The Village Museum (Muzeul Satului)

The Village Museum, is located in Bucharest,Romania. Despite his lack of celebrity, it's one of the biggest and the oldest outdoors museum in Europe.
The creation of the National Village Museum was a goal for an intensive and sustained research coordinated by Dimitrie Gusti .
Between 1936-1940,the museum had a surface of 6.5 ha, and 33 of the sites were authentic,transferred from different  villages located all over the country.
The surface tends to reproduce the map of Romania, by grouping the monuments of architecture and popular technique on the criterion of geographical proximity of villages of origin, in areas representing major historical provinces of the country. The museum has today over 100,000 m2, and contains 272 authentic peasant farms and houses from all over Romania.
If you ever visit Bucharest, this museum should be on your map. It's an excellent location for taking photographs, make some sketches or just walking on the Herastrau lake shore while finding out something more about the traditional architecture.

Frank W. Thomas House

Frank W. Thomas House, 210 Forest Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, USA

The Frank W. Thomas House was commissioned by James C. Rogers for his daughter and her husband, Frank Wright Thomas. In some ways, it resembles the Heurtley House: both homes have leaded glass windows, an arched entryway, and a low, long profile. The Thomas house is widely considered Wright's first Prairie Style home in Oak Park. It is also his first all stuccohome in Oak Park. Using stucco instead of wood meant that Wright could design clear, geometric forms.

The main rooms of the Thomas House are raised a full story above a high basement. The L-shaped floor plan of the house gives it an open view to the north and west, while obscuring a brick wall located on the south side. A "false door" is located just above the arched entryway.

Source: architecture.about.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

Kettle Hole House

Kettle Hole House by Robert Young

Architects: Robert Young
Location: East Hampton, New York, USA
Architect In Charge: Robert Young
Design Team: Mara Indra, Marlene Toerper, Shea Murdock
Project Architect: Kiyomi Troemner
Year: 2008
Photographs: Frank Oudeman

This project developed organically to respond to our client’s seven acre site, which was sheltered by white pines, offered unobstructed views of the water, and housed a beautiful kettle pond. The property contained an existing house, c 1982, which was in need of a major renovation. Because of serious rot and the low quality of the initial construction, it was not clear that a restoration would cost less than a new house. Our instinct is always to save and reuse things rather than throw them away, so we were keen to find ways to keep the house economically. Surveys of the property indicated that the house was closer to the kettle pond than current town setbacks would allow; if we were to build a new house rather than renovate, it would have to be pushed back closer to the property line, compromising the privacy and water views that made this parcel so appealing.
While the existing house was full of quirky layout moments, such as dark narrow halls and high windows facing the view, the basic parti of the house worked quite well — living spaces bookended by the master suite and guest bedrooms. By filling in a windowless courtyard and carport, we were able to enlarge the kitchen and dining areas, and add a den and a screened porch without extending the actual footprint of the house. This not only allowed for extra space, but also dramatically improved the awkward flow between the existing spaces. Without moving load-bearing walls, we merged the kitchen, living and dining areas into an open, flowing plan.
We transformed the appearance of the house with an economy of means using new siding and windows with accenting cement panels. The windowless ‘silo’ stairwell was replaced with a rectangular stair tower with a simple but delicate stair of blackened steel. Wide expanses of glass and exterior materials that cross over into the interiors, such as the cedar siding and cement panels, blur the line between inside and out. The interior palette of natural materials, colors, and fabrics is juxtaposed with occasional strong contrasting elements, complementing the surrounding woodlands.

Source: archdaily.com

Under Pohutukawa Beach House

Under Pohutukawa Beach House by Herbst Architects

The site with which we were presented was extremely challenging in that it was 90% covered in mature pohutukawa trees, the site being a part of a continuous belt of forest that edges the road along the beach front.

The circumstances not so much allowed, but dictated a sensitive poetic response to a building that, in order to exist would require the destruction of a large number of mature trees. To do this we looked to the trees themselves to give us the cues that we needed.

We separated the brief loosely into private and “public” components, giving us smaller individual masses with which to articulate the forms. The private functions of bedrooms and garage are housed in two towers which are construed as freshly sawn stumps of the trees that were removed.

To allude to the bark of the stumps the skins of the towers are clad in black/brown stained rough sawn irregular battens. The interior spaces are then seen as carved out of the freshly cut wood, achieved by detailing all the wall / ceiling and cabinetry elements in the same light timber.

