Mork-Ulnes creates house in San Francisco that “breaks from tradition”
CategoriesArchitecture

Mork-Ulnes creates house in San Francisco that “breaks from tradition”

Mork-Ulnes Architects has completed the Silver Lining House, a crisp, gabled home clad in black-stained cedar that was designed for an architectural photographer and interior designer.

Located on a sloped site in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighbourhood, the house sits among Victorian and Edwardian homes that line the area’s hilly streets.

Aerial view of Silver Lining House
Silver Lining House is a black-stained cedar dwelling in San Francisco

The project was designed for architectural photographer Bruce Damonte and interior designer Alison Damonte, who have long been friends with architect Casper Mork-Ulnes, founder of Mork-Ulnes Architects.

The couple, who are avid collectors, desired a home that showcased their treasured belongings and supported their creative work.

Gabled home by Mork-Ulnes
Mork-Ulnes Architects designed the home with a gabled roof

“We knew from the outset that this project would be an interesting collaboration, balancing our reductive tendencies with the more exuberant and maximalist impulses of our client/friends, whose style we had always admired and wanted to celebrate,” said Casper Mork-Ulnes.

The architect and his team at Mork-Ulnes Architects – which has offices in San Francisco and Oslo – conceived a home for the Damontes that “conceptually functions as a container for their furniture and art collections and a laboratory for their work”.

Penthouse-style white kitchen with gabled roof
The top level was envisioned as a penthouse-type space

Rectangular in plan, the home rises three levels and features a crisp, gabled form. Facades are clad in strips of black-stained cedar and are punctured with openings of varying sizes.

The architects took cues from the surrounding context when deciding on key design elements such as scale, massing and cladding – but they also strayed from the norm.

Living room interior design in San Francisco home by Mork-Ulnes
It feature a living space

“While replicating the roof forms, entry portal/stoop and massing of the Victorian homes, the new house also breaks from tradition with a black-painted facade and ribbon windows that visually connect the interior of the house to the neighbourhood,” the team said.

“Tradition is reinterpreted here with a decidedly contemporary perspective, where formal research and construction techniques are integral to creating an original and innovative outcome that engages its surroundings while also prompting further inquiry,” the team added.

Primary bedroom suite
The ground level holds a primary bedroom suite

Totalling 2,818 square feet (261 square metres), the home has a “flipped floor plan”, in which private quarters are found on lower levels and communal spaces are placed up high.

The ground level holds a garage, primary bedroom suite, laundry room and sunken garden. The main entrance is found on the first floor, where the team placed a guest suite, a home office, two bathrooms and intimate spaces for relaxing and entertaining.

Rooftop terrace
A terrace offers sweeping views of the city

The top level – envisioned as a penthouse-type space – encompasses a kitchen, dining area, living room and powder room. A terrace offers sweeping views of the city.

Floors are linked by a curved staircase topped with a skylight. Half-polished chrome slats bounce reflections around the stairwell, an effect meant to “mimic the experience of walking through a disco ball”.

Curved staircase topped with a skylight
Floors are linked by a curved staircase topped with a skylight

Mirrored surfaces are found in other parts of the house, lending a feeling of playfulness while also producing spacial and light-generating effects, the team said.

Overall, the home’s interior design – overseen by Alison Damonte – offers a mix of colours, textures and patterns that “reflect the owners’ collective creative spirit”, the team said.

Sustainability was in mind throughout the project, leading to the inclusion of elements such as high-performance windows, exterior solar shading and energy-efficient appliances.

Rooftop solar panels generate electricity that can be stored in a Powerwall battery system, and unused electricity is sent back to the power grid.

Interior design by Alison Damonte
The home’s interior design was overseen by Alison Damonte

The home’s completion marks the end of a journey spanning more than a decade.

In 2010, the Damontes purchased a modest residence in Bernal Heights dating to the early 1900s.

Colourful table inside Silver Lining House by Mork-Ulnes Architects
Silver Lining House includes various colourful accents

Several years later, they enlisted Mork-Ulnes to renovate the house, and just when plans were being finalized in 2017, the house caught fire and was partly destroyed.

The team salvaged what they could and reworked the design.

Silver Lining House by Mork-Ulnes Architects
The home’s completion marks the end of a journey spanning more than a decade

“While the incident forced a reevaluation of scope and scale of the redesign, the couple’s goal remained the same – to create a home that acted as a capsule of art and inspiration,” the team said.

Other projects by Mork-Ulnes include an eight-sided house in Oregon that was built using cross-laminated timber and a California residence clad in Corten steel to protect the building from wildfire.

