Originally built in 1809 and situated on 20+ acres, this country farm house was extensively renovated to serve as a getaway for the owners. With a strong desire to entertain, play, swim and relax, the owners requirement for spatial flexibility provided context for the various design interventions. To make use of the relatively small upper floors of the main house, a new stair tower was created external to the main footprint. Separated by glass and clad in copper the tower modernizes the property while referencing its history. The ground floor restores the historic fireplace and rock walls and is opened to the sprawling hillside, creek and pool through a retractable glazing system. Throughout the project’s interior, are unique moments of mixed materials, pattern and texture. The chef’s kitchen is warmly detailed with glazed tiles, steel and wood and is accented with found relics making up the island. Many of the wood floors, ceilings, and furniture were milled from fallen walnut, oak and elm trees harvested from the property. The guest house is executed in a minimalist Japanese palate and highlighted by exquisite detailing. The garage was rebuilt and expanded with an art studio and work/play space.

Our introduction to the Tahoe site was in late winter, on a clear sunny day with filtered light and long shadows through snow-laden fir and pine bows. It made a strong impression, stored for future consideration but the impetus for the design came soon after the spring snow melt. A powerful sense of horizontal layering of vegetation and various stages of decomposing downed timber on the two-acre site, juxtaposed with pine and fir trees and the dense canopy of the surrounding forest. The site is located near the historic 1960 Olympic Nordic track, situated on the edge of wetlands and seasonal streams. The homeowners were previous clients and dreamt of having a retreat in the Sierras away from their home base in Berkeley, CA. Among skiers, bike riders, hikers, and boaters, they found the ideal central location for their home base near Lake Tahoe. The home is organized as a series of linked spaces, each providing a unique sensory experience and connection to different parts of the site, both vertically and horizontally. The design includes extensive use of glass to create a true indoor/outdoor connection and maximize natural light. At the center of the site are two large fir trees, which the building respectfully wraps around in an L shape to create a focal point in the landscaped courtyard. A refined, context-driven palette of natural materials including cedar, oak, fir, and steel is used to harmoniously blend in among the surroundings. The construction includes advanced details such as thermally broken steel beams supporting layered roof planes engineered to hold snow rather than shed it. Designed to resist significant load, we exposed the steel structure as a recurring element in the interior spaces. The resulting columns and support beams contribute to the familiar design aspects of each room and provide a better understanding of how the building was constructed. The second floor features cantilevered volumes that reach out into the nearby evergreen limbs, likening the experience to being in a tree house. The house incorporates features such as radiant heating, solar panels, and operable windows for passive cooling. Fire safety measures include the use of naturally fire-resistant materials, a Class A roof construction, sprinklers, and drought-tolerant landscaping beyond the defensible space.

The Gun Lake Residence replaces a small, aging, existing house located on a narrow peninsula on Gun Lake, in west Michigan. The peninsula is neatly populated with century-old homes that quietly occupy this uncommon setting. The project site offers extraordinary views of the water in multiple directions and extends to the east with open space, bordering on an historic, 19th-century community ice house. A primary project goal was to reimagine the relationship of the house to its surroundings while remaining sensitive to the communal context of the neighboring properties. The design seed of the new project included rotating the footprint of the existing house 90 degrees to open the long side of the home toward the lake, maximizing views and gaining optimal benefit of the linear site. Drawing inspiration from the traditional lake vernacular of the neighboring houses, the two principal roof forms of the new house reciprocate the setting -- the modern, clean lines of the upper gable roof upholds the clarity and tradition of the neighborhood, while the lower roof mimics the extension of the landscape and invites improvisational use. The horizontal flat roof allows use of the deck in all weather and cantilevers the most used public spaces into the landscape in a band of captured horizontal space. A wood-clad retaining wall refines a cut into the earth and harbors a transitional, outdoor room between the water and the basement. At 2200 finished square feet, the conditioned building envelope is compact. And like the exterior, the interior form responds directly to its use. The upper floor is a monastic repetition of modest sleeping cells and bathrooms with unique directional views, combined with a grand central stair and master bedroom at each corner that captures myriad views of the water, over the trees, in all directions. The main floor utilizes a core of small, functional spaces to shield the adjacent road, and forms a backdrop to the open interior spaces. Aided by the reaching, cedar-bellied roof, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces spill to the outdoors through an unusually porous exterior wall. Three sliding glass doors–including one at 20 feet wide–and a finished, surrounding ground plane cohere the landscape to the main living level. Super-insulated wood-framed walls, triple-paned aluminum-clad wood windows, and a structurally insulated roof panels make-up the core of the building envelope, and additional exterior high-performance design features include geothermal heating/cooling and a green roof. Cementitious lap siding, concrete panels, hardwood decking, cedar soffits, and river rock comprise the exterior finish. In addition to cedar ceilings, interior finishes include porcelain ceramic tile, cork flooring, tight pile wool carpet, and neutral painted walls -- designed in quiet tones to highlight the most important interior ingredient: views outside.

