Architecture

Switzerland's Peter Kunz Architektur is responsible for the creation of this modern day “Batcave” located in Herdern, Switzerland. The private garage studio has been constructed into the hillside and features five giant concrete cubes that jut out of the surrounding, apparently untouched, landscape. The concrete cubes are furnished with a single glass panel, creating a dramatic outlook onto the adjacent valley.  Read More

At Gizmag we have covered a range of modular housing prefabs, from the living-in-nature LEAP house, to the modern Loftcube and even the futuristic tree-hotel concept ... but it isn’t often that we come across a design that doesn’t leave you yearning for more space, an extra living zone or outdoor flexibility. However, Slovenian architectural studio Coodo may have come up with a solution that not only suits a variety of purposes but can house the entire family.  Read More

Thanks to their size, strength and ease of transport, shipping containers have been embraced by architects who have turned them into everything from restaurants and off-grid homes, to school classrooms and modular, portable hotels. The “Eco-Pak” home doesn’t just renovate the inside of a shipping container, but uses a shipping container as an integral part of a larger building, with all the structural components contained within it so it can be delivered just about anywhere in one convenient package.  Read More

Architecture has the power to completely change its surroundings, creating a focal point which influences an area much larger than that which it inhabits. This means that when it comes to rebuilding a locale from the ground up, a bold new approach is needed, one which looks to the future while tapping into the past. Bulgarian firm Sonik Module believes it has accomplished this tricky balancing act with Sity, a conceptual design envisioned as the centerpiece for the redevelopment of an area along the Suzhou Creek in Shanghai.  Read More

Leaf House is the creation of small home enthusiast Laird Herbert from Whitehorse, Canada, who was inspired by the idea of building his own home. After testing out several prototypes, Herbert has finally finished work on what he calls Version.2 ... and the result is a tiny portable home design that takes up a small amount of space, is big enough to live in comfortably, and reportedly accommodates a family of four.  Read More

Similar to the G-POD and House Arc, the Habitable Polyhedron is a prefabricated outdoor space that transforms a patch of garden into a study, lounge or quiet retreat. The small garden module is the creation of Colombian architectural studio, Manuel Villa and features a surprisingly large interior space.  Read More

Like the #-symbol-inspired skyscraper we looked at last month, REX's "Project R6," also known as Yongsan Tower, is a striking residential tower design commissioned by Dreamhub for its re-imagining of Seoul's Yongsan district. Central to the R6 concept is the claim that its unique, hollow, almost pulled-apart layout lends its compact apartments "generous views, daylight, and cross-ventilation," compensating for their modest size. Courtyards and roof terraces are intended to achieve a similar sense of community in R6 that Studio Liebeskind sought with its #-skyscraper design.  Read More

Last year, Gizmag reported on Sweden's tree-house hotel, highlighted by the stunning Mirrorcube room that reflects its own surroundings. Now you no longer have to travel to a remote part of Scandinavia to spend a night in a Mirrorcube, as the company behind Treehotel is offering to construct, deliver and install one wherever you'd like.  Read More

Canadian design studio Bioi recently completed this compact home in Warburg, Alberta after being given the challenge to create a contemporary and energy-efficient home for under US$100,000. The result is a simple, open and sustainable home, with a reduced space that holds all of the functionality of a regular sized home. “Working alongside our client, we determined the true necessity of the space that they required,” principal architects Jordan Allen and Ryan Trefz told Gizmag. “Throughout the design phase redundant spaces were eliminated, and non-inhabitable spaces were pushed to an absolute minimum.”  Read More