Architecture Addiction, The Official Blog of

I met architect Quentin Dart Parker at Dwell on Design. He was showcasing his DOMO VITAE home. He had a cool model, plus plans and elevations. I thought you would want to learn more about him and his work.

What is a modern vacation home?
We have designed a unique, custom floor plan with loft-style layout, to accommodate eight for informal holiday congregations, as an escape from the ordinary retreat- both efficient, and spacious at the same time. Two loft bedrooms overlook the great room below, with exposed 25 ft. high open beamed ceilings, highly insulated walls and other exquisite luxury amenities. No expense is spared in the finish selection and use of FSC cert., green LEED building products. The Domo Vitae Home is a highly efficient, cozy, cabin-retreat that is both modern and traditional.

What is special about the Domo Vitae design?
The concept is a spacious, loft-style layout with two large, second floor bedrooms. In temperate climates, the wood-burning fireplace, centrally located on the lower floor, heats the air space with both radiant and conductive application. The re-circulating, silent ceiling fan draws the rising hot air from the highest point in the ceiling plenum and redistributes it to the lower level. The main radiant heat flooring system is zone activated, and keeps the room temperature cozy without drying out the air.

Domo Vitae is a state-of-the-art, high-tech living accommodation, yet simple, efficient and dramatic in layout. The fourteen foot wide PV layered roof surrounds a covered porch. This serves as additional living space during the temperate months, and buffers winter climates by keeping snow, wind and rain at a comfortable distance from the house perimeter with generous, three foot roof overhangs. In tropical settings great cross-ventilation and conductive air distribution keeps the loft interior shaded and cool. Optional Murphy-style queen-size beds offer overflow porch sleeping accommodations doubling the capacity to eight.

The Domo Vitae design is ideal for storing recreational vehicles safely in the spacious, 30 Ft L x 30 Ft. W x 10 ft. H basement garage. That’s room for a 16 ft. day-sailer/trailer, a double snowmobile/trailer, two dirt bikes and two full size cars, or any combination thereof. This space can be converted (future expansion) with a third, full mezzanine level bedroom/bath/walk-in closet- and still have room for two cars and a tow trailer. Alternately, the basement can be constructed in shallow water as boat and rec vehicle docks with stair adjusted access to the porch above. On the upper level the pocket, sliding door openings on the main floor have barn-style, secure solid wood exterior doors for board-up security. The two porch access stairways to the porch can be locked, (draw bridge style, vertically) to discourage unwanted intrusion off-season.

Domo Vitae is unique because of the innovative structural footing design and the floor plan ability to adapt to many site conditions: Whether upslope to access, down slope, -or side slope, the square layout and large, cantilevered porch and primary exposure can be rotated 90º in any direction to meet specific site needs. With financing ,the panelized component manufacturing facility can be built at foreign locations to engage the local workforce. It is as simple in construction as building a unitized dog shed. Assembly and finish component installation takes no more that 3 months from start to completion on unprepared sites.

Check out better photos of the model than what I took!

Contact Domo Vitea to find out more.

You know how there’s a Starbucks on every corner?

What if there was also a fresh fruit and vegetable stand on every corner?

And what if those fruits and vegetables were grown right there, in that building?

And – imagine now – instead of eating produce that had been picked green, that had traveled thousands of miles, that had been sprayed with ethylene gas to get it to “ripen"…

WHAT IF you could eat produce that had been ALLOWED TO RIPEN NATURALLY?

WHAT IF you could eat produce that had been picked just HOURS after it had been picked?

WHAT IF you could eat produce that had traveled a FEW FEET instead of THOUSANDS OF MILES?

How?

Put a greenhouse on every building.

Reader Orion has written in with his idea for just such a design - the Urban Green House.

I am a big fan of green houses. I illustrated The Earth-Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book. I wrote my Big Paper my first year at Harvard on the use of greenhouses throughout history to affect the microclimate of homes. And someday I will grow my own food out of a greenhouse.

Orion’s letter has me excited about the future of widespread commercial greenhouses.

Visit his site urbangreenhouseproject to learn more. Like what you see? Spread the word to others! This is a fantastic project that will need the help pf others to bring it to fruition. Can you help? We need:

• Fundraising
• An architect to make a design study on how it would be built and draw up plans.
• A cost analysis on how much it would cost to build.
• An environmental engineer to look at the plans and to make suggestions for automation.
• These plans will have to be looked at from a business standpoint and see how much the cost would be to start and run a business as a break even analysis.
• A marketing firm would have to identify areas where people would support such a business.

