I really like this. The curved roofs, the corrugated siding (never needs paint), the nifty balconies, the alternating symmetries.
Kudos to the good architects, of whom there are unfortunately few these days.
The first part of the complete reorganization of our “social media” is now up and running: shelterpub.tumblr.com. To start, we’ve posted 10 photos from our building books. This was set up by Sean Hellfritsch. Tumblr will be our photography platform.
We have over 7,000 photos in our 6 building books, and I have something like 15,000 photos (film and digital) dating back to the ’60s, maybe a third of them on building(s).
We are currently working on redesign of my blog, The Shelter Blog (this blog), Twitter and Facebook pages, Shelter’s website, and getting Instagram rolling.
With all this going on, I’m not posting very often these days, but I intend to get rolling with Instagram soon, and coordinate my Instagram photos with this blog.
Stay tuned.
From www.lloydkahn.com/…
At the end of tiny road, after another one of those roundabouts, lays a spectacular garden, then an abandoned castle, then a huge German bunker, then the Orangerie and finally, what I am really impatient to visit: the Mémoire de Soye two “baraques,” the French one — the 534-10 — and the American one — the famous UK100 we also had in the UK (about 8,000 were imported from America in 1946). I am amazed by all the work Mémoire de Soye has put in the dismantling of the prefabs, their re-assembling on a land which used to count 286 of them till 1991 when the last ones were pulled down! Then they transformed the two prefabs into wonderful cosy and cute museums, trying hard and succeeding in finding the right pieces of furniture, the memorabilia etc…
Article from www.theaccidentalphotographer.me/…
On the Skagg’s Springs Road in Mendocino County, California, last Friday. This is one of those humble farm buildings that stop me in my tracks. Everything looks right. Too bad architects so seldom incorporate the beauty of simplicity, practicality, and economy in their creations.
From www.lloydkahn.com/…
Last week Yogan and I spent an hour exploring the Fort Ross State Historic Park, a masterful re-creation of the Russian fort built on the Northern California coast in 1812. The Russians brought down Native Alaskan hunters who speared sea otters from seal skin kayaks. Most of the hunters came from the Kodiak Islands and their kayaks, spears, and hunting techniques were extraordinary (more on this later).
If you are ever driving up the Northern California coast, I highly recommend going to this site.
Here is the chapel (star of the show), metal shop, and wood shop. Roofing on these buildings consisted of 2 layers of long planks, laid with the cracks in the top layer over the centers of the under layer.
I don’t care for most Sea Ranch architecture. Too sterile, and no overhangs, which is just dumb here on the west coast. Landscaping at Sea Ranch, by Laurence Halprin, however, is brilliant; he just left everything as was, coyote bush and all.
This house, however, looked good to my eye.
From www.lloydkahn.com/…
Old house near Anini Beach
Westernmost bookstore of the United States, located in Hanapepe
One of the most common questions we get asked is “How do I learn how to build a tiny home?” A very superior answer would be the Yestermorrow School in Waitsfield, Vermont offering over 100 hands-on courses per year in design, construction, woodworking, and architectural craft including a variety of courses concentrating in sustainable design and green building. Yestermorrow is one of the only design/build schools in the country, teaching both design and construction skills. Hands-on courses are taught by top architects, builders, and craftspeople from across the country.
Read More …
I like the way this inexpensive connecting roof provides so much more usable space.
This reminds me of homes designed by Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan during the Arts and Crafts Movement in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1900s. Note the fine lava rock masonry work of the fireplace, the gentle curves at the ends of the rafters. Well designed, well built.
I recently spent three weeks on the island of Kaua‘i. I shot a lot of photographs of small homes that seemed simple, well-designed, and suitable for the climate. In general I thought that construction on Kaua‘i was of pretty good quality: good carpentry. I’m going to put up photographs as I get the time. Some of these are more upscale than others, but overall, the shapes seem functional.
When people ask me what I think they should build, I generally suggest that they look around at what’s been built in the neighborhood (or surroundings). I think this is generally a better place to start than with an architect.
Read More …
Les Tit’B Libres is a group of young French artists living communally in handmade structures, such as this cob home with a reciprocal roof.
See more of their free lifestyle at titblibre.garagepunks.com.
To build a reciprocal roof, we first install a temporary central pillar on which the first chevron is placed. The height of this pillar depends on the roof pitch.The following rafters are then placed to support the one on the other. The last chevron place above the penultimate and below the first one. They are then attached to each other and the central pillar is removed. If only one of the rafters breaks, the whole structure collapses. Read More …
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