Archinect - News

Five bespoke California homes by Laney LA: Your Next Employer?

2024-12-02T09:38:00-05:00

Following our previous visit to Cover, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in Los Angeles this week to explore the work of Laney LA.

A multidisciplinary studio based in the Hermosa Beach Arts District, the firm has amassed a portfolio from private homes to masterplans. The firm describes its ethos as to “create work that speaks powerfully; sparking a dialogue between enduring architecture and its evolving environment.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for an Associate to join their Hermosa Beach team. For candidates interested in applying for a position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five California homes by Laney LA that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

OZ Residence. Image credit: Eric Staudenmaier

OZ Residence, Manhattan Beach, CA

The 15,000-square-foot OZ Residence seeks to prioritize outdoor spaces to enhance active living. Key features include a full-size basketball court, a large herb garden, and d...

Inside a rural, contemporary French home by Brengues Le Pavec architectes

2024-11-28T07:25:00-05:00

Brengues Le Pavec architectes has completed a rural home in Hérault, France as a “space of refuge and fulfillment.” Built on a sloping site at the end of a valley, the home’s design seeks to emphasize integration and subtlety.

Image credit: Florence Alzonda

Structured between two horizontal plateaus, the house reflects the topography of the land, creating a “floating” effect that respects the delicate landscape. Large glazed sections dominate the façade, inviting the outdoors in and establishing uninterrupted views.

Image credit: Florence Alzonda

“To think of a living space as a dwelling is to think of a space of refuge and fulfillment,” the team notes. “The site here has an exceptional character, it is an exclusive place, where the notion of integration into a landscape takes on its full meaning.”

Image credit: Florence Alzonda

The home is divided into two distinct zones. The open and transparen...

Four contemporary LA homes by RIOS: Your Next Employer?

2024-11-18T06:39:00-05:00

Following our previous visit to AUX Architecture, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in Los Angeles this week to explore the work of RIOS.

Founded in 1985, the firm employs approximately 280 team members across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia Pacific. Last month, Archinect reported on the firm’s proposal for One Beverly Hills, designed in collaboration with Kerry Hill Architects and Foster + Partners, while several of the firm’s projects were recently honored at the 2024 LA Architectural Awards.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for several positions to join their Los Angeles team. For candidates interested in applying for a position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four contemporary Los Angeles homes by RIOS that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Shifting Boxes. Image courtesy of RIOS

Shifting Boxes, West Hollywood, CA

Shifting Boxes is formed of seemingly irregular stacked volumes whose po...

Forbes names the 200 residential architecture firms for 2024

2024-11-01T11:17:00-04:00

Ten months of work later, we present to you an architects list unprecedented in its scope and diligence, representing firms in 42 states plus the District of Columbia. These are the nation’s finest practitioners of the creation of “home,” and the residential specialists best suited to help you build the setting for your life’s most meaningful experiences—all vetted and at your fingertips.

The list includes some familiar names to Archinect readers. Past RIBA Stirling Prize winner Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Bestor Architecture, D.U.S.T, and Waechter Architecture were included. West Coast heavyweights Olson Kundig Architects, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, and Brooks + Scarpa were joined by the female-owned Santa Monica outfit BA Collective (which is currently hiring) and 25 others from California alone. Firms from northern New England and Louisiana were also well-represented on this year's list, which is the inaugural edition.

Forbes notes: "To help ensure that geographic inclusiveness, as well as the most equitable process of evaluation possible, we assembled a regionally diverse advisory board of leading experts on the American house. With their input and guidance, we then formulated a singularly rigorous methodology and system of evaluation, the latter giving rise to a new aspirational standard for residential design and construction, the seven-category Forbes Archite...

Estudio Atemporal completes tranquil home in Mexico forest to capture ‘grandeur of a woodland setting’

2024-10-31T10:15:00-04:00

Mexico City-based Estudio Atemporal has completed a tranquil home in San Simón el Alto, Mexico. Named Casa Cono, the home was designed for a young couple seeking refuge from city life, merging living, working, and leisure within the forest environment.

Image credit: LGM Studio

The design of the scheme was driven by a desire to integrate the home seamlessly with its natural surroundings. Each tree on the site was preserved, “elevating these natural elements as central figures within the architectural narrative,” according to the team.

