VV Speaks

A few Good…win Pics

| mjneal

… of the house that mj went to present yesterday in Dallas. The clients loved it. So do we!!! Personally, I WANT IT!!! My friends want it, you want it! But only our fab clients get it 🙂 Designed for their site and for their needs, as all of our work is, this one has been a long time on the boards and we are getting closer and closer to breaking ground… Check the sloping roof element, it’s all solar panels! But my favorite part has got to be the pool… I’ll get more renderings soon and I’ll post with MJ’s comments. VV

I posted this on the Barcelona Films Blog

| mjneal

… blog but since it has to do with buildings (somewhat) I decided to post some of it here as well. Go to my blog if you want to read the part about the tunnels for the nuns during the war at my old school, but here’s the last part of the post:

“I dream about other buildings too, like this house that appeared to be my 1800’s apartment in Barcelona but kept showing me this hidden rooms out of an abandoned palace that I never had known where there… I used to dream about those hidden rooms a lot…

The house dreams were very intriguing to me and I read somewhere that the house represents your subconscious. The different rooms the different parts of it. For example, the attic would represent the mind (I wonder what it means that “my” attic had huge holes in the ceiling and you could see the blue sky, the sun, and the clouds, from it. It was also unkept… ) the basement (or the bedroom) your sexuality, and so on…

There’s a Chico Boarque song that I had never understood until I read that. It talks about going into the abandoned house and killing all the members ot the family, one by one, in each room … and aftter that, opening all the windows and letting all the insects in….” VV

So Much to Tell

| mjneal

so little time! We’re back from a memorable trip to Mexico. MJ and I love Mexico DF and its people. We were treated by Guillermo Plazola and co. with such warmth and gallantry that we didn’t want to come back. The lecture went very well, and after it, MJ and I felt like rock stars, being asked to pose for pictures, give interviews, invites for dinner, huy!!!!

We figured that architecture presentations are so boring and dry as a norm that we would spice it up a bit and I created two little movies, one for each project, that were very well received. It also helped that I spoke Spanish and made them laugh. M.J. had a simultaneous translator that must’ve been good, because no one seemed too bored and we had more questions than anyone at the end of our lecture…

Another highlight of the trip was meeting Neil Denari, yes THE very one and only. The guy’s work is out of this world! It’s great to see that he’s finally getting to build his amazing stuff. VV

Steel is up!!!

| mjneal

If you have been reading about the craziness at the job in Cleabourne, you’ll be happy to hear that the construction is actually progressing nicely and that the steel is up! Our happy friend/client is sending us many pictures (mostly taken with his phone, I think…) MJ will have you want to notice the indentation in the foundation specially designed to collect the sand that this fine artist throws at his paintings when he works… there’s also another cut in the foundation that is to be a fire pit… but MJ will post about that, I’m sure. For now I’m just going to paste these here and I will let MJ comment on the job.

I don’t know when that will be because he’s taking off for Dallas in the AM, to visit this site, present another project (I will post renderings of the presentation soon) and to have drinks with another potential commercial client, the lucky dog… VV

The happy architect in front of our office, soon to be former office… (More on that soon. I think we found the perfect space!!!) Although, I’ll be very sad to see this building go, it’s a 50’s gem. and it’s a crime to touch it… unless they do something brilliant with it (let’s hope.)

06 peeking at us

| mjneal

We are grateful for the year peeking at us with a kind eye.

1. New Featured Project, Szeto/Shum Residence renderings at mjneal.com
2. New Curra’s Restaurant starts construction
3. Challenging Remodel in Rollingwood
4. Steep-site Remodel in Balcones Drive
5. University of Texas Arlington Revisited
6. Exhibition in Mexico
7. Books and Magazines: Japan, Mexico and Bulgaria publish work by M. J. Neal, AIA
8. Sponsorship. M.J. Neal Architects and Barcelona Films support Sri Atmananda Memorial School

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1. Check the “Featured Project” on our website for the new renderings for the Szeto/Shum Residence! This project is nearing its final construction documents phase and is on an “lean and mean” budget.

mjneal.com

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2. Curra’s North has started construction.
We are pleased to announce that the new Curra’s Restaurant – North, designed by M. J. Neal, has started construction. The new Curra’s will feature perforated plywood, a big ass fan and polished concrete floors. We are very excited about a new system for finishing concrete floors. They look incredible and you never have to redo them again!

Curra’s new location is at Parmer and McNeill in Austin. If you’ve never tried their delicious interior Mexican food, well, most likely, you just moved to Austin!

curra’s

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3. Remodel project in Rollingwood, a complete remodel and addition of a house with dramatic views of downtown. Bringing it up to date, adapting it to the needs of the new owners, and connecting the house back to the land makes this a challenging and exciting project.

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4. Another remodel of a 50’s house, this one on Balcones Dr, that presents interesting opportunities as we are dealing with a steep site, an old house, and a landscape that has gone back to a semi-wild state. Volume will be added to the house to create a library and a new master bedroom. All the other rooms will be opened up to the new private, and semi-private, gardens that will be created by taking advantage of the overgrowth.

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5. M. J. Neal, AIA returns to the University of Texas, Arlington to teach a graduate design studio. There may be more news on the universities front, come next winter… check back for updates. In December, M. J. was invited to the University of Texas, Austin, to UTA, and to Texas Tech for final student critiques. He was also one of the jurors for the 2005 AIA, Lubbock awards.

