Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen Architects - Villa Mecklin

Summer Camp - Villa Mecklin looks like the perfect weekend retreat. A stylish, minimalist interior being all you need to really detach yourself from work. Underfloor heating is taken to a new level here with a sunken fire pit! Strong south orientation for solar gain and a wood burning stove - winter or summer it's another great escape.

Overview

Villa Mecklin is located in the Finnish archipelago. It sits in a small depression in the rocks, its sheltered terrace extending over the summit of the rock. In connection with the shoreline sauna, there is also a stove-heated cabin for guests.

The building materials selected for Villa Mecklin are uncontrived, basic ones suited for the archipelago. All wood surfaces have been left untreated and will turn grey naturally.

The Villa was built in 2008. The floor area of the villa is 70m2 and the sauna is 20m2.

Although angular in lines and form, the cabin's extended outer walls provide the deck with what could be described as a comforting embrace. Doubling functionally as wind breaks and storage, the also no doubt afford some privacy to the owners from passing boats.


With an open plan living, kitchen dining area fronting on to the extended deck, the living area is trebled. Short stilts support the deck and house - flattening the rocky terrain to create a very usable entertaining space.

In contrast, the sleeping areas follow their function arranged at the cooler northern end of the building with minimal glazing, aiding in regulating the winter and summer temperatures.


Gracefully greying, the timber exterior blends into its surroundings. - This will be a holiday home that's enjoyed for many years to come!

Plan

Salt Spring Island Cabin - Olson Kundig Architects

Bachelors Retreat - Tom continues his streak of wining cabin designs, Chicken Point, Tye River and now the Salt Spring Cabin. Minimalism, with a true Masculine feel to it. Solid RSJ girders forming the framework, and a heavy duty shutter mean this vacation box is locked up tight during the week.

Overview

Set on an island north of the San Juans, the exterior metal skin of this single room cabin will be allowed to weather naturally. Inside, wood-finished surfaces create a cozy refuge. A large, weathered steel panel slides across a window wall, securing the space when the owner is away. Tom Kundig

The cabin is harking me back to the simple lines and robust functionality I love. My realm of modern architecture.

Historically, the British Columbia cabin vernacular took materials in their raw state and moved little from them - stained log cabins, with barely the bark removed and flagstone bases.

The Salt Spring Cabin is in the same vein, but it takes raw construction materials and leverage their textures and durability. Usually (don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see the current Cortens binge) we'd see paint over the RSJs or a stain or three on the ply indoors, thankfully not in this case. Bravo to the client, who no doubt sought Tom out from precedence.

A singular structure, south facing, with great thermal mass, mean that the pot belly wood fire (I think its one of these) may not get much use in summer. The left and right doors to the rear though should provide good cross ventilation in summer, as with the front window when not shuttered up.
Winning a recent Residential Architect award the Judges described that fantastic door thus:

"The panel —operated by hand like a barn door— is commodity steel pulled off a stack before fabrication. Kundig, FAIA, let the lettering stand as “an authentic mark of its history and in the spirit of allowing materials to age naturally with no ‘protective’ coating that needs maintenance."

I'm off to see what other forest retreats are out there.....

Plan

Photographer: Tim Bies

Murray Cockburn Partnership - Kohara Lodge

Murray Cockburn Partnership

Kohara Lodge

Of middle earth - Murray Cockburn has created a true hideaway. Kohara Lodge, of local schist stone and sedum roof, sits in quiet vigil above the Shotover river. Oh, and it's a holiday let.

Overview
Kohara Lodge has been built with environmental considerations in mind. The owners' main aim was to put the land back to the way it was once building had finished hence the design of the property incorporating the natural hillside, and re-planting the grounds with native New Zealand trees.

The architect's vision was to replicate the natural environment as much as possible. To this end natural schist stone from a local quarry was used and this was dry laid as much as possible and dry stacked. Recycled railway timbers have been used on the outside of the property and there is no paint anywhere on the exterior of the house.

The windows at Kohara Lodge all have Comfort glass to prevent glare and reflection, built in UV protection and double glazing for energy efficiency.

Location
The house was designed by architect Murray Cockburn from Queenstown. The main aim of the owners when building was to ensure the land could be put back the way it was once they had finished, for example the grounds are planted with all native trees.

