A recipient of an “Award of Merit” for Adaptive Reuse in the 2010 AIA New York State Design Awards, this project from James McKinney of Sacco + McKinney Architects was selected as a winner for showcasing adaptive reuse, historic preservation and high performance.

The Mayo Smith, Seelye and Hitchcock Houses at Amherst College are viewed as local historical landmarks overlooking the town common. This project assures their preservation while looking to the future through the use of high performance building envelopes, solar energy for hot water and high efficiency mechanical and electrical systems.

These restored buildings provide attractive living environments with many of the same amenities as the new dorms on campus, including compliance with safety and accessibility standards.

Floor plans include a mix of room types preferred by upper class students, including singles, two-room doubles and suites. Also, common social and study space, music practice rooms, laundries and bathrooms. Existing floor plans were revised to improve space utilization, reclaim under-utilized space and accommodate new egress stairs.

Amherst’s “High-Performance Buildings Guidelines” called for technologically advanced systems and materials. While architecturally preserved on the outside, thermal and air barrier technology was applied at the inner face of the walls and integrated with window replacement to achieve a high performing envelope. Both open- and closed-cell foam products were used in response to differing wall construction in the various buildings. Existing windows were replaced with custom high-efficiency clad units matching existing profiles and sight lines. Marvin’s custom profiles and products, combined with their super energy performance, made them the perfect fit for meeting preservation requirements while addressing future needs.

New mechanical and electrical systems include high efficiency boilers, low flow plumbing fixtures, DDC controls to allow facilities to monitor performance of systems, energy recovery from ventilation air and high efficiency LED lighting. Roof top solar panels provide most of the hot water for showers and laundries and serve as a visible component of the school’s commitment to reducing carbon emission.

Modifications to accomplish modern accessibility were done with minimal impact on the historic nature of the buildings. New accessible walks flow with the site contours and porch decks were raised to eliminate the one-step barriers found at entry doors. Existing doors and entrances were selectively altered to meet width requirements in an architecturally sensitive manner. And historic main stairs were modified to meet current requirements, while maintaining their historic character.

Mayo-Smith, Seelye and Hitchcock Houses are proof that historic buildings can be fully effective in responding to the energy and environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Marvin products used in this project included double hung windows, custom configurations and historical replications.

Photography courtesy of James McKinney.

Check your local movie listings and you would have a hard time finding a ticket for less than $10. Over the past few years, movie night has become absurdly expensive.

At the same time, media rooms are becoming more popular as home-theater systems have not only improved in quality but become easier to plan a room around. (Remember those bulky big-screen TVs from the late 1990s? Oy vey.)

Whether you’re finishing a basement or you’ve included a media room in your new home, planning includes more than a visit to your nearest home electronics retail store. Here’s a list of tips from Houzz to create the perfect media room for your home:

• Include storage and shelves for all of your favorite books and movies
• Have fun with the paint scheme. Go with a mural like a star-speckled sky or dark, rich colors to accommodate dim lighting
• Prioritize comfort when choosing furniture
• Create theater-like acoustics by using sound paneling or wall upholstery
• Include a bar or kitchenette to serve as your at-home concessions stand

Do you have a media room in your home? What’s your favorite feature?

[Photo from Deep River Partners]

Ceilings: they don’t matter until they do. People give much more attention to the ceiling’s flashier sister, the wall — so many choices for colors and decor! But the ceiling is just sort of… there.

Nonetheless, there’s a lot of room for a decorating statement on the ceiling and MSN Real Estate runs through various ceiling types. Here are our favorites:

• Panel ceiling: This wood ceiling might scream 70s basement, but with beautiful wood, it can give off a rustic woodsy vibe.
• Tin ceiling: These ceilings are gorgeous and intricate and add a lot of detail to a room. The downside is that they can cause extra noise.
• Cathedral ceiling: This soaring ceiling can add space and light to a room (it looks especially great with large windows!). If you’re going for a cozy look though, this might not be the best choice.

What kind of ceilings do you like?

Image courtesy of MSN Real Estate

We recently introduced our readers to Southern Living magazine’s 2012 Idea House project, a great annual project that documents the renovation of aging homes as some of the best in the business breathe new life into them. Marvin Windows and Doors is a sponsor of the project, and we’re doing some of our own documentary work, as well.

