Cliff Building

Over Spring Break I traveled to Italy and France. I was able to spend a day exploring Cinque Terre, which was beautifully relaxing. Being coastal, it is extremely hilly and cliff-ridden. Many would look at the landscape as uninhabitable, but the builders took the slopes and cliffs to their advantage. The homes were built right into the sides of the slopes, and flat ground was achieved by terracing. The outcome was beautiful and obviously well-constructed, since the buildings have been around and stable for hundreds of years.

Visiting Cinque Terre got me thinking about modern architecture revolving around hills and cliffs. From what I have seen, architects seem to be avoiding slopes and bluffs more and more. I began my search for modern homes built off, in, or around steep hills and immediately came across 'Villa Vals'. The house was constructed 14 years ago completely inside a hill in Vals, Switzerland. What fascinates me most about Villa Vals is that although only one side of the home can bring light in, the interior is still very bright and comfortable. Since the building is such a success, I don't understand why more architects have thought to create more homes like this one. I think that hillside homes are both attractive and space saving, and it would be awesome to see more of them in the future.

http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/recordhouses/2010/10_Villa_Vals.asp

Acceptance

Not so much in the architecture category, but I just recently designed the set for the play Acceptance at my school. It was written by my classmate and was loosely based on his autistic brother. In the play, his father dies and he has trouble accepting his death. I built the set and made the chairs, using no color but black and white to contrast the actor's bright clothes. I wanted the furniture to match the boy's perception, making it abstract and different. In the background there were blown up charcoal drawings hanging from the ceiling because the boy was an artist. I sprayed the edges of the furniture black to give it a drawn look, and successfully matched them with the pictures. This photo was taken before the production, so some of the set isn't complete.

anti carbon footprint!

I stumbled upon the 'Solar Decathalon' http://www.solardecathlon.org/2009/gallery_homes.cfm while I was looking at off-the-grid homes earlier today, and some of these are so neat! I already love the idea of a miniature house (ex. Jay Shafer's Tiny house travel-trailers: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com), but these are bigger, more practical, and probably have an even smaller carbon footprint! My favorites are the ones designed by Team Alberta, Team California, Ohio, and Minnesota. Can't wait for the next one in 2011!

These homes got me thinking about a solar powered house I once stayed in on Martha's Vineyard. My friend Rosy's family friends own an off-the-grid house which they built themselves not too long ago, and it is one of the most fairy tale homes I have ever experienced. It's off of a dirt road and in the middle of the woods, and it has a rope swing and an outdoor shower. Completely charming, personally and environmentally.

Spain 2009

I was visiting Spain last Spring. While driving through the country heading towards Malaga, I took some shots of some of the homes, sadly most of them have disappeared, but I have managed to locate these.\. Most houses were very run-down, and I am still not sure whether or not any of them were occupied. Regardless, I love the their look. It's almost impossible to imagine how exactly the inside is laid out because of the house's strange shape I especially love the chipping plaster over the brick and the seemingly random windows and privacy walls on this.

These buildings are obviously occupied, but the way they were constructed is still fascinating. The red-roofed building is made of stone, and the foundation is simply arches. The house with the pool is accessed by bridge, and the yard is terraced and sanded. Although they at first look similar, none of them are made the same way, and even their roofs are shingled with different material.