building innovation

a couple of buildings caught my eye today as i was browsing my favorite sites. these two come from the online version of the architectural review, a british architecture magazine. the structures are very different but innovative in their own way. the first is the bamboo house designed by benjamin garcia saxe in playa avellanas, guanacasete, costa rica. the house is designed as two main modules, one for the bedroom, one for kitchen and living space, which are shaded by large umbrellas. the modules are joined by an open patio in the middle and most of the walls are made up of permeable screens which maximize breezes. it looks like a casual tropical paradise, i'd love to spend some time there.



the second structure is the kaze paulista building which houses a salon and office space in sao paulo. i initially thought this building was in japan with its clean, ultra-modern aesthetic. it was designed by forte, gimenes & marcondes ferraz arquiteto. the slanted planes of glass remind me a little of the seattle public library. the form of the building helps with passive ventilation, as the article states: "the glass facade is part of a controlled ventilation and passive temperature control system. window panes can be opened, allowing the passage of air through all the internal environment, cooling it on its way to exhausters on the top floor." there are some very nice air flow diagrams on the page as well. here are some images.