Image credit: LGM Studio

As users approach the site from the access path, the home is designed to appear as resting lightly on the land. Visitors walk through a scenic path before arriving at the house’s entrance at the rear, which reveals sweeping views described by the team as “akin to an expansive observation deck.”

Image credit: LGM Studio

The home consists of two rectangular volum...

Take a look inside this Paula Rego Museum inspired infill home design in Mexico

2024-10-30T15:46:00-04:00

A new residential project in Mexico from Rogelio Vallejo Bores’ HW-STUDIO Arquitectos that combines domestic serenity with an excavation-like approach to infill housing is worth a closer look following the project’s completion earlier this summer.

The design for Casa Emma was inspired by the space inside Eduardo Souto de Moura's pyramid design for the Paula Rego Museum in Lisbon. Its captivating central feature is a central lightwell that works to channel natural light into various parts of the home, which is tucked away on an unassuming side street in the city of Morelia.

Photo credit: Cesar Bejar

Its small 431-square-foot plot restraints necessitated the inclusion of the skylight to resolve both space and ventilation concerns. The materials selected—a native Yucatan chukum tree resin plaster coating the exterior and interior with engineered oak wood finishes indoors—and voided form both call to mind thereafter an endemic type of Purépecha granary buildings called 'Troje.'

Photo cr...

RCR Arquitectes debuts 'ultra-thin' Muraba Veil residential tower in Dubai

2024-10-24T17:05:00-04:00

A unique new residential skyscraper in Dubai from RCR Arquitectes will be built to the width of just a single 22.5 meter (almost 74 feet) apartment unit in what could come as a shock to even the most ardent fans of contemporary luxury high-rise design.

The fifth collaboration between the 2017 Pritzker Prize winner and developer Muraba, the Muraba Veil, was announced this month for a site overlooking the canal in the city of 3.6 million.

Its design is shaped also by endemic cultural and climate conditions, reaching a total height of 1,247 feet and 73 stories. The apartments are being offered between two and five bedrooms. Some unique features include a cavern-like indoor spa and oasis located in the crawl space underneath its datum.

Image: courtesy RCR Arquitectes//Muraba

The building’s 'super-thin' appearance is meant to evoke traditional Arabian domestic architecture, revealing itself from behind a series of 'veils' comprising stainless steel mesh that helps to dematerialize its sil...

Here's your chance to haunt the Beetlejuice house

2024-10-24T10:44:00-04:00

The latest addition to Airbnb’s icon series is now offering guests the unique chance to sleep in a replica of the Maitland home from Tim Burton's recent update to the 1988 classic Beetlejuice. The fictional future stay isn’t too far away from the real-life literary haunt of West Cornwall, Connecticut, that was imitated for the movies (though fans will know they were both filmed in Vermont). Delia Deetz is listed as its host.

She says: "Although shrouded in black to mourn Charles’ passing, the interior is unparalleled, curated by none other than yours truly, rescued from the pedestrian eye of its previous owners. And, in return for your undying support, I will teach you to Create with a capital C in the first-ever art class from beyond the grave." (Please note: their rules require a six-guest maximum)

Image courtesy Airbnb

Three inviting living spaces by Desai Chia Architecture: Your Next Employer?

2024-10-14T08:48:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to Mapos Architects, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in New York City this week to explore the work of Desai Chia Architecture.

Led by Katherine Chia and Arjun Desai, the firm describes its approach to design as one that “merges technology, material innovation, sustainability, and the craft of building into collaborative and socially dynamic environments.” The firm has applied this approach to a variety of typologies from single-family homes to medium and large-scale commercial and institutional projects.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for an Intermediate Architect to join their New York City team. For candidates interested in applying for a position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up three inviting living spaces by Desai Chia Architecture that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

LM Guest House. Image credit: Paul Warchol

LM Guest House, Duchess County, NY

Perched on a rock ou...

This modern, looping farmhouse seems to effortlessly grow from its natural surroundings

2024-09-29T08:00:00-04:00

The latest project by Polish firm Mobius Architekci is a contemporary farmhouse-style home, designed to have a harmonious relationship with its natural surroundings.

Image: Paweł Ulatowski

Taking the shape of a loop, in which the structure is seemingly both closed yet fluid, the home is aptly named the Loop House. It is situated on a large plot of land, appearing to naturally emerge from the landscape.

