TOP 10 reader submissions 2015 private houses

TOP 10 reader submissions of 2015 – private houses

architecture has been shaping our world by creating beautiful and functional spaces for us to live in. this year we received several thousand submissions from our readers, with designers, artists and architects from across the globe sending through a diverse range of works that we have shared with our audience over the last 12 months.

we believe that maintaining an open dialogue with creatives is extremely important, and we are happy to showcase the high level of original projects of our readership. from beach villas to tiny huts, we highlight 10 private houses from our reader submissions of 2015.

one-column house by NE-AR

image © mike mercau fotografia

this southern argentinean home sits on the shores of a patagonian lake, and fully fulfills the needs and natural living experience the client’s were hoping for. originally, the house was not well-positioned, neglecting the best views towards the lake and landscape. internally, rooms were deep, dark and completely unconnected to the natural world outside. NE-AR’s plan involved the incorporation of a detached building to the plan, which would work to reconnect the home to the world. the auxiliary space is located closer to the lake, and is oriented towards the best vistas the location can offer.

chalet forestier weekend cabin by atelier barda & lise gagné

image © frédéric bouchard

‘chalet forestier’ is a single family cottage that sits upon the eastern face of mount pinnacle in frelighsburg, quebec. the home was designed by quebecois firm atelier barda, in collaboration with lise gagné architect, using a modest set of requirements laid out by the clients. it was necessary that the structure be easy to maintain — secondary weekend residence — be open to the surrounding landscape, and be built using cross-laminated timber.

the design completes all three, and is organized as a single volume sub-divided into three programmatic spaces: a master bedroom/public area, a loggia, and children’s bloc. there’s one catch though, each is totally independent, with no access provided indoors. to move between the three, inhabitants must first walk outside — which during the canadian winter, is a feat unto itself.

arca residence by atelier marko brajovic

image courtesy of atelier marko brajovic

on the border of parque da bocaina, roughly ten kilometers away from paraty brazil, is the perequé waterfall. the idyllic spot is characterized by dense native atlantic forest, warm, muggy weather, and a long list of animals ranging from jaguars to the three-toed sloths. placed there amongst it all is ‘arca’, a two bedroom residence by atelier marko brajovic.

the metal structured home is thought of as a contemporary interpretation of the brazilian asurini and médio xingu typologies. a single shell — made of a composite of carbon steel, aluminum, and zinc — serves as roof and walls. the entire structure was assembled on-site in one week, and can be easily dismantled and rebuilt on different locations.

villa melana by valia foufa & panagiotis papassotiriou

image © pygmalion karatzas

the story of ‘villa melana’ began with a photograph. the image was taken from a naturally formed plateau on a steep slope in pera melana, tyros, greece. here, the landscape gently wraps around itself, creating a small sanctuary that’s protected from the heat and soothed by winds from the distant water. from the image, architects valia foufa and panagiotis papassotiriou designed a minimally invasive structure perfectly perched upon the plateau.

the home is rectangular and subdivided into three distinct volumes. visually, there’s an emphasis placed upon the central form; this is where all common activities are hosted. it’s clad with local arcadian stone, with a pitched roof and a fireplace that frames views towards the horizon.

saganaki house by bump architects

image © ronan mérot

faced with an irregular plot atop an existing building, bump architects adopted innovative building and design techniques to achieve the construction of an additional story. due to the poor quality of the existing structure, it necessitated the creation of an independent support apparatus. the addition features dark zinc siding which contrasts with the pale white plaster base it sits atop. the interior incorporates contemporary design elements and access to a rooftop terrace, elegantly integrating it with the existing building while adding an additional amenity for residents of this parisian flat.

vizu home by alric galindez architects

image © albano garcía

the home is poised on a sloped site overlooking nahuel huapi lake and the andes mountains in northern patagonia, argentina. a single, matte black metal sheet volume stands out from the hillside, modeled minimally from a child’s first drawings, four walls, and a pitched roof — nothing more, nothing less. inside, are all common areas including the kitchen, living and dining rooms. a huge window overlooks the water, making it a wonderful place to enjoy natural beauty without interruption.

wein home by besonias almeida architects

image courtesy besonias almeida architects

nestled within the rugged sea-side terrain of costa esmeralda in buenos aires, argentina is the ‘wein home’. the spacious two family dwelling was designed and built by besonia almeida architects. the clients brief was centered around their young children, which the design reflects through creation of generous common areas, a visually integrated kitchen, and multiple bedrooms — two of them en suite. expansive terraces and large glass panels connect the home to the young forest and sand dune landscape right outside.

tiny hut by nozomi nakabayashi

hidden in a small oak woodland in dorset, U.K. is the ‘hut on stilts’ by architect nozomi nakabayashi. the 2.5m x 2.5m micro-home stands high above the ground, serving as a magical getaway to rest, ponder, and refresh the mind of the client, a writer. the structure is split into two floors. below, an exterior deck provides an area to relax and have small get togethers, as well as store things off ground. above, is the hut’s main floor which includes a wood-burning stove, hidden bed, and a patio connected via large, swinging windows.

kopaonik mountain home by 4of7 architecture

for the ‘kopaonik mountain home’ located in serbia by 4of7 architecture, the proximity of adjacent buildings is contrasted by the presence of the vast and empty space on the western edge of the plot. in response, the residence is entirely oriented toward the clearance. its form is defined by the roof which provides a shield from the neighbors and frames far reaching views across the slopes of the hilly landscape.

the design intent is to create a house without external walls, in reference to traditional mountain home typology of the region, whereby the dominant portion of the envelope belongs to the top surface rather than the walls. a family of possible solutions has been studied to determine the optimal envelope, which consists solely of the covering with the aperture in the form of the glass façade protected with timber louvers.

home studio for an artist by studio zero85

located in the italian countryside, the origins of studio zero85’s ‘home studio for an artist’ can be found in the relationship between the client and the agency. the design was born from a shared passion for the visual arts, and the strong sensitivity of sergio sarra for issues that affect the urban and rural landscape. both parties have been influenced by sarra’s script titled ‘because the beach thins after naiadi’, a volume that consists of a series of texts on topics related to the city of pescara – short stories, visions, dreams – written with a poetic tone and accompanied by a series of drawings.