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      Relogged house by Balbek Bureau reinterprets traditional log cabins

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      Architecture studio Balbek Bureau has revamped a house in Ukraine using stainless steel and concrete to create a modern interpretation of a log cabin.

      The three-bedroom cabin was built from horizontally stacked logs, which the designers kept on display throughout the interior.
      Horizontally-laid logs clad both the exterior and interiorThe Kyiv-based studio aimed to deviate from conventional cabin interiors, instead creating an industrial, utilitarian scheme informed by the style of American fashion designer Rick Owens.
      “The pre-existing interior was in a classic log cabin style,” Balbek Bureau told Dezeen. “The logs were a lighter shade, closer to the natural wood colour – the furniture was mostly made of wood as well with traditional country-style shapes dominating the interior.”
      The stairs have cantilevered steps that appear to floatIn order to lend itself to a more industrial finish, the studio trimmed the interior of surplus logs and timber.

      “Our goal was to achieve a clean geometry of the space with as little extra lines as possible,” said the studio.
      “That is why we removed part of the log beams that were not load-bearing – we did the same with non-bearing walls to create an open space on the first floor.”
      A towering fireplace dominates the living spaceMicrocement flooring and project-bespoke furniture pieces such as stainless steel consoles were added to the spaces to contrast the traditional log walls.
      Vintage lounge and dining chairs from the owner’s own collection were added to character to the spaces, which were hung with paintings belonging to the client.
      Log beams juxtapose industrial finishes in the kitchenThe glass-fronted entryway contains a staircase comprising timber planks cantilevered out from wall. Beyond, the kitchen, dining room, home office and living room are contained within one fluid space.
      The cabin’s construction is most apparent in the double-height living space, where logs form tall bookcases accessed by a sliding metal ladder. These flank a tapered fireplace made from concrete blocks, at the foot of which sits a large sofa.

      Looking Glass Lodge features glass facades that reflect the surrounding woodland

      The use of concrete continues in the kitchen, which is dominated by a monolithic kitchen island flanked by floor-to-ceiling stainless steel cabinets.
      Plywood panelling replaces logs in the curtain lined theatre room leading off of the kitchen.
      Metal consoles on casters sit below the screenModern, black-framed windows were installed throughout the building, with vertical windows added in the home office and dining room to bring more sunlight into the space.
      Original ceiling beams were left exposed to highlight the cabin’s original construction.
      A clear desk contrasts the wooden dining room furnitureRecalling the sofas downstairs, the master bedroom features a sprawling custom-made bed that sits low to the floor. Its upholstered sides were bolstered by stainless steel consoles similar to those in the theatre room.
      Retro lamps were added as a playful touches including a bulbous standing lamp that arches over the bed.
      The main bedroom utilises warmer-toned woodA moveable mirror-panelled screen on castors sits against one wall, and a wooden mid-century console references the warm-toned timber-clad walls.
      Throughout the house black radiators, ceiling lights, window frames and power outlets punctuate the rooms.
      Upholstered sleeping nooks create a cosy atmosphereThe two bedrooms on the other side of the cabin retain the dark-toned log walls of the living room, adjoined by steel shelves and contrasted by soft, padded sleeping nooks.
      Both of the bathrooms are a stark contrast from the rest of the interiors, with almost no wooden finishes at all and housing white fixtures.
      Concrete covers the bathroom walls, floors and ceilings”[Relogged] allowed us to work on rethinking the rather established and traditional form of a log cabin,” concluded the studio.
      Other cabins featured on Dezeen include A-frame cabins in a remote Canadian forest by Atelier l’Abri and a cabin clad in ash wood on a rocky outcrop in Norway by Line Solgaard Arkitekter.
      The photography is by Andrey Bezuglov and Maryan Beresh.

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      Most Architecture creates micro factory with “everything on display” for Charge Cars

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      UK studio Most Architecture has converted an industrial shed in west London into an all-black-and-white showroom and production facility for electric car start-up Charge Cars.

