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Making a Case for Anomalies

July 18, 2017

Holy Cow! This looks a like the concept house in the header, begging the question; “do I own it or change it?”

Artistic Logic – Where do I start with this one? The temptation is to say what makes a home owner do things like this, until I think, “maybe the homeowner didn’t do it.” Maybe it was a builder? Probably not. Those guys are all about conformity and resale value. What/wherever the idea came from doesn’t matter. I looks pretty strange to most of us. Yet, I hesitate to criticize, because I somehow find artistic logic in what was done. Honestly, I see things like this in modern art museums all the time. There has been a kind of purists pursuit of geometry while totally ignoring everything else. The effect is humorous. It makes me smile which is not such a bad thing for a house to do.

Typical Vernacular House.

Vernacular Building – It also points to another interesting question. Is the split level house a form of “new” vernacular? What does that word mean? Wikipedia says it is “an architectural style that is designed based on local needs, availability of construction materials and reflecting local traditions..,” without the use of “…formally-schooled architects.” There are text books written on the subject, but I like this definition. It sums up how I think about vernacular building (notice that I did not call it architecture, but that is a subject for another day). The definition almost, but not quite, fits the split level place. There is a utilitarian and historical implication associated with vernacular buildings that often manifest as a foundation for some future style, or expression of a recognizable over riding unity. The split level house meets the utilitarian criteria but hardy the historical one. The log cabin meets them both.

Noteworthy? – Psychologist define many different ways of learning. I suppose that perception is particular to each individual and that mine is visual. Often, I see something noteworthy without any idea why. Only after some time and conscious analysis does the meaning reveal itself. For me the split level house is like that. It sent a message that read; ” I may be an anomaly but I am also an individual who is unconscious of, and therefore uninfluenced by, architectural and stylistic mores.” The message is totally unsophisticated. It redefines how we think about building and points toward a fresh approach to design, the pursuit of which being the reason for this this blog.

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Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged architectural anomolies, architectural theory, curb appeal, design ideas, home owners, new architecture, primitive hut, timeless standards, vernacular architecture | 2 Comments »

Simple Architecture: a place for the eye to rest?

May 10, 2017

Hi Hugh! This Hugh Newell Jacobsen.

Hugh Newell Jacobsen

is a semi famous, and as it happens, local architect; the kind that mostly architecture students and the “arts and croissants” crowd know about. As first year architecture students, way back in the 1990’s, we were once given the name of an important “architectural luminary” and told to copy his style. I remember having thought that I lucked out because I got Frank Lloyd Wright. My friend, on the other hand, got Hugh. Now I think that he was the lucky one.

If you look up Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Wikipedia will tell you that his architecture is simple. If you then decide to do a search on the term “simple architecture” you will find all manner of modern, very un-simple houses. You may even ask yourself, “what is simple? Is it definable?”

This is the house that Hugh built. Sorry you need to google him for images. I couldn’t find any that were labeled for reuse, so a drew a picture.

Good Question

One I will explore a bit here. The most important thing to know about simple architecture is that the architect is a decision maker, and I didn’t read this anywhere. I just know it. Architecture, like language is semiotic. Think of it as “logo-centric,” meaning just about every person who has ever lived in a house has some notion of how one should/does look. If there are 248 million adults living in the US, then it follows that an equal number of mirages make up the collective dictionary of residential architecture. Likewise, if you think of them as words, then it is not too difficult to see that Jacobsen decided to use only vowels to write his. He ended up with “Snoopy’s Dog House.” Of course, the decision forced him to use every sophisticated architectural trick in the book, i.e. scale, proportion, repetition, texture…, to design an ethereal dog house, simple to recognize, not simple to achieve.

Common Simplicity

Is it possible to find simplicity in our real low budget, often crowded, every day world? Is it possible to make these places ethereal? Us everyday, “non luminary” architects ask ourselves these questions all the time.

