Modern flair with translucent walls

Every now and then I see something implemented in a rehab project that is so simple, yet so effective, that I just wonder why more people don’t do it. About a year ago I was at a furniture store that had a series of translucent walls as the backdrop for their furniture displays. It really caught my attention and I thought it could have some interesting “real world” applications. Read more

Fancy radiators

Forced-air heat systems are really becoming the norm of our current era in this country. While they are not as efficient as some other forms of heat, the fact that a building can be cooled through the same ductwork system is very appealing. However, there are times when a forced-air furnace is not an option. In those cases, your best bet is usually to stick with radiator heating. Bulky, ugly radiators.

Thankfully you do have options. While radiators have been going the way of the dodo in the U.S, they have remained a popular choice in many places in Europe. With this demand, industrious European companies have created a plethora of unique radiator options. I was shocked at the variety of styles and sizes available. You can literally find something for any situation.

Unfortunately, locating these radiators in the U.S. can be a little more challenging. So far, I haven’t found any local dealers that carry the product. Of course, I haven’t done a ton of research on this yet either. I have come across a couple of interesting web dealers though:

Bisque Exports (United Kingdom)
Runtal Radiators (United States)

Personally, I am rather partial to the designs and variety offered by Bisque. Even though they are a British company, their website says they will ship internationally. Orders would probably be easier through Runtal though. They designs are a little less inspired, but they easily beat standard style radiators in the aesthetics department.

There are probably tons of other similar companies out there as well. If these radiators look like a good option for you, a little research would probably turn something up. If you do find any other dealers, please share in the comments section.

Finding “contemporary” on the web

Seeing as St. Louis doesn’t have a tremendously developed modern architecture culture, I often find myself browsing the web for ideas and news. I don’t have enough time to keep up with every site I come across, but there are a few sites I find myself visiting repeatedly:

• DWELL - A great magazine and a great website. If you’re into this kind of stuff, check out there website and definitely subscribe to the magazine.

• METROPOLIS- Magazine and website similar to Dwell. I prefer Dwell to this one, but its definitely worth a look.

• CONTEMPORIST - This is one of my favorite blogs. It spotlights contemporary furniture, art and housing. They update constantly and are a great source for brainstorming or just browsing for fun. The only bad thing about it is that most of the products they post on are difficult to impossible to buy. Still, its fun to look.

• 100K HOUSE - This blog chronicles the authors efforts to create an energy efficient home for $100,000. This one has its hits and misses, but its an interesting read.

• MATERIALICIOUS - Another one of those blogs that show off a hodgepodge of different contemporary related materials.

If you’re into contemporary design, do yourself a favor and check these sites out. They are definitely not for everybody, but you might find a few that you like. If there are any similar sites you read often and would like to share, please feel free to do so in the comment area.

Art House spotlighted in the media

Looks like the contemporary infill project in Grand Center, which I posted on a few weeks back, is getting a little more attention. The St. Louis Post Dispatch just posted an article on the Art House project, going into more detail on the projects origins and specs. Here’s the article.

EcoUrban infill in South St. Louis

I was cutting through the South City neighborhood of Benton Park West a few months back and stumbled across something that was quite a shock to me: contemporary, green infill. The specific house I came across was at 3140 Pennsylvania (picture to the left). When I took a peek inside, I was surprised how nice the place was. It had so many of the features, which I would love to see incorporated in more area developments. It turns out that this building has a been given a Platinum LEED rating (for green construction) and is the product of modular construction. This project is just the 10th in the country to be given such a high LEED rating.

The sale price of $274,900 seems a little high for the area and product, but its great to see a project like this. Design-wise, the project misses the mark on a few points, but I’m still a fan. The home isn’t all that big and I’m still not totally sold on the exterior finish. Stylistically its ok, but the quality of materials and craftsmanship outside seem to be below that of the interior. They did recently add some rather attractive aluminum trim on the exterior, which made an improvement.

The best part is that this just appears to be the tip of the iceberg. Developer EcoUrban has already constructed two additional homes at 3103 and 3105 Magnolia in the nearby Tower Grove East Neighborhood. They also have plans for twelve additional 2 and 3 bedroom townhomes in Tower Grove East. There is also rumor that they are scoping out other areas in the city for similar development. Very exciting stuff. I’ll post more details and pics when they come available. If you want to follow their progress yourself, make sure you check out their website.

