The Square Mag

//October 2009

//Architecture

They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and the Big Dig House in Lexington, Massachusetts is a unique and elegant example of this and a true prototype of recycling and re-use.

Most of us outside the States won't be familiar with the term "The Big Dig" - the most expensive highway construction project in the history of the US and best known for its failures (water leaks, accidents and cost overruns) than its success in burying the Central Artery beneath downtown Boston. Often overlooked in construction of this scale is the massive amount of waste that accompanies it – namely the dismantling of the existing and temporary roadways – and the site of the Big Dig was a literal graveyard of materials. Loathe to see these expensive materials go to landfill, one of the project's chief engineers approached architects Single Speed Design with the idea of re-using this discarded infrastructure as building components in his new house. As we can see, the results are pretty stunning.

In the end, more than 600,000 pounds of material were salvaged from the dismantled highway and became the bones of this unique home. And at a final cost of only $150 per square foot (approx £90 per square foot!), this wasn't just a bargain for the environment. Most of the materials were free - minus the cost of transporting to site - and it took just three days to erect the frame of the house, a fraction of the typical 3-4 weeks if traditional materials had been used. Furthermore, the recycled materials were capable of carrying much higher loads than standard structure, thus allowing double-height interior spaces which bring natural light deep into the building and the integration of an elaborate roof garden. Slabs of concrete, formerly temporary road sections, support an unbelievable three feet of roof soil and also allow the use of a rainwater catchment system for irrigation – just one of the sustainable measures introduced by the architects.

Far from being just steel and concrete, the house's exterior is elegantly clad in cedar siding and glazed walls, giving it a clean and modern finishing touch without attempting to disguise the exposed steel beams. Looking at the Big Dig House, it would be difficult to guess it emerged from the rubble of an old freeway, but the final product is a shining example of how to turn gravel into gold.

//October 2009

//Architecture

The bungalow is back – but not as we know it... Traditionally known an “a one-storied house with a low pitch roof”, the common bungalow home has humble beginnings, with many historians believing that army tents and rural English cottages inspired the efficiency of the floor plan. However this definition does not do justice to the variety and idiosyncrasies of modern bungalow designs – and certainly could not be used to describe architect Paul de Ruiter's striking, minimalist Villa Berkel. Built on a site once occupied by a modest bungalow dating from the 1970's, this simple yet sleek single-storey home has succeeded in balancing the clients’ desire for maximum natural light and their need for privacy, whilst allowing open views of the stunning dense woodlands which surround the site.

The project initially presented a conundrum for the architects, a small firm in Amsterdam known for producing innovative and unexpected design solutions. Although perfectly situated in stunning woodlands outside Veenendaal (central Netherlands), the clients were worried that the density of the surrounding trees would make their new home dark and gloomy. On the other hand, the more glazing used in a building, the more difficult it is to maintain the dividing line between inside and outside, public and private, and herein lay the dilemma.

De Ruiter’s solution is simple yet inspired. By splitting the building plot into three strips perpendicular to the access road, he has placed private and public functions at opposite ends of the site. Using this idea, the bottom and southernmost strip is reserved for the garden, the middle strip contains the house itself and the driveway, parking area and entrance all occupy the northern strip. This clever linear layout means that those parts of the house that the clients prefer to keep private – such as the sleeping quarters – are out of sight and protected from unwanted attention.

This conceptual simplicity is repeated in the floor plan of the house, which is also divided into three strips over its 30 metre length. Privacy is increased sequentially according to the specific needs of each space, from the solid linearity of the north wall to the openness of floor-to-ceiling glazing on the remaining three facades. The north wall acts as a datum - the anchoring line to which all solid elements are fixed, such as the bedrooms and cabinetry. This allows the rest of the building to operate freely, promoting openness and liveability. The eastern section contains the more public functions – the entrance, study and the home’s entertaining and dining space which is framed by clean, white walls, dark wood flooring and pea green furniture. Travelling west through a connecting corridor space, the character of the house gradually becomes more intimate: an informal TV lounge, the bedrooms and master bathroom. Floor-to-ceiling glass allows light to flood into these private spaces, which all boast direct views to the secluded garden.