Take a look at these houses. What would it take to make them “ethereal?” Can a 3′ ribbon of grass fit between the raw yard and the house? Can the roof vents be moved to the back where they don’t show? Can the window frame be made to disappear into the building? Can the stair landing become a low deck extending the full width of the house? Can the railing become a panel type element to match the house? Can the siding be made from something besides vinyl?

The answer of course is yes to all. Do these changes make the places “ethereal?” Probably not. Maybe though, in today’s complex built environment, common simplicity is not a bad place for the eye to rest.

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Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged architectural theory, simple architecture, timeless standards, vernacular architecture | Leave a Comment »

Very Frank Lloyd Wright?

November 1, 2016

Recently a reader ask for my opinion on a project. We shared numerous images, had email discussions and a phone call. I think we opened several design possibilities worth a discussion here. Follow along with the discussion and add your “two cents” in the comments section. Maybe someone out there has even better ideas than those offered here.

: Existing House

Existing House – The reader was planning a complete remodel of an existing “Mid Century Modern” house. He sent me images of the existing house, some renderings of what he was planning to do, as well as a really great original booklet with plans of similar house designs from the same historic period which can be found here.

: Design proposed by reader.

Reader’s Question – His initial question was about the windows. He sent me the proposed design shown above and asked me, in particular, what I thought about the sash windows, including decorative glass and external shutters, that are between the garage door and the chimney in the image. He also asked me for comments on the use of color. I sometimes think that clients need a hook; a way of tacitly enjoining a larger critique. Clearly, I couldn’t begin to think about details like window styles without first examining their context, which in this case involved a two part observation. I thought, “this design is very Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is actually quite nicely done.”

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Frank Lloyd Wright: Mid Century Modernist? – The crux of my observation about Wright is in the question about whether or not he can be grouped with the “Mid Century Modernists.” The answer is that it is done all the time, but Wright was more. He was an influencer with deep roots in the historic transition from the Victorian to Modern world. Evidence of this transition can be seen especially in his early work and it is important to this discussion because the design proposed by the reader evokes this link which, I think, justifies the design and provides an answer to his question about the windows.

The Design Process – Before I go into examples, (if you are bored by theories just skip this paragraph) I should offer a disclaimer about the design process in general. Most, if not all, design is a product of selected influences found in the greater environment in which it appears. In short, ideas do not occur in a vacuum. This is not to imply that we remember the source of these inclinations. It only means that we somehow carry various visual impressions around in our psyche and pull them out when needed. This is true with large stylistic movements that show up in the built environment, and especially when considering an architect as well thought of, and with such far reaching influence as had Frank Lloyd Wright. I am pretty sure the reader who designed this remodel gave little thought to the source of his ideas, and, when he finally decide to look, came up with the previously mentioned booklet; providing an example of how the “Modern Movement in Architecture,” which had originated with Wright and others, manifested in commercial track housing looking exactly like the house that the reader was proposing to fix. This was interesting for sure, but of little relevance in view of the proposed design which was good on it’s own merit not a little because it was specifically suggestive of Wright’s early work, whether the reader knew it or not.

Citing the Evidence – I did some research and came up with these examples. They go a long way towards explaining why I thought the readers design was “very” Frank Lloyd Wright. I picked them because they contained elements in common with the proposed design as noted below each image.

: The Lake Forest house, like our existing example, has a shallow roof pitch and is the only one in the group with a typically “modern vibe.” Not to be overlooked is the massing which is a contrast of strong horizontal and vertical volumes – also in our example design, and large expanses of glass.

: The Oakpark house still looks Victorian but Wright assimilates the half timberd facade at the gable with his signature modern massing, both of which are present in the readers design.

: The casement windows in the Oakpark house feature regular rectangular divisions which might suggest a solution to the window problem posed by the reader.

: Robie House provides a great example of how Wright used decorative glass in a highly stylized manner which was completely coordinated and related to the interior design as part of the building as a cohesive piece of art. This suggests that unless such a level of design can be achieved it would be best for the reader to stick with a more regular approach and revise the windows shown in the proposed design.

