Net Archives

In this lookbook, we collect 10 residential interiors where net floors provide an unusual place to sit, recline or jump about.

Nets can be a fun way to link two storeys in the home. Featured below are examples from a New York apartment, a skinny house in Rotterdam and a small family residence in rural Vietnam, among others.

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 dividing lattice screens, split-level living areas and stylish children’s bedrooms.

Haus L, Austria, by Dunkelschwarz

Timber-lined living spaces create a soothing atmosphere inside this house in the Austrian Alps, designed by local architecture studio Dunkelschwarz.

To encourage relaxation, a void above the dining area was covered with netting that can be used for lounging, while an adjacent walkway leads directly to a large balcony.

Find out more about Haus L ›

Net floor in Pimeriza House — Photo by Marcos Zegers (also top)

Primeriza House, Chile, by Stanaćev Granados

Chilean architecture studio Stanaćev Granados put two large cargo nets at the centre of this seaside house in Chorrillos overlooking the Pacific.

As well as providing an easily visible children’s play space above the open-plan living area, the net allows for a subtle transition between the darker wood cladding of the ground floor and the white-painted timber of the upper level.

Find out more about Primeriza House ›

Net hammocks suspended above seating areas — Photo courtesy of No Architecture

Urban Tree House, USA, by No Architecture

To make the vast living space of this apartment in New York’s West Village feel less chasmic, No Architecture constructed two “treehouses” from a series of timber beams.

Black netting strung between the beams creates an elevated chill-out space, accessed by a spiral staircase whose balustrade is made of the same mesh material.

Find out more about Urban Tree House ›

Nets inside the HOUSE by H&P Architects — Photo by Le Minh Hoang

HOUSE, Vietnam, by H&P Architects

In this house in Vietnam designed by H&P Architects, a net floor contributes to the humble aesthetic created by its compact, open-plan layout and rough-and-ready materials like exposed brick and corrugated metal.

The net allows air to move freely through the home, helps to instil a sense of spaciousness and creates additional usable floor space.

Find out more about HOUSE ›

Atrium Townhome by Robitalle Curtis — Photo by Adrien Williams

Atrium Townhome, Canada, by Robitaille Curtis

Canadian studio Robitaille Curtis procured the expertise of famous circus company Cirque du Soleil to rig a trapeze-style net atop the high atrium inside this Montreal home.

The aim was to emphasise the drama of the space, with a tall bookcase accessed by a 5.5-metre ladder and vertical wooden slats also helping to direct the gaze upwards.

Find out more about Atrium Townhome ›

Net floor in Casa Bosque Sereno — Photo by FRAM Fotografía

Casa Bosque Sereno, Mexico, by Fábrica de Espacios

At Casa Bosque Sereno, residents can use the net floor as a place to watch movies thanks to a projector mounted opposite a white-painted brick wall.

The net also contributes to the pared-back, open-plan design chosen for the house by architecture office Fábrica de Espacios.

Find out more about Casa Bosque Sereno ›

SkinnyScar, Rotterdam, the Netherlands by Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman — Photo courtesy of Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman

SkinnyScar, Netherlands, by Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman

Dutch architects Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman wanted to avoid “harsh boundaries” between living spaces in this skinny house in Rotterdam that they designed for themselves to live in.

To that end, they strung a modestly sized net next to a large window overlooking the garden, to act as a kind of static hammock next to the first-floor living room and above the dining room.

Find out more about SkinnyScar ›

Net floor above living area in house designed by Ortraum Architects — Photo by Marc Goodwin

MK5, Finland, by Ortraum Architects

This family house in a forest near Helsinki features a number of child-friendly elements including a climbing wall, gymnastic apparatus and, of course, a net floor.

Local studio Ortraum Architects placed the net in a cut-out next to the first-floor landing, allowing light to filter down into the basement stairwell.

Find out more about MK5 ›

King Bill house by Austin Maynard Architects — Photo by Derek Swalwell

King Bill, Australia, by Austin Maynard Architects

Austin Maynard Architects installed a netted platform with a view out of a large window and into the bathroom as part of its renovation of this formerly dilapidated stable in Melbourne.

The black mesh contrasts with the white corrugated metal of the window awning, the grey tiles of the bathroom and the orange carpet on the adjacent floor.

Find out more about King Bill ›

Saigon house by a21 Studio — Photo by Quang Tran

Saigon House, Vietnam, by a21studio

The large net in this Ho Chi Minh City house, designed by Vietnamese architecture office A21studio, is visible from almost everywhere in the four-storey building.

In addition to serving as a children’s play area, it helps create an impression of the ground floor as an outdoor courtyard – particularly as a tree bursts through the textile.

