Timber House Design

The main and almost the only building material for this house in Rotselaar (Belgium) was bamboo. Architects say that in terms of the ratio of quality and ease of gaining, it cannot be compared with any other material. A thick twig can shoot up in only three years. AST 77 Architecten have built this long and narrow home replacing the old buildings and running construction along an existing old retaining wall. The dwelling of the house is 26.3 m long and only 4.5 m wide. In the past there was a residential recreation zone, where people used to build their summer houses. Trees surrounding the house provide shade in summer and sun rays of daylight in winter. The house can be called an effective low energy house due to the heat pump, floor heating, extensive insulation, and a ventilation system.

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Very unusual form for office was created by Platform 5 Architects. Like a giant shell it curls over itself enabling a comfortable and secure residence inside. ‘Shoffice’ is located in northwest London remotely from the bustling city life. Office combines several functions being backyard office, storage space and sculpture at the same time. Surrounded by the small walled garden space Shoffice has a special open area that provides a space to store gardening implements. There is a terrace in front of the office that also surrounded by the wooden shell curves but it has an opening at the top for lounging in the sun. The building has a glass walls on two sides of it which provides natural light and beautiful view. The curved construction is made with two steel ring beams, timber ribs and a stressed plywood skin.

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This house in a Chilean city Quintero was built by the studios Nicolás del Rio and Max Núñez in 2009. The tight budget and unfavorable natural conditions defined the basic lines of design. La Baronia House is situated not far from the Pacific Ocean, so it can cause the problems for the construction because of corrosion. Due to the using of two inert materials - glass and weathering steel - this problem was decided. The house has two levels designed differently from each other to create different relations with the horizon. Common areas upstairs decorated and made of variation of wood, whereas the bedrooms downstairs have horizontal window, detached from the wooden structure. This architectural idea has allowed maintaining access to the beautiful views in an uncomfortable for construction place.

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This house, built from a cluster of Origin modules, is located in Joshua Tree rocky desert (Southern California) which is a national park since 1994. The location of the house promotes much of natural daylighting and shadow side reduces overheating, which is so uncomfortable in desert. The owners wanted to save a connection with a nature, so exterior living spaces are as important as the indoor ones. Joshua Tree home consists of two Origin modules, which are located at a right angle and create shaded courtyard area. An additional module is placed at a slight distance and used as a cottage for a guest. The main construction includes ash cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops, bamboo radiant floors, Anderson windows and a photovoltaic system over the carport. Sometimes Joshua Tree Home is opened for visiting of public tours having a desert trip. You can see the home’s interior decoration at the photos below.

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This house in Lisbon is a type of Treehouse. But in contrast to the Treehouse concept it is a ready and closed project not requiring any further development. The construction of this eco house consists of two modules: the public area and the private area. There are a living room, a kitchen, three bedrooms and bathroom in both modules. The design and arrangement of the rooms make the whole construction compact and flexible, very suitable for a small territory. The sustainability of the Treehouse Riga is provided by the using of wood materials. The sliding wall made of birch wood can be used as a door to separate the public area and the private area, and vice versa - to extend the area connecting living room with a guest's room. The Treehouse Riga was built by Appleton & Domingos.

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In the River Road area in north Eugene there is a small timber-frame mini home that have cozy beautiful spaces inside of it for owners Rob Handy and Julie Hulme. This sustainable house, designed by Nir Pearlson and built by Six Degrees Construction, is 800-square-foot and as sustainable features it has a roof with a solar PV array, and a hot water solar collector. For the irrigating the garden there is reclaimed graywater and rainwater. The home has an exposed wood structure, earthen plaster walls with a double-insulated envelope, metal roofing, and plywood and HardiePlank siding. The interior and arrangements of the rooms consist of a front porch, the areas for living, dining and cooking, interacting in the central space of the house. Then the study/guest room opens onto the partly-sheltered deck overlooking the garden. There is a centrally located wood stove, a master bedroom and a light-filled bathroom. This sustainable home building received gold-level certification from the Earth Advantage Institute.

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Christoph Krause, director of “Center for Design, Manufacturing and Communication” in Koblenz initiated a project called “Treehugger”. It is a temporary pavilion, the kind of pavilions that are not intended to some special functionality, but their forms and design bring the inspiration and emotional rise. The appearance of pavilion resembles the cells of a pentagonal shape, made of glass and timber. When one is inside it is a feeling like you are in some another planet, breathing alien planet’s atmosphere. An interesting effect is achieved due to the special light system - interactive light-installation, which was developed by the Faculty of Intermedia Design together with the Faculty of Computer Sciences from University of Applied Sciences. This construction was designed to show students the possibilities of computer modeling for the manufacturing technologies and design. The project was led by Professor Holger Hoffmann together with One Fine Day office. [caption id="attachment_22514" align="alignnone" width="620"] Treehugger pavilion[/caption]

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Cooper Joseph Studio from New York has created a renovation project of Sonoma Residence. Located on a hill overlooking the vineyards of Sonoma, California, mansion occupies 205 sq.m. and features an open plan with two bedrooms, spacious living and dining area as well as outdoor swimming pool. Restoration works and new design brought new life into the house, completely transformed the appearance of the mansion. The owners of the residence are two scientists involved in a number of agricultural projects such as the cultivation of olive trees and olive oil production, breeding of bees and honey production. They wanted the house to blend well with nature and have wonderful views. The important point was the use of wood, so the interior design is decorated with oak. In general, the residence combines the spirit of a country house with touch of modernity and urban life.

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