Author: KURT

Previously Published 23 April 10

We greatly enjoyed our trip to the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. Not only is the sport near and dear to our hearts. But the building is part of the 20th century architectural cannon. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was such a joy to spend time in and around it after seeing only photos in books. Everywhere your eye went, there was such delight. You could almost imagine the pleasure that the draftsmen felt as they drew the long continuous horizontal lines with their pencils and t squares. And the fact that the whole thing was finely crafted around a single tennis court just increases the fantasy exponentially.

Previously Published 12 March 10

The local Cub Scout Pack was in the office this week. They had to visit an Architect’s office as a requirement for a badge they are working on. Because they thought that the Badgley / Kong Residence was sufficiently cool, they spent part of the time drawing that house from a scale model. The results are absolutely great. Below are two of the drawings. Brad said they may hang the series in the house. Once again, everyone’s inner architect shines thru.

Previously Published 28 December 08

One of the (many) great things about the Sol LeWitt retrospective at Mass Moca is that they used manual drafting equipment; straightedges, lead holders, etc. for the wall drawings. We found the first, lowest, floor to be the most spectacular; given the precision and huge scale of the drawings, we thought that at some point, they became architectural although we were not sure exactly how. Any trip we take to Mass Moca is inspiring, and the Sol LeWitt show only increased the pleasure. After that much art, the only way to recover is dinner at The Spice Root (Indian) in nearby Williamstown.

Previously Published 25 September 08

Three things on the current financial meltdown. 1. Falling home prices are at the root. 2. Architects are used in only about 5% of the housing starts nationwide. 3. Most of the houses in question are suburban sprawl McMansion wonders. So thinking in terms of design, as we are always wont to do, we wonder if all of this is not some sort of acerbic comment on the value of residential design in America? A quick Google search reveals that states like FL, CO and NE have both the highest sprawl and the greatest foreclosure rate. Architects have historically always wanted to solve societies ills with their work, think Le Corbusier. So if architects had been involved in a higher percentage of starts, the quality of the design would be higher, the houses would be worth more, and financial disaster would be prevented. Ok a fantasy, I admit. But then architects are good at fantasy.

Previously Published 4 January 2012 –

Architects have always been inspired by buildings without architects (BWA); think barns, yurts, traditional Japanese houses, etc. This is because the purity of a structure driven solely by function, materials, comfort and economy is perennially refreshing. A BWA trend we are noticing in Otsego County involves freestanding structures assembled out of wood studs and translucent material. The photographed example always turns our heads, given the translucent roof and walls, clear structural support, and irregular geometry. This even sports a PV solar collector on the roof. Inspirational? You bet!

Previously Published 28 February 08

In a recent issue of The New Yorker, a British company, Tesco, has set out to reduce the carbon footprint of their global supermarket operations. The article discusses the incredible complexity of trying to determine, for example, the environmental burden of where you should buy your apples. In this instance, they determined that it was better for the planet if Tesco imported New Zealand apples rather than purchasing them 50 miles away. After a huge investment of time and money, they concluded that the three most important steps toward a green lifestyle is 1) insulate your house, 2)make sure you have insulated glazing in your windows and 3)increase the efficiency of your house boiler. This makes sense, given that buildings are the greatest energy hogs. And it is nice to see someone say that being green involves something other than lifestyle shopping choices.

Previously Published 10 December 07

In the recent issue of Architect Magazine, the editor questions the profession’s current focus, both in the media nad in the schools, on modernism. Yet, the vast majority of structures built in the US are traditional. So should the profession refocus itself more on traditional design, given that this is what the market demands? We find this article interesting given that our practice involves both traditional and modernist buildings. The building is either good, or it is not, and we hope that this is the first clarion call toward simply good design, whatever the style.