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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment