Miller Hull retrofits mid-century Loom House on Washington's Bainbridge Island

A 1960s dwelling in the Pacific Northwest has become the first renovated home to achieve Living Building Challenge certification following an overhaul by US firm The Miller Hull Partnership.

Located on Bainbridge Island in Washington, the Loom House is perched on a bluff overlooking the Puget Sound. Built in 1968, the residence was designed by the late architect Harold "Hal" Moldstad, who created a number of modern-style residences on the island.

Loom House is perched on a bluff on Bainbridge Island

Seattle's The Miller Hull Partnership sought to preserve the original character of the home, which features cedar cladding and openings that offer a strong connection to the surrounding environment.

"The design respects the original architectural character of Hal Moldstad's mid-century bones and thrives in a rejuvenated Pacific Northwest landscape," the team said.

The project involved the renovation of a mid-century residence by Harold Moldstad

The project entailed improvements to the building envelopes and updates to interior spaces, along with the inclusion of systems to make the home self-sufficient. The clients have spent their lives running an environmental justice organization and desired an update that met rigorous sustainability goals.

In terms of the program, the original, 3,200-square-foot (297-square-metre) residence consisted of a main, two-storey dwelling and a secondary, single-storey building that housed a billiards room.

Miller Hull updated the home's interiors, turning a maze of small rooms into a grand open space

In the main home, the team reconfigured the interior to make it brighter and more fluid. On the lower level, an underutilised garage was converted into a sleeping area.

"The home's previous maze of small rooms was transformed into an open great room, with a new stair leading to a lower-level primary suite," the team said.

A new staircase leads down to the sleeping quarters

The team converted the billiards room into an office and added a third structure – a 725-square-foot (67-square-metre) detached carport used to house electric vehicles and bicycles.

Throughout the residence, nontoxic materials were chosen for furniture and finishes.

Floors are covered with rift-sawn white oak that was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In the kitchen, the team incorporated a mix of white oak and walnut for the cabinetry, and concrete for countertops. Bathrooms feature materials such as concrete, stone and ceramic tiles.

The office is adorned with a distinctive chandelier by Seattle designer Stefan Gulassa, which he created using a wisteria branch from the property.

For the office, Stefan Gulassa crafted a chandelier from a wisteria branch found nearby

Modifications to the property grounds included the addition of a new entry bridge, which passes through a stand of towering evergreen trees. The landscape also features ornamental plantings such as Japanese maples, rhododendron and azaleas.

"A variety of edible berries, as well as vegetables and a mycological foraging forest, will provide urban agriculture for the property," the team added.

The kitchen has a minimalist design

A 16 kilowatt-hour photovoltaic array generates power for the residence. A backup battery system provides energy in the case of a power failure.

Water is supplied via a rainwater collection system, which includes a 10,000-gallon, below-grade cistern for storage. All greywater and blackwater is treated on-site, which required a change in the city code.

Bedrooms are also kept simple and uncluttered

The house has earned certification from the Seattle-based International Living Future Institute under its Living Building Challenge – one of the most rigorous green-building certification programmes in the world.

"Loom House achieved Living Building Challenge 4.0 Certification in early 2021, making it one of only four residences in the world, and the first renovated home, to do so," the firm said.

A new entry bridge leads to the main house through the trees

The team's ultimate goal is to have the residence serve as a role model for similar projects.

"Loom House provides owners with a prototype to renovate their homes using resilient retrofitting strategies," the team said. "From design through construction, the goal of the project was to create a global impact by showing a path to Living Building Challenge Certification for all residential remodels."

The renovated house achieved a Living Building Challenge certification

Other projects by Miller Hull include the net-positive Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech, which also received Living Building Challenge certification. The educational building, designed in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent, features a vast photovoltaic canopy and a mass-timber structural system.

The photography is by Kevin Scott and Ben Schauland.

---

Project credits:

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership
Interior designer: Charlie Hellstern Interior Design
Contractor: Clark Construction
Landscape architect: Anne James Landscape Architecture
Structural engineer: Quantum Consulting Engineers
MEP engineer: WSP
Water consultant: Biohabitats
Civil engineer: Seabold Engineering
Geotechnical engineer: Aspect Consulting
Lighting consultant: Lighting Designs
Envelope consultant: RS Engineering
Select furniture: Durante Furniture, Chadhaus, Token NYC, Tufenkian Rug
Tile: Heath, Daltile
Wallpaper: Morris & Company, Antsey Wallpaper Co
Cabinetry, countertops, related finishes: Edensaw, Milesi, Dekton
Windows and hardware: Unilux, Nanz
Doors: Nanawall, Unilux  She-metal, Stefan Gulassa
Insulation: Knauf
Metal roof: Taylor Metal Products
New exterior siding: Blakely Island Timber
Water treatment: Orenco
Water cistern: Xerxes
Lighting controls: Lutron
Heating/cooling: Daikon
Heat recovery ventilator: Broan
Photovoltaic panels: LG NeON

The post Miller Hull retrofits mid-century Loom House on Washington's Bainbridge Island appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3jw513k

Concrete house by Gestalt Associates take cues from Querétaro's colonial architecture

Gardens carved from this concrete home near Quérétaro, Mexico by Gestalt Associates bring light, air and vegetation into the living spaces.

