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Can you identify this house style?

141
gruntle

I don't know if there is a specific style that combines the mansard roof with the cement walls but any information about the walls in residential or non residential application would be helpful.

Thanks,

Nathanael

 
Apr 19, 16 9:12 pm
no_form
The style is called "POS" or piece of shit in long form. don't ever ever replicate this. I will bulldoze it if you do. Not kidding.
Apr 19, 16 9:17 pm  · 
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x-jla

Schizophrenic archschool dropout style. 

Apr 19, 16 9:20 pm  · 
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x-jla

This house is the worst thing since AIDS 

Apr 19, 16 9:23 pm  · 
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x-jla

This house is Crazier than Gary Busey on LSD. 

Apr 19, 16 9:25 pm  · 
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no_form
There are no redeeming qualities in this house. Whoever did this hates architecture and quite possibly humanity. There are no future residential or non residential applications for it.
Apr 19, 16 9:28 pm  · 
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,,,,

Storage Unit Modern

Apr 19, 16 9:28 pm  · 
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gruntle

So none of you can think of any examples of the use of wall in a similar way (places of worship included) or a style that such use of walls would fall into?

Apr 19, 16 9:33 pm  · 
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no_form
Hey let's put some pickle slices and mustard on top of this here chocolate cake. That is what this person managed to do with this house.

A walk in cooler for hamburger patties is more coherent and beautiful than this abomination.
Apr 19, 16 9:35 pm  · 
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no_form
People have done similar saw tooth style walls but you've found the most fucked up POS I've ever seen on archinect. Gold star for that. Try googling the description of the wall.
Apr 19, 16 9:37 pm  · 
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no_form
If that is your reference point you need to call an architect quick because you're having an architectural emergency.
Apr 19, 16 9:38 pm  · 
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,,,,

This is why the world needs architects.

Apr 19, 16 9:49 pm  · 
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I've seen a similar wall arrangement in churches, but usually cast in place or exposed masonry. They're Modern. That house is not Modern.

Apr 19, 16 10:06 pm  · 
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b3tadine[sutures]

Pizza Hut

Apr 19, 16 10:08 pm  · 
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gruntle

no-form....take your comments to another thread.  I did not ask for a critique of the house clearly you have nothing to contribute to my inquiry.

Apr 19, 16 10:13 pm  · 
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no_form
Actually I told you to google the wall description to find better references. The one you chose sucks and I can't imagine how you even found it such a turd to begin with.
Apr 19, 16 10:29 pm  · 
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no_form
And I was enjoying critiquing the house. Why so serious.
Apr 19, 16 10:30 pm  · 
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It's IDIOTSYNCRATIC-style.

Apr 19, 16 10:31 pm  · 
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no_form
Oh so you designed this house Balkins?
Apr 19, 16 10:33 pm  · 
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no_form
Gruntle your thread is over now. Detective Balkins has arrived at the crime scene.
Apr 19, 16 10:34 pm  · 
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Redfin calls it a rambler ... which is basically whatever the listing agent decided would sell it faster. 

"Conveniently located near HWY 18, walking distance to schools! This one of a kind, custom rambler has a 600 sq ft entertainment size living room w/ skylights, gas fire place & french doors. Garden entry w/ stained glass windows. Open floor plan features large kitchen & counter bar, master suite has full bath and walk in closet, over-sized 1 car garage w/ freestanding gas stove, huge fully fenced backyard with storage shed. NEW ROOF has 20 yr warranty, 1yr Home Warranty included, BRING YOUR OFFERS!"

Also, I wonder what the 1 year home warranty gets you? Who is warranting the home? Seller? Redfin? When my faucet is dripping at 3 am, who do I call? What's covered and what's excluded?

 

 

I really didn't have anything to say. Just wanted to link to the listing and throw some trash in the dumpster over there in the corner ... see if we can't get it nice and full before the fire.

Apr 19, 16 10:55 pm  · 
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No_form,

Nope.

Apr 19, 16 10:55 pm  · 
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no_form
True. It's in Washington not Clatsop county Oregon. And it actually got built. (Strikes the match)
Apr 19, 16 11:15 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

so.much.concrete.

anyone else really bothered by than path and red door not aligning?

Apr 19, 16 11:26 pm  · 
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,,,,

Yes, but is it not appropriate that it does not?

Apr 19, 16 11:29 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

perhaps it is Z1^4, but it's still a good POS.

Apr 19, 16 11:30 pm  · 
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,,,,

What is funny and frustrating about this building is that wall had such potential and it turned into such an epic fail.

Apr 19, 16 11:51 pm  · 
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gruntle

Considering this was my first post here can someone direct me to an architecture forum that might actually be helpful to my original inquiry. I know its horrible...that dons't need restating.

Apr 20, 16 12:09 am  · 
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no_form
Gruntle is taking his ball and going home. And it was brand new too!

