My blogg has moved 3.21.07
you can now visit my blog on the Minneapolis Star Tribune web site where it will be a weekly feature oin the Saturday Home section as well as a destination on their online presence called From the Ground Up.
http://www.startribune.com/blogs/newhouse/
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Monday, February 5, 2007
Taking Shape
Virtually Completed 2.5.07
Last weeks meeting with Micheal (our architect) really got me excited about how this entire project is coming to life. Our meeting was a working meeting where Micheal shared the dozen or more ideas he had generated regarding the interior and exterior of the home. We were able to take a peak at the 3D-rendering on the computer and even toy around a little with exterior materials. The virtual tour of the interior really made the project become a reality to me. Seeing for the first time what I have imagined in my head so many times was really cool and very exciting.
Here are some of the images of the exterior that best represent what the final product should look like. The house is starting to take on it's own personality at this point. This is really evident when you start moving materials around on the outside of the building and realize that the structure is asking for a little less here or a little more there to create balance and harmony.
The brown sections of the house are a concrete siding (in large sheets) floating off the exterior surface of the building and divided with a grid system at varying sizes. The gray areas are two different substrates. The first on the main body of the house as well as the chimney is a traditional vertical style shed siding (popular in a lot of loft style buildings). the second materials is concrete and makes up the entire lower half of north side of the house both on the inside and outside.
Last weeks meeting with Micheal (our architect) really got me excited about how this entire project is coming to life. Our meeting was a working meeting where Micheal shared the dozen or more ideas he had generated regarding the interior and exterior of the home. We were able to take a peak at the 3D-rendering on the computer and even toy around a little with exterior materials. The virtual tour of the interior really made the project become a reality to me. Seeing for the first time what I have imagined in my head so many times was really cool and very exciting.
Here are some of the images of the exterior that best represent what the final product should look like. The house is starting to take on it's own personality at this point. This is really evident when you start moving materials around on the outside of the building and realize that the structure is asking for a little less here or a little more there to create balance and harmony.
The brown sections of the house are a concrete siding (in large sheets) floating off the exterior surface of the building and divided with a grid system at varying sizes. The gray areas are two different substrates. The first on the main body of the house as well as the chimney is a traditional vertical style shed siding (popular in a lot of loft style buildings). the second materials is concrete and makes up the entire lower half of north side of the house both on the inside and outside.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Solar Power
Another Sunny Day 2.4.07
On a crazy cold day like today I so often wonder why I live in the Upper Midwest. Every year we have the same discussions about how nice it would be to spend winters in the south and summers in the north, applying the common sense of your average migratory waterfowl. Yet the reality is, unless I hit the lotto or until I hit retirement I am here for the duration of my working life. With that being said on a day like today when it is -7ยบ below zero outside for the high and my furnace seems to run continuously I think about all the free energy falling to the earth in the form of sunshine.
Like many people, I always thought solar power was an idea that had run it's course during the fuel crunch of the 1970's and early 80's or something for hardcore "save the planet" sorts. What I have recently come to learn is that solar power can be something almost anyone who is building a new home can enjoy. The traditional solar energy systems that most of us think of rely largely on unsightly panels positioned on the roof or southern walls of ones home. However our new home will have non of these (quite expensive) energy harnessing panels yet will reap the rewards of solar energy and it's something almost every new home in America could have. It's called passive solar and takes little more than some forethought, planning and understanding of the lot where the home will reside.
So if you're like me, you want to know how this all works and why more homes aren't built with this relatively free feature in them. The answer to both questions is planning. Passive solar energy requires the architect, homeowner or builder to plan for the design, construction materials and positioning of the structure both in relationship to the sun but as well as the elements of the land and general geography. Passive solar does not harness the suns energy to convert it to electricity. Rather it works to take advantage of it's ability to naturally heat the house while utilizing the design of the building (in particular where windows are located) and the positioning of exterior elements like trees to help cool the house in the summer. For example our house is positioned so that the majority of windows face the south and in particular the southwest to gather the hottest sun of the day during the winter. While those same windows are shielded from the summer heat by trees on the southwest side of the property. As well, materials like concrete floors, large over hangs and limited windows on the north side of the building help to maximize the suns energy in the winter months.
SO why don't more people implement this type of money saving solar heating? Largely the answer is awareness. Without homeowners driving the demand, builders and developers have no motivation to offer custom planning to ensure that each home optimizes it's passive solar potential.
