Modern North

A week ago or so the good folks at DO Research posted a nice pic of a new weeHouse they drove by. I think it must be the Oeschger house shown on the Alchemy site. Sure looks like it.

I've never been to the Twin Cities but it occurs to me that most of my favorite modernist architecture and related firms and websites are based there:

DO Research - A favorite Minneapolis-based modernist blog
rosenlof/lucas - the hippest modern landscaping duo going, with a cool blog to boot
Alchemy Architects - you cannot resist the appeal of their weeHouses
Flatpak - I drool over these Eamesish beauties
City Desk Studio - recently in Dwell, awesome Skyway Retreat
Bark Design - I'm in love with Doris
Hive Modular - The B-Line is an instant classic modern prefab

What is it about Minnesota????? So much good stuff is coming out of there right now. It makes me want to move. I think a weekend trip to finally see the Twin Cities is in order.

More Case Study Love - Rapson Greenbelt by Wieler

As I've said in recent posts, I've fallen really hard for the Case Study Houses. I like the Eames' CSH#8 a lot, yes, but I'm probably most drawn to the simplicity of the never-built CSH#4 by Ralph Rapson. It's just two simple rectangles, one for public spaces and one for private spaces, simultaneously separated and connected by an atrium. Every room is offered a view of nature, and the flow of the occupants is affected by its extreme proximity to the otherwise totally man made industrial space. Rapson named the house "The Greenbelt" after the organic space formed between the two structural boxes.

Look at this illustration of the home, featured on a cover from Architecture magazine (March '05):




I love the commuter chopper. Even in the early post-WWII days, sprawl and the disconnectedness of suburbia were on the architect's mind. I guess back then the answer seemed obvious. A Jeep, the original fashion/lifestyle vehicle, first SUV, toy of new wealth in a prospering nation, resides in the driveway ready for fun weekends. Despite modern trappings, Wifey is hanging clothes to dry on a line outside. I still remember when my grandparents, people of that generation, hung their clothes out. The last time I saw that anywhere was probably over twenty years ago. I bet it would come back into fashion today as a green alternative to the energy consumed by clothes dryers, except that subdivision association bylaws wouldn't stand for it for a minute. Carports should come back in style too. I hate garages.

As I said, the Greenbelt was never built. Was it too weird? I can't believe it was. I wonder what the story was, why it wasn't built, even when so many Case Study Homes were. I like it. It's the kind of simple yet fascinating house I go for.

You can have one now, sort of. Wieler makes prefab "Rapson Greenbelts," in many different versions, inspired by the original CSH#4, and actually designed by the man himself, and his firm, Rapson Architects. Rapson, a native Michigander like me, is alive and active as ever at age ninety-three.

Here are a couple of looks at Wieler's Rapsons:








They're not quite as groovy as the original. The greenspace is toned down considerably, turned into a regular room in the house, and the simplicity of the original is kind of gone. Still, I like them. They look very bright and clean. My favorite is the split level version, though I'd still rather live in the original CSH#4 design.

I suggest that if you build one you also invest in a very appropriate Rapson Rocker. It's almost as cool as my beloved Eames.




And definitely get yourself a "Ralph" model modern birdhouse to place outside your kitchen window. No Wieler Greenbelt would be complete without one. Even a humble sparrow deserves to live in stylish modern digs.




It's great to see the Case Study legacy live on, in any form. It's even better to see the original architect still involved in bringing great design to life. Ralph Rapson does rule!!!!

Image credits - all images from Wieler site

Thinking of Eames ... Retro Modern Groove In Newer Designs

I'm really in to the Case Study Houses right now. My favorites are the simple ones like CSH#4 (which never got built) and CSH#21. But the more I think about what I want in a place for my family though, the more I start leaning toward something roomier like the the Eames House, CSH#8. I'm also inspired by the sort of retro vibe at DO Research, which always makes me think of the Eames. And I always really dug the Eames furniture, all of it, in a big way.

This documentary short by the Charles and Ray Eames gives you the spirit of the house:





A lot of recent designs evoke the Eames' groove:

Flatpak House from Lazor Office (images from the Flickr set)







EcoContempo 6030 and 6040 by Lavardera (images from LamiDesign Blog) - Greg, leave us a comment - were you inspired by Eames?