      Created to manufacture Charge Cars’ first vehicle the ’67 – an all-electric version of the 1960s Ford Mustang Fastback built using components from electric vehicle brand Arrival – the facility also acts as an office and showroom.
      Most Architecture has created a factory for electric car start-up Charge Cars”Charge designs and makes its unique cars in a single facility,” said Most Architecture founder Olga McMurdo. “Like an open-kitchen restaurant, everything is on display to the staff and customers.”
      “So we created an environment that allows immediate access to every aspect of the process from design through to production,” she told Dezeen. “The factory, and all of its contents, are at once an agile design and manufacturing centre, a customer showroom, and a design statement.”
      The building is arranged around the workshopThe facility in Stockley Close, west London, was designed around the idea of promoting a connection between Charge Cars’ clients and the engineers building and customising the cars.

      At its centre is a large open workshop where the cars are built and customised, which is overlooked by various offices and meeting spaces.
      Charge Cars’ ’67 will be manufactured in the factory”Our client came to us with an ambition to re-define a classic design icon using cutting-edge electric vehicle technology and to create a customer experience that engenders a visceral response to the product, and the process of creating it,” said McMurdo.
      “Their space had to accommodate both the manufacturing and the design process, facilitating teamwork and recreation, testing, a showroom, and areas for customer engagement,” she continued.
      “All that had to happen within one architectural volume, and so the primary challenge was to facilitate all of these activities simultaneously and symbiotically, whilst projecting a clear and coherent design statement reflecting the client’s philosophy.”
      Office spaces overlook the workshopUnlike the majority of car factories, the Charge Cars facility was designed so that its customers can visit at any time to observe how the vehicle is designed and assembled.
      “Charge wanted the customer journey to be mapped out by the design of the building,” said McMurdo.

      Bindloss Dawes creates car barn for classic Porsche collector

      “The customer’s access to, and experience of, the factory is an integral part of the product,” she continued.
      “They have a personal relationship with the engineers that are making their car, and are able to see the car as it is being constructed.”
      The Charge Cars factory is almost entirely black and whiteMost Architecture designed the spaces with a stripped-back aesthetic united by a largely white and black colour palette, including a black light fixture above the building’s entrance.
      “The white and the black amplify each other by contrast, representing the fusion of a laboratory and a garage, and the constant dynamic between research and production,” explained McMurdo.
      “Using this pallet we also wanted to make an impactful design statement on entry to the building. The result was a large anamorphic light fixture, which coalesces into a Feynman diagram from a single vantage point, becoming a composition of independent pieces.”
      Cars are designed, built and tested at the facilityOther recent electric car factories featured on Dezeen include a black steel and glass facility designed by Snøhetta for car brand Polestar in Chengdu, China. In Sweden, Danish architecture studio Cobe is designing a development centre for Chinese car manufacturer Geely, which it describes as a “chamber of secrets”.
      The photography is by Paul Riddle.
      Project credits:
      Client: Charge CarsLead architect: Most ArchitectureInterior concepts: Evgeniy BulatnikovMechanical engineer: AironElectrical engineer: Smart Techno SystemsStructural engineer: HLS StructuralLighting: Gaismas MagijaBuilding control: The Building InspectorsWind consultant: Buro HappoldFire engineer: QFSMCDM advisor: Andrew Goddard AssociatesMain contractor: Hansa GroupSteel mezzanine contractor: System Store SolutionsLighting manufacturer: Esse-Ci

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      “Not having architectural education makes you find different solutions” says Charlotte Taylor

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      Visualisation artist Charlotte Taylor discusses how she is translating her digital design work into built architecture projects for the first time in this interview.

      Taylor is the founder of 3D-design studio Maison de Sable, where she collaborates with other 3D designers on renderings of imaginary, fantastical interiors and buildings.
      Recently Taylor’s designs have become less fantasy-driven and closer to real spaces, with some of them set to get built as physical architecture projects.
      “In the long term, I’d like to move more into architecture,” Taylor told Dezeen.
      Taylor is venturing into built architecture projects for the first time. Image by Thea Caroline Sneve Løvstad and top image by Nicholas PréaudHaving not pursued formal architecture training, the designer believes there should be more non-traditional pathways to designing buildings.

