Architecture

Only 30 Superhouses will ever be designed

Only 30 Superhouses will ever be designed
Superhouses are aimed at having the same level of design quality and workmanship as superyachts
Superhouses are aimed at having the same level of design quality and workmanship as superyachts
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Superhouses are aimed at having the same level of design quality and workmanship as superyachts
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Superhouses are aimed at having the same level of design quality and workmanship as superyachts
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a firepit surrounded by sunken seating
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a firepit surrounded by sunken seating
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a 50-m (164-ft) pool
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a 50-m (164-ft) pool
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has decking that lifts up to reveal storage for sunbeds, cushions and other pool equipment
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has decking that lifts up to reveal storage for sunbeds, cushions and other pool equipment
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has an overhang that provides solar shading to the patio closest to the building
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has an overhang that provides solar shading to the patio closest to the building
The Superhouses are aimed to provide lifestyle, as well as architectural, design
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The Superhouses are aimed to provide lifestyle, as well as architectural, design
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a floating staircase that provides access between floors
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a floating staircase that provides access between floors
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse offers views out to sea
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse offers views out to sea
From inside the S 00/30 concept Superhouse, the pool appears to merge into the sea
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From inside the S 00/30 concept Superhouse, the pool appears to merge into the sea
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has large expanses of glazing to provide views of the sea
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has large expanses of glazing to provide views of the sea
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a gallery space
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has a gallery space
The gallery in the S 00/30 concept Superhouse is designed for the owners to show off their works of art
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The gallery in the S 00/30 concept Superhouse is designed for the owners to show off their works of art
Superhouses are delivered with complementary, non-architectural lifestyle elements
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Superhouses are delivered with complementary, non-architectural lifestyle elements
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has views over the bay
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The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has views over the bay
One of the bathrooms in the S 00/30 concept Superhouse provides views over the bay
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One of the bathrooms in the S 00/30 concept Superhouse provides views over the bay
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During time spent working alongside a naval architect, Magnus Ström is said to have wondered why superyachts existed, but not superhouses. Well now, courtesy of Ström, Superhouses could become a reality. They are aimed at being "the most beautiful, unique and design-led houses possible."

Ström, the founder of UK-based Ström Architects, aims to provide the same level of design quality and workmanship for his Superhouses as can be found in superyachts. He promises a holistic approach that will see each house design borne out of the buyer's lifestyle and, in turn, delivered with complementary, non-architectural lifestyle elements.

The approach is summarized as follows: "the investment is not just in a design for a home, it is the design for this lifestyle." In order to deliver on this, Ström says each house will be created through a close working relationship with the buyers and, to retain a sense of exclusivity, a maximum of only 30 Superhouses will ever be made, each with its own number discretely engraved somewhere on the façade.

An initial concept house, numbered S 00/30, has already been designed, with its supposed site on an undisclosed Mediterranean island. Superhouse Zero would be located in a quiet, private bay and accessed via a long winding road through mountainous landscape, or via helicopter.

The S 00/30 concept Superhouse offers views out to sea
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse offers views out to sea

The concept house features two ground floor timber volumes, one of which contains the kitchen, stores and staff accommodation and the other home to a spa and gym. Sliding screens are used to separate the kitchen and dining area as required and to do the same with the spa and gym spaces and external the external areas.

Raised above the wooden volumes is one long space, which contains the main living areas and is accessed via a floating staircase. There is a master suite at one end, four junior suites at the other and a large gallery area. In the lounge, there is a suspended fireplace over sunken seating.

Outside, an overhang provides solar shading on the patio closest to the building. There is a large seating and eating area that looks out to sea and a sunken fire pit with a circular seating area. More seating is located slightly above the beach and is accessed via a walkway across a 50-m (164-ft) pool. The walkway continues into a jetty where there is space to moor yachts.

The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has decking that lifts up to reveal storage for sunbeds, cushions and other pool equipment
The S 00/30 concept Superhouse has decking that lifts up to reveal storage for sunbeds, cushions and other pool equipment

The outsider space also has a kitchen area with a bar, space for sunbathing and recreation and timber decking that lifts to reveal storage for sunbeds, cushions and other pool equipment. Elsewhere, there is a single-story garage with space for eight cars and a large basement that houses a wine cellar, a home cinema and an indoor golf driving range.

Despite all this luxury, the house is designed to function completely off-grid. Heating and cooling energy usage is kept to a minimum by way of thorough insulation, while a heat recovery ventilation system is also employed. A photovoltaic array on the roof generates what electricity is required, with multiple Tesla Powerwall Units used to store energy for later use. There is also an on-site mini-sewage treatment plant for waste.

As mentioned, S 00/30 is purely conceptual. The designs have been created to give potential Superhouse buyers an idea of what they could expect, but still took almost six months to create. Ström Architects began offering the Superhouses at the beginning of October and, though design and build costs haven't been set in stone, Superhouse projects will very likely fall into the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" price category.

Source: Superhouse

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6 comments
6 comments
Bob Flint
Superyachts business must be slow...
GetBent
Ewwww! A flop in the "beauty" department.
Scion
I don't get it. Isn't what Strom describing the standard house designed by an architect with a client? What is the essential difference? I think it is just marketing. I mean if your building designer isn't designing a house that fits your lifestyle then what are you doing?
oldguy
A very sleek design, but with all that flat roof area I can imagine a whole lot of eventual leaks that someone has to deal with.
Mirmillion
I absolute love Magnus' house. Nice that he is trying to make this into a business and recoup his costs on what must have been a pretty penny. All of the marketing BS aside, this design is excellent for the beach - the guy is really talented. The floating semi-spiral staircase and circular opening to the upper floor is spectacular - that should win an award. The indoor-outdoor flow is about right and so is the front overhang. About the only criticism I have is in the food and drinks department - he'll need an outdoor cooking area (says he has it but I don't see it), as those stairs are likely to be a problem otherwise...
Island Architect
Old Guy, despite how late this comment comes you are dead wrong... the way to deal with a flat roof is with a built up coal tar pitch roof as is found in Detroit (Albert Kahn) and Chicago and Cleveland.
This is a real beauty but maybe too large unless you have a bunch of concubines in dental floss bikinis.
This takes Erol Saarinen to new Heights and it sure is magnificent but the spiral stair, if you are a tad looped would be exceedingly dangerous. The spiral at the GM Research Department is safer and very spectacular as well.
Here we see someone who has exquisite taste in proportioning. The superwide windows may be the best ever. They must have glass handrails when the fall is too great.
Spectacular and surprising that I have just come across it.
b