modern.dallas | issue 50 // october 2023

e.50 ‘23 // filling in the blanks: jet workshop’s approach to more and better housing

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Filling In The Blanks: JET workshop’s approach to more and better housing.

by J. Claiborne Bowdon

// laman residence photo: dror baldinger, aia architectural photography, mark menjivar photographer

// groveland house - craig kuhner architectural photography

Just this month the average 30 year mortgage rate rose to 8% more than double what it was just a decade ago.

There are several factors that experts in the public and private sectors have pointed at to explain why and how we are facing what is commonly referred to as “the housing crisis,” but the universal answer among all of them is simply a lack of available homes on the market. However, even the obvious issue of supply and demand comes with

its own extenuating factors. The homes themselves are not the only thing lacking in this equation, but also the sites to build them on.

Mark Twain famously encouraged people to buy land because “they aren’t making it anymore,” which sadly remains true. Therefore the answer to the problem of not being able to make more must become what you make

// aldwick residence - charles davis smith faia architectural photography

of it. “Infill housing” is an urban planning and development concept to do just this. There are sites throughout urban areas that remain un-built because up to now they have presented some special problem, which typically boils down to lot size.

JET workshop, an architecture shop based here in Dallas, specializes in working with developers to provide solutions to these problems. Elizabeth Dodson and Tom Foederer form its artistic backbone, and Dodson describes JET “As a way to think creatively about creating spaces where you

can live in a more environmentally conscious footprint in a more dense urban environment, and using it as a way to experiment with form.” The idea for JET grew out the desire to answer the questions “Can we develop a series of prototypes that over time could be evolved and continue to be perfected, and could that be a more affordable way in the long run to bring high quality, well done architecture into these urban infill spaces?” The lots they design for provide the answers by how they challenge them to provide the structures that make the lots viable home sites.

Two of JET’s completed projects are located just east of Love Field, at 6806 Prosper Street and 6822 Victoria Avenue. They are stunning, even aspirational. They’re everything you would want from a contemporary home, including the orientation of fixtures that make living feel effortless. Even the landscaping exudes the uncomplicated serenity you envision when you think of living in a contemporary home. The lots themselves are just over five thousand and six thousand square feet respectively. The

homes themselves are under three thousand square feet with multiple bedrooms and baths that belie any modesty of scale. You can see instantly how these sophisticated prototypes offer so much just by the dedication of thoughtful design and careful selection elements.

When talking about the designs within the scope of the various lots Dodson noted that “Since (the lots) tend to come in these standard sizes they’re usually on the more

// cobalt homes | nimmo architecture

compact side of things. It seems like (the lots) lend themselves to this idea of creating prototypes because you have similar lots that keep coming up.” Foederer added that “Part of the idea with some of these designs is that with small variations we can still keep the core concept alive and kind of adjust to the different parameters that a different lot will present. If there’s a slightly different setback or some sort of existing condition that we have to adjust the design to that these designs are adaptable to

be able to do that.” Essentially the challenges each lot presents is a test to the overall design because the ultimate goal is to product a piece of architecture that is malleable enough to be staged in multiple locations and still retain its basic form.

When asked how contemporary architecture seems best suited to provide solutions Dodson replied “For me one of the things that has always been appealing about pro-

gressive architectural design, and modern architecture in a classic sense, is the fact that so much of the beauty comes through form and light and line and these are things that can be expressed beautifully with a variety of materials and in a variety of contexts. You don’t have to have the most expensive materials to create something beautiful, so if we have a developer that wants to create

something beautiful on a budget, as long as they’re willing to come along with us and get creative, we think that we can help them do something timeless. The access to those qualities in architecture don’t need to be limited only to those that can afford high end luxury custom homes.”

