Casa RO Tapalpa by Elías Rizo Arquitectos - Modern Weekend ház Mexikóból

This house is situated in a forested area near the town of Tapalpa. The project consists of a country house to be used at weekends, so the program was basic. The project evolves from the idea of making a place of refuge, where isolation from the urban life and noise is the main priority. The house has a linear distribution with two distinct areas: the private areas accessed through a corridor and the public areas which span the main entrance to the terrace. The house is constructed with regional materials: solid walls made of slate and wood, and high ceilings with wooden beams. The private area holds three bedrooms while the public area contains the kitchen, living room, and terrace. The commission demanded a country house with common features, respect for the context and a specific program; but the most important request was for the house to step away from the usual typologies for houses of the region.

 With a contemporary personality, this house assumes a posture of absolute respect for the exterior which should be the main character. The house opens almost completely to the outside unlike all neighboring houses in the area. Most houses in the region take an inexplicable stance of closing off from the outside with the argument of cold weather. The finishing’s were carefully selected and designed to provide all the comforts of a city house such as quality flooring, carpentry and bathroom. The result is an impeccable construction where everything was completely thought through.

The Minimalist A-G House by dKO Architecture - Modern Minimalista családi ház Ausztráliából

Australian studio dKO Architecture has designed the A-G House.
Completed in 2011, this single story contemporary home is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The A-G House reinterprets classic mid-century California Modern design principles to suit the Australian design vernacular, creating a contemporary home for a young at heart – three generational family. The varied requirements of three generations of family living together shaped the brief from the clients.

Three wings are connected via a functional spine, whilst the archetypal Australian backyard is reoriented to the front of the house in the form of a central, alfresco entertaining area that merges seamlessly with the indoor living space. Each of the spaces is open and clean-lined, dominated by a tactile finishes palette of stone, glass and warm timber. Within this framework, each wing reflects the personality of its inhabitants through custom designed joinery and fittings and furniture selections.
Blue stone, a quintessentially Victorian material, wraps through vertical and horizontal planes to form warm and tactile kitchen benches and bathroom vanities. The internal blue stone flooring also continues through to outside living areas where, in conjunction with extensive use of glazing, it acts to further dissolve the barriers between inside and out – from generation to generation.
The family’s Italian heritage places importance on the role that cooking plays in their personal and social lives. Separate cooking facilities are provided in the Grandmother’s wing, her daughter’s wing and in the outdoor area connecting the generations. Each kitchen was designed to suit its primary inhabitants’ cooking style whether it be restrained and clean or open and chaotic.
Designed to provide a place for every kind of family interaction from exuberant get togethers by the pool, to individual study nooks for quiet contemplation, the A-G House sets a new benchmark for contemporary, Australian, family homes.

The High End Office Building - Wangjing soho by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid Architects have released new renders of a 200-metre-high commercial complex designed for Beijing.
the Wangjing Soho complex will comprise three large pebble-shaped buildings overlooking a road that leads to Beijing Capital Airport.
A three-storey retail podium will occupy the basement, ground and first floors of the buildings, while up to 37 floors of offices will be located above


Here are a few more details from the architects:
Wangjing Soho
Beijing, China

the Wangjing Soho building complex is a beacon along the way to Beijing’s modern gateway, the Capital Airport, and the journey of transition to and from the city.

the project acts as a welcoming post to the city and a gesture of farewell when departing Beijing. the buildings achieve this by reading differently when transitioning in either direction, leaving distinctly different impressions on those who pass by.

Like Chinese Fans, the volumes appear to move around each other in an intricate dance, each embracing the other from a continuously changing angle. this interplay creates a vibrant architectural complex that is enhanced by an equally dynamic external skin, which continuously varies in density creating a shimmering, exciting presence.

The Impressive Minimalist Renovation in Melbourne, Australia - Elképesztő Családi ház felújítás bátor színekkel

Wow this is impressive, brave use of colour which looks great – an old heritage house converted into modern home with touch of heritage background. Currently shortlisted for 2012 Colour In Residential Design & Residential Design Award.
Designed by  Matt Gibson Architecture + Design

Elagant Contemporary Curved House in Springfield, Missouri. - Kortárs Minimalista Bungaló letisztult családias Belsőépítészettel

Kansas City-based design studio Hufft Projects have completed the Curved House. Completed in 2009, this modern family home can be found in Springfield, Missouri.
According to the architects: “The contemporary Missouri home is a modern residence with distinctive lines. Conceived in plan as a U-shaped form, this residence features a courtyard that allows for a private retreat to an outdoor pool and a custom fire pit. The master wing flanks one side of this central space while the living spaces, a pool cabana, and a view to an adjacent creek form the remainder of the perimeter. A signature masonry wall gently curves in two places signifying both the primary entrance and the western wall of the pool cabana. An eclectic and vibrant material palette of brick, Spanish roof tile, Ipe, Western Red Cedar, and various interior finish tiles add to the dramatic expanse of the contemporary Missouri home. The client’s interest in suitability is manifested in numerous locations, which include a photovoltaic array on the cabana roof, a geothermal system, radiant floor heating, and a design which provides natural daylighting and views in every room.”