Another Architecture Podcast

In this episode I am joined by the architect Jay Gort, director of the British practice Gort Scott. We discuss The Rock, a home they have designed for a family of five, overlooking Alta Lake in Whistler, Canada.

The home is conceived as a form, which belongs to the rocky outcrop that it sits on, emerging from it, surrounding it, celebrating it. The design plays with the contrasts between light and dark and openness and enclosure. Living spaces are formed out of concrete blades, that seemingly emerge from the rocky outcrop. The heavy and rough forms of the concrete, forms walls and floors that frame views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The split levels of the living spaces respond to the natural topography of the rock below and are unified by a floating horizon of a textured ceiling above.

In the interview, Jay tells me about how he convinced the family  to select a UK based architect to design their dream home in Canada, by visiting and getting to know the rocky outcrop intimately. We discuss the process of developing the design and the influences that shaped it and how this incredible house feels to live in now.

At the end of the episode, I ask Jay the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys him about his home?
– what house has he visited that has really inspired him?
– and, if he could choose anyone to design him a new house, who would he choose?

I hope you enjoy listening!

In this episode I am joined by Jennifer Kudlats, founder of Canadian practice Studio A/C. We discuss the Shallmar Residence in Toronto, designed for a family of five, with a serious art collection.

The practice describes the project as a house ‘disguised as an art gallery’ They took inspiration from the artists Agnes Martin and Donald Judd when designing the interiors, including a kitchen island composed of 4 monolithic concrete blocks.

Although it appears entirely new, the house is actually a renovation of a 1950’s property. The entire ground floor is open-plan, with the space divided by floating walls that don’t touch the perimeter and chunky columns that create a colonnade across the middle. The design results in flowing liveable spaces that flooded with ample natural light and perfect for enjoying the artworks.

At the end of the episode, I ask Jennifer the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys her about her home?
– what house has she visited that has really inspired her?
– and, if she could choose anyone to design her a new house, who would she choose?

If you would like to find out more about Studio A/C and the Shallmar Residence you can find information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com

I hope you enjoy listening.

In this episode I am joined by the recipient of the 2021 Emerging Architect Award at the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada awards, I talk to Anya Moryoussef about her Craven Road Micro House project in Toronto. 

‘I don’t need a lot of space, I’m not worried about resale, I just want a house for me’ , this was the simple brief given to Anya by her client Laurel and I love the design she has delivered.

In the interview I find out how Anya fought tooth and nail for her client to get approval for the design, how she worked within a small footprint to create a simple and private living space with plenty of daylight and, how she delivered the project to a modest budget by being smart with material choices.

At the end of the episode, I ask Anya the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys her about her home?
– what house has she visited that has really inspired her?
– and, if she could choose anyone to design her a new house, who would she choose?

If you would like to find out more about Anya and the Craven Road project you can find information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com.

I hope you enjoy listening.

In this episode I am joined by Alex Michaelis, one of the co-founders of Michaelis Boyd architects. we talk about their project, Arijuju, located in Kenya.

This house has been referred to as the most beautiful bush house in Africa. It is located on the Boranan Lewa Conservancy, a 90,000 acre conservation area in Kenya, and is situated next to a watering hole frequented by elephants, baboons and lions.

The concept of the courtyard house is simple, to nestle and merge in the landscape so that it is almost imperceptible, and it has been designed to focus on what Alex describes as, the holy trinity of views, sunrise, sunset and. Mount Kenya.

In the interview I find out how Alex helped the client find the perfect location for the villa, what his influences were for the design and how they constructed this off-grid villa, under the watchful eye of some very curious and hungry animals.

At the end of the episode, I ask Alex the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys him about his home?
– what house has he visited that has really inspired him?
– and, if he could choose anyone to design him a new house, who would he choose?

If you would like to find out more about Michaelis Boyd, the Arijuju project and some of the references in the interview, you can find information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com.

I hope you enjoy listening.

In this episode I am joined by Andrew Brown of the Scottish architecture studio Brown and Brown, that he co-founded with his wife just over 10 years ago. We discuss their most recent project, Lower Tullochgrue.

The project is an extension and refurbishment of an historic house in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, with amazing views over the Spey Valley. The existing house is set on an outcrop and they have extended it with a black box that cantilevers out over the sloping landscape to create a covered area for the clients 1960’s Ford Falcon.

In the interview we talk about the stunning location, I find out how the builder had a local dis-used quarry re-opened so that they could use stone that matched the original house and how Andrew tells me how Donald Trump’s book ‘the art of the deal’ has been used to create a secret door handle to a concealed downstairs toilet.

At the end of the episode, I ask Andrew the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys him about his home?
– what house has he visited that has really inspired him?
– and, if he could choose anyone to design him a new house, who would he choose?

I hope you enjoy listening!