      “I didn’t train in architecture at all,” she said. “I think it would be great if there were more entries into architecture because it’s such a hard career to get into.”
      “I’d like to think that there’s hope that you can get into building physical spaces through unconventional means.”
      Casa Atibaia is a fictional home in Brazil that is due to be built. Image by Nicholas PréaudOne of Taylor’s designs due to be built is Casa Atibaia, a house that was originally conceived as an imaginary project in collaboration with designer Nicholas Préaud.
      The duo imagined the house situated by the Atibaia River in São Paulo, creating a digital model of part of the riverbank based on information from Google Maps.
      The interior of Casa Atibaia features on the front cover of Taylor’s bookFrom this, Taylor and Préaud designed a concrete and glass fantasy home raised on huge boulders, the interior of which features on the front cover of Taylor’s first book, Design Dreams, published last month.
      Although the project was not originally intended to be built, Taylor is now in the process of finding a plot of land suitable to actualise the design.
      The fantasy home is raised from the floor on boulders. Image by Nicholas PréaudTaylor has also collaborated with architectural designer Andrew Trotter on a house in Utah, which forms part of Trotter’s wider design for a hotel and retreat centre named Paréa.
      The house, which is currently under construction, was designed to blend into the desert landscape with large spans of glazing and walls finished in lime plaster.
      Taylor also worked on a house in Utah that is currently under construction. Image by Klaudia AdamiakAccording to Taylor her fictional designs have received a mixed response from architects, with some saying that “in the real world, it doesn’t work like that”.
      But for Taylor, not having an architecture degree and exploring spatial design digitally without being constrained by lighting, noise, safety and budget requirements allows for more creativity.
      The house in Utah was designed to blend into the landscape. Image by Klaudia Adamiak”It acts as a sort of creative playground for me in which I can test out all these concepts and see how they work visually,” said Taylor.
      “Then bringing that into the physical world and working with engineers and architects, it becomes pared down.”
      “I think not having architectural education makes you find different solutions or ideas to bring to the real world that wouldn’t have come from just designing an actual space,” she added.
      According to Taylor, digital design allows for more creativity than designing for the real world. Image by Klaudia AdamiakThe designer mentioned that her design icon Carlo Scarpa also never became a licenced architect.
      “My icon, Carlo Scarpa, never had his full qualification, so there are little stories that inspire me, but the general thinking is quite rigid – this particular entry is a bit frowned upon from what I’ve experienced,” said Taylor.

      Casa Atibaia designed to be “ideal modernist jungle home”

      Having learned most of her design skills from experimenting with digital design and collaborating with other designers, Taylor describes herself as “self-studious” and encourages other designers to create work that they feel best represents themselves.
      “Strive to build a portfolio that excites you and represents you the most,” Taylor said.
      “Through building a portfolio and working with 3D designers and architects was how I learnt – it’s very research-heavy.”
      She founded the 3D-design studio Maison de Sable. Image by Klaudia AdamiakTaylor’s Design Dreams book features 3D designs of buildings and interiors created by herself and other artists.
      The curation includes fantasy-like environments as well as renderings of interiors that appear like real, tangible spaces.
      “[The book] became a space in which to share my personal projects, the artists I work with and work I admire around the field of interiors and architecture,” said Taylor.
      Taylor recently published her first book. Image by Klaudia AdamiakAlthough most of the images are already widely shared online, by collating them all into one volume Taylor hopes readers will enjoy getting lost in the printed format.
      “The same way that the Instagram page acts where people go to get lost in the images, to have that in a physical format means you are able to spend more time in detail than you can on a phone screen,” she said.
      Design Dreams features work by Taylor and other digital designers”To take something digital that doesn’t exist in the physical world and bring it to print was quite important for me, to see it in that way,” the designer added.
      Although they work in the digital sphere, Taylor maintains that 3D-visual creators play a part in interior design trends.
      It collates digital designs into a physical format”The arts trends that happen in 3D gradually make their way into interior spaces, and it’s really interesting to see the Pinterest effect,” she said.
      “People love to collect images and make their ideal moodboard with them, and these spaces really play into that. People are constructing their own ideas and making architecture and interiors more accessible rather than something very professional.”
      In her own interior visual designs, Taylor includes elements from her actual home to make the spaces feel more relatable than traditional architecture renderings.
      The Design Dreams book includes fantasy interiors and ones that look like real spaces”It’s down to the construction of the images, they have this sort of lightning and familiarity, and we always put little props that will often be things from my home,” she said.
      “These little details make it lived-in and more relatable versus traditional architectural visualisation, which can be very sterile and not aesthetically relatable.”
      Taylor has also previously worked on various NFT projects, including a video artwork informed by an OMA-design sculpture and NFT capsules that contain digital images of fantasy architecture projects.
      The images are by Charlotte Taylor unless stated.
      Dezeen In Depth
      If you enjoy reading Dezeen’s interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.

