CasaSugar

This Just In: Sundance's Architecture School Premieres Tonight

CasaSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:00:56 -0700

Tonight at 8 p.m. (CDT), the Sundance channel will premiere an original six-part documentary series, Architecture School, which follows a group of students from Tulane University's prestigious School of Architecture as they compete for the chance to design an affordable home in Katrina-devastated New Orleans. The winning model will be built during the school year and put on the market, giving one recent grad one whopping résume bullet point at the start of his career. Stiff competition! The home will be built as part of Tulane University's URBANbuild program, which was founded in 2005 to restore urban neighborhoods as a response to the storm. Executive Producer Michael Selditch was so inspired by Tulane University's URBANbuild program that he designed and built the show specifically around the 3-year-old program. Tune in tonight to see for yourself!
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Student Designers Win Corrugated Chair Competition

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:00:03 -0700

This year, the fourth annual Chair Affair student design competition asked architecture and package design students from 49 schools throughout North America to create chairs from nothing but corrugated board and glue. After much deliberation, the competition sponsors, American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation, have chosen six lucky winners. First place went to Cuesta College's Jessica Leung for her Hole on Hole chair, which I must say looks very inspired by the Campana Brothers' Favela Chair. To see and hear about the other winners, read more.

Two teams - Winston Mi and Jessica Brown of Rhode Island School of Design, and Sarah Clement and Michael Wallace of Louisiana State University - tied in second place. Mi and Brown's "Profile and Silhouette," clearly draws inspiration from architect Frank Gehry's innovative corrugated board 1972 Easy Edges Side Chairs, which are in the MoMA Collection. Meanwhile, Clement and Wallace's "A Corrugated Chair or a Chair Made of Corrugated" conjures Gehry's Bubbles Chaise Lounge, with its soft top layer.

Honorable mentions went to Keith Holman, Benjamin Shullaw, Neal Birchum, and Sean McDow for University of Oklahoma for their "Adjustable" chair; Brad Smith of Cuesta College for his "Caterpillared" chair; and Jonathan Coop of California State University Long Beach for his "Corrugated Board Chair."

It's inspiring to see how these students have created stylish, modern furnishings from such a common packaging and display material. Corrugated board is made from a natural renewable resource, and seeing these innovative creations suggests that the possibilities for sustainable furniture design truly are endless. While I personally like these contemporary creations, what I'd love to see is a corrugated chair designed for traditional design enthusiasts. Sustainable furniture designs will never make a huge impact if they don't appeal to everyone's tastes.

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Cool Idea: Rural Studio's Student-Built Homes

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0800

If you're searching for examples of modern, affordable, green architecture, look no further. The Rural Studio project of Alabama's Auburn University College of Architecture does just that. Through this program, architecture students are provided with the opportunity to design and build homes and other projects that benefit rural, impoverished Alabama communities and families. Started by architect and professor Samuel Mockbee in 1991, the program has been a positive force in Alabama since that time, creating homes for people who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

The program requires that architecture students spend some of their semesters in rural Hale County, Alabama, to design and build a charity home or community project for members of that community. The homes are built in a modern style using inexpensive and innovative materials, and the project has built a number of homes for $20,000, using green and locally sourced materials.

The architecture school notes that, "To most, the measure of success of the Rural Studio is in its built projects; in reality, its success is measured by its effect upon the lives of the faculty, students, families, and communities it touches. It is not only the buildings that make the Rural Studio what it is, but also the education the students receive about architecture and about society."

To check out some of the homes designed and built through the Rural Studio, check out the gallery.

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Gift Guide: The Architecture Buff

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:30:06 -0800

My sister, who's been drawing blueprints in one form or another since we were little kids, is currently finishing her second year of grad school at the architecture department at UC Berkeley. Since she spends about 18 hours a day in the studio as it is (I'm not even coming close to exaggerating), she probably doesn't want to spend her few free hours browsing through architecture books, at least during the semester. However, once the holiday break kicks in, I'm pretty sure that she'll be curled up on a sofa with a more recreational, picture-heavy architecture book in her hands.

If your family's anything like mine, there are at least a few folks in your immediate circle who can happily pass the evening leafing through books chock full of great facts and even better photos of buildings, architectural details, blueprints, and life stories of famous architects. One good place to start is with the volume Architecture: Celebrating the Past, Designing the Future ($95), a book commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects. I found this book at Builders Booksource's online site, which is an amazing resource for books on architecture and building. Another great place to check for architecture books is at Chronicle Books, whose architecture section is chock full of gems, such as the recently released California Academy of Sciences: Architecture in Harmony With Nature ($29.95).

For more book suggestions, read more.

For more gift gifts, holiday home decorating tips and more, check out HolidaySugar!

