Table of Contents July 2008

from the editor

• vacation from reality

  There's something different, or should be, about a house designed from the ground up as an escape from the routine and complexity of everyday life.

   

home front

• 

  save the date

   
• 

  reading list

   

green piece

• 

  above it all

  Located on 27 acres in the mountains of Upper Tract, W.V. (about 160 miles from Washington, D.C.), the 196-square-foot retreat is the work of Jeffery Broadhurst, AIA, who wanted a simple weekend retreat for himself, his wife, and their daughter.

   

green pieces

• 

  skin tight

  Stone Forest sinks are made from bamboo's hard outer skin, which is then laminated, the sink is both lightweight and durable, the maker says.

   
• 

  Nu Options

  Nu Green has earned a Chain-of-Custody certificate from the Forest Stewardship Council, signifying that its raw materials were handled in an eco-friendly manner from forest to end product.

   
• 

  sustainable spa

  Methven's Satinjet Tahi shower system delivers a waterfall spray of 3,000 droplets per second, but only consumes 2.3 gallons of water per minute.

   

k+b studio

bath

• 

  rock harbor

  A free-flowing bedroom—with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the Baltic Sea—segues directly into the bathing and living areas. “Bedroom and bath are one,” Helineva says of the open layout.

   

kitchen

• 

  ahead of the curve

  The clients for this seaside vacation home in Kirkkonummi, Finland, wanted a kitchen that was practical, elegant, and out of the way. But they didn't want the room cut off from the amazing views of the site's rocky headland.

   

practice

• house proud

  Designing a personal dwelling gives architects the rare opportunity to explore their ideas of what a house should be, to experiment with materials, and to test their vision in everyday life.

   

profiles

• 

  a clear logic

  Eric Cobb's focus is on structure, simplicity, and surprise. His houses respond to the topology of the land while engaging it lightly. They're often thrust over a steep slope or wetland and rotated toward a chosen view—and not always the predictable one. Materials are abstract, durable, readily...

   

projects

• 

  remote control

  Architect and prefab purveyor Geoffrey Warner, AIA, says most of the requests for his modern, modular weeHouses are for use as vacation homes.

   
• 

  methow madness

  After decades of designing retreats in Washington's Methow Valley, Ray and Mary Johnston, FAIA, decided it was time to do a place of their own.

   
• 

  plywood perfected

  San Francisco architect Nick Noyes, AIA, creats beauty from humble materials. Plywood-lined interior walls take on an abstract, aquatic quality, with ribbons of darker and lighter shades forming mesmerizing patterns throughout the space.

   

architects' choice

• 

  all the news that fits

  Kuklinski and Rappe Architects: Nu-Wool claims WALLSEAL—an engineered spray-in cellulose insulation made of recycled newsprint—completely fills cavities to eliminate air infiltration.

   
• 

  star 69

  Kuklinski+Rappe Architects: Normann Copenhagen's Norm 69 pendant is thrifty and elegant.

   
• 

  seam heat

  Kuklinski and Rappe Architects: Petersen Aluminum produces a variety of roofing products out of 24-gauge hot-dipped galvanized steel or aluminum.

   

products

new material

• 

  solid heat

  Evo's Affinity 30G solid ceramic or nickel-coated steel cooking surface has sleek style and versatile capabilities.

   
• 

  casement study

  Marvin's Ultimate Replacement Casement window rotates inward, making it possible to wash both sides of the glass from the interior of the home.

   
• 

  urbane league

  Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, says his new line of tiles for Crossville provided him “an opportunity to reinvent one of architecture's most time-honored components—decorative tiling.”

   
• 

  steam players

  Whirlpool has incorporated steam functions into its Duet washer and dryer for added cleaning power using less water and energy.

   
• 

  liquid fire

  EcoSmart's Fusion fireplace burns denatured ethanol made from agricultural products such as sugarcane, potatoes, bananas, and beetroot.

   
• 

  karbon dating

  Kohler drew inspiration from lighting and construction equipment to produce the Karbon, a kitchen faucet that offers the functionality of a pull-down model.

   

workspace

• 

  skb architects

  SkB Architects loved its old offices in downtown Seattle, but the 22-person firm had outgrown the space. So partners Shannon Rankin, Kyle Gaffney, and Brian Collins-Friedrichs went looking for new digs with extreme makeover potential.