: FLW’s house and studio, like much of his work, demonstrates more modern volumetric massing but otherwise maintains a link with Victorian origins. The classical windows with Tudor style diamond glass suggest a viable solution to the readers window problem.

: Finally this Oakpark house, although mostly Victorain except for the massing, has simple offset geometry on the glass, which may provide the best solution for the reader’s window design problem so far.

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Suggested Revision

Possible Solution – Just to restate the problem – in case you forgot already – the reader asked me to comment on the two sets of sash windows with the decorative glass and external shutters that are shown in his proposed design. Based on the research, and assuming the reader intended to install in the existing openings, I recommended that casement windows be used instead of sash, which are almost never used by Wright and generally not strongly evident in “Mid Century Modern” houses from this era. I further suggested that a simple geometric muntin pattern offset from the mullions like those in the last research example above would work. The reader did not ask me about the garage door, nevertheless I suggested he change it to a simple door with horizontal divisions which I thought worked better than the existing which had fielded panels and “colonial” references.

Artwork by Reader

Let’s Not Forget the Color – Finally the reader sent me this fun bit of artwork and ask me what I thought of the color. The greenish color of the existing tile roof seems unique to this house and, I think, adds personality. The rest of the natural colored materials are working and support the new design. Trim and the garage door are best colored to disappear. Check out Wright’s Studio above. Continuing a bit of green might be used to attract attention to the front door but it is not really necessary.

Special thanks to Angelo Corriea, a builder from our Northern neighbor, who sent me this project, but really didn’t need my help as he created a nice design on his own. Also, for you serious students of design, it might be worth checking out the connections between Frank Lloyd Wright, Henry Hobson Richardson, and Louis Sullivan.

Bridget Gaddis, is a Licensed Architect and LEED-accredited Professional practicing nationally, and locally in the Washington DC area. She holds professional degrees in both Architecture and Interior Design, and with a comprehensive background in commercial retail design, planning and construction has completed projects for such for such well known brands as Chloe, Zegna, and Bvlgari. Her career began in tenant coordination and site planning for two well-known Cleveland developers, followed by six years in store planning for a national retailer. After a move to New York City in 1997, she spent the next years working for architecture firms specializing in retail projects. In 2011 she started her own practice in Alexandria, VA. Ms. Gaddis is the author of two blogs dealing with architectural subjects.

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Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged architectural theory, curb appeal, design ideas, finishes, Frank Lloyd Wright, modern architecture, modernist, remodeling | Leave a Comment »

Who cares if architecture has a soul or not?

October 24, 2016

You guys all recognize these don’t you? Ok, maybe not!

Architecture with a Capital A: Some would say that these images demonstrate the foundation of Architecture, with a capital A. Whatever your opinion, they are proportioning systems with academic roots in the ancient world. They are all based on a thing called the “Golden Ratio” and, like it or not, they work. The temptation, which I will resist, is to go into a discussion of what they are and where they are used. A one minute google search will inform any unacquainted reader and spare me the trouble of saying again what others have said often and better.

Numerous examples of the golden ratio demonstrate that proportion appears everywhere in nature.

Proportion, based on the golden ratio, can be thought of as an infinitely expanding and contracting telescope of repeating pattern: rectangle exactly divide by a square, another rectangle divided by square, another rec…

Proportion is Indigenous: So, if not to explain, then why bring it up? Because proportion, as defined by the “Golden Ratio” is indigenous. It is part of nature, and when used in the built world, proceeds from the human condition; meaning that many, if not most, of us recognize, relate, find comfort, inspiration, and just plain beauty in an entity displaying proportional properties; those being, the parts relate to the whole and they do so in an organized way.

Has Proportion Disappeared? Sadly, proportion, at least in the classical sense discussed here, is mostly gone from our everyday built environment, and based on recent pursuits of everything green, it would seem like it is threatened in nature as well. Proportion, after all, depends on rules, on absolutes. They don’t do very well in a world where everything is relative.

Are classical proportions the soul of aesthetics?

