::ArCH Opening Exhibit: Elsewhere, Tx ::
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Results tagged “architecture”
Devoted readers of Shelterporn will remember that we're fans of John Staub, one of Houston's most sought-after residential architects of the early 20th century. (Devoted readers of Shelterporn will also notice that there hasn't been much Shelterporn to read lately. Sorry about that.) We also love imagining what it would be like to live in River Oaks — the daily cocktail hour; long, relaxing drives in the Bentley; sipping cocktails while driving the Bentley — and so we couldn't resist pointing out that another Staub-designed River Oaks manse is on the market.
A subscription to Rice Design Alliance's gorgeous quarterly magazine Cite will set you back about $25 a year, but you can sample some of the non-profit's programs, interests and writing by reading the magazine's online companion, Offcite. (Clever, huh?)
Yes, we know, it's been a while — a long time, really — since Houstonist brought you the last installment of shelterporn, in which we indulge our fascination with both architecture and places we don't live. But, see, we've been busy doing what we do in our spare moments: driving the curving streets of River Oaks, pretending we live in the lap of luxury. "Yes," we tell passers-by as we stand very near the lawn of a sprawling River Oaks manse, "this is our little cottage. It's not much, but after all, we only have a staff of eight." (That's about as far as we usually get before the River Oaks Patrol shows up and kicks escorts us out of the neighborhood.)
Houston's cityscape has changed drastically since the photo below was taken by Dmitri Kessel in 1946; one would expect nothing less from a city that's continually reinventing itself, erasing its own history and creating new futures with each passing day.
If you aren’t too electioned out, and want to have a celebratory/consolatory cocktail and some yummy catering from t’afia, stop by the Architecture Center Houston between 6-8m tonight for the exhibition opening reception for Green Works Houston.
Lars Bang, the architect responsible for many of the gorgeous and endangered mid-century modern homes in Houston, passed away last Friday, October 17th after a brief illness. He was 87 years old.
The Rice University Design Alliance and the American Institute of Architects, Houston Chapter have a timely idea: challenge designers and architects to design an energy efficient and sustainable small house for under $99,000. Even better still, the house must take into account the hot and humid Houston weather and will be donated to a low-income family. This challenge, known as The 99K House Competition, received 182 entries from around the country. Considering the negative press we've gotten recently about our recycling habits, Houstonist feels slightly vindicated that this idea arose from our own community. Oh yeah, and plans for the winning design include replication throughout the Gulf Coast region. Take that, New York Times!
Recently Brett Zamore of Brett Zamore Design LLC has been raking in the Architectural accolades, and we can't help but agree. The Houston resident and Rice alum is featured in this month's issue of Metropolis Magazine, along with this last week's very own Houston Chronicle. The buzz is about Brett's eco-twist on modernist prefab housing.
On the second Sunday of every month, the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (GHPA) offers a guided walking tour of an architecturally and/or historically significant neighborhood in Houston. This coming Sunday will see the GHPA leading a tour around The Binz, a neighborhood just to the northeast of the lovely, verdant Museum District.
We're not entirely sure what to think about this week's shelterporn home, a contemporary North Montrose model. Is it a house with a beautifully clean and modern exterior? Why yes — but what's inside is even more interesting, not least because it features (gulp) shiny black ceilings. No, .
The Brochstein Pavilion, Rice University's newest set of facades on campus, will open tomorrow for a sneak-peak preview for Rice students, faculty and staff. It will be open to the public starting Friday April 25th and promises to offer guests a wide range of tasty (though probably spendy) treats including coffee, snacks and sandwiches. The Broch. Pav. is situated smack in the middle of a central courtyard between the back of the Fondren Library, Chapel and RMC. Not that there's a lack of green space at Rice but we can't help but wonder if a second, or replacement coffee house, right next to the old one, is really what would appease a growing cafe culture at Rice. Though the landscaping is rather pleasant.
Houston's Impact on Modern Architecture Lecture + Book Signing
Hear the talk: The Rice Design Alliance (RDA) kicks off this year's annual architecture tour today with an illustrated lecture from distinguished photographer Richard Cheek, nationally recognized for his landscape and architectural photography. Adding to an already long list of accolades, Mr. Cheek was most recently published in Houston's newest architectural compendium, The Country Huseses of John F. Staub (Texas A&M University Press), penned by our very own Stephen Fox (reviewed previously by the Houstonist here). Don't forget to bring your copy for the pre-lecture book signing with both Mr. Cheek and Mr. Fox.
Charles Waldheim, visiting Cullinan Professor at Rice, and Associate Dean and Director of the Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Toronto, will be at Anderson Hall on Rice's campus Monday, March 10th at 5:00pm. Professor Waldheim is known for his pioneering work in landscape architecture, and urbanism. He is editor of the Landscape Urbanism Reader, Post-Fordist Public Works, has published numerous articles, and spoken and lectured at major US and international universities.
