LaVerne Lantz Architectural Biography Now Available on iBooks

My updated and expanded monograph, LaVerne Lantz -- An Architectural Biography, is now available on iBooks. This is Apple's book ap, also known as Apple Books or Books. If you have an iOS device (iPhone, iPad, Mac) the ap is available for free in the ap store. Find this book by searching Michael Knorr or LaVerne Lantz. 

This monograph was originally inspired by a tour of architecture in southeastern Wisconsin by Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin, Inc. The tour, dubbed Wright and Like -- Driving Mr. Wright, was held in June of 2014 and is an annual event. The 2014 tour featured two Frank Lloyd Wright homes as well as projects by other architects who are "like" Wright. Included were five homes by a relatively unknown home designer, LaVerne Lantz. 

The current version of this "architectural biography" has been expanded with additional text as well as more photographs and drawings. 

The mid-twentieth century saw an effusion of modern architecture. Mid-Century Modern design was in the air across America when LaVerne Lantz started to become aware of architecture. After completing a few fledgeling projects, his commissions came to him by word-of-mouth referrals. He never compromised his design philosophy; as a result, every Lantz design is a clear testament to his well-developed sense of what a house should and ought to be. Every Lantz home is a confident expression of internally consistent design principles and coherent themes. Despite the high quality and integrity of LaVerne Lantz's body of work, it is largely undocumented. This monograph serves to remedy that omission in architectural history. Any fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and aficionados of Mid-Century Modern design will appreciate LaVerne Lantz's original take on the principles of organic architecture. 

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. 

Capturing Architecture in Art

Every once in a while someone comes along with a fresh, invigorating approach to art and architecture. Chris Musselman is carving out an artistic niche with a unique rendering style that will be of interest to architects, builders, and marketing professionals.

I became aware of Chris through a series of renderings published in Modern in Denver magazine. His illustrations focused on the Denver neighborhood of Arapahoe Acres. This 1950s-era community is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a beautiful example of mid-century modern architecture. I decided to track Chris down to commission a rendering of my own home. His phone contact  contained an out-of-state area code and his tracks ran through Chicago and Santa Fe.  But it turns out he now lives and works in my town, Denver, Colorado.

Chris applies a spare graphic approach to architectural renderings, with lots of atmospherics and a lively sense of color. His technique is highly stylized but approachable. Here is a link to his website: www.christianmusselman.com. And here is the rendering he produced for my house.

Architectural rendering by Chris Mussellman. 

Thanks, Chris!

Great Architecture Requires Great Builders (Let's Talk About Competitive Bidding)

A question that regularly comes up with my new clients is how do I select a builder? accompanied by should we be getting competitive bids? I'm a firm believer in selecting a qualified builder right at the beginning as part of your design team. This should be done when your plans are being created so the builder can contribute his/her expertise in planning the project. This will be helpful in establishing the budget. The builder can guide wise choices in specifications, materials, and capabilities of local craftsmen. Obviously, it is impossible to obtain competitive bids at this stage because there are no completed drawings from which to bid. Of course, it's logical to wonder how selecting a builder so early will give you someone who is going to be cost competitive. Putting it bluntly, how do you know you're getting a good and fair deal?

If we are talking about custom homes (the bulk of my work) there are many ways you can find a builder that you can trust, even before you know the final cost. First, let's clarify some terms. Builder and general contractor are used interchangeably, but most builders of custom homes are more accurately described as construction managers. Few custom builders are actually in the field swinging a hammer, installing electrical conduit, or roofing the structure. They are subcontracting this work to (what should be) qualified, licensed subcontractors. The construction manager will coordinate the construction and will make a profit on fees or on a percentage of the estimated budget. (More on that in a moment.) Where the budget can be controlled is amongst the subcontractors. You want to be certain that your builder is getting competitive bids from qualified subcontractors and not just getting bids from the same people they always use because it's convenient for them. Determining that should be part of the client's due diligence. It requires checking builder references and talking to past clients. It also means that the bidding process should be transparent: all bids from subcontractors should be presented to the owner.

