So Hot Right Now // Scale Shingles in Architecture & Design.

Scale shingles are by no means a radical new concept in architecture & design. Far from it. I don’t know if this is the same as you, but I remember my early drawings of houses from when I first learned to hold a pen, which featured scale shingle roofs with pretty overlapping patterns.

Perhaps it’s this sense of nostalgia in all of us that makes us respond so strongly to the simple shape of scales, hence their recent revival in architecture and design. There is a sense of sweet familiarity, a certain ease that makes us feel really comfortable with shingles. Not only are they present in nature (think fish scales or peacock feathers), scales also bring to the mix pure geometry, 3D texture and the good ol’ killer recipe for sexy results – repetition.

P.S. Since we’re on topic, during my recent travels I came across the most beautiful slate tiled roof on a traditional Serbian house form the 1920s – you can check it out here.

SPIRAL-SHAPED HOUSE BY OLAVI KOPOSE // ESPOO, FINLAND.

Images courtesy of Olavi Kopose.

This two-storey spiral house in Finland with no internal doors was designed by Olavi Kopose of r2k architectes. Fluid and sinuous forms, contemporary rustic aesthetic and seamless use of shingle tiles on walls and ceilings make for one seriously unconventional looking interior.

‘YARDHOUSE’ BY ASSEMBLE // STRATFORD, LONDON.

Images courtesy of Assemble.

Handmade concrete tiles give a scaly facade to this collaborative workplace building designed by Assemble for artists and designers in east London. “The colours are random – for each batch different amounts of pigment were added, decided by whoever was making tiles at the time. Similarly there weren’t any rules or patterns we followed putting them up, just whatever looked good to whoever was doing it at the time,” said Lewis Jones (one of Assemble’s founders).

Gallery post // Yardhouse by Assemble Studios for East London Creatives.

50 ALBERT ST BY ELENBERG FRASER // SOUTH MELBOURNE.

Images © Peter Clarke Photography.

Japan is known for many things: sushi, geishas, harajuku girls, and now as the inspiration for Fifty Albert Road, Elenberg Fraser’s new residential project on St Kilda Road. The building also reflects the leafy Albert Park location, linking culture, architecture and landscape to reflect the grand inner city green spaces.

See more projects by Elenberg Fraser on Yellowtrace.

‘GINGERBREAD HOUSE’ BY LAURA DEWE MATHEWS // HACKNEY, LONDON.

Images courtesy of Laura Dewe Mathews. Photography by Chloe Dewe Mathews.

Rounded shingles create timber scales across the walls of this small house in Hackney that architect Laura Dewe Mathews has built for herself. Nicknamed the Gingerbread House, the two-storey dwelling sits behind the reconstructed wall of a former Victorian box factory. It’s tall windows overlap the mismatched brickwork.

‘LAKE COTTAGE’ WITH MIRRORED ENTRANCE BY UUFIE // BOLSOVER, ONTARIO.

Images courtesy of UUFIE. Photography by Naho Kubota.

Japanese architect Eiri Ota and Canadian architect Irene Gardpoit Chan of UUfie designed the small cabin, named Lake Cottage, to add large living and dining rooms to a family house beside the Kawartha Lakes. While a vast majority of the walls feature very clean and light timber panels, one side of the loft space is covered in rounded timber shingles reminiscent of fish scales, visible from the living room through a row of internal windows.

AUTOBAN DESIGNS HEYDAR ALIYEV INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINAL // BAKU, AZERBAIJAN.

Images courtesy of Autoban. Photography by Kerem Sanliman.

Turkish architecture studio Autoban has designed giant timber “cocoons” for the interior of the new international terminal at Baku airport in Azerbaijan. Each is clad in diamond-shaped solid ayous timber shingles covered with oak veneer, creating shells around the different-sized forms.

AST 77’s OFFICE + APARTMENT // TIENEN, BELGIUM.

Images courtesy of AST 77. Photography © Marcel Van Coile.

