For more than two decades, Beta-Plus has specialised in exclusive coffee table books on architecture, interiors and gardens. For this new edition of the Yearbook, the focus, as last year, is on top quality, traditional craftsmanship and understated class. This volume, in a handy format, contains exclusive new projects from renowned architects, interior designers, garden and landscape architects, and experienced professionals from all over the world. Published to coincide with Contemporary Living Yearbook 2022 is Timeless Living Yearbook 2022, which emphasises classic and more traditional forms, the integration of antique building materials, wood and natural stone, exclusive fabrics and objects, the restoration of homes and farms. Both Yearbooks complement each other perfectly and together offer a selection of dozens of recently finished villas, country houses, townhouses and apartments. Text in English French and Dutch.

American Architects and the Single-Family Home explains how a small group of architects started the Architects' Small House Service Bureau in 1919 and changed the course of twentieth-century residential design for the better. Concepts and principles they developed related to public spaces, private spaces, and service spaces for living; details about the books they published to promote good design; as well as new essays from contemporary practitioners will inspire your own designs. More than 200 black and white images.

This book explores the aspirations and tastes of new suburban communities in interwar England for domestic architecture and design that was both modern and nostalgic in a period where homeownership became the norm. It investigates the ways in which new suburban class and gender identities were forged through the architecture, design and decoration of the home, in choices such as ebony elephants placed on mantelpieces and modern Easiwork dressers in kitchens. Ultimately, it argues that a specifically suburban modernism emerged, which looked backwards to the past whilst looking forward to the future. Thus the inter-war 'ideal' home was both a retreat from the outside world and a site of change and experimentation. The book also examines how the interwar home is lived in today. It will appeal to academics and students in design, social and cultural history as well as a wider readership curious about interwar homes. -- .

Discover the latest innovations in tiny space design in this lush compendium in the 150 Best series, showcasing 150 full-color profiles. As the price of large residences have become increasingly out of reach for many people, aspiring home owners have begun to think smaller. 150 Best Tiny Space Ideas is an exciting overview of the smallest living space designs- architectural and decorating trends that combine to make dwellings under 450 square feet feel welcoming and expansive. All the projects featured in this handsome reference were created by internationally renowned architects and designers who have achieved practical, innovative, and stunning solutions adapted to the specific needs and tastes of their clients. Encompassing current trends in small space design, this latest volume in the highly successful 150 Best offers the work of international visionaries who have created and transformed a range of accommodations, from a micro-apartment in Taipei City to a silo in Phoenix to an island shack in British Columbia. Filled with black-and-white and four-color photos throughout, 150 Best Tiny Space Ideas is an inspirational resource for designers, interior decorators, and architects, as well homeowners interested in creating warm and truly livable homes regardless of space limitations.

The book provides an overview of the Active House (AH) vision, intended as a building design method "beyond" the passive approach for buildings of the future that will be more and more connected, smart and innovative. It offers a novel philosophical design approach in which buildings, new or renovated, are in balance with natural, renewable energies and become "concentrators-distributors" of energies instead of being consumers of resources. The book is composed of five chapters, providing information on fundamental aspects of innovations toward resource-efficient buildings, as well as case studies presenting the concept in practice. It demonstrates that a completely new design approach is possible, and that a turning point has been reached. Lastly, it shows how the AH Alliance, along with designers, institutions, industries and academies, is bringing a breath of fresh air to the world of construction.

This book presents some of the best examples of hostel design from around the world, based on a combination of their interior design, comfort and services. The majority of the establishments shown are located in major cities, although some are in ruralsettings. There are hostels in historic buildings, such as the old Medical Science University in Amsterdam or a 200-year old Venetian palace, while others are situated in modern buildings or converted houses. Some of them even offer terraces, restaurants and reading rooms...but all have been designed with one common factor in mind - creating a friendly and welcoming space for travellers who don't mind sharing a room.

