About.com Architecture

A Rare Look Inside the Frey House II

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:56 +0000

Not many people ever get to see inside the elusive Frey House II. Perched on the craggy mountainside overlooking Palm Springs, California, Albert Frey's home is a carefully protected masterpiece of Desert Modernism.

If you want to see the ingenious space-saving design and the bedroom that's wrapped around an enormous boulder, well... you'll have to sign up for Modernism Week, held in Palm Springs February 12-21, 2010. Modernism Week is a sort of Mardi Gras of mid-century modernism, a grand architectural celebration with house tours, lectures, and festivities.

Can't make it to Palm Springs? Here's a peek at what you'll be missing: Frey House II Photo Tour

Learn More:

_{Above: Completed in 1963, Albert Frey's International Style Frey House II is set in the craggy mountainside overlooking Palm Springs, California. Photo � Jackie Craven}

A Rare Look Inside the Frey House II originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 00:00:56.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Happy Birthday, John Ruskin

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Born on February 8, 1819, John Ruskin was a writer, critic, scientist, poet, artist, environmentalist, and philosopher. Rebelling against formal, classical styles, John Ruskin reawakened interest in heavy, elaborate Gothic architecture. He also disdained anything machine-made, and paved the way for the Arts & Crafts movement.

Happy Birthday, John Ruskin originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 08:00:00.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Super Again

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 10:00:03 +0000

This year marks the fifth time a Super Bowl game has been played at the enormous Sun Life Stadium. Home of the Miami Dolphins, you might know Sun Life Stadium as Dolphins Stadium or a lot of other names. But no matter what you call it, this place is huge and well-equipped with enormous hi-definition TV monitors throughout.

^{Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
Photo courtesy of Dolphin Stadium / Miami Dolphins}

Super Again originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 10:00:03.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Black in the USA

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:00:33 +0000

Leaders like Barack Obama are household words, but few people know the names of the many Black architects and designers who helped build the United States. Only about 60 Blacks were listed as registered architects in 1930, and many of their buildings have since been lost or radically changed. Although conditions have improved, many feel that Black architects still lack the recognition they deserve.

In honor of Black History Month, here's a roundup of important Black architects in America, including some names you may not know.

Black in the USA originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 01:00:33.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Happy Birthday, Alvar Aalto

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:00:00 +0000

February 3 is the birthday of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Born at the cusp of Modernism in 1893, Aalto became famous for both his buildings and his furniture designs. Aalto's unique style grew out of a passion for painting and a fascination for the works of cubist artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

^{Above: Otaniemi Technical University by Alvar Aalto. Photo (cc) JPK/Wikimedia}

Happy Birthday, Alvar Aalto originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 08:00:00.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Mid-Century Mod

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:16:06 +0000

Don't you just love mid-century modern houses with their enormous windows and quirky rooflines?

The best ones were inspired by the work of two California real estate developers who hired top-name architects to bring modernist ideas to suburban tract housing. Check out these favorites:

Eichler Houses, by builder Joseph Eichler
Alexander Houses, by the Alexander Construction Company

Is your house Mod? Show us a photo!

_{Above: Alexander Home in the Twin Palms Neighborhood (formerly known as Royal Desert Palms), Palm Springs, California. Palmer & Krisel, architects. 1957. Photo � Jackie Craven}

Mid-Century Mod originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 09:16:06.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Reader Showcase: A Modern-Day Queen Anne

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:00:13 +0000

If you love Victorian architecture, a modern-day tract house just won't do. But, what if you live in a community where everything is brand new?

This reader hired a local craftsman to build a modern-day Queen Anne. It's not just the turret and the wrap-around porch that make this house seem authentic. The builder was able to incorporate a beautiful oak staircase salvaged from an old church.

Is your house a Queen Anne? Send us a photo!

More:

_{Photo by Member Lavendarbleu}

Reader Showcase: A Modern-Day Queen Anne originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 10:00:13.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

14 Ways to Cut Costs When You Build or Remodel

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:00:37 +0000

Now is a great time to build or remodel. With the economy floundering, you may be able to find a pro to do your job on a shoe-string budget. But it doesn't always pay to scrimp. Here are 14 ways to cut costs without sacrificing beauty and workmanship.

Have you found a way to save on building or remodeling costs? Share your tips.

14 Ways to Cut Costs When You Build or Remodel originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 10:00:37.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Avatar Architects

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:00:58 +0000

No matter what you think of the movie Avatar, you have to admire the 3-D images of planet Pandora with its weird foliage and eerie sleeping pods. After all, every architect is an avatar of sorts, filled with dreams of imagined spaces. What could be more alien than the Fisher Center by Frank Gehry or the Free Spirit Houses in British Columbia?

With that thought, here's your chance to be an Avatar Architect... if you dare! Design a building or structure for an alien planet, where life is very different from here on earth. Send us your drawing or CAD rendering. We'll publish the most interesting - and most alien - designs.

Related:

The Avatar of Architecture, in Architect Magazine
Second Life Architecture
Star Wars Architecture

_{Above: Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard College, by Architect Frank Gehry. Photo � Jackie Craven}

Avatar Architects originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 10:00:58.

Permalink | Comment | Email this

Starving Architects?

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:21:28 +0000

You know the economy is bad when an article about unemployed architects makes the New York Times top ten list of most emailed stories. The article, Architect, or Whatever, describes creative ways out-of-work architects stay afloat, like:

More:

Starving Architects? originally appeared on About.com Architecture on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 11:21:28.

Permalink | Comment | Email this