Image: Paweł Ulatowski

The main compositional axis is the nearby lake, which becomes a natural extension of the living space. The building’s form allows each of the rooms to open up to the surrounding environment through gentle folds.

Image: Paweł Ulatowski

Despite spanning over 8,600 square feet, the home appears to be very subtle and delicate. Looking from the street, the structure seems to disappear into the landscape. As one moves closer, the body of the building looks like it is levitating above the site. Its position above ground creat...

Myron Goldfinger's personal New Mexico home lists for $1.69 million in Santa Fe

2024-09-20T12:10:00-04:00

The personal vacation retreat that the late Myron Goldfinger designed for himself in New Mexico in 1996 is now for sale for $1.69 million from Sotheby’s International Realty near Santa Fe. The property sits on 29 acres in Santa Fe’s Los Caminitos subdivision with 2,100 square feet and a one-bedroom/two-bath mix in an open floor plan. Goldfinger’s design reflects the "intuitive" sensibilities endemic to local Southwestern art-making traditions that he found upon relocating to the area later in life. Goldfinger died last July 20th at the age of 90 after earning acclaim through his many private residential designs in the New York City suburbs.

Image: Mediakingsmen for Sotheby’s International Realty

Steven Holl winds up Helsinki with Meander Housing design

2024-09-18T17:28:00-04:00

Steven Holl Architects, in collaboration with Newil&Bau, has opened a new multifamily development in Finland's capital called Meander Housing. The September 12th inauguration marks the end of a journey that first began in 2006 and underwent a period of dormancy before being constructed in just 2.5 years.

Image: Jenny Kallio

Helsinki’s Taivallahti Bay provides the backdrop to the 115-unit building that was recuperated from a former military barracks in the city’s Taka-Töölö district.

Image: © Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy

Holl designed the project as though building equivalent to a musical crescendo, with its 180 meter (591 foot) central volume tapering in section oriented to the ocean and fluctuating at various heights between two and seven floors.

Image: © Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy

Accordingly, it weaves or 'meanders' along a stem-winding path interspersed with strategically placed landscaped voids and wrapped in a glazed enclosure.

Image: Jenny Kallio

The wood materials used in its construction...

This Swiss minimalist home was designed as a 'blank canvas' to reflect its Lake Geneva surroundings

2024-09-13T11:42:00-04:00

Geneva, Switzerland-based firm Leopold Banchini Architects has designed a sleek, minimalist home intended to reflect its alpine and waterside surroundings.

Image: Rory Gardiner

Located beside Lake Geneva, looking out at the Alps, Villa M was likened, by the architects, to the work of Swiss painter Ferdinant Hodler. His paintings often depicted mountains reflected in Swiss lakes.

Image: Rory Gardiner

As a reaction to its landscape, the home was built to stay as simple and humble as possible. Its long, plain façade is described as a blank canvas, which reflects into a water basin of the same length. Here, a singular long window opens onto a floating terrace that is of a similar size.

Image: Rory Gardiner

The building’s long rectangular plan, constrained by building regulations, is spread across three levels. A wooden spiral staircase connects the floors.

Image: Rory Gardiner

The ground floor living spaces mainly open out to the surroundings, whil...

Five rural contemporary homes by Koch Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-09-09T10:20:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to New York-based Perkins Eastman, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to California this week to explore the work of Koch Architects.

Founded by principal Joanne Koch in 1998, the Berkeley-based firm has developed a portfolio ranging from small interventions to larger residential projects. “We see the design process as an intimate, personal collaboration with our clients, and our role as guides, facilitators, and co-creators,” the firm says about its approach, adding that it is “dedicated to integrating intuition with experience, precedent with innovation, creative vision with practical constraints.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently seeking an Intermediate Designer to join its Berkeley office. For candidates interested in applying for the position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four residential projects by Koch Architects that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Sea Ranch Forest Retre...

Ray Kappe's Rustic Canyon marvel lists for $4.99 million in Santa Monica

2024-08-26T16:40:00-04:00

A significant Ray Kappe design, the 1984 Borghei-Cookston Residence in Rustic Canyon, is available for purchase after listing for $4.99 million recently in Santa Monica, California. The 3-bed, 4-bath home is 3,574 square feet and offers a dramatic vaulted glass half-domed facade with concrete masonry massing and steel featuring prominently throughout an atypical (for Kappe’s palette) and vertically-oriented design beset by several outdoor balconies.