A stunning celebration of the architect's residential masterpieces Louis Kahn (1901-1974), one of the most important architects of the postwar period, is widely admired for his great monumental works, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the Salk Institute, and the National Assembly Complex in Bangladesh. However, the importance of his houses has been largely overlooked. This beautiful book is the first to look at Kahn's nine major private houses. Beginning with his earliest encounters with Modernism in the late 1920s and continuing through his iconic work of the 1960s and 1970s, the authors trace the evolution of the architect's thinking, which began and matured through his design of houses and their interiors, a process inspired by his interactions with clients and his admiration for vernacular building traditions. Richly illustrated with new and period photographs and original drawings, as well as previously unpublished materials from personal interviews, archives, and Kahn's own writings, The Houses of Louis Kahn shows how his ideas about domestic spaces challenged conventions, much like his major public commissions, and were developed into one of the most remarkable expressions of the American house.

This book is structured in four parts: First, it analyzes the sustainability objectives established for the building stock and the importance of thermal comfort in this aspect. Second, the existing adaptive thermal comfort models and the main energy-saving measures associated with these models are analyzed. Third, the energy savings obtained with these measures are analyzed in several case studies, comparing the results obtained with other energy conservation measures, such as the improvement of the facade. The analysis is carried out from an energy and economic perspective. Finally, a decision-making process based on fuzzy logic is established. As an expected result, the content of the book contributes to assist architects in designing more efficient buildings from the perspective of user behavior.

A presentation of contemporary houses that demonstrates how domesticity can be beautiful and still help the planet. Have we passed a tipping point beyond which we can no longer reverse a course of action that was charted several decades ago Sustainable: Houses with Small Footprints argues that we can indeed detach our dwellings from a dependence on many external systems and resources and adopt other building practices. What is known as living off the grid is possible, and Sustainable presents forty-five houses that demonstrate how architects have implemented sustainable design concepts around the world. These projects show us what time-tested vernacular design principles-including local materials, natural ventilation strategies, and earth shelter construction-can teach us, as well as how the latest cutting-edge technologies-such as indoor farming and living walls made of plant material-can make truly sustainable design possible. The variety and ingenuity of the projects featured here make Sustainable a uniquely coherent and authoritative volume on sustainable residential design.

Explore the history of the British Isles in this celebrationof its monarchs, and the development of its finearchitectural legacy. The first half is a magnificentillustrated history of Britain's kings and queens, includingsuch internationally recognized characters as Henry VIIIand Elizabeth II. The second part focuses on manyfascinating historic sites in Britain and Ireland, includingTintagel, Windsor and Chatsworth. From castles to kings,from stately houses to statesmen and nobles, the legacyof Britain's past is an intrinsic part of the country today.This expert and comprehensive guide to British royaltyand architecture will delight and inform every reader.

This book explores the socio-cultural and the tectonic aspects of Kerala's wooden architecture, which is deeply rooted in religious and secular customs and shaped by geo-climatic forces. e author's multi-disciplinary approach links the various ethnic groups residing in Kerala, and the mutual adoption and adaptation of construction systems within migrant groups. Despite being a living tradition serving millions of people, vernacular architecture in India has not received the academic and analytical attention it deserves. is volume attempts to ll this research gap, a need made more urgent by the fact that the built environment is changing and the traditional ways of building may get replaced by the modern much faster than we can imagine.

Beaufort, South Carolina, is well known for its historical architecture, but perhaps none is quite as remarkable as those edifices formed by tabby, sometimes called coastal concrete, comprising a mixture of lime, sand, water, and oyster shells. Tabby itself has a storied history stretching back to Iberian, Caribbean, Spanish American, and even African roots--brought to the United States by adventurers, merchants, military engineers, planters, and the enslaved. Tabby has been preserved most abundantly in the Beaufort area and its outlying islands, (and along the Sea Islands all the way to Florida as well) with Fort Frederick in 1734 having the earliest example of a diverse group of structures, which included town houses, seawalls, planters' homes, barns, agricultural buildings, and slave quarters. Tabby's insulating properties are excellent protection from long, hot, humid, and sometimes deadly summers; and on the islands, particularly, wealthy plantation owners built grand houses for themselves and improved dwellings for enslaved workers that after two hundred-plus years still stand today. An extraordinarily hardy material, tabby has a history akin to some of the world's oldest building techniques and is referred to as "rammed earth," as well as " tapia" in Spanish, "pise de terre" in French, and "hangtu" in Chinese. The form that tabby construction took along the Sea Islands, however, was born of necessity. Here stone and brick were rare and expensive, but the oyster shells that were used as the source for the tabby's lime base were plentiful. Today these bits of shell, often visible in the walls and forms constructed long ago, give tabby its unique and iconic appearance. Colin Brooker, architect and expert on historic restoration, has not only made an exhaustive foray into local tabby architecture and heritage; he also has made a multinational tour as well in search of tabby origins, evolution, and diffusion from the Bahamas to Morocco to Andalusia, which can be traced back as far as the tenth century. Brooker has spent more than thirty years investigating the origins of tabby, its chemistry, its engineering, and its limitations. The Shell Builders lays out a sweeping, in-depth, and fascinating investigative journey--at once archaeological, sociological, and historical--into the ways prior inhabitants used and shaped their environment in order to house and protect themselves, leaving behind an architectural legacy that is both mysterious and beautiful. Lawrence S. Rowland, a distinguished professor emeritus of history at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and past president of the South Carolina Historical Society, provides a foreword.

