Criss Cross Bubble Pendant

Criss Cross.

In the late 1940s, the designer George Nelson, one of the icons of American modernism, stumbled upon an unconventional solution to lighting after being inspired by a self-webbing material used to mothball ships.

After a quickly-assembled Ball prototype proved successful, Nelson—originally trained as an architect at Yale—then developed several other designs which were produced by spray-coating a skeleton of steel wire with a layer of translucent plastic polymer. The tautly-stretched material emphasized the lamps’ simple forms and sculptural qualities, and resulted in an illumination that was soft and even.

The “Bubble Lamp” line, as it came to be called, launched by Howard Miller in 1947 was an instant classic, and continued to sell well into the late 1970s when they were discontinued.

Bubble, bubble…

20 years later, Modernica reissued the Bubble Lamp line—utilizing Nelson’s exact specifications and the original Howard Miller factory tooling—and “named” each individual Bubble Lamp design: Saucer, Ball, Cigar, Apple, Pear, Criss Cross, Lantern and Propeller (Nelson himself never named the original different lamp designs—they were simply assigned catalogue numbers by Howard Miller).

Today, the “airy and lighthearted” Nelson Bubble Lamps are, quite deservedly, part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA. The Criss Cross Bubble Pendant, in particular, can be seen each week illuminating the various diagnoses of everybody’s favorite misanthropic doctor. And, more to the point of all this, the Criss Cross is due soon for an open-ended appearance…

…at our house…

…where, it will be occupying exactly 25″ D. x 9.5″ H. of space in our dining room (just above the table)!

Week 21.1: an update from Will

12.6.08

Awoke this morning to an email from Green Bottle Will:

…….

hey roy + liane_

have you visited the oc-17 house lately?

the painters plan to work on sunday to re-spray the front steel rafter tails and do touch-ups around the house. monday, they plan on painting the wooden rafter tails. also on monday, the roofers plan to install the master bath roof and have the gutter and side pieces for the dining room installed.

tuesday, the glass installation starts (temporary stops will hold the glass in place until we can trim them out; the installers will also seal the windows from the outside around the frames).

on wednesday, if possible, i would like us all to meet in order to discuss lighting. and, we also have another possible solution for the upper balcony that we’d like to discuss.

that’s all i have for now. let me know if you have any questions.

have a good weekend.

_
w.

…….

So there you have it—a partial agenda for next week.

Today though, busy day ahead…

…which includes a trip to DirectBuy (yuck) to order our appliances (yeah!)… but, perhaps first, a stop by the house to see the latest and greatest… but only after lunch at Pho Que Huong (18A without nuts, please) and checking out that Aldi.

Week 20: gobble, gobble

I caulk the line.

As the short Thanksgiving week began, the painting and plumbing and HVAC-ing continued…

…and then…

…the glass for our windows arrived!

Glass and the friendly plumber (not Joe).

We’ve decided to go with the glazed.

IGUs—or Insulated Glazing Units—are “a set of two or more sheets of glass spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a single glazed unit with a space between each sheet.” Cost-wise, they’re a bit more up front than the standard stuff; but the savings we’ll ultimately realize from lower heating and cooling costs should offset that and then some… and then some more (and then some more).

Glazed please (no sprinkles).

They should start going in next week… as soon as the White Dove dries on our steel spacers.

Also on the window-wise agenda in the coming weeks, the long-awaited enlargement of the wee dining room window. And just before we headed off to Mobile for a nice long Turkey Day weekend with Père & Mère & Uncle George, we spied Will and Matthew from Green Bottle Workshop discussing the resizing particulars with “Rudy the Roofer.”

Just a wee bit more…

And lastly (but certainly not least-ly), the ladybugs were back! In droves.

Continued good luck?

As long as they don’t bite.

Ladybugs!

Spot the sunning ladybugs.

Wee window, be less wee.

Bigger?

If you’ve been following these last few postings on the progress of our 1133 (worded or wordless), you may have noticed the differently cladded extending structure at the front, west-facing side of the house. A little box… or the beginnings of a box. A box in progress, if you like.

And if you have, you may have also noticed that this shiny little box has one great opening to the west (destined for great glassy and door-ish things) and one lesser so to the north, front-facing side. An opening, lesser not in importance, mind you, but in scale. A window. A wee window.

But, too wee?

