Located on the north-center of Portugal, the house was meant to combine the rural and the urban lifestyle. The lot is surrounded by different types of constructions, consequence of the informal settlements, characteristics of most Portuguese cities neighbourhoods.
A site in a pine forest with a height difference of six meters is unique in the Netherlands. The clients are aware of that and asked us to design a ‘living’ house which fully adopts the qualities of the plot. They cite three icons as a reference, each with their own qualities. De scenic naturalness of F.L. Wright, the openness of Mies van der Rohe and the tactile materiality of Zumthor. With a sense of necessary modesty we accepted the assignment.
Spanish firm A2arquitectos has created a new area, an extension of recreational activities and an entertainment for our young guests from the hotel Castell dels Hams.
The client wanted a cabin for the whole family, but at the same time it needed to be divisible in some way. The solution was a cluster of three structures, which can be used individually. Each of the buildings is defined as a clarified geometric volume, organized around the outdoor area that binds them together as one unit. Toward the northeast, a hill borders and defines the site, together with the view in the opposite direction. The spatial interaction between landscape and the structure creates a beneficial micro climate. This is reflected by the structures’ southwest orientation, where the gable end is glazed. In the other directions the buildings appear more closed.
For the last 20 years, since moving to her apartment, Heather Lang had been dreaming of turning her home from dated and dreary into an airy open-plan New York style loft. Her home, while not the perfect place, was known as Heather’s Hotel, welcoming visitors from far and wide to enjoy wonderfully hospitality and great cooking. Plus, her residence was often the venue for very large family gathering. It was important to her that while the form and feel of her home would change with a new look, that the functionality to continue to allow her place to be a warm gathering place would not change, and would be improved. rzlbd was up to challenge! The results speak for themselves.
The client offered us a different concept. A place where they could live a clothing store and a small cafe space. both naturally came together, and at the same time complement each other.
These ten houses are part of a master plan for 500 dwellings and a park by the Architecten Cie, called ‘Het Funen, Hidden Delights’. The triangular site is located between the historic center and the recently redeveloped harbor area in the east of Amsterdam, a former parking lot for towed cars. Along the east and the south side a ‘wall’ containing over 300 apartments and office spaces shields the site from the noise of the adjacent railroad. Inside this semi open block a loose grid is set up, containing 16 smaller housing blocks positioned in a park. These ‘Hidden Delights’ vary in height from 9 to 18 meters. A shift from the public to the private has taken place. The urban plan including the park is initiated and commissioned -traditionally operations directed by the City- and developed and build by one single company, IBC Vastgoed. The maintenance of the park will be handled by a private firm, not by the city, but the park will remain publicly accessible. There are three almost square blocks that measure 30.5 by 27.7 meters and should contain 2.5 stories. It was obligatory to build the first two stories in alignment; the third should be 50% building and 50% roof terrace/garden. In our block the volume is distributed evenly over the ten houses; each is allocated 633 cubic meters. The houses are organized according to a typology known as back to back housing. They will be accessed from an aisle in the middle of the block. This “mini-canyon” rids the facades of the obligatory storage spaces and technical facilities that formally have to be accessible from the public domain.
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