The studio has been based in Rio since 2012, and they create projects all over the world — all with distinctive shapes, angles, features, and effusive touches of natural beauty scattered throughout. Past examples include the Residential Lagoon Corner in South Carolina, and the gorgeous Atlantico Building in Brazil, whose natural materials mirror its tropical, lush surroundings while complementing and enhancing “the vibrations of the [surrounding] boardwalk and beach.”

And this 2018 creation in a long line of stunning wonders is no exception. Located in Rio, the “Asa House” sits atop a hill as if it’s meant to take flight, with its unique, swooping roof curving like a bird’s wing (‘asa’ means ‘wing’ in Portuguese).

The house’s feeling of impending flight is further accentuated by its exterior design. The lower level is partially submerged, sunken below the main level that offers perfect panoramas of the lush surrounding area. With this design, Bernardes Arquitetura once again has created a signature classic worthy of the firm’s impressive resumé. The team quite accurately describes the project as “[creating] a ‘harmoniously contrasting’ relationship between landscape and architecture…”

The impressive exterior of Asa House seamlessly leads visitors to a dynamic glass-enclosed foyer on the home’s sunken lower level, where they are greeted by a large open space dominated by an angled wooden stairway. The effect is dramatic, as the staircase’s shape perfectly mirrors the open space in the ceiling above, letting in light and creating the illusion of even more space.

The main areas of the home “[resemble] a pavilion as seen from the garden,” according to Bernardes Arquitetura. That is, because of the home’s lozenge-like exterior shape, singular curved roof, and sunken appearance from afar, it appears almost as if it’s rising out of the surrounding landscape without dominating or overwhelming it.

The interior too was designed and laid out to take full advantage of the home’s verdant surroundings. Some of its most impressive features include large, front-facing glass doors cleverly concealed within the walls until ready to use; an owner’s suite contained within a separate volume of the house, replete with its own unique forest views; and thin, granite slats that cover the windows, offering privacy without detracting from the world outside.

The granite is perfectly complemented by the native Brazilian wood that forms the main volume of the house, all topped with the smooth, winged wonder that is the dynamic curved roof. Visible from inside the living spaces, as well as from the outside, the curvature doubles as “environmental protection to living and dining areas,” according to the designers.

Surrounded by lush gardens filled with native flora artfully designed by Isabel Duprat, herself a well-known Brazilian landscape architect, Asa House is just the latest example of the creative prowess and artful imagination of Brazilian architectural firm Bernardes Arquitetura, who has once again created a “harmonious contrast” between landscape and architecture that sparks the imagination.

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Commissioned by a doctor for his two adult daughters, these bold residences are set within Torrazza Piemonte, a neighborhood which principal architect Stefano Pujatti calls “cookie-cutter.” Aerial photos back this up, especially on this particular block. Behind the houses sits a row of near-identical homes in contemporary Italian suburban style, with typical gabled shapes and terracotta roof tiles. Pujatti’s designs are more siblings than twins: composed of mostly the same shapes and materials, but clearly individuals, one more linear and orderly than the other.

To come up with these shapes, Pujatti started with a stack of business cards, cutting slits into them to arrange them into house-like shapes. He was inspired by another project his firm completed back in 2013 in a Sardinian quarry, where the clients asked the firm to invent a new way of using granite that was precision-cut with wire saws. What if, like these cards, he used slabs of this heavy and durable yet breathable material to construct dwellings? Elastico Farm experimented with using the material for load-bearing walls without losing a sense of sculptural expression.

The architects pieced the granite slabs together with prefabricated concrete panels using interlocking cuts, a technique that allowed for both quick assembly and creative arrangements. The granite is naturally resistant to compression and flexure, like reinforced concrete, enabling it to be used as enormous monolithic load-bearing elements. Metal pins hold the slabs together, and timber panels bring in a little warmth and softness.

Pujatti designed each residence, which he calls “Cat House” and “Dog House,” with its own individual formal logic. One is more orderly, the other more dynamic. “Cat House” was an experiment in using orthogonal joints, which the firm ultimately found to have seismic vulnerabilities. They added bracing steel reinforcements to boost its resistance to tremors. “Dog House” is arranged radially around a central patio, giving it a higher seismic rating, so it didn’t need any bracing. The open courtyard brings daylight into the depths of the home, making it brighter than the other.

Inside, the dry-fit panels slot together into each room for a playful effect that looks something like a child’s toy project. The natural texture and pattern of the granite and concrete become an essential part of the interior decor, and the project as whole proves that we could do with a lot more experimentation in contemporary architecture to break up the same old cookie-cutter structures seen all over the world.

The post Houses of Cards: Ultramodern Granite Duo Shake Up the Status Quo in an Italian Neighborhood first appeared on Dornob.

Similar to many roundabouts around the world, L.A.’s 100-foot-diameter Riverside Roundabout has a monument at its center: not an obelisk, statue, or flag, but rather a collection of small monuments. Faces of Elysian Valley depicts the faces of local residents, chosen at random from a volunteer pool of about 200 people. Created by Greenmeme, these nine egg-shaped sculptures were built using California granite and range from eight to 12 feet tall. Each granite face was produced by 3D scanners, allowing every forehead, eyelid, nose, cheek, lip, and chin to be accurately represented.

The faces have been intricately positioned in a way that will help drivers be better aware of how traffic is moving in the roundabout, in keeping with a traffic engineering requirement that helps motorists safely navigate areas like these. A granite traffic barrier was made from whatever stone was left from the Faces, protecting the center of the roundabout from the traffic coming from its three main thoroughfares.

