Forbes List: America's Top 200 Residential Architects

Forbes Magazine just released their inaugural list of “America’s Top 200 Residential Architects” and we are beyond excited to share that Rush Dixon Architects is included this esteemed group of designers. As Forbes’ Senior Architecture Editor, Richard Olsen, describes “Our intention was to cultivate a list that extended far beyond just those who reside in the nation’s top markets. And to help ensure that geographic inclusiveness, as well as the most equitable process of evaluation possible, we assembled a regionally diverse advisory board of leading experts on the American house.”

SELECTION METHODOLOGY

We were first contacted in February 2024 to submit photos and design intent for our Stono River Residence located in Charleston, SC. “Out of the more than 18,000 firms evaluated for the list, more than 750 were invited to submit up to three houses, each completed in 2019 or later, for formal consideration. The submitted projects were then evaluated conditionally, and according to Tiers 2 and 3, respectively, with each house receiving a numerical score according to merit. The highest scoring projects were advanced to the semifinalist stage, before being evaluated again, by both the Forbes Architecture editorial team and the Forbes Architecture Advisory Board, using the same system. The final 200 projects were collectively deemed to most closely meet the evaluating criteria.”

Tier 1: General Professional Evaluation:

• Integrity of online presence (quality of photography; professionalism of display; informational value; awards; publication history; etc.)

• Educational background of the firm’s principals

• Work histories and mentorships

Tier 2: Evaluation of a single “Exemplary House” [Stability, Utility, and Beauty]

Tier 3: Evaluation Relative to Forbes Architecture’s Residential Guiding Principles & Best Practices

• Siting and Local Context

• Architectural Form and Detailing

• Building Materials and Craft

• Spatial Configuration

• HVAC and Tech

• Physical and Psychological Effects

• Environmental | Appropriateness to Region and Local Climate Zone

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

• Georgia Bizios

• Ken Breisch

• Danelle Briscoe

• Virginia Cartwright

• Timothy Gray

• Carlos Jimenez

• Joanna Lombard

• William Morgan

• Kevin D. Murphy

• Lisa D. Schrenk

• David Sellers

• Ekaterini (Kat) Vlahos

A sincere thank you to our wonderful client, Forbes Magazine, Richard Olsen and the editing team and the Advisory Members for considering and including our firm on this special list. Click here for the full article published on October 30, 2024 including expanded methodology and Advisory Board members’ backgrounds.

Stono River Residence published in Luxe Magazine

Inspired by mid-century architecture, this modern residence located in Charleston, South Carolina captures Stono River views with transparency and clean detailing. Forever thankful for our clients who trusted us and the collaboration with these pros:

Landscape Architect: Steve Dudash

Interiors: Allison Elebash

Builder: Cline Homes

Photography: Julia Lynn

Styling: Kate Malpeli

Author: Stephanie Hunt

Excerpt from Luxe Interiors + Design Southeast Nov/Dec 2022 by Stephanie Hunt:

“The sun slipping beneath the horizon of Charleston’s Stono River affords a view unlike any other. The languid humidity, lingering nearly the whole year here, filters light like a kaleidoscope, tossing color to and fro. Frame this scene in the arms of majestic, moss-draped oaks, and it’s enough to take your breath away.

Such were the natural gifts of a picturesque Charleston property, where one couple hoped to capture these Lowcountry dreamscapes from every angle. Although the pair had adored a steel-and-glass addition at their previous, more traditional home, the Stono River site afforded the opportunity to indulge their midcentury preferences from the ground up. A respected real estate developer in the area, the husband already had collaborated with architects Rush and Judy Dixon on several commercial projects in the past, which made teaming up for a new residence a no-brainer. “This house is all about the view and connection to the water,” reveals Judy, adding that a benefit of embracing a modernist discipline is its inherent minimalism. “From our first meeting, these clients were clear they didn’t want something grand, fussy or ostentatious; rather, a home that would be organic, eclectic and clean,” she continues. “They understand the power of simplicity.”

Joining the project from the outset, landscape architect, Steve Dudash had the fortune of consulting heavily on the home’s siting, even directing a 180-degree flip in orientation to best capture the sunset views. To further leverage the river vistas and blur boundaries between inside and out, the Dixons devised a transparent, open living space. Bound by glass on two sides, it’s bookended by the primary suite as well as a two-story tower hosting additional bedrooms and a den. “The main living area easily absorbs all comings and goings when everyone is busy at home, but it still feels intimate when it’s just the two of them,” Judy says. “It was essential that every room, every space, feel comfortable on a personal scale, and with a connection to nature.” In the public spaces, cypress ceilings, soffits and a louvered overhang that filters strong afternoon sunlight all speak to local natural materials. Such details underscore the tireless efforts of buider Jay Godefroy and his team, including design coordinator Alexandra Frick. “Jay was exceptionally patient and thorough,” reveals Rush, who ensured a nod to classic Charleston vernacular by way of a white stucco facade.

