Dwell March/April 2018

Are architects too in demand? It’s not a question I ever thought I’d ask. One of the principles that animates Dwell is that everyone who’s able to work with an architect should. But what I’ve been hearing lately from people in the Bay Area is that firms are turning away clients by the boatload because they’re too busy. Maybe that’s good news, maybe the industry is on the verge of a boom. Yet I find it hard to believe that all architects in all parts of the country—let alone the world—are swimming in new business. My theory is that people are too keen to work with big-name architects with award-winning portfolios and top clients. They are overemphasizing professional experience and underemphasizing personal connection, simpatico. To them I say, young architects…

Imagine my surprise and joy to discover “Home Schooled” in the January/February issue. I came of age in Washington Heights, New York, at the end of the ’60s. There was a nondescript block with a large supermarket and a public library separated by a narrow flight of cement stairs. Those steps led to Sylvan Terrace and The Morris Jumel Mansion. The houses on this hidden street were almost as fascinating as the mansion. Finally, I could visit one of these fabled row houses. [Owner and designer] Tom Givone did a stellar job. The house looks great and seems to work beautifully. —Candida A. Friedman Last year we embarked on a huge renovation project. It included a “floating staircase” with walnut treads that are supported by the wall on one side…

DIY Walnut Dining Table Using everyday materials, designer, educator, and entrepreneur Ben Uyeda reveals how to make a solid, live-edge walnut dining table with hairpin legs. Go online for a video of the complete woodworking directions: dwell.com/walnut-dining-table How It’s Built Check out a preview of the basic steps here.…

You just need to design for a storm surge or flood. An office building I designed in the Caribbean had a parking garage that was 10 feet off the ground, with the building above. The elevator was always parked on the second floor in case of a surge. Similarly, homes there are built on stilts, with parking underneath. Richard Finnegan on Facebook Simply get rid of the Federal Flood Insurance Program. If State Farm wants to insure [these homes], that’s on them. I don't think the taxpayer should subsidize stupidity. Paul Cluverius on Facebook For the safety of homeowners and first-responders, I believe that there are areas that need to be turned back into undeveloped areas. Give them to Mother Nature to take care of. Camille Moore Woodside on Facebook…

Nearing its fifth decade of use, the rear extension of Joris E. Maria’s brick villa in Leuven, Belgium, had become functionally obsolete. With a dilapidated roof that leaked and small windows that provided little light, the 430-square-foot space was dim and gloomy. Joris wanted a bright, cozy place to relax with his two daughters, as well as something with a clearer connection to the garden. So he turned to the same architecture firm he had entrusted to update the main house years earlier, ORG Permanent Modernity, led by Alexander D’Hooghe and Natalie Seys. “ Aesthetically, we explored how the bump could be asymmetrical and what the character of curvature is.”Alexander D’Hooghe, architect Along with project leader Sanne Peeters and her team, they proposed an inventive solution that Joris, a professor…

Work in Progress What constitutes an office has never been more up for grabs. Thanks to the laptop and smartphone, most “desk jobs” can now be done from almost any location. Where (or whether) we should sit for max productivity is debatable. The cubicle and corner office endure, but open plans full of homey furniture and over-the-top amenities are on the rise. And the very idea that a company needs its own space has been blown to bits by incubators and coworking collectives. To help employees, bosses, and designers figure out what’s going on, we conducted an informal survey, asking our followers about three common office scenarios— traditional, coworking, and home. More than 2,000 people answered back. 1 Traditional Office Picture the classic corporate office. Fluorescent lights, nylon carpet, sea…