Tag Archives: Minimal Architecture

This minimal wooden home was designed to focus on a majestic chestnut tree

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Located in Vale Flor, Portugal, the Chestnut House is a minimal home designed by local architect João Mendes Ribeiro, centered around a chestnut tree. The glass walls of the home provide close-up views of the majestic tree, making it seem as if the tree is a part of the house. The home is clad in black-painted timber, and covered in plywood panels as well. It has also been lined with oriented strand board and cork panels for thermal insulation. The secular chestnut tree functioned as the motto for the development of the home.

Designer: João Mendes Ribeiro

“The reference to ‘genius loci’ summarises the design starting point: the place and the large century-old chestnut tree. The main idea of the project was to shift interest from the architectural object to the place and site so that the context is the starting point of the project,” said Ribeiro.

Defined as an “elegant shelter”, the home occupies 25-square-meter and includes a kitchen, a living area, and a sleeping section – all placed within one room. A central fireplace is placed in the middle of the room. The walls of this room are positioned in such a manner, so as to subtly envelope and hug the chestnut tree. Impressive windows provide views of the tree’s massive trunk, further highlighting the home’s close proximity to the tree.

A cute wooden ladder placed at the southern side of the home provides access to a mezzanine level, which is small in size but has sufficient space for an extra bed. At the northern end of the home, a bathroom has been placed. The mezzanine section also provides stunning views of the peaceful surrounding landscape.

The interiors of the home – the walls, ceiling, and furniture have all been equipped with a plywood finishing, creating a warm and minimal vibe within the home. The interiors perfectly complement, and in fact, accentuate the minimal exterior of the house.

“The geometry (of the home) is broken and tensioned by the tree trunk and its branches, opening the building towards the tree canopy. The house reveals throughout the year the changes in the seasons and weather. It is the changing game of nature that determines the life of the inhabitant,” said Ribeiro. The home allows the residents to always feel at one with nature, and experience the changes in nature as closely as possible.

By incorporating and making room for an existing tree in the design of the home, Ribeiro has managed to minimize the disturbance caused to the site, and protect a beautiful mature tree.

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This slanted, geometric cabin in New Zealand embraces its surrounding landscape

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Most people would probably answer “a mansion” when you ask them what is their dream house. While a huge house with many opulent rooms would be nice to have, there are those who would want to have a comfortable abode near the sea or lake, where nature meets comfort. I am one of those people who would love to retire in a simple but well-thought house, preferably by the beach. Of course, that will remain a dream for the foreseeable future; I am content for now with reading about other people’s dream houses becoming a reality.

Designer: Daniel Smith / Edwards White Architects

A New Zealand-based architect was able to build his dream home for his family with the idea that their holiday home, known as a “kiwi bach” is not just a space but also turns the outside landscape into an extension of it. He found a space in the 450-resident regional township of Taupiri, an hour south of Auckland, overlooking the Waikato River and the Hakarimata mountains and turned it into the River House. For those that grew up in cities and want to escape the bustle, this seems to be a perfect spot.

The idea is to create a laid-back living kind of house and at the same time use a small footprint for both budgetary and ecological concerns. The 1,065 square feet house with a 270 square feet second floor uses two essential materials – plasterboard and pine, as well as Resene paint for the walls. These materials were painted white, while those that use aluminum or steel were painted black. The timber paneling and flooring retained their natural colors, giving the entire house a minimalist look and, at the same time, complementing the outdoor ambiance.

The roof slopes at 20 degrees across the width of the house and then angles back over the full length, giving an illusion that the house is smaller if you look at the entrance but becomes bigger as it approaches the water. The downstairs area has two bedrooms and a bathroom that splits the common area, while the second floor has the master suite. These areas sit under a lower roofline while the sunken lounge and mezzanine slope towards the river.

Since they also designed it to use minimal space, there are several built-in storage spaces and hidden utilities scattered around the house, like underneath the living space and in the back units. The kitchen is the “calm” centerpiece of the ground floor, giving a view of the outdoors which can inspire you while cooking and eating. Having a house designed like this lets those who live in it “embrace” the picturesque landscape outside, letting you be one with nature while still living somewhere cozy and comfortable.

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A tiny glass cabin lets you enjoy Finnish nature in warmth and safety

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For those who dream of living with nature but worry they might not have the stomach for it, this cabin in Finland might have the perfect answer.

