Brick Archives

christian kerez’s house okamura unfolds as circular brick columns in czechia

insnde the all-brick house okamura by christian kerez in prague

In Prague 6, within close proximity to Villa Müller by Adolf Loos, architect Christian Kerez completes House Okamura as a clear example of a very traditional, almost archaic method of constructing brick ‘circles’. The project, designed as an aggregate of column-like volumes, hosts three apartments with 39 rooms, combined. Kerez omitted dividing walls from the interior layout, making the outline of every single space visible from the outside. More so, thanks to their unique configuration, the apartments shift positions from floor to floor so that rooms in the vertical shafts belong to different owners. The rooms vary from 4 sqm to 18 sqm in size and 2.35 meters to 4.9 meters in height, with an additional 19 spaces in between the circular rooms, making it a total of 58 rooms.

all images © Maxime Delvaux

circular rooms with varying sizes, openings, and layouts

All spaces within one apartment of House Okamura are open to each other, with areas varying between 90 sqm and 110 sqm. As Christian Kerez (see more here) explains, the different sizes of the overlapping circular rooms create unpredictable changes in the direction of these openings. The latter seem to be randomly positioned and create a labyrinth-like movement. ‘It is a space that opens in on itself, generating an impression of expansion within actually limited boundaries, as intended by the rigorous geometrical arrangement. The layout of the circular rooms changes from one level to another,’ continues the Czechian architect.

House Okamura in Prague 6

Meanwhile, the elevator, storage, and sanitary area are all tucked between the circular rooms of House Okamura. These intermediate spaces, which can be entirely closed off with doors, are minimal, fragmented, and convex, as opposed to the open, perfectly concave main zones. Concluding his thoughts, Christian Kerez highlights how the spatial concept of autonomous rooms aggregated to a sequence of spaces feels radical and new while the whole project resorts to traditional brick construction, which is easier to build on site than orthogonal spaces.

the project reveals a cluser of brick circles

the interiors host three apartments, with 39 rooms in total

circular living room with no dividing walls

the direction of openings constantly changes from room to room, and floor to floor

Reference

Architecture

eme 157’s domehome emerges from foliage-covered brick house in spain

By Zarkon Group,11/02/2024

EME 157 Studio’s DOMEHOME expands existing house in Aravaca

DOMEHOME project by EME 157 involves the expansion of a single-family home in Aravaca, Madrid, adding a new floor to accommodate an independent apartment for the family’s son. The renovation primarily focuses on transforming the previously unused terrace on the top floor into a habitable space. The design process begins with the consideration of the external appearance, emphasizing how to crown the existing brick house covered in vegetation. To maintain a balanced height without excessive increase, the design adopts a domed shape, allowing for increased internal height, spatial dignity, and reduced perception of height from the exterior.

The choice of cork for the new floor contributes to its distinctiveness, both in terms of materiality and insulation properties, contrasting with the solidity of the brick in the rest of the house. Zinc is employed for the vault, aligning with the overall design strategy.

all images by © Luis Asin

large circular skylight illuminates the house’s interior

The interior layout, driven by the desire to prioritize panoramic views, comprises 50 sqm on the ground floor housing the entrance, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The upper floor, spanning 130 sqm, is divided into private and public areas. The private zone features a bedroom and bathroom, while the public space integrates an open kitchen, dining room, and living room with expansive north-facing windows. A large circular skylight, originally illuminating the stairwell, floods the room with natural light.

Material simplicity characterizes the interior, with mortar floors, polished stainless steel for countertops and showers, and plywood and linoleum board for furniture. The design team at EME 157 experiments with the contrast between cold and warm materials. Exposed original concrete beams and pillars create a contrast with the new slender circular metal pillars painted in sky blue, seamlessly blending with the breathtaking views outside.

