in situ studio
There is still time to vote for your favorite house in the 2016 North Carolina Modernist Houses Matsumoto Prize! Voting continues through Wednesday, and this year’s collection of entries is incredible! Three of our designs are included – the Corbett Residence, the Farmhouse, and the Medlin Residence. We would appreciate your support!
Happy voting!
in situ studio
919 397 3949
Hello from in situ studio! We hope you had a great holiday weekend with family and friends. We were spread out with some at the beach, some at the lake, and Erin at a wedding in Denmark! We’re back at it today and looking forward to an incredible summer!
Taylor Residence
Things are coming to a close at our first project in Charlotte, NC! With sweeping views inside and out, expansive outdoor space, and the best screen porch overlooking the pond, this home nestles quietly in the pine trees of south Charlotte. Thanks to the Ullman Group on a job well done with the build and the millwork, and special thanks to our wonderful clients, whose thoughtful input helped us create truly unique and beautiful!
AIA National
Erin and Matt went to Philadelphia late in May for the 2016 AIA National Convention. Erin’s brother used to live in Philly, and Matt did his thesis project across the river in Camden, NJ, so they were both excited to revisit this amazing city! While there, they were able to spend time with numerous good friends, mentors, and colleagues from across the country. There was also a large contingent from Raleigh, two of whom won national design awards – Don Kranbuehl of Clark Nexsen, who won a National Educational Facilities Award for the Regional Plant Teaching Facility, and George Smart of North Carolina Modernist Houses, who won a Collaborative Achievement Award. Erin and Matt attended numerous sessions at the convention, the highlight of which was a panel on disruptive practices with Chris Baribeau of Modus Studio, Jonathan Jackson of WSDIA, and Robert Maschke, moderated by Mark Manack. They also managed to see their friends from Unilux, eat incredible Vietnamese food at Nam Phuong with Steve Luoni, visit the Barnes Foundation by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, visit the Rodin Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art, swing by the National Museum of Jewish American History by Ennead, and browse the incomparable Italian Market. If you’ve never been to Philly, you should go!
Hussain Residence
Construction has started in East Raleigh on a ground-up house for a couple that has moved to Raleigh from Massachusetts to be closer to their daughter, her husband, and their new granddaughter. The house has an exaggerated gable roof for a future PV array, with sweeping overhangs that shield the house from the heat of the day. Openings frame views of downtown and connect to a quiet and shady backyard that will be home to a full garden and a playspace for grandchildren. We are excited to collaborate with Dopko Cabinetry and Greg Paul Builders on this all summer and into the fall. Stay tuned!
Raleigh Little Theatre
This month we worked with Raleigh Little Theatre to complete schematic design of renovations to the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre. The existing building, designed by renowned architect Brian Shawcroft, has served the community for nearly thirty years, offering a great space to see local theater and take in spectacular views of the Raleigh Rose Garden. Proposed renovations include an updated and accessible entry and bathrooms, a new box office and concession console, and a more open gathering area connected directly to the garden balcony via an operable glass wall. Many thanks to our consultants, Diversified Consulting Group and Lysaght & Associates, for their hard work, and to Raleigh Little Theatre for being great clients and providing us with such an exciting opportunity. Stay tuned!
Book of the Month
Our book of the month is Out of Scale by Mark Manack and Linda Reeder, which catalogues the first ten years of the AIA Small Projects Award Program. The book emphasizes the positive impact thoughtful design can have on even the smallest of projects and includes projects of all types, from shelters to small houses, including the Art as Shelter Project at the North Carolina Museum of Art by Tonic Design and Mike Cindric of Design Dimension, which won the award in 2010. If you are interested in smaller scale architecture, we’d recommend this book!
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
We had a wonderful April! We have started the design of several new projects and have been visiting others under construction across the state. We have also been nominated for “Best Architect in Wake County” by the readers of INDY Week. Please take a second to vote for for your favorite businesses in numerous categories here!
