Architects I Admire Part Nine - Bercy Chen

Edgeland House

Edgeland House is on a rehabilitated brownfield site and is a modern interpretation of the Native American Pit House.  It's partially sunken (7 feet) into the ground and takes advantage of the earths mass to maintain thermal comfort year round.  It has a green roof and uses hydronic heating and cooling for maximum energy efficiency.

The house is broken into two separate pavilions, one for bedrooms and the other for living space - you need to go outside to pass from one to the other.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center helped to reintroduce over 40 indigenous species of wildflowers and plants to the green roof of Edgeland House and the surrounding site - thus protecting the local ecosystem.

Annie Residence

"Cascading Creek House was conceived less as a house and more as an outgrowth of the limestone aquifers of the Central Texas geography. "

The roof was designed to create a basin for rainwater harvesting and also has photo-voltaic and solar hot-water panels.  The water, electricity and heat collected from the roof tie into an extensive climate conditioning system that uses heat pumps and radiant loops to supply the houses heating and cooling. The homes climate system is also connected to geothermal ground loops, pools and water features which establish a system of heat exchange.  This greatly reduces the demand for electricity or natural gas.

Two long limestone walls act as spines for the wings of the house.  The positioning of the house and boundary walls preserved three mature oak trees.

Each wing of the house ends with the roof cantilevered from a column thus allowing the external walls to be fully glazed - this floods the interior spaces with daylight and provides views of the pool deck and woods beyond.

Lago Vista Lake House

Wingspan House

Bold Ruler House

Quihi House

Solidarity Museum - Poland

Through light and transparency, our design seeks to register this aspect of the Solidarity movement of sensing the presence of others without direct contact. 

The Solidarity Square Monument is surrounded by 21 poplar trees representing one of the points of the Gdansk Accord.

It’s our endeavor to capture both the melancholic, sad moments in addition to the moments of inspiration and exhalation. This duality, reflective of Poland at the time of the shipyard strike, is paramount to our design. The country was unified as it never had been before or since. Yet, this unity came at the expense of extreme economic crisis, lack of food, low wages and high inflation. The ESC should tell the entire story of Solidarity not simply the results of the toil.

1111 East 11th Street is a three storey mixed use project, the ground floor consists of an art gallery and boutique store, the second floor is offices and living space comprises the third floor.

The shifting form complements the Texas State Capitol and the UT Austin Tower mimics the geological exfoliation of Enchanted Rock in central Texas.

Projects in Development - 

Urban Forest - Stockholm Library

"The new library extension faces the challenge of needing to compliment without competing, and should, in fact, ought to heighten the iconic value of the building and urban concept around it."

The hidden side of the Asplund Library is showcased and creates a strong public tie between the building and the Odenplan.  The back corner of the library follows the Odenplans street line and resulted in a large covered plaza with tall tree like columns (solid and transluscent) framing the library. 

Monterrey Twin Towers

The Monterrey Twin Towers (Mexico) were inspired by the striated texture of the mountains that span the region.  The subtle folding of the facades give the towers a different appearance from all angles in response to  Huasteca Canyon and Horsetail Falls.  Cañón de la Huasteca vertical forms influence the buildings facade.

Two Coves Residence is a family home on a hilltop near Emma Long Metropolitan Park in West Austin a nd has  panoramic views of the city and hills beyond.  A central circular courtyard containing a reflecting pool.  The pools waterfall creates a constant white noise which mitigates the sounds of the traffic nearby.  A cantilevered perforated metal structure shields the house against the strong Texan sun. 

"Spiritually, the large body of water brings a sense of calm and psychological coolness while visually connecting the house with the surrounding landscape. The pond also captures the constantly changing ambient light and reflects it onto the interior ceiling, animating the entire house." 

The circular courtyard is surrounded by an L-Shaped house and a series of outdoor steps lead down the slope passing under the reflecting pool to a Japanese Zen garden surrounded by a bamboo grove.   Every room in the house has views into the courtyard, city vistas and hillside.  

Malinalco Retreat

The design was inspired by the legend of the rain god Tlaloc, the views of the mountains beyond with waterfalls as gifts from the gods and the client's reverence for precious natural resources and the Sun and Moon Lagoon in the crater of Nevado de Taoluca.  The landscaping was conceived as a floating Persian carpet of flowers inspired by the Terraces at Teotenango.  

Floating circular villas provide panoramic views of the beautiful mountain ranges nearby, guests can swim in the pool with indigenous Mallinali plants and water lilies providing privacy. The circular shape is inspired by the local temple of Jaguar, a pre-Columbian temple excavated from a mountain side, and also by the circular Kiva of the American Southwest.

“[Incorporating the] landscape makes houses more interesting and it has inspired our work. We both grew up in dense cities – Burssels and TaiPei—so it’s a real treat to get inspiration from nature.” 

bluedesigns5@gmail.com

http://www.bluedesigns.org/ 

I love Architecture. I think it's vital to talk about all aspects of Architecture - whether it be planning, construction, design or green building. I have written 3 E-Books & over 110 articles. Please feel free to let me know if you have any queries regarding architecture, planning & construction & I will assist you.

I am originally from the UK and moved to South Africa in 1999.  I started Blue Designs in 2004 after working as a driver for Avalon Construction on a luxury home in the Featherbrook Estate.  In my spare time I am an artist and writer (The Naked Architect 

- https://www.bebee.com/group/the-naked-architect  & https://www.facebook.com/groups/258263907906727/ ).

Other Articles I have written include :-

Building Green?  Here are some tips.

Common Mistakes People make when Designing a House

The Advantages of Sustainable Building

Considering Buying or Renovating a Heritage Home?  Pros and Cons

Renovation vs New Construction - which is Greener and Better for the Environment?

Bizarre Buildings Part Two - Space Age Fantasy

Weird and Wonderful Buildings Part Three - Three Buildings that make Music

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Sources :-

http://bcarc.com/

https://www.archdaily.com/office/bercy-chen-studio

https://www.behance.net/bcstudio

https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/15-young-firms-to-watch-bercy-chen-studio-austin-texas_o