Designing for the Person
In this image, you see a larger residential home adjacent to a smaller residential home. They look very different in scale and appearance, but they serve the same purpose. They were designed for an individual.
Samuel Mockbee states in The Rural Studio “People and place matter.” It is also stated that it is the architect’s responsibility to keep both in mind despite increasing pressure from the late-capitalist culture. I relate a lot to Mockbee’s humanist language because my ultimate goal when designing is to keep the client in mind and how the finished product interacts with society.
In my last internship, I was designing residential homes. Granted, these homes were in very wealthy areas of Charleston and for a particular clientele… Whether it is designing a mansion or a home that serves to help the lower income community, it is all the same principle that we should be designing. The ultimate goal is to serve the client’s needs. I have always gravitated towards my client relationships because knowing who you are designing for, helps you reach an honest design. I appreciate Mockbee’s premise and I think it is absolutely incredible he used unconventional materials to demonstrate creativity at a lower budget. I think there is something we can all learn from his Rural Studio when designing and that is not to explicitly rule out any “type” of architecture. Architecture serves a purpose in who we are creating for and how it is placed into our world.
"People and Place" are super important things to consider when designing, no matter the program. What is right for one person is not automatically right for another, and the same concept is applicable towards places and different regions of the world. We can take note from other cultures and different types of people to study what commonly works in terms of design.
ReplyDeleteMolly, I think that what you're saying here is important, as Lydia says, People and Place are super important when designing, no matter the program. I think this is why I love the 'rural living' and how when you have your own piece of land (opposed to a neighborhood) you can design the house that will specifically fit the needs for you and your family, rather than finding a home that fits it under the fabric of a HOA or other association. I think that architecture can definitely help or hurt a community, so it is so important to keep people in mind when designing. Not just site, and not just the people, but both together.
ReplyDeleteMolly, I completely agree with you. People and place you be the main focus on every architects design. The premise for my comprehensive studio focuses on this very aspect because often, in the case of commercial and office buildings, people's needs get outshined by other factors such as bigger public spaces or building aesthetics and forget to pay attention to design factors that actually influence the occupants day to day lives.
ReplyDeleteMolly,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you read something special from the typical image. These two buildings are designed for an individual with the same function living, even though they look different. Everyone has their way of interpreting the style of their house, So providing the users with the spaces that fit their needs is the first and foremost thing for architects.