Castles in Europe

 This old continent has witnessed thousands of years of battles, wars, building and destroying. So, what really remains after such a tremendous historical journey, it's the strong architecture, designed to stand tall against the enemy's attacks, or just to stand like a proof of the military and economical power of the state. Built in various architectural styles, the castles are an example of design and engineering at high levels, in times when the available "technology" was represented by the human sense for architecture, beauty and engineering.
 Here are my favorites:

1.Neuschwanstein Castle - a Romanesque-revival palace located in southwest Bavaria,Germany

2. Peles Castle - Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania

3.Huniazilor Castle -  Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara (Transylvania), Romania.

4. Leeds Caste - situated in Kent, England

5.Chambord Castle - a very distinct French Renaissance castle in located in  Chambord, France

 

6. Häme Castle - a medieval castle in Finland

7.Trakošćan Castle - a castle that dates back to the 13th century located in northern Croatia

Gemini Residence

Gemini Residence is a residential building on the Islands Brygge waterfront in Copenhagen, Denmark. Built to the design of MVRDV, the building has been created by converting two former seed silos. It is located at the end of Bryggebroen, connecting Amager-side Islands Brygge to Zealand-sideVesterbro across the harbour, and close to the southern end of Havneparken.

With a reference to the twin silos that have given the building its shape, Gemini Residence takes its name from the Astrological sign Gemini, the Latinname of the Zodiac sign The Twins.

The converted twin silos were raw concrete cylinders, standing 42 metres tall and 25 metres wide. The hollow cores of the silos are used for the infrastructure of the building, stairs, elevators and hallways. The two silos are connected on each floor, giving the building a basic layout resemblying the infinity symbol, ∞. The two rotundas are capped with a Texlon roof for natural light, creating a lobby area as tall as the building itself, within which residents and visitors can move up and down.

The apartments have been clipped to the exterior of the silos. The apartments have floor to ceiling windows and balconies along their entire length. At the foot of the silos, the raw concrete has been left uncovered to highlight the origin and history of the structure. This creates a marked horizontal overhang above the quayside esplenade passing below, while the narrow chasm it leaves at ground level creates a passage between dockside and streetside.

Source: Wikipedia.org

PIXEL

PIXEL in Beijing by SAKO Architects.

This complex is composed of 10,000 units of commercial units, residential units, and office units placed on an area of about 210,000 square meters. 19 residential towers are placed uniquely on the site in order to meet the demand for its privacy and hours of sunlight as the residential units.
Twelve numbers of plate-shaped buildings are placed along the outline of the site. The other eight numbers of plate-shaped buildings are placed along the lines in which were led by a slant line running along Chaoyang North Road and the two right-angled lines of the slant line. Therefore, each building has a certain distance to the others by virtue of its “windmill-shaped master plan”.
The elevation design of the buildings is another unique part of this project. Each tower is composed of piled-up units with eight different tones of color of gray. This strategy gives one continuous flowing pattern for the facade of the twelve buildings along the outline of the site. In addition, different tones of one additional color for each building create ten different gradient colors for the buildings, and this gives the sense of coherence to the whole site.

(Source: europaconcorsi.com)

House Holman

House Holman by Durbach Block Architects

Durbach Block Architects designed the award winning House Holman in 2004.

The single-family residence is sited on the edge of a 230-foot high cliff flying over the ocean in the town of Dover Heights, west of the city of Sydney in Australia.

The House Holman offers a complex series of spaces to be fluid, enrolled in a perimeter formed by a series of curves and contracurvas that stretch in response to the landscape and the sun.

Living and dining areas cantilever out over the ocean, allowing dramatic views up and down the coast.

The lower floor forms a base that is built from rough stone walls like an extension of the cliff below.

These walls continue along the cliff edge to form a series of eccentric terraced gardens and a vase-shaped rock pool.

Photos by: Neil Durbach, Brett Boardman, Chris Cole, Anthony Browell

MDT house

 MDT house by Jacobsen Arquitetura.
(Source: knstrct.com)

São Paulo’s Fazenda Boa Vista development is a massive 1,800 acre residential and hospitality complex rolling with perfectly trimmed hills, deep blue lakes, and untouched landscapes. The property features an array of amenities such a clubhouses, an equestrian center, golf course, tennis courts, five star hotel, and a spa. Also within the complex is a collective of newly built residences designed by Brazil’s architectural headliners, Isay Weinfeld, Arthur Casas, and Paulo Jacobsen and Bernardo Jacobsen of Jacobsen Arquitetura.

