Outside In House

R2S, a design collaboration of Asheville residents Peyton Shumate, Lindsey Rhoden and Thad Rhoden, submitted a 1600sf modern residence design named The Outside(In) House for the Who's Next 2.0 Design Competition. This competition is hosted by FreeGreen, an online business devoted to promoting more modern and energy efficient stock plans. Announced on Monday, The Outside(In) House placed in the top 50, of over 400+ design entries. If one of the top 3, R2S will be paid to complete the house plans that will then be available for purchase at www.freegreen.com.Peyton Shumate and Lindsey Rhoden work for PBC+L Architecture and Thad Rhoden works for Architectural Design Studio, both downtown firms. "Design competitions are fun. They allow the creative freedom that most client-based projects do not and also give the three of us an opportunity to work together. If we are able to make this project a reality, that's even better!", says Lindsey. The three architects were classmates at Clemson University.Architects of Western North Carolina have had luck with this competition in the past. In the spring of 2010, the Who's Next 1.0 Competition 1st Place winner was Asheville architect Daryl Rantis, and R2S (Rhoden, Rhoden & Shumate) placed in the top 12. The unique aspect about this competition is that the winners are determined by judging and also public vote.To see the design and vote, go to: http://www.freegreen.com/WhosNext/view/plan-general.aspx?id=639. Voting ends January 29, 2011. Please note: a confirmation link in an email will come from FreeGreen to validate your vote.For more on R2S - check out www.sparcdesign.wordpress.com

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I wanted to share this article from Architizer News called "Life Edited". It does a great job of exemplifying a trend of designing your living spaces utilizing smaller footprints and ecological materials.  To view Click Here. Enjoy!

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Modern Asheville, along with Architect Mark Allison, has created a fan page on facebook to capture the works of J. Bertram King.  Join our fan page and keep up on the latest information.  Click Here. Bert King was born in Greenville, SC and graduated from NCSU with a degree in Architectural Engineering with honors in 1949. He wored for Six Associates and Lindsay Gudger in Asheville then started his own firm in 1952. In 1968 the AIANC gave J. Bertram King Architects an honorary award for the design of Warren Wilson Chapel in Swannanoa, NC. He was President of AIANC in 1973. He retired in the mid-1990's.

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MLS# 477433$525,000    2700sq/ft3 Bedrooms + 3 Baths Beaver Lake and Audubon's Bird Sanctuary are your neighbors when you nestle into this North Asheville home.  Nature surrounds, but convenience is steps away with grocery and restaurants nearby.  An "atomic ranch", this gem features an open great room with a wall of windows and cozy fireplace, a gourmet kitchen, spa bath, and full terrace level suite for your returning family members, teen or home office.  2 decks enjoy the waterfall and perennial gardens.  All of this on a private one acre lot.

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A peaceful "cabin" out in the woods for a young couple's primary residence.Tom Virant and his wife, Yumiko, recently completed this minimalist home for their friends in the woods of Virginia.  The open, light and airy structure meshes perfectly with the site, blurring the line between inside and outside.  The Asheville based architect design + build team, Virant Design, started the design process on this home in October of 2009.One of the specific requirements was to keep the footprint small and to have no basement.  Their friends wanted to make sure they had no room to collect useless stuff and keep life to a minimum.  The result is this 24' x 24' x 24' cube standing in the middle of four wooded acres.  The house is 980 sq/ft and has 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths and a roof deck.  The house was specifically designed for two people with the goal of feeling like they were living outside.  The design process included Tom and Yumiko doing shade studies to site the house for passive solar gain which influenced window placement and tree selection in relationship to the site.Originally, Virant Design was hired to only design the house.  However, one of the owners wanted to help construct the house and most local contractors would not allow that.  The Virants agreed to temporarily move up to the site and help build the house themselves.  Tom and Yumiko drove up with their Airstream in January of this year to get started.  The harsh winter prevented them from getting a good start until late March.  In just several months the house was completed in October for a cost of approximately $150,000 including site preparation and septic.The property sits in a unique, eco-development called The Quarries.  An architect out of Charlottesville originally started the project on the site of an old soapstone quarry.  The goal was to reclaim once industrial land and turn it into a sustainable development with eco-friendly home-building practices, as well as promoting a sense of community through common walking trails, recreational quarries, and common lands.Text by Troy Winterrowd, Photos by Virant Design

Open Again Following Remodel Everyday I walk past the downtown library on my way to the office.  This morning seeing the paper off the windows and the interior filled with light I was reminded that it was open again.  The library designed by Bertram King, who I finally met yesterday, is a great resource for the downtown community and a nice example of his later work.  The library has been thoughtfully restored and updated for today.  Stop by for a visit! If you would like more information on this building please review my past blogs under Bertram King or Downtown Tour.

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AIA (American Institute of Architects) Section Meeting Wednesday, October 27, 2010 12:00 noon Trinity Episcopal Church 60 Church Street, Downtown Asheville 1941 - Sprinza Weizenblatt residence, 46 Marlbrough Road, Asheville, designed by Marcel Breuer. (Photo by Mary Jo Brezny) What may be a surprise to many people is that North Carolina has the third most modernist houses than anywhere in the country. An exploration of some of the state’s modernist gems will be given at this month's section meeting.George Smart, board chairman and founder of Triangle Modernist Houses, an award-winning 501C3 nonprofit organization devoted to preserving modern architecture in North Carolina will give the presentation with images and information about note worthy 20th century homes across the state. “Most people, even many architects, are surprised by the numbers,” Smart said. “I'll discuss the history of modernist houses in North Carolina and show the audience terrific houses from both the past and the present." Smart is a passionate advocate for Modernist architecture, and has facilitated the public’s discovery of these “livable sculptures” through presentations around the state. His knowledge of North Carolina modernism combined with the innovative use of technology for preservation has quickly established a national reputation for research and advocacy.The public is invited to attend this meeting.  RSVP to rsvp@aiaasheville.org .$15 AIA Members, Allied Members, Sponsors$10 Interns, Associate members$20 Non-members

