An article by Christopher Hawthorne in the NY Times features a modern residence in Ketchum by Portland, Oregon based Allied Works. The firm's website features only one teeny-tiny image of this project, but thankfully the Times has a slideshow accompanying their article.

Allied Works managed to sneak an aggressively contemporary house into Sun Valley, where the architectural style might be called hunting-lodge chic on steroids.

Firm: Allied Works Architecture
Article: NY Times - Sun Valley Surprise: Chalet So Spare

Originally posted 2/16/2005

UPDATE: Allied Works has updated their website and now offers some detailed text and amazing images of the house including sketches and models in design development, construction shots and the completed project. We've added a few images, including a reduced plan by request. Please visit Allied Works' website for much more.

"The Great Bowl of Fire is cut from quarter inch thick steel— you could hit it with a car and it wouldn't notice. Your car would though, so I don't really recommend such extreme product testing. A better idea might be to chuck it off the roof, but please be careful getting it up there, it's very heavy."

This recent project, officially opened on March 12, 2005, is the first of three former industrial sites on the Waverton Peninsula to be transformed.

Firm: mcgregor+partners [Thanks, Tennille!]
Link: North Sydney Council BP Site Parkland
Images: Prior condition & remediation (pdf)
Images: Site construction (pdf)
Images: Opening (pdf)

And as the review continued on, we were plied with Jesus Juice... ahem... actually, we were treated to tasty homemade wine. Apparently one of the students makes batches of wine aged in her closet... quite impressive really.

This entry will complete the feature on the BrownLAb studio, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see the work of this hardworking group of students. These small images and brief descriptions presented here are barely a glimpse into this vast project.

BrownLAb - Part I
BrownLAb - Part II
BrownLAb - Part III

Designed by Toronto-based architects Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe, the chair is suitable for outdoor use. The ply version has a base price of $2,225 (Canadian), but a price is not listed for the metallic variety.

Designers: Shim-Sutcliffe Architects
Manufacturer: Nienkämper

This website features images and information of all twenty-three projects from the show organized around an interactive world map. Six of the projects are explored in detail.

Link: Groundswell MoMA
Via: The Dirt
Reference: Groundswell (Land+Living)
Reference: More Groundswell (Land+Living)

Link: Chelsea 2005 awards
Link: Chelsea Flower Show 2005
Link: BBC Coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show
Reference: Chelsea 2005 (Land+Living)

Let's get back to the relevant topic. Part of the research for the studio included the study of brownfield and reclamation precedents including Westergasfabriek, the High Line, work by Peter Latz, etc. These kinds of projects are very exciting and make landscape architecture so very relevant in the world.

BrownLAb - Part I
BrownLAb - Part II
BrownLAb - Part IV

Funny, so many people would say that they would like to be an actors. And for some reason, actors want to be architects (i.e. Brad Pitt). I think that neither profession is quite as exciting as the wannabes suspect.

But, Hayden, if you want to trade your Star Wars earnings for my MArch and CAD workstation, you've got a deal... as long as I get the lightsaber too.

The article covers some territory we have crossed before with some nice observations and observations. She provides a critique of the "need to use the past as a sort of architectural tranquilizer" and takes a look at the lifestyle center phenomenon, specifically talking about Victoria Gardens (see Downtown Mauled Part I & Part II). Though I would disagree with her stance which places blame for architectural pastiche squarely on New Urbanism as its agenda is more spatial than aesthetic.

Article: Metropolis - The Manchurian Main Street
Via: Planetizen
Reference: It's a Crock(er) (Land+Living)
Reference: Reality Bites (Land+Living)
And more L+L references to be found in Commentary

Overall the student work was very developed and considered, especially given the size and complexity of the site, and the fact that there was not a prescribed program. While certain elements are shared between many of the projects, each student had a unique take on the program, remediation process and site development.

BrownLAb - Part I
BrownLAb - Part III
BrownLAb - Part IV

Sunset offers quite a few images of the house in the factory, in transit and on site, though you have to be a registered subscriber to view everything.

An article by John King on SF Gate provides some commentary.

Article: Sunset - The Sunset Breezehouse
Article: SF Gate - A model house for the modern age
Link: Sunset Breezehouse, Michelle Kaufmann Designs
Reference: Breezehouse (Land+Living)

The problem: how to do justice with limited time and space to all of the hard work of this group of students? Since I have already had my chance to "review" them, I will refrain from offering too many comments and will instead provide a gallery of their work.