EME 157 transforms a home in Aravaca, Madrid, adding a new floor for an independent apartment

the architects crown the brick house with a distinctive domed shape covered in vegetation

the renovation converts the previously unused top-floor terrace into a functional living space

the domed design maintains a balanced height, offering increased internal space

Reference

Architecture

a brick tower rises from a concrete base inside matteo arnone’s caso attico

By Zarkon Group,30/01/2024

casa attico by atelier matteo arnone

In the north-east of Brazil, on the shore of São Miguel do Gostoso, Casa Attico emerges as one of the recent and characteristic projects of architecture and urban design studio Atelier Matteo Arnone. Made of brickwork and concrete, the residence takes on a unique, circular morphology and position, both influenced by the regional winds. Its concrete foundation reveals an exposed, almost labyrinthine layout with a brick core shaped like a tower that rises just enough from the dunes to capture scenic views of the Brazilian sea, becoming a reference point for the landscape.

all images © Federico Cairoli

a sweeping morphology inspired by the movement of wind

Observing both sections and plans of Casa Attico, one understands Matteo Arnone’s willingness (see more here) to capture the natural ventilation coming from the east and drive it across every corner of the living spaces. On the ground floor, the house is shaped like a wind machine. From the east, the wind penetrates the patios and circulates geometrically according to the shape of the walls, breaking strength and aerating the four symmetric bedrooms. At the tower level, the wind rises in between the two layers of brickwork composing its wall structures. The central kitchen, positioned to overlook four patios, serves as the focal point of the ground floor. Its symmetrical placement creates the core of the house, connecting with the living spaces.

Casa Attico by Atelier Matteo Arnone rises amid dunes in Brazil

Matteo Arnone and his team mainain visual continuity between the kitchen and first floor of Casa Attico through a circular opening that leads to the living room and office area. ‘As one ascends, a sense of privacy intensifies, offering a feeling of seclusion amidst the expansive natural surroundings. This sensation culminates on the top floor, where a compact space provides a panoramic view of the landscape, allowing for quiet contemplation,’ concludes the architect.

a circular morphology inspired by eastern winds

a brick tower rises from the core

cicular openings and layouts take over the design of Casa Attico

Reference

Architecture

Bright colours fill converted brick structure in San Miguel de Allende

By Zarkon Group,12/01/2024

Architecture studios Oficina de Diseño Colaborativo and Atelier TBD have created a cultural space that preserves the “self-built essence” of San Miguel de Allende.

Created in collaboration with interior studio Maye Colab, Santa Tere Espacio is a cultural space and office that will primarily serve to foster reading in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Blue doorway in alleyway — OCD, Atelier TBD and Maye Colab have created a brightly coloured cultural space in Mexico

“Santa Tere Espacio emerged from the idea of creating architecture through renovation, reuse, repair, and repurposing,” said the team.

“Based on the self-built essence of the neighbourhood, Office of Collaborative Design, TBD Atelier, and Maye Colab joined forces with a shared vision to propose a project that engages with the site’s legacy.”

A blue door open to red-tiled kitchen — Located in San Miguel de Allende, the team sought to preserve the “self-built” nature of the city

According to the team, self-construction is a “common building practice in Latin America”, a technique they sought to preserve by repurposing both the existing architecture and materials from the site, which was a former six-room, single-story dwelling.

For Santa Tere Espacio, the team distributed several meeting rooms, a kitchenette, a bathroom and a central courtyard along the structure’s lateral plan with a second, detached bathroom tucked into a corner of the site.

yellow chairs in front of a blue door — The site was a former single-story residence

A long alleyway, marked with a curving concrete path, runs along the length of the exterior and provides access to each space.

“The intervention primarily involved demolitions to bring in light and allow ventilation of the spaces, and the incorporation of new elements such as doors, windows, and tile finishes that contrast with the pre-existing structure,” said the team.

Yellow walls facing a blue colored door — The team preserved much of the existing architecture and repurposed material found on-site

“Openings were created in the form of doors, windows, and domes, and some walls were demolished to make way for the central courtyard.”

Colab worked with a palette of red, yellow and pink on the interior, based on hues found during construction.

primary colored office — The interior palette was informed by colours found during the construction

“The idea of capturing the site’s essence is also reflected in the project’s colour palette, designed based on the colours found in the construction, with a contrasting colour being the blue of the ironwork.”

Bright blue windows and doors were distributed across the space and finished with geometric handles.

