Architecture in the Mountains (Grand Lake, CO)

Working in the mountains is inspiring. It can also be challenging. Out latest high country project is set on a steep site at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, overlooking the town of Grand Lake, Colorado. An inspiring site, but, with a daunting grade change, a worthy challenge. Throw in a megalithic rock and a strict budget and the challenges multiply.

House by the Rock, Grand Lake, Colorado. 

The rock, about the size of a "tiny house", sits partially in the building envelope and partially in the setback area. Incorporating it into the structure was a tempting option, but its position was not amenable to that approach. Instead, we used the geographical feature to form a sort of entry court at the front door. Our name for the design, House by the Rock, embraces the rock as a welcome natural element. It also pays homage to one of our favorite renegade works of architecture, Alex Jordan's House on the Rock. Also in mind was a project by Frank Lloyd Wright we have always admired: the Hardy House.  

Front and rear elevations.

The rear of the house is stabilized by a series of retaining walls and terraces with a cantilevered balcony above. Three levels of outdoor living "rooms" (the upper deck, lower terrace, and hot tub patio) look out on the primary views.  All major interior spaces also focus on the panorama of mountains, lakes, and forest. 

Groundbreaking is scheduled for the spring of 2021. 

Surveying the site. 

Frank Lloyd Wright's Hardy House, located in Racine, WI.
Illustration by Marion Mahoney. 

Sacred Architecture

I have been spending some time recently on ecclesiastical designs and sacred architecture. I will be posting the results from time to time. Here is a church design for 500 people.

Roy Horn, 1945-2020

This week we lost Roy Horn of the Las Vegas entertainment team of Siegfried and Roy. He was a victim of Covid-19.

As readers of this blog may remember, Siegfried and Roy provided my office with one of our most interesting architectural opportunities: designing a compound on forty acres they owned on the north side of Las Vegas. We had already been working on a large addition to their Jungle Palace complex for fund raising events and entertainment. In 2003 that project was suddenly brought to a halt when Roy was seriously injured during a performance at the Mirage resort. Roy experienced a stroke on stage; one of their white tigers, Montecore, rescued him and dragged him to safety. According to Roy, the tiger saved his life.

Cabana and pool. 

We heard again from Roy a year later. Facing a lengthy recovery, Roy decided he needed a new retreat on one level and Siegfried wanted to live close by to supervise his care. We designed a series of pavilions clustered around an existing weekend cabin. The compound consisted of a cottage for Roy, another for Siegfried, a commons building for entertainment, and a chapel. All was connected by vine-covered trellises and surrounded by fountains, waterfalls, and a spring-fed lake. Over the years, our work also included a poolside cabana, storage facilities for their stage productions, a ten-car garage and entrance gate, and a wild animal habitat. I mention all of this because when I think of Roy Horn I am flooded with memories of this extraordinary project and the many meetings we had with him and his staff of talented people. It was also an opportunity to work with my friend Mickey Akerman and his team at Amirob Studios who created the interior design themes for the project.

Roy's pavilion with chapel in background. 

Roy was a demanding client, but his creative talents inspired and encouraged the best work from all those who surrounded him. The experience of working with him is something never to be forgotten and never to be repeated. We will miss Roy Horn. The world is diminished without his presence.

Commons pavilion. 

West water feature.  

Chapel bell tower. 

Complex connected with vine-covered trellises and surrounded by water. 

Grand Opening: Venue 221

This week saw the official grand opening for Venue 221 in Denver's Cherry Creek North district.

My office worked for three years with the owner/developer Cindy Wynne to create a luxury multi-use venue. The design is influenced by mid-century-modern architecture with 21st century amenities: folding doors open to a sidewalk patio, a white onyx bar with LED illumination, linear fireplace, caterer's kitchen and state-of-the art A/V system. The interior design consultant was Studio 10 of Denver. The general contractor was Coe Construction of Fort Collins, Colorado.

