tables+chairs

Split View Mountain Lodge / Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter  (via ArchDaily)

One of the ideas that emerged from conversations with the client was to phase the construction of the house so that part could be constructed first and lived in while the rest of the house was being built. This idea works with the primary program elements diagrammed previously by locating the guest suite over the garage to be used as a studio loft in Phase 1. In Phase 2, the loft would be converted into the guest suite and the rest of the construction would follow. 

I've looked through the collection of architectural images I've accumulated over the last few years and found many that seem to express this same desire. The shape and articulation of the roofs and windows can create very different relationships with the surrounding views. 

House Re by Sono Arhitekti and House in Villa Cielo by Estudio M+N. In looking through the precedents we've selected, one dichotomy seems to be houses in northern climates, typically clad in wood, and houses in southern, more arid climates, typically clad in stone or brick.  Since Cortez is in a desert (12.95in avg. annual precipitation), but also receives an average of 33.3in snowfall annually, it will be interesting to settle on an appropriate aesthetic expression, possibly taking these broad regional styles into account.

First pass at a program relationship diagram based on conversations with the client. The house can be divided into these four distinct elements - Master Suite (bedroom, master bath, walk in closet), Guest Suite (bedroom/office, guest bedroom, guest bathroom), Great Room (living room, exterior deck/dining, kitchen, dining area, walk in pantry), and Garage (mudroom, powder room, work space, 2 car garage). 

This diagram is an experiment to refine a method of exporting 3D linework from Sketchup to Illustrator, as well as importing photographs into sketchup to simulate a "view arc."

From an interview with Rory Hyde, author of Future Practice: Conversations from the Edge of Architecture, on Failed Architecture.

Casa Murray by DISEÑO ESPACIAL. I love the sharp relief created by the overhead sun. A wall and skylight combination like this seems to create an interior sundial, cuing the occupants in to time of day and the gradual shift of the seasons.

Some thoughts on the shortcomings of BIG's Superkilen Urban Park. Lars Barfred paints a stark contrast between the enthusiastic, award-winning promise of urban vitality and the reality of the underutilized urban space, suffering from lack of maintenance and/or foresight. 

Xbox Kinnect used as a 3D scanner to create an augmented urban model. 

A few  words from/on prominent architects from the 20th and 21st centuries regarding the role of drawing in architecture and its importance in thought and communication.