Over the next few weeks, we will be profiling winners of the 2011 myMarvin Architect’s Challenge. Let’s start with a beautiful project from sunny Spain.

Francis Daniel Trico of McLundie Architects in Sotogrande, Spain designed a majestic villa of 850 square meters built area, laid out over four floors on a steep sloping site in Sotogrande Alto. This coastal gem boasts magnificent views over La Reserva golf course and lake and the Mediterranean Sea. The villa’s design was influenced by the traditional Andalucian architecture of the area, including details like “Tosco” brick in roof eaves and columns, play of volumes in the roofscapes and water fountains.

See more photos and learn more about this project on Marvin.com.

Given its location in the Mediterranean, forming a seamless relationship between outdoor and indoor living spaces was essential to the overall design approach. To open up the façade and connect the external covered terrace to the main living room, a Marvin Bi-Fold door was the perfect fit. Another feature, the introduction of an internal courtyard, serves as the focal point of the main living areas.

To maximize the height of the openings on the main floor, elegant fixed transoms with lites were introduced to allow for natural light and splendid views of the nearby golf course and lake. Additionally, windows were treated internally with the same lime washing finish as the rest of the timber ceilings and internal doors around the house, which was key to the overall aesthetic.

The decision to use Marvin Windows and Doors was made late in the construction process (building fabric and fenestration openings were fully completed). This proved to be the right decision, as Marvin demonstrated flexibility and versatility in its products and solutions. Scale, proportion, frame profile, elegance and general beauty of the windows and doors were vastly superior to any other products available in Spain.

Attention to detail in every aspect of the design coupled with the selection Marvin Windows and Doors culminated in a standout luxurious home.

Marvin products used included:

• Clad Bi-Fold Door
• Clad Ultimate Swinging French Doors
• Clad Ultimate Sliding French Doors
• Clad Direct Glaze Rectangle Units
• Clad Fixed Transom Units
• Clad Sliding Patio Doors
• Clad Ultimate Arch Top Swinging French Doors
• Clad Ultimate Awning Windows
• Clad Ultimate Casements
• Clad Ultimate Casement Round Top Units

At its best, building and architecture not only provides beauty but also innovative solutions to problems. Here’s a great example of that.

Inhabitat recently blogged about the Swiss St. Maurice Abbey. It’s ancient — more than 1,500 years old — and during the thousand-plus years of its existence, it sometimes needs a little TLC.

Recently, the abbey had some rocks fall on it. For protection, it was originally built next to a cliff, and that decision has served it well for thousands of years. Unfortunately, where there are cliffs, there are rocks, and when there’s a structure nearby…

Somehow, the St. Maurice Abbey had to be protected. But how to to do that while keeping with its ancient aesthetics and traditions? Enter Savioz Fabrizzi Architectes. They designed a roof that gently floats over the abbey and achieves the goals of protection and not changing the fundamental character of this historic place. It lets in massive amounts of natural light and looks like a cross between water and sky. Inhabitat has some great pictures of the project; check them out here.

Looking for innovative solutions for your home? Visit www.marvin.com to learn more!

The Minnesota Homes By Architects Tour, showcases 14 new and remodeled homes with an eye toward more than simple aesthetic pleasure:

This tour is about more than simple oohs and ahhs… it is about experiencing how design solutions — from dramatic to subtle — arouse an emotional response and create a sense of place. It is about observing first hand how working with an architect transformed what could have been run of the mill living spaces to responsive, tailored domestic environments.

Bryan Anderson of SALA Architects, Inc. is the architect on Home #1 on the tour. This project uses multiple custom sizes and shapes of Marvin Windows and Doors to show off the expansive views and let in lots of natural light. In the video below, Anderson speaks with Jeff Hoffman from Marvin Windows and Doors and shares some details about his approach to this home.

HBA Home 1 Standard & Custom Windows from Ryan Siemers on Vimeo

Marvin is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Architect’s Challenge. These gorgeous houses and buildings, designed by some of today’s most innovative architects, feature Marvin products and cutting-edge design. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing in-depth details of each project (and you can visit marvin.com to see more now), but let’s learn more about the judging panel.

J. Carson Looney, FAIA: Carson is one of the founders of Looney Ricks Kiss Architects with multiple offices headquartered in Memphis, TN. He is the Principal in Charge of Residential Architecture, providing design services for all segments of the Housing industry, as well as neighborhood planning and design guidelines.