A client can certainly interview various builders (or construction managers) to determine who is best for them. But then choose one; don't make them fight for the lowest bid. The incentive in that scenario is to provide lowball prices using cut-rate sub contractors that may not be the best choices. In selecting a builder up front, there are three criteria you can use.

Reputation

Most people have friends who have built homes. That can be a starting point for interviewing prospective builders. You can also get names of qualified builders from your architect or interior designer. Good references are important, but you need to dig deeper. Talk to other people who have had homes built by your prospective builder. Were they satisfied? Did they have any problems? Was the builder diligent in seeking the best prices from subcontractors (as described above)? How do they handle change orders?

Fee

There are many ways to set up a contract between owner and builder. Percentage of cost,  fixed fee, and combinations of those two. Some builders charge penalties on change orders; that part of the contract should be clear and understandable. None of these methods are good or bad of themselves. It depends on what you are comfortable with. When comparing builders, you want to know the details of their fee basis. You want to be sure they offer a business deal that works for you. Also, keep in mind that any proposal is negotiable in the details.

Rapport

Finally, ask yourself how comfortable you are with any prospective builder. Constructing a house is a long term relationship. You want a builder who is honest, trustworthy, and true. Don't be misled by superficial gregariousness. You don't need your builder to be your BFF, but you do want someone you feel good about and can have direct conversations with during the good and the bad periods of getting your project completed. If you've done your homework on reputation and fee, then your gut feelings about who you want to work with are also important.

After all this due diligence, you might continue to wonder about getting competitive bids. I still think the answer is no. The bidding competition will take place anyway on the subcontractor level. The chief builder - the construction manager - is hired to get the best prices from the most qualified subs. For a more detailed explanation, Steve Jones and Bart Jones (my friends who own Merlin Contracting in Las Vegas, Nevada) have a great article on competitive bidding in their on-line newsletter. It is one of the best-reasoned discussions I have read on the subject. If you are about to build a new home or are just curious about the process, please click on this Merlin Contracting link to read more about competitive bids.

Building a new home can and should be a happy experience. Hopefully you have chosen an architect who can perform. Great architecture also requires great builders. Make your builder part of the design team as early in the process as possible.

Traditional home designed by Michael Knorr, built by Merlin Contracting.

Contemporary home design by Michael Knorr, built by Merlin Contracting.

Bart Jones & Steve Jones of Merlin Contracting.

To the Student in Architecture (Part Three)

Last summer I was invited to a promotional tour sponsored by Anderson Windows. Our group of about twenty architects came from different states, all specializing in residential design. During one of our social events the conversation turned to zoning codes and the increasing difficulty in getting anything done under a labyrinth of rules and regulations. This is a common subject amongst architects. All cities everywhere are making things harder instead of easier. The time and cost of implementing new rules delays projects and drives up costs.  I threw in my usual complaint about how these evolving rules are my greatest frustration. “It is the one thing,” I said, “ that makes me want to leave the profession and go on to something else. I want to spend my days creating architecture, not jumping through bureaucratic hoops.” I was exaggerating the degree of my frustration, but a young architect from Houston immediately countered, “Oh, no. It’s what makes my job interesting.  I love figuring out the puzzle of codes and arriving at a solution that makes a project work.”  Obviously a more optimistic thinker than myself!

Frank Lloyd Wright surrounded by his students.

The Houston architect's response did make me think more broadly about the profession of architecture. For me, design was the main draw to the field and is what keeps me interested to this day. However, the student in architecture should know that there are many other aspects to a career in architecture and many ways to practice as a professional. One of the wonderful things about an architectural education is how broad-based it is. Architects are the last of the generalists. (We know a little about a lot of things, but not much about anything in particular!) An architectural education can be great preparation for many different career paths. As an architect, design is not the only way to practice.  The young Houston architect made me realize there are other passions. Problem solving is more than design solutions and architects are, by general training, problem solvers. The various types of jobs in a large office should make this clear. Among the many permutations of architectural practice there are...