By carefully analysing the specific privacy needs of every interior space, the architect’s layout is flawlessly simple yet successful, and carefully thought-out details such as the outdoor bathtub and the exposed master bathroom accentuate the concept of privacy because of their location on the plan. The transition between indoors and outdoors is smooth and each space fully embraces the beauty and tranquility of the surroundings, described by the architects like “living in the garden”. The spacious wooden terrace also forms a room outdoors and appears to float on steel girders, while elegant ponds laid on either side underline this impression of an almost weightless house; a floating pavilion.

Although it stands at only 277sqm, Villa Berkel feels much more spacious than a standard two-storey whose functions revolve around the connection between the two levels. This would be considered criminally small by some, yet it feels so much bigger because of the coherent architectural language used throughout. To describe this merely as “a one-storied house” would be an injustice, and comparisons have rightly been drawn to the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose awe-inspiring masterpiece “Falling Water” is reknowned for not only its simplicity, but the harmony between man and nature. Lloyd Wright famously said that “simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art” – and in many ways, this makes Villa Berkel very valuable indeed.

//October 2009

//Interiors

SET26.CH
PRICES FROM 1275.00 euro

Sometimes ideas are so simple that we wonder why nobody thought of them sooner! Set 26 is a freestanding letter-shaped storage collection, featuring all 26 letters of the English alphabet and the “+” sign. The fun furniture, shown here in white but available in 6 colour options, targets both commercial and domestic uses. Businesses can use them to construct a company name or logo while benefitting from the storage capactiy within each letter, or you can add an artistic, cool touch to yor home by choosing your initials or making up a fun word!

//October 2009

//Architecture

The Renault Avantim screeched to halt at the bottom of Highgate Hill, unable to go any further due to the mass of people milling around on the steep lane. Half a dozen architects rapidly disembarked from the French cruiser but immediately froze, their gaze transfixed by a large, crystal like object that appeared to be hovering over the brow of the hill...

The scene I have described above happened during Open House London 2009. It is a simple but powerful concept: in celebration of design excellence, 700 buildings of every conceivable type, shape and size open their doors to Londoners, for free. During the previous week Ian Hogarth had devised an Open House route of military precision which would enable us to visit the maximum number of contemporary residential properties possible in one day. The route started in the west, where we saw a white modernist cube of a house and finished in a 15th floor penthouse with spectacular views over the City.

The house at Highgate in north-west London designed by Eldridge Smerin Architects, was the highlight of day filled with architectural delight. Walking up the cantilevered concrete stair and crossing the generously dimensioned structural glass landing in the first floor music room, the visitor is struck by the quiet beauty of Highgate Cemetery, revealed by the all-glazed south and west walls. The design fully exploits the genius loci. This is a spacious house on a tight plot — every millimetre of the site has been used, it is built hard up against the neighbouring graves. The visual parameters of the music room, kitchen and study are not defined by the line of thermal enclosure but by the cemetery and views of London.

This is crystalline modern architecture, yet rooted in earlier traditions, having aspects of an Italian tower house, with the base devoted to services and storage, and two floors of generous living, eating and work space above. A “courtyard” is formed by a sliding glass rooflight over the second floor kitchen. There is an effortlessness in the support of the frameless glazing by glass beams, and only when it is fully retracted does the presence of the rooflight become apparent.

Standing on the top floor balcony, listening to the bird song echoing through the cemetery, it was briefly possible to enter a beautiful, dreamlike world where extraordinary modern architecture sits in perfect harmony with one of our cities most beautiful spaces. The queue of eight hundred patiently waiting to see the house was proof that we are starved of this all too rare phenomenon of good modern architecture that is normally forbidden to enter our city.
HAMISH HERFORD