Find out more about Saigon House ›

Reference

Sustainable News

The UK’s new biodiversity net gain rules explained

By Zarkon Group,19/12/2023

New planning legislation that aims to boost biodiversity in development projects will come into effect in England in January. Here, Dezeen explains what architects need to know.

What is biodiversity and why does it matter?

In this context, biodiversity usually refers to the variety of all species living within a certain area or ecosystem, including plants, animals, insects, bacteria and fungi.

Each species in an ecosystem has its own impact on the environment, affecting the availability of clean water and air, soil condition, pollination and other food sources and resources. Variety is necessary to keep all these elements in balance, maintaining a stable and resilient world for humans to survive in.

Many parts of the world are experiencing rapid biodiversity loss as a result of phenomena caused by human activities, such as pollution, climate change and habitat destruction. A Queen’s University Belfast study published earlier this year found that 48 per cent of the world’s animal species are experiencing population decline. The Worldwide Fund for Nature claims we are witnessing the sixth mass extinction event in the Earth’s history.

“We live in a time of mass extinction, where an alarming number of species are disappearing and where the impoverished ecology of the planet is having a detrimental effect, not only on our climate emergency, but also on pollination and in the production of food,” Adam Architecture director Hugh Petter told Dezeen. “It is a powder keg.”

Adam Architecture’s work includes Nansledan, an extension to the British city of Newquay that is being designed for the Duchy of Cornwall. The studio says it will surpass the new biodiversity net gain rules by adding “habitat ‘units’ of around 24 per cent and an increase in hedgerow ‘units’ of around 48 per cent”.

What are the new rules?

Construction can be a major cause of direct biodiversity loss, and the new planning rules for England aim to address that. They mandate that new developments deliver a “biodiversity net gain” – that is, a measurably positive impact on biodiversity compared to what existed before.

Specifically, the legislation requires developers to deliver a biodiversity net gain of 10 per cent. To calculate this, the UK government has produced a formula called the “statutory biodiversity metric” for counting what it terms “biodiversity units”, which are gained through work to create or improve natural habitats and lost through building.

As they strive to meet the 10 per cent requirement, developers must prioritise enhancing biodiversity on-site. If they cannot meet the threshold on the site being developed, they will be allowed also to make biodiversity gains on other plots of land, including by purchasing biodiversity units from other landowners.

As a last resort, they must buy “statutory biodiversity credits” from the government, which will use the money to invest in habitat creation. Biodiversity gains delivered must be maintained for a minimum of 30 years by whoever owns the land, bound by legal agreements.

Once planning permission is granted for a project, the developer must submit an evidenced biodiversity gain plan to the local planning authority (usually the council), which will approve it or refuse it. Development can only start once the biodiversity gain plan is approved. If the developer then fails to act in line with their biodiversity gain plan, the planning authority may take enforcement action.

Guidance on the new legislation, including a step-by-step guide to compliance, is available on the UK government’s website.

When do they come into effect?

The legislation was initially intended to come into effect for large developments of more than 10 dwellings in November, but that was pushed back to January 2024.

Smaller sites will also be subject to the new rules from April 2024, while major infrastructure projects will have to comply from late November 2025.

Some sites, such as small custom-built housing developments, will continue to be exempt.

What do architects and landscape architects need to know?

Architects and landscape architects will likely play a leadership role in ensuring that projects deliver on biodiversity requirements, working with ecologists and the authorities.

The most important thing, says Petter, is to understand the importance of biodiversity loss as an issue.

“The more architects can take a proper interest in the subject, the better placed they will be to work with the spirit of the new legislation and to think of imaginative ways that the minimum standards can be exceeded,” he said.

“It is crucial to engage with an ecologist as soon as possible,” added RSHP sustainability lead Michelle Sanchez. “It is also beneficial to evaluate the site as soon as you gain access.”

“This enables you to develop your designs based on the existing level of biodiversity, tailoring your strategy to local flora and fauna you particularly would like to support,” she said.

One thing to bear in mind is that the new rules aim to prioritise avoiding biodiversity loss in the first place.

“Avoiding biodiversity loss is the most effective way of reducing potential impacts, and it requires biodiversity to be considered at early design stages,” the guidance states.

To gain planning permission for a project that does cause biodiversity loss but proposes strategies to replace it, developers will need to explain, with evidence, why avoidance and minimisation is not possible.

Will this actually help to boost biodiversity?

The rules will mark the first time biodiversity enhancement has been a planning condition in England. According to University of Oxford researcher Sophus zu Ermgassen, it represents “one of the world’s most ambitious biodiversity policies”, but the exact impact is not yet certain.

