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Three Brunswick County, N.C., builders are leading the way toward large-scale market-based affordable housing programs in our communities, as The Sun News reported this week. But they are in the vanguard only because they acquired land cheaply enough to keep home price tags in a range that families with incomes of $40,000 or less can afford. With the help of federal mortgage programs for working people who don't make a lot of money, the builders say they're able to bring in decent stick-built and modular houses with prices well below the regional median housing price of about $200,000. But unless they can find reasonably priced land, they may be unable to stay in this end of the home-building market for long. Builders in Horry and Georgetown counties, meanwhile, reportedly are willing to work the lower end of the market, too.
Altamont Homes, Inc., located in Martinez, Calif., is filling a void in the California construction market -- custom modular homes -- and is excited to announce that they will be teaming up with award-winning architect, Douglas Cutler, AIA. *(PHOTO: Send2Press.com/mediadesk/1106-AltamontNewport_72dpi.jpg) *(Photo Caption: The Cutler Series: Newport Model) The "Cutler Series" provides 25 exquisite modular-homes choices. Cutler is based in Wilton, Ct. and is excited to be able to team up with Altamont Homes and to introduce his award-winning designs to the west coast. "Cutler is one of the finest and best-known architects in the field," Eric Peterson, president, said. "And, in the modular home industry he truly stands alone." Cutler has often been recognized by the media for his outstanding work in this field.
John Serio, who has served as principal of Archbishop Hannan High School since its inception in 1987 and oversaw its reopening on the north shore this fall, will step down at the end of the school year, according to a letter distributed last week to parents. "I just thought it was the right time for me to move on," he said Monday, adding that Hurricane Katrina, which flooded the school's original campus in Meraux and his own home in New Orleans, had no bearing on his decision. Serio helped usher in a new chapter in the school's 20-year history this year, when the Hannan community relocated from its flooded campus to St. Tammany Parish. The temporary Hannan, which is currently housed in modular classrooms at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington, will eventually move to a permanent site in Goodbee, although officials expect it will take several years to build the new campus.
The latest in our occasional but continuing series of interviews with LA's architects, planners, politicians and thinkers who shape this city. Someone must have misinformed Ray Kappe, architect, academic and founder of SCI-Arc, about the importance of Curbed LA because he actually answered our emails and thoughtfully responded to our interview questions. Below, find his thoughts on sustainable architecture, the future of SCI-Arc, and why he rejects the "living legend" label. [Image provided by Ray Kappe] So, let's start with the big question: what's it like to be a "living legend"? I have been fortunate and have enjoyed successfully practicing architecture for fifty-three years, with recognition, publication and design awards locally, nationally, and internationally; as well as having been involved in education for forty-four years, having been Founding Chairman of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona in 1968 and Founding Director of SCI-ARC in 1972.
Back in late August, Global Green and Brad Pitt announced the winners of the Global Green Sustainable Design Competition For New Orleans. The winning proposal, titled GreeNOLA and submitted by Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen of Workshop APD, calls for six houses and two multifamily units which employ energy-efficient appliances, solar power, and recycled building materials, as well as providing social services like child care and a community garden. Workshop APD's proposal is designed to cut pollution and decrease operating energy use by 50-60 percent, compared to traditional homes. The success of the GreeNOLA design is its seemless integration of cutting edge green technology with the traditional building wisdom of the region. This combination creates healthy and affordable new residences for displaced residents of New Orleans.
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