A red table and office chair — Red was primarily used for furnishings

Interior furnishings were finished primarily in red, with the kitchenette covered in bright red tile and desks throughout the space trimmed in the same shade.

In a desk at the front of the building, the stalk of a plant grows through an opening carved in its surface, while a silver of a triangular skylight sits above.

The project’s landscape design incorporates both native plants and others commonly found around the neighbourhood’s rooftops, patios and facades.

A spindly palo verde plant was planted in the courtyard to provide shade, a species considered sacred to the Aztecs and associated with the feathered serpent god, according to the team.

Santa Tere Espacio will act as a co-working and cultural space and will host OCD, Maye Colab and the bookstore Una Boutique de Libros.

Programming will focus on “reading, feminism, design and diversity”.

Blue metal door — Blue ironwork was used for windows and doors

Founded by Nadyeli Quiroz Radaelli, OCD and Maye Colab are design studios based in Mexico, while Atelier TBD, founded by Victor Wu, is an architecture office based between Brooklyn, Taipei and San Miguel.

Elsewhere in San Miguel de Allende, design studio Mestiz opened a studio to showcase its collaborations with local craftspeople.

The photography is by Leandro Bulzzano.

Project credits:

Architecture: Oficina de Diseño Colaborativo OCD, Atelier TBD
Interior design: Oficina de Diseño Colaborativo OCD, Atelier TBD, Maye Colab
Furniture and colorimetry: Maye Colab
Landscape architecture: Oficina de Diseño Colaborativo OCD, Atelier TBD
Principals: Maye Ruiz, Nadyeli Quiroz, Victor Wu
Design team: Alejandra Skinfield, Paola Bravo, Sara Lopez Farias
Structural consultant: Formula+, Yoyo Wu
Sources:
Steelwork: Crónica Estudio

Reference

Interior Design

Eight bright and airy interiors illuminated by perforated brick walls

By Zarkon Group,25/11/2023

Dezeen’s latest lookbook explores eight interiors – from bright, airy residential spaces to cool, open-plan offices – illuminated by perforated brick walls.

Perforated brick walls are often used as a cooling strategy in warmer climates. This lookbook highlights their effect on the lighting and shading of interior spaces and how they can be used to create a playful, light atmosphere.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with light-filled kitchens, sculptural wooden staircases and airy, pared-back loft conversions.

Interiors of Mind Manifestation's self-designed studio in Pune, India — Photo by Hemant Patil

Studio by the Hill, India, by Mind Manifestation

This converted apartment in Pune, India – designed by architecture studio Mind Manifestation to house the studio’s office – uses perforated bricks to create a well-lit and ventilated workspace.

Bricks was used extensively across the flooring and complemented by green lime plaster walls.

“The material palette has been tastefully chosen so as to match with the different shades of the hill throughout the year,” Mind Manifestation explained.

Find out more about Studio by the Hill ›

Cuckoo House by Tropical Space in Da Nang, Vietnam — Photo by Oki Hiroyuki

Cuckoo House, Vietnam, by Tropical Space

Cuckoo House, designed by Tropical Space, is a two-storey home situated atop a cafe in Da Nang, Vietnam, encased by a shell made from local clay bricks.

Living spaces on the upper floor feature perforated brick for privacy and ventilation, with the design resulting in a playful chequered lighting pattern across the wooden and concrete interior.

Find out more about Cuckoo House ›

Wall House in Vietnam designed by CTA | Creative Architects — Photo by Oki Hiroyuki

Wall House, Vietnam, by CTA

Square perforated bricks salvaged from nearby buildings sites are used on the exterior of CTA’s Wall House in Bien Hoa, Vietnam.

Stacked in an irregular formation, the punctured bricks filter sunlight and air into the space, creating dotted shadows across the plant-filled double-height living room.

Find out more about Wall House ›

Wall House in Vietnam by CTA — Photo by Hemant Patil

Gadi House, India, by PMA Madhushala

Gadi House in Maval, India, by PMA Madhushala is a compact arrangement of volumes and courtyards.

Dimly-lit courtyards and living spaces are illuminated by pockets of sunlight accessed through perforations in the brick and stone walls.