From their website:

Venue 221 is intended for all types of corporate, non-profit, social and community events such as: Sales Meetings, Conferences, Training Events, Executive Retreats, Employee Recognitions, Product Launches, Media Releases, Holiday Parties, Employee Picnics/Receptions, Volunteer Appreciations, Galas, Fundraisers, Award Dinners, Board Meetings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Anniversary Parties, Birthday Celebrations, Weddings, Graduations, Reunions, Proms, School Fundraisers, Academic Competitions, & Shows, Religious Gatherings, Club Meets, HOA Meetings & Presentations and Political Meetings or Receptions.

They have also added pop-up retail events to their offerings. Detailed information is available here: Venue 221.

Knorr Architecture Published in Luxe

We are pleased to announce that another architecture and design magazine has picked up our work. Luxe (Colorado edition) features one of our recently completed mountain projects.  The 16 page article has great photos  by James Ray Spahn and a lengthy article explaining the project by Tate Gunnerson. We worked with two New York interior designers Elizabeth Brosnan Hourihan and Claus Rademacher to realize the owners' goals for a throroughly modern home. The builder was Mark Manley of Golden, Colorado.

Luxe magazine July/August 2016

The project is an extensive remodeling and addition to a home we originally designed for a different client years ago.  The original incarnation of this mountain home was published in The Rocky Mountain News.  It also won a Best Custom Home award from the Denver Home
Builders Association.

The Rocky Mountain News 

Another Architecture Article

Colorado Expressions

When it rains it pours. The work of my office is appearing in two local publications this month. The first is Colorado Homes and Lifestyles (see March 24, 2016 blog entry). Now a second project is featured in  Colorado Expressions, published by Terry Vitale. Soon a third project will be featured in Luxe. I'm being interview for that article on Monday.

The project in Colorado Expressions was a great opportunity to transform a dowdy 4000 square foot condo into a modern pied-a-terre. All interior walls were ripped out and we untied the knots of a convoluted, boxy floor plan. The article does not show the floor plan changes, but I think that tells the complete story of how radical the changes were:

Architecture by Michael Knorr.

We worked with interior designer Karyn McGowan, a frequent collaborator on our projects who always seems to "get it." The article was written by Claudia Carbone with photography by Ron Ruscio.

Gallery

Kitchen. 

Living area.

Credits:
Floor plan graphics by Kelly Morgan
Photography by Ron Ruscio

Architecture on the Cover

I am pleased to report that a recent project by my office has made the cover of Colorado Homes and Lifestyles.

April 2016 issue. 

The April 2016 issue focuses on outdoor living. We designed this home in Cherry Hills, Colorado to wrap around and focus on a beautiful pool, spa, and patios. The article (written by Rebecca Gart, photos by Emily Minton Redfield) compares the home to a "five-star resort."  In a sense, this is what we strive to accomplish with all of our residential projects. Why shouldn't our homes feel as welcoming and exciting as a vacation place? A retreat from the ordinary world into one of accommodation and comfort. The author of the piece interviewed me for the article. One quote she chose is something I stand by as my design ethos:

There should never be a conflict between aesthetics and function. Solve the function first, and then figure out the most beautiful way to express that.

We work to achieve that goal in all of our work.

Thank you to Colorado Homes and Lifestyles for featuring our work.

Credits
Clients: Hud and Carol Karshmer
Interior Designer: Jill Firkins
Builder: Dick Tanner, Northbrook Consulting LLC

Dinner Over Architecture

I had a very pleasant experience last weekend. I was invited to dinner by the new owners of a home I designed very early in my career.

The original clients, Al and Linda, were enthusiastic about architecture in general and game for the adventure of building a new home. The site, in the foothills outside of Denver, was sloping and rocky. It called for a structure nestled into the slope with windows and deck facing out toward the best views.