Completed earlier in 2021 by Querétaro-based studio Gestalt Associates, Frame House is a brick-and-concrete structure that is comprised of rectangular volumes arranged asymmetrically around a central courtyard and staircase.

The project is a Mexican house

This feature takes cues from the colonial villas found in the city, which typically reserve their courtyards for gardens that served as a gathering point for various rooms laid out around them.

The ground floor of the five-bedroom home contains a living room framed by two garden spaces. The one closest to the entrance contains the main staircase, which is brightly lit by a skylight above.

An olive tree acts as a centrepiece between the stair's levels

"Both blocks are connected by the nucleus of stairs that go up around an olive tree and the wide dome that allows light to enter the house," said a project description from Gestalt Associates.

Potted plants run up the stair's railing, adding greenery to the core of the home. In addition to balconies facing the surrounding neighbourhood, Gestalt Associates also included terraces that face inwards.

Greenery is at the house's core

"With wide-open spaces towards the interior gardens and through strategically placed windows and lattices, the continuous flow of ventilation and natural lighting is allowed throughout the day," the architects explained.

The second and third floors are contained within white brick-covered volumes that are irregularly oriented relative to the ground floor, creating overhangs and terraces within the home's massing.

The open-concept kitchen and living room occupy one end of the first floor, where a more formal dining room is framed by full-height glass walls on both sides.

Opposite the stairwell is a guest bedroom, which enjoys its own ensuite. On the top floor, the architects included four bedrooms, which share a communal landing that doubles as a study and lounge area.

Concrete walls in the living room

A separate staircase leads up to the rooftop, from where the residents can take in views of the mountains surrounding Querétaro. The architects also included solar panels and rainwater collection utilities on the roof.

"[The house] has become a meeting space for two generations, ideal for family gatherings, taking time off and disconnecting with its views of the hills of Corregidora, feeling safe among its gardens and wide concrete walls," Gestalt Associates said..

The house's exterior is defined by concrete

The structural concrete is left exposed in most part of the interior, while simple white walls form partitions.

Querétaro is located in Central Mexico and known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture. Other projects in the city include a home built on a plinth of volcanic stones, and a courtyard house for a young couple with two dogs, both by Intersticial Arquitectura.

The photography is by Eduardo Guillén.

---

Project credits:

Design team: Eduardo Guillén, Jorge Anlehu, Manuel Márquez

The post Concrete house by Gestalt Associates take cues from Querétaro's colonial architecture appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3mFRqIO

UAE wins Golden Lion for best pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale

Breaking news: United Arab Emirates' Wetland pavilion curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto has won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale.

The UAE pavilion, which investigates using salt as an alternative to Portland cement, was named the winner of the Golden Lion today.

United Arab Emirates' Wetland pavilion won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation

Named Wetland, the pavilion won the award for its focus on the construction possibilities of waste materials.

"[It] encourages us to think about the relationship between waste and production at both the local and global scales, and opens to new construction possibilities between craft and high technology," said the judges.

Alongside the UAE's Wetland pavilion, the contributions from Russia and the Philippines were awarded special mentions.

The UAE's pavilion investigates the use of salt as a construction material

German studio Raumlaborberlin also received a Golden Lion for its installation Instances of Urban Practice, which was deemed to be the best contribution to the biennale's main exhibition.

Curated by Hashim Sarkis, the exhibition was based on the theme How will we live together?

The Silver Lion for "a promising young participant" was awarded to Amsterdam-based Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (FAST) for its Watermelons, Sardines, Crabs, Sands, and Sediments: Border Ecologies and the Gaza Strip installation.

A special mention was given to Cave_bureau's The Anthropocene Museum: Exhibit 3.0 Obsidian Rain installation.

Cave_bureau founders Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi recently wrote an opinion piece on Dezeen that drew attention to the dismissals of this edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale by western critics.

The awards were chosen by a jury including architects Kazuyo Sejima, Sandra Barclay, Lamia Joreige, Lesley Lokko and Luca Molinari.

Earlier this year it was announced that modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi was the winner of this year's Venice Architecture Biennale Special Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

The post UAE wins Golden Lion for best pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3zy8O5G

Kiyoaki Takeda designs Tsuruoka House to accommodate both people and plants

Japanese studio Kiyoaki Takeda Architects has completed a plant-covered house in Tokyo featuring vaulted slabs filled with soil for growing plants.