AIA Memphis and The University of Arkansas
Erin spent an amazing weekend in Memphis presenting the AIA Memphis design awards as jury chair. Other jury members were Ellen Weinstein, Phil Szostak, and Bob Thomas. The awards gala was an opportunity to celebrate great work, and Erin had a wonderful time meeting dozens of impassioned architects who practice in a city flush with history and culture! In May, Matt will travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to be on final architecture reviews at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the University of Arkansas Community Design Center. The trip is a homecoming for Matt, who taught at the school for several years, and interned with Marlon Blackwell Architects. He is excited to see their recent work and catch up with friends and colleagues at the school, Modus Studio, and around town!
Ocotea
Construction is underway on the Ocotea project! The design revitalizes a mid-century home to a handsome, modern residence through significant updates that include rebuilding the master suite, reorganizing public spaces, and reappropriating a less-than-faithful addition into a carport. We owe big thanks to Kemp Harris, Inc. for helping restore this home to its former glory and to Joey and Chris, our clients, who have been a pleasure to work with and are committed to making the house special.
M House
We are thrilled to be working on a new house project near downtown Raleigh! The house, designed for two European expatriates and their two daughters, is on a sloped site in a first ring suburb west of the city. The program includes a basement garage, a ground-floor guest wing, broad public spaces that open entirely to the rear yard, and a large, rooftop, garden deck that overlooks a reflecting pool. The house steps back from the street to mitigate scale compared to neighboring houses, and openings are carefully located and formed to admit light and maintain privacy. Stay tuned for updates!
Song of the Month: “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” by Prince
We have been remembering and celebrating Prince over the past week and offer his “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” as our Song of the Month. The piano-backed song stands out in Prince’s remarkable catalogue for its raw, under-produced quality. Spared down, the song highlights Prince’s vocal range and instrumentation. Without a powerhouse band behind him, Prince delivers an emotional, bluesy ballad that sways between wrecked and cool. Check it out on his 1993 compilation The Hits/The B-Sides.
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
Spring is here in full force, and with the construction season heating up, we are excited to see several new projects coming out of the ground. Check out what we have been up to below, and on our website!
Germany
Earlier this month, our entire office had the opportunity to go to Germany! We had a great time learning about Unilux Windows and Doors, touring their factory, meeting new friends, and seeing lots of great architecture, old and new, including two projects by Peter Zumthor. Thanks to our hosts Warren and Beau with Mesa Quality and George, Marco, and Gerhardt with Unilux!
Structures for Inclusion
Erin was on an Activist Architecture Firm panel at the 2016 Structures for Inclusion conference, discussing our work with downtown housing and development. Other panelists included Terry Oden with Desmone Architects, Marc Turkel and Kate Bedford with Leroy Street Studio, and Beau Frail with Michael Hsu Office of Architecture and AIA Austin. What an inspiring conference! Many thanks to Bryan Bell and Design Corps for inviting our office to participate!
AIA Asheville
On Tuesday, April 12th, Matt and Erin head to Asheville to give a talk about their work and discuss the topics of design and regionalism. The event, to be held at 6:00 pm in the Lord Auditorium of Pack Memorial Library, is part of ACTIVATE North Carolina‘s Architecture Month, which includes numerous other events across the state in April. Check out ACTIVATE’s new website for other events happening in your area!
Merkel Cooper
Construction will be starting later this Spring on a house we’ve designed on Lake Norman. Our wonderful clients and their miniature Schnauzer, Wernes, imagined a quiet home nestled along the edge of a beech forest on a hill above the lake. The house we have designed with them sits just below the top of the hill, at the edge of the ridge, with views into the forest and to the lake. Stay tuned for updates as construction gets underway!
Nash Hall
Almost two weeks ago, Nash Hall, which is also the sanctuary for Church on Morgan, hosted TEDx Raleigh! The event was sold out, with over 350 people in attendance, including overflow at Marbles Kids Museum. Our good friend Bill Cummings of Lemonade International and his friend Darian Colbert of Cohesion Network presented one of ten amazing talks! And, just this week, Hopscotch announced that Nash Hall will be an official venue for the 2016 festival. We are thrilled to see Nash Hall thriving and the spaces we designed for the church serving our city!
