THIS PERFECT HOUSE FLOATS ABOVE THE WETLANDS IN EAST HAMPTON

It happens a lot lately. I find a house and say 

“This is IT! My perfect place.“

Not that it’s for sale, but I love architecture and interior spaces. But this place, located in East Hampton, New York, in the Northwest Harbor might just be what I REALLY want. Besides the location which house is between freshwater wetlands and a tidal estuary, the interiors are minimal and just my taste. 

It’s just six feet above sea level and because of the sensitive location, many precautions had to be taken to preserve environmental surroundings. The architects, Bates Masi, were limited by local zoning restrictions and FEMA’s requirements to build the first floor above the base flood elevation, so they could only build one story that was no larger than 1,900 square feet. 

Instead of regular pilings that are used in typical waterfront construction, they incorporated 16 exposed, piles that stake out the enclosing bedroom walls which reach from the ground through to the roof. In between these piles, the house’s utility functions were built-in; closets, a desk, laundry room, pantry, and shower.

The floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors make up most of the exterior walls and every room has a “framed” view to look at. I could sit and look forever.

(via Design Milk)

JOHN LAUTNER'S ARANGO-MARBRISA HOUSE WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

John Lautner‘s Arango-Marbrisa House is an icon of organic modern architecture. The 1973 residence covers 25,000 square feet and perches on a very steep site overlooking Acapulco Bay. The upper floor, serves as the main living and entertainment area, with an enormous open terrace surrounded by a cantilevered moat pool. The curved, sloping concrete roof ties the structure into the hill at one end and sweeps over the house and returns to the hill at the opposite end. The enclosed family room and bedrooms are situated on the lower floor, facing the bay. Lautner said;

“When I first visited the site. I got the idea to build a large, open terrace so that all you had was the beauty of the Acapulco Bay and the sky and the mountains. You don’t feel you’re in a building at all. You’re out in space. With the beauty of nature.”

Wow. Scroll through the pics and if you haven’t had enough, the video gives you the same slide show again. If you think there are TOO many picture, it’s because this house must be like Paris; point the camera in any direction and you’ll get a nice shot. Spectacular.

ZAHA HADID'S NEW SUPER YACHTS ARE LIKE NOTHING THE SEA HAS EVER SEEN

Pritzker Prize winning starchitect Zaha Hadid is known for her incredible buildings but she’s added to her impressive portfolio with these super yacht designs. German builders Blohm + Voss recently revealed their collaboration with the designer for a mini-fleet of futuristic seafaring vessels. The largest, the 420-foot Unique Circle, will come with an area for underwater viewing and will have a swimming pool that is protected from natural elements by the deck. And if you have an "Titanic" concerns, never fear –their hulls can break through ice! Hadid said in a statement,

“As a dynamic object that moves in dynamic environments, the design of a yacht must incorporate additional parameters beyond those for architecture—which all become much more extreme on water. Each yacht is an engineered platform that integrates specific hydrodynamic and structural demands together with the highest levels of comfort, spatial quality, and safety.”

Hey, future Powerball billionaire, you could forgo any land residence at all and spend your days touring the globe on one of these beauties.

(via Architectural Digest)

HAUTE ARCHITECTURE TAKES MINIMAL TO THE MAX

Around the corner from me is a beautiful new townhouse. The owners, who shall remain nameless, hired my friend (and theirs) Torsten Schlauersbach and his partner, Annie Lo, of Haute Architecture to reimagine the interior architecture of this Robert A.M. Sterndesign. They started their firm just two years ago after both working for Norman Foster. I’ve seen it in person, and although these photos, shot for New York magazine, are beautiful, they don’t do it justice. It’s really perfection.

The staircase is made from precast concrete treads and fiberglass and anchored by steel. It looks spine-like and it serves as the building’s centerpiece. Lo and Schlauersbach worked out the geometry through some complicated math and then designed models and two large-scale mock-ups –including one using the actual materials. Their clients have two dogs, a baby, and another on the way, and their design was to have a super-minimal a space, that could still house their growing family. Almost all the wood paneling opens for storage space, and there are dozens of closets throughout the five floors. 

The clients wanted their house to be as ecofriendly as possible, with “wellness” aspects incorporated into the design — like electromagnetic shielding to buffer radiation from wires and biophilic plantings to filter the air. There are also radiant-heat concrete floors. They are known for their attention to intricate, precise detailing — and for searching the globe for great design talent; the cabinets were made in Switzerland and the two-ton piece of stone for the master-bath vanity was found in Portugal and was SO huge it had to be brought in through the window. Torsten says;

“We wanted to build a versatile home that was open and light but one that could also be made private.”

They’ve succeeded, don’t you think?

(Photos Fisher Photography; via  New York)