Brinkmann's True Value

3D model

Finished Project 

James Bouler, RA, AIA

The BPA team with a happy customer

Aptly named, Brinkmann's True Value Hardware and Paint Store is a recently completed commercial project whose value to the community is clear. At 23,000 square feet, the store is fully powered by 130 KW of photovoltaic panels and a geothermal system, perhaps the largest solar-powered commercial project on Long Island. A family-owned business in Sayville, NY,  BPA is proud to be a part of a project that supports a thriving local business expand in a way that demonstrates that going solar is possible for commercial projects. 

Warm Modernism

 Eastport, Long Island project at night

Street view

 Waterfront elevation

 Master bath

 Kitchen

Family room

This recent Bouler Pfluger Architects, PC project in Eastport, NY combines the sweeping elegance of modern, geometric massing with the traditional shingle style architecture of the area. The home's waterfront exposure is designed to capitalize on the crisp, clear light of the South Fork, for which the east end of Long Island is well known. 

Andrew Geller's Westhampton Pearlroth House

 Pearlroth house in Westhampton, NY, facing south.

Entrance into house

Jonathan Pearlroth with a view of the copper roofing

Geometry in the roofline

Built- in bunk beds

Guest blogger  Jane Jagger is no stranger to LI architect Andrew Geller's work.  Having restored a Geller-designed home with her husband, Steven, in Huntington Bay, NY, Jagger was gracious enough to photograph Geller's Westhampton gem for me-- the Pearlroth house. While celebrating the release of a new book by Jake Gorst,  Andrew Geller: Deconstructed, Jagger captured the angles and geometry of this iconic beach house.  As luck would have it, Bouler Pfluger Architects has been commissioned to design a beach house right next door. Certainly Dune Road has changed since Geller designed this pure, minimal geometric design; however the spirited architecture remains a tradition.

Statement Furniture

When James worked with sculptor Richard Anderson on this chair for a fellow architect, the hope was that the chair would not only reflect the function of providing seating, but serve as a sculptural element in the gentleman's home. The same principle holds true for the new BPA office furnishings in both Bay Shore and Brooklyn.  Using a combination of steel and beautiful selections of wood, James and Nick designed free standing and built-in furnishings that express the materiality of construction while serving the functionality of the office.

Recent Sketches: West Islip

The initial stages of an architectural project are a design challenge based on many factors including site, program, zoning, budget, and aesthetics.  Trying to arrange the flow of the house in coordination with its footprint while remaining within the zoning guidelines of setbacks and lot coverage is only compounded when working on a waterfront home. Challenges like these require patient problem solving and the cumulative experience of previous projects.  Once the program seems resolved, then it's time to work on the form of the building, a balancing act of shapes and textures.  Above are sketches for a new waterfront project in West Islip, with views overlooking the Great South Bay.  These sketches will now be drafted using AutoCAD.

Sandy Cottage: An Eye to the Future

After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, BPA's engagement in rebuilding and elevating homes in low lying, FEMA zones increased overnight.  Many of these modest homes had structural issues even before the storm, and it became clear that many would need to be rebuilt from scratch.  Exploring structural elements that are aesthetically progressive, affordable to build, and FEMA compliant, BPA has designed Sandy Cottage, which uses an efficient and consolidated structural system in order to reduce material and labor costs. With the option for solar panels and water capture, this energy efficient home helps rebuild neighborhoods with an eye towards meeting the needs of the future.

Local and Green: The New Brinkmann Hardware Store

Many years ago, BPA started its practice in Sayville, NY, so we were quite familiar with Brinkmann's local hardware and paint store. In fact, we still own and use the barbecue grill they recommended to us twenty years ago.  Helpful service and high-quality products make it quite easy to support this family-owned business. Combatting an era of impersonal corporate big-box stores, Brinkmann's Hardware Store has grown and is currently working with BPA to create a store that will reflect its values: tradition, community, and environmental responsibility.  The 18,000 square foot space will now house hardware, paint, and office space under one solar roof.  Yes, 120 KW of photovoltaic panels combined with a geo-thermal system will set this building on the path to net-zero energy, creating an efficient building which will serve as a model for both its consumers and other commercial buildings.  With one foot planted in the family tradition and the other in the alternative energy future, it is very exciting for us to chronicle this project from start to finish.  Stay tuned!

Oak Beach Goes Pop

In exploring decorating options for the BPA Brooklyn office, the large white walls will clearly need some artwork that pops visually.  I'm beginning to play with some images of BPA projects that might work in a colorful and graphic format.  The Oak Beach house seems like a perfect fit, with its dynamic rooflines and rhythmic forms.  This image is the first attempt; luckily photographer Cliff Gardiner of Klph and John Studio has offered his expertise in this endeavor.

Need a Lift?