For Foederer he believed that “There’s something about

// photo’s courtesy: clay stapp+co

these sort of designs that we’re presenting them as sort of a factory production. I think that’s something that maybe is not for every client but we’re kind of posing that question that people are okay with buying a car that is mass produced and owned by many people why can’t that apply for housing as well? I think what (JET) is proposing is a certain sort of efficiency with how homes can be designed and produced and if you extrapolate that who

knows what that could lead to?” It all makes perfect sense given the challenges that will persist for years to come in building new homes, and given what JET has achieved even in this early stage. It will be exciting to see how these early projects and those to come continue to answer the needs of urban building. // jet workshop

MORE CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ART RICHARD ARMENDARIZ CONNIE ARISMENDI DEBRA BARRERA ALEX DIAZ

CARLOS DONJUAN GASPAR ENRIQUEZ JOHN HERNANDEZ CÉSAR MARTÍNEZ GABRIEL MARTINEZ

DIANA MOLINA CELIA ÁLVAREZ MUÑOZ ANDREW ORTIZ GIOVANNI VALDERAS

CURATOR: BENITO HUERTA OCTOBER 7–NOVEMBER 11 KIRK HOPPER FINE ART 1426 N. RIVERFRONT BLVD, DALLAS KIRKHOPPERFINEART.COM

More Contemporary American Art

by Todd Camplin

// richard armendariz, the reluctant leader, 2021, wood block print, edition 10, 21.5 x 21.5

// connie arismendi, enter night, monoprint with halographic glitter, 42 x 54 1/2, 2022

Kirk Hopper Fine Arts’ current exhibition of artists illustrated that we live in a pluralistic age. Art styles are as diverse as the ideas behind the artworks. Artists fall on the spectrum between pure abstract and the hyper-realistic. Yet these artists complicate this dichotomy with conceptual playfulness or political ideas. Curator Benito Huerta’s presentation of More Contemporary American Art is a snapshot of this exciting moment.

Carlos Donjuan continues with his series that questions, as he writes in his artist statement, the pejorative term “alien.” In the piece Just Watching, the woman’s skin is an unnatural yellow paired with blue hair. However, he drops his playful critique in one work titled No Judgement. The person gives you an intense stare and challenges you to engage him. In contrast, Gaspar Enriquez’s portraits are

// ortiz andrew, leap, 2023, archival pigment print, 34” x 14”

traditionally straightforward attempts to capture a person’s personality in an image. His subject, De Puro Corazon (Francella), features a woman with colorful tattoos.

The red dress and background only heighten the detailed work on the skin and hair. Cesar Martinez creates colorful portraits reminiscent of the Chicago Imagist. The colors are wild and the subjects seem to stare at you.

Giovanni Valderas is politically active on the streets of Dallas and in his art. Valderas is a working-class

representative in spirit. His text pieces are sometimes written in Spanish and other times in English. The piece in the show uses the text Escaping What Lay Ahead.

His material is a temporary structure of a piñata. Thus, Valderas’ objects are performative and timely. Valderas critiques the power structures of society that hold things together by pointing out the weak constructs we use to hold up unjust systems.

Gabriel

Martinez

thinks

about

the

workers

and

// donjuan carlos, beginning of the end, watercolor on paper, 2023, 10x8

// alvarez munoz_celia, de carne y hueso, 2023, digital metal prints, 20” x 16” each

// barrera debra, precious twin, xolo, graphite on paper, 22 x 27, 2019

commodity chains. He considers these textile-crazy quilts of found material as paintings. Painting holds such a high value in the commodity chain. Martinez is elevating the cloth makers’ and dye processors’ work to this high commodity of painting. The formal elements of line, shape, and color art are attractive. Martinez collages these scraps of material in a meaningful way that engages the

workers’ efforts while also using the language of the visual art world. Martinez employs abstract formalist language to address contemporary issues. This Social Abstraction highlights line, shape, form, and other elements in tandem with the use of material to make a real-world point.

Celia Alvarez Munoz took a course with Vernon Fisher

// alejandro diaz ayala, chuffed, 2023, oil and acrylic on canvas, 60 x 51

// diana molina, ocotillo, 2023, aluminum photo print, 30 x 20

and later one with Al Souza. These two professors helped her move down the path of conceptual art production.

Her triptych titled De Carne y Hueso is translated roughly as “of flesh and blood.” These images depict the same woman drawn three times with red, white, and green backbone. The colors are the same as those used in the Mexican flag, and the three images embody the spirit of a nation. Connie Arisemendi is a conceptual artist who uses text to capture your attention, which is painted over an abstract image. Arisemendi’s monoprint Enter Night

// cesar martinez, la perla, 2016, acrylic on muslin, 54 x 44

depicts the word Whatever over a patch of purple and a field of grey. Throw in a bit of glitter, and you have a very puzzling art piece.

