When you are a design-build firm and you are hired to do a major renovation of a historically significant home, it’s a bit like being a detective. The owners of these homes are generally interested in preserving the character and style of the home–all the things they love about it–and getting rid of all the things they hate. You’ve got to work with them to figure out these important details and to also discover what the the original architect’s intentions were.
The first meeting with a client starts with questions. I ask, “How are you going to interact with the space?” and “How can I enhance your lifestyle with an indoor-outdoor feel?” Perhaps they want a wow factor that their friends will be impressed by, or they just want to enjoy a glass of wine in solitude by the pool. It depends on the client.
The California Energy Commission has ruled that by 2020 solar panels will be required on all new homes with limited exemptions. For many people this may seem sudden. You may be one of them… feeling surprised, wanting to know more. However, this is one of several actions that have happened in the state over the last decade to move us toward sustainability–all as part of a larger plan.
Green roofs, also known as vegetated roof covers or eco-roofs, consist of layers of living vegetation installed on top of conventional flat or sloping roofs. While pondering design options for an upcoming project, we began exploring the idea of utilizing a green roof system. The discussion came about because the home is situated on a hillside and we wanted to see how we could best preserve the view of the neighbor further up the hillside. However, green roofs have value that goes far beyond aesthetics.
Saturday Night’s episode of the long running and iconic late night comedy troupe, SNL brought a visit by Barbie™ to the Compartés Chocolate Shop in Westfield Century City. The funny skit shows Barbie with the Compartés store front behind her holding one of Compartés tasty frozen hot chocolates and a clutch purse.
Let’s face it, garage doors serve a utilitarian function. But for many architects and homeowners, the garage door is one of the least glamorous aspects of a home—-and for good reason. Most garage doors are simply ugly and uninspired.
One of the fundamental ways architects think about design is how the structure will interact with the land and the environment. Unlike the needs for mass GI housing after WWII, where builders clear cut the land and plopped down tract homes, today’s architecture is focused on integrating with the environment and reducing the overall footprint created by building and maintaining the structure. Some people may call this Green Architecture, but we also refer to it as Smart Architecture with tangible benefits.
Breathtaking, long-range and panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean are the highlight of our project in Las Canoas. We are turning the steep hillside into usable space with a multi-tiered, multi-decked approach that is dramatically expanding the outdoor living area and opening the interior spaces to the beautiful outdoors and Pacific Ocean.
It’s important as an Architect or any professional involved in design, to expand your aesthetic references. I’ve shared in this blog in the past my travels throughout California and how in all cases I’ve taken in those experiences and improved my own perspective and ‘art’ as an Architect.
I recently returned from Palm Spring’s Modernism Week, which is an annual celebration of midcentury modern design, architecture, art, fashion and culture in the Palms Springs area of Southern California. Modernism Week encourages education through lectures, exhibitions, films, and home tours of Palm Springs’s architecture. Palm Springs has one of the highest densities of mid-century modern architecture, in particularly midcentury modern homes. At one point, Palm Springs was known as having the most swimming pools per capita in the country! Celebrities from Frank Sinatra to Lucille Ball flocked to the area and sought out architects to create their highly distinctive desert getaways.
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