UTA

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6. M. J. Neal, AIA invited to the Third International Exhibition of Contemporary Interior Design – Bienal Mexico
M. J. Neal, AIA has been invited to exhibit boards of the Ramp House residence and the Anthony Nak flagship store at this prestigious exhibition in Mexico city and other cities, as a traveling exhibition. The Ramp House previously won the Miami Bienal 2003 Silver Medal for Interior Design, the Texas Society of Architects Honor Design Award and the AIA, Austin Citation of Honor Award. Anthony Nak was the IIDA 2005 winner, a TSA Honor Design Award, an AIA, Austin Citation of Honor Award and the Store Concept of the year by Couture International, Jeweler. (This last award was presented to store owners Anthony Camargo and David Nakard)

The Third International Exhibition of Contemporary Interior Design will open on April 2006 at the Claustro Betlemitas, Mexico, DF, the leading museum of contemporary design in Mexico City. This event is organized by the IIDA México City Chapter, Plazola Editores and the Colegio de Arquitectos, Ciudad de México.

The first and second events had more than 33,000 visitors in Mexico City during 5 weeks, with the principal works of architects, interior designers and industrial designers from all over the world (Mexico, USA, Spain, Ireland, Brasil, Corea, South Africa, Canada, Germany, etc). Some other firms exhibiting this year are Karim Rashid, Jorge Penzi, Legorreta Legorreta, KMD, and Cini Boeri.

muestra

7. More international publishing for M. J. Neal, AIA. Last year was an intense one of publications for our work, and the beginning of 2006 seems equally poised.

Upcoming Magazines and Books:

– SPA-DE, Space-Design,is a newly established Japanese magazine for interior architecture and design focusing on commercial and office spaces. SPA-DE presents an international selection of distinctive restaurants, bars, cafés, boutiques, shops, hotels, beauty salons, museums, as well as shopping centers, space installations, display design, furniture design, etc. by the world’s hottest designers and architects. M. J. Neal’s Anthony Nak Flagship Jewelry Store will appear in the fifth issue, which will be published both in Japanese and English in the Spring.

– Ambientes, by Editorial Expansion is one of the leading interior design Magazines in Mexico. The anthony Nak store will be featured on the February-March issue.

ambientes

– The Home Today and Tomorrow magazine – a Bulgarian print venue for furniture, interiors, design, and new trends has requested the Edmonds residence.

the home

– Libro de la Exposicion de la Tercera Muestra Internacional de Interiorismo. A book with a selection of the works exhibited in Mexico (see number 6) will be published by Plazola Editores, S.A. in 2006.

8. Sri Atmananda Memorial School

Many of you know that our son attends Sri Atmananda Memorial school. After much thought, we decided to pull him out of the traditional schooling environment, that most of us went through, and try the KPM Institute approach to Children. SAMS is a non-sectarian, private school where every child is unconditionally valued and acknowledged. The teacher-student relationship is at the center of the approach with a ratio of 4:1. I’ve never seen so many children and so many teachers having so much fun, every single, blessedly full, day.

Sri Atmananda School is a daily source of inspiration, hope, and just plain happiness for the three of us; it has brought to our family profound positive changes. To us, this way of schooling is critical to self-discovery, by supporting honesty and clarity in learning and in life.

M.J. and I strive to contribute to a honorable way of life, not only with our architecture and film work, but through big and small daily actions; we try our best to breathe life into our core principles as we endeavor to create a milieu of freedom, honesty, and love.

If you are curious about this education approach, and the school, attend their open houses, Child Worl Workshops,and coffee sessions. And see these websites:

Sri Atmananda Memorial School (SAMS for short!)
kpm approach to children

More Awards and Publications

| mjneal

Latest news:

M. J. Neal has received another TSA Award this year, his third consecutive design excellence recognition by the Texas Society of Architects. He will pick it up at the Awards luncheon on Saturday, Sept. 17th at the TSA San Antonio Convention. We will also be attending the President’s Gala on Friday.

Chris Hill, our wonderful collaborator in Dallas, received one of the only two Studio Awards. Congratulations Chris! See you there!

Latest publications:

MAGAZINES:

Austin Monthly

MJ Neal’s Edmonds Residence is one of the “5 Homes We Would Move into Tomorrow” inside the current Austin Monthly, Design Issue. The team at Austin Monthly are a joy to work with. The editor, Evelyn Sher, the art director Torquil Dewar, and the super-talented writer, Becca Hensley gave us one of the best times we’ve had with publishing. Paul Bardagjy and Jordi Miralles were the photographers

“… What can we give back to the land?” is the question Neal likes to ask. So when Neal’s clients marveled that the Horseshoe Bay house he designed for them seemed “to grow from the land” he was pleased. It seems he had given something back.”

“He picks colors, he says, for their complexity and life. He could be talking about himself, for it’s the complexity and life of his vision that surely draws clients to him.”

Texas Architect

Another of our local favorites publishes MJ Neal’s work again, as a result of the TSA award to the Anthony Nak Flagship store. Lawrence Connolly, AIA writes on the design challenges posed by the existing building, the schedule, size of the space, and the client needs. The client’s perspective into the article is interesting, informative, and precise.

“Camargo credits his store’s ethereal spirit and minimalist casework as the catalysts for putting shoppers in a buying mood, and says the soft-sell approach has resulted in Anthony Nak exceeding even its most optimistic sales projections ”

Brilliant

M. J. Neal’s “Designer Profile” inside the current issue.

Nside

The new issue will carry an extensive article on M.J. Neal

Display and Design Ideas

“Aesthetic Showcase.”

“Anthony Nak’s Debut Store places jewelry in a clean, contemporary setting.”

Retail Design and Visual Presentation

In the past few months this magazine has featured Tsum and Byblos in Moscow, Hermes in Tokyo and Singapore, Armani in Edinburgh and Shanghai, House of Fraser in UK, assorted Moschino boutiques, etc. It will feature Anthony Nak’s store soon!

BOOKS
Links International publishing will include “Ramp House” in a Residential Architecture upcoming book, November 2005.