Selected project: Suttle and Shah Residence (Bouldin) Austin, TX. Architecture firm, Alterstudio.
Instead of creating a video, I designed a website promoting and explaining the Bouldin residence’s features and elements that stood out to me. This way, the viewer can browse the different elements step by step and gather an understanding of how each element [exterior, interior, location, site] comes together to create this home’s successful overall concept. I was unable to locate floor plans, but gathered enough of an understanding to create a site diagram and an additional diagram displaying the home’s features.
My essay, diagrams and project documentation can be found at the following site:
krystal i think the website was a great idea and something to consider as the option for next year. [thank you to all of you for doing this project using programs and methods we are all perhaps not too trained in]. i think the videos and website are a great way to think about communicating a message about design through new media online, and with the growth of sites like "vimeo", etc...it seemed fitting to try out a new way to visual communicating our ideas.
ReplyDeletei thought the website was very well designed. clear in our you broke the tabs into different topics about why the house you chose was innovative. i thought the greatest lesson was that of sustainability and environmentally responsible choices. i think something else to pay attention to is the yard itself...the landscaping and choice of lots of rock and more natural grasses than turf. i also wondered if many of you noticed the concrete floor on the first floor...something that frank talked about as a sustainable mechanism as it acts as a thermal heat mass. there is also little detail and fuss in the finishing...off the shelf tile it looks in the bathroom perhaps offset the costs of the higher price point, but high quality and well designed plumbing fixtures. i think a great lesson in the house as well as the act of balancing what many clients label as "cold" materials [concrete and white drywall sans fancy crown molding or baseboard] with accents of wood, both new and reclaimed. this and well thought out distribution of natural sunlight really makes any space feel "healthy"...
krsytal does this firm specialize in housing? do they approach many of their other projects with the same values? it seems that they themselves really valued a more sustainable way of living...one car, walkability in neighborhood, live-work...[which we know is a potential trend of the future]
Lindsey
ReplyDeleteThe architect firm has a focus on single family homes. They have a definite style that includes low-profile layouts, linear designs, use of natural materials, and clean, calm palates. They also highly value the use of natural landscaping. I instantly noticed their careful consideration of use of daylight and how it can play into interiors.
As quoted by the firm themselves, “rich generous space making, shrewd manipulation of day lighting and meticulous attention to detail. (alterstudio.net/#/514).”
However, with all of this in mind, there isn’t a strong focus on sustainability to the extent of the Bouldin Residence. I completely agree, the homeowners, Suttles and Shah, had A LOT to do with the green/sustainable aspects of their home. They knew their values and what they wanted in their next home and joined that with the style and talents of the local firm, Alterspace. Their lifestyle and goals, in my opinion are what really drove the success of the home. And what inspired me is that everything they incorporated into this energy efficient and personalized home can be replicated in an average American’s lifestyle, even if it means at a smaller version.
Krystal,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your website as well. I have never used wix but will try it out now! Great job.
That is a wonderful quote by the firm, too.
This project makes a great point in that the homeowner's lifestyle and appreciation for sustainable design plays such a large role in decision-making.
I also love that most sustainable products and this style of minimalism, although still warm, is usually low-maintenance. (using concrete flooring, reclaimed wood for millwork that doesn't need to be touched up with paint, etc.) Same for low-maintenance landscaping or hardscapes. These days, more homeowners are showing a new appreciation for less maintenance.
Krystal-
ReplyDeleteYour website is very well designed! I like the format that you chose for this particular project. The home is beautiful from the exterior and I see this as being a selling point to consumers versus some of the more modern looking homes that are green. Do you think that this particular style could survive in all climates? What do you think the average cost savings is for this home?
Great idea with the website! I also considered using this home as an example. I loved it's focus on sustainability, availability of natural daylight and affordability of creating a house like this. Some questions came to mind when I was looking at you website and this home. If I remember correctly, this home took quite a while to build because the homeowners took their time to slowly gather and salvage materials for refurbishment (which is awesome for the sustainability aspect and adds SO MUCH character to the home!). With that amount of time spent to build this home, do you think it would be possible to produce homes with the same attention to sustainability and character on a larger scale? My other question is the same as Candace's: Would this home be successful in other climates?
ReplyDeleteKim, great thoughts about the fact that the home took some time to be completed. This too, crossed my mind. I found it very intriguing that the family slowly collected re-salvaged materials, to stay very close to their sustainable lifestyle and beliefs. But at the same time, this prolonged process cannot be repeated in a larger development project. In a way, it makes the project special and almost responsible as they carefully chose their materials. But in a larger case scenario, what if there were businesses established which took in materials from old buildings, junk yards, etc and collected them for home-building companies? Then design firms and developers could go to these places for material use. The process would still be slower than a "cookie-cutter" production, but that may be one of the things we need to slow down the suburban sprawl and be more responsible with material use and home building.
DeleteTo answer Candace's question, this structure is clearly built for its native Texas climate, however, I think the concepts used could certainly be used in other climates (with obvious adjustments like the pool). The rainwater collector could be used anywhere, solar heating elements, use of sun lighting and recycled building materials and re-salvaged interior art. In colder climates, the window sizes and placement would have to be reconsidered to fit that region. It would be great to know the actual average savings cost so far for this home! The only information I found was in a comment from the article's author, Ohtake, who stated that "the average cost for the final project is under $200/sf"
I think this is when we could all benefit from prefabricated homes, only using sustainable and referbished materials. This is something to think about. Do you think there could one day be an industry that supplied replenished materials from salvaged homes?
DeleteLauren, good call. I definitely think there could be [and SHOULD be] an industry for re-salvaged materials from older homes. This would be a great start to recycling not just the materials used in homes, but actual homes themselves. What I found very interesting about the residents of my project is that they considered the site before they began their own building plans....the existing home on the site wasn't just demolished and thrown into a trash pit, it was moved to a new location for another family. Also, the fact that they waited to build their home until the chosen re-salvaged barn materials were available is a pre-cursor to what more home builders should consider in the future!
Deletethis was a wonderful example of a starter home that considerably took advantage of its exact location. Too many neighborhoods today are careless with the placement/positioning of homes, but this project held true to its site context. Krystal you hit the bulls eye on this one. Not only do they turn the house away from the business of surrounding streets, but they set it back 25' within the lot. Natural lighting is another quality in starter homes that can encage a family in nothingness. This home brought a considerable amount of windows, skylights, and in some moments glass floor, to provide openness in a realistic manner. This consideration of a home's natural surrounding is something that needs to be implemented in today's starter homes. It provides so much efficiency.
ReplyDeleteIt is a perfect presentation technique which you use. the WEBSITE! Also, the house is a good example for future of suburbs. The architects thought almost everything about what are necessary for creating a sustainable and natural house. Using recycled materials are examples for that. Also, whereas providing natural lighting system offers healthy spaces to homeowners, it affects people psychologically, too because, natural light provides refreshing spaces and gives more energy to people. Besides that, the best idea which the homeowners set up is the rainwater collecting system. if we think summer in Austin, the system will be pretty beneficial in Austin's drought summer days.
ReplyDelete