Tag: holley house

Natural Light in Architecture Part 1: Red Hook Center for the Arts, Holley House, Won Dharma Center, Arts International

September 1st, 2011

skylight detail: hMa's Redhook Center for the Arts in Brooklyn, NY click here to view more photos of the project on www.hanrahanMeyers.com

hanrahan Meyers architects (hMa) have designed most of their buildings around the use of natural light. hMa works with natural materials, light and nature using a minimal palette to achieve unique spatial experiences for clients. hMa's clients include private and public organizations who build public buildings, including monasteries, churches (Tenth Church of Christ, Scientist, NY), Community Centers (Battery Park City Community Center), institutes and universities (Pratt Institute, for whom hMa designed Pratt Pavilion), as well as private clients, who build residential projects, including Holley House, and Ash 4Ways. Redhood Center for the Arts, above is a public building where the public spaces are bathed in natural light, mediated by painted surfaces that create washes of color.

Holley House, below, uses a palette of natural materials. The various materials, including local stone, wood, and glass, create a powerful transitional sensibility through the house, and light creates the sequences from public to private spaces.

skylight detail: hMa's Holley House in Garrison, NY click here to view more photos of the project on www.hanrahanMeyers.com

skylight detail: interior view of Meditation Hall: hMa's Won Dharma Center in Claverack, NY click here to view more photos of this project on www.hanrahanMeyers.com

Won Dharma Center in Claverack, NY, is a Buddhist Retreat where hMa designed a campus including five building. Shown above is the Meditation Hall, in construction. The rear wall of the Hall has a niche topped with a skylight, to create a powerful play of light on the rear wall. Windows on this wall and the adjacent, east facing wall are low, so that they allow light into the space, but talk about the low eye level of the seated meditators. The west wall features large expanses of glass, with unobstructed views toward the Catskill Mountains.

Arts International, below, was designed as as a large interior gallery, surrounded by private offices. The office areas had large windows, and clear glass panels to the Gallery, so that even as an interior gallery, this inner space is still flooded with light.

hMa's Arts Inernational Headquarters in NY, NY click here to view more photos of the project on www.hanrahanMeyers.com

To read more about hMa and the firm's use of natural light in architecture, please visit our website, www.hanrahanMeyers.com.

hMa is a firm of five architects, as well as interns, and the practice is run as a collaborative design studio.
Holley House: An hMa ‘roman a clef’, featuring Holley House

December 17th, 2009

It was winter – nearly christmas - and he still had made no decisions about whether or not he would be visiting Moscow in January. His friends were impatient – but he just could not decide.

In the meantime, there was plenty to do here, gathering wood, getting the house ready for the holidays…

Holley House: view looking south, toward the living room pavilion. In winter, the house features two stone fireplaces: one in the living room, and a second in the master bedroom. For decision making, there's nothing better than a walk in the woods, followed by time by the fire.

To see more views of the Holley House in Garrison, New York, visit our website: www.hanrahanMeyers.com.
Architecture and Nature; Architecture and Natural Light: hanrahan Meyers architectsNew York Architects; Modern Minimalist Design; Natural Architecture; Green Architecture

December 8th, 2009

hMa: hanrahan Meyers architects
New York architects hanrahan Meyers (hMa) believe that abstract and minimal form is part of an ongoing transformation of design as a global practice of universal forms, as well as a local practice that values essential human experience by accomplishing the most with the least means.

Architecture and Nature
hMa’s architecture of abstract and minimal form is open and sympathetic to nature, as well as revealing of nature. It is open to nature by allowing natural spaces and materials to come into buildings. It also reveals nature by contrast, where the single architectural gesture frames complex topographies and views. In this way, the architecture of hMa both absorbs and measures nature.

