Magic Mountain Lodge is a Hill-Like Hobbit Highrise

When we first came across this green, mountain-like resort, we had to do a double take to see if it was for real! Called the Magic Mountain Lodge, the 13 room hotel looks like it came straight from middle earth. The lodge sits in the private Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve in northern Chile's Patagonia and is a celebration of the rich natural heritage that the preserve aims to protect. And get this-- visitors enter the establishment on a suspended rope bridge and are greeted by a cascade of water coming down from the cone shaped green roof.

The Lodge sits on a diverse forest region in northern Patagonia and is a base camp at the Hulio Hulio preserve for ecotourists looking to spot a puma or explore the local waterfalls. The hotel is cone shaped with dormer windows peaking out of its vegetated and stone façade. A water spot on top pours over the roof, drenching the plants and anyone at the base of the building. The playful design is intended to evoke an ancient legend that speaks of a magic mountain in the area that grants wishes.

If you don’t get your wish fulfilled, at least there is a bar, a restaurant, and a sauna inside. Outside, there are hot tubs made from the hollows of tree stumps. The lodge is designed using local building materials and labor and all the wood was carefully harvested locally as well.

The reserve is a privately held 600 square kilometer park dedicated to the preservation of the region’s biodiversity and fauna. The surrounding land, located on the northern edge of Patagonia right in the center of Chile sees all four seasons and is a very wet region. The rich diversity of land types and the relatively undeveloped region is a huge draw for international tourists seeking to see one of the wildest places left on the planet.

Sliding Hubs Prefab Modular Housing Has 64 Different Combinations

Italian designer Gabriel Aramu has come up with a temporary, modular, portable, prefabricated housing system that can be combined in so many different ways, you'll never have a chance to experience them all. The Sliding Hubs prefab system is built out of modular open ended boxes that can be combined together to form different lengths or slid open to create wider spaces in 64 different configurations. Aramu conceived as these to be used in a variety of situations, from temporary shelters to small urban spaces.

Easily transported and installed in almost any environment, the Sliding Hubs system was designed for flexibility in housing. Each square box is completely prefabricated and includes structural stability, interior finishes, space for utilities in the wall, insulation and an outside rain screen. Sliding Hubs are designed to be built from a system of steel reinforcements that hold the panel “sandwich” horizontal and vertical, which is covered with an external layer of polycarbonate. The boxes can be combined, stacked together and even split apart to create skylights in the ceiling. Ever exposed edge is fitted with a door or windows, which pulls in natural daylight. Since the modules are small, it keeps the over all size of the resulting building small, which means they are easy to light, heat or cool.

So far, Aramu has come up with 64 different ways to combine the boxes to create a huge variety of buildings that can be used as studios, offices, apartments, single family homes or combined in larger ways to create multi-family housing or even shelters. Whether temporary or permanent, the modules are meant to be made of high quality materials in order to be durable. Sliding Hubs could easily fit into the context of an urban environment, but could also be used temporary housing in developing countries. Aramu and his design was recently nominated as a finalist in the Milano Design Camping design competition.

Stunning Alpine Ski Apartments are Wrapped in a Modern Scalloped Skin

Green-minded ski bums will be stoked to know that this striking Alpine apartment complex in Slovenia has a scalloped skin that pays respect to the region's vernacular architecture, and a sauna in the basement! As a result of rigorous building regulations, OFIS arhitekti had height restrictions and a small footprint to work with, so the cubic complex was given a pitched roof (to elongate it vertically) and superb chiseled angles to make it seem wider than it actually is. This mixed-use building remarkably holds six studio apartments, a communal area on the ground floor, and a recreational area in the basement. Step on in for a closer look at this sustainable ski complex and get ready to dust off your snowboard!

This gorgeous apartment complex was designed to fit in with the traditional alpine lodges that are so common in the Alps. This was accomplished in part with materials taken from the surrounding environment, such as the lovely larch used to create each apartment’s balcony, and the scalloped skin that resembles traditional tiles. We have to say the skin, which provides excellent thermal massing, is somewhat deceptive in that it’s actually made from cement.

