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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.
This expansion and renovation to a 3-story affordable housing building adds 40 new dwelling units in a 6-story addition. The existing 40 dwelling units were remodeled as well as all the common spaces including a new integrated front entrance, reception desk, elevator, and bike storage area, as well as a larger, upgraded community kitchen. New staff office space and office space for the support services and property management providers were also added. Programs provided to residents living at Lydia support formerly homeless residents in finding work, building life skills, learning job skills, and managing substance use disorders and mental health issues.
The 6-story addition builds on the building’s mid-century quality by composing a strongly vertical addition that compliments the horizontality of the original building. The addition was pushed back away from the street to provide a more gracious front yard buffer along a busy street. The ground floor contains a glass pavilion that allows visual transparency through the building. The parking court behind the building was sized to meet the needs of the staff, residents, and visitors by successfully appealing to the city to lower the required parking count to match real needs since almost all residents walk, bicycle or use public transit. The apartments come completely furnished with linens and personal care products, since many residents are transitioning from homelessness.
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.
This end-of-corridor unit features three exterior walls with exposures to the north, east, and west and views of the Mississippi River. This configuration allows natural light to flood the space and provides a continual visual connection to the landscape. Project success involved full engagement by the design team, contractor, and client.
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.
Located within the historic Washburn Lofts, this condo renovation reconfigures the space so that it functions well for holding large parties. The new owners regularly entertain large groups, but they also wanted the home to feel intimate and warm for just the two of them. The project features remodeled main living spaces (including the living room, dining room, guest suite, and media room) and a new kitchen, walk-in pantry, wine room, bar, and laundry room. In the primary living areas, walnut paneling and cabinetry complement the existing shelving in the library, while the concrete floors were ground down to adjust their luminescence. We salvaged cabinets from the old kitchen for the new laundry room and pantry. We also switched the locations of the media room and guest suite to provide a direct connection between the guest bedroom and guest bath. The design also involved exposing the former flour mill’s exterior walls to serve as an integral part of the home’s décor. MSR Design selected new furnishings, lighting, and rugs for the entire home; provided guidance on placement of art and where to place future artworks; and worked with a steel fabricator to design new large-scale art pieces for the entry.
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.
The clients hired MSR Design to help them right size their current Minneapolis home. Creating space for regularly entertaining friends and family became a primary design driver. Completely gutted and reconfigured, the condominium offers a large master suite, contiguous entertainment spaces, and a home office that take advantage of beautiful views across the Mississippi River to downtown Minneapolis.
The home includes a service kitchen for entertaining and a primary kitchen, which opens into a dining/living room for casual entertaining with the fireplace wall acting as a visually unifying agent for the more public spaces. Teak paneling and cabinets and a five foot long, white porcelain cantilevered peninsula complement the white-on-white kitchen.
The design also incorporates the clients’ extensive art collection. Simplicity, careful choreography of spaces, feature lighting throughout the home, and timeless furniture selections characterize the design of this warm, modern home. Interior design was provided in collaboration with Jodi Gillespie Interior Design.