mpjstudio

Project MZ

2011-04-19T11:22:00.002-07:00

CERAMIC TILES OF ITALY TRADE FAIR BOOTH: COVERINGS 2011

2011-04-19T10:57:00.010-07:00

PIX Magazine Article, April 2010 Issue

2010-05-03T10:02:00.014-07:00

Building Dwelling Thinking

2010-03-31T07:14:00.033-07:00

Text courtesy of Saxon Henry and Michael P. Johnson:
View this article and others at: http://roamingbydesign.com/

Building Dwelling Thinking at Cersaie

The Pritzker Architecture Prize winner was announced yesterday. Congratulations to SANAA for receiving the prestigious recognition. I thought I’d treat Roaming By Design readers to a lecture by a remarkable architect, which I heard while attending Cersaie in Bologna, Italy, last fall. Before attending the fair, I knew I would see a mind-boggling array of ceramic tile products from some of the world’s leaders in the global marketplace, but what I didn’t expect was being able to hear an array of inspiring speakers talk passionately about design and architecture.

Starchitect Renzo Piano regaled a sizable crowd of international media during the fair and then turned his charm on fascinated fans in a packed outdoor theater—both talks were full of the vim and vigor for which the wily architect is known. Take a look at his advice to young architects on my Examiner page.

Michael P. Johnson presenting "Living in the Desert" at Cersaie.

Though it’s always enjoyable to have an opportunity to hear what “the lauded ones” might say, one of my favorite lectures during the fair was Michael P. Johnson’s “Living in the Desert.” I asked the Arizona-based architect extraordinaire if I could share his heartfelt presentation with Roaming By Design’s readers, and lucky for us, he said yes! The über-appreciator of all things Italian had this to say:

Sophia Loren

I would like to thank those responsible for extending the invitation to me to participate in this important conference “Building Dwelling Thinking.” Over fifty years ago I was first introduced to the beauty and culture of this great country. When I was a young boy there appeared on the silver screen the incredible and unforgettable Sophia.

In 1958 I was working in the field of architecture and read what was, in my mind, the most important book on the subject Architecture as Space by the profound critic, Bruno Zevi. We began a written exchange that turned into a life-long friendship. My correspondence with Mr. Zevi was the genesis of my unrelenting commitment to architecture.

Through the years, my personal studies and readings about architecture have consistently highlighted Italy’s important contributions. In 1960 I subscribed, of course, to Architectural Forum, and in those pages discovered the talents of Arizona’s Paolo Soleri. I was deeply moved and stimulated by his fabulous designs for visionary cities, bridges and dams. We, too, began a correspondence and remain friends to this very day.

Gio Ponti's Diamond silverware

Also in 1960 I married, and like many newlyweds, I was in a position to select dining flatware to be used in our home. The choice was obvious to me: Gio Ponti’s Diamond silverware design, a pattern that is still much in demand at design auctions worldwide.

By 1970 my architectural practice was in full swing. When faced with the task of choosing a typewriter, the only machine in my purview was the Olivetti Valentine, due to the functional beauty of the machine. Of course, its design was again Italian. I continue to turn to the products designed and manufactured in Italy. The list includes tiles, kitchen cabinets, closets, bathroom fixtures, lighting fixtures, and on and on. The products, with their elegance and beauty, are the architect’s assets in the creation of architecture.

Johnson's Bradley Residence

Now to turn to the topic at hand: Building Dwelling Thinking. I would hope that those in attendance at this conference took the time to read Martin Heidegger’s 1951 essay, “Building Dwelling Thinking.” In it he states “we shall try to think about dwelling and building. This thinking about building does not presume to discover architectural ideas, let alone to give rules for building.” Heidegger eliminates art and beauty from his analytical treatise about what equates architecture. Although we are sentient creatures, Heidegger sees us as residents who, because of the need to survive, inhabit shelter. “To be a human being means to be on earth as a mortal. It means to dwell.”
… Merely?
One could say that the need to dwell renders us mortal and, according to Heidegger, “Mortals are in the fourfold by dwelling”—“fourfold” defined as earth and sky and divinities and mortals as belonging together “as one.” I concur that all these elements constitute the tenets of architecture, but as an architect I believe that what elevates some beyond mere mortals is the symbiosis of architecture, art and design.

Johnson's Ellsworth Residence

One way to examine my philosophy is to consider how architects approach “Living in the Desert.” Mexican architectural critic Miguel Adria asserts that enriching the occupants, “the contemporary house is one of the most fertile laboratories of recent architecture. As original element and inhabitable object, the house is both a manifesto and a summing up of intentions. It is through the house—through their own houses in some cases—that architects define their positions. The house becomes a demonstration of the architect’s attitude to place, to the dichotomy between tradition and modernity.”