Kiyoaki Takeda, founder of Kiyoaki Takeda Architects, designed the Tsuruoka House after reading an article in the scientific journal Nature explaining that the mass of human-made objects had now exceeded that of all living biomass.

Kiyoaki Takeda Architects' Tsuruoka House was designed to include many plants

Takeda wanted to develop an architectural response to this alarming statistic and chose to design a house incorporating gardens across multiple layers that could support both plants and wildlife.

"Tsuruoka House is an architecture that attempts to hold not only people but also other life forms," Takeda explained.

"By opening the garden to other available life forms, providing them with a place to inhabit, and co-creating the community, the 'garden' becomes an 'environment'."

The house's vaulted-floor slabs contain soil for planting

Rather than merely creating a garden that surrounds the base of the building, Takeda chose to stack the gardens vertically to increase the amount of space available for plants.

Unlike typical green roofs, which feature a thin layer of soil suitable only for growing grasses, sedum or mosses, Tsuruoka House's vaulted slabs are filled with soil that can support plants and trees with deeper roots.

The roof has deep soil for larger plants

"The thickness of the soil was plotted as deep as possible so that the layered garden would be a small forest hosting a mixture of ground cover plants, shrubs and small trees," the architect added.

"This approach goes against modern rooftop greening, which pursues thinner soil."

Rooms inside the house have vaulted ceilings

The slabs for the building's first floor and roof feature vaulted profiles that contain soil within their hollow cores.

The shape of the vaults allows rainwater to permeate naturally to the lower sections where it then drains away through channels integrated into the main structure.

Concrete and steel are visible throughout the home

A robust construction was required to manage the weight of the compost, the growing plants and the rain that can soak the soil and increase its density.

The architects responded to the challenges by incorporating overflow pipes that come into effect during heavy rain. The soil is also layered so the dense upper layer retains most of the moisture needed by the plants, while the more permeable lower level facilitates drainage.

The living spaces have large windows that overlook a river

The thick layer of soil provides other benefits, including protection from the heat in summer and the ability to store and gradually release heat from the underfloor heating in winter.

Inside the living areas, the irregular form of the vaulted ceilings adds visual interest to the spaces as it changes from a maximum height of 3.5 metres to just two metres in some places.

At its lowest points, the ceiling can be touched by reaching up.

In these places, the architect incorporated bolts and other fixings for suspending hammocks, pendant lights or planters.

Angular planters are integrated into the floors

While the majority of the vegetation is located on the roof and in planted areas encircling the first and ground floors, there are also angular planters integrated into the floors of living spaces on both levels.

The large roof garden contains a pergola and an open-air kitchen overlooking the adjacent river and surrounding neighbourhood.

The bathroom occupies another vaulted space

Once matured, the plants will envelop the house and shield the interiors from view, forming a green barrier that will also help to regulate the internal temperature and improve air quality around the building.

"Over time, the plants will grow and birds and insects will introduce unplanned species," Takeda claimed.

"Eventually, a small forest could appear. Then, after decades, existing life forms will grow and hide the building entirely, and ultimately their bio-mass must surpass the mass of the human-made architecture."

Other houses that include large amounts of planting include the three-storey Planter Box House in Kuala Lumpur and a home covered in cuboid planters in Ho Chi Minh City.

The post Kiyoaki Takeda designs Tsuruoka House to accommodate both people and plants appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/2WBXFSJ

Twist&Sit Soft seating by Strand + Hvass for Narbutas

Dezeen Showroom: Narbutas has expanded its collection of Twist&Sit seating by Christina Strand and Niels Hvass, adding soft lounge chairs and sofas ideal for contemporary office spaces.

The upholstered seating range, dubbed Twist&Sit Soft, retains the design features of the existing collection but gives them a more relaxed feeling conducive to collaborative meeting spaces, rest zones and other informal workspaces.

The Twist&Sit Soft collection features seating with high and low backs

Twist&Sit Soft seating comes in sizes ranging from lounge chairs to two- and three-seater sofas, with the option of either high or low backs.

The low-back seating is ideal for reception areas, cafes or any setting where collaboration is encouraged, while the high-back versions create more private spaces for those looking to separate themselves from distraction.

The seating is ideal for office cafes, collaborative spaces and receptions

The high-back sofas and chairs can also be customised with a swivel table or decorative wooden knobs.

"Twist&Sit Soft invites you to stop, sit down and relax," said Strand + Hvass.

"When creating the system, we wanted to reflect the hygge, cosy, warm and homey atmosphere in the office," the design studio added. "A wide variety of colours, low-back and high-back models, and additional practical accessories make you feel welcome."

Product: Twist & Sit Soft
Designer: Strand + Hvass
Brand: Narbutas
Contact: press@narbutas.com

About Dezeen Showroom: Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

The post Twist&Sit Soft seating by Strand + Hvass for Narbutas appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/3gKZsfx