This subtle and lovely minimalist sink is not where you might expect it.

In a complex of church buildings in a rural Catholic Parish in South Louisiana designed by Trahan Architects, this is a part of the new Holy Rosary Church.

The almost angelic peace of these buildings struck me.

These are intensely modern and minimalist – and yet with the medieval quality of cloisters.

The sober sight lines suggest the architecture portrayed by medieval artists like Fra Angelico, yet these structures are also modern and minimal.

The architect develops a meditative environment using the limited palette of light colored concrete with plate glass.

These minimalist surfaces draw attention to the play of light on these humble materials.

The complex includes an administrative block, two linear classroom bars, a religious education building.

The buildings form the courtyard in which the oratory is located.

The oratory, or chapel, is the focus of the otherwise orthogonal composition, but is itself skewed to further underscore its importance and to create a sense of expectation.

Light enters through a variety of openings carved from the wall thickness without revealing context or light source beyond.

Cast glass detailing offers a relief from the very restricted palette of poured-in-place concrete with plate glass.

In the humblest details, the obscured presence of light is symbolic of the paschal mystery of Christ.

Neither opulent nor austere, Holy Rosary Chapel presents a thoughtful meditation on sacred spaces and the spatial embodiment of spiritual experience.

The quite extraordinary result is an engaging and profound study in sacred space.

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A Profound and Minimalist Church in Louisiana

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Design Dilemma: An Ecletic Approach to the Country Kitchen

Wow. This has been a very long time coming.

This work by a U.S. architect – who really gets the solar aesthetic – was uncovered by my friend Tafline Laylin over at Inhabitat.

The zHome community designed by David Vandervort in Issaquah, Washington incorporates solar into the overall design right from scratch.

Look at how elegantly the sun-facing shed roof repeats, not only soaking up all those rays, but making good clean power using a lot more beautiful design than traditional energy does.

(By contrast, imagine an ugly coal power station making that same power on your roof!)

With just ten homes, it is the size of a good little community where everyone knows each other, fostering neighborliness and friendships.

That neighborliness is also indirectly sustainable. We will be much more interdependent in a future world of wild weather, needing each other for much more than a borrowed cup of sugar.

The central courtyard, the shared composting and garden all serve to foster community.

Around the edges, the electric-car-ready car access. I love it!

Each of these town homes goes from its roof to the ground (just like a freestanding house does), and opens out to the courtyard at the bottom.

The solar panels are enough to power 100% of the homes. Passive design lowers energy use as well, and in addition, ground heat pumps moderate temperature extremes so that heating and hot water are also supplied efficiently.

Excellent and responsible design.

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Zero Energy Community Designed to Foster Solar Production

Using digital 3D-models driving milling machines, an incredible shaped and contoured wooden pavillion has been constructed, to serve as a reindeer observation platform, in Norway’s Dovrefjell National Park.

With the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion, Snøhetta Oslo AS architects make history. This kind of construction was never before possible.

An almost mythical appearance is created by the resulting organic wooden inner shape, behind the reflecting wall of glass that seems to contain the sky.

The mythical appearance is appropriate, because Norwegian legends, myths, poetry, and music have long celebrated the mystic and eternal qualities of this powerful site in the Dovre mountains.

Very advanced 21st century computer-aided technologies were used both in the design and the construction process.

Norwegian shipbuilders in Hardangerfjord built the pavilion using digital 3D-models to drive the milling machines.

The rectangular frame is made in raw steel resembling the iron found in the local bedrock, and the exterior wall has been treated with pine tar.

The quality and durability of the materials must withstand the harsh climate without maintenance in the isolated mountains.

The organic shape is built up from 10 inch square pine timber beams.

Once milled and matched into the undulating shape, the wood was then assembled in a traditional way using only wood pegs as fasteners, and oiled to maintain the wood.

The spectacular panorama, 1,200 meters above sea level, is home to Europe’s last wild reindeer herds.

