Design is in the details and finding inspirational details is an important part of any design. I have been working on the right solutions for a contemporary farmhouse and in the process I found these cool rail solutions. Which do you like the best?
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy. Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts 1 – 20. First 20 architectural inspirations here21. Michael Graves 22. St. Augustine 23. Guggenheim Museum24. Ocho House 25.Bjarke Ingels 26. WG Clark 27. John F. Kennedy Space Center 28. Akademie Mont-Cenis 29. Sustainability Treehouse 30. Porch Rail
I discovered this project on ArchDaily. It is incredible.
This sustainable treehouse is a striking sculpture of space, form, and beauty. Located in the trees, of course, this gathering facility brings education through architecture to the users of the space. While allowing for imaginative play and discovery, the various spaces also engage the inhabitants with interactive exhibits explaining nature and sustainability.
The facility features photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and rainwater catchment system. It is located in Mt. Hope, West Virginia and was designed by Mithun. The architect of record is BNIM.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy. Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts 1 – 20. First 20 architectural inspirations here 21. Michael Graves 22. St. Augustine 23. Guggenheim Museum24. Ocho House 25. Bjarke Ingels 26. John F. Kennedy Space Center 26. Akademie Mont-Cenis
27. Kennedy Space Center #105architecturalinspiration
It is an impressive facility and the scale is hard to fathom until you get there. The challenge that was accepted shows that a country that comes together can do anything. This facility is beyond inspirational.
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” ~ John F. Kennedy
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA facility that has been used to launch every NASA human space flight. It was built to accommodate the Saturn V, the largest and most powerful operational launch vehicle in history for the Apollo moon landing program. Located on Merritt Island, Florida near Daytona Beach, this facility has hosted 24 successful shuttle flights.
The Vehicle Assembly Building is the tallest one-story building in the world at 526′ tall. The building has 125 ventilators on the roof supported by 4 large air handlers. The interior volume of the building is so big, it actually has its own weather patterns inside.
The transporter runs on 8′ deep concrete and Alabama stone roads that are equal in size to 8 lanes of interstate. The launch pads are being modernized for the future space program. They have highly sophisticated systems to funnel water and fire to safe areas during launches.
If you want to be inspired by what determination and design can achieve, visit this facility. If we ever come back together as a nation, we will be able to move mountains, solve all the issues we face, and overcome any obstacles along the way.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy. Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts 1 – 20. First 20 architectural inspirations here 21. Michael Graves 22. St. Augustine 23. Guggenheim Museum24. Ocho House 25. Bjarke Ingels 26. WG Clark 27. John F. Kennedy Space Center 28. Akademie Mont-Cenis
26. WG Clark #105architecturalinspiration There are many talented architects teaching at the University of Virginia. This is where I first met WG Clark. At the time he was teaching graduate student studios so I did not have a chance to learn from him other than in jury presentation situations.
UVA Architectural Studio
His work is powerful with a beauty that can only be achieved by using proportion and scale as a primary tool. He uses materials in a pure form to create well proportioned, balanced, and beautiful design solutions. It is clear from his work that he understands the importance of the detail in the overall form. He creates space by defining edge conditions with his designs. He defines public and private spaces using architectural elements – chimney, entrance, or double height spaces. The work is masterful to put it bluntly.
Croffead House
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy. Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts 1 – 20. First 20 architectural inspirations here 21. Michael Graves 22. St. Augustine 23. Guggenheim Museum 24. Ocho House 25. Bjarke Ingels
I was first introduced to Bjarke Ingels, an architect from Copenhagen, at a Construction Specifications Institute conference (in case you did not know, CSI has the best keynote speakers of any conference I attend). While the stereotype architect is maybe a little older and perhaps rigid – Ingels is anything but that. His portfolio of work, Yes is More, is actually a comic book that details his process, products, and evolution.
His advice to young architects is to care first and foremost. He understands that architects are designing for humanity. He says we have to understand the dreams and desires of our clients.
