Interiors

London and Suffolk based James Gorst Architects have designed a multi-faith temple complex in Rake, Hampshire, located within the South Downs National Park. The plan comprises orthogonal pavilions that house a temple, library, chapels, meeting spaces, public foyer and a kitchen. The pavilions are connected by a cloistered walkway facing a courtyard garden, set within landscaped grounds. Materials characteristic of the local area, such as timber, brick and chalk lime mortar are used, and the structure was constructed off-site using glue laminated timber, eliminating the need for structural steel. Underfloor heating is provided by a ground-source heat pump, with additional power by solar energy, while cooling is achieved through ventilation beneath a raised floor slab and actuators in the temple clerestory. Photo © Rory Gardiner. James Gorst Architects

London based interior design and architecture studio, McLaren Excell, has completed the restoration and extension of a listed semi-detached 18th century cottage in Hampstead, London. The removal of a 1950s side extension allowed for the addition of a corten steel-clad extension at lower ground floor level. The interior of the Regency building has been restored to its original 1820s state, while the new extension features shuttered in-situ concrete walls and coffered ceilings. The douglas fir boards used for shuttering have been re-used for the internal joinery. Photo of corten-clad extension by Simone Bossi. McLaren Excell

Swiss-based architects Wespi de Meuron Romeo have created a house with separate bed and breakfast accommodations set in a forest in Bruges, Belgium. The house and each of the bed and breakfast accommodations feature private courtyards. The walls of the buildings and courtyards, both internally and externally, are constructed of old bricks, including broken pieces, coated with a thin render to preserve the visible texture of the bricks. Wespi de Meuron Romeo

Sauerbruch Hutton have redesigned the bookshop at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin, with reused elements from previous exhibitions. Light grey MDF boards are used for the tables and shelves, and steel framed recycled polycarbonate sheets are used as movable screens. In contrast to the muted colour of the furniture elements and the architecture, the books and textile ceiling flags provide colour and help define the boundary of the book store. Photo © Jan Bitter. Sauerbruch Hutton

Architects Alberto Campo Baeza and Modesto Sánchez Morales have collaborated an a four year project to complete a house in Mojácar, southern Spain. The site is sandwiched between two houses on a steep four level site staggered between two streets. The aim of the design was to recreate Almerian architect Roberto Puig's image of 'a terraced Mediterranean village with a beautiful cascade of white volumes overlooking the sea'. Photo Javier Callejas. Alberto Campo Baeza

Gonzalez Muchos Arquitectura (GOMA) design Casa Tejocote in Querétaro, Mexico, consisting of four concrete volumes set around a central garden. The pigmented concrete structure is fully exposed and provides the finish for both interior and exterior. It is designed to match the landscape and give warmth to the interior spaces, which open onto either gardens or patios. Photo Ariadna Polo. GOMA

Architects O&O Baukunst have created a 160,000 square meter campus housing 4,200 employees for financial group Wüstenrot & Wüttembergische AG in Kornwestheim, Germany. The compact campus consists of seven courtyard buildings surrounded by mixed meadow orchards and a boulevard lined with cafes, restaurants, conference and leisure facilities. Photo Stefan Mueller. O&O Baukunst

Although this project involved working within an existing envelope, the transformation is a radical one that pushes at the limits of what is covered by conventional definitions of remodeling.  A complex of eighteenth-century barns is transformed into a series of residential spaces in which the refinement of the newly inserted elements, full-height glass walls and low white plaster partitions contrasts with the intricate configuration of the original timber frame. Rather than cut inappropriate openings into old walls, the interior is lit by large-scale sheets of glass which sit directly on the ground and make the original pitched roofs appear to float. Tilty Barn, Essex, England 1994-1995. John Pawson

On a constricted site in West London stands a family house designed by Caruso St John. The unusual shape of the site has shaped the interior living spaces and is in contrast with the typologies of the London town house that surround Brick House. The interior spaces are broad, intimate and overlook small gardens. Caruso St John was formed in London,  with a second office in Zurich, by Adam Caruso and Peter St John in 1990 with the aim of pursuing architecture that is rooted in place. The practice's refined and considered approach has won them international competitions and prizes. Caruso St John