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The Picturesque for Deconstructive Purposes

Greendesignr


Recently, I was surprised to find deconstructive concepts, hidden within the typically picturesque architecture of a Los Angeles residence. The home which had qualities of a fairy tale castle reflects nostalgic concepts of the early 1900's (Walt Disney's Snow White), but offers a minmalist interior that highlights an unexpectedly fragmented geometry. In an attempt to legitimately connect program with style, vernacular irregularity reads more like sophisticated deconstruction. I wonder if this is a necessary result, emerging from the classic binary opposition of "Interior vs. Exterior." Do you think that the picturesque might emerge as a mechanism for the production of complex, contemporary design?

 
Mar 9, 06 8:23 pm
jwo

no

Mar 9, 06 8:48 pm  · 
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Carl Douglas (agfa8x)

yes

Mar 9, 06 11:19 pm  · 
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Living in Gin

Maybe.

Mar 9, 06 11:27 pm  · 
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upside

only on thursdays

Mar 9, 06 11:31 pm  · 
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Smokety Mc Smoke Smoke
Mar 10, 06 2:45 am  · 
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Nevermore
Mar 10, 06 5:23 am  · 
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laistm

it might seem to me that we're unable to fully understand what EXACTLY you're trying to say...please elaborate

Mar 10, 06 9:31 am  · 
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laistm

it might seem to me that we're unable to fully understand what EXACTLY you're trying to say...please elaborate

Mar 10, 06 9:31 am  · 
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Greendesignr

ok based on these responses let me see if I can put this in the most crudest of terms....I have a project involving a historic house that has an exterior that is made to look like a stone castle in a "cottage" scale. The interior is barren with very little picturesque style compared to the outside of the house. The interesting thing about the interior is the angles of each room, almost seemingly the floor pln/programming seems to be laid out to fit the shell of the house. ex:(upper level) windows that start at the floor and end mid way up the wall. steps and levels changing from room to room, angular kniches cut into walls things of that nature. My question is could deconstructivism be used as a fusion between exterior and interior to connect the two? I cant get simpler than that.

Mar 10, 06 2:01 pm  · 
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5

duh well uh you gonnah need uh smart peepuhl ta handuhl tah wun, buddy, even in them thur simple terms...

you have made a very strange first impression on this forum, my friend.

Mar 10, 06 2:30 pm  · 
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SuperHeavy

It would be either crudest or most crude, not both.


Oh wait, you were speaking down to us, my apologies.

Mar 10, 06 3:05 pm  · 
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WonderK

greendesignr, what are you? are you a theorist masquarading as a contractor? or a critic preying on a poorly executed project? or a really well-informed owner/builder who needs to design a room in which to roll around in your money? It would help us answer your question if we knew why you were asking. For whatever reason, my mental picture of you thus far is along the lines of Count Chocula. Go figure.

In any case, my answer is, sure, why not. Do a 3D model and show us. Better yet, do it in 3Dh.

Mar 10, 06 3:51 pm  · 
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JohnProlly

prolly not

Mar 10, 06 4:51 pm  · 
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Greendesignr

I am impressed with the arrogance of people I was told might have some insightful things to say. If you dont have anything nice or constructive to say why waste your time at all? I didnt mean to sound like I was talking down to the whole forum but more or less trying to get ideas for this project. I was only trying to make it clearer to get my point across. To answer I am none of the things you want to harshly judge me on, I have given enough of a description of my project to get some feedback on my question...not my grammer or if im count chocula.

Mar 10, 06 6:19 pm  · 
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WonderK

Honestly I meant no offense. Half of what I say is in jest, and not insultingly so. And I really had no idea where the Count Chocula thing came from, I thought it was funny though, right? No? Maybe it was the castle reference.

I was serious about the part where I said that it would help us, me in particular, formulate an insightful opinion if I knew where you were coming from. An overview of the project, perhaps some program requirements, etc. It seems that most of what you told us was a bit abstract. I'm just saying.

Mar 10, 06 8:45 pm  · 
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garpike

Hmmm... I was told if I dropped my thesis paper topic on you guys without letting you know that was what I was doing you'd do it for me.