Belgian architectural firm AST 77 has created their own office space + apartment in Tienen, Belgium. This contemporary house combines living space and working space in an efficient manner, serving as an example of how to use every square meter to the fullest.

‘IZE HOTEL’ BY STUDIO TONTON // BALI, INDONESIA.

Images courtesy of Studio TonTon. Photography by Fernando Gomulya.

Built in 2012, The IZE hotel was designed by architects Arga Artistika, Ivan Susanto, Cynthia Agustine and Arif Tsani from TonTon Studios. While the entire building is covered with triangular shapes, from light installations to slotted walls, the hotel’s entrance, it’s corridors and roof are decorated with timber blue-coloured triangles.

‘VIGANELLO HOUSE’ BY VOLPATOHATZ // LUGANO, SWITZERLAND.

Images courtesy of Volpatohatz. Photography by Richard Glover.

This residence in Lugano, Switzerland was designed by Volpatohatz. The facade was designed in collaboration with Eternit (Switzerland) AG. Shingles of varying lengths and inclinations create a repetition of layers and a highly patterned exterior.

‘IN/ OUT’ OFFICE BUILDING BY AGENCE JOUIN MANKU & DTACC // PARIS, FRANCE.

Images courtesy of Agence Jouin Manku. Photography by Thierry Lewenberg-Sturm.

This dynamic building features a curving amenities wing coated in shimmering iridescent shingles reminiscent of dragon scales, designed by French architectural studios Agence Jouin Manku and DTACC. When viewed from different angles, the colourful stainless steel shingles change colour, and flash from green to blue and purple to create the illusion of a dragon in movement.

STUDIO EXTENSION BY MARCHETTO HIGGINS STIEVE ARCHITECTS // HOBOKEN, NEW JERSY.

Images courtesy of Marchetto Higgins Stieve Architects.

Marchetto Higgins Stieve Architects have designed this contemporary snake’s scale like wall exterior design extension for their studio located in a historic church in Hoboken, New Jersey.

THE GOLD PLATED LIBRARY BY FF ARCHITEKTEN & MARTINA WRONNA // LUCKENWALDE, GERMANY.

Images courtesy of FF Architekten. Photography by Andreas Meichsner.

The disused railway building in Luckenwalde was refurbished to house the public city library by Berlin architects Ralf Fleckenstein and Katharina Feldhusen of FF Architekten (in collaboration with Martina Wronna). The inclined walls of this annex are clad in shingles made of a copper-aluminium alloy.

‘POLYHEDRON POD’ BY MANUEL VILLA // BOGOTA, COLOMBIA.

Images courtesy of Manuel Villa. Photography by Sergio Gómez.

The Habitable ‘Polyhedron Pod’ is a prefabricated outdoor space that transforms a patch of garden into a study, lounge or quiet retreat. The small garden module is the creation of Colombian architectural studio, Manuel Villa. The exterior wall has been fitted with glass panels and a glass door to facilitate the entrance and panoramic outlook – taking on a honeycomb shape.

‘DANCING DRAGONS’ BY ADRIAN SMITH + GORDON GILL ARCHITECTURE // SEOUL, KOREA.

Images © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

The ‘Dancing Dragons’ by Chicago-based architects Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill features overlapping glazing units arranged in a scale-like pattern. The external appearance references the the skin of the mythical creatures directly referenced in the development’s name, Yongsan, meaning ‘Dragon Hill’.

‘FEATHER’ 3D OBJECTS BY DIMITRI BÄHLER.

Image courtesy of Dimitri Bähler. Photo by Milo Keller et Julien Gallico.

After designing dozens of patterns, Young Swiss designer Dimitri Bähler designed these ‘Feather’ objects by obtaining 3D forms from simple paper sheets. The forms play between haute-couture and design.

Previously Featured// 10th Anniversary Jewellery by Atelier XJC.

‘EDIBLE SCHOOLYARD’ BY WORKAC // GRAVESEND, BROOKLYN.

Images courtesy of WORKac. Photography © Iwan Baan.

