Ever heard of the Solar Decathlon? No, it’s not some sort of multi-sport athletic event! It is a competition between universities all over the world to build the most energy-efficient house possible. The competition is especially challenging because the winning house has to also be attractive and livable. Houses are judged on five subjective points (architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design and communications) and five objective points (comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment and net metering).

Marvin is proud to provide windows for the University of Minnesota Solar Decathlon team. The windows are very large to let as much light as possible in. This is important since the house is only 800 square feet!

The team strived to get building materials from near-by manufacturers and to re-use materials as much as possible.

Since Minnesota is a cold northern state, the house has to collect as much solar heat as possible, even during harsh winters. However, the Solar Decathlon competition will be held in October in Washington, D.C., so the house also has to perform in warm, humid conditions. The team carefully designed the house with features  to work in both.

After the competition is over, the University of Minnesota team plans to sell the house. If you are interested in a truly energy-efficient house with a beautiful look, this could be the home for you!

Do you see that sort of transparent-looking, sort of reflective, sort of strange bubble coming out of the side of the house in the photo? That’s actually an addition built onto the side of the house.

Yes, really. The house is in Beijing, China, and the idea behind the bubble is that it allows for architects to add to these old homes without destroying the visual character of the area. I’ll let the Beijing-based architects at MAD explain:

The Hutongs are historic poor neighbourhoods of central Beijing. Though the Hutongs delight tourists, life for the residents is hard: they have limited private space, and no indoor shower or toilet. At the same time as these residents are being re-housed on the outskirts of the city by the government, their historic homes are being occupied by the rich, whilst property developers tear down the old buildings and recreate them in ersatz form.

This bubble, then, simply adds a staircase and a toilet to the home without stomping all over the neighborhood’s character. Or does it? Do you think this is better or worse than a more traditional addition?

Thanks to the DIY Maven at Curbly.com for sharing this story.

We’ve searched the whole country over and are pleased to announce the winners of the myMarvin Architect’s Challenge. Six beautiful structures, all using Marvin products, have been chosen as winners for their ingenuity and beauty.

Over the next six Tuesdays, we’ll cover each winning entry: five residences and one church.  You’ll be learning more about them soon, but here are the architects who won the Challenge:

• John Senhauser, FAIA of John Senhauser Architects
• Helga Lilley of Gorgeous Green Home Design
• Duncan Stroik of Duncan G. Stroik Architect, LLC
• Michael W. Swinghamer of River Architects, Inc.
• Arleta Chang of Jarvis Architects
• Jonathan Feldman of Feldman Architecture
• Andrea Swan of Swan + Simmons Architecture, Ltd.

The myMarvin Architect’s Challenge was judged by three architecture luminaries and members of the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame: David Baker, FAIA, LEED AP; Carson Looney, FAIA and Stephen Muse, FAIA.

Several years ago, my wife and I were searching for a new home to raise our ever-expanding family. We were living in Chicago, near Wrigley Field, and had renovated our home top to bottom – but it was small. Our first thought was to move to a nearby suburb, where homes and lots were a little bigger and where the schools offered more, as well.

About this time, my wife’s Aunt Mary told us about a home in her northwest Chicago neighborhood that was going to go up for sale. The Edgebrook area of Chicago is a sturdy community with brick bungalows and Georgians with nice size lots, but I was not sold. I had spent most of my time building and renovating homes in the suburbs that we were considering and had a good feel for a few homes that would be great fixer-uppers. My wife said, Let’s just go and look and see what the home is like.

We drove up to the home, which was still owned by the original owner, a widow who had built the home with her husband in 1941. Walking up to the yellow brick home, I could tell that is was very well maintained. We knocked on the door and Mrs. Lang, the owner, welcomed us in. As I entered, I closed the 2 1/4-inch-thick door behind me, and it closed with a solid “thunk.”

I bent over immediately and whispered in my wife’s ear, “This is the house.” She quickly turned and said, “We haven’t even seen it yet.” But I knew.

As we toured the house I could see the great pride that Mrs. Lang had for her home. As we went about it, I looked at all the finishes. From the impressive front door to the interior trim, this home was built well with thick, tasteful finishes. The combination of the materials and design not only made the home look good but felt good as well.

