Sculptures That Surround

The abstract sculptor Constantin Brancusi once famously described architecture as “inhabited sculpture,” and having just witnessed several high-profile, architect-driven projects materialize across our skylines, we Twin Citians might seem sympathetic to this heady claim. Yet for every public edifice that sprouts a cantilevered arm or aluminum-mesh siding, urban expansion breeds a host of McMansions, prefab condos, and cookie-cutter culs-de-sac. Don’t get us wrong: Metro homes include a number of stunning “inhabited sculptures,” but the role of the architect still tends to be undervalued in residential development. Thus, the Residential Architects’ Vision & Excellence Awards, conducted by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and the American Institute of Architects Minnesota.

The annual RAVE competition not only recognizes superior examples of local residential architecture, it strives to promote the merits of architect-driven home design. This year, forty-three submissions in seven categories yielded the following nine award-winners, selected by a panel of judges that included Bruce Abrahamson, FAIA, founding partner of Hammel, Green and Abrahamson; Jayne Haugen Olson, senior editor at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine; and Dennis Wedlick, AIA, New York–based residential architect and author of several books, including The Good Home.

Bluff House
Mark Larson, AIA, and Jean Rehkamp Larson, Rehkamp
Larson Architects
New Residence, More than 3,500 Square Feet

To say there is a tangible connection between this Eden Prairie home and the outcropping on which it rests is no exaggeration—the house’s geo-thermal heating pipes are drilled directly into the bluff below. Traditional timber framing and the use of salvaged lumber stand out against the steel-and-glass southern façade and the building’s decidedly modern interior fixtures. Judges appreciated the contrast, specifically praising the architects’ positioning of the wooden structural elements inside the glass, thus keeping the materials distinct. “It has a certain Spartan feel that I appreciate,” said judge Bruce Abrahamson. “Wood is wood, and the other materials are allowed to express themselves.” Builder: Earthwood Builders. Structural engineers: Mattson Macdonald Young. Timber framer: Great Northern Timberworks. Project team: Scott Durand, Keith Kamman, and Susan Nackers Ludwig; Rehkamp Larson Architects

Family Living
Todd Hansen, AIA, Albertsson Hansen Architecture
Remodel, More than 800 Square Feet

For architect Todd Hansen, the remodel of this early 1990s St. Paul home was an exercise in contained time-travel. While the home’s exterior design matches the neighborhood’s Victorian style, the interior suffered from poor access to light, a cramped kitchen, oppressively divided living and dining space, and other problems associated with early ’90s interior design. Hansen’s airy restructuring of walls, entryways, and columns suggested what judge Jayne Haugen Olson called “a very today family’s modern approach.” Without amending the exterior, this remodel drastically altered the relationship among rooms and the availability of daylight. Effectively upgrading the house without expanding it, observed Dennis Wedlick, served to “heighten the awareness of what can be accomplished with interior architecture.” Project team: Greta Trygstad. Builder: Choice Wood Company

Hilltop
Wayne Branum, AIA, Sala Architects
New Residence, Less than 2,000 Square Feet

The crimson-roofed tower of architect Wayne Branum’s modernist homestead rises above the tree line like a curious neighbor peering over a fence. Glimpsed from across the spottily wooded and crop-woven plain of its rural Wisconsin locale, it resembles nothing so much as a stovepipe—a genuine, if manufactured, extension of the hillside on which it rests. The sloped roofs of the adjacent main structure and nearby studio mimic the topography, while the vibrantly colored exteriors recall the hues of old barn wood. For Abrahamson, the structures conjured “a relocation of the Midwestern farm,” although the sleek, spacious interiors are anything but pastoral. Builder: Anderson Wallin ConstructionMinnetrista Farmhouse
Michaela Mahady, AIA, Sala Architects
New Residence, 2,000–3,500 Square Feet

When the owners of this sixteen-acre Minnetrista plot approached architect Michaela Mahady, they hoped to replace the previous one-story structure with a more substantial building that would nevertheless retain the property’s rural feel. The solution was this contemporary farmhouse. Situated among several existing farm structures, it looks out onto a grassy commons from an inauspicious gabled entrance, a wrap-around porch, and a vaulted screened porch. The variety and scale of the three outdoor areas struck a chord with the judges, particularly the porches’ distinctive powder-blue floors. Inside, the contours of the three-floor house and the slant of the eaves create intimate spaces that defy the house’s size. “It’s the little touches here and there,” explained Wedlick, “the ones most houses are just too macho for.” Project team: Maury Stenerson and Jessica Wilder, Sala Architects. Builder: Johnson Smaby Custom Homes. Structural engineers: Mattson Macdonald Young

