Comments on: Which Aesthetic Do You Prefer? http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/ more attainable & sustainable Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:19:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: pierrebo http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2713 pierrebo Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:15:50 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2713 The rustic and traditional houses are silly caricatures of what a child imagines a house to be. They seem like the same basic house plan decorated in 2 kinds of decorator kitsch, depending on your lifestyle fantasy. I'm reminded of those retro kit car roadsters and wonder why people need to recall a very particular era in rural/small town life. The modernIST house is also recalling the past ironically enough, but the retro style used is one which adapts universally to most environments due to its abstract qualities and practical building techniques. It is by far the most appealing to me for very clear reasons: it is sited perfectly as an 'object in the landscape', it has gorgeous proportions, the relationships between solids and voids and planes are elegant, it has practical and poetic details such as the corner glass (view) and wrapped canopy (shade/weather), it is honest, tough and delicate at the same time. The roof may not actually be flat...often that horizontal line is a parapet wall with a single slope running down the back side...or it could also be a green roof. My only critique would be the choice of prefab panels...I would have used recycled wood siding unpainted to emphasize the integration of colour and texture from the local landscapes. The rustic and traditional houses are silly caricatures of what a child imagines a house to be. They seem like the same basic house plan decorated in 2 kinds of decorator kitsch, depending on your lifestyle fantasy. I’m reminded of those retro kit car roadsters and wonder why people need to recall a very particular era in rural/small town life.

The modernIST house is also recalling the past ironically enough, but the retro style used is one which adapts universally to most environments due to its abstract qualities and practical building techniques.

It is by far the most appealing to me for very clear reasons: it is sited perfectly as an ‘object in the landscape’, it has gorgeous proportions, the relationships between solids and voids and planes are elegant, it has practical and poetic details such as the corner glass (view) and wrapped canopy (shade/weather), it is honest, tough and delicate at the same time. The roof may not actually be flat…often that horizontal line is a parapet wall with a single slope running down the back side…or it could also be a green roof.

My only critique would be the choice of prefab panels…I would have used recycled wood siding unpainted to emphasize the integration of colour and texture from the local landscapes.

]]> By: april_idaho http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2471 april_idaho Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:38:01 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2471 I think a house has to have more size if it's going to buck the trend of the environment successfully.... a tiny modern box in the middle of an otherwise nature-only scene just doesn't look right (in my opinion). I think a house has to have more size if it's going to buck the trend of the environment successfully…. a tiny modern box in the middle of an otherwise nature-only scene just doesn't look right (in my opinion).

]]> By: april_idaho http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2490 april_idaho Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:38:01 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2490 I think a house has to have more size if it's going to buck the trend of the environment successfully.... a tiny modern box in the middle of an otherwise nature-only scene just doesn't look right (in my opinion). I think a house has to have more size if it's going to buck the trend of the environment successfully…. a tiny modern box in the middle of an otherwise nature-only scene just doesn't look right (in my opinion).

]]> By: Sonja Lowen http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2489 Sonja Lowen Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:21:20 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2489 I think that the roofline should reflect the surrounds. Although the modern house wih the flat roof is aesthetically pleasing of its own accord its roofline does not reflect the geographical landscape of its surrounds and consequently looks out of place. There's an architectural discord and tension that has been created between the building and its location.<br><br>Sonja I think that the roofline should reflect the surrounds. Although the modern house wih the flat roof is aesthetically pleasing of its own accord its roofline does not reflect the geographical landscape of its surrounds and consequently looks out of place. There's an architectural discord and tension that has been created between the building and its location.

Sonja

]]> By: Sonja Lowen http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2470 Sonja Lowen Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:21:20 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2470 I think that the roofline should reflect the surrounds. Although the modern house wih the flat roof is aesthetically pleasing of its own accord its roofline does not reflect the geographical landscape of its surrounds and consequently looks out of place. There's an architectural discord and tension that has been created between the building and its location.<br><br>Sonja I think that the roofline should reflect the surrounds. Although the modern house wih the flat roof is aesthetically pleasing of its own accord its roofline does not reflect the geographical landscape of its surrounds and consequently looks out of place. There's an architectural discord and tension that has been created between the building and its location.

Sonja

]]> By: pfkw http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2488 pfkw Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:08:25 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2488 I like a combination of the traditional style with the windows of the modern style. I think it might be the open-air feeling of all the windows that make so many people like the "box." Otherwise, the flat roof and lack of overhang is highly impractical. We have a 10'x20' old adobe outbuilding on our property here in Arizona and it has a flat roof with vigas--very charming, but even though we get so little rain, we still fight intermittent roof leaks frequently. So much so, to the point that we had the metal fabricators bend a one-piece roof for it in order to end that battle and also save the walls that were becoming eroded by water, since old adobes typically had no overhangs to speak of. We have masked the metal with terra cotta tiles and (many dollars later) have saved this old Butterfield Stage era building. So overhangs and pitched roofs still make the most sense--a long answer to a short question :-) I like a combination of the traditional style with the windows of the modern style. I think it might be the open-air feeling of all the windows that make so many people like the “box.” Otherwise, the flat roof and lack of overhang is highly impractical. We have a 10'x20' old adobe outbuilding on our property here in Arizona and it has a flat roof with vigas–very charming, but even though we get so little rain, we still fight intermittent roof leaks frequently. So much so, to the point that we had the metal fabricators bend a one-piece roof for it in order to end that battle and also save the walls that were becoming eroded by water, since old adobes typically had no overhangs to speak of. We have masked the metal with terra cotta tiles and (many dollars later) have saved this old Butterfield Stage era building. So overhangs and pitched roofs still make the most sense–a long answer to a short question :-)