Book of the Month: “Atmospheres” by Peter Zumthor
In honor of our visit to the Kolumba Museum and Bruder Klaus Field Chapel last month, we are reading and learning more about Peter Zumthor‘s ‘architecture of first impressions’. The text, originally a lecture given at a conference at the Castle of Wendlinghausen, seeks to understand the measure of lasting beauty.
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
Happy Leap Day from in situ studio! It has been an busy month with projects under construction, and several new projects coming online. Check out what we have been up to below!
Germany!
Our entire office will be in Germany next week! We leave Saturday, 03 05 16, and return the following Saturday, 03 12 16. The trip is courtesy of Mesa Quality, a millwork and window supply company in Asheville, and the purpose is to see the UNILUX window factory in Trier. In addition to factory tours and workshops, we are planning to visit two projects by Peter Zumthor – the Bruder Klaus Field Chapel and the Kolumba Museum – and make a day trip to Luxembourg City. We are pretty excited. In faSave & Closect, we’ve even made T-shirts for the occasion, printed by AHPeele.
Activate NC
Members of ACTIVATE NC invite you to share your ideas on contemporary housing in the inner city. The site is located along South Mint Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte has an intense and vibrant Uptown Center City surrounded by leafy suburbs. The competition site is within walking distance of the Uptown district and is representative of an in between zone that is neither Center City nor suburban. Thus it may be considered a resource for connecting different parts of the city that are currently separate. This is an ideas competition generated by the need for new ways of dwelling in our growing cities. Please consider registering!
Farmhouse DWELL
This month, we were thrilled to be featured in an online DWELL article, Our Modern Farmhouse Dreams Come True in this North Carolina Gem. Which was released in tandem with the article, 7 Takes on the Modern Farmhouse. We were honored to be featured among great projects with similar goals, including one from another North Carolina Architect, Chad Everhart. The feature also included details on the Farmhouse’s interior design, thanks to Kris Ozburn of Second Mile Designs.
Jubala Coffee
We are happy to announce that Jubala has opened their new space in the aLoft Hotel on Hillsborough Street! Working with Andrew and his team over the past year has been incredible, and we are excited for them to finally be downtown. The space wouldn’t be what it is without the hard work of Diversified Consulting Group (PME), Josh Allen (lighting), New Kind (branding), Counter Culture Coffee (barista equipment), and Southeastern Properties and Development Company, who built the space. Thanks to everyone involved!
Book of the Month: “thanks for the view, mr. mies: lafayette park, detroit” by Danielle Aubert
Last week, Erin visited Detroit for the AIA Grassroots Conference. While there, she visited the largest collection of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe buildings in the world – Lafayette Village. The 78 acre project is a post war, modernist housing development – a collaboration between architect Mies van der Rohe, planner Ludwig Hilberseimer, and landscape architect Alfred Caldwell. Though construction began in 1956, many qualities of this development remain relevant – beautiful and thoughtful design, varieties in housing types for residents with mixed incomes, appropriate scale, integrated landscape and amenities, and proximity to downtown.
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
Happy New Year from in situ studio! We survived the first ‘snowstorm’ of 2016, are excited about several projects that are nearing completion, and are diving into a handful of interesting new projects. Here’s January at a glance:
Our Clients
People often ask us what type of work we do. In addition to our residential work, we’ve collaborated with some amazing people and organizations over the past five years – all of them doing wonderful and important work. To catalogue this, we have created a page on our website with links to businesses and organizations we have worked with. We are very proud to have helped support these folks’ missions via design and thankful for each of the the opportunities we’ve had!
Bida Manda
Bida Manda has been declared the “best restaurant in North Carolina” by Business Insider! A huge congratulations to Van and Vanvisa Nolintha and the entire staff at the restaurant. Van and Vanvisa have worked tirelessly over the past three years to create a graceful vibe and extend an unparalleled level of service. And, Chef Lon Buonsanga and Bar Manager Jordan Hester have choreographed an exquisite menu of Loa-inspired food and original cocktails. We are truly honored to have helped Van and Vanvisa with the design of the space, our first restaurant, and thankful to John Cooper of Southeastern Properties and Development Company for executing the design to the finest detail. Make reservations here.
