Modern Tropical House Design | Kauhale Kai | Hawaii | de Reus Architects

For this site perched above Kaunaoa Bay on Hawaii’s Big Island, design inspiration came from the clients’ affinity for modern art and architecture and their desire to capture Hawaii’s warm sense of aloha in a seaside home to share with extended family. The resulting interpretation of the traditional, close-knit, Hawaiian kauhale settlement is an elevated version of the island’s laid-back style, driven by restraint and understatement while designed for tropical livability.

An architectural pool forms the axis for organizing seven separate modern tropical pavilions, or hales, totaling 6,700 square feet. The hales are linked by outdoor gardens and spaces that act as corridors to create a village. These transitional spaces add a gracious quality to the home and provide a unifying synergy between the hale structures, tropical plantings, large-scale stone exterior elements and the site’s coastal views.

Minimalist finishes reinforce the clean lines, with warm woods complementing cool sand-grained plaster and brushed travertine floors. Easily maintained finishes and floors that welcome bare feet reinforce the aloha factor. The design incorporates cultural cues from ancient Polynesian culture, referencing the homeowners’ years of living in Tahiti. A stacked stone water feature at the entry and monoliths alongside outdoor pavilions evoke ancient Polynesian cultures......more

Modern Tropical Home Design | Punta Sayulita Residences | Mexico | De Reus Architects

" We were hired to master plan and design the resort club amenities and residential prototypes for this intimate private resort community across the bay from the seaside village of Sayulita. This 33-acre peninsula was previously entitled for attached condominiums, but the developers realized that single-family residences resonated with resort buyers who perceive value in having detached resort residences that are carefully integrated into the site.

Experientially, there is additional value gained with the privacy and luxury of a single-family home and the ability to feel the presence of the site versus a mass of attached condominiums imposed on the land.

Three residential prototypes were designed to fit into the hillsides and find commonality with the regional vernacular. Exemplifying sustainable principles of designing for both the guest community and the host community, the 62 private residences have been carefully sited on lots for view and integration into the environment. Carts are the main form of transportation within the resort, which allowed roadways to be small, minimizing site disturbance.

Buildings were sited to blend with the natural terrain, natural boulders and protected oil palms. The three hilltops are preserved as parks for the Sayulita community. A trail system will connect resort members with the reaches of the peninsula.......more

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

Wood Cladding House | Stonewood House | Australia | Breathe Architecture

Stonewood is efficient. it’s elegant plan offers flexibility for a humble family. It’s operable screens transform connecting spaces, sectioning large areas into intimate nooks, directing views and channeling breezes. Folding and unfolding according to use Stonewood reveals a different story in each configuration appearing effortlessly spacious within a modest footprint. Stonewood presents a unique and aspirational solution to a designing on a modest budget. The 8.5 star rated home employs elegant planning, and passive low-tech sustainability methods of thermal comfort to enhance the quality of space. - Australian Interior Design Awards 2014.....more

Modern Australian Wooden House | Into The Woods| Melbourne | Breathe Architecture

Into the Woods is located on a treed, sloping site, in Eltham north of Melbourne. The house takes the form of three fallen trees laid together on the forest floor. These "fallen trees" serve three functional requirements. The lower living quarters; the upper bedrooms and studios; and the central, circulation spine. Inspired by the clients "no fuss" mentality we designed a space inspired by the work of design-build Rural Studios in the south of the USA. A simple robust series of spaces, imperfect in their finish but still infused with sense of delight and wonder. The project has no painted walls or ceilings, instead employing ply and recycled timbers as interior linings. Conceptually linked to the hollow of the fallen tree, this approach also marks the progression of Breathe's work exploring the "de-materialisation" of structures, and pursuit of building only what is needed, rather what is expected. - Victorian Awards 2013.....more

House Using Recycled Materials | Sawmill House | Victoria | Australia | ARCH ER

" We focused our attention away from conventional solutions to investigate highly bespoke and cost effective alternatives. The Sawmill House demonstrates how Australia’s growing hoard of latent building materials can be used in new and innovative ways.

Located on the site of an old sawmill, which fell into remission in the late 90s, the Sawmill House is the result of a close connection between the client and the architect, brothers with a shared creative vision. The established relationship, and the client’s skill set, encouraged us to slowly develop the design over the course of construction, allowing for immediate feedback and bespoke solutions......more

Transparent House | LM Guest House | Dutchess County | New York | Desai Chia Architecture

Designed as a contemplative retreat for weekend visitors, this guest house is situated on a rock outcropping that overlooks a trout pond and open farmland with vast unobstructed views to the landscape. The house integrates a number of sustainable design strategies, including geothermal heating and cooling, radiant floors, natural ventilation, motorized solar shades, photovoltaic panels, and rainwater harvesting for irrigation, in addition to an elegant structural design.

Open views to nature create a stunning backdrop for the main living and sleeping areas. A main bedroom and two ‘couchette’ nooks with built-in bunk beds provide accommodations for six overnight guests......more

House Addition | Los Altos Pool house | California | Framestudio

Our client tasked us with a deceptively complex commission: design an addition to a suburban ranch house for swim spa and home gym. The challenge was that our scope of work was restricted to the addition only. Nothing else was to be touched.
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Our solution is inspired by modernist extensions to centuries old historic buildings in Europe. We created a dramatic angular glass volume, which we clad in weathered cedar, playing off the imagery of yard fences commonly found in suburban North America.....more