Find out more about Gadi House ›

Equipo de Arquitectura Intermediate House Narrow Paraguay — Photo by Federico Cairoli

Intermediate House, Paraguay, by Equipo de Arquitectura

The Intermediate House by Paraguay-based studio Equipo de Arquitectura is a narrow residence in Asunción organised around an open-air courtyard.

Manually pressed, unfired bricks form the perforated street-facing facade – drawing sunlight and air through the vaulted brick-roofed dining room and into adjacent spaces.

Find out more about Intermediate House ›

Tropical Space design perforated brick house in Vietnam — Photo by Oki Hiroyuki

The Termitary House, Vietnam, by Tropical Space

Patterned shadows decorate the dimly-lit brick and wood interior of The Termitary House in Da Nang, Vietnam, designed by Tropical Space.

Inspired by earthen termite nests, the studio used perforated brick on the facade and internal walls to bring natural light into the interiors during the day and draw in artificial light at night.

Find out more about The Termitary House ›

Cloud House in Melbourne designed by Dean Dyson Architects — Photo by Timothy Kaye

Cloud House, Australia, by Dean Dyson Architects

Australian studio Dean Dyson Architects designed the Cloud House – a two-storey home in Malvern – using an exterior layer of grey, perforated brickwork.

Intended to create a “private oasis” for the clients, the perforated brick pours light into the interior living spaces, with passive ventilation enabled by operable windows.

Find out more about Cloud House ›

Tropical Shed, Brazil, by Laurent Troost Architectures

Located on a long, narrow plot in Manaus, Tropical Shed is a plant-filled office with a centralised courtyard designed by Brazilian studio Laurent Troost Architectures.

Interlocking bricks – repeated throughout the design – form a perforated wall in the double-height office to create a cool work environment decorated with playful shadows.

Find out more about Tropical Shed ›

Reference

Architecture

Colectivo C733 tops brick music school with soaring timber roof in Mexico

By Zarkon Group,06/06/2023

Mexican studio Colectivo C733 has created a brick music school in Nacajuca, Mexico that includes two structures and a lofty, cantilevered roof made of coconut wood.

The Mexico City-based collective completed the 1,325-square metre (120-square metre) Casa de Música in 2021.

Exterior of the brick Casa de Musica school by Colectivo C733 with cantilevered timber roofs — Colectivo C733 added a soaring coconut wood roof to the music school

The facility is part of the state’s urban development program and “provides a space for social gatherings with warm materials and natural ventilation, while musicians benefit from spacious, isolated classrooms with state-of-the-art equipment,” C733 told Dezeen.

Casa de Música is composed of two volumes connected by a public boulevard.

Exterior of the brick Casa de Musica school by Colectivo C733 with large windows and a cantilevered timber roof — The school is located in the Mexican city of Nacajuca

The larger volume – an open-plan community centre built on the foundations of a previous structure – boasts a large offset gable roof with one roof plane extending past the ridge line and cantilevering over a skylight and the opposite roof plane.

The north and south sides are supported by a series of double brick walls that hold the 24-metre trusses. The west end is transparent with rectangular glass panels shielded from the street by a porous brick screen, while the east end holds a service core.

Exterior of the Casa de Musica school with extended brick walls and cantilevered timber roofs — Double brick walls support the roof structure

The social space also holds a mezzanine stage for workshops and local musicians.

The smaller volume is the music school — consisting of eight classrooms, a cafeteria, restrooms and management offices — that reflects the rhythm of the community centre’s structure through compact spaces arranged in a line.

“The sloping roof of the building creates a double-height space in each of these areas, with an upper terrace offering views of the treetops,” the team said.

Both buildings feature local coconut wood, brick partitions, and clay tiles that provide warmth, natural freshness, and acoustic control. Wooden doors open between each structural bay, creating a loggia-like complex that opens the facility to the public.

An expansive interior space with a large pitched timber roof and glazed gable end — The larger of the two structures is a community centre

“The project draws inspiration from the traditional Mesoamerican pocho dance and contemporary expressions, incorporating warm materials, natural ventilation, and a focus on local resources to create a space that pays tribute to its location and enhances existing elements,” the team said.

The team looked beyond the site to prioritize the land on which the centre sits.

