Architect Dion Neutra To Bring His Famous Father’s Work To Raleigh

Triangle Modernist Houses continues the 2012 TalkModern Lecture Series.

Dion Neutra

October 30, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – In 1949, Time magazine named modern master Richard Neutra (1892-1970) the second most important architect in America, second only to Frank Lloyd Wright. On Tuesday, November 13, at 7 p.m., the master’s son, architect Dion Neutra, AIA, will discuss his father’s celebrated work and philosophy when he presents “Neutra Architecture: The View From Inside” at the AIA North Carolina Center for Architecture and Design in downtown Raleigh.

Dion’s lecture is the second half of Triangle Modernist Houses’ 2012 TalkModern Lecture Series this fall entitled “A Fistful of Neutras.” His brother Raymond spoke in October.

A partner in his father’s firm, Dion will share his personal and professional views of the sensitivity to the relationship of man and nature that he and his father called bio-realism.

“The Neutras sounded the environmental alarm in the 1950s many years before ecology, Green architecture, and Sustainable Design became buzz words for politicians and recently concerned organizations,” according to the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design.  “As far back as [Dion] can remember, his father was warning that ‘today’s man-made environment has become an irritating, increasing threat to the vitality and soundness of mind and body.’ “

Charlotte landscape architect Ted Cleary will introduce Dion Neutra before his Raleigh lecture.

Advance tickets to the lectures are $12.50. Tickets per lecture at the door are $15. $5 for NCSU students and faculty with identification will be admitted for $5.

To purchase advance tickets and for more information, go to www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/lecture.  Proceeds from this lecture will benefit TMH’s ongoing programs.

The AIANC Center for Architecture & Design is located at 14 East Peace Street, Raleigh, NC 27604. For directions: www.cfadnc.org.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

Richard Neutra

About Richard Neutra:  In 1929, Viennese-born architect Richard Neutra rose to prominence with his visionary design of the Lovell “Health House” in Los Angeles. In 1932, Neutra was included in the seminal MoMA exhibition on modern architecture, curated by Philip Johnson and Henry-Russell Hitchcock. The ensuing decades solidified his place as one of the giants of the Modernist movement. TMH features a nearly complete catalog of his residential works.

 

Raleigh Architecture Firm To Host “Thirst4Architecture”

Louis Cherry, Ratio welcome networking happy hour.

June 11, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), the award-winning non-profit organization dedicated documenting, preserving and promoting Modernist residential design, will continue its 2012 Thirst4Architecture (T4A) happy hour networking events this month on Wednesday, June 20, from 6-8 pm. in the offices of RATIO, an architectural firm in downtown Raleigh. RATIO partner Louis Cherry, FAIA, will serve as host.

TMH’s informal happy hours are free and open to the public. Hosts provide refreshments and TMH provides a variety of door prizes.

“We welcome architects, artists, designers, interior designers, realtors, engineers, contractors, property investors, building managers, Modernist homeowners, materials and furniture dealers – or anyone with a huge crush on great architecture,” says TMH founder and board chair George Smart. “T4A focuses on building relationships, generating passion about good design, creating strategic alliances, and connecting people to each other. There are no presentations or PowerPoint slides. Come join the fun and make new friends and contacts!”

For more information on this and future T4A events, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/t4a.

With offices in Illinois and Indiana, RATIO merged with Cherry’s former firm, Cherry Huffman Architects, in 2011. The firm’s Raleigh office is located at 135 E. Martin Street, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27601 (919-821-0805). For more information visit http://www.ratioarchitects.com.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

Triangle Modernist Houses Presents “Modernism at Risk: Modern Solutions for Saving Modern Landmarks”

The 1938 Goodyear House designed by Edward Durell Stone. Architecture critic Paul Goldberger called it “one of the most important houses built in the United States between the two world wars.”

A nine-day international architecture exhibit at the new AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design

April 24, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), the award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting Modernist residential design, will present “Modernism at Risk: Modern Solutions for Saving Modern Landmarks,” an international exhibit, from June 1-9 in the new AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design in downtown Raleigh.