In some of the original elevations (particularly the kitchen), the front-facing window is shown much wider—longer and more horizontal—but as design progressed and plans were formalized, the Green Bottle Gang reconsidered this window and how it might better interact with the interior space…

…and arrived at: square (it’s hipper, so we’re told).

Hardie, meet galv-alum.

Up and to the left.

Like all windows, it will have two lives: exterior and interior.

As seen from the outside, the window lives slightly off-center and to the left, close to where the two types of cladding join. It is designed to be, like its counterpart cousin on the east-side of the house, a moment; a little box within a little box peering through cascading vertical lines of crimped galv-alum. Its inside life—in the space that will be the 1133 dining room—will see it directly corresponding with the central axis of a long, wooden dining table and overseeing many future gatherings of family and friends.

But, cut back to exterior, and the question (again): too wee?

Oui.

But, we hadn’t thought so at first—that is, at the point just after the window and side were framed, but before the cladding had been applied. After the galv-alum was up, though, there was, we thought, something that seemed a bit, well… certainly not bad (Will and Matthew aren’t capable of bad), just a bit… off.

Initially, we put it down to having stared for so long at the elevations; perhaps we couldn’t move past them. But, there had already been a number of other divergences, and none of those had us scratching our heads.

So, what was it about this little window?

Pulling into the lot one afternoon, it hit us: it felt like it was getting lost.

Not a problem, we thought, if we’d been able to stick with the guys’ original plans and clad the structure in steel. A flat, smooth consistent surface wouldn’t distract the eye from noticing an opening of this size (roughly 12 inches by 12 inches), but the strong vertical lines created by the galv-alum now seemed to overpower it.

After thinking and talking, and pleading our case to Will and Matt, we arrived at: bigger…

It growed.

…but, not much bigger… just a wee bit bigger. 3 inches added to the top and right.

This subtle, but important, addition should have the window filling a bit more of the left third (so that it doesn’t appear to hug the corner too, too much), and straddling two of the main galv-alum vertical extrusions (still off-center, but in a more centered way… if that makes sense).

As of the end of this week (week 15 for you counting types), the adjustment had been made to the interior framework (see above); and now, we’re anxiously awaiting the return of the roof dude to finish out the exterior.

Until then…

Week 13: lucky for some

Words to follow shortly…

In the meantime, pictures!

Putting on a face.

The Lilliputians were here.

Exterior balcony and steel lip.

The Trojan Duck (back view).

Cut-out for the glass handrail.

East peep.

Board expression.

Week 12: eyes without a face

As the cladding adventures continue, distinct changes on the home front… or is that, the front of the house?

Yes, it is the front of the house!

As the Hardie Boys have grown in their ability to reach new heights (thanks to their pump jack scaffolding system dealio), lo and behold, what once was featureless is now feature-full (…was blind, but now can see, etc.).

The house… has eyes! And they seem to be indicating shared, unspoken knowledge.

Wes Craven's The House Has Eyes 2: The Winking.

And to the left.

After the framers have the front fully-cladded, the Green Bottle gang will turn their attention to the area between 1133’s new eyes and the mouth below them (also known as the window wall). This is where the “eyebrow” will go—an overhang that will project outward from the front and, following the line of the window wall, wrap around to the north east side of the house. The eyebrow, like the roof and dining room extension, will also be covered in galv-alum. For now though, the steel supports rest patiently in the red, just beyond the terrace on the east side of the house.

Steel for the eyebrows (or is it a mustache?).

The north east corner (almost).

And, speaking of galv-alum, 1133 now sports a shiny, new…

…roof!

Is that a metal roof?

It is! It is a metal roof!

But… no solar panels? Pourquois?

Perhaps, one day, our roof may be able to absorb as much light as it currently reflects, but solar panels now? Sadly, we just couldn’t afford them. But, again, we’re still trying to green as much as our green will allow.

Our trusty galv-alum has also started to make itself known on the west side dining room extension… more a peep really than a full-fledged announcement.

The West Side Diner.

And as the Hardie Boys finish up their exploits in the back of the house, the resulting view is very, very nice. This just may explain why the front was winking.

In the immortal words of Sir Mix-A-Lot…

Week 11: Hardie work

Much more to come… hopefully soon… with more words to go with the pictures… for those who care to know the whys & wherefores.

Until then, highlights from week 11 (taken about 2 weeks ago!). Enjoy.

West side: master bedroom and first floor hallway windows.

More than halfway there.

Peep Lou.

