TheHouseKid.com - Architecture Blog

Out of the Rocks

TheHouseKid — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:37:05 +0000

Well unlike my last article, this wonder of architecture was created a long time ago, in the middle of Jordan. Within the site know as Petra lies multiple buildings carved into the mountains. One of the best preserved is a site called The Treasury. It is a classic example of the idea that buildings do not need to be free standing structures, but can be built right inside the mountain.

Over 2000 years ago, Petra was built by a people called the Nabataeans as a place to bury their dead. However, over time the area became an active city.

Beyond the impressive front of the Treasury lies only three rooms, rather bare when compared to the first initial impression of the monument. There is nothing inside the rooms, they are just squared off caves. But it is still impressive that the chambers were carved out of the rock two thousand years ago.

This summer I am going to Petra on the way to the city of Aqaba, on a mission trip. So look for an update when I get back. I plan on taking many pictures of the grand site. But if you want to know more about Petra now, click here

The New Louvre

TheHouseKid — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:28:11 +0000

Times have been tough in the famously “rich” city of Dubai. Dubai had been a place where money was no problem, and where architecture could be taken to its extreme limits. But, with the recent financial troubles of Dubai World, building has stopped. But not all is lost. Nearby, in the city of Abu-Dhabi, money has been found. And just like its neighbor, Abu Dhabi is in full support of building extraordinary structures. One of the best examples is the planned Louvre Abu Dhabi. It will be an extension of the famous Louvre in Paris, except for the fact that it will not just be another small, regional gallery.

This museum is to be quite large, containing more than 250,000 square feet of art. And it won’t be in just an ordinary, square building in the middle of the city. Instead, it is to be located on the water in Saadiyat Island, which lies in the Persian Gulf. The museum will be a massive complex that will sit beneath an incredible dome, which will look like a giant curved piece of swiss cheese that lets light in on the buildings and fountains below.

This interesting concept will surely make this structure be an architectural wonder when it is finished. Unfortunately, currently it is only in the concept phase; but it is supposed to be built by 2013. To discover more about this unique project, click here

Solar Decathlon- Virginia Tech

TheHouseKid — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:00:15 +0000

The design group at Virginia Tech has come with a very impressive solar house design to compete in multiple Solar Decathlon competitions around the world. This solar house steps up the cutting edge technology by including double-sided solar panels, insulation that allows light to pass through it, and even a weather station on the roof. The other amazing thing about this house is that you can control it and everything in it that is electronic via a “smart phone”.

As for the other specifics of the house, it only has one bedroom, only 800 square feet, and cost about $350,000 for the current model. It also recycles water and has an automatic shading system. Despite its small size, it is an excellent example of how technology can create a better house, and a better home.

Take a look at the video on YouTube

Preview

TheHouseKid — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:32:20 +0000

Forgive me for the long break between posts, but the next one is coming up soon. If you want a preview then go to http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/08/21/lumenhaus-virginia-techs-smart-solar-house/.

Real Life Architecture

TheHouseKid — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:49:48 +0000

Now when you read the title you might think I am going to provide wonderful examples of architecture already built all over the world. That is not the case.
I recently moved into a house built 14 years ago. It wasn’t designed for Naples or to be the Street of Dreams winner. However, it’s still a great house. Even though all the rooms are normal square rooms, it’s still a great house. Even though you can tell that the sheet rock is far from perfectly flat, even thought my room is dark due to just one window in a dormer, even though the ceiling is low in the upstairs rooms, it is still a great house. It’s a great house because it feels great. When you look at amazing architectural feats, (see Dubai), regardless of how they look, one has to wonder how one will feel in that space. In searching house plans across the internet and looking at the great buildings of the world, I discover that designers, most of the time, look at what their clients say they want in terms of size, their vision, to impress people. But when it comes to living in the space, it doesn’t feel right. Most buildings fail and a lot of homes fail to make an owner feel good.
This is my challenge to the architecture world. When we design spaces for people, let us give them the square footage and the features and all the other architecture masterpieces. But let us not forget that these spaces are places where people live parts or all of their lives. So let us give them the feel that should go with all those cool features.

Square room

TheHouseKid — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:29:27 +0000

The classic square (or rectangle) room. They are standard that have been used almost since the beginning of structures. Now since it has been around a while, almost every possible idea has been used on it, where to put things, how to make the room completely different from ever other square room. Now I myself am bored with the 90 degree 4 cornered room. But the fact is that square rooms are cheap and practicable to build. So for now we are stuck with the square room. But making the square room not as square with things like bump out walls (walls that are set pushed out from the main wall to make a focal point). Maybe just if we make focal points like these, not with furniture, but with architecture, we may just be able to escape the square room

Real Architecture - Part 2 - Light

TheHouseKid — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:19:43 +0000

In my previous post on light, I discussed how light can affect a space. This post will be about how you can change light to create different effects within a space. For example, what could you do if you blocked the light with something? Louvers (thin slabs of material in a window), often at an angle, direct the light into one direction. To prove this point, look at window blinds. You can focus the light in different areas by changing the angle of the blinds. Now pull the blinds up so it is just the window - it makes a big difference.

Another idea is to pull light through a long space using a light well or a deep skylight. These features soften the light coming in. These ideas can dramatically change how a space is seen and experienced by its occupants. Light can bring new life into architecture if used right.

Real Architecture

TheHouseKid — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:37:32 +0000

Well as most of my readers know that I present architecture to the public as a self interest. Basically, I had never gone to architecture school. But this summer I went to University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture’s Summer Academy in Architecture - Young Scholars Program, and I got an great dose of it.

Architecture should be considered in layers. Design is step one, interaction is step two, and then there are multiple complicated steps that are more specific to that particular home. People enjoy homes that are inviting and make them feel good. Which would you rather spend time in? A room that is small and dark or a room that is bright with lots of windows and nice warm colors that is completely open? This step is the interaction stage of it. But if that nice open room was surrounded by horrible layout, then the architect hasn’t done his job. You can be concerned about the layout of the home’s rooms and forget their interaction with the user.

Before I had just focused on the layout. Now I want to show the world something beyond the design and now these other steps. I have discussed light before as something important but now I am going to go deeper into that subject in the next blog post.

Redo

TheHouseKid — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:08:47 +0000

Many people these days are renovating old homes to modernize them and, more often then not, flipping them. If you are doing this, don’t forget to put a little architecture back into the house even if you have to take most of it out to suit your needs. For example, if you redo a old craftsman styled home that hasn’t been redone before, there will be many features like built in cabinets everywhere and other great details. When you’re done with rearranging the layout, finish off with details such as door and opening moldings that match the style of the house. By adding details that match the style of your old home, you can retain the character of your house.

A Great Porch

TheHouseKid — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:07:04 +0000

The best kind of porch for you depends on what you want out of it. Whatever kind of porch or backyard living area you want, here are hints to make it great. If you want a covered porch, don’t make it to deep or to thin. Make it deep enough to accommodate chairs or a table, but don’t make it too deep. If you make a covered porch too deep, you will cut off a lot of light from the room adjoining the porch. In a deck, you can make it as large as you need it to be, but don’t make it eat up most of your yard. The same thing applies to a patio, but with a patio you don’t have the space underneath the space like the deck or a covered porch. When doing a patio, it is usually good to include some covered area. A great way to do this is adding a pergola. Even if you put it right against the house it won’t block the light to the room that you place the pergola in front of. A plant that is grown into the beams that make up the roof of the pergola can provide shade but won’t block out all light.