Natural materials
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about natural materials
Project • By El fil verd estudi d'arquitectura • Apartments
Apartment a + e
Introduction
The Born district of Barcelona was the seat of a prosperous artisan economy during medieval times and still preserves traces of that in the names of its streets: Assaonadors, Argenteria, Cotoners, Carders, Flassaders were the trades carried out by the artisans of this neighborhood. The urban fabric in this part of the city is mainly made up of multi-family dwellings between party walls. The structure is made of load-bearing ceramic work walls and ceramic vaulted ceilings with wooden beams. The width of the floors was determined by the length of the wooden beams then available on the market, generally about four meters. The apartment that is the object of the renovation is located in a building from the mid-1800s and was inhabi... More
News • News • 10 Sep 2021
AB+AC Architects transforms dull commercial unit into light filled multi-purpose co-working and event space
Open Hearts is an experimental center in Lisbon infused by AB+AC Architects with calmness. The center is intended for conscious gatherings, holistic learning and co-creation.
Ricardo Oliveira Alves
The architects combined natural materials, like wood, ceramic and stone, with tactile surfaces to create a warm yet minimalist spatial experience.
Ricardo Oliveira Alves
The program is organized in a sequence that flows from a public multi-purpose saloon to a private residence, divided by a hallway fitted with a striking Barrisol lightening membrane ceiling.
The multi-purpose space can host an array of activities from dance, yoga or meditation to art events, workshops and screenings. Storage compartments hidden behi... More
News • News • 8 Jul 2021
House DeDe inherits its soul from the site’s past while featuring an adaptive contemporary architecture
House DeDe by OYO Architects is a new private family home situated to protect the existing nature of the surrounding site. Key materials to build the home were salvaged from the broken-down barn on site. Recycled and reused, the barn’s bricks are used to create a volume which inherits the natural authenticity and ‘spirit’ of the site.
Tim Van de Velde
Further strengthening the relationship with the land, the architects overlayed the barn’s original rectangular footprint with an additional cross-section. A simple design decision, this cross-section provides additional living spaces with framed views of the garden’s nature.
Tim Van de Velde
Upstairs house retains the same rectangular shape as the orig... More
Project • By Nakamoto Forestry • Housing
Strawberry House
From SinglePoint Design Build: “This project consisted of a full exterior removal and replacement of the siding, windows, doors, and roof. In so, the Architects OXB Studio, re-imagined the look of the home by changing the siding materials, creating privacy for the clients at their front entry, and making the expansive decks more usable. We added some beautiful cedar ceiling cladding on the interior as well as a full home solar with Tesla batteries. The Shou-sugi-ban siding is our favorite detail.
While the modern details were extremely important, waterproofing this home was of upmost importance given its proximity to the San Francisco Bay and the winds in this location. We used top of the line waterproofing professi... More
Product • By Luceplan • Lita - Floor Lamp
Lita - Floor Lamp
Lita is a decorative lamps, the result of a delicate design process that mixes imagery, signs, geometric textures and natural materials.The diffuser in opaline blown glass – whose surface is scanned by the repetition of slight vertical cusps that vanish at the extremities – is combined with a wooden structure, making Lita a product with a forceful material character. More
Project • By Spark Chicago • Distribution Centres
Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD)
The Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) makes a daily impact on hunger by distributing nutritious food across Chicago and Cook County. Their new volunteer orientation space informs visitors of the incredible work employees perform each day and inspires the community to support their mission. Office branding reminds employees to cultivate and celebrate progress daily. More
Project • By Spark Chicago • Offices
Revantage
Revantage provides real estate services to one of the world’s largest investment firms. Their mission, to provide flexible and rewarding environments for their luxury apartment clients to thrive in, inspires the approach for the environmental branding throughout the space. More
Project • By MGA - Michael Green Architecture • Private Houses
North Vancouver Passive House Plus
This home combines the character and heritage of the past with the innovation and sustainability needs of the future. The owners of this North Vancouver Craftsman bungalow, originally built in 1912, envisioned a home that reflected the history of its location and of their 20 years living there as a familywhile being functionally and visually inspiring and highly energy efficient.
