The Sauber Residence
When I look at Michael Ryan archtiecture I can’t help but ask myself, “Why shouldn’t we all live inside a piece of art?” Like a Mark Rothko painting, it is the detail that makes these simple shapes exciting. The elements seem to relate to one another in an effortless manner. Color, texture, height, pattern… I could go on and on. And to top it all off, the firm seems to be really cool to work with. They told me that the 3 bedrooom house won an AIA NJ(New Jersey) Merit Award for Exellence in Design in 2008, and that the wood that is used for the facade is Atlantic White Cedar with a fiberglass trim. That tall tower is exactly that: an observation tower… I wonder what they’re looking at. Maybe the ocean? Does it matter? I’d wouldn’t mind “observing” a landfill from up there. But anyway, I’ve looked at their website about 30 times since I found it. They probably think I’m psycho.
Check out the little hatch window
Throwback Thursday
Even though we’ve all seen “Falling Water” ten thousand times, I just can’t get enough of it. We were introduced to this video by our friends over at GrassrootsModern.com and it’s a whole new realm of “Falling Water.” Last time I watched this I told my wife that I viewed Frank Lloyd Wright architecture the same way I view a Range Rover: it’s so beautiful that I’d gladly put up with all of the headaches that come with it.
Falling Water from cihanozdemir.com on Vimeo.
Do You Know What LEED Stands For?
Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock. A LEED Platinum Building
I was at a meeting on Monday, and someone there offered to buy me lunch if I could tell him what the words in the acronym “LEED” were. “Uh…. leadership in engineering environment….. design….. wait, leadership in excellence….. I don’t know.” Turns out he didn’t know either and both of us are involved in a local project that has been LEED certified. So today’s post goes out to LEED. It stands for Leadship in Energy and Environmental Design. Two websites that I recommend looking at are the actual LEED page and the Wikipedia page on the topic. One thing is for certain, designing a platinum project is really, really involved. I liked the Wikipedia page because it seemed to me, a little more objective. It talks about how some institutions, like the Navy, are taking the money they would have spent on certification and spending it on making their buildings even more green. It also discusses the difference between “green” and “zero energy” building. So next time somebody asks, you’ll get the free lunch.
Drew Heath’s Zig Zag Cabin
So what can you buy for US$20,000? How about a 269 square ft. minimalist cabin named after the pattern of its windows? Yes please. The Zig Zag cabin is located 2 and a half hours north of Sydney, Australia outside of a place called Wollombi. Upon arriving, you have to “unpack” the house because it basically doubles as a closet while you’re not there, you sleep in one of three small beds (one of which is hung from the ceiling), and the water that you use is collected rain water. When you wake up, you make one of the beds and then set up the kitchen to cook breakfast on top of that bed. So maybe the term “cabin” is not one that we should use here; perhaps, it’s more of a tent-trailer. But if this is any insight into the future of camping, count me in.
Most of the design was conceived on a single beer coaster, and it was very different than what the client was anticipating. They requested a normal house. He responded, ““We are disgusting as human beings the way we live – we really have lost control… there’d be more space in the world for us to go walking if we reduced our consumption of everything.” I guess that was that. But I doubt they look back. Heath’s attention to detail is what makes this small space interesting. It’s an amazing retreat, and I can’t stop thinking about reading a book on that deck.
There’s Always Room For a Fantastic Staircase
I stumbled upon this beauty of a staircase and started wondering what the codes are for designing a floating staircase. Most of the pressure is, obviously, in the engineering of the thing, but check out the IRC codes for staircases. I don’t think this staircase would pass the “4 inch round sphere test,” although I could be wrong.
Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre
How cool is this place?! It’s a cultural center in New Caledonia. Renzo Piano is the architect, and he wanted the buildings to resemble villiage clusters of the local Kanak people. It’s named after a leader of the Kanak people who was killed because of his efforts for independence. Renzo Piano also involved Jean-Marie’s widow in the process of design, which is pretty sweet.
Recycled Roofing
In all of our efforts to be “green” or “responsible” about the environment, we find alternatives to traditional products springing up left and right. EcoStar has a great, 80% recycled, LEED certified roofing product for a greener house. The recycled material can also weigh a lot less than traditional roofing so fewer trucks are needed to get it done. There’s a bunch of styles and colors so check it out at EcoStar.Carlisle.com.
Throwback Thursday
The term “Gothic” has come to be synonymous with “scary” and very associated with the color black. But today’s throwback goes to Gothic architecture. Because of the stigma I took a long time to warm up to it, but the term “Gothic” to me now means “not scary” and I associate it with the variouse soft colors of amazing stained glass windows. My fave of all Gothicdom is the Cathedral of St. Chapelle. It’s not nearly as large as other Gothic cathedrals, but it’s basically all windows, which was what the masons and the Catholic church were going for. The structural support all but disappears, there’s tons of light and color, and there’s a feeling that the whole thing should collapse any minute; the buildings actually represented some of the magic that is religion. Being inside these cathedrals was to be a heavenly experience.
Let’s not forget other beautiful aspects of the Gothic era:
Alamillo Bridge
Santiago Calatrava has long been one of my favorite architects. Although he does design buildings, his bridges are what captivate me. He pulls some of his inspiration from musical instruments which creates a “dialogue of balance between pylon and deck.” This particular bridge is in Seville, Spain, but may I recommend checking out all of his stuff at calatrava.com.
