RESTLESSLIVING “... restlessly dedicated to contemporary living.

VOLUME 12

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RIVER HOUSE Mengwi, Bali, Indonesia

B
ali is well-known for its spiritual experiences, but the Balinese architec-
ture is quite remarkable too. In Bali, the connection between the nat-
ural surroundings and the living areas is of high priority, and the River
House is no exception. We have talked to the architect behind, Alexis Dornier,
to hear how he and his team developed this Balinese family home.

One of Bali’s key features is its breathtaking landscape. Alexis Dornier and
his team wanted to incorporate and respect this fact in the architectural de-
sign, so that nature should become part of the interior spaces. “We were in-
vestigating how it would be possible to accommodate the required program
into a volume that is carefully integrated into the setting, and is rather an
abstract sculpture than architecture. By lifting the volume off the ground, we
continued the terrain underneath it and rendered it the living room. Walking
through the building should become a three-dimensional experience with ex-
citing views and special situations, secretive and unexpected.”, Alexis says.

It quickly becomes clear that the Balinese culture is rooted and respected
throughout the design of the River House. “We seek to bring in the cultural
context for each of our projects and we are aiming for the right scale. In this

2 case the site and its conf iguration – narrow and very long – pushed us to
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RIVER HOUSE
stack the program into three stories. It was a real challenge to embed the re-
quired mass so it would not stick out too much. Thanks to the landscape team,
they did a great job by completing and complimenting the building – and now
it looks like it has been sitting there for quite a few years, the vegetation clear-
ly f rames and softens”, Alexis explains.

When architects design for private clients, there can naturally occur differenc-
es in opinions, and the process can be an enriching experience; not only for
the client, but also for the architect. “ This should become the young family’s
dream house. They were not such fans of curves and complex geometry, so we
operated in the realm of rectangular spaces that continue out into the land-
scape and into 3 floors. We closely worked together with them on all selections
of materials, and they had a huge impact to the design process and became
real team members rather than ‘just’ clients”, Alexis says and continues: “Medi-
ating between how architects design and how ‘ real’ people design became an
exciting challenge. As architects we need to challenge our view on things and
continuously do reality checks.” The experience of Alexis Dornier and his team
is an important element to remember. Most people have an opinion about ar-
chitecture and design – regardless of their profession. Admittedly, the archi-
tect is the expert, yet it is crucial to understand the differences in perceptions.

Architecture by Alexis Dornier Photography by Ricky Adrian – KIE

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 BLACKHEATH HOUSE Blackheath, London, United Kingdom

W
ithin Blackheath’s cherished Cator Estate, a new home sits comfort-
ably beneath the branches of an enormous cedar tree. We had the
opportunity to talk to Richard Walker, the director of Walker Bushe
Architects, about the design for the project.

The design for the Blackheath House is centered around a large 200-year old
Atlas Cedar tree, the branches of which cover half the garden and reach across
the road beyond. The site is surrounded by mature trees which creates a lovely
private leafy spot for a house. “We took care throughout the design process to
make sure the interior of each room had direct access to the gardens and that
the journey through the house mirrored the rise and fall of the gardens out-
side, which became our approach to the architecture as a whole”, Richard says.

Positioned to echo the site’s gently sloping contours, the cross-laminated tim-
ber-f ramed house is a beautiful enrichment to the natural landscape. “We felt
it was important to take full advantage of this verdant site and to design a
building that was outward looking with views f rom one side of the plot right
through the house to the other. So, we prioritized large expanses of glazing,
detailed continuous ceilings and floors that ran f rom inside to out and twisted
the plan in places to maximize the sight lines and at the same time retain a

6 sense of privacy”, Richard explains. The house was built on a sensitive

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BLACKHEATH HOUSE TRIBECA LOFT
conservation site, which meant that the planning consent took some time to
achieve. “We were lucky to have a patient client, who believed in the project
and was prepared to wait for it to be realized”, Richard mentions. The biggest
challenge, however, was the impressive structure of the house. “Once the build
was underway, we had some challenging structural considerations such as the
15m cantilevered canopy along the south façade. However, by working closely
with the excellent structural engineers at Michael Hadi Associates, and co-ordi-
nating carefully with the metalwork fabricators, we managed to achieve the in-
tended lightness and thinness of edge prof ile that forms the folding roof-scape
which characterizes the building and belies the structure inside”, Richard says.

