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philip johnson: residential architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:20:00 +0000

My last blog written about some of the more famous Minneapolis buildings and their architects included the IDS Center designed by Philip Johnson. I decided to take a look at some of his residential architecture and thought it would make for a pretty interesting subject for this months topic.

The picture of the house on the front page is probably his most famous and most respected. It is known simply as "Glass House" and was built in New Canaan, CT in the late 1940's for himself. The house is a classic example of what is referred to as "International Style" which was a new architectural movement based on on the use of new building materials, the emphasis on volume rather than mass, lack of ornament, and the idea of a buliding's form reflecting it's function. Some other notable architects that fall into this category include Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Walter Gropius.

Today, Johnson's Glass House is owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Tours are offered of the 45 acre estate which over the last fifty years has seen many other additions including a Guest House, Lake Pavilion, Painting Gallery, Sculpture Gallery, Ghost House, Studio, and Visitors Pavilion.

The house which is pictured at the top was built in 1946 and based on plans drawn up by Mies van der Rohe, the modernist Farney House (above) is nestled in the dunes of Sagaponack (the Hamptons) supported on raised log piers. The house, which was expanded and updated by local architect Mark Matthews in 1989 - perhaps spoiling the purity of Johnson's work in the eyes of some - features a stunning glass-enclosed living room with spectacular ocean views. The 5,000-sq-.ft., 8-bed, 7-bath wooden residence sits on 3.6 oceanfront acres with 363 ft. of pristine Hamptons shoreline, and is accessed by a private road situated a substantial distance from any public beach access. Last year this house was listed at $35 million dollars!

Along with the IDS Center, Johnson was also responsible for designing a home in Wayzata, MN which was completed in 1954 for Richard Davis (above bottom right). Sorry for the ariel view but I had no luck finding a picture on-line. Davis was a prominent art collector and housing his collection was a major focal point for the design. The home was later owned by Mike and Penny Winton who were responsible for the addition of a Frank Gehry designed, guest house.

click for Glass House

architecturally signifcant structures of minneapolis

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:35:00 +0000

I was driving around downtown the other day enjoying what is probably my last cruise of the year on my motorcycle. I could'nt help but notice that the Minneapolis skyline really is quite impressive for a relatively modest sized city. It got me thinking about some of the architects who have contributed to our most notable local buildings and thought it would be an interesting topic for this months blog.

The picture on the front page is probably our most famous and well known of all the buildings in Minneapolis. The IDS Center opened in 1974 and became the tallest structure in the state of Minnesota. Designed by renowned modern architect Philip Johnson, the IDS Center's peculiar and unique stepback design, termed "zogs" by its architect, provides each floor with a maximum of 32 corner offices. Buildings Magazine noted: "Every aspect of the block square confluence which is the IDS Center seems to have been developed for the convenience and enjoyment of people."

Minnesota's own Ralph Rapson designed the original Guthrie Theatre in 1963. It is generally considered his masterpiece with its colorful interior and the promenades and balconies that made the audience part of a spectacle visible from the street. (Original theatre shown above.) In 2006, the Guthrie finished construction of a new $125 million theater building along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. The design is the work of architect Jean Nouvel as well as the Minneapolis architectural firm Architectural Alliance and is a 285,000 square foot facility that houses three theaters.

Frank Gehry is probably best known for his designing of Spain's Guggenheim Museum in Balbao. Much of Gehry's work falls within the style of deconstructivism. Deconstructivism, also known as DeCon Architecture, is often referred to as post-structuralist in nature for its ability to go beyond current modalities of structural definition. The University of Minnesota commissioned Gehry in 1990 to plan and design the Weisman Art Museum which opened in 1993 and is often referred to as a modern art gallery. (Top right photo above.)

The design team of Cesar Pelli and Associates was named as the architect for the new Minneapolis downtown library which broke ground in 2003 and opened in 2006. Pelli is perhaps most famous for his Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, still considered among the world's tallest buildings. Pelli is an Argentine architect known for designing some of the world's major urban landmarks. His designs are known for their curved facades and metallic elements. Another Pelli landmark in Minneapolis is the Wells Fargo Center built in 1989. (Library photo second from top above.)

Best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center Buildings 1 and 2, Minoru Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century and also contributed to our wonderful skyline. The ING Reliastar Building was built in 1964 as the Northwestern National Life Insurance buliding. (Top left photo.)

In 2005 the Walker Art Center took on a new look from another well known modern architecture firm, Herzog & de Meuron. Some of their most notable contributions include the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China, the CaixaForum Madrid in Madrid, Spain, the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, and the Allianz Arena football stadium in Munich Germany.

There are other notable buildings in our fair city but time and space have eluded me and so I will leave the others for your own curious road trips whether by car, bike, foot, or motorcycle. Enjoy the journey!

Click for Walker Art Center
Clickfor Wells Fargo Tower
Clickfor New Guthrie Theatre
Clickfor Petronas Towers
Clickfor Allianz Stadium

john lautner

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:23:00 +0000

About a week ago I found myself up late flipping channels and I came across one of those networks that likes to run "James Bond" movies back to back. 1971's "Diamonds are Forever" happened to be playing starring my favorite bond, Sean Connery. (Pierce Brosnan...are you kidding me?) Anyway, as you may know, the film highlights the now famous Elrod house designed by John Lautner in Palm Springs (seen above). I'd seen the movie many years ago before my enthusiastic attraction to modernism and ridiculous want for a mid-century retirement home in the mecca of America's famed desert playground. Seeing it again made me think about Lautner and left me wondering what other movies his architecture has been featured in and so takes me to this months Blog.

Unlike most of his contemporaries who came from Europe and the East Coast, Lautner was born in Marquette, MI in 1911. From 1933-1939 he worked under Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in Wisconsin and Arizona. He worked in private practice in Los Angeles from 1946 where he boldly experimented with new industrial processes in what he terms his "continual search to answer total basic human needs, emotional as well as physical, in shelter." Perhaps Lautner's best known building is the Malin House of 1960, or simply the Chemosphere. This flying saucer shape perched on a single concrete column may look like futuristic indulgence, but it is also a very sensible solution for a small steep site. The one column foundation minimized destruction of the exisitng terrain and obviated the usual bull-dozing and retaining walls of hiillside building. The clear span interior of the hexagonal house leaves 1,300 square feet of uninterrupted living space and offers amazing views of the valley below. Chemosphere (seen on main page) has been featured in other Hollywood movies such as "Body Double", "Charlies Angels", and "Men in Black" to name a few.

The Garcia house in Los Angeles was featured in "Lethal Weapon II" which is the house Mel Gibson attaches to his pick-up truck with cables and pulls down the hill.
The Sheats-Glodstein residence in Beverly Hills was highlighted in the movie "The Big Lebowski". In “Less Than Zero,” Robert Downey Jr. appears at Andrew McCarthy’s house, ravaged by drug addiction. Their conversation is already haunting, but Silvertop, the John Lautner house featured, imbues it with a sense of glamorous dread.

I may have other favorite mid-century (International Style) architects Koenig, Neutra, and Schindler but for good ol' corn fed, midwest, American architects, it's hard to beat Lautner. The architect hated L.A., but he gave it some of its most iconic architecture, which has enjoyed some serious screen time.

Click for Silvertop

Click for Garcia House

Click for Sheats-Goldstein

ralph rapson home

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Lately, the name Rapson has been involved in some of my business both on the listing side and on the buy side. As long as the name has been at the forefront of my real estate dealings lately along with the passing of Mr. Rapson earlier this year at the age of 93, I thought it would make an excellent topic for this weeks Blog.

On the list side, I've been hired to represent a high end "to be built" four-plex of modern condominiums that were designed by Toby Rapson of Rapson and Associates. Toby also happens to be the son of the late Ralph Rapson and together with Ralph's grandson Lane, continue to produce quality design at their Cedar-Riverside office in Minneapolis.

On the buy side, I've had the good fortune to represent one of my clients in acquiring a classic mid-century built by Rapson in 1956. Located in the University Grove section next to the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus, this property had only been on the market for a few days when multiple offers started rolling in. Another perfect example of one of my earlier blogs discussing that in most cases, good or bad market, excellent design and a recognized architect can sell your home and not the square footage or the size of the garage. The home was being marketed "as is" and will definitely be a fairly large project for my client to restore.

This was my first transaction involving an architect that I consider to be one of the foremost American leaders in the world of modern architecture. This particular home was occupied by the original owners and been pretty much left untouched from its initial design. What a thrill to hold in my hands orignal drawings, sketches, and prints that came from Rapson's hand.

University Grove consists of 103 single-family homes owned by University faculty and staff situated on land owned by the University. Because each single family home had to be designed by an architect with a maximum ceiling on costs, no two houses are the same and every one was specifically designed for its site. The cap on costs made it impossible for any new arrival to build a house appreciably larger or more luxurious than its neighbors. The initial cost was $10,000. By the early 1950s it was $27,500 and by 1970, it had reached $48,500. Over the six decades, the Grove houses, for all their architectural differences, are pleasingly compatible.

The Grove represents the work of many distinguished residential architects, several of whom have been associated with the University’s School of Architecture. A partial list includes William Ingemann, Edwin Lundie, Rollin Chapin, Roy Childs Jones, Thodes Robertson, Elizabeth and Winston Close, Robert Cerny, Harlan McClure, Carl Graffunder, Frank Kerr, Ralph Rapson, Tom Van Housen, Joseph Nichols, Richard Hammel, Michael McGuire and Thomas Horty. Because of the many architects involved over the years, there is great architectural variety in the Grove. Early houses were mostly Tudor or colonial styles. Later structures tended toward modern functionalism, showing the strong influence of the Bauhaus and the international style. All of the homes are well designed and well built.

architecture as art?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Most of you know that Neutra has been my favorite architect for many years and that I feel the Kaufmann House to be one of his most influential of the period. As I mentioned on the front page of my site, this is not a blog by me. The following is an article that I found so well stated that I wanted to share it with all of you.

Scott Weld

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

At auction: architectural history

By Christopher Hawthorne, Times Architecture Critic
June 3, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-houses3-2008jun03,0,94475.story

As part of a high-powered campaign to promote Richard Neutra's 1946 Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, which it auctioned during its big evening sale of postwar and contemporary art two weeks ago, Christie's produced a glossy booklet on the house and its setting. Near the front was a quote from Neutra himself: "The desert is subject to an infinity of moods, some of them violent."