Set into the hillside with a grass covered roof, the house is built of schist stone and natural wood beams. From the all main rooms there are magnificent views over the mighty Shotover River and Coronet Peak.

Features
The spacious open plan living and dining area features a stylish, contemporary fitted kitchen with a large rustic kitchen table, glass splash backs and over size ceiling lights.

An open fire and feature ceiling-height schist stone fireplace create the prefect environment to relax in the colder months, with comfortable leather armchairs and couches. In the summer, large floor to ceiling glass doors can be opened up to the terrace area, which enjoys an outside open fire and provides access to the lap pool.

4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 ensuite), open plan living, dining and kitchen area, lap pool and heated spa.

Project location
Arthurs Point, Queenstown, New Zealand
Architect
Murray Cockburn Partnership

Further info
www.ultimatehides.com
www.koharalodge.com
Plans

Herbst Architects - Lindale Bach

Herbst Architects

Lindale Bach

Sticks and stones - Blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, Lance and Nicola Herbst have become the masters of the simple, elegant, functional beach retreat. If they'd take the job, Lance and Nicola would be my choice for designing an eco retreat.

Overview
Built on an island with no mains electricity and daily ferry connections, the Lindale residence on Great Barrier Island HAD to be as energy efficient as possible.

Minimal materials were freighted in and the central Gabion wall of the residence an ideal solution. Using local river stones, the wall provides a fantastic heat store and structural backbone to the build. The wall also counters the wind in covered outdoor spaces, together with a cosy fire making this retreat and so special.

Prior to the build beginning, large rainwater and sewage treatment tanks were buried under the site. The cooler environment promoting less bacterial growth and leaving the relatively pure rainwater, collected from all roof sections, requiring no treatment to drink.

A Full functional kitchen the heart of the residence is flanked by a covered porch to the right with open fire and shaded midsummer dining area to the rear. Sunken, in front of the kitchen and nearest to the beach, is a cosy built in couch and tv nook.

Traversing the Gabion wall to the rear of the house is the bedroom tower and bathroom. Two bedrooms with surf views or walk out patio respectively

Our primary concerns in the design of this building have been to:

• create an environment that facilitates and enhances the experience of living outdoors


• challenge convenience as the driving force behind decisions, concentrating rather on the rituals associated with space


• establish a range of spatial, light and textural experiences be responsive to the small scale of the existing built
  environment.
  

In order to articulate the building in a scale of forms appropriate to the environment the functions of the house that require complete weather enclosure are broken into three individual masses:

• a horizontal structure housing the living functions


• a tower housing the sleeping and bathing functions


• and a boatshed.

prevailing south-west wind a spine wall of gabion baskets is set at right angles to the site. The wall sets up a strong enclosing edge for the main covered living deck and provides an intimate textured backdrop to the bathroom space. The masses of the building are arranged around the gabion wall to form edges, create a range of negative spaces and provide wind shelter to two covered outdoor living spaces.

Lance Herbst

Project location
Great Barrier Island, New Zealand
Architect
Herbst Architects
Plans

Photos Patrick Reynolds

Simon Winstanley Architects - Deepstone Residence

Simon Winstanley Architects

Deepstone Residence

Of the earth - nestled in to the site of a former quarry, Simon Winstanley Architects have created the perfect "viewmaster" in the Solway Firth, Scotland (National Scenic Area).

Overview
The design meets the client's brief for a contemporary, energy efficient home which fully embraces the view
and relates to the surrounding context and landscape. The light, airy first floor contrasting the solid lower level, minimising the visual impact of the house, nestling it into the site. Open plan, the predominantly glazed top floor, provides two living rooms and a wonderful central entertaining kitchen dining area. Quite how the guests will tear their eyes from the view is another issue all together.

Location
The site is a steeply sloping, former quarry in a National Scenic Area which slopes steeply in two directions from the quarry base which forms the only level ground access.
The house is conceived as a stone plinth which echos the exposed quarry face and houses the bedrooms
with a garage & entrance under at the level of the quarry base.

