Around one hour south of Sydney, near the town of Bundeena, right where the bushland meets the sea, 15 contemporary houses have just been completed, designed by Tony Owen NDM Architects.












It’s a place of great natural beauty where any large developments would usually be unthinkable. But the developers of the Elandra tract struck lucky with a plot of land that had been used as a summer camp and were granted permission for 15 eco cabins, with views out across the beach.

The timber-framed houses are pushed into the sloping dunes and bushlands, sitting on slim stilts. To make the most of the best vantage points the main living spaces are on the timber clad upper level, leading to large terraces, while a master bed sits to the rear. Two other bedrooms and a family room are on the ground floor contained within a crisp white box, contrasting with the timber above.












Eco aspects were a major consideration, given the context, so the site and its Banksia and Melaleuca trees were preserved as far as possible. ‘Environmental issues are particularly important in the bush and in dealing with these issues we also achieve a better design for the house,’ says Owen, who has recently designed Harley Davidson’s new Australian HQ, a host of ground breaking homes, and was also featured in our own Wallpaper* Architects Directory in 2007.

Water collection tanks are integral, with plumbing fed off recycled rainwater, while sustainable timbers are used throughout. ‘This has been combined with strategies for maximising the spectacular views. Because Bundeena is surrounded by national park it has retained its charm and has some of the most stunning views in New South Wales.’














Website
http://www.tonyowen.com.au

New residence, Sydney (house by MCK Architects, Sydney)

Books: Unified Design

Over the decades, Arup have acquired something of a reputation for backroom brilliance, the engineering firm that ensures that starchitecture stays up and high profile names keep their record sheet clean. But now that some super-engineers are emerging into the spotlight - Cecil Balmond being the most obvious example - this truly global design company is realising that it needs to make more of its own design strengths.

Ove Arup didn’t just bestow his name on the 10,000-strong firm; he made it his ongoing legacy. As the bridge between the aesthetic aspirations of the early modernists and the materials they wished to put to use, Arup was at the heart of modern architecture, the facilitator who did more than anyone else to shape the modern world.

As a result, the studio is now well placed to push through a sustainable approach, and Unified Design sets out a manifesto for a coherent strategy, underpinning everything from Himalayan Schools to vast transport interchanges.

Ben van Berkel: profile

Utrecht-born Ben Van Berkel is one of the architecture world's most active star professionals and one of The Netherlands' most well known contemporary architects. He studied architecture at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and at the Architectural Association in London, before co-founding the independent practice Van Berkel & Bos Architectuurbureau in Amsterdam in 1988, with colleague Caroline Bos.










The practice immediately made a strong impact with their work, which received international critical acclaim. The Moebius house, and the NMR facilities for the University of Utrecht stand out, alongside one of their very first projects, the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam. This is also one of the architect's favorite projects: 'I was young when I designed it and I never really thought that it would become such a symbol for the city,' he explains proudly.











Following their success and the practice's growth, the two founders decided to establish a new firm in 1998, and thus UNStudio (United Net Studio), a network of specialists in architecture, urban development and infrastructure. UNStudio's completed work includes the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, a facade and interior renovation for the Galleria Department store in Seoul, and a private villa in up-state New York.











Their current projects count the Graz Music Theatre (MUMUTH), which we presented on this year's Architects Directory shoot, and the highly anticipated, luxurious Five Franklin Place condominiums in New York's Tribeca district, which the architect discusses in more detail in our latest issue, W*115.











Today, the Director of UNStudio is overseeing the firm's 36 ongoing projects, varying from masterplans, to buildings, products and studies, while currently getting ready for the launch of their Venice installation as part of this year's Architecture Biennale headline show, curated by Aaron Betsky.

Amalia House, Austria

The Amalia House started life as a request for a humble holiday cottage. Briefed by their clients to create a holiday house on a family estate, Grid Architects ground the parameters down to create a simple low-budget structure that didn’t compromise on visual innovation. Containing just two bedrooms, one for adults, one for children, plus an additional sleeping space in the living room, the Amalia House is compact but dynamic.












The house is set on a gentle slope, meaning that the ground floor is arranged on two separate levels, with the kitchen and dining area raised up above the living room. ‘This way the different functions are separated, and the rooms themselves seem wider,’ says Grid Architects’ Isabella Straus, adding that ‘from the dining table you have a view of the valley through the window on the north façade but there is still a cosy niche in the living room.’

Straus co-founded the office with Ric Thill and Gerhard Klocker in 2005. Now with offices in Nospelt, Luxemburg and in Vienna, Austria, the studio is working on a variety of offices, houses and urban planning jobs. Amalia was a small project for the studio, but one that required intense investigation in order to satisfy all the client’s criteria within the available budget.

From outside, the Amalia House looms menacingly, its hunched, dark shape blurring into a solid monolith from some angles, but a strikingly angular structure from others. Up close, the origins of the strange reflection-absorbing coating suddenly becomes clear; artificial grass. Chosen by the architects for its tactile qualities, as well as the way it helps the structure ‘nullify the optical differences between roof and wall,’ as well as make a connection between the building and the surrounding landscape. It also allows the first floor roof slope to be used as a comfortable terrace.












The first floor cantilevers out to create a covered space for a lawn mower and garden furniture, doubling up as a car port if need be. The living room façade contains two large window openings, dynamically angled to exaggerate the contours of the surrounding meadow and designed to bring the landscape into the heart of the living space. Heat is provided by a wood burning stove in the living area.

From the kitchen/dining area a simple spiral staircase leads up to the first floor accommodation, past a compact WC and shower room. To the rear is the children’s room - with its sloping floor making a fun play space for cars and trains, while to the front of the structure - housed in a cantilever that mimics the cab-over bed of a camper van.

Everywhere one looks the detailing is simple and unpretentious, reflecting the fact that this is a functional structure that will be used in heavy rotation by three couples and their children. A place that will hopefully house many happy memories in the generations to come, the Amalia House shows that in the right hands, a simple shelter need not be banal or generic.

New residence, Larisa, Greece

A growing suburb of Greece's Larisa city is probably not the first place you'd look for cubic contemporary architecture with raw concrete finishes. Nonetheless, the area and its local character are what inspired Athens-based Potiropoulos D+L architects to design this single-family house for a couple of local professionals.











The house's design is based on a composition of concrete and wood-clad walls and large openings, creating a play of planes and surfaces reminiscent visually of the area's geography - the rich soil around Larisa is known for its high-quality agriculture, and the land itself, separated for cultivation into hundreds of orthogonal individual properties, informs the patched multi-coloured patterns of the house.

The architects designed the house based on cubic shapes and strict geometry, and their approach, as well as the raw materials used - rough, naked concrete and wood - and the rich openings, which allow plenty of sunlight in, link the house's volume with the surrounding landscape.









The structure is L-shaped and positioned at the corner of the plot, so as to allow space for the pool and garden, while leaving uninterrupted views towards the fields ahead. The house spreads across two levels and a basement, and includes two bedrooms, living and dining space, kitchen and reception area, guest room and library, as well as service areas.

Potiropoulos D+L are one of Greece's best known architectural practices, and while this was their first realisation in the city of Larisa, they are already working on a major project to create a stadium and sports facilities for the local football club, as well as many other important projects all over the country - among them, nurseries, private houses and larger housing schemes, commercial and office spaces














The living area has been designed to enjoy maximum light exposure