Johnson's Silverman Residence

Today I am presenting buildings that illustrate Architecture. All are located in the Sonoran Desert, an arid region covering 120,000 square miles in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California, as well as most of Baja, California, and the western half of Sonora, Mexico. From about A.D. 700 to 1550, the river and Delta Yuman people—often called the Patayan—occupied the western sector of the Sonoran Desert, a fearsomely hot and dry region. Summer daytime air temperatures soar to more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Soil surface temperatures approach 180 degrees, with annual rainfall averaging less than three inches. The Native Americans lived in temporary hamlets, or “rancherias” which comprise settlements of widely separated rectangular rooms and deep pithouses lined with timber. As addressed by Heidegger, these were buildings to merely dwell within.

Johnson's own home, which he shares with his beautiful wife Suzanne!

The buildings I will present today are all located in the Phoenix Metropolitan area, which lies within the Sonoran Desert. We are faced with the same environmental concerns that the Native Americans addressed, although the tools we have at our disposal allow us to go beyond constructing mere shelter or buildings. Science and technology have provided architects with the ability to enlarge upon our architecture and mitigate environmental issues. The advancement of engineering and building methods refine and modernize what and how we build in the 21st century.

The Johnson's Studio

Great architectural ideas produce buildings that elevate the experience of occupancy from plebian to enlightenment. And that happens, according to Walter Gropius, “ [when] your contribution has been vital.” It’s his assertion that “there will always be someone to pick up where you left off, and that will be your claim to immortality.” This is how an architect’s legacy is developed.

The Yoder-Doornbos Residence designed by Johnson

I’m taking a break from Michael’s speech here because I’d like to say that when viewing his architecture, it’s so obvious that his ethic was developed with great heart and intelligence, taking nothing away from his talent and skill as a trained architect, of course. His legacy will be one that will stand the test of time, and Arizona is lucky that the desert captivated him enough to have enticed him to stay. Though I can imagine his projects in scores of other locales, I’m glad they are right where they are because their relationships to their settings is what makes them so stunning. I can’t wait to roam through his dwellings, which I hope to do during a trip to this aridly lush landscape at some point in the near future.

Before Michael ended his lecture, he had this to say to his Italian audience and I felt it well worth repeating. I’ve edited the text to address you, the reader, rather than the intended audience at the conference:

Before I close, I have left a small amount of time to present to you a grave concern of mine. I have attended Cersaie for ten consecutive years. Each of those years I have visited the Biennale in Venice. Near the entrance of the Biennale Garden, located in the sea, stands Augusto Murer’s Monument to the Female Resistance Fighter [or Monumento alla Partigiana]. Carlo Scarpa designed the development of the site and the monument’s pedestal.

Monumento alla Partigiana

This monument stands as one of the most neglected art works worldwide. It is now time for action to rectify this miscarriage of responsibility to the cultural history of Italy. In the United States each year we destroy many architectural icons purely for economic gain but here it seems that the neglect of the Murer/Scarpa monument is due to complacency. I am urging everyone reading this to commit to working diligently towards correcting the abuse of this monument. I promise you that I am personally committed to collaborating with anyone interested in coordinating a restoration effort on behalf of this work of art, and I ask that you join me in this noble effort. Thank you.

11th International Aldo Villa Award

2009-10-17T07:21:00.008-07:00

Arizona Architect Michael P. Johnson Becomes First American To Win Italy’s Prestigious Aldo Villa Award

(October 2009 -- Bologna, Italy) Arizona architect Michael P. Johnson frequently travels to Italy, most often to attend Cersaie, the international exhibition for ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings. This time, he attended the show as an honored guest. On Thursday, October 1, 2009, the Italian Ceramic Society officially announced Michael P. Johnson as the recipient of 11th International Aldo Villa Award for his commitment to Italy’s ceramic sector. As part of the award, Cersaie organizers also presented a retrospective of his work, which was on display in the fair’s architectural gallery. In addition, he was asked to participate in Cersaie’s largest-ever architectural conference program. Johnson presented a session entitled “Living in the Desert” in which he showed various architectural projects as examples of building, dwelling and living in this arid environment.