But Sanchez is broadly optimistic. “Developers were not inclined to consider biodiversity enhancement in the past,” she told Dezeen.

“Only on projects attaining sustainability certificates such as BREEAM would biodiversity targets be discussed. Even then, it would sometimes more regarded as a tick-box exercise rather than an opportunity to make the building better and more appealing and to reduce the environmental impact that architectural projects have on the planet.”

However, she has warned in an opinion piece for Dezeen that a 10 per cent net gain on its own “is not enough to be able to reduce the negative impact that our way of life has had on biodiversity”.

The photo is by Free Steph via Unsplash.

Reference

migliore+servetto restores historic venetian structure for human safety net bookstore

Architecture

migliore+servetto completes human safety net bookstore in venice

By Zarkon Group,15/12/2023

migliore+servetto completes multimedia bookstore

Tucked away in Venice’s Saint Mark’s Square, the Bookstore of The Human Safety Net Foundation by Migliore+Servetto sits at the intervention of work, dialogue, discovery, and community experience. Housed within the historical building of Procuratie Vecchie, the compact 14 square meter space reveals a warm interior, an exhibition titled A World of Potential, a multimedia experience, and welcoming areas throughout. The intervention preserves and refreshes historic spatial features including windows and flooring while new furniture and subtle design elements were introduced to inject modernity and reinforce The Human Net’s brand identity. Inclusivity and accessibility were additionally key pillars for the design team, influencing even the design of the open-shelved bookcase serving as the storefront display visible to all passersby.

all images courtesy of Milgiore+Servetto

a multimedia community experience in saint mark’s square

Externally, the foundation’s name and logo are marked in new signage and graphics on the entry door and mezzanine window, subtly connecting this intimate space to The Human Safety Net’s broader presence on the third floor. Within, embracing the space along the walls, a series of red, steel bookshelves form a modular display system with integrated light featuring different dimensions and angulations. Each insert is mobile and interchangeable to ensure maximum flexibility, with the shelves converging to form a 90° angle and host the sales counter. The central aisle and window display case complete the furniture ensemble, their lightness and flexibility echoing the foundation’s identity to provide an unambiguous homogeneity to the space.

Migliore+Servetto’s intervention involved the replacement of existing furniture, false walls, and suspended ceilings, while historic elements such as the original Venetian flooring, windows, and shutters were preserved and renovated. Light grey plasterboard now forms the suspended ceilings and false walls, complemented by a natural stone band countering potential high-water impacts as it spans the whole perimeter. For the lighting design, the Italian designers opted for Targetti spotlights which offer flexible planes of light to create different accents for different display by running along ceiling-recessed tracks. A restored door opens onto Corte Maruzzi, flanked by and a luminous wall and a vertical monitor that adds digital dimensions to the space, facilitating broader communication and narratives.

project info:

name: Bookstore of The Human Safety Net Foundation
designer: Migliore+Servetto Architects

location: Procuratie Vecchie, Saint Mark’s Square, Venice

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom

Reference

Architecture

Stanaćev Granados divides levels of beach house with cargo net floor

By Zarkon Group,17/11/2023

Chilean architecture studio Stanaćev Granados has created a seaside house with a concrete and wood-clad exterior and a cargo net in the floor in Chorrillos, Chile.

Known as the Primeriza House, the 2,750-square foot (256-square metre) residence was completed in 2020 in a small clearing in a cypress-filled hill that slopes steeply down to the Pacific Ocean.

Stanaćev Granados, a Santiago-based studio run by Nataša Stanaćev and Manu Granados, designed the home to make the most of outdoor living while creating multiple interior environments and nooks within the home.

According to the studio, these dual considerations created “many transitional spaces” within the house.

The home’s concrete base is set firmly into the slope

Two storeys constitute the main body of the home, with the top volume cantilevering over the bottom one at points, all clad in darkly stained wood. The concrete base is set firmly into the slope with a semi-buried garage and storage area.

As the slope drops away, the foundations become retaining walls at the far ends of the plan. A sunken landscape terrace covers the garage as it approaches the main house.

“Thanks to the orientation of the entire volume, the house itself acts as a shield for the southern winds whipping its posterior facade, while the
entire front of the house remains unaffected by them,” said the studio.

Mudroom at Primeriza House — A southside terrace and mudroom are protected from the wind by earth

A pedestrian entrance was “nested” between the exposed concrete wall and the landscaped hill. It was meant to be “camouflaged in the vegetation”.

The entry staircase leads to a southside terrace and mudroom that are protected from the wind by an earthen wall embedded into the space.