Contact Orion here: orion@urbangreenhouseproject.org

I met Gary Stefen at Dwell on Design and really liked his work.

I thought you might like to learn more about him.

Gary Stefen Silverston is sensitive in understanding the delicate nature of building ones home. It is all about collaboration. Whether this is your first house or your twenty-first house or your primary residence or a vacation home, Gary knows that each house is entirely unique to his client. He sees each project through the eyes of his clients. His projects evoke the client’s particular sensibilities, not just visually but emotionally. His projects reflect not only where a client is today but where they are going. The proper environment can create a profound future. He is deeply committed to the notion of “green” utilizing all technologies the project or client will permit.

Biography
Gary worked with his father brainstorming, designing, and building projects throughout his childhood and into his adulthood. As a young carpenter, Gary immersed himself in the building world. Initially in Colorado, his work brought him to California where his natural creative proclivities mingled with practical experience to form a remarkably original art of his own.

Gary readily navigates complexities in the building world, producing entirely 21st century homes, created of the finest quality components. His lifetime devotion to architecture and construction has facilitated in him an imaginative style that communicates itself the minute you walk into a room. Highly respected and with access to immense inventive resources, Stefen’s homes are in high demand for the most unique home building requirements. His three dimensional mindset allows him to craft and reflect the mind’s eye of his clients, creating chic and livable environments.

SERVICES PROVIDED:

* Project Management & Post-Disaster Coordination
* New Home Construction
* New Home Design (Interior/Exterior)
* Remodeling
* Restoration/Reconstruction
* Commercial Project Design (Interior/Exterior)
* Commercial Project Construction
* Project Construction Management and Supervision
* Blueprints’/Plans’ Acquisition and Expedition
* Consultant for Residential and Commercial Projects
* Office Interiors/Tenant Improvements

AREAS SERVICED: Central Coast & Southern California:

Santa Barbara
Montecito
Carpenteria
Encino
Camarillo
Malibu
West Los Angeles
Santa Monica
Beverly Hills
Bel Air
Palisades
Hidden Hills
Orange County
San Diego County

Take a look at Gary’s work.

I saw this at Dwell on Design. I thought you would be interested.

The Autodesk Homestyler. You can design your dream home online. You don’t have to download anything.

AND IT’S FREE.

Autodesk® Homestyler™ free online home design software bring your interior design plans to life. Easy drag and drop, brand name products, and 3D views make using Autodesk Homestyler the best way to start your next home design project.

It’s free, completely web-based, and instantly accessible online.

Start with a design from the Gallery
Why start from scratch? There’s a good chance someone in the Autodesk® Homestyler™ community has already created a design that’s similar to your vision. There are thousands of designs to choose from, all free to use, edit, and develop however you’d like. Find inspiring ideas for kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms, or even offices, retail space, and more.

Create multi-level plans
It’s easy to create multiple levels for your floor plan. Choose to clone the layout of your first floor or create an upper level with its own unique dimensions and layout. Easily toggle between floors in your design.

Landscape your exterior
Explore different looks, basic plants, and surfaces for outside areas. Create areas with lawn, pavement, decking, pathways—or even pools and water features. Add in trees and shrubbery to create the landscape design you’re looking for.

Decorate with thousands of items. Get a 3D view with one click.
Choose from over 15,000 generic and brand name items in the Autodesk® Homestyler™ product catalog. Easily drag and drop to place items where you want. Each item includes behavior rules to speed placement and improve accuracy.

Choose manufacturer brands
See how your kitchen remodel or new bathroom looks with actual appliances, fixtures, and furnishings from top manufacturers’ brand catalogs -luxury kitchen appliances, cabinetry, countertops, sinks, faucets and more. You won’t have to worry whether you’ve got the dimensions right, simply choose the exact products- in the actual size, color and finish options available.

View real product imagery
See high quality photos of manufacturer products in the catalog to get an exact view of the actual item. It’s ideal for comparing and choosing between brands and product models.

Print your shopping list
Autodesk Homestyler automatically compiles a list of the products in your new home design, including information such as brand name, model, color, and more. It tallies approximate quantities for countertops, flooring, baseboards, and paint, so you’ll know exactly the amount of materials to buy. Simply print your list and bring it with you when you head out to shop.