• Specifications writers
• Presentation artists
• Client relations experts
• CAD technicians
• Community planners
• Program writers
• Project managers

Yale school of architecture designed by Paul Rudolph.

The list could go on. Many credentialed architects don't specifically practice architectural design.  They may even find careers outside of architectural firms in such things as law, building administration, education, construction management, community development, code writing,  and industry consulting.  The point is that, as generalists, architects are eminently qualified to take on a broad array of tasks that indirectly affect the design of the built environment. Taking this a step further: if a student were able to couple an architecture degree with an MBA or an engineering or law degree, then you have a commodity in extremely rare supply (and in high demand) on the job market.

Student exhibition from a class taught by the author at the University of Oklahoma.

Student work at the University of Oklahoma by Wm. Devine.

Another student project from an exhibition at
the University of Oklahoma. 

To the student in architecture I must amend my initial rush to caution. I've previously implied that unless you truly have a passion for design, forget about architecture.  However, there are other passions to be found in architecture that I may be immune to. So, my amended advice is to discover what architecture is, or can be, for you. See if your talents coincide with some aspect of architecture, and look at what part of this broad field might be of interest to you.

To the student in architecture: you may discover a world of architecture that goes beyond the common conceptions of what an architect ought to be. That can be exciting in itself and may nourish a career over a lifetime. Best wishes in discovering your passion!

Drafting room and "classroom" at Wright's Taliesin West studio.

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.

Architectural Sketches

My office was recently awarded a contract for the redesign of a high-rise condominium unit. We will demolish all remnants of the previous floor plan and start from scratch within the demising walls. We could not locate an existing computer aided drafting (CAD) file for the original project, so we are forced to create a new Autocad file from measurements for our "base" drawings. No big deal, except that our client is in a hurry to get started with the design and asked if we could move forward with "freehand sketches on tracing paper."
Freehand sketches! Who does such a thing? The days of hand-drafted architectural sketches are nearly gone. Certainly, we don't dare present an unpolished, manually-drafted sketch to a client. Today we produce crisp, clean, seemingly perfect images using our CAD programs. But something is missing from these perfectly pretty images. (I hesitate to call them drawings. Are electrons arranged on a screen, or reproductions from ink jet printers, really drawings?)

Sketch for a condominium. 

Years ago I went to a museum exhibit in Dallas of Frank Lloyd Wright's hand-drafted plans, elevations, and perspectives. Many of them were rough, colored pencil scrawls where you could see that the image in the architect's mind had directly connected to his moving hand and been impressed upon the paper. These were drawings I had seen reproduced in books many times, but that was nothing like being in the presence of the actual, full-scale drawings. You could smell the paper they were drawn upon. You could see the thick pencil lines, the smudges, the erasures, the overlay of multiple ideas in different colors. You could see the birth of ideas. I felt that I had to touch these drawings and be connected to them. Against all well-known museum rules, I did touch one.  No alarms sounded and I felt a direct link to my architectural patrimony.
Today I pull out my Prismacolors (the same brand of colored pencils used many decades ago by Wright) and begin sketches for our new project. It is a large condo unit, 4000 square feet. Multiple ideas spill out, and the hand moves as rapidly as the mind. No computer modeling is yet as quick as the mind/hand connection.  I have not seen an ap or a program that allows for the uncertainties of the design process as does freehand sketching. The sketchy line holds multiple meanings and suggestions that do not reside in the mathematics of a CAD-generated line.  Don't get me wrong. I embrace the brave new world of electronica. There is much to be said about melding our brains -- as we are doing -- with electrons in a box.  But we are not yet at the point of loving these electrons in the same visceral way we can love a hand-drawn sketch. Perhaps we will be soon. But, for now, human touch, whether from one human to another or from a human intelligence to paper, is a richly deep and unique experience. It may not be irreplaceable, but it is incomparable.

Architecture is Like the Movies

One of the best architecture magazines on the market today is Hospitality Design, published by Nielson Business Media. It is a trade publication that specializes in hotels, restaurants, resorts, and spas, intended for professionals who design or manage such venues. While not specifically an architecture magazine, it features architecture and interior design regularly and lavishly.