The entrance to the mysterious structure recreates the natural organic shaping of wood as it grows on a tree, yet the rectangular steel frame clearly says “human-built” – as if to warn off curious reindeer.

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3D Manufacturing Creates Mythical Reindeer Lookout

A network of looping walkways and sweeping bridges will soon add a sweeping landmark off the waterfront of St. Petersburg in Florida.

The winning entry creates circles of new “land” out to sea that can be experienced by moving around, in and under the futuristic swooping shape, all while being above the water.

“The Lens” designed by Los Angeles firm Michael Maltzan Architecture with landscape architects Tom Leader Studio, has been selected as the winner of an international competition to redesign the St. Petersburg Pier.

Echoing the vast dome of Florida’s eternal blue skies, the wide sweeping shape outlines an enticing new outdoor play area out of the water.

The proposed design is destined to become an iconic and essential part of the fabric of the city, providing an escape out to sea for residents, and a destination for tourists.

“The new Pier is not an icon unto itself”, say the architects. “It is instead a lens that frames the City’s relationship to the water, changing how St. Petersburg views its present and its future.”

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Visionary “Lens” Wins St Petersberg’s Pier Competition

Spanish architecture firm A-Cero Architecture has long been known for its strict minimalist color scheme.

Any material that they’ve used that has not been white – has always been black.

And in their latest, a gorgeous house near Madrid, there’s lots of black and white.

But for the first time, they have added a few exquisite colors to their minimal palette.

The entire house has been faced in travertine stone, with all of the subtle color variations in that natural material.

In the interior, A-Cero include not just their signature black and white, but also the subtle shades of travertine stone, a sort of not quite white.

And their blacks are loosening up, too. A sophisticated black glass around the stairs almost seems as sheer as black nylon stockings.

The imposing two story living room, while black and white, has the relief of a natural stone floor.

In the chic black and white dressing room, lighting under the inset black closet area makes them appear to be floating over the stone floor.

The black and white bedrooms bring a touch of brown to the walls above the beds.

Outdoors, a turquoise pool and the various putty shades of travertine rule the view.

Gorgeous layered slabs of travertine create a crisp and luxurious finish to the texture of the turquoise water.

Perhaps this time, the architect’s brief came from the client’s daughter?

Sequestered in the depths of this chic and expensive house is a blazing riot of the loud pinks and purples that is so beloved by so many little girls, whether rich or poor.

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Travertine Stone House From A-Cero Features Color

Who says you have to spend a fortune on a fancy bed? Some of the coolest ideas we’ve seen out there include jazzing up a bed on a dime with found and constructed materials. Here are some of our favorites:

1) Above, a burlap sack fitted over a frame adds a bit of rustic chic in a bedroom. The best thing about this idea is that you can take the same principle and wrap your bed frame in all sorts of favorite fabrics, including happy prints and nubby linens. Look for upholstery-grade fabrics that can stand up to your tossing and turning at night!

2) Below, old notebook bindings have been cleverly mounted to create a colorful and very creative headboard. A perfect frame for students.

3) Got an old door, window or shutters you need to put to use? Why not turn them into a raw and rustic headboard?

4) Or if you like the idea of recycling wood but you don’t happen to have an old door, why not construct a headboard of found wood?

5) Even an old pallet could do…

What’s the moral of the story? Open up your mind and get creative. Almost anything can be put to use to serve as a perfect frame for your bed!

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Design Dilemma: Dreamy Headboard Ideas on the Cheap

Sweden’s archipelago is an area of many summer houses – to accommodate all that wonderful Scandinavian holiday time off!

Right at the water’s edge is the Villa Plus, by the Swedish architectural firm Waldemarson Berglund Arkitekter.

In quintessentially Swedish style, the low-slung summer house entices its occupants to bask in the light of Scandinavia’s long summer evenings.

Because of the difficulties of reaching the site, the construction method was designed to be very simple and rational.

By allowing the untreated pine panel to breathe and age naturally, a completely maintenance free facade was created.