“Modernism at Risk” features a large-format photographic gallery of destroyed or endangered Modernist buildings by internationally renowned photographer Andrew Moore.  The exhibit has traveled the world including the Art Institute of Tampa, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, The AIA New York Center for Architecture, Lund University in Sweden, the University of Florida-Gainesville, the University of Montreal, and the University of Michigan’s Taubman School of Architecture.

A project of the World Monuments Fund, “Modernism at Risk” presents five case studies exploring the role designers play in preserving Modern landmarks. These include buildings by architectural luminaries Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Eduardo Catalano, Paul Rudolph, Charles Gwathmey, Edward Durell Stone, and Warren Platner. The exhibit’s goal is to persuade the public that Modern buildings can continue to be economically and functionally viable.

“The demise of Modern buildings is a local issue,” said TMH founder and board chair George Smart. “Starting with the destruction of Raleigh’s Catalano House in 2001, we have lost many ‘livable works of art.’ In addition to the photographs, the exhibit will include rare models and a ongoing video loop of award-winning houses in North Carolina. People can learn about great NC houses still standing, which ones are endangered, and how we can work to preserve them.”

Modernist architecture firms and product vendors in the Triangle area are sponsoring each day of the exhibit. They will share samples of their own work and be on hand to speak with tour-goers. These sponsors are: Frank Harmon, FAIA, of Frank Harmon Architect PA; Vinny Petrarca of Tonic Design + Construction; Phil Szostak, FAIA, of Szostak Design/Build; Steve Schuster, FAIA, of Clearscapes Architecture; Kenneth Hobgood, FAIA, of Kenneth Hobgood Architects; Matthew Griffith, AIA, and Erin Sterling Lewis, AIA, of In Situ Studio; Will Alphin of Alphin Design Build; Jerry Nowell of Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture; and Dan Nicely, Assoc. AIA, of VMZINC.

Tickets to the exhibit are: Opening night, June 1, $6.95 in advance, $10 at the door; June 2-9, $3.95 advance, $5 at the door. AIA North Carolina members are admitted free.  For more information and tickets, visit http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/atrisk.htm. Proceeds benefit TMH’s ongoing documentation, preservation, and promotion projects.

The new AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design is located at 14 East Peace Street directly across from Peace College. For more information, contact George Smart at 919-740-8407.

About the World Monument Fund:

Founded in 1965, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private international historic preservation organization based in New York City. For nearly 50 years, WMF has worked to save and preserve endangered historic sites in all areas of the world. The “Modernism at Risk” exhibit is underwritten nationally through a generous gift from Knoll. For more information: www.wmf.org.

TMH’s Thirst4Architecture Opens at the Contemporary Art Museum

Kick-off networking happy hour includes food, music, games and exhibition.

April 10, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) — Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH), the award-wining non-profit organization dedicated documenting, preserving and promoting Modernist residential design, will kick off its 2012 Thirst4Architecture (T4A) happy hour networking events this month on Thursday, April 26, from 6-8:30 pm. at the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) in downtown Raleigh.

This season’s first T4A takes place concurrent with CAM’s exhibition, “Born Digital.” Along with catering from Moe’s, T4A will offer a cash bar and entertainment by “Eyes Go Lightning,” an all-architect band.

Nowell’s Contemporary Furniture, one of the evening’s sponsors, will stage a game of “Musical Modernist Chairs” with designer chairs from the 1960’s through today.

TMH’s informal happy hours are open to the public.

“We welcome architects, artists, designers, interior designers, realtors, engineers, contractors, property investors, building managers, Modernist homeowners, materials and furniture dealers – or anyone with a huge crush on great architecture,” says TMH founder and board chair George Smart. “T4A focuses on building relationships, generating passion about good design, creating strategic alliances, and connecting people to each other. There are no presentations or PowerPoint slides. Come join the fun and make new friends and contacts!”