Try out styles, colors, and finishes. Without spending a dime.
You can save time and money when you use Autodesk® Homestyler™ to try out different design ideas. Not sure how to arrange interior walls, windows, and furnishings? Wondering how paint colors will work from one room to the next?

Tons of options to try
Products in the catalog have numerous options - sizes, colors, styles and more—that you can swap out with the click of a button. Try an entirely new look for your design—the variations are endless!

View in 3D - with one-click
As soon as you’ve laid out your space, view it in 3D with just one click. There’s no messing with camera placement or complicated rendering. Just click and view. Rotate your design to see it from different angles. Switch between 2D and 3D views in an instant.

Change options in 3D view
While you view your design in 3D, just click to change options like countertops, wall color or floors. You’ll be able to flip through options quickly to see which changes you like.

Get input! And make more confident decisions.
Share your design ideas and get feedback from friends, family, design professionals, and tradespeople. Simply save your work and send it out via email, place it in the Design Gallery, or post it on social sites like Facebook.

Share in the Gallery, web, or social sites
There are numerous ways to share your designs. Share designs in the Autodesk® Homestyler™ Gallery or use email to send a link to your design. Share on social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and many others to open up your ideas for group discussion. You can even embed a design on your web site — Autodesk Homestyler makes it fast and easy.

Print out designs
Easily print out your designs, including dimensions, to bring with you when you meet with vendors and contractors. You’ll have all the details you need to discuss your ideas and make planning decisions.

Export as an image, or in professional format
Save your plan as a simple JPEG image file, or in the DWG™ or RVT formats used by professional designers, architects, and engineers.

How cool is that? I’d love to see what you do with the Homestyler. Post your designs on the Architecture Addiction Facebook Page.

July 17: Raising Backyard Goats
August 7: Raising Backyard Chickens
August 28: Urban Beekeeping
September 4-5: Build an Earth Oven
September 9: Do-It-Yourself - Plumbing
September 10: Do-It-Yourself - Electrical
September 11-12: Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry
September 19: Intro to Herbal Medicine

For a complete list of all Sustainable Living workshops in 2010, please click here.

The Solar Living Institute interns and caretakers have just returned from a fantastic five-day natural building workshop held at Ingel-Haven Ranch in Potter Valley, CA – a 5th generation family ranch that raises 100% grass-fed beef and acorn-finished hill hogs.

The workshop was led by Massey Burke, Co-Founder of the natural building company and school Vertical Clay in Berkeley, and was designed for both first-time builders as well as professional builders and contractors. The course focused on earthen building, providing hands-on experience with cob, adobe block, earth bags, light straw clay (slip straw), and wattle and daub.

As a complement to the hands-on portion of the course, Massey (who incidentally was a former SLI intern) led discussion sessions on the philosophical and theoretical dimensions of natural building. These discussion sessions covered building design and siting, passive solar design, foundations and drainage, natural plasters, and electric and plumbing for earthen buildings.

Our next natural building workshop is Build an Earth Oven on September 4-5, where students will help construct an earth oven in a community garden in the San Francisco Bay Area. This workshop will cover: basic oven functions and designs, proven construction methods, and resources for students to build an oven of their own!

Please click here for more information or to register for this workshop.

The Solar Living Institute is thrilled to announce that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be the keynote speaker at our 14th annual SolFest on September 25, 2010. Mr. Kennedy is a visionary environmental business leader and advocate who has developed a global reputation for his inspirational public speaking. This will be Mr. Kennedy’s first visit ever to the Mendocino/Sonoma County area, so we look forward to welcoming him to this part of California.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Mr. Kennedy was named one of TIME magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group’s achievement helped spawn more than 160 Waterkeeper organizations across the globe. In 2009, he was named one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Agents of Change".

Currently, Mr. Kennedy serves as Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, President of Waterkeeper Alliance, is a partner in the clean tech work of Silicon Valley’s VantagePoint Ventures, and is the environmental advisor to Napo Pharmaceuticals. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio.

Mr. Kennedy has worked on environmental issues across the Americas, and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in successfully negotiating treaties protecting traditional homelands. The New York City watershed agreement, which he negotiated on behalf of environmentalists and New York City watershed consumers, is regarded as an inspirational model in stakeholder consensus negotiations and sustainable development.

Please join us in welcoming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Mendocino County for his first visit ever!