Jacobsen’s new MDT house is in the well designed company of Fazenda Boa Vista’s newly built residences. The home is sectioned into three rectangular volumes that are juxtaposed together to create three full patios, a gourmet kitchen, home theater, large entertaining areas, a kids room, library, and a swimming pool.
The outside of the MDT home is outfitted with a stone wall covered in vertical wood panels ranging in hues of brown, orange, and yellow. The stone and wood wall constitutes most of the exterior walls, except for the areas that overlook the pool and courtyard. Here, the bedroom suites fit straight into one of the rectangular volume, each bedroom has a glass wall so guests have a view of the swimming pool through the wood panels.
One feature not to be missed is the large wood covered patio that overlooks the pool. On the patio, modern furniture pieces create unique conversation areas, and the gourmet kitchen is only steps away to feed the need for serving and entertaining.
The architects took a topographical approach to develop to sculpt the land of the MDT House. Variations in floor and ceiling create different ceiling heights and different relationships with the garden,
sometimes enabling direct access to the gardens and pool.

Source: knstrct.com

Museum for Architectural Drawing

Museum for Architectural Drawing by Speech

Architectural sketches and motifs are etched across the concrete walls of the Museum for Architectural Drawing in Berlin by Russian architecture collective SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov.

Architects Sergei Tchoban and Sergey Kuznetsov of SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov designed the building to house the collections of the Tchoban Foundation, which the architect founded in 2009 as an archive of architectural drawings from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Located on the site of a former brewery, the five-storey museum will be the foundation's first address and comprises a stack of overlapping concrete volumes with a glass penthouse positioned on top.

Architectural reliefs cover all three of the yellowish-grey concrete facades and form repetitive patterns. The surfaces are also broken up into groups of gently angled planes, intended to mimic overlapping sheets of paper.

"This artistic touch is supposed to emphasise the function and contents of the exposition in the museum's architectural look," explain the architects.

The ground floor of the building accommodates an entrance hall, shop and library. The collections will be housed on the three middle floors and will only be accessible by appointment, while the the glass penthouse and roof terrace will function as an events space.

The Museum for Architectural Drawing is set to open in June and will present both a permanent drawing collection and loans from international collections.

Architects Sergei Tchoban and Sergey Kuznetsov have worked together on various projects as SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov. Their past collaborations include curating the Russian Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Source: dezeen.com

Hawthorn Residence

Hawthorn Residence by Canny

The initial client brief was to create a home that would allow independent living zones for the needs of the growing family. With three teenage boys the home allows ample breakout spaces for the children to be active and yet still enjoy the togetherness of combined family areas. The clients required a new home with a traditional façade to the compliment the streetscape, yet a more contemporary feel as one moved through to the rear of the home. The front rooms took on a traditional feel, whilst the rear presented more modern attributes.

The rear of the home showcases a distinctive curved pool house with expansive pool outlook. Dual outdoor entertaining areas with canopy skylights and recessed alfresco heaters allow for continuous enjoyment throughout all seasons. All of these elements were carefully integrated and designed with the landscape.

The highly detailed cellar is perhaps the standout feature of this residence. Complete with 2,000 unit wine storage, Vintec wine fridge, tasting bench, sink and luxe wooden joinery, the room carries an understated opulence and serves as a unique entertaining area for intimate dinner parties and tastings.

Source canny.com.au

Palace of Justice

Palace of Justice by Claus en Kaan Architecten, located in Amsterdam.
(Source: archinect.com)

The new premises of the Magistrates Court and the Public Prosecutor form part of the stacked program of the Western IJ-dock complex. The design conforms to the given complex spatial envelope envisaged by the master plan drawn up by Van Gameren and Mastenbroek. Not only a stringent limitation of the form and interior, but also the tight budget and other strict conditions determine the design.

