In a street marked by a vast set of housings for the working class, the sense of repetition and systematization of the construction process is a strong characteristic of this street. We wanted to follow the same idea … repetition/systematization.
The whole proposal started from a morphological condition of the terrain. This condition influenced, the programmatic and volumetric shape of the building. In terms of location, the building is developed longitudinally and adapts itself to the terrain shape, creating and defining its boundaries.
In January 2022, on the 14th floor of the “Domes de Sursock” tower, a vast and welllit apartment looks vividly towards the port of Beirut for a second time. Moving in with a paraphernalia of artworks and artifacts of a certain antiquity, emotional value and narrative complexity, a Beiruti family wishes to explore the contrast between the collection and a decisive sense of contemporary minimalism. This will also be however an opportunity to reflect on this ‘looking back’ at the port that is still the apartment’s main view, despite its state of notable ruin.
The collection is vast and a careful selection will be necessary to properly appreciate a selected object, but most importantly and in line with the client’s desire, to breathe through a certain white emptiness in every corner.
The Muxarabi apartment was designed for CoDA’s youngest client who wanted to give her first apartment a new look. Despite the newly opened building, the resident needed to optimize the space for her routine.
Therefore, the internal division of the project was slightly rearranged. One of the bedrooms was demolished to create a closet for the suite and a bookcase for the living room.
Set in the Mayacamas Mountains between Sonoma and Napa, the site for this weekend home is just 10 minutes from downtown Calistoga, but it seems much further removed. The owners envisioned a retreat where they could build lasting memories with their children, entertain friends and enjoy the wine country’s slower pace. Our intent for the project was to capitalize upon the unique nature of the site and views, while respecting the character of the land. Within this sensitive terrain, sustainability and fire resistance were key drivers for the design.
These two houses have been built through a long process of research, design and experimentation on materials, technology and program. The binding element of this process was the courage and trust of the client who accepted to be part of a journey of which these two buildings are only a fragment.
Research
The project for the Houses of Cards started long before it was actually commissioned at the end of 2015. Elastico Farm has been carrying on for years a structured research on building materials and on the technology and techniques related to them. In the last 10 years we have been engaged in the study and experimental application of prefabricated structural elements for industrial buildings. At the same time we have worked with the brick, stone, wood and prefabricated reinforced concrete industries to fully understand their potential and the possibilities for alternative or/ and combined use of those materials in the construction market. Our research on Sardinian granite began in 2013 when we were approached by a quarry from Olbia to study their material and to evaluate the unexpressed potential of this unique, relatively inexpensive and abundant product.
Faced with the challenge of a highly constrained site, Wollumbin House is a project that embraces solitude and sanctuary in the confines of a suburban context. Anchored on a steep west facing site the project acts as a vantage point to enjoy views of the caldera and Wollumbin (Mount Warning) to the west and glimpses of the Pacific ocean to the north.
The design speaks to the harshness of the east coast environment; a dark and robust exterior material palette that endures relentless salt filled northerlies. Operable western facade systems control the harsh afternoon sun while allowing expansive views across the hinterland; the upper level has a series of fabric screens hidden in the soffit, while the mid level relies on aluminium strut panels that can be adjusted to a variety of angles.
This project started with a couple who wanted to rebuild their old residence, which they had lived over 70 years. The couple requested us to build a single-story house with a bright dining kitchen, 3 parking spaces, and a vegetable garden.
The site, located in the northern part of Hiroshima City, is surrounded by two-story houses with several medium- to high-rise apartment buildings. We assumed that the requested volume of a single-story house would be difficult to adapt with its surroundings in the context, so we attempted to set up a volume on the same scale as the surrounding building and then cut the unnecessary parts out of the volume.
The existing plot as half of a block facing two streets and a square, included three buildings with different uses, volumetries and facade tiles.
The initial purpose of the project was the requalification of the two existing 1 story houses and the total demolition of the warehouse building in the North corner of the complex, fully degraded. The intended program is for 4 autonomous houses.
The project consists in the vertical extension of the South corner house (by increasing an upper floor and attic) and the vertical and horizontal expansion of the “vinhos e tabacos” building, not only by increasing an upper floor and attic, but also by increasing its footprint area with a new construction in the North warehouse. The new construction was treated as part of the existing “wines and tobaccos” building.
The house located on the coast of the state of Bahia, Brazil, has 831.22m² of built area on a plot of 3,288m². The construction carried out from scratch prioritized the maximum use of space as possible, with a focus on exuberant natural lighting, spaciousness and integration of the rooms, comfort and high quality in all aspects of the project, in addition to exclusivity in its execution.
The design brief was to build a setting, grounded with texture and colour imbibing a calm and minimalistic environment. At first glance the four vertically stacked triangular planes of concrete which form the front facade defines this concrete home in Indore, India. The 5800sqft suburban home sits in a plot size of 2400 sq ft. The site, surrounded by a residential community with bungalows and apartments provides a comfortable location to design a modern day residence.
The raw surfaces of exposed concrete walls forming the facade have been casted with pine wood shuttering to exhibit the natural impression of the wooden grains left by the form work. It has been later Dye finished with powdered ochre to the colour of pine bark to soothe the coarseness that the exposed concrete usually imposes and provide some warmth to the material. Whilst in the interiors, the surfaces of concrete walls, and carefully picked decor change in color and contrast depending on light levels, adding depth and texture to their surroundings.
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