Barnyard-style sliding door

There are many affordable ways to make your rehab project, rental units or even your personal residence stand out. As you, no doubt, have already realized, I’m a big advocate of incorporating unique features in your projects. These features add character which is worth well more than the money and time put into their incorporation. This post will be the first in a series intended to help you find something unique, which you can utilize in one of your future projects.

For the first post in this series, I’d like to point out a creative door design I found in the February 2008 issue of Dwell magazine. This concept was utilized by a California couple on a budget. Here’s what Dwell had to say about the door:

“Since the couple wanted a modicum of privacy for their sleeping space, yet didn’t want to close off the area with a small traditional door, they decided to use a barnyard type partition for the room. A cheap plywood sheet like those found at any lumberyard became the door, which was mounted onto a sliding metal track attached to the top of the wall. The result is essentially a wall that cleverly slides open to reveal the room inside.”

Such a door wouldn’t fit in every property or with ever motif, but its a clever and affordable way of satisfying this couple’s needs. By opting for such an unusual option in an apartment or rehab project, the property would be able to offer something different to the consumer. People get tired of the same old same old. And did I mention that the materials for this door only cost about $200?

The hardware can be purchased from McMaster-Carr on page 2844 of their online catalog. They also have an impressive variety of other hardware if you wanted to get really creative. In the challenging market conditions of today, consumers are demanding more for their money. Its time to start thinking outside the box. Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea.

Art House development has it right

A while back I posted details on a local project, which I thought had a somewhat inspired design. While I still like what they are doing over there, I must say that another developer, Sage, has managed to wholly capture my intention. They’ve done some good things in the past, but the plans for their next project are out of this world.

Details are scarce at this point, but current plans call for 7 contemporary townhomes to be built at 3732 Grandel Square, in Grand Center just to the north of St. Louis University. The project is being labeled Art House. You can see the elevation mockup above, but more details are available on their website.

This is the kind of development we need to be seeing more of. I’m also thrilled to see an infill project in the often overlooked location of near-North City. I think there is a lot of potnential for these kinds of projects in areas like these and its nice to see a developer with the vision to be a trend-setter rather than follow the “safe” road.

The good thing is that these guys aren’t new to the development world, so this project has a real chance of seeing the light of day. Among others, I’ve been really impressed with Sage’s green townhome project in Tower Grove South and I hope this project follows in that development’s path in terms of quality. For those unfamiliar with that project, the company is a little over half way done with 4 green townhomes at the intersection of Gustine & McDonald just south of Tower Grove Park. This is another on of those infill projects that really have their own look and style rather than trying to unfaithfully mimic existing housing. It looks like Sage is taking that concept to the next level with Art House. Let’s hope this one’s not just another architects pipe dream.

Infill housing from old cargo containers

Pretty cool looking place isn’t it? Modern without being too “in your face.” Would you believe that this home was made out of two old forty foot cargo containers? A company called Logical Homes has been working on the concept for a while and is about to unveil this design in a new line of prefab homes sometime in 2008.

The picture above was taken from the show floor of the 2008 CES in January, and is apparently the first completed prototype. Price and specifics are not yet available, but I find concepts like this intriguing. I like the design as-is, but I just wonder if you could orient the flat face to the street and have the open end facing backwards. Or if you can stack these to create multi-family properties. If these are real possibilities, these prefab units might be feasible to build somewhere in St. Louis. Unless they are too expensive. I’ll keep you posted on details.

If you want to be notified via email when this product line is release, check out Logical Homes website

Urban contemporary design for St. Louis infill properties?

I posted an article on this blog a couple weeks ago complaining about the stale designs of all the real estate development projects in St. Louis (McRee Town/Botanical Heights - Proof of out collective lack of imagination). I think my view of the current environment was made quite clear, but I might have been a bit hasty. I came across a small development driving around yesterday, which is pretty close to the mark on what I was talking about. Something CONTEMPORARY. Kind of.

