January 2008 Table of Contents

From the Editor
from the editor School of Hard Knocks

It seems like everyone—novice and pro—became a real estate speculator during the housing boom. The go-go momentum inspired a number of residential architects to try their hand at investing as well. You might think this combination of enterprise and good taste would strike pay dirt in areas starved for high design. Read more

Home Front
Perspective slow and steady

John Brown runs an unusual architectural practice in Calgary, Alberta. A licensed real estate agent and architect, Brown helps his clients find houses to remodel, does the design and construction, and helps them acquire financing for the work. Read more

home front the architect is in

McInturff Architects' second monograph, In Residence (The Images Publishing Group, 2007), takes up the body of work completed since 2000. Read more

home front table talk

Architect Emanuela Frattini Magnusson, AIA, has launched a new venture as an online furniture retailer. Read more

home front humble abod

When BSB Design decided to create a prototype for affordable housing in South Africa, it approached the task with gusto. Representatives from the firm's offices around the United States mocked up several different concepts, eventually settling on a simple metal design they dubbed—and trademarked—Abod (pronounced “abode”). Read more

Green Piece
green piece spec lightly

After graduating from architecture school, John Smith cast off for Germany to build prototype houses from discarded shipping containers. Now back on native soil in Houston and toiling for a commercial firm, Smith has a similar goal of creating compact, yet nicely detailed housing stateside. Read more

Green Pieces Teak Lumber From East Teak

Dallas-based East Teak offers teak lumber in a variety of dimensions. Read more

green pieces Recycled Materials Create Tiles

Two easily recyclable materials come together in one beautiful tile collection by Erin Adams. Read more

green pieces Energy-Efficient Light Fixture From Flux

Michelle Kaufmann, AIA, partnered with Flux, a Seattle-based industrial design studio, to create Vessel. The snazzy, energy-efficient light fixture comprises a slender, blown-glass cylinder that doubles as a vase and a powder-coated metal base that casts light from both ends. Read more

K+B Studio
K + B Studio / Bath private time

Pardo continues his quest for both privacy and openness in the master suite upstairs. Read more

K + B Studio / Kitchen elemental education

This 3,600-square-foot surburban home isn't a typical project for Chris Pardo, principal and co-founder (with David Biddle) of Pb Elemental Architecture. The Seattle-based firm, whose specialties include design, construction, and development, normally focuses on high-density infill projects in urban areas. Read more

Practice
practice riding out the slowdown

From his temporary location in Cambridge, Mass., where he is attending Harvard University on a Loeb Fellowship, veteran architect/developer Kevin Cavenaugh bemoans the housing market's troubles. Read more

Profiles
urban outfitter

Sebastian Mariscal develops, designs, and builds—one project at a time. Read more

Projects
money on the line condo conversions

Five firms foray into residential development in five different ways. They share the bumps and boons along the road. Read more

money on the line primary residence

Five firms foray into residential development in five different ways. They share the bumps and boons along the road. Read more

money on the line two townhouses

five firms foray into residential development in five different ways. they share the bumps and boons along the road. Read more

money on the line adaptive reuse

It doesn't matter how good your architecture is: If you haven't built relationships within your community, you won't be able to build much of anything. No one recognizes that more than David Trachtenberg, AIA, the architect and developer of Rose Street Townhouses in Berkeley, Calif. Read more

money on the line pro forma: single-family

Five firms foray into residential development in five different ways. They share the bumps and boons along the road. Read more

Products
new material Electrical Installation with a Clean Finish

Georgia-Pacific Wood Products says the XJ 85 prefabricated joist has strategically placed openings that allow contractors to install plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems. Read more

new material Restaurant-Style Burner For Home

Gas range from BlueStar Residential Nova Burner line is a true restaurant-style product for the home. Read more

new material Product Design Rules in 4pli Furniture

Architects have long ventured into the world of product design, resulting in such wildly successful pieces as the Vola faucet line and the LC4 chaise. That design spirit continues at Brooklyn, N.Y.-based 4pli. Read more

new material High-End Door Hardware Delivers

Two illustrious names in architecture—Frank Gehry, FAIA, and Valli&Valli—have teamed up to deliver door hardware worthy of display in your next high-end house. Read more

new material All-Metal Products Feature Modern Engineering

When Viking Range Corp. bought St. Charles Cabinetry—a favorite of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe—it gave the brand's all-metal products new engineering. Read more

new material Shutters Suit Variety Of Architectural Styles

Constructed from solid African mahogany or Western red cedar, these exterior shutters are cleverly designed to suit a variety of architectural styles. Read more

Architects' Choice Tex Mix

Rob Paulus Architect: Mix Phifertex fabric panels with run-of-the-mill turnbuckles and eyebolts to create sunscreens and other architectural wonders. Read more

Architects' Choice On Guard

Rob Paulus Architect: Tampa, Fla.-based McNichols specializes in lightweight perforated metal panels that are suitable for many architectural applications. Read more

Architects' Choice The Down Low

Rob Paulus Architect: Off-the-shelf materials, such as Baltic birch plywood, can be used in unexpected ways to keep costs low. Read more

Workspace
workspace Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

Husband-and-wife architects Luis Ibarra and Teresa Rosano, RA, LEED AP, didn't need a lot of elbowroom for their five-person firm, but they did want separate public and private realms for their at-home office. Read more

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