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Consider this old house, built somewhere around 1900. I know this place well because my grandmother lived down the street. If style is the meter, it appears that some history of architecture book exploded onto its facade, typical Victorian, except for the 1960’s aluminum awnings and the 1990 standing seam metal roof. Somehow classical proportions, along with the historic references, crept into the design with happy results. It took very little effort to impose golden rectangles onto the picture, in spite of the perspective for which no attempt at correction was made. The whole is a harmony of parts, even suggesting that if the proportion is right, then the mismatched and mixed styles don’t matter.

Are aesthetics without a soul?

The exercise was much more difficult with this “house” and the one below. Indeed, I couldn’t make it work. No mater how many ways I scaled, rotated, moved, repeated, assembled, disassembled and reassemble the golden rectangle and its various parts, I could torture only a hint of classical proportions out of the image on the top and nothing from the one on the bottom.

Are aesthetics even necessary?

It is only fair for me to reveal that, for me, the two places above qualify for “McMansion” status, which is nicely itemized here: McMansion Hell. Does this disqualify me? Maybe not, since if my analysis is correct, carefully worked out proportions could save even a “McMansion!” If someone sends me additional examples, I am happy to try the exercise again. I’d rather, though, evoke a positive, if fleeting, response.

Maybe it is the other way around. Could classical proportions proceed from the soul?

This little building should have come first in this discussion, as it is what made me examine the composition of beauty that I found residing there. Like some parti for elegance, not only does it appear to be returning to nature, but from the standpoint of proportion, it just might be.

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Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect. | Tagged architectural theory, dead architects, design ideas, home owners, human scale, Le Corbusier, McMansion, modern architecture, proportion, timeless standards, vernacular architecture | Leave a Comment »

What’s in a name?

May 18, 2016

: Some appreciate this,

: or long for this.

: Some remember this,

: or even this,

: more likely this.

: A few appreciate this.

: Many hope for this.

: A lot can afford this,

: or this,

: and live in this.

: Most end up with this.

: The lucky ones end up with this.

Name Dropping – Did you ever notice that real estate people like to insert the names of house styles into their conversations with potential buyers? “…nice to meet you. I have a move in ready Center Hall Colonial to show tomorrow.” or “…there is a Mid-Century Modern neighborhood that generates a lot of interest.” The local historical committee, of course, has raised name dropping to an art form. Here in Old Town they are the designated authority, champion and voice of all things Georgian and very present at all meetings of the local architectural review board.

Name Listing – There is a list of house styles on Wikipedia with which, truth be told, I have a lot of fun. I can’t wait to tell some realtor that I would like to see a Dingbat house? No kidding. It really exists! It is also possible to get creative and customize these terms. I actually thought of this a few years ago when a potential client brought a fist full of photos to a meeting. She repeatedly told me how much she like Regency style design. The photos were of mirrored replicas made into furniture and finishes of what appeared to be every decorative cliche ever invented by Thomas Sheraton, all of it originating from some shop like Pier One. What, I thought, would one call these? We could say Meta Modern or Pseudo Modern ( I will let you look those up) which seem to be buzz words that include all things previous. How about Post Modern Revival of Regency Revival? That ought to cover it. I think putting things into categories gives us a feeling of control. Although not much in the way of actual control.

Name Cancelling – Does not even the lowest budget shopper have a vision or image relating to his or her expectations about where they hope to live? Think cottage and white picket fence a là now deceased American Dream. What guides this? I don’t think it has anything to do with style, named or real, unless that style somehow fits into the larger world of the individual’s past residential experience, turned into a dream or not. Anyone looking to define a future stylistic paradigm might do well to flush out what is common in places we have lived in the recent past. No easy task in an increasingly small and populated world and further complicated by the manipulations of large scale planners defining a built environment according to their particular terms.