The hospitality industry is highly competitive. To stay on top, popular venues are revamped every few years. The half-life for architecture and interior design in the hospitality game is short. New ideas are introduced at lightening speed and creativity thrives in this environment. At top restaurants in New York and L.A. and big resorts on the Vegas strip, there are ample funds to support leading edge ideas. Good design is used as a marketing tool without hesitation - in fact, with a sense of obligation. For these reasons, Hospitality Design features exciting architectural concepts in nearly every issue. It is a "must read" for me.

I was struck by a statement in a recent issue by hotelier Grace Leo: I see myself as a movie producer - but I produce hotels. I orchestrate everybody's efforts to make the vision a reality.

Comparing the creation of a hotel to making movies strikes close to home.  I have often used the simile, aarchitecture is like the movies.

Architecture is a complex art. It interweaves the talents of many different professions, trades, and consultants. Like the movies, all of these entities must work in concert at top capacity to produce a hit. A great movie must have a great script (the design) but also a willing client (the producer), talented actors (craftsmen), and a capable director (the builder). Add to this the many extras, bit players, FX artists, etc. that are necessary to make a movie and to make architecture. If any part of this assemblage falls short, a movie will be less than a blockbuster and a work of architecture will scar the landscape.  The movie world does not want another Water World. The built

Victor Emmanuel Monument. A study in architectural excess.

environment does not need another Victor Emmanuel Monument.

When Hollywood has a premier, everybody notices, but nobody has to watch.

When a building has a premier, it is hard to avoid and
it tends to stick around for a long time.

The simile is also something of a plea for tolerance for those works of architecture that fall short. Sometimes good architects produce bad works, but it is not always the architect's fault. Interior design can make a a good building look bad or a bad building look good. Landscape architecture can do the same. The budget has to be sufficient. The client must be willing and, sometimes, brave. This is not an excuse for architectural misfires, but a recognition of the importance of assembling the right team. Quality, talent, commitment go a long way in making good movies. They are requirements for good architecture. 

It is tempting to think of architectural successes as a brilliant tours de force that spring from the minds of lone auteurs. Certainly, credit should be given to great talents when it is due. In reality, however, the list of credits is usually quite long. 

Architecture and Living in the Future

Yesterday my business networking group met at the showroom of Exquisite Kitchen Designs. We were dazzled by the way technology has insinuated itself into the design, manufacture, and utility of kitchens.  The new kitchens we are installing in luxury homes are glimpses of a science-fiction future that ultimately will filter down to the average residence. 

It often feels like we are living in the future we imagined decades ago. In many respects we have surpsassed our imperfectly imagined future. Disneyland's World of Tomorrow exhibit  has long been dismantled because it couldn't keep up with the real future that was happening around us.

Today I ran across this video - an extended ad for Corning Glass. This glimpse of a techno-friendly future (all of the technology shown in the video is possible right now) is worth a look. Pay attention to the backgrounds as well as the products. This is a future of sumptuously modern architecture.

  

Oscar Niemeyer ARCHITECT

Oscar Niemeyer died last week at 104 years of age. He actively practiced architecture past the age of 100, reinforcing the phenomenon that famous architects continue to work well into their later years. (I'm not sure if that is true for not-so-famous architects.) His career began in the mid-1930s, including the Brasilian pavilion for the New York World's Fair in 1939 (with Lucio Costa).

Oscar Niemeyer was instrumental in my career path. I vividly remember being aware of his spectacular work when I was about 12 years old. I wrote a homework assignment that had something to do with the president of Brasil, Juscelino Kubitschek. I don't remember anything about Kubitschek's politics or why I wrote the paper. I do remember he hired Oscar Niemeyer to design a new capitol for Brasil: Brasilia. It was carved out of the jungle in a fearlessly modern style that employed bold shapes and sensuous curves. Unlike the austere boxes of most modernists, Niemeyer was unabashedly sensuous in his approach to architecture. He likened his work to the curves of the beautiful women on Rio's Copacabana beach. He was a Brasilian modern architect, not of the prevailing "international" style. His beautiful buildings directly influenced my decision to become an architect.

