This project was developed on a flag shaped hillside lot in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. The orientation of the site is within a canyon where the sun rises from above a steep hill behind the flat building pad. The favorable views from this lot are on the opposite side of the suns path, looking downhill towards the neighborhood canyon. The design challenge was to orient the building towards the view, while allowing sunlight to illuminate the core of the building from the opposite direction. In addition, the local municipality has an overlay zoning regulation which limits the use of skylights and prohibits single level flat roofs, requiring an additional secondary flat roof which must cover at least 30% of the total roof area.
The Sharp House is designed as a minimalist desert retreat for a retired couple for NYC. Located just north of Santa Fe New Mexico on five acres of land. The house was designed with the intention to be as economical as possible. The construction of the house is exposed cast in place, reinforced concrete with large glass exposures to the north and south to allow for solar gain and cross ventilation. The interior spaces accommodate 2 bedrooms, dining, kitchen, living areas and bath with a square footage of 1500. The design intention was to maintain honesty with the materials and that all geometries of the architecture reflect the program of the house. The neo-brutalist approach to space is reflected as a by-product in the buildings appearance. The house is a declaration against the gloss of mainstream architectural practice which tend to focus on the exterior “decorative” façades and arbitrary forms. The Sharp house stands in contradiction to this. In addition, the house reflects a sound approach to its ecological impact and carbon footprint. The large expanses of thermal mass allow the building to regulate interior temperature while naturally ventilating itself. It’s a back to basics approach with less becoming more.
New single-family home at the base of Camelback Mountain in the Phoenix area. The Owners were seeking out a modern, open concept with simple materials to create a home for their family as well as to complement their love of Danish contemporary furniture and artwork.
An effortless butterfly roof floats over the home and defines the distinctive design. The simple act of tilting the roof up opens the home out to the surrounding views. Long overhangs help counteract the openness which the butterfly roof affords while also providing shaded living spaces from the intense Arizona sun.
The pilot program reclaimed an existing elementary school’s underutilized, overgrown and rat-infested courtyard. It was redesigned as garden beds, teaching kitchen and education pavilion. The structure encompasses a teaching wall, tables with seating, and covered area for outdoor learning.
Inspirational places empower educational programs. Two new additions to Powell Elementary School, bring a historic building into the 21st Century. Sustainable strategies are built into this LEED-S Gold building, because a healthy school is a healthy learning environment. Three key concepts of the design are outdoor programming, daylighting, and fresh air.
In Situ represents a unique and rich intersection of art, design, and food, each augmenting the other to reimagine museum dining, and our relationships with food. In support of Chef Corey Lee’s vision and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s (SFMOMA) greater mission, the design emphasizes visibility from the street, open accessibility to visitors and a sense of the ephemeral within a simple, comfortable environment.
Taking advantage of its unique site in Austin’s eclectic Travis Heights neighborhood on the southern shores of Lady Bird Lake, the Edgecliff Residence is a play on contrasts: light and shadow, open and closed, organic and orthogonal. Designed for a couple of empty-nesters on a modest budget, the home’s contemporary aesthetic is balanced by the desire to respect the scale of the existing neighborhood.
Like the houses around it, the dwelling occupies a small lot on a quiet residential street. The design responds to its narrow site with an unusual, trapezoidal floor plan that is essentially one bay deep. The residence is divided into three levels in order to maximize views, with guest quarters at ground level, living spaces on the second floor, and the master suite at the highest level.
Located on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride across Puget Sound from Seattle, is James Beard Award-nominated Chef Brendan McGill’s latest pizzeria and bar, Bruciato. Designed by Les Eerkes of Eerkes Architects, the restaurant’s 2,100-square-foot space originally served as a hardware store. As part of the renovation, the interiors were stripped back to their essence to showcase the beautiful exposed bow string trusses, the bare wood ceiling, and the raw concrete floor. White-painted walls and a limited palette of materials were introduced to create a simple backdrop for an eclectic set of repurposed furnishings and objects. Together, these natural elements help to tell the story of the wood-fired pizzeria’s sophisticated farm-to-table approach, dedication to the Neapolitan standard, and the purity of traditional cuisine.
Designed to offer privacy and refuge from the bustle of the city, the hotel grounds feature six magnificent live oaks scattered around an 1888-vintage Victorian mansion, recognized by Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission as the Miller-Crockett House. Through a series of strategic renovations, additions, and new construction, Clayton & Little gave this 3,425-square-foot building and one-acre campus a new life while working with the landmark commission to preserve the integrity of the historic residence.
Located in the historic Travis Heights neighborhood, Hotel Saint Cecilia provides easy access to the South Congress District that’s just a block away, a commercial strip offering entertainment, shopping, and culinary experiences. The secluded grounds house a variety of guest room types including five suites in the mansion, six poolside bungalows, and three studios totaling 7,116 square feet.
Article source: Charles Todd Helton Architect, Inc.
This house was featured on the 2019 Houston Modern Home Tour. It’s a 3,800 square foot, 4 story modern home. Cool project and clients! The key was to work around the 3 existing large trees, and still be able to fit in all of the spaces required in the program. There are awesome views from all levels, the best are from the 4th floor terrace – looking towards the skyline of downtown Houston in one direction, and towards the Transco Tower in the other direction.
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