Duplex Penthouse

“Occupying the 10th and 11th floor of a building on West 19th Street, New York, this modern penthouse comes with sweeping views of the Hudson River, the High Line Park and cityscape. Moreover, the inhabitants of this opulent apartment currently on sale, will enjoy private outdoor space of approximately 1170 square feet, including curved balconies and a roof terrace. The core of the penthouse is a jaw-dropping double-height open plan living room, flooded in natural light from the tall window-walls and displaying a highly modern design”.

Inside the penthouse there is a state of the art kitchen, generous dining table, wide fireplace and white oak flooring which completes the impressive interior. “With a total living space of 2350 square feet, the duplex features no less than six rooms and three bathrooms, each having an elegant contemporary appearance, as envisioned by architect Cary Tamarkin.

Special thanks to Freshome for the above images and information.

Memory House

A-cero, Joaquin Torres Architects have designed the Memory House which is located in Madrid, Spain.

“The architecture studio A-cero, led by Joaquin Torres & Rafael Llamazares, presents one of its last unfamiliar housing projects. It is a home located in a residential complex in northern Madrid. The house is located in a rectangular plot of 2,800 m2, where there are plenty of pines and oaks. Since A-cero aims to preserve these Mediterranean species, the housing project pretends to live with them so much so that both embrace in the facade. The low slope plot follows the existing urban parameters with the curving characteristic of the Studio”.

“The house is built of ventilated stone white marble real cream combined with bamboo wood, giving it character and sobriety. Inside, the spaces are wide and full of light in every room of the house”. In the living room, A-cero chose a cream polished marble for the flooring, whereas in the bedrooms Havanna oak flooring is used.

“The distribution of the house is done in three levels. The first floor has three en suite bedrooms, while the ground floor houses a large living room, a guest toilet, kitchen with storage area, and a spacious master bedroom with dressing room. In the basement floor is situated the garage, service area and other facilities.

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images.

Eneco Headquarters

Hofman Dujardin Architects and Fokkema&Partners have completed the design for the Eneco headquarters in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The interior of the headquarters has undergone a revolution to create the perfect working environment, complete with solar power, natural light and oxygen from internal vegetation, echoing Eneco’s vision of sustainability. “Eneco’s new building is also the perfect example of how clever and efficient office design can offer employees the possibility to work flexibly in a dynamic, open, sustainable and healthy environment”.

“The heart of the building is a central atrium surrounded by a light-filled meeting centre with a reception space, meeting rooms, working areas, informal meeting areas, lounges, a restaurant, a service desk and an auditorium. Sun collectors on the south facade and on the roof track the sun throughout the day, absorbing the maximum amount of solar energy”.

“From the entrance, employees and visitors have a clear view of the centrally placed espresso bar - this is another island but one designed not so much with colour but with relaxing blonde oak floors and tables, making a warm and inviting destination”.

“The ground floor meeting island has lush and vibrant red, purple, beige and orange carpets, equally colourful chairs and, as a calming contrast, subtle oak tables. To boost the design diversity still, the beige carpets are furnished with white tables and chars, and the entire experience is enhanced by lighting designed by Studio Rubiek which brings out the rich hues and textures of the space.

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images and information.

Are Solbringen Residences

The Stockholm based studio Waldemarson Berglund Arkitekter have designed the Are Solbringen Residences in Northern Sweden. These three timber residences have been built to follow the steep slope of the landscape on which they sit, boasting a strikingly slanted effect.

“Partly the houses’ shape is a consequence of urban regulation. Partly, the form is also the consequence of a discussion on the site. The commission was to divide the plot into three equal ones where houses for recreational use would be built”.

“The property is located just outside Åre’s centre, in Åreskutan south-facing slope, overlooking the river and the mountains. Building designs in Åre are often half buried houses in 1 ½ plans with a sloping roof and big gables facing the views down the mountain, resulting in houses with only one really profitable floor. The half-buried level is partly windowless, and the upper level is limited by its low, sloping ceilings”.

