Residential Architect articles from March 2006

Residential Architect archives from March 2006

How green is green enough? Must we sacrifice our love of beauty to embrace sustainable design?(from the editor)
March 1, 2006... This is our annual issue dedicated to sustainable residential design. When covering this topic, we're inevitably pushed into making a devil's bargain. We won't sacrifice our notion of good design just to show something "green." We'll always...

Value proposition.(letters: exercise your right to write.)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... Like all construction costs, hard costs for single-family production-built homes vary greatly, from as low as $50 per square foot in some Southern areas to the $200 per square foot you used for hard costs in some large cities ("Where's the...

Redlines.(letters: exercise your right to write.)(Correction notice)
March 1, 2006... The photographer of the large Pitchfork photo on page 76 of the January/ February 2006 issue was misidentified. The photo was taken by Tim Murphy/ FotoImagery.com.

On the boards/green dream.(home front: news from the leading edge of residential design.)
March 1, 2006... In the workaday world, creative architects are limited by such prosaic matters as clients' tastes and budgets But that hasn't stopped LEED-certified architect Graham Smith of the Lunny International Group, Vancouver, British Columbia, from...

Hurricane haven.(home front: news from the leading edge of residential design.)
March 1, 2006... At just 308 square a feet, Marianne Cusato's Katrina Cottage is a tiny thing, but it made a big impression at its recent International Builders' Show debut in Orlando, Fla. Conceived during the Mississippi Renewal Forum led by DPZ's Andres...

Green by the book.(home front: news from the leading edge of residential design.)
March 1, 2006... Dedicated green designers struggle mightily to keep up with changes in eco-building products. But they have a valuable i resource in the GreenSpec Directory, revised and published annually by the editors of Environmental Building News. ...

Calendar.(home front)(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... living in motion: design and architecture for flexible dwelling through may 7 institute of contemporary art, boston This exhibition challenges the sense of permanence the act of dwelling implies, tracing flexible modes of living through...

Kitchen: main course.(k + b studio)
March 1, 2006... Brad Burke wants to lead by example, so he designed his home with sustainability firmly in mind. Located on a three-acre site outside San Diego, the house produces more energy than it consumes, and it has as much outdoor living space as...

bath: inside out.(k + b studio)
March 1, 2006... Small, versatile, and sustainable with strong indoor-outdoor ties. These were the goals Tom Lenchek. AIA, had in mind for his own vacation home in the Cascade Mountains. The lone bathroom in this 1,400-square-foot cabin is a microcosm of those...

Sense and sustainability: David Miller explains his three-pronged approach to sustainable design.(perspective)
March 1, 2006... designing for sustainability can be one of the most important and challenging architectural tasks. Through modern engineering, architects have been able to produce reasonably comfortable interior conditions in almost any climate. However, the...

Growing green: cultivating a sustainable practice doesn't always come naturally.(practice)
March 1, 2006... David Warner remembers when he was the only guy in line for the Douglas fir joists and studs that were being dismantled from old army housing at the Presidio in San Francisco. When the last building was deconstructed five years later,...

Keeping up with the Joneses: Jones studio balances sustainable design, architectural rigor, and the harsh luster of the desert Southwest.(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... Hey, bro." That's how Eddie Jones, AIA, answers his phone when his business partner calls. The two foster a casual, freewheeling atmosphere at their Phoenix-based architecture practice, but the informal greeting probably has more to do with the...

Do not disturb: what you don't do matters as much as what you do.
March 1, 2006... sheltering birches It's an undeniable fact that home building consumes resources and disturbs nature. The goal of a responsible architect, then, is to design a house that blunts the blow to its delicate surroundings. This 2,700-square-foot...

No-blame flame: finally, you can spec hearth burn without heartburn.(products: doctor spec)
March 1, 2006... The fireplace has long been an iconic symbol ill American culture. "It takes us back to grandmother's house," says Carbondale, Colo.-based architect Doug Graybeal, AIA, "and it's better than television." But, setting aside our affinity for...

Oh, naturel.(products: architects' choice: product picks from the pros.)
March 1, 2006... Cot-Ten is a steel-copper alloy that is prized for its durability in commercial construction; Dwight likes the material because it's virtually maintenance-free and has a high recycled content. "It's normally used for bridges and overpasses so...

Nice to trees.(products: architects' choice: product picks from the pros.)
March 1, 2006... Dwight is fond of renewable resources, particularly cork flooring. "I've had cork-tile floors in every house I've owned," he says. "The cork bark is harvested without harming the tree, and the resiliency of the tiles is easy on your back during...

Brick is back.(products: architects' choice: product picks from the pros.)
March 1, 2006... Dwight says bricks add instant character to a building and warm even the most modern spaces. But not just any brick will do: it has to be old. "There are so many brick buildings being torn down these days that I don't see why anyone would buy...

Good spirits. (products: off the shelf: incendiary devices: where there's no smoke, there's still fire.
March 1, 2006... The Fire Co. calls denatured ethanol--also known as methylated spirits--the fuel of the future, because it produces a smoke-free blaze that leaves no emissions or particulates behind. The Sydney, Australia-based manufacturer's EcoSmart product...

Eco inferno. (products: off the shelf: incendiary devices: where there's no smoke, there's still fire.
March 1, 2006... The EcoFire Super-Grate's heated air jets burn wood nearly 800 degrees hotter than the average fire, which increases radiant heat and produces less smoke, says the maker. Woodside, Calif.-based Andiron Technologies claims its product reduces...

Carry a torch. (products: off the shelf: incendiary devices: where there's no smoke, there's still fire.
March 1, 2006... Acantha Lifestyle's line of contemporary, portable gel burners deliver a clean and attractive flame. The United Kingdom-manufactured vessels are available in pyramid, cone, globe, and glass-plate designs with ceramic, stainless steel, and...

Hot water. (products: off the shelf: incendiary devices: where there's no smoke, there's still fire.
March 1, 2006... Whoever said water and electricity don't mix never saw the Aqueon in action. The electrolysis-fueled fireplace passes an electrical current through water to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen. This ignites the hydrogen to produce a flame and...

Northern lights. (products: off the shelf: incendiary devices: where there's no smoke, there's still fire.
March 1, 2006... Artequa's patented "Digital Living Lights Process" is endearingly schizophrenic: One minute it's a fire, the next it's a mirror. Developed in Finland to simulate natural light effects, the company's firelight products (including the Ellumo...

Advanced degrees. (products: off the shelf: incendiary devices: where there's no smoke, there's still fire.
March 1, 2006... Owners of pellet stoves like Quadra-Fire's Santa Fe can control the intensity of their fires with the flick of a switch. The units use compressed pellets--recycled from wood scraps or cornhusks--which burn hotter and cleaner than wood logs....

Which visionary has influenced you most?(end quotes)
March 1, 2006... Sebastian Schmaling, AIA Johnsen Schmaling Architects, Milwaukee "Miroslav Sik [not pictured] is a Czech architect who studied under Aldo Rossi and whose (mostly unbuilt) architecture emphasizes the inherent qualities of a specific...