Royal Homes Muskoka Modern (images from Royal Homes site). By the way, nice mudroom. My chief gripe about most modern homes - no good entry for muddy feet. Come to Detroit in February and see what I mean.







I'd have said, "build me a house around this ..."

Image credit - Design Within Reach

... but Eames already did. And any one of these three new designs would do the trick too.

Fourteen hiveMODULAR Animations on YouTube

One more great development last week that I failed to mention yesterday: the hiveMODULAR blog directs us to YouTube where they have fourteen different video animations of various models. My favorite is this B-Line Small with a walkout basement.




Really cool. Definitely check out the rest. Nice animations of various B-Line, X-Line, M-Line, and C-Line, as well as their appearance on HGTV's What's With That House?


Video credit - hiveMODULAR on YouTube

Highlights From Last Week - LamiDesign IBU News, DO RESEARCH's Big Move, MKD mkLotus

So hard to get back into the swing of things. I'm one of those people heavily governed by inertia. When I have momentum I keep it until something slows me down or changes my direction. When I have to build up speed again it goes sooo sloooowly.

To make things easy on myself I'll recap some interesting developments that happened while I was away:

Michelle Kaufmann and her firm MKD introduced a new model of her very green, prefab homes - the mkLotus. As usual, top marks for modern style, sustainable design and materials, and viable prefab. Love the green roof on this one. Via Prefab Wednesday on The Good Human.

Image credit - MKD site

The wonderful blog DO RESEARCH sprang back into high gear and fired off a flurry of nice posts in the last week or so. It has such a wonderful feel to it. If you haven't visited in a while check back with 'em. The big news is that they're soon relocating back to the USA from Reading, and now the time has come to put research into reality for a new home ... what will they DO?

Finally, the biggest news of all. Greg La Vardera posted a sneak peek of the LamiDesign IBU Building System on his blog. This is his take on a viable, modular, sea container based housing system that can be convincingly pitched to building authorities. I think that Greg's experience with stock plans and the EcoSteel houses puts him in a good position to succeed. Should be really interesting to see what happens with this. These concept layouts show just how versatile the IBU system could be.

Image credit - LamiDesign Blog

I saw some other neat things around the web, and as always put them in my shared Google Reader in the sidebar (does anyone ever look at that????) so you can browse that if you want. But these three were the real biggies of the week. I'd say I missed a pretty big week :( but the good news is it looks like there'll be more to come!

Interesting Concepts From Danish Architect Soren Korsgaard

Everyone, everywhere, is working on prefab. New ideas are popping up like dandelions on the first pretty spring day. I was just browsing YouTube (inspired by this post on Equity Green) and hit on this concept:





Interesting. It's from Danish architect Soren Korsgaard. I checked his website, and the house is actually a vacation cabin. It has an interesting sliding doors strategy that allows the occupants to reconfigure the house for different views, privacy, shelter from changing winds, etc. Kinda neat.





I also saw this other cool house concept on his site, the "Standard House." It's anything but, though it would be great if it were, and everyone really lived in something like it. Check it out:







The house is designed to be built fast, to take advantage of passive heating and cooling principles, and will incorporate "root zone water purification." It's decidedly modern, and I like the simple solar shell concept.

It actually reminds me very much of a solar house some family friends lived in back in the 1980's when I was growing up. The design was very similar to this. On a cold but sunny winter day they'd have to open the windows to let out extra heat, yet in the summer all the thermal mass kept the house nice and cool.

Korsgaard's other works are interesting as well. I like this industrial-inspired multifamily concept, curiously called "commune housing" (made me think communist bloc, not communal living).





Cool stuff, I think Korsgaard is one to watch.

Image credits - Soren Korsgaard site

Prefab Modular "Option" from Bauart Architekten and WeberHaus

A couple weeks ago I finally bought the last of the Mini House books I didn't have - the first in the series actually (nothing like working backwards!). Great book, of course, and full of interesting homes. One in particular caught my eye, the "Option" house, sold in Europe by WeberHaus.

