The post How Three Architects Use Old Materials to Make New Architecture first appeared on Dornob.

Cue the Siesta4, a cool (literally) new tent that’s bringing comfort to campers everywhere.

Entrepreneurs from Australia, America, and England pooled their collective experience and passion for the outdoors in the form of Outback Logic, a company that would go on to partner with the top names in fabric, tent, and specialist coating design to develop the Siesta4, a one-of-a-kind heat-reflective, light-blocking tent. The four-person tent is capable of keeping out all the elements, including sand, dirt, sun, wind, and rain.

Gareth Price is the innovator behind the Siesta4, which Outback Logic says is made from “specially developed lightweight, durable, waterproof fly fabric that reflects infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. Compared to typical nylon and polyester tents, the Siesta4 is dramatically cooler and darker inside when in direct sun.” The company says you’ll get plenty of sleep and wake up naturally in the Siesta4, rather than being woken up when the sun blasts in your face early in the morning.

The Siesta4 is made of a breathable polyester fabric, weighing in at just under 18 pounds and boasting 64 square feet of interior space and two vestibule areas for a total footprint of 96 square feet. The roof is five feet high at its peak, and the tent features two doors for easy access and ventilation. Set-up is easy, the designers swear. There are only four aluminum poles to assemble, and since you can store the Siesta4 with the inner tent clipped in, it’s a breeze to put up and put away. Just stake out the corners, and you’re all set.

Now, how do you stay cool and dry inside?

“Our unique design allows extra airflow between the fly and inner tent to keep you cooler in the sun and to help prevent condensation in cold weather,” the company explains.

Plus, the fly completely shades the inner tent. We personally love the fact that you can keep the Siesta4’s doors closed for privacy yet still have good airflow throughout the interior. Mesh vents in the tent’s walls and roof (with covers, of course) promote cross-ventilation, and you can adjust the door openings however you like to achieve the best circulation.

Then there are the optional fans. Yes, fans. Ultra-quiet 8-inch USB fans provide good airflow even when the tent’s doors are fully closed. They do this via a clever fabric duct that connects the inner tent wall to the fly.

As people who’ve experienced soggy nights camping in thunderstorms, we wanted to know how the Siesta4 would fare in bad weather. “The full-length fly and closable mesh give excellent protection when the weather turns nasty,” the company says. “It gives far better protection, in fact, than a three-season tent. We’ll even go so far as to claim the Siesta4 is the most versatile tent ever made!”

The Siesta4 sold out of a summer run earlier this year, though pre-orders are currently being taken for the next batch.

The post Siesta4: The Durable All-Weather Heat and Light-Blocking Tent first appeared on Dornob.

The post Gorgeous & Green: Split-Level Lake House Goes Off the Grid first appeared on Dornob.

Mixing regional vernacular, local climate needs and a curved contemporary look, this award-winning residence addresses its client desires architectural mandates with an amazing dynamism but strong sense of balance.

Master bedroom and family rooms occupy the third floor of this tropical rounded house to engage views of the valley and ocean below, while resort-style cabana guest rooms sit poolside on the more-private ground level.

On the outside, folding roof forms wrap and overhang breezeways, terraces, verandahs,  porches, decks and roof gardens, blending outside with insight and incorporating passive cooling and structural shading strategies throughout.

Inside, community, entertainment and dining rooms connect to these external spaces, while the most-enclosed areas are used for service and secondary functions (showers, toilets, pantries and the like).

Back and forth, curves shape everything from spatial forms to funnel-like entryways and overhead, ceiling-suspended, recessed-lighting panels, creating a sense of movement and a series of lovely transitions reflected even in the ground-shape forms of patios and pools.

On all sides, Aamer Architects added operable windows, large doors and swinging partitions to take maximum advantage of interior-to-exterior connections and natural ventilation opportunities.

“The magnificent views towards the city, from atop Siglap Hill, was what inspired the architecture and the design of the house. Placed on the third level, the master and family room have the best views. On the second level, the living and dining rooms connected with external verandahs/terraces that flow upwards and fold into the roof form, with deep overhangs for sufficient shade and channeling the breeze through the whole house.”

