

Floor area: 1311 m2, 7460 m3

Finnish (English)

Kuokkalan Kirkko, Jyväskylä, Kuokkala Church, Jyväskylä

Urakoitsija/ Builders

Kuokkala Church Helsinki images / information from JKMM Architects

Our first objective was to create a project appropriate in size and character to the surrounding neighborhood. At the same time, it was critical to have a structure that would fulfill the functions of an embassy, to tread as lightly on the environment as possible, to use morphology of the site to form the architecture and to blend the building into its surroundings. We decided on several low-story buildings arranged in terraces and laced with garden plots. Certain areas were closed and put underground due to security requirements.

Because of such requirements, it was necessary to sink one-third of the structure. Despite this, we managed to “connect” the green roofs and gardens to the park and forest surrounding the site, and provide long, clear views from the building. We turned the strict security needs of the structure into an advantage – the complex has a high level of privacy from the nearby streets. The idea was to provide a sense of refuge and familiarity inside its walls while blending in with nature. Openness, dignity, sustainability and respect for the surroundings and the neighbors were our main goals.
The Embassy has a north-south orientation and is divided into four core buildings – consulate, office, representation and residence. All four are located in the back part of the site and are connected for easy access. The project is aimed at LEED certification. We have carefully designed the complex’s energy systems and materials to conform to the strictest environmental standards.

Embassy of The Czech Republic Washington DC – Building Information

Architects: Yianna Bouyioukou, Marija Volkman, Tomas Ciesla
Type: Competition
Client: Czech Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Location: Washington DC
Building Size: 50,000 sf
Project Year: 2009
Visualization: Tomas Toegel Embassy of The Czech Republic images from Your Building Here

Architect: Marcio Kogan
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Co-Author: Renata Furlanetto
Collaborator: Fernanda Neiva
Interior Design: Diana Radomysler, Renata Furlanetto
Project Team: Beatriz Meyer, Carolina Castroviejo, Eduardo Chalabi, Eduardo Glycerio, Gabriel Kogan, Lair Reis, Luciana Antunes, Maria Cristina Motta, Mariana Simas, Oswaldo Pessano, Samanta Cafardo, Suzana Glogowski
Landscape Architect: Renata Tilli
Structural Engineering: Leão e Associados Engenharia de Estruturas
General Contractor: MVC Engenharia
Site Area: 960 sqm
Project Area: 780 sqm
Project Year: 2007-2009
Photographs: Nelson Kon

For the little brick house, StudioMK27 received an unusual request: the clients wanted a house with opaque corners, without glass panels meeting at those corners. The result would be, first of all, a construction that is more enclosed than most of the office’s projects which seek the greatest transparency possible, on all the facades.

The smallest dimension of the lot is the front. It was decided to place a single volume perpendicular to the street, turned entirely to the side. The front façade is blind, constituting the “house without glass corners” desired by the client. On the ground floor, looking out to the pool and to a grand terrace through a glass curtain of sliding doors, there is the living room, dining room and an office. On the upper floor, also facing an open terrace, are the bedrooms. All of the intimate area of the house is protected by brises panels that can remain completely open and offer a magical aspect to the folding wooden wall.

The house is named after the bricks that were taken from demolitions. The aged recycled blocks give a more rustic and more robust appearance than new products and the history is impregnated in the material even before the house is used. Besides the concerns relative to environmental comfort, ever-present in the history of modern Brazilian architecture, such as the use of terraces to shade glass facades and sun protection with brises, the little brick house incorporates more technological precepts, such as solar energy panels arranged on the roof.

Santa Maria is a housing development located in a historic protected site in the heart of Valle de Bravo, a small colonial city dating from 1530, which is 2 hours away from Mexico City. This historic town has a strong physical context and is found in the outskirts of a man-made lake. Our site is located a hundred yards from the church of Santa Maria Ahuacatlan, a colonial church that dates back to the XVI century.

The project was conceived as a weekend retreat from Mexico City´s busy lifestyle and it includes 9 town houses and some amenities that provide an almost hotel-like experience. The overall footage of the project is 2,433.00 sq. mts. and each of the town houses range between 168.00 and 251.00 sq. mts.

When confronted with such a beautiful and restricted context, we could do nothing but respect it, trying to bring the most out of it by handling the physical aspects of the project with care. Most of this aspects were given to us as regulations by the local authority: the materials involved, the heights, the relationship with other buildings, the general layout, sizes and materials of doors, windows, etc.

