Believe it or not, Fold House is a reincarnation of a historic guesthouse that was lost to fire. PARTISANS breathed new life into the space by designing a residential property that folds into the contours of a scenic hillside in Ontario. The two-story structure flaunts bold curves and is constructed from wood and steel that matches the topography of the environment. The Toronto-based architecture firm has centered its entire design around the swimming pool which is a poetic way to erase the memory of the fire incident.
The star of the house – a zen pool pavilion – sits on the lower part of the hill with a sweeping 80-foot long by 10-foot tall sliding glass façade that immerses the property into the views offered by the natural surroundings. Fold House’s fluid form surprisingly hides a 90-foot steel structural beam that is responsible for creating the cantilevered canopy and giving the illusion of a floating front pavilion. The roof is shaped like a wave and covered with a lush green carpet to provide natural cooling. This wave is visible inside as well as outside, kind of like an architectural ribbon that ties up the house. My favorite part was how the trough of the wave (lowest point) holds the external steel staircase creating a smooth slope in the white oak ceiling of the pool room.
For the house’s façade, PARTISANS used compression-bent wood which was also carried into its interior design. Compression-bent wood is usually not deployed at this scale, in fact, this artisanal fabrication technique is mainly used on furniture and musical instruments adding yet another unique element to the Fold House. Since the structure is nestled in nature, a 3D scan was performed to fine-tune its positioning so the environmental impact could be minimized and escarpment regulations of the area could be followed. The windows have also been placed in a checkerboard pattern to maximize sunlight throughout the year and reduce solar gain in the summer months. Fold House is the ultimate dreamy, minimal, home!
Designer: PARTISONS
Designing an Entire Campus
That’s what A.M.O.S. Design and A Plus are all about, yes! Designing an entire campus is something I’m sure many architects would dream of. With architecture by A PLUS a.s. Brno and Corian realizations in interiors by AMOS Design o., Masaryk University Campus was bound to be spectacular! This project spans back over 10 years, being set up and 2000 and the first bit complete in 2005. And now, in 2010, the last parts of this gigantic high-tech building are near completion.
This campus will comprise of sporting, scientific, and research facilities, detail park, office park, and residential premises in the near future. The aim of this project is to tie together contemporary architecture with science and technology. Interiors boast a ride range of modern materials including significant Corian applications.
*Corian is a brand name for surface material made of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate, created by DuPont. Solid and non-porous.
The photos in the gallery below are described thusly:
1. Aerial view of the campus area under construction
2. Roads connecting individual buildings of the campus at night
3. One of the entrance buildings of the campus
4. Morphology Centre
5. Information and check desk – Corian
6. Central counter in the library – lit through Corian
7. Information desks in the entrance hall of the area – Corian
8. Central desks made of Corian in a part of the sports hall
Architects: A PLUS a.s. Brno
Designer: A.M.O.S. DESIGN o.
Affordable Home
A roof over your head is probably the most important necessity of life; poverty should not be the reason that you get deprived of it. This sentiment is well understood by Jennifer Margell, which is why she has designed affordable homes for slums of Nairobi that are made from recycled materials. Called Makao (Swahili for home), each house can be customized and configured according to individual needs. The roofs of the homes collect and filter gray water; the roof panels also open to release heat. The hollow plastic walls are filled with mud on site for insulation and parts of it are made from recycled frosted panels.
An optional bathroom (with a self-composting toilet) and kitchen module can be added to the home. It’s been designed in such a way that the bathroom is on the inside space and an open kitchen wraps around the outer wall. The water storage tank is placed behind the bathroom, and keeps the utilities in one central area.
Over all a very well thought out plan that do a lot of good for the under-privileged community.
Designer: Jennifer Margell