The library aerie at its peak is disarmingly simple. Towards the back, it forms a snug and cosy high place, like a treehouse, to curl up with a good book.

At the other end, to the front of the cube, the block-like form creates a setting for a single Swedish toy rocking horse… and a pale driftwood-like frame for the pale and bleached view.

Both inside, and out, the pine has been left unfinished, in a typical Scandinavian style of acceptance of the changes brought by natual aging of wood.

Only the library retreat is in the upper floor, all of the public and private spaces are along the ground floor, raised above ground level.

The house seems as if it has simply quietly existed there for some time - almost like a ship settled in the flat shoreline.

The building entrance is located in an axis that connects to a trail that follows down to the jetty.

The ground floor houses along its long side a spacious living room with a fireplace, kitchen, bathroom and three bedrooms.

Only the private rooms face to the back or sides.

Because the house is long and narrow, and with glazing along the length of both front and back, Sweden’s cool northern light is maximized.

With its length set parallel to the ocean edge, the layout relies on long walks beside the seaside, simply in order to get to each part of the house.

Spaces for contemplative viewing of the peaceful seaside abound along the deck. As they age, the boards will become silverish and blend in with the pine forest around.

A large family can be accommodated farmhouse-style at the generous worn oak table.

But hardy Swedes also brave the sometimes chilly weather on the archipelago to enjoy a meal outdoors.

The low-slung house is peacefully settled within the dunes, along the shoreline.

From every window, the calming presence of the meditative seascape is right there.

Because the house is sited so close to the shore, and is extremely exposed to wind and water, it had to be placed on a system of posts, so that the waves can pass underneath if needed.

The choice of materials was likewise limited to those which could withstand the effects of weather and age beautifully.

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A Contemplative Swedish Summer House in Stockholm’s Archipelago

Stauch Vorster Architects designed the very elegant eco-glam Long Beach Hotel for Mauritius, a small island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa.

Its unique two-story-height shutters allow the ocean breezes to whisk entirely through the heart of the iconic hotel.

A number of open air pavilions dotted throughout the resort are integrated seamlessly with the gorgeous tropical setting.

Lush and romantic, yet the bare-bones eco design takes advantage of the tropical climate for energy conservation.

The minimal concrete-and-wooden-shutters architecture style is refreshingly simple and elegant.

All of the guest rooms are positioned in crescent clusters to achieve the maximum sea views from all terraces.

Indoor/outdoor living is the order of the day for this kind of relaxed architecture.

Stone tile floors allow for sandy feet to pad right in directly off the beach for the best of seaside living.

Sometimes the ultimate in luxury is the freedom of this kind of relaxed lifestyle: Long Beach Hotel is a five star luxury resort.

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The Sustainable and Iconic Long Beach Hotel on Mauritius

A modern sustainable home near the historic district of Fayetteville, built in straightforward industrial materials has become a local landmark for the remarkable butterfly roof effect of its two shed roofs nearly joined.

Local architects Lisa and Albert Skiles Architects have logged 30 years of their sustainable architecture practice in the South.

Their down-home practice brings out the best in modern sustainable design. The resulting energy-efficient house has been Energy Star 5+ certified.

Among the environmental goodies the design boasts, a geothermal heat pump keeps the interiors cooler in summer and warmer in winter, through the use of radiant heating and cooling within the concrete floors.

The narrow footprint allows for natural light to permeate and enliven the compact design.

Throughout, simple mass-produced industrial off-the-shelf materials are employed to reduce the embodied energy of the house.

The windows over the kitchen sink are set low to cut the glare of the southern sun, while allowing supervision of children at play.

The South-facing clerestory windows under the deep overhang of the roof are at just the right angle to make the most of the winter sunshine low in the sky, while shading the interior from the summer sun.

Some quirky touches like the sliding ladder to a loft space bring a youthful verve to the house.

The result is a fresh and modern take on a traditional architecture that references an appealing Southern vernacular, whil incorporating simple and effective energy conservation techniques.

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A Modern Green Live/Work Home in the South