Congested cities, crowded spaces, and COVID-19 may have had some people thinking about escaping to the great outdoors. Even the biggest technophiles will probably admit to being in awe in the face of the splendor of nature. Few, however, might have the heart to really camp out and give up on modern amenities for even just a day. An architectural firm in Finland has thought of the perfect solution, presuming you have no qualms about living in a tiny cabin that has glass for its roof and walls.

Designer: Luauri Solo/Pirinen Salo Oy

The Smart Lucia gives a whole new meaning to “living in a glass house,” though the glass, in this case, is far from the fragile material that the idiom implies. The glass here serves as more than just a safe viewing window into Finland’s majestic greenery. The thermal glass, along with glass and floor heating, will save you from frostbite during the country’s notoriously unforgiving winters. Then again, there might not be much to see during that season anyway, unless you’re the type that does enjoy frozen sceneries.

The glass allows natural light, be it from the sun or stars, to be the main lighting source for the cabin, though artificial lighting is also integrated into the structure’s slim steel structures. This has the combined effect of adding layers of lighting that seem almost magical, especially when the glass acts like a prism to break sunlight into its component colors.

In keeping with Finnish tastes, the Smart Lucia espouses a minimalist design even indoors. But where most houses make the living room or the dining table the centerpiece of the home, the bedroom or rather the bed is the pivotal element inside this tiny house. While the glass house is situated and oriented to capture the best views of nature at that location, you can really enjoy that view only when you’re lying in bed.

Of course, privacy can become an issue with a house that has glass for walls, and there are definitely options to address those concerns. Darkened or mirrored glass is available, but that could affect one’s unmarred view of the outside world. The simplest solution would be to have curtains that cover only the lower half of the house, obscuring only portions of the vista when the need calls for it.

Pirinen Salo Oy’s Smart Lucia is perhaps a dream come true for minimalists looking in search of tiny homes in the heart of nature. It probably won’t be the most efficient tiny home and is unlikely to be accessible to most people, even those living in Finland. Its design and concept, however, do spark the imagination and open up possibilities for enjoying the majesty of nature in a safe, comfortable, and modern but hopefully still environment-friendly environment.

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Minimal Architectural designs that prove why this trend always reigns supreme in the world of architecture!

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There’s something about Minimalism that simply never goes out of style! And, minimal architecture just has a soft spot in my heart! Minimal architectural designs will always leave you with a warm feeling in your heart, an intense admiration for the attention to detail, and the delicate touches each structure consists of. They’re simple but smartly designed spaces that radiate an aura of warmth and calmness. And we’ve curated some of our favorite minimal structures for you! From a zen minimalist cabin that keeps the worldly distractions away to a Japanese-inspired residence that features a multi-tiered sloping roof – these exquisite minimal architectural designs make for perfect living spaces that’ll put your mind, heart, and soul at ease!

1. Hara House

Hara House is built out of 5-inch square timbers set 6 feet apart. A tent-like white steel rooftop the home mixes private spaces with a semipublic, open-air living and dining area – a stiff, yet giving structure that assimilates all human behaviors. “The estate already contained an assemblage of buildings and farmland that depended on one another. Our design direction was to create a home that revitalized these on-site structures and had the potential to adapt to new functions as the need or mood changed,” explains architect Takayuki Shimada.

2. The Nook

Brimming with artisanal goods and artwork of local craftsmen and artists, The Nook was designed to bring the handcrafted touch of the old world into the modern era. Described as a “collection of stories,” Belleme designed The Nook to link his personal history to the surrounding forest and architecture of the cabin. The tiny cabin is constructed from a collection of locally felled trees that Belleme memorized during a five-year stint spent in the Appalachian woods, during which he learned primitive building skills like creating a path of hand-split logs that leads to The Nook’s front entrance.

3. The Archipelago House

Norm Architects built the Archipelago House on the coast of Sweden. This beautiful holiday home is clad in pine and is a culmination of both Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics. The minimal pine-wood home features gabled roofs, that are inspired by the boathouses that float along the nearby seashore. Norm Architects created the home in the hope that “The building should look natural to the site and put the focus on the beautiful surroundings and the life unfolding in the place rather than the building itself.” The use of natural materials within the home creates an atmosphere that is truly Scandinavian in nature.

