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What is missing

Midaz

Hi guys,

I recently worked on a fantasy house which would be build in a rich area and I came up with this concept in which I try to mix both the emotions of a traditional home with a bit of contemporary addons but most people to who I shared it with, say there is something missing and I am trying to figure out what..so if people could help me I would really love it! Thank you very much!

 
Aug 12, 18 6:49 am
Anob

light fixtures is one thing missing.

Aug 12, 18 7:37 am  · 
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Midaz

well it is far from over, without the little details like light fixture, I mean achitecturally, is it because it lack balance? or anything like this?

Aug 12, 18 7:56 am  · 
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BulgarBlogger

Dude- fantasy home? lol... I wouldn't want to live in this thing even if you paid me to.

Aug 12, 18 8:27 am  · 
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Midaz

Why so? By fantasy home it means it won't be made... it is a school project I am redoing

Aug 12, 18 8:49 am  · 
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Anob

​You wouldn't live in a home even if they paid you?? Either your rich or something's missing

Aug 12, 18 8:56 am  · 
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Anob

What's missing are the traditional elements. Instead of trying to mix both traditional and contemporary in one shot, try adding all the traditional elements through historical research and photos then add some contemporary elements and remove anything you don't need.

Aug 12, 18 9:00 am  · 
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BulgarBlogger

Even worse if its a school project. Are you in HS or College?

Aug 12, 18 9:34 am  · 
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Non Sequitur
It’s so bad, my eyes hurt. What’s missing is the strength to restart from scratch... as well as a hundred other other things.
Aug 12, 18 9:35 am  · 
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Midaz

Alright admins can delete this post


thanks for your constructive comments everyone

Aug 12, 18 9:55 am  · 
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Volunteer

Google 'transitional homes'. They are often updated 60s and 70s tract homes. What drives the modernists insane is that the results are often modern versions of a style earlier than the tract homes themselves.

Aug 12, 18 10:01 am  · 
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BulgarBlogger

What software did you use to create this crap?

Aug 12, 18 10:08 am  · 
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randomised

what's missing is the architecture

Aug 12, 18 10:36 am  · 
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Midaz

Could you put some points that I could look up to help me please?

Aug 12, 18 11:16 am  · 
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randomised

Add architecture and you'll be fine, that's all.

Aug 13, 18 5:46 am  · 
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Non Sequitur
That window in the first floor does not cut the wall. Shows masonry behind glass. Also, white vinyl siding? Great idea, certainly will fit right in your “expensive” hood.
Aug 12, 18 11:06 am  · 
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Midaz

It is not vinyl lol it is wood, and the interior has brick walls too thati s the reason

Aug 12, 18 11:27 am  · 
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Non Sequitur

still all are bad ideas.

Aug 12, 18 11:47 am  · 
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Midaz

why so?

Aug 12, 18 11:58 am  · 
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Non Sequitur

because dressing up a terrible box with fancy materials still leaves you with a terrible box. Make an effort designing a box that is not terrible to start with.

Aug 12, 18 12:02 pm  · 
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archinine
Besides the obvious boring/genericness of it. The first thing that sticks out is the big gap between the gables. That’s a pit for leaves and other garbage. I can only imagine there are many other such design holes throughout the space...
The weird setback with the institutional railing and awkward shadows only draws further attention to the odd roof line. Almost looks like it’s two attached houses rather than one contiguous thought.
Aug 12, 18 11:34 am  · 
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Midaz

so , working to not have lost space just in order to create different volume? volume should be justified by utility not just for aestethic. and the the shadows you mean at the entrance of in genreal? do you have tips to attach 2 parts of buildings together?

Aug 12, 18 11:37 am  · 
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Wilma Buttfit

Masonry doesn't typically go up in gables like that. They can but often don't. Try to design so that you don't have to cut any brick. Maybe you have a good reason for it, I don't know. 

Aug 12, 18 11:42 am  · 
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Midaz

I inspired myself from an architect who often do it, that is the reason, from precedent but it is not comprehensive enough to be a justification, will rework it :) thanks for the advice :D


Aug 12, 18 11:48 am  · 
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Midaz

I see!! Awesome!! thank you very much guys I really appreciate!