Primary open-plan floor with floor-to-ceiling glazing — Stanaćev Granados wrapped the primary open-plan floor in wood

This entry terrace is clad in glass that allows views through the entirety of the ground floor, out to the sea. The studio described this layout and the use of glass as “kaleidoscopic”.

The primary floor – an open plan room with living, dining, and kitchen areas – is wrapped in wood and has floor-to-ceiling windows that open the space to a seaside north terrace.

The main floor transitions to the upper level through a double-height space.

Open weave cargo netting divides the volume and serves as an overhead play space.

Primeriza House — The sea-facing house is washed in dark wood

The safety netting appears again as the railing of the staircase.

The ground floor has a similar wood cladding to the exterior, while the upper floor features wood that has been painted white.

All-white bedroom at Primeriza House by Stanaćev Granados — Each room opens to a linear balcony through sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors

“While the first floor absorbs the light that washes its surfaces from all orientations, the second floor reflects the exterior colours – it turns absolute white on misty days, and when the weather is clear, it takes on the bluish tones of the sky and the horizon in the morning hours, and stains orange at sunset,” the studio said.

Upstairs, the primary ensuite is located on the eastern end of the rectangular plan and the children’s rooms and playroom hold the other edge.

Each room opens through sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors to a linear balcony along the house.

A skylight runs down the length of the house bringing light into the white-washed interior.

Green roof on top of the garage — A sun terrace is tucked between the green roof on top of the garage and the living room

About 800 kilometres north of the Primeriza House sits another recent Stanaćev Granados design, a cube-shaped holiday house known as Casa Kuvo.

The photography is by Marcos Zegers.

Project credits:

Architecture: Stanaćev Granados (Nataša Stanaćev & Manu Granados)
Interior and furniture design: Stanaćev Granados
Lighting design: Stanaćev Granados
Landscaping: Vanessa Barrois (Landscaperschile) and Joaquín Lobato
Structural design: Alberto Ramírez
Construction: Claudio Lagos, Florent Dromard

Reference

Sustainable News

UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard to verify net-zero carbon buildings

By Zarkon Group,16/10/2022

A group of leading industry organisations including the Royal British Institute of Architects have come together to create a building standard that will verify net-zero carbon buildings in the UK.

Named the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, the initiative will help the industry to ensure and prove that buildings claiming to be net-zero hold up to that claim.

The launch, announced by the Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA), responds to confusion over the term net-zero and “a clear demand for a single, agreed methodology”.

It is also hoped to encourage the industry to decarbonise and help the UK to meet its 2035 and 2050 emissions targets.

Standard will “help the entire industry to move forward”

“This is a really exciting and timely initiative that will help the entire industry to move forward in its efforts to reach net-zero carbon,” reflected RIBA president Simon Allford.

“Working together we will address current ambiguities around the much-used term and develop a common understanding, based on clear performance targets, to support all those involved in the procurement, design, construction and operation of buildings.”

Net-zero carbon buildings are designed to eliminate all possible emissions over a building’s lifetime. This takes into account both embodied carbon, which are emissions caused by the construction supply chain, and operational carbon, which are emissions caused by a building’s use.

Any remaining emissions must be offset by removing carbon from the atmosphere.

As the built environment is responsible for around 40 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, net-zero carbon architecture could help the UK meet its decarbonisation targets.

The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will verify both new and existing buildings, and take into account both their operational and embodied carbon emissions.

The Carbon Trust among supporters

Among the industry bodies backing the initiative are RIBA, the Carbon Trust, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) and The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE).

The Better Buildings Partnership (BBP), Building Research Establishment (BRE), London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) are also in the steering group.

“We look forward to contributing to the development of this highly impactful standard, which will be instrumental in guiding the UK real estate industry, the construction sector and the wider built environment, in the rapid and urgent transition towards net-zero,” reflected the Carbon Trust’s director Dominic Burbridge.

“Addressing the energy demand of the built environment and the associated emissions is a key driver in accelerating the move to a sustainable, decarbonised future and we are excited to be supporting such an important and pioneering initiative.”

Delivery will require “radical collaboration”

According to the RIBA, the standard will be accessible to everyone and “anyone who wants to fund, procure, design, specify, or occupy a net-zero carbon building and anyone wanting to demonstrate that their building is net zero-aligned with an industry-agreed standard”.

The steering group is now looking for support from other industry figures and stakeholders to deliver the standard.

“A UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will be critical for asset owners and managers to evidence that their buildings are built and operating in line with climate science,” concluded Sarah Ratcliffe, the CEO of steering-group member BBP.