He says “Sustainability can’t be like some sort of moral sacrifice or political dilemma or a philanthropical cause. It has to be a design challenge.” His work is delicate, flowing, and he has a wicked sense of humor.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy.
Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts
The form is simple, views amazing, and materials warm and inviting, how could you not love this architectural creation. The Ocho House was designed by Feldman Architecture based in San Francisco. This home has that special touch of being expertly fit into a landscape where it becomes part of the site itself. Honestly I don’t know if I like the landscaping or the house better.
The house incorporates several key environmental features. The vegetated roof not only absorbs rainwater keeping it on site, but also acts as a natural air conditioner in hot summer months. The design features passive solar strategiesincluding concrete floors acting as collectors reducing energy bills and increasing comfort for the occupants. The wood accents offset the hardness of the concrete floors creating a beautiful symphony of space. The care taken in design is clear in the resulting home. The care taken of the land is evident in the beautiful design.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy.
Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts
23. Guggenheim Museum #105architecturalinspiration
Frank Lloyd Wright was a masterful architect, creating bold designs and blazing new trails. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is one of his best. The cylindrical building is wider at the top than at the bottom. The building form creates a ramp that continuously spirals along the outer edge of the building ending under the central skylight.
The design of the building shapes the way a visitor is sent through to view the art work. The building itself becomes art that is viewed and felt as one moves through the space. It has a rigid geometry matched only by the rigid concrete making up the exterior walls. The criticism of the space by many was the lack of focus on functionality as the form has dominance even over the works it was created to hold.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy.
Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts
The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. The fort is 333 years old – if that does not inspire you I don’t know what will. Castillo was built by the Spanish to protect their interests in La Florida.
The Ponce de Leon Hotel was built by Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler and was completed in 1888. This hotel features a Spanish Renaissance style. Thomas Edison supplied generators and windows were designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The hotel featured hot and cold running water via two 8,000 gallon storage tanks – a major innovation for the time.
The Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in 1889 by Henry Morrison Flagler as a memorial for his daughter Jennie Louise Benedict.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy.
Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts
20. Vietnam Veterans Memorial #105architecturalinspiration
I have never experienced another structure that evokes such emotion from so many as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The structure, located in Washington D.C. on a 3 acre site is a memorial for those that were lost in the Vietnam War or are MIA.
The memorial wall was designed by architect Maya Lin and is maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. The structure receives 3 million visitors each year.
The Memorial Wall is made up of two 246′-9″ long gabbro walls, etched with the names of the servicemen being honored in panels of horizontal rows. The wall has 58,272 names as of 2011.
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy.
Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts
19. Tarrytown Residence by Barley Pfeiffer Architecture #105architecturalinspiration
I first met Peter Pfeiffer at a NAHB Green Building Convention. He was talking at the conference about green building for homes at a time that I was absorbing all the information I could find on the subject. He had designed his home to be very green with emphasis on function and comfort. It was great to find another architect taking the same approach to residential design as I was in my designs.
His home, Tarrytown Residence, used a variety of materials on the exterior to blend it with the local vernacular. The mixture of modern materials with traditional vernacular makes this home one of my favorite of all time.
He used straight forward technology to make the home healthy, energy-efficient, and durable. Simple large overhangs shade the windows. The pool helps lower energy bills. The rain water collection system is used to feed the irrigation system. Most important though is the design approach to make the home functional for how their family lives – one of the greenest design strategies that you can implement. Design Matters!
#105architecturalinspirations is a collection of architectural details, buildings, and spaces that inspire me. I am taking on the challenge of finding two projects to spotlight each week in 2015. Hopefully I will be able to keep up and this process of discovery will push me to create better design solutions for my clients as I research and learn more about those projects I enjoy most. I challenge you to add your comments below about this project and to post your own inspirations for all to enjoy.
Full List of previous #105architecturalinspiration posts
