Concrete roof

Our strategy does not rely on contrasts or confrontation between old and new. Rather, we tried to seek out the qualities of the existing, strengthen them and develop them further in a new form. Qualities of the existing building stock are, for example, approaches to uniformity, an almost urban quality of the spaces and a solid execution of the buildings.   This strategy aims to ensure that not just a nice new building is placed next to an unattractive old building, but that the old and the new communicate with each other, and in the best case even enrich each other. The result can be seen, for example, in the opposite of the new EMV building and the old building from the 1970ies, directly opposite: both buildings design "moved toward... More

The pronounced difference of levels and the topographic integration are the starting points of the house, embedded into the terrain; the concrete roof is the only facade to the street. To access the house, it is necessary to get into the ground: the retaining walls merge with the color of the clay and penetrate the interior. Above the inhabitants, the slab, weightless and supported by the delicate glass envelope, levitates. Ahead, a kaleidoscope of reflections where the green of the landscape can be seen.   The space is compressed between the horizontal planes of the roof and the ground. Inside, the architecture creates an infinite space in a finite space: with a sequence of patios and reflections, the dwelling introduces the exterio... More

Beyond a physical home, Serendah Hill Retreat is a deeply personal homage to the clients, who are the Architect’s parents, and to the surrounding lush tropical landscape that has been the bedrock of their Buddhist spiritual life.   Adopting the Japanese principles of “shakkei” (borrowed landscape), the house was conceived from the beginning as an extension of the landscape, part of which has been meticulously curated and nurtured by the clients by hand from seeds, for more than a decade, even before the house was designed – Pre-existing soft architecture that the house needs to respect.   In the spirit of sustainable way of life, passive design principles are integrated to increase comfort without the n... More

The Dolunay villa is situated along the coast of the Aegean Sea in Turkey’s southwestern province of Muğla. The new private villa has been carefully sited amid the natural rugged setting, prioritising the spectacular sea views.   The site is accessed from the north, with a curving road that leads to the drop-off for the villa. The design uses the natural contours of the site to create a low-rise building that appears as a single storey structure on approach. The house is embedded within a beautiful Mediterranean garden that offers a multisensory experience with fragrant plants such as thyme and lavender alongside rich seasonal planting and mature olive trees. The main entrance takes you directly to the heart of the villa with t... More

The design approach of AL – HOUSE is to build a simple, modern, and unique looking house with a triangular shape facade and asymmetrical roof. The client’s concern about privacy and securityis interpreted into a seemingly enclosed facade design yet not entirely massive, seen with several openings from the front. Most of their spaces opening are on the side of the building. In response to the situation which is directly adjacent to the residential area, AL - HOUSE is designed with an inward orientation, so that interruption from the street or neighbor will not decrease the residents’ enjoyment of their home.   The house was constructed on an elongated plot of land with a 225 sqm area (9 meters length x 25 meters widt... More

This new house close to Hamburg was built for a married couple. The result was a low-rise building with a special ice storage heating system that can cool the whole house in the hot summer months via the concrete roof, thus ensuring an indoor climate that can be optimally adjusted to suit older people’s needs.   Aumühle, Hamburg. Just outside Hamburg in the municipality of Aumühle, a new build villa has been constructed for a married couple. The aim was to create a sustainable building with a striking design language that could be lived in by the residents into old age without requiring renovations.   The unusual shape of the floorplan is a result of the topography of the site itself. A Z-shape connects the rel... More

Viettel Academy Educational Centre is located in a Training Centre Campus at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, which is 30 km away from Hanoi. It has a cooling microclimate as it is surrounded by beautiful landscape, lakes and abundant green space. The Educational Centre is very accessible from the residential zone and other facilities due to its central location within the campus. The project is aimed to create a quiet and peaceful space for the trainees to focus on their studies, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It will provide short-term accommodation and training courses for the staff of Viettel Corporation, Vietnam’s largest mobile network operator.   The Educational Centreconsistsof 12 blocks, accommodating classrooms, m... More