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Artist Mitchell Lonas has been creating his artwork here in Asheville for four years now and is currently featured in this months show at the Blue Spiral Gallery.  Also, he has a show in Seattle and recently opened a show in New Orleans at Gallery Bienvenu (photo below) where he sold 11 of 18 pieces on opening night.  The director of the Gallery Bienvenu painted such a clear picture of Mitchell's work I reusing his words below.Several years ago in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, artist Mitchell Lonas laid eyes on something of such uncanny beauty, he has never forgotten it: a trio of swallows' nests, which the birds had fashioned solely from horse-tail hairs. The nests, each a different color, were so improbable in their architectural intricacy and gossamer sheen, they filled Lonas with the inspiration to transmute common natural phenomena such as nests, feathers, and trees into items of aesthetic rapture. These motifs are central to The Wrench Series, the artist's debut exhibition at Gallery Bienvenu. To create the works, he employs a unique process to apply paint to steel and aluminum panels. Then, working from sketches, he uses customized cutting tools to incise the picture planes with iconic imagery, the beveled lines glinting as viewers behold the pieces from different vantages. "You walk in front of them," he explains, "and the light travels with you. There's a sparkle, a feeling of movement. It's almost a fiber-optic effect."Lonas, who studied art history at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, was a respected portrait painter before transitioning to his current style. A portraitist's sense of focus, line, and beauty continues to inform his new work, which is included in notable private, public, and corporate collections, among them a series of large-scale commissions for Nordstrom department stores. An avid hiker and birdwatcher, he is compelled to portray nature in ways that are both poetic and inventive. "The challenge," he reflects, "is to create something original using unconventional materials and methods." The artworks' gestural drama is tempered by a hushed, Zen-like serenity, heightened by an intuitive use of negative space that recalls Asian sumi-e brush painting. Immaculately presented with hidden cleats that make the works appear to float in front of the wall, the incised paintings have a weightless, ethereal quality and a sculptural presence that is contemporary but not cold. In these semi-abstracted celebrations of the natural world, viewers will find a treasure trove of symbolisms and personal narratives, which lend themselves to extended contemplation and interpretations as varied as nature itself.For more information on Mitchell Lonas visit his website at MitchellLonas.com .Text courtesy of Gallery Bienvenu.  Photos courtesy of Mitchell Lonas and Troy Winterrowd.

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Leicester House by SPG ArchitectsThis hilltop residence, located at the edge of a wooded knoll in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Moutains, has expansive southern and western views.  Approaching through the woods, one arrives at a one-story facade of corten steel framed by wood.  A hint of the views is provided through the glass door, but it is not unitl the entry that the full impact of the hilltop views can be experienced.  The south and west glass walls open to rolling farmland velow and the mountains beyond.  The entry level serves as the primary living area, with a guest wing carved into the hilltop below.  The house is functional, energy efficient and visually inspiring.  The greening of the house complements its visual warmth, grounding the modern structure in its rural landscape.For more information and environmental details on this modern addition to the Asheville landscape please Click Here!Asheville Design Center Wednesday, Oct 13 at 6pm - "Eric Gartner of SPG Architects will discuss the firm's local work in green building.  Set in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with sweeping views across majestic landscape, SPG Architects' Leicester House serves both as a solitary retreat and a generous space for entertaining. SPG's work clearly presents a visual consistency based on human proportions, the exploration of light, and the judicious use of materials that provide singular tactile, visual, spatial and temporal experiences. Two external crises that unfolded during design and construction encouraged the client to turn Leicester House into a model of energy efficiency. In response to a severe drought, rainwater collection was incorporated along with geothermal energy use, energy efficient lighting, automatic sun shading and reclaimed furniture. When the economic crisis squeezed budgets and ruled out an infinity pool, plans were adapted to create a green 'infinity' roof instead."Text and Photos by SPG Architects

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An Interview with Builder - David Way At last I was able to spend some time with David Way, a local builder who has found a way to create efficient and smart homes here in Asheville.  Over the years I have toured his homes in Montford and East Asheville and have remarked on how functional and fun they are.  Building upon challenging infill lots he constructs something light, livable and inspiring.He has recently completed this modern spec home for owner Chris Barlas (right).  Chris owned a flag lot near UNC and wanted to build a rental house there.  I asked Chris why he picked David to build his home.  Chris says, "I have been watching homes for two years and every time I saw a house I liked it had been built by David Way."  David and Chris both enjoyed working together and admitted the process was entirely smooth.  David likes to keep the process organic so things can change as they come up allowing for owner input.David has been tinkering with home design since high school.  It was his preferred subject for doodling.  He was constantly reviewing architecture magazines and was fortunate to work for an architect during high school.  Following he earned a 2 year degree in construction before working for a developer for a few years.  There he learned a lot about construction efficiencies.  He now works on his own and has two other guys that work with him.  They have a workshop where they like to do all the millwork and specialty finishes for his projects. Some of the signature traits of David's homes are 2 x 6 framework, 9 foot ceilings, double insulated windows, tankless water heaters and tavern grade wood floors.  His goal is to build long lasting, durable and efficient homes for his clients.  Even though David's talent clearly shows through his aesthetic his favorite compliment is how little his clients need to adjust the thermostat.