From the very early stages of design, we tried to make a strong connection with the site by responding to its topography, to the existing vegetation, to the views of the lake, to our neighboring buildings, to the width of the streets, etc. Also we tried to make a more conceptual connection by incorporating the flavor of the rich natural and rural landscape surrounding Valle de Bravo. That´s why we decided to incorporate long trenches all along the project and fill them with natural river stones and vegetation.

We sought out for the spirit and aspirations of the place, trying to bring them to their next stage of evolution, where the new structure respectfully talks about the past, is firmly rooted in the present and gives a sense of direction for the future. Maybe that´s why this project constantly tries to be physically anchored to the ground and at the same time tries to float and fly away in the sky.

The main spatial configuration of the project consists on placing volumes along the two streets that confine the site (which is a local regulation), and by placing the houses in an L shape. By this, we could take advantage of the orientation and the views, and at the same time we were able to generate a pool area (in the sense of a main patio), just like in the traditional houses found in downtown Valle de Bravo.

The general layout of the project includes two main levels:

The lower one includes the entrance, parking space, security guard room, garbage room, a small service cafeteria, concierge room, accounting room, 36 small cellars, laundry, service bathrooms and maintenance rooms.

The upper level includes a self contained corridor (in L shape) that runs all along the houses. The purpose of this corridor is to become a buffer between the 9 houses and the pool area. The pool area works both as an open and a contained space, having a sense of privacy towards the houses, but opening up to the surrounding landscape. This area includes a wooden deck, a jacuzzi, two pools, a space for making fires and a small garden. At the very end of the self contained corridor, there is a small patio that brings light and calm to a yoga studio and a massage room.

We were careful so that every house could enjoy privacy and at the same time could open itself up to the beautiful surroundings. All bedrooms have a considerable lower height than the living rooms, that is because it is more efficient to heat such spaces and because we wanted to bring a sense of warmth, protection and coziness from the cold and wet outdoor environment.

The lower floor of each house (except house number 5), includes a small lobby, 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms.The upper floor of each house takes advantage of the height regulation, bringing up an expansive space that offers great views towards the lake and the surroundings. On this floor there is an open kitchen, living room, a private terrace, a small bathroom and a laundry closet.

The starting point for choosing the materials came from a regulation that considers that all the exterior walls should have a white plaster finish. Having such a neutral and beautiful background, we decided to combine it with two more materials: natural stone and solid wood. So all around the project (on the exterior areas and on the interior ones), there is white plaster, red burn plaster (bathrooms), solid wood and natural grey stone. It was really important for us that such materials were completely natural, because we wanted to infuse a natural, non urban experience.

Another important aspect of the project were the windows and doors. From the very early stages of design, we were willing to use solid surfaces of wood on the facades. So for example, the bedroom windows on the first floor, have movable solid panels of wood in the inside. These are used as blinds during the day and as temperature insulators at night. This kind of solution was commonly used long time ago in colonial houses.

All along the design process we tried to imbue the project with a sense of calmness, neutrality, openness, privacy and contact with the surrounding landscape and cityscape. Living in a city like Mexico City makes many people feel the urge to reconnect with nature, history and with themselves. We really hope that with this project we can help some people achieve that goal.

Santa Maria housing – Building Information

Photography: Fernando Cordero and Alejandro Villarreal

Santa Maria housing images / information from Hierve-Diseñería

Architect: Humberto Hermeto
Location: Nova Lima, MG, Brazil
Collaborator: André Gabrich
Model: Luciana Vasconcellos
Structural Engineer: Márcio Gonçalves
Engeneering: Projelet Ltda.
Builder: PHM Engenharia
Site Area: 3,160.00 sqm
Built Area: 1,240.00 sqm
Project Year: 2007
Construction Year: 2009
Photographs: Jomar Bragança

In an irregular terrain with 3160 sqm, we needed to incorporate two uses:

The first one, a big residence, with five suites, generous living and leisure spaces, in addition to the service dependencies.

The second, a large gallery for the owner, an art enthusiast.

The shape of the site, at first glance a complicating factor for its irregular form, guided the project. In the existing vertical gap (10 meters in total), the first action: different uses in different levels.

In the lower level, the gallery, the stereotomic volume. With the need for an air-conditioned closed space, the volume arises from the ground like a big rock, a big platform.