Admission to the April 26 T4A, which is also sponsored by Modern Home Auction.com, is free and open to the public, but capacity is limited to the first 225 people who show up.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com. For more information on this and future T4A events, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/t4a.htm.

Raleigh’s Pecha Kucha Night To Feature “Mayberry Modernism”

George Smart of Triangle Modernist Houses to present the 7-minute version of his popular presentation.

February 14, 2012 (Raleigh, NC) – Triangle Modernist Houses’ founder George Smart will be one of the rapid-fire presenters at Pecha Kucha Night in Raleigh on Wednesday, February 22, presenting  “Mayberry Modernism: Why North Carolina Is America’s Hotspot For Way Cool Houses.”

Pecha Kucha is the Japanese word for “chit-chat.” Participants share ideas in a fast-paced, high-energy manner in no more than six minutes and 40 seconds.

Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) is an award-winning, non-profit organization Smart founded in 2007 to document, preserve, and promote modernist residential design. “Mayberry Modernism” spotlights many of North Carolina’s modernist houses from the 1950s to today. TMH draws over 50,000 hits a month to its vast digital archives, with nearly 15,000 photos.

The theme for this year’s Pecha Kucha Night in Raleigh is “Love of Community,” which segues perfectly with “Mayberry Modernism,” according to Smart.

“I’ll share how – and why – I and so many people have come together around a love of North Carolina Modernist houses,” he said.

Smart has presented Mayberry Modernism to Pecha Kucha events in Raleigh and Charlotte. He also regularly presents a speech-length version, “Mayberry Modernism: North Carolina’s Modernist Legacy,” across North Carolina to preservation groups, sections of the American Institute of Architecture, and professional realtors’ associations, among others.

Pecha Kucha Night will take place at The Union Tavern in downtown Raleigh, 327 West Davie Street, #114. Doors open at 5:40 p.m.  The event is free, but space is very limited and sells out, so audience members are encouraged to get their free tickets early at http://pknraleigh.com/register/.

For more information on Triangle Modernist Houses, visit www.trianglemodernisthouses.com.

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee To Host “Thirst 4 Architecture”

September’s networking event brings design enthusiasts together.

September 7, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – The architectural firm Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee (PBC+L) in downtown Raleigh will join Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) to host this month’s TMH “Thirst 4 Architecture” happy hour on Thursday, September 22, from 6-8pm. The event will be held in the PBC+L offices in Suite 1000 of the classic Capital Bank Building at 333 Fayetteville Street.

TMH founder and director George Smart points out how fitting it is to hold this T4A happy hour in the Capital Bank building. It is frequently referred to as the “Little Seagram Building” for bearing a striking resemblance to a Mies van der Rohe skyscraper in New York City.

“The building was designed by New York architects Emery Roth and Raleigh’s Milton Small in 1966 for BB&T,” he said, “and it’s a terrific example of a mid-century modern office tower. I’m sure everyone who comes to the September event will not only enjoy the networking and refreshments, but will also enjoy being in a Small-designed commercial structure. We’re very grateful to PBC+L for giving us this opportunity.”

Master landscape architect Dick Bell, FASLA, will be on hand to sell and sign copies of his new memoir “The Bridge Builders.” The book traces Bell’s evolution as a designer from his childhood spent growing up on the Outer Banks during the Great Depression to his establishing the former award-winning “Water Garden” mixed-use development on Raleigh’s Glenwood Avenue/Highway 70 West. (For more information on Bell’s new book: http://thebridgebuilders.wordpress.com)

“Thirst 4 Architecture events are intended to build relationships, generating passion about good design, create strategic alliances, and connect people,” Smart said. “It’s all interaction. There are no presentations or PowerPoint slides. Come enjoy the refreshments, enter for door prizes, and make new friends and contacts.”

There is no charge for attendance and the sponsoring firm provides all refreshments.

For more information on “Thirst 4 Architecture” events, go to www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/t4a.

For more information on PBC+L and directions to their offices, go to www.pbclarchitecture.com