WORKac built New York City’s first Edible Schoolyard, transforming a half-acre of the existing parking lot into a thriving organic garden with a greenhouse, an indoor kitchen classroom and a “Systems Wall” articulated as a series of playful volumes covered in a bright blue rubber coating.

‘DAS BROT.’ BREAD BAKERY & RESTAURANT BY DESIGNLIGA // WOLFSBURG, GERMANY.

Photography courtesy of Designliga.

The Autostadt (Volkswagen Group) in Wolfsburg turns the spotlight on artisanal baking traditions, while it’s interior expresses the concept “From Field to Counter“. The textured plasterwork of the ceiling is suggesting the tiled roof of a farmhouse, inspired by traditional half-timbered houses.

‘ECSTASY’ BY CRISTINA CELESTINO, ATTICO DESIGN STUDIO.

Images courtesy of Attico Design. Photography © Mattia Balsamini.

The ‘Ecstasy’ series of products designed by Cristina Celestino (founder of Italian design studio Attico), is a part of the FOODMADE collection, which was exhibited in Ventura Lambrate at Padiglione Italia during Milan Design Week 2013. The collection resonates the esoteric atmosphere of a Catholic Mass ritual. The circular form of the Eucharistic host, a symbol of the holy body, is repeated on the surfaces to enhance the religious inspiration.

‘LITTLE JOE’ WOMAN RETAIL STORE AT THE BEACH HOUSE BY MAKE CREATIVE // BONDI, AUSTRALIA.

Images courtesy of MAKE Creative. Photography by Luc Remond.

Plywood shingles create fish scales on the walls of a clothes store at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, while spherical lights hang from the ceiling inside fishermen’s nets made from cords of black satin. Australian architects MAKECreative designed the shop interior for retailer Little Joe, in line with the branding style developed by ex-model Gail Elliott.

‘SHINGLES PANTRY’ BY FIELD DAY.

Images courtesy of Field Day.

This ‘Shingles Pantry’ by Field Day is a handmade cabinet that is covered in cedar shingles. “Built around a solid maple frame, The ‘Shingles Pantry’ houses four shelves and is covered in fancy-cut Western Red Cedar shingles. The natural variance in the shingles gives the piece depth while maintaining a warmth that seems to shimmer.” – Field Day.

INNOVATIVE SURFACE DESIGN BY GILES MILLER STUDIO // EAST LONDON, UK.

The entrance to Clerkenwell Design Week in the form of a timber archway made up of 20,000 angled wooden pixels.
Images courtesy of Giles Miller Studio and freshome.

London-based design practice, Giles Miller Studio, specialises in the development of incredibly innovative surfaces for the world of interiors. The studio prides itself on the ability to deliver solutions that marry architecture with beautiful interior finish by way of original and inspiring surface development.

Previously featured // Innovative Surface Design by Giles Miller Studio.

THE ‘COLLECT’ CABINET BY SARA LARSSON FROM A2.

Images courtesy of A2.

The limited edition ‘Collect’ cabinet of A2 is characterised by it’s fish scale patterned leather doors made in Tärnsjö, designed by Sara Larsson from A2.

‘SHAKE SIDEBOARD’ BY SEBASTIAN COX FOR BENCHMARK.

Images courtesy of Sebastian Cox.

Designed in collaboration with Sebastian Cox and Benchmark Furniture, the ‘Shake Sideboard’ has a solid dovetailed ash carcass and a pair of doors made from cleft chestnut shakes, skillfully split as thinly as possible to keep the doors light and full of texture.

HAND-BUILT TIMBER VOLKSWAGEN BETTLE EXTERIOR BY BOSNIAN RETIREE // BANJA LUKA, BOSNIA.

Images courtesy of Dado Ruvic / REUTERS.

71-year-old Bosnian retiree Momir Bojic has crafted a completely timber clad Volkswagen Beetle exterior from over 50,000 pieces of hand-carved oak. Almost every detail of the fully-functioning automobile — from the windshield wipers to the side view mirrors and tire spokes — have been intricately formed from the light brown wooden shingles. In-sane.