A home’s liveability begins and ends with its orientation. For this heritage home in the inner western suburb of Lewisham, south-facing living quarters meant the family spent most of their time in cold, dimly lit rooms. Not much fun. But we had a plan, and one that resulted in a doubling of thermal efficiency in this part of the home from 3.2 to 6.4 stars!
It is an intervention and extension of a house in the residential area of San Angel at south of Mexico City.
The original building, Designed by C.C. Sainsbury in 1957, is a gem. It is an unconventional example from the War Services program; which assisted veterans acquire homes. The clients sought to supplement what they loved to better accommodate their growing family.
Across the country, many families are struggling with the same difficult question: How can you best support aging family members when you live in a city with minimal housing options? Best Practice Architecture has offered a brilliant solution to issues around multigenerational living and urban density with their latest Seattle project.
Earth is one of the oldest construction materials known to man; it can be fired, as with bricks and tiles, or used in its raw state as with adobe or rammed earth. Earth is a malleable material; in the Bible it is claimed that God formed mankind in ‘his’ own image from earth and water. Earth is a soft material that can become strong and weight bearing, while maintaining a breathable skin.
The brief was to transform this brick Victorian home, situated on a main road, into a tranquil family residence capable of accommodating the lifestyle of the occupants for many years to come. The features of the original home were to be retained wherever possible, however the challenge was to introduce an abundance of natural light, and create a more livable environment that performed well thermally year round.
In the design of a new commercial office tower and hotel in a downtown Seattle development, the owner held the rights to demolish a historically-significant church on the site, allowing for the development of a larger, half-block footprint. The emotional, cultural and historic significance of that church – a facility commissioned by Arthur Denny, founding father of the city of Seattle – motivated the client and parishioners to seek alternatives. The architects pursued a smaller building footprint, one that would preserver the historic sanctuary, promote pedestrian-activation of the city block, encourage density and smart urbanization. The church’s preservation and its incorporation into the new development would also yield a more sustainable solution for the site.
Tetris Extension in Melbourne’s inner north-west is a compact addition completed in early 2018. The clients, a young couple with two small children, had outgrown their neat Californian bungalow and needed more room to move. Crosshatch was engaged to create a sympathetic yet efficient rear extension to meet the family’s needs, while still retaining the much-loved character of the original two-bedroom home. The existing floor plan was also reconfigured to provide a third bedroom, additional bathroom and central lounge.
A single storey house in Petersham sits on a small lot in an intact row of period houses. The dwelling presents itself as a freestanding cottage forming a pair with an identical neighbour, bookended by a commercial building and a car park. The Federation-style period features are well preserved and provides historic value of Sydney’s Inner West past. Several beautiful trees stand in the rear garden of the adjoining site, providing a pleasant outlook and shelter from the summer sun.
Water is a precious element in residential architecture, almost an essential element of happiness. In Islamic architecture, water is used as a balm to restless minds and is often found in psychiatric hospitals. This justifies our manic search of waterfronts, beachfront, harbourfronts, lakefronts, and riverfronts to settle in.
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