On a crazy cold day like today I so often wonder why I live in the Upper Midwest. Every year we have the same discussions about how nice it would be to spend winters in the south and summers in the north, applying the common sense of your average migratory waterfowl. Yet the reality is, unless I hit the lotto or until I hit retirement I am here for the duration of my working life. With that being said on a day like today when it is -7ยบ below zero outside for the high and my furnace seems to run continuously I think about all the free energy falling to the earth in the form of sunshine.
Like many people, I always thought solar power was an idea that had run it's course during the fuel crunch of the 1970's and early 80's or something for hardcore "save the planet" sorts. What I have recently come to learn is that solar power can be something almost anyone who is building a new home can enjoy. The traditional solar energy systems that most of us think of rely largely on unsightly panels positioned on the roof or southern walls of ones home. However our new home will have non of these (quite expensive) energy harnessing panels yet will reap the rewards of solar energy and it's something almost every new home in America could have. It's called passive solar and takes little more than some forethought, planning and understanding of the lot where the home will reside.
So if you're like me, you want to know how this all works and why more homes aren't built with this relatively free feature in them. The answer to both questions is planning. Passive solar energy requires the architect, homeowner or builder to plan for the design, construction materials and positioning of the structure both in relationship to the sun but as well as the elements of the land and general geography. Passive solar does not harness the suns energy to convert it to electricity. Rather it works to take advantage of it's ability to naturally heat the house while utilizing the design of the building (in particular where windows are located) and the positioning of exterior elements like trees to help cool the house in the summer. For example our house is positioned so that the majority of windows face the south and in particular the southwest to gather the hottest sun of the day during the winter. While those same windows are shielded from the summer heat by trees on the southwest side of the property. As well, materials like concrete floors, large over hangs and limited windows on the north side of the building help to maximize the suns energy in the winter months.
SO why don't more people implement this type of money saving solar heating? Largely the answer is awareness. Without homeowners driving the demand, builders and developers have no motivation to offer custom planning to ensure that each home optimizes it's passive solar potential.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Down Under
Land of Plenty 1.17.07
In the past few years I have started to turn to the internet for almost all my "need to know" questions. Phone numbers, definitions of words, a speedy search for an obscure fact (that I can use to belittle my family and closest friends during a trivial pop culture conversation). This has also proven to be my outlet for everything I want or desire from a modern design perspective. Many many ventures into the world of the web has left me to one glaringly obvious discovery, Australia is truly the land of plenty when it comes to modern design. In America when I refer to the term modern home design I am as likely to find anything built in the past 10 years featuring indoor plumbing as I am to anything who's attributes actually reflect the modern design movement. However in Australia these ideas seem to be one in the same. Modern design (the conceptual movement) and modern housing (those built in the past decade) seem to be synonymous. Inevitably when I find a cool product (that is not sold on some highly over priced design driven site aimed at the upper 1% of home buyers) It's from — You guessed it — Australia.
There even appear to be entire neighborhoods filled with highly thoughtful modern contemporary houses. It's almost as if you were to plop down a two-story craftsman in the middle of Australia the people there would stare at as if it were the landing of some alien craft.
In the past few years I have started to turn to the internet for almost all my "need to know" questions. Phone numbers, definitions of words, a speedy search for an obscure fact (that I can use to belittle my family and closest friends during a trivial pop culture conversation). This has also proven to be my outlet for everything I want or desire from a modern design perspective. Many many ventures into the world of the web has left me to one glaringly obvious discovery, Australia is truly the land of plenty when it comes to modern design. In America when I refer to the term modern home design I am as likely to find anything built in the past 10 years featuring indoor plumbing as I am to anything who's attributes actually reflect the modern design movement. However in Australia these ideas seem to be one in the same. Modern design (the conceptual movement) and modern housing (those built in the past decade) seem to be synonymous. Inevitably when I find a cool product (that is not sold on some highly over priced design driven site aimed at the upper 1% of home buyers) It's from — You guessed it — Australia.
There even appear to be entire neighborhoods filled with highly thoughtful modern contemporary houses. It's almost as if you were to plop down a two-story craftsman in the middle of Australia the people there would stare at as if it were the landing of some alien craft.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Massing Studies
Going in a Good Direction 1.03.07
The first few phases of the architectural process went really, really fast and easy. I think it's a combination of a good architect who listens (and my experience is they don't all do that) and us having really thought about what we want. Anyhow we did some early exterior studies and from there we basically narrowed down. So at the end of September we landed on where we are at today. This is a massing study of the exterior, there are interior drawings as well but they are less solid than these so I'm holding those for later. This exterior looks strikingly similar to one of the first three rough sketches that Michael showed us.