1. National Congress of Brasil.

2. Museo Nacional.

3. Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasil.

4. Presidential Palace

5. Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasil. 

6. Auditorium.

7. Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasil, interior.

"I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves....
Curves make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein."

-- Oscar Niemeyer









































































































Even today, five decades later, Niemeyer's work in Brasilia appears fresh and modern. His more recent projects are as vigorous and inventive as his earlier ones.  Oscar Niemeyer deserves to be remembered as one of the great architects of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Images:
1. Marcelo Jorge Viera
2. Pub. Dom.
3. Victor Soares
4. Pub. Dom.
5. Joau Felipe
6. Jesus giez lago
7. Javier Gil

Women in Architecture

When I entered architecture school at the University of Oklahoma there was one woman in my class. During our freshman year she was taken aside by a professor/advisor and told "there is no place for women in architecture." She was advised to drop out or change her major.  This seemed shocking to me, but it was Oklahoma. And it was a long time ago.
Fast forward to the twentyfirst century and times have changed. Women are underrepresented in the field of architecture, but they are certainly not a rarity. However, young women considering a career in architecture still need role models and inspiration. For those reasons, I am pleased to post the following news release of a lecture by a very talented architect, Stephanie Forsythe. 

STEPHANIE FORSYTHE LECTURE AT WOMEN IN DESIGN’S FALL MEETING AT THE DIKEOU POP-UP SPACE

Annual event to be held Wednesday, September 26th 2012 with a reception starting at 5:30 p.m.

DENVER – September 12, 2012 – Women in Design (WiD), a Denver-based non-profit dedicated to improving opportunities for women in professions serving the built environment, welcomes Stephanie Forsythe, owner and principal of molo studio as the featured speaker at its fall lecture. The lecture will be held the evening of September 26th at the Dikeou Collection Pop-up Space located at 1321 Bannock Street in the Golden Triangle neighborhood.

Softwall #1.

Forsythe is an internationally recognized and award-winning designer and Canadian architect who incorporates research of materials into the exploration of space making. As a design and manufacturing studio, molo’s goal is to create objects that “define intimate temporal spaces”. Based in Vancouver, molo's high-profile projects include The Northern Sky Circle, an outdoor room made from snow in Anchorage Alaska and the Aomori Nebuta House, a cultural building inspired by the craftsmanship and spirit of the Aomori Nebuta Festival in Japan. In addition to these architectural collaborations, molo designs and creates products that house people and enhance our spaces, such as softseating, made from 50% recycled fiber kraft paper and softwall, which provides a tactile experience to defined spaces. Though designed for long-term use, softseating is 100% recyclable and has magnetic ends, allowing it to be adjusted to fit to various spaces and needs, or connect to itself to form a cylindrical stool or low table or long winding benches. Made of tissue paper, softwall uses a honeycomb structure that expands to create a completely freestanding wall, hundreds of times larger than its compressed form. It provides translucent light or a more “cocooning” experience depending on the choice of white or black tissue paper. More information on molo’s projects and products can be found at molodesign.com.

“WiD is thrilled to have Forsythe speak at our premier event. She’ll share her unique perspective of product design and space making by presenting work created for clients around the world. It’s a rare opportunity to see such a presentation in Denver,” said Cheryl Bicknell, co-chair of WiD. WiD will host a reception starting at 5:30 p.m. with the lecture to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Nebuta House.

Tickets are $20 for WiD members and $35 for non-members. Members must log on to widdenver.org to receive the discount.

Event sponsorship opportunities are available, with additional details on WiD’s website or from the contacts listed below.

Founded in 2005, WiD is a network nearly 200-members strong and growing. For more information about Women in Design, please visit widdenver.org or contact Executive Co-Chairs Cheryl Bicknell or Jennifer Gray at cheryl.bicknell@widdenver.org or jennifer.gray@widdenver.org. 

