OPAL Architecture has nestled a modest home known as Sandbox into Cape Cod’s sand dunes, lined with brightly toned bedrooms, a deck and a neat living room. A “typical gable form” was rotated and extended to provide a series of spaces which are “less private”, such as a garage, located in the middle of the L-shaped home. As the spaces inside become more intimate, rooms were organised with larger and smaller windows set in darkened frames.
Maine Rural Modern by OPAL Architecture is a house in ME, United States. Designed in 2017, the project combines modernist rigor with Passive House principles, offering efficiency and architectural clarity. It features three shed-roofed wings, cedar siding, fieldstone-faced foundations, and steel roofing.
The remote Mountain Retreat, completed in 2021 by OPAL Architecture, overlooks a serene lake from its Canadian setting, presenting a unique architectural opportunity. A pinwheel form, highlighting a core all-wood panel, inspired the layout, designed to provide privacy and maximize surrounding site views.
Vincent van Leeuwen designed Villa Ruwiel in Breukelen, Netherlands, in 2022. Situated on a historic estate, the house features an asymmetrical roof inspired by local barns, providing shade and connecting the interior to the landscape. Clad in Fraké wood, the energy-neutral home offers panoramic views and natural light through large sliding windows.
Set in the countryside of the North Downs in Surrey, England, McLean Quinlan‘s 2023-designed Downland Barns is a timber-framed home. This newly built house creatively fuses traditional craftsmanship with modern design, incorporating sustainable features. Its three interlinked structures, enclosed by a flint wall, offer unobstructed countryside views and balance practicality and elegance in every detail.
Hidden within a Grade II listed arboretum in Hampshire, Woodland House by McLean Quinlan has a timber framework with expansive glazing for dappled light throughout. Designed in 2023, the private home has a rendered exterior made of recycled materials and an indoor tree. Balmy grey and oat-brown hues of crafted oak and neutral furniture add subtle texture to the informal interior, designed to “embrace” its wooded surrounding and “minimise both operational and embodied carbon emissions”.
Murka Hotel is a newly designed hotel completed by Thinking Design in Wenzhou, China. Part of a rural revitalization initiative, the project aims to entice urban citizens to the countryside and encourage young locals to return home.
The design incorporates staggered blocks, local rocks, and trees penetrating through the roof to create a visually cohesive extension that blends with the mountains and honors traditional culture.
YARD Architects completed The Finned Extension in London, UK, in 2021, adding privacy, natural light, and impactful materials to a home reconfiguration.
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