Inspirational Architects / Homes

[Ferdinand]

This thread is for examples of architects who can be looked up, or houses that can be studied or visited, to give ideas, details or simply provocation.

The aim is to help us self-builders who haven't designed or seen a wide range of houses gain different views or insights.

My top recommendations are:

1 - Go on the London Open House weekend, or equivalent regional events. The next one is due on September 17-18th, when hundreds of normally closed buildings, including domestic, will be open. Even Grand Designs Gin Palaces can have ideas that can be used in ordinary homes, and London has many innovatiev ideas because bnuilding is so difficult. My most enjoyable OH day was spent touring 4 different types of Council House built by Camden in the 1970s.

2 - Go and visit lots of houses with estate agents. Be a Nosey Parker.

3 - Look into ideas of not-quite-famous architects. For example I like Peter Aldington, who is known to many but not to me until recently, who designed modern houses from the 1960s that were also pleasant / practical to live in. For me that is the most important feature.

4- Keep a Notebook of Ideas, which could be a notebook or something like an annotated photo gallery on your phone.

Ferdinand

 

 

Edited July 7, 2016 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

I mentoned Peter Aldington.

I have a blog article about him - Houses are For Living - brought over from Ebuild.

Quote

I have started the blog after a pointer from an article "Whither Fashion" by Caliwag from July 2013 to a book "A Garden and Three Houses" by Jane Brown and Richard Bryant. The book is about a small scheme called Turn End by an architect - Peter Aldington - who was unknown to me. Peter and his wife Margaret built their house themselves in 1963, and have lived there for half a century.

There is also a video conversation, here, but the embed below may vanish in a year or two.

The first words are:

Quote

"I believe that every young architect should build their own house - or have the opportunity to do so."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNV1_EKo7Tg

Ferdinand

Edited July 7, 2016 by Ferdinand