So, it turns out, is the real estate market, even at the highest levels. Though the house sold on May 13 in New York for $15 million plus commissions, the deal fell apart a few days later. While another buyer could soon emerge, Christie's faces some sharp second-guessing about how it handled the sale, particularly in settling with the sellers on an estimate, $15 million to $25 million, that many observers saw as hugely optimistic in such a shaky market. Just as the Kaufmann sale was disintegrating, another high-profile auction sale also foundered. Louis Kahn's 1961 Esherick House in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, up for sale May 18 at the Wright auction house in Chicago, failed to earn a bid above its minimum of $2 million. As a result of the two misfires, fresh questions are swirling about the efficacy of combining auctions and architecture, particularly as a means of preservation.

There is also some head-scratching going on about the peculiar psychology of collectors: How could a Francis Bacon triptych like the one sold last month by Sotheby's be worth $86 million while a rare example of Louis Kahn's architectural genius, in excellent condition, go on the block for $2 million to $3 million and fail to sell?

Houses are not portable the way paintings are, and they require a level of upkeep that works of art do not. And the whole notion of modern-house-as-collector's-item remains an immature one, exotic to many deep-pocketed auction regulars. But still, the gap in how the market sees these two kinds of aesthetic assets is astonishingly wide, especially for anybody who has spent time inside one of Kahn's buildings.

These issues have particular relevance in Los Angeles, where such a high percentage of our iconic buildings are modern houses. Grand public buildings are, of course, far better equipped to survive a preservation battle than private ones. Their owners face more restrictions once they start thinking about knocking them down. For a while, concerns about the fate of our great stock of private houses were allayed by two factors: the soaring real estate market and the rising appeal, even trendiness, of Midcentury design. When the Wright auction house sold Pierre Koenig's Case Study House #21 in the Hollywood Hills in late 2006 for $3.18 million, including commissions, it was a symbol of both forces acting in concert.

The house, after all, measures just 1,300 square feet. Most properties of its size in that neighborhood would have sold as a tear-down. High-end buyers will hardly even look at a house with fewer than five bedrooms these days. Case Study 21 has two tiny ones. The Esherick House has only one bedroom.

Time to rethink, perhaps:

In the wake of the Koenig sale, I admit I was swayed by the idea that the market could sometimes act as a more nimble force for preservation than guardian institutions, particularly in Los Angeles. And I was hardly alone. Christy MacLear, who runs Philip Johnson's Glass House in Connecticut on behalf of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, told the Wall Street Journal recently that she was a "big supporter" of the idea of selling significant 20th century architecture at auction: "It creates this unbelievable awareness about Modernism and enhances its value."

I haven't turned away from that line of thinking completely; the sad state of affairs at Neutra's VDL Research House II in Silver Lake, which is operated, if that is not too kind a word, by the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, suggests that houses in L.A. often fare worse with public owners than with private ones. The question always seems to turn on a trade-off: Is a struggling nonprofit that will keep a famed house, whatever its state of disrepair, open to the public preferable to a wealthy private owner who restores it for his own enjoyment?

The scope of the recent economic downturn can't help but lead us to reassess all these issues. In the run-up to two auctions last month, the story seemed clear: Houses with top architectural pedigrees are immune to the problems plaguing the larger market. Now something closer to the opposite looks to be the case: Uncertainty can tear like a wildfire through the real estate market, torching even the sturdiest and best-protected deals.

It doesn't help matters that auctions favor the seller so dramatically, both psychologically and financially. At an auction, the seller sets all the terms, while the buyer (unlike in a traditional house sale) pays the commissions. As the larger housing market swings decidedly in favor of buyers, those terms will stand out as anomalies more starkly than ever. At the same time, a falling market may give nonprofit institutions a better chance of competing against private bidders for significant or endangered houses.

The renewed appreciation for Midcentury design, meanwhile, seems unlikely to fade in this city any time soon. The fact that Christie's chose to take on the Neutra sale suggests how mainstream the appreciation of modern architecture has become.

But that appreciation may blind us to risks facing other buildings. It is a cruel irony of mass architectural taste that when buildings are least appreciated, and thus most susceptible to the wrecking ball, they are also usually right on the verge on coming back into style. Americans often come to regret preservation mistakes rather quickly. In other words, we should be worried about the buildings designed by fine architects that the public finds most egregiously unattractive.

Continued optimism:

Right now that mostly means buildings from the 1970s and '80s. (Welton Becket's 1982 Beverly Center, anyone?) If someone steps forward to buy the Kaufmann House -- at auction or by some other means -- and tries to knock it down, there is sure to be a huge hue and cry. But when UC Irvine decided two years ago to raze a 1986 building by Frank Gehry, even most preservationists were largely silent.

Or compare Dodger Stadium, now a beloved landmark about to be expensively updated but hardly so popular 20 or even 10 years ago, with the Metrodome in Minneapolis, which may soon face demolition. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 1982 Metrodome, whatever its limitations as a baseball stadium, is a fascinating and accomplished urban object. It reflects the architectural ambition of its era as surely as the Kaufmann House does, though its defenders in Minneapolis can seemingly be counted on one hand.

That, in the end, may be the most persuasive argument against the idea of the market as a mechanism for preservation: Once the general public -- and by extension the market -- develops a taste for a piece of architecture, the danger of its demolition has usually long passed. The market is almost always fashionably late.

