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Home grown, world class architecture - October 5, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

There's no doubt Australia has its share of ordinary, less than visionary building designers, architects, developers and clients - resulting in a deepening, soupy swamp of bad residential designs (seriously, you need a cheerful disposition, yellow vest and lifeboat to stay afloat in some suburbs, don't you?).

But, if the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore this week is anything to go by, we also have a disproportionately and fortuitously large share of the world's exceptionally good, even great, architects.

Seven years after launching, WAF has firmly established itself as the world's largest architecture competition, and a WAF award as the prize to have. Participation by feted luminaries such as Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid speaks for the level of entry. It was encouraging then to see a raft of Australian architects and residential projects shortlisted this year - in particular, four in the major 'completed' houses category and two in the 'future' houses currently unbuilt.

With only 25 projects shortlisted, the nation's architects and work is surely uncommonly well represented. So, what makes them special?

Four homes - two responding to dense urban settings in Sydney and Brisbane, one to idyllic Pittwater and another to an unspoilt bush estate in far north Queensland - were shortlisted in the completed house category. Vastly dissimilar in just about every way, from materials to form, they share some immediately obvious characteristics - they're exceptionally well resolved homes, designed with striking creativity and intellectual rigour.

Where better to start than the Stamp House in the Daintree in far north Queensland by Charles Wright Architects - as captivating, joyous and dramatic an architectural form as they come.

This extraordinary building is designed as a new sustainable tropical housing prototype for off-grid coastal locations. Charles describes the concept for this cantilevered, cyclone proof structure, suspended over an engineered water eco-system, as: "A safe and secure off-grid structure, carbon neutral in operation, as luxury retreat and sanctuary an enigmatic bunker. A new tropical architecture of resilience, both brutal and elegant."

At the other end of the country, Andrew Maynard's shortlisted Moor House sits in Melbourne's Fitzroy, a suburb undergoing gentrification in sometimes rather unsympathetic ways. His design acts as a reminder of how to renovate sympathetically, and creatively. His clients were a young family of four living in a modest, ageing house who needed more space, but were keen to eschew any large contemporary renovation that dominated its context. Instead, they worked to maximise interior spaces, while respecting the context by creating a single building out of three small objects rather than a single "monolith".

Respect for context is also immediately apparent in the rejuvenation of a small workers cottage on a narrow site in inner city Brisbane, the Aperture House by Cox Rayner Architects and Twofold Studio. Architect Jayson Blight used the narrow site and linear response to cleverly explore how apertures can physically and perceptually interconnect spaces in longitudinal, lateral and unfolding ways. Using a four step process he remodelled the existing cottage into a library, lounge and master bedroom; created a 'bridge' comprising bedrooms and a 'secret' garden to connect to an indoor-outdoor kitchen/dining/play space, backed by a parterred garden and pool.

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Home grown, world class architecture

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U.S. attorney exits amid Holder replacement rumors - October 5, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

Originally published October 4, 2014 at 2:00 PM | Page modified October 4, 2014 at 7:03 PM

Jenny Durkan's office put away a lot of criminals -- terrorists, cartel operatives, killers -- during her five-year tenure as Seattle's top federal prosecutor.

Montez Cornelius isn't one of them.

A former Navy medic who served three tours in Iraq, Cornelius caught a break after he was charged with defrauding the government by lying about the distance he traveled to Veterans Administration appointments. Instead of being sent to prison, he entered a program Durkan pressed to create, one of the nation's first federal drug courts. He received addiction counseling, complied with court requirements and graduated without a conviction.

"It is a life-saving program," said Cornelius, who is now working on a master's degree. "I had never heard of prosecutors and judges having any kind of heart for people going through the system."

Durkan's decision to ask U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez to establish the program exemplifies the sort of initiative she exhibited as U.S. attorney -- a record that has some suggesting she could replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder.

"I made my voice clear to the White House," said former Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, who tapped Durkan as her personal lawyer years ago. "She is the perfect person to be named attorney general. She has provided significant leadership in the Department of Justice. We are well into the president's second term, and we need someone who can get in and hit the ground running."

