The smaller courtyard adjacent to offices for the rabbi and cant…
The smaller courtyard adjacent to offices for the rabbi and cantor is for more private reflection and prayer. For the private courtyard, the design team opted for a clear pattern cut into an opaque white background.
Paul Crosby
The courtyard adjacent to the new chapel will be used for outdoo…
The courtyard adjacent to the new chapel will be used for outdoor events and gatherings.
James Scolari
The 2013 New American Home's floor plan focuses on seamless indo…
The 2013 New American Home's floor plan focuses on seamless indoor/outdoor transitions.
Trent Bell
The 2013 New American Home, located in the Las Vegas desert, is …
The 2013 New American Home, located in the Las Vegas desert, is open to the elements but carefully designed to keep heat gain to a minimum.
Brian Vanden Brink
All materials are exposed to the
natural elements and they wil…
All materials are exposed to the
natural elements and they will weather erratically. “This decision was
consistent with sensibility that imperfections are the beauty and
weather marks are the history of a building,” explains Hutker.
Brian Vanden Brink
The design team wanted the shower to
read as the strongest par…
The design team wanted the shower to
read as the strongest part of the porch composition, so they produced a
circular opening in the porch overhang so the shower stands as an
uninterrupted form.
Julia Heine
Off-the-shelf lumber, roof trusses, and stainless steel fastener…
Off-the-shelf lumber, roof trusses, and stainless steel fasteners let the building have a porch-like, airy feel. It also helped contain costs–the project actually came in under budget.
Julia Heine
Somerset Pool House is a gathering place in a small incorporated…
Somerset Pool House is a gathering place in a small incorporated town within the upscale DC Beltway community of Chevy Chase, Md.
Aaron Booher
A large public spaceis broken up into smaller ones. Clusters of …
A large public spaceis broken up into smaller ones. Clusters of European Hornbeam act as groves, offsetting the ginormous scale of the building, and acting as a windscreen.
Aaron Booher
FSC-certified Ipe decking is a warm contrast to the glass and co…
FSC-certified Ipe decking is a warm contrast to the glass and concrete that compose the tower.
Asa Gilmore
Asa Gilmore
Casey Dunn
Story Pool House
Centerpoint, Texas
Casey Dunn
Story Pool House
Centerpoint, Texas
Kip Dawkins
After an earlier iteration of this backyard’s design left its …
After an earlier iteration of this backyard’s design left its patio bare, the owners wanted an addition that would stay in step with the original home while making the space more functional. A pool was added to enliven the space in summer months, and an accompanying timber-frame porch addition offers refuge from both sun and the elements year round. Project: Hardy Porch/Pool Addition, Richmond, Va.; Builder: Tuckahoe Creek Construction, Manakin-Sabot, Va.; Architect: Cox & Associates, Richmond
Kip Dawkins
Hardy Porch/Pool Addition, Richmond, Va.
Lynn Donaldson
Riverside Barbecue Pavilion, Big Timber, Mont.
Lynn Donaldson
Rather than compete with its natural surroundings, which include…
Rather than compete with its natural surroundings, which include a position on the Yellowstone River and views of the Rocky Mountains, this pavilion embraces them by stripping down to bare materials that allow it to blend in with the natural environs. A corrugated metal roof disguises a cable system that adds extra support, freeing up wall space for sliding doors that stack for optimal views. Project: Riverside Barbecue Pavilion, Big Timber, Mont.; Builder: On-Site Management, Bozeman, Mont.; Architect: Muse Architects, Bethesda, Md.
Julia Heine/McInturff Architects
Rappahannock Bend Summer House, King George, Va.
Julia Heine/McInturff Architects
Casey Dunn
Casey Dunn
With the warm weather months kicking off, homeowners are ready to enjoy spending just as much time outside of the house as they do in it—if not more.
Over the past five years, BUILDER and CUSTOM HOME have recognized projects that feature seamless indoor/outdoor layouts and versatile outdoor living designs as part of the BUILDER’s Choice and Watermark Awards. Luxurious exterior courtyards, stylish outdoor elements, and modern pool houses create the perfect backyard oasis in these public and private design projects.
In the 2013 New American Home, spacious interior rooms and exterior patios connected by glass doors make it hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. And one community got a serious outdoor living upgrade at Somerset Pool House, where the project team transformed the public pool building from a dank and rundown structure to an open and inviting gathering spot.
By year, here are the 2010-2014 grand and merit winners for outdoor living space.