He passionately believes one of the highest levels of sustainability in design is achieved through the creation of homes and neighborhoods that have enduring value— places and homes that are based on timeless principals, while seamlessly balanced with identifying and solving modern functional lifestyle needs. Quality of life and adaptable livability solutions are evident in the firm’s work, whether it is a modest row house or a unique custom home.

In 1996, Carson was elected to The College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his efforts to ensure the advancement of the living standards of people through their improved environment. In addition, he was recognized by residential architect magazine (Jan. 1999) as one of five current-day architects whose work forecasts the century ahead. In October 2007, he was inducted into the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence for his quality-of-life design solutions based on timeless principles of architecture. In January 2009, Carson was honored as one of the Top 30 Innovators for the Past 30 Years by BUILDER Magazine and the Hearthstone Humanitarian Awards. Carson was also inducted into the Inaugural Class of the Best in American Living Awards Hall of Fame in January 2009.

The work of the firm is widely published and to date has received 502 regional and national design awards.

William H. Kreager, FAIA, LEED®, MIRM: Bill Kreager, retired founding principal of Mithun, has created new homes and communities all across the United States. The integration of site planning, building design and sustainability in urban infill and mixed-use developments is the focus of his practice. His projects have achieved national recognition for Smart Growth implementation, environmentally sensitive master site planning and innovative architectural design. His progressive, marketoriented projects range from small, infill communities to new 6,000-acre towns. Bill has been lead master planner for new innovative communities throughout the Pacific Northwest, most recently High Point, a mixed-use community of 1,600 units that reweaves the neighborhood into West Seattle. Bill is a compelling speaker who is frequently requested to talk about housing issues before regional and national audiences.

Mark McInturff, FAIA: Mark McInturff FAIA is a native of Washington DC and received his B. Architecture from the University of Maryland School of Architecture with its first graduating class in 1972. He taught at the University of Maryland from1980 to 2006, and was appointed as the University of Maryland Kea Professor for Spring 2003. From1995 through 2004 he was also a visiting critic at the Catholic University of America’s School of Architecture and Planning. McInturff was elevated to the College of Fellows of the AIA in 2000.

McInturff Architects, a seven-person firm in Bethesda, Maryland, has an orientation toward small highly crafted contemporary design for residential, commercial and small institutional projects.

The firm has received more than 250 design awards, including three AIA Honor Awards, two for Interior Architecture and one for Urban Design, and an AIA Housing Award for multi-family housing. The work is the subject of two monographs, In Detail: McInturff Architects (2001) and In Residence: McInturff Architects (2007), both by The Images Publishing Group of Australia.

You’ve probably heard of retractable roofs on stadiums, but what about a totally retractable house? We found this very unusal housing idea from our friends at Design Milk.

Basically, you have a flexible material on hinges that can be changed about to suit your needs. Design Milk very aptly compares it to a transformer. Maybe you only need a home office some of the time. Or maybe what you need is a sunroom. No problem! M-House by Michael Jantzen delivers.

What do you think of this adaptable house?

Image courtesy of Design Milk.

When you take a peek inside actress Courteney Cox’s gorgeous Malibu home, courtesy of Elle Decor, you certainly get the sense it was a place created by a talented team of architects and designers. What’s less clear at first, though, is how integral a part of that team Cox was herself. Here’s an example, from Elle Decor’s article:

In the spirit of Monica Geller, the driven, perfectionist chef she played on Friends, Cox sure-handedly led the team through “intense” once-a-week planning meetings that lasted three hours. “I’ve been overseeing renovations of my homes for a long time, and I have strong opinions about what I want and why.” She scrutinized every detail, down to the smoky color of the tennis courts. [Architect Michael] Kovac recalls a visit from the tennis court surface company representative, who displayed his 10 stock colors. None quite fit the bill. “Courteney got him to bring a sample of the pigments of every color they had, along with some paintbrushes and paper plates, and everyone on the building team worked on mixing the pigments into new combinations. She had to get it exactly right.”

Sure enough, the first sentence of the article says, “Before becoming an actress, Courteney Cox wanted to be an architect,” and her attention to detail has paid off. She’s found a stunning location and created a truly beautiful home. Be sure to check out the Elle Decor article for more on the process of creating the home and, of course, for a couple dozen great photos. Here are some of our favorites.