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      Mattaforma considers “plants as clients” for Public Records outdoor space

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      Local design studio Mattaforma has created a plant nursery and community space for Public Records, a music venue and restaurant space in Brooklyn.

      The Nursery at Public Records sits in an outdoor space adjacent to the Gowanus institution’s other programming, a vegan cafe, club and listening lounge. It serves as a nursery for plants and as an outdoor music venue.
      Public Records expanded its programming to an adjacent empty lot, adding a DJ booth and plantsThe team at Public Records wanted to turn the adjacent, empty lot into a functioning space.
      To do so while limiting new construction, the team took advantage of several storage units already on the site, positioning them as both separators and inhabitable spaces for both humans and plants.
      Mattaforma created a system of wooden trusses to shelter the plants and equipment”The brief was an over winter nursery for their garden plant collection, as well as a community space that people could enjoy and learn about plants,” Mattaforma co-founder Lindsey Wilkstrom told Dezeen.

      “With this in mind, we focused first on designing a space that relied solely on passive heating in the winter, treating the plants as our clients first, then adapting a plant-oriented space towards humans as our secondary clients.”
      The trusses are lined with polycarbonate panelsTo house the plants, Mattaforma installed wooden pratt trusses lined with polycarbonate panels.
      The trusses were made on-site out of Microllam R laminated-veneer lumber (LVL), a manufactured wood that combines micro-layers of different kinds of woods like fir and larch.
      The space is meant to hold plants year-roundAccording to Wilkstrom, the material was chosen for its durability and also its manufacturer, Weyerhaeuser.
      “[It’s] the first American timber company to call for regenerative forest stewardship over 100 years ago and who still maintains today some of the highest ethical standards in their replanting initiatives, meeting SFI certification and transparency in their evolving ESG performance metrics,” said Wilkstrom of the company.
      Vents were included in the trusses to allow for passive cooling during the summer months. The trusses also extend out over the sound system and DJ booth to celebrate the DJ booth “like an altar”.

      RSDA repurposes shipping containers to form home on Indian farm

      Public Records also created the sound system for The Nursery, working with audio engineer Devon Ojas and manufacturer NNNN to develop a custom system that includes two blue-green and black speakers.
      In addition, the team brought in engineering firm Arup to advise on the acoustics of the space and New York-based Cactus Store to supply additional vegetation for the site.
      Besides the plants within the containers, trees and a grove of bamboo were installed around the concrete dance floor.
      Sustainable timber was used for the trusses”The Nursery is intended to be an ecological/urban intervention that serves to bring people and plants together, in reaction to the challenge of re-imagining an asphalt parking lot,” said Public Records, which was founded by Shane Davis and Francis Harris and has existed on the north end of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal since 2017.
      The once-industrial areas of Brooklyn have seen a variety of art and culture institutions moving in past years. Recently, a derelict powerplant, once known for its graffiti culture, was renovated by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron into an arts centre.
      Elsewhere in the borough, Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group converted a 19th-century train warehouse into a headquarters for a charitable organisation.
      The photography is by Adrianna Glaviano.

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      Three weeks left to enter Dezeen Awards China 2023

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      There are only three weeks left to complete your Dezeen Awards China 2023 entry!

      Dezeen Awards China, in partnership with Bentley Motors, is open for entries. The entry period ends at midnight Beijing time on Thursday 24 August, after which late entry fees will apply.
      Why enter Dezeen Awards China?
      Dezeen Awards China will celebrate the best Chinese design talent and highlight Chinese architects and designers’ growing global influence.
      Shortlisted and winning entries will receive significant recognition! They will receive a page on Dezeen’s WeChat account and on the Dezeen Awards China site.

