McAuliffe + Carroll Architects

Grand Central Apple

Sure, Fifth Avenue might have the glass cube, but the new Apple store has this terrific view:

And, no doors to open. In fact you are in the store when you are in the station:

Killer space and display fixtures:

Less IS more:

jm

Buildings We Like: Schindler

Before Frank (Gehry that is), there was Rudolph. Last week, I had the opportunity to see the first Lovell House, on the boardwalk in Newport Beach. The view from 13th Street. Schindler designed the overhang for four bedrooms:

The view from the beach on a wonderfully sunny day. That would be the 2 story living space behind the large window:

The alley facade, like the others, is an interlocking form puzzle. The concrete frames are expressed on the rear wall:

The service entrance stairs. The stucco guards are only 3" thick:

Searching my library, and the internet, I found that there are no contemporary photos of the interior, except for two details from the 1986 HABS survey. The house was one of the first built on the peninsula in 1926, now it has neighbors galore.This was a real treat:

jm

Habitat House in Trenton

We just completed our plans for a new prototype house to be built by the Trenton affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. Breaking with their previous direction of a more suburban model, the Board of Directors and the Construction Committee both agreed to let us design a new, simpler model that is fast to construct and is very energy efficient. The exterior shell is constructed of 6 1/2" Structural Insulated Panels (or SIPs) which will provide a tight and well insulated enclosure. The use of SIPs should also decrease the overall construction time and allow Habitat to complete more houses in a year.
 This initial design is for a detached single family residence, and later iterations of this will include attached single family (or duplex) and a row-house model. This project is being sponsored by Bloomberg and we hope to start construction this summer, pending approval by the City of Trenton. Check back for updates!

RC

SJH-LIFE: On Time & Under Budget

Our South Jersey Healthcare – LIFE completed construction last week and is now awaiting State approvals. Construction began the week before Christimas with a target date of May 15, 2011 for Certificate of Occupnacy. The CofO was issued right on time, and the construction budget was met with room to spare.

My visit yesterday to review punch list completion resulted in these selected photos. The reception desk and entrance hall area in the former service waiting lobby, light box sign by 3form:

The waiting area, with 3form space divided panels:

Activities Room 1, with furnitire provided by BF Molz, in the former service bay. The blue recess is the entrance to the clinic suite:

Activities Room 2 has acces to the serving counter and the kitchen. The fabric covered panels are by Purdue:

The chapel:

The Personal Care hallway:

A typical personal care toilet/shower room:

Activities Room 3, the former showroom. The wood trusses we left and simply repainted. Elliptipar uplights boost the reflected light. Cabinet one has a gas fireplace:

Cabinet two has the TV:

The Cafe is on the left ready for cookies and muffins:

A custom linoleum tile layout for the gardening therapy room:

 
JM

Buildings We Like- Hopkins

Just opened in Princetion is the new Frick Chemistry Lab by Hopkins Architects. The whole thing looks like it was fabricated in a factory and assembled at the site. The color scheme is just a bit dry, but it is still striking. This is the main entrance recess:

Each side has an generous arcade walkway:

The center atrium is just an awesome space:

Stairs & bridges:

Refined details & finishes:

I could not figure out if this column was really necessary, but it sure looks good:

As an added bonus, you can get back to the main campus on the new pedestrian bridge:

JM

A House in Trenton

Last week the Tranton Chapter of Habitat-For-Humanity received approvals from the Trenton Zoning Commission for a small, infill, house project that we designed for them. It will be their first house constructed using SIP's and we are hoping it becomes their new "standard".

Here is the street view showing the covered, recessed, entry door:

The facade will be brick veneer and is capped with a modern interpretation of a traditional cornice line.

In the rear we have designed a simple, covered, porch off the kitchen:

JM

PACE Database

We have been exploring the possibilities of using Bento to set up a database for PACE projects. The database so far has a mulititude of information related to the programming of a center, including details like sign type, door hardware, flooring type and required furniishings. We have gleaned all this stuff from the three centers we have worked on so far: St Francis – LIFE; South Jersey Heathcare – LIFE and a new Community Center in Philadelphia.

Next, we need to add all the site information we now have- two pages worth!

We know PACE data:

JM

A Decade of Design

For Jon Roemer and his family, we have just completed a project for their home in Princeton that has been 10 years in the making.

Well... actually a series of projects...

In 2000, Jim was asked to look at the rear side of the house. It is a split level and the rear patio was a raw concrete at grade level:

The new design added a more graceful rear stair, a roomy colored concrete patio with wide steps down to the grass, a airy entrance to the lower basement and a new corrugated sheet clad storage shed:

This project was finished in 2001:

The rafters have a cut profile that is supposed to be "R" shaped. They look like happy faces eating ice cream:

Mid-decade Rich designed a new kitchen, foyer and entrance for the house:

Our website has many of the photos of this one, but the tall skylight form is a striking feature:

Last year Jon asked for a place for his studio adjacent to the patio. This, final, project has just been completed:

All the walls (and roof) are construction of SIP's with HardiPanel siding, with Galvalume metal trims:

It is quite cosy inside and sit comfortably in the rear yard:

JM

PACE in Vineland

Our second LIFE center is now under construction for South Jersey Healthcare, and it is moving along quickly.

While the exterior of the former Susuki car dealership has minimal changes to it reflecting the new use...

The interior is virtually a complete gut renovation:

 

The former service bay has had it's car lifts removed and will be transformed into two of the three Activities Rooms in the center:

We took advantage of the high structure here with high ceilings in the central spaces. The lower wall surfaces will be painted (in our usual colorful selections), while the upper surfaces will be a combination of painted walls and wedge shaped fabric acoustic panels:

 

The former showroom space will become the third Activities room. We are keeping the high gable ceiling and exposed trusses as a design feature. By the Spring there will be a fireplace on the left and TV on the right...

JM

Urban Infill Astoria Style

While this project is on hold for now, we look forward to it starting up again soon. On an extremely narrow lot with a significant slope down away from the sidewalk in the Astoria section of Queens, we maximized the zoning restrictions to create a new apartment building. Both the fron and rear facades will be glazed:

There are two duplex apartments each with two bedrooms:

The parking is located under the building:

 And the roof will be used by tenants as outdoor deck spaces:

JM