SolFest XIV
September 25 & 26, 2010
Redwood Empire Fairgrounds
Ukiah, California

Keynote Speaker:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Saturday, September 25, 3-4 pm.

Tickets are now on sale! Please click here to purchase tickets for SolFest 2010.

Interested in becoming a volunteer? Please click here for volunteer opportunities.

Moccasin Lake Nature Park, Clearwater, Florida
August 23 thru 27, 2010

Click here, Register by 15 July, Save $100

This five-day interactive seminar provides techniques for identification, detection, and mitigation of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), based on practical examples and case studies from actual home inspections.

Particular emphasis is placed on EMR in the bedroom as well as on how EMR can enter buildings via our public water supply system. This seminar includes lectures, hands-on labs for instrumentation usage, research assignments, and interactive discussions.

Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) permeates our daily lives, affecting our health and wellbeing at home and at work. Understanding the causes and numerous harmful effects associated with EMR is of crucial importance to each and every one of us.

Register now, click here, save $100

I just read this article about my alma mater by Becca Johnson called “Building on an Architecture Degree with Service.”

The University of Idaho trains its students to be leaders and make a global impact.

This spring, eight architecture students and professor Wendy McClure traveled to a remote farmstead near El Cope, Panama, to help one community.

“Although the university’s architecture program has completed dozens of outreach projects with community partners in the intermountain west during the past 25 years, our brigade to Panama launched an exciting new chapter in this legacy of outreach by venturing into a partnership with an impoverished community in the third world,” says McClure.

Last fall, graduate student Tyler Macy founded the University of Idaho chapter of Global Architecture Brigades. GAB supports ventures in Panama and Honduras though student service-learning projects, and specifically design-build projects, for architecture participants.

GAB and its Panamanian partner organization, Patronato de Nutricion, assigned the university’s chapter a priority design-build project on the farmstead Granja de Loma Bonita.

After arriving in the country, Idaho brigadiers hiked to the farm carrying packs on steep terrain, slept in tents and lived in relatively primitive conditions for six days. This didn’t stop them from accomplishing a great deal during their stay.

Three elderly people, who also are siblings, manage the farm and participate in the Panama government’s program to promote better nutrition in rural areas and organic farming practices.

“Though skilled farmers, they cannot keep up with needed repairs to facilities. They lack places to store and dry crops and must sleep in separate huts under leaking roofs,” says McClure.

During daylight hours, the team repaired leaking roofs, built a solar greenhouse dryer out of materials found on site, hoe rice paddies and built a new iguana cage. At night, the team worked by headlamps supplemented by a small generator to design a new community meeting room and living quarters for local farmers.

“Our aim for this trip was to not only help out a community in need, but also to learn about their way of life and design appropriate architecture for the rural area using traditional methods and locally available materials,” Macy says.

The construction required the team to use creative thinking to scrounge for local materials, such as bamboo and green rough-cut lumber, and to employ primitive tools, such as hand saws, machetes and twine, to accomplish the simplest of construction tasks.

“Taking part in and actually seeing your design built is an amazing feeling that most architecture students do not experience,” says Macy. “This design/build experience is very valuable in our field of study, and to do so in a culturally different and economically restrictive environment makes it all the more challenging and worthwhile.”

A second brigade of University of Idaho students will return to Panama this August to construct new housing, crop storage and community structures.

“The approaching rainy season makes their lives even more challenging,” says McClure. “Our spring brigade’s primary purpose was to gather site information and input from community partners in support of upcoming design and construction. Given the pressing need for shelter from the elements, participants became quickly engaged in making emergency repairs to address the most basic needs as communicated by the farmers through a translator.”

“This experience was transformative for all of them. They worked effectively as a team and accomplished significant tasks using a minimal amount of available technology and resources,” McClure says.

“When you commit to helping someone, you are a lot more likely to get out of your comfort range of skills to get a job done,” says Molly Marineau, sophomore architecture student. “Volunteering is a really good way to learn skills from meeting new people and new cultures to making adobe. Service work also makes trusted connections between people, which I believe is important in a quickly globalizing world.”

The project received support from the school, friends, family and local businesses such as Moscow Building Supply, Wheatberries and Moscow Food Co-op. However, most of the money for the spring break trip was raised by McClure and the individual students.

“Our students were stellar ambassadors of the university,” McClure says. “They exhibited an unusual degree of commitment under extremely difficult circumstances. As their faculty adviser and co-worker, it was truly a privilege to be part of their team.”

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