Image Source:
"The Hampden Land House." Photo. Archdaily.com. 06 March 2012.
"The Hampden Land House." Photo. Archdaily.com. 06 March 2012.
In 2010, architect Robert Gurney teamed up with his client to remove an inefficient existing structure in Bethesda, Maryland where many of the homes in the neighborhood are of the Colonial and Craftsman style. Robert Gurney’s client is a young, forward thinking entrepreneur who wanted to replace the typical suburban home with a modern, family oriented home that would be better suited for him and his large family (Minner). In a neighborhood that is filled with homes that are designed in the revivalist style and built at the largest size allowed by zoning regulations (Spencer), the final design of The Hampden Lane House is just about as different as it can get.
Suburbia has become infamous for its oversized homes with unused areas, inability to go anywhere without the use of a vehicle and complete lack of community leading to the unintentional isolation of homeowners. Suburbia has become an unhealthy way of life physically, mentally, socially, and environmentally. The Hampden Lane House thoughtfully addresses each of these issues while still remaining a single family home in an excellent neighborhood.
View Video Here: Hampden Lane House
Is there another file type that this can be saved as? I cannot open the video to view it.
ReplyDeleteFrom just looking at the picture above, it is interesting to see this very modern concrete block home sitting among a very traditional neighborhood. I like the outdoor living spaces that are shown, the natural light and the fact that it is surrounded by nature. Interesting juxtaposition. In the research (perhaps this is addressed in your video) are there any comments or feelings expressed by the neighbors about having this home built in the middle of traditional homes? I am excited to learn more about the features it has and see the layout. Does Robert Gurney design different elevations or styles for this particular green home?
The link isn't working for me either...I may not have uploaded it correctly. I have an awful internet connection where I am now, but I'll try to fix it when I get home later tonight. I did a verbal presentation to explain why I thought this was an appropriate home for this project.
DeleteA modern home (and ideals) in a traditional neighborhood is what made me decide to go with this home. The architect and family mainly focused on nature and efficient design without much wasted space on the interior. I did address the neighborhoods feelings of the home in the presentation...mainly that they didn't oppose it being built. Other than that, nothing was mentioned in the research I did about the neighborhood's feelings toward the home. I also didn't see any mention of different designs of this home by Gurney, but I'll look into it! I didn't even think of that!
I couldn't get it to work either, but none-the-less, I am already stoked about the fact that you commented on OVERSIZED HOMES in suburbia. A starter home is meant to expand and contract in order to meet functional needs of a family. Just by looking at this photo and knowing that this was meant for a larger family, you know that there is much sustainable features that go along with it. I think that smaller homes can help so many aspects of living, especially in these economical times. Also, extra lot land could be applied to more natural shading/lighting, and absorption of sound through landscaping.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I'm not able to upload my video to the blog for some reason. It's popping up an error every time I try. Here is the rest of my paper, which covers most of the information in the video I created. Sorry again!
(Continued from above)...The Edgemoore neighborhood in Bethesda, MD is located near downtown Bethesda, which is decidedly more urban in feel (Dave). This proximity to that urban environment influenced the modern style of The Hampden Lane House significantly and also adds social, cultural and environmental value to the home. Located within walking distance to downtown Bethesda, residents of the Edgemoore neighborhood, including the Hampden Lane House, are able to venture downtown for shopping, dining, entertainment, etc. without the use of a vehicle. This allows for and encourages more physical activity, increased contact with neighbors, as well as a decreased dependence on the vehicle. This decreased dependence on vehicles also positively influences the children of the Hampden Lane House. Even though they are not able to drive, they have the independence to go downtown with friends at their leisure without relying on others to drive them.
While the location of the Hampden Lane House is provides an excellent example of future suburban homes, the home itself exemplifies excellence in the future of suburban design. While others in the neighborhood are building their homes at the largest size allowable, The Hampden Lane House opted for a much smaller size. “At 2,200 square feet, the house is dwarfed by its stately, overscaled neighbors” (Spencer). While this house may seem small compared to others in the neighborhood, the intelligent design and layout leaves little to no unused and underutilized spaces while supplying plenty of room for the family to live and breathe. The large finished basement contains a bedroom, playroom, media room, and a laundry room. This is generally a space for the children to use and invite friends over. The main floor is an open plan consisting of the kitchen, dining area, living room and a small office allowing the family space to spend time together as well as easily entertain guests. The second floor is private and reserved for the bedrooms (Spencer). From the photos of the interior of the home, you can see an emphasis on storage and openness. In my opinion, the most successful part of this home is the roof. The 1,100 square foot roof provides glimpses of the growing Bethesda skyline, and with the client’s office only two blocks away, he regularly holds business meetings on the roof and invites clients to dinner. The decision to decrease the size of the home by 1/3 compared to what was originally there (Spencer), drastically increases the available outdoor space, which is imperative to efficient, sustainable design, as well as encouraging interaction with neighbors.
One of the downsides to this house is the neighborhood itself. Edgemoore is not the ideal neighborhood that represents the community feel that is so important. The fact that the neighborhood is close to downtown Bethesda contributes small aspects of old urbanism, but many of the aspects of old urbanism, landscape urbanism, new urbanism and sustainable urbanism are lacking. One of the positives of this neighborhood is that they are willing to accept change. It is impressive (and surprising) that this family was allowed to tear down a home that perfectly fit into its surroundings and replace it with such a different style. Many neighborhoods have rules and restrictions for what homeowners can and cannot do with the exterior of the homes. Since this neighborhood doesn’t seem to have strict regulations, this architect and family were able to question and ultimately go against the “traditional” home and opt for a forward thinking, modern, family oriented home. A choice that will hopefully catch on with the neighbors.
Links for floor plans:
DeleteBasement and Main Floor:
http://www.archdaily.com/105554/hampden-lane-house-robert-gurney-architect/0001hf-2/
Second Floor and Roof:
http://www.archdaily.com/105554/hampden-lane-house-robert-gurney-architect/00011n/
kim i think the topic is great. i think you could look to other countries average size of homes...also excess ins pace what it does socially to the structure of families...creates separation...perhaps even unawereness. i believe i posted some diagrams in reference to this a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeletealso the less space we have, the less need we would feel to fill it with stuff and perpetuate the consumerism that is so self destructive. investment in quality, long term, timeless things with meaning, that we invested time land energy into owning, we would then also spend more time and energy into upkeeping and caring for. [this notion a bit similar to your classmate laura armentrout]