proposed with melissa thorne 2002

this concept/design studio will look at the meaning of home at the beginning of the 21st century.through the term we will study the significant domestic architecture of the past century, look at the present economic, social and environmental conditions that shape domestic space, and through the design project we will explore the potential for the future of residential architecture.

past:
each class will begin with a slide lecture of homes from the 20th century. we will move chronologically through the century looking at how the idea of domestic space has evolved, and how certain homes designed by architects have influenced that evolution. those will include:
1 / 1925 / gerrit rietveld / schroder house / utrecht, the netherlands
2 / 1929 / le corbusier / villa savoye / poissy, france
3 / 1929 / shakers / west family house watervliet colony, ny
4 / 1930 / mies van der rohe / tugendhat house / brno
5 / 1931 / pierre chareau / maison de verre / paris, france
6 / 1938 / adelberto libera / casa malaparte / capri, italy
7 / 1939 / alvar aalto / villa mairea / noormarkku, finland
8 / 1949 / philip johnson / glass house / new canaan, ct
9 / luis barragan / barragan residence / mexico city
10 / 1969 / donald judd / 101 spring street / new york, ny
11 / 1978 / frank gehry / gehry residence / santa monica, ca
12 / 1983 / tadao ando / nakayama house / tokyo, japan
13 / 1998 / rem koolhaas / maison a' bordeaux / bordeaux, france

every other weekend we will be visiting a significant home in the los angeles area. depending on scheduling they would include:
1 / 1924 / f.l. wright / ennis house / los feliz
2 / 1932 / vdl research house richard neutra / silver lake
3 / 1949 / eames house / charles & ray eames / pacific palisades
4 / 1957 / silvertop / john lautner / silver lake
5 / 1962 / kappe house / ray kappe / pacific palisades

present:
as a part of the design process we will be addressing the economic, environmental and social issues that shape the architecture of the house. each student will develop a direction of inquiry into an issue that is of particular interest to him or her. over the first few weeks of the term they will research this topic and present the results to the class. this inquiry will then become a part of the program for their design project.
some project topics may include:

economic:
-how could a simple and inexpensive home design make shelter more available to the homeless?
-what obsolete and vacant structures could be converted into space for housing?
-what is the average house size in america? how big does a house need to be?
-what alternative construction materials and methods could be used to make a cheaper and more efficient house?

social:
-if the home of yesterday was designed for an "average family", what is tomorrow's family?
-how can the domestic ideals of permanence and stability be maintained in an increasingly transient and mobile society?
-if the home used to be the most private and personal of spaces, what happens when more work and social time is centered there?
environmental
-what effect could shifting and extreme climates have on home design?
-how could you design a house that is entirely self-sufficient?
-could you design a house using completely recycled materials?
-how do we reconcile the promise of the american dream (a piece of land with your own home) with suburban sprawl?

future:
the central focus of the class will be a term-long design project. students will select a local site for which they will design a home. they will write a story outlining the client, and from that developing a program. in addition to the specific topic selected by the student, the design projects will respond to the following issues:

life:
-how do you really live?
-how would you like to live?
-could the design make you a more aware & alive person?
-how does a house remind you of who you are?
-how does a house tell others who you are?
-how could a house change your relationship to others?
-what is most important to you? is this manifested in the design?
-what does home mean to you?

space:
-a place to sleep
-a place to cook and eat
-a place to socialize
-a place to be alone
-a place to work
-a place to bathe

site:
-history
-context & neighborhood
-landscape and vegetation
-terrain
-climate
-orientation
-wind and sun
-views
-access & entry

material:
-permanent vs. fugitive
-solid vs. light
-indigenous vs. foreign
-artifice vs. natural
-light vs. dark
-tactile vs. abstract
-cheap vs. expensive
-common vs. rare
-structure vs. skin

process:
the development of each design project will be very unique according to the priorities of the student. projects may range from easy to build to more conceptual. at the outset, each student will be responsible for establishing their goals and intentions for their design.
the general design process will include:
1 / select a site and make a site model
2 / write a the story of the client
3 / write a project brief that outlines the intentions of the project
4 / write a program for the house outlining spatial needs
5 / schematic designs in model and drawing
6 / design development in model and drawing
7 / final review with a designed presentation that supports the concept of the project

the final review will require the following:
-site model
-massing and study models
-process drawings
-complete plans, elevations, sections
-complete model at same scale as orthographic drawings
-a larger scale model of one room
-material samples
-detail drawings