Serenity comes not only from the breathtaking location, but from the simplicity of the interiors, where designer Allison Elebash capitalized on the Dixons’ modernist hallmarks. She anchored the main living area, for example, using a curved sofa with 1970s notes. “Solving the seating configuration in such a large horizontal space was tricky,” admits Elebash, adding that its embracing shape and golden mohair upholstery smartly combine form and function: lush to the touch, but durable enough to stand up to daily life. “I loved the practicality of these clients,” continues Elebash. In every part of the house, “they wanted to avoid anything extraneous; everything is purposeful.”

A custom walnut dining table bridges the area between this gathering space and the kitchen, where a calming palette of earth tones and sky blues is expressed through a dark gray island countertop and azure leather stools - all streamlined, per the clients’ request, so as not to compete with the views. But Elebash pushed back against the husband’s “no maintenance, no upkeep” pragmatism when it came to the kitchen backsplash. “I insisted we go with real marble,” recounts the designer, who specified a book-matched slab of Calacatta Namibia because “nothing beats the drama of natural stone.”

Situating the pool deck to capture the same sight lines as the house, however, required no cajoling. “Everyone agreed on the size, shape and location of the infinity pool, which would be surrounded by a bluestone patio,” Rush recounts. “The owners’ bedroom wraps around it, so again, there’s a connection from their personal space as well as the living room.” Keeping the pool and patio on the same elevation as the house likewise guaranteed the outdoor areas - updated by Dudash with fresh plantings of beautyberry, African iris, Foster holly and more - would be a seamless extension of the interior.

From this vantage point, the homeowners can fully soak up their fulfilled vision: a modern homage to Charleston’s ancient landscape that marries old and new, indoors and out, natural and man-made, with peace and practicality. After all, as the storied river and old oaks know, simplicity is best when nature’s beauty is so abundant.”

Coastal Fertility Specialists - Nexton's Newest Addition

South Carolina’s premier fertility center, Coastal Fertility Specialists, has opened their newest facility in the Nexton neighborhood to better serve patients in the Summerville area. As experienced experts with high pregnancy rates and national patient satisfaction awards, Coastal Fertility Specialists wanted a forward-thinking, modern design to align with their practice. This was achieved with the use of edited forms, clean lines, and a material palette including Nichiha siding, steel, glass and brick.

Construction: Harbor Contracting

Photos: Chris Smith

Camp Hall Village Park Pavilions

It’s coming up on two years since Rush Dixon Architects was selected as the architect and designer for Santee Cooper’s Camp Hall Village Center; since then we have helped imagine the masterplan layout, phasing approach and concept architecture for the future buildings of this “next generation commerce park.” The overarching design concept of “Nature + Machine” marries the manufacturing nature of Camp Hall’s partners (looking at your Volvo SC) with the surrounding natural preserves.

With state-of-the-art manufacturing in a setting of vast natural beauty, the design concept of “Nature and the Machine” permeates the built environment. Like the vehicles and machines produced in Camp Hall, the Architecture is intended to embody precision, sleekness, and innovation.

With bird protection and awareness as a major focus for Camp Hall, the Architecture likewise found its inspiration.  The building forms are abstract interpretations of the patterns, colors, and figures found in native species. The “Avian Pavilion” hovers over the lake greeting visitors with outspread wings,  encouraging visitors to take refuge from the sun, birdwatch, and learn more about Camp Hall’s mission. [Camp Hall website]

Click here for a video prepare by Seamon Whiteside capturing our building designs for the village center: https://youtu.be/utZ-tb50I-Q

Main Park Pavilion Rendering

The first structures out of the ground will be open-air pavilions located in the Camp Hall Village park. The programmatic function is to provide gathering areas, places for viewing passive play areas as well as recreational courts and fields. The architectural design language will be established in this first phase through sculptural forms articulated with geometric framework and clad in a manner that harkens to patterns found in nature. The park pavilions act as pieces of sculpture in the landscape. Origami was also an influence as demonstrated in the Main Park Pavilion ‘folded’ roof form. Collaborators ADC Engineering (structural engineering), DWG Engineering (electrical engineering), Seamon Whiteside (landscape architecture) and Choate Construction (general contractor) have proven once again to be great company to keep in bringing the first structures to life. Stay tuned for construction updates and future events.

Main Park Concept Sketch

Several shade structures will be placed throughout the park for passive play area and recreation activity viewing.

