CONTEMPORIST

Brooks Avenue House by Bricault Design
Stiletto Chair by Magdalena Ekström
Hotel Villa by Uri Cohen Architects
Textile Field Installation by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Posted: 16 Sep 2011 02:26 PM PDT

Vancouver, Canada-based Bricault, designed the Brooks Avenue House in Venice, California.

The clients for this project needed more space to accommodate the needs of a growing family, but they were reluctant to leave their location in Venice – one of the few walkable neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

The solution was to maintain and remodel their existing 2000 square foot home, while creating a 1700 square foot addition and courtyard on the rear lane side. With an ideal climate for much of the year, a primary design driver was to create a seamless connection between inside and outside, while eliminating the need for air conditioning To this end, a central sculptural staircase links the ground floor with the rooftop deck, while doubling as a chimney to draw cooling breezes through the house. On the main floor, a sequence of pivoting doors opens the house to the courtyard, while on the second floor, windows fold back and full-height exterior panels slide into walls. A system of cedar battens serve as a shading device along much of the addition.

The volume of the new master bedroom extends out from the second story, creating a carport below. Its exterior is clad with a living wall system on three sides, visually tying together the courtyard greenery with the planted roof. All landscaping is fed with a combination of captured rainwater and recycled domestic greywater. The roof's softscape is divided between a highly productive vegetable garden and indigenous, low-maintenance grasses and shrubs. The roof also supports a solar panel array that is sufficient to meet household needs.

The house features a high-efficiency combination boiler, which supplies both radiant in-floor heating and domestic hot water. A hot water recirculation loop makes hot water available "on demand," while reducing consumption. Other features include low-flush toilets and non-toxic, low-VOC finishes, which are used throughout the house.

Visit the Bricault website – here.

Photography by Kenji Arai and Danna Kinsky

Stiletto Chair by Magdalena Ekström

Posted: 16 Sep 2011 05:09 AM PDT

Magdalena Ekström, a recent graduate from the Danish Design School in Copenhagen, has created the Stiletto Chair.

Description from the designer:

The Stiletto Chair is my answer to the next generation of upholstered furniture. Today most upholstery is made of foam and toxic glue – why not use a non-toxic material that gives the same comfort, but still uses less material?

Stretched nylon net functions as good as regular upholstery and less material is needed. It's extremely light and can be attached without toxic glue.

The inspiration of the chair comes from womens’ sitting posture. The shape of the Stiletto Chairis asymmetrical because women tend to sit more asymmetrical than men do. The intention was to create the same expression as in a chaise longue, but in a modern, elegant easy chair.

Hotel Villa by Uri Cohen Architects

Posted: 16 Sep 2011 04:24 AM PDT

Uri Cohen Architects designed the Hotel Villa in Yessod Hammala, Israel.

Description from the architects:

This is a preservation and an extension of a historic heritage monument on the first street in Yessod Hammala, which was built by the 'pioneers' in the late 19th century. It's located in a tourist area and this makes it possible (or at least part of it) to be used in the future as a boutique hotel or for another commercial use. This was the prime reason of creating one long corridor crossing the entire site which connects all kind of (outside) spaces that can be joined or rejoined in different phases for the future. The complex can by used as one, two or even three living units, one house with commercial space or guest rooms or even the whole complex as one hotel.

The facades of the historical house has been preserved; however, the scheme introduces a split level space, halfway dug in the ground in order not to exceed the height of the historic house. This split level space gives the (outside) spaces privacy from the (touristy) street as well as the possibility to have some higher spaces open to the breeze during warm evenings.

The new edition to the old house has been constructed as a floating box above the ground floor, which gives shade and protection for the main living space below on the ground floor. The ground floor itself has been designed as if the landscape goes continuously across the whole yard while partially enclosed by glass walls. This 'modern box' is being supported by stone fences which are so typical on this street.

Visit the Uri Cohen Architects website – here.

Textile Field Installation by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Posted: 15 Sep 2011 06:12 PM PDT

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in collaboration with the textile company Kvadrat, have created the Textile Field installation at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

Description from the designers:

During the London Design Festival, The Victoria & Albert Museum invited us to intervene in any space we wanted within the Museum: the result is Textile Field an installation 30 meters long and 8 meters wide which takes over 240m sq of the floor of the famous Raphael Cartoons Gallery.

An invitation to lascivious reverie. Our intention is to propose a different, casual approach to freely experience what can be a quite intimidating environment, such as a museum. We conceived an expansive, coloured foam and textile piece with gentle inclinations to produce a sensual field on which to comfortably lounge while meditating on the surrounding Raphael Cartoons. Everyone can immerse into this temporary installation, for a minute, an hour or more, that is the idea. No efforts, no apprehension just contemplation.

Visit the Bouroullec website – here.