Prescritpion for Disaster, part III in a series on the design process

Why is it that in order to preserve the scenic beauty of our towns and villages, bureaucrats feel that regulatory bylaws prescribing anything from building form to landscape detailing will provide the outcome they hope to achieve? I have seen over and again how these restrictive and absolute codes have in fact propagated bad design.

The problem with most of these codes is two-fold. Every building site is different and calls for a different approach to best meet the design goals. And many people will do everything in their power to maximize their personal gain within the framework of the code.

The project I am currently working on in a Mid-Atlantic seaside community has remarkably restrictive and often contradictory zoning bylaws. This tiny town has some of the best seaside Colonial Revival architecture from the early 20th century being torn down to accommodate some of the worst Pseudo-Colonial construction of the 21st century.

Design is a qualitative, and often personal, subject. To attempt to control it formulaically, and not through thoughtful and educated analysis, will only lead to a homogenization of product, defined by its lowest common denominator.

Building Character, part II in a series on the design process

With the interview process behind us, and presumably a contract in place, it is now time move on to the next leg of the design journey. While at Ramsay Gourd Architects, we supply each of our clients with a programming worksheet to get their project aspirations documented, that is not nearly enough. In order to truly capture who they are, and what their aesthetic paradigm is, it is very helpful for me to pay a visit to their home. This house-call typically opens up a huge window into who they are and how they live.

Most clients are proud of their homes, and willingly give me the grand tour. While this is a great tool, equally telling are all of the notable items that they don’t mention. The pile of mail on the counter, the laundry stuffed into the closet because company is coming, and the “land of misfit toys” loaded with exercise equipment, computers, toys and other un-categorized items, are all emblematic of dysfunctional aspects of the home.

With the first few "dates" behind us, and a good understanding of my clients' objectives, I dive quickly into one of my favorite parts of the process. This is when I take out all of the project notes and images that I have amassed on the job, and make a first pass at a solution. I call these initial drawings Character Sketches, and their role is to elicit response. They are quick, and loose and not especially accurate. I like to share these right away to make sure we’re all on the same page before proceeding too far. These sketches become the working title around which we will build our clients’ home specifically for them.