Name Hunting – I have a friend, raised in an urban apartment block, these days sporting a million plus house budget in a quaint suburban neighborhood and hard pressed to find an acceptable house. She has been conditioned to think of a house as a commodity, with stylistic taste leaning towards the McMansion, she will consider only new construction and is completely put off by a yard of any size. Her ideas about security and building in general are still involved with her roots in the apartment block. As a member of a larger similarly inclined shopping group, she is influencing the look of a neighborhood because developers do very good market research. They understand and deliver the absolute minimum that must be provided in order to satisfy this customer. Expanding a customer’s horizons is only part of the program to the extent necessary to sell a newly built home. More complex, better assimilated options are never offered and existing housing is mostly ignored.

Name Finding – The word “finding” may be a little misleading (it fit in the text). It is more as if a new style, rather than directly resulting from the search, just appears, although the looking is still required, and I might add, is considered to be a high intellectual activity in the world of architectural scholars. It is the result of a dialectical process, where the tension between the dominant old style and the emerging newer style become so great that the whole conflict collapses into something else. It is like the invisible whole, which is greater than the sum of the parts, suddenly becomes visible and Voila, a new style is there. This line of thinking, of course, comes from the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a favorite of mine, distained by many, and begging the question, what is the emerging new style? Is it already implemented? Will it be defined by the spatial needs of an expanding population or the desire to be “green?” Will it return to nature like a Hogan, or the earth like a Sod House. Maybe it will look like my favorite Parkitecture! Could we see a Modern Farmhouse, or how about a Star Wars version of the Rumah Gadang? That might work. Whatever the new name, I am pretty sure that some combination of its elements will be easy to locate in the afore mentioned list of house styles!

Images are used under Creative Commons from Flickr and Wikipedia or owned by the author. Please contact us for the links.

Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged architectural theory, dead architects, design ideas, home owners, McMansion, modern architecture, modernist, Post Modern Architecture, primitive hut, sustainability, sustainable design, vernacular architecture | Leave a Comment »

Architecture: Density by Idea or Ideal

May 28, 2015

Recently the AIA launched a national campaign entitled “Look Up.”

Without going deep into the pros and cons of how successful the add is at raising awareness about what architects really do – REAL being the operative word – I would suggest that the ad is most inspiring to those who authored it; the rest of us, not so much. In the name of fairness, though, I decided to try it, looking up that is. As it turned out, it was not necessary to look very high. I found the perfect parti for high density green housing sitting on top of a back yard pole happily posted to flickr. This mini neighborhood of individuals suggests a happy counterpoint to the uniformity of developer housing. It makes me want to turn it into an apartment building.

Architecture is kind of an “old man’s” profession, or old woman’s as the case may be. This is not an accident. It is a necessity resulting from the years of experience required for a practitioner to develop the skill and knowledge base that enables him or her to actualize a successful project, a fact that is becoming ever more true as the information base steadily increases. Since, for “old men” looking back is unavoidable, long memories come with the territory and probably influence a design idea. Younger architects, unencumbered by memories, are more apt to look forward toward some design ideal. Somehow the advertising executives have pick up on the subtle difference between the idea and the ideal and come down decidedly in favor of the latter. The bird houses in the photo, on the other hand, sends us in pursuit of the former.

I wonder if Villa Savoye, completed by Le Corbusier at the beginning of his career when he was 41, is the result of and idea or an ideal? Either way, “Towards a New Architecture” clearly outlines a plan of action.

Idea or Ideal

a. transcendent entity that is a real pattern of which existing things are imperfect representations: idea

b. a standard of perfection : ideal

c. a plan for action : design

Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged AIA, architectural theory, design ideas, green building, Le Corbusier, sustainability, sustainable design, timeless standards, vernacular architecture | Leave a Comment »

Church Living: evolution or devolution?

December 29, 2014

Church converted to a house.

For centuries architects have borrowed design ideas and details from religious buildings. If we were brutally honest, we might find that 75% of the designs found in a typical architectural history book first appeared on some religious building. That said, the elements were rearranged into some new form or use or usually both. For example we see the plan and form of an ancient Roman basilica evolved over time into high architecture as it combines with a myriad of other motifs to become the standard form used in the design of a Christian church.