Reached by phone last week, Richard Wright, the auctioneer who presided over the failed sale of Kahn's Esherick House on May 18, sounded chastened. He admitted that he's had to weigh some of his long-standing attitudes about auctioning significant pieces of architecture against the realities of a shifting market. Nonetheless, he was eager to point out that just down the street from the Esherick House sits another icon of postwar American architecture: the 1962 Vanna Venturi house, designed by Robert Venturi for his mother.

"Man, I'd auction that thing in a second," Wright said.

Given the events of the last few weeks, it's hard to say if his enthusiasm should be encouraging or is cause for alarm.

christopher.hawthorne @latimes.com

modern home plans

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:48:00 +0000

As I've mentioned in the past, over the years I have assembled a fairly extensive collection of books pertaining to modernism, modern architecture, modern architects and an assortment on homes in general. In doing so, I've spent a considerable amount of time in various bookstores in search of these wonderful books. After my usual rummage through the architecture and art section, I often find myself wandering through the magazine racks to check out any new architecture magazines. I can't help but notice the dozens of "home plans" publications that can usually be found just below the magazines. As part of my attraction to modern/contemporary architecture, I enjoy looking through home plans that would fit into this genre. Unfortunately, and I'm sure I'm not alone on this, home plans for modern houses are few and far between if not completely left out of the selection. However, let's remember that I live in Minneapolis and this may not be true where you happen to reside.

If I do happen to find one that mentions "modern" or "contemporary" the plans are inevitably very light on modern and heavy towards contemporary. And more often than not, contemporary can mean anything from a plan that just happened to be designed within the last couple of years to homes with a small section of the roof line pitched at an odd angle or maybe even.....flat! The interior layouts are just the same ol' interiors of most any other house. So, after my last venture into the bookstore and another predictable disappointment in the house plans section, I decided to go on-line in hopes of discovering the "mother load" of all plans modern. I decided that sharing my findings would make for a good blog so here goes.

For starters, I Googled "modern home plans" to take a look at my options. I looked at the first 20 websites that came up and found only 3 sites that had at least ten plans that were listed as modern or contemporary. I will save you the trouble and highlight the three sites worth mentioning. The other 17 sites basically made me feel like I was back at the bookstore staring hopelessly into the magazine rack.

HousePlans.com is a contender for the very fact that they have 26 homes found in their "modern" section. The picture of the "Bauhaus" looking home above is an actual home built from plans found on this site. The site is set up very well, is easy to navigate includes great detail and has an 888 number to dial in the event you want to pick up the phone for a chat.

The 2nd site worth mentioning is from Lindal Cedar homes found at Lindal.com. This site had around 10 homes listed as "contemporary" with the majority leaning heavy on the usual non-modern. The coolest to be found were listed under the section titled Prairie which has plans fashioned along the Frank Lloyd Wright theme.

The 3rd site contains the floor plan that I've posted up above next to the Bauhaus which also happens to be the plan of the house found on the front of my main page. This home plan is from a site called ThePlanCollection.com and in my estimation, the proverbial "mother load" of modern/contemporary plans. The site contains a total of 133 house plans found in its modern section. Granted, these will not be your Gropius, Koenig or Phillip Johnson variety but hey, it's a start.

Honorable mention goes to ArchitecturalHousePlans.com that only had two modern plans listed but they were both actually modern looking and pretty cool.

neutra home tour

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:08:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I embarked on my annual trip to Los Angeles, and as always, I wanted to include some modern home viewing into my plans. Just before leaving, I learned that a Neutra house had been recently opened to the public which quickly put it on top of my "to view" list.

The VDL Research House was constructed in Silverlake in 1932, the original building burned down in 1963 and was rebuilt by Neutra and his son Dion a year later. Neutra named the house, now a historic monument, after the Dutch philanthropist Dr. C.H. Van der Leeuw, who extended a no-interest loan to build the $10,000 dwelling. Left to Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design, the house will be opened to the public without appointment on Saturdays for a $10.00 admission fee.

The house was considered a radical experiment. Located on a narrow strip of land above the reservoir, the glass house, with its rooftop gardens, was designed to house two families and Neutra's office -- an attempt to mix work with home life. To me, what makes this house so interesting is that Neutra actually lived in it. Unfortunately, the home is in pretty bad shape and there is an on-going effort to raise money to help restore it. So, if you find yourself in L.A., go check this great house out and help support its future existence.

Along with my VDL House visit, my friend Scott and I logged many a mile driving through Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, and Malibu taking in all of the hundreds and hundreds of modern homes. It is so refreshing and inspiring to be in a part of the country that so embraces Modernism in life, home and spirit. You must go!

Click here for more Neutra and tour info
Click here for VDL Studio and Residences

"green" modern architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:53:00 +0000

"Green" seems to be a very popular buzz word in the world of architecture, both for residential properties and commercial buildings. Although a home does not need to be modern to be green, many firms are fast becoming known to specialize in such dwellings. Personally, I really like the idea and would love to see entire neighborhoods of modern green homes. Well, let's be honest, I'd be happy to just see neighborhoods of unique modern design here in Minneapolis, but entirely "green" would be even better. brio54 is a young, design-driven development firm providing unique homes for a green, modern lifestyle (pictured on front page and above right). Their first prototype is in the final planning stage with construction projected to begin by late spring. To get an idea of their design capabilities, their website has three different designs: H1 suburban design, H2 urban infill design, and H3 high ranch rehab design (the most affordable option). brio54 dwellings are aimed at design-conscious urbanites who are looking to build or rehab in a metro area or who are searching for a place in the suburbs (or beyond).

