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In September 2011, publisher Rizzoli New York released The Glass House, a photo tour of Philip Johnson’s famous estate. The book includes text by Philip Johnson himself and by architecture critic Paul Goldberger and is the official Glass House book of The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Robin Hill’s photo “Glass House Dawn” was selected to appear on the book’s cover.

Below is the second of a three-part installment wherein Robin Hill shares his experience of photographing the Glass House estate. Read part one here.

Now I am making my way the few steps toward the lakeside pavilion. Here Johnson is up to new tricks. As I approach the lakeside, I am reminded of the London Underground loudspeaker system, which brusquely ejaculates "MIND THE GAP" every time you board or deboard a train. Instead of designing the pavilion to gently nudge the shoreline, there's this intentional but irritating gap that Johnson has deliberately placed in one's way. Why? My first thought is "to mess with your head" or perhaps it is to make you pay attention. OK, so now I'm paying attention, and the impression is that ordinary scale has been obliterated by the architect's hands. This is a perfect modern folly. It is barely functional, save to sit underneath and have an uncomfortable picnic. Through these photographer's eyes excellent framing opportunities are created by the multiple archways. The visual pun is too obvious for my taste, however, and the pavilion does nothing for me in an architectural sense. I begin to feel that this is a dud, a Johnson experiment that doesn't really work very well in either form or function. Perhaps, this is indicative of Johnson's uneven career as an architect, brilliant one minute and mediocre the next. In the space of a few steps I have gone from momentous elevation to ungarnished mediocrity, from design excellence to controlled vacuousness. Still, the adventure of being here leaves my intellect alone for a while and I am left in solitude in the middle of a 46-acre design campus. Heaven! There is a serenity here that is both palpable and meaningful.

Follow these simple, low-tech tips to keep your home safe from burglars this summer.

Solar projects have taken off around the United States and the rest of the world in the past few years, partly because of higher energy costs and increases in financing options. The U.S. federal government has created many such options, including tax credits and grants. Lately, solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) programs at the state level have caught the industry’s attention. SRECs have begun to take shape as creative financing tools for all types of solar projects. In both residential and commercial projects, SRECs have proven to be the difference in financial feasibility.

We all understand film production to be a transformative process. Concept into script, emotion into a carefully orchestrated set of lighting and composition, live action into animation – these are only a few stages of evolution that come into play as a film is produced. When it comes to the work of ImageMovers Digital, however, aircraft hangars to digital film studio is one to add to the list. Performance Capture Studio (PCS) was a project undertaken jointly by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) and Kanner Architects, in two aircraft hangars of a former Coast Guard base north of San Francisco.

Homeowners are motivated to build a “greenhome” or to renovate their existing home for a variety of reasons, such as: saving money as utility costs rise, an enthusiasm and respect for nature, to achieve a healthy living space, and even to enjoy the advanced technologies associated with energy efficiency. Yet, a “greenhome” is a process more than a sum of products. Record the process, perhaps in a journal¹, including websites and data about what and where the materials and services were purchased, various installations and reconstruction stages, experimental discoveries and failures, a record of costs and savings, and a record of temperatures to measure efficacies of eco-friendly materials and technologies. A journal, like that of a gardening journal or a travel journal, can help to keep the ball rolling and to act as a display of accomplishments for others who may follow in your footsteps.

A new facility for Unilever combines a contemporary, connected office environment with award-winning green building features.

When Unilever, a health and wellness company in Hamburg, Germany, determined that it needed a new headquarters, it wanted a structure that would provide adequate work space while fostering communication, socialization, and a sense of unity among its employees. Creating a juxtaposition of work and social space, Behnisch Architekten was able to bring the vision of unity to fruition while honoring Unilever’s commitment to sustainability and creating a better future.

Greenwich Village is a picturesque and predominantly residential community in Manhattan that is centered around Washington Square Park. Historically, it was a haven for artists, beatniks, musicians, and lots of students — it is the home of New York University (NYU).

Set a fantastic and festive table with vintage doilies. Rachael Ranney, host of Buildipedia's {Re}habitat, takes you step by step through this easy project, perfect work for a chilly evening.

Create a beautiful table runner using vintage linen and cotton doilies to bring some unique flair to your holiday dinner parties. I have often come across large collections of these linens at antique malls and flea markets. You may have to begin acquiring them one or two at a time, but try to buy them in bulk from an individual dealer: you’ll probably get a better deal.

Returning to the Solar Decathlon for the second consecutive competition, The Ohio State University team is building on the lessons learned from a Top 10 finish in the 2009 competition with a focus on efficient urban living. Designed as an urban infill house that could fit anywhere in Columbus, Ohio, enCORE is a 900 sq. ft., two-bedroom house that layers programmatic living spaces in an effort to recapture the spatial efficiencies of older homes. Abbie Faust, a Master's candidate in Architecture, explains, “We really wanted to emphasize how people can live in a smaller footprint. Our house condenses the family space by not losing the function, but emphasizing the core, of our house.”

This month’s featured home in Madison, Wisconsin, is the personal residence of Carol Richard, AIA, LEED AP, and founding partner of Richard Wittschiebe Hand, an award-winning firm in Atlanta, Georgia.

Architect Carol Richard isn’t new to the challenges and rewards of designing and building green homes. In fact, she has spent her entire career helping her clients to marry livable, modern aesthetics with sustainable design. So when she and her husband, mechanical engineer Fred Berg, began to make plans to build their full-time residence upon retirement, the experienced duo was determined to pour all of their collective knowledge and expertise into a sustainable-living dream home.

Visible from the Cincinnati riverfront, Daniel Libeskind’s Ascent at Roebling's Bridge towers over the Covington, Ky. skyline. Completed in 2008, the concrete and glass curtain wall clad structure is 300’-0” tall and 310,000 square feet. Twenty-two stories (one lobby, a secure parking level, an amenities level, and 19 floors of luxury condominiums) of multifamily program are included in Libeskind's first U.S. high-rise.

Waste heat recovery is a possible way to achieve net zero at home. Jeff Wilson investigates a holistic approach to residential waste heat recovery.