Modern Art Collector's Home | A Parallel Architecture

Commissioned by former New York city art collectors as their forever home, the limited footprint of this primarily single level structure floats above its gently sloping pastoral lot, threading between heritage oaks and ligustrum groves. Defining parallel gables recall the agrarian neighbors and house interior spaces of varying scale and form, each conceived around the diverse art collection they serve. Two adjacent vaulted spaces are respectively hallmarked by a ridgeline skylight that washes the kitchen and dining area below, while the expansive glass of the living room focuses views out towards the sweeping tree line. Sleeping rooms and a reading nook are rigorously nestled within the underlying forms, each connected by an ordered plan that offers interior views that stretch the length of the house. Terraced wood decks bridge between a stone massing wall and a plunge pool perched above the native landscape running below........more

Stone & Glass House | Summerhouse Reilstad | Norway | Helen & Hard architects

Reilstad is on the island of Finnøy - one of the largest islands in Ryfylke. The island is characterized by its typical Norwegian fjord landscape. The steep plot lowers towards the sea with outcrops and visible bedrock. Towards the east, sheep graze among a small collection of oak trees.

There is a terracing of levels within the house – adapting to the steep landscape of the plot. Each level steps down towards the private quay.

Here one lives on four levels – and move through an inner landscape that is connected to the exterior landscape on every level. In this way the house is organically adapted to the unique context.....more