Sleek Grills, Cool Concrete, Small Home Plan

Last week on a design awards jury I met Robert Brunner, founder of Ammunition Group, a fascinating product design and branding firm. He described some of his latest products and I think they are way cool, especially — just in time to fuel dreams of warmer weather — the Fuego Element gas grill,

a sleek metal cylinder topped with a concave cooking vessel. The perforated metal sides hide the propane tank.

It’s a textbook example of how a fine designer reinvents an everyday object in terms that are at once functional and formal (in this case, geometric) — here supporting cylinder and supported sphere combine in a way that really elevates barbecuing to an art. Here aspects of the wok and the patio heater have been combined — this must be DNA By Design — to produce an appealing  genetic manipulation of modernism.

Hexagon Roundhouse Combination Home Plan

Specifications: 18′ interior diameter roundhouse = 254 sq. ft., roundhouse loft = 248 sq. ft., 20.5′ hexagon = 372 sq. ft., total = 874 sq. ft. interior, Footprint: 28′ x 44′

Description: In this unique design, a two story roundhouse adjoins a hexagon. Features include a large bedroom in the round, a wood stove insert built into a central stone column, and a large loft above the bedroom for use as a home office, etc.

Green Home Plan

Specifications: 315 sq. ft. interior plus 90 sq. ft. loft, Footprint: 18′ x 24′

Description: A play on words, this tiny house has ‘green’ walls and optional living roof (not shown). Plant covered buildings are very practical, because they can save materials and finish work, reduce heating and cooling loads, oxygenate air around the building, as well as provide habitat for wildlife, buffer noise, etc. This house was designed for two university students who are concerned about the environment. Vines work well, or you could use the living wall system I am currently developing.

Pod Home Plan

Specifications: Main pod = 372 sq. ft., double bedroom pod = 372 sq. ft., master bedroom pod = 372 sq. ft., connecting spaces = 220 sq. ft., total = 1,336 sq. ft. interior, Footprint: 42′ x 87′

Description: This design connects hexagonal pods or modules that can be arranged in various configurations using more or fewer pods. This enables the home to be built one stage at a time. The bonus room in the double bedroom pod can be used as a study, etc. The bonus room in the master bedroom pod can serve as a home office, guest room, etc.