The Congress of Residential Architecture

Getting in on the Free Green competition fun.....

hmmm...picture didn't work for some reason. You can see it here if you want:

http://dcahouston.tumblr.com/

My design is coming along - have to decide what to put together for the competition images now.

Starting my presentation tiles now.

why does a unit this small have two dining areas?

if the 'home office' has a two foot wide desk, is there under three feet behind it to maneuver? I would not have a wall behind the desk to keep the living room as open as possible or possibly tuck the work area either under the stair or on opposite shorter end wall with folding or sliding doors to hide it when not in use.

This design is just under 1,500 sqft, 3 bedrooms and has an eat in kitchen, and a dining area. My own home is 1,600 sqft, and has an eat in kitchen, and a dedicated dining room. We often sit in the dining area in the evenings either using a laptop, or doing desk like work while somebody else is in the living room watching a movie, or in the afternoon my daughter will do homwork at the kitchen table while I spread out my work on the dining room table. Is there something unusual about having two places with a table?

Oh - BTW its not a "unit". Its a house.



The home office area is narrow, yes, but flat panels and laptops have allowed us to work with a shallow work-top like this. And yes, there is not enough room to pass behind somebody working at the desk, but there is no need too. The wall could be removed, but the way I am interpreting the contest brief I believe its better served by being divided. And contrary to your reading of the space I think a room beyond the one you are in will always make a place feel larger even if the space is in fact smaller. So having a working space beyond that wall, rather than have the living room stretch front to back, will make the house feel larger.

But all great comments John. Clearly you have a lot of thoughts about this - I would enter if I were you. Registration is open until 15 Feb. (I intended that to be as patronizing as humanly possible. )

nice presentation Greg.

thanks John - I have 7 more tiles to make. Some will be simple, just a single perspective image, but 3 of them are going to take some thought.

some progress images of the lot model:

I too applaud the presentation. It gives the plan a very edgey look, while still providing all the required information. It's interesting that you chose to make the kitchen a discrete space by putting a full wall along the stair. Very old school. I for one like it. Allows for simultaneous different activities as you mentioned. But- cuts against the grain of what the typical development buyer usually says they want. At least part of the point of the plan though is to provide an anti-development option, right?

I am worried about your North elevation. I suspect its going to be pretty severe.- Ok you just posted it. Hang a horizontal canopy over the door with some wire struts and I'll like it.

Yes - it does need something over the front, and side door actually. When I publish the plan on my site it will get a covered front porch. If I win the competition, and FreeGreen does a set of CDs to sell on their site it will not have the porch. I intend that to be a "stripped" model so the one sold on my site would have added value. In the meantime it leaves the contest entry looking a little bare.

I could also see making a break in the siding at the second floor and changing to shingles - sort of a craftsman style precedent. I like the idea of that laid over the modern geometry.

Yes - I think the kitchen really wanted to be in a separate room here - although it would be an easy matter to make it open, or make open under the steps. There is a lot of opportunity for personalizing the house here, and I actually got comments on my blog from people wondering why it was not more open. For me this is again another instance of the space beyond. By having a discrete space for the kitchen there is always another room beyond where you are. Otherwise when you stepped into the house there would be one big room, and that would be the whole house.

I have to say I'm intrigued by the mini- windmill as architectural ornament. Would these be able to rotate as needed to catch the wind? Is there a manufacturer?

The plan reminds me a bit of an Eliot Noyes house I'm familiar with. He used a fireplace in the center of the large back space to create the "space beyond" effect. Living on one side- kitchen and dining on the other. The stairs were rotated 90 degrees from your location and placed along the front wall. That house is a bit bigger tahn yours however.

well I totally made up those wind mills. I've seen things like it that were meant to be on top of a building taking advantage of the natural wind movement over a parapet or building peak. So they are not unidirectional, but pivot over a limited range within the shroud. I don't think something of this type really is workable on something as small as a house, but I had the object in my model library, and I like the way it looked, so rather than build a new one I just used it. A unidirectional type of generator would likely be best.

But for instance see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abhi_here/ ... 811085970/