The holiday home or summer-house, by definition, is a building constructed with a strictly defined personality. For the temporary inhabitant, it provides a sense of escape without abandonment, and leisure without effort. Its very existence is to promote feelings and moods not experienced in our everyday lives. A temporary euphoria squeezed between four walls for a period of the user's choosing. It is a social engineer’s architectural dream.
This idea of temporary elation has existed for centuries. But the concept exploded with the onset of modernism in the twentieth century. A newly emerging middle class sought escapism from the polluted cities while still enjoying the comforts of their newly industrialized homes. A modernist belief that experience was shaped through design spearheaded the mass-production of seasonal dwelling. Le Corbusier described buildings as “machines for living”, and architecture was bent to supply the petite bourgeoisie’s need for leisure and relaxation. Buildings were simplified, historical references and ornament removed in favor of promoting the beauty of modern materials and construction. Concrete and its featureless character became the material of choice in the construction of buildings throughout Europe and North America. Their homogeneous appearance celebrated by Brutalist architects but condemned by post-modernists for their flagrant disregard towards the social, historic, and architectural environment of its surroundings.
Today, this form of design is considered to be archaic in its principles. Concrete is seen to be aesthetically vacuous, and is used structurally rather than visually. Instead, glass facades and organic materials are a building’s ornaments. But a team of architects in Austria have resurrected the ideological trappings of modernist thinkers to create a unique and eerily beautiful interpretation of the holiday villa. Set on lake Millstatter See in Austria, this four-story villa is an ode to the idealism of the holiday homes of old, but simultaneously sits in the avant-garde.
Much of the design was adapted from the hotel that stood previously on the original plot, and can be seen in the bold and unrelenting expanses of concrete. But rather than mask the commanding stretches of gray matter, the team have embraced and adorned the blank walls to become a key part of the building’s persona. The vast expanses complemented by materials that not only enhance the concrete’s authority, but also mimic it in character. Pale, smooth furniture occupy the inside, while white decking and exposed brick-work dominate the outside. The effect of which can feel arresting at first, but develops a strange allure when looked at up close.
The building is a prime example of the brutal, unrelenting style of design from the 1950s, but the overhaul of ideas has transformed it into a testament to the contemporary. The fluid transition between interior and exterior, coupled with the large openings throughout the build, allow nature to flow through the cold interior, giving it a warm and organic feel. While the geometric shapes of the building draw imposing silhouettes on the lake and the surrounding countryside.
The minimal material concept (structural concrete in combination with white painted wood and metal surfaces) lends the building a monolithic character. But the upper floors of the building have an intimate, personal feel that doesn’t compromise the need for personal space.
It’s a building that screams arrogance and in places can feel a little soulless. But the sheer audacity of its form juxtaposed with its purpose as a leisure facility, offers an intriguing concept that hasn’t been seen since modernism dared to challenge the purpose of design and the human condition.
Atkin's Architecture Group recently won the first prize award for an international design competition with this stunning entry. Set in a spectacular water filled quarry in Songjiang, China, the 400 bed resort hotel is uniquely constructed within the natural elements of the quarry. Underwater public areas and guest rooms add to the uniqueness, but the resort also boasts cafes, restaurants and sporting facilities.
Piers are timeless landmarks of many oceanfront metropolises, as they embody paradise on the edge of civilization. Gaining popularity early in the 1900's, piers resembling scaled down versions of Coney Island were erected in coastal cities around the world. People of all ages were drawn in by the glowing aura of their attractions, the aroma of fried cuisine, as well as the sounds of mechanical rides and the adjacent ocean. Alas, the evolution of modern theme parks has ostracized pleasure piers into a realm filled with the nostalgic relics of our past.
Nevertheless, the humble pier is being reinvented around the world in more creative ways than we could ever imagine. The Cool Hunter wants to locate the best of them, so we're asking our readers to tip us on any radical pier restorations that we should know about.
