Week of August 14, 2009

  • John Brown

    [img]1exist.jpg[/img][img]2demo.jpg[/img][img]3brad1.jpg[/img][img]4murray.jpg[/img][img]5doug.jpg[/img][img]6brad.jpg[/img][img]7brad.jpg[/img][img]8terri.jpg[/img][img]9michaelg.jpg[/img][img]10paulc.jpg[/img][img]11john.jpg[/img][img]12michaelg.jpg[/img][img]13michaelg.jpg[/img][img]14jimh.jpg[/img]

    Here are the visitor responses to the Victoria Residence Design Project.

  • Grace

    This was a wonderful session. Wish I could get paintbrush to cooperate so I could join in, but even just lurking was worthwhile.

  • John Y

    About the Library: how does everybody feel about some things there which are not architecture books per se? I have a much-loved book called Universal Principles of Design (by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden and Jill Butler) that I think certainly has some applications. Don Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things has some applicability as well.

  • John Brown

    John Y,
    I think that those books would be great resources to share with the group. I would argue that we the Ultimate Library Project should be quite broad and flexible. I look forward to the posts.

  • John Y

    One other note: if people really enjoy being able to do design projects on houses of other site users, I’d be willing to offer my own place up.

  • Terri

    Grace,

    I knew I couldn’t take the time on my computer this week to use Paintbrush so I opted to print the demo plan, draw on it and then scan it. I use a printer’s ruler with agates, which are the exact same increments as the scale that prints up from Slow Home, so I found the measurements not difficult to reproduce on my draft. The scale rule is the main drawback to not having Paintbrush.

    As for the scanning, the Preview option of the Scanner program allows you to make the image fill the page, which then translates pretty well for the Slow Home webpage. Also, you need to use the grayscale option for readability.

    Anyway…it’d be great to have another female’s input!

  • leo

    Hi John,

    Terri has one more plan for your list.

    Terri, you have presented yet another interesting plan. So far, the kitchen has now been moved to almost every position possible. Your plan has a number of strong points. I think the most interesting things are your use of the west side of the house for a two compartment dividable extended living space. I like this idea, as it creates some private area. Ideally, if the chase can be removed, those two areas could be separated by large sliding doors.

    The other thing I liked is how you turned the staircase to the basement. This, to a certain extent, solves one of the real difficulties to this plan. The area in front of the staircase is really difficult to use while maintaining access to the stairs. It ends up being a dead zone. Almost noone has been able to deal with it well. by turning the stairs to the hall, it opens the space up for use, even if it is just for a (badly needed) broom closet.

  • leo

    One more thank you to everyone who participated in the exercises this week (and next week!)

    My initial concern was that having my house on the site would be seen as overly self-indulgent and also as a shallow effort at getting free design advice. It has been immensely useful to me, and I hope it has added an interesting twist to the usual exercise.

    I look forward to next week’s exercise. I had certain ideas about how I wanted to rearrange the main floor, but the upper floor is giving me fits. Please help!

  • MichaelG

    I think that was my favourite exercise yet.
    Leo, it was mutually beneficial. For me, it ws a great experience to pretend do do a ‘real’ attempt at a design to the real owner giving real feedback. And judging by the amount of comments and plans produced, others enjoyed it too.
    I do hope you can give us some regular updates on how your house is progressing. There are a number of blogs out there documenting someones new house build or renovation. It would be great to see one from a member of the slowhome community.
    Cant wait for next week. Sounds challenging!

  • Grace

    Thanks, Terri! In any event, I’ll keep commenting, lobbying for tubs, and occasionally mounting my high horse to scare away trolls.

    BTW I’m also a writer and appreciated your comments on the creative processes of writing and design.

  • John Brown

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    Leo,
    Thanks for bringing Terri’s second plan to my attention. I missed seeing it yesterday.

  • John Brown

    Terri,
    This is a very nice transformation of your first plan. I appreciate the way your response to removing the fireplace and the wall is both completely different (new kitchen location) yet still rooted in the idea of the first plan (entry and study). I think this plan works much better.

    I like the idea of the two living spaces sharing a fireplace. A configuration like this can be simultaneously open as well as defined. I would typically move the fireplace over slightly so that it truly is free standing in the space (allowing at least visual movement on both sides).

  • John Brown

    Terri and Grace,

    I undertand the frustrations with Paintbrush. I am astonished that Macintosh, the company that invented the simple graphic program with MacPaint, does not have a better piece of software.

    However, I also have to say how much I like Terri’s hand drawn plans. They have a lovely textural quality. When we first envisioned the slow home design school this is the sort of submission I anticipated getting. In fact, until I found my tablet PC we were experimenting with recording video of me doing the exercises by hand.

    Most architects and designer do a lot of hand sketching of floor plans, particularly during the concept stage that we are working at. It is quicker and more flexible.

    Have you tried working with trace paper? This is a standard tool of architects (along with my prefernce of a fine tip felt pen) because it allows you to draw over the existing plan without making permanent marks. Simply adding more layers of tracing paper lets you “build up” the design incrementally. It is also a great way to insert furniture because you draw one element on a small piece of trace and then move it around until it is in the right spot. A last piece of trace over everything can record the final results.
    You can get tracing paper in sheets or in rolls (the architects preference) from any drafting store.

    My sense is that doing the exercises by hand is useful even if you can’t scan them back into digital form for posting. As writers I am sure you would both agree that doing is always a better way to learn that just watching.

  • Terri

    Leo,
    Now I’m glad that I posted that last plan late in the discussion, even though I wondered if it really was any different. I guess it was the open fireplace that I got most intrigued in. I originally drew it to be open along the outside wall between the fireplace stack and the wall, as John has suggested doing. I agree that it needs to be as open as possible. Of course, the glass doors you envision are an alternative.

    Grace,
    So maybe it’s just we writers that like to take hot baths. I get lots of inspiration during these times (when I don’t actually nap!). I hope you weren’t paying too much attention last week when I jotted my comments, because afterwards I realized that I’d made a glaring spelling mistake (terrible for someone who also works as a proofreader these days!). In case you’re wondering, the word I misspelled was “hobbyist.”

    John,
    Thanks for your feedback on that last (very late) design. I own tracing paper too. It’s tucked away with my drafting table and T-square under the stairs…I last used it about ten years ago when I was doing some interior design work. But maybe I should pull it out, now that I’m so hooked into these design exercises…

  • Jim Argeropoulos

    In the vein of “Non-Computer”: this showed up on A Daily Dose of Architecture http://archidose.blogspot.com/2009/08/house-of-cards.html Good old fashion modeling.

  • Jim Argeropoulos

    Just re-watched the Peter Zumthor videos of the Vals Thermal spa. One of my favorites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7v-wozHSO8&feature=PlayList&p=779933EF980C9DBE&index=0&playnext=1
    For the first time I noticed the tracing paper taped up on his office windows.