BIG IDEAS BEHIND NOT SO BIG HOUSES

When someone buys a Mercedes Benz or Jaguar, they look for quality, comfort, and detail. Size has nothing to do with the appeal of these cars. If you wanted nothing but space, you could buy a truck. Why is it, then, that some people feel compelled to buy huge houses with empty, cathedral-like spaces that offer few comforts of home?

FRANK GEHRY ROCK TEMPLE

In 1969 a screaming, reverberating rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Jimi Hendrix seemed to herald an end to innocence. His resonant lyric "Are you experienced?" is now recalled in the name of software billionaire Paul G. Allen's Experience Music Project. Hendrix would have appreciated the design approach to Seattle's new museum of pop music.

A MODERN HOUSE STEEPED IN MEXICAN TRADITION

We have just experienced one of our greatest joys as architects: designing and building a second home for ourselves in Mexico. Our goal was to create a house that would be strong, embracing yet transparent, and layered in color, form, and emotion: completely modern yet saturated with Mexican traditions.