One of the great things about designing residential projects for specific clients is that you can really get in and explore the opportunities to deliver a superior product that exceeds expectations. I have a project that is currently under construction and it is as good an example as any to help demonstrate what I am talking about. In speculative residential development, there is a certain amount of thinking that involves working towards the lowest common denominator. Since there isn’t a specific client that the contractor (or architect) is answering to, the product is designed and built to have the greatest appeal to the greatest spectrum of potential home buyers. As a result, almost everything is predictable and formulaic – any “WOW” features are carefully calculated risks because they generally represent un-programmed construction costs; sort of give the people what they want.
That’s incredibly boring.
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I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the covered porch on of one of my projects. (I shouldn’t have to tell you that you shouldn’t build from these details – I have specifically left some information off) This is a fairly straightforward design situation – the covered porch at the entry. Most people have this scenario in one form or another at their own home – but we are trying to look at some of little things to make this entry sequence just a little bit more special. In modern design, there is typically a lot going on that you aren’t instantly supposed to know about or be clubbed over the head with. Things like:
- Thin roof profiles
- Gutter treatments (including scuppers, overflows, and downspouts)
- Alignment – how things line up in relationship with other architectural features
Take the exterior elevation above, if you can read drawings you can see that there is a lot going on that is going to impact the entry procession. There is a box gutter that is basically the same depth as the structure of the roof, the gutter is formed from the same metal fascia material, and there is a scupper to discharge the water instead of a downspout. All of these things were done so that we can minimize the visual impact of how rainwater falls off this section of roof.
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Taking a look at a section through the entry porch, the gutter profile is easier to see. Something else that you can find is a skylight that is placed along the edge of the house. This was done so that light can penetrate through the roof and rake the entry wall. There is also a strip light cove in this skylight so that the entry will be evenly illuminated during the evening hours. It would have been simple to place some shallow profile can lights into the porch ceiling but we would have received scalloped light patterns on the wall and the brightest spot would be the porch floor – and I am not a fan of illuminating floors. It’s a better design to light and feature the wall and have the light reflect onto the floor than the other way around.
Another design feature is that the interior and exterior ceiling height are the same, and that the glazing goes all the way up. This is a really graceful way to extend the view from one side of the window through to the other side without interruption. I think it is an important consideration that in modern design, the boundary between interior and exterior spaces be blurred. As a result, I try to create opportunities to capture the space that tends to be wasted and unused in the front and side yards of most projects.
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Drilling all the way in, this is a detail of the light cove and porch skylight at the entry. Other than some extra 2x material, caulk, and some glass – this is not a terribly difficult detail to execute. The benefit it provides is really the result of someone thinking about the opportunity to look at the little things and develop the detail that supports the story. The client loves this feature despite it not being in the programming – this is the sort of detail that happens when creativity and opportunity come together. It’s also the reason I tell people who working with an architect like me should be a fun and rewarding experience.
It’s all in the details.
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Hi Bob! interesting read as always! I am curios you get good projects, yes but how much is American architect professional fees? Have you blogged anything about it? Please advice 🙂
You can find posts written on architectural fees here:
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/architectural-fees-part-1/
Bob, Thanks for sharing this post. Two questions:
-Would you use a similar skylight detail in an internal room?
And have you thought about putting the frame into the ceiling – using battens to lower the gyspum from the joists and run the gypsum into the trim to really get that “glass all the way up” effect.
Just wondering your thoughts on that?
interesting questions – we don’t actually do many skylights so this was more of a moment of seized opportunity. Your detail description sounds interesting – something to think about
Nice spirit. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the article, sorry i’m late to post. I found your site recently and love coming to it to read although I’m good about coming to the party once it has broken up!
As you state, these are the types of details that may be seen as small and overlooked by the layperson, however once built, these are the details that thoroughly enrich the spaces being used. And these reveals are not part of traditional house vocabulary however they create experiences that are beautiful and unique.
Thanks!
I learned something from this post, Bob. I learned that I’m not very good at reading architectural drawings. And that buildings have lots of parts. But that’s not really the point.
It won’t come as a surprise that I completely agree with you about details. Details determine the result. In some cases the effect is subliminal but details are always key.
Bob, I’ve made this comment to you before, but you’re living the dream! Great post.
Thanks for pointing it out (the living the dream part). It is easy to forget how good some things are at times.
Now if I could only figure out how to live in one of my projects!
“Now if I could only figure out how to live in one of my projects!”
LOL…I’m about to turn 50 Bob, and about to move into my first “self designed” home. I had to design a lot of other people’s dream before I got to “ours”. The way I looked at it, I was able to decide what products I would put into my own home by putting them in other people’s home first. This was perhaps the easiest home I ever put together. Of course it was also 30 years in the making.
Nice, Bob. I really like the reveal between the facing and the wood header (on the section detail of the skylight) too. Those are the details that produce really clean, elegant transitions between materials, especially when you’re trying to keep them on the same plane. Can’t wait to see the actual photos!
Tammy,
It probably isn’t a surprise to you but the point of the “negative” reveal is that it creates a shadow line that helps terminate my flashing and mask the transition between materials. In more traditional style detailing, this would have had a piece of trim overlaying where the fascia board and the window come together. (actually, if this was more traditional, this entire detail wouldn’t be here!)
Thanks for commenting
Great post! The details are EVERYTHING!! I think that’s one of the reasons I like smaller scale design: it’s more challenging to find something to play with, when 1st glance seems like nothing.
Thanks Becky –
I have a post coming up on the architects I like and you will see a common thread throughout them all that I hadn’t noticed before. I appreciate the attention, the wit and whimsy that the people who pay attention notice in my projects. It is also one of the devices that most of our clients seem to appreciate the most
Thanks Becky –
I have a post coming up on the architects I like and you will see a common thread throughout them all that I hadn’t noticed before. I appreciate the attention, the wit and whimsy that the people who pay attention notice in my projects. It is also one of the devices that most of our clients seem to appreciate the most.