Fantasy House Or Comfortable And Inviting Home?

Ask yourself. Why do so many architects and interior designers create “aesthetically pleasing” building facades and interior spaces that result in an unlivable house? What value is a building facade or interior that “looks good” in a magazine but is uncomfortable to use?
I’m Harry Parkhurst, associate AIA and managing director of Architectural Design Partners, a design/build architectural firm. After nearly 5 decades of domestic and international design experience creating destination hotels, estate homes, and corporate offices I’ve chosen a different approach. For me there is one fundamental approach to a building’s design. The form or design of any building is a result of the functions of the interior spaces.
Let’s consider the site where the building is to be located.
Too often, the site and its surroundings are ignored completely. Someone wants to put a “square peg” in a round hole or the reverse. Why? Because they envision some building wrapper that looks impressive in a magazine or the company portfolio but have no relationship with the site and its surroundings. I see within every site a rhythm that relates directly to itself, its surroundings, or reality. Maybe it’s rolling hills, or a grassy flower filled meadow surrounded by a shadowed forest. Or maybe it’s a broad and bustling city street surrounded by tall gray glass wrapped skyscrapers.
A building has a purpose to fulfill but at the same time it needs to be in harmony with the site and its surroundings. This then should be the true function of an architect, creating a structure (form) that serves its (function) purpose and is in harmony with the site and its surroundings.  Instead of bulldozing a site flat with no trees, why not work with the contours of the site and incorporate the trees into the site’s design?
Next let’s consider why a building is being created (function).
Isn’t a building’s living or working interior spaces the purpose or reason for its creation? Do we live outside the walls or inside them? A variety of criteria dictates the needs for each space in a home. As a result, size and even shape will be different from one home to the next. In other words, it’s what’s inside that determines the size and shape of the exterior. This is then combined with the harmonious relationship of the site and site environment to be the final determining factors of what the building should look like. Of course, there’re also zoning requirements that dictate some requirements to a building’s shape and façade. Common sense would also be an important factor. Consider the residence with a window directly across from an adjacent residence window. Another interesting question is why have an abundance of windows on the front façade with only an “exciting” view of a driveway and the street. This is often the result of the preselection of a buildings appearance such as “traditional” and “period reproductions” styles. An overriding question is why build a house that fails to incorporate reality or is a monument to what used to be rather than incorporate the improvements of newer materials and functional designs.
Some final thoughts to consider.
A builder is there to execute the designs and specifications of the architect, engineer, and interior designer. They should be consulted as part of the design process to offer assistance and advice on methods to streamline the construction process and use of materials. They should then be supervised by the design team, not left to modify or change what was created on behalf of the clients. They build. They don’t design.
Clothes do not need their own rooms known as closets. A wardrobe is a much better choice to serve as a storage facility for clothing. Built-in ovens where you don’t have to bend over to use rather than ranges are a more logical choice. The same is true for having all the base or lower cabinets as drawer units. Why should a cook have to get on their knees to crawl into cabinets with doors and shelves? Microwaves should also be built-in rather than be an injury hazard located over a counter cooktop or stovetop. To save on the electric bill all lighting needs to be long lasting LED types, and the water heater should be an instant hot unit rather than a tank that uses electricity constantly. Solar panels are a great addition too. To save on water usage all toilets should be dual flush and yard irrigation should be the low-water drip type. Lastly, it’s time to stop building with wooden sticks here in Florida. There are structural systems that are faster, used for walls, floors and roofs that can withstand winds up to 235MPH.
On first look this seems to only apply to new construction. Many of these recommendations, however,  can be included in the necessary remodeling and cost savings for an existing home. 
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