Dana Veach Thoughtful and stunning work...thanks for the profile.

3david I appreciate much of his work and will visit the Bham art museum.

I encourage people to reconsider allowing light to shine out from our buildings at night. Artificial light has a terrible impact on moths and other nocturnal insects. And urban lighting is one of many ways we harm migrating birds. Yea, yea...I know some will say "they're just moths." But did you know that moths are one of our most valuable pollinating insects?

Besides, not that many people are out wandering around at night to enjoy the light show from buildings. I think this is a case of more harm than good.

John Hill colorarq - I'm not sure. I was digging for a monograph on Johnson which has that project on the cover, but I seem to have misplaced it. I recall it being monochrome, like all gray (we called it Darth Vader architecture back in college).

colorarq Thanks, John. I am doing research on the work of influential architects from the last decades who use colour and it would be important to know if Johnson went for the achromatics. Darth Vader sounds more like him, I'll have to find out.

John Hill Robin - That's certainly a possibility, though probably a custom installation rather than anything standard. I could definitely see some sort of closure being incorporated into a design like the third photo above; a frame such as that could be used to accept hinged/sliding panels on the side, or even a rolltop closure from above. Of course, another option is to set the kitchen within an alcove and have full-height sliding doors in front of it...makes me think of a 1950s-era bachelor pad though.

kweenshaker A single wall kitchen is ok, UNLESS it's right next to the living area. I would not want my couch (or any upholstered furniture, really) that close to the kitchen. Yuck. Having a table or island to separate things and do double duty (prep/eating area) would be fine though. Some of the kitchens featured are really lovely.

chemistrykaren What a great thread, with some fabulous pics. I have a recently finished one-wall kitchen in my little Victorian house, and adore it. Of course it's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me :). It makes best use of the space I had to work with after knocking down some partition walls to get a view through and door to the back garden. Behind two bi-fold doors to the left are a washing machine with furnace above, and a utility/powder room.

Virtus Design Great article read! We are in the process of creating our own urban oasis for a New York City townhouse as shown in the renderings attached.

kweenshaker I love forest chairs so, so much! Way too dear for my tiny wage though. Maybe one day. *sigh*

Gideon Efrati Great design and what a nice schik. i wonder who made those Scandinavian style chairs.

Designs for all seasons I love the idea of the pool walls and the holes which create light and pattern - very clever.

olldroo Envy - sadly this interesting thread has lost the plot as many do because of posters not understanding that it isn't WHAT you say but HOW you say it. Taking the attitude 'I'm all right Jack, buggar you' is what makes this world the mess that it is, but that is just human nature. Fortunately, here now any redevelopment plans are notified to immediate neighbours who have input and issues are addressed to prevent disasters we have had in the past. It all comes down to communication, something else that is being lost.

Sims Construction Every lot, neighbor hood and building situation is different.
From zero side setback lots.
To lots so small you can reach out and touch someone.
To lots you can barely see a neighbor.

Shane Hood sometimes I believ living well and comfortably are subjective notions. I have glass all the way across the back of my house and it loses heat in the winter, but I wear a sweater if it gets too cold because having all the glass across the back of my house allows me to live well and more comfortable than if I had a wall with a couple winodws.

waelrawwa nice!! i only got one Q. whats the height gor those clerestory windows ?

John Hill waelrawwa - Not sure which ones you're referring to, but typically they're at least at the top of a door (approx. 7').

John Hill I didn't know that. Not surprisingly, 20+ years after the fall of the wall, the section at 520 Madison has its own Facebook page!: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Berlin-Wall-520-Madison-Ave-New-York-NY/100876166684826

There is also a section of the Berlin Wall in Battery Park City, near Kowsky Plaza: http://www.batteryparkcity.org/new/Visit/Museums-And-Memorials/Berlin-Wall.php

Kim LeBlanc did not know that...frankly i prefer the graffiti on the Madison Ave one, each though such a strong part of world history. thanks for the info

gaillwalker The glass entranceway is a very elegant solution for our planned expansion between two parts of a stone mill. The footprint was going to provide too much house. The glass foyer with sliding doors to the back yard could be the answer.

Studio NOO Design Aaah, bloody winter... here in Montreal we can't have one like this ! Thanks for sharing !

John Hill mnoswad1 - Here is a link to the company that Imbue Design used to develop the custom gabion cages (they might have some info that will help): http://www.hilfiker.com/

Xuetao Yin Simply breathtaking!

gtgullock Is that metal cladding on the rest of the outside walls? If so what type and color please?

