Geodesic Dome Renovation
This renovation transforms a 1980s geodesic dome, originally conceived during the height of the energy crisis, into a bright, connected, and contemporary home. A new primary suite frames views of the surrounding forest, while an open kitchen maintains visual and acoustic connection to the living and dining areas. Fresh finishes throughout renew the interior without erasing its character. Designed decades ago as a “cabin in the woods” close to the city, the original home reflected its owners’ commitment to energy conservation and forward-thinking design. In updating it, the challenge was clear: How can something new honor and love what’s old? How can the essence of a place be carried forward without losing what makes it special?
Location
Minnetonka, Minnesota
Design Team
Kevin Barden and Joe Rivers
Typology
Residential
Date
2022-2024
Interior Design
I/O Design Office
Structural Engineering
Larsen Engineering
General Contractor
Sexton and Associates
Photography
Leonid Furmansky
Process
Explore
The Tree Farm Clubhouse
New Holland, South Carolina
Commercial
Located on an ideal site featuring sandy soils and rolling topography near Aiken, South Carolina, The Tree Farm Clubhouse seeks to bring to life a transcendent modern golf experience that respects, amplifies, and blends in with the natural landscape. In line with this vision, there will be no flashy buildings driven by a desire for luxurious experiences. Instead, the master plan and buildings for the project all work toward creating simple, thoughtful spaces that are rooted in and responsive to the place, climate, culture, and rich history of the game of golf.
David Cedeño
Bartender & Artist
Food and Beverage
In this episode our resident architects Joe Rivers and Kevin Barden visit with David Cedeño, a bartender from Houston, Texas. Bartender David Cedeño has seen it all during the last two decades in the service industry, from basic mixed drinks, to the wine bar craze, to craft beer and the more recent mixology trend. Listening to David talk about his profession, it's clear that to him, crafting cocktails is more of an art form than anything else. Joe and Kevin visit with David about the job of a bartender, the importance of composition, his experience as a painter, and his message for creative types with a passion.
Ethos
Kevin Barden and Joe Rivers
Writing
In an essay entitled The Hedgehog and the Fox, Isaiah Berlin quotes the Greek poet Archilochus, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing” (Berlin 7). The essay was written as a commentary on Leo Tolstoy’s view of history, however, the text can offer an understanding for how one might practice architecture as well. For us, this understanding reveals itself in perceiving the environment as a fox and believing in it as a hedgehog.