Michelle Kaufmann Studio

The Website of Architect Michelle Kaufmann
  • categories
         
       
    • General Information
    • Portfolio
      • Current Projects
      • Past Projects
    • green living
      • Eco Principles
      • Green Projects
      • Lifestyle
    • Communities
      • AriaDenver
      • Big Sur Monastery
      • california townhouse homes
    • Eco Resorts
    • Prefab Construction
    • events
    • video
    • press
  • About
       
    • Contact
    • about me
    • Press contact
    • Awards
Home > 'blog'

blog

the story of the smart home

the story of the smart home

Apr 08, 2012 | 1 Comment

Michelle Kaufmann from After Black Hammer on Vimeo.
My talented and dear friend Garret Curtis made this beautiful video of the story behind the Smart Home in Chicago. I love his eye and gift for story telling. Lord knows I am no easy subject to deal with.
More of Garret’s work is at After Black Hammer and [...]

the best with the most for the least

the best with the most for the least

Apr 02, 2012 | Discuss

Any time you feel the need for some inspiration, this is one of the best films for offering a recharge. Charles and Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter is a part of PBS’s American Masters series and has become the definitive documentary on this amazing couple and their team and body of work.
I often [...]

Extreme Architecture

Extreme Architecture

Apr 01, 2012 | Discuss

Get your spacesuit on. Architecture for Humanity (along with NASA, X-Prize founder, Google and the Mars Society are working on an amazing project. Location: Mars. They will be sending architects to space to design habitation on this alluring planet. Hopefully learning from how to build in this extreme environment will help prepare us for ideas [...]


designing for better

designing for better

Mar 27, 2012 | 1 Comment

Sometimes you get lucky and work with people who are not only spectacular, but are also a great balance. I feel super fortunate to have been working with Scott Landry for over 7 years. He has been in charge of most of the projects that I have designed at both MKD and Michelle Kaufmann [...]

builder's tips for green

builder’s tips for green

Mar 19, 2012 | Discuss

While the home we designed in the east bay (which is due to be the first LEED platinum home in Piedmont) is under construction, it is great to check in with people on the team to learn from their experiences. Today we check in with Alex Hodgkinson of McCuthcheon Construction, the builder of the project. [...]

Best Of Green 2012

Best Of Green 2012

Mar 16, 2012 | Discuss

So sweet. A beautiful house we designed has been nominated for Treehugger’s Best of Green 2012 for the Best Prefab category. Readers vote for the winner, so share your thoughts. Lots of great categories and projects.


Equinox 2012 party

Equinox 2012 party

Mar 07, 2012 | Discuss

One of our favorite organizations, Vote Solar, is having their tenth annual Equinox party on April 17, 2012. If it was anything like last years party, it is sure to be a blast. And a great cause – the work of Vote Solar is super important and benefits all of us.
votesolar.org
more info / tickets

TED Wish: City 2.0

TED Wish: City 2.0

Mar 03, 2012 | Discuss

Each year at the TED conference in Long Beach, there is a prize given for a wish. Something that will profoundly make the world better. Back in XXX our dear friend and inspiration Cameron Sinclair won the TED prize for his wish for the Open Architecture Network. This year, the powerful TED wish asks us [...]

here comes the sun

here comes the sun

Feb 23, 2012 | Discuss

It is so exciting to have windows and skylights installed. The construction instantly transforms into space with the natural light sculpting the surfaces. These recent construction photos of the Piedmont Residence capture that moment.
The design of the windows and skylights is critical to this remodel project. With so many large trees around the home, the [...]


*new* Sunset Garden Book

*new* Sunset Garden Book

Feb 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

For many of us the Sunset Western Garden Book (which has been around for 80 years) is our landscape bible. It has become the essential guide to the region’s ornamental and edible gardens. And now in its just released ninth edition, The NEW Sunset Western Garden Book has awesome new features and more than 1000 [...]

office art

office art

Feb 20, 2012 | Discuss

Reading today’s Apartment Therapy post on artwork for the office, I couldn’t help but look up to appreciate the piece on my office wall. It is by one of my very favorite artists, Miya Ando. She makes magic with her steel and aluminum canvases. She “paints” through the use of heat, patinas and burnishing. The [...]

drawing with shadows

drawing with shadows

Feb 19, 2012 | 2 Comments

Enjoying a sunny afternoon appreciating the shadows in our house. We experience the designs created by the absence of light as much as the forms that generate the shadows. As architects, when we design with shadows in mind, the structures themselves become the painters, the living artist with a constantly evolving canvas throughout the day [...]


ariaDenver

ariaDenver

Feb 16, 2012 | Discuss

Super excited that the next phase of the ariaDenver project is (finally) happening! This includes 13 town homes along 52nd Avenue (that we designed and shown here) as well as two co-housing communities. On February 21st at 6:30pm you are invited to be part of the first session to explore the Living Options at [...]