Alejandro Diaz-Ayala is a true believer in the subjective power of the art image. I see realistic rendering, abstract doodles, surreal imagery, and chance-like abstract in the work Jibber-jabber. Alejandro Diaz-Ayala and Ricky Armendariz seem to take the ideas of the art museum artists and the street artists and combine them. Armendariz

// giovanni valderas, shadow pilgrimage, 2023, wood, paper, glue, tissue paper,acrylic, 37.5 x 40 x 5

// gabriel martinez, untitled, 2019, found fabric, 16 x 12

leans a little more toward the untrained street artist style.

His animal pictures are lively with line details. Debra Barrera created an amazingly realistic rendering of a dog. This graphite-on-paper drawing captures all the folds of this hairless dog.

Andrew Ortiz and Diana Molina create abstract images through photography. In two of Diana Molina’s photos, she shows dramatic cloud images. In the print Shifting Sand, she captures two outdoor chairs facing away from

// enriquez gaspar, francella, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 5 ft x 4 ft

the drama in the sky. John Hernandez rounds out the show with some funky art.

More Contemporary American Art is a feast of styles and issues artists are exploring. Kirk Hopper Fine Arts created an engaging show that will have you moving across the gallery slowly and deliberately to catch all the subtle nuances of meaning. The show will run through November 11th. // kirk hopper fine art

Engage Educate Experience Enjoy

The Dallas Architecture Forum is for everyone who wants to experience inspired design. The Forum presents an award-winning Lecture Series that brings outstanding architects,interior designers, landscape architects and urban planners from around the world, as well as Symposia, Receptions at architecturally significant residences, and Panel Discussions on issues impacting North Texas.

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design recognition

by hardy haberman

// winner landmark award: fountain place nikola olic // structurephotography

// winner landmark award: meyerson symphony center

Architects are usually looking forward, but sometimes it’s good to look back for perspective. The Dallas Architectur Forum has organized a retrospective of North Texas projects over the past 25 years they call “Design Recognition Looking Back Looking Forward”. The finalists were announced at the Announcement Party held May 25th at Fountain Place.

The Forum recognized twenty-five projects that have been completed over the last twenty-five years. Also, because many new projects are now in process, they also recognized up to ten projects that are through design development.

A wide variety of submissions, including cultural, education, commercial, residential, landscape interiors, public spaces, retail, infrastructure, adaptive reuse, and public art were invited. Projects were judged on design excellence, sustainability, resiliency, and inclusiveness.

It recognizes the remarkable growth of inspired design in Dallas/Fort Worth over the last twenty-five years and into the future!

Judges determined the winning projects from over 160 submitted for the competition.

// winner landmark award: kimbell art museum

Landmark Awards Fountain Place The 60-story late-modernist skyscraper in downtown Dallas has become a distinctive part of the skyline. Designed by I.M. Pei it stands at a structural height of 720 ft, it is the fifth-tallest building in Dallas, and the 15th-tallest in Texas. It’s mirrored walls and slanting roofs are instantly recognizable and the public space below features the fountains which give it its name.

Louis I Kahn Building - Kimbell Art Museum

The building, designed by architect Louis I. Kahn and is widely recognized as one of the most significant works of architecture in the country. It is especially noted for the use of natural light to illuminate its vaulted gallery ceilings.

Meyerson Symphony Center Ranked one of the world’s greatest orchestra halls, the Meyerson was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson’s Artec Consultants, Inc. The structural engineers for this project was Leslie E. Robertson Associates, and opened in September 1989. It is home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

// winner interior design: miramar residence

Interior Design Awards Miramar Residence Wendy Konradi Interior Design Byrdwaters Design Oglesby Greene Simple forms and natural materials define this modern residence. The primary rectangular volume is clad largely in full height glass, except on the west elevation. It embraces natural light and the views of both foreground

pool and landscape within its garden walls, and beyond of the mature tree canopy in this established neighborhood. The ground floor spaces spill into the landscape as the house recesses into its corner lot. The masonry garden wall merges with the north façade to reinforce the connection between inside and out. additional winners: Philip Johnson Beck House Renovation Turtle Creek Pump House

