Modern House Designs

Sustainable Home Ideas - Eco Friendly Architecture Idea by Studio 804

This contemporary, sustainable home idea was conceived by Studio 804 – a design/build program at the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Schooling the public in the art of eco friendly architecture, Studio 804 went off the grid in their design for this single-family home project in the Rosedale neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. After demolishing an old magazine building from the Sunflower Ammunition Plant, the designers recycled and reused the lumber, giving the house its distinctive barn-style facade. Many conventional ideas are used in this innovative, sustainable home design. The wood-clad exterior makes way for large glass walls, protected by operational wood louvers that passively regulate temperature and light inside the home. Epoxy-coated “gyp-crete” floors aid in the passive heating and cooling of the house. And check out the composite recycled-paper countertops and kitchen cabinets! The vertical axis wind turbine, a Windspire designed by Mariah Power, is an alternate power supply. According to the architects, “We plan for active systems to be integrated throughout the building, including grey water recycling, solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal heating and cooling. It is our ambition for the residence to be certified the first LEED for Homes Platinum building in the state of Kansas. It is also our goal for it to be the first home in Wyandotte County to utilize renewable energy sources.” Studio 804
via Jetson Green
photo credit: Robert McLaughlin

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2 Jul 2009 | Sustainable Homes | Comments (0)

Courtyard House

This contemporary courtyard house by Seattle-based Hutchison & Maul Architects puts a sprawling 6,700-sq.-ft. house on a long, narrow and steeply sloped lot in Mercer Island, Washington. Panoramic views to the west can be enjoyed from the many courtyards, carved into the hillside. These wonderful courtyards offer a private retreat into the outdoors without leaving the comforts of home, while also flooding interiors with natural light. Residents and guests of this modern hillside home design enter an unusual, modern house via an entrance at the center of the structure, leading to the upper and lower wings. Overall, the feel of this hillside house is natural, despite its edgy, industrial exterior and ultra modern interior design – perhaps it’s the natural surroundings, and the way the glass and steel construction works with the open courtyard house plan. Hutchison & Maul Architects
via Space Invading
photo credits: Eduardo Calderon, Alan Abramowitz, Tom Hille

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1 Jul 2009 | Slope Houses | Comments (0)

Courtyard Home Plans , Courtyard House Designs , Hillside Home Plans , Open Courtyard House Plans

Horizontal House in Switzerland with Interior Courtyard

Located in Lupsingen, near Basel in Switzerland, this modern horizontal house by Luca Selva Architects is a contemporary contradiction to its pastoral surroundings. Situated on a grassy slope and surrounded by rural residential buildings, this unusual, private home stands out for its uniform slate-clad roof and facade, with lots of windows and skylights dotting the low-profile, minimalist design. The strong horizontal presence of the house makes for an unexpected interior, which is spacious, bright and flooded with natural light. An interior courtyard provides a surprise retreat into the outdoors, with rooms radiating out from this central focal point. This courtyard house design features sliding-glass doors that open onto the patio, bringing the outdoors into virtually every part of the house. Luca Selva Architects
via Arch Daily
photo credit: Ruedi Walti, Menga von Sprecher

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26 Jun 2009 | Custom Houses | Comments (0)

Courtyard House Designs , Interior Courtyard House Plans , Luca Selva Architects , Modern Swiss Houses , Swiss Architecture

Compact House Design – Nature-Inspired New York Nook

Designed for a historian to house his most-prized possessions – his books – this unique compact house design of 850-sq.-ft., complete with a writing studio and library, is the perfect place to sit, study, read, write, listen to music or just relax among the trees here in Long Island, New York. “The building was conceived as a mutable presence in the landscape,” says architect Andrew Berman. The home’s unusual copper-clad facade reflects the ever-changing colors of nature. A simple, wood-framed glass door opens to the V-shaped house plan. Angled out are the north and south facades of an ever-expanding interior that’s flooded with natural light through the large windows throughout. The double-height entrance leads to the kitchen and bathroom, and the working and entertainment areas at the read of the home. “The interior is defined by douglas fir, books and light,” explains the architect. Stairs lead up to a cantilevered second floor, nine ft. above the ground overlooking the treetops of the forest. This overhanging upper floor provides a covered ground-floor patio – a great spot for al fresco reading. Andrew Berman Architect
via Architectural Record via Cool Boom
photo credit: Michael Moran

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25 Jun 2009 | Compact Homes | Comments (0)

Compact Home Designs , Compact Houses , Forest House Plans , New York Homes , Unique House Designs , V-Shaped House Plans

Bunker Style Houses - Eco Friendly House in Stockholm

Stockholm based architecture firm RB Arkitektur designed this modern Swedish villa, a bunker style house, in its home town. Set on a gently sloping hillside, Villa UH1 is modeled on a WWII-era German bunker, and designed with all the contemporary comforts of home, and the added benefits of an eco house design. This contemporary residence is partially built underground, blending with its grassy surroundings and topped by an eco-friendly, moss-covered roof. Additional built-in sustainable systems include geothermal technology as an alternative energy source. That said, this modern Swedish villa has great aesthetic appeal, from its simple, sleek architectural accents inside, to its minimalist white palette and modern yet earthy finishes. The great shape of this house dictates its unusually shaped and placed windows, which flood interiors with lots of natural light – one more eco-friendly feature. Complemented with chic, sleek furnishings, this house is a Swedish dream home indeed. RB Arkitektur
via Freshome