Contemporary Style House with a Rooftop Terrace in Mount Baker, Seattle

Boasting sweeping views of downtown Seattle from its 400-sq.-ft. rooftop terrace, Mount Baker House by pb Elemental Architecture embraces the outdoors in its warm, woody, nature-inspired contemporary design. The house strong vertical presence features a facade of windows wrapped in cedar, cement, concrete and marine plywood. Inside, the home’s 2,470-sq.-ft. of living space features four bedrooms,

Contemporary Prefab Cellophane House Exhibit at MoMA

It’s clear why the Cellophane House is garnering so much attention. Designed by the innovative architects at KieranTimberlake Associates and on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art until October 20, 2008, this single-family, 1,800-sq.-ft., four-storey structure is much more than just a house. Based on the notion that a building is “nothing more than an assemblage of materials forming an

Eco-Friendly Mountain Cabin on Wildcat Ridge in Aspen - extreme design

Perilously perched at an elevation of 9,200 ft. in Aspen, Colorado, this mountain cabin design is extreme in every respect, from its location to its views and its look, both inside and out. According to Voorsanger Architects PC, this contemporary cabin design responds to its natural surroundings in three ways – the unique folded roof; an expansive rock wall the divides east wing and west; and the

Luxury Contemporary Home in Toronto, Canada, for sale

This magnificent contemporary home in Toronto, Canada, sits quietly in the upscale neighborhood known as the Bridlepath. This luxury and spacious design by home builder, architectural firm and design company TAS DesignBuild is a work of art in every aspect. The home’s 18,000 sq. ft. of open-concept living space is occupied by five bedrooms and 10 baths, so whether you enjoy entertaining large

Luxury "Cave" House by Architect Marcio Kogan

Layers of warm Brazilian hardwood, stone and concrete edge their way up Mirindiba House – one of the latest contemporary architectural artworks designed by Brazil’s Marcio Kogan. This luxury home low profile boasts covered and open living spaces, embracing the outdoors as an important component of the home’s plan. Large spans of glass form pillarless windows that open seamlessly into the outdoors

Innovative Bamboo House in Taiwan by ROEWUarchitecture

Like a gilded cage for the nature lover, this modern bamboo house sits in a dense urban district of Eastern Taiwan, where neighboring houses employ metal cages on windows and doors to address the issue of security. Fresh and forward-thinking UK-based ROWEUarchitecture created an innovative, intricate, sculptural bamboo enclosure that brings beauty to function. Sunlight passes between the bamboo

Mountain House Design in Valparaiso, Chile - Where Every Room Comes with a View

Now that is one sharp piece of work! Casa Altavista is a modern mountain house design by DA4 Architects that is daringly perched on a steep slope in Valparaiso, Chile. The sharply angular design creates two wing-like platforms that double the living space to include not just what's beneath the roof, but also on it. The rooftop terraces boast breathtaking views of the lush valley dropping down

Contemporary Weekend House - Nature-Inspired Japanese Design

Stage House in Karuizawa, Japan, was designed to blend in with its woody surroundings. Created by Takei Nabeshima Architects (TNA architects), this modern, nature-inspired weekend house boasts as its main attraction an expansive glass wall that dissolves the boundary between indoors and out, affording panoramic views of world outside. The interior holds a surprise – an open-concept, three-tiered

Stylish Sustainable House in San Francisco

Designed by John Lum Architecture Inc., Casa Verde is an example of contemporary eco-conscious living that is as easy on the eyes as it is on the environment, proving that eco-friendly living need spare no luxury. Nestled a block from Garfield Park in San Francisco, California, the architect took an existing structure in an infill neighborhood, and Greened it up with high-tech sustainable

Modern M House Designed for Privacy and Street Presence

“M” means many things in Almere, the Netherlands – modern, magnificent, Mark Koehler Architects and M House. The unique shape of this modern house design is as loved for its architectural interest and street presence as it is for the privacy it offers its residents. Designed by Amsterdam architect Marc Koehler, this unique home’s M shape also divides interiors in two defined wings. This modern

Exotic Luxury House in Toronto, Canada - a contemporary palace?