At the top level, the residence, the tectonic volume. And the second action: to get the most of the existing views, the residence is distributed under a continuous roof (81 meters), constituted by a reinforced concrete portico. This portico sets the residence´s built volume. And the residence is distributed under the roof, according the needs of each space: access , recreation area, kitchen, living room, bedrooms. The existing views guide the various openings: from every room one sees the mountains.

The main entrance is marked by a void at the beginning of the portico. From there, different occupations under the cover create the enclosed areas (sauna, kitchen and bedrooms) and the opened ones (porches). These opened spaces are extended over the gallery coverage through a large deck, a pool and garden areas.

Communication between the various levels of the residence is made by a central core that contains an elevator. It connects directly the first level of the gallery to the residence level. In an intermediate level, it connects the service and garage floor (and the mezzanine of the gallery).

A spiralling concrete slide connects the kitchen and child’s bedroom of this family house near Jakarta designed by Indonesian architects Aboday and photographed by Happy Lim.

Play House is part of a gated cluster of 120 residences in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang.

Apart from three enclosed bedrooms the interior is an open-plan space with whitewashed walls and exposed ten-metre concrete ceilings.

An open staircase sits between the library and living area on the ground floor and leads up to a gallery on the first.

The two-storey house has an exposed concrete exterior covered in part by climbing plants, and punctuated by slit windows and ceiling-height glazing.

The house has a large thermal mass due to its concrete construction, relying on natural ventilation and shading, heat-resistant finishes, and a forty-millimeter wall cavity to prevent overheating during the summer.

All photographs are by Happy Lim Photography.

Here’s some more from the architects:

This 2 storey house is located in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang. Part of a new gated housing cluster, the house is an amalgamation of an existing 120 type house with a new building in its adjacent 200 sqm empty plot.

Restricted by its corner setback, the building occupies only 150 sqm of the total 320 sqm land. The look is straight forward, mimicking the sloping roof of neighboring house.

The material is almost bare, with dominantly exposed concrete as its main pallete, punctuated by small glass incision and opening towards the main road.

Generally, it appears as an inward orientation building with plenty of vertical green walls providing a friendly gesture to otherwise staid looking house.

The house will be mostly occupied by a multi generation family of 3. However, the king of the house is a 5 year old boy who thinks that life is all about play, hence the design of the house.

There is a sculptural slider of concrete, tuck in the corner between 2 main building massing.

It is his choice of ‘transportation mode’ from his bedroom in 2nd floor to dining room in the 1st floor, instead of the normal open staircase located between the small library and living area.

This slider also his favorite place to play after his hectic tuition schedule, covered sometimes with pieces of plastic and clothes on both end to be his secret cave.

Except for the 3 enclosed bedrooms, the rest of the house is an open space dominated by white and grey palette of exposed concrete wall and ceiling.

Some flaws during the concrete pouring on the wall and ceiling left trace of ‘elements’ that become a natural ornamentation in the house.

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Concrete has been chosen as main building material, simply because of its dualism quality. It has a much needed strength as structural element; yet its flexibility creates an interesting tension which produces certain emotion in places it shapes.

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The decision of using a dominantly concrete wall and roof, however, poses quite a challenging situation in this tropical climate, as this material has been known for trapping heat easily.

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By having an extremely high ceiling (10 meter in height), applying a special coating of heat resistant membrane on the external roof surface and leaving external wall occupied by plenty of cripple plants (which soon will grow to the roof); it helps to reduce internal heat accumulation significantly.

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Here, natural ventilation and lighting play an important aspect of the house. All open spaces have no air conditioning system, and dependent entirely on the opening and incision between walls, windows and roof for fresh air ventilation generated by a series of ceiling fan suspended beneath the concrete roof using a metal rod mechanism.

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To generate an ever changing flow of air, there is some part of walls that has been built apart by 40 cm, allowing the creation of ‘rain’ window by operating horizontal glass louvre within this long gap.

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And rather than having a low manicured garden, house owner has opted to plant big trees instead, positioned strategically on the garden surface to provide a much needed shade areas during a certain period of the day (especially in the area where glass window has extended floor to ceiling).

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This few ‘low tech’ strategies have been providing simple solution to many common problems occur causes by the use of extensive concrete materials.

Architect : Aboday – Ary Indra, Rafael David, Johansen Yap, Wahid Annasir, Armeyn Ilyas
Structure Consultant : Prijasembada
M & E Consultant : Darwan
Landscape : Hagani Flora
Contractor : Sabar
Photography : Happy Lim