Wooden Architecture Archives - Page 6 of 9

Wood House of the Future: Geometric Beach Cottage

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

The idea of what a wooden home looks like is shifting as contemporary architects use this natural, sustainable material in surprising new ways, contrasting its warmth with angular modern silhouettes. This incredible beach cottage by Marc Koehler Architects is a stellar example, using timber inside and out for a look that fits the sandy setting, yet is firmly rooted in the 21st century.

Wood continues to come into its own as a building material of the future, remaining one of the most environmentally friendly choices as well as the most beautiful. ‘Dune House,’ located on a northern Dutch island, shows off the capabilities of timber cladding across a faceted facade.

The shape of the house was designed to make the most of the plot’s views of the sea and landscape, with large windows along one of the angular surfaces capturing sunlight in the winter for passive heating.

Inside, split levels are arranged around a spiraling staircase, with large wooden beams, wide planks and unfinished plywood taking center stage.

This Week in Wood: Modern Timber Addition to a Victorian Home

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

Looking at the front of this home in Balaclava, Australia, what you’ll see is a traditional Victorian characteristic of the neighborhood, with a modest white facade, twin chimneys and a picket fence. But walk around the side and the personality of the residence swiftly shifts to a striking modern volume clad in timber slats.

Coy Yiontis Architects created an addition for the two-story home that makes no attempt to blend into the vernacular architecture, choosing instead to make a strong visual statement with wood as the primary material.

“The renovation and addition to this partly 2-story home was designed to accommodate an extended family of eight on a relatively modest site within a dense urban context,” the architects explain. “A bedroom for each of the four children, one for the parents and another possibly for grandparents, generous living spaces and a swimming pool were key to the brief.”

The old and new volumes of the home are separated by a courtyard housing the pool, each of the wings surrounding it opening to this outdoor space with expansive glazed walls. The warmth and character of the wood is brought inside as well, contrasting with smooth white surfaces.

School Destroyed by an Earthquake Gets Stunning Pine Re-Build

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

The simplicity of pine painted stark white gives this rebuilt school in Chile a bright, welcoming look and feel to bring cheer back to the neighborhood after much of it was destroyed by a major earthquake in 2010. The school lost half its facilities in the disaster, leading Constitucion city officials to order a major overhaul and extension from LAND Arquitectos.

The architecture firm chose pine not only because it’s a local material, making it inexpensive and eco-friendly, but also to encourage the use of wood in architecture throughout the city as it continues to be rebuilt. The use of all white and design of the columns gives it a sunny Mediterranean atmosphere.

In addition to adding extra classrooms, the architects built a new chapel with an asymmetric roof that mimics local rock formations seen along the coast.

“We used local pine wood as the main material for the project and furnishings, promoting and encouraging the use of wood in reconstruction of the city,” the architects say. “We wanted to rebuild the city’s identity using materials that are locally accessible and easily replicable building techniques.”

This Week in Wood: More Modern Pine Structures by Kengo Kuma

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Jeff Easterling

Leave it to Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to continuously re-imagine what buildings primarily made of wood can look like, putting lumber to use in the most unexpected ways. We previously featured a few of Kuma’s strikingly unconventional designs which include criss-crossing slats, artistic arrangements of ceiling beams and interwoven poles, often incorporating Japan’s ancient joinery techniques.

This time, Kuma has helped create a light-filled community space along with a team of graduate students from the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley. ‘Nest We Grow’ brings quintessentially Californian ideas about architecture to Asia, with a focus on renewable materials.

The award-winning design focuses on a heavy timber construction technique using large sections of wood, which is a new concept in Japan, where columns are usually made up of smaller composite pieces. Says the design team, “It took considerable effort to identify a way to join materials, which was influenced by both local carpentry practices and the Japanese material market.”

“The wood frame structure mimics the vertical spatial experience of a Japanese larch forest from which food is hung to grow and dry. A tea platform in the middle of the nest creates a gathering space where the community can visually and physically enjoy food around a sunken fireplace. Local foods make up the elevation of the Nest as people see the food forest floating above the landform.”

Hello Wood: Students Create Stunning Outdoor Installations

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

The possibilities of wood as a primary material for all sorts of applications is explored in a project called ‘Hello Wood,’ an annual event in the fields of Hungary that invites students to create unusual outdoor installations. This year’s theme was ‘playing with balance,’ exploring the interaction of opposite forces. The results are pretty incredible, from an elevated walkway made of criss-crossing lumber to a set of wooden games for kids and adults alike.

‘Cornwalk’ (pictured top) is a ramp that rises above a cornfield to face the point where the sun sets, offering an ideal vantage point. It makes use of a simple repeating A-frame gradually increasing in height. The playground by Architecture Uncomfortable Workshop uses simple wooden objects to create new games, often requiring improvisation on the part of participants.

A project by András Cseh of CZITA Architects makes tongue-in-cheek reference to the opposites of low-tech materials and high-tech concepts by building a ‘wooden spaceship.’

The flexibility of thin strips of wood is put on display with the Mochi installation led by Pep Tornabell of CODA, creating lightweight but self-supporting structures. See all of the entries over at ArchDaily.

Blurring the Boundaries of Wood: Highly Unconventional Interiors

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Jeff Easterling

Who says that wood used as the defining element of an interior has to be confined to the walls, ceiling or floor in any conventional sense? Timber-lined spaces have existed since almost the very beginning of civilization, but for practicality’s sake, we usually keep it simple. But that doesn’t mean we can’t, or shouldn’t, think way beyond the typical when using wood in homes, hotels, museums, shops and other spaces.

The HotelHotel Lobby by March Studio, located in Canberra, Australia, is a prime example of just how creative architects can get with pieces of wood that really aren’t any different from what you’d normally find at a lumber retailer.

“The lobby, designed by March Studio, projects a unique identity through thousands of lengths of repurposed timber, blurring boundaries while directing views and movement,” say the architects. “A grand stair – the stage for performances as much as idle procrastination – leads up to the HotelHotel lobby and bar.”

“In the stair the timber is heavy, grounded, a stacked agglomeration. Freed to scatter up the walls and across the ceiling, the suspended timber filters exterior light and views into and from internal spaces. Spidery, pixellated shadows are cast on the floor and bare walls.”

The result almost feels like an explosion of wood, lights peeking out from among the slats, drawing the eye all around the space. It feels dynamic and exciting.

Want to see more like this? Check out the work of famed Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma.