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Shaw Design Associates, T.L. Stewart Builders Announce Nottingham Road Project in Raleigh

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Three high-end, custom-designed homes in Raleigh

Streetscape rendering by Shaw Design Associates
Streetscape rendering by Shaw Design Associates

October 26, 2016 (Chapel Hill, NC) — Shaw Design Associates of Chapel Hill and T.L. Stewart Builders of Sanford have announced that they have begun construction on their new Nottingham Road Project in West Raleigh — a trio of for-sale Charleston-style single-family homes.

The custom-designed homes average 4700 square feet and Stewart expects them to go on the market “in the $1 million range.”

High-end custom home designer Keith Shaw, AIA, had worked with Terry Stewart on several estate homes in Chapel Hill’s gated community Governors Club. When Stewart secured the four lots on Nottingham Road for his first project in Raleigh, he turned to Shaw for architectural design.

“Keith is easy to do business with,” Stewart said. “He has great options and he’s willing to listen to others’ ideas. He’s flexible. And his plans work.”

Site Work: Stewart razed two nondescript duplexes on the property so that he and Shaw could reconfigure the property into three lots, rather than four, with an alleyway connecting the three.

During the design development stage, Shaw used the natural grade of the land which slopes down towards Nottingham Road, to place the houses’ garages on grade – “on the high side,” he said — at their rear elevations. As a result, the facades will rise two to three stories above the street and provide future homeowners with panoramic views of the wooded neighborhood, park area and “greenway”.

Charleston Style: There are many variations of Charleston-style architecture, but one distinctive Low Country design element is the raised main level and entrance. Main levels were raised off the ground in Charleston to avoid floodwaters and to allow breezes to circulate under the house. Shaw’s designs will continue that tradition with grand staircases leading up to another classic Charleston-style element: a broad porch, or piazza, across the face of the entrance floor. Pairs of French doors and windows will open the interiors to the porches.

Expressing traditional Southern details with more modern, pragmatic materials, Shaw says he will combine brick foundations and columns with fiber cement HardieBoard® shake shingles and horizontal HardieBoard® paneling on the exterior. Front porches will feature standing-seam metal roofs.

The first of the three houses, now under construction, features the main living spaces, kitchen, and master bedroom suite on the entrance level with three more bedrooms and baths on the upper level. The corridors on the upper levels will overlook the lower level. A family room, guest bedroom and bath on ground level floor will be equipped to become an “in-law suite,” says Shaw, with options for a kitchenette, dining room, gas fireplace in the living room, and laundry room.

For more information on the Nottingham Road Project, contact Terry Stewart: tstewart@tlstewartbuilders.com.

For more information on Shaw Design Group, visit http://shawdesign.us.

About Shaw Design Associates: Founded by Keith Shaw, AIA, in 1995, Shaw Design Associates, P.A. is a recognized leader in providing innovative architectural solutions for all project types – solutions based on time-tested, enduring standards and plan elements that are vital to design integrity. The firm adheres to these design truths by focusing on the land, the light, and the patterns of interaction between the owner, the structure, and the environment. Shaw Design Associates is located at 180 Providence Road, #8, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. For more information, visit shawdesign.us or call 919.493.0528.

About T.L. Stewart Builders, Inc.: Custom homebuilder Terry Stewart established his business in 1984 to build “Homes to Believe In.” The company’s goal is to make it as easy as possible for their customers to build their dream homes. Years of experience help him guide clients towards the home they truly want. Accommodating and paying attention to all the details is foremost. T. L. Stewart Builders, Inc. is located at 613 Carthage Street in Sanford, NC. For more information call 919-774-8714or visit www.tlstewartbuilders.com.

Chapel Hill Architect and Builder Continue To Raise The Bar For Green Design and Construction

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Arielle Condoret Schechter
Rendering, eastern elevation

After stealing the show during the 2015 Green Home Tour with “Happy Meadows,” the modern, net-zero passive house she designed in Pittsboro, NC, Chapel Hill architect Arielle Condoret Schechter, AIA, now has another modern, net-zero, passive house-inspired home under construction – this time in Chapel Hill, and this time for the custom green homebuilder who helped her create Happy Meadows: Kevin Murphy of Newphire Building.

For the past decade, “greenwashing” has run rampant in the home building industry. Simply put, “greenwashing” occurs when an architect, contractor, or home builder spends more time and money claiming to be “green” through advertising and marketing than actually implementing practices that minimize environmental impact.