So if your example is horrible why would you want to know more about it, particularly as it seems you're alluding to using it for a church project. Look harder and find something better. You don't even need to look harder to find something better. Are you a designer or architect?
Apr 20, 16 12:23 am  · 
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,,,,

Quality of light is one of the most important aspects of architecture. This wall looks to be on the north and in shadow.

Are you only interested in construction? Do you own this building and want to turn it into a church?

Apr 20, 16 12:35 am  · 
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gruntle

What I know about architectural history is limited to a single 100 level course 15 years ago. There were some bad examples of Brutalist architecture and some good ones. The best example in my opinion is Freeway Park, here in Seattle where I now live.   

I don't know enough  about architecture to just assume that this house has no context within a movement or era ...I'm only talking about the application of the  walls; good or bad.  

If the walls are reminiscent of Dominoist Architecture and there was an example of similar application in the Off Ramp Park in Boston...I would like to know about it.

If the use of the walls (which is all I'm interested in hearing about) can be attributed to nothing more than the repurposing of salvaged elements, from the demolition of a church, inspired by a child playing with dominos....then so be it.   I just want to here it from someone who has the chops to say so.

Apr 20, 16 12:41 am  · 
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no_form
Ummm we already told you it's worse than a child playing with dominos. And we all have the chops to say so.
Apr 20, 16 12:50 am  · 
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x-jla

  It's very possible that this house was designed at 4am in a car while the designer was waiting to pick up some meth.  This house is uglier than Forest Whitaker in a bikini.  I would rather stare at my mother naked than look at this house again.  End of critique.   

Apr 20, 16 1:08 am  · 
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gruntle,

You asked what house style this is.

Lets use a definition for 'architectural style':

https://www.google.com/#q=architectural+style+definition

"An architectural style is characterized by the features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. A style may include such elements as form, method of construction, building materials, and regional character."

The name of architectural styles are labels often created by architectural historians / researchers as part of a systematic process of categorizing all these styles. They are often established after the fact.

 

What I can tell you is this house doesn't follow any single particular style. It's a collage of mix-matched styles. It's best to describe it based on its architectural attributes and the architectural styles that influenced this design.

Here's my take: It employs mansard roof of the Neo-Mansard style (a sub-style under the Neo-eclectic styles that was in vogue from the 1960s and well into the 1980s). It employs thin vertical windows with lots of 'wall surfaces' without much windows or door openings that was popularized by Brutalist style architecture. It uses a sprawling house floor plan popularized from the rambling "Ranch Style". The type of precast aggregate tilt-up wall panels was particular popular in 1970s contemporary architecture. Particularly due to its darker tone. True brutalist style tended to have a lighter tone of precast aggregates title up panels when it's used aside from where precast or poured or prestressed/post-tensioned concrete maybe used. It uses tilt-up aggregate panels from what it appears.

 

To put it short, the reason you can't identify a single "Style" is that it is an idiosyncratic collage of multiple styles popular in the 1960s to 1980s wrapped into one single house.

It is incorrect to say it is any one singular style. While I may argue that it's a Brutalist Neo-Mansard eclectic style but that is how I may describe it if I was doing a historic building inventory survey in say 20-30 years from now. 

So listen up, there is no singular style. I have identified multiple styles applied to this building.

Apr 20, 16 1:11 am  · 
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no_form
And the dumpster has caught a spark.
Apr 20, 16 1:13 am  · 
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YAY!!!!

Where's that pic again?

Apr 20, 16 1:14 am  · 
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gruntle

A series of walls placed in a repeating configuration , as they are, is not an inherently horrible thing. They are a good mix of unity and variety. The relationship of the walls to the house behind them and the roof above them is horrible.

No mater  I have found another form that hasn't been spoiled by a single "contributor" 

Apr 20, 16 1:17 am  · 
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The simple fact the house is particularly idiosyncratic (proper and polite) collage of attributes popular in multiple styles.

If I had to label its style, it would be:

Brutalist Neo-mansard eclectic style.

Neo-mansard eclectic styles are noted to use a rambling floor plan much like other neo-eclectic styles also commonly referred to as McMansions.... especially in the overtly oversized. I am hesitant to label it McMansion as that's typically reserved for overly large houses.

Apr 20, 16 1:20 am  · 
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no_form
Glad you found a place that shares your love for shitty buildings. It isn't the AIBD is it?
Apr 20, 16 1:21 am  · 
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gruntle

RickB-OR  

Thanks for going to the trouble to identify multiple styles from the 60s to the 80s that have been applied to a house built in 1952.   I only care about the walls, unrelated to the rest of the house.

Apr 20, 16 1:23 am  · 
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Looking at it some more, I think Neo-Mansard eclectic is appropriate style label with an idiosyncratic use of aggregate tilt-up wall panels.

