I am a faithful follower of the website ArchDaily which offers up an array of architectural projects ranging from forward-looking conceptual pieces to culture-influencing past projects from around the world. It is truly a potluck; you never know what will be placed before you. I can say that form certainly does NOT follow function in many of the private residential and public projects, and while I am frequently left scratching my head, I am rarely bored.
Yesterday morning a private residence, called 8 Blacks by the firm NRJA and set in rural Latvia, caught my eye. I find my architectural and design taste moving toward post-modern but I live rurally and am surrounded by very traditional 19th century houses and public buildings. I have not come across many architectural models that marry the modern with the traditional without caving to Victorian gingerbread or craftsman.
I like the simple shapes of the building, the box within a box design, the material choices, the (clever) glowing polycarbonate garage, the courtyard, cellar and sauna and how the entire project works with the surrounding landscape. I cannot ascertain its energy efficiency or the longterm durability of its design but I sure do like what I see.