Locally, Shelter Architecture has recently completed a project that was custom designed with green as its main foundation (pictured above left).The owners approached their new home as an opportunity to start a new lifestyle that would significantly decrease their impact on the world. They began reshaping their mobility, their diets, their energy use, and even their rate of consumption.
Their home was designed as a constant supporter of their new lifestyle. The site is close mass transit and community services. The plan allows them to gracefully age without having to move or remodel. The kitchen is laid out to promote a better diet. Storage is designed to decrease waste and over-consumption. And, of course, everything in the building is the most energy efficient possible.
By the numbers, the house exceeds energy code by over 35% and is on pace for LEED Platinum certification scoring a 93.

One of my favorite green modern homes just happens to be very near my friend Norby's residence in Santa Monica. In fact, LivingHomes RK1 (pictured above lower)is the first residential building to receive the USGBC’s Platinum LEED-H rating, and due to the media frenzy associated with this home, it has raised the bar for what’s possible in residential construction: zero energy, zero water, zero waste, zero carbon, and zero emissions. LivingHomes received a total of 91 out of a total possible 108 points required to obtain the Platinum rating. It will be 80% more efficient than similar sized home and was constructed with 75% less waste than a traditional one. Some green features of this house include a rooftop photo voltaic system, radiant heating system within the floor, grey water system for irrigation, LED lighting, EnviroGlas recycled glass countertops, and the use of low-VOC paints and FSC-certified lumber.

glass block in modern design

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:29:00 +0000

Recently, I was asked by a good friend of mine about the use of glass block in modern architecture. He had been out walking in our hometown and was describing a house to me that he thought I might recognize due to the glass block that was used in its making. Being a fan of the use of glass block in both architectural design as well as interior design, I knew exactly the home in question. To my surprise our discussion ended up being quite involved and so sparked the topic of this weeks blog.

Although other building fads come and go, glass block continues to capture the imagination of designers, builders and homeowners. Glass blocks have long been an architectural feature in buildings of all sizes and types, moving in recent years from their utilitarian beginnings in commercial and industrial buildings into widespread popularity in residential construction and its use with windows, shower enclosures, kitchen counters, bars, walls and partitions.

Glass can bring a more spacious feeling to a room and show off the flow of modern, clean lines by letting in natural and artifical light as well as adding continuity. Glass block in particular is imprinting home design with new products that add light, color and texture to today's modern homes. Home builders now have a new inventive application for incorporating glass block into their home design:fiber optic glass block products. Combining light with glass transforms glass block walls into a piece of art (see home bar photo above).

Glass block also provide insulation, security, beauty and maximum light without sacrificing privacy. Since the block allows light but provides privacy, it can be a good choice for anywhere you want to restrict the view from either inside or out. Glass block also works well in seperating a laundry room and kitchen while allowing the light from the laundry window to pass through.

Few home decor items capture the imagination like glass block. Real glass block combines beauty with privacy which adds security. Each year, glass block is growing in popularity, appearing in more kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, basements and floors across the country.

good market...bad market?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:43:00 +0000

As a realtor in Minneapolis, I feel fortunate to be affiliated with a great company in Edina Realty. Many agents, myself included, feel that our company takes a very proactive approach to staying ahead of our competitors through information, technology, education, the internet and the company's efforts in helping the agents become experts in real estate.

A good example of this proactive approach is the weekly "mentor" meeting that I attend along with 8-10 other agents from my office. We often discuss issues that are currently taking place in our business and then get opinions and feedback from each other on how to deal with it. Our Manager is also involved and acts not only as a moderator but as a sounding board to the company as well. Lately, the theme has revolved around the housing market downturn and the plethora of bad press that our industry is getting. What we often talk about is how the media is always focusing on the negative and reporting on numbers that involve real estate across the country as a whole even though the picture changes drastically depending on where you live and what kind of home you own or want to buy.

Today, I just want to touch on something that I'm experiencing as a "positive." The fact remains, though you'd never know it by reading the newspapers or watching the news, people are still buying and selling homes. In fact, I'm finding that with modern homes, which are usually architect designed, they can potentially sell much faster than more traditional homes do in today's slower market. I'm also finding that the price points of these faster selling properties are all over the board.

One example of this is a property I recently listed and sold in just two days. It was an architect designed modern and even though some of my fellow agents thought the asking price should be much lower, I believed that there was added value because of who designed the home and how it was built. In that particular suburb, the average accepted selling price was about 7% below list price. Ours was less than half of that.

Another example is the Frank Lloyd Wright house that I mentioned (and pictured) on my main page. This incredibly rare and unique home sold in around 40 days. That's about 5 months less than the average in that price range. Again, value in the home does not always come from square footage, bathrooms, room size and garage stalls. It's also about who designed and built the home. Unfortunately, you won't see any articles written about the homes that sold in record time in a horrible market. Just articles about the homes that have languished on the market for months and months. These are just a sampling of great transactions that happen hundreds of times every month here in the Twin Cities and elsewhere. Believe me, I'm no Pollyanna but it doesn't mean I have to believe everything I read in the media.

By the way, that Wright house that just sold doesn't even have a garage!

97 perfect things: style & design

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:18:00 +0000

Every year, I anxiously await the arrival of the Style & Design issue from one of my favorite magazines, Men's Journal. In the issue, they pick 97 perfect things or "objects of desire" ranging from sports cars and motorcycles to hi tech items such as a wireless mouse and a minimalist digital camera.

