Project Size: 1,290 square feet Program: Architect Johan Selbing and landscape architect Anouk Vogel conceived the Mirror House in 2006 as a winning entry in a competition to design experimental single-family houses for a new housing development. The brief for the competition, titled De Eenvoud ('simplicity'), called for designs with a strong relationship to the site. After winning the competition, the designers then had to find a client themselves, and construction began in 2012. Location: The house is located in a clearing in the Noorderplassen-West forest outside Almere, a city east of Amsterdam known for experimental residential projects. Solution: The
Project size: 6,383 square feet Program: The clients asked the architects to design a new beach house on a steep site that would maximize sightlines to the sea and surrounding landscape. Location: The house is located in Zapallar, an upscale beach resort town on the Chilean coast. Solution: The house, composed of two levels of overlapping rectilinear bars, capitalizes on views, sunlight, and wind exposure. The upper level is bent at an obtuse angle, and rests partially on the lower level at the south end, while braced against a rock at the north end. Because the upper level straddles a
Site size: 60 acres Project size: 1,400 square feet Program: When architect Brian MacKay-Lyons heard that a 180-year-old schoolhouse from his childhood hometown in Nova Scotia was in dire condition, he intervened. The architect and his wife, Marilyn, decided to purchase the schoolhouse and convert it into a charming winter home for their family. Location: Mackay-Lyons, principal at MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, dismantled and transported the schoolhouse from its original site in the middle of a pasture in Chebogue, Nova Scotia to the architect's farm in Kingsburg, nearly 200 miles away. In its new location, the schoolhouse is part of a
Tatiana Bilbao encloses each programmatic area of Casa Ventura in connected pentagonal volumes that sit high above Monterrey, Mexico. The mountains outside Monterrey, Mexico, offer city views and forested vistas, but the terrain ruled out the one thing that the clients, a couple with six children, had their hearts set on: a house all on one level.
Site Size: 70 acres Project Size: 2,310 square feet (Bridge Structure); 1,139 square feet (Lookout Structure) Program: The clients wanted to create a live-work space for their winery and vineyard near Juliaetta, Idaho, a small town (population 579 at last census) not far from the Washington border. They requested two separate structures along the Potlatch River, and asked that they not consume much energy nor greatly disturb the site. Location: The property, at the end of an existing unpaved road cut into a hillside along the river, came with numerous challenges: summer temperatures can reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit, a large
Site Size: 10,000 square feet Project Size: 2,981 square feet Program: A multi-generational family that loves entertaining and gardening asked New York-based architect Andrew Heid to design a versatile house that catered to their love for the outdoors and accommodated aging family members. Location: The property perches on a lush, hillside site in Aurora, a tiny community in Northwest Oregon. The house overlooks protected wetlands and the Pudding River. Solution: The architect designed a one-story glazed, rectilinear house with deep overhangs to fit into the gently sloping site. To access the main floor, the family members gradually descend a concrete
Site size: 5,920 square feet Project size: 7,750 square feet Program: The clients wanted to remodel and expand their three-bedroom house, originally built in the 1970s, adding a gym, movie theater, and wine cellar within the existing envelope plus a new 2,260-square-foot master bedroom and bath. Location: The terraced house follows a steep slope in the Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood of Mexico City. This topography limited the architect's ability to expand the overall envelope. Solution: The architects reorganized existing spaces using movable walls made from a wood lattice or glass. On the first floor, a living and dining room opens
Site size: 3,879 square feet Project size: 1,470 square feet Program: A couple sought a home that could accommodate children or possibly elderly parents as well as their extensive collection of books. Location: The steeply sloping suburban site consists of a deep rocky substrate and two large hardwood trees. Solution: Shogo Aratani Architect & Associates determined that the site's extreme beauty represented an opportunity for the house to adapt and flourish. The two-floor house is fundamentally two main rectilinear volumes angled away from a central triangular stair. Two parking spaces, just below the first floor, are cut directly from the
Site size: 87,000 square feet Project size: 16,244 square feet Program: A family that enjoys cooking and entertaining guests desired a spacious residence in suburban Toronto. The clients also wanted their house, an expansion and renovation of an existing structure, to reflect their Asian-Canadian background. Location: The Echo House is located on a flat, two-acre plot in the serene and verdant Bridle Path neighborhood of Toronto. Solution: Architect Paul Raff sought to balance several objectives: to furnish ample room for socializing, to utilize traditional Asian craft techniques, and to harmoniously connect the family and their guests to the natural environment.