// winner landscape, urban design, public space, master plan: turtle creek pump house

Landscape, Urban Design, Public Space, Master Plan Turtle Creek Pump House MESA D.I.R.T. Studio Cunningham Architects

deliberate from the existing industrial context. The roughness and imprecision of the existing brick pump house and the sunken concrete water holding tanks are made more visible by the new, precise additions such as the glass floors inside and the cantilevered second floor balcony. additional winners:

An old water pump station converted into a public space used to hold social functions and to exhibit art. The new program included a residential guest house, an art gallery and a sculpture garden. The concept was to make the new interventions to the buildings very distinct and

East Dallas Infill Project Klyde Warren Park Miramar Residence Urban Reserve

// winner residential: additions to stretto house

Residential Additions to Stretto House Max Levy Architect Emily Summers Design Associates Datum Engineers Hardy Construction James Cinquemani, Metal Craftsman This iconic avant-guard residence was designed by New York architect Steven Holl in 1989 for Charles Price and his wife. Its arching rooflines cascade into each other and

the house flows across the property in Preston Hollow beside a stream. Max Levy created an addition to the house that didn’t interrupt the flow, but rather complimented it and anchored it to the landscape. The addition came as new owners bought the property and expanded it to their needs. additional winners: Miramar Residence Philip Johnson Beck House Renovations Residential: Looking Forward

// winner residential looking forward: outcrop

Outcrop NIMMO Childress Constructive Modern Urban Edge Outcrop is a unique design of homes in Lake Highlands’ Urban Commons. These organic living spacebar intended as a residential village within the development. The rounded concrete

walls of the structures are designed for ease of maintenance as are the zero lot lines of the layout. Each home features three bedrooms and three and a half baths and have views overlooking a nearby pond. additional winners: Two White Sparrows view all the design recognition >> dallasarchitectureforum.org

CADDALLAS.ORG 2023 MEMBERS Carneal Simmons Contemporary Art Conduit Gallery Craighead Green Gallery Cris Worley Fine Arts Erin Cluley Gallery Galleri Urbane Marfa+Dallas Holly Johnson Gallery Keijsers Koning Laura Rathe Fine Art Meliksetian | Briggs PDNB Gallery Pencil on Paper Gallery RO2 Art Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden

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DEVELOPER: Diane Cheatham Urban Commons

ARCHITECTURE: Ron Stelmarski Perkins&Will

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your modern

calendar

Modern events and activities make for fun around the Metroplex.

RODOLFI - NOV07 Dallas Architecture Forum

WALKING TOURS Discover the Arts District + Fair Park Tram Tour Ad Ex InTown Outings

PRESERVATION DALLAS CHRISTEENE + CHLOE CHIASSON Dallas Contemporary

GROUNDSWELL: WOMEN OF LAND ART Nasher Sculpture Center

AFRO-ATLANTIC HISTORIES ABRAHAM ANGEL: BETWEEN WONDER AND SEDUCTION Dallas Museum Of Art

JAPAN, FORM & FUNCTION EXHIBITION Crow Museum Of Asian Art

JAMMIE HOLMES - MAKE THE REVOLUTION IRRESISTIBLE The Modern Art Museum

THE WORLD OUTSIDE: LOUISE NELSON AT MIDCENTURY The Amon Carter Museum of American Art

modern

art galleries

Modern art, exhibits, around the Metroplex.

MORE CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ART CURATED BY BENITO HUERTA Kirk Hopper Fine Art

FORCES OF NATURE / LOVING LIFE & NATURE Ferrari Gallery

EMILY LACOUR + MICHAEL O’KEEFE Valley House Gallery

CHUCK + GEORGE + JEANNE NEAL ro2art

HARRY GEFFERT + ANNA ELISE JOHNSON | Cris Worley Gallery

PETER LIGON + LINNEA GLATT Barry Whistler Gallery

SAMANTHA MCCURDY + DREA COFIELD Galleri Urbane

ZEKE WILLIAMS + DU CHAU Erin Cluley Gallery

MARK SMITH + CAROLE PIERCE + MARLA ZIEGLER Craighead Green Gallery

MATT RICH Holly Johnson Gallery

RANDALL GARRETT + C.J DAVIS + HATZIEL FLORES PLUSH Gallery