In this episode I am joined by John Choi, one of the co-founders of Chrofi architects. We talk about their project, Lune De Sang, located in New South Wales, Australia.

The project is a former dairy farm bought by a couple, who are now ambitiously re-wilding the land with native hardwoods that will take between 50 and 300 years to mature. Chrofi have worked for the couple for over a decade, creating several structures on the land, including sheds for the forestry equipment and most recently the pavilion, which is now the couples permanent residence.

Nestled within the landscape, this home has been built to last, and like the hardwood trees they are planting, there is no doubt the home will certainly outlive the couple. This is architecture responding to the idea of a 300yr growth cycle. I enjoyed talking to John about this unique project and finding out what it was like to work with a client with such a long term vision.

At the end of the episode, I ask John the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys him about his home?
– what house has he visited that has really inspired him?
– and, if he could choose anyone to design him a new house, who would he choose?

If you would like to find out more about Chrofi and the Lune De Sang project, you can find more information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com, including images and links to some of the references from the interview.

In this episode I am joined by Alicia Casals, one of the co-founders of Nomo Studio. We talk about their project, Villa Patio, located on the Spanish island of Minorca.

It is a private residence that is very sculptural in form, the entire villa appears to be carved out of a block of white stone. The design concept is underlined by complex geometrical rules revolving around a pentagon, but don’t worry, this one looks nothing like the one in Washington.

I loved talking with Alicia and finding out about how the studio used geometry to respond to the orientation of the site, by making the most of good views, shielding the bad ones from view and providing protection from the strong Balearic winds. The result of their approach is a beautiful courtyard villa with amazing views of the Mediterranean.

At the end of the episode, I ask Alicia the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys her about her home?
– what house has she visited that has really inspired her?
– and, if she could choose anyone to design her a new house, who would she choose?

If you would like to find out more about Nomo Studio and their project Villa Patio, you can find more information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com, including images and links to some of the references in the interview.

I hope you enjoy listening.

In this episode I am joined by Siri Zanelli, one of the co-founders of the London based studio Collective Works. We talk about her own home, UpSideDown House, which was completed last year.

It is a refurbishment of a typical Victorian terrace house in London, which has been extended outwards into the garden, upwards into the roof, and downwards into the basement, but what makes this design unique and special is the very bold use of colour for the interiors.

I enjoyed discussing the house with Siri and finding out about what she learnt from being on the client side for once and how working alongside a colour consultant helped her create this special home.

At the end of the episode, I ask Siri the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys her about her home?
– what house has she visited that has really inspired her?
– and, if she could choose anyone to design her a new house, who would she choose?

If you would like to find out more about Collective Works and their project UpSideDown House, you can find more information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com, including images and links to some of the references in the interview.

I hope you enjoy listening.

To celebrate one year of the podcast, we have a special treat. I discuss the house recently  named at the Don’t Move improve awards as London’s best new home improvement project. My guest is the architect Ben Allen, founder of Studio Ben Allen and we discuss House Recast.

The project is a reinterpretation and extension of a typical home from the Victorian era, that creates a beautiful sequence of playful spaces, filled with colour, texture, pattern, curved shapes and filtered natural light. The judges described it as a project that ‘pushes the boundaries of how homes can look and feel’.

What is really interesting about this project is the wider themes it explores. Ben has used it as a test bed for ideas about off-site production, not something that is usually explored on small, compact and challenging sites such as this one. 

 At the end of the episode, I ask Ben the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys him about his home?
– what house has he visited that has really inspired him?
– and, if he could choose anyone to design him a new house, who would he choose?

If you would like to find out more about Studio Ben Allen and their project House Re-Cast, you can find more information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com, including images, plans and links to further information.

I hope you enjoy listening!

In this episode, I talk to the architect Anais Blehaut, one of the founders of Daab Design about their latest project Guild.

The project is a transformation of a beautiful 18th Century Georgian townhouse in central London. Daab have restored the 5 floor property, which, in its latest incarnation, was being used as a mix of office space and apartments, into a home for a family of seven.

What daab have done to this 260 year old property is beautiful. They have carefully balanced preservation with the needs for modernising by taking a very respectful approach to the challenges of working with an historic building. However, they have managed to balance this with being extremely bold, particularly with colours.

The home is of its place, it could only be in London, but this is the London straight from a movie set; Dickens, Sherlock Homes, I wouldn’t even be surprised if Mary Poppins turned up on the doorstep as the new family nanny.

At the end of the episode, I ask Anais the three questions I ask all my podcast guests;
– what really annoys her about her home?
– what house has she visited that has really inspired her?
– and, if she could choose anyone to design her a new house, who would she choose?

If you would like to find out more about Daab design and their project Guild, you can find more information on the episode page at anotherarchitecturepodcast.com. 

I hope you enjoy listening.