Concept For Living

A wing and a prayer

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Winn Wittman has been causing something of a stir of late with ‘Soaring Wings’, an imposing yet graceful home perched high on the hills above Austin, Texas.

The project has garnered international acclaim and led to a series of prestigious commissions, yet when Wittman embarked upon the build it was no more than a brave (or perhaps even foolish) shot in the dark.

Architect Winn Wittman laughs ruefully as he recalls the less than auspicious beginning to his most distinctive building project to date, declaring: ‘I knew I wanted to work on something truly exceptional which would showcase my talents, so I decided to build this house on spec. it was a risk, but I’ve always been inspired by the Henry David Thoreau quote: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”’

The rest of this article can be found in issue 26 of Spaces magazine

Ravine Revellers

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

When we think of home, we naturally conjure up old-fashioned images of family dining, relaxation and security. Architect Cindy rendely’s clients presumably have a head start on attaining these domestic ideals thanks to their newly built home which has been designed to hold three generations of the family. Far from being the ‘little house on the prairie’, Rendely has created the ‘big house in the ravine’.

This is the award-winning Ravine House by Toronto-based architect and jewellery designer cindy rendely.  It may look large for a residential property, taking up over two housing lots, but when you account for the number of residents it is actually quite compact.

‘The entire site is located in a ravine that is governed by many strict ravine by-laws.’ says Rendley. ‘We had to work around many trees, and this also affected and informed the form of the small building.’ 

The rest of this article can be found in issue 26 of Spaces magazine.

In the bluff

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Never mind the bodies on the beachfront, all eyes are on the beautiful brown façade of the Reff Residence, happily exposed by its American owners.

Mission Beach is buzzing, in a laid back kind of a way. One of the most popular destinations on the San Diego coastline, it’s a haven for hip young sun seekers – many of whom (true to the Californian stereotype) like to roller blade by in nothing more than a bikini top and the smallest of shorts. But Mission Beach isn’t just for the beautiful people. Oh, no. Everyone’s welcome (people of all ages, shapes, sizes and sporting abilities) and as a result, it’s practically bursting at the seams.

‘The houses are packed in very tight and the lots are very small,’ says Jim Gabriel of Hanna Gabriel Wells Architects (HGW) describing the chaotic, but characterful, nature of Mission Beach’s busy streetscapes. ‘There’s a network of pedestrian walkways that fi lter through the whole area and that’s unique to San Diego.’

You can read the rest of this article in issue 26 of spaces magazine

Spruced up nicely

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

About an hour’s drive from Helsinki is a house that perfectly combines historical building expertise and craftsmanship with contemporary taste…

There’s something rather romantic about the Humlegård House. It’s no cosy cottage out of a Tove Jansson tale (Finnish author and artist famous for her Moomin books) but behind the radical façade is a dwelling steeped in tradition.

Situated just outside the centre of the former ironworks community of Fiskars, Finland, it is surrounded by the most serene landscape; woodland as well as rolling fields on which the local wildlife, including white-tailed deer and foxes (no Moomins – don’t be ridiculous), like to roam. The home’s owner, Peter Launo, a former documentary maker for Finnish TV, isn’t the first person to fall for the charms of the picturesque village. It has become a haven for creative types, artists in particular, many of whom have set up homes in the old workers’ cottages, previously owned by the ironworks. He is now very much part of that community while also being slightly removed from it both in his choice of home and its location further into the countryside.

The rest of this feature can be found in issue 26 of Spaces magazine

London Calling

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

It’s a true testament to a design when the talking point of a property located in an architectural landmark with some of the most spectacular views in London is its interior features. However, this gleaming minimalist apartment is truly something special.

Located on the seventh floor of Lord Foster’s Riverside Albion building on London’s South Bank, the latest project from husband and wife team Alan and Anna Curtis marries a flawless white-box aesthetic with a dazzling array of hi-tech touches.

