Architecture: How Details Can Make All the Difference
“God is in the details,” a quote famously attributed to Mies van der Rohe, means that a design’s idea must be thoroughly and consistently represented through the entire fabric of the design — down to its smallest details.
I received a wonderful email the other day from a woman who had been scouting neighborhoods for interesting architecture. She had stumbled upon one of the homes designed by my architecture firm and wrote, “What I’ve mostly seen has either been in the arena of ‘has potential,’ ‘a near miss’ or ‘totally missed opportunity.’ Until today.”
I believe the has-potential and near-miss homes are often a result of poor detailing. I recall the first time, as a student in Michigan, I walked through a Frank Lloyd Wright home. Of course the home was impressive, but what struck me — what I remember most — was the consistency of the idea, how Wright carried his architectural idea (materials, rhythms, geometries) through to the smallest details. The home had integrity and depth, like a novel with wonderfully deep and meaningful characters. One can have a terrific idea for a story (has potential) but if written with poor character development, the story will fall flat (a near miss). A poorly detailed home is much like a novel with shallow characters.
These five projects help illustrate the importance and potential impact of architectural details.
1. This is a tremendously well-detailed home. Nothing about this project, from top to bottom, is poorly considered. Multiple materials come together with a symphonic result — this is not easy to do. A considerable amount of work and thought goes into a project to make it simple and clean.
My favorite detail in this project (which probably goes most unnoticed) may be the small recess where the exterior wall and the roof connect, creating a shadow line that emphasizes the floating nature of the roof. Had the recess been too small or too large, or had the fascia been too thick or too thin, this detail would have failed.
Horizontal lines emphasize the wave of the wall on the same project — a potential near miss that instead hits the target.
2. Another well-detailed, well-thought-out project. Every detail, material and connection chosen furthers the overall idea, creating consistency and authenticity.
The overhead door expands on the industrial semblance, as do the exposed steel trusses, woven steel fabric and raw metal.
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I received a wonderful email the other day from a woman who had been scouting neighborhoods for interesting architecture. She had stumbled upon one of the homes designed by my architecture firm and wrote, “What I’ve mostly seen has either been in the arena of ‘has potential,’ ‘a near miss’ or ‘totally missed opportunity.’ Until today.”
I believe the has-potential and near-miss homes are often a result of poor detailing. I recall the first time, as a student in Michigan, I walked through a Frank Lloyd Wright home. Of course the home was impressive, but what struck me — what I remember most — was the consistency of the idea, how Wright carried his architectural idea (materials, rhythms, geometries) through to the smallest details. The home had integrity and depth, like a novel with wonderfully deep and meaningful characters. One can have a terrific idea for a story (has potential) but if written with poor character development, the story will fall flat (a near miss). A poorly detailed home is much like a novel with shallow characters.
These five projects help illustrate the importance and potential impact of architectural details.
1. This is a tremendously well-detailed home. Nothing about this project, from top to bottom, is poorly considered. Multiple materials come together with a symphonic result — this is not easy to do. A considerable amount of work and thought goes into a project to make it simple and clean.
My favorite detail in this project (which probably goes most unnoticed) may be the small recess where the exterior wall and the roof connect, creating a shadow line that emphasizes the floating nature of the roof. Had the recess been too small or too large, or had the fascia been too thick or too thin, this detail would have failed.
Horizontal lines emphasize the wave of the wall on the same project — a potential near miss that instead hits the target.
2. Another well-detailed, well-thought-out project. Every detail, material and connection chosen furthers the overall idea, creating consistency and authenticity.
The overhead door expands on the industrial semblance, as do the exposed steel trusses, woven steel fabric and raw metal.
More…