Withdrawal
Since September we haven't done anything with the plans. A combination of busy schedules and trying to do some research to ensure we're within our budget have made the time past quickly.However the lull in progress has been driving me crazy. I find myself thinking about the house every free moment I have. It's an obsession. I'm going through some sort of creative progress withdrawal at this point. I find myself watching every episode of any HGTV or FineLiving show that may have a hint of modern design. Paging through back issues of Dwell and Metropolitan Home hoping to cure my craving but nothing is working. hopefully tonights meeting with Michael is the antidote.
The first few phases of the architectural process went really, really fast and easy. I think it's a combination of a good architect who listens (and my experience is they don't all do that) and us having really thought about what we want. Anyhow we did some early exterior studies and from there we basically narrowed down. So at the end of September we landed on where we are at today. This is a massing study of the exterior, there are interior drawings as well but they are less solid than these so I'm holding those for later. This exterior looks strikingly similar to one of the first three rough sketches that Michael showed us.
Withdrawal
Since September we haven't done anything with the plans. A combination of busy schedules and trying to do some research to ensure we're within our budget have made the time past quickly.However the lull in progress has been driving me crazy. I find myself thinking about the house every free moment I have. It's an obsession. I'm going through some sort of creative progress withdrawal at this point. I find myself watching every episode of any HGTV or FineLiving show that may have a hint of modern design. Paging through back issues of Dwell and Metropolitan Home hoping to cure my craving but nothing is working. hopefully tonights meeting with Michael is the antidote.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
The Mailbox
I'm a designer it's my nature 12.31.06
Ok so at this point it's a tad bit early to start worrying about if the mail carrier is going to have a tough time finding our house, or if we are going to get anything good in the mail, but I'm a designer so it's my nature to obsess about the details. Plus I want to put my mark on the design of the house and what better way than to design the first thing you see— the mailbox.
I'm pretty happy with it but I'll put it away for awhile until it's existence is closer at hand. I have a fabricator/engineer in mind for the metal, plexi and to get the appropriate light working. The top is intended to be oxidized metal the middle section is a frosted plexi that is back lit so that the stainless steel house numbers stand out clearly at night and the base is poured concrete.
Ok so at this point it's a tad bit early to start worrying about if the mail carrier is going to have a tough time finding our house, or if we are going to get anything good in the mail, but I'm a designer so it's my nature to obsess about the details. Plus I want to put my mark on the design of the house and what better way than to design the first thing you see— the mailbox.
I'm pretty happy with it but I'll put it away for awhile until it's existence is closer at hand. I have a fabricator/engineer in mind for the metal, plexi and to get the appropriate light working. The top is intended to be oxidized metal the middle section is a frosted plexi that is back lit so that the stainless steel house numbers stand out clearly at night and the base is poured concrete.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Contractors and Architects
Good Sledding so Far 12.30.06
One of my close friends (Corey Benedict) is the owner of Benedict and Associates and is going to be our General Contractor on this project. He's focused his business on build "high performance homes" or in other words as energy efficient and green friendly as people are willing to let him build. As well this past spring his model home on the Western Wisconsin Tour of homes won the award for quality home builder.
This past spring when we started talking with Corey about building a MoCo home he mentioned we should meet with an architect name Michael Huber (http://www.mhuberarchitects.com). Corey thought highly of him and felt he would be a great fit for some of the ideas we had talked about. Prior to meeting him we saw an episode of the HGTV show "What's with that house" that featured Michael's own home. We both liked what we saw and heard and when we met him in early June we that this was going to be great fit.
Since we settled on our lot in August we've been having regular meeting with Michael to begin the really neat stage of designing a custom home. I think what we have liked most about Michael is that not only does he bring a level of creativity to the table but he also collaborates with Stacy and I and that is important as we both have lots of ideas and opinions.
One of my close friends (Corey Benedict) is the owner of Benedict and Associates and is going to be our General Contractor on this project. He's focused his business on build "high performance homes" or in other words as energy efficient and green friendly as people are willing to let him build. As well this past spring his model home on the Western Wisconsin Tour of homes won the award for quality home builder.
This past spring when we started talking with Corey about building a MoCo home he mentioned we should meet with an architect name Michael Huber (http://www.mhuberarchitects.com). Corey thought highly of him and felt he would be a great fit for some of the ideas we had talked about. Prior to meeting him we saw an episode of the HGTV show "What's with that house" that featured Michael's own home. We both liked what we saw and heard and when we met him in early June we that this was going to be great fit.
Since we settled on our lot in August we've been having regular meeting with Michael to begin the really neat stage of designing a custom home. I think what we have liked most about Michael is that not only does he bring a level of creativity to the table but he also collaborates with Stacy and I and that is important as we both have lots of ideas and opinions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)