Holley House, Garrison NY, 2006: Victoria Meyers and Thomas Hanrahan architects

Trajectories
These two statements place hMa in the school of designers and artists who conceptually integrate art, architecture and nature by means of essential forms and experiences, including such figures as Carl Andre, Mies Van Der Rohe and John Cage. This conceptual integration is a complex cultural phenomenon belied by the simplicity of forms that are employed, relying both on the invented and the found, the new and the contextual, and the abstract and the natural.

hMa has teamed with artists on several projects. Composer Michael Schumacher and sculptor David Teeple have been in-house consultants on a number of hMa projects. For hMa’s new Community Center adjacent to Ground Zero, Michael Schumacher composed the composition, ‘Birdsong’, that establishes the formal language for a ‘frit’ pattern that will go on the glass façade of the building. David Teeple’s sculptural vision was part of the formal discussion both for Holley House, as well as Dune House (currently in design). hMa has served as an ongoing advisor to Mark di Suvero and Socrates Sculpture Park.

hMa’s value that they place on abstraction in their architecture is exemplified by their design of the Holley Loft in Manhattan, featured in MoMA’s ‘Un-Private House’ show. Holley Loft was included as a demonstration of hMa’s concept of ‘liberated living’. The Holley House in Garrison, New York is their second commission for the same client and is the rural counterpart to the urban loft.

Ecological Form
By integrating nature and minimalism into their work, hMa accomplishes the most with the least means: extensive natural light, buildings set into topography, renewable energy sources and local materials . hMa’s practice began when partners Victoria Meyers and Thomas Hanrahan came to international attention after designing the winning entry in the design competition for Chattanooga Nature Interpretive Center. hMa’s winning entry was arguably the first ecologically designed museum in the world, and set the tone for their practice and their ongoing dialogue between nature, art, and minimalism.

Office Research
Research by hMa include investigations into sound and sound waves (WaveLine; Ojai Festival Shell); research into techniques for stone wall construction (Holley House); research into vision and sight as they relate to formal constructions (See-Thru House); research into light and shadow to coordinate the placement of architectural program in space (Queens Museum of Art; Won Buddhist Retreat); Research into the fabrication of sound waves into visual patterns in order to allow visitors to inhabit sound, visually (Battery Park City Community Center); Research into the development of pre-stressed and failed materials in the design of a dwelling (Dune House); Research into the use of pre-fabricated elements to create dwelling (Pre-Fab House). The firm’s researches into these areas are in the process of being collected for hMa’s next book.

Natural Light

Light is a special focus of hMa research. hMa published the firm's research into Natural Light in 2006 with their book 'designing with light'. To see a preview of the book, go to the book's website: www.designingwithlight.us.

hMa is a certified WBE.

White Space/ Ash 4 Ways, NYC, 2005: Victoria Meyers and Thomas Hanrahan architects
Victoria Meyers featured on BUILD Blog : “Women Making an Impact”

November 19th, 2009

BUILDblog is a discussion of modern design from the Northwest. It's authored by the team at BUILD LLC who also run a furniture and cabinet shop and keep a modern list of city recommendations.

Victoria Meyers is featured in a November 18th post on BUILDblog as part of their "Women Making an Impact" series. In this post, the 4th in the series, BUILDblog showcases the work of ten women in architecture creating "hot, forward thinking work." Other architects in this series include Amanda Levete (UK), Louisa Hutton (Germany), Momoyo Kaijima (Japan), Anne Lacaton (France), Dorte Mandrup (Denmark), Victoria Meyers, E.B. Min (U.S.A.)., Toshiko Mori (U.S.A.), Patricia Patkau (Canada), and Carme Pinos (Spain).

From BUILDblog:

Victoria Meyers, U.S.A.

"Meyers has a good handle on the ‘everything it needs to be and nothing more’ aesthetic and her work hits all the right chords with us. There is a nice range of challenging projects on her website and she also keeps a blog –big points from team BUILD."

Click here to view the entire post at BUILDblog

Click here to view more of Victoria Meyers' work at hanrahanMeyers.com

left to right: Victoria Meyers, JCT Pratt Design Center Pavilion in Brooklyn, NY and Holley House in Garrison, NY by hanrahan Meyers Architects
Architecture and Naturenatural architecture; architecture and ecology; nature and residential architecture; waterfall table

October 16th, 2008

nature

hMa's architecture of abstract and minimal form both reveals and opens itself to nature by allowing natural spaces and materials to come into buildings. It also reveals nature by contrast, where the single architectural gesture frames complex topographies and views. In this way, the architecture of hMa both absorbs and measures nature. HOLLEY HOUSE
GARRISON, NY 2006

WHITE SPACE
NEW YORK, NY 2004

WATERFALL TABLE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK 2004

SEE-THRU HOUSE
DALLAS, TEXAS 2008
hMa in Hampton Style Magazine

August 1st, 2008

hMa's Holley House; completed in 2005 in Garrison, NY

hMa is pleased to be featured in the July 11, 2008 issue of Hampton Style Magazine. hMa is recognized along with other established architects and designers who work in and around the Hamptons in the the article The Who's Who of Making of Making Your House a Home.

