John was fishing in the North Bay and took these pictures of a village accessible only from the water. There are about 10 houses in total, but only a couple of them appear to be in use. 
Archive for October, 2011
Secret Houses On the Marsh
Posted in Found Objects, tagged buildings on the water, houses on October 31, 2011| 2 Comments »
Winner of the 2010 Solar Decathalon Europe
Posted in Found Objects, tagged green, high tech, small buildings, solar electricity on October 27, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Lumenhaus -- photo by Jim Stroup, Virginia Tech
More photos and information can be found on Lumenhaus.com , Treehugger, and, in the NY Times, this review of the project.
Except for the slightly odd beams that stick out to support the opened sliding screens (see some of the other photos at links above) the design of this experimental and technologically advanced house is quite elegant. The basic idea is to use technology to allow a glass house to be comfortable and energy efficient in all seasons…and to take this a few steps further to enhance quality of life in the house with these same features.
It has been criticized as too techy and too expensive to be marketable, which might be valid, and with almost all glass on the north and South walls, its needs a big suburban or country lot for privacy. (It currently resides next to the famous Farnsworth House (Mies Van Der Rohe) in Plano, Illinos.)
The concept of having stackable modules, so that the house can expand and contract as the family does, would change the real estate profession. The ease of adding and subtracting modules would be an important factor in whether it would be worth the hassle of removing part of your house and selling it to a neighbor.
Be sure to check out the adjustable perforated shade screens that can become more or less opaque depending on the temperature inside. These screens are a much simplified version of Jean Nouvell’s beautiful screens on the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris
This is a picture of me inside Jean Nouvel's Institute Du Monde Arab (photo by Amanda Soskin)
Exterior Institut Du Monde Arabe, Paris
Warren Place: cottages for working men
Posted in Found Objects, tagged garden, historical styles, landscape, New York, planning, small buildings on October 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »
These small brick row houses face a lush gated courtyard perpendicular to the public street and each also has access to an alley on the back side. It is similar to this project in Berkeley, but minus the driveway through the middle….which makes a big difference. 
gate to the back alley
TimberSIL Deck Almost Done
Posted in Design Projects, tagged decks, fire resistant construction, glass impregnated wood, new materials, utilitarian, wood on October 20, 2011| 1 Comment »
Timbersil decking
Timbersil Framing
Adolfo (Ron Tostenson Construction) was sanding the decking smooth before staining when I stopped by. The framing and the decking are all glass impregnated wood by TimberSIL and extremely fire and rot resistant. (more info here) Its looking good – much better than pressure treated from below, and the decking is nice too.
party pencil drawing
Posted in Design Projects, tagged art, graphic design on October 17, 2011| 2 Comments »
Big seismic brace bolted to a floor joist and the foundation
Posted in Found Objects, Information, tagged Berkeley, houses, structural engineering on October 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I recently helped my friend Rain assess the architectural merits of a house she wanted to buy. She also hired a home inspector who brought this seismic brace to my attention. It was his opinion that this is a poor design because in a big quake it concentrates the force and ends up busting through the floor rather than providing lateral stability. 
An Artful Cobble Hill Apartment
Posted in Found Objects, tagged fir plywood, furniture, interiors, New York, paint on October 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This long apartment with windows at each end is in a building from the early 1800s. It hasn’t been staged for the photo shoot and the owner hasn’t finished moving in yet, but I was moved to capture some of the artistic decorating details that are already in place.
The fact that there are only windows on the ends, and the middle is dark might not be ideal, but the open plan allows a long view across the length of the apartment through the windowless center to the bright room on the other side. The simplicity of the unusually long space is nice.
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- long view through
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- small bedroom off to the side of the long space
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- fir plywood cubes
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- block of fir from california- its funny how rough framing materials have new appeal in this day of mdf and particle board.
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- relic from the 80s updated
Black and White Burgee for Fall 2011
Posted in Design Projects, tagged Berkeley, burgee, color, patterns, small buildings on October 7, 2011| 2 Comments »
We installed a new black and white burgee on the little studio this weekend. It looks pretty sharp!
A Two-Story Addition in Berkeley with Pointy Roofs
Posted in Found Objects, tagged Berkeley, houses on October 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
John and Sam have been framing up a two-story addition for my friend Scott (another architect). Its starting to look like something!
Big corner windows
The existing house is a cute little pointy-roofed cottage in a row of cute little pointy-roofed cottages. Scott’s design continues the theme, but adds his own modern details. (Both architectural and for energy performance.)
All the twinner houses in the row have flat roof sections in the back. This was a cost-saving measure in the original design. Scott’s addition leaves this flat roof section alone for future solar panels…but returns to the 12:12 pitched roof for the addition. 
I can’t wait to see the stairwell finished. It is going to bring a lot of southern sunshine from above into the lower floor family room.
Shimmery Glass Tiled Walls with Moroccan Tile Floor
Posted in Found Objects, tagged bathroom, tile on October 3, 2011| 2 Comments »
Emma Lee Photograph via Remodelista
Foundation Underway for a Small Addition in Richmond, California
Posted in Design Projects, tagged green, houses, Richmond on October 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
- accessory dwelling unit acoustics addition additions ADU Albany aluminum angles appleply ash bathroom Berkeley birds boxes Brooklyn buildings on the water cabin cabinets cedar children color concrete construction process copper cottage curiosities curves decks decoration desert architecture details Detroit dog doorways El Cerrito energy efficiency Fairfax fence fibercement fir fire resistant construction framing fun furniture Garage garden glass tile green green building handrail historical styles holes house houses house surgery humor indoor-outdoor interiors isba John Mcbride Julia Morgan kitchen landscape LED light lighting lighting design McBride Construction metal minimalism modern new materials New York Oak Oakland paint painted plywood pantry paperstone passive house passive solar patterns plants plywood poet's corner Point Richmond process railings rainscreen recycled redwood remodel remodelling restaurant Richmond Rockridge roof rustic salvaged San Francisco San Mateo shou sugi ban simple skylight small buildings small spaces solar electricity sparkle stained glass steel storage Strawbale structure stucco subway tile tile tiny house trim turquoise utilitarian utility value vaulted ceiling victorian walnut water management whimsy windows wood zinc
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