A covered exterior walkway with a brick floor and timber walls next to a glazed gable-ended building — Brick, wood and clay materials were chosen to add warmth

“It is essential that projects pay tribute to their location, particularly when they have the potential to highlight what already exists,” the team said.

The project faces a polluted creek; but the roof directs and collects rainwater, filtering it for use in restrooms, passing it through biodigesters and biofilters in a wetland-type treatment and discharging clean water into the local river as a water management alternative.

Two external brick walls topped with pitched timber roofs — A boulevard connects the school’s two structures

The locally sourced coconut wood captures carbon dioxide, generates a smaller carbon footprint than other materials and promotes both craftsmanship and employment for the local workforce.

C733 includes designers Gabriela Carrillo, Carlos Facio, Eric Valdez, Israel Espín and José Amozurrutia

In Matamoros just off the Texas-Mexico border, C733 created a brick shopping centre with inverted trapezoidal roof forms. Other projects with timber roofs in Mexico include a holiday home in Avándaro by Estudio MMX.

The photography is by Yoshihiro Koitani.

Project credits:
Colectivo C733: Gabriela Carrillo, Eric Valdez, Israel Espín, José Amozurrutia, Carlos Facio (TO)
Design team: Álvaro Martínez, Fernando Venado, Eduardo Palomino
Executive architect: Leticia Sánchez, Victor Arriata
Structures: LABG (Eric Valdez), GIEE, GECCO Ingeniería
Electrical and mechanical engineering: Enrique Zenón
Landscape architects: Taller de Paisaje Hugo Sánchez
Other consultants: Carlos Hano, Laurent Herbiet
Contractor: Francisco Tripp – Grupo Plarciac
Client: SEDATU, Municipio de Nacajuca

Reference

Architecture

Dezeen Debate features “beautifully executed” brick cafe in South Korea

By Zarkon Group,25/05/2023

The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a red brick cafe in South Korea by Seoul studio Sukchulmok. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

Seoul studio Sukchulmok has designed a red brick cafe in South Korea inspired by European public squares.

The building, named Parocindo Bakery Cafe, features lively curved shapes and rounded walls. For its interior, the studio used small tiles made from travertine limestone.

Commenters dissected the project. One loved the project and thought it was “beautifully executed”, whereas another described it as “odd” and “strange”.

Venice Architecture Biennale pavilions — Venice Architecture Biennale “does not show any architecture” says Patrik Schumacher

Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section included an opinion piece by Patrik Schumacher on the “lack of architecture” at the Venice Architecture Biennale, four inflatable structures by Steve Messam at Clerkenwell Design Week and BIG being named as the masterplanner of Neom’s octagonal port city.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

Reference

Interior Design

Sukchulmok adds curved brick forms to rooftop of Parconido Bakery Cafe

By Zarkon Group,21/05/2023

Curved forms and arched openings feature in this cafe, which Seoul studio Sukchulmok has added to an existing building in South Korea’s Gyeonggi-do province.

Named Parconido Bakery Cafe, the cafe is made from red bricks and features playful curved shapes and rounded walls designed to create an illusion-like effect.

Photo of Parconido Bakery Cafe — Parconido Bakery Cafe was designed by Sukchulmok

“The space, created through one rule, was designed to give a sense of expansion and the experience of an optical illusion image,” lead architect Park Hyunhee told Dezeen.

Arranged across three floors including a rooftop level, the cafe was designed by architecture studio Sukchulmok to resemble European public squares in reference to the client’s time spent in Italy.

Photo of the rooftop at Parconido Bakery Cafe — The studio topped the roof with curving brick volumes

“The client who spent his youth living in Italy is a clothing businessman, opening the cafe as a business expansion to provide people with a space for peaceful rest,” said Park.

“These two aspects naturally reminded me of the image of the European square, where people are huddled together talking on a sunny day between red brick buildings and stone pillars.”

On the rooftop level and terrace, the outdoor dining spaces are punctuated by clay brick columns with arched connections and walls with U-shaped openings.

Built around steel frames that extend into curved forms above the brick walls, the curved elements are coated in bricks cut to two-thirds of their original thickness to lighten their weight.