Nebuta House.

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.

Modern Architecture Tour in Denver

Our entry in the Denver Modern Home Tour, 3300 South Dahlia.

The second annual Denver Modern Home Tour is coming up on Saturday, June 2nd. Once again, we are honored to have one of our projects included: 3300 South Dahlia.

The tour is sponsored by Modern Home Tours, LLC based in Austin, Texas. Modern Home Tours was founded by partners Matt Swinney and James Leasure.  Through interesting and informative tours in dozens of cities across the United States and Canada, they invite people into some of the most exciting examples of Modern architecture and design in the nation.  The tours present the opportunity to learn about the cutting edge of home design.

The Modern Home Tours website says, "We love Modern.  Modern design, Modern architecture, modern living.  More than just an aesthetic, 'Modern' embodies new construction techniques and materials, and new ways of addressing old problems.  'Modern' is not just what you live in, but how you live. From attainability to sustainability, the singular thread that connects 'Modern' is an outlook that embraces new possibilities in living and lifestyle."

As of December 2011, Modern Home Tours has added former managing editor and now contributing editor for Architectural Record,  Ingrid Spencer, to the team. Acting as a consultant and expert on modern architecture and design, Ingrid helps to curate the homes on all of the Modern Home Tours and provides guidance to ensure that modern design is constantly at the forefront of each tour.

3300 South Dahlia.

Check out their website for more information on tour project, tickets, and maps: http://denver.modernhometours.com/

Photos:
Rob Munger

Part II: Architectural Mentors: LaVerne Lantz

Richers residence, living room elevation.

One of the most impressive designs by LaVerne Lantz is a small house that straddles a hillock in the Kettle Moraine country of southeastern Wisconsin. It is impressive for its simplicity. Like several homes by Lantz, it was featured in the Home Section of The Milwaukee Journal in an article by Oliver Witte. The photos reproduced here are from the Sunday, January 16, 1966 issue.
Though Lantz often explored the architectural possibilities of hexagonal modules and curved walls (as did Wright in his later years) he eschewed them in the Richers residence in pursuit of good architecture on a budget. The construction was supervised by Lantz and completed in four months for $21,500, including land, well, septic system, and architectural fee. Lantz accomplished this remarkable feat through four disciplined strategies:

• The plan is a rectangle that can be roofed with one scissors truss profile.
• The single truss profile is tilted at each end of the plan to create a quasi-hip roof that "returns" the eye to the ground and conceals the different angles between outside roof and inside vaulted ceiling.
• The living space is stacked over the garage and family room,  putting the basement to practical use; this also allows the important rooms to take advantage of vaulted ceilings (a concept Wright used in the Heurtly and Coonley houses early in his career). 
• Concrete block is used as a finish material inside and out, including the fireplace. Lantz devised a double block wall application to allow for insulation and a thermal break. 

Upper level floor plan.

Master bedroom mitered glass corner and six foot roof overhang.

The Richers residence is a brilliant example of good architecture responding to a limited budget. By economizing is some areas, Lantz was able to provide richness in others. Natural cedar is used for window frames and trim. A feeling of spaciousness is accomplished with extended lines of sight and high ceilings. Windows ring the entire house, including floor-to-ceiling mitered glass windows at all four corners. Radiant heat warms the house.

Wall of glass (including mitered glass corners) and vaulted ceiling in living room.

Concrete block fireplace dividing dining and living areas.

Mrs. Richers in the kitchen with her son Marshall.

In a testament to the efficacy of Lantz's design, the owner, Paul Richers, is quoted in the Journal article:
"The thing that determines whether a house succeeds of fails is whether it makes a truthful statement about the people who live in it. I think a sensitive person could look around this house and make a judgement about us that I wouldn't mind."

A "look through" connects the kitchen with the entry area.

For me, the Richers residence is a design I often come back to in my mind. I was a kid in high school when I first visited it. Its simplicity, honesty, and directness left an indelible impression.

Journal photos: John Ahlhauser