Aug 12, 18 12:57 pm  · 
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JLC-1

you obviously don't know the rich

Aug 12, 18 11:42 am  · 
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Midaz

no, I am definitively not ahah tell me more about it

Aug 12, 18 11:46 am  · 
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JLC-1

what's the size of this cottage? how many bathrooms? service quarters? his/her offices? indoor pool? wine cellar? I assume that mercedes is the housemaid'.

Aug 12, 18 1:08 pm  · 
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Midaz

2 level house, maximum of 3000 square feet including bedroom and garage, 2 adults and 2 kids, 1 kitchen with storage, double sink, and a small island, 1 living room, 1 play room for the kids (age of choice), 2.5 bathrooms, 1 wc, 1 garage, 1 exterior space, 1 office, 1 mecanic room. that is the program

Aug 12, 18 2:26 pm  · 
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JLC-1

Middle of subirbia anywhere in the united states, carpeted floors, cheap mouldings and bottom of the line water and light fixtures. 380 to 540k dollars.

Aug 12, 18 6:11 pm  · 
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JLC-1
Midaz

Yeah here, it is not as expensive, I will link you google map and you will be able to see the houses around and you will see. The rich area of little town in Quebec is not the rich of Miami ahah https://www.google.com/maps/@45.413777,-71.9352264,3a,75y,358.85h,82.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqOusXXBibbRh5JrWxSv0NQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 this is the land of my project. the house currently built has been done by my teacher

Aug 12, 18 8:27 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

So, a generic "designer" house inserted into a rich suburban Sherbrooke neighbourhood. Boring. That house could be anywhere in the world. No attention to location, no attention to climate (ie. solar orientation and snow), I could go on.

Aug 13, 18 8:59 am  · 
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JLC-1

uff, you shouldn't have posted that. It's just a square mcmansion, see the giant lantern hanging over nothing? yeah....

Aug 13, 18 10:20 am  · 
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Non Sequitur

JLC, did you zoom out and set to satelite on gmaps? That poor tiny "forest"... got clear-cut for that POS mcmansion flavour of the day.

Aug 13, 18 11:07 am  · 
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JLC-1

I did not, but I know the type, it's like that ugly white elephant the zha did outside moscow where you uber rich neighbors are 30 meters away.

Aug 13, 18 12:43 pm  · 
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JLC-1

Oh, and it was a swamp? how rich.

Aug 13, 18 12:45 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

the vacant land sold recently. Asking price was $360k (canadian loonies)

Aug 13, 18 12:52 pm  · 
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Midaz

This is throught the construction, that is why there is swamp around, you can look at the street behind and behind to the left and you will see some doctor houses too... I am not sure I see the lantern you are talking about.. I don't like it even if it is my teacher but yeah this is what has been build...

Aug 13, 18 6:39 pm  · 
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Midaz

Yeah the house cost 1.5M just for the rough apparently.. and yeah the house might be generic but don't you think it is well designed still? cause it is still selling quite expensively... How are you playing with the snow for example? I tried to use the sun which is straight in front of the house (south) but how are you using the sun more than providing living spaces with lot of sun and maximizing natural light?

Aug 13, 18 8:15 pm  · 
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joseffischer

There should be a new "style" called sketchupism. This "teacher's" house totally fits that style. The student is rebelling by providing the antithesis to sketchupism, suburban sprawl.

Aug 14, 18 1:48 pm  · 
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joseffischer

Heh, there's like 5 houses in the subdivision so far? and they all use similar materials. I wonder if that's in the HOA docs or if this teacher is funding the subdivision and picks his favorite student designs to build from.

Aug 14, 18 2:00 pm  · 
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Midaz

I am not sure to understand what you mean , my english is far from perfect, what do you mean? That
his design is appropriate or innapropriate? I feel like there is not any house on this street appealing me whats so ever...

Aug 14, 18 3:28 pm  · 
 · 
( o Y o )

What is missing? 


A site and its context, a concept, aesthetic sensibility, social responsibility, landscaping ... etc. 

