Lizzie Crook, auteur op Minimal Blogs

#architecture

Paredes Pedrosa Arquitectos transforms ruined buildings within walls of Spanish castle into light-filled homes

Paredes Pedrosa Arquitectos has converted three houses within the walls of a 15th-century castle in the foothills of Spain’s Sierra de Gredos into a pair of brightly lit homes for a brother and sister. The houses sit within an arcade built by a former resident to link Toledo’s Oropesa castle with the neighbouring Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church. Lacking sufficient

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Sex shop converted into tiny Japanese art gallery by Persimmon Hills Architects

Persimmon Hills Architects has transformed an illegal sex shop into a a dramatic wedge-shaped micro-studio and gallery space in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. Measuring just 20 square metres, the space named Cut is designed for an artist in residence as an extension of the annual open-air art festival, Koganecho Bazaar. “Koganecho has art everywhere during an

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Gianni Botsford Architects’ Corten steel extension hosts private art collection in central London

Rust-toned frames cover the facade of this extension to a central London home, which Gianni Botsford Architects designed to house its owner’s private collection of photographs, prints and lithographs. The client’s need for storage evolved into the design of a gallery added to the rear wall of the Grade II-listed five-storey home, which forms a connection with the outside. “The aim

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Rippling red brick facade shades house in Surat by Design Work Group

Design Work Group has completed a family home in the Indian port city of Surat, which features a gently undulating brick facade that offers shade from the sun. The building’s location at the intersection of two roads informed the architects’ decision to divide it into two contrasting zones – one encased in concrete and the other in brick.

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AA Design & Make students test the limits of timber in tensile woodland canopy

A sculptural, tensile timber canopy has been constructed in Dorset woodland by five students from the Architectural Association as part of the school’s Design & Make programme. Built on the school’s Hooke Park forest campus in Dorset, England, Sawmill Shelter provides rain cover for the campus’ sawmill and its operator. However, it also forms part of

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Glowing gold extension added to Winchester university chapel by Design Engine

The gothic-revival chapel at the University of Winchester, England, has been “returned to its former glory”, following a renovation and extension by local architecture studio Design Engine. Design Engine carried out a complete restoration of Winton Chapel, which was originally built in 1880 in the Hampshire town, and today serves as a venue for events ranging from

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Galvanised steel panels cover irregularly stacked volumes of Japanese townhouse

Yuichi Yoshida & Associates has completed a house in the suburbs of the Japanese city of Kanazawa with pared-back interiors and an irregularly layered structure that challenges the area’s housing typology. Set back from the roadside, the unconventional house comprises two steel-clad volumes set askew on a concrete base. The architects chose galvanised steel cladding for it ability

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Oblong windows puncture concrete office block by Yoshihiro Kato Atelier

Oblong windows with pivoting glazing cut through the striking white walls of this minimal five-storey office block in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, designed by local architects Yoshihiro Kato Atelier. The concrete building, named Tetote Note, is located on a tight 100-square-metre site in the city of Nagoya and provides collaborative workspaces for designers and their clients. “In Japanese, ‘tetote’ literally means

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Ellena Mehl Architects disguises Provençal extension with grass roof and terraced landscape

To subtlety extend a traditional Provençal farmhouse on the French Riviera, Ellena Mehl Architects has nestled a connecting building with stone and glass facades into a stepped hillside. The extension adjoins a 40-year-old farmhouse that is located in a historic hamlet in southern France, which has a distinct architectural typology. Despite its contemporary appearance, the

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Adamo Faiden completes undulating plaza in Buenos Aires’ financial district

Argentinian studio Adamo Faiden has designed a stepped public plaza to cover an underground carpark in Catalinas Norte, the financial centre of Buenos Aires. The urban landscape, named Plaza Catalinas, is made up of triangular segments of planting and sits at the foot of a glass tower in the business district. Designed to defy the rigidity of its metropolitan surroundings, architects Sebastián

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Andreas Gruber embeds minimal concrete house into Tyrolean hillside

