Random House Review #4- Oceania

Timms Bach

     + Herbst Architects, New Zealand, 2010

photo courtesy of e-architects

the weather is cool so wearing floral printed shirts is not a sin

When we hear of New Zealand all we can think of are the All Blacks, the indigenous Maori people and the country almost resembles South Africa. What they forgot was the fact that there is a bird that shares the same name with a fruit, and another bird that's like the grassland biome version of an ostrich. Oh and they have cool houses.

Welcome to Timms Bach, a house located in the small Great Barrier Island, a small island just off Auckland. It's a walking distance to the Kaitoke beach and has a stunning view of the landscape.

photo courtesy of e-architects

those funny looking stone stackings? gabion walls.

The bach is one of the usual example of increment building, it is one of the few houses made along the coast overlooking the beach. It has a stunning view of the range of mountains with fields of local Manuka which makes the place sort of a dreamy place. Talk about the best of both worlds.

Adding sugar to a blessing ( a made up figurative of the opposite), the view of the mountains could not be ignored so by using an open plan with an outdoor room it creates a platform on the lanai with the view of the range. These architects are awesome.

By using natural materials, the site has not been compromised, the architects have used horizontal and vertical timber slats to distract the eyes from the bland, blocky walls. Timber rafters are joined by aluminium framing to add a modern contemporary. Interior timber walls and timber flooring are used throughout to convey a natural feeling with the exterior and interior and to settle with the climate of the country of the kiwis. To top it off, instead of boring concrete walls, gabion walls are used to add cherry on the top.

photo courtesy of e-architects

photo courtesy of e-architects

photo courtesy of e-architects

photo courtesy of e-architects

Quick Facts

Site: ¼ acre flat section
Client: NZ client residing in Hawaii
Cost: $ 500,000 build
Project commenced: end 2004
Building completed: 2010

Project Team: Lance Herbst; Nicola Herbst
Photographs: Jackie Meiring
Designed and documented: 2005
Construction: 2010
Contractor: Ian Riggans

Definitions

bach: a crib in the southern half of the South Island

gabion wall: retaining wall made of stacked stone-filled gabions tied together

lanai: a veranda or roofed patio

manuka: woody plants that often tend to overgrow grazing land and form dense scrub

Until next time

Cheerio

Kingdom Tower

photo courtesy of AS+GG and CNN                                                                                                    

Kingdom Tower

Imagine you were on a plane and suddenly you see a shard like thing protruding above the clouds. That, my friends, is the Kingdom Tower.

I used to be a jogger back in the days and from experience, one kilometer is a breeze and most joggers can do it in less than 8 minutes, now imagine one kilometer, vertical. Yes, this super skyscraper will be the first to ever reach 1,000 meters, due to be completed to the latest 2020.

The total construction spans to about 530,000 square meters and is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. it is a mixed-use building that provides a luxury hotel, apartments and office space. 

Along with other features, it will have the world's highest observatory. Overlooking the Red Sea, the terrace, which will be located on the 157th floor, will have partially glassed flooring with a view of the bottom as well. People with a fear of heights should not even dare enter this 

building.

The tower will also contain the world's highest elevator track. Reaching a record of 660 meters, it travels at 10 meters per second that allows visitors as well to access the tower's observation deck.

photo courtesy of AS+GG and CNN

photo courtesy of AS+GG and CNN

did I mention you could VIP an elevator with your phone as soon as you exit your car?