SF Green Film Festival

SF Green Film Festival

Feb 15, 2012 | Discuss

Join us Monday, March 5 for a screening of Urbanized and OUR FUTURE IN URBAN SUSTAINABILITY panel. Urbanized is the third part of Gary Hustwit’s design film trilogy, joining Helvetica (2007) and Objectified (2009), and frames a global discussion on the future of cities.
More than half the world’s population now lives in cities and statistics [...]

furry models

furry models

Jan 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

It used to be that architectural photographs were famous for having strategically placed colorful fruit amidst a minimal geometric palette. Then Dwell magazine’s Fruit Bowl Manifesto changed all of that and transformed architectural photography to be more tactile and accessible by including people, and especially cute kids.
However, when judging 800 entries for Residential Architect Magazines [...]


architectural landscape

architectural landscape

Jan 16, 2012 | 1 Comment

Big Sur is a magical place.
The mixture of epic landscape and architectural land forms not only expose the delicate balance of multiple types of life, but simultaneously create a sense of peace. It is impossible to spend time in this place without feeling invigorated with inspiration.
We spent the holiday weekend there hiking and visiting the [...]

killer color

killer color

Jan 12, 2012 | 2 Comments

As we approach Blue Monday (which many say is statistically the most depressing day of the year based on a formula including dreary weather, lack of sun, post-holiday depression and debt), consider adding a bit of new color into your life. Kevin and I were definitely feeling low so we deciding to do a bit [...]

hammer-made music

hammer-made music

Jan 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

One of the greatest symphonies to an architect is the one played at a busy construction site. The buzzing of people, strategies, materials and tools is an intense dance. Such was my day today visiting our remodel project in Piedmont. We met with the contractors, McCutcheon Construction, to review the status of the project – [...]


fluid spaces

fluid spaces

Jan 03, 2012 | 14 Comments

I am happy to share these photos of a recent project we designed in northern California. I designed the home with Studio 101 Designs and it was built using modular construction by Blazer Industries. The home was set during a 2-day period from 2 modules and then finished (or “buttoned up”) after that.
This [...]

gingertower challenge

gingertower challenge

Dec 21, 2011 | Discuss

A group of friends and I created our own holiday version of the Marshmallow Challenge (an interesting activity started by Autodesk fellow Tom Wujec). Two teams using traditional edible gingerbread ingredients and great wine (ok, we just drank the wine – it was not used in the actual structure) had 30 minutes to try to [...]

setting day

setting day

Dec 20, 2011 | Discuss

Here are photos from setting day of a project I designed with Studio 101 Designs in Northern California. I still get excited seeing how complete the modules are when they arrive. Wood flooring, tile walls, fsc-certified cabinets, and even towel bar holders. Big bravo to my partners, Blazer Industries and Studio 101 Designs.

photos of completed [...]


factory fabulous-ness

factory fabulous-ness

Dec 18, 2011 | Discuss

Visits to the factory are always interesting, especially when it is for a project we have designed being built my our favorite factory, Blazer Industries. Here are photos from a Blazer visit for one of my favorite recent homes we designed in northern California. Look for setting and finished photos coming up in a few [...]

water, water everywhere...

water, water everywhere…

Dec 09, 2011 | Discuss

written by Shannon Bloemker (home owner, client, co-designer of reLEED house)
Living in California gives you a heightened appreciation for water resources. It only rains for about 4 months of the year, and some years it hardly rains at all. So when it came to planning for our remodel, I knew that water sources and uses [...]

DIY garden apartment

DIY garden apartment

Nov 25, 2011 | 3 Comments

Below is a fantastic TED talk by Britta Riley about her quest for creating an edible garden in her small New York apartment. Her project turned into much more than that. It became an open-source movement of innovation and a framework for global collaboration and shared idea ownership. I love every single thing about this.
www.rndiy.org
www.ourwindowfarms.org


« Older Entries

Eco Principles


EcoPrinciple One: Thoughtful Design

EcoPrinciple One: Thoughtful Design

Feb 22, 2010 | 1 Comment

In our practice at Michelle Kaufmann Studio, “thoughtful design” means designing to use less, collaborating with the outdoors, using techonology to improve quality while reducing quantity, and designing for longevity, flexibility and a joyful living environment. Homes should be built to human scale, using only what is needed, but remaining open and airy. High [...]

More

  • EcoPrinciple Two: Efficient Materials
  • EcoPrinciple Three: Energy Conservation
  • EcoPrinciple Four: Water Efficiency
  • EcoPrinciple Five: Healthy Spaces
  • EcoPrinciple Six: Systems Built

blog


the story of the smart home

the story of the smart home

Apr 08, 2012 | 1 Comment

Michelle Kaufmann from After Black Hammer on Vimeo.
My talented and dear friend Garret Curtis made this beautiful video of the story behind the Smart Home in Chicago. I love his eye and gift for story telling. Lord knows I am no easy subject to deal with.
More of Garret’s work is at After Black Hammer and [...]

More

  • the best with the most for the least
  • Extreme Architecture
  • designing for better
  • builder’s tips for green
  • Best Of Green 2012

Social Scene

The Commons

architecture aria denver art awards books conservation custom home design eco-confessions eco-principles eco-resort eco-tourism eco materials energy energy efficiency events exhibit furniture green green communities green it yourself green prefab healthy environment home designs hospitality interview landscape low/no VOC power prefab press reLEED salon series settings smart design smart home speaker TED ted video travel urban video videos water water conservation

Search MK

Sections

  • General Information
  • Portfolio
    • Current Projects
    • Past Projects
  • green living
    • Eco Principles
    • Green Projects
    • Lifestyle
  • Communities
    • AriaDenver
    • Big Sur Monastery
    • california townhouse homes
  • Eco Resorts
  • Prefab Construction
  • blog
  • books+writings
  • events
  • Uncategorized
  • video
  • press
    • buzz

Twitter Feed

  • My ideal first day back after holiday? Spending it with inspiring friends imagining the home of the future. http://t.co/YXRqv42YNEXT1 day ago
  • Looking forward to launch of Lance Hosey's latest book tonight at SPUR at 6pm.NEXT1 day ago
  • Green roof du jour. http://t.co/e3YNOoSRNEXT5 days ago

Credits

Design by YoungNomadBrand
Photos by John Swain Photography
Video and Photos by Jim Thompson / Destination Productions
Photos of MSI by JB Spector / Museum of Science + Industry
Subscribe to entries
Subscribe to comments
All content © 2012 by Michelle Kaufmann Studio