Sometimes beauty is on the inside...
My great-great-great grandfather built this farmhouse with his own two hands. He built the house so well in fact, that my great grandparents, grandparents, mom, and my older sister and brother have at one point in their lives lived in this house. The house looks different than it did when it was first built; all of today's modern amenities like air conditioning, electric, plumbing, extra rooms, and trends have all been tacked on. The first indoor toilet was put in during the 80’s. It is amazing how many stories like this exist around the world of people building their own homes to sustain their families and the generations that come after. Architecture not built by architects exists all around us. These creations are not always pretty, but they can be resourceful, homey, real, adaptable, unique, and sustainable. All of which are very commendable attributes of good architecture and therefore have their own ordinary beauty. The house was sold in 90s to new owners, long before I was born. Nonetheless, it is such a privilege to have the stories of the farmhouse in my family. I think stories of informal architecture like this and the others we have read about in class teach us that it is shallow to think that just because something is not beautiful it is not good architecture.
I agree, Zoe. Architecture is its most successful when its inhabitants can enjoy it. Something practical can be loved and cherished as much as something beautiful that goes completely untouched. Our interactions with a work of architecture are what create meaningful memories, and we should consider these interactions when designing our own buildings in the future.
ReplyDeleteI love how you related the changes in architecture over time to the home. I think that is where we see the most beautiful when it comes to changes in spaces over time. Family after family, person after person, they begin to shift and change the narrative of the space into something new, that really begins to tell a story. It reminds me of the song by Miranda Lambert - The House that Built Me. Basically revisiting her childhood home and specifying different instances that she made an impression on the home over the years and how it is now a part of who she is.
ReplyDeleteSuper cool story! And not to mention a beautiful home! I totally agree with you Zoe, and I love how your family truly shaped the home. Architecture is not only for the client, but for their life, friends, community, neighbors, and family for generations to come. It will be the foundation for childhood stories, memories, hard times and good times. This prompts the questions if an architect needs to take a full life story into consideration. Not just the story for their pitch, but a story for how the family occupies the space in 5, 10, 15, 30+ years. While not trying to fixate on a specific path, general thoughts about how the family will progress and how their needs will change over the decades seems like a reasonable and somewhat obvious thing to take into consideration. One may also say learning a client's hobbies and interests and personalizing a home based on those matters would create a 'less attractive' architecture but more attractive "artwork" for the architect and the world of scholarship.
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ReplyDeleteGreat Grandfather to the 3rd power! Great stuff Zoe! I appreciate the writing and how you tied it back to architecture not needing architects and how everything we design doesn't to be glamour to eye but a place where generations can grow up in. It is time to we stop visiting websites like Archdaily and pinterest as the means for what is "acceptable architecture" and reframe the palate of what architecture really is, housing that builds generations.
DeleteI love this Zoe! Your last sentence really stood out to me. Through this module of the course, I have struggled with the typical aesthetics of design and with participatory design there is a different kind of beauty that comes from it. The level of how worn something is tells a story of life and age. It makes a space unique because of its inhabitants.
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