The Chicken Point Cabin Is A Loft-Like Modern Dwelling In Northern Idaho.

The Chicken Point Cabin is a modern, 3,400 square foot loft-like cabin designed by Tom Kundig, Design Principal and Olson Kundig Architects and is situated on a half acre of land.


above image via Contemporist

It is located on the crystal clear Lake Hayden in Idaho, USA, surrounded by the Coeur D'Alene National Forest. According to the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, the cove that the cabin is placed on is positioned at an altitude of 684 meters above sea level. The lake has over 80 kilometers of timber shoreline and beaches, of which Kundig has taken successful advantage. The lake is also surrounded by the Bitterroot Mountain Range. Because of the high latitude, the region has mild summers and cooler winters.



The idea for the cabin is that of a lakeside shelter in the woods — a little box with a big window that opens to the surrounding landscape. The cabin’s big window-wall (30 feet by 20 feet) opens the entire living space to the forest and lake. Materials are low maintenance—concrete block, steel, concrete floors and plywood—in keeping with the notion of a cabin, and left unfinished to naturally age and acquire a patina that fits in with the natural setting. The cabin sleeps ten.




The cabin is made of three general parts. These are the main concrete block containing the major portion of the house, a plywood insert, and a large steel fireplace created from a piece of the Alaska pipeline.

above image via Contemporist


The front door (shown above) is a normal width, yet 19 feet tall in order to accommodate ski equipment for the surrounding environment, as well as to mimic the pine trees of the dense forest. This is one of the many features that incorporates the surrounding nature into the design of the house; filtering out the environment while maintaining the feeling of being a part of it.



A massive window, over 6 meters wide by over 9 meters tall faces the expansive lake. This window is attached to a wheel that is easily turned by a crank, which rotates the window outwards and opens the interior of the cabin up to the lake:







The above photos of the window wall are courtesy of Turner Exhibits, who was responsible for the kinetic window design.

Besides this large window and the master bedroom window on the same wall, there are very few windows. This tunnels the focus through the major window, and draws the eye to the lake. By having the entire lake-facing wall made of glass, as well as the majority of it being able to open, the residents of the house are able to feel as if they are outdoors, while still being sheltered by the environment; another environmental filter while still feeling a part of nature.



Inside the use of color and texture are important in the interior of this casual family cabin. Strong blocks of color help to define space and direct the eye. Texture in furnishings provides a soft but strong counterpoint to the hard, raw material palette. Custom tables using plywood and polyurethane create a direct connection to the architecture while providing durability and function. Some of the unique interior features include the custom continuous steel pipe fireplace, the wood slab work surface supported by a truck suspension spring, and the custom stainless steel bathroom sink.





images and info courtesy of Olson Kundig Architects

Check out Patrick M Burnhams' fabulous model of the Chicken Point cabin he created for his first year architecture studio at the University of Houston here.

Wild Modernist Home For Sale. I Mean Reeeeallly Wild.

This single family Hollywood Hills home, built in 1990, has been on the market for a few months now and is listed at $1,995,000 (recently reduced by $200,000).

Without a doubt, the home is very polarizing in its appeal. The 2,490 square foot single family residence, which sits upon a 7,650 sq foot lot, has 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and some of the most unusual interior and exterior architecture I've ever seen. Filled with ultra modern furnishings, textiles and art (some stunning, some hideous) I've never seen another home quite like it.



The exterior is that of a very modernist style. Multiple sharp planes jutting out here and there, outdoor catwalks, mitered glass windows, rooms that open to the backyard with curtains. The swimming pool has a cement deck which actually hovers over the water, a wonderful terraced space for entertaining complete with built in outdoor grill, and black stairs descending to the lower level.

exterior:



The exterior of the home on the ground floor opens into the interior:



Inside the home is filled with unusual jutting angular walls, interior windows that allow you to look from one room to another, angular ceiling beams, black interior walls and ceilings with pin spot lighting, interior catwalks with glass railings, cement flooring, white interior doors, wood log interior walls, giant plate glass windows, and lots of built ins.

Interior:




The piece of art shown in the image above (and below) is by a Russian artist I have profiled here.







Recently reduced by $200,000, the asking price is $1,995,000.
The home is located at 3391 Ledgewood Drive in Los Angeles, CA. in the east Hollywood canyons:

To schedule a showing contact Rose + Chang

Exploding House in Bodrum, Turkey By GAD

Bodrum is a Mediterranean port-trade settlement in the Southwest of Turkey. The area boasts a rich history of over three thousand years, including Hellenistic times. The venerated scientist Heredot was born there and sculptures by artists including Leochares, Bryaxis, and Timotheos were exhibited there and can now be found in museum collections around the world. The outdated codes restrict new forms of architecture being introduced to the landscape.



To overcome this and create a more flexible building type, GAD created a house made from three separate buildings – a metaphor for a single building that has been “exploded” into many parts.




Operated electronically, the windows have the capacity to slide open flush to the ground, allowing for sea breezes to flood the interior.



This innermost space is the focal point of the house and is connected to the three houses by a series of concrete ramps that reconcile the building with the landscape. An additional slope that can be used as a sun deck and for light recreational activities descends to the contiguous swimming pool located on land set at a slightly lower grade from the house.



From here the ramp leads down the hillside to an additional self-contained apartment building that is set within the land and hidden from the house above.



Each individual unit, which complies with the regulatory size of 75 square meters, is built next to one another with a narrow space in between and is linked by a glass atrium. Conceived as a single house, each building has a separate function: a master bedroom and bathroom; a kitchen and dining room; and a guesthouse with an adjacent study room.



The central glass vestibule acts as the entrance to the building as well as the main living area with 180° vistas of the stunning landscape and bay made possible by floor to ceiling windows.






The open-plan of the main house ensures that it is light and airy, a must in the summer. As a secondary precaution, the roof of the building is covered with pools that collect rainwater.


above: the water cascades from the roof of one of the buildings to the other and is then circulated back round, creating a natural cooling system for a hot climate.



The “Exploded House” reinterprets traditional dwellings in the area, yet its angular structure that fits into the clefts in the hillside, remains in keeping with the natural environment and when seen from above the pools mirror the surrounding landscape and the endless vista of the bay and help mask the presence of the building on the hill.

Architects: Gokhan Avcioglu / GAD
Location: Bodrum, Turkey
Interior Design: Hakan Ezer
Client: Vedat Semiz, Sureyya Semiz
Site Area: 5,000 sqm
Project Area: 600 sqm
Project Year: 2003
Photographs: Ali Bekman, Ozlem Avcioglu