Two recent articles from Twin Cities-based news site MinnPost have focused on the future of the urban landscape — on the suburban one, too.

The first viewpoint comes from Richard Florida, author of the book “The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity.” In a nutshell, he believes that when the economy recovers, it “will demand cleaner, more efficient ways of living, traveling, working and arranging our communities if we hope to climb out of our hole and catch the next wave of prosperity.”

Smaller homes and better, more efficient public transportation seem to be two of his main viewpoints. And this idea of transforming the way we live is important and valid and may come to pass.

But MinnPost also featured the viewpoint of author Joel Kotkin (“The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050″). His view is that the new green urbanism is a bit of a pipe dream. Partly this has to do with psychology: a large number of Americans will always prefer single family suburban homes to multi-family urban living.

But isn’t the problem of urban sprawl something cities are racing to fix? Kotkin believes that cities will decline in importance. Jobs and services will keep moving outwards to where people live, hopefully cutting down on time spent in the car.

What do you think? Which vision will take hold after the recovery? Will you find yourself living in urban mixed-used developments or suburban homes with picket fences? Or will some third building trend drive the recovery? Do you think stages of life affect people’s housing choices?

Happy belated Independence Day, readers! We hope you had a safe and happy weekend. No doubt, for many of you this included being out on the water. What would you think of living there…permanently?

MSN Real Estate has an interesting slideshow about these floating homes. From the Arctic to India, houseboats are everywhere, which is not surprising considering that most of the world’s surface is water. And they can be extremely green homes.

For an in-depth look about what it is actually like to live on a houseboat, please take a look at this slideshow — lot of work, but also a lot of beauty.

Happy boating!

Photos courtesy of MSN Real Estate

Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Anyone planning to remodel or build a home should pick up a copy of Wendy Jordan’s new [new at the time this article was originally published] book, Universal Design for the Home. Whether you are old or young, single or with a family, working or retired, with or without a disability, it makes sense to borrow a few good ideas from this book.

Based on the premise that universal design is good design, Jordan put together a beautiful high-quality photo gallery of diverse homes and apartments throughout the country. She points out the space design features and products that make each room work so well for the occupants. She also highlights the universal design specifications for each project featured. As a bonus, readers will also learn about lighting a room for functionality, safety, and to create the right mood.

The interior designers, builders, remodelers, and architects who crafted each of these homes and apartments really knew how to meet the needs of the occupants. Jordan gives a short history of the family to help readers appreciate the reasoning behind the design.

Jordan includes many brilliant ideas among the pages of the book. You may find yourself saying, “I want that in my home!” The Photographer Credits and Manufacturers sections in the back of the book will help you identify many of the product manufactures. If you still have a question about a particular product shown you can contact Jordan at wendyajordan@hotmail.com.

For the next edition of this book, I suggest that the universal design products in each photo be identified by manufacturer’s name and website.

I recently spoke to Jordan to find out what motivated her to write this book. She told me that though she has known about and admired universal design for quite some time, she decided to write the book when good friends went through the process of using universal design principles in their home a few years ago.

“Designers and builders were not attuned to the idea of beautiful universal design,” Jordan said. There were no readily available examples of attractive universal design homes, and information on design features and products was hard to find. “I knew the ideas and products were out there,” she continued, “it’s just that they were, to coin a phrase, ‘inaccessible’ to the consumer.”

Jordan said she wanted to write a book that would bring together the best, state-of-the-art ideas in beautiful universal design; serve as a guide for homeowners, their designers and contractors when researching guidelines; and ease the process of locating attractive, effective universal design products.

Jordan doesn’t have a disability, but she is aware of the difficulties many building designs pose for those who do. She says that universal design makes sense for so many people, whether they have limited mobility now, want to age in place in their homes, or want to accommodate visitors young and old. Many people, such as families with young children, are attracted to universal design because these homes are open, bright, safe, and livable, she adds.

Jordan heard about universal design years ago in her work as a remodeling and home design journalist. An award-winning writer and editor, she has covered remodeling and home design for more than 25 years, both as editor-in-chief of Remodeling magazine and the author of 11 books on the subject. She also has earned a CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Specialist) designation from the National Association of Home Builders.

Jordan contacted me in September 2006 after learning about my new home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory. I gave her permission to include our house floor plan and architect’s renderings of the wardrobe and front elevation. In the book’s four-page section, “The Ultimate Livable Home,” Jordan describes the universal design features in our future home, including a few selected specifications.

I asked Jordan how she selected all the projects that are featured in her new book. She said she wanted to include projects that represent a variety of housing types, sizes, price points, and occupant needs. Above all, she was looking for projects that look great and incorporate great universal design ideas without sacrificing style or drawing attention to the accommodations made. She included many floor plans along with room photos in this book.

Jordan indicated that her book brings together the tools needed for homeowners, their designers and contractors to plan beautiful, well-equipped universal design homes. Readers will find creative and attractive designs for every part of the home including kitchens, baths, entries, and the landscape. The back of the book also contains a section on basic universal design standards.

