Ruhl Walker Architects

One of the most critical design imperatives for a new custom house is that it should be fully integrated with its unique landscape. We are currently collaborating with Kris Horiuchi of Horiuchi Solien Landscape Architects on a new house for a spectacular four acre site on Griffin Island in Wellfleet, MA. The site photos and digital model we posted back on March 19th show a design that takes its formal cues not only directly from Cape Cod Bay but also from the actively shifting, sliding, sandy topography of its dramatic coastal bank. The coastal bank’s movement is almost visible to the naked eye, with sand and trees moving together in dramatic harmony, and our house will also appear to shift and slide with the landscape.  One interesting surprise we have proposed to both the owners and Kris is a “floating hole” strategically placed in the middle of the house adjacent to the main entrance as well as main living space, where landscape and building architecture, earth and sky, sun and shade all come together, anchoring house to nature. See below for several building sections that we are developing, as well as additional details of the “hole”. And we’ll keep you posted as we continue to develop the design.

I was recently asked to comment on what the keys to a successful school building project are, by Educational Directions Incorporated. EDI is an international independent school consultant, and they published my comments in their newsletter, The Trustee’s Letter.  I chose to focus on three key issues that we have found of paramount importance in our institutional projects:

MASTER PLAN: The biggest architectural challenge with school design projects is figuring out not only what is needed for the specific building / addition, but to think beyond that important but incomplete functional agenda, and to consider the campus as a whole as it relates to the school’s mission. What does it say about our school that we are building a fancy new gym when our classrooms or dorms are falling apart? How can we site a new structure so that it not only accommodates a specific function but also makes the campus as a whole more cohesive? As an example, we designed six new faculty / staff houses at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA, that not only housed faculty and staff and their families, but through our overall design strategy – both building and landscape – created a system that will guide the school’s planning for future new structures and also integrated a portion of the campus that had previously been disconnected from the main campus. It is critical that the school have a comprehensive master plan before embarking on additions / renovations / new construction, and this should be a live document that is updated regularly.

SUSTAINABILITY: All architectural projects must be sustainable regardless of scale or budget, not because it is “trendy” but because it is critical for the long term health and well-being of our schools and the students we teach. Designing and building sustainably can save money for a school both short term and long term.  And it’s also the right thing to do! One really important consideration is to make sure that prior to adding a new building, to make sure the school’s existing buildings are as efficient and functional as absolutely possible. For example, don’t build a new dorm until all existing dorms are made as energy efficient, livable / comfortable, and fully utilized as possible.

MULTI-FUNCTIONALITY:  In this day and age, when all schools are recovering from the Great Recession, I think it behooves all architects working with schools – as well as their clients, including not only school administrators but also Board committees – to plan for multi-functionality for all new spaces and buildings; flexibility must be designed into all projects. What other functions can this new building or addition accommodate besides what you are asking your architect to design?

Will Ruhl

We are really excited about a new beach house we are designing for a magnificent waterfront property on Cape Cod Bay in Wellfleet. On Monday I had the pleasure of spending a full day with our clients, basking in the 70 degree sunshine and exploring the four acre site from end to end with three phenomenally talented prospective landscape architects.  We discussed ways to integrate the design of house and land, as well as opportunities for enhancing the diverse site features — hilly and thick with gnarled pines on one side, more open and low-scaled with beach plum, bayberry, and beach grasses on the other. We can’t wait to start collaborating with the landscape design team and seeing how things develop. Yes, we’ll keep you posted.

Will Ruhl

We are really excited about several new projects in the early stages of design, including new houses, two new lofts, and a master plan for a small school in northern New Hampshire. We will share some more information about each of these projects in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, check out the images and information below.

Architects are sometimes perceived as design aesthetes, imbued with an overabundance of “creativity” but only a modicum of common sense about how to build things and solve real world problems. A savvy homeowner, however, understands that architects are actually uniquely trained as problem-solvers, with fluid analytical skills and the ability to visualize what others cannot. More and more we find ourselves applying these skills with residential projects by engaging with our clients in pre-purchase feasibility studies, to help determine if a particular plot of land, or an existing building to be renovated is actually suitable for the intended purpose.

Recently one of our clients was negotiating with a developer for the custom build-out of an already gutted 5 story row house. Because the developer was proposing traditional detailing where the owner preferred modern, we were hired to prepare a design to the owner’s liking that the developer could then price out and presumably build. As with all of our projects we learned a lot about the owner during this exercise, and helped him better understand his own likes and dislikes and the kinds of spaces that would be best for him. We worked out some really interesting ideas around a double-height space that solved a lot of problems with the row house format’s limited daylight and multiple, cramped levels. In the end, our client determined that pushing these ideas in this particular project would be too expensive and the results would be compromised.

