Ran across this as I was searching for a old needed cad file on an old hard drive. A sort of homecoming. I missed this one.
This is a rendering for a home plan set that I created back when people actually were wanting these and building things.
Hey economy – lighten up already!
Hmm…Barcelona. This is just about perfect. Absolutely beautiful.
The full link is here - http://www.dezeen.com/2011/03/18/alemanys-5-by-anna-noguera/#more-120760
This is very close to my first professional office out of school, and makes me want to return to see the other changes to South Side. Wouldn’t be too bad to take in a Steeler playoff game, either.
This from inhabitat.com - http://inhabitat.com/modern-biophilic-sunroom-heats-a-19th-century-pittsburgh-house/
This nifty greenhouse and sun room sits atop a 19th century row house in the South Side Flats of Downtown Pittsburgh. While the sawtooth roof may look contemporary, studio d’ARC actually borrowed the profile from the building’s original greenhouse erected in the ‘70s. The design has lost no punch as it contrasts with the dark factory brick homes of a century ago. Using passive heating the project also helps warm the lower flats — like the original design, but with new efficient equipment that also pumps fresh air into the building. Tenants are given much-needed space to garden and can hang out on the sun deck while taking in the city views and sun rays.
*a work in progress*
I’m stating the obvious I know, but this has been a really difficult few years for the practice of architecture. Thankfully, things have really stabilized and thanks to that I have had a chance now to sit back and review past successes and failures. And the New Year presents an opportunity to pen these as a guide for future practice.
The project successes have been amazing – the whole reason I started the practice to begin with. There have also been a number of misfires, and they have been directly attributable to breaking my own rules. Rules that, prior to a global economic meltdown, seemed effortless and ingrained thanks to previous mentors who had already been through a downturn. Somehow though, (because of the lack of good jobs, because of the failed economy, because I had a house payment due) I was able to rationalize that it was OK to bend the rules temporarily, with a promise to return to normal later. Not following these rules has been the main reason for my stresses these last few years, and in the end it really had nothing to do with the outside forces like I had originally rationalized. I caused my own stress. Go figure.
So here they are. They are intended here as a guideline for me, but they have value here to future clients, too.
1-Love is a Requirement
No more superficial projects. No more degrading projects. Ever. Every new project, regardless of size, needs to have an end goal to be a source of pride; for me, for the rest of the design team, for the client, for the community. Life is too short to accept anything less.
2-Equivalent Expectations
As an architect, I am expected to know all the adopted building codes, new model energy codes, all the latest building materials (tested or not), and be current on all my continuing education requirements. In addition, I am expected to have all the latest technology (BIM, drafting, graphic, analysis and otherwise) and hardware to run it completely under control. OK – I accept. As a client, I now have basic expectations of you, or I can’t accept your project. Good clients:
3-Hard work is required, but Talent is King
I come from a blue collar steel town, and I’ve been working my guts out since I was 15. I routinely work more hours on a project than original projections. When #1 above is satisfied, it doesn’t feel like work. But here’s the dirty little secret – project inspirations can (and usually do) come in flurry and explosion of visions and sudden understandings. These flashes, of course, have their origins in the years and years of background training and education. The project needs to be set up to allow that flash of inspiration to guide the whole team to a successful conclusion, and the team needs to allow that spark to be the guide and follow it. If it isn’t followed, the project will fail. Great architecture is like great songwriting – inspiration is a required ingredient. If you don’t care about this, you probably don’t really care about #1 either.
This is probably too much of a reveal into my psyche right now, but lately I’m really drawn to solutions that approach a complete reduction of style. The siting of this building is fantastic, and the resultant spaces are wonderful. It is a good reminder that the simple engaging of the site is all the context that is ever really required.
The full link here: http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/30/beautiful-underground-aloni-house-blends-in-with-the-earth/
The Aloni house finds its inspiration in the landscape of the Cycladic Islands, which were shaped in the past by earthen retaining walls erected to create land fit for farming. Deca Architecturedecided to incorporate this traditional building typology into the design of the house, and the result is a structure that resonates with the topography of its site while taking advantage of low-impact materials that impart high insulation values. The single-level 240 square meter home features walls made of retained earth that regulate the interior temperature thanks to their high thermal mass, while a green roof provides further insulation from the bright Mediterranean sun.
