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Hufft Projects
We met up with architect Matthew Hufft, owner of Hufft Projects, LLC, to discuss his inspiration for one of his Missouri-based house designs, what he refers to in his portfolio as "The Residence." We asked him what is next in architecture and how he has found success. His answer? By combining client- and site-driven detail.
Concerning your work on "The Residence" - Did you come up with this unique design yourself?
Yes. Well, I guess I should back up. It’s not as simple an answer as “yes.” How we design is we basically design a house that is extremely client and site-driven. First and foremost, whatever is built on the site has to make sense for that site. And second, we listen a lot to our client and their likes and dislikes. We work with them, show them rough stuff, try to get their feedback and slowly develop a design with them involved. To say that I designed it on my own, really I was the only person contracted when I did that house. But the clients certainly were involved. That house in particular is really, from a site perspective, designed around a beautiful lake. That’s why there’s so much going on. What you’ll notice is that from inside the house, all you can see is that lake. Even though you’re in a neighborhood surrounded by houses and there’s a street in between the house and the lake, you really don’t notice any of that. That’s really what you’re going for. The location and scenery are certainly a big part of it, but with that house, the scenery was the main driving force. In other projects, it’s a little different. Depends on if what we’re really gonna do is environmentally friendly, sustainable. Then we may not really focus on the view, but then we’re forming a house in a way that makes the most sense for ventilation or daylight.
You mentioned that you work with individuals. Do you come with a plan prepared and then tweak it? Or what are some ways that you work with people to get the feel that they want?
Different things give different context to everybody. We ask our clients to bring us images of what inspires them, what they like. It can be anything from a bunch of magazine cut outs to a design book, or pictures of art they like or scenery or landscapes. There’s no limit to what it can be. What we do a lot of times, we have what’s called our Pink Foam planning. It sounds kind of funny, but what is is, we cut up foam that we get (that just happens to be pink,) and we cut it up in big blocks, and we get little boxes. The boxes represent rooms. You sit around a conference table, and almost like children would, you play with these blocks and talk about different possibilities. What if we put the kitchen here, etc. What about the relationship between these two rooms? It’s kind of a really fun way to get you thinking about where spaces are in relationship to each other. Then after that, when we get an image together or kind of an idea – and then from there, we start to become more real. Talk about materials, where windows are, where it’s solid. A typical house evolves over about a six-month period. From the day we start the design to the day we issue the construction documents – it’s a pretty lengthy process.
What is in the future for house design? Is there a feature that people have been requesting specifically?
Sustainable architecture is gaining popularity at an extremely rapid rate. I think people are really waking up to the reality of where we are in the world today, and as far as our environment is concerned, they are really wanting to do the right thing by keeping sustainability in mind. That’s one thing that people are really requesting. I do think modern architecture is gaining more and more interest, I think. America as a whole is slightly behind other countries, Europe in particular, in gaining interest in this modern. I think that’s happened. Reasons for that, I think, are publications that expose it. I think there’s a coming of age. There’s a younger generation of Americans that are getting to the point where they can afford to build. They don’t want the 'same old, same old.' They don’t want to look like their neighbors. They want to be individualized. I think those are the two things that are gaining popularity. I wouldn’t say that there’s one very specific thing.
Are there other architects that are doing this (sustainability, green) that you get inspiration from?
There are several. I think frankly most architects are doing this, but I don’t think we are doing anything unusual by any means.
What sets Hufft Projects apart from other architectural firms?
I think one of the biggest things is our attention to clients. Paying attention to our clients is something that I mentioned earlier. We really want to listen to our clients and really try to make sure, as much as possible, to not to let our design visibility dictate what happens. I think there are a lot of architects out there that have good will and are very talented, but for the most part, you look at their portfolio and you go to their website or their building, and they have a signature. There’s something there that’s theirs. I think that in some way, we have that too, but we strive not to. Inevitably we still end up there, but for the most part we really try to do the right thing based on what the client wants, what the site wants and what the environment wants. If that makes it a concrete house? Great. If it’s wood? Great. We really try to do the right thing in what a client wants. I think that’s the biggest thing. Visit Hufft Projects online at www.hufft.com.