      Projects will also be featured on Dezeen’s social media, with a following of seven million, as well as in Dezeen’s newsletters to over half a million subscribers.
      Find out more about Dezeen Awards China ›
      Who are the judges?
      Your work will be judged by a panel of 15 leading professionals from the architecture and design world in China including Ma Yansong and Rossana Hu, as well as high-profile international figures such as Ilse Crawford and Michael Young.
      Our judges are not only looking for beauty and innovation but also for projects that strive to benefit users and the environment. Full details of the judging process can be found on the terms and conditions page.
      See the judges announced so far ›
      Who can enter?
      Dezeen Awards China is for studios based in China! Entries from international firms will only be eligible if they have an office based in China that primarily delivered the project. It is open to studios large and small, with adjusted entry prices to avoid large companies dominating the categories.
      Your project must have been completed between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2023 and doesn’t have to be located in China.
      Read our terms and conditions ›
      How do I enter?
      For more information on how to create and submit your entry please click here. You can also drop us a line at [email protected] if you have any questions and someone from the team will get back to you!
      For information about Dezeen Awards China in Chinese, please visit our WeChat mini program by scanning the code below with WeChat.
      了解中文版有关 Dezeen 设志大奖的信息，请使用微信扫描右方太阳码访问 Dezeen 设志大奖的微信小程序。

      Dezeen Awards China 2023
      Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent in China.

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      Whittaker Parsons crowns North London mews house with “bolthole” extension

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      Using a combination of copper, larch and structural insulated panels, architecture firm Whittaker Parsons has added an additional storey to a contemporary mews house in Stoke Newington to house a bedroom suite.

      Originally built in 2005, the property belongs to a couple with two older children, who have lived here for the last decade.
      Whittaker Parsons added an additional storey to a London mews houseThe family asked Whittaker Parsons to provide more space with the addition of a loft, as well as to revamp the lower floors including the studio on the second floor, which was reconfigured to create a well-proportioned workspace complete with its own library.
      Daylight floods the new third storey, bouncing off lime-plastered walls while carefully positioned windows provide views of tree canopies and across rear gardens from window seats and the bespoke bed.
      “We set out to design a beautiful, healthy, serene retreat, in which the homeowners could immerse themselves in the beauty of natural materials, a bolthole in the middle of north London,” Whittaker Parsons told Dezeen.

      The extension is accessed via a larch-clad staircaseWith efficiency and quality in mind, the studio used prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPs) to construct the additional storey, with the aim of minimising waste and saving time.
      “Compared to standard timber construction, it is simpler to control the quality of onsite workmanship and achieve a more robust, air-tight building envelope,” the team explained.
      Generous windows provide views of the surrounding areaExternally, the extension is set back from the street elevation and finished in materials that mirror the surrounding architecture, including black-stained timber cladding, brick slips and patinated copper to tie in with the copper facade on the second floor below.
      Internally, the triangular arrangement of the larch beams was developed to work with the load path of the existing building and the irregular form of the loft.
      “The intention was to make visible and celebrate the structural effort that went into creating this new space,” Whittaker Parsons explained.
      Integrated window seats provide a place to restThe practice created a tranquil master bedroom with a larch-clad and lime-rendered interior, bespoke larch bed frame and walk-in wardrobe made from low-formaldehyde furniture board.
      As the unsealed lime plaster wall finish cures, the lime will absorb almost as much carbon as was emitted in its production, the studio claims.
      “Lime render is a calming tactile material, characterful and soft,” said Whittaker Parsons. “It is a low-carbon alternative to gypsum plaster. It’s also a hygroscopic material, so it naturally moderates the moisture level in the bedroom.”

