Split-Level House By Qb Design

Qb Design have completed the Split-Level House located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Situated “on a vacant corner in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, this newly constructed house stitches itself into the neighbourhood by responding to local cues”. Curved brick corners are used to “negotiate the irregular street grid, while the cadence of typical rowhouses and a palette of brick volumes and stone bases are translated into a new vocabulary”.

Inside the house a palette of bleached and blackened oak is used. Polished concrete and patinaed steel contrasts against the rich wood. This contrast between these materials gives the home a highly unique feel, yet one that works perfectly. “The split-level section adapts these traditional elements to a modern language of continuous spaces and vast glazed openings”.

Special thanks to Contemporist for the above images.

Olympic Park Trees To Become Artwork

As a permanent reminder of the London 2012 Olympic Games next year, the 10 biggest trees in the Olympic Park are to be turned into works of art.

Engraved metal rings measuring six metres (20ft) wide and up to half a tonne (500kg) in weight, will be wrapped around the red oak, silver lime and common ash trees. Over time the tree branches and ring will slowly fuse together.

Funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Arts Council England, the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, will feature 4,000 semi-mature trees and around 300,000 wetland plants.

This park has been designed by artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey. In a statement they said “Trees mark the passing of time through their yearly ring growth”.

“The artwork will transform as the seasons change, reflecting the evolving nature of the Olympic Park”.

The ODA has said that the trees would stand up to 18m (60ft) tall and mark out the entrances to the 500-acre Olympic Park.

There is set to be nine history rings with words giving information relevant to each location inscribed on the inside while the memories of residents will be featured on the 10th tree, an English Oak.

The shadow that is cast by this ring will be inlayed on to the ground in bronze so that each year it will momentarily align to commemorate the date and time of the London 2012 Games.

Special thanks to the BBC and HelloUK.org for the above images.

Prisengracht Apartment With Bleached Oak Flooring

In collaboration with Flow, developers Guy Jacobs and Felix van Asch van Wijck have completed this Prinsengracht Apartment project. Located along the Pinsengracht, which is the fourth and largest on the main canals in Amsterdam, this apartment is situated inside an historical building which was built in the first half of the 18th century. 

 

Materials for the apartment are all warm and neutral, with the combination of herringbone plank bleached oak flooring and walnut doors. This warmth gives the apartment a homely feel which most will find appealing. The six large windows act as the perfect means of letting light into the room and bounce beautifully off the oak flooring.

Special thanks to HomeDSGN for the above image.