Undeterred, and armed with our work, he was able to negotiate a great deal on another project where others hadn’t seen its possibilities. Now we’re designing a great apartment, with a dramatic three story skylit atrium as an unexpected surprise, bringing light and a feeling of spaciousness to the innermost reaches of the apartment.

Check back soon and we’ll be posting construction photos!

Ruhl Walker Architects is providing pro bono design services for several affordable / sustainable house prototypes to be built in the Summer of 2012 in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i, as part of “Blitz Build”, an annual event undertaken at different locations around the country by Blitz Home Builders, an international group of Habitat for Humanity volunteers that have organized annual Blitz Builds since 1996.

The Blitz Build will take place from September 12-22, 2012, in Kailua-Kona on the west (dry) side of the Big Island.  The West Hawai’i affiliate of Habitat for Humanity hopes to build up to five houses in this 10-day span! These homes will be similar to the Habitat homes built on the mainland, but will have some unique design features suitable for the heavenly Hawaiian climate. Please visit the Hawaii ’12 page on Blitz Home Builder’s website for additional information.

Ruhl Walker has begun preliminary design work on two prototypes that will be presented to Habitat West Hawaii’s Building Committee later this year. The plan features a covered deck or lanai, an open living / dining / kitchen with sliding glass doors leading to the lanai, and a screened porch / hallway leading to 2 bedrooms and a shared bath. The proportions of the house — 16’-0” wide by 60’-0” long — allow for simple wood framing and ample cross ventilation; the covered lanai and screened hallway further enhance natural cross ventilation.  One side of the house has fewer / smaller windows and would be oriented towards the prevailing trade winds, and the other sides would have larger windows and generous overhangs and be oriented towards the sea (“makai”). The screened hallway would have painted studs 24” on center and horizontal battens 12” on center, and the resulting grid would read as a large window.  Materials under consideration are composite siding and trim on the makai side of the house as well as the end elevations, and corrugated metal siding on the windward side. 

The images below are very preliminary.  We look forward to posting updates as our design work – and ultimately construction – continues.

The prototype floor plan, with lanai on the far right, main living space in the middle, and screened hallway, two bedrooms, and shared bath on the left.	One option for the exterior, with separate volumes for the living and sleeping spaces, separated by the screened hallway.
A second option for the exterior of the West Hawai’i Habitat prototype, with a more linear expression.	The windward side of the house will have smaller windows and corrugated metal siding.

The images below show one of our most interesting current projects.  We have been hired to not only improve and enlarge a suburban “colonial” house, but also to address the owner’s fundamental dislike for the current house’s outward appearance.  The owners need larger spaces in most every direction, and because the existing house also needs new windows and siding, the opportunity exists to completely change the style of the house.

Perhaps the most exciting of the new changes is the conversion of the former basement into a day lit lap pool, with folding doors opening onto a new lower terrace with a grassy berm, seating wall and fire pit.  The new living and dining spaces are then designed to float above this sunken terrace.

We’ll keep you posted as the design progresses, but below is where we are to date.

BEFORE: front and side of existing house	AFTER: front and side of new house showing new entry sequence
BEFORE: rear of existing house	AFTER: rear of new house showing new decks and indoor pool courtyard / terrace
Aerial view showing new lower level indoor pool courtyard / terrace	Aerial view showing new entry sequence
Lower level pool courtyard with seating integrated into landscaped slope	Lower level pool with glass walls opening out to the courtyard / terrace

A new house for an art collector on Martha’s Vineyard, the renovation of a beach house we originally designed 10 years ago, the complete reconstruction of an urban townhouse, the total redesign of a glass walled penthouse at the W Boston, not to mention over 10 additional projects in design or under construction from Cape Cod to Hawai’i… It’s going to be a VERY busy summer at our studio…

