Custom Northern California Home
This home in Northern California was designed to collaborate with the surrounding landscape. Through strategically placed glass windows and doors one feels like they are outdoors wherever they are, the spaces are washed with natural light, while breezes are used to help keep the house cool. Sustainable materials and systems are used throughout including FSC [...]
fluid spaces
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 is [...]
Piedmont Residence
Piedmont Residence Blog Project Team Client: Bloemker Family Architecture: Michelle Kaufmann and Studio 101 Designs Builder: McCutcheon Construction Systems / MEP: Monterey Energy Group Structural: Yu Strandberg Landscaping: Shades of Green / Gardeners Guild Rainwater / Greywater: Dig Cooperative LEED®: Architectural Energy Corporation Audio-Visual: Engineered Environments
Custom Home – Beach House 1
We are getting ready to start construction on this beach house. Through the use of smart design that maximizes breezes, implements proper shading, and PV solar panels, this is designed to create as much energy as it needs (net zero energy). This is home for a big family. Although the entire family won’t always be [...]
Custom Modular Home – home as theatre
I recently had dinner with my friends Jodi and Ben in their absolutely stunning home. I designed their home with them and MKD and it was completed in the past year. While most of it was built in a factory as 5 modules plus 2 roof modules, it was custom designed specifically to their site, [...]
modest materiality
This recently completed residential care building for The New Camaldoli Hermitage (the coolest monks I have ever met) in Big Sur is a great example of the use of modest eco-materials used in elegant ways. The monks of The New Camalodoli Hermitage have made a life commitment to stay at the monastery and their cells [...]
A new type of prefab
It continues to amaze me that some people still think that the best way to build a home is on site. It’s like asking your car to be built in your driveway. Now that we have the ability to build a home in a controlled factory environment, stick built just doesn’t make sense anymore. The [...]
sisters of sustainability project
PROJECT INFORMATION COMPLETED PHOTOS MODULAR CONSTRUCTION NEXT PHASE: ARIA DENVER
Custom Home – LEED Platinum home in Montecito
I am super excited to hear that construction has begun (apparently the foundation is almost complete) on a house in Montecito. The design has been a collaboration between John Maienza (architect and designer), Gregg Wilson (builder extraordinaire), myself, and a fabulous planning, design, engineering and architectural team. John and Gregg have created a number of [...]
Presidio Habitats Project
With the beginning of spring, the hummingbirds are starting to come out. Kevin has a hummingbird feeder outside of our bedroom and we love watching them fly, flutter and hover. They are remarkable creatures. So when I was asked to submit a design for For-Site’s Presidio Habitats Project and was given a list of animals [...]
A very special group of monks
Seeing these photos of the modules successfully being shipped and set to the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, CA couldn’t make me more happy (and also extremely thankful). The monks at the Hermitage are honestly some of the most special people I have ever met and the site of their monastery is nothing short [...]
