Kanye West served as a judge on the panel for this years Wallpaper Design Awards. Along with Jean Nouvel, Ines de la Fressange, Marc Newson, Sir Ken Adam and Stefano Pilati, he helped to chose the best of the best of international design. Our favorite category? Best New Private House. Winner and finalists are below:
Winner:
Japan: Final Wooden House by Sou Fujimoto
The intense design concept of Sou Fujimoto’s Next Generation House in Kumamura belies its functionality. Using monumental blocks of timber, Fujimoto has ‘stacked up’ the walls, floor and roof, creating a series of interlocking, multi-level living spaces, a puzzle-like interior with 45-degree angled windows to bring the outside in.
Finalists:
Spain: Villa Nurbs by Enric Ruiz-Gel
Founder of Barcelona's Cloud 9 studio, architect Enric Ruiz-Geli treated this strikingly unconventional house, situated in Girona's suburban Empuriabrava, as art. Villa Nurbs sits on a raised platform, with white Corian and inflatable plastic roof panels upstairs. The pod-like family house has living spaces, guest rooms, a sunken garage, a spa and a courtyard pool.
Chile: Casa 11 Mujeres by Mathias Klotz
When invited to design a vacation house for a family with 11 daughters, Chilean architect Mathias Klotz welcomed the challenge. Located on a steep cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, north of Santiago, this concrete-based holiday home is spread across three levels, with bedrooms, entertainment and guest spaces all enjoying sea views and natural light.
Austria: Haus Holzinger by Wolfgang Tschapeller
Wolfgang Tschapeller's Haus Holzinger in Austria's St Andrä-Wördern is part modernist, part deconstructivist; a rectangle that rises up on slender steel legs. A huge slab of folded cast concrete gives a double-height kitchen and living space, punctured with jagged windows. Inside, faceted walls bulge and fold to create rooms that jut into the volume of the box.
USA: Dutchess Guest House by Allied Works
This guesthouse by Portland-based Allied Works is located on a creek edge in New York State, part of the larger Dutchess County Residence. The house, hidden in a mature forest, features floor-to-ceiling glass walls and wooden interiors. A steel frame and four delicate cantilevered volumes enclose the living spaces and bedrooms.
Visit Wallpaper to see the full list of winners.
Photos: Wallpaper
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Kanye West??? Lenny Kravitz must be PISSED.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
Sorry if this is childish, but Kanye West needs to GTFO. I'm sick of his massive arrogance. He comes across as if he thinks he is the sole arbiter of style and taste.
view zach_f's profile
Ditto, Kanye is not someone who's taste in design I would trust. My 5 year old cousin is just as much qualified...
view BurgerPrincess2's profile
Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks Kanye was a wasted addition to the panel. Circulation must be down.
view MsUnreliable's profile
Kanye? Kanye? Who cares about him.
This half-way done Jenga game got built and people think it's great. That's the true horror.
view arstellla's profile
Although I love the house in the first pic, the word "deforestation" keeps coming to mind.
view david's profile
I'm loving the 'Jenga' quality to the Japan home. The simple/complex tension at work makes me wish I could take a tour of the inside!
The Austrian home- ummm...looks a little like a mobile home to me.
The USA home is interesting, but I really love is the quality of the photography. The photo has this underwater, serene feel to it.
view ThreeBySea's profile
PS- I agree with everyone above about Kanye- he's a tool and putting his photo at the top of this feature only detracts from the homes.
view ThreeBySea's profile
Kanye's position would better be served by some on in the design industry. What a shameless attempt at garnering credibility.
view click212's profile
That house in Chile was designed for a couple with eleven daughters? ELEVEN? Just what.
view elvedon's profile
Oh, I pooh pooh all of you about Kanye. He keeps things interesting. What would we do without people like him to gossip about? He's arrogant, but he's a success so he's doing something right. He's got some style as well.
view Expat Decorator's profile
I don't know, I like what he said about Bush. At least he speaks the truth. I have no idea what his design credentials are, however...
view Vanessa in New York's profile
thank you Expat Decorator. i dont understand what everyone thinks is to terrible about him.
maybe you guys should stop watching entertainment tonight and actually read about him? do you realize that half of the shit on this site was posted on kanye's blog months ago?
view antimatt's profile
I think the spain villa is awesome!
also the chile ase is immense,I would like to see more of it!
for the austrian, I'm gonna get my own picture of it, its just a few miles away from my home...
oh and how cares about kanye or not kanye...
view animalcracker's profile
such babies!
for those interested, here's Kanye's pad in Beverly Hills.
http://www.interiordesign.net/index.asp?layout=photoGalleryAlbum&galleryid=1349&order=0
view frogfood's profile
Kanye has style. Haters.
view jyw's profile