"A gathering place and information center on the town's central waterfront both for arriving cruise ship passengers (nearly 1 million a year from May-September) and for community functions year-round. A key node on the phased development of the waterfront promenade, a continuous pedestrian walkway along the waters' edge through the town's center from the most northerly cruise ship berth to a small boat harbor and fishing jetty about a mile to the south. The simple, linear, permeable plan invites entry from all sides, waterfront and townfront. The space is sheltered by a single gable roof structure of exposed Alaska yellow cedar and decking. Vestibules and entries are accented by lower open timber gable roof forms.The pavilion extends north and south embracing exterior spaces with sculpture, planting, and sitting and eating terraces of recycled wood pier decking that was replaced with concrete and steel dock structure. Visitor services, information, tours, and town history and information with graphic, electronic media, and personal interaction are housed in the structure. Indigenous materials, historic scale and form reflect the context of the town and waterfront maintaining and enhancing view sheds with public art and amenities."

ARCHITECTURE: Honor Award PROJECT: Uptown Lofts on Fifth CLIENT: ACTION-Housing, Inc. ARCHITECTURE FIRM: FortyEighty Architecture ENGINEERS: Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc.; Keystone Structural Solutions; Iams Consulting, LLC CONTRACTORS: Mosites Construction Company PHOTOGRAPHER: FortyEighty Architecture DESCRIPTION: The Uptown Lofts on Fifth are two new multi-unit apartment buildings constructed on opposite sides of Fifth Avenue in Uptown, a neighborhood of Pittsburgh that suffers from steady population decline due to a lack of adequate housing. The developer for the project, ACTION-Housing, Inc., serves a mission to empower people to build secure and self-sufficient lives through decent, affordable housing, and has worked to demonstrate the importance of energy efficiency through various projects. This project was designed to allow for a comparison of the operational performance of the two buildings – one designed to meet Passive House standards and the other designed to meet the requirements of the current energy code. JURY COMMENTS: This is the project the jury discussed the most. Perhaps not best in any one category, this project achieved so much in so many categories. Architecture is about richness, layers of meanings, and social responsibility. This project surpassed others by doing so much in terms of being solidly designed in the context of its neighborhood, with aggressive sustainable goals, and all on a very tight budget. It is serving as a demonstration to the greater sustainable community with two test buildings from which to compare the ROI on a project designed to meet passive house standards versus a building meeting the current energy codes. Most importantly, this building brings a high level of dignity to an all too often overlooked user in a neglected part of town.

An apartment is located in the city center of the Hague. Inspiration comes from the history of the region. Delft blue color scheme is deeply imbedded into this context. It is fun to use minimalistic aesthetics and old historic color scheme.

Context After retiring from their careers in New Jersey, an active professional couple decided to move to Vermont to be closer to their family. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to sensibly plan for the future by building a sunlit home in which they could comfortably age in place with predictable, low energy costs through the harsh Vermont winter. A spacious, open lot near a historic river village provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s favorite hobbies: gardening, woodworking, and yoga. The couple’s son, owner of Shelterwood Construction, would have the chance to showcase his meticulous craftsmanship in a home lovingly built for his parents. Response The home was built using very local natural materials that blend into the surrounding landscape. Cor-ten steel weathered clapboards transition from the earth to the wood clapboards above and the entire exterior has no finish, allowing the house to change and weather with the seasons. Many of the interior finishes, including the decorative stair wall, were made from locally-milled white pine that was harvested from the site. This certified Passive House is designed to be lived in for a lifetime with wheelchair accessibility, wide doorways, accessible fixtures, and everything the couple needs located on the main level. Framed by large south-facing windows, the light-filled main living area includes a lofted ceiling transected with a glass bridge that connects the guest bedrooms above and looks out onto the garden and fruit trees below. The attached barn, which creates a courtyard for gardens, houses a yoga studio and woodworking shop. With an ample array of solar panels and airtight construction to keep the heat in, the house is predicted to be net zero with no energy bills even in the coldest of Vermont winters. A Tesla Powerwall stores backup electricity for this all-electric home.

