Two different interests joined by one home

In Shibuya, there is a young couple that has two different interests and wanted to have them some how incorporated in their  renovated house design.  So architects from Level Architects in Shibuya, Tokyo took on the job and came up with a young fresh minimalist design. The most distinctive aspect of the home is the couples hobbies, which are the glistening skate ramp, perfect for long boards and a piano room that is risen above the "indoor skate park". Although the house has some features of dainty elements, one cannot help but observe the overwhelming sense of masculinity. The stone and concrete interior and dark lighting. The unusual display of light blue tiling and jagged staircase speak to the incredibly detailed planning procedures that lay behind this architectural gem.

The sliding glass panels of the first floor open up to an enclosed area and allows for the "skatepark" and rehearsal area to expand outwards. The piano room which is risen by half a meter above the "skatepark" helps with the sound proofing of the room, also creating an inherent stage performance space. When the doors are open onto the studio, the expanded space with the bowl transform into guest seating and completely changes the atmosphere.

The main living and dining space utilizes a similar concept of half-level changes to both separate and combine programs across the second story. Ceiling height difference and material difference emphasizes and creates the boundary for the rooms. Another form of connecting the spaces through out the entire house was to have light be present throughout the entire house. This was accomplished with a large light fixture that was installed into the ceiling of the staircase, flooding it with light which not only spills onto all different levels but reaches all the way to the first floor as well

New trend for small spaces....

So as the world is being more crowded everyday, space has become a huge problem for people that want to live in the city. So playing with designs for small spaces the new trend is suspended bed. Its a fun way to incorporate social space with private space.

This apartment in London, shows the play with space amazingly. Suspended above the living area with a connecting staircase, the bed is a divine architectural piece that seemingly creates a huge amount of space, expanding the entire living area of the apartment. With the suspended bed, the apartment's walking room is also enlarged and compliments the graceful decor of the apartment without hampering visual space.

The suspended bed leads to a balcony that continues on from the staircase leading to the bed, where there is a retractable glass skylight that leads to a 500sqr foot rooftop garden.

For anyone living in a "cramped" living area i think this is a fun modern way to make more space and idea for a bachelor pad.

Let your IMAGINATION RUN FREEEEE!!!

We are always so amazed by celebrities around the world however we forget about the amazing people that live in the some province or country that can be an amazing role model or someone that can teach you little tricks that you can use all your life!

On the weekend my mom loves having the whole family over to spend time and catch up on the little fun thing her children got up to in the week( I have two brothers and one sister, who are all married and have two kids each, so you can imagine how full my house can get over the weekend, guess that's why my mom started renovating the house. Will post a blog about my stunning homes soon, once the renovations are done). Anyway back to the story, I was having a very interesting conversation with my moms friend that told me about this designer Justin Plunkett from South Africa that came up with a series of digitally-fabricated rederings of speculative architecture. That illustrates an eerie collision of both formats. The images are built from combination of photography, 3D modelling and substantial post-producing editing, to form street- level perspectives of futuristic urban fascades.

 Hope you like them, I found it very interesting to play around with the tourist views of South Africa and let you imagination show what you think it will look in the future and with the technology we have today, it so easy to take that picture in your mind and actually produce it. 

  

A taste of randomness!!

Marc Gerritsen's skeletal Naked House exposes its insides to the seafront

This can be or is the most beautiful designed house, for a holiday house. In my opinion I would live there all year round and have peace and prosperity everyday i open my eyes.Architect and photographer Marc Gerritsen designed this house for himself on a Thai island, with a skeleton-like structure that frames sea views all around. Settled into a hillside a midst the nature reserve of Koh Samui, the Naked house gives Marc Gerritsen an escape from his busy city life, which sees him travel frequently between Taiwan and other Asian countries. As he says "life in Taipei is very hectic, and I needed a place to escape. I really wanted a quite area and a fantastic view", "the house was a return to the basic values in life: good clean air, wide open space, quiet solitude".

The five- story house is formed of a series of levels that cascade down the hillside, protruding like the tiers of a staircase.He chose a very basic materials to emphasis the location and view. The base of the house is concrete, while a galvanized steel frame rests on top contain the two upper floors. An open plan living space occupies the ground floor, fronted by wooden- framed windows that slide back to overhang the facade.These windows open the space out to a large terrace with wooden decking, a tiled swimming pool and concrete plant boxes.

The living space contains a simple kitchen with low-level cupboards on one side, a seating area on the other, and a dining area sandwiched in between. There is also a patio shaded by the flat steel roof canopy. The exterior concrete staircase leads up to a master bedroom, which perches at the top of the house. An exposed  room with a swinging sofa occupies the space below the deck, along with a steam room and another staircase wrapping around the house. The next floor down contains two symmetrical bedrooms, where large sliding wooden doors reveal huge bowl like baths while the final floor houses an office and maids room.

Plans

Midori Uchi

The 'Midori Uchi' house which translated from Japanese to English means 'Green Home", is the latest residential project by green company Naikoon Contracting Ltd. This home is classified as net-zero, meaning it produces more energy than what it consumes annually. Amazing right! This home is one of the few of its kind in the lower mainland area of North Vancouver.

President of Naikoon, Joe Geluch explains "with Midori Uchi' we took current residential standards to the next level, using some of the most advanced sustainable systems and innovative, Eco-friendly building materials available. Not only did we use reclaimed lumber and fill from a warehouse two blocks away, but we sourced almost everything locally"

The urban home won over the city's mayor who has publicly praised it for helping reduce the city's ecological footprint.

Due to going green becoming a lifestyle more than a habit in today's world, I'm still really shocked how expensive going green can become. For the world to actually make a difference in reducing the carbon footprint we release daily, major changes need to take place. However the average person cant do much in changing their habit if going green cost so much and we should work together to make it more efficient.

However doing  more research on the 'Midori Uchi" home the features of this house is simple yet so sustainable, as it has state-of-the-art energy production and conservation abilities, grey water filtration system, subtle, natural Japanese inspired influences, rammed earth walls, Triple glazed fiberglass windows, heat recovery ventilation, led lighting, low-flow plumbing and envelope air- tightness to name a few.

Rammed Earth walls play as an interior design