      Architecture for London uses natural materials to renovate studio founder’s home

      Used alongside the render, white oiled larch panelling spans the spaces between the exposed larch beams, improving acoustic absorption.
      “Often in bedrooms, the ceiling is the most important yet neglected surface,” the studio said. “The larch adds a sense of warmth, calm, and character to the space, creating an articulated ceiling at the top of the house – almost a reward for climbing all those stairs.”
      Whittaker Parsons also created a custom larch-wood bed for the interiorIn the adjoining skylit shower room, fluted travertine tiles line the walls, enveloping the shower area and complementing the travertine floor tiles.
      “The roof light to the shower oversails the fluted travertine tiles, creating the impression that one is showering outside under the sky,” said Whittaker Parsons.
      The basin, splashback and vanity unit are formed from unsealed Calacatta Rosato marble, which according to the studio provides a lower-carbon alternative to fired tiles.
      The vanity in the adjoining bathroom is formed from Calacatta Rosato marbleOverall, Whittaker Parsons says the project is “exceptionally low-carbon”, with the bulk of its embodied emissions coming from the triple glazing, thermal insulation and a single steel beam used to create the opening for the staircase.
      Founded by Matthew Whittaker and Camilla Parsons in 2015, Whittaker Parsons has completed a number of projects in the British capital including The Naked House, which was longlisted for sustainable interior of the year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards.
      The marble is paired with fluted travertine tilesOther sustainably-minded extensions in London include Low Energy House in Muswell Hill, designed by local studio Architecture for London founder for its founder Ben Ridley.
      The photography is by Jim Stephenson.

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      Studio V clads Long Island City apartments in British racing green terracotta

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      Architecture practice Studio V has unveiled The Green House apartment block in Long Island City, USA, which was informed by the neighbourhood’s history of terracotta production.

      Situated at a prominent location on Jackson Avenue near the New York City neighbourhood’s waterfront, the 12-storey block encompasses a gallery, retail, 46 two-bedroom apartments and 40 parking spaces that are spread across two lower floors.
      “[Studio V founder] Jay’s goal with this building… was to create a design that points to the future of Long Island City as well as respects its past,” the studio told Dezeen.
      The Green House was designed by Studio VChosen as a contemporary interpretation of local terracotta-clad architecture, the British racing green colour gives the building its name.
      “Green was perfect for multiple reasons: to broadcast the sustainable design of the building and as the complementary colour to the traditional red [terracotta],” Studio V told Dezeen.

      “We also chose a glazed terracotta [finish] which features a shiny surface [and] brings the custom curved forms and shapes to life, giving the facade depth, reflecting light and capturing shadow.”
      The Green House was clad in British racing green terracotta tilesStudio V aimed to create a unique building by drawing inspiration from the site’s “rich history of terracotta production,” warehouses and red terracotta-clad architecture that are typical of the site.
      Three bold, large-scale murals by Brooklyn art duo Faile contrast the uniformity of the terracotta cladding and reference the significance of Long Island City as “a hub for contemporary art”.

      ODA completes “pixelated” luxury condo building in Queens

      Manufactured in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, the terracotta tiles were arranged  linearly with spacing and windows arranged to be reminiscent of a warehouse.
      “We’re not interested in generic design: architecture must reinvent a site’s history and context,” said Studio V founder Jay Valgora.
      Colourful murals by Brooklyn art due Faile contrast the uniformity of facadesThe three-storey lobby on the ground floor was designed as a gallery space and dedicated to “retail and active uses,” as an extension of the shops and restaurants that occupy the surrounding streets.
      Flux Chandelier, by Brooklyn-based artist Jen Lewin, illuminates the space. Its colour-changing pendants are activated by the movement below, adding an interactive element to the building.
      Facade facing Jackson AvenueDue to the unusual trapezoidal shape of the site, The Green House consists of two street-facing facades, which created an opportunity for variation in the terracotta facades.
      Woven bronze mesh panels that conceal the elevator tower and parking areas, storefronts and gridded windows formed “two distinct [yet] complementary compositions” that face Jackson Avenue and 50th Avenue.
      Facade facing 50th Avenue with alternate compositionA raised internal courtyard oriented to overlook the “stunning views of Manhattan across the East River” provides space between the apartments to prevent them from looking directly into each other.
      The Green House contains two further outdoor spaces – a shared wrap-around terrace accessed on the penthouse floor and private individual terraces for residents on the eighth floor, created by the staggered design.
      The Green House features individual terraces on the eighth floorThe electricity-powered apartment block also contains conference and co-working spaces to accommodate the rising trends of remote work.
      Other terracotta-clad architecture recently featured on Dezeen include a triangular mixed-use complex that is rotated around a central axis and a school that was informed by a child’s doodles.
      The photography is by Alexander Severin.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Studio VDeveloper: Charney CompaniesGeneral Contractor: Broadway ConstructionMEP Building Systems: Ettinger EngineeringStructural Engineering: Titan Engineers

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      Akio Isshiki Architects marries old and new with Japanese home and restaurant

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      Japanese studio Akio Isshiki Architects has transformed an old wooden building into a warm-toned home and public restaurant named House in Hayashisaki Matsue Beach.