Upon entering the apartment, your eye is immediately drawn to the clean lines of the stark white panelled walls, the pristine poured-on floors, the florescent lighting columns and through the expanse of window, which stretches the length of the apartment, out to the city skyline beyond.

You can read the rest of this article in issue 26 of Spaces magazine

Britain’s Big Bang

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Among the stars that make up the galaxy of British architecture, art, and design, one of the brightest is also one of its youngest. At 38, Thomas Heatherwick already stands shoulder to shoulder with the various elder Lords and Sirs that automatically come to mind when contemplating British architecture, art, and design.

When he opened his studio in 1994, few could have anticipated such a rapid rise to the top or the vast scope of his work. Heatherwick is London-born but opted to study three-dimensional design at Manchester Polytechnic University. He subsequently attended the Royal College of Art.

In his personal lexicon, ‘three-dimensional’ includes just about everything from product design to large-scale architectural projects. He is as respected for his sculpture, design, and architecture as he is for his engineering and innovative use of materials. His best-known works often defy a simple label. Is it design? Is it art? Is it architecture?

While his projects often cross previously well-defined frontiers to befuddle the label-makers, every piece of work he produces shares the following features. It is bold, it is striking, and it is always beautiful.

The rest of this article can be found in issue 26 of Spaces magazine

Curiouser & Curiouser

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Julie Morstad’s first love is illustrating books for children and, like her young readers, she has a vivid imagination. In her drawings hundreds of eyes fly like migrating birds away from a pyramid of disembodied adolescent heads, faces grow from within the buds of flowers and young heads float placidly out of drains.

Julie Morstad is an artist and illustrator living in Vancouver, Canada. Her style is a mix of the macabre and the innocent, spidery thin lines and characters in deliciously curious situations.

As well as illustrating books Julie often exhibits her work at the Atelier Gallery in Vancouver and creates artwork for newspapers, magazines and record covers.

You can read the rest of this article in issue 26 of Spaces magazine

Safdie Rabines Architects

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Stephenson Bell

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Saunders Architecture

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Maynard Architects

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Mark Dziewulski Architect

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Front Studio

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

FAR frohn&rojas

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Duggan Morris

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Conran & Partners

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Bart Prince

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Arthur Dyson and Associates

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Foster + Partners

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Riverside
22 Hester Road
London
SW11 4AN
United Kingdom

T +44 (0)20 7738 0455
F +44 (0)20 7738 1107

enquiries@fosterandpartners.com
press@fosterandpartners.com

www.fosterandpartners.com

Foster + Partners has always been guided by a belief that the quality of our surroundings has a direct influence on the quality of our lives, whether that is in the workplace, at home or in the public realm. Allied to that is an acknowledgement that architecture is generated by the needs of people – both material and spiritual – and a concern for the physical context and the culture and climate of place. Equally, excellence of design and its successful execution are central to our approach.

Redefining the tree house

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Overcoming restrictive town planning issues, architect Andrew Maynard has created this perfectly practical and yet conceptual open-plan house for a growing family.

Maynard’s latest build project, the Tattoo House, saw him adding a small extension to an existing three-bedroom house in Victoria, Australia.

Maynard may describe his relationship with the client as being ‘ideologically misaligned’ given their differing perception of design concepts, but when there is trust between the client and the architect, more often than not great things result.

‘Communicating our intent was difficult at times’, Maynard declares. ‘Though they (the clients) were sometimes not totally convinced by a concept they still trusted me when I said it was the right direction. The good news is that many of those decisions have resulted in the best parts of the design.’

The ‘best’ part of the design may not automatically jump out at anyone who looks at the finished building due to its abundance of strong areas. What is sure to happen upon first viewing, however, is that the individuality of the building with the tree stickers and continuous ‘tattoo’ on the sidewall strikes you immediately. Indeed it is difficult to look at the project at night without being completely blown away by its appearance.

You can read the rest of this article in issue 25 of Spaces magazine