A three-storey house made entirely of concrete has been set into the steep slope of the Eisack Valley in South Tyrol by local architect Andreas Gruber. The mountainous setting in northern Italy came with a number of restrictions and regulations, which called for an innovative design that was sympathetic to its Alpine surroundings. “The special climatic conditions in

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HAO Design converts 1980s townhouse into furniture shop and cafe in Taiwan

A skinny townhouse in the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung has been transformed into a brightly lit cafe and furniture store by local studio HAO Design. Located in the city’s Zuoying district, the once dark and compartmentalised property has been transformed by removing internal walls and a disruptive staircase to open up the split-level space. “First we removed the solid

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Oslo psychiatric centre by Hille Melbye features planted courtyards and decorative brickwork

Patients of Hille Melbye’s psychiatric centre in Oslo are welcomed by a decorative brick building, which is surrounded by landscaped courtyards designed to act as an extension of therapy. The local studio was commissioned to design the complex to accommodate day, night, outpatient and ambulatory psychiatric services for the neighbourhoods of Oslo. It was vital that the Southern Oslo

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Steel chain curtains cover skinny Osaka house by FujiwaraMuro Architects

Metal curtains can be drawn across the windows of this three-and-a-half-metre-wide house in Osaka by FujiwaraMuro Architects, which features a split-level layout with multiple staircases. The local architects were commissioned to design a skinny house to replace a demolished building in the commercial centre of Honshu, which is known for its modern architecture. The tightly packed site and its urban

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Bright white living spaces overhang gallery in top-heavy Tokyo house by Form

Japanese studio Form designed this top-heavy home for a family in Tokyo, placing their living spaces in an elevated volume that overhangs a gallery for its apron-designer owner. The Kusatsu-based studio was asked to create the small house to meet the demands of family life, but also those of the client, who designs aprons. Covered in white render, Adorable House hosts a gallery and

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Inbetween Architecture transforms “terribly dated” 1970s Melbourne house to open up lake views

Inbetween Architecture has renovated and extended a dated brown-brick property in Melbourne’s Doncaster suburb to improve the quality of its living spaces and capture views of nearby Ruffey Lake. The late 20th-century house suffered from an over-compartmentalised plan that left a number of rooms redundant and others without adequate natural light. Local studio Inbetween Architecture was commissioned to

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Black corrugated metal encases loft-inspired interiors of Tokyo house by TakaTina

American studio TakaTina has created a stark family home on the outskirts of Tokyo, featuring bright white interiors inspired by the client’s previous Brooklyn loft apartment and an inky black exterior. The New York based architects, husband-and-wife team Takaaki and Christina Kawabata, were commissioned to design the house for a family of four in a residential area west of the Japanese

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Micro hostel with tiny concrete rooms installed by Zhang Ke in old Beijing hutong

Chinese architect Zhang Ke has slotted a hostel into one of Beijing’s ancient hutong neighbourhoods, featuring tiny rooms that project at angles into a central courtyard. Ke and his Beijing studio ZAO/standardarchitecture created the 30-square-metre hostel as part of its ongoing Micro Hutong Renewal project. The aim of this project is to highlight the potential in these traditional courtyard neighbourhoods – which are

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Cubo Design Architect pairs blackened wood with concrete for house in coastal Japanese city

An angular, blackened wood structure sits atop two concrete blocks to form this house in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, designed by Cubo Design Architect. Located in the city of Odawara, in the vicinity of a 15th century castle, Hafye is designed to create the feeling of being suspended in mid-air – hence the top-heavy design. This unusual form, described by locally based Cubo Design Architect as animal-like,

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Medieval church hall renovation features light-filled extension and glazed walkway

Acanthus Clews Architects has renovated and extended a 15th-century building in the Cotswolds, England, to create a multifunctional space for the local community. Located beside the Church of St John the Baptist in the town of Burford, Warwick Hall was originally a medieval house, although was later converted into a school building and then a parish hall, but had

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KC Design Studio adds perforated facade and atrium to skinny Taiwanese townhouse