Johnson is the first North American architect to receive this prestigious prize. The award was established in 1989 by the Italian Ceramic Society to recognize an individual who has contributed to the development of the ceramic industry. It is named after Mr. Aldo Villa, chairman of SACMI, the world leader in equipment and machinery for ceramics. The recipient of the award - a gold medal designed by sculptor and ceramicist Carlo Zauli - is selected by a Committee consisting of the Chairman of the Italian Ceramic Society and five members appointed by the Board of Directors. Previous honorees include: Dr Ibrahim Bodur, founding chief and chairman of the Board of the Kale Group (2007); Prof. Carlo Palmonari, director Centro Ceramico Bologna (2005); Filippo Marazzi, chairman of Ceramiche Marazzi Group (2003); Vittoriano Bitossi, chairman of Colorobbia Holding (2001); Josè Soriano Ramos, chairman of Porcelanosa S.A. Group (1999); Prof. Leopoldo Cini, honorary chairman of Italian Ceramic Society (1997); Prof. Philip Rosenthal; chairman of Rosenthal AG (1995); Romano Minozzi; chairman of IRIS Ceramica Spa (1993); Prof Alex Muller and Dr. Georg Bednorz, researchers at the I.B.M Research Center in Zurich (1991); and Adriano Bossetti, chairman of S.I.T.I Spa (1989).

It is widely known that Johnson appreciates Italian design and ingenuity. From furnishings to hard surfaces, his projects feature a carefully curated selection of products that are “Made in Italy.” Albeit humble, Johnson is no stranger to limelight as his projects have been recognized across the globe. Similar to the prize bestowed upon him by the Italian Ceramic Society, Confindustria Ceramica (the association of Italian Ceramics) and The Italian Trade Commission have chosen Johnson as a three-time recipient of the Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition Award. He first caught the jury’s eye in 2001 for the exceptional design of the Yoder Residence, a private home in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2005, he was awarded both the Commercial Prize for the Wilkinson Office-Warehouse Reconstruction and the Residential Prize for the McCue Residence Reconstruction. Three years later, Michael P. Johnson earned the first ever Ceramic Tiles of Italy Legend Award for his commitment to innovative architecture and design using Italian ceramic tile. The Phoenix, Arizona based architect submitted two projects, the Bradley Residence and the Ellsworth Residence, that once again wowed the jury with their minimalist sophistication and modern aesthetic. Johnson was also the faculty advisor responsible for the construction of the award-winning Mod.Fab located on the campus of Taliesin West. The 500 sq ft building acts as a one-bedroom apartment for visiting faculty, lecturers and architects.

For more information on Michael P. Johnson, his built projects and studio projects, visit www.mpjstudio.com.

Happy Birthday to Paolo Soleri

2009-06-18T07:43:00.006-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. would like to wish Paolo Soleri a very Happy Birthday. On June 21st, 2009 (the summer solstice) Paolo Soleri will be 90 years old. We wish him continued success and happiness with all his current and future endeavors.

Design for the New Stand for Confindustria Ceramica

2009-02-23T09:07:00.004-07:00

Piazza, a public square in an Italian town.

The joy one experiences with the engagement of the piazza is not limited to the beauty of the architectural elements, but more importantly, with the interaction with the people drawn to the environment. A visual, physical and human dialogue is unavoidable in such a setting.

Thus, the design solution I present to you is not just a stand but a “piazza” to create a visual, physical and human dialogue between the trade and the consumer.

The periphery of the piazza consists of four elements. The first element we encounter is the Information Desk, which I consider “the cathedral of knowledge.” The second element, the Catering Service, is “the communion of fellowship.” The third and fourth elements wrap a display of the elevated floor system creating a bench for overflow seating. These four elements creating the piazza are unified by an steel beam connecting them above, defining the architectural space.

The platform (i.e., the piazza) will allow four major products to be displayed by bisecting the space on the axis using 1’.0” x 2’.0” tiles in each sector.

The information desk element will be built using the 3m x 9m full porcelain tiles for the counter and back wall construction. The walls towards the piazza will be a display for a ventilated wall construction using porcelain 2’.0” x 4'.0” tiles. Sustainability will be a strong suit in our selection of materials and systems used.

The issue of product display is an important consideration. It has been addressed with the utmost concern, so as not to appear as a showroom. The products featured are intended to be used as architectural elements of design and provide for the display of no less than sixteen member companies to participate, showing the wide range of products and systems available.

A video wall is strategically located for viewing from the entire piazza. The use of existing tables and chairs scattered throughout the piazza allow a free-flow of activity.

The use of the elevated floor and ventilated wall systems can be stored and reused in subsequent years. It is intended for the four main elements to be pre-assembled in their entirety by the constructor and shipped to the site, thus limiting costly on-site construction by local contractors.

Taliesin Mod.Fab Project

2009-02-23T08:32:00.003-07:00

Photo copyright: Bill Timmerman.

