Architect Pierre Minassian of aum chose to call this adorable adobe ‘The Biscuit House’ after the first French magazine who published it termed the composed shapes of its exterior ‘biscuits’. Now, you must be wondering, what brought this house here? So, let’s see- Located outside a small village near the French town Lyon, this two-floor house is made of natural and untreated concrete envelope and floors, steel pillars and window frames, and the exotic iriko wood exterior. The building stands apart from its neighbors in more than one ways.

The wooden curtain, which happens to be the specialty of the house, is composed of biscuit like shapes which serve purposes like insulating and reducing the impact of the sun on the east-facing bedrooms upstairs. This drape fuses the house into the surrounding landscape as well. The ground floor consists of the living-room and the music-room separated by a steel fireplace filled with refractory concrete to provide thermal inertia and heating comfort. The rooms are lined by floor-to-ceiling windows which give you the panoramic view of the garden all day long.

The house fuses modern design with contemporary style to pleasure the inhabitants and perfectly fits into its ambiance. I guess now we know, why its here!

Via G Living

Australian designer Leon Fitzpatrick has a reason to rejoice. After all his inspiration strained from various objects has done wonders. In an attempt to create a modular prefab home, he has created a mobile structure built of foam concrete and polyurethane and called it Echelon.

Echelon comprises large concrete sections pre-cast using wood molds that glide from side to side by means of a simple track system to control the light within and to create a sense of space. The furnishing is composed of a frivolous and soft seating surface on a concrete base so that the occupants can arrange it according to their tastes and needs. Lightweight, breathable fabric canopy forms the roof. The luggage system also would have a soft cover instead of the boring old fastener.

The dwelling seems to give a new facet to the concept of mobile homes and new hope to the ideas of many designers

Via LeonFitzpatrick

Johnston Marklee and Associates have designed the Hill House, which aims to optimize space and stay green and environmentally friendly. The unique architecture of the building allows it to perch on rolling hills and on sharp slopes. The design is aimed at preserving the beauty and ecology of the hills in California and the house is spacious inside though it takes up very little space.

The house looks strange and elegant, both at the same time. The house has glass doors and many skylight openings. The design is as environmental friendly as it can get and the architects have used concrete, steel, and timber to build this elegant house. If only these houses could look just as good if they were allowed to be built in Manhattan, it would have been so beautiful.

However, the hills can’t be brought to the middle of a city and hence, the design is just apt for a place like the hills in the country. Living in a house like this must be an enviable situation, which every city dweller would crave for. Marklee and Associates have proven what it is like to have a talent for building houses.

Via: DesignBoom