The Option is a modular prefab box originally designed by the Swiss firm Bauart Architekten, and called the Small House. And small it is, only 678 square feet. But it packs a lot of living in its two stories, thanks to its simple plan and clean, minimalist aesthetic. Take a look:






See what I mean? I really like it. Need more space? You're right, 678 square feet is pretty small. No problem. You can combine multiple Options to form a single structure. Some really interesting variants have been produced.

Like this one ...







... and this one.






Again, I must recommend reading the three Mini House books. They're excellent. The pics of the Option in the first book are great, and you'll see tons of other cool, small houses.

Image credits - WeberHaus

Google Map of hiveMODULAR Projects in Twin Cities

I am so loving hiveMODULAR's new blog. They're homes are so cool, and it's great to learn more about hive homes, and their philosophy, in the blog. Check this post - the have a Google map of Hive projects in the Twin Cities.




These guys are busy - they've got a ton of projects going on! Take a look, you'll see images of the houses at each location. I like this B-Line Small:



Image credits - hiveMODULAR

Prefab Wednesday on The Good Human

I like the Good Human. He's a man - he's every man - he's every man's hopes for himself and others - it's a blog - whatever. As green blogs go I give this one two thumbs up. And as a bonus, the Good Human has been doing "Prefab Wednesday" the last few weeks. Today it's LivingHomes by Ray Kappe, last week was Greg La Vardera's 6040 House, and the week before that MKD's Breezehouse.

So, something special to look forward to every Wednesday. But I'd recommend adding the Good Human to your feed reader, because it's full of great green living ideas every day.

hiveMODULAR Launches Blog

Hey - hiveMODUALR started a blog yesterday. Cool! I love their houses. Can't wait to see what they do with it. So far they have a forum and an image gallery. Niiiice!




Image credit - hiveMODULAR blog

Architects Perrine and Maynard Tell it Like it Is - Respond with Cool Prefab Solutions

Over the past couple of days my Google Reader has been buzzing with good posts on cool modern prefabs. Here's a couple that I really liked:

The Perrinepod,via Equity Green. This statement from the Perrinepod site nails it:

"My design is about appreciating the beauty of simple, uncluttered space." The perrinepod is very functional, very sexy, very simple, with the form of the spaces inside following the function, there's no pretense, just simple, beautiful designs. It's a really cool thing to have no falseness - for example, the bathrooms are simply designed as a place to wash, backed up by quality materials.

Living spaces have become as transient and irrelevant as clothes. It's no longer a look for a generation, the look of 'now' only lasts for a three to four year period.

That approach is not sustainable and people are putting themselves under a lot of unnecessary pressure trying to keep up. The Perrine Pod is the antithesis of all of that - simple design, beautiful materials that will remain classic. It's not a 'look at me' statement, but a home that is comfortable, stylish and above all, functional." - Jean-mic Perrine

And, the Quon Modular, via Materialicio.us and via your abode .... environmentality. The Quon is the work of Australia's Andrew Mayndard. This guy's stuff just blows my mind. Every time I look at his site I get a boost. He has some of the funkiest designs. Maynard's firm is hot as the sun right now.

The Quon's manifesto, described in this quote from Maynard's site:

"We believe that the housing industry is in the dark ages, and as such are offering Quon as a premium modular housing product rather than a traditional hand built house. Delivery within 10 weeks of order, infinite arrangements based on our modular system and a procurement process more like purchasing a car than a home. It is our belief that more and more people are interested in fast, efficient and affordable living, and we intend on becoming the industry leader in Housing. Let the revolution begin."

Give me the party flag and tell me where the front lines are - I'm in, Comrade Maynard. Several are being built now - from off the grid in the boonies, to a rooftop of a seven story building in a densely populated urban jungle.





Perrine and Maynard are telling it like it is, and they're responding with some slick solutions.

The future of housing really is NOW.

Image credits - Perrinepod and Quon sites

Showcase House: Wired Home by Living Homes

I wasn't at all surprised to get the press release today on the Wired Home by Living Homes. Wired has for a long time given good coverage to modern, green homes that embrace technology as well as good design. And working with Living Homes is a perfect match. Living Homes produces stunning modern luxury homes to the highest LEED standards. The house will showcase many aspects of green design and construction including prefab, reclamation and reuse, infill, sustainable materials, LED lighting, efficient appliances, the latest in solar power ... you name it this house will have it. As for technology, you don't have to worry, the house will have the latest and greatest of everything, of course (c'mon, this is the Wired Home, so expect a lot - you'll get it).