KC Design Studio has updated a 3.7-metre-wide house in Taiwan with a perforated facade and lightwell to combat the lack of daylight in the island’s dense neighbourhoods. The local studio was asked to improve the natural lighting in the 50-year-old home situated in close proximity to noisy tourist attractions and night markets, without compromising the client’s privacy or security. “Considering the lack of privacy and good view,

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Colossal Amsterdam housing block brought up to date with customisable apartments

Dutch studios NL Architects and XVW Architectuur have renovated one of the largest apartment buildings in the Netherlands, restoring the repetitive gridded facades of the 1960s block but leaving the flats bare for residents to customise. The Bijlmermeer building was designed in the sixties by Dutch architect Siegfried Nassuth for a site to the south east of Amsterdam

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Climbing plants and asymmetric balconies surround Buchner Bründler’s Garden Tower

A mesh for climbing plants wraps the angular balconies of this apartment block in Alpine Switzerland, completed by Buchner Bründler Architekten. The Basel-based studio won a competition to contribute to a new housing complex in Wabern, which called for buildings that create a dialogue with the mountainous setting, encouraging residents to live close to nature. The Garden Tower is designed to resemble a natural

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Eastwest Architecture adds charred-cedar gym to garden of London home

Eastwest Architecture has sunken a compact gym into the garden of an east London home, featuring bright birch-lined interiors and a mirror wall that creates the illusion of a larger space. The London-based architects were commissioned by a homeowner in Walthamstow to design a space to workout at home, compensating for the lack of gym facilities in the local area. The

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10 desert houses that make the most of arid landscapes

We’ve rounded up 10 desert houses that make the most of their situations in inhospitable landscapes, including a holiday home in Egypt and a spacious dwelling on the outskirts of Marrakech. Black Desert House, California, by Oller & Pejic Designed to resemble a shadow, this desert house by Oller & Pejic features black walls, so that it is easy to rest the

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BCHO Architects embeds house with roof terrace into South Korean mountainside

A broad roof terrace with sunken seating areas disguises this holiday home by BCHO Architects, which nestles into the mountainous terrain of its plot in South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province. The clients requested a modest second home in the countryside to the east of Seoul, where they could stay when retiring to the mountains for hiking weekends. When designing the

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Seven buildings that feature walls of polycarbonate plastic

With its ability to improve a building’s thermal efficiency and maximise natural light, polycarbonate plastic is becoming increasingly popular in architecture. We’ve rounded up seven of the best examples. Municipal Sports Hall, Spain, by BCQ Translucent plastic panels with a colourful pixellated backdrop form the walls of this sports hall in Girona, creating a visually lightweight addition with an ethereal

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Bunyesc Arquitectes updates old Spanish house with new polycarbonate facade

Bunyesc Arquitectes has transformed a house in northeast Spain into a low-energy building by adding a new polycarbonate plastic facade. The Lleida-based architecture studio aimed to improve living conditions in the old house, which is located in the town of Pessonada, by improving the building’s thermal efficiency. To achieve this, the team installed eight-layer polycarbonate panels to the outside of the building’s

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MIA Design Studio envelopes Vietnam house in plant-covered walls and courtyards

Plant-lined courtyards separate the three single-storey volumes that form this family home designed by MIA Design Studio for a coastal city in Vietnam. The Vietnamese studio was asked to design the house for a nature-loving family, so wanted to create a house that maximises the connection to the outside while also maintaining their privacy. The single-storey residence is set back from a street in Vũng

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Dezeen’s updated Pinterest board features London’s best house extensions

The 24 homes shortlisted for this year’s Don’t Move, Improve! awards have just been revealed, so we’ve updated our London house extensions board. New additions include a playful renovation of a 1960s council house and a home that pairs concrete with blue paintwork. Follow Dezeen on Pinterest ›

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Our latest Pinterest board spotlights the Dezeen Hot List top 10

To celebrate the launch of Dezeen Hot List, we’ve created a new Pinterest board dedicated to the 10 hottest forces in architecture and design from the last year. Projects include Zaha Hadid’s museum in the Alps and David Chipperfield’s tranquil water-garden apartments. Follow Dezeen on Pinterest ›

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