Comments on: The Making of a Make it Right House http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/2009/07/the-making-of-a-make-it-right-house.html Jimmy Stamp writes about architecture and [crime + criticism + fiction + pop culture + theory] Wed, 23 May 2012 20:40:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: selophane http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/2009/07/the-making-of-a-make-it-right-house.html#comment-167620 selophane Fri, 07 May 2010 18:18:20 +0000 http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/?p=2656#comment-167620 One of the main deviants that jumps out at me at first glance is the addition of the attic dormer. This completely ruins the iconic nature of this roof. The original design appears to be reaching for the front elevation to read as a semiotic sketch of a home, a square with a triangle above, which also happens to be the standard elevation of a typical shotgun house (albeit the roof pitch is usually much shallower). The roof dormer breaks this and not only changes the shape of the elevation, but introduces a transverse element into a building type (and design) that is traditionally very linear. One of the main deviants that jumps out at me at first glance is the addition of the attic dormer. This completely ruins the iconic nature of this roof. The original design appears to be reaching for the front elevation to read as a semiotic sketch of a home, a square with a triangle above, which also happens to be the standard elevation of a typical shotgun house (albeit the roof pitch is usually much shallower). The roof dormer breaks this and not only changes the shape of the elevation, but introduces a transverse element into a building type (and design) that is traditionally very linear.

]]> By: sluggo http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/2009/07/the-making-of-a-make-it-right-house.html#comment-44433 sluggo Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:29:14 +0000 http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/?p=2656#comment-44433 Ban's design has more in common with traditional historical buildings than the abomination that was built. The belief that anyone can "improve" on a design is now ingrained in the American psyche(and maybe everywhere). The compromises in this approach will inevitably leave these neighborhoods looking like a trainwreck. I would prefer they approach it less ambitiously than build these failures. As for decrying Gehry, a good version of the firm's work may provide a moment of interest in a sea of nothingness.If it is built like this, no. They don't need architects if this is what's going to be built, they need stock plans. Ban’s design has more in common with traditional historical buildings than the abomination that was built. The belief that anyone can “improve” on a design is now ingrained in the American psyche(and maybe everywhere). The compromises in this approach will inevitably leave these neighborhoods looking like a trainwreck. I would prefer they approach it less ambitiously than build these failures. As for decrying Gehry, a good version of the firm’s work may provide a moment of interest in a sea of nothingness.If it is built like this, no. They don’t need architects if this is what’s going to be built, they need stock plans.

]]> By: Tim Maly http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/2009/07/the-making-of-a-make-it-right-house.html#comment-42725 Tim Maly Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:31:35 +0000 http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/?p=2656#comment-42725 How does this happen? Is the issue that the original design was missing requirements? That the architect ignored certain requirements that they were given? New requirements were discovered on the ground? It seems to be a very common event in the construction of buildings. I'm reading Alain de Botton's Architecture of Happiness and he talks about attuned we are to small changes when we look at faces and people, suggesting that this carries over into design and buildings. Looking at the many small changes of your after/before pictures I feel like it's a pretty striking illustration of that. How does this happen?

Is the issue that the original design was missing requirements? That the architect ignored certain requirements that they were given? New requirements were discovered on the ground?

It seems to be a very common event in the construction of buildings.

I’m reading Alain de Botton’s Architecture of Happiness and he talks about attuned we are to small changes when we look at faces and people, suggesting that this carries over into design and buildings.

Looking at the many small changes of your after/before pictures I feel like it’s a pretty striking illustration of that.

]]> By: david evans http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/2009/07/the-making-of-a-make-it-right-house.html#comment-42563 david evans Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:11:47 +0000 http://lifewithoutbuildings.net/?p=2656#comment-42563 Jim: Let's ignore the architectural oversights in the original design (the failure to design to the required height.) Let's also ignore the conceited use of the tree through the deck, thus providing a difficult "training" job needed to grow the thing through the hole provided for it. Let's also forget the continuing "clean up the junk from the tree" job, and the repairs to the deck structure when the winds of the next hurricane hit NOLA. Instead, let's consider that the horizontals are broken up not by molding but by the addition of two major vertical windows. I would have thought that the use of a glass curtain wall on the rear face would have been adequate to the task... but perhaps too open for adequate privacy? A shame they couldn't have kept the smooth and relatively unbroken original wall. And the paint job is surely questionable. My hope is that good landscaping can cure 50% of the visual problems in the design as built. I shudder to think of what Gehry is going to come up with for the Lower 9th. If any city doesn't "need" a Gehry, NOLA is it. Jim: Let’s ignore the architectural oversights in the original design (the failure to design to the required height.) Let’s also ignore the conceited use of the tree through the deck, thus providing a difficult “training” job needed to grow the thing through the hole provided for it. Let’s also forget the continuing “clean up the junk from the tree” job, and the repairs to the deck structure when the winds of the next hurricane hit NOLA. Instead, let’s consider that the horizontals are broken up not by molding but by the addition of two major vertical windows. I would have thought that the use of a glass curtain wall on the rear face would have been adequate to the task… but perhaps too open for adequate privacy? A shame they couldn’t have kept the smooth and relatively unbroken original wall. And the paint job is surely questionable. My hope is that good landscaping can cure 50% of the visual problems in the design as built.
I shudder to think of what Gehry is going to come up with for the Lower 9th. If any city doesn’t “need” a Gehry, NOLA is it.

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