2006 Home of the Month Selections

AIA Minnesota is pleased to partner with Minneapolis's StarTribune newspaper to celebrate the fourth annual Home of the Month program. Twelve entries were selected from 43 submissions and will be featured in the newspaper's "Homes" section, appearing the first Saturday of every month beginning on May 6, 2006.

The purpose of the competition is to:

    * educate and inspire the public about the value architects bring to home-building;
    * support ideas of what a Minnesota or Wisconsin home can be;
    * expand understanding of the many housing choices for potential homeowners;
    * represent a diversity of price-range for architecturally designed homes;
    * and support a growing residential architectural community.


The jury gathered on April 7, and included Brian MacKay-Lyons, FRAIC, Hon. FAIA, RCA, MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, Ltd.; John Cuningham, FAIA, Cuningham Group Architecture, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Renee Cheng, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA), University of Minnesota


Following are the 2006 Home of the Month projects selections with jury comments:
(click on image to enlarge)

Private Residence, Roberts, Wisconsin Wayne Branum, AIA, SALA Architects, Inc. “The iconic tower, landscape and use of simple materials in a straightforward way, demonstrated a deep respect for the site. It's a great example of low budget achieving high results.”	George Heinrich
Universal Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota Thomas Meyer, FAIA, Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle “This is a thoughtful loft that retains the open- plan promise of loft living through redefined cabinetry, integrated accessibility and seamless aesthetics within its steel frames, wood panels and glass. It has a consistent language that is very well explained - you never get lost.”
Ten Ecyk, New Scandia Township, Minnesota Michael Huber Architect, Michael Huber, AIA, while at h2Architecture with Dave Heller, AIA, and Jan Knutsen, AIA “Spatially, this one-room pavilion, two-bedroom home is very much in control. There's an interesting ship-like quality about it - the sides are the focal point complete with side decks and detailing representing a ship's structure.”	Kelly Walker
Woodland Home, Scandia, Minnesota Katherine Hillbrand, AIA, SALA Architects, Inc. “The architect handled the difficulty of this conventional reinterpretation of a bungalow with restraint and an impressive level of detail.  It's graceful - there's a Zen-like quality about it - especially noted in the merger of architecture and cabinetry.”	Troy Thies
Urban Ark, Northfield, Minnesota Eric Odor, AIA, SALA Architects, Inc. “Throughout the house you're constantly rewarded with visuals.  The experience of this home is a procession - like a Japanese garden.  There's a nice organization and careful overlay of the building systems, circulation and structure.”	Eric Odor
North Oaks Residence, North Oaks, Minnesota Robert Gerloff, AIA, Robert Gerloff Residential Architects “The elevations of this remodel are restrained - it's a matter-of-fact vernacular. The use of inexpensive materials creates variety in the exterior and a rich color palette. The pinwheel design is well done, making a microclimate of the spaces and creating a wonderful courtyard with a grove.”	Dana Wheelock
New London House, New London, Minnesota Katherine Hillbrand, AIA, SALA Architects, Inc. “This home is nicely massed, crafted and composed. Details are everywhere throughout the interior and exterior from the windows and paneling to the eaves. The architect created the missing elements to a great relationship of interior to exterior space in this remodel - the new space dissolves away the walls.”	Chabrielle Cartrette
North Oaks Transformation, North Oaks, Minnesota Mark Larson, AIA and Jean Rehkamp Larson, AIA, Rehkamp Larson Architects, Inc. “The architects, with the renovation of this 1960's home, truly rediscovered the clarity of sixties modernism. There is a clear organization in the new plan and an enlightened spatial quality. Behind the scenes, upgraded mechanical and lighting systems speak to the value-added planning.”	Rau Barber Photography
Bryn Mawr Attic Conversion and Kitchen Remodel, Minneapolis, Minnesota Mike Bader, AIA, 3studios, inc. “This project proves that when you have a small budget, you can't afford not to hire an architect. There is a nice experimentation of materials in this kitchen remodel and attic conversion - it's historically honest.  It's now a modest little bungalow that celebrates a once neglected space in a lot of light.”	Mike Bader
New Home in Chanhassen, Chanhassen, Minnesota Dan Nepp, AIA, TEA 2 Architects, Inc. “It's a craftsman-style home that fits well within its vernacular tradition.  It borders on abstraction and picturesque while learning from the past. The well-handled sequences of spaces are refreshingly symmetrical and asymmetrical - enhancing the overall experience as you move throughout the home.”	Dan Nepp
Bluff House, Minnesota River Valley, Minnesota Mark Larson, AIA, and Jean Rehkamp Larson, AIA, Rehkamp Larson Architects, Inc. “Noteworthy for its monumentality in the landscape, this home is a real celebration of views.  Kitchen materials of wood and stainless steel juxtapose to recognize the way things are done.  Nice scale and simplicity.”	Ken Gutmaker, Rau Barber Photography
Raptor Ridge, Lake Pepin, Wisconsin SALA Architects, Inc., Eric Odor, AIA “This home is case in point for an essay on the formal restraint of an environmental ethic.  Clean, uncluttered barn forms rise out of the landscape while the protected court spaces are a minimalist view based on what farmers already knew.  It's nicely informed with a clear plan and simple materials inside.”	Eric Odor