Articles by Andreas Luco

Atelier d’Architecture Perraudin, in collaboration with Wyswyg Architecture in Lyon, proved with this project that designing inexpensive houses while using noble materials such as massive stone and wood is possible. Walls are made of 40cm thick Fontvieille stone, while roof’s joinery (interior and exterior) is made of larch wood.

In the rural area of Oosterwold, artist Frode Bolhuis dreamed of an alternative way of living. He asked architects Peter van Assche and Mathijs Cremers to design his dream house on a one-hectare potato field. The only problem was his very limited budget. To find the solution the architects came up with two preconditions to make the project possible: they suggested finding friends to join the project, since it is a lot cheaper to build several houses at the same time than just one. Luckily, Frode was able to find eight friends who shared his dream. The second precondition was that only the exterior would be designed, leaving the families complete freedom to decide on the interior. The limited budget became key feature in the project and resulted in a straightforward 100-meter-long slab containing a row of nine unique dwellings. The position of the building on the side of the plot leaves maximum space for the community garden.

Carefully designed to expose the beauty of raw concrete, Salmon Avenue by FGR Architects creates a strong design statement amongst its traditional Essendon neighbourhood. Designed as two halves, the northern wing is considered the private quarters and the rear southern aspect utilised as the living space. Salmon Avenue meets the client’s objective of expressing as much concrete as possible through the built form.

This rear extension to an interwar semi-detached house aims to create a contemporary and light filled space which compliments, rather than dominates the original heritage home.

On a hill in a pine forest,  lost, among and in between trees, cozy and quiet, intimate and adventurous, moderne and eco-friendly the surrounding nature has shaped the Treehouse.

Riding House Street hosts an extraordinary breadth of architectural styles. From John Nash’s All Souls church at its most easterly point, the street skips haphazardly from 19th Century terraces to post war commercial buildings; concrete slab structures and 20th Century apartment blocks. The street’s piecemeal aesthetic is unified by the use of brickwork which serves as the façade material of choice, at times so abundant that it forms the road surface. The Interlock absorbs this history and responds by taking the proportions of the neighbouring 19th Century terrace, and recasting its brick façade to create a building of uncertain heritage – one that is simultaneously historic and contemporary, familiar yet foreign.  Abandoning the traditional dimensions of London brick, a collection of 44 misshapen and seemingly un-stackable clay blocks were developed. 

The Coogee House is located on a steeply sloping corner block with panoramic views to the Pacific Ocean in Sydney, Australia.  The site is exposed to strong ocean winds, salt spray and harsh sunlight. Vegetation in the area is stunted in response to the harsh environmental conditions and provides little shade. Neighbouring properties are elevated well above the site and overlook the dwelling towards the view.