Countryside

The natural slope of an elongated plot serves as the starting point for the Casa dos Ipês, a project developed by Matheus Farah and Manoel Maia Arquitetura for a second residence in Porto Feliz, in São Paulo's countryside. The core concept was to prioritize rest, leisure, and the contemplation of the vast natural landscape at the back of the lot, creating a welcoming space for family and friends. Matheus Farah e Manoel Maia Arquitetura Matheus Farah e Manoel Maia Arquitetura Matheus Farah e Manoel Maia Arquitetura Laid out in a linear manner, the residence is organized into two overlapping volumes. The lower volume houses a basement gym on the left side and the ground floor spaces. Between two parallel walls mad... More

Located on a privileged plot of over 1.5 hectares, in a residential condominium on the banks of the Itupararanga reservoir, in the city of Piedade, in the countryside of São Paulo, this project designed to serve as a vacation home for a family that enjoys hosting their friends. Manuel Sá Manuel Sá Commissioned by a couple of clients whose small prefabricated house and existing leisure addition were no longer sufficient to meet their needs and accommodate the large number of guests, the project's main objective was to create connected social and leisure spaces, as well as to provide the appropriate number of bedrooms for guests. Manuel Sá To achieve this, the neighboring land acquired, and the pre... More

Architectural Concept As an integral part of the natural surroundings, Casa Oito presents itself. The essence of this project lies in the fluidity between nature and architecture, giving rise to the fundamental dialogue that allows for its creation. With a meticulous focus on the best use of materials to evoke the project's concept, the materials speak of intentional rusticity, with the use of raw stones anchoring the house. The wood that extends from the veranda reveals comfort as a focal point in the interior finishes. Light and shadow also shape the architecture through sculpted openings that integrate the built environment with the natural countryside, as evidenced by the inner courtyard with a garden, the windows and doors offering vi... More

The rural ruin is a heritage from the '50s when this part of the countryside of Portugal was mainly devoted to the development and growth of the land.Since the beginning of the project, the idea was clear, to renovate and extend the existing building, revealing and enhancing its built qualities. Caption The main ambition of the project is to refurbish with the use of less concrete as possible, thus providing the building with today's standard of comfort and longevity. Caption Demolitions were carefully proposed to clean the area from low-quality illegal constructions and conserve the stone walls of the house with their original size openings. Caption As per the proposed building elements, the approach was to mindfully cons... More

Op een afgelegen kavel in een veengebied heeft Mirck Architecture een atelier ontworpen. De binnenruimte is heel licht, in tegenstelling tot de donkere verschijning in het landschap. Binnen is het hout blank, buiten is het hout vergrijsd en zwartgebrand. Katja Effting De entree is benadrukt door de enige afschuining van het zadeldak. Het dakschild op het zuidwesten bestaat volledig uit matzwarte PV-panelen. Het dakschild op het noordoosten bestaat uit matzwarte vlakke pannen en een groot daklicht. Katja Effting Katja Effting Het daklicht geeft de atelierruimte veel diffuus licht. Het komt tussen de spanten door de hoge werkruimte in. Voor het uitzicht is de zuidwestgevel volledig te openen. Als het atelier niet in gebruik i... More

  Dikes protect the Dutch country side from flooding. On top of a dike a little house was built in the 1950s. It fell into disrepair and was sold. The new owners asked Mirck Architecture to design a new dike house, using the beautiful views, daylight, and wood. Mirck proposes to open out the living space to the north, by cracking the dike house volume away from the dike, into the polder landscape. Katja Effting   The outer corner of the crack is fully glazed and brings in plenty of daylight into the large open space. The facades are also open to the best views in the north. The combination of the abundant natural light and the many views, creates a room-in-a-view: the sensation of being part of the landscape. Katja Efft... More

With our Harts Farm project, we delved deep into the sites history, character and surrounding buildings, and noticed the strong farming past which is commonly associated with the area. Along with a barn influence, the proximity of the large neighbouring barn lead us to design a building which took a contemporary stance on a traditional form. Although contemporary in form, the proposal takes on a sensitive approach in order to respect the historic character of the area and the Grade II Listed status of Harts Farm Building.  The materials proposed also reference back to the existing agricultural buildings. Timber slats are orientated to represent traditional barns and along with a more poetic contemporary idea that they mimic the surrou... More

