Residential Architect articles from January 2004

Residential Architect archives from January 2004

The name game: should you name your firm after a person, place, or thing?(from the editor)
January 1, 2004... When journalists observe something unusual, they make a mental note of it. If they see it again, they think they've discovered a trend. Three times, and they'll probably write about it. Last issue, we covered five young architecture firms...

Barrier beef.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming.)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I very much enjoyed your editorial in the July issue of residential architect ("Vacation in Place," page 15). We routinely rail against the "devil's appraisal system" and the resale conventions that, as you say, "indenture" home buyers,...

Wake-up call.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming.)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I have been a heart patient since 1968, with several attacks and bypass surgery twice since then. Recently, my wife joined the heart-attack ranks, with a bypass and valve replacement. We have thus started to pursue a retirement home much more...

Vacation inspiration.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming.)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I have been a reader of your publication for the past few months, and find the quality exceptional. Though all our work is not residential, it is our favorite sector. Your editorial in the June issue was incredibly timely ("Art or...

Redlines.(Letters: keep those cards, letters, and e-mails coming.)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... Residential architect would like to clarify a quote from Todd Hansen in the November/December 2003 story "Start ups." The quote, which begins on page 54 and ends on page 56, should read: "I was bringing in projects that represented a third of...

Celebrity siting.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)
January 1, 2004... Andersen Windows is holding a premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. But the century-old window company hasn't branched out into making movies. Instead, it's opening a new show home, the Andersen inHOME, on January 15, the day the festival...

Shelter show.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)
January 1, 2004... Affordable housing can and should be beautiful. That's the premise of "Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset," a new exhibition at the National Building Museum opening February 28 and continuing through August 8, in Washington, D.C....

Planning ahead.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)
January 1, 2004... Ken Dahlin, AIA, wants to serve mid-range home buyers by offering a design-savvy alternative to "bland builder production homes that all look alike." This spring, he's moving his family into a prototype "New Prairie Concept Home." Clients will...

Calendar.(Home front: tips and trends from the world of residential design)(Calendar)
January 1, 2004... Ceramic tiles of italy design competition deadline: january 30 Celebrating its 11th year, this awards competition recognizes inventive use of Italian ceramic tile. A winner in each category--residential, commercial, and...

Kitchen: concrete impressions.(k+b studio)
January 1, 2004... Few can resist the lure of smooth, wet concrete calling out for carved initials or a quick hand imprint while no one's looking. Designer, artist, and concrete fabricator Fu-Tung Cheng of Berkeley, Calif.-based Cheng Design has been yielding to...

Bath: gray's concrete anatomy.(k+b studio)
January 1, 2004... "Concrete is fluid and shapeable. Aesthetically, there are many ways to get different effects. But it's also heavy and expensive," says Malibu, Calif.-based architect David Lawrence Gray, FAIA. Gray believes strongly enough in its benefits that...

Model behavior: designing a show home is not all glamour and congeniality.(perspective)
January 1, 2004... By definition, a model home is a dwelling created for purposes that go beyond the standard rationale of providing shelter or profit. In some instances a model home may be fueled by a social, aesthetic, or philosophical agenda, as when Prince...

Shades of gray: developing a seniors-housing niche means splitting a few hairs.(practice)
January 1, 2004... In Naples, Fla., WCI Communities recently completed a beachfront tower that targets well-heeled buyers in their 50s. Its penthouse is priced at $12 million. In Atlanta, James, Harwick + Partners is designing a subsidized apartment building for...

Change of heart: Torti Gallas and Partners helped invent sprawl. Now they're leading the charge against it.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... As a young architect a few years out of Notre Dame in the late 1960s, John Torti, FAIA, had an awakening. "I was working at a boutique firm in the Midwest, idealistic and starving, and realized you couldn't make money doing the kind of...

The great blight hope: despite some notable successes, HUD's HOPE VI program may prove there's no one-size-fits-all solution to the country's public-housing crisis.
January 1, 2004... The house-trailer--like duplexes at Park Lake Homes will soon vanish from this part of King County, just north of Seattle, replaced by the welcoming townhouses, parks, and orderly streets of a village called Greenbridge. Built in 1943 to house...

