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.
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
From monolithic concrete pillars to ornately decorated columns, this lookbook collates ten living room interiors that embrace existing structural columns.
It is not always cost-effective or practical for designers and architects to remove preexisting columns from interiors, especially if they are load-bearing and thus vital to the structural integrity of the building.
In the past, the structural components of buildings were often concealed within walls; however, this changed with the increase in popularity of open-plan spaces over the course of the 20th century.
Columns are sometimes placed at irregular intervals, especially in older buildings, and consequently the interior design scheme must be adapted to fit around them.
Pillars can provide a strong focal point that can be enhanced by both the choice of interior finishes and the placement of furniture around them.
Depending on their materiality and style, they can also serve as an immovable reminder of the building’s design style and the historical period in which it was built.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring interiors animated by textural burl wood, multicoloured interior design schemes and contemporary interiors that make a feature of historic ruins.
Photo by Pier Carthew
Kerr, Australia, by SSdH
The industrial past of this mezzanine apartment in Melbourne is apparent thanks to the I-beams that crisscross the space and the pair of thick plastered columns in two corners of its living room.
The functional aesthetic of the pillars is complimented by the presence of streamlined metal furnishings and offset by floor-to-ceiling wooden panelling.
Find out more about Kerr ›
Photo by Jose Hevia
JJ16, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
Situated in the Salamanca district of Madrid, local studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil created a playful interior for a high-ceilinged 19th-century apartment that combines pops of colour with original features.
A pair of elegant columns made from cast iron frame the entrance to the walk-through kitchen, contrasting the contemporary units with their fluted shafts and ornamented capitals.
Find out more about JJ16 ›
Photo by Fran Parente
Curitiba apartment, Brazil, by Leandro Garcia and Amanda Dalla-Bona
Eclectic furniture and glossy herringbone flooring contrast the weathered concrete pillar that sits on the boundary between the living and dining spaces of this apartment in the Brazilian city of Curitiba.
It has a rectangular footprint and a characterfully rough surface, which are both echoed in a gnarled wooden stool sitting at its base.
Find out more about Curitiba apartment›
Photo by Sarah Elliott
Tribeca Loft, USA, by Andrea Leung
Public and private zones have been delineated by a partially mirrored wall tucked behind a sequence of three original, intricately formed columns in this loft apartment in New York’s Tribeca area.
The Corinthian-style iron pillars are characterised by gracefully fluted shafts topped by opulent capitals that feature acanthus leaves. The style was popular in ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
Find out more about Tribeca Loft ›
Photo by Felix Speller and Child Studio
Mews house, UK, by Child Studio
A quartet of smooth, statuesque pillars blend in seamlessly against a backdrop of art deco and mid-century modern furnishings in the living area of this mews house in London’s Mayfair area.
The thick, pale pillars bring a dramatic air to the space, which was designed for lounging as well as hosting, entertaining and dining.
Find out more about the mews house ›
Photo by Seth Caplan
Dumbo Loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair Designs
Walls made from floor-to-ceiling glass panels and an opulent crystal chandelier create a sense of luxury in this Brooklyn apartment.
The living room is grounded by a double-height structural pillar, which has a bottom half clad in pale pink vertical, subway-style tiles.
Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›
Photo by José Hevia
Can Santacilia, Spain, by OHLAB
A pillar with a faceted stone shaft and an ornately carved and painted wooden capital is the focal point of this living area inside an apartment in Palma de Mallorca by local studio OHLAB.
The stately pillar and dramatic coffered ceiling are contrasted by the sleek modern kitchen, but united by the use of stone in both the column and kitchen island.
Find out more about Can Santacilia ›
Photo by Nao Takahashi
Casa Nano, Japan, by Bosco Sodi
This modest home in Tokyo features slender struts made from wood that form part of the building’s exposed structure.
Wooden seating, tables, cabinets and shelving create a harmonious interior scheme, which is dominated by both the skeletal wooden frame of the building and an open-tread staircase.
Find out more about Casa Nano ›
Photo by Salva López
Casa Vasto, Spain, by Mesura
This apartment in Barcelona (above and main image) is studded with white-rendered columns dating from the 18th century, which anchor the unique vaulted ceiling to the expansive floor.
Low-slung furnishings provide a horizontal emphasis in the interior while the columns create a rhythm of upright pillars, which nod to the building’s industrial heritage.
Find out more about Casa Vasto ›
Photo by Johan Dehlin
Brutalist Chelsea townhouse, UK, by Pricegore
London-based architecture studio Pricegore refurbished the interior of this brutalist townhouse to celebrate its concrete materiality.
In the lofty, double-height living space, a cylindrical pillar stretches from floor to ceiling in front of the backdrop provided by the house’s verdant garden.
Find out more about Brutalist Chelsea townhouse ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with textural burl wood, colourful interior design schemes and contemporary interiors that make a feature of existing historic ruins.
Indian practice Studio Hinge has completed Forest of Knowledge, a library in Mumbai that sits beneath a tree-like canopy of latticed wood.
The library was designed for the Cricket Club of India, a member’s club dating back to the 1930s that is housed in an art deco building in southern Mumbai.