4. Birdbox

Birdbox is actually a prefabricated shipping container-like cabin that offers one-of-a-kind escapes to lush destinations surrounded by nature. The cabins are simple, rectangular structures with huge circular and oval windows to give you a larger-than-life view of nature. Just like the exterior, the interior also has minimal decor which makes for a cozy space with a queen bed and a handful of chairs. The Birdboxes come in two sizes currently – the “Mini” at 10.5’ x 7.2’ x 7.2’ “Mini” and the “Medi” at 16.7’ x 7.87’ x 7.87’.” There’s also a separate “Birdbox Bathroom” which features a black tint one-way glass floor-to-ceiling window.

5. The Luna

The Luna is a tiny cabin from New Frontier Design that combines modern design elements with rustic appeal for a tiny cabin that’s destined for the winter. Defined by an asymmetrical roofline, The Luna embraces a geometric, angular profile to complement the natural ruggedness of snow-covered plots of land. Combining rustic energy with modern design, The Luna is clad in matte black, 100-year corrugated steel for a lived-in, yet contemporary look. New Frontier decided against filling up The Luna’s lengthier facades with windows, opting instead for a sweeping, floor-to-ceiling window wall on one end.

6. Canton House

Marc Thorpe, architect, and designer extraordinaire, recently unveiled his design for Canton House, a cluster of off-grid cabin hotels in the forest of Romania’s Carpathian Mountains that are built from locally harvested timber and inspired by the surrounding area’s vernacular architecture. In Romania, rural towers and spires of religious centers are often defined by their fully-shingled wooden construction. Inspired by the local area’s shingled roofs and facades, Thorpe clad Canton House’s trio of cabins, from top to bottom in blackened, locally sourced timber, wrapping the exterior facades in uniform wooden shingles. The triangular roof stems from Canton House’s rectangular front facade.

7. Edifice

Designed by Marc Thorpe, Edifice is a simple black off-grid cabin in Upstate New York. It’s been neatly tucked into the Catskill Mountains, situated in the little village of Fremont. The cabin features a single bedroom and occupies a total of 500 square meters. It’s nestled amongst trees, creating a quaint and quiet spot, that functions as a wonderful retreat in the midst of nature. The cabin was built as an example of “introverted architecture”, and is a self-sustaining structure that was an “exercise in reduction”. The little box is clad in stained cedar and features a simple rectangular form. The walls on the southern and western sides have thin windows, providing views of the surrounding greenery.

8. Four Leaves Villa

Four Leaves Villa designed by Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio (KIAS) is a form of organic architecture with a gently twisted, multi-tiered roof that mimics the sloping curve of fallen leaves and a central garden courtyard, the home’s concealed centerpiece. 150 kilometers from the buzzing city streets of Tokyo, Japan, a forested plot of land in Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture of Japan, is home to a weekend retreat designed to mirror the fallen leaves that surround it. Dubbed Four Leaves Villa, the privately-owned residence is a form of organic architecture with a split-level roof designed by Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio (KIAS) that mimics the undulating, overlapping pattern of fallen leaves.

9. The Eibche

The Eibche by Shomali Design takes the cabin game to a new level by incorporating the best of Balinese culture, modern architecture, and cozy interiors. The elevated structure weaves concrete and bamboo into its design. The team has used locally sourced building materials – wood for the structure and a brick-stone combination for the foundation. The frame is then ‘cemented’ by concrete which brings in a hint of modern minimalist architecture. The designers chose organic materials in order to create harmony with the environment so Eibche showcases a lot of bamboo poles, woven bamboo, coconut wood, and teak wood in both the interior as well as exterior.

10. The House of Many Courtyards

Swedish architecture studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designed a Scandinavian holiday home called the House of Many Courtyards. The home basically consists of interconnected box-like structures that are surrounded by beautiful courtyards. A 40-meter long corridor artfully connects all the minimal boxes. All the boxy structures feature varied heights, hence creating a geometrically unique holiday home that serves as an intriguing spatial experience. Sliding doors allow you to seamlessly step out of the home, and into the serene courtyards. It’s the perfect integration of indoor and outdoor living!

The post Minimal Architectural designs that prove why this trend always reigns supreme in the world of architecture! first appeared on Yanko Design.