The Best House: July 2010

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Glass Roof House to Love the Eart

The Beach Valley glass roof house presents a balance between nature and architecture. This underground home design, created by Japan’s Sambuichi Architects, plays up natural aesthetics, modern minimalist interiors and sustainable technologies that usher this simple hill house straight into the future. “A close examination on how changing wind directions and intensities in daylight influences the site, enables me to understand what kind of architecture is really needed on each location,” according to Sambuichi. Set adjacent to a vast river plane and mountains, this eco friendly architecture makes an understated impression, with its contemporary glazed roof visible among the grassy surface. Beneath it, carved into the earth, four bedrooms and ironically, an underground sunroom, are an unexpected discovery. The earth becomes a means for passive climate control in the house, maintaining a comfortable temperature year-round, off the grid. Like the cooling and heating system, lighting is passive, thanks to the glass roof. Natural stone and richly finished woods complement the home’s natural surroundings. Sambuichi Architects

Glass Roof House to Love the Eart

Urban Home by Modern Japanese Architects

The modern architects at Japanese firm Suppose Design Office have designed this small urban home in Sakuragawa, Japan with the same innovation and modern method which they apply to all their projects. This compact urban home doesn’t disappoint, characteristic for its unconventional shape and awesome picture window overlooking the street. Set on a 50m2 corner lot, the architects maximized on space by employing a split-level floor plan. The lack of interior walls creates a totally open-concept house plan that enhances its sense of space. A minimalist, white-painted staircase with open risers connects each of the home’s three levels, and leads up to the expansive bay window with benches actually making you feel like you’re sitting in the park. Rich natural-wood floors bring a layer of warmth to the cool, urban interior design

Urban Home by Modern Japanese Architects

Modern Japanese Tea House

Stop in for a spot of tea at this sheet metal house, a modern Japanese Tea House located in Osaka, Japan. And if tea isn’t your thing, then you can just sit back and appreciate this modern work of architecture. Designed by forward-thinking Ks Architects lead by architect Hiroaki Kimura, this metal tea house is an industrial-style gem set amidst the serenity of trees and ponds. The juxtaposition of these polar opposites creates an interesting introduction into this unusual home. But somehow, the simple steel sheets that characterize this contemporary house really work. The fold-over roof overhangs floor-to-ceiling windows flanking the front of the house, creating a sheltered area with just enough room to kneel and sip traditional Japanese teas while taking in the calm surroundings.

Modern Japanese Tea House

Tower House by Japanese Architecture Firm

Designed by Japanese Ks Architects lead by architect Hiroaki Kimura, Tower House is a long and lean home design characterized by its minimalist white exterior with curious circular windows that give it a whimsical appeal. And if you think this contemporary tower in Nagahama-shi, Shiga, looks cool from the outside, just wait until you set foot inside! The modern holes that distinguish the unusual facade create a really interesting motif inside, which is repeated in the circular ceiling pot lights and round cut-outs at the base of the staircase. A clean, white palette inside puts the main focus on the house unique architectural elements such as the softly rounded walls, the light-flooded staircase leading up to a small terrace, and of course, the windows.