Ever since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Bouler Pfluger Archiects, PC has been busy lifting houses out of flood areas all along Long Island's south shore, as well as homes in NYC's Build it Back program. A house lift doesn't necessarily mean a change in aesthetics or a decrease in the character of the neighborhood, as seen in these three lift/renovation projects, which are homes that were improved in the process of getting them out of harm's way. 

Lido Beach

The Lido Beach project is now complete and epitomizes Bouler Pfluger Architects' aesthetic goals.  Buildings should express themselves in a way that connects materials, setting, and structure in a warm and inviting way.  Elements such as light, air, and flow not only serve to make an attractive and comfortable home, but also an efficient one.  This waterfront house, fueled by solar power, incorporates several passive energy features to reduce its carbon footprint without sacrificing beauty or comfort.

Bouler Pfluger Bayshore and Brooklyn

Bouler Pfluger Architects' downtown Bayshore office is humming with several recently hired employees and a flurry of incoming projects-- ranging from a large commercial hardware store (no, not a big box!) to a new waterfront home.  Being in a downtown area is great, but being next to the gourmet deli is even better.  Come by, say hello, and get yourself a hero sandwich at Frank and Maria's.  Tell them James sent you.

Things in NYC expanded as well, so BPA needed a second office, which just opened this week in Industry City, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  Right now, the Brooklyn office is primarily working on the Build it Back projects in the Rockaways and Staten Island, but certainly open to new and interesting projects in the boroughs.

Loco-vore

 This book amazed me in its philosophy about living beings, especially moss. After I read this book, I wandered Potic Mountain in search of all the different types of moss we  had on our little spot of earth.  The results were surprising, and quite life affirming.

I love this author-- from BEAN TREES to LACUNA... and now this book.  I totally enjoyed the audiobook. As I drove to work each morning, plus a couple of trips up the Hudson Valley, this 12-disc book inspired me to attempt to eat locally and to perhaps even grow my own food this summer.

And in the midst of all this botany love, I enjoyed everything about Black Horse Farms in Athens, NY. Owner Chellie is a doll, and the plants are brilliant, the soups are savory, and don't get me started on the bloody mary mix.  I'm going to try and 'eat the seasons' this year-- buying produce locally as it comes into season.  With climate change now a reality, food consumption, habitat restoration, and bike transportation are added to my list of eco-friendly considerations. Eating locally offers so many benefits. Taste, community, environment, economics all come into play. And please don't even get us started on local beers.  Crossroads in Athens, NY and Great South Bay Brewery in Bayshore, NY can attest to James' love of a full growler.

Bouler Pfluger Architects is now investigating native plantings for many of their Sandy relief projects.  By using native plantings, habitat can be improved.  Properly considered, the platings can serve as habitat for wildlife as well as improving drainage for flood zones.  Best yet is landscaping that doesn't require mowing or pesticides.  If NYC-LI truly considered strategic wildlife and drainage zones, not only could future storms be mitigated, people could experience the return of wildlife to their backyards.

Springtime Blooms

After quite a long hiatus, I am happy to return to the Bouler-Pfluger Architects blog.  Since the last post about Hurricane Sandy, much has happened to both the architectural practice and life with the Boulers.  Fortunately, all is well and many new ideas and challenges are on the horizon.

As you can see from the  conference room above, James and Nick have opened a new office in Bay Shore, NY, as well as a satellite office in Brooklyn, NY.  They are joined by a growing staff of enthusiastic professionals who are helping the practice grow on two fronts.  On Long Island, the practice continues to take on a mix of projects in both Suffolk and Nassau counties-- from commercial buildings to new waterfront homes.  Meanwhile in Brooklyn, BPA is working with NYC's Build it Back program, where homeowners whose homes were devastated by Sandy are now able to work with the city in rebuilding their structures at a proper elevation for the flood zone.  It's a great undertaking, but also a wonderful opportunity to help people get back into their homes.

Artistically, I have also undergone quite a bit of change.  After 20 paintings depicting flooded structures last year (yes, I had flood on the brain!), I've decided it was time for a change.  What better way to signal a rebirth than to visit gardens for subject matter. Looking at Monet and Sargent, I couldn't help but be drawn to their bursts of color and the lushness of texture.  I've even been reading about local farming and botany, recharging my creative energy and inspiring me to move the artwork in a different direction.  It's a development that encouraged me to check in with the blog again, to offer an update, and to celebrate new growth.

After Sandy

Long Beach, NY  November 2012 photo by Lauryn McDermott

The clean up efforts in the metropolitan New York/New Jersey area continue, but for many, recovering from Hurricane Sandy will take months, if not years. Life at Bouler Pfluger Architecture has also changed in the aftermath of the storm.  To help people rebuild after the devastation of many coastline communities on Long Island, the firm has teamed up with Sims Steel to form the South Shore Lift Project, in order to raise many damaged homes off of their foundations and onto ones that meet new FEMA flood elevation guidelines. Hopefully the process of rebuilding will be swift as many homes are currently open to the elements, often without heat or power.