The following is excerpted from the article :

"July 19 marks the opening of the much-anticipated Hamptons Showhouse in Sagaponack, and accordingly we present a list of the men and women who toil in the fields of interior design and architecture. Some of them span both fields, and all of them excel at their craft. Working in concert, they create the homes that draw us out to the Hamptons every summer. Borrowing the brainpower of many of them, we have also compiled a Hamptons-based resource guide for compelling decorative elements and furniture." To view this issue online, visit : www.danshamptons.com.

Dune House

hanrahanMeyers architects (hMa) are included in the Hamptons guide to architects and interior designers in recognition of the firm’s national reputation for award-winning design. hMa are one of the internationally known firms included in the ‘Houses at Sagaponac’ group of architects. hMa is in the process of designing the Dune House, a new residence in Amagansett, including state-of-the-art green features: geo-thermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and renewable, sustainably harvested materials. The firm’s researches into light can be viewed in Victoria Meyers’s 2006 book, ‘designing with light’. The firm’s reputation for design includes internationally known projects including the Holley House in Garrison, New York, featured in a monograph published by Architectura Viva.

Original model for Sagaponac House; now in re-design
hMa’s Holley HouseArquitectura Viva (No. 127, 2007)

July 30th, 2008

hMa’s Holley House was featured in AV Monographs (No.127) for 2007 (published summer 2008) as part of the publication’s focus on The Natural House

“The 650 square meter house in the town of Garrison, New York is planned around the contrasting spatial experiences of landscape walls and horizontal decks and roofs. Two parallel walls extend in the direction of the access path and separate the two living pavilions, made of horizontal decks that cascade up and down following the slope of the site. These walls seem to emerge directly from the ground to create a sequence of interior spaces, bathed by the light proceeding from precise openings that also frame the views of the landscape.”

“When crossing the house from east to west the itinerary begins at the master bedroom, descends through a flight of stairs until reaching a space delimited by two solid walls that accommodate the guest bedrooms, and extends the views towards a small pond. From the north down, the itinerary would begin at the road, continue through the guest bedroom wing and end at the swimming pool that is detached to the south. The point of intersection of these two itineraries marks the position of the main entrance. The house is constructed from steel and wood framing, thinly cut limestone blocks, cedar siding and maple flooring and millwork.”

To contact hMa, call our New York office: 212 989 6026. For more information about hMa please visit our website at www.hanrahanmeyers.com.
Natural Architecture: Green House Design; certified LEED building design; nature and design; sustainable house design

January 4th, 2008

Aesthetics:

hanrahan Meyers architects (hMa) put clients in direct contact with Nature through unique proprietary systems incorporating Natural woods, metals, and stones. hMa’s aesthetic approach brings the Natural realm to the client both through the literal use of Natural materials, as well as through formal manipulation.

HOLLEY HOUSE PHOTO BY PAUL WARCHOL

Philosophy:

We live in a world where pure ‘Nature’ is disappearing. hMa is devoted to giving clients access to Nature.

We believe in supporting global efforts to renew and protect the environment. hMa’s unique language of space-making creates buildings that function as Natural Organisms in their environments.

hMa projects are self-sufficient organisms that provide heat, warmth, cooling and other forms of Advanced shelter without draining Natural Resources.

DUNE HOUSE: ZERO SITE FOOTPRINT AND PLATINUM LEED RATING

Practicality:

Going Green does not cost more than not being Green. We specify the latest cutting edge technologies so that hMa clients have access to sustainable environments with affordable budgets.

Over time, Green projects actually repay clients’ original investments by requiring less energy to run, and by offering more sustainable methods for dealing with waste products including trash recycling, toilets, showers, and other waste-water systems. In the future, sustainable Green buildings will be worth more when owners resell. Green projects will not require costly abatement to correct inefficiencies in the future as communities across the United States upgrade their codes and create more stringent rules for energy and water use.