It's a big home, over 4,000 square feet, and it will cost millions. I tend to advocate smaller homes and affordability for regular families, but I'm not about to fire any criticism at the project, because it is meant to be a showcase house, and all showcase houses are top end. This project is already underway, and will be completed and open to public tours by this fall. A percentage of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to Global Green USA.

I think we'll see a lot of neat stuff come out of this project, and I'm looking forward to seeing it when it's done. Should be cool. Certainly looks great. Read the press release on the Wired Home site for full details.

Image credit - Wired Home site

Visit shedworking - Great Blog on Working at Home in Backyard Structures

I was pleased to get an e-mail today from Alex, who has a delightful U.K.-based blog called shedworking. It's dedicated to working from home in backyard offices, and it's a really fun read. Alex has an eye for slick stuff, including lots of modern and prefab sheds, offices, and cabins. Let me give you a couple of examples from shedworking posts:

The Colani Rotor House:



Hobby Huts from FAT Architects:



TS1 (Transportable Space One):



An interesting garden shed designed for the Chelsea Flower Show:



I think these kind of intriguing outdoor structures really help enhance your home. It's great to have a little space to get away. I've always dreamed of working from home, in a small office out back, preferably overlooking a nice little pond. Doing Future House Now is fun, but I think it would be even better in a smart shed office. Alex's site is a great resource if you're having those same thoughts.

Shedworking is doing very well. Alex has a book of the same name coming next year, and is also an organizer of the U.K.'s first ever National Shed Week to be held this July. Pretty impressive. Definitely do click over to shedworking, and say "hi!" to Alex. What a great site. I know I'll be reading from now on, and I bet you'll like it too.

Image credits - shedworking posts

Phillippe Barriere Collective's MTGH on Prefab Friday

So, finally it is Friday. Ah yes, the universal day of happiness (surpassed only by Saturday morning). I'm still sitting in my hotel, as I have been out of town on business all week, but I'm headed home this afternoon. With a little free time this morning before a lunch meeting, I am catching up on my Google Reader, and the first thing I click to is, naturally, Prefab Friday on Inhabitat. Prefab Friday, to me, is that little breath of fresh air every week, and it makes a special day just that little bit better.

Today is a great one! Oh, I love this - a very clever and neat prefab concept called MTGH (Modular Transition Growth Housing). It's from the Philippe Barriere Collective. To quote Inhabitat, "a highly-adaptable, scalable, and efficient form of building." I won't say any more, because Inhabitat has covered it so well, so please check out their post. I'll just leave you with my favorite two images. You can see a lot more on Inhabitat and on the PB+Co site.





Man, just look at that. With so much cool stuff happening right now in prefab and residential architecture, tell me you're not excited! You have to be!

Image credit - Inhabitat post

Another Blog That Tracks Progress of a Real Modern Prefab Project - ModHampton

Just a quick post to point out a really interesting blog that my friend Justin over at materialicio.us discovered: ModHampton. This is definitely right our up alley here at Future House Now.




YUM!!! Check it out! That kitchen is done in absolutely my favorite color!!!




See tons more pics on the ModHampton site. This sweet modern prefab from Wieler (a luscious "Rapson Greenbelt 2" model) is almost done, so hurry over. You'll see all that it took to bring it to be, and soon see the completed project. Of course, it's always great to learn from the trials and tribulations of others. Whether you're planning your own project and want to learn from the experiences of others, of if you just want to live vicariously through them, this is a good one for you!

Via materialicio.us

Image credit - ModHampton site.

Interesting Cost Detail at A Prefab Project Blog

In an earlier post I pointed out the great blog, A Prefab Project, where you can follow the progress of a Res4 home being built in West Virginia. It's a great site that really gives you a feel for what it's like to undertake a project like that.

