Residential Architect articles from April 2003

Residential Architect archives from April 2003

What's modern now? Does the emphasis on the purity of site, program, and client impede the progress of new architecture?(from the editor)(Editorial)
April 1, 2003... I've been having this conversation with a number of architects lately: What should we call modern--lowercase "m"--residential architecture now? I mean the work that doesn't look back to identifiable styles of the past. The word modern conjures...

Too little.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming, folks)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... I've been an architect in private practice for over 30 years, and am firmly ensconced in the belief that the competitive bid process is the fairest way to build almost any project. Saying this doesn't mean that I always take the "low bid." A...

Too much.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming, folks)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... I found your editorial "Caught in the Middle Class" (November/ December 2002, page 13) interesting. In the fashion industry in the '50s, nobody but the very rich could afford the Chanels and Saint Laurents. Everyone was forced to buy knockoffs...

House doctor's opinion.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming, folks)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... I could not agree with you more ("Is There a House Doctor in the House?" July 2002, page 11). I provide a design counseling service for my clients, which consists of an on-site, "round-table," brainstorming meeting billed at $500 per...

Places in the house.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)(HomeDestinations design)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... When most architects think of production homes, they think of a box with some exterior decoration troweled on. At this year's International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, a 13,000-square-foot show home sponsored by our sister magazine, BUILDER,...

Smart plug-ins.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)("smart" appliances)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Imagine "smart" appliances that monitor their own operations to perform better and more efficiently. Some are already here and some languish in perpetual prototype limbo, but you're likely to see more of them in the future. With their...

Doing, windows.(Homefront: tips and trends from the world of residential design)
April 1, 2003... Picture windows: double-hung, casement, awning, gliding, round-top, leaded, double-paned, gas-filled, low-E, and more. This month, the National Building Museum launches a new exhibition on the evolution of windows in the American house. The...

Calendar.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... 2002 sunroom design competition deadline: june 30 The National Sunroom Association is holding its second awards competition to recognize exceptional residential and commercial sunroom design. The projects must have been completed...

On the boards / green school.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)(University of South Carolina)(green dormitory)
April 1, 2003... The University of South Carolina practices what it teaches with its new sustainably designed West Quadrangle Living and Learning Center in Columbia, S.C. This green dorm is poised to become one of only four residence halls in the world...

The architect's tale: give a house a rich past, and it becomes more than simple shelter.(perspective)
April 1, 2003... As a young design/ builder engaged primarily in renovation projects, I realized that behind every stick and nail of a hand-built house lurks a story. A scrap of ancient newspaper in the rafters or a can of snuff found in the stud spaces; secret...

Selling your stuff: are you ready to go public with your industrial designs?(practice)
April 1, 2003... Some years ago, Christopher Bardt and Kyna Leski, architecture professors at the Rhode Island School of Design and the founders of 3SIX0 in Providence, R.I., had a student whose thesis project was designing a house in Thailand for her parents....

Architects' choice: all eyes focus on this year's spectacular specs.
April 1, 2003... architects are a wonderful combination of completely idealistic and totally cynical. This makes for a lovely built-in system of checks and balances. So, when a manufacturer comes out with a new building product or touts the benefits of...

The New American Home[R] 2003.(Architectural showcase)(attached housing)
April 1, 2003... Design Solution As the prices of land and single family homes increase, the demand for more attached housing will also continue to rise throughout the country. Because of these factors, maintaining privacy for homeowners will be a...

Inner visions: architecture and interior design, living together in harmony.(design firm Brayton + Hughes Design Studio's solution)
April 1, 2003... disappearing act No one ever said designing a live/work project was easy. Balancing the dual nature of the space gets tricky: Tip it too much in either direction and you disappoint your client in a fundamental way. Brayton + Hughes...

Store turn: shopping for a sleeker look in windows and doors? Commercial systems may just fit your bill.(doctor spec)
April 1, 2003... For a traditional house, traditional windows will do. But for a house that's more Mies than Maybeck, commercial storefronts--or their residential doppelgangers--may be a match made in heaven. Commonly used on strip malls, department stores,...

Italian customs.(New material: piping-hot products for your next project)
April 1, 2003... When run-of-the-mill sliding doors won't do, consider custom-made Siparium contemporary panels from Milan-based Rimadesio. Choose from 20 glazed, semitransparent glasses that permit light while preserving privacy. All frames are constructed of...

Fields of glass.(New material: piping-hot products for your next project)
April 1, 2003... Frustrated that most glass tiles didn't offer the vibrant hues and texture he sought, John Crossley founded Plumsteadville, Pa.-based Vitrium to make his own. The one-year-old company's most recent effort is New Hope, a line of handmade glass...

Suspended illumination.(New material: piping-hot products for your next project)
April 1, 2003... Designed by Italian architect Ferruccio Laviani for Foscarini of Italy, the Supernova pendant provides a 360-degree range of ambient illumination. The fixture consists of 14 circular aluminum or steel disks that form a louvered sphere measuring...

Sensational sinks.(Special orders: artisan-designed products that break the mold)
April 1, 2003... Ceramics artist Bonita Goodberg's signed, handcrafted vessel sinks showcase nature-inspired forms and botanical motifs. Clients can choose from 16 existing models or work with the company to create an original. Sinks are fired to more than 1150...

Copper works.(Special orders: artisan-designed products that break the mold)
April 1, 2003... From candlesticks to chandeliers, coppersmith Michael Ashford and apprentices Jimmi Davies, Scott Swaze, and Mike Esparza create each Evergreen Studios product by hand. Through an arduous process of hammering, heating, and cleaning, they...

Stone sage.(Special orders: artisan-designed products that break the mold)
April 1, 2003... Warisan has added a new product to its array of home furnishings and accessories: hand-carved stone panels. To produce the Art in Stone series, the company collaborates with Bali-based stone muralist A.P. Gentile. Once the stone has been...

House whimsy.(Special orders: artisan-designed products that break the mold)
April 1, 2003... Whether freestanding or built-in, Straight Line Designs' fantastical custom furniture covers the gamut from cabinetry to tables and from vanities to wardrobes. Working closely with architects and designers, owner Judson Beaumont--along with...

Metal director.(Special orders: artisan-designed products that break the mold)
April 1, 2003... Using age-old blacksmithing techniques, Jefferson Mack forges contemporary designs for doors, gates, railings, lighting, and other elements. His company offers custom work as well as an extensive collection of handmade products in a medley of...

Sheer magic.(Special orders: artisan-designed products that break the mold)
April 1, 2003... Nathan Allan Glass Studios spins cast glass into stair treads, backsplashes, doors, and other custom elements. The company's technique involves laying the glass over a carved mold and heating it until it melts into shape. Pieces up to 3/4 inch...

Soane ranger: Sir John Soane's museum, London, 1808-1812 Sir John Soane.(end quote)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Sir John Soane, the English architect, scholar, and art connoisseur, felt he had a duty to share his vast art collection with the world. So he designed his own home, a town house at No. 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields in London, to showcase his...