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Editor’s Pick

Imaginative Round Homes

Who says a home has to consist of straight lines? These dwellings forsake the strict geometry of conventional residential architecture, relying instead on curves for a more free-spirited living experience.

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Matti Suuronen, Futuro House, 1968.
Matti Suuronen, Futuro House, 1968.
Photo by John Lautner.
Photo by John Lautner.
The 1968 house’s shape—a rounded triangle topped with a sweeping concrete roofline that suggests a helmet as it rises above huge banks of windows—lends itself totally to Kukkapuro’s philosophy. “It is a structure in waiting, prone to change as the landscape around it—not yet a form, rather a possibility,” he says. “It changes in harmony with the seasons and the moods of its inhabitants.”
The 1968 house’s shape—a rounded triangle topped with a sweeping concrete roofline that suggests a helmet as it rises above huge banks of windows—lends itself totally to Kukkapuro’s philosophy. “It is a structure in waiting, prone to change as the landscape around it—not yet a form, rather a possibility,” he says. “It changes in harmony with the seasons and the moods of its inhabitants.”
The Italian architect Dante Bini developed the Binishell in the 1960s as a simple affordable-housing alternative for developing countries. The domes were formed by pouring a thin layer of concrete over a membrane and inflating it. Rendering courtesy of Binisystems.
The Italian architect Dante Bini developed the Binishell in the 1960s as a simple affordable-housing alternative for developing countries. The domes were formed by pouring a thin layer of concrete over a membrane and inflating it. Rendering courtesy of Binisystems.
In addition to a hefty overhaul of the interior, the structure received a lot of attention. Mauro Brigham, founder of Belgian design studio Bham, oversaw the interior design work. While the scope of the renovation was large, Bham preserved elements of the original structure so that the tower’s original identity would still shine through. Workers repaired damaged columns, replaced brick joints, and enlarged the windows on the top floor. Keeping the existing concrete water conduits, ceilings, stairs, and 66,000-gallon water basin were essential to transition from tower to chateau smoothly.
In addition to a hefty overhaul of the interior, the structure received a lot of attention. Mauro Brigham, founder of Belgian design studio Bham, oversaw the interior design work. While the scope of the renovation was large, Bham preserved elements of the original structure so that the tower’s original identity would still shine through. Workers repaired damaged columns, replaced brick joints, and enlarged the windows on the top floor. Keeping the existing concrete water conduits, ceilings, stairs, and 66,000-gallon water basin were essential to transition from tower to chateau smoothly.
The glass-walled facade faces the Strand.
The glass-walled facade faces the Strand.
The tension between old and new is easy to see in Prague, where Art Deco housing butts up uncomfortably with utilitarian tower blocks left behind after the Soviet invasion of 1968. Even the homeowners’ attitude reflects this. “I’m used to that antique style and always thought I would live like that,” Johana Ru˚žičková explains. “I know that conflict.”
The tension between old and new is easy to see in Prague, where Art Deco housing butts up uncomfortably with utilitarian tower blocks left behind after the Soviet invasion of 1968. Even the homeowners’ attitude reflects this. “I’m used to that antique style and always thought I would live like that,” Johana Ru˚žičková explains. “I know that conflict.”