The photography is by Bruce Damonte


Project credits:

Architect: Mork-Ulnes Architects
Project design team: Casper Mork-Ulnes, Lexie Mork-Ulnes, Phi Van Phan, Gregoriy Ladigin
Interior designer: Alison Damonte
Construction manager: Raffi Nazarian
Landscape architect: Terremoto
Structural engineer: Santos & Urritia
Lighting design: PritchardPeck
General contractor: Rico’s General Construction, Inc
Cabinetmaker: Hopebuilt

Reference

&Tradition unveils apartment in 3 Days of Design exhibition
CategoriesInterior Design

&Tradition unveils apartment in 3 Days of Design exhibition

Danish furniture brand &Tradition has opened the doors to a four-storey showroom in Copenhagen, featuring a complete apartment and rooms designed by Jaime Hayon and Space Copenhagen.

Unveiled during 3 Days of Design in an exhibition titled Under One Roof, &Tradition‘s design team has transformed the interior of an 18th-century townhouse on 4 Kronprinsessegade.

Living room and office in The Apartment in Under One Roof by &Tradition
The Apartment takes over the top floor of the townhouse

The top floor has become The Apartment, an entire home interior that is described by Els Van Hoorebeeck, creative and brand director for &Tradition, as “the cherry on the cake”.

Despite being completely kitted out in the brand’s products, it was designed to have the feel of a lived-in space rather than a showroom.

The Apartment in Under One Roof by &Tradition
Designed by &Tradition’s in-house team, the spaces combine classic and contemporary

“When you enter, you feel this balance between colours and neutrals, between wood tones and glass or metal, and between classic and contemporary designs,” Van Hoorebeeck told Dezeen.

“There’s a lot of product in there, but you don’t notice it,” she said.

Bedroom for The Apartment in Under One Roof by &Tradition
The bedroom showcases a quilted bedspread by Swedish-Danish duo All the Way to Paris

Spanish designer Hayon has created two rooms on the first floor, which give an insight into the creative process behind products he has developed for &Tradition.

The first, called Cabinet of Curiosities, features a glass display case filled with objects and drawings, revealing the forms and images that inspire Hayon’s designs.

Jaime Hayon's Cabinet of Curiosities in Under One Roof by &Tradition
Jaime Hayon has created a room called Cabinet of Curiosities

The second presents new works by Hayon – including the Momento vessels and a limited edition of his Formakami pendant lamp – in a scenography framed by large silhouette characters. This room is called Teatro Surreal.

“We felt it was important to show the world that his products come out of,” said Van Hoorebeeck.

Jaime Hayon's Teatro Surreal in Under One Roof by &Tradition
Jaime Hayon’s Teatro Surreal creates a scenography for his new products

The two rooms by Danish interiors studio Space Copenhagen can be found on the second floor.

These spaces include a studio and, building on the studio’s experience in hotel and restaurant design, a dining room. Here, shades of green and brown combine with fresh herbs and plants to bring a sense of nature.

New products are peppered throughout these two rooms.

They include the Trace storage cabinets, which are filled with kitchen utensils and tableware, and the Collect rugs.

Space Copenhagen's dining room in Under One Roof by &Tradition
Space Copenhagen has created a dining room in shades of green and brown

Founded in 2010 by Martin Kornbek Hansen, &Tradition combines contemporary and classic design in its collections.

The brand has been based at 4 Kronprinsessegade since 2018, but the building primarily served as a headquarters, with offices located on the upper levels.

Verner Panton Lounge in Under One Roof by &Tradition
Verner Panton’s Flowerpot lamps feature in several rooms

The company has now moved its offices to another nearby location, which made it possible to open the entire townhouse up to the public for the first time during 3 Days of Design.

Other spaces revealed in Under One Roof include the Verner Panton Lounge, which is dedicated to mid-century pieces by the late Danish designer such as the 1968 Flowerpot lamps.

Archive in Under One Roof by &Tradition
An archive room is filled with original drawings and vintage samples

There are also rooms designed to appeal to the senses. These include the Listening Lounge, a relaxed space filled with music, and Mnemonic, which centres around a range of scents.

Other key spaces include a “workshop” showcasing the possibilities of the modular workspace furniture, an archive filled with original drawings and vintage samples, a cafe and a shop.

Shop in Under One Roof by &Tradition
A cafe and shop are located on the ground floor

Van Hoorebeeck hopes the spaces will help tell the stories behind the products.

“What we wanted to do here is to create a whole universe,” she said. “Every room is based on showing a different atmosphere between contemporary and classic designs.”

“Now the layout of the house is set and every year we’ll just adapt it,” she added.

The photography is courtesy of &Tradition.

3 Days of Design took place in venues around Copenhagen from 7 to 9 June 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for information, plus a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Reference

Healing Green: Architects Are Breaking Down a Long Tradition of Sterile Healthcare Design
CategoriesArchitecture

Healing Green: Architects Are Breaking Down a Long Tradition of Sterile Healthcare Design

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter. 