Apr 20, 16 1:26 am  · 
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definitely designed by an architect. in the hands of an imaginative remodeler, it can turn into a potentially interesting space by just looking at the two images and with some wishful thinking. why put a name on it? in los angeles, it would be referred as an amazing 60's find and wouldn't last too long in the market. what are those gill like walls made out of?

Apr 20, 16 1:30 am  · 
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It could be that the house had been remuddled. (remodeled) in the 70s or early 80s.

It may have originally been a ranch style but they replaced the roof and the front. You might want to go and look at any permits or other documents that the city may have on the property that can glean light on this. Sometimes they may have some records of past remodels done.

Apr 20, 16 1:31 am  · 
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If in fact it was built in 1952, it was probably a ranch style given the character of the neighborhood. That area was a tract development if you look at all those neighboring ranch style houses. I suspect the house was remodeled to have that mansard-ish roof and pre-cast aggregate title up wall panels at some point.

Apr 20, 16 1:36 am  · 
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"And the dumpster has caught a spark."

^ and it's only 10:30 or so on the west coast. Still plenty of time for it to go on into the night pushing back the edge of darkness and dispelling the cold. But wait, it was in the 80's in Seattle. That's a heat wave for April. Careful, no one bake their brain watching this one go up. I'll check back in tomorrow. Here's hoping for something to pass the time during my commute.

But while I'm still here ... 

Balkins, I don't see this as a neo-mansard style. That style "according to Virginia and Lee McAlester in A Field Guide to American Houses, in regard to the Neo-Mansard style, 'builders in the early 1960s learned that a relatively inexpensive way to get a dramatic decorative effect was to construct slightly sloping upper wall surfaces to be covered with shingles or other decorative roofing materials. This technique was apparently first used in apartment projects in Florida and the southwest and then spread rapidly to houses. The style was particularly favored in the late 1960s and early ’70s but has persisted into the ’80s with modifications. Early versions for example seldom have through-the-cornice windows, a common feature on more recent examples.' Please see below for more common features of Neo-Mansard houses.

"As noted in “Architectural Movements of the Recent Past” by Alan Higgins, the defining features of the Neo-Mansard style are:

  • Over sized Mansard Roof
  • Roof on more than one level
  • Deep set windows in Mansard
  • Windows break through eave
  • Recessed entries
  • Small window openings
  • Rectangular form
  • Brick veneer is most common"

Obviously this mansard roof is not oversized, nor is it on more than one level. There are no deep set windows in the mansard, and without them they can't break through the eave. While the stained glass windows are small in width they are full height, I'm not sure that Higgins would agree that these are small window openings. The form is rectangular but that is hardly enough to distract from the other inconsistencies. Finally, exposed aggregate concrete is not brick, and while brick is the most common for neo-mansard homes, it is installed by masons and not concrete subcontractors so getting a historical recreation using the techniques of brick laying is completely irrelevant to the discussion, I'm only bringing it up to fill up some space because I'm too lazy to find something else to copy and paste. BTW, if you're wondering where the other paragraphs were copied from ... use google, or just click on this link.

So you may claim this is not a singular style but it most definitely not neo-mansard. At least according to Higgins and the McAlesters, and who are you to disagree with them ... they've at least published books and things on websites, probably none of which was plagiarized, and is available for anyone to look up. Just think about it. 

Apr 20, 16 1:39 am  · 
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The more I look at the photos at the link that E_I given, I think it was originally a ranch style house and had been remodeled.

Apr 20, 16 1:40 am  · 
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gruntle

no_form

this is the house I am buying as of today....

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/12004-71st-Ave-S-98178/home/196733

It wont required any vision or creativity to be appealing again.  Just some work and a new roof.

I have more fun and make better money on the ones that are shitty at a glance and a second glance and a third glance. I'm viewing the Shitty one with the walls on Thursday.  Its a long shot for making it into something nice and probably too far south to draw the right crowd but it has caught my eye and if nothing else it can be a "Rivet only" project.  I'm still new to the software.

Apr 20, 16 1:42 am  · 
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gruntle

Rick-OR

sorry for the snide 1952 remark...your comments what im looking for and what no one else seems interested in contributing.

Apr 20, 16 1:46 am  · 
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gruntle

It was renovated at some point 1980s? (when the kitchen was redone) Thats when the radius corners were put in and butt right into the kitchen cabinet.

I wonder if the interior ever had some cohesion to the exterior

Apr 20, 16 1:48 am  · 
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no_form
I think the roof on this POS is a local zoning or Hoa mandate to conform with "neighborhood character." Why else would you roof a building in such a way with walls like that?
Apr 20, 16 1:49 am  · 
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no_form
Oh, you're a house flipper. Glad you've befriended Richard water closet Balkins. You two should team up and design exempt structures across the PNW. you'll make millions together.
Apr 20, 16 1:53 am  · 
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