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Collection by Luke Hopping

Modern Homes in Missouri

These houses from Springfield to Kansas City are bellwethers of contemporary design.

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The house that Dake-Wells Architecture designed for Cory and Kerry Watts in the Ozarks in southwestern Missouri is defined by subtle nods to its lakeside setting, such as an elevated wooden plank that carries visitors over a bed of river rock to the north entrance.
The house that Dake-Wells Architecture designed for Cory and Kerry Watts in the Ozarks in southwestern Missouri is defined by subtle nods to its lakeside setting, such as an elevated wooden plank that carries visitors over a bed of river rock to the north entrance.
In Kansas City, Missouri, a family sought to construct a new home using prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPS) instead of traditional frame construction. The entire kit house is composed of 4' x 8' sections, and the shell was constructed in about a week. The project’s relatively low cost, quick build time, and highly insulated envelope were positives, but the panels also have their limitations. “Most SIP projects look pretty stupid,” Jamie says. “They haven’t been manipulated by someone who’s thinking creatively.” In this case, Jamie augmented the simple panel system with a dynamic cantilever.
In Kansas City, Missouri, a family sought to construct a new home using prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPS) instead of traditional frame construction. The entire kit house is composed of 4' x 8' sections, and the shell was constructed in about a week. The project’s relatively low cost, quick build time, and highly insulated envelope were positives, but the panels also have their limitations. “Most SIP projects look pretty stupid,” Jamie says. “They haven’t been manipulated by someone who’s thinking creatively.” In this case, Jamie augmented the simple panel system with a dynamic cantilever.
The firm chose Endicott brick for the curved elements of the exterior, a natural material with a glossy effect that creates the illusion of changing colors and animated movement. The dark grey contrasts boldly with the earthy brown tones of the durable ipe wood used for the exterior walls.
The firm chose Endicott brick for the curved elements of the exterior, a natural material with a glossy effect that creates the illusion of changing colors and animated movement. The dark grey contrasts boldly with the earthy brown tones of the durable ipe wood used for the exterior walls.
The Kansas City firm Kem Studio helped Ethan and Heidi Whitehill navigate the tricky process of modernizing a converted 1960s-era duplex on a street that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Kansas City firm Kem Studio helped Ethan and Heidi Whitehill navigate the tricky process of modernizing a converted 1960s-era duplex on a street that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house that Kem Studio designed for Sarah Magill on a narrow lot in Kansas City has a steel facade with reclaimed cypress cladding near the entrance. The entire structure sits atop a steel foundation set on concrete piers that were driven into solid stone.
The house that Kem Studio designed for Sarah Magill on a narrow lot in Kansas City has a steel facade with reclaimed cypress cladding near the entrance. The entire structure sits atop a steel foundation set on concrete piers that were driven into solid stone.
In a leafy residential area a few miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri, architect Christian Arnold saw opportunity where others saw trouble. He took a sloping, triangular lot and designed a new home for his growing family—an open tree house–like structure on stilts that hovers at the quirky edge of a conventional neighborhood. Photo by Mike Sinclair.
In a leafy residential area a few miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri, architect Christian Arnold saw opportunity where others saw trouble. He took a sloping, triangular lot and designed a new home for his growing family—an open tree house–like structure on stilts that hovers at the quirky edge of a conventional neighborhood. Photo by Mike Sinclair.