Interior photo of the Seoul cafe — The walls and floors have curved edges

A long stainless steel table with a curved underside, along with circular stools and planting, is shaded by a removable canopy made from green, orange and white fabrics.

Curved walls lined with white tiles join with the tiled floor and ceiling to create rooms with rounded forms on the interior levels of the cafe.

The rooms are covered in small tiles of travertine limestone, selected for its use in the fountains of European squares.

Kitchens are built into recesses in the curved walls, while wooden elements, including wall panels and pipes that line a portion of the ceiling, add a feeling of warmth to the interior.

Throughout the spaces, uniquely designed seating areas and bespoke circular furnishings provide spaces for dining.

Photo of the interior of the cafe — The interior was covered in different textural materials

Comprising twelve different designs, the cafe’s set of furniture was designed to exhibit a variety of shapes, textures, and materials, including leftover finishing materials, wood, overlapping pipes, and concrete castings.

“Although they have slightly different shapes and textures, the pieces of furniture are all in harmony with the space and show good synergy with space as an object,” said Park.

Photo of a kitchen — The cafe’s curved edges all have a radius of 600 millimetres

To maintain a sense of uniformity, the studio based the design of each element, including the walls, columns and furniture, around a circle with a constant radius of 600 millimetres.

“A radius of 600 millimetres was used as an act of connecting spaces that were not monotonous,” said Park. “It was simply based on the idea that the distance from the height of the door and window to the ceiling finish is 600 millimetres.”

Other South Korean cafes recently featured on Dezeen include a bakery with a curved courtyard designed to act as an “artificial valley” and a Seoul cafe with a vertical farm.

The photography is by Hong Seokgyu.

Reference

Architecture

Monumental brick arches outline London houses by The DHaus Company

By Zarkon Group,19/03/2023

Architecture studio The DHaus Company has completed The Arches, a row of six brick-clad townhouses in a north London conservation area.

Replacing a derelict petrol station, the terrace is named after the monumental arches that form the facades of each partially sunken, three-level home.

Facade with sunken patio at The Arches townhouses by The DHaus Company — The Arches are townhouses partially sunken underground. Photo is by AVR London

The DHaus Company designed the row to echo its surroundings, which include Georgian-era housing named Grove Terrace and a row of Victorian railway arches.

The arch is a recurring motif, so the studio decided to create a contemporary interpretation.

Arched window with pivoting glass — The facade is formed of a series of arches. Photo is by Richard Chivers

“We undertook a study of local buildings in and around the local area,” explained architects David Ben-Grunberg and Daniel Woolfson, the founders of The DHaus Company.

“These buildings highlighted a strong mixture of rectangles and arches set within a brick canvas,” they said.

The site is a highly prominent location within the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area, so the design process involved lengthy consultation.

Night view of The Arches townhouses by The DHaus Company — The height matches a petrol station previously on the site. Photo is by AVR London

As Ben-Grunberg grew up in the area, and Woolfson had lived nearby, the pair were able to use their instincts to come up with a design that felt appropriate for the setting.

A key aspect was the decision to partially sink the buildings below ground, so the roof is no higher than the petrol station that occupied the site previously.

Rear elevation of townhouses in London — Scallop-patterned window screens reference the arch motif. Photo is by AVR London

Another idea was to reinstate green spaces along the street both in front and behind the terrace.

“Our initial design idea was inspired by the historic green lung of open green spaces along the Highgate Road,” said the duo.

“This meant reinstating the green lung as close to how it was back in 1873 – a futuristic Victorian throwback.”

Pivoting window leading into bedroom of The Arches townhouses by The DHaus Company — Pivoting glass doors are set within one row of arches. Photo is by Richard Chivers

The view seen by most passersby is of the west-facing facade. Here, two rows of arches provide balconies for the two upper levels, while a glass-fronted basement opens out to a sunken patio.

“Because of the stepped nature of the site, this lower level does not feel like a basement,” said Ben-Grunberg and Woolfson.

“The living spaces enjoy a secluded feel with plenty of access to natural light despite sitting close to the main road.”

Entrances are located on the east-facing side, which has more of a quiet, residential feel.