Years ago I was given the advice that when you buy a home, look for one with charm. As a builder it is something I tried to bring into every project. Whether you are building a new home or adding on, spend some time to consider some of the things you will touch on a daily basis in that home. The front door is the first point of contact for you and your guests. Spend a little more on the thickness, the design, the hardware that goes into that feature.

The same is true for interior doors, door hardware, and the quality of the trim around it. And if there is a banister, make sure it is the right size, feels smooth to the touch, and feels sturdy as you either ascend or descend the stairs.

To me the feel of a home is just as important as the look.

Vacations should be full of relaxation, a chance to get away from the demands of everyday life and let the weight of the world fall from your shoulders. Ideally, a vacation residence should facilitate that sort of mood – as this Swedish house, featured on Home Design Find, does.

It’s not large, and it’s not fancy, but it is well-designed and achieves its purpose: to blend in with its surroundings and offer a calming, water-centered retreat.  The “Swedish Mill House,” designed by Wingardhs, combines the warmth of Scandinavian design with the cool aesthetic of Japanese Zen.

The main feature is an outdoor pool that looks like a pond, with rocks and greenery surrounding it.  It is right off the deck of the house, so it’s easy to jump in after a sauna.  The pool and sauna are the focal point of the Swedish Mill House.  Of course, you can’t spend all your time sweating and swimming, so this vacation home also has facilities for cooking and sleeping.  But in keeping with the philosophy behind the design, the space devoted to these functions is minimal.

Blonde wood, stone and a wall made of glass emphasize the site’s natural beauty and look modern, yet warm.  Cool water surrounding the house relaxes the senses and lets life’s worries slip away.

Photos are courtesy of James Silverman.

People depicted as living in towers usually aren’t there for very happy reasons. From Rapunzel, imprisoned in her tower by a witch, to Anne Boleyn, imprisoned in the Tower of London by Henry VIII, towers are often seen as places of incarceration and gloom.

Not so, however, with the renovation of the Christ Church Tower in London by Boyarsky Murphy Architects. The beautiful tower, designed by Christopher Wren after London’s Great Fire in 1666, was in bad condition when a financier decided to buy it. Boyarsky Murphy took on the challenging project and designed a beautiful, unusual and livable residence.

There were some limitations, however. Architectural Record featured the Christ Church Tower in their April 2007 issue and noted that Boyarsky Murphy was not allowed to remove a spiral staircase original to the home, nor were they allowed to add new windows. Thus, careful planning and innovative strategies were the name of the game.

Every level (and there are quite a few!) includes one roughly living space. There is a small elevator to move people around quickly. From bottom to top, Boyarsky Murphy designed rooms to accommodate every need: foyer/dining, kitchen, living room, laundry room, bedroom, study, master bath, master bath, library, mezzanine and at the top, a viewing terrace that looks over the City of London.

The interior of the tower is clean and modern—an interesting juxtaposition with the tower’s historical exterior. White walls, metal railings, blonde wood and a curvy glass staircase help the tower feel light and airy. There’s also some urban grit in the form of some graffiti from previous reconstructions.

Boyarsky Murphy’s creative work and elegant solutions transformed a forlorn tower into a historical modern home. Far from being confining, the Christ Church Tower is lovely, light-filled and livable.

Photos courtesy of Boyarsky Murphy Architects. More photos here.

If you’re looking for a place with beautiful beaches, warm weather and a culture that blends together history and modern entertainment, you can’t do better than Key West. Luminaries like Ernest Hemingway, Harry Truman and Jimmy Buffett have made their home there and people continue to flock there today.

A recent beachfront community called the Truman Annex is a former naval base and the site of President Truman’s “Little White House” winter getaway. The community has new and renovated homes that come from a variety of architectural styles. New England and Bahamian designs capture the melting pot that is Key West and offer a luxurious experience for its residents.

The windows offer a great view of historic Key West. Marvin Windows and Doors provided thousands of windows to meet this community’s needs.

Many types of windows were used, including double-hungs, half-round windows, awnings, bays, transoms and casements. For renovated residences, Marvin’s historic replication experience was a plus, as they were able to match older windows perfectly. Since all Marvin products are custom-made, the new windows fit perfectly into the old openings.

If you ever have the chance to get to Key West, enjoy the sea breezes, beaches and activities. And should you be near the Truman Annex, take a look at the windows that let so many people look out on the life of Key West.

Grab a beverage of your choice and set aside some time to ogle the seemingly endless photos from This Old House’s “Best Old House Neighborhoods.” Whatever your taste, there’s sure to be something you’ll love. And whether you’re shopping for a home, remodeling a home, or just considering some exterior paint, these photos are almost certain to contain some inspiration.

The houses are sorted and presented in a number of ways. You can view Bargains, Fixer-Uppers, Cottages & Bungalows or Victorians. Or you can see houses in areas that are great for first-time buyers, families with kids, food lovers, single women buyers, small business owners or more. Or you can dig through houses sorted by geographic region.

This Old House says:

Unique, tight-knit neighborhoods are precisely what we looked for in selecting the winners of our second annual Best Places to Buy an Old House contest—places that might not be on your radar but deserve to be. Like last year, we relied on our good friends at PreservationDirectory.com to help us contact thousands of neighborhood groups, real estate agents, and preservation societies to get their takes on the best places to track down, fix up, and fall head of heels for older homes.

Photo courtesy of This Old House and its Best Old House Neighborhoods feature

Architect Mark Burgess is a founding partner of U+B Architecture and Design Inc., a Minneapolis-based architecture and design firm. U+B does commercial interiors and residential construction, additions and renovations.

The firm designed the Spoonriver restaurant in downtown Minneapolis and is currently handling master planning and design for the Assoufid development in Marrakech, Morocco. The project includes 80 luxury villas, a five-star hotel and golf club.

MLuxe grabbed Mark for an interview to discuss trends in home design, architect-client relationships, and more. Enjoy.

What are today’s homeowners most interested in?

I think most people want to have something that’s tailored to their site, tailored to their lifestyle and tailored to their budget. I think there’s a realization that a house that isn’t designed for you isn’t really the best value.

It’s not about square footage; it’s about creating memorable spaces and memorable rooms. Another thing people are more conscious of is, when they’re adding onto a venerable old house, they want the addition to be a seamless piece of the house.

You often see an older house with an addition that looks like the 1970s. And I just groan and think, “Couldn’t they have put a little more thought into it?” Architects can add a lot of value in helping the homeowner think these things through.

Photo of a home in the Minneapolis area designed by U+B, transforming “a banal late 1950s ranch style residence into a contemporary home for a couple and their two children.”

How does the architect-client relationship work?

It’s really hard to have successful projects without great clients and great client ideas. As an architect, you want to ask them hard questions: “If you could have this or this, which would you choose?” We balance a lot of different goals between spouses, designers and budgets.

What’s the role of quality in assessing a project?

It’s very important. It’s all about using the right material in the right location, something that’s durable and long-lived. It has to do with making appropriate decisions.

What kind of styles are your clients interested in today?

Increasingly you’re seeing people who are willing to experiment with modernism. I think people are willing to juxtapose traditional houses with very modern interiors.

We recently did a very modern interior in a Cape Cod house. I think people find that interplay between traditional and modern very interesting.

But I think most people want traditional detailing — the feeling of the trim and the material — but they want modern spatial combinations. Older houses tended to be a series of discrete rooms that didn’t open into each other. Now people like wide open spaces.

Are you seeing more interest in outdoor spaces?

The spaces that provide transition between outside and inside are incredibly important. Spaces like porches, screen porches, decks — I really consider them outside rooms.

We work a lot with landscape architects. It’s really a pleasure to collaborate with people who are talented with plantings and earth.

Also, a home really has to be anchored to a specific site. You think about where you want to put the screen porch: do you want the sun to rise on that space or set on that space? Where are the prevailing breezes? Those kinds of decisions anchor a house in a way that can be really poetic.

Can you say a few words about windows?

We specify Marvin windows almost exclusively because they have great customer support. My partner had a question about some Marvin windows. He called them and got an answer right away — no waiting around for three days. They stand behind their products.

They also have flexibility — you can get them in lots of different types and sizes, and they perform very well. With Marvin, if you want a window to be two inches narrower in one dimension, they can make it happen. That kind of flexibility is important for me as an architect.