Along with the survey I posted (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W7WFYCR) I have also been attending open houses to observe how people move through a strange/unfamiliar built environment.
People go to homes and are immediately critiquing a home and seeing what they like and don't like. Most of these people are looking for a home to buy sometime in the near future. I have been observing how they move and trying to observe what they think about the space, their concerns, or needs. I am watching to see what they think is important. Although people have different opinions, as a culture, with enough observations, we are the same, or are we?
Most parts of the home are to be expected. Even the way we organize a home has expectations. For example, if you go to a friend's for a hosted party, you have a general idea where the silverware, cups, and plates are. The garbage can is set in a select few spaces.
We also have other influences in our culture as to how things are supposed to be such as how a kitchen should look like (thanks to Bauhaus). For example, the media, DIY, sustainability, and other movements depict "preferred" or "ease" of lifestyle. Consumerism, money, work, and technology are other influences in the updating or preferred lifestyle of a home. We are also familiar with the term "cookie cutter" homes especially in mass neighborhood development projects. Even the jurisdictions of particular areas has rules on vegetation, exterior paint color, and fence type.
However, no matter the exterior appearance, the inside of the home and how it is designed, seems to have a distinct formula, as observed in wayfinding and expectations in unfamiliar environments.
Thus, I ask, how old is this formula? What is it affected by? In the "mixing pot" of the USA, is there a difference in era, lifestyle, modern influences? Is there a thought process? Is it ever outdated design wise?
I would like to avoid subjects on gadgets and personally installed objects and material choice for image. I am looking at the design layout of the built environment and its expected installations. This may also include designer error when working with installed appliances, electricity, etc.
I don't think the question has a generally valid answer. The genre is so dominated by tradition, cultural expectation patterns, building and zoning regulations, and last not least expectations of resale value, that it may be difficult to distinguish a designers' response to these 'standards' from unique creative contributions.
In the US., most residential construction isn't really done by architects but by builders, and there, fashion and builder's attempt to lend some distinctive 'brand' features to what are really very standard design solutions and the preceding aspects. If the question is asking how designers of homes are designing homes that end up in glossy magazines, there will be some interesting answers, but they will tend to stress the unique qualities of individual designers trying to 'stand out' from the general patterns.
I would think that much of housing is based on fashion and fads. Not long ago, walk out basements were in high demand, now it may be en-suite full bathrooms. There are rules-of-thumb ('well laid out kitchens have the fridge, stove, and sink at equal spacing'), there are physical realities (king sized beds can go up stairs that have a minimum width) (stairs have a rise and run based on typical human sizes), and there are building code requirements (doorways have a specific width and height). But I think that most of the key elements are satisfying what people think a valuable home should be.
I think the "residential" architect consults first with the owners and amount of space available to see how best it can used to accommodate the needs of the inhabitants. With my own house, the architect realized that we did not have enough space on the ground for my Study Loft as an academic, so creatively placed a loft above our master bedroom from which I can easily access the space thru a neat spiral staircase.
Best regards,
Debra
Its worth distinguishing between domestic and residential housing work. Working for a private client to build or alter their home is very different to working for a developer or housing association to build housing for others to buy and then live in.
Interesting inputs, thank you.
I understand this is difficult to define. In fact, I was at one point going to include the study of architectural traditions or built environment "genetics" or other terms to define continuous characteristics in a home. I also know that homes are influenced largely on funding and personal needs or tastes. However, it is not explained why we continue these traditions. Why do residential designers continue traditions? Do these traditions even work or are we so used to it we don't think about it, just expect it. However, with the move in consumerism, technology, and related products, we are constantly manipulating our built environment. This could be because of taste and modern movements but it could also be a sign that something is not working and yet we continue to build the same way anyways. Thus, the question, how do architects design? Hopefully this gives a little more insight. I may also be questioning more than I should in the matter but it is a question spoken or related in my other questions that circle in cycles.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Design
- Architecture