Residential Category - Casey Brown Architecture - The Hart House at Mackeral Beach + Robert Nichol & Sons Oikos House at Breakneck Gorge

Both these projects were shortlisted at the Houses 2019 Awards and both these projects stand out to me. Upon looking at the images, the stark context and place is breathtaking and sublime. The engaging architecture forms such as the Oikos house was workshop to serve the best views and stands proudly playful. The Hart House is built along side the beach high up on a clifftop with cascading levels and appears to float above the water. The high ceilings give the sense of openess and light which is congruent to the unending ocean view. Their idea was originally formed from a simple beach shack and although deceptively simple, this house is harder to pull off as one might think. I like the duality of nature whereby you could turn around and see the bushland and shrubs engulfing the rear of the house. The highly textured sandstone at the base integrates with the rocks at ground level.

In practical application when undertaking the purchase of a new house with a future project in mind, consider the place and the potential or existing views because this will greatly enhance the overall experience without a highly cultivated landscape design.

For further information, visit the following website

http://www.caseybrown.com.au/

http://www.rn-s.com.au/

https://housesawards.com.au

Residential Category Award Winners

Of my favourite selection amongst the award winners is the Park House by Kerstin Thompson Architects. Is is a modest building using simple palette of light coloured materials. Although deceptively simple on the surface, the design and thought is quite the contrary.  The deep recessed brickwork, verandah and raking roof line produces an interesting and warm sheltered experience. The house sits along side the park and provides tunnel views from each of the rooms. Overall a sensitive and down to earth approach has been adopted that is intriguing and nice to see. 

For more information visit 

http://www.architecture.com.au/docs/default-source/vic-awards/full-list-of-2018-victorian-architecture-award-winners-.pdf?sfvrsn=0

http://kerstinthompson.com

The Blackburn House 

It was with great pleasure to see our project The Blackburn House feature on Inside Out online website. The link is provided below

https://www.insideout.com.au/renovations/house/a-small-alteration-makes-a-big-difference-in-this-melbourne-townhouse/news-story/a6450308562c3a87e329bee89b6a2a6e

The Blackburn House has just recently made it onto The Local project under Interiors. The link is listed below 

https://thelocalproject.com.au/gallery-of-the-blackburn-house-by-hworkshop-the-local-project-melbourne-vic-australia/

Los Angeles contemporary art museuem designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. It is situated next to Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Centre and forms an intersting contrast. The bold white coloured box form forms a striking contrast from the street level. The main exterior cladding is made of fibreglass reinfored concrete and is to signify the 'veil and the vault.'

Designed by Rudolph M Schindler, this house depicts non-conventional planning at its time. Its open planning, use of industrial materials and crisp detailing make this house a distinct and influential Californian architecture for its time.  The flat roof lines, sliding screen doors and large glass windows accentuate the connection between inside and outside landscape.  Noticeably the scale of the house is pronounced upon arrival.

The Mexican Contemporary House by Andres Casillas de Alba

The designer is a protege of Luis Barragan. Applying the principles of modernism coupled with abstract form he manages to express large creative spaces of light via glass walls, skylights and openings. The ideology of applying only raw materials is carefully detailed and express. Furthermore the concrete brutalism is stark and is somehow made comfortable. Throughout the house, the feeling of compression and amplification is notable due to the constant changing ceiling heights throughout. The house still begs the question of whether it is true to its surroundings. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful piece of architecture rarely ever seen in Melbourne.

source: http://architectureau.com

For further reviews - http://architectureau.com/articles/mexican-contemporary-house/

Andrew Maynard - Tower House

I would describe this house as cluster of pavilions interconnected by glazed walkways. A clever design that is very inviting and comfortable. It integrates well with the landscape and is a lot of fun.

A sample of some photos of Open House Melbourne 2014 of Clare Cousins Studio. What i like about this studio is that it is a brutalist building which show stark concrete forms on the exterior but renovated using soft palette of materials for the interior. The plywood panels and light timber materials is used to great effect and accentuated with the full height windows and black frames. The white 2 pack joinery comes to life with back recessed LED lighting. Overall you feel at home when you step into the studio space.

The awe inspiring ocean view and the majestic sun set does make this place one of the must go to destinations in Bali. The main bar is perched on top of a rugged cliff and the other cascading bars are set into the cliff face. The late Charles Correa perfectly summed up my thoughts,

"There is something intrinsically awesome in mountain ranges like the Himalayas, and in great seas and oceans, that triggers the metaphysical in us and turns our thoughts towards the non-manifest."

A beautiful outdoor dining setting in a garden bamboo pavillion that overlooks the rice paddy field. The materials used are locally sourced and sustainable. Likewise Frédéric Pougault sources local produce from an organic farm to create a menu around local seafood.

This is one of the most interesting private residence / museums i have visited. Of course there are not many that I know of.  This is a skilled artisan at work of pen and paper. The building is a sculptural piece in itself and is made of many carefully carved out spaces that feels volumetric and spacious similar to that of a gallery. Both the home and gallery is integrated and the distinction of where the home is confounds the visitor. Please see the links for further info and please visit the museum.

http://lyonhousemuseum.com.au/

Welcome
Welcome to my Blog Spot

Architecture
I will be talking about everything about architecture in this blog spot. I will add pictures of buildings that i like and buildings that may not work as well.