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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1668
Location: USA
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 Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:27 am Post subject: |
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Hey John,
Good points, I guess that is why I don't worry too much when my clients ask for 58 recess lights 
While I advocate doing what we can to conserve energy (because I think now we needlessly waste it) We have gotten so far from what would be an ideal architectural environment that it will be a very long road back.
I also agree with your points on resource usage (which was my complaint about the 58 lights) I don't think it has come to the point where we need mud huts yet but as the earths population increases and other super economies catch up with ours we will have to deal with increasingly stretched resources.
I'm not a pure environmental idealist, I would say that I am just advocating a more conservative attitude. I like Susanka's idea of building a bit smaller and increasing quality except for me I would say spend the money saved on energy efficiency instead of architectural detail.
It would be interesting to see how people coped with passive efficiency before the AC came along. Did they not know better and just designed without the sun in mind or did they have some strategy to deal with it?
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1668
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:32 am Post subject: |
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Now that I think about it more I guess the main difference between then and now is the modern window.
Back then windows where more expensive, harder to get and less efficient. The modern window gives us the potential to get a positive energy source. But it also gives us the potential to have a negative energy source which is by far most common since the advent of AC.
In the pre-AC past, even if a house had a front facade facing west it probably also did not have as much surface and window area.
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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John Henry Architect
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Orlando, Florida
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| Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:11 am Post subject: |
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Windows, in pre-Modern times, were nearly always vertical, and took up less than 20% of the surface area of the spandrel.
In hot climates, you will see this in southern France at least, the shutter in front of the window is pushed out from the bottom and while the hot sun is blocked, cool air circulates.
Before conditioned space by forced air, houses in warm climates had high floor to ceiling heights and thick masonry walls which allowed cooler air to stay lower and the effect of thermal mass to keep the inside cooler.
In northern countries where heating was more important to maintain floor to ceiling height is less (except in castles and public buildings, palaces, etc.) in order to have less volume of space to keep warm.
Wood framing, which was prevalent in the new world for expediency's sake, before modern insulation resulted in poorly insulated houses and much more energy (wood burning fireplaces) was required to keep them warm in the winter. Wattle and daub helped.
The ideal shape of a home would have to be an igloo for minimum material expenditure enclosing maximum volumne and for energy consumption.
If not an igloo, then we should all go back to square or rectangular footprints at 8 foot ceilings with expanded foam insulation in walls and ceilings to be truly Green as far as energy expenditure for heating and cooling.
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John Henry AIA, NCARB
www.FloridArchitect.com
www.DreamHomeDesignUSA.com
www.EuroDesignVIP.com |
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csintexas
millennium club
Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 1668
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know about an igloo but I do like the flying saucer shape (like some of those 50s houses of the future).
The round shape is very efficient and has the potential to produce many interesting possibilities I think. Getting a simple and efficient roof on one is more of a challenge but some interesting things are being done with sprayed concrete.
Oh yeah working shutters, Americans forgot about those along time ago.
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Chris Stewart
Modern Texas Home Project |
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Luis M. Aguilar
Joined: 02 Dec 2007
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:52 pm Post subject: Re: Frustration with the architecture firm |
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| yxh0300 wrote: | | We worked with an architecture firm to design our future house. We gave the firm a draft drawing of the shape of the house - shaped like a boomeran. The firm gave us 7 schematics which were all rectangular or L-shaped. We really didn't like them so we send them our plan again and told them to use this as the basis of future design work. Guess what? The next thing we know, we get a letter from them stating that they don't feel they can work with us. Never mind the thousands of dollars we paid them for these useless schematics - this is just unbelievable. It is the first time we have dealt with an architecture firm. Does this kind of thing happen often? |
Sirs, I wold like to comment that any great architecture is the product as much of the architect as the client. Many architectural firms specialize in some type of architecture, ie. residential, commercial, Hospitality, etc. and adhere to an architectural philosophy, ie. modern, traditional, contemporary, green, etc. it's important for both to discuss the project and see if they make a 'team'. This is what a professional architectural firm should do before taking any type of work.
Luis M. Aguilar
NOVODESIGN |
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BZ
Joined: 04 Dec 2007
Posts: 1
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birgco
Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 283
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| Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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I would never build or own a boomerang designed house.
A good friend of mine owned one and he hated it.
First he tried to sell it.
Then he reduced the price several times.
He even tried to give it away,
but it just kept coming back.............  |
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John Henry Architect
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 32
Location: Orlando, Florida
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ahmeds
Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Posts: 128
Location: UAE
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| Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 4:01 am Post subject: |
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I would never build or own a boomerang designed house.
A good friend of mine owned one and he hated it.
First he tried to sell it.
Then he reduced the price several times.
He even tried to give it away,
but it just kept coming back............. -birgco
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yxh0300
Joined: 09 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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| birgco wrote: | I would never build or own a boomerang designed house.
A good friend of mine owned one and he hated it.
First he tried to sell it.
Then he reduced the price several times.
He even tried to give it away,
but it just kept coming back............. |
Any reason that you hate boomerang designed house  |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 500
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:46 am Post subject: |
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| yxh0300 wrote: | | birgco wrote: | I would never build or own a boomerang designed house.
A good friend of mine owned one and he hated it.
First he tried to sell it.
Then he reduced the price several times.
He even tried to give it away,
but it just kept coming back............. |
Any reason that you hate boomerang designed house |
Hopefully you understand its a joke.... boomerang..... keeps coming back.... hahahaha..... yeah really not that funny.
Anyway - how is your situation progressing? What has happened since you started this thread? Did you contact the old archtect and demand a refund in part or full..... have you contracted with a new architect? |
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birgco
Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 283
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| Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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phansford,
you're right, but it was just too tempting to pass up.
btw, I gave up a long time ago trying make "funny" jokes, my goal is to be "mildly" amusing. |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 500
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:55 am Post subject: |
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No - it was a good joke...... just seems to "flown" over some people's heads 
Still would like to know the outcome of this situation. Is the house being designed and built? |
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yxh0300
Joined: 09 Nov 2007
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, I hate to say that there has been no action yet. |
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contact_if_interested
Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: LED lights |
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Speaking of lights, we are planning to build a house and I really like recessed lights.
I am interested in using LED lights.
I am also thinking about solar LED lights for the dock and deck.
I am not sure if they are good as it is still a new technology without standardization. Anyone can shed some light. Anyone can recommend wher can we buy these at aresonable price.
Thanks
Judy |
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