The Taliesin Mod.FabTM is an example of simple, elegant, and sustainable living in the desert. The one-bedroom, 600-square-foot prototype residence relies on panelized construction to allow for speed and economy on site or in a factory. It can be connected to utilities or be "unplugged," relying on low-consumption fixtures, rainwater harvesting, greywater re-use, natural ventilation, solar orientation, and photovoltaics to reduce energy and water use. The structure is dimensioned and engineered to be transportable via roadway.

The Taliesin Mod.FabTM was designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture with the faculty guidance of Michael P. Johnson and Jennifer Siegal, project manager Christian Butler, recent M.Arch graduate, and assistant project manager Nick Mancusi, current BAS student.

The structure can be visited on the student-led Taliesin West Desert Shelter Tour, Saturdays at 1:30 until April 25, 2009.

For further information, more photos and list of all participants please visit the following link. http://www.taliesin.edu/pages/MODFAB.htm

New Project

2008-12-09T09:39:00.004-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. is currently working on a small project in Cave Creek Arizona. A 600 square foot home office / guest house constructed with structural insulated panels. The extruded box has a continuous steel frame base bearing on concrete masonry walls, elevating the the 60'-0" long structure above the desert floor. Construction is scheduled to start early 2009.

Happy Birthday to Oscar Niemeyer

2008-12-09T09:21:00.003-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. would like to wish Oscar Niemeyer

Happy Birthday! On December 15, 2008, Mr. Niemeyer will be 101 years old.

Parr Residence - Shelter Island, New York

2008-07-10T08:49:00.008-07:00

Architectural Design: Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd.

in collaboration with Stuart Parr and Parr Studios, Inc.

Interior Design: Parr Studios, Inc.

Structural Design: JT Engineering, Inc.

Mechanical Design: Akribis Engineering, LLC

Contractor: Atlantic Collaborative Construction Co.

Photography: Timmerman Photography, Inc. (Bill Timmerman)

Taliesin Modular Fabrication Prototype

2008-05-19T13:25:00.006-07:00

For more information on this project view the following link: http://www.prairiemod.typepad.com/prairiemod/2008/05/taliesin-prefab.html

Building Study for Hillside Site in Phoenix, Arizona

2008-04-07T13:18:00.003-07:00

Located on a hillside site in Phoenix, Arizona, Michael P. Johnson

Design Studios Ltd. proposed this design that cantilevers 48'-0" in

two directions. This became a necessary design feature to allow

all of the living space (5000s.f.) to be located on one level. The proposal

also includes a negative edge pool, views to the City of Phoenix and

the surrounding hillsides.

PULP FICTION ARCHITECTURE

2008-03-11T14:03:00.003-07:00

By John Meunier - Published in the Arizona Republic - March 9, 2008

Most airport book stores have shelves filled with New York Times best sellers by authors with names such as Ludlum, Crichton, Grisham, Follett, Francis, Koontz, that many of us buy to while away the tedium of the next few hours as we surrender ourselves to the passivity required of an airline passenger. Recently some of those bookstores are offering to buy the book back at half price, knowing that it will not have much of a future life on our shelves at home. Occasionally we find ourselves at an airport with a more ambitious bookstore that will have a section labeled “Literature” and considering the purchase of a book that we know will be much more demanding, hence our hesitation, but also could not only find an honored place on our bookshelves at home, it might even extend our understanding of the complexities of human nature or the formal riches of literary art.

In recent months I have found it useful to evoke this experience that so many of us share, when we might choose the less demanding option of “pulp-fiction” or “mass market paperbacks” over that of “literature”, as a way of explaining my sadness and frustration with the caliber of the architecture that is being proposed and built in many parts of Greater Phoenix, but very particularly in my own neighborhood of Paradise Valley. As the previous generation of houses and resorts are being replaced by grander and more luxurious buildings it is clear that the builders are more informed by the architectural culture of “pulp-fiction” than by that of architectural “literature”. During the construction this is particularly clear as the wood framing and the occasional steel column, or the masonry blocks, are transformed into an unpersuasive simulacrum of a massive stone “Tuscan Villa”, a thick-walled “Adobe Pueblo”, a heavily timbered “Hispanic Hacienda”, or even worse a hodge-podge of ideas probably gleaned from a scrapbook of seductive images in the life-style magazines.

