The San Lorenzo North Showcase Villa with Marble Tiled Pool at Quinta do Lago by de Blacam and Meagher.

Sleek, modern architecture marks the design of this stunning Showcase House by de Blacam and Meagher Architects that sits on a golf course in Portugal's Quinta do Lago, one of Europe's finest luxury resorts.

ARCHICINE: Famous Movie Architecture As Modernist Illustrations.

Artist and illustrator Federico Babina, best known for his Archipix, a series of well-known architects and their buildings rendered as pixellated 8 bit graphics, has now turned architectural icons of cinema into ARCHICINE, a series of modernist posters.

Personally, I prefer these to any of his other work because they combine two of my favorite things, Architecture and Film, into aesthetically appealing artworks. And he did not disappoint, choosing several of my personal favorites to execute - from John Lautner's Chemosphere House in Body Double to the fictional home in Hitchcock's North by Northwest.

Most of the homes in these movies (and depicted on Babina's posters) are actual architectural structures while others are sets and a few are computer generated. Where possible I have attributed the architect or the history of the building.

A Single Man. Directed by Tom Ford. (1949 Glendale residence by architect John Lautner):


North by Northwest. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (a fictional home created for the movie)


L.A. Confidential. Directed by Curtis Hanson.(Lovell Heath House in Los Feliz by architect Richard Neutra)


Zabriskie Point. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni (House designed by architect Paolo Soleri)


The Big Lebowski. Directed by Joel Coen (Sheats-Goldstein House by architect John Lautner)


Rear Window. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (a giant set built at Paramount Studios)


Le Mépris. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard (modernist home in Casa Malaparte, Capri, Italy by architect Adalberto Libera and has since fallen into disrepair)


The Million Dollar Hotel. Directed by Wim Wenders (The Rosslyn Hotel at 100 West Fifth St. in downtown Los Angeles was designed by John Parkinson and now serves as low-income housing)


Body Double. Directed by Brian De Palma (John Lautner's Chemosphere House)


The Fountainhead. Directed by King Vidor (image depicts the fictional Wyland Residence designed by the main character in the film, architect Howard Roark, played by Gary Cooper)


Star Wars. Directed by George Lucas  (set design and computer generated imagery)


The Incredibles. Directed by Brad Bird (the computer animated home was an inspired mash up of popular mid-century modern architecture by architects Eichler and Wexler)


Moonrise Kingdom. Directed by Wes Anderson (The Conanicut Island Light, also known as Conanicut Island Lighthouse, was built in 1886 in Rhode Island was used as the Bishop family home exterior in the movie)


Dogville. Directed by Lars von Trier. (filmed in three locations in Sweden, house unknown)


The Party. Directed by Blake Edwards (the 1968 movie was filmed at an unknown apartment building somewhere in Los Angeles and on the United Artists lot)


Mon Oncle. Directed Jacques Tati. (The home in the film, Villa Arpel, was a set entirely built from scratch by painter Jacques Lagrange.)


The Man Without a Past. Directed by Aki Kaurismäki. (the container house was constructed in Helsinki for the 2002 movie)


images courtesy of Federico Babina via Archdaily  Some location information courtesy of IMDB and movie-locations.com

A video of Babina's Archipix, if you are not familiar with these and wish to see them:


Babina's Archipix are available to purchase as posters here at Society 6

The Eco-Friendly Cresta Residence by Architect Jonathan Segal

The 5,300 square foot Cresta Residence by architect Jonathan Segal FAIA was built entirely out of cast-in-place concrete with an open floor plan, lots of glass, fabulous mid-century modern style furnishings, a reflecting pool, a swimming pool and a roof covered with photovoltaic panels to provide almost all of the power.




The following text has been provided by the architect:
The Cresta is a 5,300 sq foot single-family residence designed and constructed entirely out of cast in place concrete on a 5,000 sq ft lot in the Lower Hermosa region of La Jolla, CA . The house’s three stories, one below and two above grade, are accented by floor to ceiling glass and large open expanses to the outdoors.






Beginning as solid form the final product still maintains that form instead through roof planes and vertical walls that create both interior and exterior volumes. Due to the unordinary (sic) small property in an area with typical properties three to four times the size every square foot was important. The exterior room was a key element in creating a home that otherwise would have felt small feel larger and more private that it is. While this space creates a void the buildings overall form is kept intact. All four corners remain with walls and roof planes to define the original box of the residence.









Adjacent to the front of the structure a reflecting and swimming pool has been integrated into the overall design of the project for thermal cooling and create the perception of floating.




Due to the large expanses of operable glass, the thermal mass of the concrete, sun shading and the insulating effect of the pool the 6.5kw solar array on the roof accomplishes supplying nearly 100% of the homes required power.

some details:





 images are courtesy of Jonathan Segal and Matthew Segal

PART ONE: Modern Mansion With Wrap Around Pool and Glass-Walled Garage For $36 Million. (36 Pics)

This jaw-dropping residence at 1201 Laurel Way in Beverly Hills is presently on the market (but not listed on the MLS), for a mere $36,000,000. To share with you the features and numerous photos (I have 86) of this enormous modern mansion, I simply had to break this up into two posts.

Today, in Part One, I will be posting photos of the spectacular view, exterior design, terraced landscaping, incredible wrap-around swimming pool and glass-walled garage. Tomorrow, come back to see Part Two featuring 50 photos of the interior living spaces, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining, glass-walled wine storage stocked with Compliment wines, screening room and more.

While it's not an actual moat, the swimming pool of this incredible spec house actually does extend around more than half the exterior of this Whipple Russell architect designed modern mansion.



Modern gas fireplaces punctuate both the interior and exterior of the home and because of the incredible view, the house and its numerous decks and balconies are designed to face toward downtown Los Angeles.



I have so many photos for you, I'm going to break them up into sections, otherwise your head may explode.

The home from above and afar:



The curb view:



The security gate (looks like a garage door) on the right in the above pics opens to reveal a small upslope that takes you into the impressive courtyard and the glass-walled 3 car garage:




The home's entry as viewed from inside the courtyard:



The garage has glass walls that give you an incredible view of Los Angeles:



The spiral staircase encased in glass and takes you from the garage to the upper levels:


Or a glass-walled breezeway stretches to the home from the garage on the ground level:


The pool and built-in jacuzzi have a central point of entry with a main pool area outfitted with a built in outdoor grill, gas fireplaces, seating and even an outdoor tv.





And a view to die for, day or night:




The pool then extends from either side of the main swimming area as narrower swim lanes around much of the home:








There are multiple entry points to the pool around the home and in certain sections the wall of the pool is replaced with acrylic, and has built-in seating, so one has a view, even when submerged:


The upper level deck has another jacuzzi, glass deck walls and more incredible views:




There's even a zen garden and a putting green on the grounds:



The $36 million home, which has 6 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, is represented solely by Mauricio Umansky of The Agency.

Architectural Plans:
Main House, lower floor:

Main House, main floor:

Main House, upper floor:


Guest House, lower floor:

Guest House, upper floor:



Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see PART TWO, in which I will share with you the equally mind-blowing interior rooms, details and art as well as a link to an online brochure.