Jordan did extensive research and studies to put together this book. She has given consumers, interior designers, remodelers, architects, and builders something to strive for in their future projects.

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Today’s article is a guest post from Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., project leader for the Universal Design Living Laboratory. The UDLL is a demonstration project built to illustrate the power of universal design. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project.

This article, written by Rosemarie, was previously published on the UDLL website and appears here courtesy of Action Magazine and the United Spinal Association.

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Louis Tenanbaum, certified aging-in-place specialist, recently wrote an article, “Benefits of Universal Design Model Homes.” He wrote, “If a picture speaks a thousand words, a walk-through is worth a million pictures. Universal design model home projects offer that walk-through experience. They provide shared context so the universal design discussion can be rooted in a ‘bricks and mortar’ experience.”

If you’re near Wausau, Wisconsin, you have a chance to see such a model home for yourself on the campus of Northcentral Technical College. Its purpose is to demonstrate accessible house modifications and related furniture, fixtures, appliances, equipment and technology in a true residential living environment where visitors can take home information about everything in the house.

The Wausau house and surrounding landscape demonstrate numerous state-of-the-art accessible design and adaptive technologies that can be used to build or remodel a house to make independent living possible for people who might otherwise have to move to an assisted-living facility.

Wayne Geurink, a retired insurance executive who sustained a spinal cord injury from an automobile accident, is the project leader. With the help of others, he oversaw the design and construction of the home, known as Choices for Independent Living. The vision for the project was formed during a series of spinal cord injury support group meetings. The home is operated under the charitable nonprofit corporation, the Chairs & Cares Model Accessible Home, Inc., where Geurink serves as the president.

Construction was started on August 29, 2006. This 4,600-square-foot, two-story home has a slab foundation with three bedrooms and five bathrooms. An elevator provides wheelchair access. The entry doors are step free with level thresholds. When the house was completed in October 2007, the general contractor Keller Builders, valued the home at $1.2 million. This cost was offset by an estimated $400,000 to $600,000 in donated labor, building materials, equipment, furniture, fixtures and appliances. Funding and in-kind contributions came from foundation grants, manufacturers, suppliers, a local commercial general contractor, and private individuals. The technical college provided the land.

This home never has and never will be lived in or sold. The Midstate Independent Living Consultants organization uses the house as its office and operates the house. Ongoing funding is needed for operation expenses.

This house includes many universal design features such as 36-inch wide doors; 48-inch wide hallways; lever door and faucet handles; casement windows with push-button, electronic openers; pocket interior doors; pull down cabinet shelf; roll in shower; walk-in bathtub; front loading washer and dryer; side by side refrigerator; microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator drawers.

A strong focus on assistive technology designed for independent living is showcased in the home. Among the technology products included are a ceiling lift system for use in bed transfers; a Hoyer lift; an adjustable bed; talking caller identification; motion-activated lighting; and a height-adjustable sink.

For more information about this project, visit www.choicesil.com. This website contains extensive information about the features and products used to build and furnish this home, and lists the supplier’s contact information and prices. Photos illustrate the construction process, as well as the completed home.

This house has served to educate hundreds of builders, architects, designers, consumers, and students. When people planning to build or remodel their next home see this house, they come away with new ideas they can incorporate into their design. Through demonstration homes like this one, as well as the Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com) that my husband and I will be building in Columbus, Ohio, people are noticing successful universal design projects and replicating the universal design features across the country.

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Let’s kick the week of with a little fun, shall we? Fun with a side of jealousy, perhaps. These celebrity homes will likely get you thinking about your odds of winning the lottery, but hopefully they’ll also show you a burst of style that might inform your next room-painting project, home addition or other home-improvement project.

Elton John‘s slick Los Angeles apartment is adorned with loads of pop art and even more bold colors strewn about a modernist decor. Plus, he has quite the view — not just of the city below but also of the rolling mountains in the distance.

On the country’s opposite coast, you’ll find Lenny Kravitz and his Miami Mediterranean-style villa. (Well, formerly his; he’s apparently sold it and moved on.) The interior features most white, light, open, airy spaces, but to keep things interesting, one room stands strong with blood-red walls, ceiling and carpet.

Tennis star Pete Sampras‘ 16000-square-foot mansion outside of L.A. (pictured above) puts slight modernist touches on an elegant, stained-wood-centric home. From the reading room to the theater, it’s warm and comfortable, and the huge kitchen-living area is flooded with copious natural light.

Ellen Pompeo, star of Grey’s Anatomy, finds comfort and fun in her Spanish-style home in the Hollywood Hills. The kitchen juxtaposes old-feeling terracotta floor tiles with slick and modern stainless-steel appliances, and the open arches in the living room further the blend of old and new styles.

What’s your favorite celebrity home design? Have links or photos to share?

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The owners of this lakeside vacation home say they wanted a small retreat where they could go and feel refreshed and renewed, but which was also large enough to accommodate their extended family.

They found a site by a lake and approached architect Jim Nagle, whose own vacation home they had seen and admired.
“We wanted a house that we could use all year round, and that was completely different to our city home, which is very traditional. We wanted lots of light, and enough space for our adult children and eight grandchildren,” says one of the owners.

