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This new cabin’s structure will be pushed up to the set-back from the lake on a steeply sloped site to take full advantage of the proximity to the water. Design features will include a simple sloped roof with a side deck that extends past the front of the cabin to offer a 270-degree view of the lake. As many existing trees as possible will be retained by positioning the cabin between them. The client also plans to add a sauna in the future.
Bloom Lake Flats is an affordable housing complex with 50% of the apartments dedicated to people living with HIV/AIDS. The project was developed through a partnership between Project for Pride in Living (PPL) and Clare Housing. Bloom Lake Flats provides 42 efficiency dwelling units for residents who earn 15% of the area median income and 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments for residents earning 30% of the area median income. The complex features spaces for supportive services, including a community room, a yoga room, onsite management and case worker office, and a nurse’s office. Also includes an outdoor green space and a play area.
Developed by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, this new supportive housing complex contains 39 dwelling units designed to help young adults find calm and respite. It features a variety of flexible-use rooms scattered throughout the building that accommodate meetings between residents and care staff and counseling sessions, as well as providing safe, calming spaces for residents outside their individual apartments. The design employs biophilic elements (e.g., color, light control, organic shapes, interior plants, and views to the outdoor gardens) to bring the outdoors inside, create a calm and soothing environment, and provide spaces that are visually easy to navigate. A completely enclosed backyard will provide a safe, secure area for residents to engage in outdoor activities, separated by a paver patio from small outdoor rooms for contemplative activities and garden plots to be tended by the residents.
Owned by the same families for generations, the 14 summer cottages on Crane Island in Lake Minnetonka comprise a National Register Historic District. Located on the site of a demolished cottage, this new summer home delicately fits into the historic context, while respecting the Midwestern architectural character cherished by residents. Designed to celebrate casual summer living, the house accommodates frequent guests, as well as spaces for retreat. The project also entailed relocating a small historic shed on the property and converting it into a guest house. The design breaks down the scale of the house by creating two linked gabled structures to better match the scale of the other island homes. Each gabled part has slightly different detailing to convey the sense of accretion over time. The ensemble of structures on the site (including the main house, guest house, and existing water tower) provides an ideal relaxed environment for the activities of the family and their guests.
Located on a wooded cliff overlooking the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, this new second residence in western Wisconsin includes a cabin, pool, and pool house. The design incorporates stone, wood, glass, and a planted wildflower roof woven into the site’s existing topography, old stone walls, and trees. Tucked into the hillside, the horizontal main level houses large indoor/outdoor living spaces, the master bedroom, and utility functions. Used by the client’s grandchildren and other guests, the tower acts as a bunkhouse with sleeping platforms—each with its own window—on four different levels within a single vertical space. Natural materials and dark colors, combined the planted roof and site design, camouflage the cabin, while offering spectacular views of the river from the site and cabin.
This project is a collaboration with GAP School, a skills training program that teaches young adults construction trades by having them build actual construction projects. The structures are designed to accommodate the program by using simple construction techniques, modest roof slopes, and moderate framing spans, while creating homes that meet the highest design standards. These four new single-family homes for low-income families are designed to accommodate multiple generations living under the same roof. The homes have bedrooms, bathrooms, and commons spaces on the ground floor for elderly or disabled family members. The homes are oriented on the lot to accommodate two parked cars in the driveway, leaving the adjacent public sidewalk clear for pedestrians.
Referencing Passive House design standards, passive systems include a solar chimney, window placement to promote cross ventilation, concrete mass flooring, and large south-facing windows. Since the homes themselves serve as teaching tools, the design prioritizes more labor-intensive processes over expensive materials to achieve performance efficiencies. For example, the exterior walls are a double wall with rigid insulation to illustrate construction technique, rather than using more expensive insulation materials. Simple, time-honored passive design strategies enable homeowners to easily and sustainably maintain their homes. The client is pursuing LEED v4.1 Residential Single Family Homes Platinum certification for the first home.