The development is located on the 2800 block of Lafayette, just to the west of Lafayette Square in the neighborhood known as the Gate District. Driving by, I almost didn’t notice the two completed units because they blended in so well with the rest of the neighborhood. Upon closer inspection however, these properties show a lot of promise. They have a brick front, but the sides and rear are stucco-like and the design is quite unique. I drove by again this afternoon with my camera and took a few snapshots.

This is the kind of design I want to see. I have problems with this particular project, but I think the developer has their head in the right place. We can respect the designs of the past, while making something new and unique. AND NO VINYL SIDING.

The problem here is that these things aren’t selling. According to the MLS, 2841 has been on the market for 125 days and 2843 has been out there for 43 days as of the writing of this article. The unit at 2845 hasn’t even broken ground yet. Does this mean that nobody wants to buy this style of property? I think not.

First of all, the starting sticker price on these things is $335,000. For a three bedroom, two and a half bath located in the Gate District in the current market, that’s a lot of money. I also think the exterior design is missing something. Its exciting to see someone go this route in their designs, its just a little boring. But if I had to point at one thing that I think is preventing these properties from selling, I would have to say that its the interior.

I should mention that I have not actually been inside either property: I have only seen pictures and the floor plans. Even with that limited knowledge I can tell that despite the interesting angle they went with for the exterior, they played it safe inside. It looks like every other boring rehab project we’ve seen in the city for the past five years. Not to say it looks bad; it just looks boring. For that kind of price point I would think that the properties would offer something more. They try to bill these properties as “urban contemporary,” but that seems to only be skin-deep.

I look at this project as both an example of what you should do and what you should not do in a development project. If you are going to bother trying to create trendy housing make sure you do so inside and out. If you want more information on the development, check out their website: www.vivonlafayette.com

Botanical Heights is proof of our lack of imagination

Three sides of brick and one of vinyl: that’s what makes a development “urban.” Or at least, that’s what some people seem to think. One of the best local examples of this opinion is McBride & Sons’ Botanical Heights development in the old McKree Town Neighborhood. There is no doubt that when this project began in 2004 that something had to be done in this neighborhood. The crime and neglect were huge problems and were bringing the surrounding neighborhoods down. However, three years later, I have to wonder if it was all for the best.

I know some people have been upset about the use of eminent domain and the gentrification for this project, but these are not the issues I speak of. I am referring to the style of the buildings that now stand on the site of that development. Buildings such as the brick/vinyl siding hybrids I was mentioning.

On an individual level, I find that some of these buildings are attractive. They have a somewhat suburban appearance, but they have their charm. The issue I have with them is that they try to fit in with the existing and former housing stock. A task at which they fail miserably. We need to face the facts: the times have changed. Solid brick buildings (three bricks deep) might have been affordable in 1927, but in 2007 they are anything but. We are unable to replicate the buildings of the past and shouldn’t waste our time trying to do so.

So the question then becomes: What do we build instead? To that question I have no answer. Personally, I would love to see someone do a bit of modern infill. Single family, duplex, 4-family or whatever. Just something fresh and that doesn’t try to replicate an unachievable product.

I actually saw an interesting concept house on another blog this morning. Something that got me thinking about all of this. I don’t know if something like this is the answer, but it sure is creative. What do you think?

Looking at the pictures, it seems to fit in with the surrounding area better than one would expect. You can see more about the building (including basic blueprints) HERE. It is very urban, yet doesn’t rely on a faux-retro exterior to be so. The first picture actually reminds me of an existing building in South City. Not because they look a lot alike, but because they are so unique compared to their surrounding buildings, yet seem to fit in.

This building (left) is located at 2817 S. Kingshighway (63139). It has a unique modern look to it that just seems to work. The thing I find most interesting about it is that it isn’t modern at all. At least in terms of age. Believe it or not, this property was actually built in 1897. It seems that there were dissenters in style choices even back then. Why can’t we think more like that today?

So what is the point of all this rambling? That we need to rethink how we handle development in our city. We can play it safe and keep on creating developments like Botanical Heights or we can start getting creative. Creative design can make use of modern materials with affordable and aesthetically pleasing results. In our efforts to retain our character we have lost track of the fact that everything evolves. As developers and as a city as a whole, if we don’t want to be left in the dust by our competitors we need to starting thinking ahead rather than pining for a bygone past.