The End of the Vertical: Why Luxury Mansions Are Going Single-Storey
A single-storey mansion of 800 m²: the plot you need, why one level costs 10–15% more, 160 tonnes of snow on the roof and the three…
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Articles
Notes from the studio practice: architecture and façades, interiors and materials, grounds, money and world trends.
The Second Kitchen: Why a Mansion Show Kitchen No Longer Cooks
A scullery is the second kitchen where a mansion actually cooks. Floor area, 1,000 m3/h extraction, why gas is out, concealed doors and the six usual…
The Home Cinema Is Over: Why a Screen and Ten Recliners No Longer Work
Why rows of recliners are obsolete and what a home cinema in a mansion really needs: a decoupled shell, silent ventilation and correct screen geometry.
Estate Shade: Pergola, Pavilion or a Century-Old Pine
Pergola, pavilion or a mature tree: three ways to bring shade to an estate. Real 2026 costs, snow loads, the usual mistakes and how we plan…
The Garden That Grows Up With the House: Why Landscape Is Designed for Twenty Years
Why trees are planned before the foundation: growth rates by species, what mature trees really cost, planting distances and a garden that appreciates.
Renovate or Demolish: When an Old Country House Deserves Saving
When an old mansion is worth saving: the technical survey, the real economics of renovation, five signs to keep it and the myths that cost houses…
The Home Library Returns: Designing the Quietest Room in the House
How a home library is really designed: acoustics at 0.4–0.6s, 18–22C and 45–60% humidity, 50 lux for paper and 40 kg per metre of shelving on…
Interior Procurement: Where 30% of the Budget Vanishes
Furnishing a private mansion: why procurement quietly adds a third to the catalogue price, where the budget leaks, and how to plan lead times that hold.
A House Where the Grandchildren Grow Up: Planning for Three Generations
How a multigenerational house plan really works: autonomous wings, privacy, 60 dB acoustics, a lift shaft built into the structure and the true 8-15% cost.
Architect’s Site Supervision: What You Pay For After the Drawings Are Signed
What architectural site supervision actually covers, how it is priced, and which design decisions die on site first. From an architect with 20 years of practice.
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