Rafter tail's tails.

Bare in back.

Week 8: waiting for the roof

With Labor Day on Monday, the short week at 1133 is spent finishing up the dining room and deck, extending the footings for the front entryway, prepping the cinderblock for the cement board cladding, and shoring up the joint in anticipation of the arrival of the roof trusses on the 9th (better known in Burns circles as Lauren Elizabeth’s 6th birthday!).

The front door (with growing footings).

Northwest side: dining room and deck.

Wee (dining room) window.

West side: dining room and deck.

Getting ready for the Hardie Board.

A view from the backyard.

Week 7: filling in and filling out

I think we may have a few leaks in the roof.

Monday and Tuesday are a wash-out as the rainy remnants of Fay kept us all at bay.

The framers return Wednesday morning and leave at the end of the day with things back on track.

And now that a sizable portion of the structure is up, it’s time to start correcting some of the abrupt downward sloping of the lot. Along with a very substantial bit of red at the far end of the lot, new dirt arrives and the graders, with their trusty Bobcat, get to leveling.

Let's move some dirt.

Hey! What happened to our moat?

Having a bit more ground around the house allows the framers to start on the floating dining room and east side deck area. To this, Liane says: “Yippeeee!” [Ed. note: I think it’s pretty cool too.]

The west side deck (and part of the dining room).

Looking down into the dining room.

We’re also noticing just how nice the view will be from the exterior balcony just outside the master bathroom.

The master bathroom and adjoining exterior balcony.

Much, much accomplished, despite the shortened week. The roof trusses have been specified and ordered; and, what little framing that’s left before those arrive in 2 weeks, will be finished up next week (follow that?).

Grounded.

Week 5: let the frames begin

Monday, August 11. It’s drizzling, gloomy, overcast day in Bluff Park. Not the best of weather for framing, but the framers get to it…

The amazing Lauren and Rachel Burns… and balloons!

…while we’re enjoying sunny, unseasonably temperate weather in Washington D.C. hanging with Bubs, Lisa, Lauren and Rachel.

After spending the weekend taking in a few sights, eating too much, and being fairly glued to the Olympics, Liane and I hit the National Building Museum on Monday with Bubba and Lauren for the Eero Saarinen exhibit (he of The Arch and the lovely Womb Chair).

Meanwhile, back “home,” Will is kind enough to capture the results of week 5, day 1 for us: half the first floor done before calling it on account of rain.

We’re back in business!

Half of the first floor floor. Photo ©2008 Green Bottle Workshop LLC

Over the phone the next day, Will lets us know that we’ll need to commit one way or the other to the outdoor fireplace, which will go on the east side terrace. Even if we decide to do it after the house is finished, a footing will need to be poured, and that has to happen now. We all really, really want to this to happen. So, after minimal debate (and encouragement from Bubba), we give ’em the go-ahead.

At week’s end, we say our goodbyes in Baltimore, fly back to Birmingham and head straight for the lot. Will had said that the framing stage is typically the quickest part of the building process. Never having done this before though (and knowing that the weather hadn’t been fully cooperative while we were away), we weren’t quite sure what to expect when we pulled into the “driveway” at 1133.

To our amazement, here’s what we saw:

It's not a lot. It's a house!

Looking through the kitchen and into the downstairs bedrooms.

A closer look at the east-facing bedroom.

So much progress in so little time!

We’re actually able to see the layout of the first floor. And, we’re also getting a much clearer sense of the scale of the house.

It’s different to what we’d imagined.

Bigger. A lot bigger.

The extra digging during the foundation process has the house sitting high off the ground, making it feel pretty monumental up close. Pulling into the driveway though, it feels just right. Not too big, not too small. Perfectly tailored to the lot.

We leave on a high, planning to return the following evening.

Just 24 short hours later, we arrive to find this:

Is that the front window?

Steel beams offer extra support for the large front and east-facing corner windows.

There it ith! The footing for the outthide hearth!

The west side (dining room TK).

Back o' the house and the entrance to the standspace (formerly known as the crawlspace).

Inside the completed crawlspace.

Again, we just can’t believe it. In just 5 short days (4-and-a-half if you count the weather interruption), we’re able to see where the middle volume and kitchen will live, the downstairs bathroom and bedrooms, and the living room.

The entire first level is almost done!

Gas prices had us just about to swear off coming to the site every day. But, with so much happening so quickly, so much for that.