In 2020, with COVID-19 raging, the remote work has been installed semi compulsorily, a very innovative lifestyle for Japan, it was thought that more people would consider leaving densely populated areas such as central Tokyo and Chiba City to live in the suburbs or more rural areas. Masato Chiba In response to the emergency situation caused by the corona crisis, Ichihara City in Chiba Prefecture established “the Ichihara Life and Work Commission”, a public-private partnership to accept people who wanted to move to the satoyama area, while at the same time taking measures to prevent infection. Masato Chiba Yosuke Takahashi, who had been working as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers in the Kamo... More

Following the purchase of a heritage home our client asked us to find a way to transform the existing building with it’s compartmentalised spaces into a comfortable, free flowing and spacious family living zone. Michael Kai Photography The existing building was too recently modified to be demolished but contained spaces too outdated and compartmentalised to meet the needs of a young family. Our design approach focused on making on a series of ‘small moves’ aimed at creating major change. Michael Kai Photography A small existing courtyard in the middle of the house is enclosed and covered with a glass roof transforming it into a vibrant sky lit family dining room. Concealed external blinds control light and heat... More

The territory of Gavi is currently experiencing a rebirth characterized by the activism of some farms growing strongly that therefore are in need of new operative spaces. Between them, “La Raia” is one of the most interesting farms because it combines the activity of agriculture with that of a Foundation which aims to protect and promote the values of the territory by interventions concerning art and culture. In this context, the project of the new agricultural machinery depot, that clearly with its pure functional scope has a minor impact on the architectural scenario, needs a deeper gaze that cannot disregard a consideration upon the territory, restricting the functional issue to a precondition. The volume of the new project i... More

AR Design Studio was approached by the clients who were looking to extend their holiday home on a cliff top on the South Coast. During the planning process, and following the unprecedented rainfall during the winter of 2014, there was subsidence close to the house and the decision was made to replace it entirely.   AR Design Studio was then tasked with designing a completely new home; the idea of movement and fracturing formed the backbone of the concept. Working closely with engineers Eckersley O’Callaghan, an imaginative structural solution was proposed to prevent future failure. A concrete slab was built into the ground, a series of strategically placed dwarf walls were then built on top of it. A floating structural frame wa... More

The Elements is a private new build house in Hampshire, completed in early 2017 by Winchester based architects AR Design Studio. Adjacent to the stunning River Hamble and its popular marina, it is nestled within meadows rich in native wildlife. With a global collection of friends and family, the client required a large home in which to regularly host and entertain. The home focuses on accommodating a number of guests in the homeliest way possible, providing an experience of a ‘home-from-home’. It is hoped that the home will create lasting memories among visiting friends and family. The massing for the home is divided into three interlocking blocks. Two blocks, one for guests, the other for the family, are connected by a central entra... More

The Farmer’s House acts as the UK base for AR Design Studio’s clients, who return to the English countryside from their travels to tend to their farmstead. Set on a private estate in the most western part of the South Downs National Park, the house’s rural location is its raison d’etre. AR Design Studio were approached by the clients who were looking to add a completely self-contained yet joined annexe, that would be a space for their children and grandchildren to ‘take over’ when they were staying. The team at AR Design Studio proposed an extension and makeover that would wrap everything together in a unified and elegant form. The old and new are joined by a glazed link that sits between the existing house and the new annexe.... More

The rising interest in countryside houses is mostly linked to the attempt to balance the rushed city life and also to a desire for something authentic and traditional. But paradoxically this desired character of vernacular architecture is often removed by an overly precise reconstruction and standardized building solutions. Generally it is a challenge how to provide the current level of comfort and at the same time to preserve the original feel of the building. Furthermore, what if the former house must be almost all replaced due to its bad technical condition - does it make sense to repeat it and in what extent? At the end it's not so relevant to distinguish the old and new, the essential is the resulting mood of the whole... In this p... More