I admit I provoked our cover guy, Scott Merrill (“Eye of the Storm”), to talk about the divide between modern and traditional architects. At this point in his career, he really couldn't care less about the anachronistic debate that still consumes others in the profession. He's much more interested in doing the best work he can, without reductive labels. Read more
Designed and built by Louisiana State University Architecture School students, this contemporary Habitat for Humanity house in Baton Rouge breaks the organization's typical mold. Read more
Imagine a slew of developable land parcels facing a brand-new, landscaped thoroughfare, right in the heart of one of the nation's most expensive cities. The entrants of the San Francisco Prize/Octavia Boulevard Housing Design Competition didn't have to rely on their imaginations; they had a crack at the real thing. Read more
“We knew we wanted the house to fit its Northwestern context,” says architect Dave Pelletier, “but our clients had a willingness to be adventurous and try new things—like a steel countertop in the master bath.” And so, homeowners and architect commenced their translation of the locale's contextual language into a more contemporary idiom. Read more
These San Antonio homeowners adore the charm of their early-1900s bungalow and didn't want to disturb the fabric of its historic neighborhood. What they did want was a contemporary kitchen that flowed into expanded living spaces; and they sought privacy from their neighbors without losing valuable natural light. Read more
Our generation has become very adept at quantifying things. We “crunch the numbers” with great efficiency. But I believe we have too often lost sight of the bigger picture in doing so, ending up with undesirable results. The design of our homes, and the construction of them as well, is falling victim to this “efficiency.” Read more
Four years ago, Marc Swackhamer, a 1997 graduate of Rice University's master of architecture program, reached a milestone in his fledgling architecture career: He finished all 700 training units of the Intern Development Program (IDP) and was ready to sit for the exam. But then his road to registration took a detour. Read more
Scott Merrill, AIA, knows something about storms. Toiling in hurricane alley while building out the New Urbanist communities of Seaside and now Windsor in Vero Beach, Fla, has cemented Merrill's practical side. His first design objective is to protect the occupants of his houses and secure their investment in them. Read on to find out how Merrill, Pastor & Colgan are rethinking our best-loved houses. Read more
When it comes to architectural richness, not many places can top the Berkshire Mountain region in western Massachusetts. The area boasts great depth in its collection of 18th- and 19th-century farmhouses and agricultural buildings, in addition to some well-preserved Shaker-built structures. Read more
When an interpreter translates a sentence, he doesn't reiterate it word for word. Instead, he communicates the speaker's fundamental meaning, adjusting structures and expressions from one tongue to another. Stephen Muse, FAIA, performed a similar adaptation for this Washington, D.C., house, which conveys the spirit of Japanese architecture without actually reproducing elements from it. Read more
Progressive vernacular is what Bernie Baker calls his architecture. And he's both amused and pleased that clients from both sides of the great style divide seek out his firm. Read more
Annapolis, Md., architect Wayne L. Good, FAIA, is known for his stylized tweaks on traditional domestic architecture. That sense of updated tradition sets the tone at the Thompson residence, a vacation home near Annapolis that Good designed for a family of four and sited on a slender, forested ridge overlooking Valentine Creek. Read more
Johnsen Schmaling Architects: PPG Industries' Starphire ultra clear glass Read more
Johnsen Schmaling Architects: Lumière's Westwood 913 light Read more
Johnsen Schmaling Architects: CYRO Industries' Acrylite sheets. Read more
Granite is one of the most prized counter-top materials, the ultimate status and style symbol in the kitchen. And with good reason—it's water-, heat-, and scratch-resistant; durable; and virtually maintenance free. It's a rich, lustrous natural material that upgrades the look of the whole kitchen. But manufacturers claim their latest foray into man-made stone, quartz surfacing, tops even granite in both aesthetics and function. Read more
These days, high-end home buyers expect to have music in every room and a palette of viewing options at every TV. Internet in every room isn't far behind, making cable and data outlets as much a part of the room planning as the AC wiring. Read more
Modernists and Traditionalists alike admire the sure-handed lines of C.F.A. Voysey's country houses. Read more