A Japanese house extension was built for a family who wants to keep two generations close by. In Shizuoka, Japan there’s a small two-story building with a total floor area of 82sqm that fulfills these special requirements: a house for sheltering the sleeping and study areas of a young couple while social areas were kept in a shared logic with the existing house. Flexibility was a goal to be achieved in this singular context, so an ingenious design explored the traditional values of Japanese architecture in a more dynamic approach. Continue reading →

In London there’s an old Victorian building that shelters a private school in a dense urban context. A new extension on top of the existing brick volume was needed in order to respond to the increasing number of students and lack of empty spaces around the site. Continue reading →

In Hobart, Australia there’s a new extension connected to a 1970’s brick house. This type of architectonic surgery needs to be dealt with responsibility in order to keep the careful balance between old and new. And in this particular case of the Dual Court House, I think its fair to say we have a winner. Continue reading →

How amazing is it for a family to see their former home being double-sized in the gentlest of ways… In Melbourne, Australia Profile House testifies such a remarkable conquest by extending the original 87sqm house by an additional 83sqm of total floor area. This unique architectonic transformation happens in a single-story building, using a new facade, referencing the surrounding brick and corrugated iron warehouses as well as the timber-clad exterior of the original building. A special effect was developed here: a wooden wall with a silhouette of three small buildings lines the edge of this contemporary house extension. Continue reading →

One might say that when an existing building is extended in space and volume, an addition takes place and a collection of various architectonic elements dominates the new composition. Sattler Smith Addition is an inspiring example of a modern renovation and extension to a small 1950‘s suburban house in one of Anchorage‘s older neighborhoods in Alaska. Continue reading →

Sometimes a small renovation can be the opportunity for a complete transformation. Slat House in London demonstrates how to turn a new addition project into a vibrant manifest of modernity. The clients wanted to add an extension volume to their existing brick house in order to expand the livable space by an extra bedroom, bathroom and a garage. Of course this is nothing unusual, however the architectonic solution was everything but conventional. Continue reading →

When architecture follows landscape, the result can only be excellent and unexceptionable. In Nijmegen, Netherlands there’s a house extension that respects the close relation between an ancient house and a hill. A single story addition with 49sqm establishes the missing umbilical connection involving these two distinct moments: landscape and architecture. Continue reading →

A modern approach to increasing the area and number of floors of an existing house is often related to light-frame construction. Usually, wood assumes the main role in this building technique based around vertical structural members, providing a firm frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are strongly attached. A roof made of horizontal ceiling joists and sloping rafters covers the light-frame structure guaranteeing the necessary stability for this wooden skeleton. In Beijing, China there’s a good example of such a technique: W House – a single-story building made of brick walls and tile roof was totally renovated and expanded into a three-story building concealing a studio and a residential program. Continue reading →

The meaning of transfiguration refers to the experience of momentary divine radiance. Sometimes the phenomenon of transfiguration can be permanent and very meaningful, especially in architecture. An old ruined house has become a bright white manifest of contemporary architecture. A three-story house located in Alcobaca, Portugal, was object of a profound experience of enlightenment and renovation. A large irregularly site on the edge of the river Dull was the stage for this enigmatic transformation. Continue reading →

In Nantes, France there’s a wonderful example of how to merge recycled containers with existing architecture: House extension. The request for a small extension for a suburban 1960’s house lead to a pragmatic solution that takes full advantage of the mass produced module designed for transportation worldwide: steel shipping containers. Continue reading →