Because many of the items on the list include things that relate to real estate and the home, I decided it would make for a pretty good topic for this weeks blog. Keep in mind however, the topic is style and design so I'll also be touching on some of my personal favorites from the list.

One of the more prominent items to be featured on the list was a prefab home built by LivingHomes (pictured on my front page). With 2,500 sq. ft. and 3 bedrooms, rooftop deck including a garden, and walls of floor-to-ceiling glass, it's the perfect home for its single, 40 something Southern California modernist owner.
click here for LivingHomes

If your looking for an untraditional looking wood burning fireplace to go into your modern home, check out the Wittus Shaker furnace. Matte-finished steel takes the place of charred cast iron allowing the design to become part of the focal point instead of just the glowing flames.
click here for Wittus Fire by Design

Also on the list was an item that I had included on my blog a few weeks ago about Modern Campers. The Airstream Basecamp was co-developed with Nissan and includes smoked-glass windows and enough room to haul an ATV or a pair of kayaks.
click here for Airstream

Another design beauty falling into the homefront category is a stacking patio set called the Dedon Obelisk. When the four chairs and side table are stacked together they take on a torpedo like shape that looks as if it's ready to blast off. Who says outdoor furniture has to be boring? (pictured above)
click here for janusetcie.com

For some notable mentions I'd like to start with the Winged Kayak. (see photo above) Designed by an MIT educated engineer, this kayak takes on a shape never seen in the kayak industry. Wings flare out in the fore and aft, then tapers toward the cockpit giving it an hourglass shape. If you are a snow skiier, think parabolic skis or "shaped" skis as they are more commonly referred to today. Bottom line is that like the shaped skis, this new kayak design is easier to handle, making kayaking more accessible to the "balance challenged."
click here for Warren Light Craft

Bringing things back to the home theme I'd like to make note of the Hannspree HannsLounge TV (pictured above). Asthetically, televisions tend to be more of an eyesore to any given room than they are considered a piece of art. Granted, they have come along way of late with the new, thin, flat LCD screens. But they still seem to be more of a plastic void than a stylish addition to the family room. Hannspree pulled it off by combining sophisticated design and modern details, such as a sturdy polished chrome base, subtle chrome details and sloping curves that seem to flow into a rich mahogany wood finish. Very modern yet also kind of retro.
click here for HannsLounge TV

In closing, I urge you to pick up a copy of the September magazine for a look at some really cool, well designed, must have products. I could go on for another page just talking about the cars on the list but hey, this blog is supposed to be about modern homes. Enjoy.

nothing but "quotes"

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:29:00 +0000

Ok, ok, enough already about how long you've had to look at the Modern Campers blog. It's summer here in the midwest which means it's hard to find time to sit down and write. Afterall, with just three short months of summer, winter is almost upon us. To help with the time constraint I've decided to do an entire blog on some of my favorite quotes by some of my favorite modernist architects. In the end, I'll probably spend more time researching the quotes than I would writing a blog, but at least I won't have to worry so much about my grammar and spelling.

Over the years, I've started to amass a pretty extensive library of books about modern architecture, modern architects and books containing pictures of modernist homes. I love that many of them contain quotes which is how I came to write this weeks blog.

Walter Gropius (father of bauhaus)

“Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life, necessary for everyone in a civilized society.”

“A modern, harmonic and lively architecture is the visible sign of an authentic democracy.”

"Architecture begins where engineering ends."

A. Quincy Jones (case study #24 house)

"The traditional concept of an architect's practice is not compatible with a simple statement of current problems. The population explosion demands a higher density and better land use. The city planner functioning independently of the architect can only reproduce chaos."

Frank Lloyd Wright (falling water)

"I would rather solve the small house problem than build anything else I can think of. But where is a better small house to come from while Government housing itself is only perpetuating the old stupidities? I do not believe it will come from the current education, from big business or by way of smart advertising experts. It must come from common sense--a pattern for more simple and at the same time more gracious living."

"All fine architectural values are human values, else not valuable."

"The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization."

"A great architect is not made by way of a brain nearly so much as he is made by way of a cultivated, enriched heart."

Richard Neutra (my favorite architect)

“A building can be designed to satisfy "by the month" with the regularity of a provider. Or it can give satisfaction in a very different way, "by the moment," the fraction of a second, with the thrill of a lover.”

"I am an eyewitness to the ways in which people relate to themselves and to each other, and my work is a way of scooping and ladling that experience."

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (farnsworth glass house)

"Architecture starts when you carefully put two bricks together. There it begins."

"Less is more."

"True education is concerned not only with practical goals but also with values. Our aims assure us of our material life, our values make possible our spiritual life."

Le Corbusier (five points of architecture)

"Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light."

"Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep."

"The home should be the treasure chest of living."

Phillip Johnson (glass house masterpiece)

"All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space."

"Architects are pretty much high-class whores. We can turn down projects the way they can turn down some clients, but we've both got to say yes to someone if we want to stay in business."