Adrian Smith, the architect of this wonder, was also responsible in designing the Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building. Hence you will be able to see the similarities between the two: a sleek, streamlined form with a petal shaped base that resembles a desert flower.

photo courtesy of AS+GG and CNN

photo courtesy of AS+GG and CNN

the tower is shaped to counter gale winds, temperature increases and saltwater effects

photo courtesy of AS+GG and CNN

The glass curtain wall and wavy shape enforces the building's aesthetics 

photo courtesy of skyscrapercity

Sources:

CNN, 'Real high tech: how will the elevators work in the world's tallest building?' :

edition.cnn.com/2014/07/01/world/meast/kingdom-tower-how-will-the-elevators-work/

Architizer, 'Kingdom Tower' : 

architizer.com/projects/kingdom-tower-1/

Google Images

Random House Review #3- Europe

Stone House, Croix Rousse

     + France, Perraudin Architects 2010

photo courtesy of Perraudin Architects

Cette maison est entièrement faite de pierre afin de refléter les vieux bâtiments autour.

Just kidding, I don't speak french at all. Actually I did, but that was a long time ago, or I actually used Google translate, but you'll never know that.

By looking at the picture, the first reaction to viewers would be the architect's intention to match the house with the surrounding buildings. That is correct.

Perraudin Architects, a firm based in France (vive le France!) is a quite known firm for designing sustainable architecture and preservation. In this case, the firm has taken the most notable material-stone- as its primary construction material.

The house, which is located in Croix Rousse, a dense district in Lyon once known to produce silk, is an L-shaped two-storey family house made entirely out of limestone. It is a very spacious house owing to its double volume spaces and large floor to ceiling window openings carrying heavy oak floor structures. The most notable pieces includes the open plan double volume kitchen, dining and living room and a garden with an elevated swimming pool.

The architect's reason of using limestone is because of its cheap resource and production. Manufacturing limestone is costly but with that comes good quality. Thus the construction is much cheaper than if with concrete. Also, limestone can be a good load bearing material with its good thermal mass, absorption of humidity, durability and longevity properties. One theme the architect did was the use of cutting stone to angles to shape the house.

photo courtesy of Perraudin Architects and Dezeen

photo courtesy of Perraudin Architects

In my opinion, it would be a very good house for a family as the use of open plan encourages family interaction while it still maintains privacy with separated bedrooms and bathrooms. One problem is the lack of vegetation and drainage. In addition, I know that some people would want to fill all the interior space and walls with ornaments, paintings and decorations because it lacks completion. But they're wrong, leaving the exposed limestone creates harmony with nature.

Until next time
à bientôt!

Random House Review #2- Asia

Hey guys

The last time i posted something was way back, before the terror in Gaza, before Ramadaan, even before the final of World Cup 2014. For some reason I did not have the ampedness of writing a blog, although this is something I enjoy. Maybe it's just that Friday is always before Saturday and you always want to do nothing.

During the last months I've done quite a lot of projects from work: more kitchen designs, cadding a pavilion extension, fixing up a renovation building for people going post rehabilitation and designing an attic room. It's all fun but tedious work, but hey, it's still fun.

I'm not going to post pictures of my work and instead I will do another Random House Review!

This time I will do a house in Asia because Asia is cool.

House K
  +Tokyo, Yuji Kimura Design

photo courtesy of Dezeen Magazine

The house is set on a suburb and yet very busy road, since it located to the main road. With that in mind, the client wanted privacy for his house but still be able to take in as much ventilation and light as possible. What the architect did was he designed high walls for security and small windows for privacy.

What he did as well was he maximized the number of one window for each room designation, thus creating a complete ventilation circulation and as well as natural lighting for each rooms.

The client wanted to include a balcony but unsure about it as it might compromise security. The architect, as badass as he was, enclosed the revealing balcony with vertical timber slats attached to translucent panels that blurs out vision from the outside, yet providing light as well. He touched up the balcony by adding a head high windowless opening.

photo courtesy of Dezeen Magazine

Not only did he create harmony and usability by connecting timber, plastic and steel for the outdoors, he also implied a minimalism design for the interior. The white painted walls and built in cupboards with the longitudinal timber flooring simplifies a modern house.

photo courtesy of Dezeen Magazine

Surely just by looking at these pictures made you feel relaxed and made you feel wanting to go to Japan and explore all the cultures of how to make the perfect cup of herbal green tea.

Well that's it for now

Cheerio