Its listing follows that of the SCI-Arc cofounder's 1991 Keeler House in nearby Pacific Palisades for $12 million. Another late Kappe, his final residential design in Los Angeles, went on the market last November for $4.2 million. Kappe died in 2019 with a portfolio of around 100 private home designs. Our 2016 Archinect One-to-One interview with the late architect is available here.

Image courtesy Christie's International Real Estate SoCal

Image courtesy Christie's International Re...

Goettsch Partners unveils renderings of Nashville's tallest tower

2024-08-26T13:31:00-04:00

Goettsch Partners has released renderings of what is expected to be the tallest tower in Nashville. Called Paramount, the residential building will be 750 feet tall upon completion, surpassing the city’s current tallest building, the 617-foot-tall AT&T Building.

Image © Goettsch Partners

The new tower will host 360 apartments, 140 condominiums, associated amenities, and a 517-space parking garage. The project also includes a 60,000-square-foot addition to the neighboring Downtown YMCA. Paramount is the third building along Church Street by GP and developer Giarratana LLC.

Image © Goettsch Partners

The tower’s form is defined by a series of faceted surfaces. According to the architects, various angles of the glass façade reflect light in multiple directions. They culminate in a “crown,” which comprises the top four floors.

Image © Goettsch Partners

The building site is currently being excavated, with construction set to begin later this year and completion anticipated in 2027.

Image © G...

Four modern Los Angeles homes by Alloi: Your Next Employer?

2024-08-19T11:44:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to Washington-based mwworks architecture + design, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Los Angeles this week to explore the work of Alloi Architecture + Construction.

Founded in 2009, the architect-led design and build firm was established with the vision to “seamlessly blend architectural design and construction, with the aim of enhancing and harmonizing strengths of each discipline.” The firm specializes in residential and commercial projects inspired by Southern California’s mid-century modernists including Neutra, Schindler, Lautner, Revere Williams, and Koenig.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently seeking an Architectural Studio Manager, Interior Designer, and Carpenter / Site Supervisor to join their Los Angeles office. For candidates interested in applying for the position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four homes in the city by Alloi that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Wago...

Four tranquil Pacific Northwest homes by mwworks: Your Next Employer?

2024-08-12T12:06:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to Tennessee-based HK Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Washington this week to explore the work of mwworks architecture + design.

Founded in 2007, the Seattle-based firm has built a portfolio spanning architectural and interior design services for residential and commercial clients. “Several aspects of our work tend to stand out,” the firm’s founding partners Steve Mongillo and Eric Walter told our Studio Snapshot series in 2021. “The material palette, the attention to craft and detail, and the relationships of spaces — both within the buildings and in the landscape beyond. Our favorite work has a clarity or simplicity but also a calm and warmth that comes from the layering of materials and textures.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently seeking several professionals to join their Seattle office. For candidates interested in applying for the position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, w...

Brazilian city proposes world's tallest residential tower

2024-08-04T08:00:00-04:00

Planning officials in the coastal Brazilian city of Balneário Camboriú have just entered the race for the world’s tallest residential building after approving plans from an unnamed architect for the new 100-story, 1,785-foot Triumph Tower.

The project, which has yet to commence or set a completion date, would surpass Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill's 1,550-foot Central Park Tower in New York City to become the new world record holder. Another contending scheme, part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development from Architects Orange in Oklahoma City, will determine its final reported height of 1,907 feet later once its leasing picture takes better shape. The 984-foot Gran Torre Constanera in Santiago, Chile, designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, currently holds the record for South America's tallest building.

In rural Norway, four distinct buildings come together as one to form this unique cabin

2024-07-31T17:59:00-04:00

A cabin by Norwegian architectural office Rever & Drage takes a unique form as a single unit and the combination of four distinct buildings.

Called Cabin at Troll’s Peak, the roughly 1,500-square-foot structure features local craftsmanship and regional timber spread across a connecting row of different buildings. This composition recalls a traditional row farm, in which buildings with different functions and different construction techniques are arranged in a line corresponding with the dominant direction of the wind.

Photo: Tom Auger

As detailed by the architects, the furthest north section of the cabin comprises a late medieval notching technique with large, narrowing logs. The living room is built with 19th-century notched logs, while the kitchen has slim, more modern square logs with dovetail notches. The garage is built from a local timber frame technique and clad with transparent polycarbonate.

