ruminations about architecture and design

Sunday, October 2, 2011

whither residential architecture?

I don't think that many people use the word "whither" much anymore. Residential architecture may be going somewhere, but I'm not sure where. Hopefully, I'll be able to find out soon, because I've been practicing in the field for more than ten years, and I can state with confidence, that I feel like I know less now than I did when I was younger.

I also don't expect many more big revolutions in house and home design. On this blog I've discussed the importance of systems integration in modern houses (i.e. bathrooms, modular kitchen cabinets, plywood....)
The immediate future will probably hinge on continued improvements in enclosure design and other "invisible" elements. As far as space planning go--I doubt that much is going to visibly change. The proportions and arrangement patterns of the basic living spaces is very well defined. There's infinite variation, but within well established norms. Kitchens are still slightly smaller than living/family rooms, dining rooms have a centrally located table, bedrooms have closets, bathrooms have rational fixture layouts. and the adjacencies and circulation patterns of well designed houses exhibit a high degree of similarity.

The most recent experiment in residential design was the Farnsworth House. It's influence is overrated.

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