As an architectural educator I introduce to my students the notion that our buildings have a cultural responsibility to interpret both our place and our time. Arizona and its buildings are often the subject of my first lecture as we are so fortunate to live in a part of the world that has a particularly rich architectural history, from ancient Hopi villages such as Oraibi, (the oldest continually inhabited community in the whole United States), to civic buildings such as the Burton Barr Municipal Library that drew the world’s attention to the emergence of what has been called the Arizona School, a set of buildings that embody a commitment to both time and place. Frank Lloyd Wright, Paolo Soleri and Al Beadle are just a few of the names of those who have made great architectural contributions in Arizona. And now there is a new generation of architects whose current work is attracting international respect. These are the “authors” of our architectural “literature”. Their work sustains Frank Lloyd Wright’s admonition to tell the truth in our buildings, to realize the potentials of the site without destroying it, to address the challenges and opportunities of our desert climate, and to create a kind of astringent beauty that challenges as well as rewards the eye and the mind. Steel, glass, and concrete have been joined with ancient materials such as rammed earth and native stone, not as stage-set veneers but as essential components of the structure and the expression of the architecture.

Greater Phoenix is poised at a moment of transition into one of the world’s more important urban complexes, much as Chicago was over a century ago. Is it also going to become a major cultural center? We have an opportunity to fulfill that ambition at least in the field of architecture, but only if we resist the easy temptation to build “pulp-fiction”, and seize the opportunity to build an architectural “literature”. This will require a commitment by all our civic, development, institutional, and business communities as well as each of us as individuals and families.

There are already important achievements, building on the heritage of Taliesin West and the Arizona Biltmore, with arts centers in Mesa and Tempe, a football stadium in Glendale, a library, art museum, and science center in Phoenix, some steel and glass condominiums in Scottsdale, fine educational buildings at the universities and the community colleges, and just emerging a unique set of light rail transit stations, as well as a handful of superb modern homes.

Are these going to be swallowed up in a sickly sweet architectural stew of fictional mediocrity, or are we, as a community, going to insist that the buildings of Greater Phoenix have the substance and enduring delight of a literate architecture?

John Meunier

John Meunier is a professor in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at ASU, where he was the Dean of what is now the College of Design from 1987-2002. He is a resident of Paradise Valley, where he joins many others in concern about the quality of the new resort hotels being planned and built there.

Michael P. Johnson Celebrates His 50th Year in Architectural Design

2008-02-14T08:45:00.006-07:00

This article appears in the January 2008, issue of Desert Living Magazine.

Ellsworth Residence 2008

2008-01-31T11:25:00.002-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. announces the
recent completion of the Ellsworth Residence located in
Cave Creek, Arizona. The residence, constructed of steel
and glass, spans 80'-0" over a desert arroyo. Go to
http://www.wallpaper.com/ to see more images of the Ellsworth
Residence.

Photography: Bill Timmerman Photography, Inc.

Happy Birthday to Oscar Niemeyer

2007-12-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. would like to wish Oscar Niemeyer

Happy Birthday. He turned 100 years old on Saturday, December 15th, 2007.

Our office had the pleasure of meeting him in January, 2006 where we were

able to spend a couple of hours with him at his office. It was one memorable

experience.

The Flat Tire Bike Shop

2007-12-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. is announcing another new project

located in Cave Creek, Arizona. The project is a new retail store for the

Flat Tire Bike Shop. The store will be approximately 2700s.f. featuring

a two mezznines that open to the lower level. The primary materials are

concrete masonry units and glass. The project is currently in the design

development phase and is quickly approaching the contract document

and permitting phase.

Proposed Chapel Project in the Phillipines

2007-11-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

A concrete parabolic shell divided by a narrow skylight is

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios latest project. The shell rises

out of a reflecting pool surround to appear in the landscape as a single object.

Access to the chapel is a long narrow ramp which submerges the visitor

below the shell and reflecting pool to reveal the soaring space within.

Bradley Residence Completion

2007-11-26T10:11:00.000-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studio announces its latest completed residence located

in Scottsdale Arizona. To learn more about the Bradley Residence, see the

January, 2008 issue of Desert Living Magazine where the residence will be featured.

Images by Bill Timmerman Photography.

Hub Clothing Store Completion

2007-10-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Please visit the newly completed Hub Clothing Store
at the Scottsdale Fashion Square, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

http://www.hubclothing.com

House on South Mountain, Phoenix - AZ

2007-07-17T15:21:00.001-07:00

Scheduled to start construction late summer or early fall 2007.

New Projects 2007

2007-06-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Michael P. Johnson Design Studios Ltd. is proud to announce 3 new projects for 2007. The Spencer Residence located in Carefree, Arizona, the Rector Residence located in Cave Creek, Arizona and the Kendall Residence located in Montserrat of the Leeward Islands, in the Carribean Sea.