Photo: Tom Auger

Located in a high mountain valley in Sunndal, Norwa...

Five high-end New York homes by BMA Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-07-29T11:17:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to California-based Yu2e, Inc., we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to New York this week to explore the work of BMA Architects.

Headquartered in Sagaponack, NY, the firm has built a portfolio anchored on high-end modern residential and commercial work. With a view of architecture as “a respite for the demands of modern lives,” the firm’s design ethos focuses on “extensive research, collaboration, support, curiosity and trust from project inception through project closeout.” Earlier this year, our editorial reported on the firm’s design for Miami’s future tallest tower, featuring a cantilevered void with an outdoor pool deck.

Over on Archinect Jobs, BMA Architects is currently hiring a Project Coordinator to join their Miami, FL, office. For candidates interested in applying for the position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up five high-end residential projects by BMA Architects that exemplify t...

Four unique Los Angeles homes by Yu2e: Your Next Employer?

2024-07-22T11:34:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to New York-based WXY Architecture + Urban Design, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to California this week to explore the work of Yu2e, Inc.

The architecture and engineering firm has built a portfolio grounded in private single-family residential projects alongside commercial, mixed-use, and multi-family schemes. As we have previously reported, the firm’s work has recently been recognized at the 2024 AIA|LA Residential Architecture Awards and 2021 AIA|LA Design Awards for their Axolotl and Almost Famous homes, respectively.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring a Design Associate to join their Culver City studio. For candidates interested in applying for the position or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four unique residential projects by Yu2e that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Gable Gable Gable. Image credit: Taiyo Watanabe

Gable Gable Gable, Los Angeles, CA

A single-family home ...

Handcrafted quality and a reverence for the Canadian wilderness makes this Kariouk Architects-designed family retreat stand out

2024-07-19T16:55:00-04:00

Ottawa-based architecture firm Kariouk Architects has designed a family retreat defined by its open spaces and close relationship to the landscape in a remote Ontarian forest.

Photo: Scott Norsworthy

The home was designed for a large family who wanted a large space for summer and winter holidays that would allow visitors to be comfortable in a remote area for long stays. The clients also wanted the project to promote and be aligned with the surrounding environment. The architects honored this through the house’s visual and material harmonization with its surroundings, responsible material sourcing and site adaptation, and energy-saving systems. Most notably, almost all of the natural habitat of the 100-acre property was preserved.

Photo: Scott Norsworthy

A primary objective of the retreat’s design was to achieve a contemporary approach to warmth and the avoidance of modernist box-like forms. This is evident in the continuous space of the home, where only bedrooms and bathrooms are cl...

This minimalist Mexican house blends into its natural surroundings

2024-07-17T17:23:00-04:00

Within a woodland in Valle de Bravo, central Mexico, a minimalistic, contemporary home subtly emerges from the natural surroundings. Called Copas, the design is the work of Mexico City-based firm Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA).

Image: Luis Garvan

Image: Rory Gardiner

The 10,400-square-foot house prioritizes a close and restrained relationship with the environment. As noted by the architects, the main intention was to create an open upper floor that connects directly with the site’s treetops, forming a deeper sense of immersion in the outdoors. This proximity to the surrounding foliage helps shape the building’s ambiance and views.

Image: Rory Gardiner

The design team aimed to minimize the impact of Copas’ construction on the environment. The residence adapts to the natural topography of the site by absorbing the slope and having minimal excavation.

Image: Rory Gardiner

The home’s public spaces are elevated one level above the ground,...

This Hungarian mass timber house blends seamlessly into its natural environment

2024-07-04T12:00:00-04:00

Hungarian design-build studio Hello Wood has shared its latest home with us, seamlessly blending into its rural surroundings and bridging the gap between the natural environment and engineered objects.

Photo: György Palkó

Located in rural Hungary, CLT House is approximately 1,453 square feet and fully equipped. It features a 377-square-foot main living space and a 161-square-foot guest room.

Photo: György Palkó

The main space includes a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and a bedroom. The living space connects with built-in glass doors and windows to a terrace that extends over the adjacent fishpond.

Photo: György Palkó

The architects put emphasis on making the home organically fit into the natural habitat, which is evident through the way the terrace’s shape follows the water’s curve. The home is also dug into a small mound making it unassuming. Its green rooftop further enhances its connection to nature.

Photo: György Palkó

CLT...