This palatial house on the outskirts of Toronto, Canada, is defined by its eclectic mix of sophistication, elegance and the exotic. This futuristic luxury house geometric silhouette features a circular wing to the left and right of the main entrance, with a large circular window front and center. Inside, the window creates a bright entrance foyer, leading into the light-filled living areas.

Modern Luxury Retreat in Sydney, Australia Suburb - ocean view house

Modeled after the famous Kaufman House in Palm Springs, California, this modern luxury retreat at the other end of the globe is garnering some attention of its own. The Walker House in the Sydney, Australia, suburb of Bayview, is currently on the market in the $10 million ballpark – a fair price for an architectural artwork. This stunning, sprawling combination of indoor and outdoor spaces comes

Contemporary Sustainable Waterfront Loft – Split Box in New Zealand

Nestled in New Zealand’s Kennedy Bay, the Split Box House by Morse Architects uses renewable and low-impact materials to create a light, two-storey contemporary loft overlooking the seaside. This sustainable waterfront home is much grander in scale than it appears, set in the foreground of these massive, lush peaks. Built of glass framed in wood and corrugated iron, this modern design features a

Alice-In-Wonderland-Inspired House in The Netherlands - modern minimalist design

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Villa Peet (aka The Rabbit House) in Lelystad, The Netherlands, is modern minimalism come to fruition. Designed by the forward-thinking architects of Amsterdam’s Studio Klink, the house simple, white facade is devoid of details, apart from its glass entrance. Inside, the house is bathed in white, aside from the matte black floors spilling throughout. As you cross

Flatpak Luxury Prefab House in Aspen, Colorado

FlatPak, the designer of this luxury prefab house in Aspen, Colorado, is really thinking outside the box in its approach to modern architecture. This innovative, prefab design spares no indulgence, taking custom home building to new heights. From its cool facade to the warm, woody interiors, this contemporary house is a reflection of its residents, because it’s designed by them (with the help of

Purion’s Innovations Living Room

Purion combines glass and wood to make a collection of amazing storage pieces. Shelving, bookcases, sideboards, and room dviders help to make up the Purion Innovations living room. Purion’s pieces can truly be called functional art.

Patterned glass adds a bit of fun to items, while the large size makes a grand statement in any room it is located. Products come in white lacquer, oak sand, and

Modern House Design Built of Eco-Friendly Radial Timber

Designed by Australia’s Graham Jones Design, Mt Martha modern house is built of radial timber, selected for its notable environmental and technical benefits. The secret is in the way the wood is cut. Waste not, want not, and radial sawing allows the highest return of timber per log. The timber is also cut from native trees, which reduces greenhouses gases related to transport of goods. In

Sustainable Reclaimed Barn House in Belgium

Recycling is among the simplest of eco-friendly actions, but when architect Rita Huys of the firm Buro II took on this modest approach to modern house design, the result is something quite spectacular by way of sustainable housing. Dubbed the Barn House for obvious reasons, this reclaimed Belgian barn boasts a traditional frame set in a contemporary glass and fully functional shutter facade,

Modern Wooden House – A Brazilian Beauty in Finland

Vila Isabella is a Brazilian beauty in Finland, and it’s this “opposites-attract” characteristic that offers this modern wooden house both its functional and fashionable attributes. With Hanko, Finland as both its location and inspiration, this natural design by Brasil Arquitetura surrounds the 330-sq.-ft. footprint in warm wood, reminiscent of a Scandinavian sauna. So with the first of the

Sustainable Home by Architect Jonathan Segal - Smart, Contemporary, Off the Power Grid

With an abandoned 7200-sq.-ft. lot, innovative ideas and great prospects for modern home design, architect and owner Jonathan Segal created The Prospect Residence – a magnificent sustainable home that embraces contemporary art forms and unusual notions of “home”. Segal’s house in La Jolla, California, takes shape as a space-efficient, energy-efficient and cost-efficient edifice. The U-shaped box