That nature can help cure people both physically and mentally is not a new concept. Architects are using greenery to help combat the sterility of modern healthcare facilities, yet it is not usually not easy to achieve the ideal result. Explore different approaches to ‘green healthcare’ with the following six projects of different sites and sizes.


Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen

By Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and MIKKELSEN Architects, Herlev, Denmark

Popular Choice, 10th Annual A+Awards, Hospitals & Healthcare Centers

SDCC_aerial viewSDCC_interiorSteno Diabetes Center Copenhagen is a hospital for preventing and treating diabetes. The hospital occupies a rectangular site with two entrances open on two opposite sides. There are four inner gardens on the first floor and two of them greet the visitors immediately upon their entry. Common areas such as circulation spaces and reception sit in the middle of the floor plan, while most individual rooms are lined on the outer ring.

The same layout continues to the second floor, replacing covered common areas with a continuous roof garden. Both vegetation and warm-color, wooden interior aim to build up a calming atmosphere for all visitors. Outside the rooms, a thin layer of vegetation shelters the rather private rooms from public view.


Maggie’s Leeds

By Heatherwick Studio, Leeds, United Kingdom

Jury Winner and Popular Choice, 9th Annual A+Awards, Hospitals & Healthcare Centers

maggies leeds_exteriormaggies leeds_interiorMaggie’s centers provide free cancer support and information to patients and their friends and families. The centers are located across the UK, each in a unique style while all of them embrace nature as a way of healing. Maggie’s Leeds stands on the last patch of greenery at St James’s University Hospital. The sloping site is bounded by roads and a multi-story car park. Instead of flattening the landscape, the spaces descend along the landscape, creating views that vary from open to secluded.

Three tree-like structures articulate the common areas under their crowns and include the counseling rooms within the trunk. Plants are visible everywhere – on top of the roofs, around the buildings and inside the buildings. The building demonstrates the idea of shelter in a natural form.


Waldkliniken Eisenberg

By Matteo Thun & Partners, Germany

Popular Choice, 9th Annual A+Awards, Architecture + Health

This new hospital wing of the orthopedic center Waldkliniken Eisenberg enjoys an immersive view of the Thuringian Forest. The six-story building has 128 patient rooms, all located on the outer ring of the circular floor plans. Floor-to-ceiling windows invite unblocked views of the natural landscape into the rooms while providing natural light and fresh air to the rooms.

Common areas such as the lobby and the cafeteria for patients are in the middle of the floor plans, framed by the wards. Inner gardens are carefully cultivated so that the common areas are also visually connected to pleasing greenery. The interior is finished largely in warm-color timber and lighted up by colorful fabrics. Rich textures and colors create a cozy and cheerful atmosphere for the patients.


Expansion of Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation

By EL EQUIPO MAZZANTI, Bogota, Colombia

Popular Choice, 8th Annual A+Awards, Health Care & Wellness

Expansion of Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation_exteriorExpansion of Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation_solariumThe expansion of Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation is sited in the compact urban context of the city of Bogotá. It comprises an eleven-story block and a single-story base. The roof of the base becomes a plaza opening to the roads, with staircases inviting people onto it. Red bricks cover the expansion as a response to the existing buildings around. Strips of pavement on the plaza are replaced by plants. Different types of plants vary in height, breaking the flatness and solidity of the brick plaza.

Bricks are held by metal cables and form an airy net over the tall block. Light penetrates the breeze-wall façade during the day, nurturing the plants in the solarium on the ninth floor. Patients can feel connected to the outside world in the solarium while remaining sheltered and protected.


Maggie’s Gartnavel

By OMA, Glasgow, United Kingdom

maggies glasgow_aerialmaggies_2011_Charlie KoolhaasMaggie’s Gartnavel sits humbly on the land of the Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow, close to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre. The single-level volume comprises a series of interlocking rooms, with an inner garden in the middle of the ring of rooms. With a flat roof and floor levels that respond to the natural topography, the rooms vary in height. Common areas including the dining room, kitchen, library and a large activity room are on the side with taller ceilings and the counseling rooms are more intimate.

Although the rooms are of different levels of privacy, there are hardly continuous walls that enclose a room. Most spaces have at least one side open or transparent. As a result, the spaces are separated by functions yet visually continuous. Meanwhile, views of the gardens enter the spaces freely through the transparent façades.


SDC

By Takeru Shoji Architects.Co.,Ltd., Niigata, Japan

SDC_exteriorSDC_interiorNeighboring a nursery, elementary school and junior high school, this dental clinic is designed as an enjoyable place for both children and parents. This two-story timber building accommodates not only a clinic but also a bookstore and daycare center. By combining programs, the design team wishes to encourage people to come not just for their appointment.

A long garden surrounds the building. The view of the garden passes through the sheltered corridors and enters the interior spaces. The garden is a buffer between the clinic and the roads as well as a showcase for changing weather and seasons.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter. 

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