I really like Villa Vals - or as I've been calling it "The Hobbit Crater"

Was a bit disappointed by Rick Joy in VT. The stone wall was beautifully detailed but I have mixed feelings about the experience of arriving "home" at that facade.

I was extremely disappointed with this years selections. If this is any indication of where AR is going, I'll drop my subscription. I am getting much higher quality residential coverage from Residential Architect and even, *gasp*, Architecture Digest (granted, you have to sift through crap, but it is there).

Joy's work is always impressive and I did enjoy seeing his house, even though I don't think it was a great (compared to his other work).


Overall, I'd give this showing a C- (lower if I hadn't been a huge fan for the last 15 years). I'll reread just to be sure, but fairly confident this issue (which are typically the bst of the year) will hit the recycle heap quickly. Too bad.

although they are very very nice houses, i thought they, generally speaking, didn't flow well - imho, houses flow - inside and out. but then again, perhaps that responds better to the each individual clients needs/wants; or perhaps i am just growing accustomed to large open free-flowing lving spaces-
either way, joy's house, in particular, could've had more light in its interior - it would've offset nicely against the stone -

my favorite is the stand-alone barn at villa vals; but hey, that's just me -

i am really impressed by the house in china. there is this tension between urbanity and the country house...nearing the tension of the ideal villas of palladio. craft and natural with the hints of the modern orange peeking through.

of course this issue always pales in "informing the public" that a mag like dwell does. are we really loosing touch with the mainstream?
thoughts on how to close the gap?

i got mine yesterday. you guys have had time to open the thing?!

I think its an impressive and diverse selection.

I got mine Friday, Steven. Looked through it Sunday night while husband watched The Watchmen.

raj, I think the argument being made by Record Houses is that some residential architecture is truly high art - it's both occupiable shelter AND a strong vision, for lack of a better word, of an artist. A sculpture you can live in.

So Dwell has its place, as Modernism for the masses, while RHs is dreamy high fashion - like a really amazing bottle of wine or an Aston Martin or a first edition Superman comic or whatever, it's important for collectors on a certain plane.

At least that's the opinion I'm going to toss out today. Record Houses' goal isn't to inform so much as to inspire.

hmmm.... i'm not sure this represents the 'best' of 'the best', even among the 'higher art' homes, at least as record houses used to. if anything, i think it continues a trend in which the issue simply doesn't hold the clout that it once did. given that you have to sign your house on (4-6 mo) in advance as an 'exclusive'.... i don't know. there are just so many more outlets that can get your project out quickly and to the people it probably matters to. i would guess a couple of these architects are hanging tough with a.r. just for the chance to get other (hopefully non-residential) projects into print later on.

point being - i've seen better cruising through dezeen, not to mention any of the other magazines mentioned above.

i do like the maltzan house though - very, very interesting. (and, like trace, i've enjoyed rick joy's work in the past. this house... if it was my firm submitting this, we wouldn't have been given a second thought.)

the architects are interchangeable except maybe maltzan...

Looking at record houses (in suburban Ohio in the late '70's) was a big part of my inspiration to go into architecture ... looking at it now makes me wish I had studied investment banking.

I would be curious to know how the Vals hose on the cover got around the "exclusive" agreement since it was in Abitare last month (with better drawings)

i can't stop staring at the fence around the vals house. i find it very distracting and keep wondering how i would have done it differently. at the same time, it is the most interesting thing about any of the houses this year.

I really liked this line by the guy who hired Bow Wow for the Mountain House, describing what he wanted Instead of a beautiful spaceship, I wanted a tugboat.

I will also say maDA s.p.a.m. seem to be continuing the work of developing a Chinese architecture with Western sensibilities.. I don't love the Well House but it doesn't seem PoMo but authentic/local and that especially in China these days (i imagine) is a plus..

I'm caught up on the Maltzan house. There's something that really bothers me about the claim that they kept costs down. Thats absurd when you look at the budget - $600/sf! And the form, a quote of Lautner's Chemosphere house, compounds the problem when you consider how originally the form did keep costs and here its just a gratuitous conceit.