Early concept for the main park pavilion

Camp Hall Village | Nature + The Machine

Santee Cooper’s Camp Hall is a next generation commerce park where “people, nature and productivity connect.” At the heart of Camp Hall is the Village Center, a thriving collection of small businesses and conveniences designed to help balance work with the necessities of daily life - connecting the workforce to everyday errands, to nature and to each other. Currently the master-planned park commerce park includes:

• Wi-Fi connectivity

• Conveniences are planned to include food, a convenience store, healthcare, dry cleaning, gas, banking, a fitness center, a fire station and EMS as well as other employee services

• Planned amenities including an event lawn/park and a playfield

• Trails for exploration, exercise and connectivity

• Spaces to gather and celebrate

With state-of-the-art manufacturing (home of Volvo USA) in a setting of vast natural beauty, the design concept of “NATURE + THE MACHINE” permeates the built environment. Like the vehicles and machines produced in Camp Hall, the Architecture is intended to embody precision, sleekness and innovation. With bird protection and awareness as a major focus, the architecture likewise found its inspiration. The building forms are abstract interpretations of the patterns, colors, and figures found in native species.

The “Avian Pavilion” (shown below) hovers over the lake greeting visitors with outspread wings,  encouraging visitors to take refuge from the sun, birdwatch, and learn more about Camp Hall’s mission.

Concept design for the Camp Hall Avian Pavilion

Concept rendering

“Nature is a self-made machine, more perfectly automated than any automated machine. To create something in the image of nature is to create a machine, and it was by learning the inner working of nature that man became a builder of machines.” Eric Hoffer

The New Old House: Historic + Modern Architecture Combined

Practicing architecture in the history-rich Charleston metro area often has us thinking about how new buildings or additions should interact with historic ones - the coexistence of present and past. Marc Kristal tackles the dialogue in his book, “The New Old House” with eighteen built examples of homes that combine historic and modern architecture. This discussion becomes one of preservation (sometimes with a flexible approach), function, aesthetics, respect and sustainability.

“As reusing an existing structure is one of the “greenest” of building practices, finding effective strategies for so doing contributes to the global drive for sustainability. The preservation of buildings for their larger historic value also means that locations…that are rich in meaning can retain their influence…” Marc Kristal

Well known institutional examples, including Carlo Scarpa’s Museo di Castelvecchio and I.M. Pei’s Grand Louvre addition, tee up the narrative of combining historic and contemporary work. No doubt there exists a sliding scale of what is too precious to alter, preserve vs. repair, how far is too far a departure in terms of style, etc. We lean toward those designs that contrast the original so it is very clear what is historic and what is new, as long as the addition is honest, well-designed, detailed and executed, especially if the addition enables the structure to have another relevant chapter.

As Gil Schafer III offers in the foreword, “Some of the most interesting conversations occur when there are opposing points of view - as long as they are undertaken with intelligence and civility.”

Stono River Residence

With an affinity for mid-century modern architecture the clients for the Stono River Residence introduced us to their goals for a new house that would sit on the banks of the Stono River. The resulting design is a study of solid planes contrasting with light and transparency. The main living spaces for the couple are arranged on the ground floor with guest rooms above the garage wing for privacy. Materials include stucco for main organizing walls, cementitious siding and cypress soffits and lattice privacy walls.

Rendered view looking at the front elevation shows the house’s transparency, mono-slope roof and entrance canopy. Garage wing with latticed wall on left.

Front entrance sequence

Interior rendering of the main living space looking from the kitchen toward the living area.

Rendered view of the rear patio of the Stono River Residence in Charleston, SC showing transparency from main living area, cypress soffits and stucco organizing wall.

Even on a cloudy day, the Stono River in Charleston is captivating.

Place Matters: The Architecture of WG Clark

A new addition to our studio bookshelf is Robert McCarters’s new monograph on architect, WG Clark. If you follow us you know what an inspiration Clark (+ Menefee) is to us - thoughtful, rigorously edited designs with pen and ink drawings that make you want to start hand drafting again. The book highlights his work from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s with a fair amount of projects in Charleston: Middleton Inn, Reid House, Downtown Bus Stop, South Carolina Aquarium, Croffead House, Bedon’s Alley Residence, structures at Mepkin Abbey as well as some unrealized designs.

Beyond the design process and final product, Clark’s view on architecture and its place is truly compelling: “The most important quality of architecture is the way it relates to, signifies, and dignifies a place on earth. This is why most of the architecture we admire, be it the product of individuals or of civilizations, is that which has been built with a sense of allegiance to the land. Architecture is a disturbing art; it destroys places. Construction sites always have the scent of sacrifice, barely masked by the exciting and hopeful smell of building. It is our job to assuage the sacrifice and make building an act of respect for and adoration of the place.”