Beautiful Sculptures by Philip Jackson

Philip Jackson is a renowned sculptor with an outstanding international reputation.

His ability to convey the human condition through skilful use of body language is legendary, producing figures both imposing and operatic in their narrative and presence, which are recognizable worldwide. Powerful and beautifully sculpted, Jackson's meticulously precise posturing of each piece creates an overwhelming sense of drama. Whether with the prestigious, figuratively detailed public monuments and statues for which he is often commissioned, or his hauntingly elegant and theatrically enigmatic gallery sculptures, Philip Jackson's work is truly awe inspiring - it never fails to move people.




Born in Inverness, Jackson now lives and works in West Sussex. He was appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2009.

My sculptures are essentially an impressionistic rendering of the figure. Where you see the figure seemingly grow out of the ground, the texture resembles tree bark, rock, or lava flow. As the eye moves up the sculpture, the finish becomes gentler & more delicately worked, culminating in the hands and the mask, both of which are precisely observed & modeled. - Philip Jackson

House Around a Tree by A.Masow Architects

About A.Masow Architects

Architecture	A.Masow Architects
Project	Tree in the house
Year	2013

Aibek Almassov from Kazakhstan, the founder of the design studio A.Masow Architects, has created this beautiful house around a tree design. The main highlight of this four-level house is a glass wall just around a fir-tree. This impressive twelve-meter transparent building project is created to bring together the elements of contemporary design and natural beauty, enabling people to take some time to have a rest from the tense bustle of the city life.




The project has been already set up but the house hasn’t been built because of the absence of investors. After a while, almost all mass media – from local magazines and newspapers to internet publications – became interested in this futuristic house design. Even well-known channels have found A.Masow Architects to learn more about this great project. Finally, designers have realized that this project should be built without any doubt. Aibek Almassov stated many times that this house was not so difficult to build; the most difficult was to find really interested investors. At this time, he has two interested men and one of them directs the manufacturing of glass panels. So, A.Masow Architects is going to cooperate with him as soon as possible.

The architect says that the main idea of the project is to build a house, where everyone feels oneself comfortable, being able to escape from the noisy city and stay alone with his thoughts, since the house combines strict style of the metropolis and all environmental delights – beautiful high trees, fresh smell of fir-trees and silence.

An internal spiral staircase of the four-storey cylindrical construction symbolizes the stages of spiritual purification which can accompany a person who is alone with nature and oneself.

The basis of this transparent house, where the tree grows, is a metal framework resting on three pillars. The trunk and branches are passed through circular apertures of different diameter in the ceiling between floors.

The largest cut-out is done at the level of the fourth floor, where the upper branches of tree is. Thanks to the transparent walls, a unique all-round view opens there and evokes sensation of immediate presence in the forest.

There is also a container for the rainwater. The water there is being constantly cleaned and can be used for various needs. Ventilation provides air-filling for all levels of the cylindrical home.

Particular attention was paid to the fact that the house is not harmful to the environment. Glasses of the last two floors are covered with a layer of semi-transparent solar panels that provide electricity to the house.

Aibek Almassov wants everyone to visit such a house around a tree to prove that thirty-five square meters are not destroyed by his group, because there begins a new life with quiet mornings, tranquility and health.

Casa Acantilado - Beautiful House on the Cliff, Granada, Spain

Floor plans

Video

About GilBartolomé Architects

Architecture Pablo Gil and Jaime Bartolomé, GilBartolome Architects
Project Casa Acantilado (House on the Cliff)
Year 2014
Location Salobreña, Granada, Spain
Photography Jesus Granada

A brilliant house, that resembles in its appearance something that has come from old pages of a fairy tale, is designed by GilBartolome’ Architecture Bureau. This beautiful architecture merges organic forms with dynamic modernity. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, it is located in Granada, Spain. This extraordinary project has got the name Casa Acantilado or Cliff House.

As the construction of this house had been started in Spain during the 2014 financial crisis, the group decided to avoid an expensive factory production and costly machines and save money. It was decided push the matter through the long hours of labor work on the project.

According to architects, the design and construction of the house were a real challenge: areas with a slope of about 45 degrees were considered to be very complicated.

The mansion seems to be buried into the mountain and hidden under the smooth curves of reinforced concrete sheets and hundreds of streams made of zinc plates. The architects have chosen this solution not only because effective appearance (like a mansion that is turned into a sea castle), but also it is much more saving for this area. The building has all interior spaces arranged on two levels, so that the optimum temperature is maintained everywhere throughout the year. This gorgeous mansion was created especially for a young Spanish couple. While building a house, architects from GilBartolome’ tried to fit it right into the surrounding landscape as accurately as it was possible.

Taking into account the slope of area, the internal layout of this Beautiful House on the Cliff has got two levels and its location inside the rock allows using the underground heat more efficient.

The Casa Acantilado is dug into the hillside that allows maintaining in it a constant temperature of the earth (approximately 19.5 degrees). Living spaces are covered with double-curved roof, which lines interact with the geometry of the mountain’s surface. This shape has not only an aesthetic function, but also directs inside the building the air flows reaching from the Mediterranean Sea.

GilBartolome’ Bureau states that architecture of this Beautiful House on the Cliff shows the whole landscape geometry, creating an intentional ambiguity between the synthetic and the natural. In general, the house is very similar to the dragon’s face with eye-windows and a scaly head.

Of course, the main thing in this project is the figured wavy roof that shines in the sun during the whole day. Its "scales" are made of galvanized sheets on special technology. The roof is based on retaining walls, lagging apart on 14.5 meters without additional supports. Thanks to this constructive solution, the first floor that is divided into several thematic zones can be used also as a spacious room for major parties. The complex and dynamic form of the roof creates an unusual interior, which the authors describe as modern cave in the style of Gaudi.

There is a spacious living area in the Casa Acantilado, where more than sixty-five guests can be seated. Only 150 square meters takes the lower level. Moreover, forming a small terrace, the house is located in such a way that it seems to be a hillside. Thanks to this, it is created a unique feeling that there is a breathtaking theater on the picturesque horizon. Most of the space is located in the open air, and even the pool was equipped on one of the terraces.




Organic shapes of the Casa Acantilado are visually highlighted and quite impressive. It must be stated that even the furniture was designed specially by the architects request for this unique home. They state that all house furniture was manufactured using the preplanned machines. But, nevertheless, the workers were given the opportunity to make a contribution to the project. There is also handwork in furniture parts design. This allowed employees to consider their work to be special in the Beautiful House on the Cliff.

This gorgeous house shows that everything is possible in performing a house design and that the designer and the consumer both have an opportunity to get a high quality product at an affordable price.