House of the Week 156: Ravine Guest House

This poolhouse and guest cottage in Toronto, Canada designed by architects Shim-Sutcliffe sits adjacent a ravine and amongst a lush landscape . The simple structure attempts to blur the distinction between inside and out with interwoven elements that run the interior to exterior living areas. The reduced material palette of smoked glass and timber, gives clarity to the structural solution of the suspended clerestory that run continuous around the elevations.

On the Boards: Leblon Offices

Courtesy Richard Meier & Partners

A high-end, 10-story building located in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro designed by Architects Richard Meier & Parnters. The façades feature minimal white aluminum and glass heightening a sense of openness taking advantage of the beach front lot.

house of the week 111: Villa in Szentendre

Built for a family of three, the Villa in Szentendre, Hungary was designed by architect Lajos Kuknyó of Budapest based practice Architema. The house with panoramic views of the Danube river from its expansive deck was designed in a manner respecting of the Bauhaus tradition, with a light filled and airy interior.

Tetris Apartments by OFIS

A video produced by Marco Mazzotta of the Tetris Apartments in Ljubljana, Slovenia designed by architects OFIS

house of the week 110: Arthur Casa

In the middle of the Atlantic Rainforest of Iporanga just outside of São Paulo, Brazilian architect Arthur Casa has realized a house for himself and his family. The tropical house consists of two large symmetrical rectangles that conceal private spaces and supports a large 11 meter volume that opens to the natural surroundings. The material palette on the interior & exterior are refined, limited to concrete and finished in a local sustainable wood called Cumaru.

on the boards: Treetop Villas

Proposed for a ocean lot in Phuket, Thailand, the Treetop Villas by Paul Raff Studio integrates a dense community of housing into a steeply sloped tropical jungle. Filled with mature indigenous vegetation the 17 villas are perched 20m high amongst the tree canopy preserving the topography and giving dramatic views.

blog wunderlust: 30 August 2010

That is the problem with so much architecture. This speed is impossible. Some people think the computer is so quick, for example. But the computer does not think for you, and the time it takes us to think does not change.

Alvaro Siza

I like the way he thinks | architect promises timeless gallery | LEGO architecture: towering ambition | the $300 House: a hands-on reverse innovation? | Niemeyer designed... chocolate bar? | composting loo on the Hudson | a box of fresh air | Rietveld Jr | jewelry for the city | signs of life | confessions of an architect's spouse

The blog wunderlust is a weekly round up summarizing the architectural highlights, news and web links, that don't otherwise fit the format of this blog. If you have any to share feel free to drop me an email

House of the Week 052: Uccle 2003

Designed by Belgian architect Marc Corbiau the sleek fair faced concrete house sits partially submerged on a rolling green, revealing an elegant composition on the interior.

also check out this proposal for an Instant house by H3AR

House of the Week 050: the Cube (Lac Superieur)

Located near the ski hills of Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada this vacation home - dubbed the Cube by locals for its composition of intersecting volumes, was designed by architects Saucier + Perrotte in 2004. The volumes hold the three functional areas, sleeping on the top, middle for entry and living and the lowest for play.

also take a look at a recent feature in the times called Recycled Houses

on the boards: CAF/ Altamira Square extension

A competition entry for the CAF headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela by architect Andrade Morettin. The proposal was intended as a urban extension to the Altamira Square (Francia Norte Square) in an attempt to reinforce the importance of the public space by it's axial relationship with the building.

House of the Week 027: Cascade House

Described as "a sculpture of stacked boxes composed from shards of glass and muted black slate," the Cascade house in Forest Hills, Toronto was designed for a family relocating from the harsh Arizona climate by architect Paul Raff. The 350 m² house is configured and detailed with large expanses of south-facing glazing to make the most of the limited sunshine that illuminate the owner's extensive collection of modern art.

see plans here

on the boards: Rufino Tamayo Museum

A partnership between Rojkind Arquitectos (Mexico) and BIG (Denmark) have been awarded first prize in the Rufino Tamayo Museum design competition. Designed as an “Opened Box,” the proposal for a 3500m² museum overlooking Mexico City bears a strong and direct symbolic reference with it's cross-shaped footprint.

House of the Week 014: house in Curitiba

This house is a 300 sq.m in Curitiba, Brazil by UNA Architects and features a central 2 story volume that can be completely open to the elements. The residence is raised off the ground creating a service layer with the main living spaces and the bedrooms on the ground and first floor respectively.

House of the Week 013: Sculptor House

entry elevation

Alejandro Aravena designed this house & studio for a sculptor in Santiago, Chile. The structure is made primarily from brick echoing the work of the artist, and has expansive views towards the city towards the west.

Interview with Chilean architect Mathias Klotz, whose early works in the 1990s - box-like, austere buildings - were critical of the mannerisms of Post-modern architecture.

via 0300TV

Spanish with English Subtitles

house of the week: 003 | Terrace House

"the house that is not really there"

Senan Abdelqaber has designed, with this house, an approach that is nothing more than a platform bracing the horizon to a vast landscape. The entry below leads to an intimate yet modern domicile that gently unfolds space by the interplay of natural and man-made materials, soft against hard, transparent versus opaque, light and shadow.

Andrade Morettin Architects, Sao Paulo Brazil

3. Twist the box

Esker Haus by Plasma Studio

Casa 89 by Spanish outfit, H Architects
there is just something about sexy boxes (boxtastic)

The corporate offices for the German technology, lifestyle and fashion company Leonardo by the multi-disciplinary (dubbed transdisciplinary) practice 3deluxe.

The elevations recall the National Aquatics Centre for the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Architects PTW, even bearing a similar title - the Leonardo Glass Cube. However the strands made up of window mullions on the exterior, extend onto the landscape and interior creating an agile interplay between structure and nature despite the building's boxtastic extrusion.

The website by 3deluxe is a simple monochrome web projection lost in an excess of technology, in this case Flash that renders casual viewing unlikely.

via