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Rustic charm mixes with contemporary flair in the bathrooms of this

new house, which was built with materials from an old barn

Nostalgia is not just a fond remembrance of times gone by- it can also influence many of the decisions we make, including the way we choose to live.

One of the owners of the home featured here, architect Richard Landry, grey up in the Quebec countryside and retains a love of traditional farm buildings. Given the opportunity to acquire an old barn, he says he jumped at the chance, shipping the building in pieces to Los Angeles.

To day, the barn is resurrected within a new dwelling where rustic beams and cladding sit a long side more contemporary design elements.

“It was never our intention to re-create the original barn,” says Landry. “Rather, we wanted to use it in a contemporary context, re- using the wood as accents within the house.”

For example, Landry and co-owner Robert Carrola used cladding from the barn for interior doors and to create the wall behind the bed in the master bedroom, where the juxtaposition of styles is just as noticeable.

“The wood is in its original, unfinished state,” says Landry. “It is also used for columns in the wardrobe and dressing room.”

The master bedroom adjoins one of two large sheet-metal silos positioned at either end of the house. These circular structures accommodate the bathrooms.

Rustic beams also crisscross the ceiling of the bedroom and master bathroom. Other raw materials include split-face concrete block walls and unfinished steel, which has been left to develop its own patina.

“Leaving the structural elements and the ducting exposed is a rather contemporary gesture,” says Landry.

A modern look is also provided by the soff it ceiling that appears to float above the bed. This features down lights and subtle cove lighting.

In the master bathroom, an antique oak wine barrel has been made into a cabinet and is paired with a pedestal basins and claw – foot bath. The colour full marble flooring slabs were book-matched so the joints cannot be seen.

A separate steam shower room beside the gym has a more modern feel, with a glass basin and granite seating.

Natural materials come to the fore again in the powder room, which features a large block of granite, carved and polished to create a basin. This is supported by rustic wood column.

This 63 storeys apartment consists of 2 main buildings that flanked the  intermediary one that contains alobby, sky garden and also premium units both apartment. The division into 2 buildings is meant to reduce the massiveness and simultaneously in response to the urban design guidelines that requires this complex to become the gate and landmark of kuningan international urban complex.

Modernity in this complex is represented through glass curtain façade at the width part in southern and northern sides; which simultaneously reduced the heat created by direct orientation of the western and eastern parts. The west side of each building features steel trusses construction to depict a triangle from of the building, indicating safety factor for  the inhabitants to live in this 63 storeys structure. Steel construction is also employed to support gardens that are placed on each 8^th floor of the building to actualize the concept of garden apartment

This town house is designed to be leased by expatriates working in semarang. The building is deliberately articulated to provide tropical greeneries between the surrounding environment and building. Dark old wood, terracotta roofing, paras or locally palimanan stone flooring and wall paint’ng of white, grey and milk brown colours creates a situational composition that is different to one another to fit the user and the façade of each unit is designed differently as well to avoid boringness. It turned out the users like it very much! They appreciate such individual treatment of the facades even though the layout floor plan is more or less the same.

The existing contoured land that faces bukit sari valley of ungaran area in semarang, on the other hand allows this townhouse to be designed in such away that each room has equal views. The contour is also a potentialpoint to be articulated into a terrace planting this townhouse to be designed iin such a way that each room has equal views. The contour is also a potential point to be articulated into a terrace planting with a swimming pool being the centre of outdoor activity and panoramic view in this complex.

Conceptually, this house employs two buildings that are perpendicular to one another and being separated by a continuing axis that connects main entrance door to the opening of inner garden. This axis becomems the main circulation of ground floor as well as the upper floor and indirectly connecting the front garden to the inner one, creating ventilation across the central part of the house. As such, it is also indicated by modular squares on upper part of the walls that let lights as well as air get through

The building is designed in modern style and dominated by geometrical mass and planes in the form of boxes and lines being integrated harmoniously with the natural colours of the materials employed. Each segmentof the building looks straightforward and neat without any artificial usages of materials.hence, the building is simple without unnecessary ornament except functional componentssuch as the window frames that are also utilized to feature akind of building’s fins. Details such as door handles, window panes, hand railing and fence are dominated by interplay of thin vertical line to compensate the background that is mostly dominated by massive planes and masses.

