| ...The home is
a person's greatest purchase, the place where some of life's greatest memories
occur. It's a place of safety and sanctuary, it is so very important....
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| "THIS THING WE CALL A HOUSE"
The American house began as an extension of European designs, as people migrated to the new world. Designs , and construction, was largely based on geographical conditions. Colder regions had central chimneys while warmer climates had houses with chimneys on outer walls. Early northeaster houses were usually made of brick while the log cabin emerged as a predominant southern image. It was not until the advent of conventional construction, heating, and cooling methods that housing designs began the become largely independent of their geographical demands. A certain uniformity has come to the forefront of housing design....planned communities, standard lot sizes, standard spatial sizing, etc. Some scholars have even generated a list of standard house types, categorizing each house. It is from these categories and typical elements that generalities and images arise about different housing types. The personality of houses is determined by several factors...the design of the house, the landscape it sits in, and the way in which it is lived in. The house is truly and American invention. |
"The essence of a house, by Le Corbusier" This represents the most basic idea of a house. |
| ` | " CURB APPEAL"
...Gee, this is a nice neighborhood... Wow! Look at that house... What is this thing we call curb appeal? Well, it's a measure of the aesthetic status of a home but, more importantly it's a reflection of the people that live in the residence. It's a status statement and an issue of pride for the homeowner. The “curb appeal” of a residence is a direct reflection of the resident's identity. The color, the style, the décor, the ornament, the landscaping….all crucial issues. |
| " THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD - THE COOKIE CUTTER
EFFECT"
…Did you see what their do’in over there? Those houses are going up like wildfire!… There has always been a need to house the
masses This simple need for shelter presents a new concept on the
issue of housing. Affordable - Cheap...These buzz words have created
a growth spur in housing. The roots of this spur are essentially
by-products of a modern age. It is cheaper and faster for a construction
crew to work from house to house , following similar construction plans
and concepts. As a result communities and subdivisions are built
to order, enticing new families to new developments on the idea that they
can design their own home. Their design options are limited….choosing
the number of bedrooms, colors, interior layout, etc. So communities
become plagued by areas where housing is repeated over and over again.
Street-scapes look as though someone repeatedly stamped out housing with
a cookie cutter.
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This popular street in San Francisco is looked upon with high regard, but when stripped of any personalization these houses are simply rubber stamps. |
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Newsweek graphic showing the modern layout of
the suburb. This layout has few through streets in an effort to control
traffic. As a result, traffic is forced along certain routes created
congestion and backups.
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"THE SUBURBS"
The suburbs: a place that grows…a simpler life. Acceleration of sprawl by the availability of transportation….people can live further and further from work….the elimination of through traffic with the invention of the cul-de-sac…thinking nothing about driving 5 miles for a loaf of bread. A Newsweek article suggests 15 problems with the suburbs…..Oversized lots plague the homeowner with too much land to take care of…The idea of a neighborhood nor longer exists, it's just a group of houses…Too much driving is involved with the suburbs, in fact, suburbs are organized around the automobile. Not only is there no place to walk, but there is no place to walk too…Traffic problems are caused by organization and urban design. Those cul-de-sacs force traffic to go on certain streets…the rampid expansion leaves no forethought for the future…Free parking allows for more cars…Cheaply and quickly built housing results in the cookie cutter effect, houses organized around the car…Nature? Site inspired design?…The street scape is gone, where are the tree lined streets that identified suburbs?…Mass transit is taking a grip on community planning, the way of life is changing…People are working at home, changing the scope of housing today…The town square is reduced to a large public works facility charged with maintaining an ever growing series of streets…Parking - we don't want your stinkin parking lot!…Lights, lights, and more lights..light polution without regard…Nature??? Where have all the flowers gone? |
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| "THE CATALOG HOUSE"
Shortly after the end of World War II, the US experienced a large housing boom as a result of soldiers returning home from war, eager to start a family. The ranch emerged as the premium house…the house for the next generation house for “modern living” Houses began to assume names, 'modern' styles, and images. Houses could by ordered out of a catalog and delivered by rail, ready for assembly. Even today residual effects of this boom remain. Images of a better life, an upscale step for the home owner: Family home for informal living… Design for the active family… Basement entry home… The ideal plan for empty nesters Housing has evolved to a high state of utilitarianism.
People’s lives are identified by the type of housing the live in!
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We must examine the many levels of though behind housing. Housing must provide the basic needs of shelter, but it has a greater responsibility that pure shelter. Housing is the medium in which our lives exist. Housing is an expression of each resident. This expression can takes place on different levels and as such, it is the job of the architect to create a place where each resident can Shine in their own piece of heaven. If homeowners are able to take root in their house and make it into a place the willingly call home, the homeowner is more likely to have a greater sense of pride about themselves and about their house. They are more likely to work harder towards it's up keep and this, in turn, creates a neighborhood of prosperity. This is not to say that houses must be elaborate and ornate. Simplicity in design is a fundamental cannon with many architects and designers. The great architect Louis Sullivan is remembered as having said: "Form follows function," while Sullivan's buildings were often very ornate, the concept behind his ideal is strong and it shows through in his geometry. Simple forms create elegant spaces that are made important by how they are used and how they are treated. The smallest house can be the greatest masterpiece if the residents are happy with it. In a design project involving home design, such as this, it should be the goal of the designer to create a place where someone can live a lifetime. A place that allows the homeowner to exist on their own level, a level that can be reflected in their house. Therefore the house must be supportive, flexible, and a strong statement in the landscape. The house is a icon of pride, a display of success, and the architect must realize that the houses is most likely the most expensive purchase anyone will ever make in their lifetime. It is also the place where the homeowner will live the most important moments in their lives. The architect must realize what the house means to the homeowner. |