Moura
The Moura Residence is finished! It’s been a long process, with HOA shenanigans, challenges with Wake County septic and well permitting, and weather delays. We are thrilled for Danilo, Caroline, and Samantha, who move in next week, and appreciate the tireless efforts of Bob Aiello to build the house on a very challenging lot. We’ll definitely be taking photos of this one with Richard in the spring!
Jubala
Jubala Coffee is set to open later this month on the ground floor of the new aLoft Hotel in Raleigh! Over the past ten months, we’ve been working with Andrew Cash of Jubala and Southeastern Properties and Development Company to create a highly-crafted coffee, food, and retail space right across the street from the iconic NCSU Bell Tower. In addition to making some of Raleigh’s best coffee, powered by Counter Culture, Jubala makes incredible food and, specifically, a life-changing ham biscuit. We can’t wait to have a place to grab coffee on our way to and from the Architecture School. Thanks for working with us, Andrew!
Lake Raleigh Bridge
We’ve recently started a collaboration with TGS Engineers and OBS Landscape Architects on the conceptual design of a bridge over Lake Raleigh on NCSU’s Centennial Campus. The bridge, still in the conceptual design phase, is to be located at the east end of the lake, near the weir, and will connect the new hotel on the lake’s south side to the planned “town center,” just downhill from Snøhetta’s James B. Hunt Jr. Library. The design concept sits low to the water and meanders across the lake’s surface to highlight views of Centennial Campus landmarks and direct attention to the beautiful natural features at west end of the lake. Stay tuned!
DWELL
A house named Fred and Clark Court have been featured again by DWELL magazine. They’ve been highlighted online as two of five houses in North Carolina that DWELL loves for their “southern charm.” Congrats to Tonic, Chad Everhart, and Siegman Associates for also having houses featured. Thanks to Richard for the pictures and L.E. Meyers Builders and The John C. Sanders and Company for their great work.
Book of the Month
This month’s book is “Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957” by Helen Molesworth and Ruth Erickson. The book focuses on the enduring legacy of the short-lived, but incredibly innovative Black Mountain College. Founded in 1933 by John Andrew Rice, the college faculty included important artists and thinkers like Josef and Anni Albers, Buckminster Fuller, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline and enrolled many influential future artists, including Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly. We are still wading through the pages of this amazing book. Come pick up or order a copy of your own at So and So Books.
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
December 2015
To celebrate the year, we have updated our website with the latest drawings and images of our work, including photographs of six new projects, linked in the pictures above, from our recent shoot with Richard Leo Johnson.
We are incredibly thankful for the opportunities our clients have given us to pursue good architecture over the past year and for the tireless effort our collaborators and contractors pour into executing every detail. We are also humbled by the continued support we feel from our community – family, friends, the creative class in our great city, and the media. None of our work is possible without all of you!
Onward into 2016!
in situ studio
919 397 3949
To celebrate the year, we have updated our website with the latest drawings and images of our work, including photographs of six new projects, linked in the pictures above, from our recent shoot with Richard Leo Johnson.
We are incredibly thankful for the opportunities our clients have given us to pursue good architecture over the past year and for the tireless effort our collaborators and contractors pour into executing every detail. We are also humbled by the continued support we feel from our community – family, friends, the creative class in our great city, and the media. None of our work is possible without all of you!
Onward into 2016!
in situ studio
919 397 3949
November 2015
Happy Thanksgiving from in situ studio! We are so thankful for our everyone that makes what we do possible!