One thing I like most about the site is a dedicated budget page that keeps a running tab on costs. It's been recently updated, and gives a lot of detail, the kind of detail you don't get from glossy magazine articles. The site is tracking estimated versus actual costs, and gives great commentary on individual line items. So far only one item - the house kit itself - has an actual cost pinned against the estimate. They're a little over at the moment. It'll be interesting to see how things go as construction progresses.

If you're considering building a home of your own, prefab or not, you won't want to miss this site. It's a great chance to learn from the real life experiences of others, and hopefully that can help make your own project go that much more smoothly.

Image credit - A Prefab Project site

Futuristic Kitchen Module from Gorenje Ora-ito

This is certainly interesting. It looks like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I like it!



It's a futuristic, modular kitchen by European appliance giant, Gorenje, designed by Frenchman Ora Ito, the "Enfant terrible of Industrial Design." I love that. Somebody told me I was "subversive" once, and to this day that was the highest compliment I have ever been paid. I only wish I could be more subversive every day.

I like the inspiration:

"Simplexity. Simple and complex. With unnecessary surplus taken away, only the clean design lines remain. The simple design that surrounds us is the futuristic kitchen today and tomorrow. Simple clean lines mirror design for the future when vision becomes reality."

Via Materialicio.us

Image credit - Gorenje site

Check Out the rolu|dsgn Flickr Photo Album

Just in case you don't catch the comment from Matt Olson of Rosenlof/Lucas in my earlier post, take a look at rolu dsgn Flickr photo account for more examples of their modernist landscaping, and some interesting landscaping and buildings that inspire them (me too!).

Here's just one photo from the album of a second Hive Modular B-Line rolu landscaped. I love that front walk! You can see more on this house on Flickr.




Don't miss it - click over to Flickr and check it out. The guys at rolu have a great eye and are doing super work. Great stuff. Thanks for the link, Matt!

Modern Landscaping on Hive Modular House - Rosenlof/Lucas Get it Right!

I get a lot of inspiration from Preston over at Jetson Green. His site is really great, and he's so good at finding neat stuff. Yesterday he had post where he's run across a great blog, Nashville Modern Prefab, and put up a YouTube video of a 3-D model of a new Hive Modular house being built for the blog's author, plus links to some other Hive Modular related videos. Great stuff.

I have to say, I really liked the video of the original Hive Modular B-Line House prototype in Minneapolis (below). It's done as a video invite to an open house featuring the B-Line as well as the cool modern landscaping done by Rosenlof/Lucas Landscape Design and Installation. I love the house, as I've posted before, but the landscaping was what really caught my eye.





I love the low-impact driveway and the gabion fence. Both those designs are now stored away in my mind for use on my family's future home. These guys are doing some cool stuff. You've got to take a look at the photos of their work on their site - 49 pics in their slide show - and click over to the rolu|dsng blog. You will love it. Not to be missed.

Landscaping is so critical. Your house has to harmonize with the site, and your landscaping has to respect the site as well as enhance the structure of the house. All the pieces need to fit together. A big lawn and a long, hard-surfaced driveway can be very high impact. The guys at rolu show how to put it all together, in modern style, with clever green designs. Just awesome.

Find Out What It's Really Like to Build One at A PreFab Project Blog

Want to know what it's like to take on a prefab home project? Look no further than this great blog: A Prefab Project chronicles construction of a modern prefab home in West Virginia. The project is a nice looking design from Resolution: 4 Architecture that's being built as a vacation home and rental property. The blog is the owner's very personal telling of the story of the house, from conception, to buying land and preparing the site, to working with Res 4 and seeing the house being built in their factory. It's schedule to be complete in August, and it will be neat to see the finished product.




There are a ton of useful bits of experience passed on by the blog's author that can help you get prepared for your own project. In particular, I like the page dedicated to cost tracking. I'm very curious to see more cost info as the project proceeds. It's great to daydream about beautiful kitchens and floor to ceiling windows, but money is where the rubber meets the road. We all know how tight budgets can be, and how quickly costs get out of hand. Understanding the true costs of a project like this before you start could very well make the difference between finding your dream home and just plain being disappointed. I really appreciate that this information is being shared with the rest of us to learn from.

Cool blog. I wish them the best of luck with their project. Looks great so far!!!

Via DO Research

Image credit - A PreFab Project site