Despite the gorgeous architectural outcome, the element Richard was most
proud about is related to the living experience. “I am proud about it feels like a
nice place to live. There is an atmosphere of calm and quiet in the house which
is enhanced by the simple, natural palette of materials and surrounding gar-
dens.  The proportions of the rooms have worked out really well and provide a
comfortable balance between generous social spaces without compromising
the privacy and separation required by more private rooms, which is always a
challenge in a single-storey house”, Richard concludes.

Architecture by Walker Bushe Architects Photography by Janie Airey

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F HOUSE
S
ituated on a 20 x 50 meter corner site in the
seaside resort of Cariló, Pinamar, the F House
is a summer home respecting its natural con-
text. We talked about the project with Fernando Gi-
anserra and Luis Gonzalo Lima, who are the found-
ers of Gianserra + Lima Arquitectos.
The house needed to consist of an independent suite
on the upper floor and two bedrooms on the ground
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floor for children and f riends of the owners.
“We put special emphasis on the flexibility of use of
the public spaces. The dining room and the kitchen
was covered and the central patio and gallery was
not. We also put great emphasis on its relationship
with outdoor spaces. It was very important to main-
tain the old pine tree, and the house had to require
a minimum of maintenance”, Fernando says and
Luis continues: “With these project premises we de-
veloped a “U”-shaped floor, with its main rooms ar-
ranged towards the interior of the patio and the gal-
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Cariló, Argentina
lery giving transparency and crossed visuals in all
parts of the property.”
The work of Fernando and Luis oftentimes involve a
great use of concrete, which is naturally also one of
the main characteristics of the F House. “ The mate-
riality of this house tries to synthesize the different
principles that def ine our architectural action: The
simple volumetry and pure lines; the timeless and
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sober design language; the development of
the detail, keeping correlation between the whole The old pine tree also plays a crucial role in the per-
and the parts; and the careful selection and use of ception of nature, and how nature is integrated in
materials, colors and textures”, Fernando explains. the project. “In this house, certain project guidelines
that we have been developing in other works are
“
maintained, such as the search for interior-exterior
spatial continuity and the flexibility through large
glazed panels and large galleries”, Luis mentions. In
It was very important to other words, the architects wanted the living expe-
maintain the old pine tree. rience to be guided by the natural surroundings to
a great extent, and the house should therefore not
– Fernando Gianserra be an object merely placed on the site, but should
instead fade in and co-exist as a natural extension.
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With the bedroom suite upstairs, the residents get
the chance to experience ‘living in the trees’, as the
elevation and the close proximity to the vegetation
makes one feel strongly connected to the outdoors.
And, this is oftentimes the feeling one wants in a
summer home, as it is the time for relaxation and
recharging your internal batteries. And what better
way is there to enjoy nature than being one with it?
Architecture by Gianserra + Lima Arquitectos
Photography by Luis Barandiarán
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GLASS PAVILION

“There are no sliding doors in the glass,

as these would have required f raming,
which would have distracted the
minimalist look.”
– Steve Hermann, Steve Hermann Design

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GLASS PAVILION Santa Barbara, California

T
he Glass Pavilion has been a rather iconic
residence in California and a benchmark that
sets the bar in respect to what innovation
is and can be. Steve Hermann has taken the past
greats: Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion and
Farnsworth House, in addition to Philip Johnson’s
Glass House, and brought these historic ideas into
the new modern millennial.

