SEP

From humble beginnings: La Luge a cabin near Quebec, Canada by YH2.

The exterior of the cabin

Photos: Steve Montpet.

In parts of Canada and Scandinavia it seems that almost everybody has a second home in the forest or beside a lake. The beginnings of such houses can often be traced to a fishing hut, a hunting lodge, or a log cabin that provided primitive shelter for hunters and foragers in their quest to find food. As foraging trips became a drive to the supermarket, cabins were used more in a recreational capacity. A place for city dwellers to reacquaint themselves with the land. As general living standards improved, so did the facilities in the cabin. Central heating, showers, double glazing and a fitted kitchen were all added to the cabins, often in a lumpen and haphazard way.

La Luge by YH2 is a progression of this trend. As architecture, it is an elegant and sophisticated rendering of a forest dwelling, but what makes it so exciting and desirable is that it caries the spirit of the log cabin, and with it a chance to be close to nature whilst enjoying the sumptuousness of a city penthouse apartment. Read more

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APR

House with appetite: Habitation TSL, Brussels by ADN Architectures

external view

Photos: Filip Dujardin

Twitching net curtains have long been the signifier of nosy neighbours and unusual goings on in suburbia. I can imagine that this house by ADN Architectures has been causing some curtain action! From the street it looks comfortable in its location. Its form, its slate tile roof and brick walls all suggest a typical local house, but the clean detailing and unusual apertures suggest something is not as it might appear. Read more

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MAR

H is for Hamilton by Donovan Hill.

Car porch

Photos: Donovan Hill

Staying with houses in Brisbane for today the ‘H’ House dates from five or six years ago. I illustrate it here as an interesting contrast to today’s other post – Highgate Hill. The H house seems to owe its inspiration to California or at the very least the ocean. Read more

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