One word: laminates: it's time to rise above the basic three-tab, say asphalt-roof makers.(doctor spec)
January 1, 2004... Asphalt is by far the number-one residential roofing material in the United States, accounting for more than 70 percent of total yearly installed squares. For asphalt roofing manufacturers, of course, this is good news--but with a catch. The...

Classic glow.(Architects' choice: product picks from the pros.)
January 1, 2004... Jaklitsch calls the aluminum-and-glass Louis Poulsen PH 5 pendant a timeless classic. "Not only does it look great, but [designer Poul] Henningsen engineered it to shed direct and indirect light," he says. The pendant's graduated reflector...

Kitchen simmer.(Architects' choice: product picks from the pros.)
January 1, 2004... When Jaklitsch designs kitchens, he pays a lot of attention to the backsplash. One of his favorite products for this area is Tessera Midori tile from Oceanside Glasstile. "The broken edge makes it look very Old World and crafted," he says. "Its...

Hob knob.(Architects' choice: product picks from the pros.)
January 1, 2004... "Many people don't think of spending much money on their doorknobs," says Jaklitsch. "But I always try to convince my clients that they should make the investment in anything they are going to touch often." He recommends Baldwin's solid brass...

Glass wheel.(New material: piping-hot products for your next project.)
January 1, 2004... Light fixtures from New York City-based Oxygen are hand-sculpted by artists, making them one-of a-kind works of art, the company says. The Lucia pendant's 18-inch-diameter clear-glass outer layer encircles a 7-inch diameter inner cylinder of...

Windows ahoy.(New material: piping-hot products for your next project.)
January 1, 2004... Idaho Design has brought the traditional marine porthole ashore. The company's "vision panels" can he used on interior or exterior walls and on doors and cabinetry. CEO Tom Longhurst says architects are limited only by their imagination. The...

Crystal persuasion.(New material: piping-hot products for your next project.)
January 1, 2004... Quartz countertops are among the hottest products in today's kitchens and baths, so it's no surprise that quartz-based flooring is gaining ground, too. Northfield, Ill.-based Knight Industries says its Rikett vinyl tiles contain 70 percent...

Asphalt impersonator.(Shingular sensation: raise the roof with upscale styles and sizzling colors.)
January 1, 2004... ADVANTA panels combine the benefits of lightweight metal with the appearance of individual asphalt shingles. Each 1-foot by 3-foot section is molded and textured for an authentic appearance. Composed of natural copper and galvanized steel, the...

Layered look.(Shingular sensation: raise the roof with upscale styles and sizzling colors.)
January 1, 2004... Deep dimensional cuts, a layered design, and expanded 8 3/4-inch tab exposures give asphalt shingles in The Berkshire Collection the look of natural slate. The twelve variegated color palettes incorporate shadow accents for added drama....

Shake it up.(Shingular sensation: raise the roof with upscale styles and sizzling colors.)
January 1, 2004... IKO introduces the Regency shingle, a shake lookalike constructed from laminated, double-layered, fiberglass-based asphalt. Random-cut profiles with deep shadow lines and a textured surface mimic rough-sawn wood. Finishes include weatherwood,...

Super sized.(Shingular sensation: raise the roof with upscale styles and sizzling colors.)
January 1, 2004... Heritage XL double-layered, laminated mat shingles boast a random-cut, sawtooth pattern with oversized tabs approximately 10 inches wide--an average of 4 inches wider than standard shingle tabs, the company says. Choose from five blended color...

New angle.(Shingular sensation: raise the roof with upscale styles and sizzling colors.)
January 1, 2004... Wide scalloped corners give the fiberglass-based Carriage House Shangle a bold geometric profile suitable for a range of house styles, from Victorian to contemporary. Among the color options are black pearl, Sherwood forest, Victorian blue, and...

Heavy hitter.(Shingular sensation: raise the roof with upscale styles and sizzling colors.)
January 1, 2004... GrandSlate shingles gain extra resilience from GAF's Super-Heavyweight Plus construction (approximately 425 pounds per square). The company says each layer of material in its fiberglass asphalt shingle is up to 60 percent thicker than...

Modern life: El Pueblo Ribera Court, La Jolla, Calif., 1923 Rudolf M. Schindler.(end quote)
January 1, 2004... Through their flowing floor plans and elemental materials, the homes designed by Rudolf Schindler emphasize creativity, calm, and openness to new ideas. This relationship between home and lifestyle comes through clearly in the 12-unit housing...