Arielle Schechter and Kevin Murphy take environmental impact very seriously.

Arielle Condoret Schechter, Chapel Hill architect
Rendering, front elevation

According to Murphy, the 2950-square-foot house Schechter has designed for his family of four will be “a warm and functional family home as well as a showcase of cutting-edge green building techniques.”

Architecturally, the house effortlessly combines environmental stewardship with the simple volumes, flat rooflines, open floor plan, and indoor-outdoor living that define modern styling. The first floor will feature a spacious living/dining/kitchen area connected to a screen porch that will extend the living space outdoors. The master bedroom wing will be located on the first floor with the children’s suite – complete with a multipurpose music and entertainment room –  and home office upstairs. Typical of Schechter’s residential work, a private interior courtyard will link all spaces together.

The house is located on a 4.3-acre site at the end of a private gravel road that is very secluded yet only a seven-minute drive from Chapel Hill or Carrboro. Despite the size of the lot, stream buffers, setbacks to existing well and septic concerns, and a new leach field left Murphy with a surprisingly small area on which to build his house.

Rendering, rear corner at screened porch
Rendering, rear corner at screened porch

The site’s eastern line runs down to the branch of a small creek. Beyond the creek, dozens of acres of Triangle Land Conservancy property provides a lush buffer for wildlife. The screen porch faces the forest.

Far from “greenwashing,” the Murphy home will be “net zero/net positive,” meaning that it will produce as much energy as it uses and probably even more. “We anticipate a National Green Building Standard ‘Gold’ rating,” Murphy noted.

Murphy said he will employ the techniques he’s learned while building Certified Passive Houses. His home will be super-insulated and extremely air tight, far beyond regular building code requirements. To provide the home with fresh air, Murphy and Schechter will utilize the cutting-edge Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilator (CERV) that they used at the Happy Meadows home. The CERV filters, dehumidifies and tempers incoming fresh air before distributing it to the living area. The home will be heated and cooled by two tiny Fujitsu mini-split heat pumps and all of the windows will be high performance, European, triple-pane tilt and turn by Awilux. As a result, the house will need only a small array of photovoltaic (solar) panels to produce all the electricity the house will need.

To maximize both passive and active solar gain, the house’s axis run east to west, thereby capturing an abundance of southern sunlight.

According to its architect and builder/homeowner, this modern, high-performance house will be part of the 2016 Green Home Tour sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham counties.

For more information on Arielle Condoret Schechter, visit www.acsarchitect.com. For more information on NewPhire Building: www.newphirebuilding.com.

About Arielle Condoret Schechter, AIA:

Arielle Condoret Schechter, AIA, is a licensed, registered architect based in Chapel Hill, NC, who specializes in Modernist, energy-efficient buildings with a focus on passive houses, NET ZERO houses, and her new tiny house designs, Micropolis Houses™. She is a lifelong environmentalist and animal advocate who was riding on the green design train long before it became mainstream. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, Arnie, and an assortment of foster animals in a Modern house she designed. For more information: www.acsarchitect.com

Shaw Design To Direct 12-Day “Building Blitz” in Chapel Hill

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Rendering, front view, future New Life Fellowship hall and classroom building.
Rendering, front view, future New Life Fellowship hall and classroom building.

An army of volunteers will construct church fellowship hall.

Like a conductor directing an orchestra, Chapel Hill architect Keith Shaw, AIA, principal of Shaw Design Associates, will direct a “building blitz” later this month as local volunteers and another 55 volunteers from as far away as Trinidad come together to construct New Life Fellowship’s new 6184-square-foot fellowship hall and classroom in just 12 days.

With help from general contractor AG Builders, the blitz will take place at the church’s new campus — 166 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill — from October 25 to November 5. It will begin with a foundation slab in place and end with all interior walls framed and the Prairie Style exterior nearly completed.

“It’s going to be an exciting opportunity to witness what can be accomplished in a short time when everyone involved is so dedicated to the outcome,” Shaw said.

Well-known for the estate homes he’s designed within the gates of The Governor’s Club in Chapel Hill, Keith Shaw is also a lay leader in New Life Fellowship, a Seventh-day Adventist Church currently in Durham. As such, he and the congregation called upon Maranatha International, a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to make this building blitz happen.

A non-profit organization, Maranatha assists with at least a dozen construction projects in North America each year by mobilizing volunteers. Projects range from renovations of existing buildings to new construction.