Casa Verde: Cameron and Cameron Talk (and Walk) Green

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:00:31 -0800

I have yet to catch an episode of Sundance's Iconoclasts series, which pairs celebrities or leading innovators from two different industries to chat about their passions and creative processes. But, after seeing some clips of season four, which couples long-time environmental advocate Cameron Diaz and Architecture for Humanity cofounder Cameron
Sinclair, I think I've been wooed. This season, the series follows the two to New Orleans and Biloxi, MS, to take in the environmental impact of Hurricane Katrina. While Diaz may be an eco-conscious gal, she's not exactly an expert, so Sinclair, whose global organization works to find sustainable architectural solutions to humanitarian crises, is really the force in this pairing. It's refreshing to see him getting some face time and interesting to hear his perspective on an environment which has been so monumentally devastated.

To see a clip of this show, read more.

I'm curious now if anyone over at Sundance has a personal connection to New Orleans and a strong interest in architecture. If you remember, the network also has a series called Architecture School, which follows a group of students from Tulane University's prestigious School of Architecture as they compete for the chance to design an affordable home in Katrina-devastated New Orleans. Regardless, I'm happy to see that both Sinclair and the city of New Orleans are receiving some attention.

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Casa Interview: Tyler Velten

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:45:16 -0700

Tyler Velten, a student at the Yale School of Architecture, was recently featured in the New York Times article Lighting Changes Everything. However, Tyler wasn't interviewed for his architectural projects. Instead, his artistic re-use of found objects and repurposing of Craigslist furniture and even the hated plastic bag were featured in the article. Tyler recently found some time between his busy school schedule to answer some questions for CasaSugar about his home design experiments.

CasaSugar: What was the first object you found that inspired you to start augmenting your apartment?

Tyler: We moved into the apartment knowing I was going to play with the space. It is a gorgeous apartment with great natural daylight. When it was empty, it felt more like a studio than an apartment. The first task was to somehow distract attention from the white walls. We found a kitschy brass table lamp complete with a tattered latex shade on the street. Instead of placing it on an end table or dresser (which we didn't have), I hung it from the wall. Lizzie [Tyler's wife] has teased me for years about taking it down. As a relic from our first days in the apartment, the lamp simply cannot be replaced.

For the rest of my questions, and to find out how Tyler's wife feels about his experiments, read more.

CasaSugar: How do you feel your architecture training has changed your ideas about interior design, if at all?

Tyler: I have been making art for many years now, whereas architecture is a fairly new adventure for me. Although I do think that my first year in architecture school has helped inform some of my newer pieces, like the woven light shade beside the bed, I believe most of my ideas regarding space were born a while ago. The real benefits of the program are the community of designers. I am surrounded by creative people thinking about culture and objects at all different scales.

CasaSugar: How does your wife feel about your lighting and décor experiments? Is she a part of the creative process?

Tyler: Absolutely she is part of the process. There are pieces she adores, and others, she could do without. Most of the pieces use non-traditional switches or are situated in awkward ways. My desire as an artist is to challenge our interactions and perceptions of functionality with everyday objects. In doing so this often inhibits their purpose. Lizzie is always helping me refine and focus my pieces, to make them intuitive without sacrificing their idea. She is my voice of reason.

CasaSugar: What projects do you have in the works?

Tyler: The real task in our apartment, and consequently the real derivation for most of my non-lighting projects, is to create more storage for our tiny apartment. We only have one closet in the apartment and the kitchen has one tiny counter top with a few small cupboards. I am constantly trying to find more storage space for our things. Although I would love to make a new bed and headboard, the real pressing projects are coming up with creative storage systems.

CasaSugar: When do you have time to work on this? Do you find these projects relaxing/therapeutic? What motivates you to work on them?

Tyler: I do not have much time because of school. Most of these projects manifest themselves over Winter or Spring breaks. Nonetheless, they do not take much time. Most of these projects take an hour or less. Aside from the grocery bag chandelier, every other project was quite simple. Adding doors to bookcases requires a bit of measuring, but the assembly is very quick, a few saw-cuts and a few screws. Although I love to design unique objects, I feel the most satisfying design is to re-purpose/recycle waste into useful things. By filling up wine bottles with water, then burrowing them upside-down in the soil of a large potted plant, one can make a great slow drip-irrigation well for indoor plants.

It is tremendously therapeutic to think of ways to use the waste that we create in unique ways. We throw away so much stuff, stuff that is really beautiful. It is very satisfying to make an object like a grocery bag transcend its original purpose by becoming an elegant light filter for a chandelier.

CasaSugar: What are some of your dream projects?

Tyler: I would like to have more specific big ideas, but that usually gets me into trouble. I can only hope to continue to experiment and play.

Phil Mansfield for The New York Times

Coveted Crib: Remodeled to Embrace the Outdoors

CasaSugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:00:54 -0800

Architect Sarah Robinson believes that homes should be inspiring as well as practical. Living in a home built or remodeled by Robinson will likely mean that you will not only have a home that is functional for your daily life, but will also inspire you to live that life more fully. This Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture graduate accomplishes such a lofty goal in many ways, including consideration of how to marry a building site with the building's design.