"Architecture is the art of how to waste space."

modern campers

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:08:00 +0000

A few weeks back I was visiting my friend Dave in Wisconsin who lately has been going through this camper phase. He started out with some plain, ordinary looking run of the mill type campers that you pull behind a vehicle or throw on the back of your truck. He then moved up to the huge, brand new kind that come with everything from a garbage disposal to indoor toilets and a shower. Dave has traditionally been a tent camper along with being my sea kayaking adventure buddy. As nice as it was to have air conditioning while camping in the hot, humid summer months of the midwest, he was never quite comfortable pulling a makeshift apartment on wheels.

But, on my latest visit, he was putting the finishing touches on this really modern retro looking teardrop shaped camper from the 50's. It was a perfect compact size, yet it was able to sleep 5 or 6 people with the creative addition of some bunks that he installed. His brother Jimmy lives nearby and after hearing my comments on how cool I thought his looked, Dave brought me over to look at Jimmy's. It was of the same era and same shape but made by a different company. It was also equally cool and efficient.

About a week later, I received a Sundance Catalog in the mail that is usually just filled with women's clothing and jewelry. As I was paging through it I noticed an ad for a camper of all things. It was very small, but with the help of a back hatch area that opened up and contained the stove top, sink and cupboards, it actually looked like it could handle some outdoor adventure. Well, this got me to thinking about modern campers and what creative shapes and designs might be happening in the industry. Much to my surprise, I found several examples of incredibly contemporary looking pull-behind housing. I immediately started thinking "blog," and so here we are.

One of the more unique has to be the T@B (pictured above) which allows the buyer to customize the outside as well as the inside with different colors, materials, and fabric designs. It also has several awesome optional features such as bike racks, roof vents, awnings, and even a choice of rims for the wheels. I really like the idea of personalizing your own camper.

The ever popular Airstream company has developed a couple of different models that I also find to be attractive. The furniture company Design Within Reach, must have also been impressed because they are marketing an Airstream that is filled with features from a who's who in the design world. A Nelson Ball Clock, a wire coatrack by Tom Dixon, two Tripolina chairs, and even a Maharam pillow to name a few.

On a more economical and practical scale there is the Airstream Basecamp (pictured on main page). This is probably my favorite because of its versatility. The aggressive, sleek styling with custom 20" wheels, wrap around smoked windows, low profile stance and Airstream's signature aluminum skin combine to deliver the boldest rig on (or off) the highway. This one is for the adventurous type that needs to haul bikes, kayaks and other recreational gear. It even comes with an attachable Kelty tent extension for extra room in the event of inclimate weather. Check out my links to get a closer look at these cool campers. Just a casual warning; like good design and modern styling for homes, these rigs do not come cheap. Happy Camping!

click here for Sundance Camper
click here for T@B Camper
click here for Design Within Reach Camper
click here for Airstream Basecamp Camper

picasso and architecture?

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:39:00 +0000

We are fortunate here in the Twin Cities to have an amazing museum that often highlights modern/abstract artists and their work. Later this month, a landmark exhibition called Picasso and American Art will be on display at the Walker Art Center. In fact, my 7 year old daughter will be attending a week-long series of activities inspired by the exhibition. She will practice the collage and painting techniques of Pablo Picasso and learn about his stylistic range and influence on other American artists. So, with all the buzz on his works coming to Minneapolis, I started wondering if Picasso ever designed any buildings or residential properties?

Unfortunately, I was unable to find any evidence of Picasso designing any form of architecture as it relates to buildings or homes. (If I have overlooked such a project, please notify me) However, a museum dedicated to Picasso's work in his birth place of Malaga, Spain recently won an honor award for architecture. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded the Museo Picasso Malaga the 2006 recipient of the AIA Institute Honor Awards for Architecture, the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture, and urban design.

Selected from over 680 total submissions, the Museo Picasso Malaga was opened in October 2004 and is dedicated to works of Pablo Picasso. Arup, a global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants providing a diverse range of professional services to clients around the world, provided structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, public health and acoustics for the renovation of this 16th century palace surrounded by archaeological remains dating back to the Phoenician and Roman period.

Another reference to Picasso and architecture is a book written by Christopher Green: Architecture and Vertigo. The framework for Green’s exploration is simple, yet enormously rich in its implications: the compulsion found in Picasso’s work simultaneously to build architectures and to release himself from them. Architecture is used by Green to refer not merely to pictorial or sculptural structure, but to the architecture of knowledge and society: the structures of tradition, of racial, social and cultural distinction, of logic and of technology.

click here for Walker Art Center
click here for Architecture and Vertigo
click here for Museo Picasso Malaga

defining "modern" architecture

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:37:00 +0000

I'm often asked about the definition of "modern" when I try to describe the area of real estate in which I specialize. It's not an easy question to answer and is also very subjective depending with whom you're speaking. So, I thought this would make for a useful blog in an effort to clarify some of the more common modern terms used in residential properties.

Modern architecture, not to be confused with "contemporary architecture", is a term given to a number of building styles with similar characteristics, primarily the simplification of form and the elimination of ornament. While the style was conceived early in the 20th century and heavily promoted by a few architects, architectural educators and exhibits, very few Modern buildings were built in the first half of the century. For three decades after the Second World War, however, it became the dominant architectural style for institutional and corporate building.

The exact characteristics and origins of Modern architecture are still open to interpretation and debate.