Even so, the glazed windows throughout combined with the overall small ecological footprint and clever ventilation system give this complex just the sustainable edge we like to see. And being lovers of the outdoors, we’re especially happy to see how well the pine trees and jagged mountains are framed – as though they are central to the program, as they should be!

High-Flying Rubem Braga Elevator Complex Improves Pedestrian Accessibility in Rio de Janeiro

Residents of the Cantagalo and Pavao communities in Rio de Janeiro now have much better access to and from their homes in Rio de Janeiro thanks to a new 80 meter elevator complex. The Rubem Braga Elevator towers connect the area via two 30 person elevators, stairs and a pedestrian bridge down to the rest of the city and a subway station. Covered in brightly colored louvers, the towers protect the pedestrians from the elements as they are walking to work or back home. Designed by JBMC Arquitetura e Urbanismo, the towers also serve as a tourist attraction to take in the beautiful vistas of the beaches and the city.

The new elevator complex serves as the gateway to the local community and improves access conditions. Previously residents of the community relied on a series of precarious stairways and improvised accesses throughout the mount. Residents were constantly exposed to dangerous situations, poor lighting, crime and even the risk of possible landslides. This new facility is more than just a pedestrian friendly elevator though. It helps to reduce social inequality, lower the crime rate, improve quality of life, and provide unrestricted access to the different means of public transport. Tourists also enjoy the towers and make use of the elevators to access a vantage point from which to view and take pictures of the city.

The elevators transport people efficiently up 80 meters in height between the Cantagalo and Pavao communities on the hill and the Ipanema neighhood below. Named after Rubem Braga, a chronicle writer that lived in a building neighboring the Cantagalo favela, the elevator complex is made up of two towers, connected via a foot bridge to access different levels of the steeply sloped community. Both towers utilize an elevator capable of transporting 30 people at a time starting as early as 5 am up until midnight. During the week around 4,200 people use is and during the weekend around 3,300 people make use of the elevators. Staircases behind the class elevators are provided in case the power is out. Colored in bright blue and green louvers, the towers are protected against the rain and the harsh sun, but still encourage natural ventilation throughout.

Much like Rio’s cable car system, the elevators are helping improve transportation around the city in time for the upcoming world cup and the Olympics. Completed in 2010, the Rubem Braga Elevator Complex was recently shortlisted in the 2011 World Architecture Festival under the New and Old Category.

Shimmery Hansha Reflection House Thinks Outside The Japanese Box

We love the minimalism and space management of Japanese homes, but we have definitely noticed a trend towards standard boxy designs. The shimmery Hansha Reflection House overlooking the Misakimizube Koen Park seeks to shatter the status quo with a reflective facade and hybrid building techniques. Designed by Studio SKLIM Architecture, the cantilevering single family residence was built using renewably sourced timber and features three distinct zones.

The public, private, and service programs of the house have been separated, with the public portions upstairs, peering through the windows facing the park’s lake and sakura trees. Strategically placed, the windows let in just enough light without permitting excess solar gain. Inside the home reveals a tasteful minimalism, both in design and its simple furnishings.

This home showcases three landscaped areas, including a central courtyard which acts as a giant funnel that pushes out hot summer air. As a result of this, the home is beautifully ventilated, nature’s way. But the most interesting aspect of the Hansha Reflection house, which refers to the shiny exterior reflecting the surrounding landscape and vice versa, lies in the designer’s choice to combine mortice and tenon jointing with steel bracketing to give strength to the timber sourced from renewable forests. This combined with the unique facade give this home a handsome edge over the standard white box!

Student job hunt: 10 top tips

1) Everybody is looking for work: students, qualified architects and developers. So when sending speculative CVs, be precise, make your point and don’t waste time with a self-indulgent pitch about your work. Do your research and work out what you can bring to the studio.

2) Studios will be interested in your ability to be adaptable so now is the time to learn new skills. Practices are also using this quiet time to refresh their portfolio, website and marketing material, so think InDesign and Photoshop, even web tools.

