Small Project Design

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  • 1.  Architect designed housing

    Posted 02-01-2011 06:13 PM
    Housing may be a vernacular shelter, rooted in usefulness, durability and sound principles  of siting to create a resulting delightful structure. While researching an issue covered in Andrea Palladio's 'The Four Books of Architecture' c. 1570, his thoughts on the use of material, organization, order, materials, siting in his 'Villas' and city homes  reminded me just how contemporary he was. Having seen his works in Vicenza, Venice...well he used materials and proportions like the mason he was trained to be. Layering of planes, creating volumes flooded with daylight, to solve a need of warm, dry housing in city and farmland of the Venito and Tuscany.

    What does this have to do with housing, you may ask? Precedence and context, I would submit. Yes, that which has gone before to solve environmental and regional context. Mass housing having little precedence, left the post WWII need for economical solutions which housed most of us, for a while. Then we wanted more and better,because we could afford it. Size was the target, not utility, durability and beauty. Examples were lacking...little precedence that matched the needs of upwardly mobile citizens. The populous tended to iconic Williamsburg from the research which led to wonderfully accurate reconstructions. But, not us understand the utility of fire, light, materials led again down a path of quanity not quality, superficial not substance.

    The Canadian government endorsed 'standard' designs to some extent while in the US, 'modular' homes, aka mobile homes were the limit of standardization and technology. However with the MacMasion complex of societal acceptance being arrested by the recent economic conditions, another opportunity presents itsel, not unlike  the work of the Modern Masters in the US, after migrating from Europe. 

    Today, the  need for efficient, universal design for us Baby Boomers, and reclamation of land once occupied by houses in the 'burbs,' opens the door for architects to provide systemic housing, regional, and with 'modules' like reasonable kitchens, baths, climatic and day light solutions, to solve a need for the user. Do furniture manufacturers design just for the single user? Does the auto industry, clothing, even food industry address a single user. Of course not, and neither do architects need to work for a single user, as wonderful as that opportunity is.  The need vacuum is left to be filled by realtors, home builders, and residential designers. The Habitat Homes are just an example of solving a need, but only in a partial, conventional manner. The world's natural disasters being slow to get quick and sound emergency housing is another realm of need.

    The answer has as much to do with liability of architects than construction designed for our population. Are developers and agencies of government responding to a rational need to provide well organized, durable structures. Structures that relate to the climate and region, architects will not be able to address the problem of diverse, but delightful, durable shelters until the market model changes. Is there serious concern to encourage quality, not quantity design for our people? Is another option even in these harsh economic times, for architects to champion the housing  by educating  the public consumer  by examples so that they demand well designed products, other than automobiles? Durability, Utility, Safety are the tools which produce Beautiful environments, not stripped landscapes of boxes. 

    Is there a proponent of quality housing out there, waiting for their chance to foster housing in a productive, yet creative way? Where is the Microsoft or SAS of housing to engage the architect, to provide the grants, commissions, competitions? 

    Just thought, from a simple architect..... 




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    Archie Gupton AIA Emeritus
    Raleigh NC
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  • 2.  RE:Architect designed housing

    Posted 02-01-2011 09:40 PM
    Great set of posts, Archie, Sally, et al.  Any chance you can upload your pictures?  The site is looking rather faceless... :)

    Thanks kindly!

    Tara
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    Tara Imani AIA
    Principal
    Tara Imani Designs, LLC
    Houston TX
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  • 3.  RE:Architect designed housing

    Posted 02-03-2011 12:04 AM
    Special note to ALL members of AIA KnowledgeNet- including Archie, Sally, Alan Burcope, and any other Alans, et al-  (if you haven't already done so) as much as I would enjoy perusing your company websites and project portfolios, I would also love to see your mug shots! :)  Right, your profie picture, i.e. a photograph of yours truly.  Please, when you have time, upload one to your Profile; it's very easy to do via your browser.  Thanks again...

    Sincerely yours,
    Tara

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    Tara Imani AIA
    Principal
    Tara Imani Designs, LLC
    Houston TX
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