ryan boone + design

Blurring the boundary between interior and exterior has been a popular design choice for successful architects for many years now. There are many products that allow a user to completely open up a wall so that the interior rooms essentially become part of the patio space. La Cantina doors (http://www.lacantinadoors.com/) are a prime example of one of these products. With their multi-panel folding and sliding door systems, they can easily blur the line between inside and ou

I was recently introduced to a mass timber construction material called Cross Laminated Timber or CLT. This system basically takes dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6, 2x12, etc), and glues them together, similar to how a glulam beam is made of stacked boards that are glued and laminated together. CLT is kind of like a horizontal glulam beam, but the primary feature that makes it interesting is that each layer of dimensional lumber is staggered and rotated perpendicular to the lay

Honeycomb Chapel takes a new approach to sustainability by combining the tectonic/structural system with the lighting system. Composed of geodesic modules, this structure creates an environment which accommodates two distinctly different zones. By using smaller modules and increasing their depth, the natural daylight is funneled toward the center of the room and away from the perimeter. Standing in the center of the room, one can see through every wall, rendering the room

Here is the home design trends for 1st quarter of 2016, as reported by the American Institute of Architects. I actually find the graphic more interesting than the results, but it appears as though homes are getting larger (lead by upper-end homes and additions/remodels), more single floor homes are being designed, and there is a greater emphasis on blending indoor and outdoor spaces. Check out the report here: http://info.aia.org/AIArchitect/2016/0617/aia-interactive/index.h

For structures class we were assigned to design, build and test a balsa wood truss bridge. I chose to use a slightly modified Warren truss as the bridge portion. I reinforced the horizontal bridge with 4 vertical towers based on the Warren truss design which served to support a small metal cable used to reinforce the compression loads with tensile strength. In the end, the main horizontal truss cords snapped causing the truss to twist, breaking all critical joints and fall

My client has moved into an exquisite property in the Coto De Caza estates adjacent to Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County, CA. Their new home has a 5000 sq ft home, a 1000 sq ft pool house, and a 1200 sq ft horse barn with a classic wood saloon complete with swinging cowboy doors. They have plans to do a complete overhaul on the barn, so I've designed a barn expansion for them which will almost double the size, but I'll cover that design in an upcoming blog post. On