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CNC carpentry: the 'selfsupportingframework'

CNC carpentry: the 'selfsupportingframework'
Two students working on load-bearing systems in the architecture department at Kassel University, Mischa Proll and Andreas Günther, have taken advantage of the wide range of design techniques available and breathed new life into a one-hundred-year-old construction concept. The traditional reziprocal frame consists of short wooden joists, whose ends are carpentry-joined to a surface structure. With consistant types of profiles, lengths of elements and positions of the knots on the axises, a dome shape is created. The first documenting of such a framework, also called a „mandala roof“, dates back to the 12th century, according to the students' research, when a Buddhist monk by the name of Chogen created designs for temples, whose influence can still be seen today in the architecture of domes in China and Japan. The variation of individual parameters, for instance changing the join between two elements, leads to a change in all the other subsequent joins.

Would You Live in a Shed? Downsizing to a shed may seem like a drastic step to take in a resource and financially-strained climate, but U.K-based FKDA Architects is hoping you'll do just that. According to FKDA, the prefab shed idea came as a response to increasing reports "of people being forced from their homes unable to make their current mortgage payments, and turning to live with family, in garden sheds and even cars." FDKA's micro-home, built from FSC-certified wood and insulated with cellulosic fiber derived from recycled newspapers, is hardly a garden shed. The so-called shed comes with a skylight, radiant underfloor heating, energy-efficient appliances, ample storage space, LED lighting, and optional solar photovoltaic and hot water heating systems. The shed comes in two options--the 24-square-meter big shed ($57,554-$82,220) and the 13-square-meter little shed ($32,888-$57,554). [Via Inhabitat] Related Stories:Would You Live in a Shipping Container?

Archinect | Connecting Architects Since 1997 Bates Masi Architects - Portfolio Profile Bates Masi + Architects LLC, a full-service architectural firm with roots in New York City and the East End of Long Island for over 50 years, responds to each project with extensive research in related architectural fields, material, craft and environment for unique solutions as varied as the individuals or groups for whom they are designed. The focus is neither the size nor the type of project but the opportunity to enrich lives and enhance the environment. Paul Masi spent childhood summers in Montauk and currently resides in Amagansett. Harry Bates, a resident of East Hampton, received a Bachelor of Architecture from North Carolina State University.

Almost Invisible Mirrored Tree House Built In Sweden Invisible TreeHouse? Really?They said it couldn't be done. When we first wrote about the almost invisible treehouse to be built in Sweden by Tham & Videgard, 899 commenters thought it was AutoCad eye candy, impossible to build and death for birds. But they built it, one of six units in a "Treehotel" opening this weekend 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. The four meter glass cube looks as spectacular in reality as it did in the rendering. Everything will reflect in this - the trees, the birds, the clouds, the sun, everything. And what about the birds? The units are constructed from sustainably harvested wood and have electric radiant floor heating and "a state-of-the-art eco-friendly incineration toilet" (I have owned an incinerating toilet and they are anything but eco-friendly, using a huge amount of electricity, creating noise and a pall of burned poop smell when the wind isn't blowing. But other than that minor quibble, it appears to be a truly eco resort.

yh2_Yiacouvakis Hamelin Architects Geometrie Noire, in Saint-Hyppolite, North of Montreal, Canada - StumbleUpon Saint-Hypolite is small town in the Laurentide, a scenic region used mostly as a weekend getaway for Montrealers. The house is built within a dense forest on a slight hill, bordering the opening of a small river. Through the trees, we perceive the body of the black building, divided into three blocks that get linked through glass passageways. These blocks are at split-levels from each other and are all in direct contact with the earth; three sections with their individual identity, offering intimacy from each other opening up towards the natural surroundings. The entry block, open on two levels, comprises the family’s teen quarters and family room. On the northern side of the house, a large sectioned wall, covered with bent corten steel, connects the blocks together while defining a series of covered outdoor spaces, always set against the light. Plans Project details: Location : Saint-Hyppolite, Québec Area : 1850 sq.ft. Photographs by Francis Pelletier

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