The Latest in Lake Homes

A RoehrSchmitt home in Northern Minnesota. Completed this fall. Stay tuned for more.

New Work

Something new we're working on. An aircraft museum developed in two days. Fast and fun.

Gotting Residence Featured in Star Tribune

RoehrSchmitt Architecture was pleased to be featured in the June 21st, 2009 issue of The Star Tribunes Sunday Home section with an article entitled "A One-Bedroom Wonder". The article profiled one of our most recent projects, the Gotting Residence in Northeast Minneapolis. Check it out here

Juliet House wins Home of the Month 2009-10

Last Wednesday we learned that our Juliet House project won one of twelve coveted spots for a monthly feature in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper. The 7th annual competition is co-sponsored by the AIA Minnesota & the Star Tribune. Look for it in the coming year, and check out all the winners at the AIA MN website http://www.aia-mn.org/hotm/09.cfm

A Design Process Explained

Three projects presented by Joshua Prince-Ramus of Rem Koolhaus' OMA.



A lengthy video but worth the time. The fundamental belief in the elegance of the diagram is inspiring.

Feasibility

From the British sketch comedy show SMACK THE PONY a critique. Is it feasible?



If this is what you think of the value of architects come let us change your minds.

More Parkour

Danish film maker Kaspar Astrup Schröder is currently finishing MY PLAYGROUND, a documentary on movement, tricking, freerunning and parkour, and its relation with urban spaces. The documentary will feature scenes with parkour masters Team Jiyo and interviews with urban planners, local politicians, architects and philosophers.

The trailer uses the Mountain Dwellings by BIG as a playground for the traceurs. The film is expected to be premiered in the summer of 2009.

Juliet House to be featured in Fine Homebuilding Magazine

I just spent a long, exhausting day helping Fine Homebuilding itinerant editor and photographer Chuck Miller document our Juliet House for the '08 Spring/Summer "HOMES" issue of the magazine. The house was one of almost 300 submitted for the issue, and one of only eight to be selected. While the work typically represented in the magazine favors a more traditional aesthetic, they are working to broaden that approach to include a wider range of houses that embody innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges of creating great houses. We look forward to this issue hitting the news stands April 29 of next year.

Burning Things

We’ve been doing some research about the pros and cons of fireplaces and stoves and the fuel choices of wood vs. gas. It's an interesting discussion and I thought I would make our research available. I apologize for the link intensive nature of this post. I attempted to categorize and sort. Enjoy.

The following links lay out the choice between gas and wood. Interestingly the consensus seems to be that wood is more environmentally friendly if you are in a location where wood is abundant. Both are quite efficient if you buy the right product. The smallest stoves and fireplaces will effectively heat a space of approximately 1,000 square feet. An efficient wood stove can be filled with wood and last up to 8 hours without having to add more fuel. The big trick seems to be purchasing an EPA approved product. This will ensure that you get a product rated for efficiency that can be compared to other models.

Article from the Portland Tribune comparing the advantages of wood vs. gas

Is burning wood greener than burning gas?

Stoves vs. Fireplaces

The Case for Wood

The governments opinion

Well designed modern stoves and fireplaces are limited. There are many more European manufacturers making modern stoves that aren't available in the U.S. The Franklin stove aesthetic still rules America. Of the modern designs available, many seem to be designed to compete with TV's. Odd.

Here are a few manufacturers that make interesting products.

Wittus - New York

AustroFlamm - Great Name

Morso - Tennessee

Malm - Old School

We're being watched

Do you see faces in buildings? Something in how we're all wired. It's likely related to some desire not to be eaten. Just a theory.

Looks a little like a moray eel. I have some experience on the subject. Ask me about it sometime. Check more out here. They're everywhere.

Conspicuous Unsustainability

One of the greatest challenges for an architect today is how -- given the obvious and belated realization that we all need to reduce our carbon footprint -- to reconcile the fact that the most common result of our efforts to rearrange the world for our benefit is...a bunch more stuff. How is a designer to practice their craft without leaving a trail of "junk" (however innovative, however beautiful) in their wake. I've been contemplating how the skills of the designer might be re-conceptualized such that their projects somehow don't necessarily result in the unfortunate by-product of more stuff. That thought got me to thinking that such a concept of design requires a different kind of client as well - one who is seeking not so much more & better stuff, but rather a conceptual reorganization of their relationship to stuff, and ultimately a liberation from the tyranny of stuff. This article in the Atlantic is a thought provoking look at the psycho-social dimension of our ruinous addiction to stuff. This approach puts yet another spin on the old shibboleth "less is more". It raises the question for me - how do we as designers work for a world in which the ultimate status symbol is a freedom from stuff? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this.