The studio was entitled BrownLAb: Wunderkammer @ the Yellow Car Maintenance Yards. The project location is a brown field site in south Los Angeles, a former maintenance yard for the defunct Yellow Car rail transit network. The industrial functions of the facility over the years have left the site contaminated.

Currently, the site is underused but does serve several functions. The MTA uses some of the remaining maintenance buildings on the south edge and a school for "at-risk" students occupies the north west portion of the site. The most active function of the site is a swap meet on the north eastern edge which functions as a community gathering place for the surrounding neighborhood.

Seeing student work is refreshing. Unlike the majority of my work in the "real world," it is all about the process of design, analysis and presentation. The limitations on creativity are basically nonexistent. David Fletcher and Tom Leader created an outstanding studio project and environment; the resulting student work was well developed and intriguing, the product of collaborative investigation and individual design development.

BrownLAb - Part II
BrownLAb - Part III
BrownLAb - Part IV

His subjects include many modern and historic architectural constructs from London and New York, capturing momumental impressions of everyday urban experience.

The lino cuts are printed on 100% cotton acid free paper with the finest quality oil based inks. Limited edition prints are available for purchase through Paul's website.

Link: Paul Catherall
Via: I Like

Thom Mayne hasn't been sleeping well. The radical L.A. architect, whose edgy designs seem to mirror his notoriously intense personality, keeps waking up from anxiety dreams. "They're all connected to figures of authority," he says. We don't need Freud to figure this one out. Mayne, 61, a true child of the '60s, has spent most of his career as a rebel outside the architectural mainstream—teaching, entering design competitions, creating dense, hyperkinetic small projects and basically staying faithful to his own gestalt.

Featured are:

• Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright
• Chrysler Building, William Van Alen
  
• Vanna Venturi House, Robert Venturi
• TWA terminal, Eero Saarinen
• Walt Disney Concert Hall, Frank Gehry
• 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, Mies van der Rohe
• National Gallery of Art, IM Pei
• Glass House, Philip Johnson
• Yale Art and Architecture Building, Paul Rudolph
• High Museum of Art, Richard Meier
• Exeter Academy Library, Louis I. Kahn
• Hancock Center, Bruce Graham / SOM

Link: USPS
Link: USPS press release

The design facilitates various installations, including an available wall bracket or on-countertop mounting. Available in white bronze, silicon bronze, brass or aluminum, each basin has a rough cast texture on the outside and a satin-polish on the inside.

To borrow the words of an infamous client, "quiet elegance." But in this case, we mean it - then again, so did he...

Link: Infinite Fitting
Link: Showrooms - US & Canada (pdf)
Designer: Bruce Tomb

Firminy-Vert was envisioned as a catalyst for urban renewal, centered around the former quarry. The plan called for three housing blocks (Corbu's Unité d'Habitation concept), a cultural center, stadium and a parish church. The project was completed after Corbu's death short two Unités and work on the church was halted in 1978.

Visit: Firminy (French)
Link: Culture.fr (French)
Article: IHT - Le Corbusier, by design (via: Planetizen)

This modern garden serves as an extension of the remodeled and expanded home by Eldridge Smerin Architects, in the Hampstead Village Conservation area of London. Inspired by the materiality of Carlo Scarpa, Ms. Blom defined the landscape as an extension of the modernist addition with concrete, glass, limestone and steel. The rich colors of the planting contrast and soften the rigid forms and materials.

Firm: Jinny Blom

I had a client come to me in April with a vague idea of how they wanted to remodel their home... and they wanted to break ground by the end of May! Uh... yeah. Most people have no concept of what it takes to design a building.

Design takes time; architect Arrol Gellner wrote an article published yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle explaining the process of design. But he doesn't even begin to talk about dealing with government agencies to gain approvals and permits or the actual construction process.

Article: SF Gate - Rome (or your bathroom) wasn't designed in a day

Created by brothers Jason and Geoffry Rosenblatt of San Francisco, the Modern Smoke Detector has a minimal profile and uses sustainable technologies... no radioactive material here as in other smoke detectors.