We just started the design of a new house for an art collector on an extraordinary site on Martha’s Vineyard	The house will enjoy spectacular views of the Atlantic as well as brackish ponds and adjacent conservation land
We have begun redesigning a glass walled penthouse at the new W Boston	The unit has magnificent views of Boston, including the harbor, the Public Garden, the Back Bay and Financial District skylines, and the Charles River. The generic existing plan will be opened up to enhance the dramatic views and allow for a more relaxed lifestyle. A new sculptural glass and steel staircase will lead through a motorized skylight to an enormous roof deck with lap pool
We are just beginning the design for a completely rebuilt South End row house	Five floors have already begun to be demolished in preparation for all new structure and finishes, inside and out
Construction has just begun on an expanded unit at The Esplanade, a condominium complex built on the Charles River and designed by Moshe Safdie	The expanded space will serve as both a home office as well as a guest suite for two young entrepeneurs, whose families visit regularly from India
We designed this Cape Cod beach house over 10 years ago for a family with two young daughters. Since then, the family has out grown the original house, so we are helping them expand it in every direction, including up	All interior walls on the ground floor as well as a brick and concrete chimney have been removed, and large steel beams have been added for a totally open living / dining / cooking / entertaining space. This open living space will extend up to a second floor family room with deck that faces out to the Atlantic. The wood posts in this photo are only temporary…

This house started as a substantial renovation of an existing 50′s vintage modern house in Lincoln, MA.  Because the original program included a large laundry list of renovations to the existing house systems, once we began working with general contractors on a budget for the renovation project it became clear that the cost of renovating was going to be comparable to the cost of building a new house.  In the interest of making as energy efficient a house as possible, maximizing long term value for the owners, and minimizing short term disruption to the owners, the decision was made to pursue a new house on the existing foundation, with the new house being built by a modular prefabricator for substantial time and cost savings. Both of the owners write software and manage companies from home, so minimizing disruption is critically important; pursuing modular construction will help minimize the time the owners will have to be out of their house during construction.  The basement level will be reconfigured to accommodate a new, expanded garage, an exercise room, mudroom, wood working shop, bathroom, and mechancial and storage rooms.  The main level will have a large, open living / dining room, screened porch with fireplace, enlarged kitchen with pantry, master suite, guest bedroom, and south-facing courtyard / roof deck.  On an upper level will be an A/V room, a large home office, and a bathroom. During the Permitting process, a group called Friends of Modern Architecture in Lincoln was consulted by the Town, to make sure that the modern house that was being partially demolished would be replaced with a suitably contemporary replacement, and we of course passed the test.  The house will be prefabricated by Haven Homes and site fabricated by Sea Dar Construction of Boston.  Landscape design will be by Matthew Cunningham. The house is currently in design, with shop drawings being prepared by Haven Homes, and custom interior and exterior detailing by Ruhl Walker Architects. Construction is expected to be completed by October.

Digital model image of the new house, built on the existing foundation.	Digital model image of east elevation with zen garden.
Building section showing steel stair, perforated stair wall, and living room fireplace.	Wall at stair.
Landscape plan by Matthew Cunningham.	Inspiration for landscape elements.
The existing home.

Currently under construction on the banks of the Westport River, in Westport, MA, is a house we designed for a general contractor and his wife. Reed / Hildebrand is landscape architect and interior design will be by Diane Cramphin of Oblio Design.

The couple bought a simple 1980′s “saltbox” a few years ago, with the dream of knocking the house down and starting over with a fresh, modern design. One of the homeowners had grown up in a modern house in Virginia, and wanted to have a low-slung house that opened up to its beautiful, river-side setting. They called for removing the existing three story house and replacing it with a single story house that would include a large, open living / dining / cooking space that would open through a Nana Wall door to a large living / dining screened porch. Also on the main floor will be a master suite and an office that could double as a guest bedroom. Because the house is built on a hill, the main floor will be built on top of the existing foundation, and the lower level will include two guest bedrooms and a family room, as well as storage below the screened porch.

The design parti is two bars shifting past each other, with the space between the two bars being the main circulation zone. The bar on the river side will be taller and longer than the inland bar, and is defined by a ten foot high by eighty-four foot long wall of glass and screens, defined within a continuous frame; the river bar “floats” above the base, which is reconfigured as a landscape feature covered with vines. The inland bar is sheathed in shingles with deeply inset windows asymmetrically organized based on practical needs for light and cross ventilation. Construction is expected to be completed in June, 2011, but we’ll keep you posted on progress in this blog.

The new house floats above its river side site.	Digital model image.
Steel structure is in place, and framing is on-going.	On the north end of the house, the master bedroom cantilevers six feet beyond two concrete pilotis.
The two bars are evident at the north end of the house; between them is the main circulation spine.	The inland bar floats above its concrete base.
The river will be visible through the new screened porch.	The riverside bar floats above a base that will accommodate off-season storage, and that will be sheathed with cedar slats held apart for ventilation.
Upon entering the main living space, the river appears.	The main living space will be sixty feel long, separated by an operable wall, with fireplaces at both ends; half of the space will be screened.
View from master bedroom.	Rick's office will also have river views.
Though there was no real attachment to the existing house, demolition is still almost always emotionally traumatic.