Residential Architect articles from April 2006

Residential Architect archives from April 2006

We want our truths self-evident: Americans' search for meaning may mean a lot to architects.(from the editor)
April 1, 2006... How do you describe the value architects bring to residential design? I've been working this question since I began editing this magazine seven years ago. And I know many architects struggle with this, too. The challenges about your worth come...

Seal of approval?(letters: exercise your right to write.)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... There is a very simple way to increase demand [for architectural services]: require an architect's stamp on anything that needs a permit! Ostensibly, we are licensed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Similarly, building...

Color blind.(letters: exercise your right to write.)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... As an educator, I teach my students that sustainability is not a black-and-white issue. All materials have positive and negative effects on our environment. For them to be architects, they must learn how to select the option that best fits the...

Great expectations.(letters: exercise your right to write.)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Your editorials are great, but they pose more questions than answers. The letters you publish are great, but for the most part, they pose more complaints than solutions. The projects [you profile] are great, but many times, they are not for the...

Power play.(letters: exercise your right to write.)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... A few years back, potential clients began [showing] up better prepared. They'd [researched] how to choose an architect, they'd made lists of their needs, and they'd read books and magazines about home design. It was a refreshing change... to...

Redlines.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2006... Brian Carlson's role in the Robbs Runn project was misidentified in the March 2006 issue. He served as project captain.

Reinvention redux.(home front)
April 1, 2006... For those of you who were unable to trek down to Coral Gables, Fla., or for those of you who did make it but would like to relive the experience, we revisit "Reinvention 2005: Greening the American House." This was residential architect...

Calendar.(home front)(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... 2006 ncma design awards of excellence entry deadline: june 16, 2006 The National Concrete Masonry Association hosts an awards program honoring design innovations by architects using concrete masonry for residential, commercial, and...

Kitchen: back story.(k + b studio)
April 1, 2006... Historic row houses are rich in elegant features such as high ceilings, tall windows, and gracefully proportioned reception rooms at the front of the house. But the kitchens usually suffer in silence, tucked to the rear in a dark, cramped...

Bath: interlocking pieces.(k + b studio)
April 1, 2006... The third-floor master bath, part of a new glass-and-copper addition that KUBE Architecture attached to the back of the house, had none of the kitchen's constraints. There were no historic details worth preserving in the privacy of the top...

A country of craft dodgers: we've lost our appreciation for the fine art of craft.(perspective)
April 1, 2006... As a furniture maker who was extensively trained as an architect, I spend much time pondering the relationship between small details and big spaces. In the process, I have become obsessed with the demise of craftsmanship in our building economy...

Cloning your practice: one office isn't always enough.(practice)
April 1, 2006... Michael Woodley, AIA, leads a double life. An avid ice hockey fan, he has season tickets to see the Colorado Avalanche in Denver and the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim, Calif. He's an active member of the AIA and the Building Industry Association in...

Architects' choice: keeping it real.(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... When discussing building products, there's a nuance that's easily lost on civilians: what's natural should look natural, what's manmade should celebrate its own special qualities. Architecture thrives on authenticity. It's a core value that...

A piece of quiet.(imagine + create: art studios lure the muse from the mundanity.)
April 1, 2006... Right-brain and left-brain thinking meet happily at this Connecticut sculptor's studio. The 1,100-square-foot building's large, loft-like windows and Shaker-influenced simplicity satisfy the artist's intuitive side, giving him the mental...

Outside influence.(imagine + create: art studios lure the muse from the mundanity)
April 1, 2006... Washington, D.C., artist Brece Honeycutt finds creative stimulation in nature, preferring to sculpt and draw with organic media like wool, paper, earth, charcoal, and pastels. So when she tapped local designers Darrel Rippeteau, AIA, and Annica...

Local color.(imagine + create: art studios lure the muse from the mundanity)
April 1, 2006... Some artists seek the peace they need for their creative processes by retreating from the urbanity around them. Not the owner of this Los Angeles studio, who paints in oils as a sideline to his job in the entertainment industry. Architect...

Upward mobility: gypsum isn't the be-all, end-all for walls.(doctor spec)
April 1, 2006... The Washington, D.C.-based Gypsum Association estimates that at least 90 percent of all new and remodeled homes are constructed with gypsum interior walls. Considering the material's design versatility, easy installation, and relatively low...

Off the tracks.(new material: all the new that's fit to print.)
April 1, 2006... Environmentally conscious architects can spice up their projects by using old building products in new ways. TerraMai's Cinnamon Mix flooring, reclaimed from antique railway ties, is a good place to start. Comprised of Merbau, Alan Batu, Dtang,...

Kitchen consciense.(new material: all the new that's fit to print.)
April 1, 2006... Berkeley Mills is on a quest to make kitchen cabinets more sustainable, so the Berkeley, Calif.-based cabinetry and furniture maker has introduced two lines that use reclaimed materials, Forest Stewardship Council-certified woods, and...

Local news.(new material: all the new that's fit to print.)
April 1, 2006... Now you can read the morning paper while eating on a countertop made from yesterday's edition. Manufactured by Hoquiam, Wash.-based KlipTech Composites, PaperStone Certified surfacing combines 100 percent postconsumer recycled paper with a...

Sound and fuera.(to lav and lav not: sophisticated basins and vanities for the destination bath.)
April 1, 2006... Crafted from a single piece of onyx or granite, Fuera vessels keep a low, albeit lovely, profile. Part of Terra Acqua's Montecito Stone collection, the Fuera is available in two sizes--21 inches by 16 1/2 inches by 5 inches or 18 1/2 inches by...

Nu to you.(to lav and lav not: sophisticated basins and vanities for the destination bath.)
April 1, 2006... Hundreds of experiments over 14 months led Sonoma Cast Stone to reconfigure its mixes and modify its methods to create NuCrete, a trademarked precast-concrete surface that the manufacturer insists won't stain and will "look like new for years."...

Stone soul.(to lav and lav not: sophisticated basins and vanities for the destination bath.)
April 1, 2006... Hand-carved from a single piece of granite, the Michael Zimber-designed Zen stone basin brings natural tranquility to the bath. Mixing chiseled textures with highly polished surfaces generates a ruggedly refined look that works with a variety...

Urban legends.(to lav and lav not: sophisticated basins and vanities for the destination bath.)
April 1, 2006... Straight edges and sleek details give Cole & Co.'s Urban Theory collection a clean look. Three models, among them the Terre version seen here, offer variations on a cubist theme. Five different leg styles in polished chrome or brushed nickel...

Veni, vidi, Venecia.(to lav and lav not: sophisticated basins and vanities for the destination bath.)
April 1, 2006... The Venecia line, like all of Sonia's bath furniture, is constructed from marine-grade wood for greater water resistance. With its open shelves, side cubbies behind glass doors, and shallow drawers for easy reaching, the curved Venecia features...

Prix de due.(to lav and lav not: sophisticated basins and vanities for the destination bath.)
April 1, 2006... The Pin Due suite balances geometric bath furniture with free-form fixtures. Rectangular cabinets in oak feature full-length satin-chrome pulls. The sculptural countertop sink is available in round, oval, and asymmetric triangle configurations....

Where do you do your most creative thinking?(end quotes)
April 1, 2006... Marcie Meditch, AIA Meditch Murphey Architects, Chevy Chase, Md. "When I take an early morning walk." Guy Peterson, FAIA Guy Peterson/Office for Architecture, Sarasota, Fla. "In the swimming pool. I swim every day at lunch and it's...