The Gun Lake Residence replaces a small, aging, existing house located on a narrow peninsula on Gun Lake, in west Michigan. The peninsula is neatly populated with century-old homes that quietly occupy this uncommon setting. The project site offers extraordinary views of the water in multiple directions and extends to the east with open space, bordering on an historic, 19th-century community ice house. A primary project goal was to reimagine the relationship of the house to its surroundings while remaining sensitive to the communal context of the neighboring properties. The design seed of the new project included rotating the footprint of the existing house 90 degrees to open the long side of the home toward the lake, maximizing views and gaining optimal benefit of the linear site. Drawing inspiration from the traditional lake vernacular of the neighboring houses, the two principal roof forms of the new house reciprocate the setting -- the modern, clean lines of the upper gable roof upholds the clarity and tradition of the neighborhood, while the lower roof mimics the extension of the landscape and invites improvisational use. The horizontal flat roof allows use of the deck in all weather and cantilevers the most used public spaces into the landscape in a band of captured horizontal space. A wood-clad retaining wall refines a cut into the earth and harbors a transitional, outdoor room between the water and the basement. At 2200 finished square feet, the conditioned building envelope is compact. And like the exterior, the interior form responds directly to its use. The upper floor is a monastic repetition of modest sleeping cells and bathrooms with unique directional views, combined with a grand central stair and master bedroom at each corner that captures myriad views of the water, over the trees, in all directions. The main floor utilizes a core of small, functional spaces to shield the adjacent road, and forms a backdrop to the open interior spaces. Aided by the reaching, cedar-bellied roof, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces spill to the outdoors through an unusually porous exterior wall. Three sliding glass doors–including one at 20 feet wide–and a finished, surrounding ground plane cohere the landscape to the main living level. Super-insulated wood-framed walls, triple-paned aluminum-clad wood windows, and a structurally insulated roof panels make-up the core of the building envelope, and additional exterior high-performance design features include geothermal heating/cooling and a green roof. Cementitious lap siding, concrete panels, hardwood decking, cedar soffits, and river rock comprise the exterior finish. In addition to cedar ceilings, interior finishes include porcelain ceramic tile, cork flooring, tight pile wool carpet, and neutral painted walls -- designed in quiet tones to highlight the most important interior ingredient: views outside.

The Detray Residence introduced an open contemporary design to an otherwise traditional context: a historic Brooklyn Heights townhouse. RSVP Studio converted the existing two bedroom duplex into a three bedroom, 2-1/2 bath apartment by relocating all of the common functions to the existing attic level, inverting the typical duplex layout. Utilizing the unique geometry of the pitched attic space, the open kitchen, dining and living room is illuminated from skylights and an expansive glass light shaft, creating a loft-like experience. A new entry foyer with an enlarged stair opening to the attic directs the flow of circulation into the common space, while maintaining the privacy of the third floor bedrooms.Location: Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Completion: Summer 2006 Size: 1500 s.f. Photography: Seong Kwon

This Salem, Mass. renovation to a condominium within an historic sea-captain’s house, converted a small, ill-conceived 1980’s kitchen into an affordable, semi-custom kitchen that provides today’s conveniences in an antique context. The wall treatment, colors, and wide pine flooring used in the circa 1768 dining room, which is open to the kitchen, inspired the newly renovated space. A combination of open, upper, wood shelves and dividers topped with short cabinets instead of full-height overheads creates an intimate, furniture-like feel. Relocating the dishwasher, refrigerator, and stacked washer/dryer greatly improved flow and function as did re-purposing space. A corner window area that had housed a plant stand became a window seat; a broom closet became storage for spices, cooking oils, and vinegars. The photo collage that once cluttered the old, rusting refrigerator found a new home on a magnetic panel inside the laundry closet door. What had been a disjointed, unsightly kitchen has been reshaped into an integral extension of the home’s charm. photo by Katie Hutchison

The Beerline Neighborhood: Bluff Homes, River Homes, Milwaukee Rowing Club, Booth Street Stairs Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Beerline is a former industrial corridor located along the Milwaukee River. Vetter’s urban design strategy was to create a modern, traditional neighborhood centered around three distinct yet connected levels of scale – civic, pedestrian and personal. The Beerline River Homes provide a walkable connection to the city, the beautiful Milwaukee River, and the surrounding environs. The diversity of these custom homes is evident not only in the unique association of the units to the specific edges each one addresses, but also in the diverse range of pricing from the accessible to the high-end. In an effort to integrate the typical urban neighborhood with the context of an industrial corridor, we relied upon thoughtful connections to materials such as brick, stucco, and fine woods, thus creating a feeling of refined elegance in balance with the sculpture of the historic warehouses across the Milwaukee River. Completion Date December 2007