Fashionable, Factory-Made, Modern Prefab Home

The Wallace Creek prefab residence may be small, but these contemporary quarters certainly are sweet. Designed by Marmol Radziner Prefab, a spacious 1,500-sq.-ft. deck encircles this home’s 840-sq.-ft. interior which encompasses one bedroom, one bathroom and lots of innovative style. Built of seven prefabricated modules, this house makes the most of its surroundings – wherever you choose to call

Contemporary “California Cool” House by Belzberg Architects

The spectacular Brentwood Residence in Los Angeles combines two California traditions – contemporary architecture and alfresco living – in a 12,000-sq.-ft. space. Completed in 2007 by Belzberg Architects, this modern house design boasts a simple exterior of geometric lines and a crisp, white facade framing windows from the ground up. The perfectly manicured lawn abuts a stone patio and pool area

Prefab House Design - Space- and Cost-Efficient Joshua Tree House

Dubbed the Joshua Tree House, this wood-and-steel-clad contemporary cabin by Italy’s Hangar Prefab is a prime example of efficient use of space and a unique sense of style, wrapped up in a cost-efficient and stylish design. At 400 sq. ft., this modern home touts an awesome layout including two bedrooms, a kitchen, a couple of bathrooms and a living area. This prefab house boasts interiors

Contemporary Glass House Near West Point, New York

You know what they say about people who live in glass houses – they’re very lucky, at least in the case of this spectacular $5.5 million home in Cornwall on Hudson, New York. This magnificent, modern design boasts 4,500 sq. ft. of living space stretched across five levels, three bedrooms and 3.5 baths. But there’s much more to this contemporary glass house than meets the eye. Striking about this

Luxury Brazilian House by Architect Arthur Casas - the “Inside-Out” house

When designing a house for himself, Brazilian Architect Arthur Casas turned his approach to architecture inside-out with this unique luxury design that brings outdoors in and indoors out. This modern house in Iporanga, Brazil, is set amid lush forest, and features a Cumaru wood facade that’s broken up by 11-meter glass windows on each side of the house that, with a little push, slide open to

Dønning Community Building / JVA

Architects: Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Architects MNAL
Location: Kleppstad, Norway
Client: Dønning Youth Society
Start Date: July 2005
Completion Date: July 2006
Design Team: Einar Jarmund, Håkon Vigsnæs, Alessandra Kosberg, Stian Schjeldrup, Nikolaj Zamecznik
Site Area: 2,500 sqm
Constructed Area: 400 sqm
Photographs: Jarmund / Vigsnæs AS, John Stenersen


The old building for the Dønning Youth

Switch Building / nArchitects

Architect: nArchitects
Location: New York, USA
Project Year: 2004-2007
Design Team: Eric Bunge, Mimi Hoang (Partners); Daniela Zimmer (Project Architect), Jorge Pereira, Takuya Shinoda
Client: 109 Norfolk, LLC
Constructed Area: 1,328 sqm
Program: Art gallery on Ground & Cellar Floors & 5 condo apartments
Photographs: Frank Oudeman & nArchitects


Switch Building is a 7 storey apartment and art

Bank of Ireland HQ revamp in limbo

A planning application submitted in June to extend the Bank of Ireland HQ in Dublin hangs in the balance as 17 objections have been submitted to Dublin council. The HKR Architects design was submitted for the internal reconfiguration and extension of the three buildings of the Bank of Ireland HQ on Lower Baggott Street, but the existing building is considered an icon in the city.

The modernist

Extension and renovation of the Ljubljana City Museum / OFIS arhitekti

Architect: OFIS arhitektiLocation: Ljubljana, SloveniaDesign Year: 1998-2000Construction Year: 2000-2004Project leaders: Rok Oman & Špela VidečnikDesign Team: Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik, Rok Gerbec, Josip Konstantinovič, Karla Murovec, Damjan BradačCompetition Design Team: Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik, Lidija Dragišič, Marko ColoniClient: Mestni muzej LjubljanaConstructed Area: 2,650 sqm (existing