HBA Tour Blog

Passion in Physical Form

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:45:35 -0500

Most psychologists, even economists, will tell you that when a person loves his or her job, their work performance increases. Now if you are wondering why this applies to you, know that by hiring an architect you do, in a sense, take on the role of boss or supervisor. So if that architect, your employee, is passionate, and happy, and you are as positively invested in the project as well, you have the groundwork for great work.
As the 2012 Homes by Architects Tour gets closer, it's time to prove how these architects practice with passion and how their clients inspire them to design better. Here are words from some of the architects themselves:
Home #2 - CityDeskStudio Architects: Bob Ganser, Christian Dean and Ben Awes

 
I was recently reminded of a line that I like from the movie Rushmore: "find something you love to do and do it for the rest of your life." Who wouldn't love to collaborate with new people on a regular basis, draw, color, collage, build models or see ideas realized in built form? I feel very lucky to be able to come to the studio every day and work on something that I love!  We have been fortunate to work with very engaged and interesting clients—clients who express a clear vision for what they want, enjoy collaboration, are interested in reflecting on how they live and what is important to them. Our best design work comes from listening to our clients, learning about how they live, understanding their aspirations, and then designing spaces that both reflect as well as expand on what we've learned. 
Home #3 - Meriwether Inc. Architect: Meriwether Felt

My happiness comes from providing not just a structural and utilitarian solution for my clients but doing it in such a way that the space becomes a joy to live in.  The projects I do are character-driven. My clients have a desire to create a space that means something to them. This could be driven by the neighborhood they live in, a feeling they want to have in the home, or a personal use they need to create. It has to do with more than adding an addition, or creating a certain square footage in a home. It has to do with adding personality, warmth, and graciousness. This isn’t done with materials alone, or designing in the current trend, this has to do with being able to create a thoughtfully beautiful solution for a homeowner’s desire. 
House #5 - Nguyen Architects, Inc. Architect: Tan H. Nguyen

My practice draws on my natural curiosity to understand how things are put together and come apart; how individual forms fit together to create space or a vision, and how that vision weaves into the daily lives of people. It is this continuity of architecture and the impact of architecture on individuals and families that gives me inspiration and passion.  In essence, it always comes back to working with clients and in some way, it is the clients themselves that are part of the passion. I love hearing the responses from clients, their family and friends about the new home and how it has changed their daily living patterns. The change can reveal a view that wasn't there before and made them realize a certain beautiful feature of the site. This connection with people's lives made me realize that architecture can really shape people's lives and have the opportunity to improve their daily experience. For this, I am grateful to be an architect. 
Home #8 - Albertsson Hansen Architecture Architect: Todd Hansen

As Architects, we are especially passionate about transforming older homes into great places to live when we get the opportunity to collaborate with clients who care about detail, proportion, and color. Our home on the Homes by Architects Tour is an incredible melding of the minds between the homeowners (two graphic designers) and our firm.  The home we remodeled had small, disconnected spaces that required unique details and clever solutions. With consideration of the homeowner’s needs, we designed a spacious bright kitchen which functions as a mudroom, casual dining room, and hang-out space. The kitchen links the back yard, formal dining, and living room, serving as the central core of the home. Outdated bathrooms were refreshed with durable, timeless materials, and reorganized to accommodate a second floor laundry space. Fun and family oriented details include the pocketing dog gate, the hidden pull-out pantry cabinets, and the fold-down TV cabinet in the kitchen. It was truly a joy to work with such a wonderful family of homeowners! 
To see more of this passion in its physical form, join us on September 22 and 23 for the 2012 Homes by Architects Tour. Tickets can be purchased online.
–Alicia Liebel, Associate AIA AIA MN HBAT Marketing Committee Member

Architect Spotlight: Alchemy Architects

Thu, 6 Sep 2012 15:30:22 -0500

Of all the places you inhabit on a daily basis, your home is one of the most important. It is the container of your feelings of safety, the bearer of your lifestyle, and the catalyst of many memories. The vision of your dream home is precious. As such, handing over the design of your future home to a professional that you hardly know is a daunting task. One of the ways that you can begin to evaluate some of the best residential architects that the Twin Cities has to offer is by visiting the architects along the Homes by Architects Tour.
To further prepare you for your tour experience, over the next few weeks these blog posts will discuss how the architects of the 16 homes on the tour practice with passion. Our first architect spotlight is for Home #4 on the Tour designed by Geoffrey Warner and Scott Ervin of Alchemy Architects.
So how does this passionate mission statement translate into their tangible design product? Believe it or not, 90 percent of this home's design by Warner and Ervin was expertly crafted in an off-site modular housing factory. By utilizing nuanced methods of building technology, their clients received a home that was cost effective (less than $140 a square foot) and efficiently constructed in eight short weeks. Their innovative approach challenges the ‘bigger is better’ mentality and evolves the typical project approach by asking, “How can we celebrate the [modular] process in which [this home] was made?”   Since the components of the home were constructed into four separate boxes, their stacked and offset placement allowed for the additional design elements of exterior balconies and roof overhangs to provide interior shade. Other design considerations were given for the client’s eclectic art collection with attention directed toward interior spaces that are open, yet uniquely compact.   The AIA MN Homes by Architects Tour takes place September 22 & 23. Purchase your tickets today to see more of this home and speak with the architects responsible for its design.
—Alicia Liebel, Associate AIA AIA MN HBAT Marketing Committee Member

Transforming the House into a Home

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:57:12 -0500

The work of a residential architect extends beyond their sketch pad or computer 3D models. They are part of a team of professionals who translate creative thinking into a furnished and durable physical reality. Architects develop relationships with businesses, engineers, material manufactures, and builders to ensure that their clients' homes are built to a high standard with appropriate interior finishes and affordable utility bills.
Some of the key team-members for the 20 architects involved in the upcoming 2012 AIA MN Homes by Architects Tour are the tour sponsors:
• Marvin Windows and Doors, the premier manufacturer of wood and clad wood windows and doors, provide exceptional views and natural day-lighting to 11 of the 26 homes throughout the tour.
• One of the best businesses for finding the perfect appliances for your home is Warners' Stellian. Their quality reputation is well known, and their products have been placed in five tour homes.
• The excellent execution of engineering, construction, and craftsmanship also can be seen throughout thanks to those at Cates Fine Homes, Mattson Macdonald Young, Stinson Builder’s Inc., Streeter & Associates, and Welch Forsman.
 For more information on the homes, which feature these sponsors’ products, take a look around this website.
The AIA MN Homes By Architects Tour takes place September 22 & 23. Purchase your tickets today to see how these sponsors help transform bare walls and unadorned floors with no appliances or furniture to elevate a house structure into a home.
—Alicia Liebel, Associate AIA AIA MN HBAT Marketing Committee Member