Context After retiring from their careers in New Jersey, an active professional couple decided to move to Vermont to be closer to their family. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to sensibly plan for the future by building a sunlit home in which they could comfortably age in place with predictable, low energy costs through the harsh Vermont winter. A spacious, open lot near a historic river village provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s favorite hobbies: gardening, woodworking, and yoga. The couple’s son, owner of Shelterwood Construction, would have the chance to showcase his meticulous craftsmanship in a home lovingly built for his parents. Response The home was built using very local natural materials that blend into the surrounding landscape. Cor-ten steel weathered clapboards transition from the earth to the wood clapboards above and the entire exterior has no finish, allowing the house to change and weather with the seasons. Many of the interior finishes, including the decorative stair wall, were made from locally-milled white pine that was harvested from the site. This certified Passive House is designed to be lived in for a lifetime with wheelchair accessibility, wide doorways, accessible fixtures, and everything the couple needs located on the main level. Framed by large south-facing windows, the light-filled main living area includes a lofted ceiling transected with a glass bridge that connects the guest bedrooms above and looks out onto the garden and fruit trees below. The attached barn, which creates a courtyard for gardens, houses a yoga studio and woodworking shop. With an ample array of solar panels and airtight construction to keep the heat in, the house is predicted to be net zero with no energy bills even in the coldest of Vermont winters. A Tesla Powerwall stores backup electricity for this all-electric home.

The Beerline Neighborhood: Bluff Homes, River Homes, Milwaukee Rowing Club, Booth Street Stairs Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Beerline is a former industrial corridor located along the Milwaukee River. Vetter’s urban design strategy was to create a modern, traditional neighborhood centered around three distinct yet connected levels of scale – civic, pedestrian and personal. The Beerline River Homes provide a walkable connection to the city, the beautiful Milwaukee River, and the surrounding environs. The diversity of these custom homes is evident not only in the unique association of the units to the specific edges each one addresses, but also in the diverse range of pricing from the accessible to the high-end. In an effort to integrate the typical urban neighborhood with the context of an industrial corridor, we relied upon thoughtful connections to materials such as brick, stucco, and fine woods, thus creating a feeling of refined elegance in balance with the sculpture of the historic warehouses across the Milwaukee River. Completion Date December 2007

Context After retiring from their careers in New Jersey, an active professional couple decided to move to Vermont to be closer to their family. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to sensibly plan for the future by building a sunlit home in which they could comfortably age in place with predictable, low energy costs through the harsh Vermont winter. A spacious, open lot near a historic river village provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s favorite hobbies: gardening, woodworking, and yoga. The couple’s son, owner of Shelterwood Construction, would have the chance to showcase his meticulous craftsmanship in a home lovingly built for his parents. Response The home was built using very local natural materials that blend into the surrounding landscape. Cor-ten steel weathered clapboards transition from the earth to the wood clapboards above and the entire exterior has no finish, allowing the house to change and weather with the seasons. Many of the interior finishes, including the decorative stair wall, were made from locally-milled white pine that was harvested from the site. This certified Passive House is designed to be lived in for a lifetime with wheelchair accessibility, wide doorways, accessible fixtures, and everything the couple needs located on the main level. Framed by large south-facing windows, the light-filled main living area includes a lofted ceiling transected with a glass bridge that connects the guest bedrooms above and looks out onto the garden and fruit trees below. The attached barn, which creates a courtyard for gardens, houses a yoga studio and woodworking shop. With an ample array of solar panels and airtight construction to keep the heat in, the house is predicted to be net zero with no energy bills even in the coldest of Vermont winters. A Tesla Powerwall stores backup electricity for this all-electric home.

