Modern House Designs

Futuristic Homes

April 7, 2009

Modern Australian Architecture - Leaf House mimics terrain

In what has been described as “Late 20th-Century Structuralist” style, this amazing modern house in Sydney, Australia was designed by Undercurrent Architects to respond to the raw Australian terrain. This artist’s studio, an addition to the existing main house, reflects nature with its layered leaf-like corrugated copper roof, held up by wildly twisting root-reminiscent steel columns, and wrapped in 3-D curved glass that blurs the boundary between indoors and out. This contemporary, nature-inspired space enjoys views of the ocean and the landscape, and apart from its use a work space, is a favorite spot for meditation, yoga and as a guest retreat excavated beneath the bedrock. Undercurrent Architects
via Sydney Architecture
photo credit: Hugh Rutherford

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7 Apr 2009 | Futuristic Homes | Comments (0)

April 4, 2009

Innovative Architectural Design by Multiplicities

Designed by New York-based architects Multiplicities, the ultra-modern (X) House design is a memorable addition to Ordos 100 – a project in Inner Mongolia, China featuring innovative residential designs of 100 architectural firms and master-planned by artist Ai Wei Wei. (X) House is an organic, elliptical-shaped structure with an unexpected element of urban-cool. This contemporary design features curved exterior walls of black brick, enclosing around a central X-shaped “void” made of white quartz plaster. As described by the architects, “The ‘( )’ is imploded by the ‘X’ that expands and contracts from within, creating a dramatic void and multiple terraces at different levels from which to view the surrounding river landscape.” This innovative interior feels carved from the inside out, creating wonderful light-filled funnels that open to the sky, and dramatically shaped architectural features inside. Multiplicities

An interesting tidbit about (X) House – the “(X)” is not just the name of this innovative design, but it’s also the shape of the house. The ( and ) form the exterior walls, while the X is visible as the home’s interior in a cross-section of the design

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4 Apr 2009 | Futuristic Homes | Comments (0)

March 30, 2009

Light Architecture - LED House Illuminates Lake Constance in Switzerland

"The harmonious interplay between architecture and light."
On the sparkling harbor of Lake Constance in Switzerland, the awesome illuminated Nordwesthaus building sheds some light on modern architecture. The brainchild of architect Baumschlager Eberle, this cool modern design rises 14 meters out of the water as a glowing glass cube, illuminated by an ever-changing display of LED color sequences that go from green, to blue, yellow, to red before your eyes. LED applications specialist Zumtobel Ledon created the lit display to illustrate the sheer range of options offered by LED technology. Nordwesthaus boasts 125 LED spotlights, expertly arranged along the building exterior, with 12 integrated RGB LEDs per luminaire that allow for a palette of over 16 million colors. The compact luminaires equipped with asymmetrical optics ensure that the organically shaped voids in the concrete walls are lit in all their glory. It’s enough to draw you in. Once inside this contemporary building, the dynamic lighting effect is just as enticing. Baumschlager Eberle
via Media Architecture
Application: LED facade lighting.
Photo credit: Eduard Hueber

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30 Mar 2009 | Futuristic Homes | Comments (0)

March 12, 2009

Silo House in Utah - grain silos rock!

What a bachelor pad! This awesome 1,800-sq.-ft. Monte-Silo House was designed by Gigaplex Architects for a single man and his weekend visitors to Woodland, Utah. Nestled comfortably among nature and on the Provo River, this modern silo house was constructed of two linked corrugated-metal grain silos, giving the home its unique look and wonderful circular rooms inside. But apart from aesthetics, this house boasts some other cool features – namely, its eco-friendly features. The home’s southern exposure maximizes natural daylight and solar heat gain during the cold winter months. Adding to the cozy warmth, an electric mesh is installed into the lower floor to heat the house, along with a propane-burning stove for backup. Warm in winter and cool in summer, the metal grating and the second-storey deck provide shade, and sweet relief from the hot summer sun. Last but not least, the bedrooms – made especially for the homeowner’s two grandchildren – are a “bed in a box” concept, each equipped with stereo sound and a flat-screen television. Gigaplex Architects.

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12 Mar 2009 | Futuristic Homes | Comments (0)

February 4, 2009

Modern Tipi Design - Suburban Tipi by John Paananen

A tipi is a Native American tent, usually in a conical shape. John Paananen thought about giving the traditional tipi a modern twist and created this Suburban Tipi Design. Its origins come from living the typical nomadic existence. Here is where modern interferes with tradition. This tipi is made out of contemporary, light-weight materials. Read pvc, timber or polycarbonates. The interior was made following the same idea and incorporates panels, carpets and a plastic laminated floor. The innovation of this new type of housing is that it combines features not only found in tipis, but also in igloos and yurts. The suburban tipi was first installed at Cranbrook Academy of Art's Maija Grotell Courtyard, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It would also be interesting to found out the complete story behind John Paananen's tipi.