The International style was a major architectural style of the 1920s and 1930s. The term usually refers to the buildings and architects of the formative decades of Modernism, before World War II. The term had its origin from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson written to record the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1932 which identified, categorised and expanded upon characteristics common to Modernism across the world. As a result, the focus was more on the stylistic aspects of Modernism. Hitchcock's and Johnson's aims were to define a style of the time, which would encapsulate this modern architecture. They identified three different principles: the expression of volume rather than mass, balance rather than preconceived symmetry and the expulsion of applied ornament. All the works which were displayed as part of the exhibition were carefully selected, as only works which strictly followed the set of rules were displayed.

Mid-Century modern is a design term applied most frequently to residential (and some commercial) architecture, interior design and furniture. Related to the Space Age, the International style and Googie, mid-century modern translated the ideology of Modernism into a sleek, cool, yet accessible lifestyle. Mid-century modernism was more organic in form and less serious than the International Style. Scandinavian and Finnish designers and architects were very prolific at this time, with a style characterized by simplicity, democratic design and organic shapes. They had an influence on Mid-century modernism in the rest of the world, including the US. Mid-century modernism has become popular in recent times, and has influenced contemporary modern design profoundly.

Well-known designers of the mid-century modern era include: Alvar Aalto, Al Beadle, Harry Bertoia, Charles and Ray Eames, Craig Ellwood, Max Gottschalk, Ralph Haver, Edith Heath, Arne Jacobsen, Louis Kahn, Paul McCobb, George Nelson, Richard Neutra, Isamu Noguchi, Harvey Probber, Jens Risom, Eero Saarinen, , Rudolf Schindler, Raphael Soriano, Hans Wegner, Russel Wright, and Eva Zeisel

Bauhaus: an art and architecture school in Germany that operated from 1919 to 1933, and for its approach to design that it publicized and taught. The most natural meaning for its name (related to the German verb for "build") is Architecture House. Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in Modernist architecture, and one of the most important currents of the New Objectivity.

The Bauhaus art school had a profound influence upon subsequent developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design and typography.

The Bauhaus art school existed in three German cities (Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932, Berlin from 1932 to 1933), under three different architect-directors (Walter Gropius from 1919 to 1927, Hannes Meyer from 1928 to 1930, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe from 1930 to 1933). The changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors, and politics. When the school moved from Weimar to Dessau, for instance, although it had been an important revenue source, the pottery shop was discontinued. When Mies took over the school in 1930, he transformed it into a private school, and would not allow any supporters of Hannes Meyer to attend it.

László Moholy-Nagy revived the school for a single year in Chicago as the New Bauhaus.

prefab modern homes

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:28:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:23:00 +0000

I think it was about 7 years ago when I picked up a book by Joe Eichler called Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream. I remember being awestruck by these incredible mid-century moderns that he had built in California. What was so incredible was the fact that he had designed these homes to suit the American middle class. In other words, he was creating "affordable modern housing." It is true that the Eichler subdivisions were "tract" housing built to sell to a middle-class market. However, that does not diminish the fact that Eichler homes were designed by world-class architects and were a bold, unique experiment designed to bring modern style to the mass housing market. I know you're wondering, "What in the world does Eichler have to do with prefab housing, and where is he going with all of this?" Ok, here's my point, what we are witnessing right now with the increasingly popular modern prefab housing boom reminds me of what Eichler was doing in the 50's. Modern designs crafted by architects, pre-built in a controlled environment in an effort to bring affordable contemporary housing to the middle class. In 2001, Dwell magazine took the prefab ball and ran with it by devoting an entire issue to the subject. In 2003, they announced the Dwell Home Design Invitational, in which 16 architects and designers were invited to design an innovative prefabricated house for $200,000. The result was an amazing home that captured the attention of not only thousands of readers but also struck a note with hundreds of young, eager architects who believe that there is a huge market for this type of housing. In 2005, bound by a collective commitment to building well-designed, affordable modern homes, Dwell teamed up with Empyrean International LLC (formerly Deck House), Resolution: 4 Architecture, and Lazor Office to create The Dwell Homes(TM) by Empyrean -- an exclusive collection of custom-designed, modern prefabricated homes. Today, there are dozens of companies with prefab making up part or all of their building revenue. The 3 pictures above are from a few of my personal favorites:(left to right) weeHouse from Twin Cities firm Alchemy Architects, Sunset Breeze House from Michelle Kaufmann Designs and The Mountain Retreat by Resoluton:4 Architecture.click here for a website that is all about PreFab.

Visiting The Eames House

noreply@blogger.com (Scott Weld) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 03:42:00 +0000

Since I was getting some help for my website from a couple of friends in L.A., I decided to incorporate some pleasure into this mostly "business" trip that I took last month. One of my favorite things to do when visiting the West Coast is check out as many of the amazing modern homes as possible. So, I thought why not focus on one of these unique properties as a backdrop for my very first blog. My friend Scott lives in Pacific Palisades which just so happens to be where one of the more famous Case Study houses was built by the well known design couple, Ray and Charles Eames, probably more famous for designing chairs (such as the one I'm sitting in on the "Contact Me" page) than for their residential architecture. Still, I had a great time visiting the Eames house which is open to the public for tours as long as you make an appointment. The house is perched on a wonderful site overlooking the PCH and the Pacific Ocean. A very friendly and knowledgeable host will greet you and give you some interesting historical perspective as well as the do's and don'ts while touring the grounds. If you find yourself visiting Los Angeles and would like to see fantastic examples of modern residential architecture, spend some time in the Palisades just north of Santa Monica. If you are interested in visiting the Eames house yourself, click here.