Architects and Artisans

Alys Beach is built for the long term. It’s made of hurricane-proof, sustainable materials that last, like concrete, steel and plaster. It marries a vision from Bermuda with the typology of Antigua and Guatamala. Its walls and rooftops are white, not just to resemble their counterparts in Bermuda, but to reflect the sunlight too. Its [...]

At heart, Belzberg Architects’ 20th Street Offices in Santa Monica are a tubular celebration of the Pacific breezes. They started out that way five years ago when conceived as headquarters for the firm, and remained so when adapted for construction and LEED Gold status a few years back. A tubular shape, it seems, makes a [...]

The elliptical staircase on a courtyard of the Dodge residence in downtown Raleigh is the product of a personal, hands-on collaboration between an architect, his client and handpicked skilled artisans. It’s also a monument to the gentle art of persuasion. Its genesis lay with a client who first suggested a circular stairway for the front [...]

Nick Deaver’s assignment was to slip a new home into a pie-shaped lot in one of Austin’s older neighborhoods, and learn from – but not mimic – its neighbors from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s “It needed to be a home that would fit Texas,” the architect said. “This is a very elegant, mature neighborhood [...]

For those actively seeking a ready-to-go set of house plans for a modern, sustainable residence, Hometta may be the online source. Since its launch in concert with Dwell in Design in Los Angeles in 2008, Hometta has signed 35 architectural studios to showcase plans for proven, uber-cool homes. For a reasonable fee, clients can purchase [...]

On the peninsula where Gen. Douglas McArthur once turned the tide of the Korean War 60 years ago, a new and modern city is rising rapidly. At Incheon, seventeen miles southwest of Seoul, Phase I of New Songdo City opened in August 2009.  It’s now home to more than 10,000 people, with about 40 buildings.  It will eventually total 350 structures, hosting [...]

In this, the most difficult lending and building environment since the Great Depression, Rob Goodwin in Perkins + Will’s New York office understands the power of a positive attitude. He should: he’s got one tower in the Middle East under way, and two more on the drawing boards. “Architects are optimistic,” he said. “You have [...]

For thirty years, Centerbrook Architects and Planners has been working slowly but steadily to build a carefully thought-out town on a hillside on the north shore of Long Island, thirty-five miles east of Manhattan. It is a village for science. They started out working on Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory under the tutelage of Executive Director [...]

John Boyer, CEO of the new Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in uptown Charlotte, N.C. is feeling pretty good about the city’s cultural prospects these days. “We’re all lucky here in Charlotte,” he said about the recently-opened Bechtler, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, and four other uptown projects. Also open are the Harvey B. [...]

Architect Amy Gardner believes that tear-downs are not the only solution to our slowly deteriorating inventory of mid-century split-levels on prime suburban lots. There are, she said, smarter ways to go. “To toss them is irresponsible,” she said. “I love working with that vintage, but they need retrofit and weatherization. They don’t age well.” Many [...]