John Hill mkielblock - The architect has floor plans on their website: http://www.kariouk.com/projects/photobox/3/Plans

osadi you could use Garmazine coatings to prevent fading...not only does it look great but it's cost effective

atomicsplitlevel I am currently painting a section of my mid-century split level in a very deep gray that looks black in most light from the street. This article really helped solidify my decision through the excellent selection of examples and all of the positive comments. Thanks, I will post photo when done!

John Hill Looks like my work here is done! ; )

John Hill An extreme example of a skylight in a bedroom is the House of Light in Japan, where visitors can meditate and sleep in one of James Turrell's Skyspaces: http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~jthikari/e/

igerrez Thanks for the info CristaLite, Inc

loielein Have had 6 Velux skylights in my attic for 13 years, installed when we had to have the 5 (count 'em folks!) roofs that were up there torn off, were installed by the roofers properlym don't leak, add great light etc.m but it does make the attic very warm on sunny days....

missyme All you very creative Architects - y'all are the perfect people to mull over this dilemma:

I wonder how you modify a side garage/driveway setup to provide safe egress/ingress between house and driveway. Without breaking the bank. This is personal. I worry about my family in a big city with plenty of crime.

Garages and personal safety between house and car are a huge concern in my city, (not naming it because it gets disparaged enough already), with lots of driveway armed attacks/theft/assaults in neighborhoods of all ecosocial-what's the word.

My 84 yr old mom lives in a nice 1960s ranch on a corner in a neighborhood that was in the boonies 40 years ago when it was new (there were cattle just a couple of blocks away). It is now considered "close in" and "very desirable". The detached double garage is the kind on the side, short driveway, facing the side street. That side street happens to be one of the neighborhood's busiest streets. It's not the main thoroughfare, but it does run through this neighborhood and the ones north and south of it. So lots of people of all mindsets use the street to get around everyday.

The garage is used to store my son-in-law's extra car. Don't get me started. Therefore everyone has to park their car in the driveway or street. My mom mostly parks in the driveway. From the driveway, once parked, one must get out of the car, walk across a short, narrow concrete sidewalk to a 1/2 gate at a patio (which is laid between the garage and the back door), open the gate, close the gate (there is an old, loud, not very cooperative latch on the gate - no lock), get the right key out for the back door, get it in the lock, open the back door, step up into the very tiny and cluttered utility room without falling over something left on the floor) close the back door, and lock the back door (heaven forbid if groceries or other packages need to be unloaded).

It takes me about 20-30 seconds. It takes my mom 3 - 5 minutes if all works out.

Passersby can see everything that happens, and normally one would think that is a good crime deterrent. Not in our city. Time of day is no factor in home invasions, whether front-door kick-in tie-up robberies, driveway assaults, front door murders, backdoor breakins, whatever.

My mom comes and goes through that side gate often. At 84 she has an extremely active life, primarily centered around her many widowed friends and her church. Most of her activities take place on a regular schedule.

Oh, to multiply my concern, my Ph.D. daughter, her husband, and their 2 children under 6 also live there. That's good, you say? Should be, but it seems my mom and my daughter's family live completely separate lives, one never knowing what the other is doing. (But they are all very happy together. It is the funniest thing. Or is that dysfunctional?)

My daughter is off-the-chart bright. Now what is it they say about really bright people and common sense? Or maybe she's had me fooled all these years. That's so possible. Anyway she seems to have chosen to believe nothing will never happen to them, eithert because it's just easier that way, or because her husband is a cop. I say how does he protect anyone at home if all he does is work or sleep? No, I don't say that to her. I say it to me.

So I'm not only concerned about an elderly woman, but a young mother and her babies, all 4 who are clueless to the dangers of big city life.

Would anyone have any ideas?

John Hill missyme - I'll admit it's a bit hard for me to visualize the whole scenario. I'd recommend starting a discussion on Houzz and posting a few photos and/or diagrams alongside your above text. That will help you to get some input.

John Hill jbsilver and sefac - The metal cladding does raise some questions, but I'm guessing these make it appropriate to being a holiday rental. It won't be used in the winter, and hopefully it won't rain when the renters are vacationing.

Baltimore Architectural Detail LLC Actually, the history of poor insulation and standing seam roofing in the US addresses this acoustic challenge. For the most part, rural and town roof material of choice from about 1850 through 1920 or so was standing seam tin with varying lead content, it was durable, it was cheaper than shingle and held up better.

Plaster tends to dull the sound of rain on a tin roof but rain is not noticeable unless it is very, very heavy. Even then it is a cacophony which is pleasant and lulling.