This is just great. Wish I would have seen this when we were in Osaka. Now I want to go back.
The full link here: http://www.dezeen.com/2010/08/19/a-small-tobacco-shop-by-avehideshi-architects-and-associates/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+dezeen+(Dezeenfeed)
Japanese firm Avehideshi Architects and Associates have completed this one-person house with a tobacco shop on the ground floor in Osaka, Japan.
A Small Tobacco Shop has been built on a 24 square-metre triangular site between a train line and high-rise block of flats.
The kitchen, bathroom, living space and shop are on the ground floor, with the bedroom on the second, and a walled roof-terrace on the third.
A spiral staircase and slimmed-down first storey floor slab have been used to maximize floor space and ceiling height respectively.
The internal wall enclosing the the spiral staircase has been painted green to give a feeling of depth.
A slit has been cut between the first-storey floor slab and bathroom wall to allow light to flow into the shop floor from above.
All photographs are by Hiroki Kawata.
Here’s some more from the architects:
A small tobacco shop
It is a project for the small tobacco shop where a woman in her sixties lives alone.The central places for living such as kitchen, bath, restroom are located on the first floor together with the shop. The bedroom is on the second floor and the terrace is on the third floor.
This site is located about 500 meters from a major train station in suburban Osaka. It is a lively area with large supermarkets and high-rise apartments.
With construction to elevate the train line and redevelopment of the area around the station, land readjustment led to a former combination store front and dwelling being dismantled and the land being reassigned, leaving this site: a 24.38 sqm small triangular plot.
Not only small but an unusual shape, we decided to take advantage of this by installing a spiral staircase to preserve as much floor space as possible. In addition, we made the 2nd floor slab as thin as we could, and made slits to allow light to pour in from the upper floor. Painting the support wall for the staircase green gave a feeling of depth, creating a space where the room and staircase are one, to finish off this large tobacco shop.
Here are some progress images of a project we are designing to the master suite of a cool house in Phoenix. The Owners have some great requests and want an “everyday spa” feel – not too indulgent, but certainly comfortable and usable. This really has turned into a fun little project, and I thought the developing images were worthy of a post.
From the Inhabitat blog, this is a great prefab system now being represented out of Cleveland, OH. I’m interested to see what the prices per square foot are, but the system really allows some beautiful spaces.
German company HUF HAUS is offering gorgeous green houses to the masses by bringing Bauhaus style to factory-made green homes. The company’s signature post-and-beam construction allows for big open spaces, and they serve them up with solar panels and even an optional geothermal heating system.
Read the rest of From Bauhaus to HUF HAUS: Energy Efficient Prefab Homes
This is just beautiful, and worth linking to. I love the gesture to incorporate the felled trees into the retaining wall, and wanting those spots to decay naturally.
Korean architect Byoung Soo Cho has built an underground house outside Seoul. Called Earth House, it’s not as fancy as some iterations of the subterranean abode, drawing instead on Cho’s very unpretentious inspirations: Taoist minimalism and the utilitarianism of the silos, barns and sheds Cho has come to love as a professor atMontana State University. Arguably, the Korean House also reveals a love of big sky: the 23-foot square courtyard is really the crown jewel of the place, which consists of six tiny rooms built mainly of concrete andrecycled wood.
Read the rest of Seoul Gains An Underground Earth House by Byoung Soo Cho
Here is an update on an exciting project in Coolidge, Arizona. Coolidge is a town of about 12,000 people 50 miles south of Phoenix. I’m working with a landowner there to develop about 60 acres into about 48 new 1 AC home sites. The houses will take on the rural character of the area, but will have a considerable amount of environmental systems included. Passive cooling strategies, orientations directed by solar panel applications, sensibly building smaller, use of easily maintained and long lasting materials, and clear connections to outdoor areas are all the main design goals.
There will likely be 3 plan options, and the initial sales price targets are in the $249,000 to $299,000 range. Here are some of the initial studies that were generated for the latest meeting with the City Officials.
MOCO LOCO FEED BLDGBLOG FEED DEZEEN FEED DESIGN OBSERVER FEED INHABITAT FEED A/N DESIGN FEED