3) 3D and CGI will always be useful to a studio that is pitching or hitting competitions hard so brush up on CAD and find out which software the company already uses.

4) Be flexible. Be prepared to work freelance for short burst of time to cover competition work. If you work two days a week for one firm there is nothing to stop you working the other three for a different practice. In smaller studios take your own laptop and offer to work for a week at no cost to see how you fit in. Be warned: do a maximum of a week because although architects do free pitches all the time, working for free is never a good practice to get into long-term.

5) Go where the work is: schools, affordable housing, MoD projects, healthcare and infrastructure.

6) Parts of Europe are still fairly buoyant so be prepared to travel and possibly learn a language. It’s better than hanging around Clerkenwell in the cold.

7) Don’t be London-centric. Expand your search to the rest of the UK – perhaps in your university or home-town where living costs will be cheaper.

8) Graduates in architecture have valuable skills across many design disciplines so look beyond architecture: interior design; exhibition design; product design and manufacture; CGI; computer game design; film…

9) Unfortunately the adage ‘it’s who you know, not what you know’ applies to architecture so find a use the network you have and make new friends.

10) Win a competition and start a practice – the odds are against you but what the hell.1) Everybody is looking for work: students, qualified architects and developers. So when sending speculative CVs, be precise, make your point and don’t waste time with a self-indulgent pitch about your work. Do your research and work out what you can bring to the studio.

2) Studios will be interested in your ability to be adaptable so now is the time to learn new skills. Practices are also using this quiet time to refresh their portfolio, website and marketing material, so think InDesign and Photoshop, even web tools.

3) 3D and CGI will always be useful to a studio that is pitching or hitting competitions hard so brush up on CAD and find out which software the company already uses.

4) Be flexible. Be prepared to work freelance for short burst of time to cover competition work. If you work two days a week for one firm there is nothing to stop you working the other three for a different practice. In smaller studios take your own laptop and offer to work for a week at no cost to see how you fit in. Be warned: do a maximum of a week because although architects do free pitches all the time, working for free is never a good practice to get into long-term.

5) Go where the work is: schools, affordable housing, MoD projects, healthcare and infrastructure.

6) Parts of Europe are still fairly buoyant so be prepared to travel and possibly learn a language. It’s better than hanging around Clerkenwell in the cold.

7) Don’t be London-centric. Expand your search to the rest of the UK – perhaps in your university or home-town where living costs will be cheaper.

8) Graduates in architecture have valuable skills across many design disciplines so look beyond architecture: interior design; exhibition design; product design and manufacture; CGI; computer game design; film…

9) Unfortunately the adage ‘it’s who you know, not what you know’ applies to architecture so find a use the network you have and make new friends.

10) Win a competition and start a practice – the odds are against you but what the hell.

The Spacious Prefab WingHouse Unfolds From a Shipping Container

The prefab WingHouse is a promising design which provides quick shelter that looks to be also quite durable. Unfolding from a shipping container sized box, the building becomes nearly three times the shipping size in just five hours of set up time. The finished product does not look temporary one bit—the multiple configurations can make for a small home, dorms, or office space out of the open 80 square meters.

The main design principle of the WingHouse is relatively simple. Because they come in the standard shipping container size they are easily transportable and do not need a crane to set down. The walls of the container sized unit rise up like wings (hence the name), with a built-in crane to create a large butterfly roof– this little movie shows how it is done (the design is similar to how the new Glide House unfolds onsite). Tucked behind are a pair of floors which fold down onto a foundation which is not much more than cement blocks. Panels are inset between the roof and floor with built-in windows and doors.

The result is a large interior space which can be finished in multiple ways. Because there are no internal supports, a home with a large open floor plan can accommodate three bedrooms.  Other floor plans include a four to eight bedroom dorm, an office space or just a simple meeting room. The finished units comes wired and plumbed with built-in cabinets. The butterfly roof and horizontal sections to the panels add a clear contemporary style, letting visitors know this is not the same old portable.