Architects about facades

Beyond designing the main house, we also develop the look of the outbuildings (garage, gazebo, guest house) in the same style.

One of our latest projects.

A contemporary house with clean planken and brick tile finishes. The combination looks so good and is so widely used that it could be considered a well-established classic. The wide balcony band and stoneware plinth reinforce the building's horizontal lines, while the intricate lighting system, with its different scenarios, accentuates the geometric volume.

One of the most Instagrammable spots in Paris — the Hotel San Regis — was built as a private residence in the late 19th century. Set in a prime location off the Champs-Élysées, it was sold back in 1923 and became a luxury hotel, a hub of fashion and high-society pleasures.

In 1985, the current owners renovated the hotel with antique furniture, vintage wallpaper and period furnishings.

A house with a clear Japanese aesthetic influence on the island of Java, by y0 Design Architect.

The main feature of the chosen site — direct sunlight from the west, which is a challenge at an average temperature of 22–29°C.

The team chose a simple geometric form for the house, but with an abundance of detail. Concrete — the main building material — is used for both the foundation and the walls. Wood, tile, and steel are used for the finishes. To cut down the heat on the west side, the walls are broken up with voids and architectural details. Plenty of openings are also used for maximum ventilation and natural light.

Looking through the archive with fresh eyes, we think about what else we could offer and what could be improved — and at the same time we pull out particularly good techniques for new projects.

Revisiting the archive with fresh eyes, we consider what options we could offer and what could be improved, while also picking up especially good practices for new projects.

Gray, dull, massive. Those are the first associations that come to mind when we hear the word concrete. But adding pigment to the traditional mix of cement, sand, gravel, and water lets you color concrete all the way through. And that lets you highlight a building's volumes, fit it into the surrounding context, and pull off bold ideas — with a more durable, reliable result than paint.

For yellow and red, iron oxide is added to the concrete; cobalt oxide gives blue, and chromium oxide gives green. A deep black is achieved using black iron oxide, carbon, and pozzolanic cement.

Here are a few projects that use colored concrete.

1. A house in Lerina, Spain. Architects azpilicueta arquitectura y paisaje.

The yellow of the concrete references the traditional adobe wall, while the material itself is durable and easy to produce and maintain.

2. Casa Terra, Brazil. Architects Bernardes Arquitetura.

The walls of pigmented concrete run perpendicular to the main axis of the house, slicing the space into courtyards. The red tint is uneven, which enlivens the interior.

3. Pael House, Chile. Architects Pezo von Ellrichshausen.

The only way not to age is to be born old. The concrete blocks are cast in layers, one over another, which gives the façade a flowing effect.

4. Textilmacher, Germany. Tillich Architektur architects.

The complex geometry of the facade, combined with the anthracite concrete, creates a play of light and shadow. Depending on the weather and the brightness, the color and character of the facade shift.

The scattered flecks of dark brick are what catch your eye. There are plenty of ready-made collections, including a bunch of contrasting ones (Bavarian masonry). But in those ready-made collections, the mottled bricks or clinker tiles are mixed in roughly equal proportions. To get the effect shown in the photo, you need to take one base collection and mix in a small amount of contrasting brick from another. That gives you a unique look no one else has.

You can even lay individual figures out of brick. I once wrote about historical ornamental masonry — and there's a place for it in modern architecture too!

A wooden office in Olgino, St. Petersburg.

This three-story, elongated building is built on 12 wooden frames, with a total area of 1,200 m².

The finishes use wood and brick. The long side walls are clad in brick with an interesting technique: part of the masonry runs traditionally horizontal and part is oriented vertically, with the blocks alternating in a staggered pattern. The main facade is fully glazed, and almost all of the interior partitions are glass too, creating a sense of openness and welcome.

The architects — the Conifer studio.

Working with an architecture that's already been defined sharply narrows the architect-designer's options. But we try to find the upside, treating it as a test of skill. By paying attention to the details and the little things, we reach our goal with small changes.

Here, for example, are a few ways to approach a project at the sketch stage. You'd think you're only changing the shape of the second-floor window, yet it changes the whole look and feel of the house.

The client wants the second option. Which one do you prefer?

An Art Nouveau design with flowing lines and stained glass. An elegant entrance group — a wrought-iron canopy with a large overhang on brackets.