Nevertheless, a unique solution has been found for this public building of 34,000 m2 that accords with the public and representative significance of a magistrates court. The main characteristic is that of a public building with a strict security policy that has separate logistical programmes for the magistrates, suspected and convicted parties, and the public. This results in a spatial palette ranging from a representative character in the public areas, via a congenial working climate for those employed by the court, to the watertight logic of the zones for suspected and convicted parties.

This complexity of the assignment is further reinforced by the considerable number of parties involved. Within all these parameters a clear organization has been chosen in which the office functions of the Public Prosecutor and the Magistrates Court are each accommodated in separate volumes and connected with one another by the walkway on the central fifth floor. The central zone of the Magistrates Court contains the lofty public hall with the courtrooms on either side of it and above it the offices, which are grouped around a large patio.

Status: Built
Location: Amsterdam, NL

Source: archinect.com

Villa 3S

Villa 3S by LOVE architecture and urbanism, Austria, 2010.

Villa 3S is located on a picturesque property on the fringes of Graz Geidorf.  One of the fundamental ideas was to incorporate the relatively large property into the living space.  Therefore, the design blurred the boundaries between house and garden creating fluid transitions and an extended exterior living space.  The relatively strict land-use plan, which stipulated a saddle roof with a designated inclination, presented a further challenge. The roof form begins by folding on the southern terrace continues up and over the building structure and thereby forms an abstract saddle roof.  This folding spatially differentiates the individual areas providing excitement.  This also creates unique views from every angle of the home.

Architects: LOVE architecture and urbanism
Location: Graz Geidorf, Austria
Construction Calculation: Hartmth Petschnigg
Building Physics: Roland Müller
Project Area: 145 sqm
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Jasmin Schuller

The architects describe the house as, “Simple yet complex; clear but also playful; light and optimistic; small yet also big.  A place that is architecturally distinct, yet eminently livable; unconventional and unique, and still functional for everyday living.”

The interior of the house is centered around one main room for cooking, eating and living. When open, large sliding doors between the individual rooms connect a fluid, complete spatial structure. With the sliding doors closed, each room maintains its intimacy and distinctiveness and also extends to its own outdoor area or access. For example, the bathroom has its own opaque terrace with an outdoor shower, which can be converted to an interior room with the use of broad folding doors. Weather permitting, the bathroom space can be doubled in this way.

The building is a massive brick construction with concrete walls and a reinforced concrete roof. This roof also serves as a thermal storage mass to provide a pleasant indoor climate and is covered with wood outside. This shades the planking and visually blends the terrace and roof into a unified whole.

Leisure House

Leisure House, in Mill Valley, California

Red Apple Apartment Building

Red Apple Apartment Building by Aedes Studio

Architects: Aedes Studio
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Year: 2013
Photographs: Courtesy of Aedes Studio

The surrounding neighborhood consists mostly of apartment blocks that date back from the 70’s. The buildings are large with enough space in-between and plenty of greenery. Because the whole area is built in relatively short period of time and not very long ago, it lacks the typical historic layers of the city center. Here the connection to nature is direct enough, the access to all city-conveniences – fast enough and easy, what makes the area nice to dwell. In spite of that it still lacks history, (memories of) the past and atmosphere.

The atmosphere in the city is a result of two very important factors. On one hand the connection to nature, which as already said, is granted. On the other hand – the feeling of the past, the traces of the people that have been here before us; the feeling of human community not only here and now, but also back in time. The feeling of the past alone is achieved mostly by the buildings.

Aedes Studio set the uneasy task to design a new “old building”; a contemporary building with past – a building that contains opposites. Aedes Studio wanted to enrich the neighborhood with an atmosphere from another time, to create something that makes them a flâneur (Baudelaire’s character – stroller in Paris) in the city. Aedes Studio approached this project as if they had to revitalize an old, abandoned part of the city (which is the case for harbor and past-industrial areas in many European cities). When such neighborhoods wake up for new life, they possess the charm of the past as well as all contemporary conveniences. Aedes Studio imagined as starting point an abandoned factory building, which after renovation becomes a luxury and desired place for habitation. (In Sofia such potential is held by the significant old “Sugar factory”.) But since Aedes Studio didn’t have a factory to begin with, we had to create it. This is how their “living factory” arose, characterized by many opposing ideas related to the terms “old” and “new”.

Source: archdaily.com