The experience of building must have been a good one for Al and Linda; we went on to design a second home for their family a few years later on a nearby site. Their first home was sold twice. First to a couple I never met and recently to Gary and Karen. Like Al and Linda, the new owners are archiphiles. (In fact, both their son and daughter-in-law are architects.) They were eager to meet the architect for their "new" home and that is how the dinner came about. I jumped at the invitation to join them and Al. (Unfortunately, Linda was ill and unable to join us.) Approaching the house on a beautiful Colorado evening, it looked exactly as it did when built. With one big exception: the trees that Al had planted many years ago now made the house seem like a forest retreat.

To my relief, the architecture had stood the test of time. It was one of my early works, but not so early it was amateurish. What few changes Gary and Karen had made were simple improvements in keeping with the architectural theme. The original design concept was still intact and still good.

We talked about the house, architecture in general, music, Denver's restaurant scene, and family. Dinner over architecture... a very pleasasnt experience.

The house as construction was nearing complettion. 

South deck just after Al and Linda moved in.  

A more recent photo showing tree growth.

To the Student in Architecture (Part One)

Over the years I have had contact with aspiring young architects from grammar school to university.  Student groups of all ages have come through my office, I have given talks at career days, and I have counseled young people thinking about a career in architecture at every invitation.  For a few years I taught architectural design at the college level and even taught architectural drafting at a trade school. Whenever these young students ask me what I think of their contemplated career choice in architecture, my answer is always the same: run in the opposite direction as fast as you can!   Most people have deep misconceptions about what an architect does - how he or she spends a typical day and, especially, what they earn. Architecture is viewed favorably among professions, with few negative connotations. That’s because it is perceived as something far more glamorous and financially rewarding than the reality.

Of course, my usual follow-up when discouraging a career in architecture is, unless you truly have a passion for it. That would be true with most jobs. However, it seems to me to be especially true of architecture because the path to obtaining a license is very long and the remuneration rather dicey.  Is there enough reward for the investment? Some careers might be a logical choice because the money and benefits are so great you can put up with a lot of BS and some degree of delayed gratification (early retirement, for example).  That’s probably not going to happen with most architecture-related jobs.  Unless you are a star architect working internationally (think Gehry, Liebskind, or Hadid) the hours will be long, the pay meager, and the opportunities for creativity few. Think, young student in architecture, if six years of college, an extended internship, and low pass rates in the professional exam are worth the time and expense.  Career paths in law and medicine are much faster and more lucrative. Or get an MBA and open doors in business and finance. Perhaps go into construction or development where the decision-making power in architecture truly resides.  Anything but architecture itself!

And yet, do I regret my own choice of career? No. Because I didn’t have a choice. I had to be an architect. The kind of passion I had for architecture drove me to get the education and experience I needed to become an architect. It sustained me in seeking out clients to support that ambition.  So, if you truly have a passion for it, nothing will stop you from becoming an architect. These next couple of  blog entries are addressed to that young student in architecture.

Architecture Redux

Original front entry, now undergoing reconstruction.

Life seldom offers a second chance. Unless you hang around long enough in the world of architecture. Lately, I have had the pleasure of reworking several of my earliest projects. Some are for new owners who have different needs. Others are for original clients whose families have grown and now have a different program for their architectural environment. And some properties are simply in need of a twenty-first century facelift. It is a honor to be involved in all of these. There is probably not an architect alive who wouldn't welcome the chance to rethink aspects of any project the moment it is completed. That is why Frank Lloyd Wright always answered, "The next one," when asked which project was his favorite. One of my "second chances" is an extensive remodel and additions for a project I designed twenty years ago in the mountains outside of Denver. The new owners want to expand the floor plan with larger terraces, a new atrium, and a guest house. This was also an opportune moment for new windows, new exterior cladding, and interior updating. The kitchen and baths, in particular, were ready for a fresh look. These changes led to rethinking the fireplaces, flooring, and ceiling treatments. As a result the structure is now stripped to its bones and on its way to a completely different look. It became an opportunity to introduce new materials (Wisconsin limestone), new products (patio doors that pocket into the walls), and a new attitude to the interior design. Since most of the structure had to be stripped bare to implement the new design, the owner also decided to replace the mechanical and electrical systems. We are adding air conditioning and in-floor radiant heat. Light fixtures are being replaced with products that didn't exist when the house was built. In the end, this will not be a remodeled house, but a new one. The original owners were ideal clients, encouraging creativity and innovation. The new owners have been equally enthusiastic about producing a quality project. Their goal is to have a living environment that feels like a destination vacation spot. I am as excited about this new incarnation as I was about the original design.

