This is the studio of artist Gary Faigin, Perched on the border between Ballard and Phinney Ridge, the Belyea Faigin residence works hard. home for Gary, his wife Pamela Belyea and their two children and the site of social and business gatherings centered around the Gage Academy of Art that Pamela and Gary direct. Their 1936 bungalow sits in the back seat and a new three story, 1600 SF addition is in the driver’s seat. The lowest level is Gary’s studio, the middle level is the living/dining room and the top floor is a new master suite. The interface between the original structure and the addition is expressed in the glassy gasket between the two buildings.

Studio House Design of artist Gary Faigin by Johnston Architects

The original beveled siding slides from outside to inside marking the transition between old and new. The new portion is emphatically modern in its use of materials, structure and detail but the gable roof and areas of wood siding make it sympathetic to the character of the old house. The straightforward design direction was set by the need to economize and dictated the use of exposed truss-joist framing, simple forms, aluminum windows and sleek but modest finishes. Vivid paint colors and walls full of art enliven the rooms. This addition has allowed a busy family to work, entertain and live more efficiently and comfortably in a neighborhood they love. And the views aren’t bad either!

(more…)

Primo Estate is a purpose-built tasting facility in McLaren Vale, South Australia. It is sited over a rise, away from the road, amongst eight hectares of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot vines. Its south façade overlooks the vines and the picturesque Willunga escarpment beyond.

The brief was straightforward – tasting rooms, offices, production areas and a home for a specially imported wood oven. The Italian clients also provided imagery of the things they admired; cloisters, centuries-old gates and doorways and views of the hilltop town of San Gimignano.

(more…)

Italian architect Giorgio Comoglio recently has completed the renovation of the Ex Sellerie, which is located in the area of the ex military arsenal in Turin, Italy. The task of the project is to increase the original building’s floor area and height. The minimal form of perforated steel envelope has been introduced to integrate the existing building into one, and also not to interfere with the surrounding buildings.

Ex Sellerie, image courtesy of Studio Comoglio Architetti

We opted to install a curtain of perforated sheet metal in copper-zinc-titanium alloy attached independently on the facade. This skin was meant to wrap the building like an ambiguous veil that conceals the complexity and architectural disorder determined by the previous structure, transforming the pitched roof into a series of homogeneous volumes superimposed. The building is wrapped in a new shell that filters the view of the city with different transparencies.

(more…)

Bark Design Architects, a small Australian practice located in Noosa Heads, Queensland, have designed a studio for themselves to work in.

Full description after the photos….

(more…)