Anthony Poon's passion for music inspires a vibrant architecture that engages its users and the environment. Affordability and sustainability are hallmarks of Poon's designs, which fuse quality and innovation. His success explodes the myth that architect-designed houses are more expensive and challenging than generic solutions and raises the bar for developers and architects alike. This monograph explores three fields in which Poon Design have excelled: housing, schools, and restaurants. It explains how they enrich the experience of living, learning, and eating, and promote social interaction. Readers can track the creative process from concept sketch to model, plan to completion.

The most ambitious project of Henry Avray Tipping, the influential architectural editor of Country Life, Mounton was a new country house and garden, designed without limitations of expense to be the perfect expression of his immense knowledge of history, architecture and horticulture. All was designed to impress a distinguished social circle. However, within weeks of its completion, the Great War started. The world of English country-house living changed irrevocably, so Tipping never saw his hopes for the house come to fruition. Featuring a wealth of previously unseen material including correspondence, articles and illustrations, this book insightfully details the design and building of the home H. Avray Tipping created for himself with the help of the young Chepstow architect Eric Carwardine Francis. It also gives a rich and evocative portrait of Tipping and his friends, with visits from Lloyd George and from Tipping's gardening colleagues, including Harold Peto, Gertrude Jekyll and William Robinson. The grand layout of the Mounton gardens on the plateau above a limestone gorge included a 24-pillar pergola, terraces overlooking the Severn estuary, a two-storey tea house, a rock garden and remarkable and innovative water gardens. Over time, the house was neglected and the magnificent gardens became overgrown. Mounton could so easily have been demolished and yet, a hundred years after Tipping completed it, a loving work of restoration of house and gardens was launched. The final two chapters reveal the careful adaptation of the interiors of Mounton House and the spectacular remaking of the gardens by the renowned garden designer Arne Maynard, all fully illustrated with plans and striking new photography. This is the story of the creation, destruction and regeneration of a singular vision.

Since launching his practice in 2001 with The Lawns, which was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize, Nick Eldridge has become renowned for his beautiful bespoke houses. This book provides a wide-ranging survey of his key projects up to the present day including the Manser Medal-winning house, Greenways in Coombe Park. Eldridge is an architectural storyteller: thoughtfully responding to different landscapes, settings, histories and clients, each house explores fresh narratives, while at the same time, being connected by strong threads to a cohesive body of work. Throughout the book, from earliest projects to new work, including a beach house in Shoreham, a barn conversion in Cornwall and an innovative modern modular house in Devon, Eldridge's work explores and experiments: his houses feel fresh and different, lifted by an innovative approach to tectonic engineering and form fused with a passion for artisanal interiors, fine detailing and characterful materials. They show the architect's varied influences: from Arts & Crafts and mid-century modern through to hi-tech design - Eldridge spent six years with Norman Foster. The projects analysed in the book are broadly divided into two main sections: new build projects, and highly imaginative, responsive adaptations, extensions and reinventions of existing buildings.

This title is dedicated to a common and very frequent construction task in Switzerland and Austria: the detached house. Current design trends and new interpretations of alpine building cultures, different life forms and realities, changed demands and needs can be discovered in what architects and designers have created in recent years. A particularly exciting phenomenon in this context is the creative handling of room arrangements and the spatial partitioning, for which very different solutions are found.