Nagle says because the property slopes down towards the lake it made sense to build a two-story home.

“This enabled us to design a house that didn’t feel too big and didn’t appear to dominate the surrounding environment – but had plenty of space.”

This house, designed by Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan Mckay Penney Architects of Chicago and built by Design Specialty Builders, features Marvin Windows and Doors to bring the outdoors in while still providing superior energy efficiency. The design also minimizes the less-desirable views of the road out front while making the trees and the lake a part of the architecture.

Read more about the house and see more photos at TrendsIdeas.com.

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It’s March, and many people are getting out of town, either due to cabin fever or spring break. If you’re not lucky enough to be staying with a friend or family member, you’ll probably be in a hotel. Bing has a slideshow of some very interesting and unusual hotels. Here are a couple of MLuxe’s favorites. Next time you travel, consider checking one of these out, or staying at a fun hotel in your chosen destination.

This California motel ingeniously recycles old cabooses for rooms. It’s perfect for railroad buffs or anyone who wants to relive the golden age of American railroads.

The Jumbo Hostel isn’t named because of its large room sizes…it’s housed in a re-purposed jumbo jet next to the Stockholm airport. Some travelers might not want to set foot in a plane until they need to go up in the air, but for those who want a little novelty, this hotel might be just the ticket.

If you’ve made it all the way to far-off Mongolia, why not stay in traditional housing? The Three Camel Lodge features yurts, for a truly authentic experience. Plus, you can smooth your hands with camel’s-milk lotion while there!

Happy travels!

We’ve written before about ideas for “bringing the outside in” — taking advantage of all nature has to offer, particularly beauty and light, while still providing protection and comfort people need from their homes. Some of our recent reading turned up more great finds along these lines.

One Project Closer has a photo story about a cabin buried in the woods with a deck that’s designed to kindly deposit the inhabitants squarely into the middle of their natural surrounding. As Fred from OPC writes, “While the deck is only about five feet off the ground, the bridge to the rock cluster really integrates the space better than steps down and up would have.”

You can get a better idea from the photo here, and OPC’s post has more photos — including one of a deer who visited during the photo shoot. How’s that for becoming one with nature?

Another one of our favorite sites, Inhabitat, sums things up nicely in a recent post, saying, “It’s always a pleasure to see a stunning home with sustainable features, but isn’t pretentious about it.” Indeed.

This post shows off a gorgeous home in California’s Bay Area that was built on the site of an older home that had be torn down due to structural problems. The new house built in its place is tightly wrapped around the lot’s small pond.

To take advantage of the scenic views of water, the home was built as four buildings, the main house, study, pool house and garage, that all come right up against the water’s edge. Large sliding glass doors from the buildings open up towards the pond, providing an immediate connection with nature as well as a good dose of natural ventilation.

The house also includes solar photovoltaic panels, a solar hot water system, and a combination of stone floors and a radiant floor heating system. You can read more and (more importantly) see a great collection of photos at Inhabitat.

Photo courtesy of One Project Closer

This beautiful project is the third in our series of winning projects from the myMarvin Architect’s Challenge.

If you’ve ever been to Europe and visited any of the grand cathedrals there, it is hard not to feel awed by the beautiful structures people built so long ago. People continue to build houses of worship nowadays, but it isn’t often you see the large old-style churches being constructed.

In LaCrosse, Wisc., however, it is estimated that, for the first time in 50 years, a major Catholic church has been built in the classical style. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe serves not only as a church, but as a place for a pilgrimage.

Visitors to the church may well think they are in a European cathedral, but this modern church fools the eye. Every element of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, from the nave to the fabulously detailed dome, was designed to look as if the church has always been there.

Marvin windows help flood the church with natural light. Light in The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is introduced through windows in the side aisles, clerestory windows in the nave, transepts, and sanctuary, and through the dome with its clear windows and oculus. There are twelve different custom window types at The Shrine in all shapes and sizes, each requiring their own details. Marvin’s custom capabilities helped the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe achieve the exact look desired.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s exterior was designed by Michael W. Swinghamer of River Architects in LaCrosse and the church’s interior was designed by Duncan Stroik of Duncan G. Stroik Architect in South Bend, Ind.

Considering our role as manufacturers of premium made-to-order windows, we’re big fans of the concept of bringing the outside in. That is, taking advantage of all of the great things nature has to offer — heating and cooling, beautiful views, places to work and play — while still providing all of the necessary protection and comfort people need from their homes.

For example, we sat down with garden home designer P. Allen Smith to discuss his approach to bringing the outside in:

Inhabitat, a blog the writes about all things in the world of sustainable design, recently showcased a home in San Francisco that artfully blurs the lines between indoors and out. In addition to a great use of huge windows to bring in the sunlight and the views from outside, the home also includes an “internal four-story light shaft, which also houses the stair and provides natural ventilation via the chimney effect.”

For more on this project, and for more nice photos, check out the story at Inhabitat.