]]> By: pfkw http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2469 pfkw Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:08:25 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2469 I like a combination of the traditional style with the windows of the modern style. I think it might be the open-air feeling of all the windows that make so many people like the "box." Otherwise, the flat roof and lack of overhang is highly impractical. We have a 10'x20' old adobe outbuilding on our property here in Arizona and it has a flat roof with vigas--very charming, but even though we get so little rain, we still fight intermittent roof leaks frequently. So much so, to the point that we had the metal fabricators bend a one-piece roof for it in order to end that battle and also save the walls that were becoming eroded by water, since old adobes typically had no overhangs to speak of. We have masked the metal with terra cotta tiles and (many dollars later) have saved this old Butterfield Stage era building. So overhangs and pitched roofs still make the most sense--a long answer to a short question :-) I like a combination of the traditional style with the windows of the modern style. I think it might be the open-air feeling of all the windows that make so many people like the “box.” Otherwise, the flat roof and lack of overhang is highly impractical. We have a 10'x20' old adobe outbuilding on our property here in Arizona and it has a flat roof with vigas–very charming, but even though we get so little rain, we still fight intermittent roof leaks frequently. So much so, to the point that we had the metal fabricators bend a one-piece roof for it in order to end that battle and also save the walls that were becoming eroded by water, since old adobes typically had no overhangs to speak of. We have masked the metal with terra cotta tiles and (many dollars later) have saved this old Butterfield Stage era building. So overhangs and pitched roofs still make the most sense–a long answer to a short question :-)

]]> By: Ed Davies http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2486 Ed Davies Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:57:42 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2486 Whether a building is a one year old cabin which is pretending it was built 150 years ago or a wooden box which is made to look like it was extruded from a starship it just irritates me. I like buildings to look like neat and tidy examples of construction which makes pragmatic use of the available materials (whether that's mud or polycarbonate) for sensible reasons appropriate to the location.<br><br>An example: the Camino Sunspace House (currently owned by Steve Roberts http://twitter.com/nomadness):<br><br><a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=06xVLZ4EbBcC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=cameno+sunspace+house&source=bl&ots=nkCFFoO5HS&sig=TjzlSPY_mk-krLAiv-BUSTetyYU&hl=en&ei=9G51SqLACprMjAeS_umnBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false" rel="nofollow">http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=06xVLZ4EbBcC...</a> Whether a building is a one year old cabin which is pretending it was built 150 years ago or a wooden box which is made to look like it was extruded from a starship it just irritates me. I like buildings to look like neat and tidy examples of construction which makes pragmatic use of the available materials (whether that's mud or polycarbonate) for sensible reasons appropriate to the location.

An example: the Camino Sunspace House (currently owned by Steve Roberts http://twitter.com/nomadness):

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=06xVLZ4EbBcC…

]]> By: Ed Davies http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2466 Ed Davies Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:57:42 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2466 Whether a building is a one year old cabin which is pretending it was built 150 years ago or a wooden box which is made to look like it was extruded from a starship it just irritates me. I like buildings to look like neat and tidy examples of construction which makes pragmatic use of the available materials (whether that's mud or polycarbonate) for sensible reasons appropriate to the location.<br><br>An example: the Camino Sunspace House (currently owned by Steve Roberts http://twitter.com/nomadness):<br><br><a href="http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=06xVLZ4EbBcC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=cameno+sunspace+house&source=bl&ots=nkCFFoO5HS&sig=TjzlSPY_mk-krLAiv-BUSTetyYU&hl=en&ei=9G51SqLACprMjAeS_umnBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false" rel="nofollow">http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=06xVLZ4EbBcC...</a> Whether a building is a one year old cabin which is pretending it was built 150 years ago or a wooden box which is made to look like it was extruded from a starship it just irritates me. I like buildings to look like neat and tidy examples of construction which makes pragmatic use of the available materials (whether that's mud or polycarbonate) for sensible reasons appropriate to the location.

An example: the Camino Sunspace House (currently owned by Steve Roberts http://twitter.com/nomadness):

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=06xVLZ4EbBcC…

]]> By: Mark Harrison http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2009/08/01/which-aesthetic-do-you-prefer/comment-page-1/#comment-2487 Mark Harrison Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:34:24 +0000 http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/?p=2474#comment-2487 Aesthetics like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each of these styles has been set in a landscape that adds or substracts from the style and it's stereotypical setting in the beholders minds eye.<br><br>A modern design still has to be functional as well as looking right but there is something about the uber efficient modern design set into a soft landscape that enhances the look, gives it an edge and makes it look dramatic or maybe add to the dramatic setting.<br><br>For sustainability I'd prefer hybrid designs where natural (local) materials are used in harmony with modern materials to produce form, function and aesthetic good lookers! Aesthetics like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each of these styles has been set in a landscape that adds or substracts from the style and it's stereotypical setting in the beholders minds eye.

A modern design still has to be functional as well as looking right but there is something about the uber efficient modern design set into a soft landscape that enhances the look, gives it an edge and makes it look dramatic or maybe add to the dramatic setting.

For sustainability I'd prefer hybrid designs where natural (local) materials are used in harmony with modern materials to produce form, function and aesthetic good lookers!

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