I like walks on the beach and honesty drom the get-go.

Mar 10, 06 9:00 pm  · 
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garpike

I also mean only to jest.

But you could maybe compel us to join by providing examples. Show us you mean it.

Less talk, more rock!

Mar 10, 06 9:02 pm  · 
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5

green,
this forum is full of intelligent desigers with helpful things to say, but there are certainly some social norms which prevail around here. if you want help, be a bit less obtuse. examples, background and especially images would be great. you've gotten some attention, so all you need to do now is come through. you would never drop that statement point blank on a colleague or professor (i hope), expecting to get a useful response.
.5

Mar 10, 06 9:08 pm  · 
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Carl Douglas (agfa8x)

i didn't mean to participate in an anti-theory pile-on.

there are indeed some impressively arrogant people around here.

my non-facetious answer is: quite possibly. I think this is one of those situations where you will only know by experimentation. I don't think you can work it all out and then do the project. instead, take what you have suggested as a hypothesis, and your project as a means of testing it.

you may need to elaborate on what you understand by deconstructivism in order for us to comment on it as a strategy. it means a lot of different things to different people.

how do you think deconstructivism could mediate in exterior/interior relationship?

Mar 11, 06 1:58 am  · 
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bucku

libeskind did an interior that is very striking in an older picturesque[?] bldng. it was a museum though, but exteremely modern meets classic. i love when the two tangle. it lets see the layers of time through design. i believe that a modern interior can be approached without input from the exterior. all of these new loft renovations do it all the time. i agree with j on the decon thing. the theory seems arbitrary to the equation at hand. the solution may give the decon aesthetic [my class mates try that alll the time] but i would not attack the problem with preconcieved notions of what the interior will be.

Mar 11, 06 4:31 pm  · 
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newstreamlinedmodel

please read "of grammatology" and then wigley's "architecture and deconstruction" and then get back to us.

Also maybe tell us what you mean by picturesque. I though it meant "looks like a picture" as in sets up a view or series of views. I thought it went out with the Beaux Artes but it seems to be coming back of late in mutant forms.

If you have flash a badge to be authoritative maybe you can claim some kind of grey pomo think. Check out learning from Los Vegas.

I don't know the answer, these cats don't know the answer, you've got to make the answer yourself. That's what we do.

And don't be insulted that's just what they do.

Mar 12, 06 2:45 pm  · 
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Janosh

I'm so excited to see that Uvedale Price and Derrida are finally going to have something in common.

Mar 12, 06 3:26 pm  · 
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anti

"deconstructivist ideas simply aren't meant to create fusion"

I think this is exactly what deconstructivist ideas are meant for.
conscious state of polarity
Tilted value towards one of the poles
fundamentally no polarity
fusion of the poles

yes/no?

Mar 12, 06 9:28 pm  · 
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dia

What is your brief? Is this a renovation or reuse project? Is this purely theoretical?

It sounds like an interesting situation.

When you talk about connection, are looking for a theoretical, or actual connection?

It sounds like the house has been designed from the outside to meet this ideal, so in a sense the interior is the 'otherside' of the ideal or the picturesque, in that it has been forced to comply, that it has been contrived, leaving unusual spaces. The interior seems like a leftover or an accident, but has its own charms and qualities. It is the interior of a folly.

It does'nt seem like a deconstructivist project to me, unless you can verify that the designer intentionally set up the exterior to influence the interior to produce the effects you mention.

Without any detail on what your intent or brief is, it is hard to give advice. I'd look at some of Preston Scott Cohen's geometric studies in Contested Symmetries. Otherwise, it seems like you can get deep into this kind of study.

if I were you, I'd look at some examples of the nature of the material gap between the outside and inside and see if you can't find some patterns and relationships to draw on.

Mar 12, 06 10:43 pm  · 
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dia

ps. Deconstructivism, to me, is the intentional act of exposing default conditions/programs/structures, by illuminating and/or investigating their respective components. How to do this, is the trick.

Mar 12, 06 10:46 pm  · 
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