During the day, the sculptures look like monuments, with shadows concealing certain features depending on which way the sun is hitting them. At night, the lighting gives the Faces a haunting aura, which makes them look almost more alive than they do during the day.

There’s another, more sustainable face to the Riverside Roundabout that drivers cannot see. Beneath it all lies a 25,000-gallon cistern meant to capture rainwater. Some of that water is used to feed the vegetation in the roundabout. Keep in mind that Los Angeles gets very little rain for most of the year, except in January and February when rainy weeks are somewhat common. The sustainable roundabout makes up another part of the city’s vast storm drain system, but it’s also much more than that. People from the community use it as a park to relax in — something unheard of in other parts of the world, where the congestion alone would make such adventures undesirable. Even Mayor Garcetti could not help but show up to take a photo.

It could be that the Riverside Roundabout is so different for Los Angeles that the residents have taken to it differently than residents in other cities might. Where others see a dangerous intersection, the Angelenos who live around the sustainable roundabout see a small park reflective of who they are.

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Little was left of this small traditional abode in Portugal when it came time to convert this shell of a home into a workable residence once again – only the crumbling facade, some wooden beams and stone were intact, leaving much to be filled back in. The result is a beautiful study in contrast of modern and traditional elements, updating the old house with respect and sensitivity.

The architects of Ezzo preserved and refurbished what was left, then fleshed out the rest in clearly-contrasting modern simplicity – white walls, bright wood and simple geometries on upper floors. The striking before and after images show just how much this modern home renovation benefitted the original structure while retaining some beautiful traditional details.

On lower floors, granite masonry ties the building to its neighbors physically and visually, also reinforcing a sense of these being below grade (which they are, with respect to the raised level behind the house that starts a story up).

“Another important aspect of the project was the distinct nature that each area possesses; thes stand out not only because of their different views, but also because of the various textures and colors that have been selected,” say the architects. “On the ground floor, a coarse-sand plaster was used, along with the same brown color used for the exterior, so as to create an intimate ambiance that is evocative of the shelter provided by a cave. The stairwell, in brilliant white, leads into the house, two pink panels pop up along the way, hiding the guest bathroom and the storeroom from sight.”

“The first floor was found to have large blocks of yellow granite masonry which was perfectly fitted and then maintained in it’s entirely, giving this floor a yellowish colour somewhere between brown and white. On the more recently built two upper floors, the walls are smooth and white. The kitchen, which acts as a central element, epitomizes a unique area which brings together the living and dining rooms, designed as an area for socializing, where everyone plays a part in the ritual of cooking. On arriving at the outdoor terrace we find, once again, brown in the wood and pink in the flowers, and this takes us back to the start of our journey through the house.”

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As wind and water weather the surface of a site, rocky outcrops are often left behind, pushing upward to form rigid peaks. Instead of blasting away this natural feature, one home embraces the existing stone in stunning ways.

Designed by Gibson Architects  at an altitude of 8500 feet in the Rocky Mountains, this house turns difficult granite boulders into building assets, showing off this inherent geology in organic ways. Marble-clad elements like pillars and fireplaces rise up from the rugged ground, tying it vertically into the structure’s aesthetic, while horizontal white and wood elements provide contrast to these dark natural features.

From the architect: “Using what was considered by most to be an unbuildable granite outcropping, I took advantage of the variety and cascading effect of the natural granite to create a house which evolved into seven levels revolving around the main central fireplace built into the largest granite boulder …. The pathways in the house pinwheel around the central space whose vertical climax of the two chimney masses are anchored in the natural granite outcropping that rises from the entry and becomes the hearth of the main living fireplace. Every axis of the pathway connects with the next higher level path axis with stairs while at the same time opening up either into a direct connection to Nature outside or into a focal space.”

“Frederick Gibson + Associates Architecture is an International design firm based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1996 by Frederick Gibson, our goal is to design the best possible Architecture by meeting the needs of the client, integrating the design with the project site, and offering an environment that is both timeless and inspirational. We offer Architectural services for residential, multi-unit residential, interiors, commercial, and mixed-use development.”

“We strive to achieve the highest possible level of integration – from establishing a project’s central concept through to the finest detail. Whether the budget is large or small, we pride ourselves on creating the most Architectural value possible for our clients by enhancing their lifestyles.”

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Building on a hill is never easy, where views present both opportunities and challenges. This stoic modern form manages its perch with marvelous grace, balancing the bleak and rocky immediate landscape with respect to bright and distant horizon lines.

Set up on a hill on the outside of Madrid, the lot is defined by two gigantic granite boulders – the massive building responds to these features, but also mediates their steep and unpredictable with a flat and uncompromising first floor.

In moves that would make Mies proud, the floors are uncluttered by details and emphasis is placed on floating concrete forms with nearly-invisible floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors spanning between.

Sparse sets of wood furniture, trim and built-ins add a contrasting and warmer brown to the gray surroundings. The thin horizontal patterns in the concrete and ever-present green in the distance also help soften the experience, making the place feel less harsh and more meditative.

This site-specific solution by Inaqui Carnicero is convincingly subtractive – it feels as if someone started with a preformed block of concrete, then carefully sliced and removed sections to create rooms, a pool, other openings and double-height spaces.

The post Rock + Hard Place: Concrete Home Mixes Flat with Fantastic first appeared on Dornob.