“More than 60 years have passed since Mies van der

Rohe designed the renowned Farnsworth House. In
theory, changes to technology mean it should be
possible to update that original 1200 sq. ft. design
to create something much bigger. The diff iculty
has always been to create a minimalist house on
a large scale as this house needed to be 14000 sq.
ft.”, Steve says. The house is – as the project name
suggests – primarily made of glass, so that the res-
idents can enjoy the beautiful surrounding nature
while being inside. It was really important to secure
a strong level of transparency, which essentially
meant that the windows had to ‘disappear ’. “ There
are no sliding doors in the glass, as these would
have required f raming, which would have detract-
ed f rom the minimalist look”, Steve mentions.

The house is supported by enormous auxiliary steel

pillars, which make the house seem completely
weightless drifting above the grassland. “Effec-
tively, there is just one interior spine supporting
the whole weight of the cantilevered section. It is
the things you do not see that make it all possi-
ble. And because this is an earthquake zone, it is
engineered to meet the required structural stan-
dards”, Steve explains. Unfortunately, the house
was hit by a flooding that created a mudslide and
caused severe damage to the house and its natural
surroundings. The Glass Pavilion will sadly not be
restored, but Steve told us that the house lives on
in his heart.

Architecture by Steve Hermann Design

16 Photography by Wm MacCollum 17
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 IRON MAIDEN HOUSE Longueville, Sydney, Australia

I
n a small residential area on the peninsula between Sydney’s Tambourine
Bay and Woodford Bay, the Iron Maiden house was designed for a fami-
ly of f ive, returning to Sydney f rom many years living in Hong Kong. The
co-founder of CplusC Architectural Workshop, Clinton Cole, has been kind to
share his thoughts about their project with us.

“ The property is located in a highly conservative part of Sydney with respect

to the built environment. The most predominant building typology are heavy
masonry brick or rendered brick structures, many f rom the late Victorian and
federation periods. Our project is deliberately juxtaposed to the predominant
building sock in the area but it employs a cladding material that was one of
the f irst building materials imported into Australia over 200 years ago, hot
dip galvanized corrugated steel, otherwise known colloquially as “corrugated

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iron”, Clinton says. When one decides to design a house that delibera-

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IRON MAIDEN HOUSE
tely stand out compared to the surroundings homes – and especially in a con-
servative residential area – it will naturally create concerns f rom the neighbor-
hood. “ The design presented a signif icant risk with Council approval and with
neighbor objections. I am most proud of the fact that we addressed all of the
concerns raised and managed to gain approval without any modif ications”,
Clinton explains.

Since the home would be exposed to the street on two sides, it was crucial
that any design response preserved privacy while maximizing links to the out-
doors. “A natural gorge, in which water cuts through rock to form secluded
spaces with over-scale walls was mixed with a modern reinterpretation of a
typical gable house found in Longueville to generate the f inal form. The sim-
ple shape was extruded length-ways along the site and sliced down the mid-
dle with a pond to form a central axis”, Clinton says. The almost cathedral-like
spaces were formed around this central water path running parallel to con-
nect the spaces and provide a sheltered private outdoor space for the family
to relax and enjoy.

Architecture by CplusC Architectural Workshop

Photography by Murray Fredericks

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Words of the Week

“When I was a child, I spent most of my spare time in our garden.

I was hanging out with my friends, I played football, and I was en-
joying the fresh air. To people with houses, gardens are often really
important, and I wanted to celebrate a range of amazing homes,
where the garden is playing a crucial role in the layout of the home.
A garden does not necessarily have to be large or fancy, but it needs
to create a safe spot where you can have the feeling of being yourself.
My childhood garden was not particularly private, but it provided an
outdoor space where I felt home.

It is no secret that I am personally fond of modern contemporary

homes. But to be honest, I feel that the surroundings are even more
appealing. When I am out touring a home, I always look at how the
house is connected to the garden; mostly because I want everyone to
have the same ‘homey’ feeling as I had.

Next Friday, we will present the third Interview of the Month, which I
think will be really cool. I hope you enjoyed this week’s e-Magazine!”

CHRISTIAN TRAMPEDACH
FOUNDER, RESTLESS

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