It is designed to lie recessed and flush-mounted into gypsum board finished wall or ceiling surfaces. Custom painting is available.

Link: Architectural Devices

UPDATE (12-11-06) - Now available. The first shipment has sold out, orders for the second shipment are currently being accepted.

Note: Land+Living does NOT sell these. You must contact the manufacturer, Architectural Devices, for sales information.

Link: On (Design) Bullshit

"Onix was requested by the Woonconcept Foundation to design approximately 14 patio bungalows for a small section of the Krakeel neighborhood in Hoogeveen. The houses are situated in a green zone that meanders through the suburb, consisting of an attractive green avenue, school facilities, ponds, a children’s farm, playing fields etc. An autonomous construction, the building forms a spatial jetty consists of private terraces, verandas, privacy screens, stages, a car port, end facades, roofs, a communal terrace, and an entrance gate to the inner area."

Imagine buildings that generate more energy than they consume and factories whose waste water is clean enough to drink.

Our job is to dream—and to make those dreams happen.

Reference: Cradle to Cradle (Land+Living)
Reference: "Cradle To Cradle To Washington" (Land+Living)
Related: What Can I Do? (Land+Living)

Built on a modest budget, the addition was designed to sit over the existing house with a small footprint and minimal structural alteration. Access to the new room is provided via an exterior stair and bridge over the existing roof.

Link: Bruce Tomb

We first became familiar Studio Four last year at CA Boom, and since then we haven't seen anything else like these refreshingly straightforward modern garden pieces. Sometimes the simple ideas are the best!

Link: Studio Four Los Angeles

You may, like us, care about the environment and the well being of the planet, but often find it to be difficult to "live green," the response is always, that's great but what can I do? Don't despair... you can change the world by your actions, no matter how small.

Whoa, now that seems awfully optimistic. Well, if you like, please continue reading my explanation of my green optimism... but, you can skip my explanation and get right to the assignment by following the link below for a very helpful, non-preachy article with suggestions and tips for what you can actually do.

Read it. No really. Bookmark it or print it for later, or screw the work you should be doing and read it now, but please read it... and pass it on.

Article: Natural Capitalism, Inc. - But, What Can I Do? (pdf file)

Link: Natural Capitalism Solutions - Recommended Resources
Link: Rocky Mountain Institute
Book: Natural Capitalism - Creating the Next Industrial Revolution

I will provided an overview of the student projects next week... the studio was very interesting and the work of a high caliber... but today I want to talk a bit about the design education hazing ritual known as the "crit."

Ms. Huxtable praises the innovative work of today's landscape architects and their focus on social issues and human needs... and she chastises architects for the current egomaniacal fixation on celebrity and object making.

Landscape architecture has come a long way from its theme-park and garden-club associations, and the design of public space is defining a new architectural frontier. The competitive infatuation with "signature" skyscrapers may continue to get the publicity, but some of the best young talents are staking their claims and reputations on the ground.

"From the start my main objective was to maintain a simple form that would not compete with the house / structure it sat infront of, plus be able to compliment any adjacent greenery. For something that will sit among shrubs and trees, it should look like it has the same right to be there. It almost feels like it grew out of the ground itself to a point that you almost anticipate it to get bigger each year or even sprout leaves. But the question usually asked is why pink ? Reason being this prototype was finished in that particular color was to bring it some attention right from the get go. With such an ultra simple form it needed a punch that would make someone stop and take notice."

Developed by the City Design Center, College of Architecture and the Arts, UIC in collaboration with The Field Museum, the exhibition features original models and drawings by noted architects and industrial designers.

Contrary to popular belief, manufactured homes have long been an affordable and high quality housing option. The history of these pre-fabricated dwellings transcends time and cultural boundaries, reflecting a long and colorful history. Native American teepees, yurts in Central Asia, Sears and Roebuck “kit houses,” and the mobile home are but a few examples.

House Industries, in collaboration with Dion Neutra and Otto Design Group is offering a limited number of Neutra designed Boomerang Chairs, as well as Neutra patterned pillows.

Link: House Industries

The key to future directions in landscape architecture is to broaden our ideas of landscape practice. Future practice must encompass all types of landscapes and all landscape problems. Landscape issues must become an intrinsic part of all developments; therefore, landscape practice must become "affordable."