Our focus was to return the house to its essence of form and to create a home full of atmosphere and individuality. The brief was to create an authentic home with a strong sense of identity; with clients being of Danish heritage, the house at its core was the definition of “Hygge” (a unique Danish word evoking comfort and contentment).

In our client’s eyes, the value of this renovation lies not just in its function and the shelter it provides, but because we have been able to repurpose an existing home and conserve the heart and soul of the forgotten.

On arrival, the entry is now defined by an oversized eave that emphasizes the horizontality of the façade and strengthens the cohesiveness of the existing architectural form. It has been punctured to allow substantial soft landscaping adjacent the entrance, as well as provide increased light into the interior of the heart of the home without compromising on privacy.

The horizontality of the architectural form was further strengthened by filling in vertical joints in brickwork and raking existing horizontal joint lines. The language of the exterior brickwork is carried inside, to form and define volumes. These walls are unadorned and honest. The interiors celebrate the beauty of imperfection. There are no embellishments, no overworked decoration.

A key challenge was to balance our clients’ desire to live in an open plan house that ensured a high level of interaction and communication but without the noise and distraction that a single large space can sometimes result in. In contrast to the modest and simple façade, on entering, spaces unfold and are layered upon each other.

Solid brick exterior walls carry inside to frame the heart of the home (Kitchen+ Meals) and create interior portal openings which connect adjacent spaces (Dining, Living + Bar). The layering of these spaces was further strengthened by adding plate glass walls that intersected the solid walls. Whilst spaces were isolated acoustically, a controlled visual connection was promoted.

Further connections are made between the adjacent garden and the space around the house, providing a layering of landscape and surrounding built form. The home is light filled with fresh air and aspect, yet there is an inner truth and stillness to the spaces that produces calm and a certain mindfulness.

studiofour

The post Central Park Road Residence was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.

The study is about redesigning an existing building and converting it into a house that meets all contemporary requirements. The main elements of the site are on the one hand the island of Spinalonga, at the east and on the other hand, the steep, vertical rocks towards the north.

The residence consists of a ground floor space, which includes the living areas and the pool on the patio, as well as a floor that accommodates two bedrooms with their bathrooms. A metal structure includes a WC and the staircase, through which one can access the first floor. Due to the limited space area, the main purpose of the design was to eliminate the boundaries between the living room and the patio. This is achieved by transferring the boundary from the existing building to the interior, by breaking the parallel, and by using a single flooring material indoors and outdoors.

The main materials of the composition are marble, wood, as well as local stone, a natural material that dominates the composition of the facade, forming vertical openings in different scales, translating elements of the region’s history and make them contemporary.

ENTOPOS Architects

The post Earthy tones was originally published on ek magazine | Architectural Publications | ek magazine – Architectural Publications.