      Located on a coastal street in Akashi in southern Japan, the mixed-use space was built within a 50-year-old building for a local designer and features a curry restaurant as well as residential and working spaces.
      Designed to reflect traditional Japanese dwellings, the home and restaurant are contained within a wooden building that was previously dark and separated.
      House in Hayashisaki Matsue Beach was designed by Akio Isshiki ArchitectsDuring the renovation, Akio Isshiki Architects aimed to pair existing elements with modern features to reflect the mixed-use nature of the project.
      “The house was divided into small rooms, narrow and dark,” studio founder Akio Isshiki told Dezeen.

      “It was very old and damaged, but fortunately the carpenter had done a good job, there were no leaks, and the structure was solid.”
      It is located in AkashiAccessed from the roadside, a series of circular stones form a path that leads through the planted front garden and curves to extend along the front of the building, providing access to the ground-floor restaurant.
      Here, a stepped sheltered porch features external seating and is separated from the interior space by a wide sliding glass door set in a timber frame, which offers views into the garden and can be fully opened to connect the dining space to the outside.
      The structure contains a restaurant and a homeInside, the floor has been coated with dark tiles informed by the history of the area, which was formerly a large tile producer.
      “These tiles were handcrafted one by one by tile craftsmen in Awaji, with the image of lava stone pavements seen in cities in Central and South America superimposed on the texture and edge shape,” said the studio.
      It draws on traditional Japanese homesWooden furnishings, including bespoke D-shaped chairs designed by the studio and created by a local woodworker, are arranged throughout the dining space at the front of the building.
      “To ensure stability even on uneven floors, three legs are used as a base for the chairs, and the legs are made of a thick material so that they do not fit in the joints of the Kawara tiles,” said Isshiki.
      “I aimed for a primitive design with an unknown nationality, with as simple and crude a composition as possible.”

      Apollo Architects & Associates create home from stacked volumes in Tokyo

      Separated from the main space by an earth-toned counter, the kitchen is tucked into one side of the dining room and features walls clad in wooden panels and white tiles, along with a lighting fixture formed from two circles that hangs in the street-facing window.
      A Japanese shoji screen at the end of the dining room is the first of a series of flexible partitions throughout the home that can be pulled out to provide separation between the spaces.
      The upper floor contains private residential space”Conscious of the tropics and nostalgia, we put nets that look like mosquito nets and sudare blinds on the shoji screens,” said the studio. “The graceful plans created by imperfect partitions such as shoji and fusuma are typical of ancient Japanese architecture.”
      “In this house, where cultures, nationalities, times, and various other things are combined, I thought it would be appropriate to have the spaces partially mixed so that they could feel the presence of each other, rather than being permanently partitioned in terms of usage,” it continued.
      Wood was used throughout the interiorBuilt on a raised timber platform, the rest of the ground floor holds private rooms for the client, which are divided by shoji screens, including a traditional Japanese room that opens onto a garden.
      A home office borders the dining space, where a central black ladder leads to the floor above, while a bedroom, bathroom and utility room branch from the other side of the corridor.
      The residential space has views of the seaUpstairs, the studio added an open arrangement of dining and living spaces with warm-toned surfaces including a red wall and dark wooden beams that interact with the home’s original rustic roof structure.
      “The wall on the second floor is a scraped wall mixed with red iron oxide and finished by a plasterer from Awaji,” said Isshiki. “This is an attempt to incorporate the colourful walls of each country into architecture in a Japanese context.”
      The home has an open-plan living arrangementOther Japanese homes recently featured on Dezeen include a Tokyo home spread across two stacked volumes and a concrete home supported by a single column on Japan’s Okinawa Island.
      The photography is by Yosuke Ohtake.

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