House No. 47 is located in an established leafy suburb of Kuala Lumpur. The brief was to design a modern tropical house for a two generation family who treasure togetherness, privacy, security and ease of maintenance above anything else.   The “C” shaped floor plan incorporated a covered but well ventilated central courtyard with sliding glass walls that enabled the residents to use the private courtyard space throughout the day and night, and in any weather condition. A circular skylight in the roof allows a stream of daylight down into the courtyard much like a stage light. This courtyard serves as the playground for their young children as well as the hang out and living space for their grandparents. The thick insulati... More

This project is unique in its programme and execution. The principle is to insert the gallery, an open art space, in the ground. The concrete roof is greened in order to become part of the landscape. It also incorporates a long pool in the edge of the roof. The pool is therefore visible once you look up from inside the gallery space. A special window with reinforced glass allows the passing of light to the underground gallery through the water! The view through the window is unique. There are additional high-level windows facing to the south. The construction is mainly reinforced concrete. A pigment was used in the concrete to give it a lighter surface. More

Glowing on a ridge, overlooking the trendy Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake and its reservoir, sits the famed Silvertop house with its monolithic domed concrete roof supporting a wall of glass that frames an incredible panoramic view that includes the San Gabriel Mountains, the Hollywood Sign, downtown Los Angeles, and the Pacific Ocean. It is an engineering marvel built by legendary mid-century architect John Lautner who was lauded by Frank Lloyd Wright as the "next best architect on earth." Silvertop is part of Hollywood's love affair with Lautner's mid-century architectural masterpieces, many of which have not only popped up in a number of movies, TV shows, and music videos, but have also enjoyed a high level of celebrity occupa... More

‘Casa Zirahuén’ is a holiday house located in a small town of Michoacán called Zirahuén. From de heights of the hills, the project rests amongs the site’s vegetation. The lake of Zirahuén is to the west, directing all the project’s views towards it. The main goal of Casa Zirahuen’s design was to recreate and reinterpretate the mexican cabin, not only by retaking volumetric aspects but also in vernacular constructive techniques.   We made coatings on interiors and facade walls with site’s clay soils named ‘charanda’ and ‘topure’. The arrangement of the stone in the masonry walls of Casa Zirahuén was inspired by the stone fences that delimit... More

The site is located on a quiet street in Bellevue Hill, upon which sit two established, protected Jacaranda trees. These very trees are central to the architectural design, both in concept and physical placement of the actual building. The core concept for the house is derived from a large cubic volume which overlaps the front Jacaranda tree. This cubic volume is then carved away at various levels by a series of stylized curves around the tree canopy. The front boundary is defined by a low-scale sandstone wall enhancing the streetscape. With the house set back from the street, the Jacaranda tree can be appreciated from the public domain.   Organic forms are embraced with interplay between straight lines and curves throughout the hous... More

The project was realized on an extensive plot of land full of old olive trees near the little town of Arco, which is not far from the northern shore of Lake Garda. The entire region is world-famous for its Mediterranean microclimate and the excellent olive oil produced here.  It is therefore not surprising that the owner’s initial idea was to construct his own oil press – “frantoio” in Italian – in the middle of the olive grove. Ultimately, however, it was decided to replace two agricultural storehouses with a new high-quality building that combines tasting rooms for the oil produced by the owner himself and regional specialities like wine and cheese, as well as storage rooms. However, since a historical... More

A new four bedroom home has been designed for an empty nester couple and three generations of extended family visitors. Built on the site of a 1970s single storey courtyard house, the former dwelling was designed with a gabled roof in keeping with a neighbouring weatherboard cottage which presently no longer exists. Taking cues from its predecessor the new house is planned around a courtyard and responds to its current neighbouring context of two storey dwellings.   A series of skylights and clerestory windows puncture the concrete roof over the ground floor allowing daylight deep into living spaces and internal rooms. The geometry of these punctures follows the form of the upper storey, of which the parallelogram plan aims at retain... More