When she tackled the remodel of a Northern California midcentury modern home, she considered the home's physical location - the side of a hill nestled amongst redwoods and oak trees. The home's original design was blessed with good design, including a classic midcentury-modern design, and mahogany cabinetry, doors, and paneling throughout the structure.

To see a gallery of photos showing this home's remodel, read more.

Robinson and her team added 1,200 square feet of space to the existing home without adding any space to the building's footprint. This meant that the home's outdoor space was preserved, while adding valuable space for the family to spread out. The remodel features a vaulted ceiling with a huge dormer that filters light while ensuring privacy, expanses of glass, and a bathroom that opens to the outdoor space. Check out the gallery to explore this beautiful home.

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Architect Stories: Hugh Newell Jacobsen

CasaSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:00:39 -0700

Hugh Newell Jacobsen is a prominent American architect best known for his modern pavilion-based residences, which are mostly simple, gabled structures, rectangular in plan. His projects have been built and published worldwide, and he's won 114 awards for excellence in design, six of which are National Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects and 20 from the professional journal Architectural Record. Jacobsen graduated from Yale’s School of Architecture in 1955, held an apprenticeship with Philip Johnson, and then opened a practice under his own name in 1958. In the 50 years since then, he has designed several large buildings, including the libraries for the American Colleges of Greece (Athens), Gettysburg College (Penn.), two museums for the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, the Renwick Gallery, the Arts and Industries Building, and an addition to the US Capitol, but his forté is residential architecture.
To hear about his design philosophy and see some of his projects, read more

Jacobsen's design philosophy parallels something Mies van der Rohe once said: "God is in the details." He says, "Architecture is order, and this order carries throughout the building down to the smallest corner. There is no back side to architecture any more than there is a detail that is unimportant." But a glance at his portfolio will instantly prove to you that he does practice what he preaches (and he lectures extensively throughout the US and abroad). His detailing is deliberately sparse and linear, and he pays a great deal of focus to the site of each design, so that each building belongs specifically to its location, unlike the ubiquitous McMansions of today. "People look good in my buildings," he says. Well, who can argue with that?

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Architect Stories: Aldo Rossi

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:00:58 -0800

Architect Aldo Rossi's buildings are distinguished by his successful melding of modern design with architectural and vernacular traditions. Whether building an apartment complex or an art museum, his style is unmistakable. Born in Milan, Italy, into a family of bicycle makers in 1931, Rossi grew up during World War II, and later studied at the School of the Somaschi Fathers in Lake Como and the Collegio Alessandro Votas in Lecco. After the end of the war, Rossi entered the Milan Polytechnic, where he received his architecture degree in 1959.

Although Rossi's first career choice was film, his interests translated to the field of architecture, though, according to Rossi, "In all of my architecture, I have always been fascinated by the theatre." In fact, for the Venice Biennale in 1979, he designed the Teatro del Mondo, a floating theatre, which seated 250 guests around a central stage. He also built the Toronto Lighthouse Theatre, on the banks of Lake Ontario.

To read about some of Rossi's other projects and to see a gallery of his buildings, just read more.

Rossi also built a number of residential projects. His first housing complex, Gallaratese, was built on the outskirts of Milan, and is one of his most important buildings. The design is comprised of two buildings separated by a narrow gap. Commenting on Gallaratese, Rossi said, "I believe it to be significant, above all, because of the simplicity of its construction, which allows it to be repeated." Other residential housing he's built, which include apartment buildings, hotels, and individual homes, include the Pocono Pines Houses in Pocono, Pennsylvania, an apartment building in the Berlin-Tiergarten district of West Germany, and another called Sudliche Friedrichstadt. He also drafted numerous residence designs in Italy

The seemingly inexhaustible Rossi, was also a writer, theorist, artist, and teacher. His architectural accomplishments also include such varied projects as office buildings for Giorgio Armani, an art gallery in Japan, a restoration and addition to a monastery in Seville, Spain, and a sports arena and many other projects in Italy. In 1990, he became the first Italian to win the distinguished Pritzker Prize.

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Cool Idea: Light Bulb Candle Holders

CasaSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:00:14 -0700

The New York Times article "Thinking Like a Student" takes a look at the thrifty, creative home-design moves college students, particularly architecture students, are making during these difficult economic times to make their homes a better place, aesthetically and functionally.

Along with the article is a wonderful slideshow showcasing many of these "on the cheap" tricks. One of my favorites was a set of candle holders fashioned from recycled light bulbs by Lauren Chapman, a student at Yale School of Architecture. By now we've hopefully all made the switch to CFLs, but that doesn't mean we should just toss those standard old bulbs in the trash.

To find out more about this project, read more.
Why not turn them into candle sticks? I've actually shown you lamps made from light bulbs before, but those were much too pricey. My only concern is how Chapman got the bulbs to stand up. I'm thinking that by using a glue gun on the candle holders' bottom, you could create a flat base. Or, you could set a magnet inside the bulb, and then one underneath your table cloth, like those DIY magnetic vases. What do you think? Do you like it, or is it too thrifty-looking for you?
Photo by Phil Mansfield for The New York Times

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