Tofte Addition
Eric Odor, AIA, Sala Architects

With an emphasis on utility, this small addition to a southeast Minneapolis Victorian cottage complements and updates the character of the original structure. The homeowners—a woodworker and a gardener—sought to maximize outdoor exposure without encroaching upon neighbors or their landscaped yard. Architect Eric Odor designed a six-by-twelve-foot back porch that serves as an entry to a ten-by-twenty-two-foot addition. Atop, cradled in a cavity in the pitched roof, is a cozy second-story porch, and the protruding latticework and descending rain chain give the house a modern, almost mechanistic feel. Inside, the addition houses a mudroom, powder room, and small sitting room. Codesigner: Sara Whicher, Sala Architects

Hilltop Home
Todd Hansen, AIA, Albertsson Hansen Architecture
New Residence, More than 3,500 Square Feet

“It takes so much guts to build something like this,” exclaimed Wedlick, who, along with the other judges, admired not only the work of architect Todd Hansen, but also the verve of client and developer Ray Miller for utilizing an architect on a speculative, suburban construction project. Hilltop Home is the second completed home in Mendota’s Millerville development. The first, also a Hansen/Miller project, earned a 2005 RAVE award in the same category, and each has the feel of a contemporary farmhouse. Hansen gave this structure a clean, simple floor plan organized around a sophisticated millwork staircase. Judges noted the clever placement of a “children’s wing” atop the adjacent, recessed garage. Coarchitect: Ryan Fish, Albertsson Hansen Architecture. Builder: Ray Miller, Millerville, Inc.

301 Kenwood Lofts
David Graham, AIA, Elness Swenson Graham Architects
Multi-Family

Inhale deeply while admiring this eight-story, thirteen-unit modernist citadel, and you might catch the scent of burning money. From its crown-like, cantilevered roof to its custom-built residences, Elness Swenson Graham Architects' striking Lowry Hill condominium complex radiates luxury. The structure occupies prime real estate in the upscale neighborhood, and—as with other entries in the multifamily category—judges approved of the way its elegance and proportion fit the area's demographics. Floor-to-ceiling windows in each unit offer unparalleled views of the downtown skyline. The same windows solidify the building's own landmark status, complementing the reflective sheen of the nearby Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden’s Cowles Conservatory. “When you put it in its context,” explains Abrahamson, “it’s another piece of sculpture.” Senior designer: Pong Khow, Associate AIA, ESG Architects. Project Manager: Art Bartels, AIA, ESG Architects. Developer and codesigner: Michael Lander, Lander Group Urban Development
Tower Lofts
David Graham, AIA, Elness Swenson Graham Architects
Multi-Family

The residential reincarnation of this landmark warehouse in downtown Minneapolis’s North Loop neighborhood incorporates all the hallmarks of successful adaptive reuse. Architect David Graham effectively transformed cavernous industrial spaces and dark interior alcoves into a mix of stylish, well-lit chambers. The building houses more than 100 residential lofts, twenty-four work/live spaces, and three ground-level retail storefronts. Judges complimented the inclusion of several smaller, more affordable units. Thirteen-foot ceilings, concrete columns, and minimal changes to the building’s brick exterior help retain the structure’s original character. Finally, the building maintains a connection to its outdoor surroundings via a 6,000-square-foot “roof deck” and a central corridor leading through the building toward the riverfront. Project manager: Maria Ambrose, AIA, ESG Architects. Designer: Burt Coffin, Associate AIA, ESG Architects. Developer: Chuck and Mary Leer

Midtown Lofts
David Graham, AIA, Elness Swenson
Graham Architects
Multi-Family

The urban-village anti-big-box feel of the Midtown Lofts in Minneapolis drew raves from each of the judges. Frequent Uptown visitors will recognize the development’s distinctive color scheme and funky multilayered frontage. Residents enjoy the lofts’ open floor plans and individual outdoor spaces, as well as a shared commons, proximity to the Midtown Greenway, and a burgeoning nearby retail corridor. Judges admired how well the project’s residential scale matches the neighborhood’s mood, and all agreed that the congruence speaks to the vital role of the architect in multifamily residences. Said Wedlick, “It’s important for a city to reward efforts like this.” Senior designer: Pong Khow, Associate AIA, ESG Architects. Project Manager: Art Bartels, AIA, ESG Architects. Job captain: Steve Burcha, Associate AIA, ESG Architects. Developer and codesigner: Michael Lander, Lander Sherman Urban Development