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Black Barn is Off the Grid
Studio Bark has embedded an off-grid home, which has a tapered roof line that opens out to a glazed gable end with views over a meadow, in Suffolk, England. Named Black Barn, the two-story house is characterized by its shou sugi ban charred cedar-clad first floor, which Studio Bark designed to reference local agricultural buildings. The off-grid house, which is fully powered by solar and bio-diesel, is designed to have minimal environmental impact, with the bedrooms placed in the flint-structured ground floor. “In order to take full advantage of its setting, Black Barn was conceived as a form belonging to the wider countryside. The design is a modern yet sensitive interpretation of the black agricultural barn, a typology…
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Rural and Urban Aesthetics Collide in East London Home
Chris Dyson Architects has replaced the rear of a Victorian house in east London with a two-story extension clad in charred cedar. The refurbishment to the Kenworthy Road home in Hackney was designed to maximize the restricted space and increase natural daylight into the rear of the property. “The client wanted to create two additional bedrooms, more spacious and brightly lit living accommodation and a striking architectural addition to their Victorian terrace” Gideon Purser, project architect and partner at Chris Dyson Architects. Both structures are clad in cedar that is blackened using the Japanese technique Shou Sugi Ban. The process prolongs the life of the wood and makes it more resistant to fire, insect attack and decay. “The charring process gives the material a beautiful, dark and slightly uneven colour.…
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Shou Sugi Ban Chalet overlooks Rocky Mountains in Idaho
US architecture firm Michael Doty Associates has embedded this shou sugi ban residence into its majestic mountainous surroundings in rural Idaho. Called Shaw Mesa residence, the 3,850-square-foot property is located on a site in between the Sawtooth and White Clouds Mountains, which form part of the Rocky Mountains in the western United States. Michael Doty Associates excavated part of the inclined site to make way for the house. The roof gently slopes up towards views to the mountains in the west and overhangs on this side to rest on steel columns. Because of the remote location, near to the small town of Stanley, the architects wanted to minimize the need to bring or carry…
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Whimsical Dwelling Floored by Shou Sugi Ban
Design firm Studio 512 has created a whimsical guest dwelling for a Texas home that features angled walls clad in oversized shingles, and interior spaces that narrow and widen based on how they are used. Created for a television and documentary film producer, The Hive sits behind a bungalow-style main residence in Austin, TX. Encompassing 550 square feet, the two-story guest dwelling contains a kitchen and living room at ground level, and a bedroom and office up above. The sculptural building was designed and built by Studio 512, a local practice led by architect Nicole Blair. “Walls tilt from the slab, hugging building setback planes and an angled utility easement at the back of the property, to add volume where needed…
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Shou Sugi Ban Mountain Refuge in Chilean Andes
Chilean studio Del Rio Arquitectos Asociados (DRAA) has created a tall, V-shaped cabin with exterior walls wrapped in shou sugi ban charred wood and large windows that provide expansive views of the rugged terrain. La Dacha Mountain Refuge is located in Las Trancas Valley, a ski town within Nevados de Chillan – a mountainous area that features several active stratovolcanoes. Perched on a gently sloping site, the multi-story cabin is designed to be highly efficient and to offer views of the scenery, according to DRAA, which is based in Santiago. “Located among native woodland overlooking the impressive Nevados de Chillan volcanic complex, La Dacha Mountain Refuge is the result of a site-specific design that combines space…