“Two resort style ‘Cabana’ bedrooms are located on the ground level by the pool with a large open/covered terrace for poolside parties. Roof gardens and timber decks provide added insulation from the sun.”

The post Modern Tropical Rounded House in Singapore first appeared on Dornob.

Yesterday’s steel bars are todays bamboo poles. Blinds and shades may add privacy, but do little to secure a property. A clever, cheap and green solution, this undulating sheet of bamboo does double-duty work (or triple, if you count the impressive aesthetic effect!).

ROEWU did not get lucky – they got smart: find something easy-growing that shoots up fast, buy what is for sale on the cheap, and make it work wonders, rather than bending a design to your whims at high material costs.

Opening windows is the easiest way to provide natural ventilation to a home – these green bamboo ‘fences’ are narrowly spaced to prevent intruders from climbing in an open void, but let air pass in and out naturally.

The concrete block walls making up the structural core of the house would be incredibly boring were it not for the addition of a dynamic and organic design element, almost like an abstract type of modern ivy (or vertical garden) climbing up the sides of the building.

On the inside, shadows can be seen, cast by the facade of sticks outside, but mostly it is a simple and efficient home, laid out to take advantage of a long and narrow lot, and finished with a combination of white walls and ceilings with wood floors, furniture and accents.

A mostly-metal rooftop deck is partially shaded by these as well, providing some visual separation from neighbors while allowing views out from above.

The end result is a sustainable three-story home that requires no window bars for safety nor air conditioning to control the heat., invites natural light and breezes without compromising personal security. Not bad for a house based on inexpensive materials and simple building methods.

“On entering the house the experience is akin to being surrounded by an organic forest. Sun light, air and shadows filter through the bamboo poles into the spaces within. The mood and quality of the spaces changes during the course of a day and shifts with the changing seasons. In winter, a Karaoke Lounge and Spa on the second floor, form a focal point for bathing or singing. During summer, the roof deck with its variably patterned sun-shade system and surrounding bamboo, invites cooling breezes and becomes the family’s favorite spot for outdoor living.”

The post New Bamboo Facade Livens Up a Home first appeared on Dornob.

Bordered on all sides (except the street) by three impenetrable walls, it is hard to imagine how one could get enough light and air into such an enclosed space. This design solution manages to do more than ‘make the most’ of the available square footage – it actually creates a comfortable, cross-ventilated, sky-lit dwelling out of a seemingly impossible spatial situation.

Thanks to the climate of Singapore, where this structure was designed by Formwerkz architects, a number of opportunities existed to help connect inhabitants with the world outside. Despite the closed-off boundary conditions, nearly every area of the home has access to natural air and light on at least one (if not two sides), as illustrated in this three-dimensional diagram.

The mixture of white walls, wood accents, granite built-ins, concrete furniture, pebbles and plant life make for a lively set of engaging interior elements.

Textured concrete walls soften the borders surrounding the site, while living plants throughout the spaces make even the most interior, closed-off bathrooms and bedrooms seem nearly outdoors.

A series of open-air, steel-mesh and windowed skylights and light wells draw daylight down into even the lowest floors of this multi-story residence.

Finally, a green rooftop deck at the top of the primary staircase and light well takes full advantage of the one direction in which people can view out from the side, as does a small front garden space.

“Beyond the ground-level communal spaces, at the ‘wall-less’ front of the dwelling, a layer of plants shields the space from the street for privacy,” say the architects. “The living space is also raised from the street level to minimize visibility. At the front, closely spaced, galvanized-steel grilles fold down from the car porch canopy as the entrance wall. Besides serving as the last line of security, these grilles are also an effective privacy veil. The transparency of the alleyway spaces is only fleetingly noticeable from the street when the dwelling is viewed head-on, blurring the boundary between the street and the ‘alleyway.'”

The post Alleyway House: Small Space Living on an Ultra-Narrow Lot first appeared on Dornob.