Here, a single row of arches incorporates screens with a matching scallop pattern, while a second sunken patio helps to bring more natural light down to the floor below.

Bedroom of London townhouse by The DHaus Company — Each home contains three bedrooms. Photo is by AVR London

Inside, each 130-square-metre home has a layout that places a lounge, dining area and kitchen on the lowest level, and three bedrooms and a study across the upstairs floors.

Concrete retaining walls are an essential part of the build, but other parts of the structure are constructed from prefabricated timber components.

Living space at The Arches townhouses by The DHaus Company — A study could serve as a fourth bedroom. Photo is by Richard Chivers

The arches are also concrete, clad with red-brick slips that match the tone of the adjacent brickwork.

“We explored brick bonding patterns to differentiate the different areas of the building and give order to each facade,” said Ben-Grunberg and Woolfson.

The homes are topped by green roofs and photovoltaic solar panels.

Kitchen and living space sunken below street level — Kitchen and living spaces open out to a sunken patio. Photo is by Richard Chivers

The DHaus Company is best known for its experimental approach to residential design, on projects like its shape-shifting house concept and the playful Columbia Road extension.

More recently, the studio completed an overhaul of The Bull and Last, a pub located very close to The Arches, with the addition of two Japanese-inspired duplex flats.

Arched windows in brick facade of The Arches townhouses by The DHaus Company — The arches are pre-cast concrete and clad with brick slips. Photo is by Richard Chivers

The completion of this project marks the end of a five-year project, delayed by both the planning process and Covid-19 pandemic. Visualisations were first published on Dezeen in 2019.

“Over the last five years, this project has been such a big part of our lives,” concluded the studio.

Project credits

Architect: DHaus
Client: Design Ventures/EFKERIA
Structural engineer: AMA
Planning department: Camden
Planning consultant: The Heritage Practise
Glazing contractor: Vitrocsa by Brava Windows
Brickwork: Ibstock

Reference

Sustainable News

A glass brick that collects solar energy

By Zarkon Group,24/02/2023

Spotted: In the UK, Solar PV capacity reached 12 gigawatts of energy in 2021. Yet, the MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) estimates that only around 900,000 of the 24 million homes in the country currently rely on solar power. There is much room for improvement, and one of the easiest ways to incorporate renewable energy generation into a home or building is by embedding the technology into construction materials.

Professor Tapas Mallick and Dr. Hasan Baig, two University of Exeter researchers, have created Build Solar in order to do just that. Built with patent-pending technology, the Solar Squared glass brick is a direct replacement for traditional glass building materials. Solar Squared bricks let light through, just like current glass building materials do. The difference is that Build Solar’s new blocks generate sustainable energy as well. The bricks are available in several patterns and colours, in addition to the typical clear glass.

Usable in a variety of structures, including commercial spaces, public transport hubs, and housing, the Solar Squared blocks improve a building’s thermal insulation efficiency while providing daylight and renewable energy. The company’s goal is to contribute to carbon-neutral construction and building management and is currently seeking sites in which to test and showcase the technology.

Springwise has spotted other innovations seeking to make renewable energy more accessible, including nailable and wearable solar panels.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Brick

christian kerez’s house okamura unfolds as circular brick columns in czechia

insnde the all-brick house okamura by christian kerez in prague

circular rooms with varying sizes, openings, and layouts

eme 157’s domehome emerges from foliage-covered brick house in spain

EME 157 Studio’s DOMEHOME expands existing house in Aravaca

large circular skylight illuminates the house’s interior

a brick tower rises from a concrete base inside matteo arnone’s caso attico

casa attico by atelier matteo arnone

a sweeping morphology inspired by the movement of wind

Bright colours fill converted brick structure in San Miguel de Allende

Eight bright and airy interiors illuminated by perforated brick walls

Colectivo C733 tops brick music school with soaring timber roof in Mexico

Dezeen Debate features “beautifully executed” brick cafe in South Korea

Sukchulmok adds curved brick forms to rooftop of Parconido Bakery Cafe

Monumental brick arches outline London houses by The DHaus Company

A glass brick that collects solar energy

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