Design
Grant Residence and Artist Studio
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that I’ve been practicing architecture for over 30 years. As a consequence of all that time, I’ve had the opportunity to design all types of facilities, from garages and additions to horse barns to new and renovated residences. Like many architects, I enjoy working with all types of clients and building types, as I’m always eager to confront a new design challenge. So I thought I’d share a residential project that follows the same ideals I always pursue: design that balances the demands of the site with the needs of the owner.
The Grant Residence and artist studio, located on a historic family estate in Ware Neck, Virginia, was designed to fit in the historic architectural context of the pre-Revolutionary War era property. The estate includes an original home, Lowland Cottage, which was built in 1670 and is listed as a registered historic landmark.
The original home, Lowland Cottage, remains on-site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The new artist studio and main house, both designed by Blackburn Architects, were built around stringent wetland requirements, yet they still take advantage of the scenic panoramic river views on three sides of the site.
Both structures feature hardwood floors and French doors throughout, building on the historic context of the Lowland Cottage and other structures on the Ware Neck peninsula. French doors in the main residence lead out to a spacious screened porch with ceiling fans, accessible through the kitchen, living room, and dining room.
An 18’ by 64’ screened porch serves as a welcoming exterior room that stretches the full width of the west side of the house with 180-degree panoramic views of the beautiful sunsets across the Ware River. The room was designed to be usable in all seasons with passive solar heating in the winter, and cooling river breezes in the summer.
The second floor occupies space within the roof using a series of dormers and gables to provide head room for three bedrooms while the master bedroom is on the main floor. Built-in china cabinets enhance the contemporary design of the interior while modern lighting focuses attention on the highlights of each specific room. The lighting is adjustable for showcasing artwork, including that of the artist-owner.
The artist studio complements the cottage-style of the main residence and the original Lowland Cottage. Both buildings were designed to comply with the requirements of the Historic Review Commission.
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DCmud: Blog about Blackburn
I’m excited to share today’s blog entry about Blackburn Architects on DCmud.com contributed by Beth Herman. DCmud is a top blog in the world of architecture and design in Washington, D.C. and is presented by DCRealEstate.com. Hope you read the article and enjoy!
Re-Source 7: Design Services from UVA Graduate Students
A former employee, who left the firm to earn his Masters in Architecture at the University of Virginia, has started a group called Re-Source 7 with his fellow students to offer design expertise for cheap to the lucky residents of Charlottesville. Some of the services provided by this talented bunch are web design, graphic design, 3-D rendering, and—of course—architectural design (which I’d highly recommend if you live in the C-ville area). For non-residents, however, check out the Design Stream section of the site for posts about tackling weekend renovation projects for your home and other design-related stories.
Their efforts take me back to my own graduate school days at Washington University in St. Louis, where a group of my friends and I started a Planning Design Collective to provide design services to people interested in quality design but couldn’t necessarily afford it—young couples and families, mostly—and to low-income families to help them renovate their inner-city row houses into apartments. We must have completed somewhere around 10 projects, and it was a memorable experience.
Facebook–Join the Club?
Well, I finally decided to give Facebook a try. I’m not sure I can keep up with it, to be honest. But mainly I hope to get a nice “fan page” started for Blackburn Architects so that people who are interested in equestrian design—or just architecture and design in general—can meet, collaborate, and ask questions.
Do you think this has value? If so, I’d love to have you as a friend and a fan on Facebook.