The project is located in a residential area in North Casablanca on a plot of 1000 sqm. The builtable area was spanning over a rectangle of 20×15. The client who is an artist wanted to have a house with curves, sensual lines, thin but yet discreet, protective without being stifling and many other constraints that defined the house’s architectural approach.
Architects Amanda Castro and Giovana Giosa, from Studio AG, carried out a complete renovation of this 350m² duplex penthouse, located in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
The clients, a young couple from Rio de Janeiro, wanted to bring a bit of the Carioca soul to this apartment, something authentic and different from the wooden paneling throughout the apartment. To meet these expectations, translucent and rhythmic wood and glass surfaces were created, combined with white wall plans, without losing warmth and personality.
The rehabilitation of this villa calls for various dimensions of dreams, both in the enjoyment of the interior and in the contemplation of the panoramic horizon.
The contemporary language and materials, especially the volumes of white lacquered plates and large glass spans, clearly marked the enlargement, differentiated from the original house.
The Boa Vista House is a refuge in the Brazilian countryside made of raw materials: stone, wood, clay and fair-faced concrete. Located on sloping north-facing land, the house was designed according to the client’s wishes: a country home entirely connected to the landscape, permeated by the fresh breeze of the woods, well lit, and at the same time protected from heat and excessive sunshine.
This family retreat on Hawaii’s Big Island takes the form of several canopy-like pavilions dispersed around the site, linked by elevated wooden lanais and a series of gardens. Hale Lana, which translates to “floating home,” appears to hover over the site’s lava fields and dense gardens. The home takes a position at the ecotone line between the heavily landscaped area, and the expansive ocean views which stretch to Haleakalā volcano on nearby Maui. The ultimate design goal was to balance transparency and enclosure to create a home that would function for the couple, their extended family, and for large gatherings, while maximizing connection to the Hawaiian climate and landscape.
With the condition of the project’s site location having 20 meters width and 80 meters long which is considered as a challenging land type in the design of single detached houses in the city. One of design criteria comes from the owner’s request, he loves to write and read books and always exercises to keep himself to be in a good health. We have imagined this house which has a very private, serenity, and a lot of greenery space, and integrating with exercising units (gym, outdoor swimming pool, and running track).
The transformation this property has undergone is certainly impressive. The ground floor apartment already had a super spacious private area, but it was barren and neglected. The interior was quite dark, with closed, small and poorly ventilated rooms.
We planned a three-story tenant building in a very small site with 28 m2. A landing for the stairs was created to match the deformed site, and the space was effectively used as a dining space with a counter.
In addition, the space under the stairs was planned to be used as a toilet and storage for each tenant.
The movement of people going up and down the stairs creates the façade of the building.
Villa Salam is projected on a north-south orientated plot, in a residential neighborhood in Casablanca. The house is attached to another one on the east side. The plot benefits from a sea view on the north side. The main concept is to have an open, transparent and fluid sense of the space, while maintaining the required privacy, in particular for the service spaces. Thus, the plan is organized around a kind of spine, patella which are the straight stairs.