The Gun Lake Residence replaces a small, aging, existing house located on a narrow peninsula on Gun Lake, in west Michigan. The peninsula is neatly populated with century-old homes that quietly occupy this uncommon setting. The project site offers extraordinary views of the water in multiple directions and extends to the east with open space, bordering on an historic, 19th-century community ice house. A primary project goal was to reimagine the relationship of the house to its surroundings while remaining sensitive to the communal context of the neighboring properties. The design seed of the new project included rotating the footprint of the existing house 90 degrees to open the long side of the home toward the lake, maximizing views and gaining optimal benefit of the linear site. Drawing inspiration from the traditional lake vernacular of the neighboring houses, the two principal roof forms of the new house reciprocate the setting -- the modern, clean lines of the upper gable roof upholds the clarity and tradition of the neighborhood, while the lower roof mimics the extension of the landscape and invites improvisational use. The horizontal flat roof allows use of the deck in all weather and cantilevers the most used public spaces into the landscape in a band of captured horizontal space. A wood-clad retaining wall refines a cut into the earth and harbors a transitional, outdoor room between the water and the basement. At 2200 finished square feet, the conditioned building envelope is compact. And like the exterior, the interior form responds directly to its use. The upper floor is a monastic repetition of modest sleeping cells and bathrooms with unique directional views, combined with a grand central stair and master bedroom at each corner that captures myriad views of the water, over the trees, in all directions. The main floor utilizes a core of small, functional spaces to shield the adjacent road, and forms a backdrop to the open interior spaces. Aided by the reaching, cedar-bellied roof, the living, dining, and kitchen spaces spill to the outdoors through an unusually porous exterior wall. Three sliding glass doors–including one at 20 feet wide–and a finished, surrounding ground plane cohere the landscape to the main living level. Super-insulated wood-framed walls, triple-paned aluminum-clad wood windows, and a structurally insulated roof panels make-up the core of the building envelope, and additional exterior high-performance design features include geothermal heating/cooling and a green roof. Cementitious lap siding, concrete panels, hardwood decking, cedar soffits, and river rock comprise the exterior finish. In addition to cedar ceilings, interior finishes include porcelain ceramic tile, cork flooring, tight pile wool carpet, and neutral painted walls -- designed in quiet tones to highlight the most important interior ingredient: views outside.

Inspiration for a timeless exterior home remodel in Philadelphia

The Detray Residence introduced an open contemporary design to an otherwise traditional context: a historic Brooklyn Heights townhouse. RSVP Studio converted the existing two bedroom duplex into a three bedroom, 2-1/2 bath apartment by relocating all of the common functions to the existing attic level, inverting the typical duplex layout. Utilizing the unique geometry of the pitched attic space, the open kitchen, dining and living room is illuminated from skylights and an expansive glass light shaft, creating a loft-like experience. A new entry foyer with an enlarged stair opening to the attic directs the flow of circulation into the common space, while maintaining the privacy of the third floor bedrooms.Location: Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Completion: Summer 2006 Size: 1500 s.f. Photography: Seong Kwon

"A gathering place and information center on the town's central waterfront both for arriving cruise ship passengers (nearly 1 million a year from May-September) and for community functions year-round. A key node on the phased development of the waterfront promenade, a continuous pedestrian walkway along the waters' edge through the town's center from the most northerly cruise ship berth to a small boat harbor and fishing jetty about a mile to the south. The simple, linear, permeable plan invites entry from all sides, waterfront and townfront. The space is sheltered by a single gable roof structure of exposed Alaska yellow cedar and decking. Vestibules and entries are accented by lower open timber gable roof forms.The pavilion extends north and south embracing exterior spaces with sculpture, planting, and sitting and eating terraces of recycled wood pier decking that was replaced with concrete and steel dock structure. Visitor services, information, tours, and town history and information with graphic, electronic media, and personal interaction are housed in the structure. Indigenous materials, historic scale and form reflect the context of the town and waterfront maintaining and enhancing view sheds with public art and amenities."

ARCHITECTURE: Certificate of Merit PROJECT: School of Freshwater Sciences CLIENT: University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee ARCHITECTURE FIRM: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson with Continuum Architects + Planners ENGINEERS: GRAEF; Henneman Engineering; PSJ Engineering; Bloom Companies, LLC CONTRACTORS: J.P. Cullen & Sons, Inc. PHOTOGRAPHER: Christopher Barrett DESCRIPTION: The location of the site along the Kinnickinnic River as it flows into Lake Michigan is replete with industrial activity – shipping containers, tug boats, freighters, and coal pile reserves. Within this context, the School of Freshwater Sciences was designed to be an icon for important freshwater research and a stimulus for future development, with inspiration found in expressing the nature of water. JURY COMMENTS: The architect successfully alluded to the past use of the building as a ceramics plant, while providing a simple straight ahead solution that reflects its current use as a building dedicated to freshwater sciences and its location near the Great Lakes with a playful façade that has movement, color, texture ,and beauty.