BATTERY PARK CITY COMMUNITY CENTER: PLATINUM LEED BUILDING

Who are hMa’s clients?

hMa’s client base are enlightened consumers who want to live in buildings that incorporate a 21st century vision including sustainable design.

hMa’s clients include: private residential clients who want state-of-the-art green living spaces; institutional clients including private colleges and universities looking for Public Buildings for their students and faculty that function simultaneously as educational Interpretive Centers about the Environment, in addition to serving as great classrooms, lecture halls, and public gathering spaces; arts clients, including not-for-profit Galleries, Performing Arts Groups, and Libraries who seek beautiful public spaces that inspire both the Artists as well as the General Public to come and enjoy the Arts supported by a sustainable environment; and religious institutions, including Churches, Monasteries, and Buddhist Meditation Centers. Many of these organizations have a mission of supporting Environmental efforts.

At hMa we have a team of skilled artisans who understand how to build hMa details to give clients access to Nature within their living environments.

SEE-THRU HOUSE AT URBAN RESERVE: SUSTAINABLE PLANNED COMMUNITY

At hMa we have a team of skilled artisans who understand how to build hMa details to give clients access to Nature within their living environments.

WHITE SPACE PHOTOGRAPHED BY PAUL WARCHOL
Architecture and Water water architecture; community center design; minimalist house design

October 31st, 2007

2008: Dune House
2007: WaveLine
2006: Holley House
1999: Hudson River House

hanrahan Meyers architects (hMa) design projects around themes based in the Natural realm. In 2006, hMa published ‘Designing with Light’ cataloging the firm’s researches into Natural light and architecture.

Since the firm’s inception in 1987, hMa has also featured Water as an element of their work. In that spirit, hMa is presenting four projects, beginning with Dune House, a project that is still ‘on the drawing boards’ which may be in construction by 2008; WaveLine, a multi-purpose space finished 2007 and not yet open to the general public; Holley House, a 7,000 square foot house in Garrison, New York, completed in 2006; and Hudson River House, a house designed in 1989 for clients in Nyack, New York.

In each project presented in our gallery of hMa’s ‘water-works’ - the overriding theme is the idea of designing an architectural frame that intimately connects the inhabitants of the space to water.

test pattern for BPC glass arcade based on water and soundwaves; read more about hMa's research here

As an extension to hMa's work with water, the firm is designing a new Community Center opposite Ground Zero in Manhattan. The project features a 550-foot long glass wall where hMa are collaborating with sound artist Michael Schumacher. The theme for the wall is 'water'. The facace will feature a dot pattern representing a new work by Michael Schumacher, based on water sounds. Schumacher is composing pieces for a new CD, to be released to coincide with the opening of hMa's building. A major feature of the new BPC Community Center will be an aquatic center including adult and children's pools.

To read more about hMa's work please visit our website: www.hanrahanmeyers.com.
hMa : Natural Architecturearchitecture and ecology; sustainable design; green architecture; natural light and architecture

September 4th, 2007

Would you like to leave a smaller eco-footprint with your daily life?

If you want to leave a smaller eco-footprint, hMa implements Green systems in ways that minimize their clients' eco-footprints. hMa's Green systems do not increase costs or construction time and let hMa clients feel good about their impact on the planet.

hMa's Holley House: constructed using recycled and sustainable materials

Do you need award-winning design to distinguish your business or organization?

If you need award-winning design to distinguish your business or organization in the marketplace, hMa has a track record of producing award-winning designs that brand their clients spaces. hMa clients get award-winning designs that are unique in their Natural solutions to architecture.

hMa's Schrom Television Studios in Queens, NY: recipient of Architectural Record Interior of the Year in 2001 and an AIA NY Chapter Design Award in 2002

Do you wish your home was more connected to Natural light and materials?

It is possible to live in extraordinary residences that receive international attention for unusual solutions to Nature and light. hMa provides a full range of services to support the design of unique award-winning Natural homes. hMa partner Victoria Meyers' book Designing with Light depicts several of the firm's projects and their use of natural light.

hMa is known for architectural solutions that incorporate Natural Light into award-winning designs

Designing with Light by Victoria Meyers of hMa was published in 2005