Articles by Andreas Luco

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Sierra House / Steyn Studio

March 24, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

As the name alludes, this house adopted its nickname from its distinct roof profile. ‘Sierra’ meaning both ‘saw’ and ‘mountain range’ in Spanish. A fortunate coincidence as the house is located between Madrid’s north-westerly neighbourhoods of Mirasierra (look at mountain) and Montecarmelo (Mount Carmel). The shape of the roof is a result of internal spatial requirements. Due to height restrictions, the roof slopes could not peak in the middle. As it coincides with a bathroom below, we decided to invert the peak and use the space to hide the machinery and solar panels. Local planning rules are very prescriptive in terms of how much can be built, which has resulted in similar townhouse typologies in the immediate neighbourhood, with some minor material variances.

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Felderhof House / Pavol Mikolajcak Architekten

March 24, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

The young owner who bought the Felderhoffarmstead was conscious of its unique nature from the very beginning. The ensemble, consisting of two uniform structures, was built slightly offset and in accordance with the hillside profile. Preserved in pristine condition, it is a prime example of the ‘pair farmstead’ typical of the slopes of the Eisack valley. The residential house – with its stone-weighted wooden shingle roof and the shed, with its impressive steep thatched roof – are both authentic representations of life in an earlier age.

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Janet Nash House / FaulknerBrowns Architects

March 23, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

Located in a rich green landscape on the outskirts of Durham, Janet Nash House is the new European IT headquarters for global electrical wholesaler City Electrical Factors (CEF). The building is a fully bespoke workplace solution tailored to the firm’s needs, allowing their employees to communicate more efficiently in an environment that promotes collaboration and wellbeing. The workplace is split into two distinctive areas, providing working environments with unique spatial qualities to support the requirements of different departments. The northern block comprises controlled office environments for the ‘data preparation’ and ‘software development’ teams. These include cellular spaces, specialist workplaces and breakout areas which require a high level of control over access, lighting, privacy and acoustics.

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Hill Office / Andrew Franz Architect

March 23, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

In a double-height penthouse of a 1913 Beaux Arts building near Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood, a former publisher’s executive suite is restored and modernized as a connected and transparent workplace. Designed for openness and collaboration, the space balances centrally located open areas with a variety of more intimate areas. A new, floating bridge connects two sides of the historic mezzanine floor, facilitating encounters, while a wide stair becomes a place for gatherings. Circulation paths intersect with different programmatic areas, encouraging movement while also generating happenstance meetings and exchanges of ideas.

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Urban Barnyard House / Inbetween Architecture

March 22, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

Affectionately dubbed the ‘urban-barnyard house’, the original house was an early 1900s, 2 bedroom Edwardian weatherboard cottage. Our clients came to us looking for more space, to accommodate the demands of their family now and into the future. A bit wary of vast expanses of ‘open plan’, they expressed a want for a balance of functional family spaces with more intimate zones with flexibility for future needs.

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Elemental House / Ben Callery Architects

March 21, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

Elemental House is a completely self-sufficient retreat an hour north of Melbourne. High on the ridge-line of a steep hill the site has stunning views, but is also subject to the harshest of the Australian elements – sun, wind and the ever-present threat of bushfire. But rather than shy away, this bold little house confronts and embraces the elements, working with them to create a naturally comfortable home that immerse its occupants into the landscape.

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La Pointe / L’Abri

March 20, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

La Pointe is a ready-to-camp micro-shelter designed for the Poisson Blanc Regional Park located north of Ottawa. With its triangular geometry, the shelter offers a reinterpretation of the legendary A-frame popularized in North America in the 1950s. It was important for the designers to create a simple, almost sculptural structure that would provide functional and nature-oriented spaces. The small, off-the-grid building, capable of hosting two to four guests, was built on site by L’Abri’s construction team.

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Apartamento Louveira / Estudio FM + Rosenbaum®

March 20, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

Located in the Louveira building (Vilanova Artigas -1946 | 1950), one of most iconic piece of Sao Paulo modernist architecture, the 150sq meter apartment was totally deprived of its original character after going through several renovations over the past decades. The apartment gained a new life with a space reconfiguration and the retrieval of decor features typical of the Brazilian architecture of the 50s and the 60s.

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Ancona House / Steve Domoney Architecture

March 20, 2019 Andreas Luco 0

Our rural site is located in Victoria’s High Country, Australia. The Ancona Valley is characterised by rolling pasture and river flats set to a backdrop of surrounding mountain ranges. At 450 metres above sea level, winters are cooler and summer temperatures higher than average for Victoria. Sheep and cattle graze this idyllic and picturesque landscape, a perfect place to retreat and rejuvenate. The romantic notion of a country escape spirited the purchase of this blank canvas property, the same promise informing the style, arrangement of structures, material compositions and integration of garden surround, within the existing rural setting.