Architecture & Web Art

Archive for the ‘Architecture’ Category

seen at dornob

There is something about the high-desert prairie lands that indeed seems to invite the long lines and simple naturalistic materials that date back to Frank Lloyd Wright and the so-called Prairie Style approach to designing and building homes. In this case, however, novel techniques and new materials make this modern desert residence a kind of bridge between the stylistic past and a more sustainable future.

The interplay of void and solid, spaces and planes, that define this structure (designed by Pique) are more then merely modernist affectations in section and plan – they are a means of blocking out excess solar energy while capturing natural light, leading it all the way to the basement of the building. These more contemporary, rational and linear moves are also balanced by rustic colors and rusted materials.

A few weeks ago we presented you photos from architectural offices that our readers shared through Facebook. And now, we bring to you the Facebook offices in Palo Alto, designed by Studio O+A.

Studio O+A is a San Francisco based practice, founded by Primo Orpilla and Verda Alexander during the dot-com boom of the early 1990s, bringing quality design to start-ups and venture firms at Silicon Valley.

I wish ArchDaily was big enough to require such facilities… the interior space is amazing, specially the open working areas and several small meeting/working/relaxing spaces here and there, that reflect the spirit of collaboration inside Facebook.

Architect’s description and more photos after the break:

Employees of Facebook recently moved to a new headquarters that facilitates interaction and connection, reflecting the company’s mission as a social networking website provider. Formerly a laboratory facility for high-tech manufacturer Agilent Technologies, the 150,000-square-foot structure at Palo Alto’s Stanford Research Park brings together more than 700 employees originally scattered throughout 10 locations in and around downtown Palo Alto.

The pictures simply do not do justice to the view from this incredible set cantilevered constructions, jutting out from the core structure of the house and seeming to hover in space. JCB architects took their inspiration for this twisting, turning and thrusting form from a fallen log with its associated branches.

With only thin clear glass between the patio and the world below, one gets a sense of standing on the edge of the void. In another thrust deck area sits a stunning nearly-edgeless exterior swimming pool – all traces of support are clearly not visible in these pictures nor to visitors.

‘House W’ by Krausschönberg Architects, Photo by Ioana Marinescu

The London and Konstanz (Germany) based architects Krausschönberg comleted this affordable prefabricated house in 2007 for a couple with two children in Hamburg. One of the clients requirement was a connected interior space which still offers individual freedom to the occupants.

‘House W’ by Krausschönberg Architects, Photo by Ioana Marinescu

Here is what the architects explain:

“The building is separarted into an upper and a lower part. The upper volume consists of rooms of various heights corresponding to their individual function. Bedrooms, bathrooms, the dressing room and the rooms for the children all require different heights and project into the lower living areas. This common space is organnised by these staggered volumes without being interrupted by partitions.”