“An industry-wide standard will enable stakeholders including investors and occupiers to differentiate between assets that are net-zero and those that are not,” she continued. “It will take radical collaboration to deliver this project.”

Architecture is “one of the least well-represented businesses” in the UN initiative to get companies to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050, according to UN climate champion Nigel Topping.

In 2019, RIBA launched a voluntary challenge to help architects create net-zero carbon buildings. However, less than six per cent of UK studios have signed up.

The main image is of the carbon-negative Paradise office by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

Reference

Architecture

New Contracts, Net Billing, Net Revenue and More

By Zarkon Group,19/03/2022

Lior Schnabel is a Co-Managing Partner at Precise, a company that provides financial management and control services for architectural and engineering firms across the USA and Europe. This article was written and researched with Yotam Kedem, who is a partner in Precise and the head of their USA office.

To keep up with industry trends and stay ahead of the competition, our clients love to get info on what’s been going on in the architecture and engineering sector. In order to keep them and you up to date, we decided to collect and analyze data about project statistics and performance from 50 architecture and engineering firms based in the New York Tri-State area.

Five major criteria points we analyzed to reflect the industry trend: New Contracts, Net Billing, Net Revenue, Backlog, and number of Professional Employees. The starting point was Q1 of 2019 and we used it as the ‘index’ for the rest of the survey.

Below are the results of our findings up until December 31st, 2021:

Total Amount in New Contracts represents the total value of ‘new work’ that was signed in each quarter. After a slower Q3 2021 (which can be attributed to timing more than anything else), we see Q4 2021 reaching the highest level since the beginning of the survey in Q1 2019 (120% over the index). This is a very positive indicator that reflects that the volume of projects is growing substantially.

Net Billing represents work that was invoiced and we noted an increase in every quarter from Q3 2020. During Q3 2021 and Q4 2021 invoicing was higher than the index figure for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. This means that workload is the highest we have seen for a very long time, including the pre-Covid era.

Net Revenue represents the net cash revenue collected. Following the positive Net Billing trend, we can see a consistent increase in cash collection since Q3 2020, and by Q4 2021 billing was back to pre-Covid levels. This means firms are in a more stable place financially right now, which translates to hiring and investments in the business (such as renovations, technology, and more). It is also important to emphasize that Net Revenue figures only include revenue streams from projects/clients (and don’t include any funds such as grants or PPP).

Backlog refers to the remaining fees/balance in contracts for the active projects in the firm i.e signed work that hasn’t been billed yet. Amid a small decrease in Q3 2021 (which again is mostly timing), we can see the backlog continues to improve every quarter since the big dip in Q2 2020 (i.e., beginning of Covid). Backlog is a great indicator of workload, and Q4 2021 had the highest backlog since the beginning of the survey. This indicates that the workload is very high right now and It’s very promising to see the backlog continuing to increase even with billing increasing as well.

Number of Professional Employees refers to the number of technical, billable employees in the firm, (not including admin, IT, accounting or marketing staff). We are finally seeing staffing getting back to pre-Covid levels. Although the increase has been slower compared to other criteria such as backlog and billing, it still managed to get back to the index level. The increase in Professional Employees is due to the high workload in the industry but it lags behind because initially firms were reluctant to hire in Covid times due to the uncertainty as well as staff working remotely. Firms seem to be actively looking to hire at the moment, however it is much tougher than it used to be.

Specific Sectors

Although we can detect a high index in all criteria, the situation still varies significantly between different firms and sectors.

On the upside, the private residential sector, specifically single-family houses, has been consistently active and has continued to yield work since the early days of the pandemic and in recent months.

As for other sectors that slowed substantially during the pandemic such as housing , commercial and even public and hospitality projects, we have spotted a strong resurgence in the last two quarters.

On the downside, institutional work, such as libraries, higher education, hospitals etc., indicators are still very low.

To summarize, this is the first time since tracking started in Q1 2019 that all of the metrics reached or surpassed the index. We are pleased to see this and hope the trend will continue to progress in this positive direction or at least sustain it’s current levels. We will continue to track the numbers every quarter and report the industry trends accordingly.

Top image: The JACX by MdeAS Architects, Queens, New York, United States | Jury Winner, 2021 A+Awards, Office Building High Rise (16+ Floors)

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Reference

Net

Ten homes with net floors for relaxation and play

The UK’s new biodiversity net gain rules explained

migliore+servetto completes human safety net bookstore in venice

migliore+servetto completes multimedia bookstore

a multimedia community experience in saint mark’s square

Stanaćev Granados divides levels of beach house with cargo net floor

UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard to verify net-zero carbon buildings

New Contracts, Net Billing, Net Revenue and More

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