Two common alternatives to the traditional fireplace that have been gaining favor with consumers ready for a simpler installation, lower maintenance and ease of use are the ethanol and gel-fueled fireplaces. If you’re considering purchasing one, this video describes everything you need to know. In it, I discuss costs, configurations, types, layout, and fuels along with a few caveats.
Cars are among the largest physical objects we own, which helps us rationalize the generous square footage we allocate to them on our property and in our homes. Because of their size, they’re not an easy aesthetic problem to solve. Architects and designers have always struggled with how best to orient the mass and large footprint of the garage. Detached, connected, trellised, to the side, to the rear, beneath — every possible location requires compromise. In this video I discuss various strategies to conceal the garage. In hopes that we can move beyond arriving to the garage door rather than the porch or the front door.
In this video I review the the accessory dwelling unit (ADU), which is an additional, self-contained home located either within or adjacent to an existing house. They're also known as in-law units, granny flats, multigenerational homes, and laneway houses. These offer a compelling solution to the problem of suburban sprawl and are an excellent means of increasing the utilization of existing municipal infrastructure.
I discuss the permitting procedures, restrictions, and general planning framework for the ADU, where to start and the costs involved.
Resources mentioned in the video:
This is a short list of the threads and inspirations that have been influencing my work lately. Some lurk just beneath the surface, waiting for the right opportunity, the right site or the right client, while others are more thematic and make appearances again and again. I hope they’ll help to replenish your creative stores and inspire you to see the world around you through a new lens.
Architects in search of novel uses for humble materials are now using plywood for a higher aesthetic purpose as a finished surface in living spaces. It’s become a handy means of modernizing and warming an interior for a relatively inexpensive cost. In this video I discuss ways to find out if it’s right for your project. I review: veneer types, grades, thickness, joinery, finishing, as well as where and how to use it.
Kinetic architecture, which moves or changes to adapt to seasonal, functional or daylight requirements has roots dating back to medieval times. A castle’s drawbridge served as a multifunctional kinetic wall, door and footbridge. The futurists and constructivists of the Russian art movement of the early 20th century explored kinetics by infusing their proposals with notions of highly mechanized, sleek, modern, industrial construction. In this video I discuss moving walls, roof planes, colossal doors, sliding screens, pivoting openings, and gizmos. These are all devices that can dramatically transform space and adapt a structure to its local environment.
In this video I review modern firewood storage ideas and options. I discuss: sizing, location, orientation, and offer a few unique concepts to borrow for your own wood storage needs.
Passive design strategies are becoming widely accepted as a way to drastically reduce the amount of energy a home consumes and low-tech solutions are gaining favor with designers and homeowners alike. Shutters are one such low-tech means of passively controlling the environment around a building. Operable shutters control light, temper heat, shield or welcome wind, buffer noise and provide privacy. Like a versatile three-season jacket they can help make life more comfortable. This video explores a few modern examples of the multipurpose shutter.
This video is a primer on channel glass and an architect's take on the material. It's a 10-minute short course describing:
- Cost
- Uses
- Physical and thermal properties
- Finish and color options
- Attachment specifics
- Special design considerations
- Benefits and liabilities
Unlike standard float glass, channel glass has a high recycled content and the opportunity for improved thermal performance over insulated glass units. It's translucent so it provides natural daylight to spaces with privacy requirements or in tight urban sites where undesirable views are a design constraint.
In this video I review the process of designing modern handrail details. I advocate an informed minimalism whereby safety and function is the priority but I quickly move beyond merely what the building codes dictate (width, tread run, riser height, guardrail and handrail conventions) into meaningful design gestures and appropriate materials. Within the necessary safety and functional constraints, the modern examples I use to illustrate the concept in the video still manage to delight the senses. Be sure to read this related post on minimal deck guards and edges which describes in detail the guardrail for the Pond House project.
In this video I review everything you need to know about multiwall (sometimes called twinwall) structured sheet plastic. I review the cost, manufacturers (Polygal, Verolite, Thermoclear, Palram, Sunlite), light transmission, thermal properties, installation details, size, color, shapes and possible uses. As with all of my videos I review the material from the standpoint of an architect evaluating the product for potential use in home design and construction projects.
In this video I discuss the reasons for choosing a shed roof shape as well as the design implications of the choice. Sheds are structurally simple, site responsive forms that are finely tuned to passive solar collection. With opportunities for daylighting via clerestories, rainwater harvesting and other aesthetic benefits they're a great choice to meld traditional and contemporary design languages.
I like the shed form for its humble roots and its directional nature. I've designed a few projects that utilize the shed roof:
Naskeag House
In this video I discuss four modern design attitudes toward the baseboard design and detailing in residential architecture. They are: no base, reveal base, flush base, and the applied base. Baseboard protects a highly trafficked (and abused) part of the home and covers the messy joint between the finished wall and floor. This collection of modern base details highlights the aesthetic language of modernism: functional, spare, humble, minimalist and expressive.
For modern baseboard details I've designed see:
In this video I discuss the origins of the dogtrot as a plan archetype, its history and how it came to be. Although commonly thought of as a Southern building type early settlers of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Swedes and Finns brought with them the "pair cottage" from Northern Europe. This shaped the early dogtrots in the United States. It was widely adopted in the South because is offered an ingenious method of passively cooling the home. This is the first of a three-part video series. In part 2 I discuss the design process for the modern dogtrot floor plans I've developed which were inspired by these early prototypes.
In this video I review and contrast two distinct approaches for designing the essential architectural elements of the modern fireplace. Each concept is illustrated with a contemporary architectural example. By intentionally emphasizing or minimizing different components varying effects can be achieved.
For more fireplace images see here.
In this video I discuss how to put metal mesh to work in your home. I'm always searching for new materials to use in my residential work. I’m particularly drawn to adapting simple, utilitarian, industrial materials for use in the home. Industrial metal mesh is an excellent example of this and one that deserves consideration for both interior and exterior use. In the video I review the different types of mesh available from bar grating and metal fabrics to screening and wire meshes. I discuss the substrates and specific applications. Each is illustrated with images depicting their use.
In this video I discuss the advantages and disadvantages of phasing your home construction project. Phasing intentionally and selectively plans for and delays certain aspects of a home's construction. While it saves money up front, it usually costs more in the long-term. The advantages of phased construction are:
The disadvantages are:
I discuss the details of financing concerns, planning issues, sequencing, phasing plans, staging, scheduling, and living with the mess of construction.
Phasing is an overall more complex process, but it makes sense in certain cases, the video explains those cases supported with lots of visuals.
In this video I review new ways to put the common garage door to use around your home. I review the types of garage doors: pivoting, sectional, and coiling as well as the materials, hardware options and special considerations you'll want to review before committing to using this design element in your home. The images offer proof that the overhead door doesn't have to be relegated to only the garage anymore.
In this video I review seven of the most common tricks I use as an architect to separate space in an open floor plan. I talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each including: the room within a room concept, open shelving, thin wall planes, thick wall masses, sliding walls, fabrics (metal and cloth), and hybrid systems.
In this video I discuss the secret to pocket doors' success - selecting the proper hardware. I discuss quality architectural hardware specifics from manufacturers like: Hafele, FSB, MWE, Halliday & Ballie, Sugatsune, Accurate and others. I review the optimal track configurations, flush pull handle sizing and shape considerations, and the all important lockable pocket door function.
