A Bridge Between Family Life And The Lake | Unpuente House

Located in the rural landscape of the Cantabria region, Spain, PABELLÓN GODA I complements the pool…

Casa Cono by Estudio Atemporal is a modern glass forest house in San Simón, Valle de…

There are plenty of different ways in which aging homes can be given a smart new makeover. Often, the preferred choice is a rear extension that opens up into the rear yard and connect the interior with the world outside. But the Naremburn Twin Peaks Cottage designed by Benn & Penna Architecture take a completely […]

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Heated radiant floors, high-design fittings, and a communal spirit rooted in Jackson Hole’s homesteading history await the modern-day explorer at the recently opened Cache House, an elegant new hostel at the heart of the celebrated Wyoming Valley. Like its sister property Anvil, a 50-room hotel located directly above, Cache House is also the work of Brooklyn-based Studio Tack. The space, which once served as a blacksmith shop and later a hostel in the 1990s, was gut-renovated and infused with a new minimalist aesthetic imbued with warm and welcoming, rustic touches.

Designed for a young couple, the 5,000 sf home and 1,700 sf back house sit on a flat 21,000 sf lot in a 1920’s Palo Alto neighborhood (a few blocks away from Steve Jobs’ residence). The architecture is a study in strong simple composition and is museum-like with its highly refined materiality and emphasis on craft. The massing defines solid and void, captures natural light, and connects the indoors with the landscape, seeking to ‘experience the outdoors from within.’ The ground floor volumes wrapped in an elongated hand-fired brick from Denmark, emphasizing the horizontality of the architecture that lays solidly on the land. Bronze-trimmed ceiling planes slide between the brick masses, and floor-to-ceiling glazed openings are captured by thin-profiled bronze frames. In contrast to the grounded brick volumes, the second floor is clad in stainless steel panels and oversized aluminum-framed windows. The lightness and openness of the second floor is nestled among the oak-tree canopies of the site. At the basement level, a wine cellar and tasting room open to a sunken landscaped courtyard. A 30ft by 10ft continuous pane of glass runs alongside the grand stairwell of floating stone steps, connecting the three levels of the house. Due to the unprecedented size of this glass in residential design, it was custom manufactured in Germany and shipped to California. This dramatic moment in the sequence of progressing through the house helps visitors feel connected to the lush landscape outside. Inside the house, materials such as a custom leather door and bronze anodized details were selected for their unique craftsman-style quality. Another custom-designed element is the steel mesh screen that wraps around to enclose the kitchen for privacy, separating this from the more public “guest hosting” areas adjacent. The steel screen slides along a track embedded into the teak slatted ceiling and disappears into the pantry when retracted. A freestanding structure set deep back into the site is a zen-like fitness/yoga studio as well as a guesthouse with a kitchenette. This dramatic stone mass opens up completely in the center to give the impression of exercising outdoors. The landscape integrates California native plant species, grasses and trees to compliment the materiality of the architecture.