The house looked like this when built:

Original rear decks.

Long view of original west elevation.

Here is what it looks like today with work in progress:

Stucco is removed; decks and original greenhouse are gone.

Plywood protects openings that led to original greenhouse.
Orignal multi-level decks are removed.

Here are our drawings for the redesigned project:

Perspective showing original house in background, new atrium (replacing greenhouse) on left,
new guest house on right., new deck in foreground.

New exterior elevations. Completed house will be Wisconsin limestone and stucco.

Main level floor plan with new additions shaded.

The original house won a MAME award for House of the Year and was published in The Rocky Mountain News. 

The Rocky Mountain News. 

We are aided in this effort by interior architect Claus Ranemacher, New York City. The structural engineer is Foothills Engineering, Boulder, Colorado. The builder is Mark Manley, Golden, Colorado. 

Updates of the finished project will appear on this blog in 2013.

VIDEO: Architecture by Michael Knorr

A video of work by Michael Knorr has been created by our photographer, Rob Munger. It's a ten minute look at our contemporary projects put together for the Denver Modern Home Tour. Ten minutes is a bit long for YouTube attention spans. We'll try to get a short version posted later. Thanks for viewing:

Colorado Homes & Lifestyles

A residential project by Michael Knorr & Associates is featured in the current issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles (June/July 2009, pages 58-65) as an “Urban Nest”. The publication is available on newsstands and in bookstores such as the Tattered Cover and Barnes & Noble for $4.95. Our original clients built the house a decade ago. Under their ownership the interiors were elegantly monochromatic; the furnishings emphasized modern classics from the 1920s through the 50s. The project was previously published in the home section of the Rocky Mountain News (June 6, 1999) and was on the March 2002 cover of Builder/Architect magazine. The current owners, Dave Hurt and Scott Coors, purchased the property two years ago. They have completely redecorated the home using the talents of Jim Herring of HW Home. Warmer colors and tactile materials were introduced throughout the house. Texture and warmth provide a welcoming atmosphere. In my opinion, the house looks great in both incarnations. Here's a two page spread from the current magazine article, followed by a few images from earlier years. From tbe June/July 2009 issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles.

The project appeared on the cover of Builder/Architect in 2002.

A Corbusier-designed chaise as furnished by the original owners. The windows are by Hope, the same manufacturer specified by Frank Lloyd Wright for his Fallingwater masterpiece.

One of my favorite rooms is the library. The woodwork wraps the room with perfect craftsmanship.

The kitchen with a classic Eero Saarinen-designed table and chairs from the 1950s.

Malibu Dreaming

It is always a pleasure to work on projects in southern California, especially during the winter when Denver’s vegetation turns brown. It’s a sensuous reward to arrive at LAX and take the short drive to Malibu through balmy temperatures, colorful flowers, and rustling palms. That’s the route to our current California project: two homes on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Michael Knorr & Associates has been working for a over a year on this project. It has taken this long (and we’re not through yet!) due to the notorious difficulty of getting things done in coastal communities. Particularly Malibu. The number of consultants, submittals, agencies, reports, reviews, and inconsistencies is astonishing. Without getting into those details, let’s just say we were warned. These two homes have been great fun to design and I want to share some previews of them here. The design intent was to capture the charm and grace of old California ranchos. A nearby local landmark, the Adamson house on Malibu beach, provided some of the inspiration.

We won’t mention the developers or the exact location until the approval process is further along. But I do want cite our local collaborating architect Winston Chappell, based in Santa Monica, for his talented and genial contributions.