Ema Peter
Over three years, the house was transformed by our team into a modern, energy efficient home that retains its history and character. This was the first Passive House Plus certified home in the lower mainland of BC, a standard that requires ultra-low energy consumption with up to 90 percent reduction and is a step further than the internationa... More
News • News • 28 Jan 2021
Q04L63 House inspires with use of natural materials
For this family weekend home in Rifaina, Brazil, mf+arquitetos responded to the client’s wish to designate 50% of the house to social spaces such as the kitchen, dining, room, living room and pool, and 50% for private areas. In addition, a rich palette of natural materials was to be used all spaces – social and private, indoors and out.
Felipe Araújo
The private areas are located at the front of the house and connected to the remainder of the house via the main hall. A sandy travertine marble from Egypt covers the entire floor and wall areas of the main hall while in the bathroom and on countertops a black state is used. Rustic granite is employed for sidewalls while concrete slabs and Hijau stones make up th... More
Project • By Nakamoto Forestry • Private Houses
Avon House
This project was a single-family new construction build in Avon, Minnesota, featuring Suyaki unbrushed yakisugi (shou sugi ban) exterior charred siding. It was designed as a hobby project by Colin Koop of architectural juggernaut SOM as a family home for his parents. Design parameters
https://nakamotoforestry.com/portfolio/avon-house-avon-mn-suyaki/
Product: Suyaki 1×6 select grade shiplapPrefinish: BlackApplication: Residential – ExteriorSF: 6280SFDesigner: Colin KoopBuilder: Schoenberg ConstructionDate: September 2017Location: Avon, MN More
Project • By Estudio Cavernas • Visitor Center
Koh Kong Mangrove Lodging
Koh Kong, a peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand and part of Cambodia’s 450-kilometre coastline, features a number of closely interrelated ecosystems. Expansive mangrove forests carve out small islands, waterways, and ecologically diverse estuaries along the coast, creating a vital and fragile ecosystem which local communities rely on for their livelihoods. In recent decades, economic development in the country, characterized by widespread natural resource exploitation, has devastated Koh Kong’s wildlife and has marginalized local communities from the forests, fisheries, and arable areas which they need to live and thrive.
Koh Kong Mangrove Lodging provides an alternative model of development, one that is rooted in the preservatio... More
Project • By Black Rabbit • Private Houses
Johnson City Residence
This minimalist home was originally designed for a retiring couple moving from an urban lifestyle to live out their golden years in solitude. After the project was abandoned, we recreated the design concept to adapt to more of an urban or suburban context to create a literal oasis for anyone seeking refuge from rugged external conditions. More
Project • By Black Rabbit • Private Houses
W. Mary Residences
These four garden courtyard houses embody the feel of south Austin’s eclectic and casual lifestyle. Taking cues from the local neighborhood, the 2-story primary units facing the street are styled in a traditional vernacular form while the rear 1-story accessory dwelling units (ADU’s) take on a low-slung mid-century modern form. Solid (insulated) stack-bonded architectural grade CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls define the ADU’s (accessory dwelling unit) exterior walls which carry through to the interior. Heavy mass gabion walls create privacy and natural garden planter walls. More
Project • By Black Rabbit • Private Houses
Yaupon Valley Residence
This cliffside luxury home was designed to take advantage of the city of Austin skyline views and the surrounding valley and pool spaces. We separated this house design into 2 programs; the level 2 private space and the level 1 social space. The level 1 social space consists of the kitchen, living, dining, and library/ lounge areas all connected to the outdoor pool and outdoor deck. The level 2 private spaces consists of 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a master suite, and an office space, each with its own unique view. More
Project • By Black Rabbit • Private Houses
Lakeview Residence
We were inspired to create our first authentic living space to reflect our client’s desire to live and work in his painting studio. The design emulates his painting style and personal lifestyle by using natural materials, minimalist values, and bridging social context within a live-work environment. The overall form takes on an ethos of monumental simplicity which inherently captures panoramic lake views from the steep mountainside terrain.
As part of authentic living, this studio is entirely devoid of added paints or stains. The exterior walls are made of exposed rammed earth construction set atop a giant plinth of exposed concrete. The interior features natural plywood finishes and exposed structural beams. We focused all of our... More