Where to Find a Bunch of Modernist Houses

What are some of the characteristics of a modern home design?

Where can you see a large collection of modern houses in one location?

What is the difference of "modernist design" and "contemporary?"

These are just a few questions that will be answered by my special radio guest Mr. George Smart, tomorrow (Monday, December 14, 2009) at 5:30 pm, EST. George is an expert in modernist architecture. He has a huge following on his web site that is http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com. On that site, you will find a large archive of modernist designed buildings, some buildings for sale, and sign up for tours and trips to see prized architectural gems.

From this web site, you will find:
"The Triangle area of North Carolina is the third largest concentration of modernist houses in America. We have more than anywhere except LA and Chicago. Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is a nonprofit historical archive for preserving modernist residential design. We are an early-warning system for endangered houses, an exclusive source for modernist house tours, an extensively detailed catalog of North Carolina and national architecture, and a community of knowledgeable advocates for modernist construction."

Feel free to call with your own set of questions during the show. That number is (646) 595-2228.

To listen to the show live, just go to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LaneArchitecture at 5:30 pm EST tomorrow, Monday, December 14, 2009.

See you there!

How the Recession Affects the Affluent

Check out my blogtalkradio feed on the right column to hear what I said to the 2008 Main Street Forum about attracting the affluent, like Trump's clientele, to the downtowns.


Do you agree with my comments? Let me know by emailing to me at info@LaneArchitecture.net.

Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.

Two Human Desires

During my radio show today, I will be sharing what the two human desires are.

Do you think that these desires include love, money, a bigger house, a fast car, travel...? If so, you will be surprised with my answer.

Listen in at http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/LaneArchitecture. The show is only 15 minutes and will start at 5:30 pm EST.

Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.

Using 3 Recyclable Building Materials is Kid's Play

When I was a little boy, I used to love building things out of cardboard. Whenever I found a refrigerator box, it was as if nothing could be better.

While in architecture school, my design class was assigned to design and build our own bridge that could only support our own weight. If it was overdesigned for a load heavier than us, we would get docked a letter grade. If the bridge failed under our own weight, well, we would fail. I think that the bridge assignment was one of my favorite projects because of its narrow requirements. My bridge did well, so I passed with a high grade.

Another design/build project that I have done out of paper was a piece of furniture. I designed a chair that looked like the profile of a hand that has the thumb extended. The seat would be where the thumb is and the back of the seat would be where the index finger would be.

About this time, last year, there was an article posted on the web about a Cardboard House of the Future. Check it out at http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/cardboard-houses-of-the-future.php#ch02.

My radio show that is aired today covers this article in depth. I also discuss the article in the latest March LAD Sketch Pad newsletter about houses built of straw. Download your free copy from http://www.scribd.com/doc/13042420/LAD-Sketch-Pad-March-2009.

There are a lot of other materials that can be used to build houses that are recycled. The metal shipping containers that you might see stacked all around shipping ports like Newark are among architects' favorite building blocks.

Metal shipping containers have been used to build houses, youth centers, schools, multi-family complexes, swimming pools, and offices. They can be put together in just a few days and don’t usually cost very much.

Check out this web site for some photos of buildings built out of metal shipping containers http://weburbanist.com/2008/05/26/cargo-container-homes-and-offices/.

With the economy in the tank, the idea of saving money on our construction and operational costs is more attractive than ever. Sometimes, we need to get back to the basics and get excited about the possibilities of building things out of materials that might have caught your eye as a kid.