Devoted Shelterporn readers will remember that one of our pipe dreams is to live on North or South boulevards. The beautiful old homes on those streets have a special place in our heart, but we also drool over some of the more modern construction — this 1998 South Boulevard house included. The house, designed by Jay Baker, isn't totally traditional modern; whatever it is, though, we like it.
Yeah, yeah, we know — Shelterporn has slacked off, and in recent weeks you've had to look for your own dream real estate listings. We're awfully sorry to have put such a burden on you and are making a Chinese New Year's resolution to be more regular. We'll do better at keeping up with Shelterporn, too.
The Chron picked this up a few days ago, but we feel it's worth a second mention. The Rice Design Alliance in conjunction with the Houston Chapter of the AIA announced two Houston architects, Murphy Mears Architects, (Kirby Mears, Walter Murphy, Kyle Humphries, Jamie Miller, and Gina Lyons) and Stephanie Eugster as finalists in the recent 99K House Competition. The finalists were selected out of 182 entrants proposing a sustainable, affordable house that addresses the needs of a low-income family in the Gulf Coast region.
We’ve been walking around Rice Univeristy recently and couldn’t help but notice literally tons of construction. It turns out that Rice is currently undergoing an explosive period of development, adding roughly one million square feet of built space to its already 3.7 million square foot campus by 2009. This is pretty impressive as is, but we were more than a little surprised (knowing that universities are businesses like any other) that Rice was recently (Nov. 2007) written up in Texas Construction, a McGraw Hill Construction publication for its commitment to sustainable design. Two Rice Faculty, Barbara White Bryson, Associate Vice President of Facilities Engineering and Planning and Richard Johnson, Director of Sustainability penned in to the magazine and reported that being Green doesn’t always cost more green. They credit a unique combination of design, technology, and funding along with a strong sense of committed interest from the student body and faculty with the success of each project.
Today, Friday the 18th, our very own Mayor Bill White invites us all to check out the newest addition to Houston’s growing fleet of Green Buildings. Firstly, the fact that anything environmentally conscious is happening in Houston nearly knocks us off our rockers, but now the Mayor’s behind it?! And extending invitations ta-boot! This all just might be a little too much to believe so go see for yourself. Make the Mayor proud.
Today the Rice Design Alliance kicks off this years spring lecture series 30N 60S: Latin American Architecture Revisited with guest speaker Francisco Liernur. Proffessor Liernur is Chair of the School of Architecture at Di Tella University in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has been a visiting professor at Harvard, Princeton, Sci-Arc, and Columbia University. His books include Writings on Twentieth Century Architecture in Latin America and Architecture in Latin America 1965-1985.
Here are a few books Houstonist thinks your friends and family won't use for doorstops (that's the fruitcake, right?). Everyone likes a good read, or at least a smart-looking book to sit on the nightstand. Give these a try. And shop at your local independent bookstore -- they can give you even more recommendations, and probably a good cup of coffee as well.
If you remember the last time we featured a house in Shelterporn — longer ago than it should have been, we know — you'll remember that we have a thing for modern houses. So, naturally, we were drawn to this Montrose contemporary, a three-year-old house designed by architect Scott Ballard. The defining feature is the barrel-vaulted roof, which not only gives the house a unique silhouette but also creates some pretty impressive interior spaces.
Perspectives 159: Superconscious, Automatisms Now December 14, 2007 – March 9, 2008 Opening reception December 13, 2007, 6:30-9:00 p.m. Sigh. This is Houston's last hurrah with Senior CAMH Curator Paola Morsiani, and we are sad. Having been with the CAMH for over eight years, Morsiani is heading north to become Curator of Contemporary Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, an internationally renowned encyclopedic museum in the midst of a $258 million renovation and expansion....
Candlelight Open House at Bayou Bend Dec 7, 2007 5:00 PM at the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been hosting Candlelight Open House nights at their Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens on Friday nights. This Friday night is your last chance to go to the open house and tour the property in all of its holiday season glory. The central figure in Yuletide´s Holiday Heroines is...
Looking for a little green space to stretch out those overworked holiday shopping legs? Check out Mosaic on Hermann Park's one acre, 7th floor amenity deck, as they host Hermann Park Conservatory's Urban Green for a Holiday Al Fresco event. Tonight's party will feature cocktails and canapes poolside, and all proceeds will benefit the Hermann Park Conservatory. Tickets at $30 and can be purchased at the door. We were bummed to learn this week that...
The Biomimicry Guild and the AIA Committee on the Environment will host a lecture this Wednesday (12/05/07) on Biomimicry its uses and applications. Dayna Baumeister, PhD, and co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild, will give the evening lecture which will then be follow by two workshop sessions on Thursday and Friday. For those less familiar, Biomimicry is "a new discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and imitates them to solve human problems." But wait, aren't...
It's party time! Folks in Tanglewood had a picnic-style party to celebrate the demolition of 5506 Russett St. (5537 got it too), where the owners are going to build a new home. It was an eerie farewell complete with champagne, snacks, and the oohs and aahs of the little kiddos when the bulldozer smashed into the roof of the 5,500 square foot teardown. Is anyone really trying to sell this house? The person who...