Layout & Materials
The principal living accommodation is expressed as a lightweight glazed "pavilion" sitting on the solid plinth. It is set back to form an external terrace facing the sea and to reduce the apparent mass of the house.
The glazed pavilion is constructed with a steel frame and highly insulated timber infill panels clad in cedar and triple glazed windows. The roof, although thick internally to provide very high levels of insulation, is cantilevered on all sides with projecting expressed douglas fir rafters to give a thin, elegant leading edge.
The roof is finished in standing seam pre-fabricated grey zinc. The masonry base is finished in stone from re-cycled quarry waste.








The design uses the most energy efficient construction & technology where possible as part of a sustainable approach to building for the future:

• the external walls, floor and roof are insulated to a high standard and air infiltration is minimised.
  
• triple glazed windows with warm edge spacer bars, thermally broken frames and inert gas filled to achieve a whole window u-value of 0.7W/m2K.
  
• heat pump using a borehole as the ground source for the underfloor heating and hot water system with a closed combustion wood burning stove as back up.
  
• micro generation of renewable electricity using roof mounted Photovoltaic Panels.
  
• whole house heat recovery ventilation system.
  

Awards
The project has recently received a string of awards - a prestigious Saltire Society Housing Design Award, one of only two awarded this year, a Design Commendation from the Glasgow Institute of Architects and a Chartered Institute of Building Commendation Award. The project was also shortlisted in the Roses Design Awards.






Project location
Solway Firth, Scotland
Architect
Simon Winstanley Architects

Plans










Further photos flickr

Tennent + Brown Architects - Turn Point Lodge

Tennent + Brown Architects

Turn Point Lodge

Great Architecture - Choppered in - Tennent + Brown Architects landed their clients lodge softly in Pelourus Sound. The cozy wood fired lofts and separate living pavilion combine in a perfect self sustained retreat. Photovoltaics, rainwater harvesting and solar concious design combine with modern chic and warehouse like solidity of the steel frame construction.

The clients, two French brothers living in Singapore and Shanghai were struck by the outlook and drama of Turn Point.

The block had a designated building site on the southern side overlooking Four Fathoms Bay and in the shade most of the year. Instead the clients were taken by the outlook and drama of a narrow ridge facing northwest overlooking the point and gullies full of Nikau and regenerating broadleaves, up the long reach of the Pelorus Sound.

The challenge of this choice was accessibility. The site was 20m below a precipitous narrow forestry road, which itself was some 2km to the nearest barge landing, and some 50m above the sound. Discussions with David Kepes the selected contractor experienced in working the sounds, focussed on the difficulty and cost of accessing the site for both materials and labour.

It was decided to adopt the strategy of heli-lifting nearly prefinished buildings and subfloor frames to the site to minimise the need for site labour.  

The brief called for a dwelling with separate bedroom /study/bathrooms for each brother and a central living /eating /kitchen space. There was a desire for guest accommodation if affordable. The house would be used once or twice a year, predominantly in summer for the medium term.

The brief suited the heli-lifting strategy suggesting separate buildings of liftable size and weight. The design process thus necessitated an understanding of building mass. This was developed through research with heli-lifting specialists and our engineers. The idea of towers reflected the singular quality of the private spaces and suited the lifting approach. The communal building sits parallel to the water below, and extends out each end providing morning and evening outdoor spaces. These spaces receive sun and shelter from the land and sea breezes, so that the north eastern end is sheltered from the cool morning land breeze running from the south, and vice versa for the blustery afternoon sea breeze. This was created in two halves and winched together once landed on the sub frames.

The occasional use of the buildings and the strong western light and occasional winds, has been responded to with a system of operable and fixed louvers. These louvers, along with cladding of profiled coated aluminium, give the building the appearance of shipping containers and huts sitting on the hillside. The interiors were requested to be white by the clients and the exposed steel work was required for the extreme wind zone and loads exerted during flying.

A great deal of attention was given to the spaces between the buildings with terraces and decking, and retention of existing trees. Electricity is made on demand by a remote diesel generator and photovoltaics, and gas is used for water heating and cooking to minimise electricity loads. Solar hot water was not as suited for the intermittent use, and separate buildings. A biolytix septic tank suited the long periods of no use and rain water is collected from the roofs.

Architect Tennent + Brown Architects
LocationPelourus Sound, marlborough sounds, New Zealand
Project Year 2007
Plans