Beaconsfield House with Simon Pendal

Pocket House with Tikari Works

In this episode I am joined by the architect Ty Tikari, who founded the London studio Tikari Works with his wife Nicola. We talk about Pocket House, a small home designed on what was formerly a double garage and located on a typical Victorian street in London. I really like solution-based projects, and this is a classic example of solving, what was in this case, a small plot overlooked on three sides by other houses, to create a house that feels spacious and private. Tikari Works have been experts in turning constraints on their head on this project. In this case they were so happy with the solutions, originally being developed for the family that owned the plot and lived next door, that part way through the designs, they ended up buying the plot and developing it for themselves to live in with their two children! At the end of the episode, I ask Ty 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!

La Casa Intermedia with Equipo de Arquitectura

In this episode I am joined by the architect and builder Horacio Cherniavsky, one of the founders of the Paraguayan studio Equipo De Arquitectura. We talk about La Casa Intermedia, a single storey, one bedroom home in the city of Asunción. The home as been built on a narrow plot and is characterised by distinct vaulted brick roofs that cover a sequence of spaces. The spaces span the full width of the property and are interspersed with internal courtyards, meaning every room has a double aspect. What I love about the house is it is very private from the street, but inside reveals an oasis like space that has been carefully put together using local craftsmen and a building process the studio has described as ‘pretty slow and delicate’ At the end of the episode, I ask Tom 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!

Costa Rica Treehouse and Rio House with Olson Kundig

In this episode I am joined by the architect Tom Kundig of the Seattle based studio Olson Kundig. We talk about two of their projects, the Costa Rica Treehouse and Rio House. Costa Rica Treehouse is a property built entirely of locally harvested teak wood. It is inspired by the jungle of its densely forested site on the Pacific Coast and rises above the tree canopy to provide views of the surf at nearby Playa Hermosa beach. Rio House is a steel and glass box that hovers above the land, supported by two concrete piers. The property provides a discreet hideaway for the owner couple to retreat from the distractions of city life. The elevated living space provides spectacular views of Rio de Janeiro, the sea and the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. In the interview we discuss the similar and the contrasting themes across the two projects. Both homes are elevated from the ground,  designed to respond passively to their environments and  are very open to the elements, yet both of them are totally unique to their context and to their owners. At the end of the episode, I ask Tom 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!

Beaconsfield House with Simon Pendal

In this episode I am joined by the architect Simon Pendal. We talk about his project Beaconsfield House. The home is an extension and renovation of a 1940’s workers cottage, located in the suburbs of the Australian city of Perth. The scheme retains the original cottage fronting onto the street and extends it to the rear with a new extension to create new livings spaces, a master bedroom and a multi-purpose space for the artist owners to display their work. This is no ordinary extension, however. The new parts have been designed intentionally as a spatial sequence, that unveils itself in a series of sculptural, primitive, cave-like spaces. The existing house is linked to the extension via a huge, upturned boat curved ceiling and the curves and circular forms are repeated in the walls and window openings. The projected is unexpected in its suburban surroundings and has a hint of Corbusier in its use of material, form and colour. At the end of the episode, I ask Simon 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!

Villa Fifty-Fifty with Studioninedots

In this episode I am joined by the architect Metin Van Zijl of the Dutch architecture practice, Studioninedots. We talk about Villa Fifty-Fifty Located on the site of a former Phillips factory, in the city of Eindhoven, this project was shortlisted by Dezeen as one of the best houses in the world in 2021. The home breaks the typical mould of house and garden and instead fills the entire, polygon shaped urban plot. Instead of being all solid building however, the outdoor space is given an equal share of the space to interior, with courtyards and patios carved out of the building. Described by the architects as a new typology for maximising interaction, the building form is one big flat roof with a large circular opening in the middle that has a tree growing out of it. Most of the living spaces are single storey and very public, with glass sides and double, or even triple aspects. Contrasting with these very open glass spaces is a three-storey square metal tower, that penetrates through the roof and contains two children’s bedrooms, stacked one above the other. The house really does challenge convention and achieves a home that is unique and has certainly inspired some of the projects I have worked on. At the end of the episode, I ask Metin 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!