Aug 12, 18 12:35 pm  · 
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Midaz

So I was wondering, how do you guys work in a specific SF. For example, if I have a project of 3000 SF max, with the garage and the garage 2nd floor, then it goes quickly and your possibilities of design are kind of limited. How are you guys working it out? If you put your kitchen, living room, entry, dining area, you almost surely reach 700 SF on first floor, you don't have your basement or 2nd floor... do you have tips and tricks? I feel like either your plan is suffering or your exterior design...

Aug 12, 18 8:30 pm  · 
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Steeplechase

It’s a skill developed over time with practice. It’s not just any one thing. You’re also
assuming these spaces must be of some large size.

Aug 12, 18 9:28 pm  · 
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Algebraic algorithms.

Aug 13, 18 8:45 am  · 
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Wilma Buttfit

All the best designers design with light, not floor plans, elevations, not bricks, etc. Hope that helps.

Aug 13, 18 9:43 am  · 
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Non Sequitur

I design with a 6mm dia 6B pencil.

Aug 13, 18 9:53 am  · 
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Wilma Buttfit

I said the BEST designers. ;]

Aug 13, 18 10:10 am  · 
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JLC-1

I don't know how it is in quebec, but most of US municipalities don't count all the square footage at 100%, many have garages and basements completely exempt from the max. allowed area. Stairs count only on the floor where they originate, decks and terraces above living space don't count, etc.; did your professor know this?

Aug 13, 18 10:18 am  · 
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Non Sequitur

It's a school project, your prof should tell you what counts and what gets ignored for sq.ft.

Aug 13, 18 11:08 am  · 
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Midaz

Well for this school project it was about a SF maximum, when I asked about it he said well it becomes the same as if I said build for this budget, it will cost you X amount of money per SF... but yeah I feel like the program requirements are sometime hard to fit in a specific SF amount...

Aug 13, 18 6:40 pm  · 
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JLC-1

the assignment looks very shoddy, perhaps he's in need of some ideas? judging the house you showed us, he's not very good at architecturing.

Aug 14, 18 1:22 pm  · 
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Midaz

I feel the assigment vs the max sf doesnt allow us to make so much.. I think it was only to save time correcting since it was my first year assignment which btw was 100 times worst than this house and I got 80% ... It is not a program that push on conception much and I don't want to be stuck sucking at designing my entire life lol

Aug 14, 18 3:31 pm  · 
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JLC-1

good luck, but get away from this type of bloodsucker

Aug 14, 18 5:56 pm  · 
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Midaz

thank you so much for your help JLC, I have lots of points here to progress and will surely do! thanks again for all your time !

Aug 14, 18 6:10 pm  · 
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Wilma Buttfit

I see a skinnyman detail.

Aug 12, 18 11:05 pm  · 
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Archicore

To me, the biggest flaw in my mind is continuity and cohesive design. While you haven’t provided something like a floor plan or Axon/3D view, it looks like this was planned based on the spaces within it. You went through the project requirement checklist, made a box for each of those, slapped them together and called it a day. While I doubt this was what really happened, that’s what I feel is communicated to me through the design.

A way to remedy this is to take a step back, and really look at your building in all views. Try to get the shapes flowing in a way that makes sense. Apply a pattern/hierarchy to them. Symmetry can help but is also a very dangerous. Many students fall into relying on it (Kudos for not falling for it). I would also recommend doing some research into each architectural style you’re borrowing from. While it’s easy enough to slap modern looking windows onto a traditional façade, that usually doesn’t look right. If you really want a nice mix of the two, look up what really makes contemporary houses contemporary, the same goes for whatever you consider “Traditional”. Find ways that these styles mix and interact that create interesting moments within the design. Maybe pin down a few core concepts, and try to communicate those concepts through the design.

Most of all, keep it simple. Student projects can get bogged down in "cool ideas" because there’s no client or budget keeping you in line. If you’re really interested in design, you’ll be doing plenty of it later in your education, and in the professional world. You don’t have to cram all your cool ideas into this one fantasy house. Like I mentioned above, write down some core concepts, and pin it to your desk somewhere in plain sight. As you design, occasionally peek at this list, and check to see if your design still communicates those ideas. This can help keep your designs cohesive. Don't be afraid to start from scratch if you need to.

