Architects and friends across the pond...thoughts?
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A couple of questions:
We recently hired an office to take our home ideas and assemble them into a meaningful design. Unfortunately we seem to be encountering some resistance and are interested in the thoughts of the folks here. Our desire is for an anachronistic design that may involve stucco, half timber, stone, shingle or combinations of these materials. We live in a 4 seasons climate that gets everything from rain to snow and below-freezing temperatures. We have traveled many places in Europe and have seen these materials in use everywhere and in similar climates, but yet the architect seems against using these materials in a design. To the folks that have been around these structures, can they be reasonably reproduced with modern materials without the need for real timber-framing, nogging and the like?
The second part is in reference to the design itself that has encountered resistance. Obviously this is a building that does not fit in with the majority of homes being constructed anywhere and we have provided references and stated our desires, yet the presented initial design is a modern building with hardly a nod to these references. They seem quite interested to have a modern building that fits with the current trends for the area, while we are interested essentially in an archaic building, modernized.
So, to anyone willing to answer;
Are we crazy to want to use modern materials to achieve an honest facade for the look? Any reason these materials shouldn't be used in a climate as described?
Perhaps the second question may be more philosophical with regards to an architect's motivations, but if your client handed you a portfolio of North U.K. sod-roofed cottages as references would you present an earth-bermed Frank Lloyd Wright?
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How about some pictures?
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Their ideas, my reference lot...? Don't know if I can post their drawings due to potential copyright issues. My ref lot is here: http://s1103.photobucket.com/albums/g469/Klippenwald/
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I think you should have had a contract that spelled out the extent to which you wanted to emulate older designs. And you should have had an interview process that would have required showing experience in retro style designs. Many designers work to an ethic and esthetic of "form follows function" and not an arbitrary "let's try to warp modern construction methods to a style picked randomly from a style book." Forcing this type of architect is like trying to make a pig sing. The pig will be angry and the music will be awful. You need to find a designer that regularly produces the kind of work you are looking for before contemplating the design process.
I don't do architecture, but I do turn down clients who already have a solution to their problems. That never works for clients or designers and costs me money rather than makes me money.
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Looks to me like a classic case of the not understanding the brief.
I have had this happen many times over the years and the only real solution is to find another Architect who can understand what you want.
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@escapeartist said:
........Perhaps the second question may be more philosophical with regards to an architect's motivations, but if your client handed you a portfolio of North U.K. sod-roofed cottages as references would you present an earth-bermed Frank Lloyd Wright?
Thanks for posting the pictures. As for the above question, I suppose it would depend on how hungry I am. If you are not a builder, I suggest that you go to one that has a turn key operation with Architects on staff.
While you are the Client, the Architect is additionally responsible to the City and State to provide a viable, legal solution. Are your request doable in your location in terms of building codes, etc.? Will your request require R&D not covered by standard fees? If not are you willing to pay for the R&D? The typical architects is typically ill equipped to pursue R&D, and depend on their association with manufactures to advance the state of the art. I can't speak for others, but my work is more about art, within the parameters of what I know about build-ability.
What Box says below is also correct. In addition each Architect has his own area of expertise, are you talking to ones that are knowledgeable about your notions?
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