Architecture and Society Place of Houses

Why are the Snow House, Fisher House, Methodist Church and Dukes County Courthouse "good neighbors"?What gives each its special meaning? (Pg 8)

these building were made in similar ways by people with similar attitudes. each was made for a different reason giving it special meaning

Describe the massing of the two public buildings on Pg 6.

the form of the church is a box, provides a place for people to sit and talk

Why was the middle house on North Walter Street moved to the back of the lot? (Pg 11)

to gain light and outlook across each other's yard, they also share an uncommon reciprocity and to make the building more powerful and give it a hidden view behind the bushes

How does the Methodist Church and the courthouse signal their importance to the town?

(Pg 6)

the embellishments are a set of symbols recognizable to all. places the church in the life of the community

What point do the authors make about the chimney caps, scroll brackets, shutters and white picket fence on the Snow House? (Pg 3-4)

they recall a specific use or a least a decorative service. the shutters and fence create a boundary between public and private realms

Discuss why the modern houses mentioned on

(Pg 16-17) are considered by the authors to be "self- conscious" and some of the problems with using automatic repetition to "fit" in.

problem of communication between architect and draftsman and client. trying to incorporate style of the time without incorporating new styles

Why aren't the romantic Oak Bluffs houses "silly"? (Pg 18)

not silly as they are graced with special attention and common spirit that went into each house

After the earthquake of 1925, what did the imposition of the Mediterranean style on the most characteristic of the buildings do for Santa Barbara? (Pg 19)

it gave it a relaxed air of a a mediterranean dream. gives the town this style that is still dominant today

Discuss the outdoor rooms on Pg 20. Why don't they need to be roofed? What do they say about the public realm in the city?

that the public realm is to be lived in just as much as the private

Why is Santa Barbara as rich as a Hollywood stage?

the building set up as made any encounter as rich as any devised hollywood scene

Why is the house in Figure 17 so rude to its neighbors? (Pg 24-25)

it has no 1)no fundamental relationship of indoors to our more even the type of architecture in Santa Barbara

What do the awnings and balconies of the commercial buildings on State Street signal? (Pg 26)

signals the presence of people

The authors think that the job of the architect is to particularize? What the hell does that even mean? (Pg 31-32)

they should think of special patterns of human activity, and organize movement

Why does the architect assemble physical materials? (Pg 32)

to help the organizer create not just an image of the building but of the place

Discuss the making of several degrees of "inside." (Pg 32)

1) make a place in the landscape 2) then separating indoors and outdoors . so that the user always feels sheltered, secluded and protected inside

What is the major problem for human habitation on the Sea Ranch site? (Pg 32)

the pines that removed help to block some wind, so now the intense wind is a problem

Describe the design of the windows that were used in this project. What determined their height limit? (Pg 32)

windows big enough to let in sunlight

How do the authors feel about their bldgs being compared to "...old buildings on mining and timbering sites?" (Pg 34)

they liked that it was compared because they liked barns. they were just at odds with critics who said the resembled was unwarranted.

How did the designers keep the landscaped portions of the project from impinging on the wild landscape? (Pg 32

landscape was considered "inside"

What do the large rough pieces of wood (Figure 11) do besides look cool? (Pg 36)

to stiffen the structure against the elements

What is a house in balance with? (Pg 49)

delicate balance with its surroundings

Which level of art has a monopoly on the principles of building? (Pg 49)

no one level

What is the "legitimate purpose of architecture?" Why has this "turned about on us?" (Pg 49)

to lay a special claim to the world. we have built too much and some of which we have built is alien

What are the intangible parts of a good house? (Pg 49)

intangible rhythms, spirits, and dream's of peoples lives

1) What is an aedicula? What function does it provide in the authors' work? [Pg 51]

symbolic center, basic house

What replaces the hearth of the primitive model in the Jobson House? What does it celebrate? [Pg 53]

it is a stair that leads up to the center. celebrated a young family that is in constant motion.

What are the "saddlebags" in the Bonham House? (Pg 55)

arches that make it seem like its a barn

Why was a slim tower decided on for the Talbert House? (Pg 57-59)

to serve as a furnace while appearing almost like tree. however, not to charles moore who later removed it

What is the archetypal form used for the Charles Moore House in Orinda, CA? (Pg 60)

a square hut

Which element of form in the Moore House enables "...the sense that there are many places to go within a single large room?" (Pg 61)

it is only a single room because there is a sharp distinction between the inside and outside. the light brightens and reinforces the structure of the place making it sense like that there are many places to go

What are the 3 ways that light enters the Moore House? (Pg 60-61)

corners of the sliding glass door, skylight from the truss and and the same skylight through the vaults of the aediculas.

"The design of a house proceeds from an understanding of the land on which it is built, from common agreement about its use and its place in the community, and from the budgets, needs, and most importantly the ____________ of the people who will live in it." (Pg 66)

most importantly the dreams

the three orders:

the order of rooms, the order of machines, the order of dreams