Columns were created to resemble tree trunks
Adapting the third floor of this building, Studio Hinge looked to recreate the feeling of “sitting under a tree with a book” by reimagining the structure’s concrete columns as tree trunks.
Alongside, a former Zumba studio has been updated to be used as a flexible space for book clubs, film screenings and workshops.
Circular bookshelves sit underneath the “canopy”
“India experienced one of the harshest and most sudden covid lockdowns in the world, and a lot of the design of the library was developed during this time, during which it was clear that people were yearning to meet and share ideas in person again,” explained the studio.
“On a conceptual level, the design draws from nature, in particular the notion of sitting under a tree with a book, and also borrows from the beautiful canopy formed by the ficus and gulmohar trees to be found in the adjacent street,” it continued.
The shelves are connected by plank-covered steel frames
A steel frame covered with small wooden planks lines each of the concrete columns.
This integrates shelving and extends upwards to create arched forms across the ceiling that are then connected in areas with a wooden lattice.
Curving bookshelves have been organised in a circle at the base of each column, with seating areas at the edges of the floor plate creating a variety of different conditions and atmospheres for visitors.
On the library’s floor, custom terrazzo tiles feature a pattern of green “leaves” with a circle of wooden flooring used at the base of each column.
The floor was decorated with a leaf pattern
“Care has been taken to ensure no bookshelf in the open space is taller than 1.2m,” explained Studio Hinge.
“This allows maximum natural light to permeate deep into the plan and for most adults to have an unobstructed view whilst standing, while creating sheltered semi-private nooks to sit and read in,” it added.
“It also provides a very different perception of the library for children, from whose vantage the space between the circular bookshelves is playful, almost labyrinthine in nature.”
A ceiling of timber planks adds interest to the multipurpose room
In the multipurpose room, the ceiling has been finished with an undulating pattern of timber planks and the walls lined with cabinets to maximise storage.
Forest of Knowledge was recently longlisted in the workplace interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.
Elsewhere in Mumbai, The Act of Quad recently converted a former library into its own interior design studio, with a see-through facade of perforated, white metal sheets and Malik Architecture transformed an ice factory into an events space.
The photography is by Suryan + Dang.
Project credits:
Design team: Interior Architecture – Studio Hinge, Pravir Sethi, Chintan Zalavadiya Lighting design: Studio Trace, Tripti Sahni MEP: ARKK Consultants
Cedar siding wraps the exterior of the Shelter Island House, which was designed by KoningEizenberg Architecture to exhibit a sense of “deliberate informality”.
Los Angeles studio KoningEizenberg Architecture designed the beach house for a couple that architect Julie Eizenberg has known for years, and for whom she designed an apartment in New York City in 2009.
Shelter Island House looks toward the water and an abandoned, overgrown boathouse
The home is located on Shelter Island, which sits between the North and South Forks of the Long Island peninsula. The island has a year-round population of 2,300 and is only accessible by boat.
For the secluded site – which formerly held a caretaker’s cottage – KoningEizenberg Architecture conceived a “modern cabin” that is meant to complement the landscape.
KoningEizenberg Architecture conceived a “modern cabin”
The Shelter Island project was envisioned as a casual retreat for the parents – one is an academic, the other is a psychoanalyst – and their two children.
“The clients’ must-have list included ample shade, as well as an outdoor shower, big fireplaces and good ventilation,” the team said.
Inside, there is a clear division between public and private areas
“The architecture has a deliberate informality,” the architects said.
The 2,500-square-foot (232-square-metre) building consists of a single-storey volume attached to a slightly taller box, with the main entrance placed between them.
Facades are wrapped in cedar siding
Facades are wrapped in cedar siding that will weather over time.
“The cedar rain-screen siding is quickly turning gray, and it will continue to gather more character as it ages,” the team said.
The home is approached from the north, where trees and a mostly solid facade “create an edge to the property to increase privacy without adding fences”.
The home opens up on the south, where it looks toward the water and an abandoned, overgrown boathouse.
Stretching across the home’s southern elevation is a long, covered porch
Stretching across the home’s southern elevation is a long, covered porch that recalls a similar feature in the former cottage.
The porch offers a comfortable spot to engage in family activities and enjoy the scenery. A row of columns was incorporated for practical and aesthetic purposes.
“Columns create a bold visual effect and add a sense of rhythm and texture while protecting the house from the elements and bringing light into the interior,” the team said.
Within the home, there is a clear division between public and private areas. The communal space occupies the lower portion of the house, while the sleeping zone is found in the taller volume.
A glazed-brick backsplash features in the kitchen
The interior features ample use of wood, including cedar wall slats and Douglas fir structural beams and columns.
In the kitchen, the team incorporated a glazed-brick backsplash, birch plywood cabinetry and concrete countertops. A clerestory brings in soft daylight.
Slatted wood on the facade creates dramatic shadows inside
Sustainability was a concern for the team. Photovoltaic panels were placed on the roof to generate energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels. On the south wall, wooden vent flaps supplement airflow.
To improve drainage and protect from flooding, the ground was raised up and graded in a way that directs water away from the house.
The interior features ample use of wood
Other projects on Shelter Island include a General Assembly-designed pool house that has blackened timber cladding and a central pergola, and a concrete dwelling with a micro vineyard that architect Vibeke Lichten created for her family.
