Architects need to stop hiding behind the erroneous notion that they design only “2 percent” of all houses built today. Read more
In her latest book, The Not So Big Life (Random House, $24.95), residential architect Sarah Susanka, FAIA, focuses her formidable problem-solving skills not just on our houses but on our very lives. Read more
Susan Maxman, FAIA, started her architectural practice in 1980—an era she calls the Dark Ages for women. On one project for a Dayton, Ohio, couple, the husband refused to believe she was an architect until he saw the registration credentials in her office. Read more
Every once in a while, an architectural perfect storm occurs. Read more
Homes on skinny urban sites tend to have few opportunities for windows, resulting in dark interiors. But Mark Peters, AIA, came up with a light-gathering strategy for this Chicago residence. Read more
“This house is almost John Pawson-like; it's so spare it sings,” said one judge. Another praised its “quiet celebration of connections” and the way it hits the ground. Read more
“Our clients were moving from a major city to Wyoming and came with a preconceived notion of a log cabin,” says Eric Logan, AIA. Read more
David Jameson Architect, Alexandria, Va. A split-foyer fix often calls for drastic measures, and this project was no exception. Read more
What impressed the judges most about this house was the way Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA, used public and private space to break up its long bar shape. Read more
Lloyd Russell, AIA, was thinking of New York City's Flatiron Building when he decided to tackle this weird triangular lot, just 2,000 or so feet from a San Diego International Airport runway and next to one of the city Read more
This rural Kansas project reminded the jury of Australian architect Glenn Murcutt's work. “There's something about the strength, beauty, and simplicity of this house that is just wonderful,” said one judge. Read more
Shipley Architects, Dallas. These homeowners, who travel frequently, wanted to see the stars from their bed. Dan Shipley, FAIA, the designer of their existing house, “encouraged them to be a little daring” in how they got their wish. Read more
This studio addition creates an airy, light-filled workspace for an artist client. Read more
The owner of this fire-damaged house wanted to restore whatever could be saved, but he also sought a better connection to its verdant surroundings. Read more
This condo building may evoke the International Style, but it does so while paying respect to Washington, D.C.'s historic identity. Read more
Designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind, Architect with Davis Partnership Architects, The Museum Residences complements the extension to the Denver Art Museum, acr Read more
Strung between two parks, the glass-and-copper Loft23 takes modern urban housing to a new level. Read more
The taut, well-scaled buildings of this sustainably designed townhouse complex won high praise from the jury. Read more
Collaborative Designworks, Houston. James M. Evans, AIA, never set out to be a developer. But when the Houston-based architect and his wife, Catherine, couldn't find a house that appealed to them, he decided the only way to get what they wanted was to cre Read more
Biltmore Colony's architecture is referential to Palm Springs, Calif.'s modernist history, but DesignARC Los Angeles infused the project with up-to-date models of land planning as well. Read more
Ross Chapin Architects, Langley, Wash. This modest “pocket” development shows production housing in a whole new light. It marries “plan and design in a good way,” said one judge. “It's not just about the appearance of architecture—it's about culture.” Read more
The cobbled-together site of this affordable family-housing community presented Studio E Architects principal John Sheehan with a difficult task. Read more
Bob Shervin has been county commissioner and mayor of Jackson, Wyo., so he knows firsthand how desperately the expensive resort area needs affordable housing. Read more
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but in the hands of Tom Kundig, FAIA, rudimentary solutions become bold and celebratory. Read more
2007 RADA
ontario 301, washington, d.c.
When it came time to liberate her dark, disorienting apartment in a Beaux-Arts building, this client—a psychiatrist—prescribed an orderly, austere environment, perhaps as an antidote to the daily hazards of her practice. Read more
“I'd like to have a party there,” said one juror. The others agreed, saying the simple, yet beautifully detailed, space “really sings.” Dan Shipley, FAIA, kept forms basic because he didn't want the addition to upstage the main Read more
This multipurpose outbuilding was designed on a modest budget, but it rises above its humble endowment. Citing its beautiful construction and detailing, our judges gave it a Grand award. Read more
Flawlessly executed details such as this house's wafer-thin roof, delicate Alaskan yellow cedar rainscreen, and translucent walls captured the judges' attention. Read more
Our judges gave Interface Studio kudos for the overall strength of this project, but what really impressed them was how the firm arranged the townhomes on a long city block. Read more
Wyoming's rugged character tends to attract adventurous souls. Two of this intrepid breed found their way to Lori Ryker and Brett W. Nave, looking for a vacation house that's at once “aggressive and interesting” but re Read more
This simple but elegant guesthouse gazes across a pool to the owner's eco-conscious house, designed in the 1970s by Ray D. Crites, FAIA, a well-known Iowa architect. The main house is about 120 feet lon Read more
This modular residence by Studio 804, architect Dan Rockhill's student design/build program at the University of Kansas, barely touches the ground. Read more
2007 RADA
2007 residential architect design awards
Our residential architect Design Awards now constitute the single biggest and most selective residential architecture competition in the country. Read more
Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA, and Judit Méda Fekete, LEED AP, developed and designed the building of their dreams. And once they built it, people came. Read more