The Biombo Chairs by Daniel Milchtein convert from screen to seating in a few easy slides. According to original Design Milk posting, the wood veneer chair, built over a hinged wood structure, when is not in use is a folding screen (Biombo). The surface of the seat can be engraved with a graphic image that transforms it into a decorative object when folded flat.
Urban Reserve, Diane Cheatham's development of fifty sustainable design, modern single-family residences is located on a 13-acre plot off Forest Lane and Central Expressway (map). The project has been in the works for over two years, and the first residence, at 51 Vanguard Way designed by Lionel Morrison, was recently completed. Other designs are in varying stages of the process; all are dramatic and definitively modern. 
Dallas comes in at #18 on this list, which is led off with Hong Kong, Chicago, Shanghai, New York, and Tokyo. Given credit for having seven buildings towering over 200 meters, along with the 186-meter Reunion Tower and its distinctive green-tinged night appearance, Dallas is picked as a shining beacon of the western prairies. I've always been partial to a good skyline, and the other city views are real lookers too
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A trio of Forest Hills neighbors on Eustis Avenue, off Garland Road near White Rock Lake, have a unique proposal for a new home:
"The structure at 8520 Eustis is beyond repair and will be dismantled this spring, leaving an exceptional building opportunity. We have designed a home that will take full advantage of this lot without damage to the landscape and is of a size and style in harmony with the existing neighborhood. Our goal is to build this structure with materials and techniques that are sustainable and efficient, and we look forward to working with a client as the project progresses."
As spring marches on, and with Tax Day behind us, we can turn towards modern-influenced gardening, and this weekend is a great time to get started. The Dallas Arboretum's annual plant sale is April 21 & 22nd, and features Dallas-friendly plants, including several that won't show up on the shelves of the big box centers. The Dallas County Master Gardener Association is sponsoring its own plant sale the morning of April 21. This sale will feature specimens from local Master Gardener collections and from students at the Multiple Careers Magnet Center School, with proceeds to their vocational programs.
It's not even all the way off the drawing board yet (although the timelines suggest that building on the Woodall Rogers and I-30 bridges will begin in the next eight weeks), and the funding of the tollway is one of the year's top contentious issues around town, but the Trinity River Corridor project has won an AIA award. One of ten 2007 Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design was given for the Trinity River Project’s "Balanced Vision Plan" that guides development and appropriate land use along the Trinity Corridor. Elements of the plan proposal included "a large urban recreational park, a river with restored sinousity...a sensitively-designed road that runs concurrent against the downtown levell and affords park and city vistas...several hundred acres of community development along the Trinity River Corridor."“We were impressed by the vast scale of this proposal…They’ve taken a significant physical and environmental barrier and transformed it into a regionally scaled public domain that stitches together the surrounding urban areas and unifies the city…The design concept returns the river to its innately sinuous state and draws on the natural features of the terrain…Its emphasis on natural systems and sustainability addresses basic human needs.”
KERA Channel 13's CEO series will feature One Arts Plaza developer Lucy Billingsley this Friday night at 7:30pm (details). The Billingsley Company, founded in 1978, has led Dallas area development from the outskirts back towards downtown. The One Arts Plaza modern luxury midrise project has attracted numerous eyes as a foothold for art-savvy empty-nesters and new corporate work locations near the redeveloped Arts District. Mrs. Billingsley's role as Partner in charge of office developments and multi-family developments has put her in the forefront of these inroads. As she says, "We are hoping to create the living room for the Arts District." Should be interesting watching.
Two new apartment high-rise conversions are entering the downtown rental market featuring luxurious extras and conceirege services rather than the bare-bones urban loft aesthetic. With units from 700 square feet and monthly rents between $1250 and $9000, the buildings are laden with amenities that appeal to a discriminating crowd.
he skyscraper, known for its signature spire, is the 21st tallest building in the city. It has been empty since 1995, but is nearing the completion of a $75 million renovation by
the Gables corporation. The Republic Center plans to welcome its first occupants this January into 229 apartments and into newly-completed office and retail spaces. The building's features include a rooftop pool with coffee bar and sundeck, a business center and a fitness center. Individual units feature stainless appliances, granite counters, hardwood floors and custom cabinetry.
Union Tower Complex at 1509 Pacific was built in two stages: the Fidelity Union Life 21-story building in 1949 and the 33-story Fidelity Union Tower in 1959. Hamilton Properties Corporation bough
t the property in 20o4, and began a $100 million conversion of the property into the Mosaic, a complex of over 400 apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground floor shop and restaurant space. "These are not warehouse-style lofts," developer Ted Hamilton told the Dallas Morning News. "The interior finishes our residents are getting are more sophisticated. We've been able to prove that luxury projects work in downtown." Planned features at the Mosaic create a sense of "ultra-urban" luxury: a 120-foot zero-edge pool, and outdoor dive-in movie theater, wireless internet access, a poker/cigar room, and an 8th-floor dog park. Complimentary membership at Pulse, a "hip" fitness center, is included.
Development in Downtown Dallas continues with the revelation of a new highrise residential addtion atop an existing 13-story parking garage. Bisno Development will create Sky Lofts at 717 Leonard Street. The project plans for approximately 202 condominiums (161,460 square feet of residential space) within less than half a mile of the Westin City Center and the Arts District construction including One Arts Plaza. The developers are investing over $43 million in the project, which is slated for completion by 2010. 10% of the residential units will be set aside as affordable or else the developers may opt to transfer the obligation at a cost of $20,000 per set-aside unit.
The twelve-story Lake Cliff Tower at the corner of Zang and Colorado has undergone a momentous renovation. The 1930s-era landmark has evolved from glamourous hotel to apartments to old folks' home to hip loft condominium. Sitting atop the Zang Boulevard hill and just down the street from the Trinity Townhomes project I blogged about earlier, the 60 units--
one or two bedrooms, ranging in price from $189K to $600K-- command spectacular views of downtown and of surrounding Oak Cliff parks. The first units are starting to close after over 18 months of construction, which was strewn with challenges. "It has been a very long and arduous process to preserve the exterior and renovate the interior," developer Stephen Everbach told the Dallas Morning News. "It's taken a little longer than anticipated. The complexities of dealing with a structure that is 75 years old are endless, and so are all the surprises one uncovers when renovating a building like this." A mixed-use development is slated to be built across Zang from the building and will house a fitness center among other businesses.
the classic design of the building and melding in the open, clean lines of concrete floors, stainless appliances, and exposed beam ceilings. The Dallas Morning News featured the property and highlights celebrity occupants like former Dallas Cowboy Jethro Pugh, who appreciated the unique surroundings. "I decided to buy it because of the Trinity River and the trees and everything around there."
North Oak Cliff has seen an increase in modern design projects like Kessler Woods in the past few years. Several recently announced projects (lofts, townhomes, retail) are adding to the area's infill development along a path between Bishop Arts district and the Trinity River.
integrates natural elements and a variety of textural finishes. Views of downtown and the Trinity basin are a focus of all units; the townhouses along the levee have downtown views from all floors, the interior units from roof decks. The exterior incorporates numerous windows and skylights, cedar-finished garage doors, and metal and stucco siding. Inside, clean lines, soaring ceilings, and bamboo hardwoods tickle modern tastes.
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