House Rules: An Architect's Guide to Modern Life

HOUSE RULES AN ARCHITECT’S GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE

Deborah Berke Essay by Rick Moody

Afterword by Marc Leff Edited by Tal Schori

copyright page

Author Team: Anne Thompson Matthew Zuckerman

CONTENTS

Introduction

00

Rules for Neighbors

00

Deborah Berke

Rick Moody

HOUSE RULES

1. Property lines do not define a site.

00

2. Any material can seduce.

00

3. Repetition destroys the precious.

00

4. Circulation does more than connect.

00

5. Rooms can be inside, outside, or both.

000

6. Account for all things. Display a few.

000

7. Reckon with tradition.

000

8. Honor daily life.

000

Afterword

000

Acknowledgments Project List Photography Credits

000 000 000

Marc Leff

NEW RECEVIED 5/15

rule one :

Property lines do not define a site. The legal documents of ownership set rules and local regulations for the creation of a house. Exploit these rules in terms of what they cannot limit. Sensuous experiences such as views, breezes, smells, and sounds located beyond legal boundaries are still available. Shrewd considerations of the position and scale of a house can enlarge or otherwise dictate the perceived dimensions and character of a site. In locating a house, it is almost always best to push out to an extreme edge of the property. This creates a field of space and maximizes advantageous orientations: toward light, water, or an expanse of land; in consideration of trees and other vegetation; in pursuit of quiet or privacy. Rights of way can determine the location but not the experience of entering a property. A hidden, meandering driveway makes a large property feel intimate and a small one expansive. A house that presses against but turns its back to the road seems accessible but paradoxically reveals nothing. Saving information about the property for the entrance into the structure and beyond creates a sequence of surprises. The impulse to build as high as zoning will allow is not always good. An alternative is to expand horizontally—to lay low—and connect a house to the terrain. Never seek height for its own sake. A second floor could provide invigorating air and astounding views. If the only result is a view of the neighbors, it is better to go flat and create a contained, private world. Inversions of the expected can redefine a site to suit comfort and desire.

A peculiar site is an opportunity. Here, the careful positioning of a house within a narrow triangle appropriates views from an adjacent nature reserve. This borrowing of open public space expands an otherwise squeezed lot and, paradoxically, makes private property feel all the more so.

28

Find agreement through disobedience: the axes of building and plot need not fall in line.

HIGH RES TK DB STUDIO to provide line drawing

rule one :

Property lines do not define a site.

rule two :

Any material can seduce.

The correct approach to materials is not unlike that of seeking the right partner in life: think not about how to change the essentials of character but how to embrace them. It is wrong to try to make a material look “better” or other than what it is, to pretend pine is walnut or galvanized steel is zinc. Use pine, but celebrate its golden hue, reveal its intricate knots and straight grain, or give it a new application—on the ceiling instead of the floor. The dignity and full potential of each material should be underscored in its deployment. Beauty does not depend on cost and rarity. The most affordable and readily available stuff becomes exquisite when used in unexpected ways and with thoughtful understanding of its true nature. A wall patterned with yellow legal-pad paper impresses and delights far more than a blanket expanse of silver leaf. Expensive materials such as leather or onyx can be used only sparingly and for maximum impact, to seduce with discretion or pop with contrast. Paring opposite materials benefits each by accentuating their tactile and visual qualities. A present wrapped in brown paper should be tied with a silk ribbon.

NEW RECEVIED 3/30

48

: Minor shifts can be potent. Extensive renovation of this midcentury home included adding mahogany boards to the concrete-and-stucco exterior. The resulting moments of deep contrast and texture warm and animate an otherwise stark first impression.

OPPOSITE

rule two :

Any material can seduce.

90

TRANS RECEVIED RESCANNING

: Facilitate connection in multiple directions. With its vertical void, a grand oval stair unites the seven stories of a townhouse, allowing users to see and communicate with each other up, down, or across.

OPPOSITE

Scale circulation to creates intimacy. Low-rise steps form a subtle yet distinct shift from hallway to bedroom.

rule four :

Circulation does more than connect.

Afford discovery. Openings both reveal and conceal what lies ahead on a path from parking court to garage shed to front yard, where the ultimate destination—the house entryway—hides in deep shadow.

: Movement into and through a house accelerates and collects, like a stream with eddies.

OPPOSITE

TRANS RECEVIED RESCANNING

92

rule four :

Circulation does more than connect.

REJECT blown out

Twin gabled cottages resist the mundane.

174

TRANS RECEVIED RESCANNING

Exaggerate. A wood ceiling overwhelms and becomes its own element, upending notions of where to apply finishes or decor.

rule seven :

Reckon with tradition.

SLIDE RECEVIED RESCANNING

Put outside elements indoors. A double window in the hallway turns the living room into a view.

176

: The charm of simplicity and symmetry produces unexpected results.

OPPOSITE

SLIDE RECEVIED RESCANNING

rule seven :

Reckon with tradition.

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