Studio and Housing in Kojetin

Kamil Mrva Architect projected a studio and housing in Kojetín, Czech Republic, in an exceptional place.

Here is the project description:

The plot is located on a hill with a view of the surrounding landscape. The owner’s intention was to reconstruct a former barn into a place for work and living in the first phase, and build a new family house in the vicinity in the future.

The original sandstone walls and pillars from 1862 have been preserved. A reinforcing concrete ring was designed to which a lightweight shed roof was anchored. Inside the original building, a square structure was erected – a studio.

The single-space concept is based on how our ancestors used to live in this region. All necessities were taken care of in one parlour room: a kitchenette, sitting room and place for sleeping and working.

The project was designed using natural materials. The load-bearing structure and lightweight roof are made of wood.

The Seed Cathedral

“The Seed Cathedral” features 60,000 fiber-optic rods which pierce through the six-level structure. Each rod contains seeds from the Millennium Seed Bank in Great Britain.

Here is more information from Thomas Heatherwick: “The Seed Cathedral sits in the center of the UK Pavilion’s site, 20 meters in height, formed from 60,000 slender transparent rods, each 7.5 meters long and each encasing one or more seeds at its tip. During the day, they act as optic fibers and draw daylight inwards to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources inside each rod allow the whole structure to glow. As the wind moves past, the building and its optic “hairs” gently move to create a dynamic effect ” Stunning! You might also want to check out the video featuring the building’s incredible interiors.

The Met Hotel

Zege Architects projected this contemporary hotel of 212 guestrooms in Greece accompanied by accommodations such as Spa, VIP lounge, conference rooms, gourmet restaurants and atmospheric bars.

The lobby/reception area is a generously open plan inviting you to walk through the space and explore the mod living in front of the dynamic fire place or the lounging comfort of the alternative living ambiences.

One of the restaurants, Chan, designed by Andy Martin, is treated like a “boutiesque” project, there is a space within a space approach designed for intimacy and privacy. The second restaurant is designed with an approachable ambience.

Glazing and natural day light plays a prime role. In the Spa the design language is kept simplistic and edgy. Day light is present in a controlled form and throughout the whole interior a hygienic essence is present.

In the corridors leading to the bedrooms we experience volume and warmth through the structural wood panel forms. Arriving inside the bedrooms there is the presence of wood, lacquer and glazing. Three finishes combined with smooth fabrics to create a luxurious but approachable space.

The Cave Restaurant

The Cave Restaurant belongs to Koichi Takada Architects and it is located Sydney, Australia. The architects came up with this very original dining concept whose aim is “to change the way we eat and chat in restaurants”. A cave is all about unusual textures and acoustics, two elements that were fully taken advantage of in coming up with this design.

“The timber profiles generate a sound studio atmosphere, and a pleasant ‘noise’ of dining conversation, offering a more intimate experience as well as a visually interesting and complex surrounding. The series of acoustic curvatures were tested and developed with computer modeling and each ‘timber grain’ profile has been translated and cut from computer-generated 3-D data, using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology.”

Dining 'DESIGN'

Four NYSID students, Isis Delomez, Brooke Lichtenstein, Whitney Vlasaty and Yiannos Vrousgos, created a dining environment for the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS‘ Dining by Design.

The “cradle to cradle” concept focuses on sustainability and modern aesthetics by redefining the conventional box of a typical booth through an explosion of salvaged materials.

In light of ecological problems facing modern society, the materials include recycled lumber, low VOC paint, bamboo flatware, natural canvas and biodegradable sugarcane tableware.

An illuminated origami flower centerpiece enhances the natural handcrafted design, symbolizing organic architecture. Together, these elements promote the concept to “leave and imprint and reduce the footprint.”

HUT

Seattle-based Olson Sundberq Kundiq Allen Architects designed this group of 6 ultra-modern and innovative cabins in Washington’s Methow Valley as an alternative to your run-of-the-mill camping trip.

Nestled in the scenic North Cascade Mountains, each hut comes equipped with a small refrigerator, microwave, fireplace and Wi-Fi. Modular furniture can be configured to create sleeping accommodation for up to four people so the only things you need to bring are your sleeping bag, your iPod and some wine.

RMI Office

Response Mine Interactive is an Atlanta based company that specializes in SEO, affiliate program management, and other paid search services. Basically, think of them as a company that will help you capture more and make more of web traffic.
Their offices are elegantly lit and warm. I have become a huge fan of non-fluorescent lighting, and this space really makes a good case for why. Large workstations for each employee along the bullpen make for great communication. The office also has a great looking conference room for business, and a pool table for pleasure. All that, and they’re located just down the road from North Atlanta’s finest Jazz/Fondue restaurant.

Casa Son Vida

Located near Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Casa Son Vida brakes the boundaries in matters of luxury and futuristic home approaches. The project comes from tec Architecture in collaboration with Amsterdam-based Marcel Wanders Studio, responsible for designing the interiors. This villa is said to be the first of the 6 planned luxury residences in this exclusive area.

Here is some further information from the architects: “Casa Son Vida 1 aims to redefine the notion of the luxury villa by moving most of the paradigms of luxury towards a more contemporary and forward-looking expression of architecture and technology. The project pushes the envelope in every direction and every sense; it is highly sustainable, basically off-the-grid, gives an unheard of sense of space and place, explores new construction technologies, and enters into a critical dialogue with the decorated box buildings in its vicinity. Casa Son Vida 1 is unavoidably exuberant and unabashedly outrageous.”

Fincubes

From German company Studio Aisslinger comes “Fincube”, an interesting and sustainable architecture project. The house was built at an altitude of 1200 meters near Bozen, Italy. Its design plan implies a low energy consumption with a minimal CO2 footprint. Fincube houses an area of 47 sq m, which is similar to the living space of a small apartment. Its interior design is minimal, yet it has everything city life has to offer. The coolest part is that the home can be dismantled and moved to a different site