Just a couple ideas off the top of my head. The others here can most likely provide much better feedback as they have a lot more experience in the field. Don’t be afraid of the “savage comments”, those are usually better than getting a lukewarm response to your design.

Aug 13, 18 1:45 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

in the OP's defence, this is not an architecture undergrad assignment. This is typical curriculum stuff for Canadian technical colleges where the emphasis is construction detail (very basic) over design.

Aug 13, 18 1:58 pm  · 
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mightyaa

Agree with Archicore. To me, it is like music. It needs to all flow together into a cohesive song instead of being sampled from a variety of songs (where you are now). So I usually start by establishing the rhythm and genre... the shapes need to flow together in a way that makes sense.

Aug 13, 18 2:05 pm  · 
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Midaz

Wow you guys are terribly awesome!! thank you so much for this constructive comment I really appreciate and it will help me see things very differently! Thank you so much! It is so well explained and very good tips and tricks. I like the comparison with music! will keep it in mind!

Aug 13, 18 3:12 pm  · 
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Midaz

Actually the way I proceed was different from normally... I actually made an elevation which I thought would look great then I tried to make the interior spaces from that and then when I arrived on 2nd floor problems arrived with the plan... so today I went back on autocad instead of revit to forget about the 3D and wanting it to look something straight up, I feel it will be better to always start with Autocad, figure out the spaces/relationships and then transfer to revit.. otherwise it becomes so easy to go straight to the 3D and forget about the basics..


Aug 13, 18 6:36 pm  · 
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Non Sequitur

^that's not how one designs. What's the point of working from an elevation? Is the house enjoyed/experienced/lived by the neighbours across the street? How about you forget about CAD or BIM and take out a bold graphite pencil and some trace and design something freehand? You won't learn anything if you're chained to a keyboard/mouse.

Aug 13, 18 8:03 pm  · 
 · 
Midaz

Yeah this is what I am doing right now , and yeah like you said on your previous comment, I am doing a technical college class which is really not based on design development.. I am trying to learn that part on my own and get better at it. Like the house I shared in the comment earlier, it is not even an architect, it is a technical architecture student and he learnt how to design by himself and I have a lot of admiration for that.thanks for your advice Sequitur!


Aug 13, 18 8:10 pm  · 
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spacefragments

What is missing is the understanding of what is Contemporary, but you also admitted that it was an "add-on".  It is difficult to express something when its not expressed enough. 

The brick remained a brick.  The understanding of fascia remained as a fascia.  The wide picture window did not align with the attempt of the balustrade.

Instead of aiming to provide or simulate, attempt to practice critical thinking.  All else will follow.

Aug 13, 18 7:36 pm  · 
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Midaz

I will surely read about contemporary, and try to make more defined movements, I really appreciate your comment, thanks for sharing your thought. ! Will work on it!

Aug 13, 18 8:06 pm  · 
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BulgarBlogger

What’s missing is a grear architecture education!

Aug 13, 18 7:47 pm  · 
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jeiffert

Make Architecture Grear Again!

Aug 14, 18 6:32 pm  · 
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Rusty!

Wait, is this post related to the other post "House for an Architect"? Is this shellarchitect's throwaway account? Off to a very rough start sir. Is this wife driven vision so far? Blink twice if you need us to send help.

Aug 14, 18 1:06 pm  · 
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Midaz

nope I have no clue about this post, i posted about tricks to mix styles and thats it I think lol



Aug 14, 18 3:32 pm  · 
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vado retro

You missed your Lutyens moment by placing those two gables in different planes, rather than bringing them together and adding a scupper.

Aug 14, 18 4:06 pm  · 
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Midaz

I will try to make it work ! thanks for your help ! I appreciate my friend!

Aug 14, 18 5:45 pm  · 
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tuna

you forgot to add the birds in the sky! 

Aug 21, 18 4:17 pm  · 
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