The public space connects the two towers and attempts to engage with the surrounding pohutukawa forest by defining a crossover space between the powerful natural environment and the built form. The plane of the roof form pins off the towers to engage with the continuous tree canopy, disintegrating from a rigid plane to a frayed edge which filters light in a similar way to the leaf canopy.

The primary structure holding up the roof is a series of treeelements which allude to the trunks and branches of trees but are detailed in a rigorous geometric arrangement which suggests an ordering of nature as it enters and forms the building.

The height of the public space with its light glass division responds to the height of the surrounding trees, the roof planeis partially glass to allow the full extent of the trees to be felt as they lean over the building. A walkway links the towers at the upper level allowing engagement with both the natural and man made canopies.

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

Armandale House

Armandale House by Jackson Clements Burrows

Armandale House by Jackson Clements Burrows:

“This project involved alterations and additions to an existing Victorian house in Armadale that had been renovated in the late 1980s.

The scope of work included a complete refurbishment of the existing Victorian House and a new upper level extension separated into two private zones for parents and children.”

Armandale House by RT Edgar:

“The house features high ceilings, floor to ceiling glass windows, pool, separate self-contained accommodation/gym and sits on a 2,032m2 (21,872 sq ft) lot.

Comprising: formal lounge, separate dining, kitchen/meals and informal sitting room, games room, 2nd informal sitting room, twin study, 6 generous bedrooms (all with ensuites), off street parking for 6 cars, security, air conditioning and heating.”

Source: homedsgn.com

Leisure House

Leisure House, in Mill Valley, California

The Guangzhou Opera House

The Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects.

It is located in the center of the ‘factory of the world’, the capital of Guangdong Province (Canton) on the north bank of the Pearl River. The opera house was opened in 2010. The complex consists of several large softly shaped polyhedra, reminiscent of large boulders. The architect speaks of ‘pebbles in the river’.It is a complex structure made of steel and concrete, combined with in glass and sheet metal. With its expressive character and its spectacular architecture, the building emphasizes the city’s drive to claim global media attention. Located in the center of a business district, public spaces are placed between the different buildings. The enormous concert hall and a multifunctional hall are accessed via generous ramps and stairs.

(Source: ignant.de)

In April 2002 an international architectural competition attracted Coop Himmelb(l)au, Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid - each producing detailed designs. In November 2002, Zaha Hadid's "double pebble" was announced the winner and the groundbreaking ceremony was held early in 2005.

The theatre has become the biggest performing centre in southern China and is one of the three biggest theatres in the nation alongside Beijing'sNational Grand Theatre and Shanghai's Shanghai Grand Theatre. May 2010 saw American filmmaker Shahar Stroh direct the premiere production of the opera house: Puccini's opera Turandot^[1] which had in previous years been a controversial opera in China.^[4]

The project cost 1.38 billion yuan (approx. US$200 million).

The structure was designed by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid; its freestanding concrete auditorium set within an audacious exposed granite and glass-clad steel frame took over five years to build, and was praised upon opening by architectural critic Jonathan Glancey in The Guardian, who called it "at once highly theatrical and insistently subtle." The dramatic structure was the source of inspiration behind fashion designer Vivienne Tam's fall '10 collection.

Source: wikipedia.org

Tower House

Tower House by Gluck+
(Source: dezeen.com)

As a vacation home, the Tower House is used during a few weekends in the winter and most weekends in the summer. The design imperative was to develop a sustainable, energy efficient solution with minimal operating costs and maintenance for a house occupied part-time. The stacked north-facing bedrooms take advantage of light and views with floor to ceiling glass. In order to optimise energy savings for heating and cooling in this part-time residence, a two part sustainable strategy was employed to reduce the heating footprint of the house in the winter and to avoid the need for air conditioning in the summer.

While the house is heated conventionally, by compressing and stacking all of the wet zones of the house into an insulated central core, much of the house can be "turned off" in the winter when not in use. When not in use, only 700 square feet of the 2,545 square foot house is heated. By closing the building down to only the insulated core, there is a 49% reduction in energy use. In the summertime, the house feels comfortable without air conditioning. Cool air is drawn in and through the house using the stack effect. South-facing glass throughout the stairwell creates a solar chimney and as the heated air rises, it is exhausted out the top, drawing in fresh air through the house from the cooler north side.

Architecture and Construction: GLUCK+ (Peter L. Gluck, Thomas Gluck, David Hecht, Marisa Kolodny, A.B. Moburg-Davis)
Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates P.C.
Mechanical Engineer: Rosini Engineering P.C.
Façade: Bill Young
Environmental Engineer: IBC Engineering
Lighting: Lux Populi

(Source: dezeen.com)