Fostering community through multi-residential housing and rooftop urban farming

2024-07-03T19:02:00-04:00

Calgary-based studio Modern Office of Design + Architecture (MODA) — the winners of Canada's 2022 RAIC Emerging Practice Award — has completed a forward-thinking mixed-use development that combines multi-residential housing and urban farming to build community and foster social interaction.

Photo: Ema Peter

Called GROW, the project features 20 units of varying sizes, which are accompanied by a 0.6-acre rooftop urban farm. Additional green spaces come in the form of private gardens, vegetative roofs, and apiaries.

Photo: Ema Peter

The units suit a range of ages and family sizes, including small 450-square-foot studios, medium-sized 600-square-foot condos, 1.5-story lofts, and large 850-1,000 square-foot, two-story townhomes. This arrangement brings various demographics together, such as young professionals, students, and families with children.

Photo: Ema Peter

In addition, residents can come together by participating in all facets of farming, including...

FreelandBuck's LA hillside home design responds to a challenging topography

2024-06-27T15:53:00-04:00

FreelandBuck has designed a pair of stunning single-family residences, built with a shared foundation, atop a steep lot in Los Angeles’ Mount Washington neighborhood. They are defined by strong rectilinear forms and a restrained material palette, in addition to white open spaces illuminated by natural light.

Image: Eric Staudenmaier

The houses are each 2,000 square feet and stretch four storys in order to minimize their impact on the hillside. They respectively respond to the curve of the adjacent street, with one home featuring a perpendicular façade and the other taking on an angled one.

Image: Eric Staudenmaier

They both include an open, loft-like main level that joins together the front living and dining areas and a double-height kitchen. The homes also each include three bedrooms, an elevator, backyard, and patio spaces.

Image: Eric Staudenmaier

Responding to the topography of the site, the lower house is composed of shifted floor plates that cantileve...

Dubbeldam's Shift House stands out through a unique push and pull of interior volumes

2024-06-27T11:29:00-04:00

In Toronto, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design has completed a new residence distinguished by projecting and retracting volumes and the way it offers occupants a meaningful relationship with the outdoors.

Called Shift House, the 3,200-square-foot home’s façade is also highlighted by contrasting cladding. Western red cedar fills the voids left by the retracted volumes, providing a striking contrast to the predominantly charcoal gray exterior.

Photo: Shai Gil

The house is spread across two stories, and its layout consists of an interior grid of six staggered volumes that shift in and out to shape the exterior envelope. The resulting interplay of solids and voids across the structure’s façade allows opportunities for greater light transmission, additional views, and access to outdoor space.

Photo: Shai Gil

Permeability and openness were the primary design themes for the house. The transparency of the front of the home, in addition to its glazed rear elevation, blurs the bou...

SOM completes lush, high-end residential tower in Mumbai

2024-06-21T15:46:00-04:00

Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM) has announced the completion of a new high-end residential tower that provides a lush oasis amidst the bustle of Mumbai.

Called Carmichael Residences, the tower addresses an increasing demand for high-rise living. It sits in Tardeo, a neighborhood known for its historic bungalows and expansive gardens. The building is distinguished by a western red cedar façade that is accented with plantings. It also embraces passive design strategies inspired by the architecture of the region.

On the street level, a driveway winds toward an elevated and private lobby surrounded by curved glass.

The lobby offers a serene atmosphere through the presence of gardens that feature scented flowers, running water, lush plantings, and finishes made of locally sourced granite and western red cedar. These natural elements ascend to the parking levels, which are shrouded in plantings.

“This development adds a new residential experience for the neighborhood,” said SOM Partne...

Four bold, playful projects by Valerie Schweitzer Architects: Your Next Employer?

2024-06-10T13:44:00-04:00

Following our previous visit to California-based Abramson Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to New York this week to explore the work of Valerie Schweitzer Architects.

Based between New York and Los Angeles, the firm describes its ethos as one that “defies standardization and insists upon a universal language of friendliness and sublime moments.” Using a blend of light, color, texture, and “sometimes unexpected contours in a new modernism that taps into the ancient,” the firm has developed a portfolio anchored by family homes, apartment buildings, and pavilions.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Construction Detail Specialist to join its New York office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four bold, playful projects by Valerie Schweitzer Architects that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Outside-in Pavilion. Image credit: Blaine Davis

Ou...