Our video series will follow the project from beginning to end. This most recent video (episode 3, embedded just below) shows the house resting on its new foundation, after it was moved to a new position on the lot, and some other updates taking place — like window replacement.

Learn more about the project from Southern Living, and be sure to follow the story on Marvin.com.

The sink is an simple way to provide a bathroom with a focal point — especially a smaller bath where space is tight. Tthe Kitchen & Bath Show is going on this week, and there have been a lot of new and beautiful sinks in the blogosphere. We especially love this one that Bob Vila found. It’s a real stand-out, made with copper and designed to be seen! Made by Premier Copper Products, it is hand-forged from recycled copper. Gorgeous and green!

Let’s just ignore the bizarre weather that has left parts of the country stunned the past few weeks and welcome spring, a magical time of year when homes are reinvigorated by warming weather and bright colors. (Quick poll: Is there any better feeling than the first night you can choose to leave the windows open?)

Of course, spring time is when various around-the-home projects are revisited or thought up. But hold your paint roller right there, because a recent story from the folks at House Beautiful shows how the softer colors of spring can make for a great choice for your bedroom walls.

Steal some inspiration from spring and check out some of these great paint schemes from the House Beautiful story that could work year-round (including the photo above):

Real People, Real Kitchens: 15 Small Cool Kitchens You Won’t Want to Miss
The Kitchn
Check out The Kitchn’s roundup of little kitchens with big style.

Boulder Tiny House: Colo. Couple Build Simple, Sustainable 125 Square Foot Home
Huffington Post
“Could you live in only 125 square feet? That’s exactly what a Boulder, Colo. couple are doing now that they have completed building their brand new, tiny home from scratch.”

Death to the McMansion
Slate
“Add it all up, and the National Association of Realtors estimates that—today—56 percent of Americans want the attributes of this new American dream in their next housing purchase. Yet only 2 percent of new units being built today fit these attributes. That’s a massive pool of pent-up demand, locked away by federal policy still supporting suburban growth at the expense of all other types of communities. Change the policy—without having to spend a dime—and we’re off to the races with new jobs in construction and infrastructure, plus homes and communities that reflect the way we want to live today. And they happen to be good for the planet, reducing energy, water, and waste by at least one-third.”

How To Live Well in 1oo Square Feet
Apartment Therapy
“Recently, at SXSW 2012, we had the pleasure of hearing Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company extol the virtues of living in a small space. While he admits that living in 100 square feet might not be for everyone, his talk contained plenty of tips that apply to anyone looking to live efficiently.”

A recent article from Builder Magazine tells the tale of an all too common struggle architects face when a client’s desires seem to clash with the instinct to preserve the traditional character of an old home:

This 1915 house had good proportions, a protective roofline, and a view over the water. So architect Rob Whitten winced when the owners asked him to winterize it and add on. “Many such cottages have been brought to their knees by people wanting to turn them into four-season residences,” he says.

The renovated cottage includes Marvin double-hung windows that blend well with the other rustic but sophisticated materials in the home: wood-paneled walls, pine flooring, a farmhouse sink and cherry cabinets. Learn more about Marvin double-hung windows at marvin.com, and read the full article at Builder Online.

If you enjoy the outdoors and communing with nature, and if you’ve ever desired to expand your outside bathroom repotoire beyond camping trips, this might be just the toilet for you!

Architect Sou Fujimoto created this glass toilet stall to take advantage of the beautiful rural landscape in Ichihara City. For use only by women, the toilet stall is, well, interesting to say the least.

What do you think: Interesting architecture or wacky use of space?

Image courtesy of CNet

11 Tips for Adding Personality and Style to Your Kitchen
CasaSugar
Make your kitchen quintessentially you without swinging a single sledgehammer. CasaSugar shows how you can revitalize the kitchen through deliberate use of artwork, accessories and personal artifacts. Besides, what can a stainless steel refrigerator really say about you?

Home Offices That Earn Their Keep
Houzz
Whether you run a business out of your home or you’re in the business of bring work home, a home office should be just that — equal parts home and office. Here’s a look at functional home offices that also reflect the personality and style of their owners. Bottom line: There’s no harm in adding some creature comforts to your workspace.

Space Planning 101
Home Renovation Guide
For most homeowners, spacing is a matter of feel. But feel doesn’t work so well for architects and interior designers. Here, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) and Design Works, Inc. have formalize the art of spacing with a very helpful tipsheet.