Western red cedar

Set on a sloping site in the Southern California coastal community of Encinitas, this multi-level, private residence for a young family was designed to create a family home that also allows for long visits by relatives. By following the terrain the design sought to touch the land lightly by setting the home into the site and avoid grading and earthwork.  This also resulted in a stepped plan with shifting interior volumes and heigh ceilings that bring in natural light for warming in the winter and fresh sea breezes for cooling in the summer.  Working with the site minimized disruptions, reduced costs and assisted in adapting to the artificial compression from local height regulations.  The result from this effort was a layeri... More

The addition is really the embodiment of a lifelong conversation a couple has had over both their shared and separate aspirations. He is graphic designer and passionate collector of books, she a sun-sensitive lover of plants and gardens. The inherent contradictions of the project were the crucible out of which the concept evolved: books vs. plants, storage vs. space, light vs. shade, library vs. garden, systematic organization vs. informal experience, privacy vs. engagement (of the outside).   An armature was formed of deep, equally spaced fins. The depth of the fins formed a protective zone, a kind of “protective blanket” creating a deep private enclosure. The fin’s depth, calibrated to accommodate a bookcase, abs... More

Adam Knibb Architects were approached to put together a contemporary extension for a terraced family home in Winchester. Upon the first site visit, the property showed signs of tiredness and age, the couple had outgrown their property with the addition of small children - it became clear fairly quickly that the house would benefit substantially from a spatial reconfiguration and extension. Being a young household, creating a friendly, open and welcoming environment which nurtured the growth of the family was integral for allowing them to enjoy a comfortable and social lifestyle .   The project, located within the Winchester City Conservation area, comprises of a full width ground floor extension, extending 1500mm out from the existin... More

For this ranch home addition and renovation, we took cues from the surrounding foothills, topography and Southern California's modernist architectural legacy in developing a design solution that not only met the needs of our clients, but responded to the local environmental context. The scope of work included an addition of 400 square feet of new living space, along with a complete renovation to the interior, requiring the removal of much of the existing envelope and interior walls, as well as the garage structure in order to reorient the means of access to and through the site.   In order to develop a site-specific concept with minimal development impact, the floor plan follows the general building footprint, with extensions of the... More

In the village of Vlijmen this house was designed for a couple who wanted to keep on living in this house as long as possible. Therefore, most of the program is located on ground level, on the first floor only a spare bed- and bathroom are being made. The program of the ground floor can be seen as a compact box.   This box is being perforated with voids, giving rhythm and scale to the flat box. In the voids a small patio, carport, wooden Western Red Cedar parts, or windows were made. By making this rhythm the house gets an extra layer between in- and outside.   On top of the first ground box a small first floor was realized, featuring a pent roof starting from the top of the box. In a gentle slope the roof lifts up the entranc... More

A four-bedroom home in midtown Toronto designed by Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, Garden Circle House is a response to the client’s desire for a sustainable home inspired by nature, connected to the outdoors and awash in daylight. The Dubbeldam team drew upon biophilic design strategies incorporating many key principles for building visual and non-visual connections with the outdoors. Biophilic design dates back to the mid-1980s, but in recent years it has become a larger part of sustainable practices due to the growing wellness movement and a greater desire to live and work in healthier interiors. The term describes a conscious effort to link the built environment to the natural world, through various sensory experiences including... More

French Architect Aurelien Chen designed a hybrid barn houseon a narrow piece of land,in harmony and in contrast with the traditional surroundings.   Once upon a time inAudierne lived a local fisherman nicknamed “Sentinel”. He observed the seafrom the hills towering the village harbor. One century later, his descendants bought a piece of land in Audierne, up on a hill and facing the same ocean horizon their ancestor used to gaze at.   The project is located on a narrow and irregular piece of land, at the edge of a block and at the entrance of the village. Considering the peculiarity of this location, a traditional compact house would have had a strong impact on the surrounding landscape. Therefore, the architect cho... More

The owners wanted to upgrade an internally awkward and dark middle suburban Californian Bungalow into a light, modern 3 bedroom + study residence.There was a small group of huge trees in the backyard that the owners loved, so they became integral to the design of the new addition. The rear extension has substantial north facing windows that utilise these existing trees for shading from the summer sun. An angled eave overhang is provided for these windows where there are no trees to offer shading.   The extension was conceived as a single volume of efficient construction. It has a simple flat roof with interconnected spaces differentiated by changes in floor level that follow the sloping site. The rear decks also terrace downward towa... More

On a compact suburb site in central Orange NSW, this extension to a 1920’s Bungalow provides new north facing living spaces and a master retreat with a Japanese Style Bathhouse opening onto a fine scale landscaped courtyard.   The owners were downsizing from a property just outside of town. They were keen for a warm house with a direct relationship with a low maintenance landscape courtyard. A special request was for a Japanese Style Bath which had a big influence on the materiality and design of the house and garden.   From a conceptual planning standpoint, the house was laid out with careful regard to light and privacy.  The site was a long and skinny block which dictated a linear planning diagram to maximize nort... More

The site is one of a row of sites with beach access lining Papamoa beach. An opportunity presented itself; how to cleverly stitch the rear street arrival to the front of the site.   First principles resulted in all of the primary public spaces, living, dining & kitchen, being positioned at the front of the site.We then used the street end of the house to form a gateway which provides cover and leads the visitor in with an angled wall and soffit.The gateway monocles the view to a glazed front door and the sea beyond.   The journey between gateway and front door is lusciously landscaped along the boundary and opposingly lined with a soft batten screen which lanterns at night.The front door connects directly into the living a... More

The Legal House (aka Keeshen House) is a 2,900 square foot home designed and built for a family with 2 young children, in the location of their existing house on a quiet street in a friendly hilltop neighborhood. Many homes here are being expanded so residents can remain in the city as they raise families in the highly valuable and densifying Westside of Los Angeles. Much of the design process was spent navigating through and adjusting to the currently changing zoning codes, which dictate the size and shape of expanding single-family residential construction. As the owners are both Attorneys and were fascinated by this part of the process, the project has been nicknamed “The Legal House”.   The Architecture is organized a... More