Soft Serve - Aug 2014 | Page 4

Features Departments 04 // The Melbourne Supremacy Story by Helen Kaiser Photos by Peter Bennetts Photographer Peter Bennetts cuts out the middleman, photographing his favorite spots in his home base, Melbourne, Australia. 24 // Off the Grid Story by Reyhan Harmanci Photos by Cesar Rubio Swatt Architects’ green approach to green design resulted in a stylish, subtle development that’s as good for the East Bay as it is for the global community. 08 // Oh, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Story by Chelsea Holden Baker There is an “I” in community, but why does it always have to feel so lonely? 12 // Building Blocks Story by Maggie Kinser Hohle Photos by Dean Kaufman For Yasuyo Moriyama and those who share his Tokyo home, community is about thinking inside the boxes. 16 // Rising Above It All Story by Jaime Gross Photos by Richard Powers When Jan and Luit Bieringa decided to add on to a Wellington, New Zealand, warehouse home, they built up-and created a thriving live/ work community. 20 // Community Building Story by Brian Libby Photos by John Clark Portland’s Belmont district was waiting for its superman, or superdeveloper, and they found him in Randy Rapaport (and architect Jeff Stuhr). 28 // Habitat Reports Story by Perry Nelson Arshad Chowdhury, founder of MetroNaps, susses out the most soporific sustainable mattresses. 32 // Noteworthy Stories by Bradford Shellhammer and David Rowland News about the things we live with, the places we visit and the people we talk to. 36 // Habitat Labs Story by Christopher Bright Photos by Peter Belanger Finding a suitable air purifier is as easy as breathing. 40 // Design Story by Jane Szita Jane Szita finds that today’s design critics could stand to be a little more critical. 44 // Architecture Story by Lenora Chu Gone are the days when affordable affronts. Los Angeles architects are proving that both form and function are attainable. CONTENTS 48 // Home Office 101 Story by Deborah Bishop Photos by Aya Brackett Work is work, but working from home is better, especially if you have the right setup. Context 12 // 2013