Check out the garage. Can it be original?

These days we forgo the rearrange and reassemble part and jump directly to the reuse. How would you like to live here? First glance tells us that things could get a bit crowded, as one could never be sure that the good Lord deigned to move out. Also, what does one tell the parishioners who unwittingly show up for service on Sunday morning? No one thought to change the commercial entry to something with more residential appeal. There was, though, a salute to the all important automobile. Looks like someone added a two car garage. Maybe it is time to let some architect come up with a little devolution.

Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged converted church, dead architects, devolution, vernacular architecture | 1 Comment »

Architecture: Realism; Metabolism; Idealism & the Laundry

November 17, 2014

Realism

Presume

Hong Kong is known for high density living, usually in the form of “Modern” apartment blocks like the one here, and trust me, it is surreal for a Westerner to wake up expecting to see the morning sky only to discover an intimate view of a couple of hundred neighbors looking back at you from the same exactly measured boxes only made different by colorful laundry strung helter-skelter like banners in all directions. Add the noise and smell of rush hour boat traffic on the Aberdeen channel below, and you have a picture of middle class life in Ap Lei Chau. But I digress, this is not a travel blog. Finally, I end up smitten with the sheer visual mass; rigid, regular, homogenous structural framework completely animated by the chaos of life. One without the other is unthinkable. Such was the vision packed happily away in my photos file until I was forced, by a recent article about sustainably built apartments, to to dust it off.

Metabolism

Postulate

During the late 50’s and early 60’s; and keeping in mind that architectural academics love anything that can be defined by the attachment of an “ism” to the end of a word, a Japanese mega thinker and luminary by the name of Kiyonori Kikutake along with 3 others came up with a philosophy that has come to be known in architectural circles as “Metabolism.” Motivated, at its core, by the quest for more versatile solutions to the ever expanding post war urban environments, Metabolism had some interesting manifestations. Kikutake, for example, proposed supporting apparently floating floor planes in multistory buildings with structural mesh; think structural columns that look like Chinese finger traps. Floor planes, as it turns out, were not the only thing he floated. In response to the scarcity of urban real estate he actually designed an entire floating city.

Not to be overlooked was Kisho Kurokawa, another perhaps more pragmatic member of the group, who contributed to the architectural notions of Metabolism by the introduction off organic structural flexiblity in the form of capsule architecture, a real live example being the Nakagin Capsule Tower shown in the photo. Removable pods were actually made in a shipping container factory.

Idealism

Proclaim

Sustainability being the current architectural mantra, the image in the article (India Art n Design: Mongkok Residence – Sustainability & the Skyline) is, nevertheless, mostly remarkable because the apartment is nestled between two modern towers. Dialectically speaking, what could more completely summarize the issue. Funny thing about opposites; they cannot be opposite unless they are somehow alike. No matter how they are skewed, upon what type of rigid or flexible structural frame they rest, whether the boxes are fabricated in a container factory or simply real containers, boxes piled one on top of another end up looking like piled up boxes. Quite possibly, they only become something else by introduction of the infinitely chaotic laundry.

Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged design ideas, dialectic, green building, inverse architecture, Japanese Metabolism, modern architecture, modernist, sustainability, sustainable design | Leave a Comment »

Architecture: “Street Style”

October 19, 2014

Quirky Street Style

Most news papers, fashion magazines, etc. have a section devoted to “street style.” Consider the popular “Glamour Does & Don’ts.” Some famous photographer goes out with a camera and snaps photos of fashionistas parading down Madison Avenue and “voila.” A trend is born. I keep thinking architects need a similar outlet. If such were the case I would nominate the building in the photo as a candidate for a feature article. It reminds me of the “Silly Architect” in a previous post. I truly wonder what the person who built this was thinking. I also wonder what it looks like inside and if windows face the back. Maybe there aren’t any, except for the little square one between the top of the door and he little birds nest porch above. Does someone stand on the porch and drop a rope to hoist up the groceries or maybe shout out to a friend on the street?