The building was built to lay over the ground without disturbing the mountain, where all the rooms would have a generous height and windows with views. “A connection axis extents along the building’s long side, divided in four generously sized sets of stairs. This space allows a view of the whole house from the entrance to the opposite end”.

“The house is completely built in a wooden frame system. Due to the limited width of the house it was possible to use standard pieces everywhere but in the floor slabs, built in glued laminated timber. The wooden construction rests over brick slabs located across the longitudinal axis of the houses. A wide vent runs along the axis, allowing the eaves to meet the ground cleanly and “tightly”. Wooden panels are the facade’s material, which will darken and turn greyish as they age. The wooden windows and doors have a painted steel exterior framing and the roof is built in painted, folded metal sheets”. Large wide oak flooring is used, whilst the walls and ceilings are finished in white plasterboard.

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

CGM House

The CGM House is a contemporary residence by Richard Torrejon that features curtain walls overlooking the wild terrain of Los Aromos, Limache in the Valparaiso Region of Chile.

Measuring 3,336 square feet, this 2012 project was designed to accommodate both a social and private, family oriented lifestyle.

“The main challenge of this house was making a ‘primary residence’ compatible with the context and environment of a vacation house’. There were two basic requests at the beginning of the design process:

• The house should be able to facilitate an intense social life with relatives and friends, adults and kids 
• At the same time, it has to be able to house ordinary family life, with all the intimacy and privacy that involves”.

“Hacienda Los Aromas is a private urbanization  20Km away from the central Chilean coast. The lots spread along the peninsula, surrounded by the ‘Embaise Los Aromos’, a regional water reservoir, which is also used for recreational purposes”.

“The building site is a 5.000 sqm, continuous 30º slopped lot, facing east, with great views towards the local mountains and over the reservoir. The first step was to build a large platform by means of a zigzag concrete retaining wall, which provides resistance but also allows oriented views”.

On principle, the house was ‘made in place’ with materials used to sustain significant abuse, so it would ‘age’ and not merely be ‘ruined’ over the time.

40m3 of recycled 2" red oak was used from demolitions nearby. “The wood was scraped off and used primarily as the outer covering of exterior ventilated walls. The best pieces were used in the interior as exposed timber and upper level flooring”. With the shorter ones stairs, interior veneer, doors, guardrails, and kitchen and bathrooms countertops were made.

“Lower level paving runs all along the house, even in the kitchen and bathrooms, and is made our of polished quartz stained concrete”.

Special thanks the HomeDSGN for the above images and information.

The Almyra Hotel

"High quality craftsmanship and an aversion to last minute trendiness guide the clean, terraced architecture of Cyprus’s Almyra Hotel. Following a major renovation by Thanos Michaelides, the hotel has undergone an ultra-clic metamorphosis and now features sleek interior elegance inspired by the island’s patron goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite".

"Banquette sofas and low irokko and oak wood tables face windows that afford the first glimpse of the breathtaking ocean views available throughout Almyra. Sleek modern furniture and black and white interiors have been selected by Tristan Auer and Joelle Pleot, who designed one of Karl Lagerfeld’s houses, vamped up by hand-assembled Byzantine chandeliers that hang in both the lobby and the Mosaics restaurant. Splashes of  1970’s boldness - such as white leather sofas and ottomans - are enhanced by a combination of natural and artificial lighting. Seeing as the hotel places as much emphasis on a successful family experience as on good design, the concept also focuses on practicality. All of Almyra’s guestrooms and suites are generous in size, so as to provide ample space for families".

"Auer and Pleot have selected lots of natural materials in addition to glass and Carrara marble to create a calming effect in the rooms. Charming small details such as room numbers engraved on the floor are enhanced further by the freedom of guest’s being encouraged to move around the artworks on display at whim. Wide terraces, covered with glowing white trellises surround the pool area and afford sweeping views on Paphos harbour. The landscape gardens with lavender walkways surrounding the design hotel complete the picture perfect setting".

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images and information.