A nearly all-white kitchen certainly makes it feel open, airy and inviting.

Outdoor fireplace with a rather stunning view, eh? This is built to jut out slightly over a drop-off overlooking the ocean and beach below. Not bad.

Stand-out feature of this bedroom: the custom-made zinc headboard and footboard. Note how the headboard extends beyond the bed itself and becomes a feature of the entire room.

Via Curbly, we came across this fascinating little time-sink: a listing of the most expensive homes in each of these United States. Unfortunately, the only way to view the full list is in this slightly clumsy digital magazine format, but we’ll share some interesting highlights here.

The most expensive home in all the land? Aaron Spelling‘s mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, California. This $150 million palace is, well, gorgeous. The listing offers no details about square footage, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, or anything a hopeful homebuyer might want to know, but it does mention that it’s a “single-family residence” on 4.7 acres. Must be for a large family.

At the other end of the spectrum is the most expensive home in North Dakota. Found in the city of Minot, this home is valued at a relatively reasonable $1.3 million. Four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and 10,000 square feet, it’s situated on “approximately 15 acres in the heart of hunting and oil country.”

Another gem? This amazing home in an amazing location in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Called Tranquility (any home with a name is worth at least an extra 50 percent, right?), the 210-acre property includes a private lake, 16-car garage and — wait for it — two par-3 golf holes. You can see more photos here.

We can dream, right?

Qualified Remodeler magazine recently featured a rather impressive remodeling project:

Just outside Boston, in the town of Wellesley, Mass., the owners of a home that bordered conservation land faced changing needs. After purchasing the 1,700-square-foot, 1930’s house, the residents performed a renovation in 1995 to increase the size to 2,000 square feet. Over time the family of four grew to a family of six, and the owners were ready for a master suite, home office and a larger place to entertain guests. They loved the house, neighborhood and peaceful conservation land abutting their backyard, so rather than move, the owners decided to undertake a 2,600-square-foot addition to more than double the home’s size.

The $1.6 million addition included a master suite; his and her bathrooms; a 2-story mahogany library that serves as an entertainment room and home office; a guest room and guest bathroom; a large basement renovation with a recreation room, gym and mechanical room; and a new entryway. The project won the Silver award in Qualified Remodeler’s 2010 Master Design Awards in the Room Addition over $100,000 category.

The focus of this remodeling project was to be unobtrusive and to respect the original style and structure of the home — both inside and out. According to the president of the firm that completed the project, “The remodel is a prime example of how to create an addition with sensitivity to existing architecture.”

Part of the approach to maintaining the original look and feel was to use made-to-order Marvin Windows, which offer enough options and flexibility to match any architectural style. Read more about this remodeling project at Qualified Remodeler.

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As the building industry’s brightest thinkers and practitioners ascend upon PCBC 2011 in San Francisco, we wanted to pay homage to the city’s reputation for cutting-edge architecture and design.

PCBC is a three-day conference (June 22-24) featuring keynote speakers and seminars that tackle the building industry’s biggest upcoming challenges headlong, exploring areas like universal design, green building and the remodeling boom.

San Francisco has always been a place for forward thinking, and that’s alive in its architecture and design. So often, homes and buildings are nestled against hills and coastline, bucking tradition at every chance.

We look forward to hearing the ideas and innovations that emerge from PCBC 2011. For now, here’s a glimpse at some of our favorite San Francisco homes:

Contemporary Staircase by DUMICAN MOSEY Artchitects [Houzz]

Read the rest of this entry »

When architect Joseph G. Metzler, AIA, and colleagues from SALA Architects in Minneapolis began on this extensive remodel, they faced the challenge of modernizing on old home’s functionality while maintaining that ever-important character of its architecture. According to TrendsIdeas.com:

Houses built around the turn of the last century have plenty of character, but they can also be a little too formal for modern family living. This house, for example, reflected the typical architecture of the period. The formality of the exterior and entry was echoed on the interior, which meant the kitchen was in a room of its own with no real family living space.

Builder Ed Roskowinski of Vujovich Design Build shines some light on just one of the ways in which the character was maintained during the project: ”As well as restoring part of the trellis, we were able to salvage the red bricks. Around 70% of the bricks are from a chimney we removed on site.”

In addition to the salvaged building materials, the remodel also included Ultimate Double-Hung windows and swinging French doors from Marvin Windows. You can see more photo and read more about the project on TrendsIdeas.com.

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