“Fashion Week of Architecture”

Fashion Weeks in New York, Paris, Milan, etc. express salient fantasies which finally end up on the backs of real people everywhere. Such is the purview of and industry afforded the practical luxury of experimentation, leading one to wish it were, likewise, possible to try out various styles on buildings. After all, architecture is generally thought of as a practice. Not so architecture of course. Time, costs, and all that prohibit, so we architects find ourselves resorting to all manner of media in an effort to represent an understandable idea or vision for a building. Computer and paper models, drawings, video simulations make up the “Fashion Weeks” of architecture and compared with the immediacy of the runway they fall terribly short. I prefer the “Street Style” approach. After all, it is at least real.

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Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Culture, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged Architectural Street Style, design ideas, Quirky Architecture, Street Style, vernacular architecture | Leave a Comment »

Unmobile Home: Humor but No Joke

September 15, 2014

My Dream Home?

Would it be believable if I said this is my dream home? Ok, maybe not. It does though display several key elements which are the stuff of my particular architectural fantasy. It is no secret that I have pondered possible ways of adapting a standard “off the dealer lot,” mobile home into architecture. Further, if the difference between art and architecture is reality, also previously concluded, then this is art. Considered in such a light, this may contain humor but it is not a joke. What’s more, because it is on stilts, another big area of interest opens up. Aside from the characteristics of the piers, in this case concrete, there is all that space under the house, complete with promise and problems in similar measure. For now, let’s leave the promise to imagination, yours and mine, and take up the problems.

Doing What Air Does.

Before I get into a discussion of how a house on stilts might easily be kept warm and toasty in Northern winters, let me risk repeating, “I have a psychological aversion to creeping things crawling around under the house.” I like the idea of inserting some air. The space insulates and creates an experience by conjuring all manner of pleasant spacial opportunities. Opportunities, I think, worth pursuing, even in a cold climate. The obvious problem of course is all that cold air lurking under the warm house all winter long and looking to do what air does in this environment which is rise. Great in the hot summer, not so much in the winter. The subject is bandied and hashed over to a larger extent than could possibly be considered here. For an exhaustive discussion I happily sent the reader here. The general idea being that in order to keep out the cold it is necessary to super seal up every path of air infiltration and super insulate the floor, in that order of priority. To avoid freezing encapsulating the plumbing in a warm chase is also necessary.

Is There Anything New?

So what, one might ask is new here? The answer, of course, is nothing, until another of my favorite “responsible building” technologies is introduced into the mix. Consider what might be accomplished if the space under the house were used to store and distribute hot air, preferably but not necessarily, from a solar source, and further if the space were flexible, offering a source of cool air in summer a lot like what is done in my favorite Japanese OM Solar homes. In the end the solution is complex but maybe not so complicated. There are many after market products that might fit into such a system. Transpired solar collector panels, for example, are now available for residential use. Likewise heat storage might be provided by a prefabricated concrete slab or piers. Devising the air handling and distribution system might require and expert, preferably one who has tried something like this before. The house after all is quite little and the technology very big.

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Posted in Architectural Criticism, Architecture, Art, Design, Hire an architect., Residential Design | Tagged design ideas, green building, primitive hut, small architecture projects, solar heat, sustainability, sustainable design, vernacular architecture | Leave a Comment »

Real people don't hire architects…?

Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

Making a Case for Anomalies

Simple Architecture: a place for the eye to rest?

Hugh Newell Jacobsen

Good Question

Common Simplicity

Very Frank Lloyd Wright?

Who cares if architecture has a soul or not?

What’s in a name?

Architecture: Density by Idea or Ideal

Recently the AIA launched a national campaign entitled “Look Up.”

Church Living: evolution or devolution?

Architecture: Realism; Metabolism; Idealism & the Laundry

Presume

Postulate

Proclaim

Architecture: “Street Style”

Quirky Street Style

“Fashion Week of Architecture”

Unmobile Home: Humor but No Joke

My Dream Home?

Doing What Air Does.

Is There Anything New?

Why & Where

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