Outside & Inside A Modern Slanting Cement House in Amstelveen

In a nature area between Amsterdam, Amstelveen and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, lies the Kostverlorenkade 1; an island measuring 1200m2. Here, VMX architects have built a very unusual modern 500m2 house named the Sodae House.




The starting point for the concept was the perception of the landscape, the distant high buildings of the Zuidas and the Rembrandt Tower as well as the view of the airplanes traveling to and from Schiphol.



The house forms an object in the landscape; the island acts as the plinth.



The living room and kitchen are arranged in a loft-like space on the first floor. The more intimate areas (bedrooms and bathrooms) are situated on the ground floor, oriented towards the garden on the backside. The basement contains an additional fitness room and a home cinema.















Nominated for the Gouden A.A.P. 2010 (Amsterdam.Architecture.Prize.)

Client: Sylvie Murphy
Location: Amstelveen
Size: 500 m2
Design: 2005-2007
Execution: 2008-2009

images and info courtesy of VMX architects and Contemporist

Exploding House in Bodrum, Turkey By GAD

Bodrum is a Mediterranean port-trade settlement in the Southwest of Turkey. The area boasts a rich history of over three thousand years, including Hellenistic times. The venerated scientist Heredot was born there and sculptures by artists including Leochares, Bryaxis, and Timotheos were exhibited there and can now be found in museum collections around the world. The outdated codes restrict new forms of architecture being introduced to the landscape.



To overcome this and create a more flexible building type, GAD created a house made from three separate buildings – a metaphor for a single building that has been “exploded” into many parts.




Operated electronically, the windows have the capacity to slide open flush to the ground, allowing for sea breezes to flood the interior.



This innermost space is the focal point of the house and is connected to the three houses by a series of concrete ramps that reconcile the building with the landscape. An additional slope that can be used as a sun deck and for light recreational activities descends to the contiguous swimming pool located on land set at a slightly lower grade from the house.



From here the ramp leads down the hillside to an additional self-contained apartment building that is set within the land and hidden from the house above.



Each individual unit, which complies with the regulatory size of 75 square meters, is built next to one another with a narrow space in between and is linked by a glass atrium. Conceived as a single house, each building has a separate function: a master bedroom and bathroom; a kitchen and dining room; and a guesthouse with an adjacent study room.



The central glass vestibule acts as the entrance to the building as well as the main living area with 180° vistas of the stunning landscape and bay made possible by floor to ceiling windows.






The open-plan of the main house ensures that it is light and airy, a must in the summer. As a secondary precaution, the roof of the building is covered with pools that collect rainwater.


above: the water cascades from the roof of one of the buildings to the other and is then circulated back round, creating a natural cooling system for a hot climate.



The “Exploded House” reinterprets traditional dwellings in the area, yet its angular structure that fits into the clefts in the hillside, remains in keeping with the natural environment and when seen from above the pools mirror the surrounding landscape and the endless vista of the bay and help mask the presence of the building on the hill.

Architects: Gokhan Avcioglu / GAD
Location: Bodrum, Turkey
Interior Design: Hakan Ezer
Client: Vedat Semiz, Sureyya Semiz
Site Area: 5,000 sqm
Project Area: 600 sqm
Project Year: 2003
Photographs: Ali Bekman, Ozlem Avcioglu

Relax Like Royalty In This Moroccan-Style Rental Home On The Island Of Bequia

The Mangwana House (also known as The Bequia House) designed by Edgley Design is a large modern and inviting home in a stunning locale, available for rent or for photoshoots through Grenadine Escape.



The five bedroom villa is situated on a steep hillside in dense forest on the island of Bequia in the Caribbean with breathtaking views.





The design is inspired by traditional Moroccan courtyard houses, where a series of intimate spaces surround water, providing shelter from the sun throughout the day and cooling humidity from the pool.







Each bedroom tower has a living space below and a private access stair.




To the north of the courtyard a large hall provides eating and dining areas, and creates a sequence of spaces from a delicate balcony entrance suspended high over the treetops, through the public hall to the private towers beyond.




This stunning home sleeps a max of 12, is located between Friendship Bay and Lower Bay, Bequia and is a 7 minute drive to the beachfront. It has spectacular 300 degree views over the Grenadines, and an incredibly inviting Infinity pool that faces south.



You enter Mangwana at mezzanine level directly into a vast living area with vaulted ceiling, open- plan kitchen and magnificent 16 ft high Brazilian hardwood doors which in turn open onto the pool and frame one of the villa’s many stunning views. Rental includes maid service and the use of a Jeep.




Winter Rate DECEMBER 1 - APRIL 15 (7 nights min.) : USD $12,500 per week
Summer Rate APRIL 16 - NOVEMBER 30 (5 nights min.) : USD $10,000 per week

For more details about the booking the house, as well as more images, visit Grenadine Escape.