New Life Fellowship’s building blitz will cover Phase One of the total project. Phase Two will add a 7010-square-foot main lobby and 300-seat sanctuary to the 3.5-acre church campus.

Primary exterior building materials will include six-inch energy-saving SIPS wall panels (structural insulated panels), Hardie® Shake siding, brick and stone. All lighting will be LED, and will be donated to the project.

According to Shaw, the volunteer labor and lighting donation will provide a huge cost savings for the church. Site work is estimated at $475,000 with construction cost projected as $500,000.

For more information on the 12-day building blitz, follow New Life Fellowship’s Facebook page. For more information on Shaw Design Associates, visit http://shawdesign.us.

About Shaw Design Associates:

Founded by Keith Shaw, AIA, in 1995, Shaw Design Associates, P.A. is a recognized leader in providing innovative architectural solutions for all project types – solutions based on time-tested, enduring standards and plan elements that are vital to design integrity. The firm adheres to these design truths by focusing on the land, the light, and the patterns of interaction between the owner, the structure, and the environment. Shaw Design Associates is located at 180 Providence Road, #8, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. For more information, visit shawdesign.us or call 919.493.0528.

“Hungry Neck” House in Downtown Raleigh To Be Featured on 2015 Homes Tour

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The Raleigh Architecture Co.
The Hungry Neck House: modern, compact, urban.

An award-winning Modern home in Raleigh’s old “Hungry Neck” neighborhood, designed and built by The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo), will be open to the public during the sixth Residential Tour sponsored by the Triangle Section of the American Institute of Architects’ North Carolina chapter (AIA Triangle). The tour will take place on Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

One of only seven residences selected for the 2015 tour, the Hungry Neck house received an AIA Triangle honor award for design excellence and construction quality this past spring.

“Honor awards are granted to projects that exemplify excellence of architectural design on all levels of analysis and are reserved for those projects that stand out,” said design jury chairman William Carpenter, FAIA, of Decatur, Georgia.

This house is actually one of a cluster of compact modern houses in the old neighborhood just east of downtown Raleigh. Designed by RACo partners Craig Kerins, AIA, and Robby Johnston, AIA, it perches on an infill lot overlooking a busy thoroughfare. In the spirit of the neighborhood, the partners turned a corner of the façade into a front porch.

The owner is a chef by avocation, so the interior revolves around cooking and entertaining. A light-filled, double-height space in the center of the house connects the open kitchen to the rest of the house. At the rear of the house, large operable glazing lets the dining room expand outside and focuses the view on a 100-year-old oak tree. A balcony off the master bedroom suite provides outdoor living space on the second floor.

AIA Triangle encompasses members in Wake, Durham, Orange, Lee, Chatham, Franklin, Warren, Vance, Granville, and Person counties. The houses on the 2015 tour are located in Raleigh, Durham, Creedmoor, and Pittsboro. The tour is self-guided. Tickets are available at http://aiatriangletour.com/tickets.

For more information on The Raleigh Architecture Company, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

LOGOAbout The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design/build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture, and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, we consider designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers us to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. Our office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

HIP ON HILLSBOROUGH: The Raleigh Architecture Co. completes two commercial projects side-by-side.

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State of Beer bar and bottling shop.
State of Beer bar and bottling shop.

The Raleigh Architecture Company (RACo), a young design-build firm with numerous projects in downtown Raleigh, has completed two more commercial up-fit projects that just happen to sit side-by-side in a multi-tenant building on the 400 block of Hillsborough Street: State of Beer, a beer bar and bottle shop, and Runologie, a specialty sporting goods store for serious runners.

While the projects’ proximity to each other was convenient, both projects posed the same serious challenge: how to complete the noisy, dusty demolition of the previous interiors and construction of the new interiors without disturbing Exploris Middle School adjacent to and above them. The solution: Heavy construction took place before 8 a.m., after 4 p.m., and on weekends.

“It was a very urban project,” said RACo partner Craig Kerins. “The whole property is a mix of spaces and different buildings that have been combined over time. The result is that there are some odd spaces and adjacency conditions you have to deal with which adds to the complexity of the project. Add to that the owner’s desire to be open in time for the holidays, and you end up with an intense pace of construction.”

David Meeker, Chris Powers, and Woody Lockhard own State of Beer at 401A Hillsborough Street. (The three men also own Busy Bee Café on Wilmington Street and Trophy Brewing on West Morgan Street.) Within the 1460-square-foot space, the RACo team designed and built a cozy bar for beer enthusiasts that recalls, without imitating, old European bars, along with a generous bottle shop/retail section, and food preparation space for gourmet sandwiches and salads.

RACo partners Robby Johnston and Craig Kerins incorporated the abundance of overhead ductwork into the clean, well-organized design. Custom steel lighting and shelving units define the visual vocabulary and create a textural contrast with the exposed trusses and old brick walls. The long, sleek bar is cleverly fashioned out of a reclaimed bowling alley lane the owners found.

Ruonologie sporting goods store for serious runners.
Ruonologie sporting goods store for serious runners.

At 401B Hillsborough Street, Kimberlie Fowler Meeker and Laura Berry – elite runners who win or finish at the top of their races – own Runologie, a 2050-square-foot retail space and hub for downtown Raleigh’s running community. The showroom includes display space for shoes, apparel and accessories, and nutritional items, as well as a front desk tucked into one of the storefront windows. A “shoe cloud” centerpieces the space, where wide-planked wood floors and custom-crafted wood benches add warm notes among the custom steel displays units.

For this project, RACo served as the design architect, Maurer Architects was the permit architect, and the Raleigh Construction Co. (the construction arm of The Raleigh Architecture Co.) was the general contractor.

RACo’s other commercial projects in the downtown Raleigh area include Arrow Haircuts, Nuvo Nivo children’s boutique, and several renovations of Videri Chocolate Factory.

For more information on The Raleigh Architecture Company’s design-build firm, visit www.raleigh-architecture.com.

LOGOAbout The Raleigh Architecture Company:

The Raleigh Architecture Company is an award-winning design-build firm specializing in Modern sustainable architecture and craftsman-quality construction. As licensed architects and general contractors, the firm considers designing and building to be one integrated process. This streamlined approach empowers RACo to meet our clients’ economic expectations and to seamlessly execute high quality details, both small and large. The office and shop are located under one roof in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District at 502 S. West Street. For more information visit www.raleigh-architecture.com, call 919-831-2995, or email: info@raleigh-architecture.com.

 

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee Joins Clark Nexsen, PC

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WCU Health & Human Sciences Building by Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee. Photo by Mark Herboth.
WCU Health & Human Sciences Building by Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee. Photo by Mark Herboth.

The merger will provide key benefits for both firms and their clients.

March 28, 2013 – Clark Nexsen, PC, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is pleased to announce that the architecture firm Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee (PBC+L) of Raleigh and Asheville, NC, has officially joined Clark Nexsen.

As a result of this merger, Clark Nexsen will be comprised of a 550-plus, multi-discipline staff including architects, engineers (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and fire protection), interior designers, landscape architects, planners, and other support personnel. The combined staff represents decades of expertise in educational, Department of Defense, government, corporate, cultural, industrial, recreational, commercial, healthcare, K-12, and environmentally sustainable design and engineering.

For Clark Nexsen, the merger allows the 93-year-old, internationally renowned A/E firm to confirm and enhance its pursuit of design excellence through PBC+L’s reputation for award-winning architectural projects. PBC+L has received 35 American Institute of Architects (AIA) design awards in just the last 10 years.

For PBC+L, a 68-year-old company that was ranked 15th in Architect magazine’s “Top 50 Firms in the Nation” in 2012, joining Clark Nexsen dramatically broadens the firm’s geographic reach, offers the opportunity to secure nationally significant projects, and provides top-tier in-house engineering services to current and future clients.

“Clients and staff from both firms will experience positive change as a result of the merger,“ said Christopher Stone, PE, F.NSPE, FASCE, president of Clark Nexsen. “In addition to a far deeper level of design services, our clients and our staffs will benefit from our combined engineering, operations, resources, and infrastructure.”

Jeffrey Lee, FAIA, a principal with Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee, added: “At the center of this decision is our common desire to underscore our commitment to design excellence and to offer clients an architecture and engineering firm recognized for exceptional, high performance design and professional services.”

A revised website representing the merger is forthcoming. Until then, for more information on Clark Nexsen and PBC+L, visit their current websites and social media platforms:

 

Clark Nexsen, PC

Website: www.clarknexsen.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ClarkNexsen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarknexsen

Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/company/clark-nexsen

 

PBC+L

Website: http://www.pbclarchitecture.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pearce.brinkley.cease.lee

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pbclarch

Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/company/pearce-brinkley-cease-lee

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/b1uep1ate/pearce-brinkley-cease-lee/

VMZinc Gets Renewed Notice of Approval from Strict Regulatory Department

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Miami Dade approves Umicore Building Products’ standing seam metal roof systems for hurricane zone.

December 6, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Miami Dade County’s Permitting, Environment and Regulatory Affairs department has renewed its Notice of Approval (NOA) for the VMZINC® Double Lock Standing Seam (VM DLLS) metal roofing system, Laurent Heindryckx, Director of Operations for VMZINC/Umicore Building Products USA, announced recently.

Miami Dade County requires an NOA for any manufacturer who wants to sell its products on projects located in the Miami Dade area of Florida.

“Miami Dade set the most stringent requirements with regards to wind loads and water penetration,” Heindryckx said. “Having this NOA is proof that our panels can sustain hurricane force winds.

Umicore’s VM DLSS (NOA No.: 11-0812.04, Expiration Date 11/16/2016) is classified on the Miami Dade website as appropriate for a “high velocity hurricane zone.”

The VMZINC standing seam metal roof system features a double folded seam. The low height of the seams (1”) contributes to the modernity, lightness, and regularity of the roof and facade, while highlighting its architectural purpose.

“For more complex designs, this system presents a more technologically advanced appearance,” said Daniel Nicely, VMZINC’s Director of Market Development.

Nicely also noted that Umicore’s standing seam technique is particularly suitable for very large roof and facade surfaces and for structures located in regions of harsh climates, like mountain or continental climates, which are often subject to strong winds, heavy rain and snowfall.

“Having the Miami Dade NOA renewed shows that the quality of VMZINC’s architectural building products remains consistent,” Nicely said.

Heindryckx added: “The NOA can be used as a sales argument anywhere in the US to demonstrate the effectiveness of our product even in brutal hurricane zones.”

For more information on the Miami Dade NOA, go to www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp. Select Umicore Building Products USA Inc. in the field “Applicant.”

For more information on VMZINC, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

Umicore Building Products Donates VMZinc Roof for AIA NC’s New Headquarters

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Modern, “Green” Architecture & Design Center to be crowned by

Rendering, AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design

PIGMENTO Red architectural zinc.

September 22, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – Umicore Building Products USA (UBP), headquartered in Raleigh, NC, has donated $70,000 worth of PIGMENTO® Red VMZ standing-seam zinc panels to be used for the roof of the American Institute of Architects North Carolina Chapter’s new, modern, sustainable headquarters building that is now under construction in downtown Raleigh.

“We are proud to be a supporting member of the AIA NC building. It is wonderful to be a part of such an important project in our own backyard,” said Daniel Nicely, an associate member of the AIA and UBP’s Director of Market Development.

Officially named the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design, the building was designed by Frank Harmon Architect PA of Raleigh, a multi-award-winning firm well known for its modern, green, regionally appropriate design. Under the direction of principal Frank Harmon, FAIA, the firm won a professional design competition for the project.

The design competition required submissions to be as “green,” or environmentally sustainable, as possible. Among the building’s many eco-friendly features will be the zinc roof.

“The three main environmentally sustainable qualities of architectural zinc are its  durability, its recyclability, and the moderate amount of energy required to manufacture it,” said Nicely. “Using architectural zinc for roofing materials or exterior cladding helps architects achieve LEED points.”

The new building’s other green features include: careful siting, extensive use of glass, operable windows, and open porches to maximize natural lighting and ventilation; a geothermal heating and cooling system; an underground rainwater collection cistern, the use of locally available and recycled materials wherever possible; a broad roof overhang to protect the interior from harsh summer sun; a special energy-conserving elevator; and an innovative parking “garden” comprised of porous paving that will eliminate all storm water run-off.

“There were three irreplaceable elements in the design of the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design: stone walls, landscape, and the metal roof,” said Frank Harmon. “Of these, the zinc roof was the most generous donation, and I think it will shelter the AIA for generations.”

The red pigment in the PIGMENTO® Red panel is created through a factory process that adds the red pigment to the coil during the manufacturing of the sheets and coils. The advantage of adding the pigment during manufacturing is that the panel will not require any reapplication of color, and the color will weather evenly and smoothly as it ages. VMZINC is recognized for blending well and easily with other architectural products, such as the AIA NC Center’s wood siding (cypress), stonework, concrete, steel, and glass.