For this volume, the author has selected outstanding contemporary concepts and designs that deserve to be noticed and appreciated much more. Between prefabricated houses on the one hand and fancy villas on the other, all presented homes are within a middle-class budget. Floor plans and elevations, key figures on square feet, facts on ecological aspects, materials used and, last but not least, the respective designers offer the potential builder an extremely practical benefit.

From artworks and chairs to architecture, landscaping and interior design, Michael Boyd's devotion to the principles of modernism is comprehensive. An artist and musician, he acquired his expertise as a collector, surrounding himself with rare and beautiful finds. His immersion in the philosophy and creativity of the masters inspired him to restore a succession of classic modern houses, curate exhibitions, create a versatile range of furniture and rugs, and design sculptural gardens. Millennium Modern: Living in Design details his work across the first two decades of the new millennium and reflects his belief that the tenets of modernism - honesty and simplicity - developed more than a century ago, are equally relevant to our pluralistic age. In contrast to the pioneers who wanted to do away with the past, his creations are deeply rooted in the history of design. Essays by Boyd and architectural writer Michael Webb, along with comments from collaborators and critics, explore each facet of his residential design. This beautifully illustrated volume reveals Boyd's holistic design practice from his discovery of design classics in flea markets, to his own furniture designs, which feature in residential interiors, hotels and museums, through to his sensitive restoration of the houses by Paul Rudolph and Oscar Niemeyer, Richard Neutra and Craig Ellwood, and the sculptural landscapes he designed to enhance these residences, as well as masterpieces by John Lautner.

The overall aim of the first chapter is to improve the knowledge about the simulation of thermal indoor climate for buildings in different climate conditions and its application for computer-based simulations. The work is done in order to simplify the use of CFD as a powerful tool in order to model the temperature distribution within the building envelope in two real cases in Switzerland, and promote a comfortable indoor environment with a maximum reduction of energy consumption. High energy materials like cement, glass, brick and steel are typically used in building construction. However, it is possible to reduce the environmental impact of any structure through the use of alternative, low-energy materials such as Silica aerogels (aerogel-based plasters), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Polyurethane foams (PU), and Mineral wool (Stone or Glass). Increased interest has focused on the development of advanced sustainable construction materials (Nano thermal insulation materials, aerogels, etc.) with adequate mechanical properties and durability performance. The most convenient way to get the most out of their investment in a building is to use energy modeling software. The second chapter will be primarily concerned with the choice of materials, then the suitability of insulation exterior facades. Geothermal is the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly method of heating and cooling buildings. The design of borehole thermal energy, as a common type of geothermal energy, is presented in Chapter Three. The calculation is based on heat transfer principles, including a case study of a BHE for a one-story house with all the properties related to analyze the BHE, e.g., to calculate the changes in the temperature of the circulating fluid. Economic analysis of implementing renewable energy technologies in buildings is especially important for a transition away from the greenhouse emitting energies since a great majority of the current capital stock and infrastructure of today's economic systems are adjusted based on fossil-fuel energies. Chapter Four presents a diverse collection of examples with economic analysis of costs and paybacks covering warm vs cold, social complexes vs private houses, and new vs historical buildings. Solar energy has various uses besides more energy production and it can be incorporated in applications with cooling, heating and desalination processes. The main objectives of Chapter Five are to assess the degree of energy reduction using solar energy in buildings and to establish the requirements for energy-efficient design of buildings in cold/hot regions. Payback period analysis that evaluates the cost savings resulting from energy efficiency improvements is also addressed.

Today s cabins are for all-season use, making them the delight of hikers, explorers, and urbanites searching for peace of mind. They are practical, comfortable, and built to withstand the harsh climates in the high mountains or the rugged coast. Some are basic and sparsely fitted shelters; others are unique glamping (glamorous camping) retreats with all the comforts of the home or, better yet, with the amenities of a luxury hotel including hot tub, sauna, and Wi-Fi. Clearly, the idea of escaping to remote locations to reconnect with nature has expanded its experiential boundaries, but traditional cabins prevail as timeless structures that sensibly integrate into their surroundings. Glass and wood take centre stage as the predominant materials used inside and out. Generous fenestration opens interior spaces to the daylight and the views. Sustainable principles and the designs they generate evolve to reflect the use of materials and technology that is inherently linked to a place and time. Such principles were already implanted in vernacular architecture through the consideration of factors including geographical, topographical, climatic, as well as cultural and historic.