The biggest architecture news in North Carolina these days is Frank Harmon’s retirement! Since founding his firm, Frank Harmon Architect, thirty years ago, Frank has designed some of the most important modern buildings in our region. Over the past three decades, he has crafted a vision for sensitive, regionally appropriate, and sustainable modernism and has become the leading voice of architecture in North Carolina. We’ll leave it to Frank to fill you in on his future plans, but we can definitely recommend that you follow his blog, Native Places, and listen for his voice as a local activist via efforts like Activate NC. Thank you, Frank, for your mentorship, for your support of architecture across our state, and for all you will continue to do through your sketches, writings, and leadership!
Braun Residence
Construction has begun on the Braun Residence, and we are pleased to be working with Durham Potter of Builders Unlimited Incorporated. The house is located in an existing neighborhood just inside the beltline, on a hill above a creek. Thanks to our clients, we have these amazing shots from a drone they commission to photograph construction progress. Stay tuned!
Morgan Residence
We’ve been working on a new house for a young family on an amazing site in North Raleigh. The main volume of the house sits just off a ridge, with views and outdoor spaces oriented to face a pond. Parking and entry are pulled behind the main volume, forming an entry court that keeps views to the pond unobstructed. We are looking forward to developing the house in more detail!
Jubala Coffee‘s new space in the recently completed aLoft hotel on Hillsborough street is nearly finished! The space features multiple espresso stations, a dedicated “to go” line, indoor and outdoor seating, and an open kitchen. Special thanks to Southeastern Properties and Development Company for for another great collaboration and to Andrew Cash, founder and owner of Jubala, for working with us. Follow Jubala news here.
So & So Books co-owner, Chris Tonelli, was recently featured in the Independent Weekly as a recipient of one of the 2015 Indies Arts Awards! We are so proud of Chris and thankful everyday for the shared space we have with him and his business partner, Charles Wilkes. In honor of Chris’s achievement, our Book of the Month is The Trees Around, poems by Chris Tonelli. The book is published by the independent poetry press, Birds, LLC, based out of Austin, Minneapolis, New York, and Raleigh.
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949
Happy Halloween from in situ studio!
Fall Photoshoot
We spent this week with Richard Leo Johnson of Atlantic Archives documenting six recently completed projects: the Corbett Residence – a ground-up house on a wooded lot north of Durham, The Ten at South Person – a ten-unit townhouse development for DHIC in downtown Raleigh, Church on Morgan – a renovation to a group of downtown storefronts for a new ESUMC site, Marcos Dawson – an interior renovation and exterior addition to a house near Five Points, the Medlin Residence – a new house in an older Raleigh neighborhood, and MoLaS – two new buildings for the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. Richard is a dear friend, an amazing musician, and an incredible photographer. Tune in next month to see the images he captured for us!
Friday Forum, Hampton Roads AIA, and Wake Forest Charrette
We’ve had some fun opportunities to get out of the office in the past month. Two weeks ago, Erin and Associate Professor Bryan Bell of DesignCorps, helped lead a Friday Forum as part of the NCSU School of Architecture and AIA Triangle Joint Lecture Series. The topic of the forum was Activate 14‘s Tiny Home Community Ideas Competition. Matt was the 2015 Jury Chair for the AIA Hampton Roads Design Awards and presented the awards at a ceremony held at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, VA. Congratulations to all of the winners! And, we recently took part in a charrette for the city of Wake Forest, NC alongside some of the most talented designers and planners in the Triangle. Our work during the day focused on reuse and reimagination of the downtown community core of Wake Forest. Special thanks to J. Michael Welton, author and writer for Architects + Artisans, for organizing the event!
Taylor House Update
Framing is almost complete at the Taylor Residence, our first house in Charlotte, NC. The house is nestled into the edge of a pine grove, with a formal grass court in front and a protected private view of a pond in the rear. Thanks to our wonderful clients for the opportunity and to the Ullman Group, who are doing a wonderful job with construction!
Book of the Month: “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard
“Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,” by Annie Dillard, was written in 1974. The book catalogs her experiences and explorations over the course of one year along Tinker Creek in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Dillard’s observations are beautifully crafted and illustrate the power and poetry found in an awareness of place.
Please contact us if there is any way we can help you.
Best.
in situ studio
919 397 3949