Durkan's chances are unknown, but Gregoire planned to make the case again when she met with Vice President Joe Biden in Boston on Thursday. Durkan's name has also been pushed by national gay rights groups eager to see the appointment of the first openly gay Cabinet member.

"That my name is being mentioned at all is obviously an honor and a privilege, but what it's a real testament to is the work of this office," Durkan said in an interview before stepping down last week. "We are not only aligned with what I think the department's priorities have been, we've led the way in a lot of ways."

Among them: civil rights, including efforts to reform the Seattle Police Department. Before becoming U.S. attorney, Durkan served on police oversight panels and was concerned about what she considered recurring problems.

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U.S. attorney exits amid Holder replacement rumors

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Better Opportunities While Remodeling Younkers Building Says Developers - October 5, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

DES MOINES, Iowa By the end of this year developers plan to start remodeling construction on a section of the partially destroyed Younkers Building in downtown Des Moines.

The Madison, Wisconsin based contracting group, the Alexander Company, owns the building. Project developer, David Vos, says the west side of the building will be remodeled to house 60 apartment units, major retail space and office space. Vos says his company hired specialists to restore the ceiling in the buildings 6th floor tea room which will also be expanded.

Fire investigators are unsure what caused the building to catch fire on March 29th.

The most desirable thing was being able to restore the building and keep that history but I think physically there are better opportunities with the building, says Vos.

The west section of the building will no longer be called the Younkers Building but rather the Wilkins Building. That portion of the building was originally named that in the 1920s before the Younkers brothers took ownership of the property.

The project will cost roughly $20 million to complete however developers arent sure what will be done with the east side of the building that was entirely destroyed by the fire.

President of the Downtown Community Alliance, Glenn Lyons, says the progress on the Walnut Street corridor is the momentum downtown needs.

The fire was a big let down and all of our idea for Walnut Street got put on hold while they sorted out the mess and now were moving forward again. This has been a set back but were getting through it.

The Wilkins Building project is expected to be completed in 2015.

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Better Opportunities While Remodeling Younkers Building Says Developers

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Renovation Solutions: Architects three tips for a great design - October 5, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

These French doors and windows, visible from the home's entry, provide lots of natural light to the space and also offer an inviting view of a covered deck and beautiful back yard.

Kevin Bunnell

Enlarge photo

Editor's note: Portions of this column have previously run on the writers' website at renovationdesigngroup.com and in a previous Renovation Design column at deseretnews.com.

Many people think of architecture as the look of a structure from the outside, and this is indeed a part of architecture. One of the definitions from the Free Dictionary for architecture is the "orderly arrangement of parts." The exterior style, shape and lines of a building do constitute architecture.

However, interior architecture is equally as important as what goes on the exterior of a building or residence. A house that looks spectacular but does not function well for the residents on a daily basis becomes more of a sculpture than a home. Architecture is a challenging blend of science and art. Taking a general look at home remodeling, we have three basic tips to create a great design.

Exterior and interior connections

The exterior architecture of a home is very important. Your home should have a dominant style with updated, complementary finishes. For example, adding a front porch to a house can make a world of difference both in the look of the home and how it functions.

However, architecture not only concerns the arrangement of the interior and exterior parts of a residence but also the way the home relates to its context or surroundings. Our living spaces should extend outside the literal walls of our homes both physically and visually. In our climate, we have the opportunity to play, celebrate, entertain and relax outside for a good portion of the year. Even when the weather keeps us inside, we need light and a visual connection to nature and to the world beyond our walls. Therefore, as our living spaces and activities extend outside, they should reflect the same level of design and style as the interior of our homes.

The connection between our inside and outside spaces is critical and should be seamless and natural. Even outside, we should find properly designed living areas. The overall architectural design of a home should facilitate a clean transition between inside and outside, making it completely natural to move easily between the two types of spaces.

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Renovation Solutions: Architects three tips for a great design

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roof repairs – Algester Brisbane Roofing Solutions – Video - October 5, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

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