Interior object such as furniture and lamps are also worked out by mcp to be in line with the whole design philosophy, which is, employing boxes, rectangular and lines. From the façade it is clear that the architect has successfully utilized all the functions inside for outdoor expressions while from the outside, on the other hand,it is easy to guess where is the reception room, bedrooms, garage and vertical circulation even though space above the garage is misleading because it looks like a study room at a glance.

The vast advances of the property world in large cities can sometimes confuse city dwellers when it comes to choosing the best housing options, a choice that they must consider carefully. A cornucopia of apartments is on offer in every corner of the city, each flaunting its own characteristic. It is therefore a crowning quality for an apartment block to have a distinctive and unique trait that sets it apart from its competitors. Most modern city dwellers are known to have complex daily activities and it is imperative for them to be able to relax properly at the end of the day. To spend their idyllic time in the comfort of their living quarters is what most of them want, and a residential that is both cozy, secure , and able to reflect the particular needs of the occupants is what they are looking for. However, the idealistic notion of owning a house in a horizontal housing complex-preferably in the city center and even better, close to the office-is hard to achieve in a city where land is at a premium. So the next best option into live in a vertical village-an apartment block.

One apartment block which offers the comforts of living in a landed house is Nirvana Avana Apartment. It is designed to bring the concept of horizontal living into the vertical block each unit is fitted with facilities similar to a landed house, including a garden This is made possible with its existence of large balconies and pool decks. In some units and penthouses, private pools are available ad the back.

The design of Nirvana Avana Apartment was slightly altered in the construction phase. Originally, the design was done by SCDA which came up with a grand with an efficient modulation construction where each floor is divided into 4 units. The straight columns fitted perfectly with the plan and the surrounding areas. However, Aboday had another vision to make the building appear more distinctive and attractive. In later construction, Nirvana Avana Apartment applies the concept of topical living into its vertical design. This is evident in the various open areas circling the perimeter of each unit in the from of balconies (which can also serve as green areas) as well as 2.5m overhangs. In addition, the overhangs can be used to catch and pour out excessive rainwater during the rainy season. The use of air conditioning in each unit is minimized as a result of the ‘shaded areas’ under the overhangs that help reduce the heat of the sun. Other open areas in several units (balconies and swimming pools) cantilever out over the perimeter of the building, enabling the areas to be turned into green spaces. With the cantilevered structure, the façade juts out and are noticeable in several parts of the building, adding to the striking and unique flavor to he overall construction. This façade design was one of the main considerations in creating the apartment block as frontage is one part of the building which occupants see, walk past, enjoy every time of the day. A ‘successful’ façade design is expected to provide a sense of comfort for the occupants while at the same time instill a dynamic drive to boost their spirit the day-to-day activities.

Nirvana Avana Apartment offers a luxury amidst an architectural grandeur for its tenants, something which is never before available in the apartment scene in the greater Jakarta. The extensive green areas provided by the balconies-on the ground floor and the floors I above it – are expected to turn it into a green and eco- friendly building in the future. It will not be a surprise if parts of the building become some sort of hanging gardens, with lush vegetation planted on each floor. Another asset of Nirvana Avana Apartment is its unconventional design which sets it apart from other apartment blocks in the Kemang vicinity. It makes use of both glass and natural stone materials to create more texture in the exterior of the building. The extended   balconies and swimming pools appear as small canopies, augmenting the Nirvana Avana Apartment’s desire to portray a distinctive modern outlook in the tropics.

The modernist is echoed in the interior of the units which employ the eclectic=modern theme. It marries practicality of modern living with the romantic beauty of quaint constructions. The modern theme is highlighted with the use of wood and steel materials while the old- world charm can be seen in the vast array of organic shapes in the interior elements. A twist in the interior design helps create a romantic sense for its e of comfort for its residents, with natural light coming into the apartment units and hidden lighting in several corners to beautifully illuminate the rooms. The construction of Nirvana Avana Apartment showcases more texture rather than materials. The amalgamation of glass elements, rendered walls, and aluminum surfaces, coupled with the extreme façade positioning as well as the balconies, creates a one-of-a-kind look. Overall, the building’s interior lends the appearance of a relief wall which plays with surfaces and shadows.

The public facilities on offer here include a laundry, a fitness centre, a parking area, all of which are located on the ground floor. Boasting an exclusive design, Nirvana Avana upants to the apartment units belonging to them, thus ensuring complete privacy for its residents.