The Smart Home That Needs No Cloud: Why KNX Is Back in Great Houses
A KNX smart home runs without internet or cloud: a decentralised bus, 20-40 ms response, ISO/IEC 14543-3. Real costs, myths and the rules we design by.
Studio journal
Articles
Notes from the studio practice: architecture and façades, interiors and materials, grounds, money and world trends.
Site Drainage and Grading: What Gets Forgotten Before the Excavation
Autumn turns an excavation into a pool. Storm water arithmetic, five drainage mistakes and why the level of the house matters more than the marble.
Quiet Luxury Is Over: The Wealthy Are Ordering Decoration Again
New maximalism in the mansion interior: why quiet luxury ended, what Milan 2026 showed, what hand-painted walls and passementerie cost, and where it breaks.
Open Book or Fixed Price: Paying for a 300-Million Mansion
Open book construction contract or fixed price for a 300-million mansion: where the builder's margin hides, what the law allows, what to check before signing.
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…
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…
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