The AIA NC building and landscape were designed as one interlocking system with the majority of the site left as green, open, park-like space in this urban setting. The building should be complete by the end of November. The landscaping will not be complete until the spring of 2012. For more information on the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design, visit www.frankharmon.com and click on “current projects.”

For more information on UBP and VMZ PIGMENTO® Red products, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

About Umicore Building Products USA, Inc.

Umicore is a world-leading producer of architectural zinc. For over 160 years, Umicore has been providing innovative solutions for building owners, architects and contractors. Umicore has offices and representatives all over the world. In the United States, Umicore Building Products USA, Inc., is based in Raleigh, NC. For additional information, visit www.vmzinc-us.com.

Triangle Modernist Houses.com Debunks Modernist Houses Myths

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Founder/director George Smart counters “flat-roof” prejudice. 

The Strickland-Ferris House by Frank Harmon, FAIA

May 12, 2011 (Durham, NC) – George Smart of Durham, NC, has spent the past four years working to document, preserve, and promote Modernist residential design through his award-winning website Triangle Modernist Houses.com. Modernist residential design typically features open plans, extensive use of glass to blur the line between outdoors and indoors, flat or low-pitched roofs, and aesthetic geometric forms.

The son of a Raleigh architect, Smart believes Modernist houses are “sculpture for living.” He is disturbed by the number of Modernist houses being destroyed in the wake of rising land values.

“The key,” said Smart, “is keeping these houses occupied and in the hands of appreciative owners, but there are several myths about Modernist houses that keep buyers away.”

Smart recently noted five primary myths about Modernist houses.

Myth #1: Modernist houses leak. 

Reality: “Mid-century modern architecture often exceeded what materials science could support, creating houses with all sorts of problems, usually involving water and buckets,” Smart said. “By the time those problems were resolved, the word on the street was ‘don’t buy a flat-roofed house.’ Today, materials science is so advanced that you can build anything with confidence. Keep in mind that most of America’s office buildings have flat roofs.  Like the brontosaurus, leaks in new construction are virtually extinct.”

Myth #2: Modernist houses are hard to sell. 

The Smart-Stell House by Tonic Design

Reality: “This is true for any house larger than 3000 square feet or $600,000 in the current economy,” Smart said. “However, if a Modernist house is small, well-designed, kept in good condition, and features up-to-date kitchen and bathrooms, it should resell comparably to traditional homes.  We do our best to publicize these houses to readers looking for Modernist houses.”

Myth #3: Modernist houses lower surrounding property values.

Reality: “Translated: This means your neighbors don’t share your design tastes,” Smart said. “Unless the house is falling down or you plan to paint it purple, your Modernist house will, if anything, raise property values.”

Myth #4: Modernist houses are cold and sterile. 

The Crowder House by Thomas Crowder, AIA


Reality: “Modernist houses, like ice cream, come in many different flavors,” Smart said. “Some Modernist houses can feel intimidating, almost clinical. Others are warm and inviting. The use of color and texture and different building materials, especially woods, tend to warm up even the coolest geometries.”

Myth #5: Modernist houses are expensive, and getting an architect just pumps up the cost even more. 

Reality: “Any contractor can build a nice house, but getting an architect often means getting a house you’ll dearly love,” Smart said. “Architects are trained to efficiently use 3D volumes, not just 2D square footage, in ways that can make a 2400-square-foot house live like a 3000-square-foot house. That can result in significant cost-savings, or more money for furnishings. And through green, sustainable design features, architects can reduce your gas, electric, and water costs.”

Triangle Modernist Houses.com features the largest archive of Modernist houses in America, including profiles of their architects. It also offers an exclusive, free listing of Modernist houses for sale or rent throughout North Carolina. For more information, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

About Triangle Modernist Houses:

Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is a 501C3 nonprofit established in 2007 to restoring and growing modernist architecture in the Triangle. The award-winning website, now the largest educational and historical archive for modernist residential design in America, continues to catalog, preserve, and advocate for North Carolina modernism.  TMH also hosts popular modernist house tours several times a year, giving the public access to the Triangle’s most exciting residential architecture, past and present. These tours raise awareness and help preserve these “livable works of art” for future generations. Visit the website at www.trianglemodernisthouses.com. TMH also has an active community on Facebook.