Detail in Contemporary Residential Architecture provides analysis of both the technical and the aesthetic importance of details in the development of contemporary residential architecture. Featuring many of the world's most highly acclaimed architects, the book presents more than 50 of the most recently completed and influential house designs. For each house there are color photographs, plans of every floor, sections and elevations as well as numerous consistently styled construction details. The book also features in-depth information for each project.

For Arthur Andersson and Chris Wise, the fundamental elements that give buildings meaning are found in nature.Imbuing day-to-day activities with poetry and awe, their designs address both pragmatic needs and the psychological yearning for refuge and contemplation, centering and escape, joy and comfort. Their work is best experienced through the senses. Tactility, expressed through an eloquence of craft, the use of textured materials, and the logical design of structural systems, gives their buildings a rightness within the landscape. In their hands, daylight becomes a building material. Small wall apertures, three-sided dormers, clerestories, and other details grab, bend, and thread sunlight from one end of their houses to the other. Full of light and atmosphere, the houses are the physical embodiment of the great Charles Moore's influential tenet that architecture is about enhancing a sense of place. Natural Houses presents seven of the Austin, Texas-based firm's exquisitely crafted projects. Precise and cool, with forms often derived from the American vernacular of barns and cottages, these are painstakingly crafted houses made from regionally appropriate and aesthetically timeless materials. Natural Houses presents a range of sites and residences—from a small cabin in the woods to a multibuilding camp. Sited on a cliff, the House Above Lake Austin uses terraces to descend its steeply hilly site. The building's simple materials celebrate thesite and climate not by drawing attention to themselves, but by blending in. The stone foundation is similarly tied to the natural stone of the mountain. Smooth plaster walls above the stone foundation appear to have been chiseled from the rock itself. In a deceptively simple boathouse the walls fold down to become impromptu diving platforms. Exceptional photography captures the light and atmosphere of each project setting and illustrates how the firm rigorously expresses the design concept through detailing and construction. An introduction by Rick Sundberg of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects and essays by Jen Renzi and Frederick Steiner chart the firm's evolution and influences.

This edited collection provides an up-to-date account, by a group of well-informed and globally positioned authors, of recently implemented projects, public policies and business activities in Open Building around the world. Countless residential Open Building projects have been built in a number of countries, some without knowledge of the original theory and methods. These projects differ in architectural style, building industry methods, economic system and social aims. National building standards and guidelines have been promulgated in several countries (Finland, China, Japan, Korea), providing incentives and guidance to Open Building implementation. Businesses in several countries have begun to deliver advanced FIT-OUT systems both for new construction and for retrofitting existing buildings, demonstrating the economic advantages of ‘the responsive, independent dwelling.’ This book also argues that the ‘open building’ approach is essential for the reactivation of the existing building stock for long-term value, because in the end it costs less. The book discusses these developments in residential architecture from the perspective of an infrastructure model of built environment. This model enables decision-makers to manage risk and uncertainty, while avoiding a number of problems often associated with large, fast-moving projects, such as separation and distribution of design tasks (and responsibility) and the ensuing boundary frictions. Residential Architecture as Infrastructure adds to the Routledge Open Building Series, and will appeal to architects, urban designers, researchers and policy-makers interested in this international review of current projects, policies and business activities focused on Open Building implementation.

With a focus on the process of design, this bookAs practical approach serves users with a design manual for those interested in gaining knowledge and developing skills in the design of landscapes for private residences. This useful reference clearly illustrates and discusses the actual procedures and underlying principles utilized by experienced residential landscape designers. Extensive illustrations in the form of plans, sections, elevations, diagrams and perspectives show users the application of material presented. Content provides the quality fundamentals of residential site design--exploring functional and artistic elements, with a focus on appreciation of quality and updated standards for site development, maintenance techniques and training. Architecturally responsive design material is emphasized throughout--examines landscape designs and structures that blend with the existing house character. Includes useful chapters on "Functional Diagrams" and "Form Composition"--critical subjects in creating functionally and visually successful design solutions. Also features reorganized and revised chapters--expanded section on planting design (Ch. 11); and Chapter 14 on "Design Alternatives," A good reference for those who are beginning their design careers, as well as those currently practicing residential design.

A showcase of sustainable living in prefab, solar, mobile and modular houses. In this book, architect Ana Maria Alvarez presents an array of the world's best sustainable residential architecture. Studying houses in many countries, she provides photographs, floor plans and elevations, mechanical schematics showing water and air circulation, and more to reveal how even the smallest home can be sustainable, functional and beautiful. Each of the homes is examined in numerous spreads over 400 inspirational pages. The homes range in style, setting, cost, and in some cases, purpose. For example, the entirely self-sufficient Solar Active House was assembled on site of prefab pine panels and 263.7 sq ft of photovoltaic modules that produce all the energy it consumes. Triple pane insulation and heat recovery systems reduce temperature, and windows open automatically when there is a lack of oxygen or excess interior moisture. Shutters provide protection from heat and create a second layer of insulation, cooling in summer and warming in winter. The Sunset Cabin (323 sq ft/30 m2) is set in a mixed wood on an Ontario lakeside and has one bedroom and one washroom. Its plywood and cedar frame and pine walls were built in a month in a city lot in Toronto. It then took just 10 days to dismantle the structure, sort the pieces and reassemble the house overlooking Lake Simcoe. Two reinforced steel beams over four concrete pylons lift the house off the ground for a good view of stunning lake sunsets. The Study Box/Read-Nest is a petite (105 sq ft. /9.8 m2) mobile 1-bedroom hideaway perched on adjustable pylons. For easy and inexpensive mobility the factory timber frame and wood slat walls are easy to disassemble and re-assemble. Designed as a hideaway for reading, sleeping or simply relaxing, the Study Box has tons of shelving and, if needed, a foldable bed perfectly situated under a skylight. Surveying original homes from around the world, Sustainable Residential Architecture is an exceptional resource, reference and book of inspiration for architects, designers, homeowners, and contractors. For all who seek to live with less cost to the environment, this gorgeous book will both inform and delight.

This fascinating and valuable resource to the various styles of domestic architecture in Southern California was first published by the Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1939. Over 200 photographs and many plans snow the growth of what might be called the California style in single-family housing. The heritage of Mediterranean, Colonial, and Monterey styles is examined in depth, and the final section is devoted to the then-current work being produced by such masters as Schindler, Neutra, and Lloyd Wright. Other, less well-known names include Sumner Spalding, Roland E. Coate, J.R. Davidson, and Thornton Abell.

The first comprehensive illustrated survey of John Russell