The Architecture Thread - Page 86

It's such a diagrammatic exercise in space planning, that it really takes no opportunity to make "space between the program and itself" which is where Ando says effective architecture is discovered. It's all rationale; no sensory engagement. It's not poetic or spiritual or inspired or attuned to natural light and shadow from what I can perceive from the photos. It's late Mies without the gracefulness.

What is this last place, SH?

EDIT: n/m, I went back to look again and saw the writing on the wooden wall.

This is kind of great, but I have no idea if American building codes would make it hard to do here:

http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm





--Andre

I am curious what some of you more architecturally-savvy folks think of the house below. It is appealing to me because its modern finishes and floorplan suit my family's lifestyle more than most traditional houses. That means I can get away with a smaller house because the space is utilized with less waste. It's also surprisingly inexpensive for modern construction so that a small-timer such as myself could afford it. I worry, though, that my relative ignorance of things architectural is leading me astray. Is this house the architectural equivalent of a cheap fashion suit?

I am curious what some of you more architecturally-savvy folks think of the house below. It is appealing to me because its floorplan suits my family's lifestyle more than most traditional floorplans. That means I can get away with a smaller house because the space is utilized with less waste. It's also surprisingly inexpensive for modern construction so that a small-timer such as myself could afford it. I worry, though, that my relative ignorance of things architectural is leading me astray.

That's a wet dream for a building code inspector, but you could probably find a way to do it in most places. You'd be better off just building without a permit in hopes that nobody notices, but it would have to be in a rural area with no neighbors nearby. As soon as you tried to get a permit or tried to get an architect to stamp some sort of document set, you'd basically run into red tape and skeptical bureaucrats that would force you to go through corporate material suppliers. The biggest (and maybe only) major issue is the non-engineered wood. Random crooked branches of varying strength and uncertain moisture levels just won't cut it, at least since the 1920's when they started regulating lumber.

Speaking of shit built out of the ground, how bout this?

Where is that? I'm partial to Predjama Castle in Slovenia

Luxembourg.

I'd be interested in what some of you more architecturally-savvy members think of the house below. I like its materials, finishes, and floorplan because they suit the lifestyle of my family better than most traditional houses. It's also priced such that a small-timer such as myself could afford it. I just don't know if I'm looking at the architectural equivalent of a Men's Wearhouse suit.

I think it's extremely mediocre, which puts it in the 97th percentile of new American residential architecture. But there is potential. My biggest qualms are the kitchen design and the exterior materials.

The kitchen layout is just crap. Putting the microwave over the stove is inconvenient and dangerous. The workspace is too far from the stove. There is all sorts of wasted space, but yet the stove area is still cramped. The cabinets are cluttered shit and look cheap. Are they laminated MDF? Those will last ten years max before someone says "What the fuck was I thinking?" The bar seating of the island faces the cluttered shitty cabinets instead of the exterior or living areas like they should.

I would have done it one of two ways:

1) floor to ceiling stainless cabinets and shelving along the back wall with a centralized island area where all the work could be done. Something like this:



or

2) I would make a long, simple stainless counter across the entire length of that back wall, keeping every work station there, and leaving island area open for a big table. I'd eliminate all suspended cabinets keep everything below the counter line to keep it streamlined and then line the back wall with shiny white ceramic tile up to the ceiling as a flush backsplash. You could also wrap the counter into a U, with the workstations facing out towards the back windows.

As for the exterior, corrugated aluminum siding is about the most soulless thing a building can be clad in. It has no redeeming qualities that would get better with age, which makes it a poor investment. There is no sentimental value. Who wants to have a Christmas family party in an aluminum shoe box? Nobody. It's just a step above plastic. If they wanted some non load-bearing siding options, these are superior options:

1) Cedar "rain skin": Economical and easy to install or fix.



2) Timber planks: More costly, but similarly easy



3) White cement render with steel trimmings:



These are better realizations of the same aesthetic. Notice the quality windows, the reduced material choices, and the more consistent, diffused track lighting.













It's amazing how many architects can take something so simple like a house, and make a convoluted piece of plastic shit like this:


Edited by StephenHero - 9/23/11 at 2:47pm

SH, thanks very much. That makes a lot of sense and is quite helpful. Are design principles such as the ones you mentioned above available in any kind of source that would be accessible to non-architects, an architectural equivalent of Manton's book or something?